Eph. 6: 12 Our Opponent in the arena of spiritual wrestling (part 1) (See Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armor.) Today (and next week) we will look

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1 1 Eph. 6: 12 Our Opponent in the arena of spiritual wrestling (part 1) (See Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armor.) Today (and next week) we will look our opponent in the arena of spiritual warfare. It is important to know WHO we are battling against. In v. 12 Paul begins with what we DO NOT wrestle against, that is flesh and blood. Then, he moves to what WE DO engage. And in this part, we see 4 characteristics, 4 descriptions, 4 truths, to describe Satan and his demons. And though there is order to these truths, I will take them collectively because I am not sure one is more important than another. And so our main them this week and next is the character of our opponent. We will consider two today, his government, and his power. 1) Government. The first way Paul describes our enemies in this warfare is by calling them principalities. This word describes the function of government, as those who rule. For we see it used in Tit. 3:1 where Paul says, Remind them to be submissive to rulers (same word) and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.... Another word to use in this context is prince. Think of the movie Cinderella. The King s son is the prince, and he has great authority given to him to rule the subjects of his kingdom. In this same way, Satan is a prince. Even in Eph. 2:2 Paul calls him the the prince of the power of the air. Jesus himself calls him the prince (ruler) of this world in John 14:30. A prince rules where he has been given authority. And Satan s authority (for now) is in this world. He is called the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). Concerning this government, I have a couple questions? Question 1: How did Satan become the prince of this world? Did he earn this privilege? Did he win the heavenly lottery? Did he take this authority by war or conquest? Was he elected to this position? Really, we don t know all the reasons that lie hidden in the sovereign will of God. But, we know that he did not earn this right as a prince earns the right to rule a kingdom that he has conquered. Satan and his demons were cast out of heaven and then he stole the heart of Adam at the first. But we can never say that Satan reclaimed what was his. For mankind belongs to God. And when the blood of Christ overcomes our sinful hearts, this is a conquest. This is a victory. Satan s position is given to him by God and we might say he is elected by the unanimous voice of corrupt, sinful, nature. No sinful creature ever rightfully belonged to Satan, but to God alone. Satan s position as prince of this world is a sovereign gift from God himself. But, he cannot do with this right completely as he wishes, but only by the permission of God. Question 2: Why does God permit this apostate creature (and his demons) such a principality over the world? Have you ever thought about this? There are a couple reasons: 1) It is just punishment for rebellion against such a sweet, loving, creator. Because Adam and Eve did not trust and obey the beautiful will of God, their punishment is that they would now serve God s enemy. In this way, Satan is a prince given to rule over us as a result of the righteous wrath of God. 2) God permits Satan to rule over us in order that he might recover us from the power of this great prince. What a glorious name will God have when he has finished this war? Remember, at first, he found ALL possessed by this enemy, and not any of the sons of Adam to offer himself as an acceptable volunteer to correct this wrong. But, in the end God will send the 2 nd Adam, his only Son, Christ himself, to reclaim his own.

2 2 In the Bible, there are three expressions of great joy. We see the joy of a woman after childbirth. We see the joy that comes after a harvest. And, we see the joy of one who divides the spoils after war. Mothers, only you know what this is like. Oh, those months of bearing the unborn, the sickness, the weight, and a million things. But, after the birth, oh what a victory that comes at the end! For the farmer, there is great work and toil with the ground and the rocks and the weeds and the insects and the weather. But, when that first tomato comes in, oh what rejoicing. The same is true for war. At the end when victory has been won, there are great rewards not to mention peace. In Isaiah 53 the prophet spoke of the Messiah who would come. Concerning his death he said, Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. Today, as sinners, we are held captive. And as Satan was leading us to the chambers of hell, Christ rescued his bride! Oh what joy for the angels who rejoice over one sinner who is rescued from sin and Stan s hold! Oh what joy that comes to soul of the one who is rescued! How do you know Christ is your prince and that you are under his government? Let me ask you a few questions. Is Christ sitting on the throne of your heart? Do you love him? If so, to what law do you freely submit? Do you find yourself generally submitting to the law of sin, or to the law of holiness? Who do you go to for protection? Who do you sympathize with? When you are down, who do you turn to? If Christ is your prince, you will know it and those around you will know it. 2. Powers. Satan is described here as a power or an authority. This truth simply adds to what we ve just seen above. A prince must be given power or authority to rule his kingdom. If he were simply a prince who had no power to wage war against the saints, what kind of prince would he be? Let s think about this power from different perspectives for a moment. i. His names represent great power. He is called the strong man (Luke 11:21) who is able to keep his house safe and in order. He is called a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8), seeking those he may devour. According to 2 Tim. 2:26 He is able to lead sinners captive at his will. He is called the great red dragon (Rev. 12:3-4) who, with his tail, sweeps down the third part of the stars of heaven. He is called the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). He is called the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), because sinners worship him as the saints do God Himself. ii. His nature is angelic. We read in Ps. 103:20: Bless the Lord you his angels that excel in strength. When we consider the power of angels we know that they were created to be superior to men. When the writer of Hebrews speaks of the humanity of Jesus he says, But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). In this world, angels are

