Authority - 17

Let’s continue our discussion on righteousness and talk for a moment on the scepter of righteousness. In Hebrews 1:8 we read: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. A scepter is an emblem of authority. Being righteous as God is righteous gives you authority. The emblem of authority in the Kingdom of God is righteousness. Until you understand that you are righteous, that you are right with God when you are born again, you will not be able to exercise your authority and see results. Study righteousness for yourself personally until you get it, until you know it, until no one can take away from you the knowledge of who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus. You must be so sure of your righteousness that you could enter into a debate with the world’s greatest debater (and actually you do every day where satan is concerned) and come out of that debate more convinced than ever of who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus.

God’s eyes are open to your righteousness. He sees you as righteous. His ears are open to your prayers. He hears you as His righteous one, the one with rights in Heaven.

Every child of God has exactly the same standing with the Father God as Jesus because of what Jesus has done. And until you accept that as being a settled fact in your mind as it is in Jesus’ and God’s mind, you cannot experience the fullness of the victorious life while you are living here on this earth. God sees you the same way He sees Jesus. You are co-heirs with the Father with the same rights, the same privileges, the same access to the Father, because He is just as much your Father as He is Jesus’ Father. He loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. I know your human, earthly mind cannot accept that, but tell your mind to accept the Word of God as it stands. You will see a difference in the way you pray and the results you get in prayer. Prayer will become a privilege and an honor to stand before your Father and know that you can bring your petition before Him and He will grant it. That is an awesome feeling to know that God loves you and will answer your request.

You are God’s righteous one with certain privileges and rights.
In John 1:12 we read: Those who receive Jesus are given the power, the right, the privilege, the authority to become sons of God, even to those who believe on His name.

Because you have been made the righteousness of God and set free from the law of sin and death, you are dead to sin. Consider it done.

Let’s look at another thing Jesus has done for you when He redeemed you. He carried your sicknesses and diseases and your pain.

It’s God’s will for you to be well.

God has a covenant of healing with you. That was even spoke in the Old testament in Exodus 15:22-26 when he said that He is the Lord that heals you. And we must address the verbiage in that passage in verse 26 where we read in English that God would put none of the diseases on you that He put on the Egyptians. That verb is used in the permissive sense in the original language, which means that God has to permit whatever you permit to happen to yourself by your disobedience to Him. He has bound Himself to His Word. And His Word says that if you do not hearken to His voice and obey Him, disease will come, tragedy will come. Why? Because you have put yourself out in the open where satan and his curse exists. As long as you obey God and His Word, you are protected from all the sickness and disease that is out there in the world. The symptoms may come on you to get you to buy it, but don’t buy it. There has been a price paid for your healing by Jesus on the cross. So don’t buy sickness and disease when something else has already been bought for you.

In Deuteronomy 28:15,22,27,28,58-60 and 1 Kings 8:33-40, we see that sickness comes because of disobedience, which is sin. Sickness is part of the curse. Jesus took the curse for us, according to Galatians 3:13,14 so, as long as we are obedient to God and His Word, why should we submit to something which has already been taken care of for us? Rejoice, you are healed!
Let’s continue our discussion on righteousness and talk for a moment on the scepter of righteousness. In Hebrews 1:8 we read: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. A scepter is an emblem of authority. Being righteous as God is righteous gives you authority. The emblem of authority in the Kingdom of God is righteousness. Until you understand that you are righteous, that you are right with God when you are born again, you will not be able to exercise your authority and see results. Study righteousness for yourself personally until you get it, until you know it, until no one can take away from you the knowledge of who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus. You must be so sure of your righteousness that you could enter into a debate with the world’s greatest debater (and actually you do every day where satan is concerned) and come out of that debate more convinced than ever of who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus.

God’s eyes are open to your righteousness. He sees you as righteous. His ears are open to your prayers. He hears you as His righteous one, the one with rights in Heaven.

Every child of God has exactly the same standing with the Father God as Jesus because of what Jesus has done. And until you accept that as being a settled fact in your mind as it is in Jesus’ and God’s mind, you cannot experience the fullness of the victorious life while you are living here on this earth. God sees you the same way He sees Jesus. You are co-heirs with the Father with the same rights, the same privileges, the same access to the Father, because He is just as much your Father as He is Jesus’ Father. He loves you just as much as He loves Jesus. I know your human, earthly mind cannot accept that, but tell your mind to accept the Word of God as it stands. You will see a difference in the way you pray and the results you get in prayer. Prayer will become a privilege and an honor to stand before your Father and know that you can bring your petition before Him and He will grant it. That is an awesome feeling to know that God loves you and will answer your request.

You are God’s righteous one with certain privileges and rights.
In John 1:12 we read: Those who receive Jesus are given the power, the right, the privilege, the authority to become sons of God, even to those who believe on His name.

Because you have been made the righteousness of God and set free from the law of sin and death, you are dead to sin. Consider it done.

Let’s look at another thing Jesus has done for you when He redeemed you. He carried your sicknesses and diseases and your pain.

It’s God’s will for you to be well.

God has a covenant of healing with you. That was even spoke in the Old testament in Exodus 15:22-26 when he said that He is the Lord that heals you. And we must address the verbiage in that passage in verse 26 where we read in English that God would put none of the diseases on you that He put on the Egyptians. That verb is used in the permissive sense in the original language, which means that God has to permit whatever you permit to happen to yourself by your disobedience to Him. He has bound Himself to His Word. And His Word says that if you do not hearken to His voice and obey Him, disease will come, tragedy will come. Why? Because you have put yourself out in the open where satan and his curse exists. As long as you obey God and His Word, you are protected from all the sickness and disease that is out there in the world. The symptoms may come on you to get you to buy it, but don’t buy it. There has been a price paid for your healing by Jesus on the cross. So don’t buy sickness and disease when something else has already been bought for you.

In Deuteronomy 28:15,22,27,28,58-60 and 1 Kings 8:33-40, we see that sickness comes because of disobedience, which is sin. Sickness is part of the curse. Jesus took the curse for us, according to Galatians 3:13,14 so, as long as we are obedient to God and His Word, why should we submit to something which has already been taken care of for us? Rejoice, you are healed!

Authority - 16

Let’s continue our discussion on Jesus identifying with us in the Garden and on that cross at Golgotha. What does identification mean here? Jesus became identified with man when He came to the earth in every way so that He could destroy what man’s identification with satan had done. He became as us so that we could become as Him. He took our place. He was our substitute.

As Lord, Jesus knew what was in man’s heart without God. He realized what He must be made. He must suffer all of evil AS IF He actually committed sin.
He and sin would become one AS IF He were guilty.
He would become the totality of all man’s sins as his substitute.

Though Jesus never committed sin, or was guilty, He allowed Himself to be made sin in order to break its power over man. He as the innocent Lord must identify fully, become the same hellish, satanic nature as man, His body becoming mortal and subject to death. The revulsion of it all was almost more than He could bear. YET, He had learned OBEDIENCE.

Before Jesus came to the earth, He was the supreme authority of the universe. From His throne He issued commands and governed all creation. He laid all that aside, took on the form of man and the place of a servant and came to this earth in a human body which was prepared for Him. He submitted Himself totally to the authority of God and experienced what yielding to another meant. He denied His own will, didn’t please Himself, honored the law and learned the righteousness required of Him to keep the law and operate as a perfect human. The final obedience was submission to the full impact of being made sin for us and death.

Now, because of Jesus we have been made righteous. According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We have not just been credited with righteousness as Abraham and the Old Testament saints were but we have been made righteous.

In 1 Peter 2:24 we read that Jesus personally bore our sins in His own body on the tree, the cross, as to an altar and offered Himself on it that we might die, cease to exist, to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we have been healed.

The greatest blessing of being born again is being right with God, being righteous.

Being righteous doesn’t free you from persecution. The Bible says you will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Satan still tries in every way he can conceive to whip you if you let him. It’s your decision to believe him or to take authority over him. You have been given authority over the devil. He has no power except what power you give him. He has nothing over you. He has nothing in you. He is not a threat to you in any way. He attempts to convince you he is a threat by putting you in the pressure cooker, but that again, that is your choice. You don’t have to go into the pressure cooker. When he puts pressure on you, put the pressure on him with the Word of God. He hates that. He can’t stand a Christian who knows Who they are in Christ Jesus, who knows their authority over him. It irritates him no end to be told what to do. But you know what, he has to obey your order that you base on the Word of God.

