Transcription
[Music] You. [Music] Well, welcome to A Cloud of Witnesses. My name is Robert Parris, and this episode, we're going to talk about understanding authority within sight from Watchman Nee. He, of course, was a great leader in China. He started many, many churches before the Communist revolution. He would then be imprisoned for 20 years before he died. But he shared a lot. He really tried to really build a foundation in believers' lives that I believe he sowed seeds that is producing a harvest today, and his insight can truly bless you.
We know from the word that we are told that all authority is given in His name, and that we are to go and preach the gospel in His name. We are to walk with authority in this life through the name of Jesus. But we need to understand authority. You know, I was a high school teacher for years. When I first started, it was terrible because you couldn't, you know, have the children walk with discipline. And I remember talking to another teacher and said, "How can you do it?" Because, you know, I can't. I get them to just simply be quiet and listen to me. And I started to talking about I had to understand who I was and walk in there, carrying the authority of who I was. And it was true because when you understand authority in your life and you walk with that authority, people see it, and it makes a difference. And it made a difference as a teacher for me. All of a sudden, I gained carry greater authority. And we as believers are meant to walk with authority in this life. The word is very clear that we have authority because we walk under authority. So if you're going to walk effective in your call to purpose, you need to understand authority. If we are going to demonstrate authority in our life, in our prayer life, and in what we do in ministry, can we understand and walk with the loss of authority?
So remember, "Go ye into all the world." And that "Go ye" is a command. When you obey the commands, you obey authority. I am under authority. I am under Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and I therefore must obey the commands of Him. So I want to share some things that I hope that you will be blessed by, encouraged, and strengthened, and it will help build a foundation in understanding of authority because many people today don't understand authority, and even some abuse authority. The word is very clear that we're not to lord over them. You know, there was a famous shepherding movement of the 70s, and that really has not gone away, and pastors have taken full control over the sheep. They used the scripture, took the mad absolute obedience to them, and, you know, your ability to be released into ministries through them. All the focus is on them. When I look at the Reformation, the Reformation was about learning how to respectfully stand up to wrong authority. It was a shout from heaven that broke wrong authority from your life, and I refuse to allow what was broken at the Reformation to come back on me. I want to understand authority because I don't want to walk in rebellion, but I want to walk right before the Lord.
So I want to share some things from, as I said, Watchman Nee. And I prayed a blessing. And one of the first things I want you to get: Watchman Nee shared is that we must be radically obedient to God. Obedience is to God. Submission is to men, and they are different. So we are obedient to God. We are submitted to men. We like to teach that submission equals obedience, but it doesn't. Whatever heaven says, I do. I do not question. I do. If Jesus turns up and says, "Go there," you go there. Now, submission is a heart thing. If you tell me, if I walk up to my pastor, my pastor says, "Do this," and it lines up with the word, I do it. If my pastor says, "Do this," and it's in that gray area where it does not line up with the word, but it's not against the word, I do it. If my pastor says to do something and it is against the word, I don't have to do it because I must obey higher authority first. My obedience to heaven. Now, I submit to the consequences. A lot of time, obeying heaven results in persecution because you're going to have to stand up like Daniel, who prayed three times a day, and because of that, he violated the law of man. But it was not walking in rebellion. He was walking in obedience to heaven. And when confronted, he will only went into the lines. Then we do not, you know, oppose and say, "I surrender," and I submit to the consequences because I must obey authority. So there's not an anger in us. There's not a rebellion in us, but rather there's an obedience in us. And submission is seen in a hard thing, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit coming forth from us.
