THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST 

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MEETING AGENDA

  1. OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
  2. GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
  3. ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
  4. TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
  5. GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
  6. CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.

GROWTH QUESTION #1

Who would like to share a highlight, praise report, or testimony from this week?

GROWTH QUESTION #2

What did you learn from this week’s sermon?

GROWTH QUESTION #3

What was your most important accomplishment this week?


Matthew 28:18 AMP “Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

introduction

  • Jesus has ALL Authority! There is no power, principality, circumstance, or situation greater than Him.
  • His authority extends over everything in heaven and on earth. There is no place where Jesus is not Lord.
  • We operate under His authority. We don’t operate in our own strength or power.
  • Because Jesus has all authority, we can confidently follow His instructions even when circumstances seem intimidating or impossible.
  • We don’t have to fear what we face when we know who has authority over it.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

How does knowing that Jesus has all authority change the way we walk in difficult situations?

TRUTH #1

THE LORD CHOOSES US, SENDS US, AND DIRECTS US


John 15:16 NLT “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

  • The Lord is the one who chooses. It is not a coincidence that you know Jesus, that you’ve heard of Him, that you are in this place right now - Jesus knew that you’d be here - He chose you!
  • When Jesus sends us, we go under His authority. We don’t have to rely solely on our own strength, wisdom, or abilities.
  • We can trust the direction of Jesus when we trust the Authority of Jesus.
  • Luke 10:19 NLT “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”
  • Trusting the authority of Jesus means believing that His direction is greater than our understanding.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

What does our response to God’s instructions reveal about how much we trust His authority?

TRUTH #2

THERE IS AUTHORITY IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Philippians 2:9-10 NLT “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth,”

Luke 10:17 NLT “..Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”

  • The submission of the demons is not based on the disciples titles, personalities, or positions. The disciples acted in the name of Jesus.
  • The physical absence of Jesus does not remove the authority of Jesus.
  • Our confidence should be in Jesus and the authority of His name.
  • Jesus gives us authority over the enemy’s power.
  • Jesus did not say that the enemy has no power, He declared that He had given His disciples authority over that power. Authority and power are different:
  • Authority (exousia) : The right or authority to act, govern or command.
  • Power (dunamis) : Strength, ability, or capacity to act.
  • We confront the enemy through dependence on Jesus and acting under His authority rather than relying on our own strength.
  • The enemy’s power is subject to the authority of Jesus.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

How does understanding that difference between power and authority change the way we approach spiritual warfare?

tRUTH #3

OUR SALVATION IS THE GREATEST VICTORY!

Luke 10:20 NLT “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

  • We must keep our joy properly aligned.
  • Jesus wasn’t correcting the disciples for celebrating their victories; He was correcting them for what they placed value on.
  • It’s good to rejoice over spiritual victories, answered prayers, and the things God accomplishes through us, but these things should never become our greatest source of joy.
  • The spiritual victories that the disciples were seeing were real. (Luke 10:17) They saw people healed and delivered from all kinds of demons.
  • BUT Jesus redirected their rejoicing.
  • Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that what God has done for them was greater than what God was doing through them.
  • When our joy is based on what we accomplish, it can fluctuate with our circumstances. But when our joy is rooted in our salvation, we have a reason to rejoice regardless of what is happening around us.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

How can we celebrate spiritual victories without allowing those victories to become the foundation of our identity?

CLOSING QUESTION

What is one thing you learned today that you want to put into practice this week?

GIVING

When we allow genuine compassion to drive our generosity it invites God’s blessings into every aspect of our lives.

Deuteronomy 15:10-11 (NLT)
10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

Encourage everyone to give their tithes and offerings.

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PRAY

QUESTION #1

Who are you praying for to be saved?

QUESTION #2

Who can you invite to the next meeting?

QUESTION #3

What are your prayer requests?