Satan gets really nervous when Christians begin to discover their authority. And he knows he’s in big trouble when they begin to operate in that authority….
The religious leaders of the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry resented the way the people were drawn to him, but they envied the authority which he spoke with, and they couldn’t help but recognize the anointing that was on his ministry. Jesus knew this so when they came to Jesus, they began to question Him about the Spiritual authority which He operated in, and Jesus immediately directed the conversation to John the Baptist. Let’s look at this….
Matthew 21:23 “And when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You all of this authority? v24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. v25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? v26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. v27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And He said unto them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things”.
The Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees had power by virtue of the religious culture at the time, but they did not have authority, because even though they had manipulated an allegiance from the people, they did not have the hearts of the people.
The religious leaders were actually asking Jesus “ Whoauthorized you”… at the center of authority is the author. Since Jesus was the author, being that He was the Word made flesh… He was His own authorization, and yet He was also authorized by the people whose hearts He had won over.
The religious leaders were asking Jesus who was the author of your authorization!!!?
The governor was enjoying the sunset at the beach, but he was experiencing bladder problems. The bathroom facilities at the beach closed at 7:00….and it was five minutes after Seven. When he got to the men’s room it was locked and the park ranger was standing there. The governor told the ranger, you need to open the door. The ranger said, I’m sorry, but my job is to lock it up at 7:00. Do you know who I am, shouted the Governor….I’m the governor of this state! The ranger said, do you know who I am… I’m the guy who has the keys to the men’s room….
If you know who has authorized you, and what it is you are authorized to do, you can get the job done!
There are many who would like to change the constitution of the United States, rewrite the very document which guarantees our freedoms because it does not fit their agenda. And they may have a lot of Political power and influence, but they don’t have the authority to do so, because the very document which they desire to change does not authorize them to do the thing they want…!
In another document that guarantees freedoms it says in John 8:31 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, Ifyou continue in My word, then you are My disciples indeed v32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
Let me rephrase that “if you know the author of truth, His truth shall authorize you and give you the authority to be free”…
Because Jesus is the living, breathing expression of that truth, He was able to authorize others to operate in His authority.
He told His disciples, who usually didn’t have a clue that He would give them the glory which the Father had given Him.
Look at John 17:22 “And the glory which You gave me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one.”
The word “Glory” here is the Greek word “Dok-eh-o” which is (the full manifestation of His truth)….So the Lord is saying that when we walk in the full manifestation of His truth, we will come into unity….
When there are problems in our lives or in the church, it’s usually a problem with obedience to the full manifestation of His truth, because people want to pick and choose what authority they will or will not obey.
The Book of Judges discusses the ups and downs of the children of Israel in following God. It quickly becomes apparent that there are more downs than ups.
This is revealed in how the book ends - Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king (or authority) in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes, (or was his own authority).
Here was a society that didn’t follow any established set of rules. They had no king so they had no central authority
They abandoned religious values – and each one followed their own desires and interpretation of the truth.
Can you imagine a football season where each team had its own rule book and each player did what they wanted to do. Where each official decided for himself what rules they would follow and which they would not….. It would be mass chaos.
And yet in our world, we have many claiming they are “Christians,” but everyone plays by their own rules instead of following the author’s rule book.
Just as Adam and Eve gave authority to Satan to enter the garden and bring death, rebellion and sin with Him…. We need to be aware of how authority was given to sickness, or conflict in a family, or even a spirit which stunts the growth of a church or the power of sin and evil over any given city or area.
That authority must be broken by a higher authority and replaced with Godly authority. Jesus said this kind does not happen without prayer and fasting. He was speaking about breaking the ruling authority’s power, so that transformation might take place and then healing and wholeness, righteousness and truth can prevail.
In Matthew 8:9, Jesus marveled at the words of the Centurion who came to him for the healing of his servant. He said Lord just speak the word and he will be healed, for I am a man who has authority because I am under authority and I say to my servant go and he goes, I say come and he comes. Authority given by God is not attained by position or manipulation, It is attained by a relationship with the author of all authority, which is Father God. Many say they know Him but they cannot say they have a relationship with Him….You can’t even spell authority without the author Himself being at the beginning of it…. When Jesus bestowed authority upon the disciples, He was giving them what we now call “Power of Attorney.” To act on behalf of Himself in His absence. The ability to transact kingdom business in his behalf, until He returns. When we see statements such as “In Jesus name”… or “in the name of Jesus”… it is a legal term to express the right of those authorized, to act in His behalf.
