THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL EVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE FACT THAT A CHRISTIAN’S GREATEST GLORY COMES NOT FROM ANYTHING THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE, BUT FROM WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR THEM THROUGH HIS SON JESUS!
ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HE HAS DONE FOR US THROUGH HIS SON JESUS IS TO GIVE US TOTAL VICTORY THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST TO FIGHT AND WIN THE COSMIC BATTLES TAKING PLACE AGAINST US ALMOST DAILY.
THESE BATTLES ARE BEING WAGED TODAY AS IT WAS WITH THE SEVENTY WHO RETURNED WITH JOY THAT "AT YOUR NAME THE DEMONS ARE SUBJECT TO US." CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE IT WAS FOR THESE DISCIPLES WHO DISCOVERED THAT EVEN THE DEMONS WERE SUBJECT TO THEM IN JESUS’ NAME?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SUBJECT? SUBJECT IS THE GREEK WORD HUPOTASSO MEANING "TO ARRANGE UNDER." THIS IS A MILITARY TERM LIKENED TO A GROUP OF SOLDIERS SNAPPING TO ATTENTION AND FOLLOWING PRECISELY THE ORDERS OF THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER.
THE DEMONS WERE SUBJECT TO THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES BECAUSE OF THE NAME JESUS CHRIST. JESUS HAS DELEGATED HIS AUTHORITY TO THEM TO SPEAK ON HIS BEHALF. SATAN’S POWER HAD BEEN BROKEN BY THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST AND IT WAS THIS VERY POWER JESUS GAVE THE SEVENTY.
THE THING TO NOTE IS THAT THIS DIVINE POWER AND AUTHORITY WAS GIVEN TO FALLIBLE, SINFUL HUMAN BEINGS. PERHAPS THIS IS WHY THE DISCIPLES RETURNED JUST A LITTLE TOO "HAPPY" AT WHAT THEY DID IN JESUS’ NAME.
IT’S NOT SO MUCH WHAT GOD HAD DONE THROUGH THEM IN JESUS NAME, BUT WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE DOING BECAUSE THEY WERE USING JESUS’ NAME.
THESE DISCIPLES PROBABLY SUFFERED UNDER THE SAME MISCONCEPTION THAT BLINDS MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY. WE SEE GOD AND HIS KINGDOM ON ONE SIDE AND SATAN AND HIS KINGDOM ON THE OTHER SIDE. THEY WERE SEEING THE ENEMY IN THE MILITARY SENSE OF OFFENSE AND DEFENSE. THEY MAY HAVE THE NOTION THAT IT IS "US" VERSUS "THEM."
ONE OF THE THING THEY DID REALIZE WAS THAT BOTH KINGDOMS WERE VERY POWERFUL, AND HERE THEY ARE, STUCK IN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN THE TWO, JUST LIKE THE ROPE IN A TUG OF WAR CONTEST.
WHAT I MEAN BY "TUG OF WAR" IS THAT ON SOME DAYS GOD SEEMS TO BE WINNING AND ON OTHER DAYS THE DEVIL APPEARS TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND.
WE THEN GET FRUSTRATED BECAUSE WE DON’T SEEM TO HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT WHO WINS THE BATTLE. BUT LOOK AT THE DISCIPLES AGAIN.
DESPITE THE BATTLE THEY CAME BACK FROM THEIR MISSION WITH A NEW PERSPECTIVE, A TRUE PERSPECTIVE. BECAUSE OF THE AUTHORITY GIVEN TO THEM BY JESUS THEY NOTICED THAT IT WASN’T REALLY A TUG OF WAR AFTER ALL!
SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IS NOT A CONCEPT OF TUG OF WAR ON A HORIZONTAL PLANE! IT’S NOT A SPIRITUAL BATTLE OF PULLING AND TUGGING BACK AND FORTH TO TRY AND KEEP SATAN FROM WINNING. THINK OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE MORE LIKE A VERTICAL CHAIN OF COMMAND. JESUS CHRIST HAS ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.
IN THE REALM OF "TOP TO BOTTOM" JESUS IS AT THE TOP. MATTHEW 28:18, "JESUS CAME AND TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, ’I HAVE BEEN GIVEN COMPLETE AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH.’"
BECAUSE JESUS IS AT THE TOP HE HAS GIVEN US HIS AUTHORITY AND POWER TO BE HIS SERVANTS TO EXERCISE THIS AUTHORITY AND POWER IN HIS NAME. BECAUSE JESUS IS AT THE TOP THAT MEANS WE ARE NOT ONLY UNDERNEATH HIM, BUT ALL OTHER THINGS WHICH INCLUDES SATAN AND HIS DEMONS.
AND THAT IS OUR GOOD NEWS! IF WE ARE UNDERNEATH GOD, THEN THAT MUST MEAN THERE CANNOT BE ANYONE OR ANYTHING BETWEEN GOD AND US? RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY!
THIS MEANS THAT SATAN AND HIS DEMONS ARE BELOW US. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY’RE AT THE BOTTOM! SATAN IS SUBJECT TO THE AUTHORITY CHRIST HAS INVESTED IN US.
WHY, THEN, IF THAT IS THE CASE, DOES THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS STILL EXERT SUCH NEGATIVE INFLUENCES IN THE WORLD AND IN THE LIVES OF CHRISTIANS? IN ONE WORD: LIE.
SATAN IS NOT AN EQUAL POWER WITH GOD; HE IS A CONQUERED FOE. BUT IF HE CAN DECEIVE YOU INTO BELIEVING HIS LIES THAT HE HAS MORE POWER AND AUTHORITY THAN YOU DO, YOU WILL LIVE AS IF HE DOES!
YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN AUTHORITY OVER THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, BUT IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT AND DON’T EXERCISE IT, IT IS AS IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THE GREEK WORD USED FOR “AUTHORITY” IN VERSE 19, WAS PURPOSELY CHOSEN TO PROVE TO US THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE AND USE GOD’S POWER!
THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT TO SAY THAT ALL WE HAVE IS JUST THE ACCESS TO GOD’S POWER IMPLYING THAT ONLY GOD IS AUTHORIZED TO DISTRIBUTE IT BECAUSE HE SOMEHOW DOESN’T TRUST US TO HANDLE IT PROPERLY.
THE AUTHORITY GOD GIVES TO US IS THE RIGHT TO RULE BASED ON OUR POSITION. YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO THE WILL OF GOD BECAUSE OF YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST.
IT’S AN AUTHORITY YOU COULD NEVER HAVE INDEPENDENT OF GOD, SO YOU NEED TO REMAIN DEPENDENT ON HIM IN ORDER TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY AND SUCCESSFULLY FROM DAY TO DAY.
I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS JUST, ONCE AND FOR ALL, GO BACK AND START OVER. START OVER BY MAKING THE CONSCIENCE EFFORT TO TAKE OUR ENEMY SERIOUSLY.
SINCE SATAN FELL FROM THE SKY LIKE LIGHTNING, WE HAVE BEEN AT WAR WITH THE ADVERSARY. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MOMENT WE COULD CALL “PEACE TIME” IN THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.
WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS SATAN’S CONSUMING DESIRE TO DESTROY GOD’S WORK, OUR LIVES, OUR WITNESS AND OUR MINISTRIES. HE WANTS US TO EVEN DESTROY EACH OTHER!
SATAN WILL DO WHATEVER HE CAN TO KEEP US FROM USING THE AUTHORITY CHRIST HAS GIVEN US. HE WANTS TO DEPRIVE GOD OF HIS GLORY AND TO KEEP US FROM GIVING THAT GLORY TO GOD.
IF SATAN CAN CAUSE GOD’S SERVANTS TO LIVE ESSENTIALLY POWERLESS LIVES THAT ARE NOT TO THE GLORY OF GOD, HE WINS ANOTHER BATTLE IN THIS WARFARE.
WHEN GOD IS ALIVE IN US AND WORKING THROUGH US, WE HAVE THE POWER TO OVERCOME ALL THE ATTACKS OF THE ENEMY. WE CAN, JUST LIKE THE SEVENTY, REJOICE THAT EVEN THE DEMONS ARE SUBJECT TO US IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
THIS IS WHY IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE CHURCH DOES EVERYTHING IT CAN TO KEEP FROM LOOSING SIGHT OF THIS CRITICAL TRUTH ABOUT WHAT GOD DID THROUGH HIS SON JESUS ON THE CROSS. WE CANNOT LOOSE SIGHT OF THE CLEAR BASIS OF VICTORY THAT THE CROSS SPIRITUALLY PROVIDES FOR US.
YET WE STILL FIND THOSE WHO WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH SPIRITUAL WARFARE. IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND EARS AND TRY TO DENY THAT SATAN’S SPIRITUAL FORCES ARE REAL YOU HAVE ALREADY LOST! DEMONS ARE EVIL. DEMONS EXIST!
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE SATAN FLEE AND THE DEMONS TREMBLE. GOD, THROUGH THE PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS, HAS GIVEN YOU HIS AUTHORITY TO USE HIS POWER TO ITS FULLEST TO BRING HIM THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE GLORY.
JESUS CHRIST, THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY OTHER NAME. THE NAME OF JESUS TO WHICH EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS IS LORD.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO RESIST THE DEVIL AND MAKE HIM FLEE! YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY, AS LUKE 10:19 SAYS, “OVER ALL THE POWERS OF THE ENEMY.”
JUST REMEMBER, SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS NOT A HORIZONTAL BATTLE THAT GOES BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL WHERE WE ARE "STUCK" IN THE MIDDLE.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS VERTICAL JUST LIKE THE CHAIN OF COMMAND IN THE MILITARY. GOD IS ABOVE ALL! HE IS THE COMMANDING OFFICER AND HE IS AT THE TOP.
BELOW THE COMMANDING OFFICER ARE THE SOLDIERS IN HIS COMMAND. WE ARE THE SOLDIERS OF CHRIST UNDER HIS COMMAND. THAT MEANS WE ARE NEXT IN LINE AFTER GOD WITH NO ONE ELSE IN BETWEEN.
UNDERNEATH US IS THE KINGDOM OF SATAN. SATAN’S KINGDOM IS UNDERNEATH US BECAUSE SATAN IS ALWAYS SUBJECT TO THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST. SINCE JESUS HAS GIVEN US HIS AUTHORITY SATAN IS SUBJECT TO US AS WELL BECAUSE OF WHOSE POWER WE POSSES!
TAKE THE GOOD NEWS WITH YOU AND GO REJOICING AS THE DISCIPLES DID KNOWING THAT THE FORCES OF EVIL ARE SUBJECT TO YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE AUTHORITY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY!
THAT IS WHY I LEAVE YOU WITH ROMANS 16:19-20, WHICH TELLS US, “…TO BE WISEABOUT WHAT IS GOOD, AND INNOCENT ABOUT WHAT IS EVIL. THE GOD OF PEACE WILL SOON CRUSH SATAN UNDER YOUR FEET. THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS BE WITH YOU.”
