SWAT THIS MEANS WAR! I. POINT OF INTRIGUE. A. Video: SWAT Spiritual Warfare & Tactics.

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1 1 SWAT THIS MEANS WAR! SWAT-Spiritual Warfare & Tactics, Introduction/Part 0 October 6-7, 2018 ser#3774 Sat Sun E Sun L I. POINT OF INTRIGUE A. Video: SWAT Spiritual Warfare & Tactics. Whether you re a policeman, an of4ice worker, driving a car, recipient of an unwanted doctor s report, housewife, mechanic, school teacher, clerk at Walmart whatever the Enemy desires to take you out. ILLUSTRATION: I recall, clearly, the time Sheryl and I were driving from Pleasantville, NJ to Pitman. (Some of you have heard this story; most of you have not.) We were getting our P ville home ready for sale, having settled in Pitman; GCCC was two years old. While traveling North on Rt 322, upon reaching the Weymouth interchange, a Mercedes Benz SL 500 crossed over into our lane heading straight towards us. We were both traveling about mph. I thought We re on our way to glory. We had Joel with us (Noelle was just an infant being watched by Sheryl s parents), I laid Joel over my lap, covered him with my body expecting the worst.

2 2 At the very last moment, the red Mercedes sports car, which was heading south directly towards us, spun around and headed north. We plowed him in the rear with approximately mph difference. Sheryl, attempting to brake, shattered her right ankle the ankle has never been the same and continues to deteriorate to this day. It was more than evident to Sheryl and me, and to all who hear this story, that Satan tried to take us out. But God protected us then, keeping us alive. It was not our time, then, and so far it s not our time now. Whew! PTL! B. Besides the Lord s Prayer and prayers for others, I pray two prayers daily The Holy Spirit Prayer and the Five Senses Prayer both with speci]ic purpose. 1. The Holy Spirit prayer is to make sure my day doesn t conclude without divine appointments for which I am present. 2. The Five Senses Prayer is to protect me from evil. Recall the words of The Lord s Prayer? And deliver us from evil. The Holy Spirit Prayer (goes like this): Holy Spirit, I yield myself to You today and ask that You would help me cross the path of those whom

3 3 Jesus would help if in this day He were to walk in my shoes. Its purpose divine appointments. The Five Senses Prayer (goes like this): Heavenly Father, I give to You my 4ive senses what I see, smell, taste, hear and touch, and pray that they would bring you honor. Yes, LORD, take my heart captive so my 4ive senses would please you in all that I do. C. Today we launch a new sermon series entitled, SWAT Spiritual Warfare & Tactics. II. SWAT SPIRITUAL WARFARE & TACTICS A. What comes to your mind when you hear the words, Spiritual Warfare? 1. Devils vs Flyers (show photo)? 2. Michael the Arch Angel vs Lucifer? 3. Han Solo vs Darth Vader? 4. Wonder Woman vs Ares? 5. The Exorcist? 6. St Paul casting the demon out of the slave girl who predicted the future?

4 4 7. Democrats vs Republicans? 8. Or, your everyday 4ight with life and the evil that comes with it? Whatever the case, no matter how you see it, God has given you weapons, a suit of armor to be speci4ic, to ward off the artillery of the enemy, Satan. (show photo) St Paul describes this suit of armor in Ephesians 6, identifying each part and its purpose to safeguard against the wiles of the Enemy. Let s look at our text. Put On the Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles [trickeries] of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against 4lesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

5 5 13 Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. B. Ephesians is a letter to the Church at E p h e s u s (modern-day Turkey). In this chapter St Paul is seeking to open the eyes of the church to see and grasp who its real enemy is. It s a wake-up call to reality. A wake-up call to seeing beyond the surface. It s like a pinata with guts that are explosives and not candy. You can t see what s inside until you break it open then it s too late. (show photo) So, the apostle Paul is saying, God has given you/me weapons of warfare that see beyond the surface and each weapon has it particular purpose and function. C. Recall our sermon series, I m m o r t a l Combat? We used 4ilm clips from the

6 6 movie The Adjustment Bureau. (show photo) In the movie, angels sought to control the fate of David Norris and Elise Sellas. These were powerful angels. However, there were certain ways David and Elise could get around the will of the angels none of which was stronger than faith. The point of the movie was that what s unseen is where the real battle is fought. Ephesians 6 is a battle cry to Christians to put on the whole armor of God and defeat the schemes of the Devil. Satan wants to do nothing more than wreak havoc on what means the most to you, hijacking your joy and potential to achieve what counts for eternity. How does he do that? He attacks your mind, your emotions, your health, your spouse, your children, your marriage, your faith your future. III. LAYING HOLD OF REALITY A. The Christian life is a battleground. By virtue of your identity as a Christian, you are instantaneously at war with a Snake that seeks to bring you down at all costs. Just look around you!