Notice that we do not say “In the name of Jesus son of Joseph” which He was known as, while in his flesh and blood body on earth. Because our power of attorney does not have it’s source through an earthly linage, but through a heavenly one. One who was in the world but the world was made by Him. Having risen from the dead, He has assumed His rightful place as mediator between God and man… for he ever lives to make intercession for us at the right hand of the throne of God. When we as believers use that power of attorney, He enforces it with His power, and validates the authority He has given us in His name!
There was a man who was told by his doctor, that he only had 4 months to live. So he immediately went down town and robbed the bank. *….The judge gave him 20 years with release in 15 for good behavior. Overjoyed, he said I’ll take it!!! The judge had the authority to give him 20 years but he didn’t have the power to keep him alive long enough to serve his sentence.
The kind of authority we have received, has the power of the risen Christ to back it up.
We need to be able to know how to live in the spiritual realm in a way that redeems the natural realm. We must not be content to only celebrate how the spiritual realm effects just ourselves… but to live in a such a way that it comes to bear upon our homes, our neighbors and our city. Don’t be like the guy who said…When I go, I want it to go like my grandpa, in peace and sound asleep. Not screaming and panicking like all the people who were on the bus he was driving.
We need to stay alert and use the authority we have been given, we’re not the only folks on this bus!!!
May we be like the farmer, who came to church, heard the gospel preached, received Christ as His Lord and Savior and went home….The pastor tried and tried to contact him after that Sunday and finally, on the following Saturday he reached him. When the pastor told him that he had not been able to reach him, the farmer said, “Pastor, I’ve been going non- stop, trying to do everything you preached from the good book, on Sunday and I’m still way behind”!!!
Ephesians 1:19 “I pray that you'll begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe. This is the same mighty power which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church".
Jesus ascended above all power, might, dominions, and authorities, and from that position, He delegates authority to those who seek Him first and desire His will. Even though my body is physically resident here on earth it is Spiritually present at the throne room of God, where I can appear anytime through Christ, my mediator and advocate…. Ephesians2:6 “He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Before Jesus left this earth and ascended up into heaven, He told His disciples. “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”…. The word which describes this authorized body of believers, who are followers of Jesus in the earth… is Ecclesia or “Sent Ones”
We don’t need to pray for more power, or authority or greater anointing… we need to have more obedience to His living truth. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, has taken up residence in us! We have enough power and authority right now, this moment, to do what we have been called to do….to make Christ known, to bring His kingdom into the earth, as we live in simple obedience.
When we operate in the authority which Jesus has given unto us, when we speak his word and send forth the powerful truth that is imbedded in it… it’s as though Jesus Himself is speaking.
This powerful truth is revealed in a story about Amy Carter, the daughter of President Carter, who brought an assignment home from school one Friday night while her father was still President. It was about the industrial revolution. She asked her mom for help but she was stumped by the questions needing answers. She asked an aide to get the information from the Labor Department. A "rush" was placed on the request since they thought it was for the President himself. The Labor Department kept a full team of technicians and programmers working overtime all weekend...at a cost of thousands of dollars. The report was finally delivered by limousine to the White House on Sunday afternoon and Amy showed up in class with the official report on Monday morning.
That’s what happens when you’re the president’s daughter, and that’s what happens when you are a child of the Creator of the universe. Heaven puts a priority on your report!
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? v32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things"?
*…..If you’re always trying to be normal, then you’ll never know how amazing you can be! We need to redefine what normal is…. The book of Acts is not finished, and it continues to be writtenuntil Jesus returns to gather his church home. The gospels were the training program for the book of acts. It is in the book Acts,that we see what normal should be.
Luke 9:1 says, "He called the twelve (the church) together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal all diseases." Now that’s our normal as the authorized children of God…
Dr. Tony Evans gives this illustration….“In football they have a huddle, the goal of the huddle is to give you thirty seconds to call the play, that is the purpose of the huddle.(At a professional football game there may be ) Sixty thousand people watching you huddle. They understand that, the quarterback needs to know where he is going to have the team go, the backs need to know where they are going to go, the ends need to know where they are going to go… A huddle is a necessary part of playing the game. But let me inform you if you do not already know, sixty thousand people do not pay $20 a ticket to watch you huddle. See, people don’t come to football games to watch the huddle. They want to see if their team can overcome the opposition who is daring them to snap the ball and move down the field to score. What they want to know is does your huddle make a difference in the overall game? Now what Christians often do is get all into their huddles. We gather together at our churches and it’s all about the huddle! We say, “Boy did we have a great huddle!! My quarterback can call plays better than your quarterback. And boy do we get all into the huddle. But what people don’t seem to understand is, that the huddle is so that we can now play the game”.
