Bible Reading Plan for 2010

Nabal is dead. He is no longer our master; the marriage bond has been broken. We have our new David-Christ husband-nature and are free. For what? Listen to these words from Paul’s pen:

“Your old sin-nature died with the body of Christ on the cross and you are free from the law. This happened that you might be married to Another. I am speaking of Christ who was raised from the dead – that we might bring forth fruit unto God” (Rom 7:4 smf).

Married to another. Who is Paul talking about? Jesus! You have been freed from Nabal that you might be married to the Lord. You are a true spiritual Abigail – the Bride of Christ!

We have not been set free to live on our own as we might wish. We have been set free to live with another and respond to His great love for us.

Because of that love, we can trust Him completely and seek to please Him in every way. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” the Apostle John adds, “…and it is not a grievous and difficult duty” (John  14:15; 1 Jn 5:3 smf).

Seeking to please the Lord in all things means we will happily obey Him.

Because He is the Head and Husband of His Church – we will want to submit to His covering and authority.

Paul deals with this relationship in his Letter to the Ephesians: “Wives, submit yourself to your husband’s leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For the husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his Bride, the Church. He gave his very life to be her Savior.

“As the Church obeys Christ, so should a wife submit to her husband. Husbands, however, must love their wives as Christ loved the Church – his Bride – and gave up his life for her” (Eph 5:22-25 smf).

We clearly see that we have been set free that we might love and serve Christ and one another. Christ is the perfect husband, and it is our glorious privilege to be His bride. We should seek to serve and please Him in all that we say and do.

Paul goes on to describe what this means to him personally in his Letter to the church at Corinth:

“I am free in every way from the control of anyone. However, I have made myself a servant to every one that I might win them to Christ” (1 Cor 9:19 smf).

Paul was free from all to be a servant of Christ to all. He wanted no earthly relationships which might keep him from Christian service to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Paul’s great desire was not to please himself or even others, but the Lord alone.

This is Paul’s anxious and deep concern for us as well. He states it strongly and with great feeling when writing to the Corinthian church:

“I have a great concern for you with a divine jealousy. I have promised to give you to Christ alone. He must be your only husband. I want to give you to him as a pure and holy bride” (2 Cor 11:2 smf).

2. Wedding Vows Renewed

Dear Reader, this too is my concern for you. I have sought in this study to show you how you have been released from your Nabal-nature to be married to Another. As Abigail became David’s bride, so you are the Bride of Christ. As your divine Husband. He is forever yours, and you are forever His! As Abigail of old, may you ever seek to be a loving and loyal servant in the Kingdom of your Lord.

I feel this would be a right and proper time for us to renew our wedding vows to our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can follow the pattern which is found in Romans 6:11:

“I reckon [declare as so] myself to be truly dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ my Lord.

We will repeat these vows phrase by phrase as outlined below. Please picture yourself as looking right into the eyes of Jesus and speaking to Him from the depths of your heart:.

I (your name), reckon and declare myself…

To be dead unto sin…

But alive unto God…

Through Jesus Christ my Lord…

Who is my heavenly Husband…

Now and forever. Amen!

No wonder the Scriptures say there is great rejoicing in Heaven among the holy angels when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10). Another member has been added to the Bride of Christ! It is a time of joyful celebration, as it was when Abigail was married to David.

We too have found our David in Christ Jesus. One day our joy will be complete as we sit together at the “marriage supper of the Lamb.”

And the Scriptures promise us – with divine assurance – that we will all live together, happily ever after!

Always remember – and never forget:

YOU ARE MARRIED TO CHRIST FOREVER

Can you understand how Abigail’s story describes our dilemma as Christians?

Blessed with a lovely anointing, God was using her; but what a burden she bore. She was married to an unclean, uncouth, smelly drunkard who wouldn’t be kind to her or anybody else.

1. Our Old Nature Must Die

Like Abigail, we want to be under a husband like David. But we have a problem: we are married to Nabal, our old Adamic sin-nature – the flesh. Moreover, by the laws of marriage, we are bound to him as long as he lives. There is hope, however, for there is a David in our story. As we stated earlier, he is a type of Christ.

Our true desire is to be married to Him, to be the “bride of Christ” (Rev 19:7-9).

We want our Abigail personality to come to the forefront and be loved and motivated to divine purpose by being married to another – David (type of Christ).

We want to be sweet and gracious, but Nabal – our old sin nature – always shows up and makes it difficult. So much of the “flesh” seems to be seen and found in our marriage to our old nature.

Sometimes we fight against the devil and want to blame him for our fleshly displays. But he is not our problem; we are! It is our old sin nature which we received from our forefather – Adam.

No matter how hard we try to live a life that will be pleasing to God, we fail sooner or later. The harder we try, the greater our failure. We just can’t get free from our old  “Nabal-nature,” nor can we change him, Nabal cannot and will be be reformed.

There is only one answer to our problem with Nabal. It is death. God must kill Nabal. Nabal must die!

2. We Cannot Do It Alone

Some Christians try to do away with Nabal themselves. They go about trying to crucify their own flesh. It is, however, an impossible job. There are not enough “free hands” to get the job done.

When you try to crucify yourself, you find that you may nail your feet to the cross. You may even nail one hand to the cross. But how can you nail that last hand? Partially crucified with two feet and one hand already nailed to the cross, you can’t! You do not have another free hand with which to drive in the nail through your left hand. You cannot crucify yourself. It must be done by Another).

Self-crucifixion is a painful effort and always ends up half-done. Our sinful Nabal-nature soon recovers from self-inflicted wounds and we are worse off from before. I know … I tried it many times in my life as a young Christian.

I even tried to starve old Nabal to death by fasting. I felt sure, If I fasted long enough and often enough, I could over come the desires of the flesh.

I soon found that instead of getting rid of my old Nabal nature, he exerted his influence over my life all the more. He got meaner and nastier by the day. Each and every day I fasted, I got harder to live with. I’m sure you know what I am talking about

My next approach was to try to destroy old Nabal by hitting him on the head with the two stone tables of the law. I memorized the ten commandments and tried to live a life of “shall nots”. You shall not do this; you shall not do that.

However, the more I said, “You shall not!” old Nabal replied, “I will too!” His “I wills” were stronger than my “You shall nots.” The law didn’t help me.

The law cannot destroy our old sinful nature. All it can do is expose our sin, amplify our carnal desires and condemn us. The law cannot free us from sin. If we are to be free, God Himself will have to do it. And, praise God, He has!

3. God Provides The Way

Only God could justly kill Nabal. and He did. The same is true when it comes to the old Nabal-nature in our lives. And He has!

The death of our old, Adamic sin-nature is both drastic and dramatic. It is included in God’s gracious plan of redemption – through Christ Jesus – for you and for me.

We were crucified with Him on His cross so our old man (called the body of sin in Romans 6) might be destroyed. This freed us to be married to Another – even Christ!

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, his whole nature became sinful. The sickness of sin was passed on to all the future generations of mankind. We all have received the same sinful nature from our father, Adam.

We are not sinners only because we sin; we sin because we are born as sinners. Before we believed on Jesus we were part of the devil’s family. We were born into this world outside the family of God. The only way into God’s family is by a new birth. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are born again – into the family of God. Through teaching like we’re receiving in this chapter, faith comes to appropriate (receive the benefit of ) our freedom from the law, and its motivating force to sin (which results in death).

By accepting the facts told us in the Bible – that we were crucified with Christ, that our old husband (sin-nature) is dead – we are free to be married to Christ.

His righteous, obedient nature can now be expressed in us if we yield our emotions and bodily members to Him.

The Bible explains this truth in these words:

“Sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin. In this way death came to all men. Because we were all in Adam, it brought the results of his sin on us all. And all have sinned” (Rom 5:12 smf).

a. Born In Sin.

Let me ask you a question. Where were you when your forefather Adam sinned? The Bible teaches that you were IN ADAM – that is, you were in his loins (the place where the male sperm cells are kept which produce offspring). Since we are all the offspring (children, descendants) of Adam, we were all IN ADAM.

This means that when Adam sinned, I was made a sinner with him – because I was IN ADAM. His sin made the whole human race sinners – because the whole race was IN ADAM when he sinned.

Our destiny was all bound up in Adam’s obedience and disobedience. When he sinned, you and I were made sinners. When the sentence of death (the penalty for sin) was passed on Adam, you and I (in him) were also sentenced to death.

So, I was born in sin, under the sentence of death. Because of this, I needed someone to save and deliver me from marriage to Adam’s nature – the sinful nature.

Let us now read some verses from the Bible and rejoice at what God has done to save us from our unhappy condition and destiny with death and Hell.

“But God showed his great love for us while we were yet sinners, by sending Christ to die for us….

“Adam’s sin brought punishment [death] to all. But Christ’s act of righteousness [taking our punishment on the cross] makes men right with God, so they can live…

“All who receive him [Jesus]  shall be given the right to become the sons and daughters of God… Truly, all who believe on the son have eternal life… they become new creatures in Christ Jesus – with a new nature within. They are not the same any more; everything is fresh and new” (Rom 5:8, 18; John 1:12; 2 Pet 1:4; 2 Cor 5:17 smf).

b. Nailed To The Cross.

Yes, when we receive Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, we receive His life and His nature.

We have a new nature all right, but what about old sinful nature? Can David and Nabal peacefully live in the same house? Can we truly be married to Christ while Nabal is still alive?

This is where the cross of Christ does something for us that not many Christians fully understand. It is a powerful truth which can lay old Nabal to rest forever. It is worthy of our most careful attention. Paul clearly explains it in this way: “Don’t you know that all who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were also baptized into his death… Your old sin-loving nature died with him upon the cross. Its power was broken…

“When God the Father raised him from the dead in glorious power, you were  raised to new life too…

“Because, you are one with him, when he dies, you died – when he arose, you arose… You now know, therefore, that your old sinful nature was nailed to the cross with him and died. Your sin-loving body is no longer under the power and control of your old sinful nature – you are free!” (Rom 6:3-7 smf).

c. Union With Christ.

What an amazing truth! God has done it all! By His omniscience (ability to know everything) He looked through the past and future centuries and found all those who would believe Him. He gathered them all up and placed them IN CHRIST as He died on the cross. There IN CHRIST we were crucified with Him! Praise God!

We have worn ourselves out trying to crucify our “old man,” when he is already dead. Just as we were in Adam when Adam died for his sin, we were in Christ Jesus when Christ died for our sin.

With Him we arose from death and Hell to a new life with a new nature – His life and His nature. This is what union in Christ means – we abide in Him and He in us. What He is, we are!

Our union with Christ is a gracious work of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit of Christ, He is the member of the Godhead Who causes the life and nature of Christ to be formed in us. The Holy Spirit brings a new heart and a new relationship!

“He who is united with the Lord is one spirit with him” (1 Cor 6:17 smf). “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone [hard and rebellious] and give you a heart of flesh [soft and obedient]. And I will put my Spirit in you, and cause you to follow my laws and keep my commandments… You will be my people, and I will be your God” (Eze 36:26-28 smf).

4. Victory Is Ours

We are dead to our old sinful nature, and it has no power over our life. The only time our old nature can rise from his “death-coffin” is when we are walking in non-belief, unbelief or disobedience. When we are obeying God’s Word, and being motivated by God’s Spirit, we are expressing our new nature.

The devil does not want us to believe this truth, for it has the power to set us free. If we are not aware of the work God finished for us through the work of Christ on the cross we will be walking in non-belief.

The desires of the flesh will seem real, and we will feel powerless to resist. The “ghost” of old Nabal will be quick to exert his influence and appetites in our life. The same is true if we doubt God’s Word in the Bible or disobey what He says to us.

To do so grieves the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us. This will weaken His work within our lives, and His witness through our lives. At such times, the old sin-nature can seem pretty strong.

The answer, as we have seen, is not to try to crucify the flesh through self-effort. The flesh is already dead when we reckon it so. (Reckon means to count it done – to see and confess it as already accomplished.)

Therefore, we should quickly confess our sin whenever the Holy Spirit convicts us. Then we should rise up in faith, and believe and obey God’s Word. His Spirit gives us the power to do so.

a. Know And Believe.

Paul says we must KNOW that our old man is crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6) We are crucified and risen with Christ. If we do not know or are unsure of this truth, we will find the flesh acting as if it is very much alive. We will submit to our old nature even though it is no longer alive. We will submit to our old nature even though it is no longer alive.

