The Believer's Warfare: The Nature Of Our Adversary Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

View this sermon at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/episodes/147557

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Last week we entered into the final section of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This portion of Scripture famously uses the metaphor of a soldier’s armor to describe the believer’s warfare. We call it the armor of God and it speaks into the reality of the believer’s life. (Ephesians 6:11–13)

John Stott in his book The Cross of Christ, wrote, "It is impossible to read the New Testament with being impressed by the atmosphere of joyful confidence which pervades it, and which stands out in relief against the rather jejune (superficial) religion that often passes for Christianity today. There was no defeatism about the early Christians; they spoke rather of victory...For if they spoke of victory, they knew they owed it to the victorious Jesus...It is he who 'overcame,' 'has triumphed,' and moreover did it 'by the cross'

Though Satan is a vanquished enemy, the war between God and Satan has not diminished over the centuries, it has intensified. That war is over every man’s soul and Satan is not going to take a day off. There are literally millions of souls around the world who are in the grasp of Satan.

Among the greatest schemes of Satan in the world to win the battles over the souls of men is the deception in the church that there is no battle to fight. Satan will subtly impair you through lethargy, indifference, and lukewarmness. Satan wants country club churches with comfortable Christians. I look around America today and I would say he is doing a pretty good job.

My only fear for Crossway Christian Fellowship is that this becomes the case for us. The greatest tragedy that could ever happen to us as a church is that all of us come and ‘enjoy’ our worship and go about life indifferent to the battle that is raging. So the question is do you see what is going on in your life, our community, our schools, and our country as warfare? Not a war against Democrats vs Republicans, Liberals vs Conservatives, Bosses vs. Employees, Husbands vs. Wives, or may I even say Right vs. Wrong, but the events of our day are a result of a tremendous spiritual war that is going culminate with the Church’s Rapture and the triumphant return of Christ. If we get that, then our entire outlook of the world around us should not be lukewarm, but passionate for the things of Christ.

If there is a battle, then there must be an enemy of Christ. Unless we know our enemy we cannot win the battle. Our greatest enemy is Satan. It is not the world and it is certainly not each other! This brings me to our text.

We do not wrestle with flesh and blood. We wrestle against… That word “wrestle” is a struggle. It is a full-on contact with and full engagement with the powers of Satan. This is not a passive type of battle. This is not something that is happening somewhere else and we’re just going about our business. Our enemy is working in the spiritual realm that is directly influencing the physical. Paul tells us that victory is certain when we stand against such battles in the armor of God.

Satan wants nothing more than for us to start arguing, battling, and warring against each other, mistaking each other for the enemy which he just sits back and laughs. The fact that Paul uses the same verb “against” before each category tells us these are rankings or a hierarchy of different forces in the same satanic army. And Paul tells us that we are to first be strong in the Lord and in his might. There is a Divine paradox that happens here because, in order to be strong, we must strip ourselves of our own strength and commit ourselves to the strength in Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)