You see, authority is where the enemy failed because the devil sees the acts of God issued this. When Watchman Nee, the acts of God issue from the throne, and His throne is established on His authority. As you look around, everything in life, in this universe, everything is governed by laws, laws subject to His authority. He puts all things by the word of His power, which is His authority. That every soul be subject, subjection to higher powers, for there's no power but God, and the powers that be ordained of God. And so what I want you understand is that God raises up authorities on the earth because God believes in law. We hate it, and the enemy wants to create law as something negative because we've seen the abuse of it. And therefore, there's a fear of submission because of the abuse. But when you have an encounter with the Lord God, you know that He is good, and that His authority is based on His goodness and His mercy. And again, that's my obedient and to the word, but I have the submission because I'm under that, and I can walk right before God and man because of that. Watchman Nee said all things created through God's authority, and all physical laws of the universe are maintained by His authority. In serving God, we must violate, must not violate authorities because to do so is a principle of Satan. So we must walk in submission on the earth. What a concept. But again, I want you to get an understanding that because people will use that the wrong way, and when you make a stand for heaven, when you do something in line with the word, they will brand you with rebellion when it's not. And we need to separate because obedience to God, it's not rebellion. I can walk in obedience to man and look good on the earth, but be in rebellion to heaven. And so you got to get this that it's about obedience to heaven and submission to men.
No, the fall of man is due to disobedience to God's authority. So we walk in a fallen world because Adam disobeyed God's authority. And we've seen Romans 8, that there's two laws. There's the law of sin and death, and there's the law of life of the Spirit. And we are called to walk in the law of life and Spirit. That is a different law. Many of us continue to operate under the law of sin and death, which is the law of survival, and it's a law of over-lording. God has called you to a higher law. Man's action should not be governed by the knowledge of good or evil. It should be motivated, motivated by a sense of obedience. So it's not my perspective. It's not what's right according to my heart or my opinions or the opinions of others. It's what's right before the word. The word must become final authority. If you're going to walk with authority, if you're going to see authority in your ministry or life, then the word must be final authority, not your opinion. I can determine, "I don't like that. It must be bad." It's not that way. It's what the word says. My opinion. I don't go into this word with an opinion. I come up with an opinion. Amen.
Now, to walk in authority, we must walk in submission to His will. The will of God is an absolute thing. The will of God is an absolute thing. It doesn't change. God does not politically correct. God's will does not change from generation to generation. It's not changed based on circumstances. God established His law in the eternal past, and it will last into the eternal future. His word was established in the eternal past, and it was continued to the eternal future. We may disagree with this present society, may disagree with it, but this word is law, and it will not change, no matter what you say or do. God does not change. His will is absolute. His will represents authority. Therefore, to know God's will and to obey it is to be subject to authority. But how can one be subject to authority if he does not pray or have the heart to know God's will? So being subject starts in your prayer life and wanting to know God and to know His will, and then I might be subject to it, and that the Holy Spirit would expose all areas where I violate it.
The Lord had so emptied Himself of the glory, power, status, and form of dignity that no one then living, living other than by revelation, knew Him nor acknowledged Him as God. They treated Him as a man, an ordinary person of this world. We cannot comprehend that the obedience that Jesus had was to such a degree that He laid aside everything and walked this earth as a man. And without the Holy Spirit opening your eyes and giving you a revelation, you would not have recognized that He was the Messiah and Lord. He didn't have a halo or glow. It took a revelation. And not alone was He a man, He wasn't the King, He wasn't a person of great authority. He was an ordinary man because He submitted wholly as a son. His will submitted to the Father. "For authority declares the Father is greater than I." What the Father said, He did. He obeyed the Father. And going to the cross, He accomplished God's will. Consequently, the Lord's death is the highest expression of obedience to Authority. So while Adam's failure, disobedience, caused the fall, Jesus' absolute obedience brought forth new life and restoration. When the Son left the glory, He did not intend to return on the basis of His divine attributes. On the contrary, He desired to be exalted as a man. And in this manner, God affirmed His principle of obedience. So He trusted and walked in just obedience and trust that God would do. If I obey that God will restrain me from the dead. Hallelujah.
