"In Santa Cruz there's a strip called Pacific Avenue, and there's a number of bars. And I remember walking down Pacific Avenue, and it was getting a little rowdy. I remember seeing two burly guys getting out of control after having drank a bit too much. And there was a bouncer there who was trying to get things under control, but it wasn’t working, so they called the police.
The police officer arrives and its a 4'11" female police officer. And I'm worried, how is she going to handle this?
I could not have been more wrong, because I realized, the issue is not your size or your strength. The issue is your authority.
This very confident 4'11" officer walks out. "Gentlemen, do we have a problem here?"
"No, we're good here. Get outta here."
"Excuse me" she said, "I'm authorized by Santa Cruz County to enforce the law. I'd like both of you to know that. Over against the car. Do you understand?" And they both started to balk a little bit, and she put her hand on her revolver. It was a .45.
And you know what? I've never seen two big, strong drunk guys get sober so fast.” And pretty soon this 4'11" woman is in charge of the situation.
You know why? She had a badge that has a position of authority that says "I have all right and authority vested in me to exercise power. You must do what I say. And if there's any problem with that, I have some power on my leg that can enforce it immediately."
You are a child of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Your badge is your position in Christ. And you have on your side the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And demons must believe and obey the authority of every child of God who takes the Word of God and speaks it. And you don't have to be strong or spiritual or go to seminary or know a whole lot. What you have to do is claim who you are and act on what is true, and they must obey.
-From a sermon by Chip Ingram, How to Do Battle With the Enemy and Win, Abridged/Edited, 6/11/2010
We’re continuing our series on spiritual warfare and today we continue to focus in on the internal battle. We can’t fight externally until we’ve learned to fight the battle in our own heart and mind.
We’re going to look at who we used to be, who we are now, our authority in Christ as believers, and how to use that authority to win the internal battle.
Our scripture begins like this: "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” -Ephesians 2:1
We were once dead. Dead in our sins. Captured by evil practices. Desperate and alone. Sin was our master. And we didn’t even realize it.
We were like trained animals in a circus, doing exactly what we were told. We thought we were free, but more and more we realized we were captives. The show might’ve seemed fun, but then we went back to our steel cage. And slowly we realized something is wrong here. I’m a prisoner. How can I be free?
Next, verses 2: "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God."
We were under the authority of a powerful entity known as the devil, the Satan, the adversary. He is the commander of the powers of the kingdom of the air.
He controlled us. He manipulated us. He kept us in fear and bondage. It reminds me of the C.S. Lewis Narnia series. The series was a Christian allegory. In the first book, Edmund was under the control of the white witch, which represented the devil in the movie/book. She gave him Turkish delight to keep him under control. But as soon as she had fed his pleasures, he was taken captive.
Similarly, the enemy will feed our base desires, give us what we want to keep us under control, but more and more we come to see that it’s a cage, a trap.
The world naturally follows this spirit of the enemy. C.S. Lewis called it the spirit of the age. It reminds me of the covid pandemic. Most people went along with the narrative, put on the face mask, get your shot, force others to get it, use the government to force others to get the shot, trust the science, listen to whatever the CDC and the government says. That is the spirit of the age.
The mass, the mob, who follow the leading of the authorities and powers of this world, is swayed by the spirit in control of this world.
Yet during that time there was a faithful remnant that resisted the evil agenda that was taking place in our country. They questioned the narrative. They questioned why churches needed to be shut down but bars and liquor stores could stay open. They questioned if there might be side effects to the shot. They questioned if masks were really effective in stopping the spread.
During any controversy and debate in our society, you will see the spirit of the age take charge, like a flood usually, very powerful. But you will also see God raise up a standard (a banner) against the enemy, and believers who are led by the Spirit of God will rally around the banner and stand against the lies.
The challenge friends is, to make sure you’re on the right side. Satan, the news media, our society, will try to make sure we are on the wrong side. They will manipulate us into thinking we’re on the right side, when maybe we aren’t? It's never easy to tell. Pray for discernment, and ask the Spirit to lead you.
Next, verse 3: "All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else."
We were obedient to the sinful nature within us, we allowed sin to flow freely. Sometimes we fought against it, when we knew something was wrong, but usually we went along with it.
I remember feeling many times, like I want to be a good person, I want to do good things, but I can’t quite get myself to do it. There is no power within my heart to pursue it. I was lacking power, authority.
