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Our Authority In Christ, Part One | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast
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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message. Hello, we're so glad you've joined us today for Jesus the Healer. We are expecting to receive wonderful things from God today. So as you're watching, don't just sit there inactive. Let your faith loose. Release your faith. Be expecting something from God. And we invite you to get a notepad and get a pen or pencil and grab your Bible and follow along with us. Become a student. Today I want to. I had it in my heart so strong for us to teach on the subject of our authority in Christ. And one of the things we have to understand is Jesus provided such a rich inheritance for us. God made us wealthy in Christ, and part of that wealth is our authority. And too many times people don't recognize that the authority that we have in Christ is part of a rich inheritance that belongs to every one of God's people. It doesn't belong to just a certain few or just to those who have been saved for a long time. For anybody who comes into Christ, authority is also part of the blessing and the flesh inheritance that God made theirs in Christ. So we're going to take a look at that, because the more skillful we become in our authority, the sweeter life will be. Life is difficult when someone does not understand their authority and doesn't understand how to exercise their authority. And so the more we understand what is ours in Christ and that we have, we exercise that authority. How sweet it makes life. And so I want us to start in Psalms chapter 8 and verse 4. And there are so many verses that we need to go to during this teaching, but it's hard to know where to start. It's so rich, you know. And so Psalms chapter 8, we'll start there in verse 4. And it records this. What is man that thou art mindful of him? Isn't this great to know? God is mindful of us. We are in the thoughts of God. We are in his thoughts. God is mindful of man, and the Son of man, that thou visitest him, for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels. So one translation said the angels, but the Hebrew and the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, so says Elohim, which is God, meaning this. Thou has made him a little lower than God, meaning this. We have a shared place. He has shared his wealth, his inheritance with us. And that brings us into his class of being. No, we are not him, but we are made one with Christ. And we are made kings and priests unto God. And we are in God's class of being. And the reason that is is because we're spirit beings. We have a spirit, God is a spirit. But because we have a spirit, we also have what a spirit needs. And that is the authority. And so God has an authority that he exercises. But he brought us into his chain of authority, and he shares that authority with us. And as spirit beings, we have authority so that we can exercise dominion. And so it says here again in verse 5, God has made man a little lower than himself and has crowned him with glory and honor. Look at verse six. Thou made him to have dominion. Look at these words. God made us to have dominion. God did not make us to turn us into slaves, to turn us into victims. We are to have dominion. He made us to have dominion. Notice this being created in the image of God, which Genesis 1 tells us that man is created in the image of God. And what does he mean by that? Man's spirit. Man is a spirit, God is a spirit. That is, the image of God is we are spirit beings. And it says here, we have to understand that he made us to have the dominion. So that dominion flows as a spiritual force. It's not a natural force that's entrusted or bestowed upon us by another man. This is a spiritual force of authority, of dominion. So being created in the image of God as spirit beings, he has also shared his authority with us. So he made us, as this verse in his Psalms, chapter 8, verse 6 says, he made us to have dominion. So we could say this. We were made for dominion. We were made for it. So when we're not walking in the authority and the dominion that God made ours in Christ, we are not being true to who we were made to be. Dominion fits us. Walking in authority fits us. That's what we're made for. And. And so we're made to walk in dominion over what? Over anything that opposes God. Over anything that doesn't flow from God or come from God. We're to have dominion over it and say we won't partake of it. It has no right in our life or in our presence. And so he says in verse 6, Thou made him to have dominion. Over what? Over the work of Thy hands. Thou has put all things under his feet. It's amazing truths for us to get hold of. Verse 7 starts itemizing what that means in the thinking of man. All sheep and oxen. Yes. And the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea. And whatsoever passes through the paths of the sea. So everything that God created, God has given man dominion over. Listen. When God created man, he created the earth as a home for man. During man's existence here on this earth, Earth was created for man. This is what we have to understand. Earth was created for man, not the other way around. Man was not created for earth when God had it. When it was in God's plan for man to be created, he began setting everything in order. He created the earth. And in seven days, the seventh day, he rested. He created a place, a residence for man. And then once he put Adam in the garden, he said to him, have dominion. Dominion fits us. That's what we're made for. Now let's go over to ephesians in chapter one, and we're going to start reading in the second portion of verse 19. This passage is so full and so rich, but for time's sake we can't read the whole thing. So I'm going to start reading. In verse 19 it talks about that we would have revelation knowledge of the power that belongs to us. That we would know the power that is toward us would who believe. And then verse 19 says, according to the word, working of God's mighty power, which he worked in Christ. And then he says what that power worked when it raised him from the dead. So the power of God is resurrection power. In this situation, he's talking about the power of God resurrected. Jesus raised him from the dead. And not only that, it didn't just raise him from the dead, it seated him. It set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. And that's the power that belongs to us. That's the power that's available to us. And that's the power that's available to those who believe. Goes into effect when we believe it. Faith has to be attached to this power because verse 19 talks about the greatness of his power that's available to usward who believe. And so verse 21 tells us that this power raised Jesus from the