Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Luke 10:17-19

When we were born again, we became spiritual freedom fighters in God’s invasion army. We cannot be neutral in this spiritual battle: we are in a fight to the finish. We must learn how to come against the enemy and use our kingdom authority in the warfare of prayer.

First, let us remember that our kingdom authority has been sovereignly established by God. He delivered us from the bondage of spiritual death. Without Christ, we are spiritually dead, but when Jesus came, He gave us life through His sacrificial death.

We’ve also been delivered from our staggering debt; in His death, Jesus paid the debt of our sins in full.

Jesus also delivered us from the bondage of satanic dominion. Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

Through His resurrection power, Jesus stripped, shamed, and subdued the enemy. Adrian Rogers says, “We don’t pray for victory, we have the victory; we stand in victory.”

Secondly, kingdom authority must be strongly enforced if we want to do what our King wants us to do. While we were slaves to Satan, in bondage to his dark kingdom, Jesus came to set us free. Even though Satan’s defeat is absolute, it must be appropriated. He will not roll over in defeat; he will fight to keep us bankrupt, brokenhearted, and bound to our sin. We must come against him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, kingdom authority must be strategically exercised through the children of God who bear clean hearts. Those who act according to the Spirit must also come from the right position: seated with Jesus in the heavenlies.

Adrian Rogers says, “Without Jesus, you are in Satan’s dark kingdom, and Calvary is your defeat. But when you come into the kingdom of God, it is now your victory.”

Apply it to your life

Are you longing to pray with kingdom authority? Understand the necessity of your clean heart and begin praying from your victory in Heaven. Remember this wisdom from Adrian Rogers: “Stop praying from earth to Heaven, and start praying from Heaven to earth.”

Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Luke 7:1-10

The Lord did not create us to live crushed and defeated lives, but to reign and live victoriously. The centurion’s faith in Luke 7 is an example of strength through kingdom authority.

“When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick” (Luke 7:9-10).

In this passage, we first see the source of kingdom authority: it comes from a higher power. Adrian Rogers says, “Authority comes from above; therefore, any authority that you may hold is no better or stronger than the one who is over you.”

The reason God’s children have authority is that God is over them. It is the doctrine of identification. When He died, He died for us, so we died with Him and when He rose, we rose with Him, bearing resurrection life. When Jesus ascended, we ascended with Him; therefore, Jesus’ victory is our victory.

Second, we see the secret of kingdom authority: God does not give it to rebels. Adrian Rogers says, “You cannot be over until you are under; if you do not know the restraint of the Spirit, you will never know the release of the Spirit. If you cannot operate the spiritual brakes, God’ll never show you the spiritual accelerator.”

Jesus lives as an example of how we are to subject ourselves to authority. Though He was God, He lived as a man, under the authority of God, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, His earthly parents, and the government.

Third, we see the scope of our authority: we cannot refuse, confuse or abuse it. In Genesis, Adam was given authority over the forces of nature, but in Christ, we are given spiritual authority over the power of the enemy.

Finally, we see the strength of kingdom authority, which comes from surrender. The centurion in Luke 7 was a man who had many people working under him; yet, he humbled himself, surrendering to the authority of Jesus as he pleaded for his servant’s life. True surrender takes incredible strength.

Apply it to your life
Do you understand the source, secret, and scope of your kingdom authority? Have you surrendered to the Holy Spirit and been strengthened by His power?

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Ephesians 1:15-2:6

As Christians, most of us can accept that Jesus Christ is King and He has authority. However, some of us fail to grasp that He has given that kingdom authority to His servants.

Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

We’re in a spiritual battle, up against the organized, mobilized, and demonized powers of Hell. Therefore, we must understand what kingdom authority is in order to utilize it.

First, kingdom authority over all God's creation was gloriously given to Adam.

God made us to have dominion; it is the very reason we were created.

Second, that kingdom authority was legally lost by Adam.

When tempted by the devil, Adam and Eve failed to use the kingdom authority that God had given to them, and therefore, they became slaves of Satan.

Third, kingdom authority has been righteously regained by Jesus Christ.

