CHRIST’S AUTHORITY AND THE SPIRIT’S POWER
LESSON # 1
RECEIVING THE AUTHORITY AND THE POWER

  1. All Authority : Matthew 28:18

    • After the resurrection, Christ proclaims that He has all authority in heaven and on earth. He had defeated the devil and now all principalities and demonic spirits of darkness must come under his authority.

    • With that authority, He then sends His disciples with the commission to bring the gospel of the Kingdom to the entire world, to make disciples, and to teach them what He had taught and commanded them.

  2. Christ’s Baptism — the Power and the Authority : Luke 3:21-22
    • Jesus went to the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist
    • As Jesus comes out of the waters of baptism, heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on Him like a dove.
    • Then the Father’s voice was heard acknowledging that Jesus is His Son and that the Father was greatly pleased with His Son.
      • The POWER : At the moment the Spirit descended upon Jesus, He was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and the Spirit empowered Jesus for the proclamation of the Kingdom (Luke 4:14).
      • At the age of 30, Jesus concluded His life as Mary and Joseph’s son, and He began His assignment as the Messiah, the Anointed One, and the Son of God.
      • In order to complete His assignment as the Messiah, Jesus needed the Spirit’s power to do the work of proclaiming to the people that they needed to repent because the Kingdom of God was near (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43).
      • Christ also stated that the Law and the Prophets were to John, and that after that the proclamation of the Kingdom of God had begun (Luke 16:16).
      • The AUTHORITY : At the time of His baptism, when the Father proclaimed that Jesus was His beloved Son, it was meant not only for John and the people to hear it.
      • But it was mainly meant for those in the kingdom of darkness of Satan to hear and understand that the Mighty God was sending His Son to this earth with His authority and power over them.
      • The Son, Jesus Christ, had received the authority from the Father over the kingdom of darkness and they all had to obey Him, Jesus.

  3. Christ’s display of Supernatural Power and Authority :
    • The people were amazed at Christ’s authority to teach and His command over evil spirits — Mark 1:21-22, 27
    • The man in the synagogue who had an unclean demonic spirit reacts — Mark 1:23-26
    • The demonic spirits in the Gadarene demoniac man react to Jesus’s command — Mark 5:1-14
    • Demons proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God — Luke 4:40-41
    • Power came out from Jesus to heal the sick and tormented with evil spirits — Luke 6:17-19
    • A woman with a spirit of infirmity is set free — Luke 13:11-17

  4. Jesus’ supernatural powers questioned by religious leaders : Luke 11:14-23
    • Jesus’ authority over demonic spirits was said to come from Beelzebub, the ruler of demons
    • Jesus explains that Satan is not going to come over his own kingdom to attack it.
    • Jesus proclaimed that He had authority over the demons because He did it with the finger of God and this meant that the Kingdom of God had come upon them.