Exercise Your Jesus-Given Authority Over Satan
October 30, 2022
Exercise Your Jesus-Given Authority Over Satan
10.30.2022
We are living in a day of tremendous spiritual challenge and warfare.
We should go into our future knowing that Jesus Christ has equipped us for this season of time before His return, and that we have already won the future battles we face!
6 points…
1. Satan is a fallen angel that was given a temporary authority over mankind due to Adam’s sin.
Ezekiel 28
Isaiah 14
Satan is a fallen angel that led an insurrection against God and was cast to the earth by God.
Luke 10:18 (MEV)
He said to them, “I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luke 4:5-7 (NKJV)
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
The authority that Satan has was given to him by Adam when he chose to sin.
Hebrews 2:6-8 (CEV)
Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God, “What makes you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for weaklings such as we? 7 You made us lower than the angels for a while. Yet you have crowned us with glory and honor. 8 And you have put everything under our power!” God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don’t see it all under our power.
And that is because Adam gave our authority away when he sinned. He committed treason against God, and gave what God gave humanity over to Satan. Satan was given Adam’s authority over the earth.
It seems to be a time limited dominion, like a lease of dominion.
Matthew 8:29 (MEV)
Suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
1 John 5:19 (NLT)
We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.
Revelation 12:10-12 (NLT)
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”
Satan’s lease of dominion on the earth will end at the Second Coming of Christ!
Satan is aware that his ruling the earth days are coming to a close, and he is stirring up a lot of trouble before it ends.
His trump card is the antiChrist, whom he thinks will assert enough control worldwide that God’s purposes will be hindered. But, it will not work! Read the end of the book of Revelation. We win!
Just like in Daniel’s day, our current challenges originate in the demonic realm.
Daniel 10:12-13 (BBE)
Then he said to me, Have no fear, Daniel; for from the first day when you gave your heart to getting wisdom and making yourself poor in spirit before your God, your words have come to his ears: and I have come because of your words. 13 But the angel of the kingdom of Persia put himself against me for twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief angels, came to my help; and when I came he was still there with the angel of the kings of Persia.
The good news is that we have authority over Satan.
Luke 10:17,18 – NLT
When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!
Satan now has a legal right to be here and rule over mankind and the earth.
His goal is to kill, to steal, and to destroy, and to hinder God’s purposes on the earth.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (MEV)
Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
2. Jesus went to the cross as the representative man!
Jesus is called the Second Adam, or the Last Adam:
1 Corinthians 15:45 (NKJV)
And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Jesus is called the last Adam, because He is the first person since Adam sinned to have no personal sin, who is not subject to Satan’s control, and who was not subject to death.
Jesus, the pure man, the God man, legally became our sin sacrifice so we could be sin free.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus became our sin, was judged for our sin, was raised from death when our sin debt was paid.
Because Jesus was a man, the second Adam, He could also not only take our sin judgment, but also return to us the authority that Adam gave away!
Revelation 1:18 – NKJV
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death.
Ephesians 1:19-22 (NLT)
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
Ephesians 2:6 (NLT)
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.
We are not a defeated people. We are a victorious people in Christ with a very bright future!
3. Jesus has given Christians authority over Satan.
Definition – Authority
A power to require and receive submission; the right to expect obedience; superiority derived from a status that carries with it the right to command and give final decisions; delegated power over others.
Matthew 28:18-20 – NKJV
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
When Jesus said – Go therefore – He delegated His all authority to us!
The word Authority here is the word in Greek – Exousia – which is both All authority as well as Delegated authority!
You are wearing a law enforcement badge from the Kingdom of Heaven in the spirit realm. You wear the armor of God in the invisible spirit realm.
Satan must recognize your delegated, lawful authority in Christ.
But he will play a game of bluff with you. If you do nothing with the authority Jesus gave you, then Satan will run over you, and keep you defeated.
4. You have spiritual authority over Satan in your life and in your family!
Notice these scriptures:
Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
This was before the cross. Jesus gave His disciples the authority of His personage by the use of His name. His name represents all that He is!
1 Corinthians 2:6
However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Who are coming to nothing:
Amplified:
who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.
Wuest:
Who are in the process of being liquidated.
Youngs Literal Translation:
Of those becoming useless.
Moffat:
the dethroned powers that rule this world.
Colossians 1:13 – AMP
[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Colossians 2:15 – NLT
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Colossians 2:15 – NKJV
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:15 – Amplified
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].
Colossians 2:15- Message
He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
Colossians 2:15- God’s Word
He stripped the rulers and authorities of their power and made a public spectacle of them as he celebrated his victory in Christ.
Colossians 2:15 – J.B. Phillips
And then, having drawn the sting of all the powers and authorities ranged against us, He exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in His own triumphant victory.
Ephesians 1:19-23 – NLT
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power (20) that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (21) Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. (22) God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.(23) And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Ephesians 2:6 NLT
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.
Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
5. Use your God given authority over Satan. Authority that is not exercised does you no good!
James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Resist: (Translations from various theologians).
Strongs:
to oppose or withstand.
Bullinger:
set one’s self against, either in word or deed or both.
Elliot:
The devil can fight, but cannot conquer you if you resist.
Wheaton:
Temptation when repelled disappear, and when habitually kept at a distance, cease to exist.
Flee: (Translations from various theologians).
Thayer:
Flee because of inspired fear and threatened danger.
Arndt:
Seek safety in flight
Liddle and Scott:
Run off as quickly as possible
Expositor’s Greek New Testament:
If you resist him, he will be vanquished and will flee from you disgraced.
