Jesus begins his ministry with authority and power

Tell Them What You Are Going to Say

Introduction

Recently a movie came out about the 6888th Postal directory battalion. This was the only all female African American battalion to serve overseas. The commanding officer of the 6888th Was Major Charity Adams. In the United states army of the 1940s major Adams had two things going against her 1st she was black in a segregated army , second she was a woman. She would have to overcome these obstacles and establish her authority as the commander of the 6888th. When her unit arrived in Europe, they were tasked with clearing an overwhelming backlog of mail. They were expected to fail , but Adams made it clear that failure was not an option. She organized the work meticulously, setting strict schedules and demanding high standards from her troops. Her leadership style was firm but fair, She made sure that the women under her command were well trained and disciplined and she also made sure that she supported the women under her command. Major Adams overcame a lot to establish her authority as the commander of 6888th.

At the beginning of his ministry Jesus hat to establish his authority and his power . He was not just establishing his authority and power over an organization , on institution, jesus was establishing his authority and power over creation . Today we are going to begin a series where we look at the ministry of Jesus as it is portrayed in the gospel according to mark. In this very first sermon in this series we're going to examine how Jesus establishes his ministry , we are going to examine Jesus establishing his authority and his power. The central message for this sermon will simply be the fact that Jesus established his authority and power from the beginning of his earthly ministry .

Central Message

Jesus established his authority and power from the beginning of his earthly ministry.

Say What You Are Going to Say

Affirmation of Jesus as Messiah

In the very first line of his gospel account mark is making it clear who Jesus is .

Mark 1:1 NIV

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,

This is important because it establishes that Jesus is not just a prophet he is the anointed son of God .

The Father affirms the authority of the Son

Even more important than mark Affirming who Jesus is in the text we see God the father affirming who Jesus is .

Mark 1:9–11 NIV84

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

For those who do not believe in the Trinity here we have a actual biblical depiction of the Trinity . While it is true but the word Trinity does not appear anywhere in the Bible the fact that it does not appear does not mean that the Trinity does not exist . Here we have the physical manifestation of God in Jesus, Emmanuel God with us . We hear the voice of God the father, And we see the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus .

Revealing his authority and power

Now that the father has affirmed the authority of the son Jesus will now reveal his power and authority .

Mark 1:21–26 NIV

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

We see the authority of Jesus in two ways here first he teaches with authority . He does not refer to the teachings of other teachers the crowd can plainly see that his teachings are not something that he learned from someone else but an authority that is given to him . We also see his authority in the way that he speaks to the impure spirit . This is also the first time in which we see the power of Jesus . Jesus commands the spirit and the spirit obeys .

Note

The impure spirit knows who Jesus is . I think that there is something very important that we can take from that kernel of knowledge . Knowledge of jesus is not enough for salvation . There will be people who know of jesus who don't get into heaven and the reason why is because they know of Jesus but they do not have faith in him. For salvation we do of course need to know who Jesus is, but not only do we need to know who Jesus is, we have to have faith in jesus sacrifice and we have to have faith that his sacrifice has saved us from sin , and we must trust in the saving power of Jesus, This is what allows for us to receive the Holy Spirit and begin the process of transformation .

Jesus further demonstrates his power

Jesus was not done demonstrating his authority and power in the synagogue he would go on to further demonstrate his authority and his power

Mark 1:29–34 NIV

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Now the text goes beyond the authority of Jesus teaching and his power to cast out impure spirits and demonstrates his power to heal while continuing to demonstrate his ability To drive out demons and not only drive them out but to prevent them from speaking . Now there's a question that often comes up especially about the spirit that was cast out in the synagogue and I believe that when we look at this text it helps to address that question sometimes people will ask

Question / Objection

Could what is described as possession by an impure spirit be better understood through modern psychology as a mental illness or disorder rather than a supernatural occurrence?

Answer

And when you look at this question it approaches the situation with the assumption that today we have a greater knowledge about mental illness and so something that was mental illness back then would have been seen as possession but the text addresses that notion . Because we have to remember who jesus is jesus is god with us He would understand the difference between mental illness and possession . Look at what the Text says Jesus was doing at night it says that he healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons. If the man in the synagogue was simply suffering from mental illness then Jesus would have healed him , but the text is explicit it does not say that jesus healed him of an illness which he very well could have done, the text tells us that Jesus drove out an impure spirit , and if we believe that god is all knowing, and we believe that jesus is god, then obviously jesus would know the difference between someone who was suffering from an illness, even mental illness and someone who was possessed .

Application

So this is all great we see that Jesus begins his ministry and in the beginning of his ministry he establishes his authority, he establishes his power over creation . This is all great to know but what can we do with this information outside of knowing and understanding the power and authority of jesus what can we do with it?

1st we must remember that this battle that we are in as Christians it is not a battle of flesh and blood but the commander of the army so to speak Jesus has authority over our enemy . So when we are engaged in spiritual warfare which will happen . Know that that time of spiritual warfare will happen because you're a believer, and because you're a believer you will come under attack by the enemy but know that when you come under attack by the enemy when you engage in that spiritual warfare you are not alone and the God that you serve has authority and power even over our enemy so turn to God and trust in God to fight for you in this spiritual battle . Do not , hear what i'm saying here do not attempt to engage in spiritual warfare by yourself , you will lose , but if you engage in it with God victory is assured.

We can also take comfort in the fact that Jesus has authority and power . Isn't it a good thing that the ultimate power and authority lays in him and not one of us . I can tell you for a fact it is a very good thing that the ultimate power and authority lays in god and not in me. Despite our circumstances , regardless of what we may be going through in the moment we can find comfort in knowing that God is in control, He has the power to heal, he has power over our enemy, he as the power to save, and because he has the authority and power, those who have faith in him have victory..

So my friends If you're feeling overwhelmed by the stresses of life, remember that Jesus holds power over all creation. Spend a moment in prayer and surrender your worries and pain to Him. Put your trust in His power over your situations. Put it in Gods hands, release anxiety and have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Tell Them What You Said

So this is the beginning of Jesus ministry according to the gospel of mark . We see that Jesus established his authority and power from the beginning of his earthly ministry. The father affirms Jesus authority and power at his baptism when the spirit descends on Jesus and the voice of the father is heard saying that Jesus is his son and that he is pleased . Then we see Jesus go out and revealed his authority as he preaches in the synagogue he reveals his power over demons when he cast out the impure spirit . He reveals his power over illness when he heals Simon's mother-in-law , he then firmly reveals his power by healing others, and casting out many demons And eventually he will reveal his ultimate power over death and his ability to save all those who will come come to all those who believe, all those who trust . It isn't just about knowing who jesus is it's about knowing who Jesus is, believing in Jesus redemptive power and trusting in the salvation that Jesus grants to those who would come to him . There are times in all of our lives when we can do no more . We've done the best that we can and the best doesn't seem like enough know this Jesus is more good enough trust in his authority trust in his power trust in him and the people of God said hey Amen