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Territorial Rights By Paris Reidhead*
Will you turn, please, to Ephesians the 1st Chapter. ... Now should we, if you have the Scripture open - will you follow as I begin reading. And there are three portions I wish to read. We shall read first Ephesians 1:15 to the end of the Chapter; one verse from the 4th Chapter and several from the 6th Chapter. Listen carefully.
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 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, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 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: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph. 1:15-23)
Now to the 4th Chapter: (And I begin reading with the 7th verse: Just the 7th and the 8th verses.) “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
Then to the 6th Chapter, and we begin reading with the 10th verse. Now tie these Scriptures together by some key that you use, either in the margin or on some separate piece of paper in the white sheets of your Bible that you might have the material that we are presenting for your use in the days to come.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:10-20)
Now you will notice that this 6th Chapter gives us the scene of battle, the 12th and the 13th verses. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” History has in the past had many different theories regarding the existence of good and evil; but most philosophies, the ancients at least, were dualistic in that they had someone representing that which was bad, and someone representing that which was good. The gnostic heresy to which the Ephesian letter eludes, and with which the Colossian letter deals, was a refutation of that type of thinking that was characterized by Plato and some of those who followed him, wherein it was thought that matter was bad; substance, material substance was evil. It grows out of the so- called gnostic heresies which held that all matter was created by demiurge or by Satan, if we wish to use the term with which we are familiar, that when man sinned a pure spirit was imprisoned in a physical body that matter is evil and spirit is good. This was the philosophy that grew out of Platonism; it had origins beyond that, but we won’t bother dealing with that. Sufficient to say that in the time of our Lord there was strong thought and well-held and strongly-advocated philosophy that matter as such was bad and had been created by Satan.
Now we trace this down, and we discover that it was held by the church fathers to be a heresy; but if you follow the stream, you will find that after two or three centuries the man by the name of Mani or Manichaeus a Persian, took Biblical terms and put into this system so that we find Manicheanism was a counterfeit religions system that to some degree at least infiltrated the church about the time of Augustine. So this was one explanation. This was one of the descriptions of the origin of evil and the nature of evil, that substance, matter, flesh, and bone was evil. We hold this to be a heresy and to be utterly untrue. We know who the author was, because of its very nature. We understand that Satan, Lucifer was a spirit being, non-material, non- physical being; and, of course, by this means, he was made good, simply by saying that matter that God created was bad, that all matter was bad. That meant that, since he was not material, he was good. And it was just a means of whitewashing himself.
Now this was, I say, one of man’s inventions, and it influenced a great many people, for several centuries. But the Word of God has been consistent with this single testimony all across these centuries, from the very earliest, that evil had its origin with an intelligent being called Lucifer, “the son of the morning,” the bright one, the shining one. (Isa. 14:12) The Bible tells us that God created Lucifer, not in His image as man was created; but God created him a pure, brilliant, and beautiful spirit that had power superior to other beings that God also created. Apparently God invested in Lucifer far more intelligence and strength and ability than in others that this superior might rule for God over the angels. He served more or less as a Prime Minister would, function in behalf of the Monarch of the region. Now, being an intelligent being, he had the capacity to imagine what wasn’t as though it were. Imagination is one of the highest functions of intelligence. We are continually amazed, all of us, when we find something that has been invented, that has been discovered, that has been done, because a man dreamed and had a vision, and saw something, then proceeded to take the steps necessary to bring it into being. So Lucifer used his intelligence in somewhat this fashion: If I were God, innocent imagination, if I were God I would do this. This had no quality of evil about it. But then there came a moment in the career of Lucifer when he said, I will be like the most High, I will be like God. And the moment that he said that, evil had its existence. When an intelligent being set his will against the will of God, evil which had potentially existed and waited for its moment to be brought to birth actually came into birth. An intelligent being set his will against the will of God; and in that moment, I believe, sin became an actuality. And so we find that he was successful in influencing a portion of those who served under him, the angels, and we are told by Christ that “He saw Lucifer fall as lightening from Heaven,” and we are also told that he was cast down to earth. (Luke 10:18) It is my personal metaphysics, I certainly can’t prove it and would never make it a test of fellowship, that Genesis 1:2 describes the event when Lucifer and the angelic beings were cast down to earth; for the Word says, “And the earth became without form, and void; ...”That word, the verb, is “became,” not was made in the sense in which it was originally made. “Became without form, and void.” And there is abundance evidence of a great cataclysm striking this earth at one time. Well, it is my personal feeling that it was at that time that Lucifer was cast out of Heaven down to earth and every living thing died. The earth became without form, without life, because the god of death and darkness now had been cast to earth, and earth became his kingdom.
