We look back to the cross as the basis for everything else God is going to do through and for you. Dr. Tony Evans says the Lord forgiving our sins is just one part of the story of the cross.
When you lose sight of what happened there, you can't fully experience it here. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Today, Dr. Evans talks about the authority we've inherited because of our relationship with Christ and His authority, and how that understanding can help us live above our circumstances instead of under them.
Let's join him as he explains. In our series on the cross, it's called Returning to the Cross, we are talking about what the role of the cross of Christ is for you today. Paul, in Ephesians chapter 1, he spent the first section of the chapter talking about the cross and all the privileges and rights and benefits that come. He even says in 14 about the Holy Spirit who delivers these benefits, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of His glory. In other words, God doesn't want you to have to go to heaven before you taste it. He says a pledge of your inheritance, the word pledge, the Greek word pledge means down payment. God wants you to have a down payment now of the heaven you're going to. Back up to verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Everything God is ever going to do for you, He's already done.
Notice the word ed is on the word blessed. It has already occurred. Everything God is ever going to do for you in time has already been placed in the deposit box.
It's already been made available. So Paul says, let me pray that these folks understand what I'm talking about. I pray that the eyes of their heart, really on the inside, they'll be illuminated.
That means the light comes on, the switch is turned on that they see clearly. So that you will know what is the hope of his calling, riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. He wants you to know what God has provided for you. So does anybody in here want to know about your down payment? Anybody in here want to know about your will? Anybody in here wants to know what's been allocated to your account?
Well, that's what he wants. He wants the saints to know what God has provided. You know, I got mailed to me an American Airline Advantage book. Now, this tells me all the advantages that come to me as a platinum flyer with American Airlines. It is the book of benefits that accrue to me because I am a platinum flyer with American Airlines. I threw the book on the side because I just wanted to fly when I needed to fly and then fine and that's good and all that. I never picked up to look at the benefits. I just accepted what I knew in my own head. I decided a few days ago because I ran across it to thumb through the book only to discover there are benefits that have accrued to me that I was not aware of. There were opportunities for me to take advantage of that I was not using. There were upgrades that I had that I was unaware of all because I failed to investigate what my relationship offered.
And because I failed to investigate what my relationship offered, my inheritance from American Airlines was not fully being experienced, realized, or utilized. I discovered the same problem with my car. I have a basic belief. You get in the car to drive it. There is a book, an owner's manual inside the glove compartment of my car. Have I ever read that owner's manual? Absolutely not because my only concern was getting in, starting it up, driving the way I need to go. But I just thumbed through the book.
I haven't even read it yet. I just thumbed through it to discover there were parts on my car I didn't even know were on there. There were things that my car can do I didn't know it could do and I certainly didn't know how to do it.
All because I never picked up to investigate all the privileges of the relationship that I have with my automobile. It is unfortunate that Christians come to church every Sunday and every Wednesday still functioning basic, not knowing all the rights and privileges, that is inheritance, that God has ordained and bequeathed in His will for all the saints that involve God's surpassing power. See, what the cross provides you and me is the opportunity to see what God can do out of the normal, out of the regular, out of the everyday-ish of life and how He can invade the circumstances of life just like He invaded the tomb of Jesus when He died on the cross and flipped things around, turned them, twist them, tweaked them so that His mighty power... See, a lot of us sing about His power, talk about His power, amen His power, but we can't testify to His power because we've never seen Him flip, turn, twist, tweak something so that He did something that was beyond human comprehension. That's in your will.
It's in your will, His superimposing power. Now, the Bible is basically divided into two parts, Old Testament, New Testament, Old Covenant, New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, they were looking forward.
They were looking futuristic. There was anticipation of God's final provision. All the sacrifices, all the ceremonies were in anticipation of God's entrance in history. But those of us who live today in the New Covenant, the New Testament, we look back. We look back to the cross as the basis for everything else God is going to do to, with, through, and for you. It is all tied to our relationship to the cross.
When you lose sight of what happened there, you can't fully experience it here. When you lose sight of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, you're going to lose sight of your inheritance right now and you're going to be, I'm going to be like every other human being, trying to make it, trying to deal with it, doing the best I can. He says He wants you to know the surpassing power of His greatness.
I just want to know, is anybody here wants to know their inheritance, what has been equis to them? Okay, watch this now. Watch this. What did Jesus accomplish? He tells you in verse 20. Which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, seated Him at the right hand in heavenly places, watch this now, watch this, far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the age to come. Please notice, He's talking about two time zones, this age, living right now, and the eternal age, the age that is to come. So we're not just talking about heaven, we're talking about what Jesus is accomplishing today on our behalf in this age, living right here in the nasty here and now.