Paul tells us repeatedly that we don’t have to submit to our old sin-nature any more. We can daily accept and believe the truth of what Christ did for us on the cross, and live victoriously in the power of the Holy Spirit.

b Live By the Power Of the Holy Spirit.

“If by the power of the Holy Spirit you put to death the evil deeds of the body – the old sin-nature – you will live” (Rom 8:13 smf).

We need the Holy Spirit both to die and to live! (To die to our selfish desires – to live for Christ). The Holy Spirit’s ministry, therefore, is two-fold.

1. He will honor the work of the cross concerning the death of our old nature.
2. He will lead us into a life of victory through our new nature.

c. Believe And Confess.

The Holy Spirit will apply the truth of our crucifixion on the cross with Christ, by making it so real that we will confess it with our mouth. We will say it is so. This is what Paul meant when he said:

“Reckon and consider yourselves to be truly dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do not let sin rule in your bodies anymore. Do not give in to its sinful desires” (Rom 6:11,12 smf).

The word “reckon” means to simply believe and confess that something is so. In other words, we are to acknowledge and confess (say it out loud) that our old sin-nature is dead to us. We also are to acknowledge and say that we are dead to our old sin-nature.

This is so because God’s Word says we died in Christ on the cross. It is finished, and we are free! “I am crucified with Christ…” (Gal 2:20 kjv).

Not  only are we dead to sin, but alive to God. We have a fresh, new inner resource. We can choose to be married to Christ who gives us His new nature. By doing so, we can be led (driven, motivated) by God the Holy Spirit.

When we see who we are and where we are in Christ – that’s real victory. It means we have won in our fight with the flesh. The war is over, the victory is ours. With the words of Christ from the cross we can boldly say. “It is finished!”

My ministry in Bahrain has been extended another week. It is both a joy and privilege to be a part of what God is doing here. He has done all things well – Mark 7:37

B. OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE

1. Three Main Characters

There is a story in the Old Testament which illustrates the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans Chapter Seven. It is found in the twenty-fifth chapter of 1 Samuel. the story involves three main characters:

a. Abigail: a very lovely married woman;

b. Nabal: the rich but evil husband (old man) of Abigail;

c. David: as anointed man chosen by God to be the next king of Israel.

2. The Characters In Detail

a. Abigail. The Scriptures describe Abigail as being a wise and beautiful lady with a generous and humble heart. There was a lovely prophetic anointing upon her life. Truly she was a most noble and gracious woman of God.

Sadly, she was married to a man who was a blemish on her grace, beauty and character.

b. Nabal. Abigail’s husband, Nabal was a mean, rude, inconsiderate, stubborn fool, who was often intoxicated from drinking too much wine.

It is a sad picture indeed. Moreover, Abigail was bound to her husband by the laws of marriage – until separated by death. Only then would she be free to marry another.

c. David. Unlike Nabal, David was a man after God’s own heart. He had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel. There was a tender, sensitive side to David’s life which is beautifully revealed to us in the Psalms.

He was a man of faith, courage and power. He would one day become Israel’s mighty warrior king. Marriage to David would be a royal marriage indeed.

3. Spiritual Meaning Of The Characters

Let us now approach our story from a fresh and interesting view. There is a sense in which the characters involved speak of our two natures and our relationship with Christ. They are listed as follows:

a. Abigail Married to Nabal: a type of our condition under the law – married to our old nature.

b. Nabal: a type of our old sinful nature - to whom we are married by parental grant.

c. David: a type of Christ, the anointed One – to Whom we want to be married, Who will give us a new nature, and motivation to express righteousness.

With this spiritual application in mind, let us review the background to the story we are about to study.

4. The Story – 1 Samuel 25

In the opening scene, David is found fleeing for his life from King Saul. Though anointed to be king, David will go through many years of trials and tests before becoming king. Saul has lost favor with God. He is jealous of David and seeks to take his life.

David and his men fled to a desert place to escape from Saul’s death threats. Here they came across some of Nabal’s shepherds. David protected Nabal’s shepherds and sheep from roaming robbers and nomadic raiding parties that frequented the area. David and his men often risked their lives to protect Nabal’s property.

a. Nabal Insults David.

Springtime eventually came. This was the sheep-shearing season. This was a happy occasion of feasting and celebration. David sent ten of his young men to Nabal with the request that they be invited to share in the sheep-shearing festival.

Instead of showing gratitude to David and his men for the protection they had provided, Nabal rudely refused the request. David and his men were insulted.

In anger, David took 400 of his men with their swords and marched toward Nabal, intending to kill him and take the sheep they had spared from the robbers. In this way they would take revenge.

b. Abigail Meets David.

One of Nabal’s young men found Abigail and told her about her husband’s rude and foolish action. Realizing David would destroy her wealthy estate, she arose at once and (without telling Nabal) rode forth to intercept David and his men.

She brought with her many gifts of bread, wine, meat, grain, raisins and figs as an offering of peace. She intended to give David far more than he had asked.

Our story continues as Abigail and her men meet David and his army at the bottom of a mountain trail.

Abigail quickly got off her donkey, fell on her face and bowed before David. She accepted all the blame in the matter and pleaded with David to overlook her wicked, foolish husband’s actions.

She gently suggested that her actions were directed of the Lord to prevent David from avenging himself by way of murder. This would displease the Lord – and be a stain on David’s reputation.

She then brought forth a beautiful prophetic word: “The Lord will surely reward you with a royal household that will live forever. God will do this because you are fighting his battles. Evil will never be found in you throughout all your days.

“Even when you are chased by those who seek your life, you are safe in the care of the Lord your God. The lives of your enemies will be scattered as a stone from a sling.

“The Lord will fulfill all his good promises and make you king over all Israel… When all this comes to pass, please remember me ” (1 Sam 25:28-31) smf).

Truly, Abigail was a lovely, gracious woman with great wisdom and prophetic insight. She alone within the household of her husband  saw the special anointing which rested upon David.

In her heart was a deep longing for that day when David would ascend the royal throne. She was a sweet, sensitive person in whose heart there was a godly hope for a better day. There is a tender touch of pathos in the almost wistful words, “Please remember me.”

c. Nabal’s Death.

When she returned home, she found that her husband had forgotten all about David. Even her absence has been of little concern to him. He had thrown a big party and was roaring drunk. What a sad picture Nabal is of our old sin nature. There was no awareness of spiritual things or divine purpose.

The Scripture says Nabal was holding a feast at home like that of a king. He was playing the role of ruler and making merry. The real king (David) had wanted to be a part of the celebration, but he wasn’t welcome. Nabal had willfully shut David out of his life, and was only concerned about his own desires and pleasures.

Abigail wisely waited until morning before talking to Nabal. By then he was sober, and she told her wicked husband how close he had come to being completely wiped out and killed by David and his army.

The Scripture say that when he heard her words, “his heart failed him and he became like a stone.”

Nabal had an evil heart and a carnal mind. This was the character of his inner nature. The name “Nabal” means foolish and vile. Like his name, Nabal was a fool at heart, and gave no thought to the ways of God.

Sobered and shocked by the truth of Abigail’s report, both his heart and mind failed and he became as motionless as a stone – paralyzed. (He apparently suffered both a stroke and a heart attack.)

Ten days later, “the Lord struck Nabal and he died” (vs 38). The set of his life was centered in himself. It could never change.

What might have been would never be. He lived without God or His Spirit. He came under the judgment promised in Romans 8:13, “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die…”

What a clear but tragic description of our old self-life! there was only one solution to the problem of Abigail’s “old man” – DEATH!

And that, my friend, is the only solution to our old sinful nature. It had to be crucified. It had to die.

d. FREE! To Marry Another.

Our story now takes a brighter and more positive direction. Until the death of her husband, Abigail had been bound to him by the laws of marriage. Now that he was dead, she was free to marry another. We don’t have to go far in the record to discover who the “other” was:

“When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ‘Praise be to the Lord! He has paid Nabal back for his wrong against me’.. Then David sent word to Abigail asking her to be his wife…

“She responded at once to David’s messengers with humility and grace:

‘Here is your maid servant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of the servants of my lord.’

“She quickly arose, got on her donkey, and with five of her maids followed after David’s messengers – and became his wife” (1 Sam 25:39-42 smf).

Introduction

There is a war which rages within me and which causes far more trouble than any conflict I face without. My number one problem is not the devil and his demons, but myself. My own sinful nature is my greatest enemy.

As we have seen in our earlier chapters, we have both internal and external – inside and outside – enemies. Our outside enemies are the devil and his demons.

We have studied the principles by which these foes can be overcome. The purpose of this chapter is to deal with our inside enemies.

For years I blamed everything on the devil and his demons. Then I found out that most of my spiritual battles were with myself. I didn’t have to look far to find my greatest foe.

I found that I face him in the mirror every morning.

I discovered that I am not the only one who faces this problem. It is true of every Christian everywhere.

Now a problem this great and so widespread needs a strong solution. God has that answer. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and has provided a remedy for us in Christ Jesus. Accepting this remedy provides us sure and certain victory.

A. OUR TWO NATURES

There is a mental disorder which is called “schizophrenia.” The term means  a dual-mind. It refers to a mental  problem in which a person may display symptoms of a “dual-personality.”

They will think and act like two different people. At one time they may speak and respond  in a normal way, but at another time their behavior will be just the opposite.

There is a kind of “spiritual schizophrenia” for the Christian. We suffer from what sometimes seems to be a dual-personality within.

At one time we display in our lives the lovely qualities of Christ’s life. We are joyful, peaceful, kind and gracious.

At other times, to our dismay, we may be sharp-spoken, short-tempered and hard to live with. We don’t want to be this way, but we are.

Even though we try to be sweet, nice and wonderful, we end up being sour, mean and miserable. We know it – and others know it. It seems we are being pulled in two different directions at once. We feel as if there is a great war being waged within, and we are often on the losing side.

“what is going on?” we may ask ourselves. “Do I have a dual-personality?” The answer is simple: “Yes, you do!”

When you received Christ into your life, you received a new nature – His nature.

The Holy Spirit came into your life as the Spirit of Christ. He took up His home in your heart. The Bible refers to this new nature as the “new man.”

Your old nature apart from Christ is called the “old man.”

Sometimes our old nature is called the flesh, the carnal man (carnal-flesh), the old Adamic nature or simply the self. It is the same nature that the first man Adam had, after he sinned and was separated from the Tree of Life (see Genesis 3).

All of the above terms refer to an immature and non-spiritual way of life. If we fail to live our life in the power and motivation available to us from God’s Holy Spirit (Romans 5 through 8), we will express “Adamic Nature” life in the terms explained below.

We can chart these terms in a simple way as follows:

1. The Conflict

Now the old man (our flesh) and the new man (the Spirit) are opposite in nature. They live in the same house, but have very different desires. The old man is very self-centered. These two natures conflict and are at war with one another. This is the cause of our problem.

God foresaw the conflict which would arise within our lives after accepting His Son as our Lord and Savior. He has, therefore, a powerful remedy for our problem. His answerer centers in the life and death of His Son. It involves a truth which, when understood and acted upon, will give us victory over our enemy within.

2. The Victory

The Apostle Paul seeks to explain the basis for living in victory. He compares it to the relationship of marriage.

Here is the idea in his own words:

“Brothers, all of you understand the law of Moses. So surely you know the law rules over a person only when he is alive. For example, a woman must stay married to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, then she is free from the law of marriage.

“But if she marries another man when her husband is still alive, the law says she is guilty of adultery. But if her husband dies, then the woman is free from the bonds of marriage. If she marries another man after her husband dies, she is not guilty of adultery. In the same way, my brothers, your old selves [husband] died as it were with Christ on the cross, so you are no longer ruled by the law.

“Now you can be married to another, which is Christ who was raised from the dead. In him you have new life and can bring forth fruit for God” (Rom 7:1-4 smf)

a. Our First Husband. In Paul’s example above, the unredeemed (unsaved) person is like a wife married to a cruel husband.

This cruel husband is the laws given to Moses – which condemn. If you broke Moses’ law (under Old Testament rules) you could be stoned – put to death. The law condemned us for sin, but gave us no power to live a holy life.

