| Matthew 28:18, NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” |
| Not only is Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords, He is also now all authority in heaven and on earth. There is no authority outside of His. He gives authority to others and authority comes from Him (Romans 13:11). When He was born He came on a mission. This mission included destroying the works of the evil one, satan, and taking back from him the authority he had taken from Adam (man). Before Jesus’ death on the cross you see Him acknowledge the authority that satan had – for example, when He was in the wilderness being tempted by him. He knew satan had some authority – the authority he had legally taken from man in the garden – but He also knew after the cross He was going to take it all back. And take it back He did! After dying on the cross, and before victoriously rising from the dead, He went down to the devil’s domain and stripped the devil of the authority he had. Jesus even took from him the keys of hell and death. The sacrifice Jesus had become and the blood that He shed was all that was needed to entitle Him to do so legally. |
But wait a moment, it doesn’t end there. Before ascending to Heaven He meets with His disciples and gives the authority He had stripped from His enemy to His followers, including you and me! The Bible says that He gave us authority over all (not some) works of the enemy.
At Christmas time people love to give gifts. Think this Christmas time of the gift that Jesus has given you as one of His followers – the gift of authority over satan. The devil now has to do what you say when you use the name of Jesus and stand in the authority He has given you. Why could Jesus legally give us this authority? Because in His death, burial, and resurrection He took back the authority that had been lost at the fall and ‘become’ all authority in heaven and on earth. Use this authority today to stop the enemy killing, stealing or destroying any longer.
| God bless, Andy |
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