Another Ephesians Part 3 "The Battle in Heavenly Places"
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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Introduction.
Introduction.
Another Ephesians
What are Heavenly Places?
atmospheres
A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament ἐπουράνιος
ἐπουράνιος (opp. ἐπίγειος), heavenly, in heaven: ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, in the heavenly sphere, the sphere of spiritual activities.
This is our position now in Christ.
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.
We have crossed over Jordan, into the Holy Ghost, where all the promises lay. the Token, the Third Pull.
They had reached Jordan. They crossed into the promised Land, and they were setting in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
“The sainted, called-out Ones,” oh, my, somebody He can teach something to. 60-0911E - Five Definite Identifications Of The True Church Of The Living God
We are raised with Him into these Heavenly realms, Heavenly Atmospheres.
Now what do we do? Confess our sins, reckoning ourselves dead, buried with Him in baptism, raised with Him in His resurrection. What to? “Set in Heavenly places with Him.”
That’s where we are tonight, sitting (not physically) spiritually, our minds, our thoughts, our souls are far beyond the cares of the world right now. What are we? “In Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
How do we get into It? “By one Spirit,” First Corinthians, 12th chapter, “by one Spirit we are all baptized by the Holy Ghost into one Body of believers.” The mystical Kingdom of God!
In there we look back and seen where we used to lie and steal and cheat and smoke and do the things that’s wrong. We’ve raised from that. We’re in Heavenly places.
What is it? The evidence that someday we’ll have a body like His Own glorious body. It’s the exact evidence of the resurrection, because, potentially, we are already raised with Him, potentially we’ve already died.
Look back where I once was. Now I’m above that. Why? By His grace He lifted me up, and here I am now seated in Heavenly places in Christ. 62-0527 - Questions And Answers
You have to really be there.
When we are in Christ, we have spiritual blessing. Outside of Christ, we have sensations. In Christ we have positive blessing.
Not make-beliefs, not shams, not put-ons. But as long as you are trying to say that you’re in the promised Land, and are not, your sins will find you out.
And, the first thing you know, you’ll find yourself phony and all, as we call it in the world, gaumed up. You’ll find out that you haven’t got what you’re talking about.
But when you’re in Christ Jesus, He’s promised you Heavenly peace, Heavenly blessings, Heavenly Spirit, everything is yours. You’re in the promised Land and in full possession of everything. 60-0518 - Adoption #2
In this Spiritual realm, the battle is fought.
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
There are powers and principalities in heavenly places.
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:
Principality = Ruler
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
(Same word.)
Power = Jurisdiction or authority.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
Just as there was opposition when they came into the natural land, there is spiritual opposition when we come to our spiritual land.
You must fight to maintain your heavenly place.
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.
(Same word as Heavenly)
Just as these have position in satan’s kingdom, you have position in God’s kingdom.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Not only has God made alive and raised with Christ many who had been unbelievers, but He has also seated them with Christ in the heavenly realms (cf. 1:3, 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) in Christ Jesus. Believers are positioned spiritually in heaven, where Christ is. They are no longer mere earthlings; their citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). He is the exalted Son of God, and they are exalted sons and daughters of God.
The Word was made flesh. Therefore, you walked with Him, when you were in Him, when He was on earth.
You suffered with Him, and you died with Him. You was buried with Him. And now you are risen with Him, and manifested attributes of God, setting in Heavenly places;
already raised, resurrected to new Life, and setting in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 65-1205 - Things That Are To Be
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Now, I don’t mean God’s got a right hand, God’s a Spirit. But at the right hand means “in power and authority of God.” 64-0823E - Questions And Answers #2
We are raised with Him to sit in that same position of authority.
His Kadesh Barnea was the cross.
And our Kadesh-barnea was there at the altar one night. Now, we are reckoned dead, and our lives are hid in Him, raised with Him in resurrection, setting at His right hand today in heavenly places. 62-0621E - Confirmation And Evidence
And now today after two thousand years, we still stand with the earnest of our salvation, the evidence, to look down and see where we were once unbelievers, where we were once dead in sin and trespasses, and now we’ve raised with Him in the resurrection.
We died with Him; we raised with Him; and we are setting tonight in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, already raised with Him in the resurrection (Amen.),
with everything under our feet (Amen.): sickness, death, hell, all done destroyed by our great Warrior, at Whose right hand we stand by. 62-0628 - A Greater Than Solomon Is Here
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
The Opening of the Word is our Ephesians restoring us to our place of authority in Christ.
(This is the connection between the cloud and the spoken Word)
We must fight to maintain this place of authority that we have been placed in.
Now, that’s the two great forces that’s coming together right now. They’re battling. They’re battling right here in the building right now. They battle, day by day, with you, every force.
Satan, following you along, that great, big, kingly, priestly Goliath trying to scare the liver out of you.
You’re fortified, amen, with the Gospel, with the Word of Truth around your loin. Glory! Preacher, that’s what it is.
Helmet of salvation; the shield of faith; and the Sword, waving It in your hand! “Satan, I’m coming to meet you. You meet me in the name of science.
You meet me in the name of culture. You meet me in the name of organization. You meet me in the name of this, that, or the other. But I meet you in the Name of the Lord God of Israel.
I’m coming after you. Give way!” Even death itself can’t stand there. Chop a hole right through it. That’s right.