When the law said “…thou shalt not covet,” the apostle Paul said this law made him want to covet more .The commandment did not deliver him from coveting, but made him super-covetous.

Have you ever seen a sign which says, “WET PAINT – DO NOT TOUCH!” What do most people do who see such a sign? You are right. they reach out and touch it, to see if it is wet paint. The commandment, “thou shalt not touch,” produces the opposite behavior from what it commands.

That is the way our old nature is. It always wants to do what we  are commanded not to do. The law only enforces and amplifies this tendency.

Hence our marriage to the law (commandments), which amplified our sinful nature, must be dealt with if we are to be victorious Christians. Otherwise, we will be violating God’s commandments (which as Christians we do not want to do).

b. Our New Husband. Paul explains (in the verses above) the way the wife can be free from the marriage to (law of) this husband. She is free if the husband dies. Only then is the wife free from the marriage.

Our first husband, then, is a picture (type or metaphor) of our “old man” or sinful nature, which is stirred up and motivated to sin by the law (the commandments of God through Moses). How are we to get free from this husband (the law and its motivation of our old man)?

Paul explains the answer in Romans 7. Our “old man” (husband) was crucified with Christ. Our old man was nailed to the cross with Christ, and died with Him. Hence we are free from this husband (our old sinful nature and the law) to be married to Another (Christ).

1. Crucified With Christ. I want to tell you a story to help you better understand how we were crucified with Christ. A friend of mine was asking Jesus (in prayer) to show him how he was crucified with Christ. In answer to his prayer, the Lord gave him a vision.In the vision, my friend saw Jesus dying on the cross. then the vision changed, and it was as if the body of Jesus on the cross became transparent or clear like glass. Inside Jesus, my friend saw himself. Jesus spoke to him and said, “You were inside Me when I was crucified, so you were crucified with Me. ” then my friend understood. Yes! I was crucified with Christ.
2. Free To Marry Christ. Thus, my old sinful nature and its tendency to want to disobey god’s law died on the cross.
   Because my “old man” (husband) is dead, this leaves me free to be married to Christ – to come under His authority and control.
   In that relationship, Christ will give me the power of the Holy Spirit, so I not only WANT TO obey God’s laws but I WILL obey them. The Holy Spirit will give me the power to OBEY.

We who have believed on Jesus are no longer wedded to our “old man” or Adamic nature (the nature we received from our sinful forefather Adam), but to Christ Jesus.

He has become our new Husband, and we are His bride. We now share in His life and nature. He is our Master; no longer are we under the control of our “old man.”

The final casting down of Satan is described in the Book of Revelation. Our role as overcomers is also explained. The two-fold basis for our victory over the devil is of great interest:

“Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens. ‘It has happened at last! God’s salvation and the power, rule and authority of his Christ are finally here.

“The accuser of our brothers has been thrown down. He accused them day and night before our God.

“And our brothers overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony – the spoken word of truth..”‘ (Rev 12:10,11 smf).

1. Two Keys to Victory

The two keys to being an over-comer are these:

a)     The Blood of the Lamb – which has washed away our sins so we are accepted by God (just (as) if I’ d never sinned.)

b)    The Word Of Their Testimony – which is our speaking forth words which agree with what God has said in the Bible.

2. Using The Keys

By The Blood Of The Lamb. How do we overcome by the “Blood of the Lamb”? I am sure you understand that “the Lamb,” as used in this scripture, refers to Jesus.

You remember that when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to be baptized, John said:

“Behold THE LAMB OF GOD who bears away the sin of the world” (John 1:29,36)

When John’s disciples heard Jesus referred to as “the Lamb of God,” they left John and followed Jesus.

As Israelites, they well understood the significance of this. The Israelites experienced forgiveness and atonement through the following process.

God had prescribed that a lamb be brought as a sin offering to the brazen altar in the temple. The sinner would then lay his hands on the head of the lamb as it lay on the altar and confess his sins. Through this process, the sins of the confessor would be transferred to the lamb.

Because the penalty for sin was death, the lamb then had to die on the altar. The lamb didn’t die because it sinned. The lamb was slain in place of the sinner (the one who really deserved to die). The lamb became a substitute sacrifice for the sinner – dying in his place.

1) Jesus Shed His Blood for Us. This illustrates what Jesus was doing on the cross for you and me. We were the ones who deserved to die for our sins. But Jesus (the Lamb) died as our substitute -in our place. I should have been hanging there on the cross – but Jesus took my place (and yours). thus I can be “at-one” with God. I am forgiven and enjoy a standing before God “just as if I’d” never sinned.

Our sins are “forgiven and forgotten” because Jesus shed His blood on the cross for us (as the Lamb). Therefore, the devil hates the blood of Jesus.

2) Jesus’ Blood Is Powerful Against The Enemy. That cross and the blood Jesus shed there for us defeated the devil and the demons, so they hate the blood of Jesus.

My first attempt at casting out a demon was in 1948. I was a young Christian who had more zeal than knowledge or wisdom. In trying to cast the unclean spirit out of this man, I was attempting something far beyond my spiritual development and experience.

However, in the attempt, I learned something that has stayed with me all my life. When I spoke to the demon and told him to come out of the man, the demon screamed out, “The blood of Jesus is swine’s (pig’s) blood!” The demon repeated this terrible profanity over and over. It made chills run up and down my back.

From this, I realized how powerful the blood of Jesus is against the designs and devices of Satan and his demon followers.

The “Blood of the Lamb” kept Satan (the destroyer) out of the Israelites’ homes on Passover night in Egypt (see Chapter I of this section).

The blood of the sacrificial lambs of the Old Testament kept Satan from claiming the believing righteous. In death, those who are “saved by the blood” went to paradise – out of Satan’s reach and claim (see Luke 16:19-26).

The blood has frustrated the devil’s plans all through the centuries. No wonder the New Testament writers spoke so enthusiastically about the blood of Jesus.

“…You were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ… He [Jesus] loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood… He redeemed us to God by his blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation…” (1 Pet 1:18,19; Rev 1:5; 5:9 smf).

3) Plead The Blood. A good friend named David told me the story of his father. His father had been an Anglican who ws soundly converted and filled with the Spirit and became a Pentecostal preacher in England.

He had his funny ways – one of which was to go around all of the time humming and whispering. “Under the blood, Lord! Under the blood!”

David asked his father one day, “Why do you do that, Dad?” With a very loud voice his father responded, “Well, do you know anything else that it would be better for an old man to mutter about?”

David didn’t answer, but in his mind he thought, “No! I guess not, old man. I can’t think of better words than that to fill my surroundings.” So David decided to pick up the habit and frequently walks around muttering the same thing. What about you” What do you mutter?

“And our brothers overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony – the spoken word of truth..” (Rev 12:10,11 smf).

When you come up against the enemy in prayer, say these words: “Powers of darkness, I plead the blood of Jesus against you – I command you to release this person in the Name of Jesus. Jesus’ blood purchased this person’s freedom, and I command you to come out, to release your grip on this life right now.”

This kind of praying and confession of faith will cause the demons to tremble and flee. Use the blood of Jesus in prayer. It is a strong spiritual weapon.

b. By The Word Of Their Testimony

Our Salvation. There is power in what we say – our testimony or confession. We know that man’s part in salvation is to:

1. believe in our heart, and
2. confess with our mouth.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9 smf).

When we both believe and confess that Jesus died – shed His blood – for our sins, and confess that God then raised Him up from the dead, we are saved and enter into the victorious Christian life.

Our Confession. It is one thing to enter into the victory of Christ’s life, but how do we keep on walking in victory over Satan? Well, we get the victory and keep the victory the same way – by the confession of our mouth.

Many of us consider our problems, thinking thoughts of doubt, fear and despair. We should resist the enemy by speaking forth words of faith, hope and love. The words of faith, hope and love. The word confession means “to say the same as ” or “to agree with.”

When we confess our sins, we are agreeing with God that they are wrong. They are harmful to us, and grievous to Him. We don’t deny or excuse our sins, but we say the same thing that God say about them.

We not only confess our sins, but we also confess what God says in His Word (the Bible) about our salvation, financial provision, healing and blessing.

For example, when we are sick we confess:

• “I am the Lord thy God who healeth thee…”
• “…He healeth all my diseases…”
• “By his stripes I am healed…” (Exo 15:26; Ps 103:3; Isa 53.5 smf).

This is God’s Word and we agree with Him that it is right and true – for us!

3. Victory In the Court Of Heaven

The Bible says that Jesus is “the High Priest of our confession” (Heb 3:1). That means He works with what we say to enforce victory for us. ” He lives to make intercession for us” (Heb 7;25 smf).

There is a legal side to our salvation which is related to our confession. Jesus is our advocate (attorney, lawyer, barrister). If He is to be successful as our lawyer, it will depend largely on our confession (what we say).

Satan visits Heaven regularly to accuse the brethren (see Job 1 and 2 and Revelation 10:10). When he does, how is Jesus going to answer and refute Satan’s accusations? By your testimony - by what you say.

a. Three Things Said. A famous American evangelist explained it this way. When the devil is accusing you before God, there are three things said:

1. What the devil says;
2. What the Bible (God’s Word) says;
3. What you say?

If you agree with God’s Word, and say what God’s Word says, your testimony will be used by Jesus to refute the devil’s accusations.

b. Four Roles Played. Capture this picture of the court of Heaven. There is God’s great bar of justice. Four different roles can be seen in such a scene:

1. There is the “Judge” Who   decides who is guilty and what the penalty will be.
2. There is the “prosecutor” who will try to prove that the one who is accused is guilty as charged.
3. There is the “Defender” who will seek to prove that his client is not guilty as accused.

c. Who Are the Players? Who plays these various roles in the court of Heaven? They are as follows:

1. The Judge is God Himself who is altogether wise and just.
2. The prosecutor is the devil, also known as the “accuser of the brethren.”
3. The defendant is the Christian believer (you or me) who has come under the condemnation of the devil.
4. The Defender is Jesus Christ, our lawyer (advocate) and intercessor (1 Jn 2:1).

d. The Trial. The prosecutor speaks first, pressing his charges against us before the Judge. Some of his accusations are true and some of them are false. His case is so convincing we may feel mixed up and afraid. If we do, we will likely stand there with our heads bowed and say nothing. Or worse yet, we may try to defend ourselves and even deny the charges that are true. This could lead to our loss, for our Defender must present our case on the basis of what we confess.

Jesus plainly but powerfully put it in these words: “You will have whatsoever you say!” (Mark 11:23) smf).

How much wiser to agree with our adversary – the prosecutor – where we may have been wrong. But also to state that the penalty for our wrong doing has already been paid by our Defender – with His own blood.

We then turn our defense over to Jesus. He will take our confession of sin and salvation, and plead before His Father, and our Judge. His own death upon the cross.

On the basis of the cross and His shed blood, justice has been satisfied. The Judge declares us pardoned and we are set free without penalty. The prosecutor has been defeated. He has no further grounds for his charges. He was overcome by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of our testimony!

Moreover, once we have been cleared of all of his accusations, we are in a position to charge him for every lie he used in trying to bring about our defeat.

By confessing the truth, not only are we set free, but eventually he will be put in the very prison (Hell) which he had planned for us.

E. REVIEW THE PRINCIPLES

We have linked together five basic principles in the study of the victorious Christian life. They are worthy of our review:

1. Reject Condemnation – Accept Conviction
2. Turn to Jesus as your refuge;
3. Agree with God that you have fallen short of his expectations;
4. Use The Sword Of The Spirit – The Word Of God
5. Give Jesus A Good Confession Of Faith To Defend You With

May these truths be set in our hearts and fixed in our minds. With them we can be winners every time. They are a sure and strong defense against the attacks of the devil. No longer can he use his weapons of accusation and condemnation to weaken our faith and our prayers.

We will stand up, speak forth, and deliver ourselves and others with the sure Word of the Lord.

VICTORY IS OURS NOW AND FOREVER.

C. OUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE DEVIL

1. Three Basic Principles

How do we deal with this problem of condemnation? How can we face the lies and accusations of our deceiver, the devil? The answer involves three basic truths or principles:

1. Turn to Jesus as your refuge;
2. Agree with God that you have fallen short of his expectations;
3. The “Yes – But!” response.

