Title The Secret of Spiritual Authority!
Contents
The secret of spiritual power (Proverbs 30:29-31)
The title of the sermon I will share with you today is the secret of spiritual authority. A number of prerequisites are necessary for a person to perform a certain task. For example, you need health or wisdom, strength, material or environment. However, there is one important thing that cannot be omitted, and that is authority.
For example, if the people elected a president, but the president is not given the mighty power of the state, it would be nothing more than the scarecrow of an argument. Not only that, but without the powerful Bae Sujin, who supports and cooperates with many other powerful people around him, no matter how good the president is, he cannot rule the country well.
Likewise, in order for our members to live in this world and fulfill their God-given missions at home, at church, and at work, they need the power and authority that God gives them. So Jesus commanded us to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then, what should our members do to become people of spiritual authority? Regarding this, Solomon, the wisest king in history, teaches us the secret by giving us the following four parables.
1. The saints already have the innate authority given by God.
Verses 29-30, “There are three things that walk well and walk with majesty: a lion, the strongest of all beasts, and does not retreat from the presence of any beasts.”
Which of the animals is as strong as a lion? It is a lion in the tropics and a tiger in the tropics. This lion's authority is innate from birth. Big, fast and strong, sharp teeth and claws and the power of forelimbs, the shape of a solemn face surrounded by beards, and a wide chest, it can be called the king of beasts no matter how you look at it.
This majesty of the lion is not acquired, it is only innate. Likewise, we must remember that we saints have the same authority as a natural lion.
It is, first of all, the authority of being a child of God. John 1:12 says, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." The authority of the children of God This authority is so powerful that we can enjoy all the privileges of heaven.
Also, the saints have the authority in the name of Jesus. This name of Jesus means that the saints take the place of Jesus. Therefore, the saints have the same authority as the authority of Jesus. That is why John 14:12-13 says, "Truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he also do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." What an amazing promise.
This is an innate authority that exists for all who believe in Jesus Christ. We must believe in this authority. A tiger in a certain sense of inferiority passed by the creek. But when he saw his reflection in the water, he was startled. Because it looks so majestic, powerful, and frightening. This is what our authority looks like. Have you ever felt inferior like this foolish tiger? We will have to believe that we are born with great authority.
2. The saints will show great authority through the training of faith.
Verse 31 says “with the hounds”. How brave and strong are your hounds? However, hounds are not by nature beasts. Dogs are neither worse nor stronger than wolves, and weaker than other wild beasts. But it is through constant training that these little dogs become valiant and strong. That's why well-trained hounds are used to catch tigers.
But hounds don't just become valiant with simple training. A hound's strength comes from its master. It is said that a hound exhibits incredible valor when his master is with him. When the owner is with him, the beast is not afraid What does this teach us? It is the training of faith that depends on the Lord. When that happens, your faith becomes stronger than you can imagine.
As such, in order for our members to possess spiritual authority, they need training to depend on the Lord. The point of training is repetition. We must always pray to God and train ourselves to depend on the Lord.
It was the same with Moses' training. Physically, Moses did not lack anything. Acts 7:22 says, "Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was able to speak and act." So he believed in himself at first. He was given great power and glory as a prince of Egypt. However, when he tried to save his people by his own power, he failed.
Forty years passed, and Moses, now an old man, had completely lost the thought that he could do it. Now the old man Moses had only a discouraged, bruised chest and a shepherd's staff. At this time, he realized deeply that the salvation of Israel can only be done by Jehovah and not by me.
When he was called by God, he just said, 'Lord, I can't. Send someone who can send' was all that was repeated. When he fully realized his own shortcomings, God showed his power and told him to rely on him. At that time you will become like a god before Pharaoh.
Acts 7:37 says that Moses was a prophet like himself, that is, like God. That is how much God appeared to be a servant of God. What does it mean? If you depend on God, God will appear and you will become as strong as God. This is the training of faith. Moses received this training for forty years. When you realize your incompetence, you are half aware of the truth. We should be able to realize our own incompetence in our lives, not just words.
And the other half is to rely on the Lord and pray. This exercise is repeated every day. We need and are receiving the training to be Moses every day. At that time, Egypt was a world-class country because of the Egyptian civilization. Moses subdued this powerful nation through the training of faith to depend on God. In this way, we must be trained to abide in the authority of God.
