Topic: Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime
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I once read about the story of a man that was travelling from England to the United States during the days of great ocean liners that were the main mode of transportation. The voyage usually took about a week and this man had saved most of his money to be able to buy a ticket so that he could take the trip. Throughout the trip, every evening he would watch as the other passengers would get dressed and go to the dining room and eat the wonderful food that had been prepared. While this was happening, this man would take some crackers and cheese that he had brought with him and rationed it out every day so that he would have something to eat.On the last day of the voyage, as the ship was nearing its destination, the Captain saw this man on the deck and asked him, “Sir, have we offended you in some way or not provided good service to you for your trip?” The man replied, “Oh no. I have been very happy with the accommodations.” “The reason I asked,” The Captain said, “Is that I have not seen you in the dining room one time throughout the whole trip.” The man replied, “Well that is because it was all I could do to save the money just to buy the ticket to board the ship and make the trip, and therefore I could not afford all of those wonderful meals.” Shocked, the Captain replied, “Sir I am so sorry. All of those meals were included in the price of your ticket and you could have been eating with us all along.”
- This man did not know what had been bought and paid for and belonged to him all the time.
I read another story about a man who was found dead in the small, shabby apartment that he rented for $3 a week. He had been a familiar sight on the streets of Chicago for about 20 years, always dressed in rags and easting out of garbage cans. When he wasn’t seen for two or three days, concerned neighbors went to look for him and found him dead in bed. An autopsy revealed that he had died of malnutrition, yet a money belt was found around his waist that contained more than $23,000. The man had lived in abject poverty, peddling newspapers for a living, yet he had money. He could have lived in the finest hotel in town but instead lived in the little, run-down room. He could have eaten the best food but yet he died of malnutrition.
- This man did not use what belonged to him.
I believe that these two stories can summarize where a lot of believers are in that they either do not know what Jesus has already bought and paid for them and they already possess, or they know what they have or have some idea and do not use what belongs to them.
John 8:32 NKJV (32)And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Hosea 4:6 NKJV (6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Hosea 4:6 MSG (6) My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true. Because you’ve turned your back on knowledge, I’ve turned my back on you priests. Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I’m no longer recognizing your children.
We want to stir ourselves regarding “The Authority of the Believer.”
Luke 10:17-19 NKJV (17) Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (18) And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
In verse 19, the first word translated “authority” is the Greek word “exousia” which means delegated authority and the second word translated “power” is the Greek word “dunamis” which means ability or capability.
In speaking about serpents and scorpions, Jesus was referring to the power of the devil – demons, evil spirits and all his cohorts.
Does the Church today have or need any less authority than these disciples did in Jesus day? No!
Matter of fact, Jesus was delegating that authority to them as a man anointed by God under the old covenant. How much more do we have since He personally defeated the enemy and made a show of him?
The value of our authority rests on the power behind that authority. God Himself is the power behind that authority. The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority.
Our dealings with the devil should always be from a place of victory and authority over him because Jesus has already defeated him for us.
What is authority? Authority is delegated power.
Policemen can direct traffic during the rush hour traffic and hold up their hands and stop cars. Even though they do not have the physical ability to stop cars and trucks, they have the delegated power given to them by the government that they serve. People recognize that authority and stop their cars.
That means that you as a recipient of the delegated authority of Heaven, that is backed by God Himself, can step out and stop the operations of the devil in your life and he must obey because he recognizes that Power that is backing you.
1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV (8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9) Resist him (stand against), steadfast (strong and immovable) in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
1 Peter 5:8-9 AMPC (8) Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (9) Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
1 Peter 5:9 TPT Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith. For you know that your believing brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing the same kinds of troubles you endure.
1 John 4:4 NKJV (4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 TPT (4) Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them, for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world.
We need to understand fully what Jesus accomplished for us in His work of redemption.
Matthew 28:18 NKJV (18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:18 AMPC (18) Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Ephesians 1:15-23 TPT (15) Because of this, since I first heard about your strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your tender love toward all his devoted ones, (16) my heart is always full and overflowing with thanks to God for you as I constantly remember you in my prayers. (17) I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through your deepening intimacy with him. (18) I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! (19) I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power (20) that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm! (21) And now he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming! (22) And he alone is the leader and source of everything needed in the church. God has put everything beneath the authority of Jesus Christ and has given him the highest rank above all others. (23) And now we, his church, are his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!
Ephesians 2:1-8 TPT (1) And his fullness fills you, even though you were once like corpses, dead in your sins and offenses. (2) It wasn’t that long ago that you lived in the religion, customs, and values of this world, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm who fills the atmosphere with his authority, and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God. (3) The corruption that was in us from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of our self – life. We lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else. (4) But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy. (5) Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace! (6) He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ! (7) Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ. (8) For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ!
If we were raised up at the same time the Head was raised up, and all authority was conferred upon the Head, then it was also conferred upon His body which was raised up together with Him.
We need to preach the Cross and have a Cross mindset but we need to balance it with a Throne mindset and understand that we WERE crucified with Him but we were also RAISED together with Him and we are SEATED together with Him in the Heavenlies.
The right hand of God is the center of power of the whole universe.
Hebrews 1:3 NKJV (3) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
As long as Satan can keep you in unbelief or hold you in the area of reason, he’ll whip you in every battle. But if you will hold him in the arena of faith and the Spirit, you’ll whip him every time.
He will not argue with you about the Name of Jesus and the authority in that name.
Philippians 2:9-11 TPT (9) Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! (10) The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. (11) And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord Yahweh,” bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!
Mr. E. W. Kenyon wrote in his book, “The Wonderful Name of Jesus” about ministering one night on the Name of Jesus, and in the middle of his message an attorney interrupted him and asked the question, “Do you mean that Jesus has given us the power of attorney?”
Mr. Kenyon responded to him that he was the lawyer and expert and did Jesus give us the power of attorney?
The man responded and said if language means anything, Jesus gave to the Church the power of attorney.
Mr. Kenyon asked him, “What is the value of the power of attorney?”
The lawyer responded, “It all depends on how much there is in back of it. How much authority and power that this Name represents.”
All the power and authority that Jesus has and had is invested in His Name.
Do we have the power of attorney to use His Name?
Jesus said we could use His Name in prayer, in dealing with demons, and in laying hands on the sick.
Sometimes we focus too much on our part in ministering to someone, but we must realize that it is the power in His Name that does the work.
Kenyon states, “The measure of His ability is the measure of the value of that Name, and all that is invested in that Name belongs to us for Jesus gave us the unqualified use of that Name.”
John 16:23-24 NKJV (23) “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. (24) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Jesus not only gives us the use of His Name in prayer but says that the prayers we pray in His Name will receive the special attention of the Father. Jesus was saying that if you ask of the Father in My Name – I will endorse it – and the Father will give it to you.
Romans 5:17 AMP (17) For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [ God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).