2. The Principles In Detail

Let us study these three truths in more detail. Together they form a strong defense against the attacks of our adversary (enemy), the devil.

1. Turn To Jesus. What do we do when the enemy seeks to make us retreat by firing at us his big guns of accusation and condemnation? We turn at once to Jesus for our refuge. He is our fortress for safety. Kenneth Copeland once said the Lord spoke to him and said: “Son, if you sin, run to me and not away from me”
   When we try to face the enemy on the basis of our holiness or self righteousness, we are being led away from our refuge in Christ. The moment we do, we will be defeated.
   Outside of Jesus we have no defense. In Christ Jesus, however, we are not only safe and secure, but also sure of perfect victory
2. Agree with God that you have fallen short of his expectations. Sometimes we do sin and come short of God’s holy purpose for our lives in Christ. All we have to do is acknowledge or confess that before God. This is not done to inform God of what we did or failed to do, but to let God know that you agree with him that you’ve wrong against him and that that you have repented.
   In Psalm 51:4, David cried out “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done evil in your sight” John the apostle tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
   Jesus never argued or agreed with the devil. Sometimes the devil confronts us with the truth of our shortcoming. We are not called to argue or agree, but stand on the word of God.
   How does it work? Let us consider a possible example.
3. “Yes – But!” The devil has just accused you of having a dark, evil thought. You respond by saying, “I was wrong in that. BUT…” Now comes the response which will leave the devil totally defeated. “BUT the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from all sin.”
   You can’t stand on the ground of your own righteousness by trying to deny your failure. You know you have failed, and so does the devil. If you try to argue with him on that point you have lost before you start. No, in this example, the ground for our faith is not our goodness, but the righteousness of Christ with which we are clothed.

No Condemnation In Christ. Yes, condemnation is a powerful weapon in the hands of Satan. He is very clever in his use of it. He may even come to us as an “angle of light” (2 Cor 11:14). When he does, he will seek to deceive us into thinking that our feeling of condemnation is from God.

As we said above, God does convict us of sin. The purpose, however, is to bring us to repentance and forgiveness. After we’ve repented and made restitution (if our sin was against someone else), any leftover feelings of guilt are not from God – they are the condemnation of the devil.

God will never condemn us when we sin or fail, if we repent and confess our sin to Jesus (1Jn 1:9).

He will firmly reprove and correct our lives, but always in love. Never will His correction carry even a hint of rejection. Correct us, YES. Reject us, NO! We have been forever accepted in the righteousness of Christ.

“Who dare accuse us, when God has chosen us for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has forgiven us and given us right standing with himself.

“Who then will condemn us? will Christ? No! He is the very one who died for us, and was raised to the right hand of God where he pleads for us…

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” (Rom 8:33,34; Rom 8:1 smf).

Satan is the source of our condemnation. He will find a weak area in our life and bring it before us over and over again. He will use it to hammer into our hearts feelings of guilt, fear, doubt and despair.

Through his lies he will seek to draw us away from our refuge in Christ – our righteousness in Him. If he succeeds, he knows we will not resist or oppose him in faith.

This is the reason we must know what has been taught above. Otherwise we will not be victorious, happy Christians.

Righteous Standing In Christ. Through Christ’s death on the cross we have been saved from the guilt and penalty of our sins. We stand before God JUSTIFIED. (Which means just (as) if I’ d never sinned.)

More than that, we have also been “sanctified” - made holy and righteous in Christ. When God looks upon us, He doesn’t see our sins, weakness or failures, but the righteousness of His son. We are accepted in Him, and have been given the goodness of His life!

We not only stand in Christ before a holy God without fear, but we can also stand up to every evil spirit without fear. Our righteous standing in Christ is the ground of our victory over the devil.

3. A Threefold Defense

Satan knows this, but he doesn’t want us to know it – or live in the power of it. For him, it means defeat.

Therefore, he will seek to destroy our faith and our will to resist him – by using the heavy club of condemnation. No wonder Paul tells us that “we are to be aware of his clever and tricky tactics” (2 Cor 2:11 smf).

We see, therefore, that our defense against the condemnation of the devil is three-fold:

1. Turn to Jesus as your refuge;
2. Agree with God that you have fallen short of his expectations;
3. The “Yes – But!” response.

Now we are ready to press on into victory.

4. The Sword Of The Spirit

The word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus is our example for the victorious life. His victory over the devil and demon powers was won by using the Word of God. During His temptations and testings in the wilderness, Jesus refuted and defeated the devil with Scripture. To every temptation He responded, “It is written.”

To “refute” means to prove someone’s word is wrong by speaking the truth. Jesus refuted the words of the devil by speaking the word of God. Jesus won with the Word, and we can too.

The word of God on Condemnation

• “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
• “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:10, 12
• “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
• “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:17
• “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24
• “For I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12
• “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25
• “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7
• “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:5
• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
• “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” Psalm 32:1
• “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.’” Revelation 12:10, 11
• “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.’” John 8:10, 11
• “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” Jeremiah 31:34
• “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
• “For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” 2 Chronicles 30:9

B. DECEPTION: THE DEVIL’S WEAPON

If the devil and his demons have been stripped of their authority by Christ’s victory on the cross, why are there so many defeated Christians? The answer is in one word: deception. The devil tricks or deceives us into believing that a lie is the truth, that something is real when it isn’t; that wrong is right, and right is wrong.

If we believe his lies, he has gained a foothold in our lives. He will then take as much room as we will give to him. He has no legal right to do this, but he will if we allow him to.

Jesus said that the purpose of a thief is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). Satan is a thief. He seeks to steal and destroy that which is not legally his.

We have the power and authority to stop him every time. However, he will try to make us think that we do not. He will seek to look and act as if he is in command.

He wants us to think and feel like we are weak, helpless victims under his power and control. If he can deceive us, the devil knows we will fall back in fear and not resist him in faith.

If the devil can’t deceive us in large ways, he will try to deceive us in smaller things. Sometime ago a pastor was dealing with a demon-possessed man. As he sought to cast the devil out in the Name of Jesus, the devil boldly rebuked him. “You can’t cast me out, because you haven’t fasted!”

What would you do if a demon accused you of not fasting? would you feel you weren’t ready for such a situation?

This, of course, was an attempt of the devil to get this pastor to put his faith in his fasting rather than the Lord.

At first the pastor was dismayed because he realized that he hadn’t fasted beforehand. He was almost tricked into backing down and leaving the man as he was.

Then he realized what the devil was doing. Therefore, he firmly replied, “You lying devil, I haven’t fasted, but Jesus has. Now you come out in Jesus’ Name!” and the devil did – at once!

1. Accusation And Condemnation

The Scriptures tell us that we are to be aware of the deceptive tricks and tactics of the devil (2 Cor 2:11). What, therefore, are the methods by which the enemy seeks to weaken our faith through fear? Two important ways are through accusation and condemnation.

Satan first accuses – charges or blames – a christian for some fault, failure or weakness in his life. The charge may be true or false. In either case, if we accept it, we will feel guilty and unfit. We have been brought under the fear of judgment or condemnation.

a. Conviction Versus Condemnation. We need to be able to discern or know the difference between:

1. the “conviction” of the Holy Spirit and
2. the “condemnation” of the devil.

The Holy Spirit will “convict” us of sin by clearly pointing it out to us. Once we see our guilt, we repent (turn from our sin). True repentance causes us to be sorry that we have sinned against the law and love of our heavenly Father.

The Spirit will then move us to confess our sin and receive God’s forgiveness. In this we are restored to the joy of our salvation.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness – wrong thoughts, words and actions” (1 Jn 1:9 smf).

“Against you and you only have I sinned and done evil in your sight… wash me and I will be whiter than snow… Hide your face from my sins, erase them from your sight… Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a strong, right spirit within me… Restore to me the joy of your salvation and give me a willing spirit that wants to do your will” (Ps 51:4,7,9,10,12 smf).

Satan, however, will “accuse and condemn” us for both our sins and our weaknesses. Sometimes we are not even guilty of the things for which we are charged.

In either case, however, his purpose is to bring us into feelings of both doom and despair. He wants us to think that God has cut us off and that we have little hope for the future. If he can’t take us this far, he will seek to keep us under an uneasy cloud of divine disapproval. His desire is to so weaken our faith, that we will feel we aren’t strong enough spiritually to face him in warfare.

This is what the Apostle John teaches us: “If our hearts condemn us not, then we have faith towards God” (1 Jn 3:21). If our heart is heavy with condemnation, our faith will be weak or we will be without any faith. Without faith, we will not fight! That is what the devil wants – a Christian who will not fight or resist.

b. False Accusations. The name “devil” means one who accuses or falsely blames another. More Christians are defeated by accusation and condemnation than anything else.

Satan’s method of attack is well known to most of us, although we may not be aware who is behind it. In fact, we will be the victim of a double deception if we cannot recognize either the liar or his lies!

For example, we all at one time or another have spoken to someone more harshly or sharply than we should have. Even though we may have quickly confessed our fault to the Lord, the devil will still seek to drag us under a cloud of condemnation. He will remind and accuse us again and again of our un-Christ like conduct.

We repent over the same sin repeatedly, but can’t seem to get free from our feeling of guilt. It spoils our prayer life and hinders our worship. It robs us of our peace and joy and weakens our faith.

We are afraid to engage in spiritual warfare for ourselves or on behalf of others. Satan will be very quick to tell us that we are at his mercy because we have failed in our Christian walk. Sound familiar?

2. Evil And Lying Thoughts

Another way the devil attacks us is to shoot evil thoughts as “fiery darts” into our minds. They may even come at some special time, as during prayer, worship or even holy communion.

If the enemy can tempt us into developing the thought into evil words or actions, he will. If, however, we are quick to resist that temptation, he will try another tactic – that of condemnation. He will accuse us of having an evil mind and an unholy heart. He will tell us that other Christians never have such thoughts.

He may even go so far as to say we are in danger of losing out with God altogether. He will take his work of condemnation as far down the line of our life as he possibly can.

If we accept these lies of the devil, we will be left helpless, hopeless and faithless. the devil’s fiery darts have produced the faith-consuming flames of doubts and fear.

Then when we come up against a spiritual problem, we don’t have the faith to come to God or resist the devil. So, we give in, give way and give up. No wonder Peter says:

“Be awake, and on guard, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around as a roaring lion looking for someone to eat and destroy” (1 Pet 5:8 smf).

Next week

C. OUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE DEVIL

1. Three Basic Principles
2. The Principles In Detail
3. A Threefold Defense
4. The Sword Of The Spirit

Table of Contents

Introduction

A. A DIVINE AUTHORITY

1. Relationship Gives Authority
2. Names Written In Heaven
3. Childlike Faith

B. DECEPTION: THE DEVIL’S WEAPON

1. Accusation And Condemnation
2. Evil And Lying Thoughts

C. OUR DEFENSE AGAINST THE DEVIL

1. Three Basic Principles
2. The Principles In Detail
3. A Threefold Defense
4. The Sword Of The Spirit

D. OVER-COMERS ARE VICTORIOUS

1. Two Keys to Victory
2. Using The Keys
3. Victory In the Court Of Heaven

E. REVIEW OF THE PRINCIPLES

Introduction

Jesus Christ has given us perfect victory over the devil and his demon powers. That was His part. Our part is to enforce and keep the victory and live our lives as victorious Christians. The purpose of this teaching is to help us do this.

We have seen how important it is that we know who we are in christ Jesus. When we received the Lord Jesus into our hearts, we were born into the beloved family of God. Our names were written in the records of heaven.

Because of this, we have a divine authority which we may exercise to control our enemy (the devil and demons) here on earth. This is an exciting and  important truth which we will now study in more detail.

A. A DIVINE AUTHORITY

Do you recall the story in Luke 10, of the seventy disciples whom Jesus sent out to preach the good news of the Kingdom? They were very excited when they returned. They joyfully reported how even the demons had to obey them when they spoke in the Name of Jesus.

The Lord responded to their report with these unusual but very important words: “It is not just your power over demons which should bring you joy, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20 smf).

1. Relationship Gives Authority

The source of their authority was not merely by speaking Jesus’ Name, but in their relationship with Him (as their Lord).

We dare not put our faith in a “magical formula” of words. It takes more than right words to face and fight the devil; it takes a right relationship with Almighty God.

