All Power Is Given To Christ and His Christ

Gainesville, GA Conference December 21-28, 2013

by Mike Vinson

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

It is the purpose of this study to demonstrate that Christ did not tell this to His disciples simply to let them rejoice with Him in His new and powerful position, but to let us, as His disciples, know that we as His own ‘Christ’, in Him to partake of this great power in heaven and in earth is ours, just as He had promised us earlier.

A secondary purpose for this study is to demonstrate that this power is only in "the earnest of the spirit", in down-payment form in this age, and will only be known in its fullness by those to whom it is granted to experience "all power in heaven and in earth" as it is first applied to the kingdom of God within us. This power is manifested within the lives of those in whom it is working now, in this age. It is working only in those who are even now a part of "Jerusalem above… the mother of us all… New Jerusalem…[which is even now] coming down from God out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband.

Here it is so stated a few years prior to Christ’s statement in Matthew 28, which was after His resurrection:

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Luk 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Luk 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
Luk 10:24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Mat 18:18 Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
Mat 18:19 Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask, it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens,
Mat 18:20 for where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

If these words are true, (and they are true!) if you and I are part of the body of the Christ, then Jesus of Nazareth is right here in this room at this very moment!

If these words are true, (and they are), then the "Jesus of Nazareth" who is persecuted by the Saul’s of Tarsus of this world to this very day, have been given "all power in heaven and in earth".

Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

What is the source of "all power in heaven and in earth"?

Ecc 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Luk 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Luk 4:36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

2Co 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The scriptures teach us that God’s words are spirit, they are life (Joh 6:63), and that "all things are upheld by the word of His power". It is through the word of God that Christ has been given "all power in heaven and earth", and as His Father has sent Him He has sent us and has given us that same power:

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Steven Crook pointed out recently in his Awesome Hands study in Exodus that the rod in Moses’ hand is a type of the Word of God in the hands of God’s messengers. As such it is very intimidating to those who are not used to it. Moses certainly was not used to using the Word of God before he met the Lord for the first time at the burning bush. Moses himself fled from the rod of God, when it became the serpent which later would swallow up the serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians.

Without that rod, and the power of that rod, the people would never have listened to Moses and Aaron:

Exo 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
Exo 4:30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
Exo 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Without that rod, Pharaoh would never have listened to Moses either:

Exo 7:8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Exo 7:9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
Exo 7:10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

The rod of Moses was the power of Christ. In time Moses was given to appreciate that rod and to use it wisely. Neither Moses nor Christ Himself, nor any of Christ’s original apostles, including the apostle Paul and you and me, asked to be made God’s messengers. It was simply thrust upon all of us.

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

But when God sends us to do anything for Him He always gives us the means to get the job done.

Exo 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
Exo 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

If we are God’s messengers, we cannot resist His will for us:

Amo 3:8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?

1Co 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

This is what his detractors had to say of the eloquence of the apostle Paul:

2Co 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

But it is not the physical eloquence of God’s messengers which empowers them. Rather it is the truth of the words they speak. It is the words they speak which empower those who are in Christ.

So what does "all power is given to [Christ] in heaven and in earth" mean for us? Here is what it means. As is always the case, our flesh does not appreciate the meaning of this statement, but the risen Christ within us rejoices in the meaning of these words:

Isa 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Paul’s bodily presence may have been weak, but this is how "all power in heaven and earth" relates to us:

1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

What in this world is the "demonstration of the spirit and of power"? How is our faith standing "in the power of God? We cannot answer that question without knowing what is meant by "the spirit", and that is something for which we have been given a very clear definition:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

It always helps us to understand a point when we have an example of how that point has already been made. In this case "the spirit and power" of the Word of God was demonstrated for us in the death and resurrection of our Lord. We are told that He cried out to His Father "and was heard in that He feared".

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

The spirit tells us that Christ cried ut to His heavenly Father and "offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death", and we are told that He "was heard" and was "save[d] from death". But Christ was not "saved from death" in the way that even His flesh wanted to be "save[d] from death". Our flesh says "No, He was not saved from death, He died an excruciating death upon the cross." Christ tells us that He was heard and that He was saved from death and has been given all power in heaven and in earth. He tells us that He has given us power over all the power of the enemy, but we see our brothers and sisters suffering and dying daily and crying out to be delivered from death, and our flesh tells us "No, you do not have power over all the power of the enemy at all. You are suffering from physical pain, you are in financial straits, you are hated, despised and abused of all men, and some of you are dying of physical cancer. You are not the Son of God and you have no power at all. Why there are all kinds of things that hurt you. Who do you think you are?" Nevertheless God’s Word does not return to Him void, but it accomplishes what it was sent to do. It saved Christ from death, and it is at this very moment saving you and me from death, and nothing will by any means hurt any in whom Christ dwells. That is "all power…in heaven and in earth" which has been given to Christ and which He in turn has given us "over all the power of the enemy".

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

So the "demonstration of the spirit and of power", that on which "our faith should… stand" is the Word of God itself. Christ being "the word" as we are told in John 1:1, our very salvation depends upon knowing Christ, and being capable of distinguishing His voice and His words from the voice and words of one who "looks like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon".

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Life eternal is to "know God and Jesus Christ", who was "saved from death" through the cross. Many supposed ministers of Christ emphasize physical answers to our prayers as proof of "the demonstration of the spirit and of power". Nothing could be further from the truth revealed to us in these words of our Lord:

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Even more insidious are many ministers with "two horns like a lamb", who emphasize that "knowledge puffs up, but charity builds up", as if Paul were telling us that knowing God and His word actually becomes detrimental to our spiritual well being. These men seek to be accepted of this world. They hate the discussion of the "example [or] the doctrine of Christ".

