The Authority of the Believer

Texts: Psalm 8:3-8; Hebrews 2:6-18. Originally God gave the authority on earth to Adam. After Adam sinned by disobeying God, the authority was given over to Satan. Satan could have given Jesus the authority over earth (Luke 4), but Jesus knew how He was going to get the authority back to man. After Adam’s fall, man became lower than angels. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said that all authority of both heaven and earth was given to Him and He gave it to us. His will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven (the Lord’s Prayer). He gave us power to bind and to loose (Matthew 18:18-20). We have authority over angels. What did Jesus have to do to get that authority back to us? Hebrews 2:6-18. He had to die spiritually. He became sin so that we might become His righteousness. Jesus knew that He was going to be separated from God. Separation from God is death and hell. Jesus experienced spiritual death for us. Not everyone will die. Those who are alive with be caught up with Him. Jesus said that if anyone keeps His word, he will never taste death (John 8:44-53). He is talking about spiritual death. Concerning when Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus said that He is the resurrection and the life, and that whoever believes in Him, though he may die, he shall not die spiritually (John 11:20, 26). Jesus went to hell. He had to become sin for us, because there was no sin in Him. Our sin would send us to hell, if He had not gone there for us. Jesus was born again from death and hell, and we need to be born again, too. Jesus died and was made alive again in the Spirit. God raised Him up, so His soul was not left in hell, nor did it see corruption (Acts 2:22, 23; Acts 13:33). A separation came, and Jesus had to be born again. Before the resurrection, Jesus is referred to as the only begotten Son of God, but after the resurrection, He is referred to as the firstborn from the dead among many brothers (Colossians 1:18). Through His death He might destroy the devil (when He went to hell and came out of it). Satan never had power of physical death. God did. The power of spiritual death is the fear of death. As soon as Adam and Eve fell, fear of death came. That fear is the fear of being separated from God. Isaiah 11:2 tells about the seven spirits that were upon Jesus. Revelation 1:4-18 again notes that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, and that He made us kings and priests to God the Father. He was dead, but now He is alive, and He has the keys to hell and death. We have His authority if we have made Him our Lord and Savior. We are victorious. We reign in life by Jesus Christ. Pastor Syd closed by reading the Ephesians prayer (Ephesians 1:17-23).