Where Is Jesus, His Authority And Power?

Dear Saints,

Where is Jesus? Have you looked for Him lately, and what is He doing now? What is His span of control and authority?

We live in a day when we have reduced God to our level of limited knowledge, wisdom and power. We are looking for elected officials to solve our problems instead of looking only to God. In this unsettled mid-term USA election, who cares who has control of the White House and Congress? God is in control of His world.

Our trials have left us faithless in God. What about people like Job? We have not gone through what Job went through, and God was still there in the midst of it all. Ten of your children dying in a day?

As we continue our study of 1 Peter, we must remind ourselves that Apostle Peter is writing to suffering pilgrims ruled by brutal governments. Peter’s audience is eagerly waiting for the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. His Epistle is for the end time people, and that is who we are. Let's hear Peter:

"There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. 1 Peter 3:21-22.

Now let's answer the questions. Where is Jesus? He is now at the right hand of God the Father, forever interceding for us (Romans 8:34, 1 John 2:1, and Hebrews 7:25). Do you think Jesus' prayers/intercessions are being answered? Of course.

So relax my friend. I believe Jesus is constantly refuting the arguments of Satan and saying on our behalf, "There's now, therefore, no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." This is awesome and calls for unending thanksgiving and worshiping of our God and Lord.

Did you see this? "Angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him [Jesus]." Apostle Peter made sure he gave the unmistakable clarity of Jesus' deity. Jesus is God. Only God has all authority, power, and dominion. 

There's no power-sharing in this created world. It is all 100% belonging to Jesus. The angels, Satan, his demons, and all authorities and powers are subject to the rule and governance of Christ.

Notice that Jesus said the same thing about His authority before giving us the charge to go and make disciples.

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen." Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus is saying, it is my authority and power, and I give it to you to live and do greater works than I did. The greater works is to preach the gospel and see more people saved compared to when Jesus was physically on earth.

Indeed, the early church understood that all power and authority belonged to Jesus; they waited for it. Listen to the enablement by Jesus to the apostles and all of us: 

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8.

Oh, saints, the Holy Spirit has been poured out on us in Acts 2. Please read it. Are we living in this power and authority of Jesus? Peter and the early disciples did. Just read the entire book of Acts. 

I have not read anywhere in the Bible it said the power and certain gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased after the last apostle died. The cessation theologians are trying to convince us that the power of God has stopped. If you find it in the Bible, please let me know.

So is Peter teasing his audience and us by reminding us that "angels, powers, and authorities are subject to Christ?" I don't think so. This is the same Peter who God used mightily in the early church to preach the first Gospel and 3000 were immediately saved and he performed miracles. 

Peter has firsthand experience of the power of God. “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6. That is Peter. What do you have? You and I have Jesus and the Holy Spirit inside us. Give what you have.

I am humbled and repented reading Job chapters 38 – 42. God was cataloging some of His awesomeness and mighty power in creation by questioning Job. Please read it. I did the following as Job did:

“Then Job answered the Lord and said: ² “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. ³ You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

 ⁴ Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ ⁵ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. ⁶ Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6.

Are we uttering things we do not understand by speaking faithless words because of our circumstances? Les us speak life to people and our circumstances with thanksgiving to our God.

Let us repent for making our Jesus, God the Son, powerless. May we again be reacquainted with the person of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work through us, including seeing signs and wonders following our preaching of the Gospel.

I postulate that we are not seeing the manifestation of God's power because we are not preaching the Gospel. We are busy looking for God's power to make us comfortable here (new home, car, job, etc.) as if this world is our permanent home. Hello, we are pilgrims. We have God, the Holy Spirit, and His power living in us to saturate this world with the Gospel to save people. At the end, that is all that matter.

Listen to Paul's prayer request to the Colossian church:

"Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak." Colossians 4: 3.

What are your prayers and prayer requests? When was the last time you prayed for someone's salvation and explained faith in Christ? Let us make a list and pray specifically for people to come to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

Have you believed the Gospel? If not, do so now. Repent of your sins and trust Jesus who died, buried and rose again to forgive and save you. Today is the day of salvation because you do not have tomorrow. And be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray the prayer of Paul for us as we eagerly look forward to our Lord Jesus soon return:

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians1:15-23.  

AMEN AND AMEN!