Authority (Part 1)

Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:  the powers that be are ordained of God."  

From the creation of the world, God has worked to bring order out of confusion.  One way He has done this is to establish structures of authority in every area of life.  The greatest and highest authorities are God Himself, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

God has also established structures of authority which affect your life.  These authorities are important if you desire spiritual power.  If you are not properly under authority then you cannot exercise authority.

One day in Capernaum, Jesus had an interesting encounter  with a military leader.  We are not given this leader's name.  We only are told that he was a Centurion and had a servant who was quite ill.  You can read the story of the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. 

The Centurion was a man under the authority of Rome.  He also had authority, as he was the military leader of 100 men.  Because of this he immediately understood the spiritual relationship in which Jesus worked with the Father.  It was similar to his own natural relationship as a Centurion with his commander.
 
Jesus was a man of authority.  He acted with authority.  He forgave sins, healed the sick, cast out demons, and did miracles. But Jesus was also under authority.  He was under the authority of  the Father: 

John 5:19 "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do:  for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."

John 5:26, 27 "For as the  Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man."

John 6:38 "For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me."

John 7:16 "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me."

John 8:29 "And  He that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him." 

The Centurion recognized the power of this authority structure and, because of it,  he knew it was not necessary for Jesus to come to his home to heal his servant.  He knew Jesus had enough power to just speak the word and healing would come.  Jesus commended the Centurion for his great faith and healed his servant.

Wherever authority is manifested, there is a chain (prof command.  This is why the scribes and Pharisees questioned Jesus, "By what authority doest thou these things?" in Matthew 21:23.  Whenever men see lives filled with power and authority, they seek to discover the source. Are you seeking after the source?

The Power of Suffering (Part 7)

When you suffer according to the will of God, you should realize you are not alone. Many other believers are experiencing similar battles:

1 Peter 5:9 "...knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 

The storms of life are inevitable and uncontrollable, as illustrated by the parable of the two houses in Matthew 7:24-27.  Storms will come to those who have built their lives upon God's Word as well as those who have not.  The foundation of a man's life is what will determine the outcome of the storm.

Suffering is to be expected as part of the will of God:

2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

Philippians 1:29 "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake."

2 Thessalonians 1:5 "...that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer..."

1 Thessalonians 3:4 "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should  suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass and ye know."

Matthew 24:9 "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:  and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."

Luke 21:12 "...they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake."

John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you..."

Now this does not mean that you make yourself suffer believing it would be pleasing to God.  God is never pleased when people suffer.  To purposefully make yourself suffer (an act called asceticism) is a sin.  

Many people do this to try to appease God's anger or make themselves appear holy or religious before men.  But God is only appeased by the blood of Jesus Christ.  God does, however, take the tragedy of suffering when it does touch your life and redeem it for good.

Part of the follow up plan in establishing early churches was to teach believers that they would experience suffering.  This is missing in many churches today:

Acts 14:22 "They returned. . . confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God."

The call of Jesus to followers is one of denial and suffering:

Matthew 10:38 "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

16: 24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Mark 8:34 "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me."

10:21 "Come, take up the cross, and follow me."

Luke 9:23 "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

14:27 "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

Jesus called believers to a life of denial, suffering, and the cross because of the powerful potential of the fellowship of His suffering. Resurrection power and the power of His suffering are like the positive and negative forces of electricity used in modern societies.  It takes both the positive and negative to create power

The Power of Suffering (Part 5)

I (11) To change your focus:

When you experience suffering you often focus your attention on the cause and effect. You are concerned with what caused the difficult circumstances and the terrible effect it is having in your life.  God wants to change your focus from struggling to understand the temporal situation to recognizing the benefits of the eternal:

2 Corinthians 4:17, 18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 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."

1 Peter 4:12, 13 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."

2 Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him."

(12) To change the old nature:

God said of the nation of Moab:

Jeremiah 48:11 "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity; therefore his taste  remained in him, and his scent is not changed."

Because Moab had not experienced the troublesome pouring out and stirring similar to that necessary to develop good wine, the nation did not change.  Moab was at ease and settled in prosperity and because of this did not develop and mature properly spiritually.  Therefore there was no change. His "own scent" remained in him.