And here’s another thing. When you sin, remember: Don’t run from God; run to Him. You’ve got on the breastplate of righteousness. You’ve been given righteousness as a gift (Romans 5:17). You are not to walk under condemnation. Your righteousness is of God. In Isaiah 54:17 we read: …their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. In Isaiah 45:24 we read: Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength.

God’s work in Jesus is greater than satan’s work in Adam. The righteousness you’ve received and enjoyed because of what Jesus did is stronger and much more powerful in the eyes of God, in heaven itself and in earth than the death and sin that happened when Adam joined forces with satan.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:34, Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. In Ephesians 5:14 he said: Awake thou that sleepiest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Yes, Jesus Christ will give you understanding of righteousness. He will make you strong in that knowledge and cause you to rise up to the fullness of the stature of Himself in you. So, today, rise up mighty man and woman of God and exercise your rights in God. He will back you all the way. He stands behind His Word. It has a lifetime guarantee, full warranty eternally.

Authority - 15

In talking about reconciliation, of being brought back to God, 1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us that we are not redeemed with corruptible things but by the blood of Jesus who was foreordained before the foundation of the world to die for us.

Christ gave His life a ransom for us and redeemed us.
In Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 we read: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In 1 Timothy 2:6 we read: …who gave himself a ransom for all….
From Webster’s dictionary we get this definition of RANSOM: To redeem from captivity by paying a price; redeeming of a captive by payment.
From Vine’s Dictionary we get this definition of RANSOM: A means of loosing (loosing you from satan’s hold, from his death grip on you); that which is lost must be redeemed by something of like value (Christ’s life for our life)

Then from Webster’s dictionary we get this definition for the word REDEEM: To rescue and deliver from bondage by paying a ransom (Look at 1 Peter 1:19---the ransom was the blood of Jesus).
From Vine’s Dictionary we get this definition for REDEEM: To release on receipt of ransom

In Galatians 3:13 we read that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law.

In Titus 2:14 we read: Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

In Isaiah 43:1 we read: …Fear not, for I have redeemed you----ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captive; I have called you by your name, you are mine.

We see from all of these verses so far that I have listed that Jesus Christ has redeemed you and me from that with which satan had put us into bondage. Jesus has rescued us, delivered us from the bondage of satan and all of his demons and works. Jesus has bought and paid for our release from satan. Jesus has paid the price to release us from captivity. That price was His own blood, incorruptible, not subject to change. And He was foreordained before the foundation of the world to do this. What a Savior! What a Redeemer! What a God! It was all finished before the foundation of the world in His and the Father’s heart and mind. Our redemption was already accomplished before Adam and Eve ever sinned. Isn’t God a planner! He was not willing that we should be without reconciliation to Him as our Father. He was not willing to do without our relationship with Him. Oh, how He loves you and me. He paid His all to give us all.

Jesus was made sin for us. We see that statement in 2 Corinthians 5:21. For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

What troubled Jesus’ soul unto death in the Garden of Gethsemane was this: It was the anguish of a perfect human who knew no sin to be passive—to accept being made sin; of not only being so identified with sin that fellowship with His Father was broken but also of becoming subject to satan and the subject of the Father’s loathing. He Who was Love was going to have to give up Love and become hatred. He Who was total Love and had never experienced anything but total love was going to have to give up being Love and knowing Love so that sin could take Him over. This was a voluntary thing, whereas Adam’s had been a controlled thing. Adam was tempted to give up what he had and yielded to the temptation. Jesus willingly gave up what He had. What an agony that must have been for my dear Lord. Thank You, Jesus, for what You did for me. It is more than I can comprehend, but, nevertheless, I thank You from the depths of my heart. And I purpose to love you all the days of my life.

The truth of the matter is that God the Father didn’t even see His own Son when He looked at Him because Jesus had become so totally identified with man that He became an object of loathing to the Father. The Father saw me on that cross; He saw you on that cross and punished your sin and my sin to the fullest in the person (substitute) of Jesus.

Authority - 14

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, delivered us from the powers of darkness, stripped demons of authority, and cast out the prince of this world. He gave His life as a ransom and reoccupied the territory for us.

Let’s look at what Jesus did for us.

He destroyed the works of the devil.
In John 1:3:8b we read: …For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy (undo, dissolve, loose, break, demolish, destroy) the works of the devil.
Two facts are clear here. Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the devil and He also brought satan to nothing, zero. In Hebrews 2:14,15 we read: Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power (dominion, strength) of death, that is, the devil; and deliver (release, redeem, set at liberty, set free) them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to (dominated by) bondage (slavery). In this scripture passage, the word destroy where the devil is concerned doesn’t mean he no longer exists. Here is what is means: to render or be entirely idle or useless; become or make of no or none effect, without effect; to paralyze; to render completely incapacitated; to render inoperative or powerless; reduce to zero; break the power.

Of course, if satan’s works would have just been destroyed and not satan dealt with, he could begin all over again. So, Jesus rendered him powerless (no power). Real salvation is this: Jesus abolished the works of satan and reduced to inactivity the one behind the works. And, according to Luke 10:19 He gave us the authority and power to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm or hurt us. Men and women of God, satan and his dominion over us as the sons and daughters of God is “0”, NOTHING.

All the works of the devil are summed up in this: Sin, sickness and disease, poverty, demons and evil spirits, death.

Sin: The law of sin
In Romans 8:2 we read that the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. We are free from satan’s laws because of Jesus Christ.

In Romans 3:10-28 we see a portrait of a man without God, controlled by the law of sin and death. This is not you if you have accepted Jesus as you Savior.
None righteous, none understands, none who seeks for God, all have turned aside, have become useless, none who does good, throat open sepulcher, use tongue for deceit, under lips poison of asps (the last three are words of mouth), cursed with bitterness, shed blood, destroy and are miserable, know no peace, do not fear God. What a horrible picture this is.
But Praise God!!!!!! We’ve been set free from the law of sin and death through the law of the Sprit of Life in Christ Jesus.

God was in Christ Jesus reconciling (bringing back) you unto Himself before you ever personally accepted Him. In Romans 5:8-10 we read: But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.

2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Authority - 13

Satan was taken by surprise by Jesus.

Before Jesus purchased permanent relief for all, He must first bind the strong man in the same say the strong man bound Adam. The same word Adam doubted now must work to force satan to acknowledge its authority on him. Satan had twisted God’s Word, using it to defeat believers and persuading them to question God. Christ used the same Word without doubt or hesitation to defeat satan, proving God meant what He said and said what He meant. Jesus ministered strictly under the authority of the Word. He did nothing except through the Word.

When Adam rejected the Word, he rejected God since God and His Word are one and indissoluble (not able to be dissolved). To deny the Word is to deny God. To believe the Word is to believe God. 2 Chronicles 20:20 Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established….

Jesus with the Word as His only weapon entered into satan’s territory, earth (satan controlled the earth and set up his kingdom on it BUT----------
Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, (He made it.) and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Psalm 50:12…for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.
Psalm 89:11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.
1 Corinthians 10:26 For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.

Jesus entered the earth and took away from satan all that he had relied upon. Jesus experienced for man all that man was helpless to withstand. Satan used everything he had on Jesus. Jesus didn’t rely on His heavenly abilities to win the battle, because He had given them into the Father’s hands when he came to the earth. He used exactly what Adam had been given by God the Father. He looked to His Father, fellowshipped with Him and listened to Him. Then He did what the Father showed Him to do and said what the Father told Him to say. He didn’t fight the battle on His own. He depended on the Father. He used the authority the Father had originally given to mankind, and because of the covenants God had established with mankind up to that time, he had the right to walk in that authority. He used His authority and took charge because He knew Who He was.

Now you can understand why the masses resisted Jesus and all the trouble He encountered. It was satan inspired. This was winner take all.

Whenever Jesus appeared and appears on the scene, that of satan must go. It is the same with you. Whe you appear on the scene with Jesus in you, that which is evil must go. It has no choice. There is no choice. Wherever God is, evil cannot stay in the same place. Wherever Love, Who is God, is, evil goes. Take charge and stand your ground. There is no need to cower in the corner. You have the upper hand. You have been given the power and the authority to use it.

When the strength of truth confronts a wall of lies, the wall must crumble.

Fear himself flees when LOVE HIMSELF comes on the scene.
Sickness flees when the HEALER comes.
Death loses its power in the presence of LIFE.
Error can’t stand around TRUTH
Doubt and unbelief bow to BELIEF.
Fear bows to FAITH
Poverty gives way to PROSPERITY.

