Man's Crown of Glory

by Jerry Savelle

Contents

1 Crowned with Glory and Honor

2 Man's Fall

3 God's Secret Plan

4 Man's Crown Restored

5 The Church Triumphant

6 Reigning by Royal Decree

Confession

1

Crowned with Glory and Honor

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:3-9

What is man's status and role in this life?

Throughout history people have raised this question, not always with any conclusive answers.

In this passage of Scripture the Psalmist turns his attention to this question. He asks God, " Lord, what is man that You are so mindful of him, that You would manifest Yourself to him, that You would cause him to be able to know You? " He meditates on man's position in God until it overwhelms him: .. thou hast put all things under his feet (v. 6).

Now many people have read this psalm and have related it to Jesus. But we see clearly in verse 4 that the writer is not referring to the Son of Man, but to man himself, to humanity, to us!

Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands (v. 6). We know that God created man because of a love affair. We know that God created man because He wanted him to have dominion over the earth.

Verse 5 says, Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels . . . . In the original Hebrew the word translated "angels" is not angels at all, but a word that means "God." God wanted fellowship with a created being on His own level, in His own class.

Verse 5 continues: .. and hast crowned him with glory and honour. This is the powerful revelation I want us to consider in particular in this study—that God has crowned man with glory and honor.

A Crown of Glory and Honor

Many times we read this statement and don't take the opportunity to really meditate it and let the Spirit of God open it up to us.

In the past you may have overlooked it entirely, or maybe you knew it was there but didn't know what it meant. Perhaps you have read it but have never really thought about its significance.

The Psalmist is saying here that God was so mindful of man that He created him and then placed a crown on his head.

Have you ever seen anyone crowned? Most of us have seen pictures of a king. The crown on his head represents authority; it represents his ability to rule, his leadership qualities.

Now the Bible says that God created man and placed a crown upon his head. What was that crown? Thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. The crown was glory and honor.

From Genesis 1, I want us to get a picture of the glory and honor with which man has been crowned. Genesis 1:26 should be a familiar scripture to you, but we are going to look at it in a different vein:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . . The literal Hebrew word here for likeness means "an exact duplication in kind." In other words, God was going to create an exact duplicate of Himself.

... and let them have d o m i n i o n . . . . Do you believe that God is the God of the universe and that He has dominion? Do you believe that God has a throne, a kingdom? Do you believe that He is Number One in that kingdom?

God said, " Let's make man in Our image and Our likeness. " He was saying, "I want to reproduce Myself in the earth. I want to construct an exact duplicate of Myself in the earth, (Now get this!) and let him have dominion!"

It would be wrong for God to create an exact duplicate of Himself and not let him have dominion, wouldn't it?

Some people get off on a tangent here and say, "I don't believe God created another God."

Now wait a minute, let's stay with the Bible. I didn't say there were two Gods, or four Gods, or 1900 Gods.

But God did intend to duplicate Himself in kind and give dominion to the creature He would create and let him have a place in which to exercise dominion. That place was called the earth.

We later learn that, in reality, this man Adam was to have had dominion on the planet Earth, just as God had dominion on the "planet"

Heaven. In fact, what God wanted was to have a duplication of heaven on earth. He gave Adam all the tools, all the equipment, and everything necessary to have a duplication of heaven on earth.

We talk about how glorious heaven is going to be, about how glorious it is going to be "on the other side." Well, I want you to know that it never was the intention of God for man to wait until he got on the other side to have that kind of goodness, that kind of greatness, that kind of happiness. It was God's intention that while man was on earth, it would be like he already lived in heaven.

God wanted an exact duplication that would have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Gen. 1:26,27).

Genesis 2:7 says, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. At that moment when man became a living soul, God had done what He had said. He had made man in His image.

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it (v. 15).

The moment man became a living soul, he was immediately taken by God and crowned with glory and honor. He was given dominion and turned loose on the earth. God put man in the Garden and told him to dress it and keep it.

Many people think that "dress it and keep it" means to keep the weeds out of the flowers and keep the yard cleaned up from all the animals. No! The Hebrew text for "dress it and keep it" literally means "to guard, to protect, to preserve from all intruders."

God created the man a duplicate of Himself.

He gave him dominion; He gave him a kingdom. He told him to subdue it, to have dominion over it, to dress and keep it—in other words, to guard, protect, and preserve it from all intruders. He crowned man with glory and honor.

Adam was king in the earth and his crown was the glory of God; that is what it represented. It was the very nature of God in manifestation. It was what God was, or what He essentially is and does. It represented the attributes of God, the authority and the power emanating from God Almighty.

But something happened to spoil Adam's place with God and the dominion he held over the earth.

2

Man's Fall

God told Adam to guard, to protect, and to preserve his kingdom from all intruders. But Adam willfully disobeyed God and knowingly allowed an intruder to enter.

Do you know what that intruder did? He took off Adam's crown, and Adam let him do it! There was Adam, standing as king of the earth, under the leadership of God. As long as he walked as king of the earth and was crowned with glory, he could do anything on earth that God could do in heaven.

But Adam willfully allowed an intruder into his kingdom. Who was this intruder and why did he want to get into Adam's kingdom? Let me tell you.

Do you remember Lucifer the archangel?

