Spiritual Warfare, not really a very Baptist thing to talk about, or Mennonite for that matter. But just because we are uncomfortable with the idea, doesn’t mean it isn’t very real.
December 18th, the day the church was full, I had prepared a strong message, and we were doing something very meaningful in dedicating five babies that morning to the Lord. I was nervous and I get to the church and nothing on the computer was working. It was on but none of the things we needed for the service were working. So time I wanted to spend in prayer and preparation were used to get it working, and we finally did.
A little while later I come walking out of my office and the titanium nose piece on my relatively new glasses just snaps while I am walking into the sanctuary. I go through the rest of the service with my glasses half off my face. I come to sit in the sanctuary and turn in my seat, and the wire from the microphone gets pulled on and snaps. So was it all bad luck, worn out equipment, carelessness, or invisible powers and principalities.
But here’s the thing, whatever it was, none of it stopped us and God was glorified. Satan can do nothing to interfere with the work of God if we persevere and don’t let him get into our hearts and minds. We won, and we will always win with God’s power in Jesus’ name.
Today we baptize 7 people, this is not good news to Satan, and this is partly a victory over mental and emotional strongholds that people have had keeping them from being baptised in the past. Some of these strongholds we aren’t even aware of until they’re dissolved.
If you have a bible turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and meet me at verse 2 (read to verse 6).
This passage starts with a plea and a warning, and as he continues we see what he considers to be strongholds, and they are basically faulty arguments and man’s opinions about God. How does Satan primarily attack? Through our thoughts. Now every once in a while when he can’t get to us just by influencing our thinking, he has God’s consent to affect the physical realm in some ways to get us doubting. Think of the story of Job, and Paul’s thorn in the side, that he calls a messenger from Satan to torment me.
Sensa commercial: That is so common isn’t it? It sounds great, but please don’t go buy that stuff. I don’t know about you but being full never stopped me from eating something I wanted. Empty promises that we can easily do difficult things without any effort. We just sprinkle God on that sinful relationship, or that addiction. We need heart transplants, you can’t just change behaviour, because it won’t take and last unless the heart is changed. Addiction or strongholds are essentially symptoms of idolatry, placing some thing above God. We say save me from this, but don’t make me give it up.
Every diet works for some people. I could start a stand on your head diet today and it would work for some people. Because if we believe strongly in something, if we desperately desire something, and this is the biggy, if we are willing to do anything it takes, change can happen. Throw God’s power into the equation and we are unstoppable. And that goes for our faith too. But the heart is in the desire and willingness, and if that’s not there you can sprinkle as much as you want, you’re not going to get results.
I was in the mental health and addictions field for 15 years, and I firmly now believe that most of what we call mental illness has some component of spiritual influence. Yes there may be some biological influence, but nobody ever really got better for good without a spiritual component. That is why Paul says take every thought captive to obey Christ to be in line with His thinking and promises, and we must be ready to punish every disobedience.
Go back to chapter 2 verse 9, of 2 Cor. Paul says, “The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and remain obedient in everything.” The context here is that there is a rebellious minority in the church of Corinth that was spreading self fulfilling false ideas and causing quite a bit of division. By the way this is rampant in the Christian church today. And the disobedience he is referring to is listening to and following what these false teachers were saying. Acting on the wrong thoughts and words. And Paul is basically “Don’t make me come there!”
So the first thing I want to point out is that our spiritual strongholds are usually bound in and caused by, I. Wrong Thinking. As a thought or group of thoughts get more and more ingrained in our lives they affect everything we do, and it is hard to fight them with purely physical or behavioural means. In fact we often forget that we are even thinking it because the thoughts become so automatic. Isaiah says in Isa 44:18-19 when talking about idolatry, that “they understand nothing, no one stops to think”. We just go along blindly believing our thoughts are true. So Paul says we have divine weapons to demolish these strongholds. What are they? Come with me to Ephesians 6 and verses 10-18 (read).
Verse 14 there begins the description of these II. Spiritual Weapons that are victorious over the schemes of the Devil.
The First is A. Truth. How did Jesus fight the Devil when he was in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry? With the truth of God’s word. Satan tried to manipulate him by using the very Word of God in a false way to tempt Jesus, and if Jesus had not known it well enough he may have been tripped up. But because he did know it well he was able to use other words of God to show that Satan was interpreting it wrongly.
I want you to notice that truth is the belt buckled around your waist. It is the thing that keeps everything else in place in the center of your body. The other things he is about to mention are all to be held or taken on and off, but the belt represents the fact that it is fastened right around your center.
Now I’ve seen many women who are overweight that were sexually abused as children. And the extra weight was very often a protection based on a false idea that “if I stay overweight no man will want to do that to me again”. They are bound in a lie about their worth and about why that abuse happened.