3 3 more powerful than mankind. Angels are also spiritual in nature. They don t have flesh and blood to hinder them or to cloud their thinking. Being spiritual they cannot be resisted with carnal force; fire and sword do not hurt them. Though Satan lost much of his power in his fall, he did not lose his natural abilities as a spiritual being. He is still an angel. iii. His numbers are great. There is not a place on earth where Satan does not have his troops. iv. His forces are united and orderly. Though we cannot say they have love, they are united in that they are agreed in their design against God and man. They are united through hatred toward God and man. Jesus himself says Satan does not fight against himself. Otherwise his kingdom would fall. We have never heard of mutiny in his army. In Mark 5:9 Jesus confronted many demons and when he asked their name, they said, My name is Legion, for we are many. v. His works are mighty. Though he cannot create by the sovereign permission of God he can use what is already available to work his ways. We see this clearly with Job through the storm that consumed his children and the boils upon his body. Physically, if allowed, he can do great harm. But, I believe his greatest works in the world upon men is intellectual. This is a great mystery, but when allowed by God, he has great control over man, especially non-christians. In Eph. 2:2 Paul says He is the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. For Christians, the Spirit enlightens; while Satan blinds the minds of those who do not believe. (2 Cor. 4:4). The Spirit fill the saint with righteousness; Satan fills with envy and all unrighteousness. The Spirit fills with comfort. Satan fills with terrors. I could go on and on but it is clear that works of Satan are mighty. With these things in mind, what kind of attitude should we have? How does knowledge of Satan s power help us? For the rest of our time let me mention some applications. 1. The great power of Satan should cause us to be humble. Our pride should fall to the wayside. If you had all the power of the strongest who ever walked the earth, you would still be NO MATCH for the power of Satan. Even if you could command the nations and give laws to the whole world, without grace from above you would be a slave. Satan has the most God-given power in this world. But, in the end, He will occupy the lowest place in Hell. What good is his power in eternity? What good will your powers be apart from the grace of God? No greater plague can come upon a person than power without grace. Therefore, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 2. The fact that there are such powers at work in this world should make us realize with what difficulty we will arrive in heaven one day. In other words, if the devil is so mighty and the road to heaven is filled with his works of power, then we can be sure the road to heaven will be extremely difficult. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt.11:12). Now, you might say, Good point. I see that. I realize the Christian life will be hard. But, let s go a little deeper with this application. Let me ask, As a church, do we believe that this road to heaven is really that difficult? I can only speak for myself. NO! At this point Gurnall makes a statement. He says, It is plain that many think otherwise by the provision they make for their march. In other words, many Christians don t live like they are on a difficult journey. Look at what they carry with

4 4 them. He says, if you see a man walking on a long journey without his coat, surely he doesn t fear foul weather. Or, if you see another man taking a long journey alone, then he doesn t expect thieves. Do you see the point!? How many so called Christians are making the journey to heaven without the company of the saints, as if they needed no fellowship? He says, Many go naked, without so much as anything like an armor. They say they trust in the mercy of God, but can t name a single verse in the Scriptures to back up their claim. Consider what you might ask a hard-working person about his estate that he/she has built through the years. You will find lots of answers. He will say, I did not gain the things I have by sleeping the days away, or being lazy. He will say, hard work, diligence, toil, sweat, etc. Christian, why should you think less about the road to heaven!? You need the armor of God. And, yes, it Christ. He is your armor. But, it is passages like this at the end of Ephesians that work out the benefits that Christ purchased for us. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, praying at all times in the Spirit. What you carry with you on your journey says a lot about how you view the journey. What we carry with us into battle says a lot about what we think of the war. 3. At the same time, do not be discouraged by the great power of Satan. I remember sitting in a hut with a bunch of Massai warriors. They spoke of times of great fear when encountering lions. But, with spears in hand as they travelled in pairs, they were usually the victor. In the end, they were fearful, but the lion was no match. Though we may be fearful when we consider the great power of Satan; Remember, we serve a God who can make a worm thrash a mountain. Remember: Satan s government and his power is given to him by God. This authority is not in and of himself. Ultimately, his power will never hurt the child of God. Christ has overcome the power of Satan in your life. Satan was your prince. Now, he is your enemy. And he has no power over you. Is. 54:16-17 says, Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; 17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD. When Pilate tried to scare Christ with what he could do to him, Jesus replied, You can do nothing, unless it is given to you from above. Satan s power is also limited. He cannot do what he wants. He cannot pluck you out of God s hand. He cannot hinder the purposes of God. In fact, his devices play into God s plan. Do we not read that Jesus was, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, Yet, it was the act of Satan, he crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Acts 2:23). Satan cannot go against your will. In other words, he has no power to make you to sin. At the end of the day, his power is limited. He is still like a dog chained to a stake, only to go so far. Yes, if God allows, he can make you suffer. He can rob you of your joy. He can disturb your peace. But, he is under the command of God. This should bring you great comfort. Even when you backslide as a Christian, and you seem to sleep, God does not sleep nor slumber. His sovereign hand is upon you. You will not be consumed by this great powerful enemy because God does not change. As the tide can only go so far, so it is with Satan.

5 5 With these things in mind, Brothers and Sisters, have you ever thought also to consider that even this great power is given to him so that it will work for your good. Do you remember what Paul said to the Corinthian church: Deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:5). Why would God do such a thing? He does this so that in the end, Christian you will not say, I would have perished if I had been left to my own thinking. The whale came to swallow Jonah, but only carried him to safety. Many times God allows us to go so far into temptation, with the purpose of showing us greater mercy and more abundant peace and great patience. In all of this we love Him more. God will not leave us or forsake us! In the end we should comfort ourselves in this fact. God works all things for good (even the trials and temptations of Satan) for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). Christian all things that belong to Christ are yours. This includes life and death. The God who has given you heaven for your inheritance and all the means of grace to get there one day, has also given you afflictions, and yes, even Satan a prince to carry out his wrath and his power. And this indeed is love and wisdom in a riddle, but only those who have the Spirit of Christ can unfold it.