Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV (6) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (7) rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Remember, the Law of sin and death was released into Creation because of Adam’s sin.
(Romans 8:1-2 NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
We need to learn what is really normal and what is not normal for the child of God.
We have seen that in the beginning, man was created for joy and peace; and that sin, sickness, sorrow or death had no place in God’s original plan. These present conditions of society and the world are not normal (according to God’s plan).
God has vindicated Himself and stands acquitted before the human race because He did not leave man in this condition, but provided a Redemption which man could enjoy through faith in Jesus Christ, that would answer man’s every need.
Three theological terms we need to understand:
Incarnation – God becoming man through the Lord Jesus
(John 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:14 NKJV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Substitution – Jesus became our substitute to pay the price of our sin thus taking upon Himself all we had to offer. But in our substitution in the Resurrection, we can receive on us all He has to offer.
(2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NKJV) (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (18) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
I read a story about a man who was found dead in the small, shabby apartment that he rented for $3 a week. He had been a familiar sight on the streets of Chicago for about 20 years, always dressed in rags and easting out of garbage cans. When he wasn’t seen for two or three days, concerned neighbors went to look for him and found him dead in bed. An autopsy revealed that he had died of malnutrition, yet a money belt was found around his waist that contained more than $23,000. The man had lived in abject poverty, peddling newspapers for a living, yet he had money. He could have lived in the finest hotel in town but instead lived in the little, run-down room. He could have eaten the best food but yet he died of malnutrition.
This man did not use what belonged to him.
I believe that this story can summarize where a lot of believers are in that they either do not know what Jesus has already bought and paid for them and they already possess, or they know what they have or have some idea and do not use what belongs to them.
(John 8:32 NKJV) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(Hosea 4:6 NKJV) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
(Hosea 4:6 BBE) Destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge…
There is a third theological word we need to learn and that is Identification.
We need to not only identify with Jesus death on the Cross for us but also what was accomplished for us in His glorious Resurrection.
(Ephesians 1:15-23 NKJV) Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, (16) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(Ephesians 2:1-7 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, (3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
(Colossians 2:6-15 NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (7) rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (8) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (9) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (10) and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (11) In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (12) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (13) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
(Colossians 2:8 MSG) Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ.
One of the many things Christ paid for in His Substitutionary sacrifice is our authority.
We want to stir ourselves regarding “The Authority of the Believer.”
(Luke 10:17-20 NKJV) Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (18) And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
In verse 19, the first word translated “authority” is the Greek word “exousia” which means delegated authority and the second word translated “power” is the Greek word “dunamis” which means ability or capability.
In speaking about serpents and scorpions, Jesus was referring to the power of the devil – demons, evil spirits and all his cohorts.
Does the Church today have or need any less authority than these disciples did in Jesus day? No!
Matter of fact, Jesus was delegating that authority to them as a man anointed by God under the old covenant. How much more do we have since He personally defeated the enemy and made a show of him?
The value of our authority rests on the power behind that authority.
God Himself is the power behind that authority. The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority.
What is authority? Authority is delegated power.
Policemen can direct traffic during the rush hour traffic and hold up their hands and stop cars. Even though they do not have the physical ability to stop cars and trucks, they have the delegated power given to them by the government that they serve. People recognize that authority and stop their cars.
That means that you as a recipient of the delegated authority of Heaven, that is back by God Himself can step out and stop the operations of the devil in your life and he must obey because he recognizes that Power that is backing you.
1 Peter 5:8-9 AMP (8) Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (9) Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
1 John 4:4 NKJV (4) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 CEV(4) Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.
We need to understand fully what Jesus accomplished for us in His work of redemption.
(Matthew 28:18 NKJV) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:18 AMP (18) Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
If we were raised up at the same time the Head was raised up, and all authority was conferred upon the Head, then it was also conferred upon His body which was raised up together with Him.
We need to preach the Cross and have a Cross mindset but we need to balance it with a Throne mindset and understand that we WERE crucified with Him but we were also RAISED together with Him and we are SEATED together with Him in the Heavenlies.
The right hand of God is the center of power of the whole universe.
(Hebrews 1:3 NKJV) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
As long as Satan can keep you in unbelief or hold you in the area of reason, he’ll whip you in every battle. But if you will hold him in the arena of faith and the Spirit, you’ll whip him every time.
Satan will not argue with you about the Name of Jesus and the authority in that name.
Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Mr. E. W. Kenyon wrote in his book, “The Wonderful Name of Jesus” about ministering one night on the Name of Jesus, and in the middle of his message an attorney interrupted him and asked the question, “Do you mean that Jesus has given us the power of attorney?”
Mr. Kenyon responded to him that he was the lawyer and expert and did Jesus give us the power of attorney?
The man responded and said if language means anything, Jesus gave to the Church the power of attorney.
Mr. Kenyon asked him, “What is the value of the power of attorney?”
The lawyer responded, “It all depends on how much there is in back of it. How much authority and power that this Name represents.”
All the power and authority that Jesus has and had is invested in His Name.
Do we have power of attorney to use His Name?
Jesus said we could use His Name in prayer, in dealing with demons, and in laying hands on the sick.
Sometimes we focus too much on our part in ministering to someone, but we must realize that it is the power in His Name that does the work.
Kenyon states, “The measure of His ability is the measure of the value of that Name, and all that is invested in that Name belongs to us for Jesus gave us the unqualified use of that Name.”
John 16:23-24 NKJV (23) “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. (24) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Jesus not only gives us the use of His Name in prayer but says that the prayers we pray in His Name will receive the special attention of the Father.
Jesus was saying that if you ask of the Father in My Name – I will endorse it – and the Father will give it to you.