We live in a power-hungry culture. Whether it is religious, political, business, sports or entertainment people are hungry for power at whatever cost.
The definition of power…
A: general
(1): ability to act or produce an effect
(2): ability to get extra-base hits (like a power hitter)
(3): capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect
B: legal or official authority, capacity or right
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902). The historian and moralist, who was otherwise known simply as Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
Why is it that power tends to corrupt people?
I suppose there are many answers to this question.
The greatest example of absolute power corrupting absolutely would be in our Adversary, the devil. In the first chapters of Luke, we see the clashing of these two powers. I know that is not a good way to put it, but bear with me for a moment.
Lucifer usurped his authority as recorded in Isaiah 14:12-14.
“12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Power in the hands of the wrong person brings devastation as we can see with Satan.
We also see this corruption in government. The more power a Senator or Congressman has the more corrupt he or she will become. Consequently, the people without power are the ones who suffer for this.
Religion has its share of corruption, which we will go into at this point.
We want to see that the ministry of Jesus was with power, but the power and authority had in no way corrupted him.
God’s Word is not dormant but alive and powerful to the pulling down of strongholds. Jesus brought this authority of God to earth and made it attainable to all who receive him.
When we look at the authority of Jesus, especially in the Gospels, three aspects need to be considered. These aspects form the dimensions of Christ’s authority. Once we understand Christ’s authority in the context of our Scripture today, we will begin to understand the authority that we have as believers.
Let me lay out the dimensions of the authority of Jesus.
I. The Foundation of His Authority
Everything is built upon some kind of foundation. The more important the building the more important the foundation. When we think of the authority and power of Jesus Christ as testified in the Gospels we need to understand that His foundation was very strong.
There are three parts of Jesus’ foundation.
The Acknowledgment of John the Baptist.
It was the ministry of John the Baptist to lay down the foundation for the ministry of Jesus. John showed that Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. He was not a stranger stepping out of obscurity, but rather he was the fulfillment of the prophecy of all the Old Testament prophets.
The Affirmation of the Father.
At His baptism, the Father affirmed that Jesus was exactly who the prophets said He was. The Father is affirming the authenticity of Jesus and His ministry. He has the full support of heaven at his disposal.
The Adversary.
When the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, it was to face the Adversary in all his power. The enemy took his best shot, but lost.
The good news for us is that we enter into Jesus’ victory over the Adversary.
This foundation is laid down quite carefully by the Holy Spirit to cover all aspects of Jesus and His ministry. Nothing was left to chance and nothing was overlooked. Therefore, Jesus begins His ministry with a good foundation.
II. The Application of His Authority.
To have authority is one thing but using that authority is where the corruption begins to develop. Most people start out good but fail along the lines of applying their authority to current situations. To know something or to have some kind of authority and not know how to apply it effectively is a catastrophe.
When we come to Jesus, we will begin to see the wisdom in the application of His authority. He never used His authority, as we saw in the temptation with Satan, for personal advantage. He was on a mission and never lost focus on that mission.
All of this application of authority is in complete harmony with His mission. To understand His mission is to understand how he applies his authority in certain situations.
In this passage, there are three areas where He applies His authority.
1. Satan (4:33-37). Spiritual warfare.
It is interesting that the very first application of His authority has to do with Satan. Over in 4:13 it says that Satan “departed from him until an opportune time.”
Here we find the first opportune time for Satan to challenge the authority of God is applied by Jesus Christ.
Also, Jesus encountered Satan in the synagogue where He was teaching. I am quite sure that this is typical and not some extraordinary experience.
The focus of Satan is to draw attention to himself by distracting the people from what Jesus is really doing, a tactic he uses today.
The reaction of the people in the synagogue is quite important.
“What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”
I need to point out that Jesus applies His authority when it is needed. All through the gospel of Luke we never find Jesus looking for some demon possessed person in order to demonstrate His authority. The application of his authority was in the regular course of His ministry.
2. The Flesh (4:38-41).
One of the greatest consequences of sin has to do with the deterioration of our body. Whoever controls your healthcare controls you, which may explain the government’s interest in our healthcare.
Can there be a greater demonstration of Christ applying the authority of God correctly then in the lives of people who are suffering? Later on, we will see where Jesus tells the Pharisees that He has authority not only to forgive sins but to heal the sick.
The weakness of the flesh in every regard.
3. Evangelism… The Souls of the Lost (4:42-44).
Here is, perhaps, the greatest application of Christ’s authority. Notice what Jesus says here, “I must…” There was a passion behind what Jesus was doing that was rooted in the heart of God the Father. Jesus says, “For I was sent for this purpose.”
Christ’s passion was a passion that excluded everything else whether good or bad. Anything that came between him and his purpose was deliberately pushed aside.
In order to adequately and successfully apply the authority of God in a situation it is absolutely essential that we understand our purpose in this world.
We do not have authority to draw attention to ourselves and make ourselves out to be some kind of a religious celebrity. Jesus always shunned from that sort of thing. What he was after were the souls of men and women who were lost.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10).
Never once did Jesus ever apply His authority for anything that did not focus on this one supreme purpose.
If we are going to apply the authority that we have in Christ properly we need to understand this purpose.
III. The Focus of His Authority
“But he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea” (4:43-44).
All through this gospel, we will see that Jesus never lost his focus. No matter what was happening, no matter who was trying to distract Him, He never lost his focus.
From the temptation in the wilderness with the Adversary to his crucifixion on the cross, Jesus never deviated from His one purpose. Jesus faced a tough path leading to the cross, but He finished it victoriously.
Christ won the victory on the cross demonstrated by his resurrection the third day. We now are the application of that victory in the world around us. We have His authority. We must apply His authority as He did in His time. And as we use this authority, we must never forget the focus of our life. It is not to be well known. It is not to be successful or prosperous. Rather, it is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard.
The very passion of Christ was to preach the gospel to those needing to hear it the most.
We are recipients of that passion if we are Christians.
We have authority.
The foundation of our authority is none other than Jesus Christ. Our life is built upon Him. Our ministry is built upon Him. His word possesses authority in and through our life.
We now have the responsibility in applying His authority in the world around us in the areas of Satan, the flesh and the lost.
Have you experienced this authority in your life?
If so, how have you been applying this authority in your life and through your life to the world around you?
Are you walking daily in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit?
When we stand before Christ, we will not give an account on how popular we were, how famous we were, how successful we were. We will, however, give an account for how we used the authority that Jesus transferred to us by His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead and the descending of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
We have a great work to do and in light of that, all of the power and authority of heaven are at our disposal.
THE SON OF GOD GOES FORTH TO WAR
Reginald Heber (1783-1826)
The Son of God goes forth to war,
a kingly crown to gain;
his blood red banner streams afar:
who follows in his train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
triumphant over pain,
who patient bears his cross below,
he follows in his train.