Satan’s army brings diseases, and God’s army is commissioned to cast them out. Amen. There you are. Every time Satan throws any on, onto you, God’s army is to cast him out.
That’s the very technique that God used. Satan used the army of destruction, to disbelieve God’s Word, and set him up a better kingdom than Michael had, and God cast him out.
God’s method, is, cast out the evil. Cast down reasoning. Cast down superstitions. Cast down worry. Cast down diseases. Cast down sin.
Amen. You’re above it, resurrected in Christ Jesus, setting in Heavenly places, with every devil under your foot. 62-0311 - The Greatest Battle Ever Fought
What happened when them, one of them doubters, got in Heaven? God kicked him out. And what did He say to the soldiers that’s raised in Christ? “When a devil comes along, kick him out. 62-0311 - The Greatest Battle Ever Fought
This is your position.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
When you were saved you were born into a body.
These spiritual rulers in heavenly places want to influence you away from your position in the body. They literally want to keep you from assembling with other parts of the body.
We have Christ by portion.
Now, you see, we are not a divided people, we’ve got to be in unity, because each one of us holding a part of God.
And we must come together, and then the Pillar of Fire is manifested in the wholeness, in the fulness of It; when His Church sets together in Heavenly places, then the fulness of the power of God is in His Church.
Each one of us holding spiritual gifts and spiritual offices, coming together, brings that Pillar of Fire back again. 63-1201M - An Absolute
Satan would do anything to keep that from happening.
When Bro. Branham begins to bring His Seventh Seal Message, Christ is the Mystery of God revealed, knowing that this battle was going on, he gives a word of warning to the church.
1. He establishes the office of a Pastor.
1. He establishes the office of a Pastor.
And I want you to remember that Brother Neville here, left in the church, in the charge of this tabernacle, under the Holy Spirit, that he is left here, and he believes this Message and teaches It just the same as I do.
(Says nice things about Bro. Neville)
And Brother Neville goes through many strains and heartaches, that he doesn’t show it here at the tabernacle. But being that the Lord lets me have a little sight into people’s life, I know what he goes through; a whole lot of it, see.
And he certainly goes under a lot of labor and strains, and things. And you, you people here, hold him up like Joshua and Caleb held up the hands of Moses, as he’s bringing the Word.
2. He Warns Against Division.
2. He Warns Against Division.
Love one another, above everything. Love one another. No matter what the devil tries to say!
Now you’re all one great big sweet group now, but remember my warning, see, Satan won’t let that stay that way. No, sir.
He’ll shoot everything, if he has to bring somebody in to make his target. He’ll bring some critic or unbeliever in, and sit him down, and cause him to fellowship with you under the quietness and things,
and then he’ll shoot that guy with some kind of a poison stuff, and he’ll start through the church with it. Don’t you take sides with it. Don’t you have nothing to do with anything else.
You stay right loving and sweet and kind to one another. Pray for that man, that he’ll be saved too, or that woman, or ever who it is, just pray for them. And stick one with another.
And stay with your pastor. See, he’s the shepherd, and you give him respects. He’ll lead you through, and, ’cause he’s ordained of God to do so.
The enemy will come. And when he does, just cling that much closer together. And the one that the devil is using for an enemy will either get out or come in and be one of you. That’s all.
Don’t never clan among one…or—or talk, make yourself clannish. We are one. I couldn’t say, “Left hand, I’m mad at you, I’m going to take you away ’cause you’re not a right hand.” He’s my left hand. I want him to stay there.
Even the little tip of my finger, I want to stay right there, every little part of my body stay right there. And God wants us, as a body of believers, to stay right exactly with one another, right at with one another.
3. He Instructs them to Go to Church.
3. He Instructs them to Go to Church.
And now you’ve got tapes on that. You’ve got tapes on what we believe. You’ve got tapes on discipline in the church, how we behave ourself in the church of God, how we got to come here together and sit together in Heavenly places.
(Not optional)
Don’t stay home. If God is in your heart, you can’t hardly wait for them doors to open out yonder, to get in here to fellowship with your brothers. If you don’t feel that way, then I tell you, it’s time you got to praying.
Cause, we’re in the last days, where the Bible exhorted us to, “Much more as we see that day approaching,” to love one another with Christian love and Divine love, “to assemble ourselves together in Heavenly places and Christ Jesus,” and love one another.
“This will all man know you are My disciples, when you have love one for the other.” That’s right. Stay right together.
(This is how you do it)
If the brother, you think he’s a little wrong, or the sister, say, “Lord, don’t let me never have the root of bitterness spring up, ’cause it’ll affect him, and it’ll take the Christ right out of my life.”
That poison acids of malice, and jealousy, and hatred, that will just take the Holy Spirit right away from you.
It will run Him from the tabernacle here. It’ll kill the Spirit of God, or drive It away from here, hurt your pastor. It’ll do everything. See? Don’t you do that.
You just wax that much closer together. Draw up the…Take the buckle, as the brother testified, a minister here the other night, about having a buckle, seeing it in a vision.
Just, that buckles on the whole armor of God. Just pull her on, tighten up, move right up close to one another.
Love one another, anyhow. Talk nice about one another, say nice things about one another, and then God will bless you. 63-0728 - Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Before Washington fought the British, he brought his generals together and had a council of war.
The Battle is on, this is the council of war. Is there a disease standing in our way? Is there an unforgiving spirit? Worldliness? Pick up your sword. Soldiers, fight with me, lets take the battle to the enemy.