The Redemption of Man’s Authority
Firstly, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas season! I do enjoy this time of year as we celebrate the Birth of the Lord Jesus. No one really knows exactly what day he was born on, however our celebration is that HE WAS BORN! Now thats worth celebrating every day of the year.
For a few months now we have been studying the genesis of man’s authority. How and why man was made in God’s image and the delegation of authority that was placed in God’s first son on earth.
In todays MinistrEmail, we are going to study the ‘Redemption of Man’s Authority’. How and why this has been restored for you, and I, to once again minister from an exalted place over every principality and power.
Now, just quickly, let’s remind ourselves of the original intent;
Genesis 1:28 (KJV) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
We were commissioned to “replenish the earth, and subdue it:”. If you remember our study, the Hebrew words literally tell us to “work and compel the ground and to protect it”. This was a restorative commission from the state of the earth in every place but the Garden of Eden, which was God’s example to man.
Adam was then taught how to use words of creative authority in the naming of the animals, and have an opportunity to exercise authority over “every creeping thing”. Man was now authorized and in perfect relationship with the Father, and had been actively learning how to use his creative words.
The Fall of man
Through some simple and deceptive questions satan realized that Eve did not know what God had instructed Adam with concerning the tree’s in the garden. He then conceived a deceptive plan that manipuated Eve’s lack of knowledge of the Word accurately. Adam’s decision to stand by and not use his authority over every creeping thing (satan was working through a serpent), and then himself participating in rebellion, plunged what was ‘mankind’ in God’s own image and likeness into a fallen state of mankind without the gory of God.
The Curse
The next moments for Adam and Eve, were terrifying. They hid themselves in absolute fear, now with no crowning glory upon them. When the Father calls “where are you?” it is a heart wrenching insight into their fallen state. It is interesting to note that God asks the man and the woman what they have done, but the devil is never given the right of reply!
The Father then poses a powerful question, which we would do well to ask ourselves often, “who told you that you were naked?” If we would consider the “who told you” question more often we would sort out a lot of doctrine!
The Father now reveals what it looks like without the blessing and without the glory. The curse was verbalized by God and later placed into law, not to activate it or create it but to define it and describe it, so that it could be dealt with legally. God did not create the curse, He explained it. It is the absence of The Blessing, not a creative force in itself.
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Much like light is the substance and darkness is the absence of light! The curse is the verbal and written description of the absence of The Blessing. The law then is put in place to put the parameters around and define all sin. If sin is not defined by what’s right, then we can’t know what’s wrong.
Romans 7:7-13 (NKJV) What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. 13 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
The Word had to be manifest as Torah, as not only law, but instructions and teachings, as a creative force by which to live. By covenant. By promise! One of the central and yet hidden elements of these promises, was the Word made flesh.
The Alef Tav Himself (Alpha and Omega in the Greek), did the unthinkable, He emptied Himself of His Divinity and became a man. Jesus as a man! Invested into the lineage of Adam the first son of God to be the Last Adam. Why could Jesus not come in His Divinity? Why did he have to come limited to mankind?
Firstly lets ask ourselves three questions;
- Can God be tempted by sin?
- Does God need to be baptisied in the Holy Spirit to work miracles?
- Can God die?
To answer these questions let’s simply look at scripture.
James 1:13 (NKJV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
Here James makes it very clear that God cannot be tempted by evil. This poses a problem because our next verse emphatically explains that Jesus was tempted.
Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Here we see that Jesus was tempted and so He could not have been facing these temptations in His Divinity.
Next we see the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus;
Luke 3:22 (NKJV) And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Why did this happen? Because in His humanity, Jesus did not have power to work miracles any more than any other man. As we just saw above He was “tempted as we are”. That means He had to be just like us! Jesus Himself explains how He was going to work miracles;
Luke 4:18 (NKJV) “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; HE HAS SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED, TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED;
Jesus the sinless Lamb of God, Who has emptied Himself of His divine privileges, now functioning only as a Man, walks for 33 years fulfilling His path that was written and prophesied. Every step was taken as a man. This was the legal requirement necessary to become the sacrifice for mankind.
Our next verse reveals that not only did Jesus submit Himself to death, but that He did indeed empty Himself of His Divine privilages.
Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the poi’nt of death, even the death of the cross.
The Strong’s concordance renders the word “no reputation” as “to make empty, to abase, neutralize, of none effect….” In other words every miracle that Jesus did and every Word of authority He spoke was powerful not because He was, and all ways will be God inherently, because none of that was in operation, He had emptied Himself of that. Those miracles and acts of authority happened because He was a Man with God ON HIM.
Acts 10:37-38 (NKJV) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Why would God need Anointing with the Holy Spirit and Power? He is The Holy Spirit and Power!
Jesus submitted Himself to the Likeness of man and for the purpose of death to pay for our sins. Jesus couldn’t just carry your sin, He had to legally become your sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus had to become our sin, all of it. That’s what killed Him, not the nails or the stripes, but the embodiment of sin and the resulting absence of the Father. What took place next is shocking to say the least! Jesus went beyond physical death and entered spiritual death. The question has been asked; “Did Jesus really go to hell?”
Well, did He pay the price for your sins? What is the physical price of mans sin? “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23) What is the spiritual price of mans sin?
Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Not just the physical death but also the judgment! Aren’t you glad! I am, not that Jesus had to do this, but that He did do this for me! Legally now, Jesus went to hell as sin but Hell did not understand one very important legal detail, Jesus had not Himself sinned, so Hell did not have the right to hold Him.
Now unfortunately, many images of some great struggle in hell between Jesus and Satan, have immerged. Even a boxing match in one Singers rendering. The truth however is that Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead. In fact the scripture says He became obedient to death. (Philippians 2:8) No, the scriptures say that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, and once again, He had the legal right to do this because Jesus had paid the price for sin but had not done the act of sin.
Romans 6:4 (NKJV) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 8:11 (NKJV) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The Father, by the Power and glory of Himself and His Spirit raised Jesus from the dead! And what happened when He was raised from the dead? Oh Hallelujah, this is where we have been trying to get to. This is the whole point!
Ephesians 1:17-23 (NKJV) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 2:1-7 (NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Now! By the same resurrection power, at the point of salvation, legally, you and I have been raised up to sit with Jesus in heavenly places far above all principality and power!
Ephesians 1:13-14 (NKJV) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Oh Glory Hallelujah, I can hardly stay in my chair thinking about all this!!! You and I are raised up together with Christ. We are now seated with Him. It doesn’t get any higher than that. We NOW have not only the privilege of authority but also the responsibility of using it.
Now, from that place, for the last time this year, declare this confession with me;
I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE GREAT YEAR FOR WHAT EVER I NEED IT TO BE. I BELIEVE GOD AND HIS WORD, AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A GREAT BREAKING LOOSE OF EVERYTHING I NEED TO FULFILL MY DESTINY IN GOD. I BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL CAUSE THINGS I HAVE BELIEVED FOR TO SUDDENLY MANIFEST AS I FAITHFULLY STAND IN FAITH. IM GOING BACK TO THE COVENANTS OF GOD. IM GOING BACK TO THE WORSHIP AND PRAISE OF GOD AND THE POWER TO HEAL.
I DECLARE THIS YEAR ‘THE GREAT YEAR’ CONCERNING……….
Love and Blessings,
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