CHAPTER 3: SEATED WITH CHRIST
Matthew 28:18 is another verse where the word "authority" should have been used instead of "power." In the King James Version it reads, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL POWER is given unto me in heaven and in earth." It should read, "ALL AUTHORITY is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
When Christ ascended, He transferred His authority to the Church. He is the Head of the Church, and believers make up the Body. Christ's authority has to be perpetuated through His Body, which is on the earth. (Throughout Ephesians and elsewhere in the epistles, Paul uses the human body as an illustration of the Body of Christ.)
Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father—the place of authority—and we're seated with Him. If you know anything about history, you know that to sit at the right hand of the king or pope means authority. We died with Christ, and we were raised with Him. This is not something God is going to do in the future; He already has done it!
GOD'S MIGHTIEST WORK
EPHESIANS 1:18-23
"18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead, and set Him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all."
Notice especially the nineteenth verse: "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. " In other words, there was such an overwhelming display of God's power in raising Jesus from the dead that this actually was the mightiest work of God ever recorded!
The Resurrection was opposed by satan and all his cohorts.
However, his forces were confused and defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ, who arose, ascended, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, far above them.
Remember the text in Colossians 2:15? "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he [Christ] made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it [His death, burial, and resurrection]."
These are the same demonic powers we have to deal with, but, thank God, Jesus defeated them. Other translations say He "put them to nought" or "paralyzed them."
In ancient times, victorious kings bringing back captives would have a parade, making a show of them openly. Jesus did this with the devil, putting him on display before three worlds— heaven, hell, and earth—after He defeated him. God gave us this account in the Scriptures so we in this world would know what had happened.
God wants us to know what happened in the death, burial, resurrection, and seating of Jesus Christ. He wants us to know that He has set Christ "Far above all principality, and power,
SEATED WITH CHRIST
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named
THE SOURCE OF OUR AUTHORITY
The source of our authority is found in this resurrection and exalting of Christ by God. Notice in the eighteenth verse that the Holy Spirit through Paul prays that the eyes of the Ephesians' understanding—their spirits—might be opened to these truths.
He wanted all churches—all believers—to be enlightened. The truth of the authority of the believer, however, is overlooked by many Christians. In fact, most churches don't even know the believer has any authority!
You never will understand the authority of the believer only with your intellect; you must get the spiritual revelation of it.
You must believe it by faith.
EPHESIANS 2:1-7
"1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
In the first verse we read, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Here the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul, "According to the working of the strength of His might when He raised Him from the dead and you when you were dead."
You see, the same verb in Ephesians 1:20 that expresses the reviving of Christ from the dead expresses the reviving of His people in Ephesians 2:1. In other words, the act of God that raised Christ from the dead also raised His Body. In the mind of God, when Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised from the dead!
Further into the second chapter we read, "Even when we were dead in sins, [He] hath quickened us together with Christ,.. .And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (vv. 5,6). This passage deals with the conferring of this authority.
Notice that the Head (Christ) and the Body (the Church) were raised together. Furthermore, this authority was conferred not only upon the Head, but also upon the Body, because the Head and the Body are one. (When you think of a person, you think of his head and body as one.)
As far as I know, churches believe that we were raised up together with Christ. Why don't they believe that we've been made to sit together with Him? If part of this verse is so, the whole verse is so.
If the Church ever gets the revelation that we are the Body of Christ, we'll rise up and do the works of Christ! Until now, we've been doing them only limitedly.
When we realize that the authority that belongs to Christ also belongs to individual members of the Body of Christ and is available to us, our lives will be revolutionized!
1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-14,27
"12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are"
SEATED WITH CHRIST
one body: so also is Christ. [We are Christ. He's calling the Body, which is the Church, Christ.] 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many ... 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Thank God we are the Body of Christ!
2 CORINTHIANS 6:14,15
"14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?"
The believer is called "righteousness," and the unbeliever is called "unrighteousness." The believer is called "light," and the unbeliever, "darkness." The believer is called "Christ," and the unbeliever, "Belial."
SEATED WITH CHRIST
First Corinthians 6:17 says, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." We are one with Christ. We are Christ. We are seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High. All things have been put under our feet.
The trouble with us is that we've preached a "cross" religion, and we need to preach a "throne" religion. By that I mean that people have thought they were supposed to remain at the cross.
Some have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, have backed up to the cross, and have stayed there ever since.
We've sung "Near the cross, near the cross." Yes, we need to come by the cross for salvation, but we don't need to remain there; let's go on to Pentecost, the Ascension, and the throne!
The cross is actually a place of defeat, whereas the Resurrection is a place of triumph. When you preach the cross, you're preaching death, and you leave people in death. We died all right, but we're raised with Christ. We're seated with Him.
Positionally, that's where we are right now: We're seated with Christ in the place of authority in heavenly places.
Many Christians know nothing about the authority of the believer. They really don't believe we have any authority. They believe they're barely saved and they must go through life being dominated by the devil while living on Barely-Get-Along Street.
They magnify the devil more than they do God.
We need to be delivered from the bondage of death and walk in the newness of life. We're not at the cross. We died with Christ, but He has raised us up together with Him. Glory to God, learn how to take your place of authority.
The right hand of the throne of God is the center of power of the whole universe! Exercising the power of the throne was committed to the resurrected Lord.
We know that Christ with His resurrected physical body is there in full possession of His rights, awaiting the Father's time when His enemies shall be made His footstool. Hebrews 1:13 says, "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?"
The elevation of Christ's people with Him into the heavenlies clearly points to the fact that we are to sit with Him, sharing not only His throne but also His authority. That authority belongs to us!
No wonder Paul said, writing to the Romans, "For if by one man's offence [spiritual] death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17).
SEATED WITH CHRIST
Several translations, including The Amplified Bible, say "reign as kings in life." Are we just going to reign when we get to heaven? No! We're to reign as kings in life by Jesus Christ. That's authority, isn't it? Whatever the king said was law; he was the last authority. We partake of the authority that Christ's throne represents.
Some of us have exercised a little more authority over the powers of the air than others because we have a little more spiritual comprehension, but God wants all of us to have that spiritual comprehension.
MAINTAINING BALANCE
The Holy Spirit prayed through Paul that we all might have wisdom, understanding, and authority over the demonic powers and the problems they create through their constant manipulation of men's minds.
It seems like it's the most difficult thing in the world for the Church to stay balanced. You can take any subject—including the authority of the believer—push it to the extreme, and it becomes harmful and ceases to bless. "Father Divine" was once saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. He had the real thing. Then he began studying these very Scriptures we have been studying. He reasoned, "If we are Christ, then I am Christ. Christ is God, so I am God." He founded a cult that was very popular. The people worshiped him.
It's easy to get into the ditch on either side of the road—into excess, wild fire, and fanaticism. Let's go down the middle of the road and maintain balance.
John Alexander Dowie, a Scotsman who received a revelation about divine healing while ministering before the turn of the century in Australia, crossed the ocean many times during his lifetime. He encountered many storms, but said every time a storm came up, he did what Jesus did: He rebuked the storm and it always ceased.
We should not be amazed by this, because Jesus said, ".. .He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). Someone will ask what the "greater works" are. Well, let's just do the works Jesus did first and then think about the "greater works"!
Jesus didn't say that only a select few would do these works; He said those who believe on Him would.
As we study what the Word of God teaches and educate our spirits about the authority of the believer, I believe we'll be able to walk in this great truth more and more.