PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLDS
2 Cor. 10:4-5
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A 5-year old girl was talking to her priest and she kept staring at his clerical collar.
2. He finally said, “Didn’t your momma tell you what this collar means? It represents our love and commitment to Christ.”
3. She said, “All I’ve ever heard, is that those collars get rid of fleas and ticks, and are good for 60 days!”
B. TEXT
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” Mt. 11:12, NIV1984.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2 Cor. 10:4-5.
C. THESIS
1. Nobody is going to coast into heaven.
2. Ephesians 6:13; "and having done all, to stand."
3. Someone might can knock me down, but if I keep getting up, I can outlast them.
4. Mohammad Ali -- kept taking blows until his opponent was exhausted, and then knocked him out!
5. Today we’re going to look at “Pulling Down Strongholds!”
I. PAUL SAID, “OUR WARFARE”
A. EVERY CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER
1. AUDIENCE QUIZ: “WHAT ARE SOME UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT SOLDIERS? (Uniforms, haircuts, new recruits don’t take much – the Gov’t meets all their needs, they are often deployed, given orders, go to bootcamp, etc.).
2. God says we all must be soldiers. Thomas Jefferson said, “Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.” So if we want to be free, we must be soldiers!
3. Paul said, “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” 2 Tim. 2:3-4, NKJV.
4. WE’RE IN A WAR BETWEEN 2 KINGDOMS. We’re to “fight” the good fight, and “wrestle” in prayer.
5. SOLDIERS are the people who do the fighting, carry the weapons, & risk their lives for their cause.
6. The “Church” is not a democracy. You either obey Jesus your commanding officer or you're in insubordination! Obedience to Christ is true freedom; freedom to live above the carnal nature.
B. THE ENEMY WON’T WILLINGLY LET you have what you want – you must fight for it.
1. Paul tells us that Satan will actively resist any efforts to take back people or institutions from him.
2. No wimps, willy-nillys, or mack-daddys will ever overthrow the enemy. No haphazard attempts will defeat our determined foe and turn the world upside down.
3. ONLY A DEFINITE, PLANNED ASSAULT WILL TAKE GROUND! Daniel said, “...but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits” Dan. 11:32.
II. 3 REQUIREMENTS OF SOLDIERS:
A. COMMITMENT
1. Bert Clendennen was a rough soldier who survived the Bataan Death March (of U.S. soldiers in Philippines) and got saved. He became an evangelist and preached hard against sin. He promised those smoking cigarettes they would be free if they came forward.
2. When a man came forward, he said, “Pray this prayer to God; ‘Dear God, I promise never to put another cigarette in my mouth, & if I do, please strike me dead!’”
3. The man cried, “I can’t pray that!” Clendennen grabbed him by his shirt collar, shook him, and bellowed, “Pray it boy!” The man did, and to no one’s surprise, the man never again put a cigarette in his mouth!
4. An uncommitted Christian is an unbeliever. If you believe in something, you'll commit. If you haven’t committed, it’s because you don’t believe.
5. You’re faithful to those you love. Do you know a Jesus worth dying for? Paul said, “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die...for the name of the Lord Jesus” Acts 21:13.
B. COURAGE – 2nd requirement
1. Are soldiers afraid when they go into battle? Sure, but they overcome those feelings to obey their commander’s orders.
2. Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. Martin Luther King said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” I agree with that! It’s time for silent people to speak up for Jesus!
3. Courage, according to Ernest Hemingway, is “grace under pressure.” The Spirit of God wants to take us beyond our fears, beyond our comfort zones, beyond any previous experiences -- into realms of word and deed that can only be accounted for by the Spirit of God!
4. NOT TAKING IT OFF THE BULLY
a. When Goliath ridiculed David because he was a mere boy, Goliath made a big mistake. Jerry Brown of New Castle, Pennsylvania also misjudged an 89-year-old woman when he stole her friend's purse.
b. Now this old lady didn't have David's sling and five, smooth stones, but she did have her cane. This lady, rather than standing there looking frail and helpless, gave a whack to Brown's getaway car.
c. She gave it such a whack she scratched the paint and left a dent in the vehicle. Between the dent, the scratch and the description of the robbers, the New Castle police were soon able to arrest Jerry Brown and his accomplice, Tatiana Vargas. [Ken Klaus]
C. DISCIPLINE – 3rd requirement
1. You can't have an army without discipline: in our spiritual walk, in our daily prayer, Bible reading, regular church attendance and witnessing.
2. Why do soldiers go to boot camp? For discipline and training for battle. Discipline will save your life in a dire situation. The devil will only submit to us, if our lives are submitted to God.
III. PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLDS
A. WHAT ARE STRONGHOLDS?
1. Paul used the word "Strongholds." This is the only place in the N.T. where this Greek word is used; it literally means "a place of strength."
2. Strongholds are places where evil is entrenched, where it’s fortified, and difficult to attack.
3. Strongholds are wrong assumptions that drive us in the wrong direction; doubts, fears, poor self-image, anger, prejudice, materialism, low moral standards, etc. Strong-holds are wrong thinking, wrong emotions, & actions that are contrary to what God says.
B. WHAT MAY OUR STRONGHOLDS BE?
1. TYPES OF STRONGHOLDS:
a. Some of you have KIDS that aren’t saved or that you have a bad relationship with – that’s a stronghold!
b. Some of you have FINANCIAL STRESS;
c. Others have chronic HEALTH PROBLEMS;
d. Others have MARITAL PROBLEMS;
e. Some of you battle LONELINESS or DEPRESSION.
f. Some of you battle TEMPTATIONS – pornography, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, cursing, unforgiveness, bad thoughts, sex outside marriage, etc.
2. YOU MUST NOT GIVE UP THE BATTLE! It’s easy to think your situation will never change. “I just can’t do it, Pastor!”
3. But, praise God, we don’t have to face our strongholds alone. WE HAVE A CHAMPION, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, if you’re a Christian, is living inside of you and is present to help you defeat your stronghold.
4. Jesus has never lost a battle! He overcame death, Hell, and the grave. Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Lk. 10:19).
5. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get instant deliverance. God told the Israelites, “Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” Ex. 23:30. AS YOU GROW IN STRENGTH, YOUR CHAINS WILL FALL OFF!
C. HOW TO THROW THEM OFF?
1. First defeat the biggest sins in your life: the addictions, gross immorality, ungodly relationships; stop watching ungodly movies and music, etc. All of these you must REPLACE with Godly behavior, Christian music/ movies, and involvement in Christian ministry.
2. Next, overcome your cursing, conquer your anger, impatience, lust, rebellion, stubbornness, and greed.
3. Lastly, attack your thought life, arresting those thoughts, sending them back to Hell and replacing them with Christ’s thoughts; “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2 Cor. 10:5.
D. YOU SHALL PREVAIL WITH CHRIST!
1. Jesus said in Matt. 16:18; "...I will build my church; and the Gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
2. To defeat the darkness, we must be filled with Light! “Greater is He that is in us than hen that is in the world!” (1 Jn. 4:4). The Holy Spirit whose in you is far superior to anything the devil can throw at you!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: “DYNAMITE CAN’T STOP GOD!”
1. Rich and Wanda Ferguson, A/G missionaries to Peru, published the true story of a miracle of biblical proportions that happened in Peru. Peru has been a place of spiritual strongholds!
2. Drug cartels/terrorist groups had taken over parts of Peru, closing police stations and running things by their own rules. Julio*, a young lay evangelist, was threatened by the group, “You must stop preaching. If you don’t obey us, you will pay with your blood.”
3. But Julio ignored the threats and continued his usual rounds, preaching in the small mountain churches and encouraging the believers. Again the terrorists warned Julio, & again he disregarded the threats against his life.
4. Outraged, the terrorists said, “You disobeyed us. Now we will make an example of you.” A few days later, they kidnapped Julio and took him to the center of a larger town, in the large, open town square.
5. A crowd was gathered to witness the execution. Julio was tied to a chair and sticks of dynamite were tied to his arms and legs. The terrorists wanted to put fear into the hearts of Christians and perhaps close the churches.
6. The fuses were lit and moved closer to the dynamite. To the terrorists’ surprise, Julio began singing praises to God. Some Christians in the crowd joined in.
7. Suddenly there was a loud boom! The dynamite exploded! Clouds of smoke filled the air. The terrorists shouted in triumph! But when the smoke cleared, there sat Julio unharmed and he again began singing praises to God! The terrorists were so overcome by fear that they ran away, but all the Christians shouted, “It’s a miracle!”
8. Julio continued his ministry in spite of persecution and many thousands have turned to the Lord. Jesus is our strength in times of weakness! [Published in August, 1990, Mountain Movers Mag.]
9. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds!”
B. THE CALL
1. Many veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.
2. "A wise man once said that when we appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, He will look at us very carefully and ask, “Where are your scars?” If we respond we have no scars, He will then reproach us and say, Why? Was there nothing worth fighting for?”
3. How many of you want to engage in the Kingdom struggle more fervently? Raise your hands.
4. How many of you have a stronghold you want to overcome? Raise your hands.
5. How many of you want to surrendered to Jesus yet, but you want today to be the day you do? PRAYER.
*Julio is the name given to protect his identity.
