Piggybacking on Jesus' Authority, Part 1

Alignment is the key to not only answered prayer, but spiritual authority. Dr. Tony Evans says when we willingly surrender our control to God, he lets us use some of His. His Word is powerful, and that's all you need if you have alignment straight. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. God has unlimited power. We have continuing needs.

It literally seems like a match made in heaven. So why aren't more believers seeing their needs met? Today we'll revisit a message from Dr. Evans where he uncovered the biblical answer to that question. When my children were small, one of the things that I often did was give them piggyback rides.

They would get on my back and I'd crawl over the den and give them piggyback rides where they would be sitting their weight on me to carry them. Jesus Christ today would like to offer you a piggyback ride. He wants to offer you the opportunity to piggyback on His authority. Everything about Jesus' life and ministry is special, but Luke chapter 7 verses 1 to 10 is unique.

Why do I say that? Because according to verse 9, after he has the conversation with the centurion, it says, when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him. When Jesus heard what the centurion said, Jesus went, whoa. That's a shock. He's blowing my mind. I can't believe what I just heard. Jesus marveled at him.

But what you may think blew his mind may surprise you. Let's set the scene. There is a centurion. A centurion was a mid-level officer in the Roman army who oversaw 100 soldiers.

The centurion, century, 100. He oversaw 100 soldiers in a legion of 6,000 soldiers. So the legion, the Roman legion had 6,000, and he was responsible for 100 of those 6,000, much like a captain or maybe a major in our army. He had a servant who got ill.

He got sick and was about to die. It says that the centurion heard about Jesus. Word had gotten out that this Jesus is something else.

The blind see, the lame walk, the dumb talk. I mean, this Jesus is blowing folks' minds with what he's doing. So he sends a couple of Jewish leaders to ask Jesus to come and save his servant who's about to die. Now that's unusual within itself because the Jews hated the Romans. But this Roman was cut in different cloth because the Jewish leader said he loves our nation and he even went into his pocket to build our synagogue. This guy is different. There's a great lesson there and that is just don't judge people because they belong to a certain group.

Don't dismiss them because they happen to be part of this group. He says this guy has loved our nation and you ought to help him. You ought to save his servant. So Jesus is now on his way to the centurion's house who has made a prayer request. Save my servant's life. So far so good.

Looks like the answer is on the way. However, before Jesus gets to the house, the centurion sends a message. He says in the end of verse 6, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. But wait a minute, you just ask him to come. You just ask him to come save your servant. But now you're telling him not to come.

Well, what do you want him to do? The centurion says, I'm not worthy, verse 7, but just say the word. And my servant will be healed.

Say what? Jess, you don't have to come, just talk from a distance. And it will be equal to you coming because your words will heal my servant. It's what the centurion says next that is at the heart of our sermon today. And that gives you and me a transformation approach to getting God to move in your circumstances and mine. The key to this whole story is verse 8.

I need to read it again. For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to this one, go, and he goes, and to another, come, and he comes, and to my slave, do this, and he does it. Now when Jesus heard this, he marveled.

When he heard this, what? This verse 8. I am a man under authority. I tell folk what to do.

They do it. I say, go, they go. I say, come, they come. He says, Jesus, I'm like you. I am just like you. I am a man under authority.

Why does he say that? Word has gotten out about Jesus doing all these miracles. Again, the blind see, the lame walk. Folk can now talk.

Even folk can be raised from the dead. And Jesus is doing some big time stuff on earth. But the centurion says, Jesus, I know how you're doing that. You're doing all that stuff you're doing because you're under authority. Because I am also. You are also. You're pulling all this off because there's somebody over you allowing you to do it. You are under authority.

I also. Jesus Christ in his humanity operated not by virtue of his deity but by virtue of his submission. Jesus says in chapter 5 of John, verse 19, these words, Therefore Jesus answered and said unto them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, unless it is something he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself is doing. And the Father will show him greater works than these so that you may, catch this word, marvel.

I just want to know, before we go any further, is there anybody here with guts to shock God? To cause Jesus Christ to go, whoa. Everything Jesus did, he did in submission to his Father.

And because of Jesus, God the Son, was perfectly submitted to his Father, he got miracles done. I am also a man underneath authority, just like you, Jesus. And when I tell folk what to do, who are under me, they do it.

