In Matthew 7:28,29 we find the theme of this series beginning to come to light for the masses.  Jesus has just preached what has come to be called the Sermon on the Mount.  Upon hearing what He said, “the people were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one having authority (the right to use the power of another), and not as the scribes.”  The scribes, priests and Pharisees taught their versions of God’s Truth depicting themselves as merely repeaters of words from on high.  When they taught about God’s power they did so in the abstract, having no personal part to play in it.  However, this man Jesus of Nazareth taught with authority, meaning He had the power of God at His disposal.  He made it clear that He was God’s personal representative on earth through Whom God spoke and acted.

In chapter 9 verse 8 the Truth about Christ’s power was further proclaimed.  As was normally the case, it involved His disciples.  Jesus had not only healed a man of his physical problem, HE HAD FORGIVEN HIS SINS.  The people were amazed at what they had seen and heard.  But the scribes accused Jesus  blasphemy because He forgave a man of his sins.  Everyone KNEW that only God could forgive sins.  This MAN Jesus had not only healed the sick man, He claimed to have forgiven the sin that had caused the sickness.  THIS CARPENTER FROM NAZARETH HAD MADE HIMSELF EQUAL TO GOD.  Jesus knew their thoughts and explained that with forgiveness of the sin came with the healing of the infirmity that the sin had caused.  Recall His words to the man He had healed at the Bethesda pool: “Sin no more, LEST A WORST THING (INFIRMITY) COME UPON YOU” (Jn. 5:14).  Sickness, infirmity, disease, accidents, etc. are all caused by sin.  Jesus had the POWER OF GOD to not only heal physical and mental problems, but to forgive the sins that caused them.  This Truth is rejected by that which calls itself “the church.”  Now notice what the people said upon seeing the sick man healed and having his sins forgiven: “and the multitude marveled and glorified GOD Who had GIVEN SUCH POWER UNTO MEN.”  Note it, God had given His power to “MEN” (the men with Jesus), not just to “a man” (Jesus).  What made them believe that the disciples could have done what Jesus did?

Within the Jewish culture whatever power the head of a family possessed, his sons had the same power.  Dealing with the son was the same as dealing with the father.  This rule also applied to the spiritual realm.  If a spiritual leader had disciples, those disciples possessed the same power as the leader, be it great or small.  After watching what Jesus had done and said, the people recognized Christ’s position in God, for they glorified Him (God) for what He (Jesus) had done.  They also knew that the men with Jesus had the same power He (Jesus) had, therefore they glorified God for giving such power to “MEN” (His disciples).  The people recognized that Jesus possessed God’s power, and that His disciples had that same power.  Notice that Jesus did not correct them.

On occasion Jesus would chastise the disciples for not using the power of God as He did.  NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  The difference is that now Jesus is not with His disciples on earth, BUT HIS HOLY SPIRIT IS.  It was the Spirit that gave Jesus His power.  That power/Spirit was WITH His disciples before His death.  Later the Spirit would come to live IN THEM.  Recall that Jesus did not preach, heal the sick or cast out demons until the day of His baptism at age 29.  It was then that the Holy Spirit came on Him in the form of a dove.  It was only then, following an extended fast, that He entered into His ministry.  I once fasted 34 days taking only water.  Let this be known: JESUS COMMANDED HIS DISCIPLES TO DO WHAT HE DID.  NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  HE IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER.  AND SO ARE HIS APOSTLES.  AND SO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT ENABLED HIM AND THEM TO DO WHAT THEY DID.

This Biblical Truth is brought out in an episode recorded in Matthew 17:14-21.  Here we have a father who has brought his lunatic (“moonstruck”) son THE DISCIPLES for THEM to cast out the demon that was causing the boy’s problem.  The disciples tried but were unable to cast it out.  Irritated with them, Jesus did what they were supposed to do.  He cast the demon out of the boy.  The disciples then asked Him why they were unable to cast out the demon.  He replied: “Because of your lack of faith.”  Notice that they did not fail because of a lack of God’s power available to them, but because of a lack of the level of faith necessary to do the job.  Jesus explained that their faith deficiency was due to a lack of fasting and prayer.  He was irritated with them because of their negligence in those important areas.  They were supposed to follow His example.  He was preparing them for His soon departure.