There are two important matters in this universe: trust in God's salvation and obeying His authority and will. The greatest and most difficult things that we find is obeying His authority because the enemy has painted obedience as something terrible, as if God is a taskmaster. You know, religion has this harsh, mean God and said of this wonderful, loving God, rich in mercy, that yes, He is God. They would judge who hates sin, but He's rich in mercy, and He's giving us the Holy Spirit to enable us to fulfill His law. But we must walk in the fear of the Lord. We are told that. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12. Paul said, "You have obeyed. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Watchman Nee said, "May God's grace be gracious to us, delivering us from rebellion." Only after we have known God's authority and learned obedience can we lead His children in the straight path. If I'm going to be effective in ministry, to bring real change, then I must walk subject and obedient to Him. A person who has met God's authority is soft and tender. He has been melted and is not able to be hard. He's afraid of being wronged, and thus he is soft. See, when you come to His authority, that is the difference. When I see some of it truly is walking under His authority, there are people that have been broken, and they are soft and tender. When I see people that are harsh and mean, there are people that want authority but refused about to His authority.
The Lord God's, they thought they could offer sacrifices by themselves, and so offer without Aaron's order, the medium strange fire. It is to serve without an order, to serve without obedience to Authority. What he's talking about is the priests when they first got ordained on Aaron, of course, they offered a sacrifice. Well, then being zealous and whatever they decided on their own to offer sacrifice, and God recognized that as strange fire. So we can do something out of zeal, it creates strange fire. And this sometimes people use as an abuse to control us because we didn't send you up, you didn't walk on earth, or you're not on our network. And while those are true things, we must be always careful because those that are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. But at the same time, not those that are led by their flesh and their opinions and their offenses. We cannot be ruled by our emotions, our feelings, but by His such a fearful, holy fear of God, and our obedience to Him. And it produces such a tenderness in us that the fruit of the Spirit, if we are truly walking in obedience, it is demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit coming forth in our lives. And we have those, and they are increasing. They neither to leave you useless or unfruitful. I want the fruit coming forth. And remember, we are to judge and test the fruit. The work of God must be coordinated under Authority. So we always want to find those that we can walk under because we are called to walk under Authority. I'm not wanting to walk in rebellion, but I want to walk right and pleasing to God, and I want to make sure that I honor Him in all that I do. Mm-hmm.
The Father's got instituted authority in the home, but the flesh delights in seeing a defect in authority so as to throw off restraint. And we've got to be careful that we're not looking at authorities, looking for a defect so as to cast off our right, sorry, they did the rule that we must obey or submit. We want to be liberated from that so that we can walk in rebellion. That must never be. We must be careful that we recognize God's delegated authorities on the earth and that we walk in submission with the right heart, but always obeying heaven, obeying the word first. He who is truly obedient will find God's authority in every circumstance in the home and in other situations. You know, I look at those that walk in a church where the pastor becomes all authority, "You must do this and that." He becomes higher authority than the delegated authorities that God has placed. And therefore, violates the word. Again, we must say, "Submitted to the word." And the law of the word, obedience to man must never cause us to violate obedience to heaven. We may look good before men, but not before the Lord, and therefore walking in rebellion. Now, you may be challenged and declared as a rebellious person for standing up against that. But a lot of time, if you're going to walk in authority and be its to God, you may be put in a position where you have to make a choice. Do you obey God or do you obey men? Just like the disciples did.
Obedience is related to conduct. It is relative. Submission is related to heart attitude. It is absolute. So, but obedience to heaven, we obey God completely, absolutely. I said submission is a matter of attitude, will. Obedience is a matter of conduct. Again, Watchman Nee, we're to find a work to do. Rather, we are not to find a work to do. Rather, we are to be sent to work by God. And I want you to get that that when you start to pursue heaven and the Holy Spirit fills you, there's always a "go" and a "to do." God sends you to do something. So I'm not trying to create something. I start to do that which God calls me to do and which God anoints. What God appoints, God anoints. So the appointment of heaven carries the anointing and authority of heaven. So I want to be in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, so that I'm glorifying God and walking with His authority. Amen.