The very thing that caused Lucifer to fall was his desire to be king. (Is. 14:12-14.) Ezekiel 28:15

says of Lucifer, Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Lucifer had been an archangel. God had created him perfect in all his ways, but he wanted to be king. He wanted a throne. He wanted followers and worshipers. He wanted dominion. He wasn't satisfied with having dominion over only one third of the angelic host; he wanted to exalt himself above the Most High God. When he made that attempt, God cast him out of heaven. He sent him to the earth, and the Bible says the earth became void and full of darkness. (Gen. 1:2.) So God duplicated Himself in man to take care of that void and darkness, to rule this earth and restore it as it originally was when God created it. God told His man, "You keep ever intruder out of it! I'll crown you with glory. I'll crown you with My ability, My nature. All your authority and all your power will emanate from Me. The very power that cast Lucifer down will keep him out of this earth."

The problem was that Adam didn't keep the intruder out. Satan, as he is now known, comes in the form of a serpent and beguiles the man's wife (Adam's queen, if you will). He deceives her. But Adam was standing there watching the intruder do what he, as king of the earth, had the power to stop. He could have stopped it, but he didn't. Adam did not allow the crown of glory that God had placed on his head—that manifestation of God Himself—to flow through him that very moment. Instead, he bowed his knee and decided to follow the decision of his wife in this situation.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not blaming it all on Eve, because the blame is on the man. If Adam had done his job, Eve would have done hers. If man had been doing his job, Eve would never have been deceived. Adam allowed the intruder in, and that intruder's purpose was to take the crown of glory off the king's head.

That intruder came with the same motive still in his heart, the same purpose he had when he led the revolt in heaven against Almighty God. Satan wanted to be king. He couldn't overthrow God, so he attempted to overthrow God's duplicate. And he succeeded!

I want you to notice what happened. The moment Adam bowed his knee, he willfully committed high treason against God. He willfully laid down his crown and lost his ability to rule. Can you see that? The moment Adam committed high treason against God, he took off his crown. He lost his kingdom and, with it, lost his ability to rule.

Satan's Rule

Now ask yourself this: Who then was wearing the crown? Who then had the kingdom? Who then had the ability to rule?

Satan! At that moment Satan was wearing man's crown and ruling man's kingdom. He had done in the earth what he had unsuccessfully attempted to do in heaven.

But I want you to know something. The story is not finished. It is not over with. The closing chapter has not been written. It is sad that Adam willfully did this, but we don't have to live under that bondage any longer. There were men before us who had to, but we don't have to today. I want you to know what has happened since.

Satan put on the crown of glory that belonged to God's duplicate. He took over the kingdom of God's king. He left man without a kingdom to rule. Satan became what the Bible refers to as " the god of this world. " (2 Cor. 4:4.) Now I want to show you something which will make it easier for you to understand what Jesus meant in one of His statements to the religious people of His day. When confronted and accused of blasphemy because He claimed to be the Son of God, Jesus answered His accusers by saying, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? (John 10:34). He didn't say, "Ye are God's" (possessive), but "Ye are gods."

Even in Jesus' day, those people were living far below their privileges. But their privileges did have some limitations. Though God had provided a way for man to live out from under the rulership of Satan to some degree, there was still lodged in man's heart a thing called spiritual death.

Men were not living at the full potential of what God had originally made available to them when He crowned Adam with glory and gave him the earth as his kingdom. Why?

Because Adam had willfully laid down his crown and lost his ability to rule.

The crown then was placed on Satan's head.

The kingdom belonged to him. He was doing in a perverted way what Adam should have been doing with the anointing of God.

Have you ever seen a world heavyweight boxing match? The champion walks into the ring wearing a belt which represents his championship. If the opponent defeats him, what happens? He is stripped of his belt—his crown. This is exactly what happened to Adam.

Adam was the champion of the world at that moment. He was God's king in the earth.

But Satan came in after that crown and stripped Adam of it. Adam willfully turned it over to him. Now Satan—God's enemy—was going around wearing the crown that had originally belonged to God's man.

Don't you know Satan was delighted and full of pride. Don't you know he was doing his best to make a mockery of the plan of God. But I want you to know something else: God was not through, even though man was stripped of his crown.

When Adam committed high treason against God, the crown of glory that belonged to man was delivered into the hands of God's enemy, just as Job describes: He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head (Job 19:6-9). Satan at this point was wearing the crown that had originally belonged to man.

Now look at Psalm 78:61: .. And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand. Man's crown, his glory, was delivered into the hands of the enemy. Satan began to wear the crown that belonged to man.

Do you remember what Jesus called Satan?

He said, The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me (John 14:30). He called him the prince of this world. That is a little bit lower than the king Satan had wanted to be. He had wanted to exalt himself above the Most High God. Remember?

Now notice the significance of the Scripture verse we have read time and time again: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom.

3:23). What is Paul telling us? God had placed a crown of glory on man's head, but because he sinned, man fell short of the glory of God. That is the reason man was being lorded over and dictated to.

That is the reason Satan had the ability to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10.) Because of sin in man's life, he fell short of the glory of God. If man could ever reach up to that level of glory again, he could stop Satan. If he could ever get that crown back on his head as it was before, then, thank God, he could stop the destroyer.

But, you see, man had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That is the very reason God sent His Son into the earth. Man had fallen short of the glory that God had placed upon him. He no longer had this crown of glory. God never intended for some alien intruder to take away man's glory, so He had a plan that was hidden in a mystery. That plan brought the Son of God into the earth.