And so we have the Bible establishing this principle that an intelligent being, with other intelligent non-material intelligent beings were imprisoned on a planet, in a place, and that place was the earth where we are. This, he was described by Christ, as being the god of this world, the prince of this world that had nothing in Christ. It is very difficult for us to conceive of beings without bodies. We are such creatures of time and sense that we actually are inclined to think that if it can’t be seen, or handled, or weighed, or measured, or gauged someway, then it does not have existence; but this we know when we stop to really think about it is not the case. God is Spirit. You are a spirit, living in a body. And Lucifer and the demons that were angels that fell with him are also spirit beings, non-material beings; that is, they do not have bodies such as ours. Now this, according to what I understand the Word of God to indicate was how it began, how Lucifer and the demons got to earth. They were cast out of Heaven, down to earth. When they expressed their character by what happened to the earth. “It became without form; and void.”
Now when God’s time came to make man, of all the planets that He could have fitted as a habitation He came to this one; and what you find described in Genesis, the first and second Chapters, is actually a recreation; for I believe that it is bringing order out of chaos. And this is the re-creation or the preparation of earth to be the habitation of man. And then when it was fully prepared, He made man in His image and in His likeness. There is a real reason for His making man in His image, because, as we pointed out so many times in the past, man was made to be the object of God’s love. God wanted someone like Himself, to
whom He could reveal Himself, with whom He could share Himself, and with whom He could do all that He planned to do. And so He made someone just like Himself. And man, therefore, is a microcosm of God, has on a finite level the attributes that God has on an infinite level. And thus it is appropriate and proper that God should love man, that man should understand God’s love, and man should be able to love God in return. And this is the mystery of our being that we are created with a need for God, and a hunger for God, and God has ever loved us. The only creature described as being made in God’s image is man. The only one that is described as being loved by God is man. But He came to the very place that He had cast Lucifer, and here He prepared a proper place, and you might say neglected to build a wall. Now later He put someone in front of the gate. He put an angel there with a flaming sword to keep Adam out. I believe had it been in His purpose He could have sent the angel just a little earlier with the flaming sword, to have kept Lucifer out. But you know the fact of this, do you not. It would have meant that He would have had to have kept man in, and it would have therefore meant that He couldn’t trust man. And so He simply allowed the Lucifer to choose what means he would to reveal himself and to present his argument to Eve. You recall the fallaciousness. You recall the subtlety with which the approach was made: “Yea, hath God ye shall not eat of the fruit of the tree:” (Gen. 3:3) That’s right, God said we shouldn’t, “lest we die.” Now He didn’t say, Lest ye die. God said, Ye shall surely die. But somehow she lost sight of that. And then, You’ll not die. There’s nothing poisonous about this fruit. “God knows that when you eat it, you will be like Him, knowing good and evil;” and, you see, He doesn’t want anyone like Himself, and so He has kept you from the very means of fulfillment, and He doesn’t really therefore love you. (Gen. 3:5) He loves Himself, and He is simply lying to you to try to protect you from fulfilling your potential and becoming all you can become. This is implicit in the argument of Lucifer, Satan, to Eve. And she listened. It seemed logical. It seemed right. It appealed to her appetite for food, her appetite for status, and it was an all-apparently wise-thing, and being deceived she ate. And her eyes were opened. Then she went to Adam and told him what she had done, and be deliberately ate. He was not beguiled. He deliberately chose the woman instead of God. This was open rebellion. That is why sin is attributed to Adam and not to Eve. She was beguiled, and he rebelled. He revolted, deliberately set his mind and heart and will in defiance of God. Now, when this happened, the Lordship of creation that God had invested to man, man transferred to Satan, transferred all that he had received from God to Satan, relinquished certain rights and passed them over to Satan; all that God had told man that he was to do, he relinquished to Satan.
