Are You Confused?
Part 1
Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 8:5-10; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
This is part two of my series, “Are You Confused?” In part one two weeks ago I shared with you the three definitions of the word confused as it relates to your identity as a Christian. This morning I will be focusing on our confusion as to the power (and authority) that Christians have been given through Jesus Christ. Before I enter into the heart of the message, I want to read something to you that Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy. It reads, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Now pay close attention to what he said in verse five. He said, “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power…” I want you to keep this verse in mind because everything that was listed in verses one through four we have the power and authority to overcome them. However, if we are living our lives as Christians and denying the power that resides within us, we will never overcome anything and we will float through life just accepting whatever comes our way.
As a reminder from part one, the three definitions of confused are: “unable to think intelligently; not differentiated; disoriented.” As I shared previously, the first definition, “unable to think intelligently” implies that a person is unable to think or reason clearly or to act sensibly. In other words, the person lacks the ability to make decisions that are appropriate for the situation. The second definition, “not differentiated” implies that you cannot distinguish one thing from the other; one thing is mistaken for the other. There are no clear guidelines so everything looks the same. And the third and final definition of being disoriented reflects a person who is confused as to time and place; out of touch with reality.
The definition of power for the purposes of this message is “the authority to act or do something according to a law or rule.” In the Greek the word almost always points to new and higher forces that have entered and are working in this lower world of ours. In other words we have help from on High to do what needs to be done down here! Likewise, authority is defined as “the power or right to command, act, etc.” From this definition we see that authority does not beg; authority doesn't ask; authority commands! Power and authority are inseparable. When we are walking in the power that God has bestowed on us we walk with authority and must be comfortable taking command in some situations. The best example that I have for us to understand power and authority as it relates to how we are supposed to operate as Christians would be the military. If you know anything about the military one thing that is clear is that you are given “orders” and those orders are to be followed whether you like them or not. In the military, the person in “authority” has the right to make the decision and those under their command must do what they are told to do. There is no debate and the person under the authority does not have the right to say “no” without suffering consequences. Remember the story of the centurion who came to Jesus? Turn to Matthew chapter eight beginning at verse five.
“And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.’ Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the centurion said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.’ Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” (Matthew 8:5-10) This man was an officer in the Roman army. He understood authority. When he asked Jesus to heal his servant, Jesus offered to come to the man’s home. The centurion told Jesus that he understood authority and understood that if Jesus only spoke it that his servant would be healed. The centurion gave Jesus several examples of his understanding of authority and credited Jesus with having it over sickness and diseases. The centurion “asked” Jesus to heal his servant but he also recognized that Jesus could “command” the sickness to be done and it would happen. This is the understanding of the authority that we must have and accept if we are to walk in it.
In the twenty-eight chapter of Matthew, after Jesus had risen from the dead, He stated the following “…….All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Now turn to Mark the sixteenth chapter. Let’s begin reading ion verse fifteen. “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ‘He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)
In these two references we find that Jesus received all power and authority when He rose from the dead. He removed from Satan’s grasp what Adam had given to him in the Garden of Eden. Jesus took the authority back. Once He had the authority, He gave authority back to men. He told the disciples to go out into the world and preach the gospel. Those who believed on Him would receive power to cast our demons, heal the sick, etc. This authority was given to those who believed, not so we could walk around and yell “look at what I can do” but so that people would see and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Although we have been given power and authority in this world many Christians have denied their power. Let me share a few references with you – you can write these down for your personal study later.
Acts 1:8: “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Acts 4:33: “And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.”
Acts 6:8: “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.”
1 Corinthians 2:5: “So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 4:20: “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.”
Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11: “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
Acts 1:8 records Jesus telling the disciples (and this included those in the upper room with them) that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them which the other Scriptural references proved had happened. Paul told the church at Ephesus that powers works within us and that we should be strong in the power of Jesus’ might. Finally Paul told Timothy that God had given him a spirit of power. My point is this; we have been given power and authority to operate in this world! Do you recall what I read at the very beginning where Paul told Timothy in his second letter to him to avoid those who had a form of godliness but denied its power? When we refused to acknowledge the power within us and operate within it we are denying that power. Our enemy wins when he can get us to think that we are defeated and weak!
