LESSON
12
Understanding God’s Authority
For us to better
understand why we have authority when we are submitted to God’s authority structure,
we must understand where God gets His authority from.
Why does it work when
God speaks? Why is it that when God
speaks things have to obey?
God wants you to
command, because that is what He does.
Isa. 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing]
whereto I sent it.
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If you can understand
why it works when Jesus speaks, you can understand why it works when you speak.
Matt. 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.
Many people misinterpret
this scripture. They believe that if
they have faith the size of a mustard seed, and it grows big enough, then they
will be able to move mountains.
That is not what Jesus
was saying. He said if you have faith as
a mustard SEED, the smallest of seeds, then you can move mountains. He did not say that the seed had to grow
first.
Why does it not work for
most of us? Why is what we do see, so
minimal in comparison to what the promises of God say should be happening?
Mark
Jesus made a demand in
the spirit.
Why does it work when
God speaks? It is authority.
Matt. 8:5-10 And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my
servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented. And Jesus saith
unto him, I will come and heal him. 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]. When Jesus heard [it], he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say
unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
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The centurion understood
that Jesus was under authority and therefore had the right of authority.
The reason it worked
is because Jesus was under authority.
You have no right of
authority until you are under authority.
You have no rights in the
Eph.
Jer. 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed
them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be
lacking, saith the LORD.
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Heb.
God established His
authority structure. In it there is an
order.
I Cor.
12:4-6 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. And
there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
People run around saying
they are accountable to no man, only God.
They are wrong. God set leaders
in the church as His authority structure.
We cannot bypass His authority structure.
John
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Thirty-seven times, in
one form or fashion, He makes this statement in the book of John. Jesus came to do the will of the Father. Jesus did nothing except
the Father spoke to Him. Jesus simply
submitted to the authority of the Father.
In this He gives us the
biblical definition of authority. We
cannot bypass God’s authority structure.
Acts 9:17 And Ananias went
his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother
Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way
as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou
mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the
Holy Ghost.
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Paul
received his call to the ministry from God’s authority, Ananias.
God sets you under your
authority. You do not choose.
We need to come not to
do our own will, but the will of the authority God has set us under. When we operate in this way, we have the
right to exercise authority.
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of
the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, To preach
the acceptable year of the Lord.
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Jesus was sent by the
Father. When Jesus returned to the
Father, He sent the Holy Spirit.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I
go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you.
John
Jesus sent the
disciples.
As you read through the
New Testament you see that they sent leaders out to minister.
Acts 13:1-4 Now there were
in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas,
and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had
been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted,
the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I
have called them. And when they had
fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent [them]
away. So they, being sent forth by the
Holy Ghost, departed unto
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They were sent by the
church leadership and were therefore sent by the Holy Spirit.
Most of us are not truly
under authority. We must be under
authority to fulfill the call on our lives.
Just attending church doesn't cut it.
We must submit our will, to our pastor; him who sends us.
To be under authority is
this, ‘I've come not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.’
In Review:
1. When
Jesus commanded things to happen, why did they happen?
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2. When
you command, do things happen?
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3. Who
does the Holy Spirit submit to? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Who
does Jesus submit to?
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5. Who
is God’s authority structure?
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6. Who
sets you under authority? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Who
has God placed in your life as your authority?
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8. What
does it mean to be under authority?
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9. What
has your authority sent you to do?
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10. Have
you done it?
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