You know, we are on the fifty-two lessons that our dear brother Watchman Nee prepared for the church. He realized how needful it is that we have a good foundation in the Word of God, and that is the reason for the fifty-two lessons.
This morning, our lesson is Spiritual Authority.
We know that in this universe, God is the authority. He is the Creator of everything, and because of this, He is the authority over all. I think this is self-evident; we do not need to labor over it.
But we know from the Word of God that God, by His authority, has set up the universe. At that time, the highest of His creation were angels; there was no man yet.
But He loved to delegate His authority. So among angels, He had one called Lucifer, the bright morning star. He delegated much authority to that angel.
That angel was the guardian angel of God’s throne, and he was to lead the angels in worshipping God. He was given great gifts.
But unfortunately, this angel called Lucifer—the shining, bright star—because of his much traffic, because of his beauty, and because of his power, began to look into himself.
Brothers and sisters, it is always bad to look into yourself, because what can you see in yourself? Nothing but bad. If you see that you are good, it is even worse.
This archangel, instead of serving God and leading the angels in serving God, began to look into himself. He was such a beautiful angel. He was so gifted. He occupied such a high position.
He ought to have been satisfied and thankful to God for all that had been given to him. But instead, this archangel began to think of himself as great. He was not satisfied with being just an angel.
The Bible tells us that he wanted to be equal with God. Because of this, he was driven out of heaven, and most likely the earth at that time was under his control.
So we find that this earth once entered into a dark age. It was surrounded with water. We do not know how long that continued, but we do know from Genesis 1:2 that one day the Spirit of God began to brood over the face of the deep.
God was going to restore the earth to be habitable, because God had a plan. I think we have said again and again that for God to destroy Satan is very easy. He could say a word, or breathe a breath, and Satan would be finished.
But that would not give God glory. It would be like a grown-up person beating a little child; there would be no glory in it. Showing God’s wisdom, He restored the earth to be habitable in order to create man.
So on the sixth day, He created man. Now, brothers and sisters, man was created in a very special way. God had never created anything like it, not even the angels, because God created man according to His own image and after His own likeness.
Brothers and sisters, what a privilege man has! You are created according to God’s own image and after His own likeness.
Now, image refers to the inward quality. In other words, we have the possibility of being united with God, if we obey and cooperate.
So, brothers and sisters, we human beings are God’s special creation. But remember one thing: we are not created for ourselves. We are created for God.
Because God has a definite purpose in creating man, and that purpose is that through man He wants Satan to be defeated. Though man is lower than the angels, he is to overcome the enemy by obedience to God. That is God’s plan for man.
But as we read the Bible, we all know that God put man in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is a garden of pleasure. God planted all kinds of trees in the garden, good for food—that is, for the need of man’s body.
But at the same time, God put in the midst of the garden the tree of life. It is symbolic of the life of God. If you eat the fruit of that tree, you will have God’s life in you, and that is the very purpose of God.
And by the tree of life there is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Do not be mistaken: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not a bad tree. In the Garden of Eden, all the trees are good. As a matter of fact, this is a better tree; the best one is the tree of life.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil means that if you eat its fruit, you will have knowledge. You know what is good, and you know what is evil.
But the problem is this: if you have the life of God in you, this discernment of good and evil is helpful. But if you do not have God’s life in you—if you have only human life, only fallen life—you will not be able to do what you know is good and not do what is evil. If that is the case, the result is death.
So I think it is very clear in the Scripture what God’s purpose is for man. Man is not created for himself. Man is created for God’s purpose.
So do you realize that you are not your own? You are here for a reason, and that is a tremendous reason. You are here to defeat the enemy in your lives, and so you glorify God.
I think it is very clear from the Bible, from the very beginning of human life, that this is what God intended us to do.
So God put man in the Garden of Eden. It is a beautiful garden. It has all kinds of fruit trees. He could eat every fruit of the trees, even the tree of life.
The only thing he could not eat was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, God put man on trial to see whether he would obey God or not.
Do not think that God made man and put him in the garden to do nothing but enjoy himself. That is not the life for which God created man.
He was put in the garden with a mission. He was there not only to improve the garden, but he was there to be the wall of God, because God had no wall. Man was to be the wall of God, because God knew that Satan was lurking outside, trying to get in.
We do not know how long Adam and Eve lived together in the garden. But somehow, the Bible tells us, Eve drifted away from Adam. We find that she was alone. Now, where was Adam? We do not know.
Eve looked at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She admired that tree, and she was tempted. Satan had slipped in, taking the form of a snake, and began to speak to her.
“Did God say, ‘You cannot eat of any tree’?” Quite an ugly thought that is.
Now, of course, she said, “No, we can eat of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and we cannot touch it.” In other words, from her words you can see that she was not very happy about it, because she wanted to have everything she wanted.
And Satan used this opportunity to entice her. He said, “If you eat it, you will be wise as God. You do not need God anymore. You will be on your own. What a glorious life that will be.”
And Eve was tempted. She ate, and she gave to her husband.
Now, brothers and sisters, we must remember: Eve was deceived into eating the forbidden fruit, but Adam ate the forbidden fruit willfully. In other words, he knew the consequence, and yet, because he loved his wife so much, he did not want to lose his wife. So he chose his wife rather than God.
And Adam too ate the forbidden fruit. We all know the result. Because of that, they were driven out of the Garden of Eden.
But before that, God clothed them with the skin of an animal. Brothers and sisters, this is what happened to man: man had lost his place before God.