Now man went into bondage. There were several different ways. And, if you were, and perhaps some other time we can do it, if you were to trace that verse that we read in the 4th chapter, “He led captivity captive and He gave gifts,” if you want to understand what man lost in the fall, then you understand the gifts that He gave to His church. For the gifts were the compensations that He made to His church for that which had been forfeited, in the fall. And I think you can get some insight into the nature of this bondage by studying the nine gifts of the Spirit. When you do you see that there was a tremendous loss sustained by man. We find one of the gifts is the “gift of knowledge.” (I Cor. 12:8) Man lost that and became ignorant in a sense that he had not been before. And so when “he led captivity captive,” He gave this “gift of knowledge” back to the church.
Then there is the gift of the “word of wisdom.” (I Cor. 12:8) Man had become in that sense unwise in his bondage to Satan, blinded by the god of this world; and so when “he led captivity captive,” he gave a gift of the word of wisdom back to the church. Each of the gifts of the Spirit can be viewed as a compensation to the church for the loss that was sustained by man when he fell.
Now, if you are continuing to think with me, then you realize that by this act of revolt Satan became the god of this world in a double sense. He has been cast here by God, but now all God’s purpose with, and for, and through man was forfeit in a sense, because man had deliberately passed over what he had received from God into the hands of Satan. And so, he is called the prince of this world and the god of this world; and our Lord Jesus described the literal descendants of Abraham by saying, “You are of your father, the devil. He was a liar, and you are a liar; you have his nature, attributes, you are as is your father.” (John 8:44) We find, therefore, that the Bible makes it perfectly clear that man by his natural birth and his sin, his sin of nature and his sin of choice, repeated at the age of accountability, is - puts himself under the immediate control of Satan. Now it is a rather terrifying thing when you stop to think that everyone, according the Word of God, everyone without Jesus Christ is under the control of Satan.
Now, obviously, this is not any personal sense, because there is only one devil and only a limited number of demons, and Satan is not omnipresent; and he cannot be every place at once, nor can he touch every life at once. So the control that he uses over men is largely through principle and policy. He is the origin of the philosophy of the day. He is the origin of the principles of government, the principles of economics in business. The study in the Book of Revelation, as we engaged in it a year ago, brought us to see that he has destroyed and killed not largely through swords and spears and guns and bullets, but through ideas, and through philosophies, through policies and principles. He is the author of these. But we recognize that the god of this world, therefore, controls most of the inhabitants of the world by policies, by principles, that seem logical, and right, and proper. We approach the truth. We come near to it. But I would certainly want to make one thing clear here. Whereas he doesn’t have enough demons to influence every life directly, and he is not omnipresent, I do believe that there are demons assigned to certain key individuals.
For instance, when Daniel prayed, he said, “The prince of Persia withstood me these 21 days.” (Dan. 10:13) I believe that we will discover that as we study the Word of God and study history in our present day that there are individuals that are influenced by demon power. Now one of the things which troubles me greatly is the fact that for many years one of the most profitable, independent, private businesses in Washington, D. C., has been that of the Palmist and the Tea Leaf Reader, and the other necromancers-that many government officials practically had charge accounts at the local Palm Readers as they have consulted with them in order to get guidance for the policies that they were seeking to make in a step they were taking. This is not probably quite as prevalent as it was some years ago; but it still prevails, unfortunately.
We are to recognize that the little Readers Shop that you see on the side street if is valid, has someone in it that has actually consorted with Satan. There is an elaborate ritual. I am not too familiar with it, but I have been told on what I thought was quite good authority that it requires two weeks fast and then going to an appointed place, there to make direct petition to Satan for this gift of insight, and deception, and necromancing. There has to be evidence that they’ve had some special ability imparted by Satan. So these are not just hoaxes, this that you see on the street. Many of them are, undoubtedly; but there is another evil element in it. And so we would recognize this as being a factor. But we also realize that there is this gradation of evil government. Here in the 12th verse of the 6th Chapter of Ephesians, you “have principalities,” perhaps having to do with those who are in charge of areas, countries, such as the prince of Persia, and “powers” as the level above, just below “principality, and rulers of the darkness of this world, and wicked spirits in high places.”