3

God's Secret Plan

Jesus came into the earth to take the crown off the head of God's enemy and to place it once again on the head of man.

In Luke, chapter 3, when Jesus entered into His ministry, He was baptized in the River Jordan. The Bible says the Spirit of God descended upon Him and a voice was heard from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased (Luke 3:22).

Then in Luke, chapter 4, we read: And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil.

And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Luke 4:1-4

Jesus comes into the earth to set man free and immediately has a confrontation with God's enemy. There stands Satan wearing the crown that rightfully belongs to man. In his first assault on Jesus, he tries to tempt Him with the same thing he used to deceive Adam: food. " If You are the Son of God, why don't You turn these rocks into bread? "

But Jesus rebuked him by saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

Finally we find a man whose god is not his belly.

This was a little bit shocking to Mr. Satan.

(Don't you know it made his crown tilt!) So he tried something else:

And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

Luke 4:5,6

I want you to remember that verse 2 says Jesus was tempted. Have you ever been tempted? Then you know what causes temptation: enticement. Satan offered Jesus the very thing He had come to obtain. Jesus had come to take that crown off the head of God's enemy and place it back on the head of man where it rightfully belonged.

The first time Jesus meets the Devil, Satan is wearing that crown. He shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth and all the power of them, and says to Him, " Son of God, if You will only bow down and worship me, I will give You this power and glory."

Satan knew what Jesus was after, because God had told him in the Garden of Eden that the seed of woman would one day come and bruise his head. (Gen. 3:15.) Crowns don't fit too comfortably on bruised heads.

So Satan told Jesus, "I will give You the glory." In other words, he was saying, "If You will bow down and worship me, I will take this crown from my head and place it on Yours. It is mine. It was delivered unto me, and I can give it to whomever I will. All You have to do is bow down to me, and it's Yours."

The Bible says that Jesus was tempted. Can you see that? Jesus was tempted! If He had bowed down to Satan, it would have been all over for us; man would have been doomed for eternity.

Jesus Christ represented the throne of God. If He had bowed His knee to Satan, Satan would have successfully accomplished what he started out to do as Lucifer. He would have immediately exalted himself above the Most High God, because he would have then been ruler not only of earth, but also of heaven.

But this second Adam looked at all those kingdoms, at that glory, at the crown on Satan's head, and He said, It is written . . . . He strapped the sword of the Spirit on that vile beast and knocked that crown half off his head!

It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (v. 12). I want you to notice what He was saying.

He looked right in the face of Mr. Prince-of-the-World and said to him, "You thief, you will not tempt the Lord your God! I'm Lord over you and you are about to find that out!"

It was a temptation to Jesus. If it hadn't been a temptation, the Bible wouldn't have said that it was. But Jesus didn't fall for the temptation as Adam had done.

Adam took off his crown, but Jesus gathered His senses and realized: Wait a minute. I don't have to bow down to this. I don't have to take this. I don't have to listen to this intruder. I have come to destroy the works of Satan. That was the very reason I was manifested in the earth.

I'll hold on. I'll hold fast. I'll defeat this enemy once and for all.

Jesus knew there was coming a time when He would reach out to Satan, strip off that crown, and give it back to man. So He just told him boldfaced, "Devil, you will not tempt the Lord thy God! You are looking at your God.

You will never exercise lordship over Me."

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. What did Satan try to tempt Jesus with? The crown of glory.

Satan could not defeat Jesus for the next three and one half years of Jesus' ministry. Jesus walked the earth as Adam should have walked: in dominion and authority.

Then near the close of His ministry, Jesus made this statement: The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me (John 14:30). This hurt the Devil! These words rang out through the portals of hell itself.

For over three years the Son of the Living God had held back that intruder, even though the intruder was wearing the crown in the earth. Jesus operated in the earth as a covenant man. Then He submitted Himself to Calvary.

He willfully went to the cross. Why? Jesus willfully went to Calvary in order to strip Satan of his crown.

At the cross, Satan attempted to make a mockery of Jesus. He influenced the religious people of that day to place on Jesus' head a crown of thorns. Do you know what that crown represented?

Satan was making a bold challenge. By his action he was saying, "I offered a crown to You when You came into this earth. I told You that if You would bow down before me, I would give You my crown. But You wouldn't do it.

Now look what that has gotten You. These people are going to kill You. I'll see to it that You are crucified. I'll annihilate You! I'm going to make a mockery of You, Son of God!"

Satan had those people make an open shame of Jesus. He had them place a sign above His head which read: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

That was a slap in God's face. Satan thought he had won. He and all his cohorts in hell were standing back, laughing, because it looked like this Jesus, Who had come to strip Satan of his crown, had Himself been stripped, beaten, defeated, annihilated.

The fate of the whole world was hanging on that cross at Calvary, and there seemed to be no hope.

God's Secret Plan Unfolds

But all was not lost. God had a secret plan for man's redemption, a plan that Satan knew nothing about.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (1 Cor. 2:7).

God had hidden the plan of redemption in a mystery. Why? For our glory! So that the crown of glory could once again be placed on man's head.

God laid a trap for Satan, and he walked right into it! It was a mystery which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8).

Had the Devil known what was going to happen to him, he would not have crucified Jesus. He would not have made a mockery of our Lord and offered a slap in God's face.

