Power Up – Exousia Authority

Redemption Church Plano Tx

Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano Tx. We are glad to have you with us for our new series.

 

There are so many ways to die in video games…
When you die in video games you may get a screen that says Game Over.
Under the words “Game Over” may be an invitation to continue…
Continue?
Press any key to continue

I don’t know what kind of week you have had… but I want to invite you to continue today.
Press “start” to continue.
Do you have any “start” in you right now?

 

Power Up

You can continue.
You can make it to the level.
You can conquer any boss battle.
You can win.

You just need a power up.

Last week we talked about the ability to win – Dynamis Power.
Dynamis – dynamic ability and strength.
Jesus sits on the throne of all Power! (Matthew 26:64)
Jesus gives us His Power through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8)
Dynamis power works WITHIN us.

Directional Power.  Dynamis works within and flows out…

Today’s message is about a Power that works above us.

Luke 7:2-8 (NIV) 2There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”

6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Let’s review the story.
-Centurion – Roman soldier
-a beloved sick servant
-Jewish elder’s ask Jesus to do the miracle… The Centurion deserves it… “he loves our nation and built our synagogue”
-Jesus goes…

We don’t know if Jesus and the Centurion ever meet face to face…
6So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.

There are issues of race present here between Jew and Roman gentile. Jews did not enter into the house of gentiles for worry that they were going to become ceremonially unclean. Jesus is willing to go in this house, but the Centurion, wanting to avoid this cultural trouble sends friends to tell Jesus “I DON’T DESERVE to have you come under my roof.

2 points
1 -The Jewish elders said, “The centurion deserves this miracle.”  The centurion says, “I don’t deserve your presence.”

2 -The centurion says under my roof. Under – HYPO (Hoopa)

 

HYPO (Hoo-pa) – Below
 

To come under my roof. The Centurion felt like Jesus was worthy of more honor… that Jesus was                            higher… that he should not come UNDER (hypo) his roof.

This is a Roman soldier speaking about a Jewish carpenter. I want you to know this is highly unusual. Most Romans treated the Jews like they were BENEATH them.  Many Jews treated Jesus like He was Beneath them. Many treated Jesus as common… here the Centurion treats Jesus as though he were ABOVE HIS OWN ROOF.

God we are glad you are here with us today… BUT YOU ARE FAR ABOVE OUR ROOF.
Lord forgive us for ever treating you as common.  We DO NOT DESERVE YOU TO COME UNDER OUR ROOF.

God you are ABOVE and we are BELOW… we are Hypo. We should be coming under your roof…

 

 

7That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Say the Word!  Do you value the Word today?

When Jesus speaks the Word… Servants are healed. 

8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Under – Hypo
Authority – Exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah)

 

Exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah) – Authority

This is a “power up” that God has for us.  I want to pause our Centurion story, I want to preach to you about the Exousia authority of Jesus Christ.

Exousia – Strong’s Concordance definition
a. power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
b. the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
c. the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)

Dynamis is the power of ability.
Exousia is the authority of legal right.

Jesus has all Exousia authority.

Matthew 28:18 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

All authority in Heaven… All authority on Earth…
 

What do you think Jesus does with this Authority?

 

Jesus had the authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:24)

Jesus spoke the TRUTH with authority (Luke 4:32)

Jesus had authority over natural laws… he walked on water, calmed storms, and walked through walls.

Jesus displayed authority over demons, disease, and death.

Luke 9:1 (NIV) When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power(DYNAMIS) and authority(EXOUSIA) to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,

Luke 10:19 (NIV) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

 

Jesus has all authority… Jesus gives His authority to us.

This authority is how the lame man was healed in Acts 4.
 

Acts 4:6-8 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

The crowd of people wanted to know how this miracle occurred.

Acts 4:16 (NIV) By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

Peter says it was the AUTHORITY of that name that healed the man!
It is the only name with authority to save!
The pharisees asked the disciples to stop speaking the authority of that name!
The disciples end the chapter by asking God to allow them to do more signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.

