Count It As Joy – Restoration Christian Fellowship Long Island, NY

by Pastor Roy Esposito

Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
Hearing (Hebrew) – to hear the Word with a willingness and intent to obey it.
Ephesians 6:17 – The Word – a “two-edged sword”…
Established will of God – knowing the scriptures
Communicated Word of God — what is God saying to me personally
Obedience to BOTH aspects are essential to gain spiritual authority
Spiritual Authority is God’s planned destiny for the Church
Ephesians 3:9-10 – the hidden mystery of God to be revealed by the Church
“Manifold Wisdom” – many dimensions; variegated, many-colored

The picture is of God’s wisdom having many-sided applications, varieties, and shades that are colorfully expressed.

Church Authority – to DEMONSTRATE God’s wisdom in its many forms
SALVATION is FREE – but every other gift, ministry, or execution of power must be EARNED through testing against God’s will.
Hebrews 4:15_(NKJ) – Jesus went through the same process and became our High Priest
Matthew 4:1 – Led by the Spirit into the desert
John 1:4, 1:14 – Jesus: The “Word” made flesh
He is the bridge between the TRANSCENDENT and the MATERIAL universe
His Temptation – whether the WORD had the depth of character to fulfill God’s purpose
Luke 4:14 – The outcome; “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.” – the AUTHORITY of the Spirit through which He could do the supernatural works of His ministry

Jesus’ response to the devil:
“It is written…” – The Established will of God; and
“It has been said…” – The Communicated will of God

When the Word is proven through testing, it is endorsed by heaven and is able to accomplish, bring to maturity, and finish what was decreed.
Proven dedication to the Word establishes Christ-like character without which NO AUTHORITY can be given.
We are to give our lives to God as a “living praise,” as Lucifer was first created to do.
Romans 12:1-2 – Living praise/sacrifices – have their NATURE transformed to Christ’s.

Christ’s authority and the Church’s purpose become ONE.

1 John 4:17 – “As He is, so are we in this world.”
Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Corinthians 15:27 – All things under Jesus’ feet
1 Corinthians 12:27 – We are Christ’s BODY
Colossians 1:18 – Christ, The HEAD of the Church – the Body has FEET
Psalm 133 Oil (anointing) runs down from the head over the body – an extension of authority
1 Chronicles 28:9 – David to Solomon: Serve God with a LOYAL HEART and a WILLING MIND
The spiritual conflict we experience exists to test the SUBSTANCE, CHARACTER, and INTENT of our hearts.
Loyalty to God and His TRUTH are weighed and developed through testing and are the assessor for the amount of authority and power released to us.

Willingness to respond to God, the proper intention of heart and mind, and PATIENCE are the required prerequisites

James 1:2-4_{(TPT & NKJ)} – “Let patience have its PERFECT work, that you may be MATURE and complete, lacking nothing.”