In the last post, we looked at the two realms that exist, described as life and death or light and darkness. These realms, or kingdoms, are defined from God's perspective and standard, not ours.
Everything that is of God is life and light, anything that is apart from God is death and darkness.
After looking at scripture describing the two realms, we them up in this way: The two realms, darkness/death and light/life are clearly defined. God
is the Living God, author of life and light. Anything apart from Him is
void of life and light, belongs to darkness/death, is opposed to God,
and hates God.
Since the God we serve is not a god, but The God, who is the author of true Life and Light, we can rest in the promise that He is the Supreme Authority, which means He has authority over everything in the kingdom of Life and the kingdom of death. While Satan and his demons may think they can do as they please, they are ultimately under the authority of God. This is important for us to recognize, because as individuals, and as a local church within the universal Church, we need to submit to God and worship Him as the Supreme authority...His way is always best!
We will look at God's authority over His creation, God's authority over demons, and ultimately God's authority over sin and darkness, including physical death and eternal condemnation. After looking at all of these, we will hopefully have a more thorough grasp of what it means for Jesus to be the Son of the Living God, and what our proper response ought to be.
God's Authority over His creation:
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Gen. 1:3
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." Gen. 1:6
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. Gen. 1:9
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. Gen. 1:11
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. Gen 1:14,15
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." Gen. 1:20
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. Gen. 1:24
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. Psalm 89:9
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Mathew 14:25-27
And he (Jesus) awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39
From the verses above, we see God's authority as Creator of all things. God alone is Creator, in that He alone was not created, but has, does, and will always exist...all other things were created by Him. As Creator, God has ultimate control and authority over all that He has created, as we see exhibited through His Son not limited to the physical properties of the sea, but rather commanding the wind and the sea! This is the God we serve, the God we love, who works out all things for good (His Glory), for those who love Him!
God's authority over demons...
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. Mathew 8:28-32
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Mathew 17:14-18
And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Luke 4:33-35
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:19
Such powerful Scripture! The enemy and his demons, opposing God in all that they do, are ultimately subject to His commands! Through His Son, God demonstrated that He truly is the ultimate authority! What have we to fear, if we serve the God whose authority all else, from demons to angels, are subject to?
God's authority over sin and darkness, over physical death and eternal condemnation...
The final display of authority we are going to look at puts an exclamation point on God as the Ultimate Authority! This authority was displayed, again, through His Son, this time on the cross. This act of grace that made forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation possible, also displayed God's complete authority over the realm of death and darkness.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Romans 6:9-10
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
Col 1:12,13
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Col 2:12-14
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9
What does this mean for the church...
As we gather together as God's church, both universally, and on a local level, it's so crucial that we understand God's authority over everything! From a salvation perspective, we must have faith that God really does have the power to destroy our bondage to sin, and the condemnation that was to follow. This same faith and trust in God as the ultimate (and only true) authority must also be put into practice in how we act/move as a church.
This means we don't have to cave to the pressures telling us to conform to culture. We don't have to veer from the Bible in order for the church to remain relevant. We don't have to water down the gospel in order to be a succesful church. Why? Because it's all about God, and if His will is all that matters. He could remove every bit of pressure on His Church, destroy every bit of persecution happening to His Church, if He pleased...yet we can have confidence that He doesn't, not because He can't but because He chooses not to, for His plan is bigger, better, and most glorifying to Him!
So, if we as local churches within God's universal Church are to be consumed with God's glory, we must embrace God as the LIVING God, who we will follow always, in obedience to His will and His design....with the confidence that, as the LIVING God, He is with us every step of the way, never to forsake or leave us, always there, eternally alive, strengthening us with His strength!
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Gen. 1:3
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." Gen. 1:6
And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. Gen. 1:9
And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. Gen. 1:11
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. Gen 1:14,15
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." Gen. 1:20
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. Gen. 1:24
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. Psalm 89:9
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid. Mathew 14:25-27
And he (Jesus) awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39
From the verses above, we see God's authority as Creator of all things. God alone is Creator, in that He alone was not created, but has, does, and will always exist...all other things were created by Him. As Creator, God has ultimate control and authority over all that He has created, as we see exhibited through His Son not limited to the physical properties of the sea, but rather commanding the wind and the sea! This is the God we serve, the God we love, who works out all things for good (His Glory), for those who love Him!
God's authority over demons...
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. Mathew 8:28-32
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Mathew 17:14-18
And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. Luke 4:33-35
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:19
Such powerful Scripture! The enemy and his demons, opposing God in all that they do, are ultimately subject to His commands! Through His Son, God demonstrated that He truly is the ultimate authority! What have we to fear, if we serve the God whose authority all else, from demons to angels, are subject to?
God's authority over sin and darkness, over physical death and eternal condemnation...
The final display of authority we are going to look at puts an exclamation point on God as the Ultimate Authority! This authority was displayed, again, through His Son, this time on the cross. This act of grace that made forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation possible, also displayed God's complete authority over the realm of death and darkness.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Romans 6:9-10
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
Col 1:12,13
having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Col 2:12-14
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 1:17,18
God's power and authority displayed here, over sin, physical death, and eternal condemnation, means that we, as His adopted children, have absolutey nothing to fear! We have been set free from all that can truly harm us, so that we can pursue God's will and design for our lives to the uttermost! We have no excuse not to!
As we gather together as God's church, both universally, and on a local level, it's so crucial that we understand God's authority over everything! From a salvation perspective, we must have faith that God really does have the power to destroy our bondage to sin, and the condemnation that was to follow. This same faith and trust in God as the ultimate (and only true) authority must also be put into practice in how we act/move as a church.
If we understand that we serve the LIVING God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, we can have confidence to follow His perfect design for our lives, and as a church...no matter what may come our way!
This means we don't have to cave to the pressures telling us to conform to culture. We don't have to veer from the Bible in order for the church to remain relevant. We don't have to water down the gospel in order to be a succesful church. Why? Because it's all about God, and if His will is all that matters. He could remove every bit of pressure on His Church, destroy every bit of persecution happening to His Church, if He pleased...yet we can have confidence that He doesn't, not because He can't but because He chooses not to, for His plan is bigger, better, and most glorifying to Him!
So, if we as local churches within God's universal Church are to be consumed with God's glory, we must embrace God as the LIVING God, who we will follow always, in obedience to His will and His design....with the confidence that, as the LIVING God, He is with us every step of the way, never to forsake or leave us, always there, eternally alive, strengthening us with His strength!
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