KEY SCRIPTURE: Mat 28:18 KJV” And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

In our last study we saw that the authority Jesus obtained has been given to us through His name. Now there is a second means by which we have partaken of that superior authority of Jesus. This is by the means of inheritance. When we were born again, we were baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27). As much as we were baptized into Christ, He also came to live in us. We have an inseparable union with Christ. We represent that authority on this earth. The Holy Spirit revealed this in Col 1:27Col “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” When a man is born into Christ that child of God is baptized into power and he inherits the very authority of Christ.

How does one walk and manifest this authority? Let’s consider the case of    Peter, John and the cripple in Acts 3. When Peter and John encountered the man at the gate of the temple; He said silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee, in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk. Peter said I have something. What did he have? He had Christ, and so he had His authority.

To exercise this authority, you must know and believe that you have Christ, and therefore have His power and authority. Until you accept that you have authority which is far greater than the devil’s, you would not be able to demonstrate that authority.

Secondly, Peter revealed another important lesson to exercise the authority in you. Acts 3:16 KJV” And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Peter said, it is His name and faith in His name. You must believe in the power and authority in His name. Be so confident that so long us you make the demand in His name He comes into operation, according to John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Do not allow any personal weakness you have to interfere with your confidence in Him.

CONFESSION

I am baptized into Christ and have put on Christ.The life of Christ is fully manifested in me. His presence is fully manifested through me. My words are His words. I achieve the results He will achieve because He is alive in me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Gal 3:27 KJV” For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Eph 3:10 ISV” He did this so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:18 KJV “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

After the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, He met with His disciples and announced to them that, all power is given unto Him. The word translated power, is from the Greek word ‘exousia’ which means authority. We know that authority is the right to exercise power. If a policeman carries his gun around, no one would challenge Him. When a civilian carries AK47 gun around, every one will be asking who is this? He does not have that authority to carry that weapon around. Jesus obtained this authority as a result of His obedience in going to the cross and dying for all men. (Philippians 2:5-11). The scripture said, because He humbled Himself and died on the cross God has also highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord.

We learnt in an earlier study that; Jesus is God. Remember the request He made to the father in John 17:5 KJV “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.  By this prayer we realised He had a kind of Glory just like God the Father. If He had such a glory then He had a name that was superior to any other name. Why did He have to die and obtain this kind of authority? That authority was obtained to be given over to men, you and I. The Lord conquered as a man, so men could legally own the right to use that authority (Heb 2:14,15). The authority our Lord Jesus obtained has been given to us through His name. He said, in my name, you shall cast out devils. Mark 16:16-17

Dear child of God, by virtue of the name of Jesus you have a superior authority than Satan. Whenever you call on Jesus’ name against any condition or devil, it can never resist you.

Phi 2:10 KJV” That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth”. All the authority in the universe is in the name of Jesus. Know also that no power or being can resist that authority. Use the name of Jesus, with this understanding, and see sicknesses dissolve away. Get difficult problems to submit to you. Don’t consider yourself, just trust that, that name has the highest authority, on earth, in heaven and under the earth.

CONFESSION

Whenever I make a demand in Jesus’ name, it is the same as Jesus Himself commanding the condition to change. No power, name or being can resist the power in Jesus name. In His name every devil is cast out, every sickness is dissolved, and every condition is put right.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 3:16 KJV “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

John 14:13 KJV “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:17 KJV” And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

The Lord Jesus, had instructed His disciples to gather at Galilee to meet Him. They went and He appeared to them, they all fell before Him in worship, yet some doubted. All these people obeyed to gather at the meeting place. All bowed their faces in worship, yet not all believed Him totally. To doubt means to question in the mind whether something is true or real? DOUBT is an instability in the mind. Doubt is different from unbelief. Unbelief is of the heart, whiles doubt is in the mind. (Matt 16:8) It comes as questions or reasoning. Unbelief is a rejection of the truth of God.

Doubt will breed unbelief if it is not stopped and those questions answered with the truth of God

Those disciples who doubted the presence of Jesus saw Him, even joined the others to bow to Him, yet they were questioning in their minds. Many people may go through the modalities of singing, praying etc but would still be doubting.

What causes Doubt? Doubt proceeds from negative, contrary information that come into the mind. Matthew 16:8 KJV” Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?” That kind of wrong thinking is what generates DOUBT. Doubt is also a state of double mindedness. It is strengthened by little information about the truth.