I don't want you to miss this. The reason why I'm over is because I'm under. The reason why I can tell folk the hundred guys underneath me and my servants what to do is because I got some folk over me telling me what to do. I'm under authority, therefore I can speak with authority to those who are underneath me. He uses the word authority.

So let me give you the principle and then break it down further. Because this is a principle that will give you access to the miraculous. You cannot exercise legitimate authority over what you are supposed to be over unless you learn to be under what God has put over you. If you're not under what God has put under you, you can't ask God to help you to deal with stuff that's underneath you.

If you are out of alignment with that which is legitimately supposed to be over you, you lose heaven's authority to be able to ball situations that are supposed to be under you. Dr. Evans will present an example of authority and alignment in everyday life as we continue this lesson from his classic sermon series called Igniting Kingdom Prayer. Through the on-air messages in this series, we've been learning how to pray with the power that can move mountains, how to solve problems, heal relationships, and even change God's mind. And if you've missed any of the lessons we've already presented, I want to let you know that you can get the complete two-volume 12-message audio collection for yourself on CD or instantly downloadable MP3s along with a copy of Kingdom Prayer, the powerful companion book that complements and expands on the teaching we've been hearing. Together, these resources will give you a practical, comprehensive overview of prayer, teaching you how to pray productively, touching heaven to change earth. Get this special Kingdom Prayer bundle along with our thanks when you make a contribution to keep the alternative broadcast coming your way on this station. Just visit tonyevans.org or reach out to our resource center for some in-person help at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online at tonyevans.org.

Right now, let's get back to today's message. When a policeman pulls you over, you probably pull over, I hope you do. You don't pull over just because any pedestrian tells you to pull over, but you feel an obligation to pull over if the police pull you over because you recognize he has authority, that he has the right to pull you over.

But the right that he has to pull you over is he has a legal system and a penal code over him. In a football game, the players are younger, stronger, and faster. The refs are older, slower, and fatter. Players have all the power, but the refs have the authority. The reason why they got these fat, slow, older guys have the right to overrule these faster, younger, stronger guys is because they have a system over them, the NFL. And that system over them gives them authority to overrule power because the players are more powerful. But the refs have delegated authority.

They are under the NFL, but they're over what happens on that field. The centurion says, you don't have to come. All you have to do is speak the word because I know how authority works. And like you, I know there's all this stuff you're pulling off down here on earth that is now you're controlling diseases, you're controlling demons, you're controlling people, you're controlling circumstance. I know how you're doing that, Jesus.

You're doing that because you are perfectly aligned with the Father, and I know how that works in the military. So you don't have to come here. The point is, you cannot have authority over until and unless you are submitted under. Let me say that again.

You cannot have authority over until and unless you are submitted under. And because most people do not understand this theological principle of authority, prayers don't get answered, victory doesn't get achieved, power doesn't get recognized, changes are not made in spite of prayers being prayed. Because the prayers are being prayed out of alignment. That we're not properly under what we should be under, or we're not properly over what we ought to be over, or both. And once you are misaligned in God's kingdom program, what you have done is cut the cord of the transfer of authority.

The centurion says, because I know how this thing works, you don't even have to come here, just talk. Because I know you're operating under, in Jesus' case, perfect authority. The Bible makes it clear that Satan is supposed to be under the believer's feet. Romans 6 20. Crush Satan under your feet. Under the foot means to be under the authority of. You put your foot on somebody, you hold them down. It says Satan is to be under our feet, that is, subject to our authority.

In Luke chapter 9 verse 1, we read this verse. And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Guess how they got authority? He gave it. He gave it so they had it. They had it over the very things that was trying to have them. Many of us have things that are trying to have us.

Trying to own us, control us, dictate to us. But because Jesus gave it, they had it, and because they had it, they could use it. Alignment is the key to not only answered prayer, but spiritual authority.

Seeing heaven come down into history, seeing heaven transform history, and putting the devil under your feet instead of him boxing your head. He knew Jesus' access to God. Jesus said, all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth, Matthew 28 18.

All authority, I'm in charge now. So the alignment to Jesus Christ is critical if you want heaven to join you in history. This is not alignment to church.

