Worship On Wednesday! March 14, Reverend Dr. Derrick Joseph Hughes. Spiritual Warfare

Transcription

1 Worship On Wednesday! March 14, 2012 Reverend Dr. Derrick Joseph Hughes Spiritual Warfare BUILDING & TEARING DOWN KINGDOMS Does Satan attack all Christians equally? No, Satan doesn't attack all Christians equally. Think about it. If you were the devil-who would you spend your time attacking? Would you waste a lot of time on Christians who are discouraged by troubles or defeated by sin? Or would you focus your efforts on those who were living radical lives for God? The answer is obvious. About 400 years ago a preacher named Richard Baxter said, "...take heed to yourselves because the tempter will make his first and sharpest assault on you. If you will be leaders against him, he will not spare you. He bears the greatest malice against the man who is engaged in working the greatest damage against him." Page 1

2 In other words to the degree that you are making a dent in Satan's kingdom, he wants to make a dent in your head. Just go back to the book of Job and you will see this truth. Job was a man of God. He lived a life that honored the Lord and that made the devil mad. As a result Satan got God's permission to unleash his full arsenal against Job to get him to compromise. Why? Because Job was doing the most damage to his evil kingdom. People were being impacted for the Lord by Job's example. One of Job's best friends, Eliphaz, acknowledged the impact Job had made for God's kingdom when he said, "Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees" Job 4:3,4. In other words, Job was making a difference with his life. He helped others. He served others. He shared God's truth and God's love with everybody he encountered. So Satan wanted to stop him at all costs and as soon as possible. What does this mean for you? If you are living a life of sin and compromise, you probably don't have to worry much about spiritual warfare. Why would Satan waste his limited time and efforts on you? But if you are living a life that impacts others and honors God watch out, Satan has you in his crosshairs. In Matt. 12:29, Mark 3:27, and Luke 11:21-22, we see that all Satan has to do to beat your family is to bind the strong man (i.e., the husband and father). When we think of binding, we typically think of two things: either tied up with rope or in bondage to sin. Page 2

3 But binding can also mean tied up with things of lesser importance. Distracted. Focused on things that are not God's priorities for our lives. If Satan can get the head of the household focused on anything besides God's priorities, he can wreak havoc on the family. In our day, this is easy. Here are three things that easily distract us and put our families at risk: (1) Business and busyness -- While work and working hard are not sinful, they can become such a preoccupation that we ignore things on the home front. I've known men who travel regularly, and therefore aren't home very often. But they make home a major priority, even on the road. And I've also known men who worked out of their homes and didn't pay attention to things right in front of their noses. The problem here isn't work and being busy, it's a lack of work on God's priorities. (2) Comfort -- We all like comfort. It's natural. But when comfort causes us to focus too much on our own desires, rather than the things that protect our family, we put our family at risk. Comfort taken to an extreme is laziness -- and Ecclesiastes tells us what happens when we're too comfortable: "Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks." Your house provides physical protection for your family, but in this case, it's also a symbol of spiritual protection. Extreme comfort will cause you to let that protection erode. (3) Entertainment -- Whether it's TV, video games, sports, partying, music, or just about anything else that's amusing, entertainment can completely distract you from God's priorities. I know of men who can't break away from their video games to Page 3

4 have a decent conversation with their wife. Spend too much time with your favorite distractions, and you're effectively "tied up." There are many other ways Satan can distract us. So, ultimately, the warning from Scripture is not just to show us that Satan is more powerful than we are, but to show us that the strength to stand firm and protect our family comes only from God. If we don't stand with Christ, He makes it clear that we will be scattered (Luke 11:23) -- and our families left unprotected. The kingdom is the rule and reign of God over all that is under His dominion. What Is the Kingdom? We first need to define what we mean by kingdom. Simply put, the kingdom is the rule and reign of God over all that is under His dominion. On one level that includes everything in creation because God is over all. Surprisingly, however, God has limited His rule in the human heart to the consent of each person. God does not force anyone to involuntarily submit to His Lordship. Therefore, when the Bible speaks of the kingdom, it is more concerned with the heart than geo-political boundaries. How Is God s Kingdom Advanced? Conversion On the most basic level the kingdom advances whenever someone is saved. Salvation is accepting the rule of God. Prior to being born again, a sinner rejects God s rule. The moment he recognizes his sin (rebellion against God s rule), repents (turns from self-rule), and believes (trusts God and His Word), he is Page 4

