Pentecostal Sermons & Bible Studies by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

Who’s in Charge Here? God? You? Me? Who?

Summary:  Are you used to getting your way? Do you insist on “my way or the highway”? The greatest One to ever walk the earth — Jesus Christ — was the complete opposite. He saw his own excruciating crucifixion for our sins approaching. But instead of demanding His own way, He humbly prayed to God the Father, “Not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Who’s in charge in your life — or for that matter, who’s in charge of the world and the universe? Your answer to that affects your eternal destiny.
 

God is the Creator and Owner of the world

Psalm 47:7a, NLT  For God is the King over all the earth.

Many Scriptures of the Bible emphasize this point, that God Almighty is the ruler, the king, the absolute sovereign over all the earth. There are no exceptions; He is ruler of all. Psalm 21 below gets even more specific.

Psalm 24:1  The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Every aspect of this earth falls under God’s authority — “the earth … everything in it … the world … all who live in it.” He has the indisputable right to rule the earth as He sees fit. He is all-wise, all-knowing, and always makes the right choices and decisions.

Genesis 1:3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

The very first chapter of the Bible gives the account of God creating the heavens and the earth — in other words, the entire universe. In fact, the first verse of Holy Scripture says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

The unlimited power of the Creator God is seen throughout the Bible’s first chapter. In verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, and 26 that power is seen repeatedly in the brief but infinitely powerful phrase “God said…” When God said, “Let there be light,” there was light immediately. Each time God spoke the command “Let there be,” another aspect of His creation came to pass, culminating in the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve (27). Verse 16 always causes me to marvel. After mentioning God’s creation of our earth’s sun and moon, almost as an afterthought it says, “He also made the stars.” Imagine that! Just by His spoken word, God created a trillion times a trillion stars or more. The website space.com in 2017 estimated that there are at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe. And Psalm 147:4 says that God “calls them each by name”!

Let’s move ahead now to a revelation not widely known by believers. And that is the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and second person of the Trinity, was actively involved with God the Father in the creation.

Jesus Was the Co-Creator with God the Father

Hebrews 1:2  In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

John 1:1-3, 10, 14  In the beginning was the Word [Jesus, see vs. 14], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… [10] the world was made through him … [14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us … the one and only Son, who came from the Father…

Colossians 1:15-16
  The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Before coming to earth some 2,000 years ago, in His preincarnate state Jesus the Son of God was known as “the Word” (see John 1:1-14). The Bible says this Word-Son was directly involved in creation: “through [his Son] also he made the universe … Through him all things were made … all things have been created through him.”

This and many other Scriptures give us a clear picture of the full Deity of the Son of God. The apostle John, speaking of Jesus — the “Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” — wrote that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, 14). That is why the Bible can require, with no slight to God the Father, that “all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23, NLT). I should add here that a universal failing of every false religion is the denial of the full Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God the Father Has Given All Authority in the Universe to Jesus

Matthew 28:18  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

Just think of some of the things Jesus did while on earth 20 centuries ago. He calmed the furious storm. He walked on water. He fed a group of 5,000 and another group of 4,000 by miraculously multiplying a few loaves of bread and a handful of fish. He healed multitudes of sick people. He touched and healed a leper. He cast demons out of many. He even raised the dead on several occasions.

Then Jesus died on the cross for our sins (1 Peter 2:24), was buried, and rose again from the dead, having in this way opened the door to eternal salvation for all who would come to Him in faith and repentance (Acts 20:21).

After His resurrection from the grave, and shortly before He ascended back to heaven, Jesus told His followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The apostle Peter confirmed this in his preaching on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:36, NKJV): “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Peter affirmed this later too: “Jesus Christ — He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36, NKJV). In the collective wisdom of the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), Jesus the Son has been given all authority in heaven and earth since His death, burial, and resurrection.

Revelation 17:14; 1:5  They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings… [1:5] Jesus Christ … the ruler of the kings of the earth.

In the last days God’s enemies will make futile attempts to defeat the reign of the Lord Jesus, but they will utterly fail. The Scripture says that Christ “the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.” Every power on earth, even human “kings” and “lords,” must be totally subject to the glorious, invincible Son of God.

Some will happily bow to our Savior’s Lordship in this life. Others will refuse Jesus and will incur the eternal judgment of a very real, fiery hell. So please hear my urgent plea to you. Receive Jesus personally as your Savior and as the unquestioned Lord of every area of your life. Be born again, come out of darkness and into His marvelous light, and be delivered out of Satan’s kingdom and into God’s.

What Then?

Matthew 28:18-20a  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

I’ve been going somewhere with this, and now we’ve come to it. Our opening question, in the title at the top, was “Who’s in Charge Here? God? You? Me? Who?” We saw from the Scriptures the one, true answer: God is the king over all the earth (Ps. 47:7). Then we saw that in this Church Age that began with Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven, the Father has entrusted all authority in heaven and on earth to His Son Jesus Christ (vs. 18 above).

Jesus is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Lord of all, entrusted with all authority by God the Father. In that capacity, our Savior Jesus has the sovereign right to demand (vs. 20) that we obey everything He has commanded us. His Word the Bible must become the unquestioned governing document that affects 100% of our lives.

Jesus is King, He is Lord, He is the Son of God, coequal Deity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is to be received, loved, honored, and obeyed in every detail. So right now, in this the early 21st century, who must be in charge of our lives? The answer: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and His Lordship must extend to every nook and cranny of our being — our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. His commands for godly living as sons and daughters of God are revealed in the words of Scripture, and “in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11). It’s not drudgery; it’s a blessing, with “great reward”! Give the Savior Jesus full charge of your life. You’ll never regret it.

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Postscript: Perhaps you’ve not yet given your life over to Jesus the Savior and experienced His love and salvation. Then please, I urge you, take these next few minutes and let the late, respected evangelist Billy Graham lead you in a prayer to receive God’s great salvation and to become a child of God, destined for eternity in His indescribably glorious presence. Please click here (evangelist Billy Graham's website) for help to pray and receive Jesus. Your life will be changed forever.

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©2019, James H. Feeney.
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Pentecostal Sermons & Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.