“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the SON OF MAN.” John 5:26-27
This doesn’t seem right, does it? Jesus has been given authority because He is the Son of Man, surely it should be because He is the Son of God and not the Son of Man? What is so special about Jesus being a man in order for Him to have authority – what is so great about him being a man, even an Angel is better than a man isn’t he?
Man seems to be such a weak, unstable creature, full of faults and hardly able to tie his own shoelaces let alone bind up Satan with authority. Man seems to be just a hunk of meat, a brute beast that is on a path of self-destruction. The Bible gives us clues as to who man really is in psalm 8:4-6 and confirmed again in Hebrews 2:6-8.
“What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:’ psalm 8:4-6
God says that man is an exalted being crowned with glory and honour, who has been given authority to rule over this planet. If this is so then why don’t we see it? What has happened to man? Where have things gone wrong? The Bible shows us that this was not the way things were in the beginning. God gave so much to man back in the day.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28
Unfortunately Satan tricked Adam and Eve into handing this authority over to Him and that changed the course of history. Once we had authority over Satan and all other ‘creeping things’ – ‘creeps’, but then He stole that authority away from us. Paradise was lost and sickness and sin entered into the world. With our relationship broken with God, our authority went out the window, for authority comes from relationship, they go hand in hand. With the Fall, Satan then became the Ruler of this world and thus creating the mess we are now in. Look at these scriptures.
“in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” Ephesians 2:2
“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” Luke 4:5-6
“The god of this age (world) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph 6:12
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19
Why doesn’t God just take back this authority for us? The reason is that it is not ethical, for God is a righteous, ethical and fair being. That would be like giving a present to someone who then gave it away to another person. You don’t have the right to go to that other person and ask for it back again, do you?
This is how it was with authority, it was given to MAN in the beginning and he gave it away and rightfully now only MAN can take it back again. That is why Jesus came as a MAN, as a descendant of Adam to die on the cross and pay the penalty for man’s sin, so as to win back that authority and share it with us again.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
On the cross Jesus (as a man) whipped Satan and won back what man had lost in the Garden of Eden. Everything is not back to the way it was before, for we still suffer the pain of death.
“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Hebrews 2:14
“Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:14-15
In the light of Christ’s victory at the cross and His baptizing us into His body, we now have a job to do, for we are His hands and feet here on earth. We are co-workers with Christ and He has purposed to work out His plan through us (His Body) here on earth. That is why it’s so important to pray and keep your relationship fresh with Christ, for authority comes from relationship.
WITHOUT HIM WE CAN’T - WITHOUT US HE WON’T
This is why the world is in such a mess. Satan can still do His thing illegally and can only be stopped by the Body of Christ rising up and rebuking him, for no one else has got what it takes. Christ needs us as men and women to do it.
If God isn’t going to do anything without us then why aren’t we more proactive? If you consider how many Christians there are in your district and how many are under the control of the wicked one, it makes us realize why so much bad stuff is happening around us. Imagine if 90% of the district were walking in righteousness and praying for blessing on the land. If there was a linking of shields and standing against the onslaught of the enemy the world would be a different place.
This prayer of authority is not just a quiet thinking prayer either, but a firm, loud voice of authority against the forces of darkness. The Bible says that Elijah was a man just like us yet he prayed for rain after a 3 year drought and it came in answer to his prayers. What were those prayers like? They were earnest importunate prayers on Mt. Carmel until the rain came. They weren’t just thinking prayers like so many of us pray. Look at James 5:16, 1 Kings 18:42-64. Jesus had this type of authority in prayer and so do we as sons of men. For He said that the works He did we will do also in John 14:12.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
“He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26
“So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.” Luke 4:39
Jesus has told us to resist Satan as well and we can as Sons of men.
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.