Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Everything You Need and Everything You Are Not
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At both the beginning and the ending of Jesus earthly ministry, angels told different people, Fear not. People feared when Jesus came, and people feared when Jesus rose from the dead.
The Bible tells us that after the resurrection the disciples saw Jesus and worshipped Him, but some doubted. How typical it is for people, no matter how wonderfully God provides, to doubt or worry. That is the experience of each of us at different times. We dont stop fearing because our circumstances change.
It is easy to think that if some financial, health, or family matter were taken care of, we would never worry again, but our human history and our own experience belie that. It is just not true. We dont stop fearing because our circumstances change. We stop fearing because our mindset changes.
The point is that Jesus is everything you need and everything you are not. You can look at what the Scriptures say of Him and what He says of Himself, and it helps us not to fear. It helps us to have a mindset that is up to life.
The Bible says, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Notice the reference to all all all. First, there is all power. Jesus has all power. How much power and authority would that include? It includes all of it. All power means that Jesus authority is greater than your own. We fear to give the good news. We fear about circumstances in our own lives, yet we are reminded that Jesus is everything we need and everything we are not. We have good news to give!
Jesus said, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. How many nations would all nations include? It includes all of them, even the nations I dont care for. All nations means Jesus love is greater than our own. Perfect love casts out fear, and Jesus is the powerful Savior Who gives us the strength to negotiate life and the issues therein.
Jesus continues, Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. All things means Jesus understanding is greater than our own. The disciples were confused and disillusioned. There was so much they just didnt know, but Jesus is everything they needed and everything they were not.
Finally, Jesus says, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Alway means that Jesus faithfulness is greater than our own. I dont have the endurance I need, but Jesus does.
The passage ends with the word Amen. It is an affirmation. I can live in affirmation and not in anxiety because of Who Jesus is and what He can do. Jesus says, All power, all nations, all things, alway. Jesus is everything I need, and He is everything I am not. Jesus can conquer the darkness around me, the things I fear, and my fear of giving the good news of the gospel wherever God may put me.