Grab Hold of the Authority and Power of God
We live in a time when so many in the church have taken on the attitude of the people who lived in the Land of the Gadarenes in Luke chapter 8.
I won’t go into the history of the land of the Gadarenes except to say that many of those who lived there were descendants of the Tribes of Gad, Rueben and Manasseh but they had become so intermingled with the other idolatrous people in the area that they had forgotten who they really were. History tells us that these tribes of Israel became known as the “Lost Tribes of Israel”. They may have been lost among the nations, but God knows who they are and the prophet Ezekiel says that they will have their own Gates into the New Jerusalem from the South.
At the time of Jesus, the Lord made only one journey into that area, landing at the shores of the Gadarenes and there he was met with the man from the tombs who was possessed of legions of devils. This was an indication of the powers of Satan that had come to influence not only this one demoniac, but all of the people in the area. Jesus had come to confront the devil and had shown his awesome power and authority over the demonic spirits by setting the demoniac free and giving him his right mind.
But the hearts and minds of the people that Jesus went to deliver and to save were too much in love with the life and prosperity around them to accept Jesus and allow him to move in their midst. They loved their pigs, representing the things of this world, more than the presence of the Lord in their lives. They missed the hour of their visitation and never allowed the power and authority of Christ into their midst. There is nowhere that it is recorded that Jesus ever went back because of their rejection and lack of faith.
Oh how that man, delivered from so many demons, must have wanted to follow Jesus! He had nothing where he was! He was forsaken by everyone around and was known for his life under Satan’ influence. Would he ever be accepted where he was? He wanted to remain in the presence of the Lord! He didn’t feel at home in his world anymore!
Don’t we all want that? We once were lost but now we are saved! I was blind but now I see! We lived in a world that was lost in sin and we had no hope within, but Jesus came along, lifted us out of the miry clay and set us free.
Oh how wonderful it is to dwell in the presence of the Lord, and our desire is to go and be in his presence always. But Jesus says, “No! You are to remain where you are. Stay in your place and be a witness to what I have done for you.” We are to go into a hostile, dark and sinful world and spread the hope of the gospel, preparing the way for the Second Coming of Christ! But we were not left without the presence of the power and authority of God, and neither was this former demoniac. His testimony of the power of Christ had a great impact in his own land and among those who would listen.
After the resurrection of Christ the church was born, the Holy Ghost fell, and there was revival in the area of the Gadarenes through the ministry of the Apostles. Churches were formed and gospel spread, and it was seen that the testimony of the delivered demoniac had been spread through the land, paving the way for the gospel.
When Jesus was rejected and asked to leave the land of the Gergesenes, he turned back, entered into a ship and sailed back across the Sea of Galilee to go and minister to people who were much more open to his presence, and that’s where we begin this morning.
Luke 8:40 Now as Jesus was returning [to Galilee], the people welcomed Him, for they had all been expecting Him.
Jesus had groupies and fans who thronged him wherever he went. He was a “Rock Star” in the eyes of the Jews who were always searching for a signs, wonders and miracles. Jesus, the great teacher and Rabbi, and the True Prophet sent from God filled the bill for what they searched after. But few of them ever saw him for who he really was. He was never, and has never been, accepted as the Messiah of Israel by the crowds; only by a small minority; a remnant who became the New Testament Church.
As Jesus walked from the shore of the Sea of Galilee toward the city of Capernaum the news spread before him like wildfire and out of the crowd that followed there began to appear those who were in great need of his power and authority.
Luke 8:41-42 Now a man named Jairus, a synagogue official, came [to Him]; and he fell at Jesus' feet and began begging Him to come to his house; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as Jesus went, the people were crowding against Him [almost crushing Him].
Now get the picture here: Among the suffocating crowd that thronged to him there were 12 disciples, and now he’s going to Jairus’ house to pray for a 12 year-old girl. (We know that the girl would be dead before Jesus could arrive, but remember this; The Lord may not be there when we expect him to; and he may not work in the way that we expect; but he’s never late and he always comes with power and authority)
I want to draw your attention to that number 12 for a minute. There’s something significant that we will discover about that as we continue. I want to reveal a some hidden truths.
