Every believer should know that they were born again into a battlefield.
In order to successfully live as a believer we need to know our enemies and understand how battles are won for God’s kingdom.
The vacuum of Paul’s absence in Corinth had allowed some false teachers to come in and criticize his ministry and him personally. They were saying things like:
Paul doesn’t have any authority.
He’s not very important to the Corinthian church.
He writes one thing, but when he’s around, he’s another.
Paul deals with these charges by answering them in a way that allows him to teach the church about what true spiritual warfare is. True Spiritual warfare is:
1) WALK in MEEKNESS – Live in this world with the attitudes of Christ
2) WAR by MINISTRY – Let the power of the Spirit win the battles we face
3) WORK thru a MINDSET – Learn obedience to the things of God
1 Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ -I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! 2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
WALK in MEEKNESS – Living with the attitudes of Christ
1 Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ -I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!
2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
Paul is dealing with attacks and criticism and must decide what his appropriate response is to be. He is being accused of being very strong in his letters but much more gentle when in person. Although his response carries a hint of a jab at their criticisms yet Paul directs us to two important words which were true of Jesus and should be a part of our own dealing with difficult times and people in this life. MEEKNESS - power under control GENTLENESS
If we are going to into battle for the Lord we must go in with the right attitudes.
I am not only amazed at the miracles Christ did while on the earth but also amazed at the things He did not do.
1) Why didn’t He call down 10,000 angels
2) Why didn’t He have the ground open up and swallow large gulps of Pharisees?
3) Why didn’t He call Lazarus from the tomb with ‘Lazarus come forth’ and then follow that up with ‘Judas go in’. And then put the stone back in place.
Just because Paul was not a spiritual Rambo did that make him weak? He often compared himself to a nursing mother caring for her children.
Sometimes a family will have a dog like a German Shepherd that will scare visitors to death and if not controlled would take a few legs off. That same dog will allow children in the family to sit on its back or lay on it or it will even lay on its back in a submission position.
What the dog is doing is not a sign of weakness but of meekness or gentleness. Literally it is ‘power under control’. The dog could do just as much damage to a family member as to a stranger but has chosen to become meek and gentle in its relationship to them.
Jesus chose to walk among us in a fashion that was controlled. He could have immediately removed all mankind from the face of the earth.
He could have said, ‘No more gravity’ and watched us all rocket to outer space.
Imagine if you took a great tennis player and asked them to teach your child some aspects of the game. They stepped onto the court with your 10 year old son and then as the ball came to them they returned it with all their might hitting your child in the middle of the forehead.
They certainly had the power to do just such a thing but in gentleness that power is under control for the sake of the one they are dealing with.
Jesus came among us and kept back the power that was His. Philippians 2:5-11 says He ‘emptied Himself’ for the sake of being able to reach out to a lost world.
PAUL was not weak because he did not come into Corinth with both guns blarzng. He came to them in a manner consistent to how Christ came to others and even to Paul himself. Meek and Gentle
WAR by MINISTRY – Letting the power of the Spirit win the battles we face
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
Paul shares with the church in Corinth what true spiritual warfare is about:
1) We all have a tendency to fight our battles in our own abilities. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
a) Human weapons include:
(1) Our own wisdom
(2) Our own resources
(3) Things that impress or intimidate us
What if we could have Bill Gates’ money in our budget?
What if some well-known person could be here to sit next to(would you sit on front pew if that meant sitting next to Pitt/Jolene?
What if we could have a group of PHD to share their wisdom on how to do church business?
I will never forget when a person from a large church near the seminary in K.C. came to speak to one of our church growth classes. He laid out how their church did all these tactics and strategies to get people to go to their church. Mail outs, phone calls: He said for every 1,000 contacts they would add about 1 new member. Then he made this unforgettable or unforgiveable statement: ‘I think that you could grow a church with these strategies regardless if God had any involvement in it’.
This stuff works so well you can build a religious group and never have God involved in any way other than by name only! We have reaped this harvest
2) Fleshly weapons are not adequate for spiritual battles
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
Part of the process or goal of discipleship is to teach people what the true weapons of the kingdom of God are. To teach them how to use them but especially how to prefer them to our own resources.
How many people truly know how to pray? How many are really able to understand the Word of God? How many know how to walk in faith, live by faith? How many know how to rest in the righteousness of Christ and not be constantly weighed down by their own failures? How many know how to truly share and defend their Christian faith?
We are told to ‘be strong in the Lord’ not to ‘be strong for the Lord’. How do I tap into His strength and walk in His Spirit’s power?
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful
A large part of being is Christian is not only choosing what to do but also what not to do. We need to stop ourselves from reaching for the flesh first if we are going to face our battles in a ‘divinely powerful’ way.
Suppose you were sent on an assignment that would take you into the actual war room of Hell itself. The very place where Satan’s strategies are hatched and dispatched through a constant coming and going of demons. What if you were able to smuggle in the largest atomic bomb mankind was able to assemble and then at the cost of your own life discharge it there right in the very face of Satan himself? ‘Take this Lucifer….BOOM’.
The impact upon hell, Satan, demons would not be minimal. It would be nada, nothing. It would be like throwing a snowball at a glacier or sand at the Sahara desert. No effect.
