Jesus I Know, But who are You?
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Point: Jesus’ authority is only recognized by those who have a close relationship with Jesus.
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
In the Alliance we believe as Dr. A.B. Simpson, our founder believed and taught, that Jesus Christ is Healer. Jesus Christ is our Savior, Jesus Christ is our Sanctifier, Jesus Christ is our Healer, and Jesus Christ is Coming King. It’s called the four-fold Gospel. Jesus is saves us, Jesus cleans us, Jesus heals us, and Jesus is returning as King as the Bible teaches and confirms.
What is the Authority of the Believer?
“Spiritual authority is the God-given right of rulership, rooted in a relationship with Him through Christ, whereby we superimpose the rules, order, and impact of His world (the kingdom of God) over our world.” -Chuck Davis, p.59, The Bold Christian
Imposing the Kingdom
A traffic officer holds up his hand, and the vehicles come to a stop. In another country, a traffic officer holds up his hand, but the oncoming cargo truck keeps on coming and barrels through the intersection, nearly running over the quick footed officer. Why did the one vehicle stop, and the cargo truck not? Was it because of the power that each officer wielded? A .22 compared to a .45? Ones stature more imposing than the other? One said please, and the other did not?
It actually depends on what the driver of the vehicle believes. Does the traffic cop have the authority behind him? Will the government support his/her decision? Does the government or ruling authority have the power to back up their rule or law? And will they? Will they impose their power and authority?
Authority always trumps power, but there has to be the power to enforce the authority. The traffic cop will only attempt to do his/her job if they believe that the authority they have been given will be supported by the ruling authority with power. The truck driver will only obey the traffic cop if he/she believes the ruling authority will support their representative with the necessary power.
The powers and principalities of this world, the spirit world, will submit to wielded authority. they submit to Jesus because He made all powers, authority, and principalities submissive to Him at the Cross and His resurrection. If we know the One in Authority, and walk with Him, trusting in Him, we can enact His authority. We can actually impose Jesus’ authority into our world and situations.
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
By knowing, Jesus means in close relationship, itimacy …believing, belonging, and blessing like Him. The seven sons of the Jewish high priest, Sceva, attempted to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons but received a severe beating by the demon why? They did not know Jesus. They had no relationship with Jesus, nor did they want one. They just wanted to use Him, to use His name, to bring glory to themselves. How many individuals want the benefits of Jesus, His power, His blessings, but lack any authority? Why? because they have no real relationship with Jesus? What would we call those individuals? Users. Jesus drew large crowds because He was doing miracles, performing healings, setting people free from the bondage of sin - freeing people from oppression and possession - destroying the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). Some came to see the spectacle, some to receive healing, some to be feed - most to receive the benefits of Jesus. But how many came to get to know Jesus? To believe in Him and trust Him as the Messiah, the Savior? How many trusted in Him as LORD?
When Jesus called the people to eat His flesh and drink His blood, many of His disciples abandoned Him and no longer followed Him (Jn 6:66)? Why? Because they thought He was teaching cannibalism? If they were to eat Jesus’ flesh, and drink His blood they would be touching a dead body and be unclean (Numbers 19:11). God also forbids anyone from drinking blood on penalty of being cut off from the nation and God Himself will turn against such an individual (Lev 17:10-14; Gen 9:4). Why? because blood represents life, is precious to God, and blood was given and shed to purify people before God. So then, for those that teach and believe, that when one comes to the Communion table, to remember and be thankful for Jesus crucifixion at the cross and His resurrection, one actually drinks the blood of Jesus and eats his actual flesh, upon the ringing of the bell, you are actually sinning against God and inciting Him to be against you. This is taught in the Catholic religion and is called “transubstantiation”.
“And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people,
for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.
So then, what did Jesus actually mean when He said,
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Well, when we read and study the Bible, one of the most important aspects to practice and remember is context. Read verses, passages in context - what is being said, what is happening before and after, the passage or scripture verse I am studying? The context of our passage is the claim that Jesus makes about himself, “I Am the bread of life” that God has given, from heaven, to the world for eternal life (Jn 6; 35; 32-52). The people that were following Jesus were hungry. Jesus just feed “the 5000”, which was probably more like 15000, because Scripture only mentions the men numbering 5000 (Jn 6:10). It’s the day after and the people are wanting more bread. Jesus takes the opportunity to speak about real bread for life: Himself. God gave the Israelites bread in the desert, manna, ‘bread from heaven’, to sustain them in the wilderness. Jesus claims, I am the real bread from heaven that will sustain you for eternity.
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Jesus claims divinity on par with God. Jesus says He is God, “If you have seen the Son, you have seen the Father (Jn 14:9).” If you know the Son, you know the Father (Jn 8:19). No one can come to the Father, who does not know the Son (Jn 14:6). Whoever rejects and denies Jesus, rejects and denies the Father (Luke 10:16). Jesus says plainly, “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). This means, that one can only truly have life, eternal life, have authority in this life, if one knows Jesus, or consumes Jesus. Jesus shed blood and given body were the payment for sin. His life, His body and blood, were sacrificed and substituted for ours, for our sin, for our wrong doing, for our wickedness and evil. He set us spiritually free from bondage and restored us to a spiritual relationship with God the Father. In spiritual bondage, we have been set free by a physical death and resurrection, the curse of sin. Atonement for sin was made by the shedding of Jesus’ blood (Heb 9:22).
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
The fact of his willing perfect sacrifice and the shedding of Jesus’ blood, the crucifixion, Jesus stipped all spiritual authority and power that the enemy, the Devil, stole.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
At Jesus Resurrection, Jesus returns to His pre-incarnate level of authority. Jesus’ resurrection proves the uniquenss of Jesus and His death on the cross. Before Jesus ascension to God the Father, Jesus says,
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
What humanity forfeited in the Garden, was now taken back. The proper authority structure has been reestablished, and our role is to re-impose it on earth, as it is in Heaven.
At the Ascension, Jesus is established as over all authorities, rulers, powers, and dominions. All are positioned under His feet.
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
So the sons of Sceva, the Jewish high priest, did not know Jesus; they had no relationship with Him. They did not believe in Him, they did not trust Him, they did not follow Him. But they wanted the benefit of His name; they wanted the authority of Jesus, they wanted the power behind the authority of Jesus. But authority is not recognized, if the One in Authority is not LORD of that persons life; if their is no belief, no trust, no faith. With no faith in Jesus, a person is beaten every time. One lives a defeated life, especially when facing powers and authorities that desire to impose their will upon yours.
People merely touched their face cloths and aprons on the skin of Paul were healed of disease, sickness, and demons (Acts 19:11-12). Why so? Because of faith in Jesus and the Gospel witness of the disciples, who did not merely relate words; they preached with conviction, healed with faith, and defeated demons with authority.
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Do the demons and devil know you? Are they afraid of you? Or are you afraid of them? They should be so afraid of you, of us, of the church, because we believe and follow a risen Savior, who has Authority over all, and has given you His same authority to preach the Gospel with boldness, heal disease and sickeness, and to command demons and evil spirits, in the name of Jesus, to stop, to go, to leave, to depart. Do you know the authority you have in Jesus? Do you live wielding that authority? Do you pray over your family and kids? Friends? Do you intecede and things come to stop, come to bear? Does hell know the power of Jesus? Do you make Jesus famous in hell and with the devil and demons? Jesus I know, but who are you?
Amen
