45 Warfare Part 4: Your Authority

in waging war against evil. Indeed, this does not have to be exhausting. It requires effort, but it can also be playful and even restful.

In fact, the only way uh that I think to begin a discussion about waging war against evil is by talking about singing, by talking about music, by talking about song. Why? Well, because when it comes to warring against evil, singing is actually rather important. So let me begin today by quoting the bridge to a song called The Great I Am that was written by Jared Anderson, and here's what he writes in the bridge.

The mountains shake before him, the demons run and flee. At the mention of the name, King of Majesty, there is no power in hell, nor any who can stand. before the power and the presence of the great I am. And here's one more, here's the bridge to a song called What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong. Here's the bridge. Death could not hold you. The veil tore before you. You silenced the boast of sin and grave. You have no rival.

You have no equal. What both of these songs are doing is reminding us that the starting point. For any discussion about warfare with evil is simply this: Jesus Christ has no rival. There is no power in hell, nor any who can stand before the power and the present.

of the great I am. The overarching story of Scripture is that the serpent who first appeared in Genesis 3 is defeated through the death resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Bible leaves no doubt about Christ's definitive victory over the forces of darkness. So Colossians two says, Christ is the head over every power and authority. And Paul goes on to say that on the cross Jesus disarmed The powers and authorities of the

triumphing over them by the cross. That's Colossians 2.15. Peter will join in, declaring the same, saying that Christ, quote, has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. First Peter three. And finally in Ephesians 1, we read that Christ is seated in the heavenly realms. He's seated In the heavenly realms far above all rule and authority power and dominion, and that all things have been placed

under Christ's feet. So as to the question of Christ's victory over the powers of darkness, there can be no doubt. Jesus Christ has conquered evil. and every entity of the kingdom of darkness is in submission to him. But Remember First Corinthians fifteen, which says this Then the end will come, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.

for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. Where is the place we find ourselves? We find ourselves living at a point in the war In which Jesus Christ is in the process of destroying all dominion, authority, and power.

Now, the next question, of course, is how exactly is Jesus doing this work? of destroying the kingdom of darkness. And this is frankly where it gets really fun and a bit surprising. Jesus is in the process of destroying the kingdom of darkness, but how? largely in collaboration with you and me. Largely in collaboration with you and me, which brings us to the topic of authority, and more specifically, the authority that is yours. So simple question. Are you aware?

that the authority that Jesus has over the forces of darkness, are you aware that a significant portion of this authority has been delegated to you as a follower of Jesus?

Consider the following There are three gospel accounts of the commissioning of the disciples, three times where it talks about the commissioning of the disciples, one in Matthew, one in Mark, one in Luke. Commissioning is about authority, which is why in all three accounts, Jesus explicitly names what the disciples have authority over. But notice what Jesus says in all three accounts. When Jesus calls the 12 disciples to him in Matthew, he gives them, quote, authority to drive out evil spirits.

and to heal every disease and sickness. It's Matthew 10. When he appoints the twelve disciples in Mark, He sends them out to quote preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3. And when he commissions the twelve disciples in Luke, He gives them quote power and authority to drive out all demons. and to cure diseases and to proclaim the kingdom of God. That's Luke 9. Now, there are two things you have to hear in the accounts of the commissioning of the disciples.

First, it's all about authority. The word authority is in all three accounts. And second, please notice that the primary task Jesus assigns to his disciples. is that of driving out evil spirits. In Matthew, the disciples are instructed to drive out evil spirits and heal disease. In Mark, they are instructed to drive out evil spirits and preach.

And in Luke, they are instructed to drive out evil spirits, heal disease, and preach. The only task that Jesus gives to his disciples in each of the three Gospels, each of the three synoptic gospels, is that of driving out evil spirits. What's the point? The point is that more than anything else. The commissioning of the twelve disciples was about Jesus sharing his authority, and more specifically, sharing his authority to engage in warfare with the forces of darkness.

The only task that Jesus gives to his disciples in each of the three synoptic gospels is that of driving out evil spirits. And lest we think that this assignment is somehow restricted to the twelve disciples, Jesus sends out an additional seventy-two in Luke ten. Uh this is what it says in Luke 10. The Lord appointed seventy-two others. and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

He told them, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So after the commissioning, after commissioning the disciples, Jesus sends out an additional seventy-two to go out to every town and place where Jesus himself is about to go. In other words, they are going ahead of Jesus. Why? Because the harvest is plentiful. Jesus is about to go to various towns and places, and he's saying there is a harvest awaiting him.

