Piggybacking on Jesus' Authority, Part 2

Much of the confusion we see today are folks out of alignment. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the pitfalls of a life not aligned with Jesus Christ. If you are unwilling to come under the legitimate authority God places over you, then you do not get God's help in what is underneath you. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Just as businesses rely on organizational charts to achieve success, God has established a system of authority that ensures the best possible outcome for believers. Today we'll discover the importance of being aligned with Christ and submitting to His authority and how doing so can turn us from victims into victors.

Let's listen in as Dr. Evans examines this biblical truth. 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. 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. 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 boss situations that's supposed to be under you. 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.

So by recognizing that he is over you because there's a system over him, that gives him the authority over you to tell you what to do. There is a system of being over, or to put it another way, being aligned. 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 because they have a system over them.

The NFL. And that system over them gives them authority to overrule power. So the players are under them because the refs are under the NFL.

The refs are over them because there's somebody over the refs. The point is, 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. Much of the confusion we see today are folks out of alignment. 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, key word 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. 1 Peter 3, verse 7 says, husbands, treat your wives with equal honor so your prayers are not hindered. 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. 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. 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. More of this study on Jesus' authority and why it's so important for us to grasp when we continue in just a moment. First, though, I want to tell you about a unique package we put together as our way of saying thank you when you make a donation to the alternative broadcast. It includes all 12 full-length messages from our teaching series on Igniting Kingdom Prayer, along with a powerful companion book, Kingdom Prayer, Touching Heaven to Change Earth. This special collection will take your prayer life to the next level so you can experience more of the intimate connection and two-way communication it's intended to provide. We'd like to send you a copy of this powerful Kingdom Prayer book and two-volume audio series as our gift so you can review it on your own or share it with your family or Bible study group. All we ask is that you make a contribution to help us keep the alternative broadcast coming to you and others here on this station. Visit us today at TonyEvans.org or reach out to our resource center for some in-person help at 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson.

Let's rejoin Dr. Evans now. Slaves, in all things, verse 22 says, obey those who are your masters on earth. We would say today, employees, obey your employers, not with external service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. When you go to work, verse 23, whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.

It is the Lord Christ who you serve. You don't whistle while you work, you worship while you work. He says, when you go to work, you go to work for the Lord. You don't only work for the man, you work for the Lord. You don't look at that job as pleasing the Lord, so don't steal from the Lord when you go to work.

Because he says it's from the Lord Christ who will reward you. So if you are a bad employee, you're going to be an unanswered prayer person. He goes on and he talks about employers, chapter 4, verse 1. Masters, these are the ones over the servants, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a master in heaven.

You see the authority? Masters, be fair and just. You can't abuse your employees. You can't misuse your employees. You must pay a fair wage for fair work to your employees.

You must not withhold wages, James says, from your employees. He says, you be fair and just with your employees. And the reason why you don't mistreat your employees is because you're not the only master. Chapter 4, verse 1 says, remember you have a master.

So if you're going to be over, you better be under. Be under your master if you're going to be the right kind of master and get the right kind of service and benefit and blessing in your company. Don't pray to me for God to turn things around in your company when you don't let me be your master.

Because I am the master of your business. This is a process of answered prayer and spiritual authority. In Philippians 2, 5 through 11, it talks about Jesus. He says, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and he became a servant.

If you are unwilling to come under the legitimate authority God places over you, then you do not get God's help in what is underneath you. And in chapter 7, he says, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith. Now, Israel was its peeps. Those are the ones who knew the Bible.

Those are the ones who were following them around. He said, I haven't found this much faith among my church folk. Among the folks that come to church every week. Israel, the covenanted people. I got an uncircumcised gentile who's got more faith than my church folk, than Israel. I got somebody who doesn't even understand theology on a broad scope who's got more faith.

So the question is, who are you identifying with? You better identify with somebody who's in alignment, because they're the one who have access to authority in prayer. Because it was a prayer. He said, come hear my servant. That's a prayer request.

Okay, let me hit you with something else here. It says in verse 10, when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Not when Jesus, Jesus didn't go to the crib. Jesus didn't go to the house. When the ones he sent came back to the house, the servant is healed.

Now, I want you to miss this. Jesus is on his way. The centurion sends some guy, don't come here, I'm not worthy. But if he'll just talk, speak the word, that'd be good enough, because I know how this authority thing works. They go back and the man is healed, the servant is healed.

So what's my point? Jesus believes in long distance prayer answers, because he's not physically there. He didn't physically go to the house.