Now you can see why Jesus came to this earth. It is more than just defeating satan, sin, death for us. It goes beyond that, to giving us reoccupation and victory. Not only did Jesus have an active part in doing this for us, but he handed it to us and said: Now, you do it. You enforce the defeat I have purchased for you. It is a done deal. It is a finished work. Be the occupation forces. Take charge. You are in control now. It is your territory to guard and reinforce the defeat of the enemy.

Authority - 12

From the point of the temptations in the wilderness on, satan uses every person and every means possible to destroy Jesus. But satan could find nothing in Jesus to nail him as He had done Adam. Jesus had no sin nature and was the Word. Therefore, He was full of the Word, full of God, and satan could find nothing to work on. Jesus said His life was His own to give and satan had nothing in Him (John 10:17,18 and John 14:30). Instead of satan finding anything in Jesus, satan would be judged, cast out. In John 12:31 the word judgment is the Greek word krisis, crisis, turning point.

Jesus spoke through out His ministry of people being released from satan’s kingdom. Jesus knew to whom you submit, you are subject to. That’s why it is so important to submit to Jesus’ ways and then you will be subject to Him----reaping the fruit of the love walk and acting as Jesus acts and saying what Jesus says and thinking what Jesus thinks. What I am saying here is that we must learn obedience before we can exercise authority.

In Luke 11:14-23 Jesus came to release men from the dark rule of satan by inviting man to willingly submit to Jesus and His kingdom. The meaning of these verses is this: Man was in a helpless, miserable condition as an unconverted man, an unregenerate man, a man without God. Satan and his whole government as the strong man had one goal-----to keep humans captive and subject to his desires. Jesus exposed him.

Satan was fully armed but Jesus disarmed him. Satan was carefully guarding his possessions, thus far undisturbed. But Jesus not only disturbed him; He defeated him forever and stripped him of all authority and took away the weapons of his demonic forces forever.

Unlike Adam, satan was carefully guarding his kingdom, or so he thought he was. But One greater than he came and took away his goods. And now you and I are greater than he is because greater is He Who is in us (Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit) than he who is in the world.

Jesus as the stronger One suddenly overtook satan. Even as Jesus was walking the earth before He went to the cross He was casting out demons, and satan’s authority was being challenged, overpowered and overtaken. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, satan was stripped of his armor of protection, and Jesus gave us His armor of Light. It says in John 1 that in God, Who was The Word, was life and the life was the light of men. The Light who said Light Be, in the beginning was back in the earth in the person of Jesus, legally, in a man’s body, about to take back everything that had been stolen illegally from man. And the wonderful part about this whole scenario is that satan could do nothing about it. He was already defeated before Jesus ever went to the cross. All Jesus had to do was carry out His Father’s commands and it was forever settled, stamped with the long-promised seal of the Holy Spirit that satan was defeated and man was once again free to be God’s dearly beloved child, His child with His power and His authority to use that power.

Satan had ruled mankind through doubts about God’s love and God’s ability to make good His Word to man. But Jesus showed a God of love and compassion, Who was willing to heal and deliver and bring a better life. He walked with love and joy and peace everywhere he went. People loved to be around him, as evidenced by the little children who flocked to his side wherever he went. He was fun and full of life that was spilling over into everything He did and over everyone who came in contact with Him. He was life personified on the earth, and people felt good when they were around Him. They wanted more of what He had. And so it should be with you and me. We are full of Jesus and His life and people should want to be around us and HIs life that is flowing out of us to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead from their spiritual deaths and physical deaths.

Authority - 11

Next let’s look at the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 17:1-5. This was a blood covenant. What I have is yours and what you have is mine, even to my life if the other has need of it. This is serious business here. God established a legal entry for Him once again to give man help to draw on God and His resources so the devil’s works could be destroyed. This covenant regulated how God dealt with Abraham and how Abraham dealt with God. (I remind you again to notice that each covenant gets stronger.)

The offering of Isaac was a result of the covenant between Abraham and God. Abraham was willing to give the life of his son for God and paved the way for God to give the life of His Son.

Then we have the Mosaic covenant which was a way of God blessing man and benefiting him as He had intended if individuals would obey what God set up.

And now we come to Jesus, the miraculous conception of the Messiah, the Son of God, son of man in one being. Through the various covenants and the voice of the prophets God had set in motion the coming of Jesus, the deliverer from all that satan had stolen.

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6,7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Matthew 1:20-25
What the angel of the Lord said to Joseph:
That which is conceived in Mary is of the Holy Ghost. She shall bring forth a son named Jesus: he shall save his people from their sins.
This was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Luke 1:26-38 is the story of the miraculous conception, the virgin birth, the incorruptible seed of the Living Word of God conceived in the spirit, then manifested in the natural realm. The door of legal entry into the earth is being born of a woman. John 10:1,2----satan’s entry to earth was illegal. Jesus’ entry to earth was legal.

The Word of God had prophesied of Jesus’ death and its significance in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.

At Jesus’ baptism, satan’s guesswork had ended regarding who was going to take his authority. So, he set about to get Jesus to surrender to him just like he had caused Adam to surrender to him. Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted of satan in three areas that man had fallen. In temptation 1 when satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread, this represented the lust of the flesh and the surrender of the prophetic office. In temptation 2 when he told Him to go up on the highest pinnacle and throw himself down and it wouldn’t hurt him, this represented the pride of life and the surrender of the priestly office. In temptation 3 when he told Jesus to bow down and worship him, this represented the lust of the eyes and the surrender of the kingly anointing. Each time Jesus used the Word to defeat the temptation. It is written, it is said, it is stated. Jesus gave us the example of the way to defeat temptation every time, regardless of what kind of temptation it is, whether adultery, stealing, gossip, lying, the temptation to be sick or give up or surrender our will. We use the Word of God and take the authority God has given us to defeat satan in every area. We can use God’s Word of authority against all problems. IT IS WRITTEN-----THEN SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD THAT APPLIES TO THE SITUATION.

Authority -10

Now, let’s do our study of the individual covenants. We’ll start with the Edenic covenant. Man was told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. He was to subdue the earth. He was to rule over, have dominion, exercise authority over every living thing that moves on the earth, but not one another. God gave him food to eat. Man was told to cultivate and keep (guard) the Garden of Eden. Man was not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but he could eat from all other trees. That was the covenant between the two of them. Adam was to tend the Garden and to spread it all over the earth. God, in turn, was to take care of Adam and supply everything he needed.

Here are the conditions of the Adamic covenant. The serpent was cursed more than any animal in Genesis 3:14. It would crawl on its belly. It could have been upright before the fall or this could be figurative in regard to its position of loathing now. It will eat dust all the days of its life. This could also be figurative of the snake’s position of degradation now.

In verse 15, satan would be taken care of—judged when Jesus the Messiah came to bruise his head, take away his authority. In John 12:31 and Luke 10:18, this is the judgment referred to by Jesus. But meanwhile satan would enjoy a degree of success in people’s walk on earth (bruise his heel). Also the serpent hurts man by biting his heel since he is on the ground. Satan who was once in God’s kingdom is brought low.

In verse 15 there is the Messianic prophecy—the first proclaiming of the gospel.

In verse 16 woman’s curse because of sin and disobedience is that there will be pain in childbirth, her sorrow will be multiplied, her births will be multiplied because there will need to be more births since older people will die, and she will be made subject to her husband. In verses 17-19 man would be under a curse because Adam listened to the voice of his wife rather than the voice of God (Who had already told him what to do about the fruit of Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil). The Tree of Life represented walking with God and experiencing His life. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represented doing it your way and depending on self independently of God---no life in that.

The ground would be cursed because of Adam. He would have to toil to get food by the sweat of his face to have to get rid of thorns and thistles. He must work all the days of his life.

In verse 19 physical death came; the body would decay and return to dust.

In verse 21 God provided a covering; blood was shed because of His great love for the man He had created. Covenant was established. Man’s own efforts to cover himself----sewn fig leaves----was a futile self-effort.

These verses in Genesis 3 look toward redemption and Jesus, the Messiah. The curse came; Jesus became a curse for us. Thorns grew; He was crowned with thorns. Man had to sweat to get anything to eat; Jesus sweat great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sorrow came; He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Subjection came; in Christ there is no male or female or distinction among people. Pain came; He bore our pain. Death came; He became obedient unto death.