So it would look to be a system of government with graded responsibilities, that would indicate that certain philosophers, certain leaders of thought, certain government leaders, men that could have great influence are often subject to special demon attack. Faust made a personal deal, so said the writer, with the devil in order that he could enjoy a few things. I think that this has happened not only in literature, but it has also happened actually. I am sure many of you are aware of the fact that Hitler had precedence. He had the abilities. The whole book, Mein Kampf was an arrogant setting forth of plans that were followed out in complete detail, quite startling, overwhelming in fact, when you stopped to think that he published the book and then proceeded to do exactly as he had written that he would do. This is not just accidental you know; there’s something more than that, man can’t make his plans that complete that far in advance. And so we find, and we are not surprised to find, that there was in this man a considerable superstition and consorting with those who were to be counsellors and guides.
So we have several levels of satanic influence today. We have the principles and policies of selfishness which are taught by many different ways, usually by axiom or by adage, or by some little expression such as, Get while the getting is good, Better look out for number one; If you don’t, who will. Little things which just become a rule, or sort of a motto. And these things have far greater influence than is generally thought. People often live by mottos. And so these are the principles of the god of this world.
Then there are individuals who are directly controlled by demon powers. Then we have these who act as witch doctors. I should, out of all fairness, having spoken about the Palmists in New York, in America, having their little witch.... Every place I go, it is amazing, every town it seems there is a little hut. I noticed it driving just the other day up from the South, there was almost on every town there was the Reader, the Adviser, Madam Eden or whoever it was, just hardly a town, however small, but what the little witch doctor’s hut was to be found on the outside, just the same way as we saw it in Africa. And so we
discover that this has been the means by which the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, and has governed them.
So we will add to that then another factor. There is such a thing as demon possession. I get a little weary when I find my friends attributing everything to Satan. Frankly, it just troubles me, because it just is not so. People often will just try to escape from the responsibility of their own meanness by blaming it on the devil. If they have ever been on the mission field, where they have actually seen demon possession, then they are not quite as prone and apt to do this. They are more apt to be restrained in making such statements, because they have had an opportunity to see what happens when a person does become possessed by an evil spirit. But let us accept then that the Word of God makes it perfectly clear, from the ministry of Christ, from the experience of missionaries confirming what the Word teaches, and also from the statement of Christian psychiatrists. I think of my friend from Dallas, Texas, a man held in the utmost respect and repute in the profession who states there are some types of mental aberration and sickness that he feels perfectly coincide with the description in the Bible and can be explained by no other basis than demon possession.
So, demon possession, where the human spirit, the human body is tenanted by an evil spirit, is in actuality. This does happen, and it happens today. It happens today and it happens in America as well as on the mission field. So this is the extreme case, demon possession, where the actual personality is invaded by another entity, another personality, and this invading personality uses the faculties for communication of ideas and practice.
Then we have demon obsession, where influence is direct but external, where a person becomes obsessed with something, usually with one of the appetites, where the mind is just brought to focus on it and cannot escape from it, demon obsession.
There is a third quality of demon activity, demon oppression. Oppression, where satanic influence is direct but it has the effect of laying a heavy weight upon the person. And then of course that which we have described more fully, demon influence, which comes by virtue of all the means of communication, all the media of communication, carrying the party line of hell.
Strange that in one country he may use communism as atheism and in another country may use sensual materialism under governmental form of democracy. Sin is sin wherever it is found and it is always traced back to the author and the origin of sin.