So why is Jesus sending seventy two other leaders to go ahead of him into these vi into these villages? Well, you find out a few verses later, because here is what the seventy-two say to Jesus. Upon their return from going into these towns and places. This is what it says, Luke 10, verse 17 and 18. The 72 returned with joy and said, Lord. Even the demons submit to us in your name.

Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Now, a quick caveat. Though the earliest followers of Jesus were sent out to engage in warfare. They were sent out ahead of Jesus to these various towns and places. I don't want you to think that you have to go anywhere. To join the fight. You do not need to go anywhere to engage in spiritual warfare. Evil will bring the fight to you. And notice, going back to the 72, uh, this is this is just stunning. When the 72 returned, they did not exclaim, Lord, even illnesses are cured in your name.

Or Lord, the masses respond when we preach in your name. No, the focus Is on though I'm sure those other two things happened. They were given authority to cure illnesses, to preach pro powerfully, but the focus is on invoking their authority to drive out demons in the name of Jesus. This is about authority, and more specifically, it is about your authority. Luke's point is that the way we know that Jesus has delegated his authority to the 72 is

is because the demons submit to them. That is the litmus test. Not spectacular heal healing or powerful preaching. The 72 had to go ahead of Jesus into these towns. Because although the harvest was plentiful, there were spirits keeping people in bondage. And the seventy-two had to get rid of those spirits so that Jesus' words would be received on good soil. Our charge.

Our task as followers of Jesus is to continue the task that the earliest disciples began, namely to take back authority over the earth. In other words, we, like the earliest Christians, have been charged with driving out evil spirits, and we have been given the authority to do so. You have been given the authority to do so. Let me read Luke ten one more time. The seventy-two returned with joy, and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.

And Jesus replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. And notice this, I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy. Let me break that down slowly. What does Jesus say? I have given you authority. I have given you authority to overcome. I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy. Do you believe that? Do you believe that Jesus has given his authority to you, his follower?

And by the way, uh, did you notice that it says the seventy-two returned with joy? and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. They were joyful because they had power over demons. Are you likewise joyful about your power over the emissaries, the forces of the kingdom of darkness. I know it's an odd question, but the text is clear. The seventy two returned with joy.

And they said that this joy was because demons were responding to the authority of the name of Jesus. Demons were submitting to them. Engaging in spiritual warfare can become, in part, about the joy of using the authority of Jesus Christ to command the forces of darkness to stop harassing you.

Are you thinking to yourself, okay, but I don't come across demons in my day-to-day life? Is that going through your head right now? Uh uh All I can do is plead with you. Don't be so sure about that. Don't be so sure about that. Bear with me because this is very practical. Very practical. In the next episode, we will go into much more detail about unclean spirits, aka demons, but I wanted to give you a sense. of the power you have to address these spirits,

before talking about how to do it in more depth. You have to know that you have authority in the spiritual realm. Now, no one has taught me more about uh my authority over evil than John Eldridge. And here's how John Eldridge puts it. He says, Look, the whole purpose of the death of Christ. is that he is trying to restore humanity to our place of authority over the earth.

One of the reasons that God doesn't just do things himself is because he's trying to bring about the change of character in us that is willing to rise up, to enter in, to act like the sons and daughters of God. The point of our maturing is that we begin to do the same things that we see Jesus doing. That's John Eldridge, to begin to do the same things that we see Jesus doing. What's the place we find ourselves? We are in training.

We are in the process of learning How to be a man or woman, how to be a son or daughter. how to be a warrior who does the same things that Jesus did and continues to do. One of the things Jesus does is he uses his authority over the spirits of the kingdom of darkness. It's all over the place in the gospel. Do you know you have the authority to likewise command evil spirits to cease their work, to cease their assault, to cease their accusation?

Evil must submit to the children of God when we use the authority given to us by Jesus.

since it has always been the intent of God to share his authority with his creatures. Oh, the humility of God, but it is true. Therefore it should come as no surprise to see Jesus delegating his authority. Including his authority over evil spirits. C. S. Lewis puts it like this He says, God seems to do nothing by Himself that He can possibly delegate to His creatures. You have to understand that there is a way things work in the spiritual realm.