Now let’s look at the Noahic or Noachian covenant, which was for the preservation of the human race. There was one major addition to the Adamic covenant. Man was given the responsibility to set up his own governing tools under God’s divine guidance to deal with sin and the results of sinful acts. Be fruitful and multiply (same as Adam). Animals will fear man now in addition to man having dominion over animals. Man can now eat flesh of animals in addition to green plants but must drain the blood. Whoever sheds man’s blood is to be put to death. God told Noah He was establishing this covenant with him and his descendants and every living creature. All flesh will never be cut off by flood again, nor a flood ever again to destroy the earth. And the sign of this covenant is a rainbow.

Authority - 9

While satan is wondering who the seed is, meanwhile God is paving a way to get back in contact with man to make a way for His Son Jesus to enter the earth.

Here is the progression.

Before the fall of Adam God has intimate fellowship with him. Revelation knowledge flowed. Adam gave in to satan. Therefore, he shut God out. God was on the outside looking in. Adam lost his authority. Satan became the god of this world system. God needed legal entry to get back into earthly affairs. How did He do it? He made covenants with man. In each covenant man had to make a step toward God, make a choice.

In Genesis 6:18 God made a covenant with Noah. Why did God make a covenant with Noah? Noah had a physical body, which gave him a certain amount of authority on earth. God had limited Himself in what He could do because of what He said in Genesis 1:26-28. God does have power to do whatever He wants to do but because of His Word He has limited Himself in certain things.

The dust of the earth no longer belonged to God, because Adam, God’s son, had handed His Father’s gift of lordship or ownership of the earth and himself over to satan. God couldn’t just wipe it all out and start over again. He had spoken His Word. God has bound Himself to His Word.

Adam had lost dominion. God had to move legally according to His Word already spoken. He had bound Himself. Therefore, God must work legally through man to gain back dominion for man. And the beginning of gaining back was the covenant with Noah. God started putting things in motion through this covenant in Genesis 9:8-17.

I want you to note something here in Genesis 11:1,6. Even in his evil state, when man was in unity, nothing could be restrained from him which he imagined to do. What a powerful truth for us today as God’s children, the Body of Christ. In unity all things can be accomplished; nothing is impossible of being performed. Oh that we would grasp this truth and walk in it. What a powerhouse we are in unity. And the only way to be unified is by love, because God is Love and Love is God.

Listen to verse 6 in the Amplified Bible.
And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible to them.

Listen to the definition of imagine. To form a mental image of; to represent or picture to oneself; to produce by the imagination. And listen to the definition of image. A mental representation of anything not actually present to the senses.

Now let’s look at the covenants God made with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before the fall. And look at the conditions of the covenant after the fall. Then we’ll look at Noah’s covenant and study Abraham’s covenant. We must understand a few points about covenant before we can go on. A covenant is between two people where the strengths of the two people are combined so that their weaknesses are covered. It was sworn in blood to indicate that it was eternal, everlasting, through the blood of their generations. Everything one person had belonged to the other and vice verse, once they swore in blood. Two representatives performed this covenant ceremony in front of all the people of the two tribes or families. There was an exchange of physical representations of their strength with one another. In the Bible, they shed the blood of animals, representing their own blood shed. In God’s kingdom, man does not shed blood for cutting covenant. Only in heathen groups was that performed. And there was always a covenant meal which was eaten as a final seal of the covenant that was sworn between the two groups. Jesus is our Lamb, whose blood cuts our covenant of blessing and the bread and the wine is our covenant meal. Hallelujah! We have covenant with Almighty God.

Authority - 8

The Tree of Life (Jesus for us) Adam had access to gives: a wholesome tongue, a gentle tongue with its healing power (Proverbs 15:4); righteous fruit from lips (Proverbs 10:11); wisdom (Proverbs 11:30); desire (desire makes you speak to bring forth fruit) (Proverbs 13:12)

The eighth results of Adam’s disobedience and fall was this: death was born. There are three kinds of death mentioned in scriptures. There is physical death which is separation of the inner man from the outer man, separation of man’s spirit from his body. There is spiritual death which is separation from God because of sin. There is the second death which is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.

When Adam was created, he was dependent on God for his spiritual life and was receiving life. When he disobeyed, he became dependent on satan and received death. Spiritual death came first and then physical death. The body was designed to live forever, recreate itself every 7 to 11 years. Not one cell in your body is there that was there 11 years ago. It took satan over 900 years to teach Adam how to die because He didn’t know how.

Here is a description from scriptures of the unregenerated man, the man without God. He compulsively follows the world system which is organized by satan and administered by him and man. This man moves according to the will of satan. He has no choice. He does as satan wills. He walks in the lusts of his flesh, an uncontrollable yielding to the desires of the world, the flesh and the devil. His inner man is corrupt and his outer man does what his inner man directs. By nature he is a child of wrath, born a liar, thief, deceiver, who refuses to accept the blame for his own problems.

He is a mortal (death-doomed) man, subject to the devil’s authority, custodian of children born for the devil, rather than God, (Man was given the beautiful assignment to give birth to God’s children.) living in pain, misery, sickness, defeat, frustration, anger, hatred, death, as an enemy to God with no approach to God (except by blood sacrifice later provided), mind veiled, blinded to God, to His will, to His ways, to His nature, no legal rights, a criminal without reprieve, by his own treason-----a sell-out to the devil.

What a horrible life to be chained to. But, God-----------
After Adam’s fall, God set about immediately to put in motion His plan to restore fellowship with His child and regain the child’s authority for him. God’s love would go to any means to do it. God seeks man and not vice versa. Thus, we have in Genesis 3:15 enmity between satan and woman, enmity between her seed and satan. The seed of the woman would bruise (break) the head (lordship of ruler, authority), telling satan eventually he would lose all he had gained but satan didn’t know how or when.

Here are the requirements for the challenger of satan.

First, the challenger had to be a real man, representing humanity, but at the same time must have standing before God that is free of guilt, fear, inferiority, condemnation, sin---a righteous man. He had to stand as Adam did, in righteousness.

Second, he had to be able to identify, understand and sympathize with man’s temptations and problems. He must be able to feel man’s frustrations and the force of satan’s nature drawing him, but he could not yield to satan’s pressures.

Third, he could not be subject to satan in anything, yet must identify with the works satan uses on men.

Fourth, as a man he couldn’t be born of natural generation.

Fifth, as man’s redeemed he had to be greater and stronger than satan.

The only way for these requirements to be met was this. Since only God is greater than satan and man is made in the image and likeness of God, this man must be born of the union of God and man. From woman would come the natural flesh of man. From God would come the seed, the source of life. He must be a genuine member of the human family, yet conceived by the Holy Spirit

Satan kept wondering who the seed was and tried to eliminate everyone he thought was the seed----Abel, Abraham’s two sons Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac’s two sons Jacob and Esau, Joseph, Moses, David, the prophets.

Authority - 7

What are the results of Adam’s disobedience?

First, satan gained Adam’s authority over the earth, everything God gave Adam authority over in Genesis 1:26-28. Satan didn’t get this earth which is still God’s. He got the authority over it, the lease. In John 14:30 and 2 Corinthians 4:3,4 satan is called the prince of this world, the political head of mankind and the kingdoms of this world. When Jesus was tempted, satan said the authority of this world has been delivered to me. Jesus didn’t refute it, either, so we know it’s true (Luke 4:5,6).

Second, there was a change in the nature of animals.

Third, there was a change in plant life, blight and pestilence and weeds.

Fourth, man took on satan’s own nature and disposition, polluting man’s mind, emotions, will. The treasure of God’s own heart was branded with satan’s nature, causing man to become God’s enemy. Man now bore the image of his new ruler, satan. God’s cherished child turned against Him. I can’t even imagine how God must have felt. He does have feelings. He loves greatly and deeply. BUT GOD HAD A PLAN, ESTABLISHED SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

Because of Adam’s forfeiting his relationship to God, the following happened. Revelation knowledge of God and His kingdom was lost. The senses of man became dominant. Man no longer depended on his spirit for guidance. Reason with its unbelief, doubts, and fears came alive. God’s ability in man was severed. Man’s word lacked authority and power because he was disconnected from the Word of God. Man became self-conscious instead of God-conscious. He became fearful of God. He who was crowned lord of the earth became a coward and a liar. Man was alienated from the life of God----his conscience was darkened (Ephesians 4:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4). In Adam we see all men separated from the life of God, alienated, strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope, without God in this world-----no life, no approach to God, no claims on God, having forfeited every privilege God gave him.