What are you? A child of God. But what were you? A child of the devil. You were of your father, the devil. You obeyed him, not that you were possessed by demons. But you were acting according to the party line of hell, doing what he wanted doing, living as he wanted you to live. And something happened. You who were the possession, just as really owned by Satan as the person in Africa that has the tribal marks carved in the face, so were you, so was I. And Jesus Christ loved us and He died for us to set us free, not only from the penalty of sin, and from the power of appetite, and from ourselves, but also from the dominion of the devil. So the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to completely deliver you. He had these three problems with which to deal. What you had done, which brought you into legal disfavor with God and under the sentence of death. What you were by your nature and your traits apart from Satan, but nonetheless exhibiting the same character as he had. And then the influence in whatever degree it might have been of Satan. He wanted to deliver you. Deliverance was His purpose. He came to set the prisoner free. He wanted to deliver you from the fear of death. He wanted to deliver you from hell and its penalty. Oh, what a tragic thing it is when a person is content with only one third of the delivering grace of Christ. What a sad thing it is when a person says, All I want from Jesus Christ is just to escape hell. What a pity, because this person is taking a fraction of what the Lord Jesus died to make theirs. He not only died to save us from what we have done, but He died also to save us from ourselves, from the tyranny of traits, and disposition, and nature. He died to save us from ourselves. And He died also that He might deliver us from the power of Satan and translates us into the kingdom of Himself, His own kingdom. So let us see this latter part. We have dwelt at great length on the other.
Because you had, by your attitude, followed the governmental policy of Satan and consented to his government, you represented the kingdom of Satan, you were a member of his kingdom. He was your prince and god. Mine as well. We were just naturally his subjects. So, if we were to ever be delivered, there must be something done for us, something done to us, and something done by us. Well now, we know that Jesus Christ died for us, and we know that the Holy Spirit worked upon us and did something to us, but there also had to be something done by us. And so that act of commitment to the Lordship of
Christ was in a sense a disavowal of Satan. When we turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, we did it literally. Thus in repentance there is a sense in which we renounce the devil and all of his works. To confess with the mouth Jesus to be Lord is literally to deny the lordship of Satan and the god of this world. Now maybe it is not apparent to the individual. Maybe he is not aware of the contrast, but nonetheless it is there. So when you, at the time He was working upon you heart, said, From today on, as long as I shall live Jesus Christ is the undisputed Lord of my life this was a declaration of allegiance, an affirmation of government. You were declaring that from this time on, He was to be Lord and in effect this was that Satan could no longer be the lord of your life. So this is something that has been done by you. But there is something else; it is not only an affirmation, but it is an application. We read in the Scripture that it says, “They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Rev. 12:11) By your testimony that you have embraced Jesus Christ as Lord, and thus have denied Satan, you have put yourself in the place that God can work for you. But there is an application of the power of the Blood of Christ in your life. “They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.”
In what sense is the Blood efficacious? Well in at least two, possibly three. We will look at them. First, it was the Blood of Christ which atoned for your sins. When Jesus Christ died, He died for you. He was there, on the Cross, in your place, dying your death. He died for you. So, when you testify to the fact that you are trusting the Blood, you are literally saying that the penalty of your sin has been paid by Jesus Christ. Therefore, the hold that Satan had upon you has been broken. There is no place to get hold on you now. You see the hold he had was because of your sin. But now the penalty of your sin has been paid, the Blood has cleansed, past sins are remitted and are washed away, and thus you are set free from the hold that Satan could have upon you.
But there is another sense. You are living a morally responsible life. And so it could be that today you grieve Him whose name is holy. Possible in word, or in thought, or in deed. What happens when a child of God grieves God? Well the Bible says, “Give no place to the devil.” (Eph. 4:27) And this is where so many people fail in their Christian walk in life. They do not realize the terrible consequence of sin, of thought, or word, or deed, as far as it affects Satan. They have only seen hell. They have only seen future punishment, but they haven’t seen the present battle. And so it is, dear child of God, even though your past sins are remitted, even though you know you have been born of God, when you knowingly allow sin, of bitterness, of strife, of unbelief, of uncleanness of word or thought, when we knowingly allow sin, we have opened the door and allowed Satan to affect us. Now this is the tragic consequence of sin. Now he is going to do many of several things. He may come in and attack the body. There is no question, but what he does, because you remember the Lord Jesus spoke to the woman that had arthritis, that was bent and twisted; and he said, “Lo, ought not this daughter of Abraham, daughter of faith, that has been bound these 18 years by Satan, be released.” (Luke 13:16) We know that he does touch the body. But we know he also touches the family. We know that often will allow Satan to touch the business. It will often allow him to touch the mind. Very frequently the Christian that has allowed sin is influenced by the enemy to speak the party line of hell and so disrupt the work of God. This is seldom seen. But very frequently, someone that has been forgiven of past sins, someone that is a child of God, who has allowed sin, will be because of that thing that has been permitted will have given the voice to Satan, to get his party line into the situation. Now it is not possession, but it is influence, that he is exerting through an intellect through which he can make suggestions. And so there is a terrible, terribly consequence of allowing sin. Thus overcoming him by the Blood of the Lamb can correspond to “putting on the helmet of salvation.”
