A. Quote: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this about our spiritual battle:
A man who does not understand the nature of the problem he is confronting is a man who is already doomed to failure. Christian people are like first-year college students—they think at first that every subject is quite simple, there is no difficulty. Well, we know what is likely to happen to such when they face an examination! The first thing you have to do is to understand the nature and character of your problem. So we have to realize that we are called, in the Christian life, to a battle, NOT to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle.
B. So far, ... Defensive Weapons of The ARMOR OF GOD for the Believer:
Belt of Truth - The believer's foundation.
Righteousness - Satan and his forces do everything to make us doubt our salvation but through...
Firmly Fitted with Gospel of Peace - helping us stand firm against the enemy and his tactics
Shield of Faith - to extinguish the enemies darts and arrows
Helmet of Salvation - With the assurance of salvation protecting their minds, Christians can stand...
All DEFENSIVE WEAPONS
Beginning at the end of Verse 17 the believer has Two OFFENSIVE Weapons: "SWORD OF THE SPIRIT" AND "PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT".
READ VERSE 17b-18
(remember Paul was under house arrest and under the constant guard of a ROMAN SOLDIER. Maybe this is why he used the soldier's uniform for his illustration!
1. the Sword of the Spirit - a "Short Sword" for the Roman soldier that was used for close hand to hand combat
One of Rome's great military innovations which made the army became famous of this 'Short Sword' - Became known as 'The Short Sword Army'
-Had Short double sided edges - ideal for the soldier's cut and thrust strategy
ILLUS: Is the cartoon "POWER RANGER'S" still on? Michael as a youngster would run around the house with a homemade cape and Power Ranger's Sword cutting and thrusting saying "Hyii!"
The Christian's Sword used for cutting and thrusting is the WORD OF GOD but only when used in conjunction with God's SPIRIT!
Do you remember how Jesus used this same "Sword" to combat against Satan?
Matt 4 shares He was "Led by the spirit into the desert" for battle against the devil
As Satan would throw down different temptations, Jesus called on the sword of the Spirit- the Word of God quoting verses from the Law.
2. Vs. 18 ties in "Praying in the Spirit" giving us our 2nd Offensive Weapon using the same continued thought...
TWO OFFENSIVE weapons USED TOGETHER to help battle the mind games Satan's uses to bring the believer to a point of confusion and defeat.
3. Think about the battles of deception that you've gone through at different times...
-pains that go on to the point of wearing you down
-disappointments & failures that goes on and on until you begin to think those ugly, judgmental, angry, even hateful thoughts.
-you watch family members, friends, even children, strong Christians suffer horrible deaths and disease - sometimes you want to shake our fist at God.
ILLUS: I talked with a strong Christian Friday night regarding a cancer condition she was fighting and she talked about how her mind at times was so tired of trying to be positive and it made her have the wrong thoughts - even thoughts of anger against God.
ALL OF THESE are tactics that the devil uses to go after the MIND to make you feel inadequate and even afraid you've lost your salvation. This is exactly what he wants you to think!
4. What about the battle that SIN Wages Against the MIND!
-Have you ever said something that made you feel so bad you couldn't pray?
-or treated someone you love so horribly you couldn't believe your actions even while fighting to do the right thing?
-You find yourself thinking judgments or horrendous thoughts against one you love - Even to the point of questioning your own love?
-You get so mad you don't want to pray - you can't pray
THESE ARE THE GAMES OF SATAN that teach the importance of being in the Spirit. BATTLES AGAINST THE MIND that cause so much confusion - even to the point that you question your salvation.
Let's hear this from the mouth of Paul himself.
Romans 8:19-26
18-22
Our sufferings will not compare to day of redemption
The creation - the earth - also waits for God's redemtion (follow...)
two verses setup what is to follow in 20-26
When Adam sinned, God sentenced all mankind & all creation
Genesis 3:17 (NIV)
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Just as mankind has been cursed so creation has been cursed so that neither have been able to live and function as God intended -
Mankind - Disease, decay, sickness, pain, disappointments, etc.
Creation - Disease, decay, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.
Romans 8:23-24
As believers, we know we have been saved
we know we have the gift of the holy spirit (our deposit)
You don't hope for what you already have
25 - We wait on the day of redemption - this is OUR HOPE
"patiently" - process of being developed by the Spirit - we long for it more and more
26-27
"in the same way" as the day of hope - gives us strength
"the Spirit helps us in our weakness"
SIN - What about the weight of SIN?
Struggles from sin sometimes place a weight on us that makes us question our victory in Jesus. Times of confusion - You know what I'm talking about?
There are
-times that we give into the temptation that Satan constantly places in our minds
-times that sin puts such a heavy weight on our heart that we just feel too GUILTY to pray
A relationship goes south or a job takes you out or your health deserts you
A family member or friend dies and you get so confused
You begin to say and do and think things YOU DON'T WANT TO THINK...
Oh how Satan just sits back and claims VICTORY OVER HIS BATTLE on YOU!
Paul also talked about this struggle - a passage I look at often...
Romans 7:18-26
"In our sinful nature, there is nothing good." Paul sees this as part of being human.
Although we belong to Christ and have died to sin, we still live in a sinful world and have a sinful nature that is rotten through and through.
The WAR continues - trying to do good and not being able to do it.
Without the Spirit's help, the person is dominated by the power of sin and continues to do evil when he actually desires to do good!
Sin fights against our mind because our mind is where we make our decisions and our moral judgments. We cannot resist our sin nature in our own power. When we try, we will be defeated.
Ephesians 6.18
Paul calls on us to Take the Sword of the Spirit and together PRAY in the Spirit ...
-on all occasions
-with all kinds of prayers (sing, short, meditative, long or meditative)
-and realizing the importance in standing up to Satan's deceit
not only for ourselves but for anyone He places on our heart
Why? NO believer is exempt from being Satan's targets - Satan DEMANDS battle against his enemies - BELIEVERS!
When the Spirit puts ...
-your spouse in your heart - Pray for him or her
-your child in your heart, coworker, friend, neighbor
-your enemy in your heart - Pray for him
Satan may not be attacking you at the moment - but Satan is attacking someone. So PRAY for whomever God places on your heart.
SUMMARY
Spiritual Warfare - You have to decide if it's real.
You have to decide if it deserves your attention
Illustration: Billy Graham tells this story to illustrate SPIRITUAL WARFARE.
AN ESKIMO FISHERMAN CAME to town every Saturday afternoon. He always brought his two dogs with him. He had taught them to fight on command. Every Saturday afternoon in the town square the people would gather and wage bets on which of these two dogs would win in the weekly fight. On one Saturday the black dog would win; another Saturday, the white dog would win—but the fisherman who owned the dogs always won the bets! His friend began to ask him how he did it. He said, "I starve one and feed the other. The one I feed always wins because he stronger."
APPLICATION: This story about the two dogs is apt because it tells us something about the inner warfare that comes into the life of a person who is born again.
We have two natures within us, both struggling for mastery. Which one will dominate us? It depends on which one we feed.
Which nature will you feed?