Now watch this. Jesus Christ was seated after His ascension far above all rule, authority, dominion, and power. Okay, I said that too fast. Jesus Christ is now sitting far above all rule, authority, dominion, and power. In other words, no matter how high anybody in your world is, they are not the final authority. Because there is somebody sitting far above all rule, authority, dominion, and power, which means whatever you're dealing with, whoever you're dealing with does not have the last say. Because however big they are, however mighty they are, there is somebody sitting not above, far above, way higher than all rule, authority, dominion, and power. Well, if one man in one city can affect the nation and the world politically, what do you think the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords can do sitting high, far above all rule and all authority? Now that changes my perspective, because that means what you say is a word is not the last word.
What you think is a thought is not the last thought. What I say is a word, but it's not the final word, because I know somebody and you know somebody who is now seated in the executive chair far above all rule, authority, and dominion, and power, which is why you can't afford to live a depressed life, because you know somebody who can overrule somebody who look like they're ruling you. You know a somebody who can overrule a circumstance that right now looks like it's ruling you, because you know somebody who's far above all rule, authority, dominion, and power, okay? You know somebody, listen to this, who has final authority. You know somebody who has veto power, all right? Okay, let me clarify something. Let me clarify the difference between power and authority. You need to know the difference, because there is a difference. Authority has to do with the right to use power, okay?
Authority is the right to use power. You've heard me say it, but let me say it again. Referees are not the strongest men on the football field. They're not the strongest men on the football field. They're not the fastest.
They're older, slower, and fatter, okay? I mean, that's the way it is. But when they throw out the yellow flag, the bigger people have to stop. The faster people have to slow down. They shut the whole thing down, because while they don't have their power, they have greater authority. In other words, the authority overrules the power.
The fact that the men are bigger and faster. Look, you may be driving a faster car, and you may be a bigger man, but if you see those lights behind you, you better pull over, because the fact that you have a newer, faster car becomes irrelevant when the authority is behind you. See, authority overrules power. You can't overrule the devil by power.
He's a spirit being, and by sheer strength, you're going to lose every time. But when it comes to authority, that's a different story. See, a lot of people are looking for the wrong thing. They're looking for power when you need to exercise authority. That's different. And the reason why we're losing more than winning is that we're looking for power and not the rightful use of authority. Dr. Evans will talk more about that authority and how it connects to the cross when he continues our message in just a moment. Don't go away. Do science conflict with the Bible?
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Explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. What does it really mean to live in the power of the cross? Many believers recognize Jesus' sacrifice, but few fully understand how it transforms our daily lives. That's why Dr. Evans put together his book, The Power of the Cross, along with his two-volume, 14-part teaching series, Returning to the Cross.
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Our team is available 24-7 to assist you. Again, that's TonyEvans.org, or call 1-800-800-3222. Well, let's get back now to today's lesson with Dr. Evans. Colossians chapter 2. Let me show you about the cross and how it relates to all this. Verse 13. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us of our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which were hostile to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When he has disarmed the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through him. Therefore, let no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day, things that are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belonging to Christ.
Now, watch this. He says he forgave your transgressions, watch this now, and the certificate of ordinances were canceled that had been written against you when he nailed it to the cross. That's taken from a Roman tradition. If you were incarcerated for a crime, they would put you in lockup. Then they would write a certificate of decrees. These were the crimes you were guilty of. This man is in prison because he killed, raped, murdered, stole, whatever it was.
There would be this registered certification of your actions that caused you to be incarcerated. That was the certificate of sins that you had committed that was causing you to be on lockdown. But the text says on the cross, Jesus Christ ripped up the certificate that was against you. Now, why do you need to know Jesus Christ ripped him up at the cross? Because that's the certificate that the devil uses to keep God from acting on your behalf. God, you can't do anything for Tony Evans because he did this, this, this, this, this, to which Jesus can say, yeah, but this, this, this, this, and this was addressed at the cross. So you can't use this, this, this, this, and this to stop me from doing this, this, this, this, and this because I've already canceled this, this, this, this, and this on the cross. You can't use that to hold him hostage.
On the cross it says Jesus Christ tore down the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places. So Satan now has to come at you with an unloaded gun, but he's not going to tell you that. He wants you to think you're never going to make it. He wants you to think you're never going to overcome. He wants you to think you're always going to be defeated. He wants you to think you're never going to have victory.
He wants you to think depression has came down in your family and it's still come down to you and you're never going to improve. He's going to want you to think that like your daddy, like your granddaddy, like your mama, like your grandmama, you're just destined for failure and you're looking at that gun and saying, yeah, yeah, stick them up, stick them up, stick them up. Jesus wants you to know there are no bullets in that gun. That he was disarmed, it says.