When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our names are recorded in Heaven. We are given the authority which belongs to royal sons and daughters of God. This relationship with Christ is the source of our authority over the enemy.

The firstborn son of Queen Elizabeth of England has a great deal of influence and authority in the kingdom of Great Britain. When the queen sends him to represent her, his relationship with her would cause this son’s words to carry great authority.

Why?

Not just because he says, “I come in the name of Queen Elizabeth?” His authority would be the result of his relationship (heir apparent to the throne) – not just the words he said.

If I stood in the British House of Parliament and said, “I speak to you in the name of Queen Elizabeth,” I would be scorned and laughed at. Why? Because I have no right to speak in her name. I am not related.

For these same reasons, our words spoken to the devil or demons have power only if we are rightly related to Jesus – Who triumphed over all the powers of death and Hell. Even the demons know whether you are related to Jesus.

There is a dramatic story in the Book of Acts which confirms and supports this concept. The Apostle Paul had great success in releasing people from demonic powers.

Seven Sons Of Seeva. A Jewish man by the name of Seeva had seven sons. They decided to try Paul’s method” of casting out demons using the Name of the Lord Jesus. Coming across a demon-possessed man, they spoke these words, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out!”

The evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you?” The demons were angry at this false claim to Jesus’ Name because these boys had no relationship with Jesus.

The demons then empowered the possessed man with great strength. He attacked all seven boys. He severely beat them and drove them out of the house naked and bleeding (Acts 19:13-16).

They used right words, but they didn’t have right relationship with Jesus. Their names weren’t written in Heaven.

2. Names Written In Heaven

It is interesting to note that the names of Jesus and Paul were known by the demons. It seems God has a bulletin board in Heaven. On it are posted the names of all who are His children. Demon powers check this record. They know who is there and who is not.

If your name is there, and you are walking in faith and obedience, you have the authority and power to resist the devil and make him flee.

If your name is written in Heaven, it will be known in Hell!

Yes, the names of the righteous are written in Heaven. But the names of the wicked are also recorded somewhere:

“O Lord, the Hope of Israel, all that turn away from you will be disgraced and put to shame. Those who leave you will be written in the earth. They have turned away from the Lord, the Spring of Living Water” (Jer 17:13 smf).

Our name is recorded in one place or the other. It is possible to have a name on earth and be unknown in Heaven. Like writing in the sand, our lives then will be as a brief memory which soon fades with time. Earthly power and position are but for a moment when compared to eternity.

As Christians we can rejoice, for our names are written forever in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We are a part of God’s eternal purpose, and He has given us the power to evangelize this earth.

Our names written in Heaven gives us authority here on earth. The devils know, believe this and tremble. We should know, believe this and rejoice!

3. Childlike Faith

Then Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: ‘I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from those who are wise in the eyes of the world. Instead you have shown them to the little children – those who have a simple childlike faith. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure”‘ (Luke 10:21 smf).

Jesus also said in another place, “Who ever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter in at all” (Mark 10:15 smf),

In other words, the key to Kingdom power and authority is simple childlike faith. As children of the King, we have dominion over the devil and his demons. Not because we are somebody great – but because we are related to somebody great. We are children of God! Because of this, we are not to be a people of fear, but of faith.

God delights in using His children to defeat the enemy. He chose a young shepherd boy to slay the great giant, Goliath. Paul tells us that God has chosen what the world calls poor, weak and foolish to shame the rich, mighty and wise (1 Cor 1:25-30).

This means God can defeat the devil through any of His children, if they know who they are in Christ and act in the authority of His Name. Indeed our heavenly Father finds great joy and delight in seeing His sons and daughters put the devil in his place.

Next Week.

B. DECEPTION: THE DEVIL’S WEAPON

1. Accusation And Condemnation
2. Evil And Lying Thoughts

Nowhere in Scripture does it ever say that Jesus faced demonic power with fear and trembling. In fact, it was just the other way around. It was the demons who cried out in fear:

“There was a man in the synagogue with an evil spirit. And he cried out, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? did you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God “‘ (Mark 1:23,24 smf).

“When Jesus stepped out onto the land, he was met by a man with demons… and when he saw Jesus, he raised a terrible cry and fell down in terror before him.

“Shouting at the top of his voice he said, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God. Please, I beg you don’t torment me…

“Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name? ‘Legion,’ he replied, because thousands of demons had gone into the man. And the demons begged him repeatedly not to order them into the bottomless pit” (Luke 8:27-31 smf).

“You believe there is one God? Good! But remember, the demons do too – so strongly that they tremble in terror” (Jas 2:19 smf).

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for “tremble” is phrisso. It means to shiver or shudder in terror and horror. It refers to the kind of fear which causes the the hair on one’s skin to bristle or stand on end.

No, it wasn’t Jesus Who was terrified by the presence of demons. It was the demons who were struck with fear by the power and presence of the Lord. They knew He had come to strip Satan of his power and authority.

1. Jesus Has All Power

After His resurrection, Jesus plainly put this truth in these words:

‘ALL power in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. Therefore go and make disciples in all nations… And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-20 smf).

The word “power” in the scripture above means power to rule, to take authority and have dominion. Now if Jesus has ALL power and authority, that means the devil has none. Through His death on the cross, Jesus dethroned the devil and took away his power of death.

Jesus strongly stated this truth again to the Apostle John in his heavenly vision. “Don’t be afraid; I am the first and the last. I died, but see, I am alive for ever more. I have the keys [authority] of death and the grave” (Rev 1:17, 18 smf).

2. Jesus Gave Power To Believers

Not only does Jesus have all power and authority, but He has given that power to His disciples – of all ages!

“The seventy disciples returned with great joy. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the demons submit to us when we use your name.’

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, I saw Satan falling from heaven like a lightning flash. And I have given you authority over all of the power of the enemy. You have power to crush under foot scorpions and serpents [demonic powers]. Nothing shall harm you!” (Luke 10:17-19 smf).

“These signs shall follow those who believe: they shall use the authority of my name to cast out demons..” (Mark 16:17 smf).

In the light of the above scriptures, it is plain that we have no reason to fear demonic forces. Their power and authority have been taken away. It is they who tremble in our presence when we stand strong in the victory of Calvary, submitted to the conquering Christ.

Let us now consider how to put the truth of God’s Word into action. Principles must be proven in practice.

F. THE POWER OF GOD’S PRESENCE

“The Lord their God is with them. The shout of the king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt. Israel has the strength of a wild ox.

No curse can be placed on them, and no witchcraft can be done against them. See what wonders God has done for them.

“These people rise up like a lion that will not rest until it has destroyed and eaten its prey…” (Num 23:21-24 smf). In the above passage we have a picture of what we enjoy as believers in Christ. God’s presence is with us, and His protection rests upon us. We are victorious over our enemies.

1. Demons Cannot Harm Believers

It is of special interest to note that no curse can be placed on us and no evil magic can be done against us. Even witchcraft is of no effect as long as we submit to the royal rule of our God. When we walk in faith and obedience, no power of the enemy can harm us.

This is truth which is for God’s people of every age. It rests upon the principle of divine dominion. As said before, when we come under God’s authority, His authority comes upon us. Then we can resist the devil and his demons in the authority of His Name and by the power of His Word. They will flee from us.

There are places in the world where this truth is of great importance. Many people live their whole lives in fear because of witchcraft. I have seen them completely set free in Christ Jesus.

When they understand that the devil was totally defeated at Calvary, they lose their fear. They quickly begin to move in their authority as royal sons and daughters in the family of God. They are not afraid to face and defeat demon powers wherever they find them. It is beautiful to see “the wonders which God has done for them.”

2. Personal Experience

I would like to briefly share something that I personally went through. As you know, I had become a Muslim before I had an encounter with Jesus in 1997. I experienced a lot of freedom instantly when I met Jesus, but I had no idea that I was still under demonic oppression.

About 6 years later, outwardly I was an outstanding Christian, ministering powerfully especially through the word and music. Inwardly, I was stuck in a rut. My life had not experienced the freedom that I knew was mine in Jesus.

Every experiment I had done in the occult, every ‘god’ I submitted to while studying hinduism, had given a foothold for Satan in my life. To top it off, I had renounced Jesus and submitted to the ‘god’ of Islam.

Getting ‘saved’ and ‘ministering’ for 6 years did not address this problem.

At that time I went to Bahrain for a recording. The Church there, The Father’s House, was in the middle of a 40 day fast. During one of the first meetings with Pastor Koshy of the Father’s House, my hand started rotating and twisting uncontrollably. It was only when he rebuked a spirit that it settled down. I was so taken back by this that we agreed to meet again for prayer.

This began 17 days of intense deliverance, where demon after demon, spirit after spirit left me as they were exposed layer by layer.

Demons can not posses a believer, but unless we renounce what we have willingly and unwillingly submitted to, they will have a legal clause to influence and torment us. In ignorance of this, I had lived under their influence, but the truth from the word of God, ministered under the anointing in the name of Jesus has set me free.

I have seen and experienced how powerless demons are. It has been 6 years since the deliverance sessions in Bahrain, and I continue to take back what the devil has stolen, not just in my life, but in the lives of many others, and with absolutely NO FEAR.

Jesus is the ‘Winner Man’

G. CONCLUSION

God wants us to walk in the joy of His presence, power and protection. He hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).

Let us live therefore in faith and rejoice in our freedom from fear. Truly, we are beloved sons and daughters in the royal family of God.

Our victory over demon powers is clearly stated in Scripture. One of the key verses is found in Paul’s Letter to the church at Colossae: “God disarmed and defeated the principalities and powers – ruling demonic spirits. He made a public display of them. God won the victory through Christ and his cross” (Co, 2:15 smf).

In this passage we are told that God has disarmed and defeated the ruling powers in the world of evil spirits. This refers to powerful demons in the forces of Satan. They were stripped of their arms and authority. They are now defenseless and disgraced.

The language used in this verse describes a military custom of the Roman armies. After a great victory, they had a parade. The conquering general put iron manacles and chains on the defeated leader. He then tied the defeated leader to his chariot with a chain. The defeated armies were forced to march, bound in chains, behind the triumphant general.

This is a vivid picture of Christ’s victory parade in which the defeated enemy (the devil and his princes) are put to public shame. It is a victory which was won by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary, when He was crucified.

1. Authority Surrendered

In 1945, when Japan surrendered to the United Stated, the ceremony was most dramatic. The Japanese General boarded the Battleship Missouri in his full dress uniform. With him were men of high rank in both government and military circles.

The General came representing the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Armed Forces. General MacArthur, who represented the United States, then boarded the ship with men who represented the government and the Armed Forces of the United States. It was a personal, face-to-face meeting.

General Mac-Arthur reached out and removed all of the General’s military medals, ribbons and decorations. He then reached up and took the emblems of authority from his shoulders.

He was reduced to a man of defeat and disgrace without power or authority. The surrender ceremony was finalized by the Japanese General taking the sword at his side and handing it over to General MacArthur.

When the General surrendered, it was not just his own personal defeat. All the combined air force, army, navy and military forces of Japan surrendered and were rendered powerless. It was a moment of victory and triumph for the United States and her allies. it was total defeat and surrender for the Japanese generals and their troops. The war had been won!

This is what happened at Calvary! Satan and all of his demons were totally defeated. They were put to an open display of shame and disgrace on that first resurrection Sunday morning.

The words of Robert Lowry’s famous hymn tell the story in a most beautiful way:

“Up from the grave He arose
with a mighty triumph o’er His foes
He arose the Victor from the dark domain
and He lives forever with His saints to reign
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”

2. Authority Transferred

Christ now holds in His hands forever the keys of Hell and death. He holds them because He was victorious over sin, Satan, demons and death. He was totally triumphant – over the devil, over all principalities and powers. He won it all!

Not only was the victory His, but ours as well. General MacArthur’s victory was not just for himself. It was a victory that all the people of the United States and the allied forces enjoyed. Jesus’ victory is the same for all of us who love and serve Him.

Jesus experienced the shame of dying like a criminal on a cross that we might know it. We must walk in the light of the revelation. It is our key to victorious Christian living!
No Authority Over Believers. It is important to know that when the devil was defeated, so were all of his demon forces. They have no authority or power over our lives except that which we allow them to have.