3. The saints receive authority and power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
Again, “with the goat” in verse 31. In the Bible, there are many uses for the goat, but in Dan 8:5-8, it says that the horn has great power. In the Bible, horns symbolize authority.
This authority is overlaid with the Holy Spirit. That's why Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "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."
The goat has a strong personality, but nothing strong except for its horns. There are no sharp teeth. No sharp claws. There is no speed as fast as a deer. He doesn't even have a strong body. But the goat has a secret weapon, a strong horn.
Watching the professional animal world, I see that even the wild beasts are as careful as these horns. Once stung by this horn, the wild beasts have a phobia of goat hunting. This horn is the power of the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Holy Spirit, spiritual authority arises. So the disciples did not leave Jerusalem and prayed to receive spiritual power. We must receive spiritual authority in order to carry out our mission in this world.
4. There comes spiritual authority when we serve with humility.
Verse 31 says, “He is a king who cannot be defeated.” It is said that this irresistible king refers to 'a king who cannot resist' or 'a king surrounded by his subjects or his people', that is, a king who is escorted by an army.
Why does the king have power? It is because there are forces that support him and follow him. So the kings used their own people to strengthen their power, gathered power through marriage, and eliminated their enemies. So, he solidified his power base. If the king had no power, he would be just a human in a fantasy like Don Quixote.
In this way, honor the Lord as your King. That's where authority comes in. The Lord is the most authoritative King of kings and Lord of lords. But the Lord is indeed a strange king. Lord Uji is the King who rules over the universe, humans, and individuals, and at the same time, if we do not worship and worship Him, He will never reign within us alone. The Lord is in all of us, but if we do not fully accept Him as King, He is so quiet that we cannot even hear His breath. You can never feel His power or His presence. Therefore, it cannot be said that he is a mysterious and mysterious king.
But this is the hallmark of the Lord's authority. The Lord's authority is never a self-ruling authority. The powers of the world are the ruling authorities. But the Lord has dominion over the forces of evil, but never by force over the people of God. The Lord begins to rule only when he humbles himself and obeys, saying, 'Please rule me.'
So, the Lord began to work in the wedding house in Cana when Jesus became Lord, and when he entered Jerusalem as the king of the Jews, he did not ride on a white horse but on a colt. How awesome are you?
The Lord is now in our hearts. If we can't even feel that this great One is inside, and His authority is not manifested in us, it is because we do not worship the Lord. Always worship with a humble and reverent spirit. You will experience the Lord coming during the hymns.
The kingdom of God is a place of submission to the Lord's government. You must be ruled by Him to become the kingdom of heaven. Who is to establish the authority of this King Lord? We must build it. Although the Lord does not forcefully reign within us, He is still King and Lord, who is to rule and reign over us.
There is a difference between reigning and having dominion. So we have to let it reign. I must strongly urge you to rule over me. In order to do that, we must submit to Him absolutely, give glory to the Lord, and follow His will. To bow before him and to be governed by him, this is the exhortation, the power, and the kingdom of God.
Even at home, no matter how uneducated, old or ill, if the family takes good care of him, he will be a good head. So is the church. The church needs strong leadership. But how do you forcefully reign over the church members? The Lord didn't do it either, so how could it be? Are you going to rule again? There will be nothing but strife. However, the true leadership of a leader is not forced dominion, but when he gains authority through service and furthermore, when the members exalt and support him and make him reign, true authority and leadership are revealed there. This is Jesus' leadership.
Please do not be discouraged if you do not believe in the ministry. The Lord is also king, but he does not reign until the situation changes, and he is silent. If we exalt the Lord, there will come a day when the Lord will also exalt us through the saints. When we serve and love, more and more believers will give their lives for ministers just like Paul did.
Let us first take the Lord as our King and let him be ruled by him. Let us serve the Lord as an irresistible King. Let's all surround the Lord and make us proud like a king escorted by an army. So, when the Lord becomes authoritative in us, eventually we will enjoy the blessing of receiving spiritual authority. To exalt the Lord is to exalt myself.
Dear saints,
Let's all long for spiritual authority. Without authority, you cannot overcome the world, you cannot overcome Satan, and you cannot carry out the mission entrusted to you. The Lord has given and wants to give spiritual authority to everyone, and He wants to give Him even his own authority. Today, through the parable of the lion, the hound, the goat, and the king being escorted, I hope that all the precious saints will receive and enjoy the grace of true spiritual authority.