As Jesus walked along, we need to remember that he also fulfilled the Law of Moses, and he observed all of the traditions and laws that governed Israel. There are 613 laws called “Mitzvah” which are all found in the Torah, or the Five Books of Moses of the Old Testament. Jesus obeyed them all, never breaking even one, for only he was without sin.
One of those laws taught that the Jews, including teachers and Rabbi, were to wear a prayer shawl called a “Tallit”. (I have one here that I’m going to put on for a few minutes as I go through this part of the message). The Tallit has fringes, or tassels sewn into the hem. These fringes are called “Tzitzit”, and they symbolize the authority of the wearer, given to him by the Law of Moses which was given to him by God.
The tassels, or Tzitzit, are woven in two colors. There are white strands representing priestly holiness, and then there is one blue strand, which stands for the presence and power of royalty; the Power of Jesus as King of Glory.
The beginning line in many prayers of the Hebrews begins with the words, “baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam” which means, “blessed are you, Oh LORD our God, King of the Universe.
The amazing thing is that man often tries to try and show how holy he his, or how much authority he has, and he does so to gain more power, control and recognition from the people. In the process, his own pride destroys the very thing that he is trying to brag about.
The Pharisees in Israel used to enlarge these borders and really make long fringes on their Tallit to show how great they were. But no matter how big they made them, it only served to prove how much they lacked of the true meaning. Jesus himself looked at those religious leaders with all their tassels and fringes and phylacteries and he called them “Whited Sepulchers full of dead men’s bones”. They looked great in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of God they were dead, dry and lifeless; and had no hope of eternal life in them.
Let us remind ourselves that we need to guard our hears against pride rising up. Pride in our hearts will not bring blessings, but will bring more trouble and even become our downfall. If our relationship with God is not in our heart then whatever is goodness we try to show on the outside to other people is only considered filthy garments in God’s eyes.
As Jesus walked among the crowd, going toward Jarius’ house, the crowd was crushing around him, but in the midst of that huge crowd, with all of the noise and activity, something happened that stopped him in his tracks.
Luke 8:43-44 And a woman who had [suffered from] a hemorrhage for twelve years [and had spent all her money on physicians], and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His outer robe, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
How long had she been sick? For 12 years! There’s that number again, that number that speaks of Power and Authority!
There was desperation in her heart! But there was also faith! Faith overcame her desperation and her fear.
She knew what that Tallit was all about. She knew that it was worn as a symbol of being in a constant prayer and a reminder that God had given Israel promises that would never fail. She knew that those tassels represented the Power and Authority of the Wearer, and she knew and had faith to believe that if I could just grab hold of the hem of that Tallit, and get a grip on one of those tassels, that the Power and Authority of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could give me the miracle of healing that I need!
By faith she fought her way to get close to Jesus.
• She didn’t care that the crowd was trying to crush her and take what strength she had left and trample it into the dust!
• She didn’t care that those who stood around would call her foolish, and reject her simply because she wasn’t supposed to there.
• She didn’t care that the religious leaders who were there would call her unclean and declare that she was not worthy to be among the crowd.
• She didn’t care that people would try to push her away!
She fought on in faith, struggling, praying, crying out to God in her heart, and with all her strength, she reached out and caught that fringe of white and blue!
Suddenly – Faith, Power and Authority came together! The power and authority of the very Son of God, came flooding into her body, soul and mind, and she was instantly healed! Faith had touched God’s authority and power, and a miracle happened!
Luke 8:45-46 Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" While they all were denying it, Peter [and those who were with him] said, "Master, the people are crowding and pushing against You!" But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, because I was aware that power [to heal] had gone out of Me." (Jesus knew who it was all along, but he wanted the power of this woman’s testimony too, to show what faith in his power and authority could do!)
Luke 8:47 When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling and fell down before Him. She declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.
