(If you have found this sermon helpful, please visit us at www.HeritageRestorationProject.org or www.ChristianWisdom.info)
At the onset, I must make in perfectly clear that what I am about to share with you is not to be misinterpreted as an invitation to hypocrisy nor a license to judge others. Both of these activities were strongly condemned by the Lord (see Matthew 7:1-5). If this discourse is misunderstood, it will probably be disturbing to the reader, and rightly so. Please keep in mind that the enemy is Satan, not those persons who have been oppressed by Satan’s deception, and not even those who are under the influence of Satan. Please remember also that Satan uses the law to condemn humanity while God seeks to redeem, and that God has sent an advocate, Jesus Christ, to stand between Himself and the law (see John 8:1-11 Romans 8:33-34). This is so very important!
Jesus himself neither judged nor condemned those burdened by sin. Jesus said, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” John 12:47 NIV. The natural law, God’s word, by which all that exists is called into being and which sets limits by which all that exists continues to exist (see Genesis 1), indicts all who violate that law, and we have all sinned in this manner, but we have an advocate who stands between us and the law, that advocate being Jesus Christ who paid our sin debt with His own life. God does not wish for anyone to perish, and has therefore provided us with a plan of salvation, the blood of Jesus Christ.
Not only does Jesus stand between us and the law in the final judgement, He also protects us in this life. He spoke out harshly when confronting the Pharisees and other hypocrites, the reason being that He was seeking to protect those who were being abused spiritually by these people. Jesus said to these abusers, “Woe to you…experts in the law! … You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load” (Luke 11:46 Berean Study Bible). God, you see, is love, and anyone who perverts His redemptive purpose is very much in error and has allowed himself to become a servant of Satan.
That having been said, and I cannot emphasize enough what has just been said, let us begin with our declaration of war against Satan in our effort to liberate those whom Satan oppresses.
On Veteran's day we honor all those who have served their country in the military. Typically such veterans are members of the American Legion or the VFW. I'd like to suggest today that we broaden the scope of those we honor and make a special effort to honor the VSW, the “veterans of spiritual wars”, and if you are not yet a member of the VSW, I would certainly encourage you to join.
Not all veterans, you see, have served in the military. There are other battles being fought daily. Members of the VSW have stood against an unseen enemy for many years and have sacrificed in their efforts to protect you from the hand of that enemy. They have stood watch over the ramparts of the church which protects God’s spiritual family, and have been vigilant, always ready to go to battle. It’s a good organization to be a part of, and I hope you will consider joining.
America has many enemies domestic and foreign who are constantly looking for ways to weaken our nation. There are even more enemies of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of our Lord is in a constant danger of attack by enemies domestic and foreign and I hope that each of you are ready to fight in defense of this kingdom, ready to bleed for it, to sacrifice for it, and that you will have the zeal and confidence to triumph over the enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This may come as a surprise to many persons, but, while there are many enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is one instigator behind it all, that instigator being Satan. Satan’s biggest trick, someone once said, is that he has convinced so much of the world that he does not exist. In fact, it is harder to believe in Satan than it is to believe in God because Satan deliberately disguises himself in contrast to God who seeks to reveal Himself. Jesus warned that Satan “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him….for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44b).
In 2 Corinthians 4:4 we read, “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Satan is not to be underestimated, first in his cunning and ability to deceive, and secondly in his maliciousness and intent to do us harm. Satan has set himself up as a false God and has become the God of this world blinding the minds of all but relatively few to Light of the Gospel.
There can be no friendship, cooperation or co-existence with someone when that one seeks to do us mortal harm. Satan is the enemy of God, of God’s plan of salvation, and of each and every living thing. And because Satan is an enemy of God and seeks to do us harm, and, because Satan currently truly rules the world through deception, we know that friendship with the world; i.e., acceptance of ungodly values and behaviors, is enmity toward God (see James 4:4).