The “helmet of salvation” I would see as the Blood of Christ applied to the mind and the conscience in protecting the intellect. So they overcame him “by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” What is this? If we are walking in fellowship with God and we sense that by attitude, or by action, by word, or by deed, we grieve Him, instantly, without any delay we are to judge that thing to be sin, confess it to be sin, ask to be cleansed. And if it involves someone else, on the spot ask for their forgiveness. Right away. To keep a conscience void of offence as near as we can; because if we don’t, we find that we have put ourselves in the place where we have given place to the devil. So it is extremely important that we should understand the cleansing, the present cleansing power of the Blood so that we keep our consciences continually void of offence.
This is one way. Then of course the other is that we understand that the power of the Blood is to be not only to deal with what is wrong but to protect us. It was Charles Spurgeon1 who said, Make much of the Blood, to the young preachers. Oh, make much of the Blood, because Satan hates it, for the Blood of Christ preserved in Heaven, is the testimony that Jesus Christ, died, was buried, and raised from the dead. And it is the symbol, the seal, the certificate of the defeat in open conflict. And so there has always been a great hatred of the Blood of Christ. And whatever he hates we love, because we realize that this is where the preciousness lies. And so it ought to be that we recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ died to set us free. This means to set our minds free from the domination of the evil one, our imaginations and our hearts.
And so He says, “Put on the helmet of salvation,” that the merit, that the power, that the precious Blood covers, and encloses, protects that most vulnerable part of our personalities, our minds, and our imaginations. And may God bring us to that point of sensitivity where we realize that the imagination is the beginning point. If this is the place where sin had its origin with Satan, as I pointed out originally, then it is the place where sin has its origin in your life. You may hear of some Christian that falls this week. You may hear of someone that grossly disgraces our Lord, but I want you to know it didn’t happen this week. It happened back there when the imagination began to tolerate that which was wrong and did not deal with it as sin. So, there is “the helmet of salvation.”
There is “the breastplate of obedience.” Perfect obedience as near as - in our purpose and whenever there is not that obedience to deal with it as sin. “Breastplate that covers us. Loins girt about with truth.” A hunger for the Word of God, and understanding of its principles that prepare us to fight. “Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace.” Repentance toward God, one sandal; faith toward our Lord Jesus, the other. “The shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit.” There is the panoply that He has given for us. “The armor,” the uniform that He has given. Why my dear, with Satan ruling this world system as he is, you ought no more to go out into a day without having made sure your are panoplied, covered with His armor, than you would think of going out without properly dressing. This is what He has given to protect us. And we ought to make every day absolutely sure that we are fully clothed with the whole armor of God. “Put on,” said He, “the whole armor of God.”
There is something else. Finally, my brethren, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We have got to go back to the first chapter to see that, and we will see it quickly and close. This 19th verse. “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe. The exceeding greatness of His power.” And He says, “Put on the, whole armor of God,” “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him...” We will stop there. Will you go down, please, to the 2nd Chapter. Does your Bible have that line drawn in it? Look. Does it? Does it? Anybody have a line drawn in it? Oh, will you put them in. I see one or two. Yes. Now will you all put them in. Take your pen or pencil and encircle, ‘and you,’ and then run it over and up the very center of the page and bring that little arrow in until it comes between Him and from in the 20th verse (1st Chapter). (Eph. 2:1) And this is the way it will read: “Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him and you from the dead.” Isn’t that glorious? Isn’t that wonderful? He raised Him and you from the dead. And then extend it down. And set Him and you at His own right hand in the heavenlies. Do you see it? He raised Him and you, and He set Him and you. That is what that and you means. Didn’t you see that? Oh, when I saw that it was just like getting a, inheriting a million dollars from my uncle. Wonderful, great resources, better than that. It was resources for live and walk and victory and joy, when He raised Him and you, and set Him and you. You say, Well Brother Reidhead, you can’t do that to Scripture. Well I guess I can. If you just go down to the second Chapter in vs 5 and 6, you will find that the Lord repeated it so as to reassure your heart and to give me greater dogmatism in saying it. Look at it. “But God, who is rich, in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, ... And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together.” (Eph. 2:5,6) Now what did we say back in verse 20? Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him and you from the dead, and set Him and you at His own right hand in the heavenlies.
