(To recognize: to identify – regarding identity; to acknowledge, or esteem as – regarding nature, character or ability.)
Basson Nel – Recognizing the Authority of Christ
What you recognize, is what you are able to receive.
Differently put: You cannot receive that which you are not able to recognize.
Recently I’ve read an amusing newspaper article about a world famous young jazz musician who performed in the West end of London in a series of solo-concerts, the tickets to which cost between 40 and 75 pounds each.
One afternoon he decided to take his saxophone into the nearby tube station and spent the lunch hour there like many “wanna-be” musicians, complete with a hat at his feet for collecting tips.
Not being recognized as the world famous musician which he was, he only managed to make £7,80 over the busy lunch hour!
A number of years ago, a group of lead elders of relating churches between Cape Town and East London, got together for a week at Carmel.
It was just after the hand-over from Hamilton to ourselves and we ended up at a table with four other couples, some of whom we had never met before.
I promptly turned to the gentleman next to me, and introduced myself to him – he introduced himself as Michael Eaton.
I then followed up my introduction with a very casual conversation opener: “So, what’s your story?” I asked. Expecting him to tell me that he has recently planted a church in Worcester or Paarl, as most of the guys that I didn’t know, were from the Western Cape.
Unfortunately I did not know that Michael Eaton is a world renowned theologian and very well know Bible teacher and author, currently working on a commentary on the entire Bible, and would be the key note speaker there at Carmel for the week!
What is my point?
*The point is that we can only receive from someone that which we are able to recognize in them – which often means that we settle for much less than what is on offer:
Imagine if you were in charge of the finishing touches to the Sistine Chapel in Rome and when Michelangelo arrived to paint the ceiling, you ask for it to be done in white; or warned him not to mess paint all over the clean floors!
Or if someone won a competition, taking him to a famous restaurant in Paris for an evening of the finest food and wine, and he ordered a cheese burger and a diet coke!
“What you see is what you get” - although this is seldom true in the second hand vehicle trade, it is true in the spiritual realm!
This is why the following is such an important question: “What do you see, or recognize, when you see Jesus?”
What picture comes into your mind when the name of Jesus is mentioned?
Do we see a baby in a manger?
Do we see a bleeding man, dying on a cross?
Or do we see a man dressed in a flowing white robe, with a light blue sash around the chest and sandals on his feet handing out face cream in the mall, or vouchers to a free foot massage?
Mt.13:53-58
What did they see?
Nazareth saw Jesus, they instantly recognized Him, for this was where He grew up.
And this was exactly what they saw, they saw one of their own, nothing more!
They knew Him from the carpenter’s shop, they knew His mother, and brothers and sisters, they could point you to the home where He grew up – that was it.
They saw noting more, they recognized no more authority than in any carpenter’s son.
The scriptures reveal that they were offended, they expected nothing, or very little – and got exactly that!
They were only able to recognize identity, they never recognized or acknowledged the authority of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah.
Mt.14:34-36
Verse 35 says that “when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country”.
Just like in Nazareth, Jesus was immediately recognized, but that is where the similarity ends.
It is not clear what message they sent out regarding Jesus, but it was definitely not a message about a carpenter’s son – they did not bring out their wonky tables, broken chairs, or the chest of drawers that was too tight!
They brought the sick and the lame, the afflicted and tormented!
These people saw something different, they recognized and acknowledged that which the town of Nazareth overlooked.
*Because they recognized the authority which Jesus had over sickness and disease, they could draw from that and receive healing!
What you see, is what you get – what you recognize is what you will be able to draw from!
Jn.4:7-10
Jesus is helping this Samaritan lady to see, He is helping her not to make a huge mistake and to end up with a Sistine chapel with a plain white ceiling!
He says to her that she does not recognize Him and that if she knew who He was, she would not have questioned Him, nor merely have offered Him water, she would have made the most of the moment!
vs.11-12
She points out the great difficulty of the task – the ceiling is high, the floors are clean and your brushes seem very small – have you seen the size of the ceiling, after all, can you work as neatly as Luigi who painted the doors?
vs.13-15
She is still in the dark, she still does not see, but she is willing to receive what is on offer – “if water is on offer, then water is what I want”.
vs.25-26 + 28-30
Suddenly her perception changes – if this is the Messiah, if this is the Christ, then the water can stay in the well and Luigi can paint the ceiling – everyone should know about this!
vs.39-42
*As Jesus is recognized as the Christ – their perception and their expectation change: “Here we can get what we can get nowhere else – salvation!”
