A summary of the Sunday morning teaching on 31-Aug-2014, in AFT Church, English service. From the series The Law of Faith)
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says – Mark 11:23
In order to live in faith, we have to exercise authority.
When God made man He said, “Let them have dominion.” Entire creation was placed under man. Man was ordained to be the highest authority, next only to God. We saw last week how the scripture says that everything was placed under man’s dominion and authority and there is nothing that is not under him. But we don’t see people exercising their dominion, because they don’t even know about it. We have to see Jesus to get an idea of what a man ought to be like.
The Pharisees asked Jesus,“By whose authority are you doing these things?”The answer is that authority belongs to man. Jesus came to show us what men ought to live like by saying, “Whosoever shall say unto this mountain…”
Let’s go again to Matt 8. Christians should understand that it is not enough to read a passage once and think that we know everything there is to know about it. We must re-read it and meditate on it. Lets re-read this verse.
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him,
pleading with Him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
And Jesus said to him, “ I will come and heal him.”
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.
And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard it, He marvelled – Matthew 8:5-10
The centurion understands authority. He has people who obey his every command. The man not only understands authority, but also understands how it works. He understands that it works on a command. A command consists of words. He says, “only speak a word”. The centurion knows that you can establish things by just saying it. That is how real authority works. He expects Jesus to establish health by just speaking the word.
We must speak the Word:
But the thing is – he’s Roman. Jesus came among the Jews. The Bible says, “He came unto His own.” God sent Jesus as a Jew in the midst of Jewish people, because they were the people who were made ready for the Messiah. Only they would understand Him. Others would not. The Jews were taught about Jesus. The Old Testament scriptures, festivals and ordinances typified Jesus. They were most prepared to receive Jesus as the Messiah, accept Him as their Saviour and present Him to the world as the Saviour. So the Roman centurion had no assurance that Jesus would heal his servant. He didn’t know if Jesus would speak the word. But he knew one thing – if Jesus did speak the word, his servant would be healed.That’s why Jesus appreciated His faith saying that He had not seen such faith even among Israel.
Now, we must understand that there is a difference between the Roman centurion and us. We don’t have to go to God and ask Him to speak one word. We are in a much higher position than the centurion. We are the children of God. We are in the family of God. We have the promises of God. The promises and blessings of the New Covenant belong to us through Jesus Christ. They are ‘Aye’ and ‘Amen’ to us. So we don’t go to Him asking Him to speak the word. We speak the word. It has been given to us by Him.
Some of us Christians are proud that we have the Word of God; we kiss the Bible twice a day, and sleep with it under our pillow. Like us, the Israelites too were proud that they had the Word of God. But Paul asked them if they are following the commandments of the Word of God.We should ask a similar question of ourselves – do we read the Word? Do we believe it and confess it? Do we speak it over our circumstances? Do we know how to apply the Word as medicine to our body for health? Do we act according to what it says?
The centurion asked Jesus to speak the Word, because he didn’t have the word and therefore he could not speak it. We however are a blessed people today. We have the word and we are in a position to speak the word. God has already spoken all the words necessary for our spirit, soul and body, health and well being, prosperity, success, for the work of our hands, for peace, joy and victory – and has given that Word of God to us, in our hands.
Why did God call people as ‘gods’?
Jesus answered them, “ Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods” ’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’ – John 10:34-36
Jesus said that He and the Father are one. He was equating Himself with God. Actually, He was God. But that’s not the point here. The Jews were offended when He said that He was God. Jesus answers them saying that God Himself had called them ‘gods’.
Why did God call people gods? Was He wrong? Was He committing blasphemy? Who did he call gods? He called the people to whom the Word of God came, who received the Word of God, as gods.They were given the Ten Commandments. They were given the Word. That’s why Joshua said, “Let not the Word of God depart from your mouth” These were the people to whom God has given His Word.
They were expected to change every darkness in their situations to light, with the Word, just like God did.
By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible – Hebrew 11:3 (Amp)
Now, the same Word of God,which made all things has been given to us, for us to speak it and that’s how we become gods who make things happen by our words. You are gods because you are meant to do exactly as God did. Speak to the situation and bring about the change that you desire.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “ Who touched My clothes?”
But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You,
and You say, ‘ Who touched Me? ’”
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “ Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction – Mark 5:25 – 34
There are a few things we should pay attention to in this passage.
Hearing:
This lady with and issue of blood had‘heard’ about Jesus. It’s important what you hear. What you hear impacts your life. It’s not important that you are in the church building. It’s important to hear what is being said in the church. Jesus said, “Take heed what you hear”.
Saying:
For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health – Mark 5:28 (Amp)
Note how the Amplified version says that she ‘kept saying’. She has been saying it for some time. She didn’t say it only once on that day. She probably had been saying it for some time and when she had heard that Jesus had come, she came with a focus and touched His garment.
Her Faith heals her:
And He said to her, “ Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” – Mark 5:34
People say that it was Jesus who healed her. But Jesus himself says that it was her faith that made her well. It was the faith that was produced in her heart, because of what she had heard, what she had confessed, what she had said –that she would be healed if she could touch his garment that healed her.
Her faith had healed her. Your faith is very important. This kind of faith is absolutely necessary for you to receive what you want from God. Without faith, it is impossible to receive answers to your prayers.
Some people don’t understand that their faith will work miracles for them. They expect some big preacher to help them out. Some preachers also prefer to keep believers in that frame of mind, instead of teaching in such a way that they can grow their faith. Preachers have an important role – that of teaching believers to have faith and to believe in God. When preachers preach in such a manner, then people will start believing and they will start confessing and they will receive what they have prayed for. That is the principle of faith.
So, we must clearly understand that we are very different from the centurion. We don’t come asking God to speak the word. We come with the word to the situation and speak it ourselves.
As we believe, it will be done:
Then Jesus said to the centurion “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you” – Matthew 8:13
Jesus didn’t say to him to go and fast for a few days. He didn’t tell him pray earnestly for a while and something might happen. He didn’t tell him to go and cry and beg God. He said, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you”
What we believe in our heart, and what we say with our mouth is what will happen to us.
Instead, we bemoan our poverty. We say that our bank account is empty. Saying this over and over again, at the end of the month we really struggle to make ends meet. The Word says that while the reapers are still reaping the sowers show up for the next harvest. The harvest is so great. We must say and believe that God’s provision will last us not just for the current month but will overflow even into the next month.
Heaven and earth are waiting for us to open our mouth and speak, because all of creation recognised that we are the authority. All the angels are looking down, waiting to hear what’s coming out of our mouth and waiting to bring it to pass. We have the word and we must speak it.
– Summary by AFT Team
