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.
- Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is ignorance!
I often see parents making the mistake of thinking that they are protecting their children by keeping them ignorant of the horrible things that go on in the big bad world.
I’m not saying just expose the kids to all the filth – you know that – what I am saying is to teach them reality as they encounter it and bring it to you. Don’t sugar coat everything.
Some people can be mean, some people do the wrong thing on purpose, there is a devil, but the greater one is in you.
A theology that is void of the reality of this battle is weak and twisted. It means Jesus was delusional, or the authors of the Bible were liars.
Read Mark 5:1-13
He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
If these devils and demons are simply the attempts of a primitive culture to explain mental illness that was beyond their comprehension – how did this man’s mental incapacity transfer into a herd of pigs?
These things are real, and ignoring them does not release you from their effect.
2. Peanut butter demons.
The second extreme I want to talk about today – which many Christians have fallen into – is what I am calling Peanut Butter Demons.
This is when you get so focused on this teaching that the devil begins to get bigger and bigger and take on more and more power, until finally everything that goes even slightly off what you planned is the devil’s doing.
The laundry demon is eating your socks, the car demon is letting the air out of your tire, the Microsoft demon is freezing your laptop, and the cheesecake demon is making you fat.
- Actually there may be a cheesecake demon.
The devil is real, but he is not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent.
Only God, our Father, who has taken up residence with us, has those qualities.
I John 4:3-4
Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Psalm 27: 1-3
The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Everyone of us must walk the line between ignoring and glorifying the forces of darkness. They are real, they are horrible, they hate us and they hate our Saviour; but, they cannot run roughshod over us doing as they please and we definitely do have a roll to play in this war!
Next Week:
- How do we do it?
- How do we engage in this battle?
- Is it only by prayer?
- If not what else is spiritual warfare?
The final week in the series I want to do a Q&A. Start bringing your questions on this topic now or send them to me by e-mail.
Adapted from a message by Dr. Greg Boyd entitled “War Torn World”
Hear it Preached: www.dakotacommunitychurch.ca and click "Listen".
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