What are some things that are keeping us from exercising our authority….Unbelief is another word for disobedience…Doubt is another word for disobedience….Fear is another word for disobedience…. intimidation is another word for disobedience…. Perhaps we need to pray the prayer that the man in Mark chapter 9 prayed when he brought his epileptic son to Jesus to be healed….”Lord I do believe, help me in my unbelief (ap-is-tee'-ah…disobedience)”
What would it be like to see every believer, every marriage, every family, every church that names the name of Christ moving in full operation, in the authority and power of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit? Hell could not withstand that kind of obedience.
Your words have power…Your authority is released through your words….Jesus said “You shall speak to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea, and it shall obey you and nothing shall be impossible.”
Matthew 12:37 “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be snared”. Matthew 18:18 "Whatever YOU say is bound on earth will be bound in heaven - whatever YOU say is loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven".
Paul talks to the Corinthian church about moving in authority within the circle of their influence. This means that in any area where you are given influence at any level, family, friends, work, school, or your neighborhood…you are authorized to operate in your God given authority. In other words your influence gives you jurisdiction. Jurisdiction gives you heaven’s legal power to influence and hold sway over, events, decisions and outcomes. It is your sphere of authority.
2 Corinthians 10:13 “We will not boast beyond measure, except within the limits of the sphere (met'-ron) which God has appointed us.” The word met’ron, is the territory that God has measured out and given you responsibility for….it is your ministry assignment and responsibility, it is a specific territory which God has measured out to each of us in which we can move in power and demonstration of the Kingdom of God.
Adam refused to exercise authority in the territory that God measured out for him…. Genesis 2:15 “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden (his sphere of authority) to tend and keep it.” Because Adam failed to use the authority he had been given, He set in motion a cycle of Broken Relationships….He damaged his relationship with God, with his wife and sowed the seeds of divorce, abandonment, and family members turning against one another…He Lost His Spiritual Authority and yielded it to Satan, to kill, steal and destroy. He opened the door to Oppression and Sickness and set in motion a generational cycle which is still being felt today.
Generational curses can appear in the form of Miscarriages, Persistent poverty, Emotional and Mental problems, Addictions and Bondages,
Sudden or early death, Sickness, malfunctions and disease that can be traced back through generations.
Hold Your Territory…..Ask the Holy Spirit to give direction and guidance, wisdom and understanding, and believe me He will. Luke 4:18 “He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives"
Get a Clear Vision of what is possible… Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, (maintains spiritual boundaries) happy is he.
Your words have power….Use your voice to Subdue opposing spirits, forbid their operation and Decree God’s Word and promises over your territory. Hebrews 11:3 “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were made from things that are not seen”…
This unseen force is what we’ve been talking about today… and the Lord tells us how to activate this force that we have referred to as the authority of the believer, in our daily lives….
He calls it the greatest of all the commandments… Matthew 22:36 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? v37 Jesus said unto him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." If we obey this command of the Lord, then everything else will begin to fall into place…authority must be wrapped in love and compassion….
We do not ever own this authority, but we allow it to flow through us, that the Lord may be glorified, and His power be manifested.
As His love fills us, until it is greater than the fear of man, or the forces of intimidation…. We will operate with authority and power over unclean spirits… We will operate with authority and power over sickness and disease… We will operate with authority and power to move mountains that stand in our way (symbolic or otherwise)…. And we will operate with
authority to announce the forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ finished work.
Jesus is the highest authority and must be acknowledged as
Lord of my will, Lord of my decisions, Lord of my mind, Lord of my thoughts, Lord of my worldview, Lord of my emotions, my reactions, my sexuality, the way I speak and act….Lord of my possessions, my work, my finances and my relationships….
Someone has said, “If He is not Lord of all, then He is not lord at all”!!! That is our constant goal and challenge….