dead, set Jesus at the Father's right hand. And then it says, far above. Far above what? Far above all principality. Far above all power. Far above all might. Far above all dominion. So notice this. There are other levels of authority, but ours is far above it. There are other principalities and powers, but the power that belongs to us in Christ is far above all the other. Far above the power of man, far above the power of the mind. Amen. It's far above it breath. Verse 21 it says that Jesus was Raised far above all principality, power, might and dominion. Notice this, that when Jesus, when Jesus died for us and he went down and defeated Satan, stripped him, all of these things opposed him being raised from the dead. Every principality, every power, every. Every might and dominion opposed his raising. But the power of God was so great, it brought him far above everything that opposed him being raised from the dead, that opposed him being seated at the right hand of the Father. The authority of God accomplished all that. The power of God. And this is the authority that is ours in Christ. This is a shared authority. So this is showing us what that dominion, what that authority in God that belongs to us in Christ. It shows what it worked. How much more it'll work for your family, how much more it'll work for your life. When it did all of this with Christ, it raised him from the dead, seated him at the right hand of the Father. Verse 22 says, and God has put all things under his feet, talking about Jesus, and gave him to be the head. So Jesus is the head. Well, if he's the head of something, then there's a body, it says, gave him to be the head over all things to the church. Or we could say this to the body. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the Church, verse 23, which is his body. So God gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. So the headship of Jesus is exercised through his body, through the church. So for Jesus to have authority, then the body must also have authority, because the head has authority. The head and the body are one. As you just sit in the chair you're in, or standing in the room you're at, your head and your body move together. They are one unit comprised of many parts. But you are. It is one unit. Even so in Christ, we are one with him. He is the head, we are the body. And the authority that belongs to the head is exercised through the body. It's the same way with your own human body. If you were to say, I want to, I'm going to go into the next room, your head. That thought comes to your head. You intend that with your head, but your head can't go in there if your body doesn't go with it. Your head and the body move together. So for us to say we don't have authority is to say the head doesn't have authority. But we know the head does have authority. Therefore that is proof that the body has a Shared authority as the head does. So it's not something we won on our own, it's something Jesus won for us and brought us into that authority. Hallelujah. Now we go to Ephesians, chapter two, just a few verses down, and we're going to start reading. In verse four, it says, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins. So while we were still in sin, he loved us. It's amazing to think of even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ. Quickened means made alive. He has made us alive together with Christ. So when Christ was raised, we. We were raised. When Christ was seated, we were seated. Why? Because we were. This happened with Christ. He quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, verse 6. And has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. These words are so rich and these words are so illuminating to what Jesus provided for us. Let's not limit and think small of what he did for us. He brings us into his shared authority. Jesus occupies the highest seat in the universe next to God. He is at the right hand of the Father. And he didn't go there alone. He brought us with him. And you go. I don't understand how that happens. It is a seat of authority. It's a seat of authority. So we share the same seat of authority. It is not Jesus sitting in a seat and the body of Christ lined up next to him in seats. We all occupy the same seat of authority. The head and the body sit together. Your head doesn't sit in one chair and your body in another. The head and the body are one. And so when Christ was raised out of God's great love, he made us one with Christ and we were raised with him. And we share that seat of authority. Our authority stems from this throne seat. It's amazing. It's not just a human authority. It's not a natural authority of this world. It is an authority, authority that stems from the right hand of God the Father. Amen. So being raised and seated with Christ, we occupy a supreme. A supreme position with Christ. Now see, the devil does not want us to learn these things. He doesn't want us to understand these things. He wants to make man falter. And at the thought of this, because the human natural mind cannot process the greatness of all of this, the greatness of this truth. The mind of man tries to figure it out and it falters on that. This is something you receive with your heart, with your spirit. And this is why Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter 1, that God would give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. This spirit of wisdom and revelation isn't just something that comes to the mind. It's something imparted to your spirit. Your spirit has to grab hold of this. Your spirit has to lay hold of it. It has to become true within you, not just something you can mentally imagine. It is the wisdom of God that you have to accept with your spirit. You receive it with your heart. And it's the Holy Spirit who imparts that so that we can even receive the wisdom of that. Amen. Hallelujah. So our authority stems from that exalted seat. Our authority is of him. It's nothing we earned. It's nothing we want. It's just something we receive and we believe. And the more we believe on it, the more. The more we act on it. Adam lost this dominion. Now, Adam was given dominion over all the earth when God placed him in the garden. But when he committed treason against God and sinned, he not just. He didn't just lose fellowship with God, he lost his authority. He lost his dominion. Why? Because when you break, when you break ranks, so to speak, when you break fellowship with the one that the authority stems from, your authority is interrupted. Adam lost that. He turned that authority over to the one that deceived him. So the Word tells us in First Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 4, it calls Satan the God of this world. The Father did not intend that. He made Adam, so to speak, the head or the one in dominion over the earth. But Adam turned that over to the enemy. That's