THE SIMPLICITY OF AUTHORITY

Matthew 8:16-17, 27

¹⁶ That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” ²⁷The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

It is five o’clock in the afternoon in mid-town Manhattan, NYC. Traffic is surging down the hill toward an intersection where the traffic lights are malfunctioning. There is a petite New York City cop standing in the intersection. She is at best, 99 pounds when dripping wet. The onslaught of vehicles bears down upon her. She raises a white-gloved right hand to the five lanes of oncoming traffic, and, low and behold, ALL the busses, taxis and cars stop before entering the intersection.

Why? It is certainly NOT because she is like some intimidating “Incredible Hulk.” Her uniform and her upheld hand are symbols of an authority far greater than herself. The Law of the land and the jurisdiction of the NYC police force stand beside her and behind her. It is nothing more and nothing less than the strong authority of the NYC Police Department that she carries and exemplifies that dictates to the traffic at rush hour in mid-town NYC.

The Lord Jesus dismissed and disposed of satanic, demonic forces that were possessing and tormenting people in His day with a simple command, “Come out!” The demons had no recourse, not counter argument they could present to stop their being removed. Jesus Christ walked in the authority of the Kingdom of God, anointed with the Power of the Holy Spirit to cause the kingdom of darkness to obey and flee from His Presence. Jesus has given that same authority and power to His church, His disciples, His followers to extend His Kingdom and to continue to dismantle the defeated kingdom of darkness.

Satan’s kingdom was utterly defeated on Good Friday when Jesus shouted from the cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” The sin of the whole world, for all time, had been atoned for. Death, hell, and the grave were defeated. The church has been called to exercise the authority give to it by the Resurrected King of kings and Lord of lords. The cop in Manhattan never relied on her size, nor even on how she felt as tons of mechanical machinery bore down upon her at deadly speed. Her reliance was on the authority she intrinsically carried. 

Too often, I have witnessed fellow believers trying to cast out possessing demons using histrionics, yelling, methodologies and sheer force of human emotion to dislodge demons from the person they are possessing or oppressing. Demons are not impressed with methodologies, voice volume or vocal modulation, but the tremble and must succumb to the authority of Jesus’ Name. Demons can tell, IF you know Whose you are. They can “smell” true Holy Spirit anointed authority and the exercise of that authority. When Jesus gave His apostles the authority to cast out demons, to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead, they did just that, not because of who they perceived themselves to be nor based on how they felt, but simply because Jesus had given them authority. The believed Him and the demons recognized the authority of Heaven and were cast out.

If the Lord Jesus places you in a situation where darkness is to be dislodged and cast out, it is with the simple command of the Omnipotent Authority of God, in Jesus’ Name, demons will have to flee. It is knowing the Lord and relying on the indwelling Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit, not some methodology, that, when called to by the Lord, you exercise the authority given to you by Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. You are an ambassador for Christ. You bear His Name and His authority to exercise it in the mission to continue the ministry of Jesus as His Body on the earth.

There is no need to fear. It is not about you. It is about the authority given you for the sake of others, that anointing of the Holy Spirit to live out the mission of Jesus Christ where you live. He is Lord of all…even the winds and the waves! He has give you the privilege of cooperating with Him in His mission!