Man was now a partaker of satan’s nature, thinking, acting, feeling exactly as satan does—fearful, lying, deceptive, murderer, full of hatred and anger and self-importance, independent and looking to his own works to sustain him. Adam was satan’s subject politically, his child, resisting the will of God, rejecting the Word of God, deserting the way of God.

God seeks us because we cannot seek Him with satan’s nature in us (Romans 3:11). The merciful Father sought Abram while he was an idolator. He sought Jacob at Bethel when he ran. He sought the fugitive Moses when he ran. Christ sought His fearful disciples who forsook Him, after He was resurrected. The Chief Shepherd seeks lost lambs today. Man’s heart is the devil’s palace, his throne room, and the enemy uses man’s entire faculties as his own. From the heart of the sinner satan rules and works in children of disobedience.

Fifth, sickness and disease came.

Sixth, poverty is now present; needs are unmet; people are need-oriented.

Seventh, Adam lost the ability to control his tongue and to use it for good. Adam already knew how to speak blessings but the minute he partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he gained knowledge of how to produce calamity with the words of his mouth. Once Adam partook of the tree of good and evil, God had to get him out of the Garden of Eden before he partook of the tree of life and would live forever on the earth in his sinful state. Every evil person that was ever born would have lived forever as a hateful, sinful person. It would have been hell on earth. And satan would have succeeded in having for man what God had destined for him.

Authority - 6

Satan saw man as one of a kind and God couldn’t regain dominion without another one just like this man. And there was no other in satan’s reasoning. Satan felt he had it made. He’d get man to join him.

He approached Eve as the shining one in a serpent’s body (deception). Apparently the serpent had the natural power of speech. When it spoke to Eve, as Adam stood listening, neither one was startled. Serpent here is nachash and means to hiss, to whisper a magic spell; to shine, brassy, money. There is a link between nachash and Lucifer. Isaiah saw angels around the throne of God as so dazzling he called them “burning ones.” In Numbers 21:6 fiery serpents are called seraph nachash. One word is shining one; the other is shining star, so the serpent that met Eve was a bright, shining, splendid, upright creature with a voice that sang with the clearest musical tone.

Adam stood by and let satan deceive Eve. Adam let it happen. Adam was right there with Eve when satan came. He didn’t protect the garden from all intrusion (keep it) as he had been instructed by God. Adam stood there with all authority invested in him by God (as we have today to protect our hearts, our spirits, our spiritual Garden of Eden) to protect the Garden of Eden and all in it. Adam bowed his knee to an outlaw spirit and allowed the curse to come. He invited destruction. We see here again the implication for us today. There are many things we should not allow to happen, as Adam, but permit them to come to pass. God entrusts us with authority and ministry but that authority is not for us to use as we please, acting independently of God. The authority will work, but we are to act according to what God tells us to do, when He tells us, how He tells us to do it. We act as a team with God. The Holy Spirit guides us. The Word gives us our specifics. Jesus intercedes that it be done. The Father has already set it up to be done.

Satan’s mode of operation is this. This is the way he operates in us also. He attacks the goodness of God. He destroys confidence in God’s Word. He starts with a little doubt and then starts building a case of unbelief, sprinkled liberally with fear. Next, he casts doubt on your ability to be what God says you are. Satan can never get victory when you hold to and stay in the Word of God.

When satan said God didn’t mean what He said, satan was speaking out of his own heart’s desire to take God’s place. If he couldn’t take God’s place, he’d snatch the one closest to God.

Don’t ever act apart from God’s Word because if you act on your own, you leave the authority of the Word (Jesus is called the Word in John 1 and in Revelation.) and come directly under satan’s control.

Every person alive is either controlled by God through His Word or satan through disobedience to the Word of God. Jesus must be your Lord and you do nothing independently of Him, of what He tells you to do. Satan sinned by doing more than God ordained. Adam sinned by not doing what God told him to do. It was disobedience in both cases.

Adam’s sin was doing nothing when satan challenged his authority. By not using his authority, Adam lost it. Because he was not acting on his ability and God’s investment in him, he lost his responsibility. Adam allowed the enemy to challenge the government of God, which Adam represented on the earth, by not doing anything to stop satan. Therefore, Adam allowed himself to come under satan’s dominion by default. So, the earth belonged to satan legally and he had the right to confer it on anyone he wished, just as Adam did. Earth would remain his until someone stronger than he came and legally took it from him.

Authority - 5

Originally there was an army of created beings and Lucifer was placed in charge of all these. He was the anointed cherub. Then there were two other archangels that we know of---Gabriel who is called one of the chief princes in the book of Daniel, and Michael. Next were the seraphim which are fiery and purifying ministers of God. Next were the cherubim. Next were the principalities, powers, thrones, dominions. And now there are the satan’s principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and wicked spirits in heavenly places.

Let’s look at scriptures regarding Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. He was created perfect, holding full authority over heaven and earth. He took his place as the highest, most beautiful, most powerful, wisest of all God’s creatures (Ezekiel 12 and 15). He was in Eden, which was one of mineral beauty (v. 13), not the one Adam was in. Revelation 21:19,20 is nearly a parallel passage. The magnificence of this great ruling angel is obvious. He had a definite beginning. We see he was created. He was a creature of praise; beautiful sounds came from him.(v.13&15). He was the anointed cherub----one of a kind (anointing indicates a covering; anointed here means with outstretched wings, outspread). He was the protecting cherub with spread-out wings covering the throne and presence of God. The present application for us here is: satan lost his covering and tries to get us to lose ours or never to walk in it through lack of knowledge. He tries to rob you of your anointing.

In v. 16 merchandise (something that passes through hands) here is heaven’s merchandise which apparently passed through Lucifer’s hands----praise and worship was carried to God, and authority was carried from God to angelic armies.

In v. 15&17 iniquity here that was found in satan was the result of not being able to handle the glory of God, being intoxicated with his own beauty and power, position and authority, seeing self as equal to God, with pride emerging to try to keep some praise for himself. Sin was born and evil began through self-exaltation.

In Isaiah 14:12-14 we hear the self-exaltation. I will ascend to heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God (One of the main purposes of heaven’s great multitude is to glorify God. Lucifer wanted to be above that.). I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north (He wanted to be the governing one over all angels who administered in heaven.). I will ascend above the heights of the clouds (Clouds here represent the glory of God and His throne.). I will make myself like the Most High—El Elyon, the Most High God, Possessor of Heaven and earth. What satan wanted was for God to step aside so that satan could be possessor of heaven and earth.

Even though satan was an angel, he was obviously created as a creature with power of choice, free will, volition. The fact that one-third of the angels followed him in his rebellion reveals their ability to choose and make decisions. Apparently satan also was made with emotions, will, intellect through which he could plan obedience or rebellion, whichever his desire. He could have rejected the temptation had he so desired. He chose rather to mull it over until it conceived action.

What happens to satan can happen to us when we selfishly want the glory for ourselves and pride creeps in. The moment we exercise our wills to keep some of God’s merchandise (praise, worship, glory) for ourselves, sin is born.

After Lucifer’s rebellion, he was shut out of heaven and cast down to earth, apparently between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. The earth was created in verse 1 and God doesn’t create anything without form and void. According to scholars, the word “was” in verse 2 should read “became.” There was a great catastrophe between verses 1 and 2, which is apparent from Isaiah 45:18. The answer appears to be the judgment of satan. When Lucifer fell, darkness covered the face of the deep, as God withdrew His Glory. He who wanted to rule ruled over nothing except a chaotic mess. When he was cast to the earth, of course, he would bring his nature to it. The only source of life withdrew His life. When Lucifer was cast out, chaos was the result. He underwent a name and character change. He became satan, accuser of the brethren, adversary of God, author of evil. This was he who watched on as God created man.

Satan’s dream was to be like God. He heard God say that man was going to be like God. Satan saw a way to get back at God and gain control. God had told man one thing he couldn’t do. Satan would get man to do the same thing he had done, act independently of God, act on his own and disobey.

Authority - 4

How was Adam to subdue the earth? Today we will talk about that.

Since Adam was an exact duplication of God’s own kind, he was capable of operating on the same level of faith with God. God didn’t make earth out of nothing. He made it out of the substance of FAITH. Compare Genesis 1:1 to John 1:1-3----In the beginning, God----In the beginning was the Word. The Word was God. All things were made by Him. (All that is written down in our Bible was originally in the heart of God. The Bible, God’s personal word, is the heartbeat of God.)

