Sermon Tone Analysis

The Legality of the Decree

So far in this study, we’ve learned:

The promise is in the decree meaning it must be spoken.

It must be spoken with wholehearted conviction in both heart and mind that actually becomes the plan you adopt.

Once spoken, it sheds light or the revelation of God on your ways to adjust inward and outward thought and action.

That light then guides you through the process needed to carry the promises of God without being destroyed by them.

Now I want to go into the legality of the decree or you could say the behind-the-scenes once it’s released!

Decree Defined

Decree is “most imply, any command or order given by a human RULER for the sake of carrying out the task of governing or leading.

From a theological perspective God’s decrees are God’s ETERNAL, ALL-ENCOMPASSING PLANS for creation.

“An order usually having the force of law” and if a verb, it meant “to determine or order judicially.”

“Written commands having the effect of law.”

There are 5 Hebrews words and 1 Greek (dogma) for decree but the idea of it might be present even where a specific technical term for decree does not occur.

The main idea of decree is that one must have authority to issue a legally binding decree.

There are several types of decrees:

God and human decrees.

The Hebrew word “hoq” for decree is translated “statue, prescription, or ordinance” and is in reference to God’s laws.

The root of hoq means “to engrave, carve; write; fix, determine.”

The root always involves “an action of a superior that affects an inferior.

tells us that Christ canceled the “certificate of debt” consisting of “decrees” that was against us.

God will move on His rulers to issue decrees (; ).

And says, “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees.”

That’s why it’s so important to pray for our government leaders because they have the LEGAL AUTHORITY to issue decrees or laws that can harm us.

Our prayers help them be influenced by God’s spirit to do His will.

Prophetic decrees.

For example, in ; , , we see that “the Son of Man will go as it has been determined” or “decreed” or lit.

written in the prophets.

A negative prophetic decree can sometimes be annulled by repentance.

Political and cosmic order.

God decreed the boundaries of nations including the land of Israel.

He fixed heavenly bodies in their places ().

The best example is:

Church decrees.

The best example is in ().

It later came to refer to the authoritative teachings of church councils.

All decrees should “speak of God’s eternal wisdom and plan for creation.”

And, again, must be released by one who has authority to decree either through royalty and legal jurisdiction (both assigned (given) and birthed through starting something).

So I want to look at the legal jurisdiction aspect.

Legal Jurisdiction

We know that man lost his authority over the world systems when Adam and Eve handed over their dominion to the enemy in the garden ().

Dominion is radah and means “RULE OVER, dominate, direct, lead, control, subdue, i.e., manage or govern an entity, people or government with considerable or forceful authority.”

Dominion wasn’t forceful at that point because there weren’t any wars, rebels, etc.

Luke 4:

Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said that he’d give Jesus this authority and the glory if Jesus would bow and worship him.

Authority is the Greek word “exousia” and has several applications in the original Greek.

It denotes “ ability to perform an action” to the extent that there are no hindrances in the way” (G.

Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.),

Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 562).

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.)

ability to perform an action” to the extent that there are no hindrances in the way

It’s also “the possibility granted by a higher norm or court, and therefore “the right to do something or the right over something…authority, permission, freedom.”

Our constitution gives us rights that our founders considered God-given.

Ownership of certain things comes with authority over those things.

There’s political authority.

It’s also “the possibility of action given authoritatively by the king, government or laws of a state and conferring authority.

I.e.

there’s authority granted by various courts to perform specific tasks.

And with authority comes the ability to defend your actions based on written laws.

The resource cited in your notes says “this authority (granted by higher norm or court) is illusory unless backed by real power.

I.E.

THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT A TASK CAN’T JUST BE IMAGINARY BUT MUST BE BACKED BY THE LAW AND THE ABILITY OF A STATE TO ENFORCE IT WITH EVEN FORCE.

Foerster, W. (1964–).

ἔξεστιν, ἐξουσία, ἐξουσιάζω, κατεξουσιάζω.

G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.),

Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2, p. 562).

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

For us, this means that what we decree must be written, spoken, or supported by the will of God.

God as the AUTHORITY has “absolute power with His creative activity.”

He is the source of both exousia and the POWER to carry out His will.

Exousia is POWER WHICH DECIDES.

This power is released by His WORD.

I.e.

His Word carries creative power that decides.

And listen to this: “this power of Jesus and the apostles is of the SAME CHARACTER.”

Jesus has authority because of two factors: He is God but also the Son of God.

As a man, though, he laid aside His divine right of power as God and through obedience in all aspects from His Father even to the point of the cross, He was given ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND EARTH as a resurrected Man.

All believers carry this power because we all carry the Word and Jesus gave us His exousia, which I’ll get to in a minute.

“This power of decision is active in a legally ordered whole” meaning that Father is the Supreme Ruler and He has a people with which He now rules through on the earth in full authority of heaven and earth because Jesus took the rule that was lost in the Garden back.

THE ENEMY IS NO LONGER THE UNRESTRAINED RULER OF THE EARTH.

Baseline definition of authority is “the domain or sphere over which one has authority to control or rule—jurisdiction.”

As I stated, before Jesus, the enemy had legal jurisdiction over the earth.

He set up a system that began to eat away like a cancer all of the good God decreed during creation.

At the opportune time, Jesus, born as a baby, entered the earth as a Man so that He could LEGALLY take back the legal jurisdiction of the earth, which is why God became Man.

Only a man could take back what man gave away.

But no man was untainted by sin so God became Man.

Simple.

And as a Man without sin who was by birth royalty, His authority was sourced in Father not other men.

After He lived life sinless, submitted to the cross, and was resurrected, He gave the same authority to those who believe in Him.

The reason it’s important to believe in Him other than the fact that you are saved from hell is that THE COVENANT OF JESUS MAKES IT LEGAL.

It’s only through covenant that authority is restored to you and me.

The covenant enforces our authority on earth.

Matthew

(TPT)

22 who is now in heaven at the place of supreme authority next to God.

The very powers of heaven, including every angel and authority, now yield in submission to him.

The fact that He said, “Go, therefore...” means that the same authority has been given to us to do the same and even greater works than He did in order to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b).

(TPT)

26 For the Father has given the Son the power to impart life, even as the Father imparts life.

27 The Father has transferred to the Son the authority to judge, because he is the Son of Man.

The Son has life WITHIN Himself given to Him by His Father.

He is the source of resurrection life and has the ability to IMPART life.