Going To Extremes Series

Dakota Community Church

September 9, 2007

Going To Extremes

Review:

Spiritual Warfare – I am sure there must be some who feel uncomfortable with topic.

Why talk about these things at all?

This battle should be the framework for our Christian lives. When we ask the vital question, what is God doing now? This clash of kingdoms is the answer.

Hebrews 10:12-14

But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Look at this from the book of Daniel in our through the Bible in a year reading this week:

Read Daniel 2:24-45

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

Do you have a vacation or battle mindset – life is not all about our comfort and ease!

I wanted to get this in on the point from last week that God is not the author of the works of darkness.

Many people look at the Old Testament and see the various destructive commands given to the nation of Israel as evidence that God has an evil side, which is somehow excused by His ultimate good intentions. Jesus came to settle the issue of what God is like – He is the One who is without sin:

John 14:29-31

I’ve told you this ahead of time, before it happens, so that when it does happen, the confirmation will deepen your belief in me. I’ll not be talking with you much more like this because the chief of this godless world is about to attack. But don’t worry—he has nothing on me, no claim on me. But so the world might know how thoroughly I love the Father, I am carrying out my Father’s instructions right down to the last detail.

The enemy had nothing on Jesus, He knew who He was, He knew where He was going and He knew the score on this spiritual warfare issue.

Acts 10:38

Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

This doesn’t mean that every sickness has a direct demon behind it but some do and the entire realm of sickness and disease exists because of the fallen state of the planet.

In heaven there is no sickness. When Jesus comes on the scene he demonstrates how God intended it to be. He never once comes upon sickness and says, “Sorry I can’t heal this one, this one is part of the mysterious will of God”.

He teaches us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The battle then is all about letting this Kingdom of God govern our lives. When the darkness closes in, we are to resist it.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Two Extremes in dealing with the devil:

1. Turning a blind eye.

The first extreme that you do not want to make the mistake of going to is to ignore this whole aspect of the Christian faith.

I know that many of you do not like this topic.

You feel uncomfortable; you say things like, “I don’t know about all that devil stuff, I’ll leave that up to you charismatic types.”

Why is that bad?

- The scriptures warn us to be aware of this conflict.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

I Peter 5:8-9

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Like a lion, have you ever seen one of those nature films that show lions on the hunt? Who gets killed when the lions are prowling; the weak, the unaware, the ones who get separated and off by themselves. Lions do not attack the strong and capable who are aware of their presence.