Intro: authority—delegated power, authorized to do things
Here’s the thought: God authorized Jesus to have all power given to Him, exalted to the right hand of God. He came to this world, destroyed the works of the devil. Now He had given the church, His Authority. Through Faith in Him, we can operate over all things.
Authority of the Believer #3
• Ephesians 1:21-23 far above all principalities, dominions, authorities, every name that is named, the fullness of him that filleth all and all.
Every evil power, every spiritual wickedness, every principality, all demonic activity—is under the authority of Christ, and He has placed His Church as the over-seers of this Spiritual World.
Ill) Christ Ambassadors—
• Luke 10:19—over all the power of the enemy—nothing shall by any means hurt you- Jesus has so thoroughly defeated the Devil that he can’t do anything to defeat you. Only when he deceives someone does he gain victories over lives.
God
Jesus Christ
Man—when Christ defeated Satan, took the keys back, man was moved to the position of being under Christ, and Satan, evil spirits are now placed under man. They are under your feet.
Satan
Evil Spirits, Demonic activity
• James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from thee. Here is a wonderful verse on walking in authority over the devil. As you walk in the power of God, as you resist the lies of Satan, He will leave you.
Ill) the temptation of Christ—after Jesus soundly used the Word of God to combat the lies of Satan, Matthew 4:11-then the devil left him and the angels came and ministered to him.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4-for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
One of the keys to winning over the devil is knowing how to use your spiritual weapons. If you don’t know how to use your weapons, you will be defeated.
Ill) first time hunting in Alabama—two big bucks in front of me, didn’t know how to adjust the scope, shot twice—missed both times..
The Word is the Sword of the Spirit—if you don’t have the Word in you, it can’t flow out of you to defeat the enemy—it is like going to a gunfight with a water pistol
• Ephesians 6:16-taking the shield of faith that is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one-doubt, fear and unbelief give the devil an opening to landing blows in your life.
Ill) boxing match—12 years old, left my guard down, ended up with a bloody nose—faith is the perfect defense, it shields everything the devil throws at you
Close: years ago a young boy who’s family lived out in the woods had to walk through a long path to get to school. He was quite afraid because there were bears in the area. His father told him not to worry, but one day sure enough, on the way home a bear came right at him. As he lunged for the little boy a shot was heard and the bear dropped at his feet. The boy didn’t even know that every day his father walked near the path with his rifle in case the boy was ever in danger. Sometimes this world is a scary place, sometimes you feel fear trying to over-take you, but always remember, you never walk this path alone. As you place your faith in Jesus Christ, you walk in His authority.
