Untitled Sermon (4)

Jesus Ministered With Authority

I. GOD'S PLAN FOR ALL BELIEVERS.

Jesus, as Man

Jesus operated on this earth as a man. He had purposefully emptied Himself of His rights as God. He suffered temptations as a man. He overcame Satan as a man.

It was the human Jesus who had authority on this earth. His authority was because He was the Son of Man, the Last Adam, not because He was the Son of God.

Jesus came as the Last Adam to fulfill all that God had created the first Adam to be. Fulfilling God's plan for the first Adam, Jesus walked in absolute authority and dominion on this earth.

It is important to understand the authority in which Jesus walked. If this authority was the same authority God at creation, had given to mankind, then we can also walk in the same authority as redeemed men and women today.

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.

Only as new creations in Jesus can we become the men and women we were created to be in God's plan. Only as we read the Gospels and see Jesus walking as a perfect man can we understand God's pattern for our living and walking in absolute authority and dominion every day of our lives.

II. LUKE TELLS OF JESUS' AUTHORITY.

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First Message

“In Power of Holy Spirit”

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came upon Him to empower Him for His earthly ministry. Immediately after this, He was led into the wilderness, where He won over Satan and his temptations by speaking the Word of God. Having demonstrated His authority on this earth as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit, He was ready for His earthly ministry to begin.

He began this ministry in Galilee, anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit and speaking with authority.

,, Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

(Jesus was reading ,.

Second Message

After Jesus spoke in Nazareth, He spoke in Capernaum. There the people were amazed at His authority.

Had Authority

, Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

Demon Cast Out

vv. 33-35 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know You, who You are – the Holy One of God!”

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

Jesus commanded the demon to come out, and because it knew Jesus' authority, it came out.

“Authority and Power”

v. 36 So they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

III. JESUS' AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS –SICKNESS –TREES – STORMS.

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Mark also wrote about the ministry of Jesus in Capernaum and the people's amazement over the authority in which He ministered. Mark went on to tell about other demon possessed and sick people being healed.

Authority over Demons

Jesus had authority over the demons.

vv. 40,41 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Authority over Illness

Jesus had authority over illness.

, Then a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Authority over Human Body

Jesus spoke to the man with a shriveled hand. “Stretch out your hand!”

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. Then He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”

Jesus knew the man was going to be healed. He said, “Step forward.”

vv. 4,5 And He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. So when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts,

He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

With authority, Jesus spoke a word and the man stretched out his hand and was healed.

Authority over Creation Cursed Fig Tree

Jesus had authority over the fig tree.

And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” And immediately the fig tree withered away.

Authority over Elements

Calmed Storm

Jesus spoke to the wind and sea with authority and they obeyed Him.

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea.

vv. 39,40 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

Jesus' implication was, “Why were you so afraid? You could have calmed the storm. Where is your faith?”

v. 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

IV. JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE.

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Jesus is our example of how we should walk and minister in authority. His works on earth as the Last Adam are an example of how we, as redeemed and restored mankind, are to do the works of Jesus on the earth today. We are to live and minister in the same bold authority Jesus did as we do His works.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Jesus Rebuked Fever

Jesus spoke with authority when He rebuked the fever in Peter's mother-in-law.

, Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

Raising of Lazarus

Jesus spoke boldly and forcibly in a loud voice at the grave of Lazarus.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice,

“Lazarus, come forth!”

Doing Works of Jesus

Everywhere Jesus went, He ministered with a boldness which came as a result of knowing His authority as the Son of Man. When He released that authority in the power of the Holy Spirit, He healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. He did it as an example for believers both in that day and in our day.

Jesus told the disciples to minister in the same authority and to do exactly the same works He had been doing.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

The disciples could do the works of Jesus because He had given them the same authority in which He lived and ministered.

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.

Bold Authority

Jesus' ministry provided an example of boldness and power, instead of fear and timidity.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Jesus boldly preached the gospel, cast out devils and laid His hands on sick people and saw them recover as He ministered with authority. Jesus, our example, left us with these parting words.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

When we follow Jesus' example, as the Last Adam, we will find ourselves obeying the words of Jesus, as the creator, to the first Adam. We will find ourselves ruling and taking dominion over this earth and everything on this earth including sickness, bondage, poverty and death. Once again we will be doing what we were created to do.

Satan's Horror

As Jesus ministered on this earth, Satan must have looked on in horror. Here, Jesus operating as a man, was taking dominion, speaking and ministering in authority and by so doing was destroying the works of Satan.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

As we follow the example of Jesus today, we too will live and minister in our God-given authority. We too will be destroying the devil's work.