It is hard for most Christians to think intelligently about having the power of God flowing through us, even the power to cast out a demon or pray that someone be healed. Why? Because we know where we are in our faith walk and we understand the unbelief that resides within us. It is easy to go to Church and Bible study and be a private Christian. It’s easy to sit in the shadows and go through the motions of Christianity without ever coming close to walking in the power and authority that we need in order to make a difference in this world. We are confused about our power and authority because if no one is walking in theirs we have nothing to compare it to – we are not differentiated! Truth be told, if we surround ourselves with Christians who believe that we just exist in this world and are doing the best we can then no one believes they have any authority to make a true difference in this world and just exist from day to day. Power and authority is exercised when there is a right to exercise it and the person with the power and authority “owns” it! When Peter and John came upon the lame man in Acts chapter three, Peter did not “pray” and ask for the man to be healed, he commanded that the man get up and walk. This took faith from both Peter and the lame man. Peter understood his power and authority and his right to exercise it. Please understand that I am not saying that prayer cannot heal people because we know that it can, (James 5:14-15), but when we walk in the power and authority we have been given, we are empowered to speak to the sickness and command the person to be healed. Now before you get offended let me make this clear, this is what the Bible says and you do not have to walk in it. If you do not believe you can, then you can’t, plain and simple. What you chose to believe and act on is really between you and the God you serve.
We have been given the power and authority to be overcomers in this world. That does not mean we can command riches, and material things as proof of our walk with Christ, but it does mean that anything that we need to be a witness for Him is at our disposal, especially when dealing with the lost. With this power and authority comes turmoil and pain because we exist in a minority where the majority (who are also believers) will refuse to acknowledge it and walk in it. This walk is not for the faint at heart! Our power and authority is not for our gratification or edification, but for the building of the kingdom of God. I shared with you earlier that in order for us to walk in this power and authority we have to own it. We have to take ownership! Ownership is defined as “the legal right of possessing something.” I have already shared with you that we have been given the power and authority legally through Jesus Christ, but that does not mean that we have taken ownership of it. Ownership of anything is personal.
On last Thursday evening during Bible study we talked about what it meant to be a Christian and if there were any short cuts to heaven. The question was asked about someone waiting to get saved when they are on their death bed and if so, would they really be saved. The emphasis on the question pertained to it possibly being better to live your life and get saved at the very end if the final results are the same. In response to this question I shared the story of the thief on the cross beside Jesus. This story is a great example of the difference between someone taking ownership of something and someone choosing not to take ownership. Let me read this to you from Luke 23:39-43. It reads, “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Two thieves were on the cross with Jesus. The first thief asked Jesus if He was the Christ and if so to save Himself and him and his partner. This thief probably did not know Jesus but was responding to what he was hearing from the rulers and soldiers as they mocked Jesus. He took this opportunity to try and get Jesus to save him. His partner, however, rebuked him. His partner said they deserved to be on the cross but Jesus didn’t. His partner said that they were guilty and Jesus was not. His partner asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom and Jesus told him that he would be with Him in paradise. This thief took full ownership of his sins and his fate while the first thief did not. It is not enough that we have been given the power and authority; we have to clear up our confusion about it. For so long we have been told and taught that we do the best we can as we struggle through this life. We are not expected to heal anyone. “If demons exist” we are not expected to cast them out, especially since all the movies show the priests losing when facing demonic spirits. We are taught that Satan is powerful and we are not. We are taught that we are sinners saved by grace and that no one expects us to truly rise above our sins. This is the easy way of thinking which allows us to feel very good about the little that we do.
This morning I want you to understand the truth about who you are so that you are not confused about your power and your authority. The Christian walk is not a walk that will bring you glory and honor on this side. If we are truly walking in the power and authority that God has given to us through His Son, we will suffer because people will not accept us. We will not have the tolerance for some things that are considered “normal.” We will have struggles because of what we believe and stand for. But I want you to understand that through it all you will overcome. I will close this morning with what Paul told the church at Corinth as recorded in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18. As we read these verses, I want you to play close attention to the number of times you see and hear the word “but.” The word “but” is used to introduce something that is true in spite being contrary to what has just been said. Let’s begin at verse seven. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,’ we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-18)
The word “but” appears ten times in these verse. Each use of the word contradicts what was said before. Afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. This is the life of a Christian who is walking in the power and authority that God has given them. We will suffer but we will overcome. Things may get dark, but we will always be able to see the light. We know who we are in Christ. We are different from the world. We know the perilous times that we are living in. In other words, we are not confused!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