And I was subject to God’s anger, his wrath, we all were there at one time. We followed the leader, which was our sinful desires, and the spirit within was not the Holy Spirit, but the spirit of the enemy, nudging us in the wrong direction. We were obedient to it.
Next verses 4-5, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
It should’ve been the end of the story, we were rebels against God, in alignment with Satan and the demonic forces deceiving us.
But, God. Not our own abilities. Not because we figured out how to escape the world system. Not because we found some clever way to overcome death. No, it was by God’s grace, when he raised Jesus from the dead.
Do you understand? When God raised Jesus from the dead, similarly, he also raised you from the dead.
Next, verses 6-7: "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
What does it mean that we are seated in the heavenly realms? Is that just some nice thing that sounds cool and Paul wrote it to make us feel good? Was he just waxing poetic? No. He was declaring a spiritual reality.
What does it mean exactly?
A. Direct Access to the Throne - You are there right now seated in heavenly realm
B. Safety & Security - We enjoy God’s protection and love right now
C. Power over the enemy - You are seated above the enemy right now
First, it means that part of you is already dwelling there right now. You have access to God’s throne.
Second, it means being united with Jesus. He is in us, and we are in Him. He dwells in us. We dwell in him. That’s protection and love.
Thirdly, it means you are seated above the enemy, above every demon and evil spirit. You have authority.
Particularly today, I want to talk about your authority in Christ.
In spiritual warfare, you have to believe and know you as an individual believer have authority to call on the power of heaven to assist you.
Just before Jesus would go to the cross, he met with his 12 disciples in the upper room. And he told them something very powerful that night.
He said this, from John 14:12-14, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8)
You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms right now. You walk in authority. And the enemy is trying very hard to hide your authority from you.
But there is a difference between power and authority. It reminds me of a police officer who is directing traffic. The vehicles coming at him are very powerful. They could knock him over very easily. But, the police officer has authority. He is able to lift his hands and tell vehicles to stop and then tell vehicles to go. He has authority.
Similarly in Christ you have authority. Authority on this Earth. It’s something the enemy took away from us a long time ago, when Adam and Eve sinned against God. The authority over the Earth was taken from Adam and Eve and given to demonic forces.
But with the resurrection of Jesus, now the authority is returned, and we now have dominion once again in Christ. So we may pray, and believe, and we will see world events change.
It's good to pray by yourself. But it's even more powerful when we pray together and agree. If we gather as the church and pray and decree, then it will happen. Why? We as the body of believers are the house of representatives for the kingdom of God on Earth. We have that authority in Christ. But the authority does not come from us, and we don't exercise it in a vacuum. We exercise it only within the will of God, which comes from Jesus. The authority is really Jesus himself. We simply walk in Him and serve as conduits for His authority.
Do you understand? When God raised Jesus from the dead, similarly, he also raised you from the dead.
Next, verses 6-7: "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
What does it mean that we are seated in the heavenly realms? Is that just some nice thing that sounds cool and Paul wrote it to make us feel good? Was he just waxing poetic? No. He was declaring a spiritual reality.
What does it mean exactly?
A. Direct Access to the Throne - You are there right now seated in heavenly realm
B. Safety & Security - We enjoy God’s protection and love right now
C. Power over the enemy - You are seated above the enemy right now
First, it means that part of you is already dwelling there right now. You have access to God’s throne.
Second, it means being united with Jesus. He is in us, and we are in Him. He dwells in us. We dwell in him. That’s protection and love.
Thirdly, it means you are seated above the enemy, above every demon and evil spirit. You have authority.
Particularly today, I want to talk about your authority in Christ.
In spiritual warfare, you have to believe and know you as an individual believer have authority to call on the power of heaven to assist you.
Just before Jesus would go to the cross, he met with his 12 disciples in the upper room. And he told them something very powerful that night.
He said this, from John 14:12-14, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Jesus said, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:8)
You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms right now. You walk in authority. And the enemy is trying very hard to hide your authority from you.
But there is a difference between power and authority. It reminds me of a police officer who is directing traffic. The vehicles coming at him are very powerful. They could knock him over very easily. But, the police officer has authority. He is able to lift his hands and tell vehicles to stop and then tell vehicles to go. He has authority.
Similarly in Christ you have authority. Authority on this Earth. It’s something the enemy took away from us a long time ago, when Adam and Eve sinned against God. The authority over the Earth was taken from Adam and Eve and given to demonic forces.
But with the resurrection of Jesus, now the authority is returned, and we now have dominion once again in Christ. So we may pray, and believe, and we will see world events change.
