Authority of
Jesus Christ
No other person in history has the power and
authority that Jesus Christ has. The Bible says:
- "9Therefore God exalted him to the highest
place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:9-10 NIV).
- God raised Jesus from the dead and
"seated him at his right
hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and
dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age
but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his
feet" (Ephesians 1:20-23 NIV).
- 3The Son is
the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in
heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the
name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (Hebrews 1:3-4 NIV)
From those scriptures, we see that Jesus
is:
- The Son of God
- Superior to the angels
- Heir to all things
- The One who made the universe
- The radiance of God's Glory
- The exact representation of God's
Glory
- The One who sustains all things by His
powerful word
- The sacrifice that bought our
purification from sin
- Now sitting at the right hand of God in
Heaven
- Jesus is superior to everything.
This includes Satan and the
forces of darkness that wage war against us daily (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 3:22). Jesus defeated Satan at the cross
and will eventually bring every enemy under his feet. These
enemies will then be cast into the "Lake of Fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).
Authority
delegated: Jesus demonstrated God's authority in his
ministry on earth. He delegated that authority to his disciples and
to anyone else who would believe in him. Here are the
details:
- Jesus has authority over all
things: Jesus claimed that all authority had been given
to him in heaven and on earth in Matthew
28:18. He then proved that authority by driving demons
out of people, healing the sick and forgiving sins.
- Jesus gave his authority to his
disciples: Jesus said, "I have given
you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the
power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that
the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven." Luke 10:19-20 NIV
- Jesus gave his authority to those
who believe in him: This is an amazing benefit of
believing in Jesus that was foreshadowed in Psalm 91:13: "You shall tread upon the lion and the
cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot"
(NKJV). Jesus has given us the authority to trample
Satan and his forces. Here are some scriptures to back this
up:
12But to as many
as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege,
right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in
(adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name--13Who owe their
birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical
impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God.
[They are born of God!] John
1:12-13 AMP
"And these signs will
accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their
hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get
well." Mark 16:17-18 NIV
The scriptures also give us examples of
this authority in action:
1When Jesus
had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to
drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them
out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 6So
they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and
healing people everywhere. Luke 9:1-2,6 NIV
49"Master,"
said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to
stop him, because he is not one of us." 50"Do not stop
him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
Luke 9:49-50 NIV
Paul demonstrated this authority when he
cast the spirit of divination out of a fortuneteller in Acts
16:18: "She kept this up for many days.
Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the
spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!"
At that moment the spirit left her" (NIV).
Note that Christ's authority is given only
to those who believe in him (John 1:12, Mark 16:17).
For example, the seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast demons out
without having faith in Jesus. They invoked his name like a
magical word and were severely beaten up and chased away (Acts 19:13-16).
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