 To clear doubt, always feed yourself with the truth, as well as refuting every contrary thought that rises in the mind.

Unbelief comes as a result of persisted doubt in the mind. Unbelief is a settled state of rejection of the truth.

 Unbelief is sin.

Unbelief is hardening of the heart. Exo 9:34 KJV” And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.”

THOUGHT: Doubt is not automatic; it is always with your consent. Stop it

FURTHER STUDIES

James 1:6 KJV “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed”

Heb 4:3 KJV “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:12 KJV” And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,”

It is a common practice for men to try to cover the truth in our day. Some wicked powerful people may even kill the person they think is privy to an information they do not want to come out. In the Lord Jesus time the chief priest bribed the watch or the military guard to say that, Jesus disciples came for the body of Christ. This was an impossibility, since they could not over power the Roman soldiers.

The truth about Jesus’ resurrection has been fought in every means possible, yet the good news is that men continue to be saved by the resurrection of Jesus. Christianity has stood the test of time. The persecution of the church has not stopped the spread of the gospel. The apostles were killed for their faith. Their message was that, the Lord Jesus showed himself alive unto them, by many infallible proofs over a period of forty days (Acts 1:2-4). These were men who were so fearful that they hid in some room and they all deserted the master at His arrest. The apostle Peter denied the master for three different occasions. All these men within a short while were so bold that, they asked the teachers of the law and high priest, that who should they obey, God or man?

Dear child of God May you be so convinced about the resurrection of the master so you would be very strong to defend your faith whenever the occasion arises.

To the man who has not made that decision to believe in Jesus, please don’t fight the truth. Consider these evidences and make a decision to surrender your life to Jesus. Believing in Jesus; would transform your life. If you are sick, you can be healed. If demons are tormenting your life, you would be delivered. If the guilt of some sin keeps tormenting you; that power would be broken. He said, I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10) There is peace for every tormented soul. Don’t continue refusing to give yourself life to Jesus. Today is the acceptable time. Today is your day of salvation.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly father, I surrender my life to you. I acknowledge my sins before you and repent of them. Today I confess Jesus as my Lord and saviour of my soul. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying and resurrecting for me.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinth 6:2 KJV” (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

1 Corinth 15:20 KJV “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mat 28:9 KJV “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him”.

The LORD JESUS is worthy of worship. Worship is only given to God. Is Jesus God? Many have had a very tough time accepting Jesus as God. This is because of certain statements He made about Himself. He made statements like; my father is greater than I. John 14:28. When the disciples were talking about restoration of the kingdom to the Jews. He said it is in the father’s hands to do such things. Acts 1:7. The Lord said “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matt 24:36). If He made such statements, how do we say He is God since He did not know all things.?

To appreciate who Jesus is we’ve got to   have a clear understanding about what the scriptures teach about Him. John 1:18 reads “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. “He lives in His bosom as the word (John 1:1) He is the Word of God. The WORD is not different from the Person. Now the scripture says ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” How do we reconcile this with the statements He made about the father being greater than Him and the rest.? The scriptures said although He is God, He took on the nature of man (John 1:14). As a man He was limited in so many ways. Philippians 2:6 KJV” Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” As a man He talked as a man. Please note the following: when He came to the tail end of His ministry, He said the following. John 17:5 KJV “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Here He asked the father to glorify Him with the same glory He had with Him from the beginning. Does this suggest the father is superior to the Son or they had the same glory.?

Let me just explain the whole trend of affairs. Jesus is the word of God, who is one with the Father and had the same glory as the Father; but put down His glory as God and became a man. As a man He speaks like a man and expresses inferiority towards the father. When He comes to the end of His ministry on earth; He calls on the Father to give back again the same glory He had with Him from the beginning. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God.

Just take the following scripture. Isaiah 9:6 KJV” For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” This was clearly talking about our Lord Jesus Christ.

THOUGHT: JESUS IS GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

1Timothy 3:16 KJV “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”.

Matthew 28:19 KJV” Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:9 KJV “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.”

