Our "Authority" through "Christ"

As we begin this new year of 2012, we find ourselves just that much closer to HIS coming. It is very important for us to understand that we are his kids and being that, we have all the benefits that comes to those that are heirs of Gods wealth, power, hope and future.

We also must never under estimate the fact that satan also knows his time is coming to an end and he will stop at nothing to bring all the little tricks out to confuse and distort the truth. 

Just as a reminder.....satan has NO POWER in any way, shape, form or fashion. He lost all the powers he had when God flung him from heaven. He has to depend on the human weakness of over analyzing and confusing what is very simple.

Hopefully the following statements will help remind us of who we are in Christ.....

Happy New Year and the blessing of God in your new year.

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Reading Romans 8 this morning gave me a new reminder of who we are and what we have, 

through Christ. 

Romans 8:1 tells us exactly  who we are and how to obtain ALL that he has for us.

     There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

As his kids, we have all "Authority" under heaven if we utilize it to its fullness through Christ.

Matt. 28:18-And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

A definition of “Authority”

1. A power or right delegated from one person to another....

God created all things from nothing to something by just His “Authority, Power or Command”.

When Jesus was born He brought with Him all of the Powers of His Father in a fleshly form.

John 14:10

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Jesus did away with the Old Testament and brought in a New Testament or New Day

He is the Son of God!. 

Isa 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 7:28-29

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority (Power) at His teaching.

Power/Authority in His words.

On down to Matthew 8:5-13-Look it up in the Bible

Somehow there is an important link between the understanding of authority that Christ was showing and the faith that this centurion possessed.

This is still true today. 

We pray for healing and deliverance and salvation for our families that we care about, and yet, in our modern America, it seems that prayers of this nature seldom get answers in ways that make people stop and marvel at the authority that is in the Name of Jesus.

If we truly understood the awesome power and authority that we have in Christ Jesus, we could speak with CONFIDENCE. It really doesn’t matter how much faith we have.

 Matthew 17:20

....”If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

 A little will do if you know, that you know, when you petition God, He will not only hear you, but He will answer.....and He will answer in a mighty way when we place the full weight of Christ’s authority into the WORDS we speak from our hearts.

Colossians 2:9-10

New International Version (NIV)

 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 

10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. 

He is the head over every power and authority

Another definition of “Authority”

1. A position that commands

Luke 8:27-33

1. And when He (Jesus) stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.
2. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, the son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

How does the authority of Jesus make the devil feel?

Satan remembered Luke 10:18

And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven

Obedience is better than talking

John 5:19 NLT

1. So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

The reason He spoke with such authority was that He watched what His Father did and followed him. 

If we watch and listen to what He says and does, we will see and know of the authority we have in Him. “

Silence is Golden”

Did you ever get the look from your father?

It is this sort of obedience that convinces me, not only of the weight of His authority but the importance of obedience.

1. How can we speak with authority if we continue to walk in disobedience?
2. How can we tell the mountain to move if we are not walking in obedience?
3. How can we command the demons to leave and the sick to be made well if we are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit?

If there are issues of the HEART that must be dealt with.....you have to deal with it first. 

Faith and Authority are intertwined in a strange way. 

The centurion was having faith for his servant but knew the power and importance of AUTHORITY and knew that the authority was given to Jesus to just speak the words and his request would be answered.

Acts 1:8

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you”........

We can speak with authority when we are submitted unto Him and His authority. In His authority is all power/authority...Matthew 28:18

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen

The Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer                                                            7/14/2010

James 5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

In 6 verses “Pray/Prayer is mentioned 6 times.

(Definition of “Prayer”-the act or PRACTICE of PRAYING to God.)

James is trying to let us know that “Prayer” is our way of communicating with God.

Prayers from your heart—

Ps. 34:6--In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.(New Living Translation)

Matt. 7:7--Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Isa 55:6-- Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

We study last time about “FAITH”.

Matthew 17:21-However, this kind does not go out except by “PRAYER and FASTING”

1.   How Do I Pray?

In Matthew 6:9-13—God gave us an example of HOW we must pray--These verses are know as the “Lords Prayer”

         9. Our Father in heaven,

      Hallowed be Your name. ---WORSHIP

       10 Your kingdom come.

      Your will be done

      On earth as it is in heaven. –SEEKING HIS WILL

       11 Give us this day our daily bread.—REQUESTING HIS NORISHMENT FOR OUR DAY

       12 And forgive us our debts,

      As we forgive our debtors. --CONFESSION

       13 And do not lead us into temptation,

      But deliver us from the evil one. –PROTECTION OF OUR MIND

End your prayers on a “Positive”

      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Speak to God with your own words

You have to believe what you pray-Not just mouth service

Mark 11:24--Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Sometimes we go “Blindly” into our Prayers, not really knowing which direction to go

                           Direction NOT TO GO!

