THE MINISTRY OF JESUS
These ingredients were operative in the life of Jesus, so we will use Him as an example. The bible teaches that God wills that His children conform to the image of His Son, Jesus. (Rom.8:29) Let’s look at each one of these ingredients operative in His life.
The first ingredient in this Recipe for Deliverance operative in the life of Jesus was Spiritual Authority. Jesus is the only man who walked in the fullness of the authority that God gave Adam. Creation, sickness, disease and demons responded to this authority.
Joh 5:43 KJVR I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Joh 10:25 KJVR Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
The phrase “in My Father’s name” means in my Father’s authority or in His stead. Jesus was saying “The Father gave me the authority to act on His behalf; to represent Him on the earth; to do what he would do if He was physically present.” Jesus was God’s Ambassador from heaven to earth.
Mat 9:6-8 KJV But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (7) And he arose, and departed to his house. (8) But when the multitudes saw [it], they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
This word power in the Greek means authority. Jesus said “I will demonstrate that I have authority to forgive sin by healing this man because of his faith in me.”
Let me interject this statement: Although Jesus was a man of faith; the people he ministered to had to exercise faith in His ability. In the case of children or servants, those who had the authority over the child or servant had to exercise faith in Jesus.
The authority that Jesus operated under was recognized by those around Him. Even demons knew and understood the authority of Jesus.
Luk 7:8 KJV For I also am a man set under authority,……..
Mar 11:28 AMP And they kept saying to Him, By what [sort of] authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them?
Luk 4:36 BBE And wonder came on them all and they said to one another, What are these words? for with authority and power he gives orders to the evil spirits and they come out.
Now we will take a look at the second ingredient in our Recipe for Deliverance operating in the life of Jesus which is the Holy Spirit’s power.
Remember Jesus is our example; not Job, not Peter and not Paul; JESUS! We’re commanded to grow up into Him who is the head. God predestined that we conform to the image of Christ. (Eph.4:15; Rom.8:29)
Luk 4:14, 18-19 KJV And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
This word power is different from the one we looked at earlier. This word is defined as miraculous ability or force. It is the ability given by the Holy Spirit as He comes upon you for service.
It is God’s miraculous ability given to correct creation and any thing that gets out of order. We subdue and have dominion in the earth with this power!!
(18) The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Act 10:38 KJV How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
We see from scripture that Jesus did not do miracles and heal the sick because He was the Son of God. He healed and did miracles because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power. His rights as a Son gave Him the authority, but the Holy Spirit gave Him the power. This is not all that is needed to fulfill the will of God. We must have the other two ingredients.
Our third ingredient in our Recipe for Deliverance is Faith in God. This would include faith in His word. You can’t say you have faith in God and not believe His word because God and His word are one. (See Jn.1:1)
Here is the definition again of Faith in God: Trust and reliance upon the truthfulness of God and His word. Faith is being fully persuaded that God can and will perform what He said.
Heb 11:6 MSG It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
Mat 3:17 KJVR And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Several times it’s recorded that Jesus pleases the Father. The book of Hebrews states that the only way to please God is by exercising faith in God.
If it takes faith to please God and Jesus pleased God, then we must conclude that Jesus had faith.
To say I know God is able is not faith. This is just assenting to a historical fact. To say I believe God can and will for me is faith. Faith believes it before it sees it.
Faith calls the thing done before there is any physical proof. (1Jn 5:14-15; Mar 11:24)
Joh 11:41-42 KJV Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. (42) And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
These words revealed the faith Jesus possessed in His Father. Your words spoken from your heart will always reveal your faith or lack of faith. Not only do your words reveal your faith but your actions also. He knew that because He was in the will of God and doing the will of God, God would grant Him whatever He requested! (2Chron.16:9; Ps.34:15; 1Pet.3:12)
Now we come to the forth ingredient in our Recipe for Deliverance which we called Corresponding Actions. Again let us refresh our memory with the definition of corresponding actions. We said that corresponding actions were words, thoughts and deeds that are in agreement with God and His word: actions and words that are in line with your faith.
Jesus corresponding actions here was speaking in faith what He believed in His heart. Jesus didn’t just mentally assent to Mark 11:23; he put it into action. The recipe was mixed, the prescription was taken and a man that had been dead for four days, who had began to decay, came forth alive and whole! Glory to God!!
Joh 11:43-44 KJV And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. (44) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