Ephesians 4:27:
NKJV:
Nor give place to the devil.
God’s Word:
Don’t give the devil any opportunity to work.
NCV:
Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.
Weymouth:
And do not leave room for the Devil.
Kenneth Wuest:
And stop giving an occasion for acting [opportunity] to the devil.
6. Satan must be resisted by faith.
1 Peter 5:8-9 – NLT
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (9) Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
He usually works by put a thought in your mind and a feeling in your body. If you buy what he’s placing there, he will seek to entrench it into your life.
We must renew our minds and control our bodies to remain free from his influence.
Action Points:
1. Do you know that you have authority over Satan and demonic forces?
2. Do you exercise your authority over Satan by submitting your life to God and then resisting Satan in the name of Jesus?
3. Do you live by faith and refuse to allow feelings to control you?
Scriptures: Halloween
During World War 2 – What would it look like if you flew a Nazi Swastika flag on your property?
Or, what if you had an ISIS flag flying in your yard today?
When we allow our kids to dress up like ghosts and witches, what signal are we sending to them and to the enemy?
We are in a strong spiritual battle. We should not collude with our enemy in any way!
What kind of signal do we send in the spiritual realm when we dress up, or dress our kids in costumes that represent our enemy?
The following scripture show the background from the Old Testament of God’s ideals concerning imitating our enemies:
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NLT)
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. (10) For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, (11) or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. (12) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. (13) But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. (14) The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
Leviticus 18:1-5 (NLT)
Then the Lord said to Moses, (2) “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. (3) So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. (4) You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. (5) If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, (21) envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 10:19-21 (NLT)
What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? (20) No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. (21) You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (12) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
(13) Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. (14) Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. (15) For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (16) In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (17) Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(18) Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Revelation 22:15 (NLT)
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
Leviticus 20:6-7 (NLT)
I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. 7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
1 Samuel 28:5-22 (NLT)
When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. 6 He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. 7 Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”
9 “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”
10 But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”
11 Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”
13 “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a god coming up out of the earth,” she said.
14 “What does he look like?” Saul asked.
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.
15 “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.
“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”
16 But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. 19 What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”
20 Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
21 When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. 22 Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.”
2 Kings 21:6-7 (NLT)
Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger. 7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.
Albany.edu
Introduction
Halloween or All Hallows Eve, as it is sometimes referred to, is a lot different now than it may have been celebrated many centuries ago. With October 31st coming around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to find out what the origins of Halloween were.
Earliest Trace
Peter Tokofsky, an assistant professor in the department of folklore and mythology in UCLA states, “The earliest trace (of Halloween) is the Celtic festival, Samhain, which was the Celtic New Year. It was the day of the dead, and they believed the souls of the deceased would be available” (Navarro).
Samhain
Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) means “summer’s end” by the Celts. In old Germanic and Celtic societies, what we call equinoxes and solstices marked the middles of the season, not the beginnings.” (Chamberlain) Therefore if there exist an autumnal equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox and a summer solstice, there are also the beginning of autumn, winter, spring and summer. All of these eight dates were important. Summer’s end which meant the beginning of winter was an important time for people who survived on plants grown in the field and animals that were kept in pastures. (Chamberlain) “This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death” (The History Channel Exhibits- History of Halloween) It is most likely this reason that the Druids (Celtic pagans) believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain (MSN Learning & Research- Halloween)
Descriptions
The Druids celebrated this holiday “with a great fire festival to encourage the dimming Sun not to vanish” and people “danced round bonfires to keep evil spirits away, but left their doors open in hopes that the kind spirits of loved ones might join them around their hearths”. On this night, “divination was thought to be more effective than any other time, so methods were derived to ascertain who might marry, what great person might be born, who might rise to prominence, or who might die” (Chamberlain). Also during the celebration, the Celts “wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes”. Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed (The History Channel Exhibits- The History of Halloween). The spirits were believed to be either “entertained by the living”, or to “find a body to possess for the incoming year”. This all gives reasons as to why “dressing up like witches, ghosts and goblins, villagers could avoid being possessed.” (Navarro )
Roman Influence
By 43 AD, “Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory.” For the 400 years they occupied Celtic lands, two Roman festivals: Feralia (the commemoration of the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruits and trees). The apple served as a symbol for Pomona and which might have been incorporated into Samhain by the practice of “bobbing for apples” (The History of Halloween).
Christian Influence
When “local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts.” Pope Gregory IV wanted to substitute Samhain with All Saints’ Day in 835, but All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2nd) which is closer in resemblance to Samhain and Halloween today, was “first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe” (MSN Learning & Research- Halloween). In the 16th century, “Christian village children celebrated the vigil of All Saints’ by doing the Danse Macabre. The Seven Brethren whose grizzly death is described in the seventh chapter of the deuterocanonical book of Second Macabees” is also said to have resulted in children dressing up in grizzly costumes to signify these deaths. (Thomas )
Modern Halloween
Halloween came to the United States when European immigrants “brought their varied Halloween customs with them”. In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants including the Irish fleeing from the potato famine in Ireland in 1846. By combining Irish and English traditions, Americans began the “trick-or-treat” tradition. In the later 1800’s the holiday became more centered on community and in the 1920’s and 1930’s, Halloween became “a secular, but community-centered holiday”. In the 1950’s leaders changed Halloween as a holiday aimed at the young to limit vandalism. This all led to what Halloween actually is like today. (The History Channel Exhibits: The History of Halloween)
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