Go back to vs 3 and you will find it: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.” (Eph. 1:3) Now, my dear, what is your natural habitat, and mine. O may, only God make
1 Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon (1834-1892) British Particular Baptist Preacher
me to see it tomorrow as well as tonight, and you as well. What is your natural habitat? Seated with Christ in the heavenlies. This is the only place of spiritual warfare. This is the only place of spiritual victory. This is the place where He has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings.” You see, you were in Christ. The Father placed you in Christ. He put you in Christ. Didn’t ask you to put yourself there. He put you there. And when the Lord Jesus Christ went to the Cross, the Father had put you in Christ. And when He went to the tomb, the Father had put you in Christ. And when He raised Him from the dead, the Father put you in Him in His resurrection. And when He was seated, the Father has placed you in Christ, the Father had placed you in Him. And so what happened to Him happened to you. And His victory is your Victory.
And so the place that you are to stay is at the right hand of the Father, enjoying the triumph of Christ and the Victory of Christ, and living in the heavenlies. Oh, this is the place of joy. This is the place of blessing. This is the place of peace. This is where He wants us. And so, when He says here in the 6th Chapter, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might, what is He referring to? By realizing that you were in Christ when He was crucified, and in Him when He was buried, and in Him when He was raised, and in Him when He was seated, then the greatness of His power to usward who believe is that very resurrection power of Christ released in us. And we have “the whole of armor of God to put on”, and Christ in. And He asks us now to go back as His kingdom.
I close with this. Years ago, in China, I am told, there were extraterritorial rights granted to certain governments. There was, I understand, up in Peiping a little British district where with the British flag would fly, something similar to the little bit of Russia over here on 5th avenue, you know, where the Soviet flag flies. But it was larger there in China. And so they would have British Bobbies governing. There would be control. There were extraterritorial rights. A little bit of Britain put right into the heart of China. And the government was not the government of China. It was the government of Britain. Now this is just a feeble illustration of something wonderful. The Scripture says, The kingdom of God is in you; but the Scripture also says, The kingdom of God is in you. In other words, He does not have territory, but He has extra-territorial rights in you, because you have renounced Satan. Over you is the banner of Jesus Christ, His Cross. You are under the Blood. You have embraced Him as Lord. You have renounced Satan. You have been put into Christ, crucified with Him, and buried with Him, quickened with Him, and raised with Him, and seated with Him. And now, wherever you walk, there Jesus Christ has extra-territorial rights in Satan’s domain. Do you see? Here He has a little walking kingdom where He governs. And His purpose can be done. You can imagine that no country appreciates having a foreign government and foreign laws within its shores, within its boundaries. And you can be well assured that the God of this world is no friend of grace, nor friend of Christ, nor friend of yours. And it is extremely important, therefore, that you should understand that His kingdom is in you, that when you go to the office tomorrow recognize that that chair that you occupy in front of that desk is not just yours for a salary, but it is His, and that His kingdom is in you, and you are the extra-territorial rights of Heaven, and Jesus Christ reigns within that little space. And just think, if here we are, a company of people, who has meant no more than we are, if this principle with which I am dealing tonight could become operative, something so transformingly glorious would happen tomorrow that the world would take note that we have been with Jesus and He was with us. The trouble is, you see, we compromise too frequently by attitude, by disposition, by word, and so His flag is hauled down to half mast, covered, and Satan says, Well there is nothing to worry about there. We have got this one. And the extra-territorial rights of Jesus Christ have been violated. And His kingdom, overrun.
