Spiritual Authority

Spiritual Authority

1.   All the Spiritual realm works under authority

·        Even Satan and demons understand authority, and must abide by it

·        This is one of the secrets to answered prayer, because it lets you know where and how you can fight Spiritual Battles

·        Remember, this world had been handed over to Satan

Luke 4:5-6 (ESV) And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶  and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.”

·        Jesus didn’t respond “You’re wrong, Devil! The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”[Psalm 24:1 (NLT2)]

Why didn’t Jesus correct Satan about this? 

When did Satan gain this authority? 

Genesis 3:1–7 (NLT) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”

⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

2.   All authority has been given to Jesus

Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT) ¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

How did Jesus get “all” authority, including authority over the devil, the earth, and everything in it?

(MULTILINE)

Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)¹⁴  He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵  In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

Even before that, he used the Authority of his Father through the anointing of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons, heal, set people free, etc. And he delegates that authority to us.

(MULTILINE REVEAL SMALL)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

Luke 9:1-2, 6 (ESV) [Also in Matthew 10]And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal… ⁶ And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

Luke 10:1–17 (ESV) After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. ² And he said to them, “…⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.⁹ Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

… ¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

3.   What do you have authority to do?

Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT) ¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Why, if we are delegated authority, don’t we have every prayer answered?

o   There could be a few reasons, but let’s look at 2 of them.

A.    A Lack of “the Faith of a Mustard Seed”

Matthew 17:14-17 (NIV) ¹⁴  When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵  “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶  I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

¹⁷  “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

Did the disciples believe they had the authority to heal the boy? 

Mark 11:22–24 (NLT) ²² Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.²³ I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.²⁴ I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

Matthew 17:18–20 (NIV84) ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

What does a mustard seed believe? 

·        In Hebrew and Aramaic, there is a word we translate as faith (emunah), which actually means “reliability, trustworthiness, dependability, steadiness.”

§  So “faith” is better understood as “” rather than just “belief”

·        “Because you have so little faith” really means “Because you have so little ”

o   (They already BELIEVED – see Luke 9:1-6, Matthew 10, Luke 10:1-17)

How does a mustard seed persevere? 

B.    A Lack of Authority

·        “In Jesus’s name” – like a signed check

o   But you can’t spend it on things Jesus wouldn’t buy

o   It means according to the and of Jesus

John 14:12-14 (NIV) ¹²  “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.¹³  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.¹⁴  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

John 16:23-24 (NIV) ²³  “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.²⁴  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

·        Areas of Authority

o   Where you have responsibility, for example

§  Jobsite

§  School

o   Where you have legal authority

o   Where you have familial authority

§  Spouse, children

o   (Other examples) (MULTILINE)