God created earth with words (Hebrews 11:3). God releases faith in His words. God uses His words as containers (carriers) of His faith; His words are containers to carry His faith. Likewise, my words as His child are containers, carriers; if they are God’s words; they are carriers of God’s faith and produce results. Have the God-kind of faith we are told in Mark 11:22-24. Have faith in the words you speak, that they will bring results.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What you fill your mind full of, what you think on, dwell on, ponder and mull over (meditate) is what you put in your heart also. Your heart is full of what you have thought on. God’s words are filled with faith. Therefore, the more filled with His Word we are, the more filled with faith we are. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Word of God opens our ears to hear and hearing ears have faith. The substance of faith in Hebrews 11:1 is the Word of God.

Things we see with the natural eye are temporal (temporary, not lasting); therefore, they are subject to change. You can take your faith which is eternal, not subject to change, and change temporal things of the earth.

Adam was supposed to have dominion over the earth by releasing His faith in words just as God had done with His words. God’s faith was transported by words. We must realize that God didn’t create things the way they are today. Satan perverted them.

In order to understand the Bible, we must realize that God is our heavenly Father. He is not the author of death, evil, calamity, sickness and disease, poverty, lack, want, defeat, failure, depression, etc. These things are perversions caused by satan when Adam bowed his knee to satan and gave him the authority God gave Adam. God is not the author of death, but life.

We need to look at two words here: keep it and subdue. In Genesis 2:15 we see the words “keep it,” which is shamar---protect, hedge, guard. In Genesis 1:28 we see the word “subdue,” which is kabash----conquer, subjugate, tread down. These words were spoken to Adam by God because God knew whom Adam would come face to face with. It was Adam’s responsibility to protect what God had given him and make satan subject to his authority as God’s child just as Adam was subject to God’s authority.

When satan heard God say that man would have dominion over all the works of God’s hands, that meant over satan also. And he wasn’t about to submit to man. Instead, he would attempt to rob man of what God had given him.

In order to understand what was at stake here for satan, let’s look at who he is. Before he rebelled against God, satan’s name was Lucifer----son of morning, light bearer, star of the morning, daystar, the shining one, very beautiful. After the rebellion he was satan----accuser of the brethren, adversary (one turned against another with a design to oppose or resist him) of both God and man.

We must understand that man didn’t turn against God or resist Him until the nature of satan entered him. Jesus called satan the prince of this world. Paul called him the god of this world. Adam gave satan this position by his defecting, his rebellion, his disobedience. And Adam became just like satan, which is what satan’s intent was.

Authority - 3

The object of the Father heart of God was for us to be His companion and under-ruler over all the works of God’s hand. God’s intention was that He rule in Heaven and His man rule on the earth. In Genesis 1:26,27 God declares man be like Him and given dominion over all earth. In Psalm 8, man, represented by Jesus, was made ruler over all the works of God.

All creative life is in God. He chose to share that ability with man. We became the custodians of His life and joy. Imagine how upset religious people would be if we began the Lord’s prayer with “Our Daddy which art in heaven.” He is our abba, our daddy, intimate and loving. This very thing, man’s limited concept of creation, why he was created by God, limits his understanding of the new creation, the born-again experience, salvation.

Get a vision of how much God loves you, hovers over you to protect, bless and guard you. God patiently watches over you and cares for you as you develop, growing into His likeness and being conformed to the image of Jesus.

Let’s do a comparison of the likenesses and differences of man to other creatures.

Here are the likenesses. Man is called a living soul in Genesis 2:7. Fish, birds, and land animals are called living creatures in Genesis 1:20,21,24,30. There is a footnote to verses 20 and 30----life: living soul. Man has the breath of life and all creatures have the breath of life (Genesis 7:22).

Here are the differences. Man’s breath of life was God’s life personally breathed intimately, coming directly from the mouth of God. Make note here that the Lord formed (moulded – Heb. vayyitzer) man in Genesis 2:7. Forming is not creation. Forming is taking an existing substance and making something out of it. God took the dust of the already existing earth He created and formed something from that substance----man. Created means to bring into existence. Then God breathed life into Adam. That’s where creation came---God breathed into man’s nostrils the Spirit of God (zoe, God life) and man was brought into existence----created.

The second difference is this. Male and female mankind were created at separate times, whereas, with all other creatures, both were created at the same time. Animals function by natural mating instinct. Man is to be moved by love and strong moral responsibility by choice.

The third difference is this. Man is not patterned after any existing model. He is a direct transcript of God. He is patterned after God. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus and then look at yourself. Look at these scriptures concerning Jesus. Colossians 1:15----Who is the image (revealer) of the invisible God; Hebrews 1:3----express image of His person (Father), perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature; 2 Corinthians 4:4----Christ, Who is the image of God; John 14:9----He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; John 12:45----He that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me; John 1:18----No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He had declared Him (revealed Him, brought Him out where He can be seen, interpreted Him, made Him known).

The fourth difference is this. Here is the full picture of man God created. It’s our spirit, our inner man, which is created in the image of God. Through our spirit we are GOD-CONSCIOUS. Man has a living soul with a will for the power of choice, the ability to choose actions; with emotions, an emotional being that can appreciate and feel (actions of the inner man find their channel to express that inner action through the emotions); and with a mind which is highly developed. Adam named every creature God made. This mind can fellowship with an all-knowing God. It is through the soul that man is SELF-CONSCIOUS. Man has a body. It is through the body that man is EARTH-CONSCIOUS, SENSE-CONSCIOUS.
Adam, man, was created as a perfect human being, neither mortal (death-doomed) not immortal (unable to die). The way to see what Adam was like before the fall is to take a look at Jesus on the earth. Jesus was exactly what Adam would have been (1 Corinthians 15:45,49

Authority - 2

The power of God is delegated to us. In Matthew 28:18 we read that all power (authority) is given unto Jesus in heaven and in earth. He then says that we therefore are to go and teach all nations because He is with us always. These are Jesus’ last words, instructions to us. Jesus is saying: All authority in heaven and earth is given to Me. That authority is yours as you go.

In Ephesians 1:22 and 23 we read that the Father has put all things under the feet of Jesus Christ and given Him to be the head over all things to the church which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Jesus as the Head directs the maneuvers. We carry out His instructions as His Body here on earth. Some instructions (laws) are already set up. Other instructions are issued on an individual basis. What is important here is that we recognize the authority of God over us and at the same time our authority over satan.

In the first three chapters of Genesis we find the reason for man’s existence; his relationship to God; the exalted position granted man; the truth about man’s fallen state; the devices of satan and the key to the rest of the Bible. It is this. God set in motion the redemption of mankind in the Old Testament. In the New Testament we have redemption. The whole Bible is the story of God wooing back the man that He loves and setting the stage to do it.

In Genesis 1:26-28 we hear God say: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (exact duplication in kind) and let him have dominion (supreme authority) over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over the cattle, over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Then God speaks to man what He is giving him. These are the first and most important words man will hear. And God blessed them and said to them: Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, over every living thing that moves on the earth. Here God is empowering man (blessing) and equipping him.

The earth is to be in subjection to man and man is to have the highest authority over every living thing.

The universe is created for the earth; the earth is created for man; man is created to rule the earth. In Genesis 1:26 God duplicated Himself in man. Man is a replica, a copy of God. God is the original; man is the copy. Adam was an exact duplication of God’s kind—to be god of the earth. The whole law of Genesis is this: Everything produces after its kind. Therefore, since God is a Spirit. Then it follows that man is a spirit.

You are not equal to God in His divine attributes. You are not God. However, you are a spirit being under authority and subordinate to God. Adam was under authority of God, and given authority to be god over the earth. An exact duplication of God’s kind would be: God is a Spirit. Man is a spirit. The human spirit contacts God Who is a Spirit. Man is a spirit; he has a soul; and he lives in a body.

Man was created out of a Father’s heart of love for a family, for sons and daughters through whom He could reveal and express Himself. Ephesians 1:4,5 says that He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. He made the family plan available to us to be adopted as His children according to good pleasure of His will. John 16:27 and John 17:23 says that the Father Himself loves us. Here are a few other scriptures that you can look up on your own which relate to the Father’s heart for us----Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 6:8,25-32, 7-11.

What God really wanted was a family affair----God and Son, Inc.----the same image, the same likeness, son, heir----as much like God as possible without being Him----in other words, His offspring, His child.

He wanted someone to fellowship with Him Fellowship: Koinonia----Participation and sharing of oneself; companionship and intimacy among equals

Authority - 1

For the next several weeks we are going to talk about the authority you have as a believer. I see a definite need for review of our authority considering the days in which we are living.

