Page 72 - Sarah's Children

authority, and our conflict with Satan is the direct result of our
attributing authority to God.

[When we look at men] let us not see the man, but only the authority
vested in him. We do not obey man, but God’s authority in man... We
are on the wrong road if we meet man first before we obey authority.
The opposite is the right way. Then we will not mind who the man is.

The greatest of God’s demands on man is not for him to bear the cross,
to serve, to make offerings, or deny himself. The greatest demand is for
him to obey... Why did Samuel say, “obedience is better than sacrifice”?
Because even in sacrifice there can be the element of self-will.
Obedience alone is absolutely honoring to God, for it alone takes God’s
will as its center.

For authority to be expressed there must be subjection. If there is to be
subjection, self needs to be excluded; but according to one’s self-life,
subjection is impossible. This is only possible when one lives in the
Spirit. It is the highest expression of God’s will.

To serve God we are not called to choose self-denial or sacrifice, rather
are we called to fulfill God’s purpose. The basic principle is not to
choose the cross, but to obey God’s will. Should the principle on which
we work and serve include rebellion, then Satan will obtain and enjoy
glory even through our sacrifices.

As God’s servants, the first thing we should meet is authority. To touch
authority is as practical as touching salvation, but it is a deeper lesson.
Before we can work for God we must be overturned by His authority.
Our entire relationship with God is regulated by whether or not we have
met authority. If we have then we shall encounter authority everywhere.

In Matthew 7:21-23 we find our Lord reprimanding those who prophesy
and cast out demons and do many mighty things in His name. Why are
they disapproved? Because they make self their starting point; they
themselves do things in the name of the Lord. This is the activity of the
flesh. Wherefore our Lord pronounces them evildoers instead of His
laborers. He emphasizes that only the person who does the will of His
Father shall enter the kingdom of the heavens. This alone is work in
obedience to God’s will, that which originates in Him. We are not to
find work to do, rather we are to be sent to work by God. Once having
understood this we shall truly experience the reality of the authority of
the kingdom of the heavens.