6/24/13 - "YOUR AUTHORITY IN CHRIST"

Luke 9:1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

One of the areas that far too many Christians are lacking revelation of is their authority that has been given to them through Jesus Christ. This is a very important part of our walk with God that we need to have understanding of. If we do not understand our authority and how to use it, this gives satan the upper hand in our lives because we are not then using that authority to defeat the works of darkness that come against us. It is important to note that you will never understand your authority with your intellect; you must get spiritual revelation of it.

Imagine if you had a weapon to protect you and your family against someone who came into your home with the intent to harm and take lives, but you didn’t know how to use that weapon. Or what if there was a weapon available to you but you didn’t even know it was there. This is what happens to Christians who do not know of the authority they have been given, or they don’t know how to use that authority.

First off let’s take a look at our foundation scripture above and recognize the difference between power and authority. Jesus here gives to His disciples the power and authority to deal with demonic forces and the very works they often bring. The word for power here means supernatural force. It is referring to God’s power that is supernatural, meaning not of natural human strength. It is the same power that God used when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The word authority means the right to use God’s power. The believer when exercising their God-given authority is simply tapping into the power of God that is already available to them. The first key is recognizing that you have this authority because of who you are in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Eph. 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph. 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,…

Take a look at these verses very carefully. Notice that because of God’s great love for us even when we were dead in trespasses and sins He did three things. 1 – He made us alive together with Christ, 2 – He raised us up together with Christ, 3 – He made us sit together with Christ in heavenly places. That is powerful. We were dead in our sins but God through what Jesus did for us made us alive again. We have been born again once we accept the sacrifice Christ made for us.

But God didn’t stop there; He also through Christ raised us up together with Him. That means He has raised us up into the same position of authority that He gave Christ here on earth and He proved it because He made us sit down together with Him. In Jesus’ day, whoever was given the seat on the right hand of the king was given the authority of the king. So it is with us, for whoever has been given a seat at the right hand of God now has the same use of His authority, the right to use His power. Take a look at what scripture reveals about the position Jesus has been given.

Eph. 1:20 Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],
Eph. 1:21 Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.
Eph. 1:22 And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church],
Eph. 1:23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].

When the Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand He gave Him a position of authority far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and even every name that is named. Some will say that was only Jesus who was given that place of authority, but what they fail to realize is that they need to keep reading down into Ephesians chapter 2 and there they will find out as we just stated that we have been made alive together, raised up together, and seated together with Christ. So we too are positioned far above, not a little above, all the same powers of darkness and every name that is named.

This is not something that is going to happen one day; it is where we are positioned right now. Notice in verse 22 above it also states that God has put all things under Jesus’ feet and in verse 23 it tells us that we are His body. Christ is the head, and the believers are the body.  The feet are a part of the body. The Father placed all things under His feet, which simply means under the body of Christ. Every believer has already been given this authority, many just don’t know it, or it is not a revelation to their spirit man.

Col. 2:15 [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].

Think about what this verse is saying. In the beginning of creation God gave man dominion over the whole earth. Adam when he sinned relinquished that to satan, but Jesus did something about it. In the King James translation the word for “disarmed” here is spoiled. When a king took on another king and his kingdom and won, they brought back the spoils. Jesus brought back the spoils when he defeated satan through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. He got man’s authority in the earth back. Because we are one with Him, we now have that authority once again. We have the right to use God’s power and establish His rule through our lives here on earth.

2 Cor. 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
2 Cor. 6:15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

Remember, the most important key to walking in that authority is having revelation of who you are “In Christ”. I want you to look carefully at these verses. Paul is making a comparison between two different types of people. They are the believer and the unbeliever. This is the comparison that is being made in each example here. Paul tells us that the believer is righteousness and the unbeliever is lawlessness. The believer is light and the unbeliever is darkness. The believer is Christ and the unbeliever is Belial. I know that many will say there is no way I can be considered Christ, but that is exactly what Paul just said. Let me explain this further.

Paul did not say that we the believer are Jesus Christ, he said we are Christ, which refers to the anointed one. Just as Jesus is anointed (empowered) by God to do His works, so is the believer anointed. We are not Jesus, but we are Christ (anointed). We are the body of Christ; Jesus is the head of His body. If I where to ask someone to come into another room I would not ask for the head of that person to come into the room, because their body and head are one. So it is with the body of Christ. We are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). Again, I did not say we are Jesus Christ, but Paul said we are Christ. Let’s look at another verse.

1 Cor. 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

Clearly again Paul is using this analogy of a physical body to make his point. We are the body of Christ, yes members individually, but we are all a part of His body, which makes us Christ, not Belial. Most believers don’t see themselves as anointed like Jesus, yet Jesus Himself said in John 14:12 that he who believes in Him the works that He did we would do also. How are you going to do those works? With the same authority, anointing, and power, which Jesus did. You can’t do that if you are not one with Him, but you are.

Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;Mark 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Here is how we release that authority. We do so through the name of Jesus. This is why He was given a name above every name. Jesus declared it right here in these verses that in His name we would do the works He did. We simply need to have revelation in our hearts of who we are in Christ, and then go forth using our God-given authority in this earth to do what He did through the name of Jesus. You have authority in this earth, the same authority Jesus has. You have been made alive together, raised up together, and seated together with Him! Take your place in Christ and use the authority God gave you!

See You Again Next Week For More “Weekly Wisdom”

May God’s Best Be Yours!

Pastor Darryl Baker