Lesson for November 3, 2024
Victorious Proclamation
Lesson 5
The Victorious Believer
Jesus Christ won the strategic victory (planning and directing operations to counter the enemy) over Satan. In the Garden of Eden, God told Satan that He would make enemies of Satan and Eve, and Satan’s offspring and Eve’s offspring. Satan’s offspring are unbelievers and Eve’s offspring are believers. As we have seen, this prophecy from Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled at the Cross when Christ dealt a fatal blow to Satan. (Colossians 2: 15)
It is because of Christ’s victory over Satan that believers can win daily tactical victories over Satan, his demon army, the world system, and be delivered from the power of our sin nature. The power and guidance of God the Holy Spirit supplies the power to accomplish this. The Christian Way of Life is a supernatural way of life, and it requires a supernatural power to live it and to overcome the tactics of Satan, his demons (fallen angels) and his world system. (John 16:33; I Corinthians 15:51-57; I John 5:1-21)
Romans 8:37, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him Who loved us.” The phrase “all these things” refers back to all those things that God has graciously provided for us as believers. The key to being an overwhelmingly conquering is our union with Jesus Christ and all that it entails. Jesus Christ has already secured the victory for us, and we become victors because of our faith in Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no true victory in this life. And, for advancing believers, we are able to win the daily battles we face through the power and guidance of God the Holy Spirit.
A casual approach to the execution of the Christian Way of Life will result in a casual, powerless relationship with God. It is not enough for a believer to occasionally study and apply Bible doctrine. It must be a deliberate, consistent, persistent, ongoing habit if we are going to be victorious, bring glory and honor to our Heavenly Father and have the happy, wonderful life He wants for us.
I Peter 3:22, “Who (Jesus) is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.”
The victory of the Angelic Conflict has been won by Christ and Satan’s fate is sealed for all eternity. Angels and authorities and powers are fallen angels, demons under Satan’s command. (Ephesians 6:12)
During the Church Age, there continues to be angelic opposition to the plans and purposes of God, even though Satan has been defeated. Satan will be once again defeated at the Second Advent of Christ, when Operation Footstool is initiated from Heaven. (Hebrews 1:13)
Hebrews 2:9-11, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of His suffering death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the Originator of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason, He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
Since humanity was created to be part of the resolution of the Angelic Conflict. The first man, Adam, failed, but the “Last Adam,” Jesus Christ, succeeded. (I Corinthians 15:45-49) The reason Christ became a man and not an angel is that a perfect man had to resolve the Angelic Conflict, which He did on the Cross. Believers become part of the solution as witnesses in the appeal trial of Satan and the fallen angels. Only by becoming a victorious believer can we be included as witnesses to God’s fairness and justice.
So, how do we as believers in Christ mature in our faith to the point of being used by God as part of His plan to prove Satan wrong in his false accusations that God is unfair when He sentenced Satan to the Lake of Fire? (Matthew 25:41) The answer is to use our positive volition to live within God’s power system, the Divine Dynasphere, and through spiritual growth to reach spiritual maturity.
In eternity past, God provided everything necessary for a believer’s advance to spiritual maturity. Reaching spiritual maturity is a process of spiritual growth through the consistent study and application of Bible doctrine. It not necessary for a believer to try to figure out the exact moment that they reach this stage of spiritual adulthood. Spiritually speaking, no one ever outgrows the need to learn and apply more Bible doctrine.
Spiritual maturity is characterized by continuing to be spiritually independent, meaning you have taken control of your spiritual life. At this stage of spiritual adulthood, that a believer should be able to handle any tragedy or heartache life brings their way. The various tests of people, system, thought, and disaster testing are designed to advance us to spiritual maturity. Passing these tests further equips us to handle any problem in life by continuing to apply Bible doctrine.
A spiritually mature believer has learned to be content with what God has provided for them, while sharing the happiness of God. (Philippians 4:11-13; Hebrews 13:5; I Timothy 6:6-8) A spiritually mature believer is grace oriented to life which smooths the “rough edges of life” into grace thinking, grace motivation, grace decisions, and grace actions. Each stage of spiritual adulthood advances and perfects our orientation to the grace of God.
A spiritually mature believer has become spiritually self-sustaining, in that they do not need another believer (even their pastor) to constantly “check” their spiritual health. This means a believer uses the privacy of their priesthood to develop and maintain a strong relationship with God through the study of God’s Word. A spiritually mature believer lives their life as unto the Lord, rather than as unto people. Therefore, they are able to let God the Holy Spirit guide and empower them. Because a spiritually mature believer yields control of their life to the Holy Spirit, they live in a state of inner happiness a maximum amount of the time.
A spiritual mature believer takes responsibility for his or her own decisions (good or bad).
A spiritually mature believer makes their relationship with God number one priority, rather than their relationships with people. This relationship produces a mental attitude of confidence in God, regardless of the circumstance surrounding them. (Philippians 3:15-16) A spiritually mature believer has a personal sense of destiny, based on their confidence in God and His Word. No matter what happens in life, they relate all the “good” and the “bad” to the fact that God has a purpose for their life. They understand God’s purpose and apply that knowledge to all situations, maintain their happiness, and pass testing when it comes their way. Therefore, a spiritually mature believer knows how to fulfill the Protocol Plan of God. A spiritually mature believer has become aware that in fulfilling the plan of God for their life, they are fulfilling their own divine destiny. And destiny must always be related to God rather than to people, circumstances, or any standard of human success.
Consistent production of divine good is a characteristic of a spiritually mature believer, which is rewardable at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Spiritual maturity removes all of the frustrations normally associated with life, like not succeeding as you or others think you should. You have a destiny far greater than that of any person who’s ever been successful or great in this life (by human standards)!
Spiritual maturity is spiritually freeing. (John 8:32) In the Protocol Plan of God, a new type of freedom exists, which has never existed before in any other dispensation – spiritual freedom provided by living in God’s power system – a system of grace. (Tutus 2:11-14) A spiritually mature believer can be imprisoned and still have spiritual freedom, because spiritual freedom does not depend on outward circumstances. Spiritual freedom is the divine provision of God’s grace to fulfill the Protocol Plan of God through living inside God’s power system.
When you are functioning within the Divine Dynasphere (God’s power system), you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and that creates spiritual freedom. The Holy Spirit in God’s power system is the enabling power for fulfilling the Protocol Plan of God. We glorify Christ by living inside God’s power system, which increases our capacity to receive God’s greater blessings. The enabling power of the Holy Spirit and stored Bible doctrine applied to a believer’s life are the two power options that advance a believer to spiritual maturity and a victorious way of life!