7 7 Look at the world in which we live: Terrorism, Wars, Sexual Abuse in the Church, Sexual Abuse in Hollywood, Sexual Abuse in the Media and in Education; Scandals, Political divide, Economic divide, Religious divide, Hatred and Racism who do you think is behind all that? Right! Two guesses and the 4irst one doesn t count. Satan. Look in your personal world: Right now, you know people whose marriages and families are under attack maybe it s yours. Families shose children are being led away from their faith. The Enemy is at work but DON T DESPAIR. There s good news! The Enemy s reign of terror can stop right here. Right now. With you! B. How do you whip a bully? You beat the snot out of him. Seriously, that s the only language a bully understands. And Satan is a bully. You say, I m no match for a bully? You re right. But a bully is no match for your Dad. And He s equipped you to whip

8 8 the Bully. Not with just one weapon but EVERYTHING you need. Look at verse 11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles [trickeries] of the devil. *emphasis mine III. THE ARMOR OF GOD A. Paul wrote the Ephesians while under house arrest. Which meant that as he sat at his desk scripting this epistle he had, next to him, a Roman guard. A soldier from the 4irst century. I suspect that as Paul graphed into his memory the Roman guard s attire, he drew a parallel to the attire we need as Christians to ward off the Devil. No, to beat the snot out of him. LOL! ILLUSTRATION: I recall living in the Red House, the second house my father built. I was in 4irst grade. We had a bully in the class. He would punch, push and pester everyone who would cower to him. One day I had it! I said to the bully, I ll meet you outside after school. To be completely honest I was scared to death. Literally

9 9 when I was waiting I understood the de4inition of knees knocking. He showed up and we fought and by the grace of God, He, God, gave me the strength to beat the snot out of him. He never bullied me or anyone in the class after that. Now, I can promise you, once you chase Satan away he won t stay away, but you ll have the God-given weapons to defeat him when he returns. B. The Armor of God: In verses 14-17, Paul speci4ically outlines each piece of armor. What s in your arsenal as a Saint? Let s look at each weapon, together (King James 2000 Bible): 14 Stand 4irm then, with the (1) belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the (2) breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your (3) feet ]itted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the (4) shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the 4laming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the (5) helmet of salvation and the (6) sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And (7) pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

10 10 ALTHOUGH PRAYER IS NOT A PIECE OF THE ARMOR, PER SAY, IT IS W H AT M A K E S T H E ARMOR EFFECTIVE. It s what high-octane gasoline is to a combustion engine. (show photo) What good is an engine without gasoline? What good is a watch without guts? ILLUSTRATION: I remember the time my brother-in-law bought a beautiful Bulova watch off a street vendor in Philly. He paid $20. It didn t work. When he took it to the local jeweler to 4ind out why it didn t run there was nothing inside. Well, without prayer your weapons of warfare are useless. Prayer activates the armor. III. SPEAKING OF PRAYER / INVITATION Do you know it s a heart driven prayer that activates salvation? Listen to the words of God in Romans 8. if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and

11 11 believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. How do you do that? Admit your sins have separated you from God. (Psa 14:1-3; Rom 3: 23); Believe that God did something about your sins through Jesus Christ. (The 4inal Pascal Lamb/Messiah.) (Lev 17:10; Heb 9: 19-22); Commit yourself to His righteous by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Isa 53:5; Col 1:22); Do it today! (Isa 49:8; 2 Cor 6:2). Father in Heaven, I m sorry for the things I ve done that are wrong: I am a sinner; forgive me. Thank You for loving me and sending your Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for my sin. Holy Spirit, come into my heart; Jesus be my Lord and Savior. I give You my life. Amen! ser3774, This Means War! (SWAT Introduction, Pt 0) Words w/

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