In Matthew 8:5-10 we have the classic example of the centurion who was under authority and who was in authority over others. He understood authority, and Jesus used him as an example of the understanding of authority. Jesus pointed out that this centurion exercised the highest form of faith when he said: Speak the Word only, and my servant shall be healed. He knew that results must come when the one with authority speaks. Whatever He speaks, must be done.

Likewise, we as believers must know God—the authority we’re under and what He has done—to be able to exercise authority. Then we will understand authority. Also, we must learn to use our God-given authority by speaking the Word of God against the circumstances of life. Those circumstances will conform to God’s Word. Take your faith and take authority over circumstances and change what tomorrow brings for you.

Knowledge of this truth in the previous paragraph will set you free from the dominion of circumstances over your life.

Let’s look at the word authority and the words dominion and power. We must understand all three words. First, look at the word “power.” Power is the ability to perform. It is the energy available to make something work. Next, look at the word “dominion.” Dominion is supreme authority. Supreme means: Not exceeded by any other—holding power which cannot be overruled. And finally the word “authority.” Authority is the right to exercise power. It is lawful permission to execute power. It is the ability to bring judgment or justice for or against. Jesus had full power as a man and the ability of God to execute judgment FOR us AGAINST satan.

The value of authority depends on the force behind the user. So, the power is the force, the energy, the ability. And authority is the release of that energy, that ability, the exercising of that energy, that ability.

Adam’s authority was the direct power and ability from God which gave him dominion.

And we have our classic example of authority and power in the natural realm. You have a policeman who is not powerful enough to stop traffic but the authority of who he represents stops traffic. His badge represents, carries authority. Yet any one car out there is much more powerful than the policeman. Now, take that same policeman. Put him in a tank, and he not only has authority to stop traffic but also he has the power to do so if necessary.

We have authority here on earth because of being born here in a body. The authority is delegated---issued---to us by Jesus—the right to do what we do. The power is given us by the Holy Spirit. His ability brings it about. Our physical body gives us the right, the authority here on this earth. The Holy Spirit gives us the power.

God Himself is the force (power) behind our authority (right). You are made righteous (right with God) to exercise that power.

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. We are not talking about being self-reliant. We are talking about relying on God for our power to exercise authority. We as believers must be thoroughly conscious of God’s divine power behind us and the authority He has given us to face the enemy without fear, panic, dread, doubt, unbelief. These are voices of a stranger that we do not follow.

We must be positive that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). He that is in us is the Godhead—Father, Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2:9,10 tells us that in Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And we are complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power. The Father is in you (John 17:23). Jesus is in you (John 14:20). And the Holy Spirit is in you (John 14:17).

The Power Of Multiplication - 2

Since the God of increase is in us, then we must know that, as we said yesterday. But knowing something is not enough. We must know how to use what we know, how to effectively do what we have the ability to do. That is where the Holy Spirit does His part. He teaches us how to prosper. He teaches us how to increase. He teaches us how to multiply. He is our teacher, and He loves to teach us how to access what is already inside us in our spirits.

Oh, our spirit man is so full of things we have never even known about in the past, but we are learning. Oh, God is so big. He is so great. He is so awesome. He is so magnificent. He is all-powerful. I want you to get this concept. He is in you and me when we are born again. He has total power that He has given to us to operate while we are here on this earth as His representatives. We must know how to do it.

We have a how-to-do-it-manual called the Bible. He has given us the instructions on what to do. It is up to us to learn it, believe it and do it. I believe every word in the Bible. But my true test comes when I must do that word. I can believe and not do. Doing is a whole other step. It is action based upon what we believe.

How much do you believe the Bible for your personal life? Will you stake your life on it and what is in it? Are you willing to stand on what the Word says when everything around you is saying the opposite? Are you willing to act on what the Bible says when everyone around you is saying it can’t be done, when everyone around you is telling you that you better not get too far out, you better stay balanced; don’t take any risks. The Word of God is not risky at all. It is just that man has thought so long in terms of the world’s way to solve problems that God’s people have bought into the same deal. Our first thought should be: What does the Word say? Whatever it says, that is what I am going to do. That is what brings the results to my life----doing the Word.

Let’s look at scriptures on increase and multiplication so that we can begin to confess them and put them into our spirits.

1 Thessalonians 3:12
And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you.
With God’s power of multiplication, increase in us, we will increase and excel in love, abound in love. How does that happen? We have faith that God’s Word is true. That is exactly what will happen to us---we will increase in love.

How about this scripture in the Old Testament which we quote? Remember Isaiah 40:29. Read it in the Amplified Bible.
He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].
When we understand that the power of God’s ability, His might, His power of increase and multiplication is in us, we will receive His strength, which continually is multiplied in us, in our physical body, in all of our lives. When we are weary, we need to remember this scripture.

Colossians 2:19 tells us that we increase with the increase of God. In other words, we grow in the Spirit of God. He causes us to grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7 also tells us that it is God that gives the increase. They were talking here about people who are won to the Lord. One plants and one waters, but it is God Who gives the increase. Yes, the Word is planted in us by someone or by us declaring the Word and then it is watered by the Spirit of God and He gives us the increase, the results of the Word and the Spirit together producing. Think of it. The God of increase dwells in you right now.

This brings us to a subject about which people have many teachings and opinions. We are to give God a portion of all our increase. He is the One Who produced the increase for us. Our tithes are our way of saying: Thank You, Lord, for bringing what you have brought into my life. It is a form of thanksgiving. Thank You, Lord. I give you thanks.
Let’s end our teaching today with a short confession:

Thank You, Lord, for coming to me with the power of multiplication. I am so grateful that I know You. I am so thankful for Your multiplication in my life so that I can be a vessel of multiplication, increase and growth for others. Oh, Lord, you are so good to me and I am thankful for Your power being in me. That power is Your love personified in the person of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for teaching me about Your Love and as a consequence about Your power which causes increase in my life on a daily basis. Thank You.

The

The Power of Multiplication - 1

When you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, His power, which is His love, which is His nature is given to you. And in that power is multiplication, never destruction or subtraction. You have been given the power of multiplication. That is what God’s power does for you.

God’s original word to Adam when He created him was: Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. God duplicated Himself in Adam and of course Adam would have the power of multiplication in his life because he was a child of God. Do you know that Jesus has gotten that type of power back for us? When He died on the cross, when He rose again, when He ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that all power in heaven and earth was given to Him. Then He made the statement: Go ye therefore. He made that statement because the understood meaning was that now we can go into all the world and do what He did because His power is in us and on us now----His power, the power of multiplication.

Everything we touch is blessed and prospers. Everything that is associated with us should be in the increase mode. If it is not, then we are allowing satan to lie to us about what we are capable of doing in the Lord, with His anointing upon us and in us.

We see in the Old Testament in Genesis 22:17 and in the New Testament in Hebrews 6:14 that God said to Abraham: In multiplying I will multiply your seed. In multiplying I will multiply you. This is God speaking. He cannot lie. He is making a statement of fact, which is for us as well as Abraham’s physical descendants. Remember that in Galatians 3:16 and 29 we are told that to Abraham and His seed were the promises made. God said: Not to seeds as of many but as of one----to your seed, which is Christ. And if you be Christ’s then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. We who have accepted Jesus Christ into our life are Abraham’s seed. So here is a promise to us also. In multiplying I will multiply you. In multiplying I will multiply your seed.

Exactly what does it mean to multiply. Let’s look at the dictionary and see what it says----to grow or increase, to spread. We see in Acts 12:24 that the Word of God grows and multiplies. Of course God’s Word grows and multiplies because God is a God of multiplication. It is the power of multiplication that He produces wherever He is. The same is true of us or should be. Multiplication is a power where God is concerned. It is a force. It cannot be stopped. Multiplication is inevitable wherever God shows up, wherever you as His child show up. Multiplication is to be expected.

The devil is so afraid you will learn about this concept because that means that you will no longer be poor but will be wealthy. He thinks that he controls the wealth of the world and he does to a large extent because God’s people have ignored something that they can use to get the gospel out to the nations. But more than that. Money is just a tool. It is not an end-all for anything. Multiplication is a power. It can be applied to money. It can be applied to health. It can be applied to relationships. It can be applied to marriages. It can be applied to raising children. The more you grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God, the more you increase in understanding of Who God is and Who He is in you. And increase comes in every area of your life. Why? Because you are thinking the way God thinks and acting the way God acts. He thinks and increase is the result. He speaks and increase is the result. That is just the way it is.

