And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: --  Ephesians 2:6

We have learned that when Jesus was crucified, our old man was crucified; when Jesus died, our old man died, and when Jesus was buried, our old man was buried.  We are no longer the same person we used to be.  The old man has passed away, and we must associate and identify with his death.  But in this verse we discover that the burial of the old man was not the end; there was also a raising-up of a new you, a new spiritual species of being, when Christ was raised from the dead.  When He was raised, you were raised, when He was seated at the right hand of the Father, you were seated at the right hand of the Father.  Everything that Jesus did, He did for mankind–-He did for you!  His life, death, and resurrection were to benefit fallen mankind, to bring us out of the bondage and up from under the curse that Adam had placed on us.  God did not need the cross, the angels did not need it, but mankind had to be killed and then reborn spiritually into a place of dominion and rulership.  God’s original plan of making us in His image and likeness has never changed.  His plan of man having authority and dominion has never changed.  It was man who sinned and fell out of God’s perfect will for him.  So God sent Jesus to die, be buried–-but also to be raised and seated–-so you could be raised and seated with Him!

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     -- Ephesians 1:21 (Also read Eph. 1:19-23)

Once a year we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  We are excited to know that Jesus is alive, and that He has been raised with all authority and power.  We see Him, even before the resurrection, healing leprosy, rebuking fever, ruling over the laws of nature--the wind and the sea—victorious, as well, over demons and death.  Many at Easter tell their friends “Jesus is alive!” and “He is risen!” but few realize what the resurrection means to them.  When He was raised, He was raised far above all principalities, powers, might, and dominion.  He has been seated in a place of total authority and rulership.  He went to the cross and became a victim, but He arose a victor.  He went to the cross and was made the tail, but He arose the head.  He went to the cross and became the curse so He could be raised blessed.  He went to the cross and was made sin, sickness, disease, and subject to the devil and demons so He could be raised and seated far above all sin, sickness, disease, the devil and demons.  But wait a minute–-before the cross He was the head, before the cross He was a victor.  Before the cross, He was blessed and was ruling over sin, sickness, disease, the devil and demons.  So why go to the cross?  To get what He already had?  No!  He went so that you could be raised!  So that you could be seated.  So that your new position is far above all principality, all power, all might, and all dominion.  Not only was He made alive–-you were made alive with Him (Eph. 2:5), alive and raised and seated in a position “far above all.”

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.     --  Romans 6:4

Your old man was buried with Christ–-he is dead and gone.  You have been raised with Christ by the glory of the Father.  When Jesus was raised from the dead, the same glory that hit His lifeless body hit you when you were raised with Him.  The same God-power that infused Jesus infused you at the new birth.  Not only were you given the power of God and the glory of God, but we found out you were raised and seated “far above”!  With all this freely given to you, Paul declares that you should live and walk in newness of life.  This new life is a life of power, a life of authority, a life of victory, a life no longer subject to this world and sin and sickness and evil forces.  The only place now for the curse is under your feet-–you have been raised and seated to walk (daily) in a newness of life.  As long as you keep the old, weak, sinful, Adam-man in the grave-–you will live in a newness of life.  Thoughts will come to attack your mind to get you to see yourself as not raised, not seated, and with no authority.  “I’m unworthy” thoughts, “poor me” thoughts, “why doesn’t God help me” thoughts, “I can’t” thoughts will try to pull you out of your heavenly seat.  Cast them down!  Do not think on them for a second!  You are raised!  You are seated!  You are far above!  Whether you feel like it or not does not matter!  Dare to believe the Word, dare to take your seat, dare to rule and reign.  Dare to walk and live in a new life.  Dare to be a new creation.

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 fulness of him that filleth all in all.     -- Ephesians 1:22, 23

When Jesus was raised and seated far above all things, the Church, or the Body of Christ, was raised and seated far above all things.  The rulership of this earth has been placed into the hands of the Body of Christ–-has been placed into your hands.  Due to a lack of knowledge, many Christians still live as victims and losers in the earth when they have been given a position of authority and victory.  Many ask themselves, “Why doesn’t God do something about sickness and poverty, about the devil and demons?  If God is a loving God, why doesn’t He do something?  The world is in a mess!”  The world is in a mess because the Church is in a mess.  God has already done all He is going to do about sickness and poverty.  He has already defeated the devil and demons.  But He has also given to the Church, His Body, the authority and dominion to enforce the defeat of demons and the curse.  We have been raised!  We have been seated!  We have been placed far above!  Not so God could rule and reign, but so we could rule and reign (Rom. 5:17; Luke 10:19).  God has restored to mankind everything that he lost in the Garden and more.  The problem is that we are failing to use our God-given authority, much like Adam failed to do so in the Garden.  We want God to do it, God to resist the devil, God to heal the sick.  But He will not do it–-He gave you the position and authority to do it in Him.  This last generation will start to take advantage of their new identity and their new position and be seen as ruling over the forces of darkness.  You can be a part of this–you have been seated.