Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; NIV 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Introduction We turn our thoughts this morning to a third important truth 1 st is our position in Christ with Heavenly Blessings 2 nd is the seal and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, 3 rd is the battle of resisting the work of the enemy. We begin to look at SPIRITUAL WARFARE. (ie) The Outhouse story - believe in boogy man! Many believers are listening to the enemy's whispers in the wind and weeds. Terrified, they are defeated already! Philippians 1:28 "In nothing terrified by your enemy...it's a token to the enemies that you already have lost the battle." "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." - Roosevelt WWII This morning we enter into one of the great truths of the Christian life. It is the reality of spiritual battles. Great men have written much about this thing called the spiritual warfare. Watchman Nee, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Scott Peck, Don Bashan, Kurt Koch, Neil Anderson, Dutch Sheets, Derek Prince, Charles Kraft, Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, Kay Arthur, Ray Stedman, and the list goes on and on. Spiritual warfare is a reality. The world is composed of more than meets the eye. There is an invisible spiritual realm. Just like there are microscopic germs, bacteria, and viruses, so there are invisible spiritual forces and entities that cannot be seen. Spiritual warfare exists. Satan exists. Demons exist. The devil tempts, lies, entices, hinders, attacks, devours, steals, kills, destroys, binds, and afflicts people today just as he has done for millennia. The spiritual warfare that Paul describes here is primarily about God, not about the devil. He begins with God and ends with God. The rest is not about the devil but about God s armor, provided for our defense against all the powers and attacks of the enemy. Too often an investigation of spiritual warfare is an investigation into the forces of darkness. That is not Paul s intent. This passage is not about demonology 101. He is not trying to get us into an occult mindset where we see, hear, perceive, or fear the devil in everything. Paul is not here, or anywhere else for that matter, teaching demonology. Too many believers are unhealthily attracted to the devil and his work. They talk about him and think about him more than the Lord. This is not right. Paul s purpose here is not to teach demonology or angelology, but to teach Christology. Today there is a proliferation of books on demons and demonology. His purpose in mentioning this spiritual warfare is not to get us to fear demons but to help us
understand our tremendous victory in Christ. Jesus Christ was, and is, the greatest explusor of demons that the world has ever known. All authority is given unto him in heaven and earth. The devil cannot stand before the Son of God. Yet Jesus was not a hunter of demons. He dealt with demons. He cast out demons. He rebuked demons. He dealt directly with the devil. He was an exorcist extraordinaire. He taught his disciples to exorcise, or expel demons as well. But Jesus was not a demon hunter. He was not obsessed, nor impressed by them. He knew well of their existence, their influence, and their effects upon mankind, but he never made it his business to hunt down demons. He simply dealt with them whenever they showed themselves, cried out, or got in the way. If you (or I) stand strong in the Lord and in the power of his might you will encounter Satan s forces, and you will win. Today we begin a series of messages on Spiritual Warfare. It is not our intention to glorify the devil. It is not our purpose to talk about demons, demonology, or demon possession. It is our purpose, as it was with Paul, to declare the incredible power given to us in Jesus Christ over all the powers of the enemy. Spiritual warfare is not about the devil. It is about Jesus Christ s authority and victory over all the works of the devil. Here is the outline we will follow: 1. The Battle Is the Lord s Be strong in the power of His might. 2 Chronicles 20:22 2. The Enemy We Wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities Lk 10:20 3. Our Armor & Shield not weapons, but armor. Isaiah 59:16-21 4. Our Weapons sword, and prayer 2 Corinthians 10:4 5. Our Battles truth battles truth sets you free. Hebrews 4:12 6. Our Prayers all prayers and supplications Isaiah 59:16, no intercessor 7. Our Thanksgiving Wins over worry and fear - with thanksgiving Philppians 4:6 ------------------------------ Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
THE BATTLE IS THE LORD S Paul begins with a command. Stand (be) strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. What does that mean? I. Stand Strong (Not sit, not walk, not fight, not wrestle, not run) We have gone from Sit in heavenly places in Christ, to Walk in the power of the Spirit, and now Stand strong in the Lord. It is all about the Lord, not about the devil. Get it right from the start. Paul starts and ends with the Lord. It is not about us. It is not about the devil. It is about the Lord. Keep that in focus. Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Victor! Taking a stand in the Lord is the first thing and the last thing in spiritual warfare. We know that because Paul begins with the word STAND and repeats it four times in this passage: That is not an accident. (vs 11 to stand <2476>, vs 13 to withstand <436>, to stand <2476> twice, and vs 14 Stand <2476>) His primary verb is not march, Fight, or wrestle. It is stand. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord This in the Lord stance is of primary importance. Standing is the primary verb of action. It is not passive, like standing around. It is more like the football lineman taking his stance. He is steadfast, unmovable. All of the other verbs in this passage are subservient to standing. They all modify the STANCE. 12 Verbs: (1. Stand then, 2. put on, 3. wrestle, 4. take up, 5.gird on, 6.put on, 7.shod, 8.take up, 9.quench, 10.pray, 11. thanksgiving 12.watch) All modify Stand firm in the Lord. The nouns are subservient to the primary subject as well, the Lord. Often we hear the emphasis on this armor that Paul is talking about. We obsess over it emphasizing each armament individually but Paul doesn t. (ie) Moody story where is the devil? inside the armor. (ie) Watchman Nee on standing, p 54ff I. Sit Ephesians 1-3 II. Walk Ephesians 4:1-6:9 III. Stand Ephesians 6:10-20 Standing is not trying hard or doing the battle. It s holding on to the victory already won. Standing is believing. Isaiah 51:12-13 "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
II. Stand Strong in the Lord whole armor of God Note also that the armor is not yours but His. Isaiah 59: 16-21 Be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS MIGHT - Ephesians 1:18-22 1. His Strength Eph. 1:18-22 18. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19. and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20. which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 2. II Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 3. Revelation 19:11-16 King of Kings and Lord of Lords 11. I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 4. Revelation 20:1-3, 10 His doom is sealed 1. And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. 10. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Psalm 91 His Armor on us Stand, Abide, Take Shelter in Ephesians 3:10-12 through the church be known to principalities and powers His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
III. Stand Strong in the power of His Might Whose armor? Whose Battle? Whose Victory? 1. Whose Armor is It? Isaiah 59:16-21 2. Whose Battle is It? 2 Chron. 20:16-20 3. Whose Victory is It? 1 Chron. 29:11, Revelation 4:10-11 [1] Whose Armor? Isaiah 59:16-19 16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. 19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. [2] Whose Battle? 2 Chronicles 20:16-17 This is what the LORD says to you: `Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16. Tomorrow march down against them You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'" He Inhabits the Praises Satan Cannot Stand Before Praise Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 1 Peter 2:9 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: [3] Whose Victory? 1 Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Put on the Garment of Praise Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Revelation 4:10-11 10. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
His doom is sealed! (ie) Dad's chicken with his head cut off (ie) Oh, the wind may howl, and the devil may growl, and the people try to harm me. But I will stick like glue to the noisey crew, I belong to the salvation army. (I belong to God s victorious army) (ie) Martin Luther s A Mighty Fortress (ie) Charles Wesley s, And Can It Be A Mighty Fortress A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.