Suffering rids you of the old nature.  As you are stirred, troubled, and poured out, your spiritual scent changes from carnal to spiritual. 

(13) To prepare you for ministry:

You have asked to be used by God. You desire to be more like Jesus and prayed to be a chosen vessel for His use.  The answer to your prayer may come through suffering:

Isaiah 48:10 "Behold I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."

It is through affliction that you move beyond the calling as a child of God to become chosen of God.  Affliction according to the will of God refines you for His use just as metals are refined in a furnace in the natural world.

(14) To prepare you to reign with Christ:

2 Timothy 2:12 "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."

(15) To give you spiritual blessings:

Jesus said:

Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:  for great is your reward in heaven:  for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

(16) To teach you obedience:

Hebrews 5:8 "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered..."

(17) To test the Word of God in you:

Psalms 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

(18) To humble you:
Deuteronomy 8:15, 16 "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water;  who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end..."   

(19) To enlarge you spiritually:

This means you grow spiritually:

Psalms 4:1 RSV "Thou has enlarged me when I was under pressure."

(20) To help you come to God intimately:

You come to know God on a more intimate basis through suffering.  Job, who suffered much, learned this truth and said in Job 42:5, 6 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:  but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."  

Some of us know God only second handedly. When we are experiencing the blessings of life, God is often a luxury instead of a necessity.  But when you have a real need, God becomes a necessity.
 
Job came to know God more intimately through suffering.  Before he suffered, Job knew God through theology.  Afterwards, he knew Him by experience.  This is why Paul said in Philippians 3:10:

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death."

You can only come to know God in resurrection power through the intimate fellowship of suffering.

Throughout his ordeal, Job questioned God as to the cause of his suffering. It is not wrong to question God.  Jesus knew the purpose for which He had come into the world was to die for the sins of all mankind.  Yet in His hour of suffering He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 

It is what follows the questioning that is important. The Lord's  next words were, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit."  

The Power of Suffering (Part 4)

I (6) To teach you not to trust in yourself:

Paul spoke of the purpose of his sufferings in Asia:

2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 "...In Asia we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life;  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God which raiseth the dead."

You will come to recognize that... 

2 Corinthians 4:7 "...we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

(7) To develop spiritual qualities:

Romans 5:3, 4 "We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and  experience hope, (resulting in the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts)."

1 Peter 5:10 "...after ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

These qualities conform you to the image of Jesus, which is God's plan for you.

(8) To manifest the works of God:

"When the disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, they asked who was responsible for his condition.  Was it the sin of his parents or of the man himself?  Jesus answered: Neither this man sinned nor His parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in Him" in John 9:3.
 
(9) To perfect the power of God:

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

(10) To remove that which is unstable:

Suffering results in all that is unstable being shaken out of your life.  You cease to depend on people, programs, or material things as these all fail in your time of need.  God permits this in "removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain" in Hebrews 12:27.

During the storms of life, everything crumbles that is not built upon God and His Word, so don't build on unstable principles or blame God for problems that arise in your life.
 

The Power of Suffering (Part 3)

Remember, God does not cause suffering.  Suffering is in the world because of sin, but God uses suffering as an opportunity to demonstrate His power.  He uses it.

(1) God takes that which was intended for bad and turns it to good. 
He redeems it to accomplish His purposes.   Despite the negative circumstances, God is at work behind the scenes.  Satan inspired men to deliver Jesus to death, but God redeemed it for good.  His death resulted in salvation and resurrection life.

God demonstrates His power when He takes your suffering and uses it to accomplish His purposes.  There are no accidents or chance happenings in the life of believers because God:

Ephesians 1:11 "...worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."

(2) God turns natural losses to spiritual gains.  Paul wrote of his losses in the natural world:

Philippians 3:7, 8 "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of  all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." 

(3) Your human weakness provides opportunity for the demonstration of the power of God. 

Paul knew that the weakness of God is stronger than men according to 1 Corinthians 1:25.