What Satan fears is what he works overtime to make sure we don’t participate in. He will encourage us to operate in our flesh all day long. He doesn’t care about how much money we raise for missions as long as we don’t pray for and encourage our missionaries.
He doesn’t care how nice a church building is as long as the Word of God is not fully taught there. He doesn’t care how many friends you make as long as those friends don’t know that you are a friend of Jesus Christ.
Young Moses at first tried to serve God with the resources of position, pride and his own physical power. Old Moses lost all three of those things. He no longer had the physical power at 80 that he once had at 40. He no longer had the position of Pharaoh’s family but was now a despised shepherd. He no longer had pride in his own abilities but was fearful to even speak with his mouth.
GOD FINALLY HAD MOSES AT A PLACE WHERE MOSES HAD TO USE GOD’S WEAPONS AND NOT HIS OWN ABILITIES.
3) Spiritual weapons win victories at the level of the strongholds in our lives. divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses/strongholds.
A stronghold in ancient times was the most fortified of places. Covered by massive stone walls that made them almost impossible to penetrate.
Built within the walls were high towers they would use as a look out to see the oncoming enemy!
There are levels within us where we have become so captive that no human resources will ever set us free or give us the victory that we desperately need.
We have lived in defeat for so long that we have surrendered to that issue as a place of no possible victory: fear, intimidation, lust, hatred, bitterness, anger, Satan has built a foundation of lies and a growing tower of defeats to convince us that this ground will never be won for the kingdom of God.
One of the ways to see the power of God in our lives is to see the destruction of these strongholds. God has equipped us to storm the gates of these places with the weapons that will finally bring a victory there.
CHECKLIST FOR DEFEATING STRONGHOLDS:
1. Have I gotten before the presence of the Lord and sought His will and victory over this matter?
2. Have I invested myself in His Word to build His wisdom into my life and to understand His will through what He has promised?
3. Have I specifically transferred this battle from my hands into His and confessed my own defeat and lack of resources and asked for His victory through His abilities?
4. Have I become willing for whatever avenue or difficulty He might choose to build what is necessary into my life for this victory and will I faithfully rest in the midst of such until His end is accomplished?
5. Will I allow the loss of my reputation for the gain of His glory?
WALKING in MEEKNESS – Living with the attitudes of Christ
WARING by MINISTRY – Letting the power of the Spirit win the battles we face
WORKING thru a MINDSET – Learning obedience to the things of God
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
In every warfare there are specifics of hand to hand combat. There are targets that are chosen and set against. In verses 5-6 Paul shares some of the specifics of this battle.
Ephesians 6:13-18 is a list of armor that is specific for the purpose of what will be under attack in our spiritual battles.
Ephesians 6:13-18 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Specific Armor:
Belt of TRUTH (Truth will be a target in our lives, ‘has God said’)
Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS: (we will be tempted to question our own standing before God, can I come to Him and pray and expect answers when I have failed?)
Preparation of the GOSPEL: (can I give answer for the reasons for my faith so that I stand firm when questioned?)
Shield of FAITH: (I will need to deflect a constant attack against whether I can trust God or not)
Helmet of SALVATION; (Satan will try to make me constantly question my relationship with God, am I truly saved)
SWORD of the Spirit: (My necessary offensive weapon is a sharp and adequate grasp of God’s Word of Truth)
PRAYER: (need to pray always and for one another, energy for the fight)
Paul describes a battle with specific things going on:
1) We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God
The knowledge of God will be under constant attack from the highest levels of society. Politics, education, entertainment industry, arrogance of individuals will all be speculating things other than the truths God has revealed to us. Spiritual warfare means we deal with those lies and half-truths by knowing and proclaiming the true knowledge of God.
Satan knows where sin begins which is in our minds, our thoughts. (2 Cor.4:4) “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that sin begins in the heart or thoughts.
2) we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
Winning the battle in the world begins with winning the battle in our minds. We are to take prisoner the thoughts that our minds will often be attacked with.
Satan has from the beginning attacked the mind with doubts and questions and suggestions about the character of God: Eve, Jesus in the wilderness
Eve failed but Jesus succeeded because He showed us how to take a thought captive. You take a lie captive by catching it with a truth. When disobedience is offered you counter with the knowledge of obedience.
1) God won’t provide for you so take care of yourself(Phil 4:13)
2) God won’t make a way for you so make one yourself.(Jer. 29:11)
3) God won’t give you what you want so bow to me and my ways and I will.(Heb)
(jump off the church, eat the fruit, change the rock to rye, worship me cause God just wants to keep you from knowing what He knows and being like He is)
3) we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
Don’t let disobedience stay on the list of considerations. When you know what is right and what God wants then let that be your only consideration. Show disobedience the door.
The one thing that the cities in Paul day had whenever walls were built around a city was a lookout tower. From that tower an enemy could be seen coming from miles away.
One of Satan’s greatest tactics is the ability to sneak into our live unnoticed, bore in deep and then have to be removed after he has dug in and made a deep stronghold.
The key is to be constantly vigilant of the spiritual dangers you face. Be ever watchful and understand what an enemy looks like.
PROV. 18:10 - The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.
HOW TO WIN
WALK in MEEKNESS – Live with the attitudes of Christ
WAR by MINISTRY – Let the power of the Spirit win the battles we face
WORK thru MINDSET – Learn obedience to the things of God