The story is told of an army sergeant who was imprisoned in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. After Japan surrendered, the Japanese general in charge of the camp kept his command. He was expecting a high ranking officer from the United States forces to arrive and take over. He was to learn that a defeated general has less authority than a sergeant, if the sergeant belongs to the army who won the war. Upon hearing of the surrender of Japan, the sergeant quickly informed the Japanese general that he and his men would now take charge.

There was no need to wait. With the signing of the surrender papers, the change of command reached down to the lowest ranking soldier. Even a lowly sergeant in the army could command a high ranking officer, if that officer was a member of the defeated forces.

What a powerful picture this is of the believer’s authority. It is ours when we come under the head-ship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

D. BELIEVERS HAVE AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS

Christ’s triumph over satan on the cross of calvary means we are now in charge also. Every Christian who is living under the authority of God has the right to assume command and take over his part of the world. He has the authority and legal right to tell the devil (and his demons) where to go and what to do.

1. Authority Through Submission

We are taught to resist the enemy and see him flee. the Apostle James uses a military term in explaining this truth in his Epistle:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7).

The Word “submit means to be under obedience to a higher rank, or come under authority (that is, be totally obedient to the Lord).

When we come under the authority of God, His authority comes upon us. Under that authority we can stand up and firmly resist the devil and his demons. When we do, they will turn in fear and run away.

This principle of gaining authority by being under authority is illustrated in the ministry of Jesus. A Centurion came to Jesus wanting his servant healed.

Jesus agreed to go to the servant and heal him. The Centurion responded, “.. it isn’t necessary for you to come. If you will only stand here and say.’ Be healed, ‘ my servant will get well!
“I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come.’ and he comes, and to my slave boy, ‘Do this or that,’ and he does it. And I know you have authority to tell his sickness to go – and it will go!” (Matt 8:5-9.

The Centurion had authority, because he was a man under authority. In the same manner, when we submit to God, we come under His authority. Then when we resist the devil, the devil flees from us.

2. Headship And Authority

The headship of Christ and the Christian’s authority is an important truth to understand. As we have said, it is the key to victorious Christian living.

a. David and Goliath: The Characters.

There is a familiar and interesting story in the Old Testament that clearly explains this idea. It is the story of a young Jewish warrior named David and a great Philistine giant named Goliath (1 Sam 17).

The characters and armies in this story fall into four main types:

1. David represents or is a type of Christ.
2. The Israelite army is a type of the believers in Christ’s Body.
3. Goliath represents or is a type of Satan.
4. The Philistine army represents Satan’s demonic agents.

b. David And Goliath: The Story.

With these allegories in mind, let us review the story and see what meaning it brings to our warfare in the spiritual realm.

1. The Challenge. Goliath came forth from the Philistine army roaring like a lion. What did the people of God do? They reacted like many Christians do today when they face the devil and his demons. They were dismayed and greatly afraid. Therefore, they turned and fled in terror. They had no faith to resist.

A young shepherd boy (probably no more than 15 or 16 years old) then appeared on the scene. His name was David. He knew God as his good and great Shepherd. He had come to bring food for his brothers who were in the army of Israel.

He had recently been chosen by God for a special purpose. The godly prophet Samuel had anointed David with oil to be the next king of Israel. David came, therefore, as the “anointed one” to visit the Israelite camp. No one knew at that time, however, that he would one day be their king.

Upon seeing Goliath, and hearing him shout out his insults upon the armies of Israel, David said in anger, “Who is this heathen Philistine. Anyway? Why is he allowed to defy and insult the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26).

There was no fear or timidity in the heart of David. The anointing which he had just received was powerfully at work in him. While everyone else drew back in dismay. David boldly stood his ground and made ready to meet Goliath face to face.

He chose not to use the armor and weapons of King Saul. Rather, he would rely upon five smooth stones from the brook and his shepherd’s slingshot. He decided the best defense is a strong offense. So he strode forth to respond to the challenge of Goliath.

2.The Victory. The battle was over almost before it began. One well-aimed and Spirit-directed stone struck mighty Goliath in the center of his huge head. As he fell to the ground, David rushed up, took Goliath’s own sword, and cut off his head.

At once, the entire Philistine army fled in great fear. Goliath had been their champion – their head and mighty leader. He was a symbol or sign of their military power and authority. When he fell, they realized they were defeated and fled.

You will recall from our first chapter that “headship” refers to dominion, power and authority over others.

When David attacked and cut off Goliath’s head, he not only defeated Goliath, but the entire Philistine army. Goliath’s “headship” was destroyed. All his power and authority and that of his Philistine army were made of no effect. The Philistines were left powerless before David’s powerful victory over their leader. No wonder they fled in fear!

This story illustrates the powerful victory of Christ over Satan and his armies of demons.

c. Jesus

Our Anointed Shepherd-Savior. Genesis 3:15 foretold that one day the “seed of the woman” would fatally wound (bruise) the head of the serpent. In due time a “Great One than David” appeared on the scene. His Name was “Jesus Christ” which means, The Anointed One Who Saves. He is our anointed, Shepherd-Savior. At Calvary, He engaged that old serpent, Satan, in the conflict of the ages.

Satan’s headship and dominion were destroyed by Jesus when He died on the cross, descended into Hades, conquered all the forces of Hell and arose from the grave, triumphant over death.

Therefore, the devil’s troops (demons) no longer have any power or authority over believers who are under the headship of Christ Jesus. When His Name is spoken in authority, they tremble and must bow their knee in submission to His Lordship.

This response of demon powers to the presence of Jesus was clearly seen throughout His earthly ministry. We will want to study this a little more. It is a truth which is worthy of our attention, for it has the power to set the fearful Christian free.

Introduction

In this chapter I want to show how Christ’s conquest of Satan (which rendered him powerless) also gives us power over demons and freedom from fear of demons.

Most of the problems we have as Christians are not from demons or the devil. They are problems we are dealing with inside ourselves. Our “inside” enemy is our own flesh or selfish desires. We will deal with this subject in another chapter.

Review

In the previous chapter, we saw how the victory of the cross brought defeat to the devil. His dominion (or right to rule) over “born-again” men was taken away. No longer does he have power or authority to rule our lives.

We are sons and daughters in the mighty family of God. Christ and His family are chosen to rule and reign over ALL the earth. This is our destiny and divine calling. We are being trained and prepared to rule and reign with Christ.

The only power Satan has now is the power of INFLUENCE. He still tries to deceive through lying words, works and wonders. He seeks to persuade Christians into thinking he is still in command.

This is a great danger to us. We must beware! Satan will try to encroach and rob us of as much of our blessings as we allow him to.
The truth which is in this chapter will set us free and keep us free from the devil’s influence, which produces fear.

A. FREEDOM FROM FEAR OF DEMONS

Demons are spiritual beings who are agents of the devil. They cooperate with him and do his work. Their evil actions are against God and man. Some students of Scripture believe demons are wicked angels who fell from Heaven with Satan after he rebelled against God (see Isaiah 14:12-14).

At any rate, their presence and activity are plainly seen in the Bible.

For many people, the very thought of demons filled their hearts with fear. Many Christians are afraid of demon power and activity.

Now it is most important that we be set free from such fear. And the reason is this: Fear is to the devil what faith is to God.

1. Fear Attracts Evil Powers

Let me explain. Faith brings God into our daily lives. It acts as a magnet and draws or attracts the power of God into our lives. Faith brings His life into ours!
Now, fear acts in the same way. It too is a very “attracting” force. It attracts evil powers of darkness. These are “deadly” forces because that is what they produce – death! They can kill our joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.
If life in God speaks of love, joy, peace … then death speaks of hatred, sadness, distress..! Fear opens the door of our heart. This allows all kinds of dark, evil thoughts and feelings to come in. When our emotions are filled with fear, this can lead to slavery and bondage to fear.

2. Faith And Fear Do Not Mix

God spoke repeatedly to the leaders of Israel about faith and fear. They were firmly told to trust God, and show no fear to other gods or their enemies: “Be strong and of good courage… Fear not the gods of the Amorites” (Jos 1:9; Judg 6:10).

Like oil and water, faith and fear do not mix. If we start with faith and express it by resisting the devil, our enemy will flee from us (Jas 4:7). If we cower in fear, the powers of darkness (the devil and demons) will enslave us and faith will flee from us. It is just that simple.

3. Balanced Truth Sets Us Free

The devil seeks to deceive us by either hiding the truth or by taking a part of the truth and carrying it too far. In regard to demons, he would like for us:

• to think they are inactive or don’t even exist, or
• to see a demon behind every problem in our life.

In present years, some have talked so much about demons, that many people have been brought into a place of great fear. Instead of being set free from their problems, they have the added weight of worry. Any doctrine or teaching can be harmful and dangerous if emphasized too much or taught in a manner that is not true to the Bible.

I knew a lady a few years ago who almost lost her mind for fear of demons. She became very fearful from sitting for a whole week under a certain evangelist’s teaching.

The teaching she heard led her to believe her home was filled with devils. She was afraid every room, closet and hallway had hidden demons who were waiting to bring her harm.

It took a couple of weeks of teaching from Scripture to bring her out of fear and back into a place of faith. We all need to know the truth and live in the freedom which it brings.

B. DEMONS ARE NOT LIKE GOD

Like the little lady above, some people are afraid of demons because they believe the demons possess abilities or traits which they do not have.

1. Demons Are Not All-Knowing

The devil and his demons do not know everything, nor can they read our minds. They don’t know how we will react to thoughts or feelings they may put in our minds and hearts. They must wait and see what we do. In time they may become familiar with our patterns of behavior, but they cannot foresee or determine our actions.

Satan certainly did not foresee the outcome of his attack on Job. Nor did he expect the victory which would come to Jesus through the cross.

2. Demons Are Not Present Every where At Once

Certainly they were most disturbed to be around Jesus. They also quickly left the scene when they faced the apostles in the Book of Acts.

3. Demons Are Not All-Powerful

When David sang songs to King Saul, the evil spirit which troubled him would depart. Powerful praise and worship of the Lord will drive demonic forces away!

4. Traits That Belong Only To God

As we shall see, even new believers – when submitted to God – can cause the enemy to flee. Actually, the above traits belong only to God.
He alone is:

1. Omniscient: all knowing;
2. Omnipresent: present everywhere;
3. Omnipotent: all powerful.

5. An Open Door to Demons

The devil and his demons may attack us. they cannot, however, enter our lives unless we open the door by way of

1. doubt
2. disobedience or
3. deception.

They do not possess the attributes of almighty God. In fact, the enemy is no match for an informed Christian who is walking in faith and obedience.

The sooner we accept this truth, the sooner we will move from fear to faith, and from defeat to victory. These are, indeed, basic principles for the victorious Christian life.

C. THE POWER OF THE CROSS

The cross has power to redeem man and restore him to his divinely appointed place of authority. This is a wonderful truth that threads its way all through the Holy Scriptures. We already have seen that God’s plan for a sacrificial lamb (as an offering for sin was in His purpose before the world began.

1. The Cross Pictured In The Passover

The Passover played an important part in bringing about the release of the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. They had suffered as slaves for some 400 years. God was going to use Moses to set them free from the authority and dominion of the Egyptians.

The devil, sensing this, stirred up Pharaoh to kill all the male children of the Israelites (Exo 1:15,16) – just as he would do some fourteen centuries later before the birth of Christ.

It is of note that the Egyptian Pharaoh wore a gold crown. On the front of it was the image of a deadly cobra serpent, poised, ready to strike death. This shows us Pharaoh and the people in his kingdom were under the crown of Satan (governed by the devil).

This is an accurate picture of how the whole world lived until Jesus came. We were slaves of sin, in bondage and under satanic government.

a. Satan:

The Destroyer. Through Moses, God told each Israelite family to kill a lamb and place its blood upon the frame of the door which led into their house. Then Moses said:

“When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood upon the top and sides of the doorframe. The Lord then will pass over that door. He will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses and kill your first-born” (Exo 12:23 smf).

Satan is the “destroyer.” From the fall of man to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the power of death was in the hands of the devil. In Revelation 9:11 he is called Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek). Both terms mean “destroyer.” In the words of Jesus, ‘The thief [the devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).

The Pharaoh had refused God’s words of warning, and therefore Egypt faced a terrible judgment. through it they would be made willing to let the Israelites go.