That's why God told Paul: 

2 Corinthians 12:9 "My  grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness"

This is why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10:

"Most  gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

(4) To test your faith:

Everything in the spiritual world is based on faith.  This is why the strength of your faith must be tested: 

1 Peter 1:7 "That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

It is a trial of faith when you pray as Jesus did, for God to let the cup of bitterness pass, and yet it does not pass.  Instead, you are forced to drink deeply of its suffering.  Faith will learn that our prayers are not unanswered just because they are not answered the way we want.   

(5) To equip you to comfort others: 

2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

When you share God's comfort with others you: 

Hebrews 12:12, 13 "...lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed." 
 

The Power of Suffering (Part 2)

Trouble is not necessarily a sign of being sinful. The Bible declares, "many are the afflictions of the righteous" in Psalms 34:19.  

When you suffer innocently and not because of your own sin, you should maintain a proper attitude towards suffering.  The real test of your spirituality is how you respond in the day of distress:

Proverbs 24:10 "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."

The Bible describes the attitude you should have when you suffer as a believer within the will of God. 

(1) You should not be ashamed:

1 Peter 4:16 "If any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf..."

(2) You should commit your soul (your suffering) to God, knowing He works all things for your good:
 
2 Peter 4:19 "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator."

(3)You should be happy when you suffer according to the will of God:

Acts 5:31 "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."

Paul says you should be:

-Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer-Romans 12:12

-Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it-1 Corinthians 4:12

-In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses- 2 Corinthians 6:4

-Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God-  2 Timothy 1:8  

-That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto- 1 Thessalonians 3:3

-But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry-2 Timothy 4:5

You should not think it strange when you experience suffering:

1 Peter 4:12, 13 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing partaker of Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed ye may be glad with exceeding joy."

Paul summarizes the proper attitude toward suffering  when he explains. . . 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: 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."

Paul views suffering as a servant.  He said it works for us as believers.

The Power of Suffering (Part 1)

2 Corinthians 13:4  "For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

We view suffering through human reasoning.  By every standard of human reasoning the cross of Jesus was a waste of a great and noble life.  But in the reasoning of God it was the greatest demonstration of His power.  It resulted in the salvation of man. 

Paul understood this important principle of spiritual power.  The power of God is disguised in weakness.  This is why he could say:
 
2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

We never see power in weakness or failure.  This is a strange attitude for people whose center of faith is the cross.   Jesus experienced the resurrection after He had suffered.  Resurrection power comes through the fellowship of His suffering.

True spiritual power is demonstrated not in the absence of suffering, problems, and crises, but in the midst of them.  Power turns what the world calls an ordeal into an opportunity for the demonstration of the power of God.

God did not create suffering.  It originally entered the world through  man's sin which was instigated by Satan in Genesis 3.  When man yielded to Satan's temptation and sinned, suffering entered the world.  Sin, which resulted in all suffering, can be traced to its originator, Satan.  Although there are different reasons why suffering enters your life, all suffering can be traced back to this original source.

Happily, in the life of a believer, God can take suffering, which Satan intends for evil, and turn it for good to accomplish His purposes.  It can actually become an opportunity for the power of God to be demonstrated in your life.

The Bible has much to say concerning suffering, problems, and afflictions.  In summarizing its teaching, we discover five ways that suffering can enter a believer's life.  All suffering you face in life will come through one of these ways:
 
(1) Suffering and  difficult circumstances of life may come through others around you.

Joseph is an example of this type of suffering.  Through no fault of his own, Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers, was imprisoned falsely by Potiphar's wife, and was forgotten by those he helped in prison.  But listen to his response. Joseph said:

Genesis 45:5; 8 "Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve  life. . . so  now  it  was not you that sent me hither but God."

(2) The second way suffering comes to you is through the circumstances of life.  This is illustrated by the experiences of Naomi recorded in the book of Ruth in the Bible. She was bitter with sorrow because of the death of her husband and sons.  

Until Jesus returns and the final enemy of death is conquered, death is part of life.  Death entered through the original sin of man and it is a natural circumstance which we all will face, for "it is appointed unto man once to die" according to Hebrews 9:27.