5 converted. As more people turn to God, the kingdom advances more. The Influence of Salt and Light The kingdom advances when God s people persuade society to accept God s moral standard. Culture is affected as the salt and light perform the function Jesus intended (Matt. 5:13-16). Three examples of American Christians influencing their country are the shaping of the values upon which the government was founded, abolishing slavery, and reducing the evils of alcohol abuse. This influence should not be mistaken as substitute for conversion, but it does increase the welfare of society and the likelihood that people will be converted. (1 Tim. 2:2-4). How Does Kingdom Advance Relate to Spiritual Warfare? If Christians remain focused on God when Satan attacks, the kingdom will advance in at least one of these three ways. God capitalizes on the opportunity to impact hearts by redeeming the devil s scheme for good. Therefore, when Satan begins to attack believers, a child of God ought to expect that God will accomplish a victory either immediately or in due time. The victory, however, requires cooperation. Although God could act unilaterally, He has chosen to use His children in the process of advancing the kingdom. The responsibility He delegates is so great that the kingdom will be positively or negatively impacted by our obedience. For example, if Christians fight with each other Page 5

6 and live immorally, the watching world will not be drawn to Christ. If believers sacrifice for each other, forgive, and love one another, many will be drawn to Christ because they see a difference. Therefore, we must know the ways of God to cooperate with Him. Be on Mission with God to Advance the Kingdom Our hope of victory in warfare is determined ahead of time by whether or not we are on mission with God. Everyone in the Bible whose life was characterized by victory sought the kingdom ahead of his or her own interests. Typically, a four-step process occurs for the kingdom to advance through warfare. A four-set process occurs for the kingdom to advance through warfare. 1. Be on mission with God to advance the kingdom. Conflict and Testing Always Occur When Christians seek to advance the kingdom, conflict must ensue because two opposing kingdoms clash. Satan and those under his influence will resist the message. Satan s resistance takes various forms depending on the avenues available to him. For example, on a national scale he can use government structures to persecute, squelch the message, or dissuade people from faith. On an individual scale he may use peer pressure, antagonism, or the seduction of ease. Whatever the case, the demands of the gospel will be in direct opposition to Page 6

7 the self-rule that Satan encourages in people s hearts. Many will resist it. A four-set process occurs for the kingdom to advance through warfare. 1. Be on mission with God to advance the kingdom. 2. Conflict and testing always occur 3. Obey God and do His work His way Where is God when the conflict begins? He is the One who leads us into the battle in the first place. He doesn t need to be suddenly called into the situation. He s not shocked and scrambling for a plan. No, He led us there because He knows how He will advance the kingdom through us. Our job is to focus on Him and seek His perspective. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:6 The only defense a Christian has against Satan is obedience to God. God Advances the Kingdom The Purpose of Warfare God advanced His kingdom in three ways as a result of Paul s and Silas s prison experience. First, advancement came through conversions. The Philippian jailer and his household entered the Page 7

8 kingdom as a direct result of Paul and Silas cooperating with God in the midst of their warfare. Second, a door opened for Christians to proclaim the gospel that would not have happened without this incident. In verses Paul made the magistrates escort them out publicly. The effect was to publicly legitimize Christianity and discourage the persecution of new coverts because everyone would know they had beaten Roman citizens. The potential for the influence of the gospel increased in Philippi. Third, as Christians experienced trials together, their love for one another was strengthened. Philippians 4:15-18 reveals just how special the relationship was between Paul and these believers. When he was in Thessalonica, they sent him aid on at least two occasions, perhaps more (v.16). In the Philippian letter Paul acknowledged another gift through Epaphroditus whom they sent to minister to Paul. Obviously, their trials and experiences had only served to strengthen the bond between them. A four-step process occurs for the kingdom to advance through warfare. 1. Be on mission with God to advance the kingdom. 2. Conflict and testing always occur 3. Obey God and do His work His way 4. God advances the kingdom Page 8