He just sent the word to the house, even though he was absent from the location. Now, you have to understand, all the other miracles Jesus did, he was there. He was there to heal the blind man. He was there to raise Lazarus from the dead. He was there to heal the lame. He was there, but on this one, he wasn't there. He stopped on his way and he did it long distance prayer answers, long distance authority, and long distance victory.

Now, why do you need to know that now? Because he's not here. You can't go to the mall and find Jesus. You can't go downtown and find Jesus.

You can't go across the street and find physical Jesus. You won't find him, because he's not here. The Bible says when he rose from the dead, he stepped on a cloud 40 days later, and he was ascended to the right hand of the Father, and he sits on the right hand of the Father.

So let's get something straight. He's not here. He's seated on the right hand side of the Father. But the good news is, he does long distance prayer answers. He doesn't have to be here to get stuff done. That's why I love Hebrews chapter 7, verse 25, which says Jesus, our great high priest, ever lives as an intercessor for believers. He ever lives to invade our circumstance, and he doesn't have to be here to get it done. I was halfway across the world.

I was in Africa, but I had to pick up the phone on a few days to call all the way back here to get some stuff done. Now, I wasn't here, but my word was sufficient because of my position to get it done, even though I wasn't physically here to make sure it was done. You see, I was acting from a position of authority.

Well, if Tony Evans can be in Africa and get stuff done at Oak Cliff, what do you think Jesus Christ can do in heaven and get stuff done in your life and in your circumstances? Because if you are in alignment, you have access to authority even with the absence of Jesus Christ, because he's not here, but his word is, and his word is powerful, and that's all you need if you have alignment straight. So I want to challenge you to go for a piggyback ride, because Jesus wants you to ride on this authority principle. I want to challenge you to get in alignment. If you're a man out of alignment to say, Lord Jesus Christ, I surrender to your authority.

If you're a woman out of alignment, say to the Lord Jesus and to your mate, to your legitimate authority, I will surrender. To say to your parents, if you're a child, I will submit to your legitimate authority. To go to work tomorrow, I will submit to the legitimate authority of this job as I serve the Lord Jesus Christ, whether a master or as an employee. The Bible says that church members should submit to the legitimate authority of the leadership of the church. The Bible says that citizens should submit to the legitimate authority of government, because only when we submit in the line that God has established over us will he give us authority and victory for the stuff under us.

And if we do not make that decision, we live with unanswered prayer and unrealized authority. I want to close with one verse. It's a well-known verse with often a misquoted word. Galatians 2.20 says, I'm crucified with Christ. My total identity is with him. Nevertheless, I live. I'm dead, but I'm alive. I'm crucified with Christ, but nevertheless, I live. He says, but not I, it's Christ who lives in me.

And then he comes with the zinger that's misquoted. He says, the life which I now live, I live by faith. Now, most people say in the son of God, but the text says I live by faith of the son of God.

Oh, that's different. I not only have faith in him, I have the faith of him. In other words, I'm going for a piggyback ride. I am going to believe that if I get on Jesus's back and ride this horse, because I'm underneath his authority, that his faith will cover my faith, giving me great faith in the situations I got to deal with in my life. So I know you're gonna leave here and you're gonna face some situations, but here's what you ought to say, ride on King Jesus. You ought to say ride on King Jesus.

You ought to call him and be aligned under him so you have the authority of him over the things that he has placed you over so that now you walk with your head up high because you walk as a victor and no longer as a victim because you're in alignment. Dr. Tony Evans in a classic message from the archives called Piggybacking on Jesus Authority. You know, a key point Dr. Evans has made is that alignment to Jesus Christ is critical if you want heaven to join you in history.

If that's something you want to experience for yourself but have never begun a personal relationship with the Lord, there's no better time than now to start. Just visit tonyevans.org and click on the link that says Jesus. There Tony has a short video that explains everything you need to know about what it means to be a real Christian and how to start a brand new lifelong journey with the Lord. That's at tonyevans.org. Now today's message was just one of 12 lessons in the two volume series on igniting kingdom prayer.

And as I mentioned earlier, they can be yours as our thank you gift on CD or instantly download MP3s when you make a donation to help keep the alternative broadcast on this station. And as a special bonus, but only for a limited time, we'll also include a copy of the companion book Kingdom Prayer, Touching Heaven to Change Earth. Just visit tonyevans.org today to make the arrangements. Or if it's more convenient, call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members assist with your request. Once again, 1-800-800-3222 or online at tonyevans.org. In its simplest form, prayer is just talking to God. But in the next timeless sermon from Dr. Evans, he'll explain from a kingdom perspective why it's so much more. Be sure to join us for that tomorrow. Be sure to join us for that tomorrow.