APPLICATION OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
Authority doesn't beg; authority doesn't ask; authority
commands! We are not told to ask God to cast out demons, we are told to do it
ourselves! We are not told to beg demons to come out, we are told to CAST them
out!
Matthew 8:8-9, 13, "The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the
word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority,
having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to
another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it...
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be
it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."
Authority is exercised through our spoken word. The power
of life and death are in the spoken word: Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life
are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit
thereof."
One thing that made it clear that Jesus was the son of
God, is because He exercised authority that nobody else had access to in
history!
He cast out demons using His authority: Mark 1:27, "And they were all amazed, insomuch that
they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine
is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do
obey him."
He cast out demons with His spoken word: Matthew 8:16, "When the even was come, they brought
unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with
his word..."
He healed the sick with His spoken word: Luke 7:7, "Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy
to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed."
Also John 5:8, "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and
walk."
Jesus has been given authority over everything: Matthew 28:18, "And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
Authority to heal
Jesus said to, "Heal the sick"! Matthew 10:8,
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:
freely ye have received, freely give." I think it's interesting how Jesus
didn't tell us to pray and ask God to heal the sick, He told US to heal the
sick!
I have never seen where Jesus prayed, "Father, please
heal this person!" Instead, we see that Jesus healed people with His
spoken Word! In John 5:8, Jesus told the man to, "...Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk."
The early church healed people in this same manner. In
Acts 3:6, "...Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
Notice in Luke 9:1 that He not only gave His disciples
authority over all devils, but also to cure diseases: "Then he called his
twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils,
and to cure diseases."
Authority is exercised when there is a RIGHT to exercise
it. They weren't praying and asking God to heal people, they had the authority
to heal, and they were exercising it with a spoken word, just as Jesus did!
I want to clarify that I'm not saying that prayer can't
heal people... because it can (James 5:14-15)... I'm just saying that we are
taught to heal the sick using the authority that Jesus gave us! I have seen and
heard of many healings that took place through prayer, so I'm not saying not to
pray, or that prayer doesn't work. I'm simply saying that we have authority
over sickness, and therefore we can exercise our authority to bring about
healing in another person's life!
I also think it's interesting how Mark 16:17-18 tells us
that healing can come through the laying on of hands: "And these signs
shall follow them that believe... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover." The laying on of hands can encourage the transferring of
power from us into the person and heal them, just like the woman who felt power
flow from Jesus when she touched the hem of His garment (Mark 5:30)! Jesus said
that those who believe will have the Holy Ghost flowing out of their innermost
being (John 7:38-39), and even Peter's shadow healed people (Acts 5:15)!
Authority to cast out demons
Notice that we are never told to beg or coax the demons to
come out, neither are we told to pray and ask God to remove them, but we ARE
told to cast them out! Matthew 10:8, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."
And also look at Mark 16:17, "And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils..."
Luke 9:1, "Then he called his twelve disciples
together, and gave them power and authority over all devils..."
Luke 10:17, "And the seventy returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."
Jesus distributes His authority
Mark 13:34, "For the Son of man is as a man taking a
far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every
man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."
Jesus is given authority: Matthew 28:18, "And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
Authority given to Jesus' 12 disciples: Luke 9:1, "Then he called his twelve disciples
together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure
diseases."
Authority given to Jesus' 70 disciples: Luke 10:17, "And the seventy returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."
Through Jesus' name
Notice that the authority Jesus gives His people is not to
be used in their name, but Jesus' name:
Luke 10:17, "And the seventy returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name."
Mark 16:17, "And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils..."
Acts 3:6, "...Peter said, Silver and gold have I
none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk."
To use somebody's authority through their name is quite an
honor! It's like being able to go to the bank and draw out a million dollars on
behalf of a wealthy businessman!
Authority has been given to "Them
who believe"
Jesus gave His disciples authority to carry out His will
here on earth, but they weren't the only ones. He also gave ALL believers
authority to heal the sick and cast out devils as well! (Mark 16:17-18)
Authority to cast out demons: Mark 16:17, "And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils..."
Authority to heal the sick: Mark 16:17-18, "And these signs shall follow them
that believe...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
Mark 13:34, "For the Son of man is as a man taking a
far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to
every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."
Authority is accessed through faith
It is also helpful to point out that our spiritual
authority is accessed by faith. There is a lot to be learned from the story
told in Mark 9:17-29 about how faith allows us to access our authority. When
the disciples came across an unusually strong demon that wouldn't budge (verse
18), Jesus made it clear that they lacked faith by calling them faithless
(verse 19). He also made it clear that some demons are so strong that a higher
than usual level of faith is required to cast them out (verses 28 and 29), and
that we can gain that higher level of faith through prayer and fasting (verse
29).
Matthew 17:20, "And Jesus said unto them, Because of
your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place;
and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
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