Adrian Rogers says, “God owes Satan nothing, but God owes everything to His own justice and His own holiness; Jesus Christ came to this Earth as the second Adam, to gain back what the first Adam lost.”

Kingdom authority was lost by a man, and it was legally regained by a man: “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus died that we might have spiritual authority, not to do what we want, but authority to do what He wishes.”

Until you are under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word, and the things God has set over you, you will never live with authority.

The devil hopes that you will not understand the incredible power we’ve been given; that he can keep you in the dark. If we ever utilize kingdom authority, all of Heaven will break loose.

Apply it to your life

If you are struggling to claim your kingdom authority, remember: the same weapons that belonged to Adam in the Garden of Eden were the weapons that Jesus Christ used in the wilderness. Spend some time in Scripture, saturating your life in the Word and in the Spirit of God, that you may understand your kingdom authority.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Titus 2:14-15

Every Christian is in need of a passionate love for the Lord Jesus Christ that overflows into service and worship. However, the cause of Christ has been deeply hurt by extremists and their misguided zeal. We must understand the dangers of extremism and the beauty of God’s grace.

Titus 2:14 speaks of Jesus: “...who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

First, zeal can affirm the grace of God.

When we truly love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will become zealous about truth and excited to do good works for the kingdom of God. This is a good and godly thing because we are called to go “all in” with our love for Jesus; however, when taken to the extreme, good things can become bad things.

While affirming zeal, grace avoids extremism.

Adrian Rogers says, “Zeal and moderation go together, properly understood; they are not enemies, they’re friends. But extremism is the enemy of both zeal and moderation.”

Zeal that is divisive and destructive can be deadly to our churches, homes, and communities. Principles are great when used as tools to live by, rather than as weapons to hurt others.

We do not need to compromise on holy living, but we need to learn to live by grace.

When we obsess and debate over incidental things, we lose sight of what is fundamental. This kind of zeal is foolish, profitless, fruitless, and divisive. When we have zeal for the wrong things, we’ll often fight the wrong enemy with the wrong weapons and wrong energy.

Compromise is not the answer to extremism: grace is.

Titus 2:15 says, “Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Grace is not an excuse to sin or an encouragement to laziness, it is an invitation to give everything we are to the cause of Christ.

We must be zealous of good works, with an attitude of sweet reasonableness. We may not always agree with everyone on everything, but we must prioritize what is important.

Apply it to your life

Each and every one of us must be filled with a passionate love for Jesus Christ, but what we do with that love is crucial. Affirm zeal, avoid extremism, and remember that we will achieve more together than divided.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

Many of us believe the lie that God will only accept us on the basis of our performance. But this idea is the opposite of grace and faith in Jesus. Scripture reveals how grace grants us freedom from the performance trap.

1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

First, we must acknowledge the ruin of perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the disease of judging ourselves by our achievements. Perfectionism is a thief; it promises rewards but steals our joy and satisfaction. Because it is an unattainable goal, we’ll never truly feel accepted—in fact, we may even become angry at God.

Perfectionism is harmful to others; perfectionists judge others for not reaching the high standards they themselves cannot reach.

Adrian Rogers says, “One of the finest things you could do would be to let others know you are not perfect. They’ll relax a little bit—not because they learn it (that you’re not perfect), but because they learn that you’ve learned it.”

Perfectionism can also ruin a church. A church is a fellowship of sinners saved by grace, all in different stages of progression; we are works in progress, not yet perfect.

God does not look for perfection from His children; He wants excellence.

If we ever want to be free from the performance trap, we must recognize the marks of perfectionism in our own lives.

1. Are you an idealist or a realist?

2. Do you set impossible goals for yourself and others, failing to fulfill them?

3. Do you try to be the best, or to do your best?

4. Are you project-minded or process-minded?

5. Do you dwell on failure or do you learn from it?

God does not keep score or make lists of our accomplishments and failures.

By His own grace, God has already accepted us—not because of anything we can do, but because of what Christ has done. Through faith, we can accept that acceptance, and learn to accept others.

Apply it to your life

Are you caught up in the trap of performance? Recognize the marks of perfectionism in your own life, and remember that you can be freed from it. Accept the acceptance God has already given to you.