Those are set up like to exercise authority for Him, you know. And in life, I have been a manager, and as a manager, I have certain things I own to exercise that authority as a manager. You are as God calls you, purpose you to exercise that authority on the earth because God put that call and purpose on you. God intends to have His authority fully manifested in the church and to have His kingdom extended through the church when each part supplies according to the proper function. And I love where some people got placed you in the bodies he sees fit. God places you and they according to proper function, and it is based on function. And we bind people to a local church that if God calls them elsewhere, it's rebellious, and we do not allow the freedom of the Holy Spirit. You know, I'm not talking about church hoppers, but I'm allowing that with authority, there must be freedom because God allows. There's a freedom in God. Amen. And so as a father, as my children go all get older, they get more responsibility and freedom, and they have certain rights. They don't have to do what I tell them to the career that I purposed for them. They now must make a decision. And we must be spiritual leaders the same way. We are fathers to raise up people that are independent and able to hear from heaven and do the will of God and to go where God is telling them. Amen.
Now, was it right for Martin Luther to stand up and speak for the fundamental principle of justification by faith? Yes. Where he was obeying God and standing for the truth. And again, there's times where you got to make a stand against so-called authority because of obedience to God. But when you do so, it must be drenched and filled with the fruit of the Spirit and bear fruit that glorifies Him. We must understand that if you're going to walk with Authority, vindication comes from the Lord because a lot of times we feel our authority has been violated, we want to get vindication. The men of David suggested to him that he should kill Saul, but David resisted the temptation. He dared not raise his hand against authority. In other words, he trusted God. A lot of time, people of authority may do things that are wrong to you. You know, you can leave and go somewhere else that is better and safer for you, but allow the vindication from the Lord. We must be careful not to attack authority, but at the same time, idle to stay under abusive authority. We must stay in obedience to the word. We must meet suffering. We learn. So when we meet suffering, we learn obedience and understand correct suffering. That does not mean living under an abusive leader, but there's certain things that I may have to surrender and submit and yield that I may not like. When I walk under Authority, there may be seasons where I can't do what I want to do or such like, and we must surrender like Jesus did. And so submit to that authority correctly. There must be no obedience, our sorry, disobedience found, rebellion in us. Hallelujah.
Because this, I want you to get, we are to represent Him. Your call, your purpose in His life is to represent Him, and He was the obedient one, not the rebellious one. The rebellious one is Satan. God represented a servant. "Saying, 'You did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the people of Israel.'" What was he talking about? Well, in Deuteronomy 32:48 to 52, we see that the children have come to in the valley, the wilderness of Zin, and you've got this big rock. And the Lord told him to go strike the rock. You know, the people cried out, they were looking for water. And the Lord tells them to go strike the rock. Moses goes and strikes the rock twice. And, you know, told the people off. That they, the Lord, the Lord was not angry with them. So Moses misrepresented the Lord and presented a wrong image of the Lord. See, we must be careful when walking in authority that we represent Him correctly, not our frustration with people, not our opinion, or how we want people to see Him. Sometimes we want people just to feel the burn, feel the anger, feel the frustration because we're frustrated, we're angry. That must never be. We are to represent Him because we are under authority. And so He must be careful, walking in a holy fear, that when I walk in authority, that I do so and it glorifies Him, not me, not my opinions. To be an authority is to represent God. If you walk in Authority, you must be a person that stands in the gap because Jesus is the role model, and He stood in the gap. Because sometimes we translate Authority as, you know, those that if you attack me, I have the right to have you punished. But rather, we immediately, like Moses, get on our knees and cry out to God, "Have mercy on them." That's a sign of authority. I look at people that walk in great Authority. Instead of trying to vindicate themselves, instead of, you know, retaliating, they immediately cry out for mercy for you. Watchman Nee, the people were excited, and so many speaking, but Moses alone, prostrating himself upon the ground. So in this situation where, you know, God wanted was was angered the people, and there's all this noise, Moses got before the Lord and cried out. And in the midst of the noise, where the flesh is manifesting and people's opinions are coming forth, we must humble ourselves and pray and stand in the gap, even for those who have offended us. Amen.