We have seen the number 12 twice already, but let me tell you that the number 12 had already been used in the life of Jesus. He was already exhibiting the power and authority of the Son of God.
• 12 years of Age for Jesus to begin to speak in the Power and Authority in the temple. Whether he was wearing a Tallit or not, Jesus was walking in his calling. He was born to walk in power and authority among men!
• 12 years of Age for daughter of Jarius who was about to be raised from the dead. Jaruis’ faith was strong because he understood the power and authority of Jesus as the Son of God, and in his own way, he reached out and grabbed hold of the hem of Jesus’ garment too!
• 12 years of suffering for one little woman who had decided to have faith and received her miracle!
In every instance that number is there to represent the power and authority of God that will work through faith! But it’s not the number that’s important – IT’S WHAT IT REPRESENTS!
In another example of 12, let me remind you that Jesus called 12 disciples who became the first Apostles of the church! They were called to preach the gospel to every creature, and that call has been passed on to the church!
We can’t be silent! We have to preach the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, to have faith and grab hold of the promises of God, and then to share our testimony of salvation with the world!
We don’t wear the Tallit or have the fringes hanging from us today, but we have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, which is far better!
Christ in us is our strength and hope! It is the authority and power of Jesus in the heart of a Born Again, Spirit filled, anointed Child of God that walks by faith and believes God for great things, that this world needs!
That number 12 not only the power and authority of God, but it represents the government of God’s kingdom that rules in the hearts of men. We are children of the King, with all the power and authority of Christ in us, and we are counted as a royal priesthood in the family of God, part of his government in the earth.
We can walk in the power, and under the authority of Christ as we live by the word of the Lord that establishes his government in our hearts.
In Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
In John 14:12, The Lord says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
The church sometimes lives so far beneath what God has called us to be! We get too caught up in the world around us and forget the power and authority that has been given to us! We are to be the Salt and Light, seasoning the world around us with the grace of God, and spreading the Light of the gospel, and we are to be full of the Holy Ghost and Fire while we do it, so that Christ can be magnified!
Let us not be too inward focused, lest we become like the Gergesenes and desire the things of this world more than the presence of the Lord! God wants to use us but we have to want to be used!
Remember that number 12 and let it be a reminder of the power and authority over the devil that we’ve been given. Let it be a reminder that we have that power and authority over sin, sickness and even death itself as we work for the kingdom of God.
We are called to cast out devils, heal the sick, open blinded eyes, and even to raise the dead by the authority and power of the name of Jesus. We have to reach out, grab hold of the hem of his garment in spirit and declare by the name of Jesus, through the power of the blood, that Satan is defeated and that we are overcomers!
If you’re in need of healing, strengthening, or deliverance from something that has taken hold of your heart and life, keeping you from experiencing the victory that Jesus has promised.
If we’ve allowed the things of this world to hinder our work for God, or if we are too concerned about what the devil is trying to do and not focused on what Jesus is trying to do through us, then we need to reach out and grab hold of the fringe of Jesus’ garment by faith and believe in the power and authority of God’s promises! Let faith arise! Let no doubts stop you! Push the naysayers voices aside and reach out and touch Jesus, and believe for your miracle!
Jesus spoke these words found in Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].
Never forget that you’re in a spiritual warfare, and it’s a war you cannot afford to lose, and a war that you will not lose if you just keep reaching out for the hem of Jesus’ garment in faith! You’re going to have to fight by faith, live by faith, walk by faith and you’re going to have to stand up as a good soldier and never way to the devil.
God is separating the true church from the church that is nothing more than a social club! He’s calling forth a people that will stand and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Jesus is coming soon, and he is coming after a church that has made herself ready, who is standing and declaring the word of the Lord by the power and authority of God! He's coming after a Bride that has continually grabbed hold of the hem of his garment and a Bride that has learned to walk by faith and not by sight!
No matter what comes, or how terrible things may seem – JESUS IS STILL THE KING, AND YOU CAN WALK AND LIVE UNDER THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE KING OF GLORY!