Oh, won’t you see it tonight? Won’t you see this, that wherever you are tomorrow, there the government of Heaven prevails, there the King is King Jesus, there the law is the law of love, there is His kingdom in you. Satan hates you because it hates Him; but, nevertheless, if you will allow this One to be all that He wants to be, the very resurrection power of Jesus Christ will flow though you; and you will be that walking, living witness to His presence and His resurrection glory. It is wonderful. It is true. Let’s pray.
If there is anyone here tonight that has come in under the bondage and control of the god of this world, a load of sin, a weight of guilt, a burden of heart, I have good news for you. Jesus Christ died to set you free, from the fear of hell, from the penalty of your sins, from the power of sin in your disposition, and trait, and nature.
He died to set you free, and whom the Son makes free is free indeed. Oh, I plead with you tonight, throw down the arms of your rebellion, throw down the weapons of your warfare against the Christ of God. Sue for peace. Come and ask for
forgiveness. Ask for pardon. Embrace Him as your rightful sovereign and grieved Lord. And He will deliver you. He’ll cleanse. He’ll set you free. He’ll make you whole. He’ll give you all the deliverance from sin that you want, and all the freedom that you want. All the victory that you want, that you really want. Will you come to Him?
(Invitation)
I wonder if before we go any further with our heads bowed and eyes closed if there would be those that say with up raised hands, do pray for me. I know that I’m under the bondage of the god of this world. By habit and disposition, our past sins are a great weight of guilt. Oh I have some many things, but I’ve heard tonight something of victory. Pray for me. I do want victory. I do want deliverance. Would you raise your hands? We might remember you in pray. Be your first break. Yes I see it. God bless you. Yes, I see it. Yes, God bless you. Are there others? Yes, God bless you. Still others?
Our Father, Thou knowest the hands that have been raised and the hearts behind them, and the burden or these hearts. Oh, we thank Thee that the Lord Jesus met in open conflict the god of this world. We thank Thee that He has triumphed, openly, “leading captivity captive.” (Jdg. 5:12) We thank Thee, our Father, that Thou hast put us in Christ, and that His death was our death, and His burial, our burial, and His resurrection our resurrection, yea, and His enthronement ours. “For we are seated together in Him.” We ask Thee, Lord, that this truth may be released in us, in our minds, and hearts, and spirits, and all that Thou hast meant it to mean shall be demonstrated by us. We ask Thee for these whose hands have been raised. Thou knowest the burden, the conflict. Thou knowest all that they represent, all the heartache, and grief, and yearning, and longing, and the hope, and the expectancy. And we pray for each of these, our Father, that somehow tonight they may realize that as they have raised their hand they can slip it into the nail-pierced hand of the Son of God, and in that nail wound is the testimony that He died to cleanse from sin, that He died to deliver us from habit and trait, and disposition, that He died to set us free from the dominion of the god of this world, and that He has been raised from the dead, and everything that He died to do, He has done; and He has provided this full, complete, and perfect salvation. Oh, let the truth come alive, burst into life, our Father. Let men and women lay hold upon that truth, and know that “greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world.” (I John 4:4) We thank Thee for the testimony of such men as Pastor Shee of China who could sign his name, Master of Demons. We thank Thee, our God, that Thou hast given to Thy church the victory and the authority of Calvary, and the risen Christ. And we pray that tonight this One, who conquered Satan and rose again triumphant, and led captivity captive, shall be triumphant in us, and that His triumph and this victory shall be manifest in us, and through us, and by us, and that we shall walk in great liberty and freedom as Thy children. The kingdom of God is in you. Grant, our Father, that we shall realize that we are His extra- territorial rights, we are His kingdom, and He our King.
Now bless as we go into the service of baptism. May these whose hands have been raised stay, study, continue, and open their hearts, knowing that Thou art here. And Lord, that Thou wilt prompt some to seek further help. We know Thou art ready and able to meet them. And so we give Thee thanks now for the deliverance, in due course, in response to their expectant faith, of each who have raised their hands tonight in Jesus Name and for His sake, we ask it. Amen.
* Reference such as: Delivered at The Gospel Tabernacle Church, New York City on Sunday Evening, May 27, 1962 by Paris W. Reidhead, Pastor. ©PRBTMI 1962
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