The Lord after His resurrection from the dead appeared to the women and said ‘all hail’. This was a form of salutation that means rejoice. The Lord gave them a real message of hope and comfort. He was not just giving the usual salutation. He was announcing a new era of man’s true liberty. He had defeated the one who had held all humanity in deception and bondage. The scripture said, having spoilt principalities and powers He made a public show of them, triumphing over them in it (Col 2:15). There is no cause for the child of God to be sad and worried under any condition

The Lord proclaimed all hail. As said earlier it means let all rejoice. Too many Christians are living far below the life Jesus suffered to obtain for us. Before Jesus died and resurrected Satan and His demons had a legal right over men. Now, they no longer have that right. Jesus announced to His disciples that all power or all authority have been given unto Him (Matt 28:18). Authority is the right to exercise power. If all was given to Jesus; then which one is the devil using? Satan had no authority whatsoever in this life. Satan has some power. His power lies in His ability to deceive men. Rev 12:9 says he deceives the whole world. John 8:44 calls him a murderer and the father of lies.

 To be worried or sad means you believe in his lies.

That is the only means to overpower you the child of God and to destroy you. The Lord said , Let all rejoice.

 Joy means non of Satan’s lies has a place in you.

What must we do to rejoice always?

1. Believe that Jesus is resurrected indeed, and he is with you. Heb 13:6

2. Practice His presence by keeping a consciousness of His presence and acknowledge His super power over every condition.

3.Talk to Him in constant thanksgiving; or praising Him by singing songs to glorify His name.

4. Do not give attention to whatever a bad condition may be saying. Focus on what the Lord says and keep thanking Him.

THOUGHT:  THE LORD JESUS’ RESURRECTION ENDED SATAN’S REIGN, KEEP CELEBRATING HIS DEFEAT

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 2:14 KJV” Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

Philippians 4:4 KJV” Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:7 KJV “And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”

God is no respecter of persons. His word to us is always,’ whosoever’. In Acts 10: 34, 35 Apostle Peter came to the conclusion that, God is no respecter of persons, and that God accepts any one who lives upright and makes himself available. Some people have been very hard on women who preach the word. Their argument is in 1Co 14:34 KJV “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” Beloved, this is the rule for the sake of order. Inspite of this God still makes use of woman who avail themselves to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Why?

In the above story, these ladies out of their love for the master, endangered their lives to go to the tomb of the master. The tomb was supposed to be guided by these fierce Roman solders. They ignored all these and went all the same. At the tomb, they found the soldiers lying somewhere as dead men, whiles an angle sat on the stone. They were the people who were available. God made use of them. He asked them to go and announce to the fearful disciples who were hiding in some meeting place somewhere.

Please let’s get certain things clear. God’s laws always fall within three categories. There are customary laws, (Ezra 3:4) Ordinance laws (numbers 15:15) and Moral laws. (The Lord called it weightier matters Matt 23:23).

The customary includes foods; dressings, and regulations concerning the place of women (Judges 11:39). The laws of ordinance had to do either with ceremonies, feasts, celebrations, holidays and Sabbaths. The last are Moral laws. The first two are not so binding and under certain conditions would not hold. This is why the Lord said the sabbath is made for man and not man for the sabbath.

 No Moral law is negotiable

(Matt 23:23). They are laws like do not kill, fornication, sodomy and all such things. These are laws that have to do with the state of the heart in relation to God.

In numbers 27 a man called Zelophehad died leaving no son but only daughters. Meanwhile God had made a rule that the inheritance should only go to the males. These girls went to Moses with their case, and Moses also consulted the Lord. The Lord told Moses to listen to them and alter that law.  That was not a morale law and so could be altered. Num 27:8 KJV “And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.”

It is on this ground that, the Lord would use a woman who avails herself for God’s anointing to come upon her.

Sisters continue to avail yourself but be careful of pride. The woman is the weaker vessel and so was deceived by the serpent while Adam was not deceived (1 Tim 2:14)

THOUGHT:  GOD RELATES TO US ON THE BASIS OF THE STATE OF OUR HEARTS

FURTHER STUDIES

Galatians 3:28 KJV There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Acts 10:34,35 KJV Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Matthew 28:6 KJV “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay”.

When the women who were going to embalm the body of Jesus, got to the tomb! they were told by the angel that Jesus was risen. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus is a cardinal truth in Christianity that makes Christianity unique among all religions. His death and resurrection. have very significant implications for the salvation of men. Romans 4:25 reads ” Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” He died to carry away our sins but His resurrection gave us the same resurrected life that had no past of sin. The scripture said, He was raised for our justification. Justification means to be made righteous.