To make things clear, Jesus identified the source of His power.  He said in John 5:30 that He could do nothing on His own power, but depended totally on God’s power working through Him.  Even His Words were given to Him by the Father (Jn. 14:10).  Because He was a man, He could access the Father’s power only through much prayer and fasting along with total obedience.  HIS DISCIPLES HAD ACCESS TO THAT SAME POWER, AS DO HIS PRESENT DAY DISCIPLES.  GOD AND CHRIST ARE ONE IN EVERY WAY.  THEY ARE THE SAME TODAY AS THEY WERE THEN.  THEIR WILL IS THE SAME.  THEIR POWER IS THE SAME.  THEIR EXPECTATIONS RELATIVE TO THEIR DISCIPLES AND APOSTLES ARE THE SAME.  THEIR APOSTLES (SENT ONES) ARE TASKED WITH DEMONSTRATING THEIR (GOD AND CHRIST’S) POWER TODAY FOR THE SAME REASON–TO BRING GLORY TO GOD.   TO DO SO THEY MUST HAVE THE SAME POWER.  TO DO GREATER THINGS THAN CHRIST DID REQUIRES GREATER POWER THAN HE EXHIBITED (Jn. 14:12).

Notice what Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 17:20.  He told them that, with faith, they could literally move a mountain, and NOTHING WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO THEM.  Recall that Jesus killed a fig tree with His words.  GOD DOES NOT LIE, NOR DOES HE CHANGE.  The day will soon come when men will be fulfilling John 14:12 for all the world to see.  Recall that man was given dominion over everything that moves on earth.  The Apostle Paul KNEW  that such power still belonged to OBEDIENT MEN.  While building a fire a deadly snake bit him.  Knowing that the snake’s venom had no effect on him, he shook it off and went about his business (Acts 28:3-5).  Notice what Jesus tells us about such power possessed by holy believers in Mark 16:17,18.  Here He proclaims that they would take up (dominate, cast out) serpents (evil spirits), and if they happened to drink any deadly thing it would not harm them.  Jesus warned that we are not to tempt God by deliberately doing wrong things (Mat. 4:3-7).  “Snake handlers,” knowing only “headlines,” and in this case false headlines, deliberately tempt him, causing many of them to die from snake bites and from drinking poison.  Paul would have avoided the snake if he had known it was among the sticks.  He did not deliberately allow it to bite him.  Had he done so he probably would have died on the spot.

The word “serpent” is used Biblically to describe both people (Mat. 23:33) and devils (Lk. 10:19/Mk. 16:18).  Recall that Satan himself is called a “serpent” and a “dragon” (Gen. 3:1/ Rev. 12:9; 20:2).  GOD GAVE HOLY MEN DOMINION OVER ALL PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL BEINGS ON EARTH.  As long as Adam and Eve remained sinless they retained those powers.  Nothing has changed within the Godhead.  Everything has changed within mankind.  Churchman has lost his faith and is able to operate only in the church realm of faith, which is dead (James 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26).  For this reason God commands that man “come out of her (the Catholic/Protestant church system) and be separate; do not “touch” that unclean thing.”  Only then will He be one’s God and one will be His child (2 Cor. 6:14-27:1).  Recall that God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they so much as “touched” the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:3).  GOD IS SERIOUS ABOUT HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE END RESULT OF WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE (ROM. 5:21; 6:22).  WE MUST BE EQUALLY AS SERIOUS IN ORDER TO INHERIT WHAT JESUS DIED TO PROVIDE FOR US, WHICH WE WILL INHERIT IF, AND ONLY IF, WE OBEY HIS LAW.

SO-CALLED “SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE” MAKE A MOCKERY OF GOD BY REJECTING HIS LAW, THEREBY PROVING THAT THEY HATE HIM (Deut. 7:9-11/ Lk. 10:16).  THEY ARE TEMPTING HIM WITH THEIR CONTINUOUS SINS, “KNOWING” THAT HE WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.  THERE WILL BE A PAYDAY SOMEDAY.  ON THAT DAY THERE WILL BE WAILING AND GNASHING OF TEETH WHEN THE MASSES REALIZE THEIR ERRORS.

In Hebrews 10 we find the Apostle Paul speaking to LAW-BREAKING CHURCH ATTENDERS (then and now).  These are they who despised God’s Law then and His Law now.  These are they who “trod under foot the Son of God, count the blood of the covenant an unholy thing and despise the Holy Spirit of grace.  L.J.