AUTHORITY
By Pastor Terry Thompson
I want you to just close your eyes for a brief moment and let your mind’s eye look back into your school days. Now, let me ask you a question, which teacher did you learn from the most? I know in my case it was Miss Ward. She was a great motivator and showed so much enthusiasm and joy. Everyone in the class wanted to hear what she had to say. Some teachers have that gift. This is just what I want to draw your attention to with Jesus’s teaching. In the first book of Mark, we see in verse 17 Jesus enlisted Simon and Andrew. Then in verse 20 He saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and called them to follow Him and they followed. The next day they were in Capernaum and it was the Sabbath day. They went into the synagogue (church) and Jesus taught. I would have loved to of seen the expressions on the faces of the four new disciples as Jesus taught in the synagogue. Let us just look at verse 22.
Mark 1:22 – “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.”
THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST
When Mark wrote his gospel, he showed the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher. It is quite obvious that the people thought the scribes were quite dry in their application, yet they said Jesus spoke with such authority.
Mark 1:23-27
23 – And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 – Saying, let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 – And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 – And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 – And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, what thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
The authority Jesus showed created motivation and when motivation was stirred activation was manifested.
Dictionary
AUTHORITY
/əˈTHôrədē/
noun
The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
Matthew 7:29
29 – For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
The chief priests and the elders were always challenging Jesus’s authority.
Matthew 21:23
23 – And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, by what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?”
Do you remember how the dictionary expressed what ‘AUTHORITY’ was? ‘the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.’
The dictionary breaks up the word into two categories.
- The power.
- The right.
Jesus exercised spiritual power. The chief priests and the elders exercised religious rights. Both had authority, the spiritual enables people to do and religion forbids people to do. The authority Jesus showed created motivation among the people, when people are motivated it stirs them into activation and miracles manifest.
The authority Jesus gave to His disciples was a power that sets people free and motivates them into service.
MAN LIKES TO MONOPOLIZE
John told Jesus that he forbid someone using his name to cast out devil’s because he did not belong to their group. Jesus responded by saying, “Forbid him not.” When we try to monopolize the work of God, we take away it’s natural ability to ignite an area like a bushfire. On the day of Pentecost, the 120 believers saw 3000 saved in just one day.
Luke 9:49-50
49 – And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
50 – And Jesus said unto him, forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”
We need to remember that God gave us the power to set the captives free. Jesus said,
Luke 4:18
18 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 – To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
The Holy Spirit is the activator of our authority and when we yield to His leading, we become a force to be reckoned with. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we have been given access to activate the accessories that He gives to us.
The Bible calls them gifts in 1 Corinthians 12.8-10.
CONCLUSION
The word AUTHORITY describes an action, to bind or loose. Jesus gave this ability to His disciples one day when He was asking them who do you say that I am.
Matthew 18:18
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.”
The source of our Authority is based in Christ! And manifestation comes through the Holy Spirit. When we align ourselves with the new commandment Christ gave us in John 13 we implement our authority with the attitude of love.
John 13:34-35
34 – A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Love Y’all!
Keep under the spout where the glory runs out!!!