As believers in Christ, we need to see that God is the supreme authority, for He has all authority, all authority issues out from God’s own being, and when we touch authority, we touch God Himself; we need to know authority, touch God’s authority, and have an inward revelation of God’s authority.
Lord Jesus, we worship You as the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth! We come to You as we are, and we submit to You. May we be those who live under Your authority. May we touch God’s authority and be touched by God’s authority. Grant us to have an inward revelation of God’s authority so that we may be under the dispensing of the Triune God, the flow of the river of life coming out of the throne of God and of the Lamb! Amen!
This week in our prayerful consideration of some of the major aspects of the all-inclusive Christ revealed in the Gospel of Matthew we come to the topic of, Christ as the One who has all Authority in Heaven and on Earth.
We have a wonderful Christ. He is the all-inclusive One. He is rich, He is good, He is sweet, and He is so enjoyable. At the same time, this Christ is revealed in Matthew as the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth!
The wonderful Christ we believe in and we enjoy is both on the throne in the heavens and in our spirit.
He went through a process as He became a man, and in His incarnation He put aside the outward form of His divinity to take a lower form, that of a man, even that of a slave.
But after His death and resurrection, He was restored by God to His original position, and now Christ as a Man is on the throne, far above all rule and power, far above all authority, and He has the highest name in the universe!
Praise the Lord! Christ has all authority! Right now, Jesus Christ is on the throne with all authority in heaven and on earth; at the same time, Christ is with us and in us.
The Christ we enjoy and experience is both the One on the throne and the One in us who is all-inclusive with a bountiful supply.
May we be unveiled by the Lord to see the revelation of Christ as the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth.
May we see a vision of the all-inclusive Christ and may we realise that He is on the throne, having all authority in heaven and on earth!
He is on the throne, and He has the supreme authority, being the ultimate authority. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Seeing that God is the Supreme Authority – He has All Authority, and Authority Issues out from God’s Own Being
Before we see that Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth, we need to see what the definition of authority is (Matt. 7:29).
The best definition of authority is “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience, often stemming from a position of power or expertise.” This is a definition of authority given according to the wisdom of the people in this world.
However, in the Bible, authority is “the moral right to exercise power, which is ultimately derived from and originates with God.”
The only One who has authority is God. It is not people; it is God. God in Christ has authority, and God is the supreme authority.
We live under the authority of God, and when we touch God’s authority, we will also submit to the deputy authority, those to whom authority flows from God.
God is the supreme authority; He has all authority (see Rom. 9:21-22). On the one hand, we love God; on the other hand, we need to see that God is the supreme authority.
If there is any authority on earth or in the church life it is because authority comes from God to that person.
When God created all things, He created by His authority, for His word contains and conveys His authority.
We as children of God, the believers in Christ who are born of God with His life and nature, need to see that our God is not only our Father whom we love and dearly call, Abba, Father, but also the God who has all authority.
God is merciful and patient, waiting for us as His people to see His authority and touch His authority. God’s authority represents God Himself; God’s power represents only God’s works (Matt. 21:24; Luke 5:24).
God’s authority is actually God Himself; authority issues out from God’s own being (Rev. 22:1).
From eternity to eternity, God is the supreme authority.
Even in the New Jerusalem, the holy city, which we are becoming and in which God dwells, there is a throne – the throne of God and of the Lamb, and only when we submit to His authority can we receive the living water and the living food (the river of life flowing from the throne and the tree of life).
In the beginning, God created all things through the word of His authority; His word is His authority.
When Christ was on the earth, a centurion came to Him to ask Him to only say a word, and his servant will be healed.
He recognised that Christ was a man under authority and He had authority, so he only wanted Christ to speak a word, and the matter will be taken care of. The Lord said that He had found no faith greater than this.
We need to see that God is the supreme authority. All authority – spiritual, positional, and governmental – derives from God (2 Cor. 10:8, 13; John 19:10-11; Gen. 9:6).
Genuine authority comes from God, and it is because God flows His authority to a man that man can have authority. If we see that God is the supreme authority, we will submit to His authority.
We will realise that we are all under His authority. Not only are the heavens, the earth, and all the things in the universe under God’s authority, but even we, the believers in Christ, are under His authority.
When we offend God’s authority, we offend God Himself. Therefore, we as Christians need to submit to authority.
We submit to the deputy authority because authority is all from God. We submit to God when we submit to His deputy authority.
This is something we need to check with the Lord about so that we may live under His authority and never offend His authority.
Lord Jesus, grant us to see that God is the supreme authority. Hallelujah, our God whom we worship and love is the supreme authority in the universe! Amen, Lord, we worship You and we obey You, for You have all authority in heaven and on earth. We enthrone You in the centre of our being. We praise You for being the authority, for authority issues from God’s own being. Thank You for speaking to us; Your words convey Your authority. We place ourselves under Your authority and we want to live under Your authority. Save us from offending Your authority. You are the Potter and we are the clay. You have full authority over us, and we worship You. Amen, Lord, even the authority we may have issues from God, for God is the source of all authority. Only speak Your word, Lord, and we will be healed. Speak a word to us and we will grow in life, mature, and be transformed. Keep us under Your authority today. We believe in Your authority. We submit to Your authority.