But he did not know what was in store for him. He had been baited, and he fell for it—hook, line, and sinker!

I want you to see what the Lord of glory caused to happen to Satan. Do you remember Jesus' crying out on Calvary, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34). Then He said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost (John 19:30). Jesus died physically, but that was not the end of His suffering.

In Matthew 12:40 He had told His disciples: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

When Jesus gave up the ghost, as the Bible says, His spirit was ushered into the bowels of the earth, into Satan's domain. There, all of Satan's cohorts witnessed His appearance, and they made a mockery of Him.

All the cohorts of hell were giving praise to their prince! Don't you know Satan was basking in his victory. There he was: sitting on his throne, receiving the worship of all those demons, all the principalities and the powers.

Satan was receiving the glory of that mob for, seemingly, having defeated the Son of God.

All of a sudden in the midst of this three-day celebration, proclaiming Satan as king and god of this world, something happened that Mr. Satan hadn't planned on. While Satan was standing there receiving all this glory, Jesus was raised up and made alive.

Then Satan began to get a glimpse of what was happening. He began to see Jesus justified, recreated in the very bowels of the earth.

The Bible says Jesus spoiled Satan, making a show of him openly. (Col. 2:15.) Do you know what the word spoiled means? It means Jesus snatched from Satan the crown of glory. He didn't reach over and politely take it; He snatched it from him! He left Satan stark naked of power. He seized him and snatched that crown from him so quickly that Satan didn't know what had happened.

While He was at it, Jesus took from Satan the keys of death and hell. (Rev. 1:18.) With that crown in His hand, He went into the upper regions of hell, which was called Paradise or Abraham's bosom, and preached to all the Old Covenant people there—the Old Testament saints who had walked in the promise, but had died in faith without receiving the promise. (1 Pet. 3:18, 19; 4:6.)

He stood there with that crown, for which they had all been believing, and said, " I am the Lord of Glory! " The Bible says He opened the gates and led captivity captive. (Eph. 4:8.) They ascended into the kingdom of heaven itself, and Jesus presented them before His Father. The Bible says when Jesus stood on that great inauguration day at the throne of God, God pulled Him to Himself and said, "Again, You are My Son. Again, I am Your Father. " (Heb. 1:5.)

God anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness, (v. 9.) He handed Him the scepter of righteousness, then turned to Him and said, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever (v. 8). The Father said to Jesus, "Oh, God, Your throne is forever."

Then the God of the universe sat down. He turned the whole universe over into the hands of Jesus Christ. But Jesus didn't sit down. There was still something that had to be done.

4

Man's Crown Restored

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy ("to render useless" or "to reduce to zero") him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Hebrews 2:5-15

According to the Bible, what did Jesus come to do? He came to bring many sons unto glory (v. 10). The job was not yet finished. Jesus had been inaugurated the God of the universe, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but He still had to bring many sons into glory. So He reappears in the earth to His disciples.

Do you remember the prayer He prayed in John 17 just before going to the cross? He said to His Father, The glory which thou gavest me I have given them (John 17:22). That is exactly what He had to do in manifestation form. He came back to earth, appeared to His followers, and said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore ... (Matt. 28:18,19). He was saying,

"Now you go in My name. The glory that has been given unto Me, I now give unto you."

Through the new birth, He replaced that crown on their heads. And it is on our heads today. I am a man anointed of God with a crown on my head. I am a king, and my Lord is the King of kings.

What does that crown represent? The manifestation of God Himself; in essence, all that He is and does. It represents His attributes and His authority. The power that emanates from the Almighty God is the crown that man wears as a New Testament child of the Living God.

As a believer, you have a crown on your head. It represents your authority and dominion in this earth. Jesus is saying to you: Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown (Rev. 3:11). Let no man take thy crown!

That is exactly what the intruder has attempted to do. He has tried many different approaches to keep us from walking around with that crown on our heads.

He has tried to make us religious, to make us traditional, to take the Word out of our hearts, so that we are only helpless babies in the earth. He has tried to discourage us and convince us that "what will be, will be." He tries to tell us that we can't change anything, that we can't do anything.

That is a lie right out of the pit of hell. You have been crowned with the glory of God. You are standing as a king on this earth. You have dominion here. Satan is an intruder. If he tries to intrude into your kingdom—whether it be your body, your family, your finances, or your business—run him out! He is an intruder and you are king over your body, your family, your finances, and your business under the lordship of Jesus Christ Who is the King of kings. The Bible says you can resist Satan and he will flee ("run away in stark terror") from you. Don't let anyone take your crown!

Proverbs 4:7-9 tells us how to walk in the earth and how to wear the crown: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Exalt her (wisdom), and she (wisdom) shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

What did God say in Hosea 4:6? My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. A lack of knowledge has caused us to walk in the earth without our crown.

Thank God when the wisdom of God is the principal thing in your life. Do you know what wisdom will do? It will place a crown of glory on your head.

A person who is a dismal failure can learn this truth and be transformed into a winner.

When wisdom begins to be imparted into his heart, he can stand and talk and act like a champion, because he has received that crown of glory.

There was a time in my life when I was afraid of the Devil. But now he has nothing in me! Since Jesus has given us that crown of glory once again, we can control the affairs of Satan.

Jesus said, " Ye are Gods." So when Satan comes around trying to tempt you, don't put up with it. Exercise your authority over him and he will flee.