That “passover” night, God was going to use the devil’s power of death for His own purposes. It was to be a dark night indeed -a night of death and destruction.

b. Blood:

The Protection. The presence of the Lord protected those “under the blood” from the destroyer.

When the Lord saw the blood on the doorframe of a house, the Lord Himself “passed over” the door. His presence overshadowed the family within and kept them from all harm.
One wonders how each family member must have felt that night as the evening shadows cast a deathly gloom across the land. Perhaps the Psalmist best expressed it in his words some centuries later:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and place of safety – my God, in whom I will trust. “Surely he will save you… from deadly danger.

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the dangers of the day.

“Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, it will not come near you. Only with your eyes will you see the punishment of the wicked” (Ps 91:1-8 smf).

Yes, for the Israelites, protection from the destroyer on that dark night of death was blood – the blood of a perfect, little lamb! Its blood was splashed on the doorframe in the form of a cross. it was symbol of death, but it also was the gate way to life.

What a vivid picture of our salvation. Jesus is God’s sacrificial lamb for us, and His cross becomes our doorway to eternal life.

Truly, the blood and the cross provide all the protection we will ever need against all the forces of evil. The devil’s power over our lives has been broken at Calvary. Christ has won the victory, and we need no longer fear.

2. Jesus Has All Power And Authority

After His resurrection, Jesus plainly put this truth in these words: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. Therefore go and make disciples in all nations…

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-20 smf).

The word “power” means power to rule, to take authority and have dominion. Now if Jesus has all power and authority that means the devil has none.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus dethroned the devil and took away his power of death. Jesus strongly stated this truth again to the Apostle John in his heavenly vision.

“Don’t be afraid, I am the first and the last. I died, but see, I am alive for evermore. I have the keys [authority] of death and the grave” (Rev 1:17, 18 smf).

D. WE CAN LIVE IN VICTORY!

1. Jesus Gave His Disciples Authority Over The Devil!

Not only does Jesus have all power and authority, but He has given that power to His disciples – of all ages!

“The seventy disciples returned with great joy. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the demons submit to us when we use your name.’

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, I saw Satan falling from heaven like a lightening flash. And I have given you authority over all of the power of the enemy. You have power to crush underfoot scorpions and serpents [demonic powers]. Nothing shall harm you!”‘ (Luke 10:17-19 smf).

‘These signs shall follow those who believe: they shall use the authority of my name to cast out demons..” (Mark 16:17 smf).

“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7).

2. Don’t Retreat!

Yes, we are sons and daughters in the family of God. We have the privilege and authority of Christ’s Name. Why then are so many Christians living defeated lives? Where is our victory in Christ? The words sound good, but where are the works?

The answer can be found in one of Peter’s Epistles. He was writing to those who soon would be facing a time of great distress and severe testing. His words, therefore, are very personal, powerful and practical:

“Be watchful and careful. Your enemy the devil prowls and roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour – to gear apart and eat. Be firm in the faith and resist him ..”(1 Pet 5:8,9 smf).

a. A Phony Lion.

Carefully note that the above scripture does not say the devil is a roaring lion. It says he roams around like a roaring lion. In other words, he is acting like something he is not. Actually, he is only a fake or phony lion. Or, as the Chinese would say, “a paper tiger.”

Who is the real lion? Jesus is!

The Scriptures refer to Him as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5). Because we abide in Him, and He in us, we also share in His “lion-nature”: We who believe on Jesus become “lion-like.”

“The wicked flee when no one is chasing them. The righteous, however, are as bold as a lion” (Prov 28:1 smf).

“Now when the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John, they were amazed. They could easily see that they were common men without learning. Then they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 smf).

b. Don’t Give Him Power.

What are we trying to say? Simply this: The devil can have only as much power over our lives as we allow him to take. He no longer has the authority to control our attitudes and actions for his own purposes.

He will, however, take as much control as we will let him have. He cannot overpower us anymore than he could have overpowered Adam and Eve. He will seek to deceive us, however, in the same way he tempted them.

No, the devil is not a real lion. His roar, however, can be very loud and very long. A roar cannot bite but it can scare you.

If we retreat every time the devil roars, we will never learn how to stand firm in the faith and resist him. If we never resist the devil, we will never see the tail-end of the devil heading over the nearest hill.

c. Run Toward The Roar.

A preacher from Africa told this story about lions. When the lions go hunting, they are very clever. All the younger, strong lions gather down-wind from the herd of animals they are going to attack. In this way, the animals do not pick up the scent of the lion.

The old worn-out lions, whose teeth are almost gone, and who cannot run fast enough to catch prey, are put upwind where their scent and roar will frighten the animals. Those who are frightened by the roar, run toward the young lions.

The animals who “run towards the roar” are safe and cannot be hurt by the old lions. The animals who flee from the roar run into the trap and are injured or killed by the strong younger lions.

The point is obvious. Don’t run from your adversary the devil and his roaring. Run toward the roar. Resist him and he will flee from you.

d. Seeds Of Deceptions.

How does the devil roar his way into our daily lives? He does so by way of our thoughts and feelings. He sows seeds of doubt and fear into the ground of our hearts and minds. If he can tempt us to cultivate or nurture these seeds – they will grow into very large weeds. When they do our Christian life can be greatly weakened, or even destroyed.

There are all kinds of seeds which the devil sows: seeds of doubt, fear, disobedience, greed, lust, jealousy, pride, anger, resentment, self-pity and many more.

He will try to sow the same seed over and over again until some take root and grow. Once the roots grow deep, it’s hard to pull the weed out.

The devil will even deceive us into thinking it is a natural part of our life. We then give in and put up with it, even though it may be painful to us – and to others. When we do, the enemy has taken control over that part of our lives, even though he has no authority to do so.

3. Resist The Devil!

a. Stand Firm In Faith.

How then can the watchful Christian stand firm in the faith and resist the devil? The same way Jesus did in His humanity while here on earth:

1. By the authority of God’s Word;
2. By the power of God’s Spirit.

We now know that the devil no longer has dominion or the right to rule over our lives. The scepter is now in Jesus’ hand, not that of the enemy. As we, by the Spirit, speak out our confession of faith, ‘JESUS IS LORD’ – Satan must bend his knee and bow his head. It is demon powers who will tremble in torment when we face them in the mighty Name of Jesus.

b. Speak the Word In Faith.

As we submit and come under the authority of God’s Word and God’s Spirit, that authority comes upon us. We then speak that word as follows:

1. To God in prayer;
2. In the confession of our mouth;
3. To the devil in reproof.

The Spirit Himself then moves to energize the word, and the enemy flees – along with his lying thoughts and feelings.

We submit to God by filling our minds with His Word and our hearts with prayer. For every wrong, evil, negative thought the enemy would sow into our minds, there is a right, good positive thought from God’s Word.

The Scripture says we can “overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21). Every time the devil seeks to give us a push in the wrong direction, we need to push him back- twice as hard – with the truth and power of God’s Word.

c. The Laugh Of Faith.

It is true, we should not take our enemy lightly or under-rate his ability. He is both smart and strong. Apart from God’s Spirit and His Word we will lose every battle. Satan can outsmart us every time. The Scripture says that we are always to be aware of his clever tricks and scheme (2 Cor 2:11).

We are not to fear the Devil. In fact, we can boldly oppose him in the strong Name of Jesus and be assured of victory.

Our enemy has a loud roar, but his is a big bluff. He will act like he is not hurt, and even mock the Name of the Lord, hoping we will give up. If we respond with the royal laugh of faith and press our attack, he will flee in fear.

There is a sense in which every Spirit-filled saint ought o have a gift of contempt for the devil. He is very proud, and greatly dislikes being looked down upon. When we really know who we are in Christ Jesus, we are in a position of high authority, and the enemy is truly beneath our feet.

I believe Martin Luther came to a place in faith where he looked upon the devil in that way. The story is told of how he awoke in the middle of a very dark night. There wasn’t even a candle in his room. As he turned over in his little cot, he saw the devil standing in the corner.

Now, what would you do if you awoke tonight and found that Satan had come to visit you? I asked that question of a fellow one time and he replied, “I would call the preacher!”

That really wasn’t the best answer he could have given. Martine Luther’s response was much different. He simply said to the devil, “Oh, it’s you!” and rolled over and went back to sleep.

d. Putting Principles Into Practice.

A good friend of mine tells of a personal experience which shows us how these royal principles work in practice. Here is the story in his own words:

“After the Lord divinely healed me when I was a young Christian, I have always been very healthy.

“However, one day about ten years ago I suddenly felt a terrible pain in the upper part of my body.

“The pain grew worse, and I actually heard the voice of the devil saying. ‘Cancer, cancer, cancer.’ for about six hours that was all I could hear: ‘Cancer, cancer, you have cancer!” I was terrified.

“I finally went to the Lord in prayer and said, ‘Lord, do I have cancer?” the Lord didn’t answer me. Again I cried out, ‘Lord, do I have cancer?’ then I heard the Lord laugh. He was really laughing. He showed me how I had been fooled and deceived by the devil. Satan had sown a lie in my heart.

“The next time I heard the word ‘ cancer,’ I really got angry. I rose up and I said ‘Devil, I smite you with that cancer!’ I have never had that pain again in my life. This is the word of the Lord, friends. This is for real!”

e. You Are Free.

Yes, faith rises up and resists, but unbelief gives up and accepts the lies of the devil.

I am reminded of a little parrot at a Bible school in Argentina. His name was Arturo. He was brought to the school when he was just a young bird. He was tied to his perch by a little leather strap from his leg.

As Arturo grew into a full-sized bird, he would stretch his wings and try to fly into the heavens. However, he could go no farther than the length of the strap before being jerked back to his perch again. Arturo kept this up for several months. One day, he finally gave up and folded his wings for the last time. He never tried to fly again.

At that time, Arturo’s leather strap was cut. He was really free to fly away into the heavens like any other bird, but he did not know this. He was deceived, and did not believe or accept his freedom. Because of this, the story has a rather sad ending.

If only we could have gotten the truth of his freedom down into his little bird brain, he might be alive today. As it was, an angry caretaker came after him with a club for a foul deed he had done. Still thinking he could not fly away from his perch, Arturo did not try to escape, and was struck dead!

How much more tragic is the truth of this story as it relates to some of us as Christians. At Calvary, Jesus Christ – the Lion of Judah – defeated the devil and stripped him of his power. We were set free from his dominion and given a place of authority in the royal family of God.

Many, however, are so used to living in fear, doubt and defeat they can’t accept the freedom which is rightfully theirs. They allow the one Jesus destroyed, to destroy them.

Rise up and fly away, oppressed one. The heavens watch in wonder and amazement that you submit to that which you should resist. Your strap of bondage has been severed. Fly free!

E. CONCLUDING CHALLENGE

Perhaps, dear reader, your heart has been touched by the truth of these words. For the first time you are beginning to believe that life can be different. And it is true, your lot in life is not forever fixed. Things can change, and you can play a part in that change.

You don’t have to give in and give way to the lies of the devil. In Christ Jesus you have the power and authority to stand firm and resist his attacks on your heart and mind.

You are a son or daughter in the beloved family of God. The Lord does love you, and desires that you take the scepter in your hand and confess the liberty which is rightfully yours. No longer do you need to shrink back in fear or hang your head in shame. Jesus came to set you free, and he whom the Son sets free is free indeed!

“.. the devils also believe, and tremble” (Jas 2:19). It is demon powers who tremble when you stand fast and confess the Lordship of Jesus.

It is the devil who bends his knee and bows his head, for Christ has won the victory. The power of the enemy has been broken forever.
DEVIL HAS BEEN DESTROYED!

A friend of mine had this Rober Schuller quote in her office “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

It is disheartening to see how many people walk in the fear of failure because of the devil when they already have the victory through Jesus. In Hosea 4: 6 (KJV), the bible says “My people perish from a lack of knowledge”.

The devil is a defeated foe and in this two part teaching titled “The Devil is destroyed”, we learn about the benefits and implications of the victory that Jesus won for us.

What would you do for God if you knew you could not fail?

Introduction

You will never walk in victory until you know your enemy is defeated!

As Christians, we do not move from defeat into victory. We do not move from doubt into faith. The Scriptures tell us, however, that there is a way of faith which leads to greater faith “from faith to faith” (Rom 1:17).