Having an Inward Revelation of God’s Authority and Touch God’s Authority to Touch God Himself
As believers in Christ who love the Lord and desire to serve Him, we need to realise that God is the supreme authority; we need to touch the matter of authority. When we touch God’s authority, we touch God Himself (Isa. 6:1-5).
Each one of us has to be touched and smitten at least once by authority; then, we will know God’s authority.
This doesn’t mean that we should do something so that God would touch us with His authority; rather, as we live our Christian life, God will grant us to have an inward revelation of God’s authority so that we may touch God’s authority and touch God Himself.
Only when we touch God’s authority can we actually work the work of God. Once we touch authority, we will see it wherever we go and whatever we do.
When we touch God’s authority, we will be restricted by God and we can be used by God.
This is not a matter of outward or mental knowledge but a matter of having an inward revelation of God’s authority.
In our daily life, as we do this and that, we need to know God’s authority. There has to be at least one point in our life, and we can testify that this has happened, when we touch God’s authority.
We may want to do something or go somewhere, and we really want to obtain a particular matter; however, God comes in with His authority and, when we touch it, we realise that God is the supreme authority.
There are two principles in this universe: God’s authority and Satan’s rebellion. For us to serve God, we need to submit to God’s authority and be aware of Satan’s rebellion.
We cannot take the way of rebellion and have a spirit of rebellion as we live the Christian life and serve the Lord.
Touching God’s authority is like touching electricity: once we touch it and are touched by it, we will be aware of it and we will beware.
Once we are smitten by God’s authority, our eyes will be enlightened and we will be able to discern not only ourselves but others as well.
A person who knew authority was Moses; he touched God’s authority and was touched by God’s authority, and he was a man under God’s authority.
At one time some rebellious ones spoke against Moses for not leading them into the land flowing with milk and honey and for not giving them the inheritance of fields and vineyards.
If you look at the actual situation, you may take sides with them, for they seemed to be true.
People who judge or discern according to doctrine or according to what they see with their physical eyes will take the way of reason.
God, however, is above any reason; God is the supreme authority, and unless we touch God’s authority, we are in rebellion.
Moses was a man under God’s authority, and therefore, he had faith in God.
Caleb was also under God’s authority, and even though all things in the environment were not positive, and even though he had to wait for an entire generation to die, he entered into the good land by faith.
May we be the people of faith who touch God’s authority and enter into the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ promised to us by God as the good land.
May we follow the Lord’s leading in the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud, taking the Lord’s leading and being under His authority.
When we remain under God’s authority, we will be led into the full rest, into the full enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ. But if we rebel against God’s authority, no matter how right we are, we are cut off from the enjoyment of Christ.
Meeting God’s authority is the same as meeting God (Amos 4:12). Offending God’s authority is the same as offending God Himself. May the Lord save us from offending His authority.
In our relationship with God, nothing is more important than touching authority (Acts 9:5; Matt. 11:25).
On the one side, we are touched by His authority, and on the other side, we touch God’s authority. This is not something negative, and we should not be afraid of this.
Rather, may we pray that God would grant us an inward revelation of God’s authority.
Outward teaching and mental agreement do not work. We need to see an inward revelation of God’s authority and it will be settled in our being, once for all, that God has the supreme authority and He is the authority.
May we be open to touch God’s authority and settle this matter forever. Knowing authority is an inward revelation rather than an outward teaching (Acts 22:6-16).
Lord Jesus, grant us to have an inward revelation of God’s authority. May we see that God is the supreme authority and may we touch authority at least once in our lifetime! Oh Lord, we open to You. We do not want to live the Christian life and serve the Lord in the principle of rebellion. May we see God’s authority and Satan’s rebellion. May we realise that rebellion is in our being. We open to You, Lord, to be touched by You and to touch You. May we realise that nothing is more important in our relationship with God than touching authority. May we meet God and meet God’s authority. May we not offend God’s authority but rather, be under authority and submit to God’s authority. Have mercy on us, Lord, that we may live a life by faith in You. May we not listen to our reason, our feelings, or even to doctrines; may we touch God’s authority and be touched by God’s authority to live under God’s authority! Amen, Lord, may we grow in life and live a life for Your purpose as we live by faith under God’s authority!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ron Kangas on this topic, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” chs. 6-8, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The All-inclusive Christ as Revealed in Matthew (2025 Thanksgiving Blending Conference), week 6, Christ as the One Who Has All Authority in Heaven and on Earth – day 1.
- Hymns on this topic:
– God’s Kingdom on the earth is now / His sovereign government within; / ’Tis Christ Himself in us to live / As Lord and King to rule and reign. / His life with His authority / Enthrones Him now within our hearts / To govern all our words and deeds / And regulate our inward parts. (Hymns #942 stanzas 1-2)
– Thine authority and pow’r / Shall prevail from shore to shore! / All shall serve and worship Thee / In Thy kingly majesty! / Unto Thee, of kings the King, / All Thy praise shall ever ring! (Hymns #149 stanza 2)
– Today we must learn to submit to His throne, / How to have a strict life and His government own; / His authority then we’ll be able to share, / O’er the nations to rule with God’s Son as the heir. (Hymns #947 stanza 3)