Friend, Satan is under our feet! Jesus said that we would tread upon him. (Luke 10:19.) We are the masters. As wisdom is imparted unto us through the knowledge of God's Word, that crown fits properly. We walk in that authority and the intruder has nothing in us.

Jesus appeared to His disciples and in essence told them, "This day all power (not some of it, not part of it, but all of it) has been given unto Me. Now what I am going to do is give it to you. Go into all the world in My name. I am giving you the power of attorney to use My name and to exercise lordship over Satan and all of his cohorts in this earth. I am restoring once again unto man his crown of glory, his position as a king. I am giving back to you the power to rule this earth. Now you go in My name and do it." (Matt. 28:18-20.) They began to do it. The Church of Jesus Christ did experience power and authority in the earth—until Satan found out where all that power was coming from. He realized that if he could get the people to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, if he could stop the Apostle Paul and those other men to whom Jesus was revealing the inner workings of the New Testament, if he could stop the Word and the Name, then the Body of Christ would become helpless—and he eventually did just that.

Satan's Counterattack

The Church became almost helpless, almost powerless. Why? What did the Church do?

Where did she go astray? She built her fine church buildings with magnificent stained-glass windows. She put in handsomely carved pews and laid down beautiful carpets. She dressed her servants in splendid robes and placed them behind ornately engraved pulpits.

They began to preach and tell everyone that the former power had passed away, that miracles had ceased, that God was not the God He used to be, that the Holy Ghost no longer came upon men as He once did.

The Church—the Body—just sat there on the cushioned pews and said, "Yes, amen." The Church became almost helpless.

So Satan once again was able to deceive man and to reestablish his regime on earth. He did it by making us religious. He filled us with tradition. Jesus had already said to the religious leaders of His time, Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition (Matt. 15:6).

That is exactly what happened in our lifetime. Some of us can look back and see how the Church was almost powerless. But it didn't stay that way!

5

The Church Triumphant

Occasionally there would arise a few rare breeds who would dare believe what God said.

They were usually labeled as "fanatics" and "extremists." They were to be avoided at all costs. And why? Because they dared to believe what God said. They dared to believe, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5). They dared to believe, "We are kings in this earth and sons of God now—not one day, not going to be, but now!"

They began to stand for this truth. They began to preach it. They began to find out that they were redeemed from the curse of the Law.

(Gal. 3:13.) They began to discover that Satan is not the lord of this earth, that the Body of Christ has been given that power from Jesus Christ Himself.

They began to go through the earth exercising that power. Many people looked at them and called them "nuts," "holy rollers," and whatever else they could think of to mock 43 them, to silence them.

But thank God some of them wouldn't give in to that. They just kept on preaching the truth and kept on standing for it. If it cost them their jobs, they would leave their jobs! If it cost them their homes, they would leave their homes! If it cost them their relatives or loved ones, they would let them go!

They believed that the Word of God was alive and that it could be acted upon today!

Thank God for those pioneers of faith who wouldn't let it go.

Here we are. We have arrived!

The Church is realizing once again that the authority, the power, and all the attributes of God Himself have been imparted to the Body of Christ. She has awakened and has retaken her rightful place of authority. There are some of us who absolutely refuse to be defeated. Some of us. I include myself. Can I include you?

By now all of us—every born-again, Spirit-filled believer—should have absolutely

determined not to be defeated. Why should we be defeated if we don't have to be? It would be different if we were helpless, if circumstances were beyond our control. Someone has said,

"Most circumstances are beyond our control."

No, they are not!

I'll tell you what we have rediscovered. We have found out who we are in Jesus Christ.

Before, we didn't know our position in Him.

True, we believed we were Christians, but we had an image of ourselves that was tainted through religious tradition. We saw ourselves as worms before this great big God.

Now don't misunderstand me. Never let it be said that Jerry Savelle doesn't respect the deity of God. I most certainly do. I respect the person, the power, and the position of Almighty God. I realize that God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (in all places at all times). But I don't imagine God is hovering over me, just waiting for me to do something wrong so He can zap me with a bolt of lightning, or send a tornado down on me, or cause my car to run off the road. We have had such dumb images of ourselves—yes, I said dumb!

Do you know where all this started? I know where it started with me—in childhood. As little children in church, we were taught to sing songs like:

Jesus loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong;

They are weak, but He is strong.

We grow up thinking that we are weak and helpless. Am I saying that I don't believe God is strong? Of course not. I do believe God is strong. But His strength has been given to us!

Now I sing that song like this:

Jesus loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones in Him are free; He is strong and so are we!

No, I'm not taking away from the deity of God, I'm not taking away from the omnipotence of God. I'm seeing myself the way the Bible sees me. I fully understand that without Him I am nothing. (John 15:5.) But I've got Him! I lean heavily on Him. With Him I can do all things! (Phil. 4:13.)

The Reigning Church

When Jesus stripped Satan of his authority, He put man once again in a position where he could reign in this earth. I want us to realize that not only have we been crowned with honor and glory, not only do we possess the ability of God, but the Bible actually says we are to reign in life. How? As paupers? Beggars? Fools? No!

We are to reign in life as kings!

Now I'd like to share with you something about how to reign in life as a king.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him what was to come.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.