Matthew 6:7-8                                                                                                                                                                                           7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, (babbling--NIV) as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.                        8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

     

                           Direction TO GO!

1.     Talk to Him like a Friend

2.     Acknowledge is Sovereignty

3.     Be precise in your request

4.     Don’t expect ALL of your request will be answered “Right Now”

5.     Pray for His Will

6.     Don’t find yourself in a rut.

2.    How Powerful Are Our Prayers?

Back to James 5:16--The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)

                                    The prayer of a righteous man is “POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE” (NIV)

In James the 18 and 19 verse it mentions Elijah praying for rain to stop and then begin again. (I Kings 17 & 18)

In I Kings 18:36-38 he prayed for the evening sacrifice

In Mark 9:14-27 tells of a father that brings his son to Jesus to be healed of being demon possessed. Jesus issues a command to the demon to be removed and the demon shows off before he leaves.  The Bibles says it screamed and threw the boy down into a violent convulsion before it leaves.

Mark 9:28-29-

28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

                        29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

II Corth 10:4-6 says—

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Let me ask again….How Powerfull Are Your Prayers…….As “Powerful” as you want them to be!

By having a relationship with Christ and using His weapons, it gives us the divine POWER to demolish strongholds…

What are our weapons….

1.     Prayer

2.     Hope

3.     Faith

4.     Love

5.     Gods Word

6.     The Holy Spirit

What does it mean…When your obedience is fulfilled?

                                                Being in tune and determined by “Praying and Fasting”

What does it mean to be in “TUNE and DETERMINED” through “Prayer and Fasting”?

            Eph 6:18 urges us

“18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”.

3.   How Do I “TAP” Into Prayer?

Mark 1:35

35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Ps. 55:16-17

                        16 As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me.

            17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud And He shall hear my voice.

Ps. 42:8

8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life.

You say that is rough……

I Thess. 5:17-18

17 Pray without ceasing.                                                                                                                                               18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Oh but the rewards are sooooo great!

I John 5:14-15

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

GOD answers our prayers that come into agreement with His will, regardless of the person asking- the passion behind it or the purpose of the prayer.

The answer may not always be “YES” but will always be in our BEST interest.

Matt. 26:36-44

39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

                        43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Sometimes are issue’s are not as important to others as to you. You have to do your own prayer.

When we pray with “Passion and Purpose” according to His will, God responds with “Power”

                        Ps. 107:28-30

            28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,

             And He brings them out of their distresses.

 29 He calms the storm,

            So that its waves are still.

 30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;

            So He guides them to their desired haven.

           

4.   What Sort Of Things Can I Pray For?

GOD’s help, through the “POWER of PRAYER” is good for all requests and crisis’s

           Phil 4:6

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Here are some accounts for various situations that the Bible gives accounts for……..

           

1.     Overcomes your enemies (Ps. 6:9-10)

2.     Conquered Death (2 Kings 4:3-36)

3.     Brought healing (James 5:14-15)

4.     Defeated demons (Mark 9:29)

5.     Opened eyes, changed hearts, heals wounds and grants wisdom (James 1:5)

The “POWER of PRAYER” should be never be underestimated. It draws from the Glory and Might of the Almighty-Powerful God of the Universe

           James 5:16-18

16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

5.   Is It Possible To Change The World?

2 Tim. 3:1-5

1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

                        Matt 25:1-13-10 Virgins

                                   

                                    Verses 11-13-

II Chron. 7:14

if my people…

1.     who are called by my name,

2.     will humble themselves

3.     and pray

4.     and seek my face

5.     and turn from their wicked ways,

6.     then will I hear from heaven

7.     and will forgive their sin

8.     and will heal their land.

Before we can change the world, we have to have a change in ourselves. We as Children of God, need to pray as we have never prayed before. Pray for Revival in our own congregation before we can change the city or nation.

6.   Want To Have Power In Your Prayers?

The most powerful resource for the Christian is communion with God through PRAYER.

The results are often greater than we thought possible.

Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails.

This approach is backward. Prayer should come first.

Because God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it-especially because God encourages us to do so.

Hebrews 4:16 (King James Version)

              16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and fin