Likewise, our starting point for victory is not one of defeat, but victory – Christ’s victory. “But thanks be unto God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).
We must begin in victory if we are going to have victory. Doubt, defeat and despair are not the kinds of stuff from which we can build strong victorious life.

We can never be a winner as long as we see ourselves as helpless, hopeless victims of the devil. Satan no longer has the power or authority to defeat the sons and daughters of God’s royal family. However, he does have the ability to deceive the children of God if they do not understand who they are in Christ Jesus.

A. FREED FROM FEAR OF DEATH AND THE DEVIL

The children in a family share in the same physical nature. Therefore, Jesus – as our Redeemer Brother – took upon himself our human nature.

“He did this that he might die. By dying, he gained access to the realm of death to destroy the one who had the power of death. That one is the devil. Jesus did this to release us from fear of death. We were slaves to that fear; now we are free” (Heb 2:14,15 smf). Note: smf = simplified.

1. The Devil Is Destroyed

Jesus died that the devil might be destroyed. This is a strong, sure statement which is absolutely and totally true. It rests upon the full authority of Scripture. The devil IS destroyed!

“To Destroy.” Now that does not mean the devil no longer exists. He is still around, as we well know.

The Greek word for “destroy” is katargeo. It means to:

1. make powerless;
2. bring to naught;
3. reduce to zero, make inactive;
4. make of no effect;
5. 5. paralyze.

Through His death, Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sins, He made the devil powerless, reduced him to zero and paralyzed him.

Therefore, we no longer need to fear the devil or the judgment which follows death (Heb 9:27,10:27).

2. Death Lost Its Sting

Through His death, Jesus also showed us we need not fear the physical effects of death. It cannot destroy the soul or spirit of man. We will even have a glorified body like that of the Lord Himself when Christ returns in resurrection power.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?… But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:55,57).

3. Christ Reigns

Yes, the death himself was stripped of his earthly authority. His right to rule over Creation was taken away by the crucified Christ. The scepter or royal symbol of authority was stripped from his hand. After defeating the devil, the Lord Jesus took His rightful place upon the throne.

B. HOW IT ALL BEGAN

This is an amazing story, however, which can only be understood by going back to the very beginning of Creation. Join me as we review what was in the heart and mind of God at the very dawn of history.

1. Man Was Created For Dominion

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. Let them rule and have dominion … over all the earth…”‘ (Gen 1:26 smf).

“What is man that you are mindful of him? And the Son of Man that you care for him? You made him for a little time lower than the angels… You made him to rule and have dominion over all the works of your hands…” (Ps 8:4a-6 smf).

“You… have put everything under his feet” (Heb 2:8).

The above scriptures show us that God had a plan for Adam and Eve. To that first family was given the right to rule or have dominion over all of Creation.

They had authority over every living thing on the face of the earth. For a time, they ruled wisely and well. Everything was peaceful and in divine order.

The lion and the lamb laid down together in perfect harmony. There were no thorns or thistles. Fragrant flowers and delightful fruit trees grew everywhere. It was a wonderful and lovely world in which to live. Sadly, the divine beauty of those sinless days was not to last.

2. Man Lost Dominion Through Disobedience And Deception

The Bible teaches that Satan had originally been created as a beautiful and anointed cherub or angel. He was probably the choirmaster of Heaven. He had great ambitions to rule the world. But God gave this privilege to Adam and Eve.

Through pride and rebellion he fell from his heavenly position of beauty, authority and power. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18; see also Ezekiel 28:11-17 and Isaiah 14:12-15).

He next appeared in the Garden of Eden in the form of a beautiful serpent. There was an evil purpose, however, in his coming. In a wise and clever way, he sought to take away from Adam and Eve the right to rule – the dominion which had been given to them as co-regents over the Creation.

Now, he could not overpower or force himself upon the first members of God’s earthly family. Adam and Eve had authority or ruler-ship over every living creature, and that included serpents. The only power Satan had was the power of influence. All he could do was seek to influence their behavior through lies and deception.

Therefore, he came to Eve when she was alone. In a very sly and subtle way, he planted seeds of doubt in her heart about God’s love, honesty and authority. He finally got her to believe that he was right and God’s word was wrong.

As a result, she chose to eat of the tree of knowledge instead of the tree of life. Adam was not deceived, but chose to follow Eve into her fallen state (1Tim 2:14).

The Sad Results. Three very sad and tragic things happened as a result of their doubt and disobedience:

1. Lost The Covering And Authority Of God. They came out from under the covering and authority of God, and the image of God was marred.
2. Lost The Right To Rule. They lost their right, therefore, to rule over God’s Creation.
3. Came Under A New Authority. They then came under the authority of Satan himself.

Satan was very quick to pick up the scepter that slipped from their hand and the crown which fell from their head. These symbols of authority were now rightfully his.

The devil had taken over the dominion of the earth as he had desired. He had won not by force, but by deception. The right to rule over God’s Creation had shifted from man to the serpent – the devil himself.

3. God Planned to Restore Dominion

Satan not only deceived others, but was under a deception himself. He thought he was right when he was wrong. He really believed he had won a victory over both God and man.

There was, however, an aspect of God’s nature he knew nothing about. It is called grace.

It is based on an unselfish love that seeks to redeem that which was lost, no matter what it might cost. One redeems or buys back only things which are of value.

In the case of man’s life, the price would be the death of another man – one called the Son of Man! I am sure Satan had not counted on God going so far as to give His only begotten Son, Jesus, for fallen man. Yet that gift had been given even before man had been created. The Bible says that Jesus was “… the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). This means that God, in His foreknowledge, saw that man would sin and need a Savior. So Jesus was chosen for this purpose before man was created.

“God paid a price to save you from the empty way of life… However, you were not redeemed with something that will pass away like silver or gold. You were bought back with the precious blood of Christ – a pure and perfect lamb.

“Christ was chosen for this purpose before the world was made. But he was revealed and shown to the world in these last times for you” (1 Pet 1:18-20 smf).

When man fell, God did not change His mind about His plan for a beloved and royal family. It was still His purpose to fill the whole earth with sons and daughters whose lives would reflect the beauty of their God.

Through their love and obedience, the glory of God’s Kingdom would yet cover the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. Yes, the scepter would again return to the hand of man.

a. Seed Of The Woman.

As soon as man sinned and fell from his place of royal authority, God’s plan of redemption was set in motion. It is of some interest that this plan was first revealed to Satan himself. From the record it would appear that Adam and Eve were also there. The word of the Lord, however, was spoken directly to the serpent:

“And the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this , you are cursed above all the animals … From now on you and the woman will be enemies. this will also be true of all of your seed [offspring] and her Seed [Jesus]. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head’” (Gen 3:14,15 smf).

The “Seed of the woman” refers to the family line from which Jesus would come in His humanity. The serpent is told he would strike at His (Jesus) heel, but the wound would not be fatal in a final way. This is a reference to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Death could not keep Jesus in the grave!

The Seed (Jesus) would use the occasion of His death to crush the serpent’s head. This refers to a fatal wound from which there would be no recovery. The defeat and death of the serpent would be final.

The phrase “crush your head” has an added meaning of great importance to our theme of authority. The term “head” includes the thought of headship or governmental authority (covering). Paul so uses the term in setting forth the lines of spiritual authority and responsibility:

“Now, I want you to know that the head [governmental covering] of the woman is man. the head of man is Christ and the head of Christ is God” (1 Cor 11:3) smf).

Our story in the Garden of Eden now becomes most dramatic. God Himself is telling the devil that someday the Seed of the woman (Jesus) would wrench the scepter from the devil’s hand. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, man would be redeemed, Satan would be defeated, and dominion would be restored to the family of God.

b. Royal Redeemer.

God’s Son – as the Son of Man- would regain for redeemed man the authority to govern that which he had lost through sin.

The Kingdom of Heaven will one day rule the earth through God’s family of sons and daughters, Jesus, our Redeemer Brother, is the “first-born” of that glorious family. Through Him we have a victory which will last forever.

This theme of restored righteous government through God’s royal Seed can be traced all through Scripture. Listen o Paul’s Letter to the Galatian churches:

When the right time had come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman and live under the law. He did this to redeem those who were also under the law. In this way we were bought and brought back into God’s family as his very own children.

“For this reason he sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. From our hearts to his, the Spirit now cries out. “Father, dear Father. ‘No longer are we slaves, but God’s beloved children. As his children everything that belongs to him now belongs to us too” (Gal 4:4-7 smf).

Clearly. Paul is linking the birth of the Lord Jesus to the promised Seed in Genesis 3:15. Jesus Christ came to this earth, born of a woman.

He came for the purpose of redeeming mankind, and restoring him (man) to a place of authority in the family of God. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy given the serpent in the Garden of Eden. When the right time came, through the cross of Christ, Satan was defeated and dethroned.

The authority which he had cleverly taken from the first family has been returned to the redeemed sons and daughters of God.

4. Satan Tried To Avert The Plan

This truth helps us understand what was happening in the temptations of Jesus at the outset of His earthly ministry. The devil first seeks to challenge the source of Jesus’ divine authority by questioning His divine son-ship. “If you are the Son of God…” (Matt 4:3 smf)

a. Satan Tempts Jesus.

It is the last temptation, however, that brings the issue of authority and dominion into sharp focus.

“Then the devil took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. There he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him. ‘All these things I will give to you if you will fall down and worship me.’

“But Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. ‘Then the devil left him, and angels came and ministered to him” (Matt 4:8-11 smf).

It is interesting to note that we come under the authority of the one we worship. Actually, what we worship becomes our authority. What the devil was really saying was this: “If you will come under my authority, I will give you ruler-ship over all the kingdoms of earth.” Jesus saw through the deception and refused.

1. Temptation Was Real. There is another important point here which gives further understanding of the main theme of this study.

Was Satan’s offer for real? Did he truly have that kind of authority to give?

If he did not, then his offer to Jesus was not a valid offer. Thus there would have been no real temptation involved.

The temptations Jesus faced were real. The devil was offering Jesus a way to avoid the cross – but at the cost of disobeying His Father in Heaven. It took real strength to resist. Jesus’ struggles with these temptations were so stressful, angels had to come and help Him recover.
2. Satan Had Authority. Yes, at that point in time Satan actually had dominion and authority over the kingdoms of this earth. It was the authority which he took from Adam when he disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve submitted themselves to the lies of the devil, they came under his authority and gave up their own.

It was this authority and dominion which Jesus came to regain for the true worshippers of the one true God. Jesus knew that – and Satan did too. God had told Satan this back in the Garden of Eden. Since that time, the devil had sought to destroy the line from which that royal Seed would come.

b. Satan Tried To Destroy Jesus.

He tried to destroy Jesus at His birth. Satan stirred up King Herod to kill all the infants under two years of age. Only a demon-possessed man would do such a thing as that.

What was Satan after? He was seeking to destroy Jesus – the Seed of the woman. Satan knew that when Jesus became a man there would be a battle for the power and authority which had been in his possession since the fall of man.

When the use of force failed, the devil tried to cause Jesus to sin, the same way he had tempted Adam and Eve. He sought to get Him to move apart from the will and word of His Father. He hoped Jesus would act in His own self-interest.

Yes, Satan was aware that Jesus Christ was the “Seed of the woman” Who had come to take away his dominion- his right to rule. Satan’s offer of world authority was an effort to avoid that loss by bringing Jesus under his very control first.

c. Satan Didn’t Understand The Cross.

While Satan knew his kingdom and power was threatened by Jesus, it is possible he didn’t know the method and means Jesus would use to defeat him.

The Apostle Paul tells us that the plan of man’s salvation through the cross was not understood by the rulers or princes of this world.

“None of the rulers or princes of this world understood it. If they had they would not have killed the Lord of glory on a cross ” (1 Cor 2:8).

Since the Bible calls the devil “… the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), most Bible scholars believe 1 Corinthians 2:8 is referring to the devil and his ruling princes.

Earthly rulers are agents who serve under demonic princes. The demonic princes and powers behind these earthly rulers were not aware of the power and purpose of the cross.

Jesus was fully aware that He must first suffer before entering into His glory (Luke 24:26). He was “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). (Calvary and the cross must come before the kingdom and the crown. The devil’s offer of world dominion would have been a temptation for Jesus to rule the world without the pain and suffering of the cross.