Our Life Under Fire Series

Our Life under Fire – Spiritual Warfare

by

Rev. Mark Hiehle

How many times have you had someone say: “I have some Good News and some Bad News”? There was a husband who had a very difficult day. When he came home his wife said to him, “I have some good news and some bad news, which do you want to hear first?” He responded by saying, “I have had a horrible day. I don’t want to hear any bad news.” She thought for a moment and said, “Well, you know our new car? The airbags work.”

School is about to start for many people, and that is good news for most. Families will again be able to get back onto a schedule and learning will begin. When I was growing up however, that was not good news. I didn’t care about school and I never applied myself. My dad told me that I got through by the skin of my teeth. It wasn’t until I got married and I was in college that I started to really study and take school seriously. Back then, if someone asked me about “pie – r- square”, I would have thought, no, “pies-r-round.”

Let me share with you some good news:

Good News: God loves you

Believes in you

Is using you

Has plans for you

Will never leave you or forsake you

God is with you

He knows every hair on your head for they are all numbered

He is thinking about you constantly – you are always on his mind

God loves you so much that He gave His Son for you

You are the apple of his eye

He is working to make you just like Jesus

Jesus is interceding for you before our Father – Jesus is our advocate

Now, the bad news… Just as we have an advocate, we also have an adversary.

` Bad News: We have an enemy – Satan: I Peter 5:8 Satan is like a roaming lion, who is out to steal, kill and destroy.

Foundational texts: Revelation 12

1 Peter 5: 8-11

Ephesians 6: 10-20

Understanding the war :

Why did it begin? Isaiah 14:12-14

12 How you have fallen from heaven,

O morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

you who once laid low the nations!

13 You said in your heart,

"I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne

above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,

on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. [a]

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High."

Satan, a created angel desired to replace God and elevate himself above God. As a result, Satan was cast out of heaven. His thought then was to destroy that which meant the most to God, and so he focused his attention upon Adam and Eve in order to destroy them. Thus, he tempted them to violate God’s laws and commandments. As punishment, the first couple was cast out of the garden and a curse was placed upon the serpent, Satan.

What was told of Satan’s future? Genesis 3:15

15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring [a] and hers;

he will crush [b] your head,

and you will strike his heel."

The prophecy was given that the seed of the woman, Jesus, would crush his head, but Satan would only strike at his heel. Now Satan knew what he had to do. He had to either destroy the woman or her seed, so that his head would not get crushed. Satan then tried to destroy the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament, for the seed would come from God’s chosen people. God however always had a remnant. Therefore, Satan watched for the “seed” to come. Jesus, the Messiah was born. Revelation 12 tells of this account. Satan then influenced King Herod to kill every male child 2 years old and younger. The target was Jesus. God gave a dream to Joseph and Jesus was taken to Egypt and saved. Satan tried to destroy Jesus later, but he never was able. Finally, Satan entered one of Jesus’ disciples Judas, and Jesus was betrayed. After a kangaroo trial, Jesus was executed on a cross and buried. Satan thought he won, but three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. Satan was outraged and so his hatred turned us.

Why are we targets in this war? Revelation 12:17

17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Because we love Jesus, and we look like Jesus more and more, we have a bulls-eye on our chest. Because we have accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we are now Satan’s main target. He is out to destroy us. Thus, we were “born again” into a battle – the war is on.