He was disarmed at the cross. Satan, his demons, and his human followers are not the last word. Your boss is not the last word. The economy is not the last word. Your circumstances are not the last word. High above all rule and authority. Jesus Christ sits as ruler. Am I saying that you should have no problems?
I'm saying no. I'm just saying like Jesus, even though you have problems, God wants you to teach you to walk on water, not drown in water. He wants you to be on top of it, not it on top of you. See, that gives you something to praise him for. See, in the middle of a bad situation, your first motivation shouldn't be to complain, it should be to praise. Praise what? That this is not the last word. Now, it's a word, it's a bad word, but it ain't the final word, because I know somebody high and above all rule and authority who gets to make the last call on this matter.
See, this changes your whole approach to life. See, when you relate back to the cross that Jesus, that's why it says in Revelation 12, verse 11, they overcame him by the blood. That's a cross.
They overcame him because they never lost sight that that cross means devil and demons and even your human followers who bring in hell in my life. All y'all are not the last word. All y'all are not the last word. You are not to live in defeat. Yeah, you're going to have moments.
You're going to have seconds. You may have some days, but that's not supposed to define your life, not when there's somebody high above all rule, authority, dominion, and power who has the last say so. And until he says so, it ain't so.
Until he gives the final word on the subject. See, and that's why you don't have to live an intimidated life. If you're not supposed to let the devil intimidate you, and you can't even see him, he can sneak up on you, if you cannot even let the devil, how you going to let any of the devil's folk intimidate you? Respect all people. Be intimidated by no man because you know a man who sits high above all rule, authority, power, and dominion because the cross canceled out the certificate that was written against you.
It's been canceled, paid in full. That's why the Bible says when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free. And that's why the Bible says the devil is a liar because he wants you to bleed. The liar is the truth. You'll function on the lie, and you won't get the benefits of the truth. And the truth, of course, is always based on God's word. That's authority.
Are you hearing me today? What God wants you to know is that what that cross has provided is victory over your enemies, and Jesus Christ is seated. You say, but that's good for Jesus, but what about me? Turn back to Ephesians. Turn back to Ephesians. Just want to give you a last word.
Can I give you a last word? Ephesians chapter 2, verse 6, just to remind you, I know you know it. Verse 5, even when we were dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has some chairs beside him, and one of them is yours. It says we have been spiritually relocated.
Here it is. Here's the problem. Here's the problem.
You say, why am I not having any victory? Because you don't know where you're seated. See, you're still sitting on earth, so you're functioning like an earthling.
Okay? He says spiritually, not physically, physically you are on earth, but spiritually you have been seated with Christ in heavenly places, and where is Christ seated? Far above all rule, authority, dominion, and power. He's seated up there. You are seated with him, which means you must approach life spiritually in order to get spiritual authority. If you want spiritual authority, you've got to do it from that seat up there. You can't do it from this seat down here, but people will come into this seat in here, and go out there and live by that seat that is on earth. Earth's seat doesn't give you authority. It makes you like any other human being, but when you operate on Christ's view of a matter, when you operate by divine authority, which has taken away the devil and his emissary authority over your life, then you can speak with authority until God gives the last word.
That's why when God shows me something that I'm convinced that God has shown me, the fact that people say it can't happen, that becomes an irrelevant conclusion. Until I get final word from the one who sits far above all rule, and authority, and dominion, and power, this discussion is still open. This has not closed.
It may be closed for you for now. You don't walk in defeat. You walk in victory, because it's far above all rule and authority. Now, how is this different from name and claim it? Because you know you got name and claim it out here. Well, I name it and claim it. You can't claim what you name. You can only claim what he's approved. You just can't be making up stuff along the way.
That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about spiritual authority over anything the devil wants to keep you from experiencing as part of your legitimate heritage as a Christian. Dr. Tony Evans, talking about the authority we can exercise when we understand our connection to Christ and what he did on the cross. Now, today's lesson comes from Dr. Evans' two-volume teaching series, Returning to the Cross. It's a powerful collection of sermons that focus on the most important concept of the Christian faith. You can get all 14 lessons in this series, along with a copy of Tony's book that perfectly complements these messages.
It's called The Power of the Cross. Don't forget we're offering this unique audio and book package as our thank you gift when you support the alternative with a financial donation, but only for a limited time. So be sure to visit tonyevans.org today. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. If you believe a political party, economic plan, or military strategy holds the key to real change, Dr. Evans has some important insights for you to consider. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as he lays it all out. ? ? ?