why you see all the heartbreak on the earth. That's why you see all the devastation, is because this is the work of Satan. People will say God is in control of the earth. Well, the things that are going on in the earth is because Satan is called the God of this world, but a little G. God of this world. He got that from Adam. Adam was to exercise his authority to bless the earth. But when he faltered and sinned against God and turned that authority over to Satan, Satan used that authority to damage the earth, to harm the earth, to bring destruction on the earth. So people will say, well, why is God doing these harmful things on the earth? God's not doing them. Adam did not rightly protect his authority. The authority belongs to you. Protect it, use it rightly. Use it to bless. God gave us the authority so that we would be a blessing when the devil got his hands on that authority, then he used it to curse and to harm and to damage and to steal and rob and kill. So this is where you have to understand, remember what Jesus said. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I've come that you might have life. That's what God intended. That Adam do is be a blessing with that authority. But he turned it over and Satan misuses that authority to harm. So the devil wants to keep working his plan of stealing, killing and destroying. He wants to still work that plan. But now, when Jesus came, God didn't just get man back into fellowship with him, man got authority back. Amen. But you have to be in Christ to step into that authority. Amen. As you move as the body with the head, then the authority that belongs to the head flows to the body and we're able to move in union and in unity with the head. Amen. Praise the Lord. So this would help people to understand where does the harm and the hurtful, the damaging and the killing and all the things that are wrong in the earth come from. God doesn't have anything to do with it. It was because man did not value the authority that was his. He didn't protect it. Well, now that Christ has restored us back to a place of fellowship with the Father, we're back also to a place of fellowship that brings us into dominion, brings us into authority, protect that authority, exercise that authority. For what? To bring blessing. That's what the authority of God is for, is to bless, not to harm or cause injury. Amen. The devil does not want Christians to know that they have complete and total authority restored to them over him. He does not want mankind to know this. He seeks to hinder this truth. He will fight this truth. He will keep people in the dark. He'll keep them questioning about it. He'll keep them, so to speak, misunderstanding, so that they don't take their place and exercise blessing instead of yielding to what the devil wants to do. Amen. But once you understand that Jesus not only restored us back to fellowship, he restored us back to all that God intended for man. He restored us back to dominion. He restored us back to a place of authority. And once you understand that with your heart, once your spirit grabs hold of that, well, how do you know if your spirit grabs hold of it? You start living it. You start living your life in line with that light. You start living your life in line with the understanding of that. And once you start exercising your authority, the devil's done pushing you around. He is done Working in your life the way he used to, bringing injury. And it seemed in some he had just no restraint against their life. But once you understand, you have authority. You have the right to stand up. And with the authority in Christ, say, no more. No more will you do that. And when he tries to push back, you say, no, no, no. And when you exercise your authority, heaven backs it up because it's heaven's authority you're exercising. Heaven backs you up. When you tell the devil no, the power of the God will back you up. When you go to lay hold of things that God says is yours, heaven will back you up. When you tell Satan to take his hands off something of yours, heaven will back you up. Why? Because it's the shared authority with heaven. It's not a separate authority. Heaven's not operating under one authority and giving man a separate authority. It is the same authority, the same dominion. Amen. Hallelujah. If we have authority over the devil, which we do, then why are so many Christians living in bondage to wrong things? Why are their lies being harassed and troubled and tormented in their minds and their bodies and their finances? Because they don't understand. They don't understand what Jesus has made theirs. Number two. They don't exercise what Jesus made theirs. You can't exercise what you don't understand. You can't use what you don't know belongs to you. In John, chapter 8, in verse 32, Jesus made a statement, you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. In other words, what you know is going to show what kind of life you're going to live when you don't know it, you don't walk in what belongs to you. And people will say, well, if I have authority over the devil, then why is he touching me? Why is he working all this damage? Because you have to be as a police officer in your own life and stand up and say, no, you will not violate my home, you will not violate my body, you will not violate my mind. You have to exercise the authority. The authority is ours. But the exercise of that authority is on purpose. That authority doesn't just automatically go into effect and operate. You have to exercise that authority. You have to demand your rights. Hosea, chapter four, and verse six says this. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Notice the devil's not mentioned in that verse. We're not destroyed because of the devil. We're destroyed because we don't have knowledge of the victory that belongs to us in Christ. And when we don't have knowledge, we're not exercising the knowledge. So believers aren't destroyed because they have an enemy. They're destroyed because they don't know these things. So the greatest thing you can do to protect your life is find out what belongs to you in Christ. Hold to meditate on these things, speak these things to yourself, drive them into your spirit, make them one with you. Make them one with your spirit so that you will use it every single day of your life and you can change the entire outcome of your life by exercising your authority in Christ. It belongs to you. Protect it, use it, don't think lightly toward it, but realize all the wealth that it belongs to you because you belong to him and authority is part of that. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us@DefrainMinistries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings, share your testimony, become a partner or or visit our online store. This program has been made possible by the friends and partners of Dufresne Ministries.