I know other women who got hooked on methamphetamine because they were ten pounds overweight and they believed that no man could ever possibly love me unless I am skinny. Never mind all the scabs all over their face and arms from constantly picking at their skin when they’re high, “As long as I’m skinny”. Satan’s lies can come through people and the messages of our society, not just a little horned red guy sitting on your shoulder.
The second spiritual weapon is B. righteousness or justice, which is a breastplate protecting your heart and vital organs. This is obedience and the effort to avoid sin, because sin always opens an avenue for Satan to take hold in your heart, and is a great way for him to accuse you into thoughts and feelings of guilt and unworthiness. But God has already lifted the sentence.
Then there are shoes of the C. readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. Walk in the peace of the gospel that says you are forgiven, no longer condemned. Walk and think as though this is your reality. Always be ready to explain this Gospel and use it to confirm the victory that is already ours in Christ. Satan will then not be able to condemn you.
In addition to these things, here are some other things you can do. The previous weapons are things that you have, God gave ‘em to you, the following are things you need to take up or do. You have to have D. faith, or trust that will be like a shield allowing you to deflect all the temptations that Satan will throw at you.
And protect your head, your mind with the helmet of E. Salvation, which saves and protects you from Satan’s condemnation, make sure you’re saved, and go on the offensive with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, and pray in the Spirit.
In other words appropriate the Holy Spirit that has been given to you. The Word of God in you and coming out of you under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit will be your only offensive weapon, and you will appropriate this Spirit through prayer, so keep alert and keep praying all the time, Paul says.
Ok so how does all this work in practical terms. Let me demonstrate by taking us through a stronghold and how we use these weapons and protective gear. I’m going to use addiction because it one of the most hidden, insidious strongholds in many people’s lives, and it can be just about anything. If you can’t relate to that specifically, then just follow the principles because they apply to all strongholds whether it be pornography, overeating, depression, unforgiveness, spending… .
All strongholds begin with lies, Satan is the Father of lies and there is no truth in him. There’s usually a promise, that if you do this, you will be happier, better off, whatever. Garden of Eden – You will be better off if you eat the fruit and know good and evil, even though God said it’s wrong. Were they better off? No, it was a lie. Addiction – you will feel better and your problems will go away when you drink this, pop this pill, smoke this, snort this. It will make your life better. Lie, no it doesn’t, it imprisons you and ultimately makes your life miserable.
The first step in breaking a stronghold is believing the truth of God, rather than the lies that have captured you. Does God consider addiction or any other disobedient sin righteous? No, so you better throw that breastplate on and with the truth in mind, work on being righteous as you have actually been made in Christ, if indeed you are in him. Notice that you have been provided with both truth and righteousness from God, they are yours when you believe.
And then be ready. Have the Gospel of peace so implanted in your mind that whenever you are tempted or in a vulnerable situation, the wife isn’t home, the boss isn’t watching, you are ready to fight. Don’t get caught with your shoes off, remember always what Christ did for you and what that makes you.
How about the shield of faith? Do you really believe God? When he promises that life will be better without alcohol or drugs or whatever your temptation is, do you believe him over your own feelings and thoughts? Do you believe that what you are tempted to do is actually sin that carries the death penalty? Are you willing to stop doing the sin and allow God to show you his promise? If you keep going, you are saying you don’t have faith, or you don’t want to stop.
In the end if you’re still struggling, remember in your mind that you are saved, that’s why it’s a helmet, put it on and remember that Christ died for you so you could be victorious, and you are no longer condemned even if you slip up. Listen to what Paul says in Eph 2: “As for you, you were dead in your sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived amoung them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of God’s wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus to show his grace.” That’s what these baptisms are about, not that we make ourselves right with God, but through our faith and obedience to Him, he puts to death our old nature and resurrects us to eternal life with His son Jesus.
Pull out your Bible, pray, and ask the Spirit to show you the Word of God, and prove your salvation. You are forgiven so that you have the power through the Holy Spirit and speaking his word directly to the devil, to overcome any temptation, to follow any command out of gratitude and love for your Saviour. Satan may offer you some fleeting pleasure but he sure can’t offer you eternal life.
OK, back to 2 Corinthians. Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Another very active defence. Thoughts are the only thing in the world under your absolute control if you choose to take control of them. Paul expands on this some in Philippians, but the gist is that we must constantly be aware of our thoughts and work to make them conform to the mind of Christ, which of course will be easier if we really know and internalize the Word of God, if we have that belt cinched up, letting the Holy Spirit renew our minds constantly with His truth.
Now what about that last verse? “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” What does all that mean? I had to go Greek on this one, and I actually like the NLT which says “And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient”.
We have to put this in context. There are false teachers in the Corinthian church who are sparking division and leading people away from Paul’s teaching. He is claiming his authority as an apostle of Christ, and this verse is an exhortation to obey what he taught rather than what these people are teaching.
He’s saying, we, the leaders of the church will punish those who do not disassociate with these interlopers and break free from idolatry. We don’t really know what that would look like, but probably if there was no repentance, it would at the very least mean excommunication from the church.
