Sunday January 13th, 2008
Series: the Fight Is On part two
Scripture: Matthew 11:12
Sermon: It’s In You Because of Who Is In You
Speaker: Pastor Michael West, River of Life
Inside each one of us is a fighter.
Not a passive Christian soldier taking it upon the cheek at every turn, but a Christian soldier prepared and ready, supposed to be ready for battle—not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces.
Ephesians 6:12:
You can’t take back what you aren’t willing to fight for, because he who took it meant to keep it although it isn’t his in the first place. As soon as a Christian can get a hold of the fact that they have to move forward, without fear, into the battle, the sooner that Christian will know victory.
To avoid confrontation is to avoid the inevitable. We avoid it because of fear. Would you let your child be beat up? No. You would fight. It doesn’t matter what philosophy you have when you are actually in a fight, you will fight back. We have our giants, our bully’s, but we need not be afraid, stand and fight. David went up against Goliath, I don’t recall, turn the other cheek in that story.
Giants want one thing and one thing only, what’s yours. And, there isn’t a giant in the land that will discuss the issue with you, he will just take whatever it is you have, unless you fight.
The Holy Spirit has been calling the church to rise in intercessory prayer from day one and for each of God’s chosen to exercise spiritual authority. We don’t have time to wallow in self-pity about life’s injustice’s. In a time of war, we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by inconveniences of grievances. We must posses a war mentality.
The best part of all this is that because of a church who will rise in faith and make war, sends hell into a state of frenzy because it sees heaven advancing. If we will only allow God to bring about revival in us, and bring us to a spiritual awakening, in the church and in our nation, then we will see hell’s defeat. Resist the devil and he will flee.
Rise up and watch every multifaceted attack be repulsed and reversed because we are taking a stand. Each ruling force influences different parts of nations and cultures here on planet earth.
Whatever efforts we make in the natural realm, our focus and victory originate from the spiritual realm—things visible come from things invisible—Hebrews 11:3—
So, we must war in prayer using the Word of God as our primary weapon and the blood of Christ as our primary defense.
James 3:18
We are called to be Peacemakers. We are to bring into the world, the voice of reconciliation and peacemaking. James 3:18 is about not forgetting that our message is the Gospel of Peace and yet at the same time, it is the God of Peace who chosen to crush Satan under your feet.
Romans 16:20
Peace has a militant side to it: True peace manifests because we have confronted and overcome our enemies.
The problem is that too many Christians have confused peace with passivity so they end up with a hollow peace instead of a hallowed peace—they are paralyzed and live in a perpetual compromise with heaven’s enemies—and this is not peace! Not all compromise leads to peace, it leads us into captivity, bondage, slaves again to the dark prince of this world.
We would say that Jesus was and is the quintessential peacemaker of all time but He did it with unbending righteousness and a visible sword of spiritual authority.
Jesus terrified the demonic realm: Matthew 8:29 — He was ready to do battle and not only did He deal with all demonic and hierarchical levels of hell, Jesus told His disciples to do the same works He did. Not only did He command the disciples to go forth, He also gave them authority and power over all the enemy!
Matthew 10:1 (AMP)
1 AND JESUS summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.
Mark 3:14-15 (AMP)
14 And He appointed twelve to continue to be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach [as apostles or special messengers]
15 And to have authority and power to heal the sick and to drive out demons:
Mark 6:13 (AMP)
13 And they drove out many unclean spirits and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Mark 6:17 (AMP)
17 For [this] Herod himself had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he [Herod] had married her.
Luke 9:1 (AMP)
1 THEN JESUS called together the Twelve [apostles] and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases,
Luke 10:17-19 (AMP)
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!
18 And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven.
19 Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.
Luke 10:19 and nothing shall in any way harm you—so take it back!
Built into us are safeguards and we are commissioned to go in His authority. Jesus ministered faith to His disciples and they have passed it on to us and not one has passed on the ministry of fear.
When you look at the Scriptures you can plainly see that Jesus was operating in a mode of spiritual aggression toward the powers of hell. Perfectly God-focused. Continuously advancing His kingdom of heaven. Jesus even said to Peter—get behind me Satan—you don’t take My life unless I give it!. When the seventy went out, they were in battle array—heal the sick, restore, cure, take back!
Even when they got back they were in awe that the demons were subjected to them—Luke 10:1-20—
We tend to see Jesus from the view that He was always kind and gentle. Remember when He was the victim, subjected to life’s injustices—His compassion was also an act of war. Like civil disobedience is an act of aggression—Turn to 1 John 3:8 and listen to what the disciple who heard and listened to the very heartbeat of Jesus—
I John 3:8
8 Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways. MSG
8 Whoever lives sinfully belongs to the devil, since the devil has been a sinner from the beginning. This was the purpose of the appearing of the Son of God, to undo the work of the devil. NJB
The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work. NCV
Jesus not only came to restore and to redeem, but to wage war. When is the last time you destroyed anything evil? Have you toppled any strongholds lately? This week? Will you next week? Evil can be destroyed in many different ways, but the serious problem is that historically, too many of us have neither a plan or prayer to do so.
That’s why we need to wake up. Stop living a passive, someone else will get it life, what does it matter mentality and wake up. We’re in a war!
Search for water today because the journey starts in the morning. We need an attitude of the devil is a bad guy and I’m not putting up with him anymore and make war.
Take it back. Stand up and fulfill your destiny. Bring down some more strongholds. Fight the good fight.
Without exaggerating the role of the devil, consider the heavenly impact praying Christians would have if we all around renounced our passivity and got angry at the enemy instead of complaining what we allow in our lives!
Paul said the weapons of our warfare are mighty—Imagine if we all used them.