When Naomi experienced these difficult circumstances of life, she said,  "No longer call me Naomi (which means blessed), but call me Mara."  The name Mara means "bitter."

(3) The third reason for suffering is because of your ministry for the Lord.

The New Testament speaks of suffering for His name's sake:
-Acts 9:16
-Philippians 1:29
-2 Thessalonians 1:5
-2 Timothy 1:11, 12
-1 Peter 2:19, 20; 3:17 
-1 Peter 3:14 
-1 Peter 4:15-19 

The Apostle Paul is an example of suffering resulting from ministry.  Some people view suffering as a sign of failure or lack of faith.  If this is true, then the Apostle Paul had no faith and was the greatest failure in the history of the church.

Paul said that while in Asia he was so utterly crushed that he despaired of life itself (II Corinthians 1:8).  He presents a different image than that of the cheerful evangelist who promises believers nothing but peace and prosperity.

When Paul was first called of God to ministry he was told of  great things he would suffer for the sake of the Lord  in Acts 9:16.  Paul's response to suffering was to endure "the loss of all things to win some for Christ."  He wrote to believers "to you it is given not only to believe, but to suffer for Him" in Philippians 1:29.

Paul was not alone in suffering for the ministry. The whole church suffered in New Testament times in Acts 8.  Hebrews chapter 11 records the stories some of the cruel persecutions they endured. Many of these men and women of faith were delivered by the power of God.  Prison doors were opened and they walked out.  They were sentenced to death in fiery furnaces but emerged unaffected by the flames.

But some of these believers, who are also called men and women of faith, did not receive such deliverance.  They were imprisoned, afflicted, tormented, and even martyred because of their testimony of the Gospel.  We focus on living faith but God also reveals His power in dying faith.  This is a faith that stands true in the bad times, not just in good times when mighty deliverance is manifested. 

(4) Suffering can also enter your life as a result of direct Satanic activity.

This is evident in the story of Job.  This book wrestles with the question, "Why do the righteous suffer?"  God's testimony of Job was that he was a righteous man.  Job did not suffer because he had sinned, as his friends claimed.  They believed if Job repented, his circumstances would change.

These friends tried to make a universal application based on an individual experience.  It would be similar to saying that because God delivered Peter from prison He will do the same for you.  This is not true.  Many have been martyred in prison despite their great faith and sinless lives.

We must be careful when we view the suffering of others that we do not accuse them of sin, faithlessness, or unbelief. The Bible does teach that a sinful man reaps a bitter harvest because of sowing in fleshly corruption in Galatians 6:8.  But sowing and reaping cannot be used to explain the suffering of the innocent.  

Job did not suffer because of anything he had done. Job was a righteous man.  This was God's testimony of Job,  Job's testimony of himself, and his reputation before man.  Behind the scenes in the spiritual world was the true cause of Job's suffering.  There was a spiritual battle going on over the heart, mind, and allegiance of Job. 

There is a warfare going on in the spiritual world over you.  That warfare is manifested in the difficult circumstances you experience in the natural world.  

An important  truth evident in Job's suffering is that nothing can enter the life of a believer without the knowledge of God.  God does not cause your suffering. It is inflicted by Satan, but its limits are set by God.  God's power is greater than that of Satan, and you will experience victory if you continue to trust Him.

(5) The fifth way suffering enters your life is because of your own sin.
  
Jonah is an example of such suffering.  In disobedience to God, Jonah headed the opposite direction from Ninevah where he had been commanded to go and preach repentance.  He experienced a terrible storm at sea and ended up in the belly of a great fish because of his own sin.

Trouble should always be treated as a call to consider your ways and examine your heart before God.  You may be suffering because of your own sin.  The Bible reveals that God chastises those who live in disobedience to His Word. Chastise means to discipline, reprove, and correct:

Hebrews 12:11 "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:  nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

God uses suffering to correct you and bring you back to His will for your life:

Psalms 119:67 "Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy Word..."

Verse 71 "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes..." 

Verse 75 "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that THOU in faithfulness hast afflicted me."