It's good to pray by yourself. But it's even more powerful when we pray together and agree. If we gather as the church and pray and decree, then it will happen. Why? We as the body of believers are the house of representatives for the kingdom of God on Earth. We have that authority in Christ. But the authority does not come from us, and we don't exercise it in a vacuum. We exercise it only within the will of God, which comes from Jesus. The authority is really Jesus himself. We simply walk in Him and serve as conduits for His authority.
The enemy doesn’t want us to know we have this authority.
Next portion of our scripture today, verses 8-9: "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it"
The scripture today tells us numerous beautiful truths, God saved us by his grace when we believed. It’s a gift from God. Salvation is not something we can brag about.
That’s very important to remember, it’s the same with authority in spiritual warfare. As soon as you start thinking the power comes from you, the authority disappears completely. It’s gone. But as long as we stay reliant on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, abiding in Jesus, trusting Jesus as the source, as the one who delegates to us authority, then we can be completely confident in the authority we have. It’s from Him.
Last portion of scripture, verse 10: "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
The real question is, how do we make use of this authority Christ gives us?
We have it, it’s ours in Him. So how do we apply it? What use is having spiritual armor if you don’t put it on? What use is prayer power if we don’t pray? What use is scriptural power if we don’t read the scriptures? We must open these resources and make use of them.
We are God’s masterpiece. He has made us new in Christ Jesus so that we can do all the good things he planned for us to do long ago.
Next portion of our scripture today, verses 8-9: "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it"
The scripture today tells us numerous beautiful truths, God saved us by his grace when we believed. It’s a gift from God. Salvation is not something we can brag about.
That’s very important to remember, it’s the same with authority in spiritual warfare. As soon as you start thinking the power comes from you, the authority disappears completely. It’s gone. But as long as we stay reliant on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, abiding in Jesus, trusting Jesus as the source, as the one who delegates to us authority, then we can be completely confident in the authority we have. It’s from Him.
Last portion of scripture, verse 10: "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
The real question is, how do we make use of this authority Christ gives us?
We have it, it’s ours in Him. So how do we apply it? What use is having spiritual armor if you don’t put it on? What use is prayer power if we don’t pray? What use is scriptural power if we don’t read the scriptures? We must open these resources and make use of them.
We are God’s masterpiece. He has made us new in Christ Jesus so that we can do all the good things he planned for us to do long ago.
We are his painting, which he is creating brush by brush against the canvas of our hearts.
He is molding us, crafting us carefully into the likeness of Jesus.
If we know our authority and we use our authority, then we will be victorious. We will do all the good things he has planned for us.
In conclusion today, how do we make use of this authority? That’s the key. What can we do with it?
Let’s look at a few applications:
1. Pray in faith – your prayers can change the world, pray fervently, pray often, pray about everything, big and small. Prayer is your weapon
2. Declare the scriptures – memorize scripture and declare it over your life in the morning, throughout the day, and at night. The word is your sword
3. Break Curses – you have authority to break demonic curses and spells over people and over yourself – use that authority
4. Cast out Demons – use the name of Jesus to cast out demons, if you sense something evil speak the name of Jesus
5. Call on Angelic forces – use your authority in Jesus to loose angels from heaven to your situation or to your city
6. Repent of your sins – use that power word of “repent” to turn from your sins and receive Jesus’ forgiveness
7. Believe in the power of God – the more you believe and trust, and grow in that, everything you do will be more powerful, whether prayer or scripture or repentance or healing, believe and you will be victorious.
If we know our authority and we use our authority, then we will be victorious. We will do all the good things he has planned for us.
In conclusion today, how do we make use of this authority? That’s the key. What can we do with it?
Let’s look at a few applications:
1. Pray in faith – your prayers can change the world, pray fervently, pray often, pray about everything, big and small. Prayer is your weapon
2. Declare the scriptures – memorize scripture and declare it over your life in the morning, throughout the day, and at night. The word is your sword
3. Break Curses – you have authority to break demonic curses and spells over people and over yourself – use that authority
4. Cast out Demons – use the name of Jesus to cast out demons, if you sense something evil speak the name of Jesus
5. Call on Angelic forces – use your authority in Jesus to loose angels from heaven to your situation or to your city
6. Repent of your sins – use that power word of “repent” to turn from your sins and receive Jesus’ forgiveness
7. Believe in the power of God – the more you believe and trust, and grow in that, everything you do will be more powerful, whether prayer or scripture or repentance or healing, believe and you will be victorious.