But God did not give up. You know, God works in a marvelous way, wonders to perform beyond our imagination. God allowed this to happen, and it happened in history. How long, we do not know—thousands of years.
But God had a plan. His plan was still with man. He had not changed the reason He created man in the first place. He did not give up that reason. He still wanted man to be used by Him to defeat His enemy.
So we find that thousands of years passed, and one day God’s own beloved Son volunteered to be a man.
In Philippians 2, we find that our Lord Jesus was equal with God, and that was not something to be grasped at. You know, the enemy tried to grasp at being equal with God. But our Lord Jesus is God’s only begotten Son; He is equal with God. It was nothing to be grasped at.
And yet, for our sake, He was willing to give up all His position and rights to be a man. Now, brothers and sisters, just think of that: for God to be a man, how much He must have given up.
But our Lord Jesus gave it all up gladly. He came to this earth as a baby. He grew up in this wretched world. He suffered tremendously. He was rejected, and eventually He was crucified. And all this He did for us.
So, brothers and sisters, God is the authority of the universe, and man, according to God’s idea, is to represent God. God loves to delegate His authority.
But what we receive is delegated authority. We have no authority of our own. Do not think we can do anything we want. That idea is not God’s idea; it is the enemy’s idea.
We are under authority, under the authority of God. And because we are under His authority, we are qualified to represent His authority.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this is our story. Thank God, by believing in the Lord Jesus, we have our sins forgiven. We are given a new life. Christ is life in our spirit, and we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell in our spirit.
His purpose is to see that the life of Christ will grow up into maturity. This is His mission.
So we find here delegated authority. Brothers and sisters, we need to remember that we do not have authority at all. What authority we have has been delegated to us by God.
And because of that, we are responsible to God to exercise the authority that God has given us.
So Brother Nee said, “When you come to the church, what are you looking for? Are you looking for people who could be under you, that you can exercise authority over them? Or do you come to the church to look for people to whom you should give obedience?”
I think that makes a great difference. The question you should ask is, “Who are the ones before me to whom I should give my obedience?” This is the right attitude when we come to the church.
God’s delegated authority is something that we should recognize and learn to obey.
So, brothers and sisters, when you come to the meeting, what are you looking for? Are you looking for people to be under you? Or are you looking for those to whom you should give your obedience? It will make a great difference.
Now, it is true that in the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, we read:
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondly prophets,
thirdly teachers,
then miracles,
then gifts of healings,
helps,
governments,
divers kinds of tongues.
The Bible gives eight kinds of gifts in their regular order. In the church, God has the apostles—those whom He has set to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, such as the early apostles that we know of. They are the highest rank in the church.
And after that, you have the prophets. They prophesy. To prophesy in the New Testament is not only to predict the future, but to proclaim the mind of God.
And you have the teachers, those who teach according to the Word of God. After the teachers, you have miraculous powers, and so on. So in the church, there is a divine order.
But remember: this is not arbitrary. This is not something you take upon yourself. This is something that God has provided.
You remember in 3 John, there was a person who became so dominant in the church. He ruled the church with authority. He drove out those who did not do what he forbade them to do. And the apostle John said he would come and deal with the situation.
So, brothers and sisters, here we find in the church these different delegated authorities. But as far as delegated authority is concerned, we need to be careful.
Because it is very easy for you to be given delegated authority, and then begin to think that you are the authority. That is a great temptation.
So whatever authority God has given you, remember: it is God’s authority that you are exercising for the sake of God. You are not exercising authority on your own.
Now, brothers and sisters, this is what we find in the Word of God. So thank God, in the church there is order. But it is a divine order; it is not a man-made order.
And the way that we keep the order is not mechanical. It is something in which you really see the spiritual principle behind it. And because you see it, you act accordingly, that God’s purpose may be fulfilled.
So when God’s people really learn to represent Christ on earth, what will be the result? The result is that all that the enemy has done will be defeated.
How? Not externally, but inwardly. In other words, God will fight against His enemy with you and me.
But how? Not outwardly, but inwardly. That is to say, when the spirit lusts against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, that is where the fight is.
You are not seeking to fight outside. You are seeking to do the fighting within yourself. What the enemy has done in our lives, in our mind, in our emotion, even in our will—by the Spirit of God, you discern it, and you are willing to deal with it.
So, brothers and sisters, that is the reason why, after we are saved, we are not raptured right away. That was my hope when I was saved.
It was quite difficult for me to get saved because I knew too much. But after I was saved, I hoped that I would be raptured right away. That would save me from all the troubles.
But, brothers and sisters, God does not want heaven to be filled with babies. He wants heaven to be filled with grown-ups.
So He leaves us behind and gives us the opportunity to really do some dealings: to reject that which is from self, that which is from the enemy, and to receive only that which is from God by the Spirit.
And as you do it, the enemy is defeated. So may these words help us, that we may together press on with a humble spirit—not being proud of ourselves, but being humble enough to look for people to whom we should give our obedience. That is the way of the church.
Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we do want to thank Thee because Thou hast not only forgiven us and given us life, but Lord, it is Thy will that Thy life shall prevail, overcoming all that the enemy has done in our lives, that Thy purpose may be fulfilled.
Each and every one of us here, we commend Thy Word back to Thee and say, “Lord, may Thy Spirit continue to open Thy Word to us, that we may be able to fulfill all that Thou hast ordained for us.”
And it is all for Thy glory. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.