Authority and Obedience
- An important part of the Kingdom advancing on earth is by using kingdom authority.
- Genesis 1:28 After God created man, Adam, he told Adam to subdue the earth and everything in it.
- The main meaning behind the Hebrew word translated as subdue is to have dominion.
- The Webster dictionary defines dominion as supreme authority or sovereignty.
- In Genesis 1:28 God tells Adam you have authority over all of the earth and everything in it.
- This idea of authority goes all the way back to Adan and Eve.
- This authority or dominion was supposed to remain with mankind forever.
- That’s how the authority would remain on earth, through descendants.
- But then Adam and Eve disobey God and eat from the forbidden fruit. Disobedience.
- As a result of their disobedience God cursed the earth.
- This caused both Adam and Eve and all of mankind to lose this authority.
Genesis 3:17-18 Adam was to have dominion over the earth and now the earth will work against him and produce thorns and thistles.
- Many other forms of hardship entered the world: Storms, Pests, disease, and other forms of malice entered the earth
- Jesus came to earth to set mankind free from sin and the death penalty.
- But Jesus also came to earth to win back authority for mankind.
- Luke 22:41-44 In his moment of absolute anguish Jesus remined obedient to His Father’s will not His own desire. He did what the first Adam could not.
- This obedience took Him to the cross, to win our freedom from sin and death but also restore our authority.
- Matt 28: 18-19 This scene takes place after his death and resurrection. After his obedience.
- Jesus says that all authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Him.
- Divine passive. The authority was placed on Him by the father.
- The authority that was once with Adam, is now with Jesus. Jesus restored what Adam lost.
- Then verse 19 has an important “therefore.”
- The therefore implied that Jesus is passing that authority back to us His disciples.
- Jesus is now restoring that authority to all of mankind.
- But now comes that obedience factor for us.
- Our obedience is to “go make disciples of all nations.”
Now we can ask the question: why is authority so important?
- Kingdom authority is the key to seeing the nations come to Jesus.
- The miracles we all want to see our rooted in authority.
- Matt 10:1; Luke 9:1; Luke 10:19; Mark 6:7
- Being sent out with authority.
- Every single time we see Jesus send out His disciples, he starts by giving them authority.
- We also see this idea of obedience in the next verse of the Matt 28, verse 20 teaching obedience.