In Psalm 115:14 we see that the Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Increase is the result wherever God is. He is increase. And we see here that He will increase you more and more and your children. If increase Himself is in you with His power of increase and multiplication, then you will increase. It is an obvious result. What is in you is what will produce.

So what is the problem? Why don’t we see God’s people increasing in every area of their lives? It is lack of knowledge of Who God is and what He has made available to us by virtue of Him dwelling in us. It is all about Him, and not about us. The part we play is in cooperating with Him Who dwells in us. We must know something first before we can operate in it.

Jesus Is Lord

Is Jesus Lord of your life?

I woke up this morning with the Lord speaking to me about lordship, about Him being the Lord in every situation in my life. I thought He was Lord of my life, but you and I both know that when He poses a question to you, what you thought you were doing right needs some fine tuning.

I heard someone once say that if He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all. And I saw several areas in my life where He is not Lord.

What do we mean by Lord? What exactly does that mean for me personally in my relationship with Jesus Christ? According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, the word “lord” is supposed to be compounded of the word “half,” which means loaf and the word “ford,” which means to give. So lord has the interpretation of bread-giver. We could camp here for quite a while. Remember Jesus said that He was the Bread of Life that had come down from heaven. We are to feed on Him. In Psalm 23 we read that He is our Shepherd to feed us and guide us and shield us.

“A lord is a master, a person possessing supreme power and authority, a ruler, a governor. In Scripture, the Supreme Being; Jehovah. When Lord, in the Old Testament, is printed in capitals, it is the translation of JEHOVAH, and so might, with more propriety, be rendered (Jehovah). The word is applied to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit…Christ is called the Lord of glory and Lord of lords.”

In Strong’s Concordance, references to the word Lord take up page after page. You may want to do a study on the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the scriptures for your personal Bible study. You will be in awe of the number of references to Lordship. I believe God is trying to get something across to us.

I pose the question to you today? Who or what is lord of your life? Let the Holy Spirit take an inventory. Is it the accolades of man? Is it money? Is it comfort and convenience? Is it your husband? Is it your children? Is it your job? Is it your pastor? Is it your best friend? Is it sickness and disease? Is it your favorite doctor? OR IS HE JESUS? I know that I am allowing the Holy Spirit to show me those areas that He wants to deal with and make God #1.

Let’s look at some examples of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the scriptures.

As far as I am concerned, the first and the greatest and the most wonderful thing that I have in my life is God’s eternal life, His Life, His zoe. And Jesus Christ is Lord over my life by virtue of being the Lord of eternal life, which is in me as a born-again Christian.

Romans 5:21 tells us that just as sin reigned unto death in our lives now grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

According to Romans 10:9, we are to confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus. I know that if we will confess that Jesus is Lord of our lives every day when we get up, He will show us how to handle everything that comes our way that day. By confessing Jesus as Lord, we give the Holy Spirit of God permission to direct our life that day.

According to Romans 13:14, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. So we see from this scripture that as we make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives, it opens the door for Him to help us to make no provision for yielding to our fleshly desires which scream for attention. Did you know your flesh is like a spoiled child who has had its way so long that when it is denied, it screams to the top of its voice---give me your undivided attention? There is no way to overcome that except through Jesus Christ being in charge by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Romans 16:24 we read: the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. The fullness of God’s grace goes with His Lordship. His grace is His Love extended to us when we don’t deserve it but He still loves us anyway. When we make Him Lord of our lives in every area, then His Love is free to reign and He can do His work of taking care of the situation for us. Love reigns supreme in Jesus Christ because He is a member of the Godhead. And God is Love. He is nothing else but Love. Lordship is Loveship. Ponder this for a while.

This is just a short excerpt concerning Lordship in Romans. The Word of God is packed with references to Lordship. Apparently the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to get this understanding of what His Lordship in our lives will mean to us as children of the Most High God. It will definitely change our lives from failure to success, defeat to victory, fear to faith, confusion to wisdom and lack of love to love. Every day let’s confess JESUS IS LORD and allow Him to be in charge of our lives.

Before The Foundation of the World - Part 2

Everything of God, all His works, were finished before the foundation of the world. I know that our finite minds cannot always comprehend that, but it is true. In God’s eyes, everything is already finished that He will ever do. It is done. Jesus expressed it before He gave up His Spirit on the cross when he said: It is finished. He was verbalizing what His Father had already accomplished, what His Father had already done, what He and His Father had already seen in the Spirit.

We see in this passage of scripture that those who believe enter into the rest of the Lord, which is relaxing in His works already accomplished for us. It is not our responsibility to do it by our good works when He has already done all that needs to be done. Our part is to ask the Holy Spirit what we are to do to enter into the rest of the finished work.

Hebrews 4:3 Amplified Bible
For we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest, in accordance with His declaration that those [who did not believe] should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest; and this He said although [His] works had been completed and prepared [and waiting for all who would believe] from the foundation of the world.

In 1 Peter 1:19 and 20 we read that we were purchased with the blood of Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing. Before the foundation of the world He was ordained to shed His blood for us to remove our sins and transgressions and sicknesses and diseases and all the results of sin. What wonderful information we have here. Jesus Christ chose to die for us before the foundation of the world. I can just see Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit in the conference room of heaven making their plans before the foundation of the world. What planners. What a plan. You and I can be eternally thankful for their plan for us as mankind. I know that I am grateful for what the blood of Jesus Christ purchased for me.

1 Peter 1:19,20
But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.
It is true that He was chosen and foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you.

Once again, we see in the scripture in Revelation that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain before the foundation of the world. The lambs which were chosen each year from out of the flocks of the Israelites for the Day of Atonement (the day of blood shed to cover sins for a year) were to be without spot or blemish. They were representative of the Lamb of God Who was without spot or blemish, Who would shed His blood, not to cover our sins but to wash them away, to cleanse us from all sin. His blood was and is precious blood. His blood is the most precious price paid for us. We can now live free from sin and all its consequences.

Revelation 13:8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Isn’t it such an overwhelming thought to realize that God Almighty had us on His mind before He even made the world, before He even made us. He had everything planned in minute detail for our provision, regardless of what we would do. If you will consider this thought and ponder it, you will realize what a great love He had for you. He loves you so much that He was not willing that you should perish just because your forefather Adam and his wife disobeyed God. God is so desirous that you have the best, that you are free from the bondage that satan wants to put you in and keep you in. Today, as you read this Pearls of Wisdom, you are a free person, free from sin, free from sickness and disease and a prosperous person. Receive it today, even if it doesn’t look like it in the natural. Believe and receive.

Before The Foundation of the World - Part 1

As I was studying for my teaching tonight, I was researching the scriptures regarding "before the foundation of the world." Let’s discuss these scriptures today for our Pearls of Wisdom.

The Lord wanted to reassure each of us that all was in place before we were ever created, before the world was even created, before God Almighty stood up, stepped out and said: Light, be. And Light was. As we all know, the Light was God Himself, Love Himself, Who released what was inside Him by His spoken Word for His beloved man that He was going to create. What a God we have as our Father. He is our everything. He is our all in all. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present with us. And the best part of it is that HE LOVES US. He places no prerequisites on His love for us as we human beings sometimes want to do to others in our lives. He loves us, unconditionally, just the way we are.

Are you ready to see what God has provided for you before He even created your world that you live in, before He created you?

When Jesus was speaking to the people, He spoke in parables, revealing things that had been hidden until that time. He uttered things that had been hidden since the foundation of the world. No one had heard them until He spoke them. These were truths from heaven’s throne, carried in heaven’s Son, Jesus Christ and spoken out of His mouth. And like today, there were those who did not understand what He had spoken because they are perceived by the Spirit of God.

Matthew 13:34,35 Amplified Bible These things all taken together Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, without a parable He said nothing to them. This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world.

The Kingdom of God has been prepared for us from the foundation of the world. God has reserved for us the understanding of His way of doing things, of the way He operates since the foundation of the world.

Matthew 25:34 Amplified Bible
Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

The Father loved Jesus before the foundation of the world. Then, by logical conclusion, He loved us before the foundation of the world.

John 17:24 Amplified Bible
Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me [as your gift to Me] may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me [Your love gift to Me]; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

The Father chose us as His own before the foundation of the world. He chose all of us and then we have to decide whether we accept His choosing us. What a disappointment the Father must sense when one of the human beings He has created do not choose Him as their Father.

Ephesians 1:4,11 Amplified Bible
Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.
In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed before hand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,
(Part 2 tomorrow)