For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Romans 5:12-17

Now what is Paul telling us? What Adam did in the Garden of Eden brought death on all men. But the Bible says, "much more than the ability of death to reign on all men, they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. " (v. 17.)

In other words, if we are not kings in this earth right now, if we have not been restored unto our rightful position, if we have not once again been crowned with glory and honor, then the work Satan did in Adam was greater than the work God did in Jesus.

Do you see that? If I am not a king in this earth, if I do not have dominion in this earth, if I am not an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus, if my crown has not once again been restored to me, then what Satan did in Adam is more powerful than what God did in Jesus at Calvary; and I absolutely refuse to believe that.

The work God did in Jesus at Calvary was much greater than the work Satan did in Adam in the Garden of Eden. The Bible simply puts it in these terms: much more.

You will always find God doing much more than the Devil. When the Devil comes around saying, "I'm going to harass you and torment you with financial problems, sickness, and hell, just begin to say, 'No matter what you do, God is much more able to bless me!' " Much more.

God is always many steps ahead of the Devil. Satan doesn't even come close to being able to do what God can do. As much pressure as the Devil can put on you to quit, much more can God's grace come upon you. As much as the Devil can torment you and try to suppress and defeat you, much more can God's ability increase your faith and cause you to win!

In other words, whatever the situation may be, when you begin to realize the pressure you are under and begin to think, Oh, dear God, I can't stand it anymore, then cheer up! If you can't stand it anymore, that must be all the Devil can do. If you have reached the point where you can't stand it anymore, then you have just experienced the best (or worse!) that Satan can do.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that Satan cannot tempt you more than you are able to bear. So if you feel that you've had all you.

can stand, that you are about to come apart, that you are done and finished, that you have had it, then lift your hands, rejoice, and say, "I have just experienced the best the Devil can do.

So now I am ready to experience much more grace."

The Devil is a deceiver. That is the only thing he has going for him. When we get under pressure and think we can't go any farther, then we can know that we have withstood Satan's best shot. We can go farther. The Bible goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that in that temptation God will provide us a way out, an escape.

As I said, God is always ahead of the Devil.

Always ahead of him. I want you to notice something. Paul tells us that we are to reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus did at Calvary, and because He was more powerful than what Satan did in the Garden of Eden, those who receive this gift of righteousness, this abundance of grace, shall reign in life.

The Amplified Bible translates Romans 5:17 as " reign as kings in life. " The Phillips translation reads: " For if one man's offence meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live their lives victoriously. " We are kings!

We should live all our lives as kings. And kings live victoriously!

Kings in This Life

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, W h o is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:1-10

Do you see that? We shall reign on the earth.

Some may say, "Yes, but that's talking about after we have all gone to heaven and then come back." Is it? Does that mean we are not going to be kings, that we will not reign on this earth until we have gone through the Millennium? If that is true, then Peter and John and Paul didn't agree in their writings, and we have found a contradiction in the Bible.

But you will find that the three do agree.

There is no contradiction. Paul says we are to reign in life as kings. (Rom. 5:17.) Do you know what life is? You ought to—you are involved in it right now. You are to reign in life as a king.

And life begins now—not when you get "on the other side." Yes, I realize that he is talking about an event that will take place, but we are already kings and we are to be reigning already.

Then Peter tells us:

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

1 Peter 2:5,9

Peter tells us that we are priests. When?

Now. We are a royal priesthood.

Then John says in Revelation 5:10 that we have been made unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Peter says we are a royal priesthood; Paul tells us that we are already kings; and John says we are to reign in this life. Then, John goes on to tell us that Jesus Christ is the King of kings.

(Rev. 17:14.) And who are these kings of whom Christ is the King? We are! Hallelujah!

Our Coronation as Kings

Do you know how you become a king?

There are two predominate ways: by appointment, by inheritance.

David was divinely appointed as king. God sent His prophet Samuel down to the house of Jesse, saying, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons ... and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee (1 Sam. 16:1,3).

Samuel went down there and began to look over all of Jesse's sons. All those boys looked to Samuel like they should be king, but the Lord told him that none of them was His choice.

"Do you have any more boys?" Samuel asked Jesse.

"Yes, there is still the youngest. He is out tending the sheep."

"Bring him in," the prophet said.

So in came little David, and the Lord said to Samuel, Arise, anoint him: for this is he (v. 12).

David was just a lad at the time, but God Himself appointed him king of Israel. He was divinely appointed, called by God.

In 2 Peter 1:3 we read these words: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called (divinely appointed) us to glory and virtue. We too are divinely appointed; God has called us unto glory and virtue.

The second way a person becomes king is by right of succession, by inheritance. After the death of the king, the crown passes to his firstborn child. Well, the King died! But praise God, He didn't stay dead! Our King became alive again to make sure that all His sons (and daughters) got their rightful inheritance, to see to it that they began to reign as He reigns. He is the King of kings.

The Bible says that God has made us able to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints!

(Col. 1:12.) You inherited your kingship! Not only did you inherit your kingship, you are also divinely appointed, called by God to be a king in this earth and to reign over it!

The Bible says we are to reign in life as kings.

To reign means to rule with royal power—to rule supremely, to exercise total authority, to dominate, to prevail. It seems to me that if the believers were reigning, the earth would be in good shape.

Someone has said, "If God is in control of the earth, He sure is doing a bad job of it."