Here are a couple of verses which will get very little or no air time with those who seek to please men and who teach the insidious doctrine of unity in the essentials and tolerance in the non essentials.

Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Pharisees and Sadducees accept each other as the saints of God, and this is what we are told to counter that mindset:

1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Where in scripture do we find anything that even hints at anything called ‘The essentials of the doctrine of Christ’? It is not to be found. That phrase is exactly what is referred to as "a little leavening", and if it is left within the body of Christ unchallenged, it will "leaven the whole lump".

The fact that we are all first those who are puffed up with their knowledge and are simply immature babes in Christ does not nullify the sum of God’s Word concerning the need for knowing that we must come to "know the Truth". We just read "This is eternal life, that they might KNOW you…" Those are our Lord’s own word.

This, too, is the words of our Lord Himself:

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We are even told:

Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

How true it is! Christ provoked Pilate to ask a question of which Christ alone is the answer:

Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Joh 18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

Every one that is of the Truth hears My voice", because Christ tells us plainly that He Himself IS the Truth:

Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Notice how Christ, uses the phrase "the words that I speak unto you" interchangeably with the phrase "He does the works". That is the "demonstration of the spirit" of which Paul spoke in 1Co 2. That is "comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Right after telling us that he did not preach the gospel in cunning words of man’s wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and of power, Paul tells us this:

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew [our old man]: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ["power… over all the power of the enemy"]
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Now let’s look at verse 4 and verse 13 side by side, and see what we can learn about ‘all power in heaven and in earth’:

1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Do not these two verses reveal to us that the demonstration of the spirit and of power is to be found in comparing spiritual things with spiritual? "Spiritual things" are not things which are visible. If they were visible things, then anyone could see them. Ancient Israel, Pharaoh and Thomas all believed "because [they] saw". But the greatest blessings are laid up for those "who believe though they have not seen".

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Knowing the Truth is to accept and appreciate Joh 20:29. It is the ability to try invisible spirits to see whether they are of God, and that is done only by knowing the word and knowing the voice of the True Shepherd.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

This all makes "know[ing] the Truth", and knowing the Word of God, rather imperative to our spiritual health and well being.

The natural man does not want to "know the truth" much less do "that which is right". The natural man wants to be his own God and live by his own rules. So he uses phrases like "we should strive to DO what is RIGHT, rather than only to BE right. One has a teachable spirit, the other a judgmental one that wants to correct others rather than themselves." That is a cut and paste from a section on a web page where the meaning of "iron sharpens iron" was being discussed. Such foolishness would have us believe that anyone who wants to "be right" is not capable of "doing what is right". Christ did what was right and He said what was right, both at the same time. That should be our goal also. He is our example, not the watered down doctrines of men whose words are so very appealing to our old, rebellious, first man Adam.

Those who know Christ and His voice will not be taken in by this permissive, lascivious spirit. The power of "the Truth… [will] cut off" such a spirit. Such false doctrines are "the power of the enemy", over which God’s elect have been given "all… power"

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Psa 54:3 For strangers [with false doctrines] are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
Psa 54:4 Behold, God is mine helper ["the demonstration of the spirit and the power"]: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
Psa 54:5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.

It is Truth, Christ, with all power in heaven and earth, which will "cut… off in [His] Truth" those who oppress us and "seek after our soul[s]".

Because those who are in Christ have been granted "power over all the power of the enemy", and because they have the ability to discern between the voice of a stranger and the voice of the True shepherd, and because they have "tried the spirits to see whether they are of God, all those who are in Christ can in "demonstration of the spirit and of power" confidently say along with the apostle John:

1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Here is why we must be able to say those words with confidence:

2Ch 6:21 Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.

Where exactly is God’s "dwelling place"?

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

All of this will make these verses come alive within those who appreciate that instructions of Matthew 18. Knowing that we are the heavens and the temple in the heavens in which God dwells, will give great power to these verses:

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ["dwelleth in you" 1Co 3:16]
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Here is a much better version of verse 18:

Mat 18:18 Verily, I am saying to you, Whatsoever you should be binding on the earth shall be those things having been bound in the heavens, and whatsoever you should be loosing on the earth shall be those loose in heaven.

"Tell it to the church… having been bound in the heavens… he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error."

Power that is not used is of no value, We must both know who we are and do what our Lord expects of us. What is expected of us is shown to us in type and shadow in this verse in Judges:

Jdg 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Let’s always suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice, but we must never allow physical circumstances to shake our faith in the power we have been freely given.

Heb 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

As we are being "crucified with Christ… dy[ing] daily… [and as we] present our bodies as a living sacrifice", in Christ we will see our lives through "the spirit which is of God… not the spirit of the world", and we will, in the end, rejoice with our Lord that He has been given power over all things in heaven and in earth, and we will be especially grateful that He has, in turn, given us "power over all the power of the enemy: and [that] nothing shall by any means hurt [us]".

I hope this will help you to know that Christ’s power "in heaven and in earth" and our own "power over all the power of the enemy" is true even as the outward appearances will convince the whole world otherwise.

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

If we have the eyes and ears of our Lord, we will see and hear these words even as the events of this evil age appear to be telling us the exact opposite:

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

It is true for those who are in Christ in earnest even now, but in the end this will be true for all men:

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.