You may think this position extreme or even fanatical. It is not. It is the truth. There is so much evil in this world because the vast majority of its peoples currently worship Satan, the bringer of death and the enemy of life, whether they realize it or not. If you are a Christian, the vast majority of the world hates you, whether you realize it or not. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
There are a number of things that we can do to help protect ourselves and loved ones from the attacks of Satan and his minions. In order to effectively resist these attacks, we must first of all recognize that each Christian and the Kingdom of God is under attack. Secondly, we must, as Soldiers of Christ, prepare for warfare and dedicate ourselves to victory over the enemies of the Kingdom. Just as no enemy of United States can be can be considered to be a friend of its citizens, so too, we must learn to recognize that any enemy of God's kingdom cannot be our friend. Friendship and enmity are mutually exclusive. Our loyalty and dedication to God's kingdom must be absolute. We cannot live with one foot in God’s Kingdom and the other in the world. Satan is absolutely committed to our destruction (see 1 Peter 5:8). We must therefore be fully committed to resisting Satan. There can be no appeasing this enemy or his worldly kingdom. There can be no peaceful co-existence with this enemy or his worldly kingdom. There can be no cooperation with the enemy or his worldly kingdom. This is a battle to the death. As citizens of God's kingdom we are called to its defense. The battle has begun. Christianity in general and you in particular are under attack. Each of us is called to enlist in the army of the Lord.
Preparation requires that you recognize the enemy when the enemy comes upon you? Remember, the Lord has warned, “Beware of (those) who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matthew 7:15-17). The first question to ask yourself is do you know your enemy? Secondly, are you willing to fight? If the answer to both questions is “yes”, I urge you to enter the battle. Defend yourself. Pray for clear vision that you might recognize the true enemy, and that you might have the confidence necessary to stand up to and resist the enemy.
In Ephesians 6:12 we read, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” And the weapons we will use are to be spiritual in nature as well. In Ephesians 6:10-11 and 6:14-18 we read: “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.... 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, making supplication for all the saints.”
In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV we read, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Who will prevail against the enemy? Those who take every doubt into captivity and move in the power of the Spirit in faith, “being fully persuaded that God’s word is true and what He said He will do, He is able to perform” (Romans 4:21). In Psalm 18:29 we read: “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” There is nothing the enemy can do to keep us from pulling down his strongholds.
Who shall prevail against this terrible supernatural enemy? Take heart knowing that God will prevail in battle. In Exodus Chapter 14:13-14, Moses told the people of Israel, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The (enemies) you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Are you able to stand in battle with confidence in the Lord? The key to maintaining your confidence is prayer. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much” (James 5:16b). Pray and pray again. Seek out those to support you in prayer and be generous in your prayer for others. The “effectual” prayer involves, firstly, asking others to intercede in prayer for you. This is your responsibility. Secondly, your fervent prayer must be offered in faith. If you pray but don’t have the faith to believe that God hears and answers when you pray according to His will for your life, you will never receive the ammunition necessary to prevail in battle. Thirdly, make sure you are right before God. Confess your sins to God and to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed of your sinful inclination. Fourthly, pray fervently. Pray earnestly. Pray as if you don’t have much time left. In truth, you do not. Fifthly, expect things to happen when you pray.
I urge you today to join the VSW. If you aren’t sure that you have the necessary preparation and courage, then decide today to build yourself up. Prepare yourself for battle. Get in touch with God. Study His word. Pray and watch for the response of the Holy Spirit. Be filled and refilled with God’s Word and the companionship of the Holy Spirit!
Let us honor all veterans today, keeping in mind that even though you may not be eligible to join the ranks of the American Legion or the VFW, each of you, after basic training, are eligible to join God’s Legion and the VSW. I urge you to take up the spiritual sword, God’s Word, in defense of God's Kingdom, and if you are not already a member, I urge you to join the Veterans of Spiritual Wars.
(If you have found this sermon helpful, please visit us at www.HeritageRestorationProject.org)