But God is not in control of the earth; the Body of Christ is. Ultimately, God is in control as the Judge of the earth; but He has turned over the dominion of it into the hands of the Body of Christ. God didn't create the earth so He could rule over it; He created the earth so that man could rule over it. You can't blame God for the problems on this planet—blame the Christians!

"But, brother, you can't blame the Christians; it's the Devil's fault."

Yes, I know the Devil is loose, and many Christians are letting him run around doing whatever he wants to do, whenever and wherever he wants to do it. Every time he begins to put pressure on, they back off, roll over and play dead. Blame the Christians!

If you don't like the way our government is, blame us! If you don't like shortages and inflation and high taxes, blame us!

If our country is in bad shape, it is because the Christians have let it get that way. It is not God's fault; we are the ones with the royal power. We are the ones with the authority. We are the ones who have supreme rule and the ability to prevail.

Do you know what we have done? We have just sat back and said, "Well, you never know what God is going to do. I guess this must be the will of God. After all, the Bible talks about perilous times, and here they are. There's nothing we can do about it."

Oh, yes, there is! You can bind the Devil in your life and demand that no weapon formed against you will prosper.

6

Reigning by Royal Decree

I want to show you something about reigning in life. How does a king reign? How does he exercise royal power? Supreme rule?

Dominance?

By words!

In kingly terminology, this is called a decree. Kings issue decrees.

Did you know that you have the ability of a king to make decrees in this earth? Some of us need to start decreeing things.

Let me tell you what this word decree means since this position is somewhat new to us. A decree is an official order that is settled and unchangeable. That is the way kings operate; they issue a decree and that decree is settled, unchangeable. It is carried out.

Let me give you a good example. Do you remember when John the Baptist spoke out against King Herod and told him where he was wrong? King Herod didn't like it, so he had John thrown in prison.

Then the king held a great banquet. As part of the evening's entertainment, a certain young woman danced for the king and his guests.

Herod was so pleased with her that he called her to his side and said in front of the whole assembly: "What is it you want? Anything you want, just name it, and I'll decree it. I'll give the official order; and when I decree something, it is unchangeable. Anything you want, tell me now, and it's done."

The young woman answered the king, "I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

The Bible says that King Herod did not want to have John beheaded; but because of his oath, because of the decree, he had to do it. His royal order had to be carried out (Matt. 14:3-12.) It sounds to me like royal decrees are very powerful. Did you know that it would take a sovereign act of God to change one? We see this illustrated in the story of Daniel in the lions' den. (Dan. 6:1-28.)

Daniel's enemies had persuaded King Darius to issue a decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions (v. 7). Daniel, of course, disobeyed this decree and continued his practice of praying three times a day to Jehovah God.

His enemies lost no time in accusing him before the king, which made Darius very sad because he loved Daniel. But because of the decree, he had to have Daniel thrown into the lions' den. He had no choice because Daniel's enemies reminded him, No decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed (v. 15). It took an act of divine intervention in response to Daniel's faith to save him from the consequences of that royal decree.

Someone may say, "Now wait a minute.

You are getting too far off now. We don't have the ability to decree something that powerful and know that it will stick." Oh really? Look at Job 22:28: Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee. Isaiah 44:24,26 says: I am the Lord ... that confirmeth the word of his servant.

Decreeing by Confession

Now I am sure you have heard much teaching about confession. Some people get irritated about it and say, "I'm sick and tired of this confession business.

Confess this, and confess that. I don't know why we have to confess and confess and confess!"

Because that is the way kings reign! Do you know what the word confess means in the Greek? It means "to say the same thing as; to agree with." Agree with whom? The Devil? No!

That is what we have been doing wrong! We have been agreeing with the prince of this world when we should have been agreeing with the God of the universe.

God has already decreed His Word and it shall not pass away. When we confess His Word, we are agreeing with a decree that has already been issued by Almighty God. We stand in the presence of Satan and his cohorts and say, "By His stripes I am healed." We have then decreed it, and it reigns supreme. And it will not pass away. Praise God!

What is a decree? It is a divine order, an official command. You can see Jesus operating this way; He reigned.

What did He do? He simply confessed what God's Word had already said, "It is written."

We don't have to go around making up new words for God. The ones He spoke are fine.

How does a king reign? With words. He decrees a thing, and it is settled and unchangeable. The Bible says, Where the word of a king is, there is power (Eccl. 8:4). When you begin to confess God's Word, you are agreeing with Him that what He has said has already been decreed.

One thing that God has decreed is, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).

Friend, those are not just poetic words. That statement was not just something that the Apostle Paul put in to fill up that chapter because he couldn't think of anything else to say. That is a decree from Almighty God Himself. And where the word of a king is, there is power!

Do you believe that God's power is farther reaching than Herod's? Than that of King Darius? Than King Saul's, or King David's?

Everybody recognizes the power and the authority of an earthly king's decree. Then why should it be so hard to recognize the power and authority of a decree made by the God of the universe? His power is far greater than that of any earthly king. And He has decreed, No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper (Is. 54:17).

I am a king. I reign in this life, and I decree what my God has said. When I say to Satan and his cohorts, "No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper," it is just as powerful as anything King Darius might have commanded.

I have decreed it in my life and I will reign because of it.