Two principles are being taught here. One is that there is a need for church discipline in terms of breaking strongholds in people’s and churches lives. We are not to just sit around and watch people get destroyed and send themselves to hell. How loving is that?
Secondly, Paul is saying as he does in other places, that Christians are to be submitted to their true God appointed leaders, who will have to give an account. Can your leaders fall, can they be wrong? Yes, but they will be held accountable for that not you.
Now maybe that’s a little off track in terms of breaking strongholds, but we need to remember that this is a war, Satan and God warring over our minds and our eternal souls. As a pastor I have been appointed as a general in his army, and as such I must equip those under my command. Are you getting the seriousness of this whole thing and how seriously I take my commission from God? John Piper says, “I stand vigilantly on the precipice of eternity speaking to people who this week could go over the edge whether they are ready to or not”. This isn’t just a job, and being a Christian isn’t just membership in a club, you have enlisted in the war.
OK, I want to close today by giving you III. 6 strategies for breaking strongholds and keeping them broken:
A. AUTHORITY -- Every believer has the right to use the authority of Jesus' name to bind and take authority over Satan's activities. "No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house" (Mark 3:27). Issue a spoken command to the devil that he is bound and he must leave the stronghold! Exercising authority in the name of Jesus will expel the Devil's influence. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons;..." (Mark 16:17).
B. INTERCESSION -- Come together with other believers to pray and intercede against strongholds until you get results. There is intensified power in the gathering of more believers. Prayer with fasting intensifies faith, and faith will break strongholds. "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast him out? (Jesus says) this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:19, 21).
C. DISPLACEMENT -- Establish the presence of God. Where Satan has been commanded to leave, fill it up with God's presence. Where the presence of the Lord is, the Devil isn't! Satan doesn't want to hang around where people are lifting up Jesus in worship, in singing and prayer and obedience. The presence of the Lord displaces the Devil. "For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).
D. RESISTANCE -- Submit yourselves and draw close to God. The Bible says this is how we resist Satan and he will flee. The Devil runs from submitted, yielded Christians. He runs from your life, and will run away from where you go. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Let me just say that Satan is stronger and smarter than we are, so we need to be careful and if you are not close to God and under his power, sometimes its better to flee rather than resist when a temptation is in front of us.
E. OCCUPATION -- Give no place or vacancy to the Devil. With Satan departed, fill the void with God. Let righteousness be the standard rule and behavior. Provide no pocket of rebellion, corruption or immorality in which Satan can find refuge to rebuild his influence in your life. The scripture says to not "give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). I found that addiction is one of the primary avenues that Satan uses because we are in an altered state, our guard is down.
F. FORTIFICATION -- Clothe yourself with all of God's armor as we read earlier. Take upon you daily, the full array of God's spiritual equipment that you may maintain battle-ready status. With the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit (God's Word) and the other links of armor that we heard about in Ephesians 6, you will be ready to withstand any satanic assault, and will be ready to engage the strongholds in others.
The first four sermons in this series of The Jesus Way were aimed at knowing who you are and what you need to know and do as a disciple of Christ. But clearly, many Christians are not learning, doing, and loving as we are meant to, and I believe this is due to strongholds in our lives where Satan and the world have more of a hold than the Holy Spirit.
So today is really about overcoming the mental barriers to being what God wants us to be. We believe he has the power, but we have to use that power. And frankly you know what I think is the biggest stronghold in all of our lives that keeps us from living Holy and Spirit powered lives? A simple lack of desire.
If we have the true desire to change, if it is the most important thing in our lives, God has the power, and we will overcome any stronghold in our lives. But if were honest, the strongholds we have are often things we don’t want to give up. Most of us don’t want changed lives, changed hearts - we want God to change our situation so we can keep doing what we want without consequences. It doesn’t work that way.
We say, “I know pornography is bad, but I like it, it’s kind of like art. I know I should be sharing my faith, but it’s uncomfortable”. So my advice to us as we close this morning and celebrate these baptisms, is to focus on that stronghold first, getting rid of the lack of desire to change using the same techniques we talked about this morning. Stop saying “I should”, and start saying “I want to” because I love my Lord.
If you are a Christian, you are under new management and this new landlord wants to renovate your old broken down apartment and lower the rent. When you feel tempted, when Satan throws his daggers at you, you tell him, get out of here, I am under new management, I follow the one who loves me, the one who wants what’s best for me. You can’t tell me what to do anymore, he bought this place with his blood not you.
Our baptisms this morning are basically a signing of the contract with this new landlord. Going into the water represents tearing up the old lease and putting to death the self that has followed the world, and coming out is a new creation in Christ with a new landlord, alive in Christ through the power of His resurrection. You people getting baptised may or not feel different after your baptism, but I guarantee you by God’s Word, you are different, you are officially under the management of Jesus Christ. This is your signature on the new eternal lease.
