Follow Me (some more)

I didn't want to over post on the Sunday sermon at AVEFC, but here I am. There is more. More about Jesus' authority in Mark 1:23-34.
So, here is a man (Jesus, not just any man) who has been baptised by John the Baptist. John was told by God he would know the One sent by God, because the Spirit of the Lord would stay upon him, which it did when Jesus came up out of the water. Then to give it all the more emphasis (a tiny description of the event) by God parting the heavens and stating that this was His Son, in whom He is well pleased. John then told his own disciples that this was the man he was waiting for and that they should follow Him. Before they could, Jesus went to the desert for 40 days where He prepared for his ministry, communed with God (His father), and defeated Satan with his temptations.
This time of teaching in the temple is the first act after the 40 days and gathering a few disciples. Yes, the people were amazed by the authority Jesus spoke with about scripture. Then a demon, spoke from a man possessed. The demon asked if Jesus was there to destroy them (the demons) and stated that he knew that Jesus was the Holy One of God, at which point Jesus told him to be quiet and leave. Besides the rude interruption, Jesus obviously didn't want to make a big deal of who He really was. So here and in many other places he tells demons to be quiet before they can say who He is and told people not to tell who did miracles.
But did you see it? The demons have to do as He commands. Jesus has full authority over them. Most of us peons don't even believe demons exist, but here it says they do exist and that they have to obey Jesus. An eye opener and such a good demonstration of not just power, but authority.

Simplified military command structure

If you look at the military, there is a clear chain of command. Authority must be obeyed. But what happens when a country has been overthrown? The military (if allowed to live) has to obey the new rulers. Satan and his following were sent to earth, and have done all they can to rule and destroy us. Jesus overthrew any dominion Satan had, becoming earth's ruler. We just live in a time where the defeated Satan is still around and trying to win back any authority we will give him. When Christ returns we will see what it is like to live in a world that Jesus reigns over without Satan's interruptions, like the demon did in the temple when Jesus first taught after His baptism.
Did you know that in Christ you have the same authority over demons? But that is another topic for another day.
As part of the ruse to win any authority we will give him and hide the earth's new ruler to us, Satan keeps his minions busy telling us they, themselves, don't exist (that has to be the best lie ever), that God doesn't exist, and that we are only animals, higher up in the chain of evolution. That means we don't know that we have authority over Satan through Jesus. The name alone is to be obeyed, that is how much power it has. But as soldiers in Jesus' army, with the help of the Holy Spirit in us, we can know when Satan and his demons attack us or others and use the Word of God against him.
His Authority. Who can stand against it? None!

May you find all things new in Him,
Frontier Woman @ FrontierChristianLiving