Veterans Of Spiritual Warfare

November 11, 2007

Morning Worship

Text: Deuteronomy 32:30-31

Subject: Spiritual warfare

Title: Veterans of Spiritual Warfare

Today we celebrate Veteran’s day – the day set aside to honor all who have served their country in the military. I would like all of military people to stand as we thank you for your service. Thank you for this life I am able to live. You are truly heroes in my eyes. You have served to keep us free and to keep the enemy from invading our territory. You have protected even those who ridicule you and abuse you and you did it because it was your duty.

I want to celebrate this day also as a day we can set aside for those who are not VFW -veterans of foreign wars - but are VSW – Veterans of Spiritual Warfare. They have stood against an unseen enemy for many years and even by your own admission have protected you from the hand of that enemy. They have stood watch over the boundaries of this church and have been vigilant, always ready to go to battle. They are our prayer warriors, our intercessors, and I hope you are one of them.

We are in a constant state of battle. The apostle Paul encouraged us to “Pray without ceasing”. Because the enemy is relentless in his attack on God’s people we have to be willing to join the fight for ourselves and for the lives of others.

I want to look with you today at three areas of the battle.

1) Who is able to fight against the enemy?

2) Who is willing to fight against the enemy?

3) Who is faithful to prevail against the enemy?

Deuteronomy 32:30-31, 30 How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up? 31 For their rock is not like our Rock…

Let’s enter into the battle!

I. WHO IS ABLE TO FIGHT AGAINST THE ENEMY? Revelation 13:1b And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” The Bible is pretty clear about the nature of the battle you are in. And you need to understand this, If you are called by the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you are in the battle. You do not have a choice. Ephesians 6:12, 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. It is a spiritual battle that always spills over into the natural realm. satan fights against you with temptation to sin. But you don’t have to give in to it. Even at the very beginning of humanity God spoke of our ability to defeat the enemy. Genesis 4:6-7, 6Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Who is able to war against the enemy? You are! And it is always done through intercessory prayer – for yourself and for others. Revelation 5:8, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8, 3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand… When the saints of God begin to pray, the angels of God are put to action to bring about an answer to those prayers. Daniel 10, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them… And to get a sense for the intensity of the struggle look at verse 13, But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Wow! Have you ever been in that kind of battle? I think you have and haven’t even realized it. How long have you been praying for unsaved loved ones? How long have you been fighting sickness? How long have you been struggling to make ends meet? Those battles have already been fought and won by King Jesus. Mark 11 Jesus said, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ and then, 23“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours… Who can enter into the fight? You can!