“THE BATTLE WE FIGHT” Eph. 6:12
FBCF – 8/8/21
Jon Daniels
INTRO – 42 books on different battles & wars in my personal library – Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam.
The Book of War. 500+ pages – concise 1-2 page synopses of battles going back as far as The Battle of Kadesh – 1274 BC. Inside flyleaf – “Throughout human history, violent conflict has been a fact of life. To know history of war is to know human history.” (Dwight Jon Zimmerman)
The reason that statement is true is b/c of a different type of war that is going on right now & has been going on ever since Satan & his angels were kicked out of heaven. It’s an unseen spiritual war that manifests itself in the spiritual battles that you & I fight every day. Conflicts & wars here on earth have been going on since right after the Fall in Garden of Eden.
- Some of those conflicts & wars are found in the books that I mentioned in my personal library. Literal military conflicts on battlefields all over the world – from right here in our own backyard in the Civil War to faraway places like Verdun (France in WWI); Normandy & Guadalcanal (WWII); Pusan & Inchon (Korea); Mekong Delta (Vietnam); war on terrorism in Iraq & Afghanistan.
- The conflicts & battles we are talking about take place in our own personal lives: homes, families, churches. Deal w/ abuse, addiction, neglect, crime. Face disease, depression, discouragement, death. Physical battles, emotional, mental, relational, financial battles.
EXPLANATION – Ephesians 6:12
Ephesians – written by Paul in about AD 60 from Roman prison cell. Wrote it to the churches around Ephesus to celebrate the expanse of God’s plan of salvation for ALL people. Ephesians 1:7-8 – “In Him [Jesus], we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance w/ the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us w/ all wisdom & understanding.” It shouts about the MERCY of God, the GRACE of God, the LOVE of God, the PLAN of God for our lives as His children.
- Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But b/c of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions & sins – it is by GRACE you have been saved.”
- Ephesians 2:8-10 – We are God’s masterpiece!
- Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, & live a life of love, just as Christ loved us & gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering & sacrifice to God.”
B/c of His mercy, His grace, His love, & His plan for us, He’s made sure that we are equipped to be able to stand when the battle gets intense.
APPLICATION – God has given us the means to know how to fight our spiritual battles & be victorious.
YOU BETTER KNOW HOW SERIOUS IT IS
Church is not a Carnival cruise ship – battleship.
- Not flying along in an airliner sitting in 1st class sipping on a cold drink – in a fighter plane headed into a dogfight.
- Not zipping along in a cute convertible w/ the top down – in a main battle tank moving onto the battlefield.
- Not plinking at paper targets w/ a BB gun – loading up w/ high-powered weapons & artillery to face a deadly enemy.
“wrestle” – Not fake wrestling w/ men & women who are ACTING like they’re fighting. This is a death match. Hand-to-hand combat against an enemy who wants to pin us to the mat until our life ebbs away. “This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil & all his angels” (MSG).
YOU BETTER KNOW WHO YOUR ENEMY IS
Not going to preach last week’s sermon again, but want to explain more about who our enemy is.
First of all, enemy is NOT “flesh & blood” – Hard to realize that sometimes. Satan uses other humans in his attacks against us, but we must remember that the real battle is not w/ those people.
- Hard to remember that these days. So many lines being drawn by so many people in so many areas.
- Fight urge to comment on every social media post; to jump into every argument; to participate in every debate & discussion.
- Remember who our very real enemy is – Satan.
Satan kicked out of heaven – Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-15 – 1/3 of angels became demons – Revelation 12:4,9
- “the rulers” – top level of evil spiritual forces
- “the authorities” – general forces of evil
- “the cosmic powers over this present darkness”
- “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”
YOU BETTER KNOW HOW TO WIN
Utterly, completely, totally dependent upon Christ! So PUT HIM ON – Romans 13:14 – “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ & don’t think about how to gratify sinful desires.”
5 steps to win spiritual battles:
- Pray a lot - v. 18-20
- Put on the armor
- Pursue spiritual maturity - Don't settle
- Position yourself w/ God’s people - The Church
- Push back the darkness – share Gospel
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAYS
End w/ Romans 16:20 to remind of you this truth: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