During His ministry in all the different towns which He visited, the people were always astounded at His teaching – why was this?
Mt 7:28-29 reveals the answer: “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
Recognizing this authority was the first step to being able to draw from the authority of Jesus to overturn the works of the evil one.
This is why Jesus was so excited when eventually the penny dropped in someone’s understanding:
Mt.8:5-10 read
“The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”” (vs.8-9)
This centurion understood the authority that Jesus represented – he recognized it, he acknowledged it and he was able to draw from it – and it excited Jesus tremendously!
What a difference in the level of revelation of the Centurion and the man who brought his tormented son to Jesus, saying “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “’If you can?’” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mk.9:22-23)
In the next chapter, Jesus heals someone by saying to him “your sins are forgiven”.
He notices that the religious bystanders are offended by these words and then says:
“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. (Mt.9:2-8)
In Mt.16 Jesus asked this very important question of his disciples: “Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” (Mt 16:13b)
*We now know how important this question is, because we are starting to realize that, what or rather Who we recognize in Christ Jesus, will determine what we will expect from Him and therefore what we can receive!
After listening to some of the possible answers, Jesus brings the question home, by asking: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt 16:16)
Jesus is very excited about this answer, not simply because Peter actually got it right for once, but because it is based on a revelation from heaven!
This is such an important question and I believe that the answer is so important, because it is based on revelation, not tradition!
*If we can receive this revelation this morning it will change our Christian walk from this moment forward – the identity of Christ determines and reveals His authority!
Jesus says that on this revelation He will build His church and the forces of darkness will not be able to overcome it, this is how vital the revelation is:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God – yes we know, but there is more – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” (Col.1:15-20)
*The identity of Jesus as the Son of God, also determines the authority of Jesus as the Son of God!
This is the point, this is the revelation, it is absolutely vital that we recognize who Jesus is, so that we will recognize His authority and therefore be able to draw on that and to receive authority to overcome the evil one and to live the impossible lives that we are called to!
Immediately after Peter receives this revelation; Jesus starts to explain the fullness of His mission, how He came to eventually be handed over to the religious authorities and to be executed on a cross, for the salvation of mankind.
For this to make any kind of sense at all, they had to have a revelation of the authority in Christ!
*They had to understand that the Cross represented victory and not defeat, and unless the Cross was part of the plan and something that Jesus went to in full control and authority, it would be a defeat, this is why the following verse is so important:
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)
In Matthew10 , Jesus sends out His disciples, and I want us to pay specific attention to the wording:
“He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” (Mt.10:1)
Is it not very interesting that it does not say that He showed them how to heal, or He told them to go and heal, or He gave them the ability to go and heal…
*No, He gave them authority to go and to do what He did.
We need to recognize the authority in Christ, and draw on that authority to live the life that releases the Kingdom of Heaven into our community and into the nations.
Why? Because the word says that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph.6:12)
Eph.1:17-23
My prayer is that we would have this revelation of the authority of Christ Jesus – that He has all authority, all rule, all power and all dominion!
All things have been placed under His feet for the sake of the church, the redeemed, that’s us – He has all authority and His desire is to release that authority to us.
Eph.2:4-10
We have also been placed in the same place of authority in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.
When we have this revelation, when we recognize the authority in Christ Jesus and we recognize that we can draw from that authority, then only we are seated with Him in that heavenly place of authority!
Then we are able to release the grace and the kindness of God through healing, restoration and deliverance – all these good works which God has prepared for us to do as we reveal and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven!
Then we are no longer desperately trying to pray down blessings from heaven – fervently trying to persuade God to intervene from heaven; but seated with Him in heavenly places, we pray from heaven to earth with authority, His authority!
When we live in this revelation, then we rejoice over this statement of Jesus, that:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Jesus). (Mt 28:18)
Because it is no longer an academic statement, but it is an invitation to come to Christ Jesus, to recognize His authority, to acknowledge this authority and to draw from that in order to release His authority, His rulership, His reign, and ultimately His Kingdom into our everyday situations!!!
“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” (Re 12:10a)