There is a way things work. In Matthew 8, Jesus tells a fascinating story which demonstrates. That the spiritual realm operates on the basis of spiritual authority. And here's what it says. It's a paragraph, but I need to read it. Here's what it says in Matthew 8. Uh it's the story. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. This is a Roman centurion, this is not a a a disciple.

Uh Lord, he said, calls him Lord, he said, My servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly. Jesus said to him, to this centurion, shall I come and heal him? The centurion replied, Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. but just say the word, and my servant will be healed, for I myself Am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one go and he goes, and that one come and he comes. I say to my servant, do this, and he does it.

When Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those following him, Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Then Jesus said to the centurion, Go and Let it be done just as you believed it would. And his servant was healed at that moment. When Jesus hears the centurion's words, he is amazed. And look, that doesn't happen very often. Okay, Jesus is astonished at the faith of this centurion. And he says, Jesus says, I have not found anyone in Israel

with such great faith, uh, which is a stunning sentence. But what is it about this centurion's faith that amazes Jesus? What makes Jesus marvel? It is the centurion's understanding of authority. Remember that part? The centurion says, Just say the word and my servant will be healed, for I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me, I tell this one go and he goes, and that one come and he comes. The starting point for waging war against evil is to understand your authority.

Why? Because the spiritual world operates on the basis of authority. Again, I'm so deeply grateful to John Eldridge for what for what follows. He makes an observation that is so simple and obvious, and yet it has changed everything for me. And his observation is simply this. Just as there are laws that govern the physical world, There are laws that govern the spiritual world.

For example, the physical world operates on the basis of gravity. You throw an object into the air, it always comes down. Why? Because there's a way in which the world works. If you rub your hand against the grain of a piece of wood, you get a splinter. If you turn a sailboat into the wind, you lose momentum. Why? Because there is a way in which the world works. Why would it be any different in the unseen realm?

In the spiritual realm, in the broader cosmos. It's not. It's not any different. And the way in which the spiritual realm works is quite simple. It is governed on the basis of authority. When it comes to the physical world, our actions are governed by the natural laws uh every day. We don't bat an eyelash, so why are we surprised that there is a way things work in the unseen realm? The Centurion in Matthew 8 names the governing law of the unseen world Authority.

Just as natural laws like gravity govern the visible world, authority governs the invisible world. Everything that I'm about to say in the next episode, all of the tactics for waging war against evil. everything at our disposal, all the weaponry that we have, it is all based on the fact that you as a child of God, have been granted authority over evil.

When it comes to engaging in any and every form of spiritual warfare, the outcome is determined by a simple question. Who has authority in this situation? The kingdom of darkness, which includes Satan and his emissaries, or the kingdom of God, which includes God, angels, and the children of God.

Who has authority in any given situation? So given all that. It is necessary to conclude today by looking at what Jesus has done so that you know you have been set up to succeed in waging war against evil because your authority is derivative. It is derivative from the authority of the name of Jesus and the authority of what he accomplished in his work. Jesus has gone before you. And done a lot of damage to the kingdom of darkness. And the work of Christ has set you up.

To succeed in spiritual warfare. The whole point of this last section is so that you will know that you have been set up to succeed. The work of Jesus involves four categories his work on the cross, his work in the resurrection, his work in the ascension, and his present work as the ascended Christ seated at the right hand of the Father Almighty. First, let's look at the crucifixion. When Jesus was crucified, some things happened in the cosmos. The structure of the world changed.

To begin with, when Jesus died, you were rescued from what Paul calls the dominion of darkness. In Colossians 1, Paul says that God has rescued us. from the dominion of darkness. In other words, you are no longer part of the kingdom of darkness. You have been rescued and brought into the kingdom of God's Son. The crucifixion was a massive rescue operation, but the work of Christ doesn't end with the crucifixion. In the resurrection of Jesus, the cosmos changed in a different way.

Writing to the Ephesians, Paul points out that there was a time when we followed the ways of the ruler of the kingdom of the air. This is Ephesians two. And then Paul continues, but because of God's great f love for us. God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. What does it mean to be made alive with Christ? Well, no one was filled with more vitality, more desire, more sensitivity than Jesus. to be made alive.

is to begin to feel all of the joy, all of the heartbreak, all of the longing that accompanies living life robustly alive in the midst of a world at war, in the midst of a world of immense beauty and immense heartache. The essence of evil, in many ways, is a deadening of desire. A deadening of sensitivity, a deadening of awareness. It is what the Bible sometimes calls a hardened heart. Paul's point throughout his writings is simple.