The Lord’s passion was done for us. Every experience throughout His passion was for us. He did it in our stead, so that we would live in absolute victory. The moment one believes in Jesus, then, supernaturally he is immersed (baptized) into Christ. Romans 6:3-5. Rom 6:3 KJV” Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? “Just as we have been immersed or baptized into His death, so have we been baptized into His resurrection. The power of death, giving rise to sin and all its effects no longer have that control over us. We have the same resurrected life like Jesus. Romans 6:5 KJV” For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Why are many Christians living defeated lives? To lead a defeated life, I mean to be under the power and influence of evil powers. This is seen in manifesting bad habits, fearfulness, all kinds of torments. All these are unacceptable in the light of our resurrection with Jesus. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.

What must the believer in Jesus do?

1. Spend a great deal of time to meditate on the effects of our resurrection with Jesus.1 Tim 4:15

2. Accept and Believe that you are absolutely victorious, and should not be under any form of control or influence of the evil one Rom 8:37

3.Refuse any form of defeat or failure

4. Thank the Lord for making you more than a conqueror.

CONFESSION

I died with Jesus and have resurrected with Him. I have His resurrection life in me. Demons, diseases or sinful tendencies cannot hold their sway over me. I am indeed very free from every power of the devil.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 6:14 KJV “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Col 2:15 KJV “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

LIFE has a natural dimension and a supernatural dimension. Many people are unfortunately hooked up and controlled by the natural and as a result are missing a very great blessing from the supernatural’s Lord says, to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. The supernatural gave substance to the natural Heb 11:3 KJV ” Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

The natural cannot stand against the supernatural Jesus said in John 6:3, that the flesh profits nothing, it is the word that giveth life, but the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and life.

When the Lord was buried in the tomb, the chief priest went for strong, well built Roman soldiers to keep watch over the tomb, so that Jesus’ prophecy to come back to life would not come to pass. The bible said when the angel appeared to the soldiers, they became like dead men. And were filled with fear. Matthew 28:4 KJV “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men”. These men brought to stop the promise from coming to pass were overcome with fear and acted as dead men.

Don’t allow any threat to your peace and fulfilment in life to disturb you in any way. So long as your foundation is the word of God. and your focus is to bring glory to God, you can’t be defeated by any natural resistance. David said to Goliath, you come against me with swords and spears but I come against you in the name of the Lord God, whose army you have defiled. Goliath was the eventual casualty. (1 Samuel 17:45)

You will be a constant winner so long as you stay faithful to God and His word.

1.Make sure your focus is never taken away from God and His word.

2. Make sure your testimony of faith in God and His word is intact.

3. Keep praising the Lord always.

 4. ALWAYS USE YOUR IMAGINATIONS TO SEE THE GREAT MIRACLES AND TRANSFORMATIONS OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE.

THOUGHT:  BY FAITH YOU CAN TURN EVERY PROBLEM INTO A CELEBRATION

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 2:10 KJV “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”

John 1:5 KJV “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 28:4 KJV” And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”

At the dawn of Jesus resurrection an angel manifested to role away the stone and sat on it. This was a case of God intervening in a case. May the Lord send forth His angels to help you in whatever situation you find yourself. Angelic ministry is still real and one can experience their assistance in various life encounters 1:14 KJV “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Every Christian is an heir of salvation. You are a candidate of the ministry of angels.

How can we experience angelic ministry in our daily lives? In Daniel chapter 3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image and insisted that at the sound of certain musical instruments everyone should bow to the golden image and worship it. The three Hebrew boys did not bow. They were cast into a fiery furnace. They fire could not destroy them. God intervened for them. How were they able to get the angelic intervention.? Their absolute faith in God endeared that angelic assistance. When Paul and Silas were held in prison in Macedonia stepped into their condition and saved them. Once again it was the demonstration of their faith in God that brought their deliverance. During the moment of imprisonment, they worshipped, prayed and praised the Lord.

In whatever adverse situation you find yourself. you must exercise your faith in God and His word. This is what causes the Father to send angels, to help.

We exercise our faith through our words and actions that agree with what God has said. We have to be conscious of their assistance and can ask the Father to release them to help us. We do not directly command angels to come and help us. We ask the Father to let them come. Matthew 26:53 KJV” Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?’

The Lord said it clearly. God our Father yearns always to glorify His name through us. Our positive scriptural actions honour Him, and therefore He would step in to safeguard His glory.

THOUGHT: GOD WOULD DEFEND HIS NAME WHEN WE STAND ON HIS WORD

FURTHER STUDIES:

Acts 16:25 & 26 KJV “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

Rom 10:11,12 KJV” For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.”