A man needs to fall before God before he can be used. Whenever he lifts himself up, he's rejected by God. Amen. To be God's delegated authorities is not merely to manifest a little of resurrection, but it is to have the rod sprout, bloom, and bear fruit, thus become a matured resurrected life. You are meant to demonstrate a life so radically, completely changed, and brought to a place of maturity. To this full authority is to come to a place of maturity in Him, which means you must walk and bear the fruit, walk in love, and that everything we do is little longer us because I am not my own. I am bought with a price. So I look at an act not from my perspective, not from it trying to expand my kingdom or my will, but from trying to glorify Him. My heart, my reasoning, my my objection. You can brand me as a person trying to build my own kingdom, but people can search my heart, and God has that my desire is to see Him glorified. Him glorified. And the demonstration and the proof is in the fruit. That's maturity. A person's authority is based upon his ministry. And I've said this, the appointment brings an anointing and authority. So the call that God has put in you, God gives authority based on that. And you, when you recognize and realize who you are, like David did, recognize he was king, and got that revelation, it brought forth a revelation that God is Lord of your breakthrough, and the resources of heaven are there to back that call and the authority that heaven has given you. We should not attempt to outdo the authority of our ministry. You must be very careful that we stay within the box that God has called us to, the authority that God has given you. Stay with it. You know, if you're a manager, stay as a manager. If you're a director, director. So what I'm getting at is what purpose heaven has given you, be faithful to that, walk in obedience in that authority. And I'm going to finish with this. Comes from a relationship with Jesus. And therefore, it's the time spent in prayer in the word that enables me to walk with Authority because I get to know Him. And in that season to truly pray and be in a secret place, I have trouble myself because no flesh can go beyond the veil. To go beyond the veil, I have to surrender wholly, completely, and yield to Him and to His authority because otherwise it dies. And when you're in His presence, anything that's not submitted must and has to die. If you'll stay long enough in His presence, a whole lot of you may die, but the new person will come forth. And so that is how you learn to walk with Authority.
Only the relative, the relationship between Christ and the church can fully express both Authority and obedience. When on the cross, He shouted, "It is finished." It proclaimed not only the accomplishment of salvation, but also the fulfillment of all that name signifies, that that name had absolute authority. That Jesus, it was a full demonstration that authority comes through such obedience and submission. And so we need to know, we need to walk in obedience to Him. And I want to encourage you as you understand authority to pray with authority, to minister with authority, with an anointing and power that's going to change lives. We need to walk in obedience to be able to pray and cast things out, to see the sick healed, for example. You need to walk with authority. But authority only comes when we walk under Authority, obedient to heaven, and submitted to man, submitted to the delegated authorities of God placed on the earth, not walking with a rebellious heart, but with an obedient heart. Those that are the sons are those that are led by the Spirit. We obey the Holy Ghost. I am sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit. And so I'm very careful in every situation. I don't want to vindicate myself. I don't allow my opinions to dictate to me. I don't allow my anger to rise up when someone offends me. I try to be careful because we must be obedient to His authority. And I want to manifest His fruit. I want to represent Him correctly, that this generation sees a real Jesus.
While I pray that this message blesses you, I pray that you get what the Spirit is trying to say, and you understand correct authority. And that correct authority in life will open doors and enable you to do what God has called you to do. Amen. Well, be blessed. Be encouraged. Thank you for watching. Please like and subscribe and check out some other videos. May they encourage you, edify you, and provoke you. And then check us out on Facebook. Then join with us in praying daily for revival. We need to see a global awakening. And I believe that heaven longs, a seat on the earth, but as longing for His people to cry out. Now is the time to seek His face. Amen. Well, be blessed in Jesus' name. Amen.