 

There is authority in Jesus

There is authority in His name!
There is authority in His Word!
There is authority in His presence!

Jesus has all authority, and in Him you can have all authority.

Authority is a LEGAL RIGHT!
There are spiritual forces that try to lay claim on you…
Sin is a spiritual law that lays claim to you…
Sickness tries to lay claim to your physical body…
Depression tries to lay claim to your mind…
Fear tries t lay claim to your soul…

When you have the Authority of Jesus, only HE has legal claim to you…

 

How do we receive this Authority power?

The Centurion tells us… back to his story…
Luke 7:8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

The centurion understands that you must be UNDER AUTHORITY.

I am a man under authority… with soldiers under me…

As a Centurion he is under the authority of an emperor. If you mess with the centurion, you are not just messing with a man, you are messing with the entire authority of Rome…

And when the centurion tells a soldier to “go” or “come,” they are not just being instructed by a man, the very authority of the emperor is commanding them.

So the Centurion reveals great understanding and faith. He is telling Jesus that He does not even need to come into his home, and that he as a centurion recognizes the authority that Jesus is under.

Jesus, when you speak the authority of Heaven is behind your words. Just speak…
Jesus, when you teach all the authority of TRUTH is being revealed.
Jesus, when you walk into the room it is like God Himself walked into the room because you are under that authority.

That is quite a declaration for a roman soldier to be making about a Jew. It was not a declaration of Jesus’ deity but a declaration of His authority.

Another way to say it is this… Jesus you just speak, and sickness has to leave… because you are above sickness… you have authority over sickness…

To mess with the centurion is to mess with the entire kingdom of Rome…

Child of God and follower of Jesus… to mess with you is to mess with the Kingdom of Heaven and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ.

9When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Do you have this view of Jesus? Does a centurion have a higher level of faith in the authority of Jesus than us?

 

Come Under the Authority

In order to receive the Authority of Jesus, you must come under His Authority.

Most people brag about having authority OVER others… The soldier bragged about being UNDER AUTHORITY… and because of that authority he has soldiers beneath him.

Luke 10:19-20 (NIV) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

What is subject to you is no reason to rejoice… That you are under the Authority of God is the reason to rejoice.  Your name is written in Heaven where true authority dwells!

2 verses earlier… The disciples had said “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

The reason to rejoice is not that the demons are subject to you… but that you are subject to Christ and the demons are subject to Christ.  

Jesus is above it all. We are HYPO!  We are under your authority Jesus.

Nothing is actually subject to us… all things are subject to Christ and He fights for us.

 

**Umbrella**

Do you know how umbrellas work?  You get under them. Rhianna had an entire song about this…

Do not try to stand on the Umbrella, stand under.

 

Only what is under His Authority, has His Authority

The parts of your life that under subjection to Christ, are the parts of your life that are powered by His authority.

The parts of your life that are not under subjection to Christ, will be under the subjection to something else.

 

This is why sin is such a big deal.  Sin is that thing that is not under the authority of Christ.

 SIN IS NOT FUN – IT IS WEAKNESS

This is why pride is such a big deal… pride does not come under… pride puffs up.

 PRIDE IS NOT YOU CLIMBING UP THE LADDER OF SUCCESS… IT IS YOUR FALL

This is why humility and obedience to God is such a big deal… it is coming under the authority.

 

When you are under the authority of Jesus, nothing has authority over you but Christ.

 

Do you want a power up?

Dynamis comes from within…
Exousia comes from being under…

Bring everything under the authority of Christ.

 

Repent – drag that thing that is not under Christ, and drag it under Christ.
The parts of your marriage that are not under Christ, drag them under Christ.

The authority is not in you… It is above you, if you will come under the authority.

 

What I want you to do today is to come under his authority.

 

I have come many times to an altar looking down… guilty, ashamed… This is how you come under…

But there is a moment where you feel the weight of sin depart and you look upward… and that is when things feel different, because this is when you realize you are under His authority.