Can you see why the confession of God's Word becomes more of a reality? All kings make decrees and issue official orders. You are a king; start acting like one. You are not the king of people; you are the king and master of Satan and all his cohorts. He is the one we are dealing with. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood; it is against principalities and powers and dominions in this earth set up by Satan. (Eph. 6:12.) We need to be issuing these decrees against him. Begin to decree to him:

"By the stripes of Jesus I am healed. Satan, you must depart from my body. I decree that I am well, and you can't keep me sick.

"I decree that I am blessed of God and I prosper because it is God Who gives me wealth.

Symptoms of lack, I decree that you stay away from me; I'll not receive you. You are not welcome in my kingdom. I am king here, not poverty. I am king here, not sickness and disease.

I am king here, not want and lack."

Are you a king? Are you reigning in life, or is life reigning over you? Paul said in Romans 6:12, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.

Who is Paul talking to? You! It is you who determines whether sin or sickness or lack reign in your life.

I choose to reign as a king in this life and to do honor to the Father God and to Jesus Christ for what He went through to once again place that crown of glory upon mankind. You should reign as a king in this life, if for no other reason than just to give honor to Jesus for what He did for you at Calvary.

Confession

Now make this confession out loud: In the name of Jesus, I confess that l a m a king on this earth. The Word says so. I am to reign in life as a king, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

I am not a pauper. I am a king, in Jesus'

name. It is my job, my responsibility to dress and keep this kingdom—to guard it, to protect it, to preserve it from all intruders.

Satan, you are an intruder. I am God's property. Everything that is mine, God has given to me. I suffer you not to intrude. In the name of Jesus, I resist you. I hold fast to the crown of glory that my Champion has given me.

In Jesus' name, Satan, you will bow before me, for through Christ I am the master of you and all your cohorts. I serve you notice now to stay away from my affairs. Get out of my life—out of my business, out of my family, and out of my church. You are an intruder. You are not welcome here, so stay out!

In Jesus' name, I thank my Father that my authority is operative now. By His name, Jesus will back that authority; He will support it. My intruder is defeated. I have the keys to lock him out. Whatever I lock is locked; whatever I unlock is unlocked. I have the keys of the Kingdom.

I lock you out, intruder. You are locked out of my affairs, in Jesus' name. A stronger One that you has come. He has stripped you of your power and has given me my crown of glory and honor.

In Jesus' name, I will wear it as a king. I will rule and have dominion over the affairs of my life through the Lordship of Jesus Christ for God has spoken it. So be it!

Please, reader, do not misunderstand what I am endeavoring to reveal to you. We are kings and priests, but Jesus reigns supreme in our lives. He has lifted us up into this glorious position, but never forget that Jesus is Lord!

Wear your crown and exercise dominion over Satan, thus bringing glory to our King—Jesus, the Son of the Living God.

Jerry Savelle is a noted author, evangelist, and Bible teacher who travels extensively throughout the United States. Jerry teaches the uncompromising Word of God with a power and authority that is exciting, but with a love that delivers the message directly to the heart.

His down-to-earth approach and dynamic illustrations clearly present the absolute authority of God's Word.

At the age of twelve as Jerry was watching the healing ministry of Oral Roberts on television, God spoke to his heart and called him into the ministry. Several years later, on February 11, 1969, Jerry made Jesus Christ the Lord of his life.

Since that time, he has been moving in the light of God's calling on his life. Prior to entering his own ministry, Jerry was an associate minister with Kenneth Copeland Evangelistic Association.

The scope of Jerry Savelle Ministries is far reaching. Besides traveling throughout the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, Jerry conducts a daily radio program,

"Adventures In Faith."

The anointing of God upon Jerry's life is powerful, and people are set free as the Word goes forth unhindered.

LIVING IN DIVINE PROSPERITY

By Jerry Savelle

Jerry shares with you the keys for financial deliverance and divine supply as the Lord gave them to him.

This is a book that can revolutionize your entire life!

A RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE

The Doorway to a Successful Life by Jerry Savelle

Discover how you can have a daily positive expectancy.

Learn that you can overcome circumstances in life and come out of trials a winner.

GIVING BIRTH TO A MIRACLE

By Jerry Savelle

God is the same God today that He was yesterday: the same God that gave Sarah a son past her age, the same God that created a universe, the same God that birthed Jesus by the Holy Spirit, the same God that entered a fiery furnace and preserved three men from death.

God hasn't changed. He is waiting for us to believe Him. He wants to show Himself strong in our behalf.

In this book Jerry shares how you can enter into the realm of God and give birth to the miraculous in your life.

Available From Harrison House Books by Jerry Savelle

Living in Divine Prosperity

If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy ... He Can't Keep Your Goods!

Man's Crown of Glory

Victory & Success Are Yours Giving—The Essence of Living Sharing Jesus Effectively

The Spirit of Might

A Right Mental Attitude

Sowing in Famine

Giving Birth To A Miracle

The Established Heart

The Fruits of Righteousness

Prosperity of the Soul

Godly Wisdom For Prosperity

God's Provision For Healing

Table of Contents

1 Crowned with Glory and Honor

2 Man's Fall

3 God's Secret Plan

4 Man's Crown Restored

5 The Church Triumphant

6 Reigning by Royal Decree

Confession

Table of Contents

1 Crowned with Glory and Honor

2 Man's Fall

3 God's Secret Plan

4 Man's Crown Restored

5 The Church Triumphant

6 Reigning by Royal Decree

Confession

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