The Authority Of The Believer
“For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:”
2 Corinthians 10:8
The bible tells us that the born again believer has been given authority from God in order fulfill the purpose He has assigned to their lives.
Lets see exactly what the scripture reveals!
AUTHORITY AS DEFINED
Matthew 10:7-8
7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Jesus gives his disciples authority to heal the sick, cleans the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils. Consider also the idea of receiving and freely giving.
Mark 16:12-18
12After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.13And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.14Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
1. Cast out devils.
2. Speak with new tongues.
3. Lay on hands and heal the sick.
4. Preach the gospel.
Luke 9:1-2
1Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.2And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
The Believer has:
1. Authority over devils
2. Cure diseases.
3.Preach the kingdom of God.
John 14:12
12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
1. Jesus tells us that those who believe on Him will do the same works while he is with them and after he returns to the Father, we will do greater works.
2. What greater works will we do?
John 20:23
23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
1. Forgive sins? What does this mean? I thought only Jesus could forgive sin.
We can remit sins by explaining the means by which God forgives sins.
Romans 3:26-28
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. Preach the gospel. Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
1 Timothy 1:7
7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
A believer is not to operate according to a spirit fear but rather through a spirit of power, love and sound mind given to us by the working of the Holy Spirit.
AUTHORITY AS PRACTICED
Matthew 28:18-20
18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
The Father has given Jesus all power in heaven and earth. Its through this power that now Jesus delegates to the believer, the authority to teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Mark 11:23-24
23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
We must learn to speak to our mountains. In this passage the mountain is a figurative representation of something even greater. Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We are to learn to use our authorty to put the devil in his place.
Mark 5:25-34
25And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
1. Need a healing? Have faith. Believe His promise that by His stripes we were healed, past tense. Speak healing from the spirit realm into the physical realm. 1 Peter 2:24
2. Notice that this woman was unclean. She was one of many people following Jesus. She would have alerted the crowd to her presence by announcing that she was unclean. Are we not all unclean sinners in need of healing, both physical and spiritual.
Acts 1:8
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
A believer will receive power through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:10-11
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
In this passage, Paul is showing us where a believers authority comes from. Our strength and power come from Jesus not by our own efforts. We are given the authority to put on the full armour of God so we can stand against the assaults of the devil.
Ephesians 6:18-20
20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
1. Pray always for the saints. Ask saints to pray for your needs as well.
2. Don’t beg God to do what He has given you the authority to do with His power.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The authority we receive from God is spiritual, for the pulling down of the devils strongholds in our lives. Operating under our God-given authority is only possible if you first understand what authority you have been given and second, learn from examples like this in God’s word, how to use your authority.
1 John 5:14-15
14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
The spiritual realm operates according to God’s laws. We must operate our God given authority according to His laws. We must ask according to his will. Find out God’s will for your life. Read His word, you will find it there. Make a commitment to cooperate with God’s grace and always be ready to receive.
AUTHORITY COMES WITH A PURPOSE
Matthew 24:14
14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Believers are to deliver the gospel of the kingdom to the world in order to be a witness to the lost.
John 15: 26-27
26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
Believers are to be a witness of Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. To be a light in a dark world.
Acts 1:8
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Believers are to be a witness of Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. To be a light in a dark world.
Acts 22:14-15
14And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Believers are to be a witness of Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. To be a light in a dark world.
Matthew 5:16
16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Believers are to glorify the Lord Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. To be a light in a dark world.
Luke 18:42-43
42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Believers are to glorify the Lord Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. To be a light in a dark world.
Romans 15:5-7
5Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:6That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.7Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
Believers are to glorify the Lord Jesus with one mind, the mind of Christ.