PATTERNS OF PRESENCE FOR AUTHORITY: EDIFY
“I will give you the keys” 1) Do see the meaning of this statement? Jesus is addressing the creation of a body through which <each member becomes significant and decisive as He endows us with the authority to apply/to administrate/to minister the power of God everywhere we go, everything we do. This can be seen as the churches power: works that infiltrate the world.
a) Let’s take a moment to define a second aspect of our text: the term ‘keys.’ The keys are more than a symbolic conference of access to heavens resources and blessings: this is a statement of potential. Jesus is telling us that we as the ecclesia are entitled to receive God ordained, God delegated authority within the realm of His might and power and rule: everywhere His rule extends: we are empowered
b) We have been given broad capacities to function in faith; divinely given power as ministering members of His body. Let me further expand this thought: “I will give YOU the keys;” this is a strategic command on the part of Jesus that has universal significance. The terminology applies to the body, with Peter being the representative focal point-we are all meant to utilize the keys power and potential. The keys unlock the potential of every believer to touch, to free, to give, to reach, to release the functional power of God.
c) This representational empowerment is the same as the principle of empowerment that we see with the 70; After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. (Luke 10:1) To those gathered after the resurrection: They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet (Luke 24: 32-40), and to those who were in the upper room. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
2) These keys aren’t symbolic, fictitious entities: they are the enactment of divine principles that Jesus taught his disciples, like: ‘keys for witnessing’, ‘keys for leadership,’ ‘keys for healing’, keys for worship’, ‘keys for prayer’, ‘keys for better Bible study’, etc. The intention of Jesus teaching concerning these varied topics was to demonstrate for us that we have been given every means of access and ignition for the explosive expansion of his kingdom: And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 14:13, 14; 16:24) Jesus gives us the privilege of access to, and the function of authority through the functional use of His Name as a releasing agent of authority. This idiomatic expression represents the ancient belief that to know the name of deity allows one to participate in the divine power of the said deity. The important thing is when we pray in the Name of Jesus, that it be more than just a sign-off. Not just “Roger and out.” When we say, “in the Name of Jesus,” we need to recognize we are appealing to all authority. Old Testament Example David and Goliath: David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1 Samuel 17:45). Kingdom Authority When we have an understanding and appreciation for Kingdom authority, we open the Kingdom of God to people: I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19). The relationship exists between Jesus and Hiss anointed bride. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me…” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). Before Christ ever began His public ministry, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. If He, the Son of God, was anointed at the start of His ministry, how much more do we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit as we walk out our faith and advance the Kingdom of God?
1) In the spiritual realm, position and authority (means of anointing expressed) are not to be understood in structural but in relational terms; (Matthew 20:25, 26) teaches that true spiritual authority is a relationship of service, not a structure of dominance. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…”]
2) Jesus was sent, as a man (the second Adam), to re-establish God’s authority over the earth by disarming all powers and saving man out from under their authority.
3) Jesus dunamis (power) came from the empowering, outpouring of Holy Spirit that occurred as He emerged out of the waters of the river Jordan following His baptism in water at the hands of His cousin John: Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:14-18).
4) But His exousia (authority) came from His relationship with the Father: He knew His identity and commission as the Son, sent from the Father, and this gave Him boldness to exercise His authority: After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you… For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. (John 17:2, cf. 3:35).
5) Because Jesus was under authority (in right relationship with the Father) He had authority, and others who understood the concept of authority recognized it: “For 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.” (Matthew 8:9).
6) Having deposed Satan, Jesus reinstated man by bringing him into relationship with God, and thereby delegating His authority to man. We have new identity through relationship being righteous sons: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (1 John 3:1, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21).
7) We have new position through relationship being made alive with Christ to be seated with Him above all powers and authorities: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus… (Ephesians 2:4-6).
8) We have a commission to go in Jesus authority: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Matthew 10:8; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-21; John 20:21).
It can affect anything on earth that needs to be bound or loosened “What I’m about to tell you is true. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven: 19 “Again, here is what I tell you. Suppose two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for. My Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 Where two or three people meet together in my name, I am there with them” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Relational authority applies <span>to the forgiving or retaining of sin “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven; If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. (Matthew18:15-18; John 20:23
Relational authority also applies to the binding or loosening of demonic influences or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her? (Matthew 12:29; Luke 13:12, 16).
Relational Anointing: it’s all for us Luke 4:18-19 lists the types of anointing that were present in Christ’s life
- The anointing to preach
- The anointing to heal
- The anointing to overcome spiritual warfare
- The anointing to set the captives free
- The anointing to discern
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to good news to the. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
In the Old Testament, anointing was a very special, sacred act that set a person apart for a special reason. So, too, today there is a divine significance and purpose attached to anointing someone. Anointing signifies the following:
- Ownership
- Consecration
- Separation for duty
- Blessing
The anointing oil used in the Old Testament to consecrate the temple was composed of specific ingredients in specific amounts (Exodus 30:23-25). Look below at those ingredients and see what they represent in an anointed life. Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia, all according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil;1 hin (1.5 gallons) of olive oil: This oil was obtained from olives that had been beaten and pressed, signifying that anointing comes to the one who is willing to be purified. 500 shekels of pure myrrh: Myrrh was a pleasant but bitter spice used in burial. 250 shekels of cinnamon: This spice was precious and sweet, symbolizing what the anointing brings to our lives. 250 shekels of calamus: This rare and costly spice represents the price of the anointing. 500 shekels of cassia: Cassia was obtained from strips of bark that were ground, signifying the life that is broken before the Lord. With each representation, and the collective summation, we see the high cost of the anointing and blessing of God. I find it fascinating to see how much the Lord values us, and the length He has went in order to secure blessings for us, even as we continue to live in a fallen world that taints our lifestyle expressions.
A talent was worth more than a thousand dollars. Some manuscripts seventy; also in verse, ‘Principles of Spiritual Gifts.