This is not alignment to saying grace before your meals. This is alignment to his authority where he can overrule you. See, if somebody's above you, they can overrule you. If Jesus can't overrule you, you're not under authority. This alignment thing is critical because it is how authority flows. He makes a request, and the centurion says, I know how this deal works. You're under your daddy's authority. That's why you can pull all of this off. So since you're under his authority and I know how authority works, you speak the word because if you speak it, it's going to happen because you're only going to speak it because your daddy approved it. And you will change things on earth, in this case, the servant.

So let's go a little further. Much of the confusion we see today are folks out of alignment. Now, you can go to counseling, you can go to meetings, you can go to special support this and support that, but if you are out of alignment, it either won't work or it won't last because the alignment is off. And you know what happens when a car gets out of alignment? Things get shaky. Tires wear unevenly because things are not aligned properly. In Colossians chapter 3, it kind of breaks it down into some categories.

Let me review some of these categories real quick with you. Beginning with verse 17, we read in Colossians 3, Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. So do it under Jesus' authority. Then he starts breaking it down. Wives, be subject to your own husbands as is fitting to the Lord.

Okay, now I know I'm tiptoeing on some sensitive areas here. If you as a wife are out of alignment with your husband's legitimate authority, keyword legitimate, then you are out of alignment with God. And if you're out of alignment with your husband's legitimate authority and therefore out of alignment with God, you cannot then go and ask God for help.

He goes on. He says, husbands, love your wives. Do not be embittered against them. You don't get the cuffs at your wife. You don't get to be abusive, whether verbally or physically or attitudinally. You don't get to be neglectful.

You don't get to be obstinate. You don't get to do this because once you operate outside of God, he won't hear your prayers. 1 Peter 3, verse 7 says, husbands, treat your wives with equal honor so your prayers are not hindered. In 1 Corinthians 11, 3, every man is to be under Christ's authority.

You do not get to be a totally independent male. It says, let not that man think he will receive anything from the Lord. He goes on and says, children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. The reason why you should teach your children to obey is not just because you're their parents, of course they should, because you're their parent, but because they want to make God happy. Because when they make God happy, God will even answer their prayers.

Because they have come under the legitimate authority, not wrong authority, but legitimate authority of their parents. In fact, when Ephesians talks about this, he says, and tell the children this will help to enable them to live long on the earth. In other words, God will so honor coming under the legitimate authority of a parent that God will make sure you don't die early. That's how, so when you tell your kids obey me, I want you to obey me because I'm your father, but I also want the Lord can give you all your days.

And you don't die ahead of time. So obedience is tied to a child's alignment. Then he comes to parent, he says in verse 21, fathers do not exacerbate your children so that they will lose heart. That's a parent. The reason why he says fathers, by the way, is in the Bible men, men are supposed to raise their children, not the women.

Okay, now I ain't talking about the culture, I'm talking about the Bible. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4 says fathers raise your children. All the time it's the father who raises the children. Well, you say, well, what's the woman supposed to do?

One word, help. She's supposed to fill in the gaps when you can't. But God holds you responsible for the home. You can't be talking about, I'm the king of this house.

And all you do is sleep there. You are responsible for the spiritual imprint of your children. You are responsible for the discipline of your children.

You are responsible, yes, she fills in the gap when you can't. But we have a generation today where daddy is not home or he might as well not be home. Because he doesn't own this responsibility. He says do not exasperate your children, but you are to influence them because this is your responsibility as lined up under God.

He says in Genesis 18, 19, Abraham, raise your children in righteousness and justice. It's always the father's responsibility. But today we live in a day of male abandonment of the responsibility. And so we have a generation of kids running wild. Your responsibility is not first to be happy.

Your responsibility first is to be responsible. Dr. Tony Evans with some practical insights on aligning our purposes with God's. Well, as I mentioned earlier, you can get all 12 full length lessons from this classic series on CD or downloadable MP3s. The Igniting Kingdom Prayer audio collection is yours as a thank you gift when you make a donation to help keep this listener supported teaching coming your way. And as a special limited time bonus for our supporters, we'll also include Kingdom Prayer Touching Heaven to Change Earth, a powerful companion book that supplements and expands upon this two volume audio series. Just give us a call at 1-800-800-3222 or visit TonyEvans.org where you can browse through our huge collection of helpful books and other biblical resources. That's TonyEvans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. On Monday, we'll hear more about how being aligned with Christ and submitting to His authority turns us from victims into victors. Be sure to join us.