Formerly, we followed the ways of evil, but now God has brought our hearts back to life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Paul's argument goes like this. Since A, Christ is re Christ is resurrected and fully alive, and B, we participate. in the resurrection of Christ through our union with Him, therefore we can experience fullness of life.

This is how the work of Christ in his resurrection benefits us as we contend with evil. In Romans 8, Paul proclaims that the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us. The very Spirit of God, the Spirit whose unstoppable life raised Jesus from the dead. That spirit lives within you and lives within me. If this spirit lives within us. then we have power to be victorious over the daily attacks of the enemy.

Uh third, moving on, the power of the Ascension. It is common to think that the resurrection marks the culmination of Christ's work on our behalf. Uh How do I say this? Not so. Not so. Jesus Christ is ascended. He sits at the right hand of the Father. In other words, he reigns as a king, and he is in the process Of bringing all things into submission to himself. The power of the ascension. So you've got the crucifixion, you've got the resurrection, but the power of the ascension gives us

the power to take authority over the forces of darkness arrayed against us. And again, the principle, as always, is that of our union with Christ. for since Christ has ascended to his place of authority over all powers, and since we are united with Christ and participate in his ascension, we likewise have authority over evil.

Paul puts it very succinctly in Ephesians 2. He says it like this. God raised us up with Christ, raised us up with Christ, and here's the ascension part, and seated us with him. In the heavenly realms, the Do you know that you are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm? And what does it mean? What does it mean to be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms? This language is about authority.

It is not about sitting down in a chair. By saying that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, Paul is making a statement about our authority over evil. To be seated To sit down in the heavenlies, in the heavenlies, means that we sit alongside the ascended Christ. who is presently reigning over his conquered enemies. It is biblical language about your authority over evil.

Seated authority. That's what it means. We are united with Christ. And Christ is seated in the heavenlies above the powers and principalities that war against us. Because you and I are united with Christ. We have ascended to the heavenlies just as Jesus has. This means that we are no longer under the dominion of Satan. This is how Christ's ascension benefits us.

Each day, as part of my daily prayers, I pray the following sentences. I say this, I say, I take my place in the triumph of your ascension. through which I have been exalted with you to the right hand of the Father Almighty and established in your authority. You have given me the ability to bring your kingdom at all times and in every way, and so I bring your kingdom. May your kingdom come.

That's a part of my prayer. This is such an important portion of the prayer. I am taking my place of authority over evil. Now, last, there is one more way that the work of Christ is relevant as you engage in warfare, and this is the work of Jesus in the present. According to the Bible, the present work of the ascended Christ is overwhelmingly focused on one objective.

Protecting us from succumbing to the accusations of evil against us, protecting us from accusations. Consider these words in first John two. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense. Jesus Christ, the righteous one. We have one who speaks present tense to the Father in our defense. And here's Paul in Romans eight. Paul says, Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?

It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. That's Romans 8:34. Paul assumes that charges will be brought against us. He assumes accusations will come. He assumes that you will be condemned by the forces of darkness, that you will be assaulted. And therefore, Paul reminds us that Jesus is presently at the right hand of God, praying on your behalf.

And what is the purpose of his prayer? That we might not succumb to the condemning accusations of the evil one. Dan Allender puts it like this. He says, every assault against you, God takes personally. I love that. Every assault against you, God takes personally. In other words, God responds as if the accusation were an assault against him. Okay. Uh, all of today's episode was a prelude to addressing the question of how do you and I, practically speaking, how do we on a daily basis

fight the forces of darkness. How do we wage war?

So summary, the very first sentence of the very first episode of this podcast was you have a story and that story matters. Well the corollary today is is you have authority and that authority matters. The question is, will you use your authority? In the next episode we will get down in the dirt and look at how exactly we fight, how we use our authority against evil. But before we end, uh before we end, I want to play a song.

Because if you are serious about stepping into your authority, uh music will actually turn out to be rather important in your fight of resisting evil. This song is written and performed by Jared Anderson. It will be released on October 4th as part of Jared's album entitled The Whole Landscape. The name of the song is Heaven Stand Up. And it's a song about owning the authority. That is yours.