The Invisible War pt. 2!
Video Transition: Sermoncentral.com He has overcome!
The Invisible War: Spiritual Warfare 101
Thesis: Every believer needs to know that there is an invisible war raging around you each day and night. The Bible says it’s a spiritual war between good = God and His army and Evil = Satan and his demons.
Quote: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils (demons). One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. C. S. Lewis
Scripture Text: Ephesians 6:10-12:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Note: This sermon is inspired, quoted and gleamed from Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Summary of Sermon 1:
• A survey from a few years back Ron Ritchie asked a question, "Do you believe in the devil, in demons, and demon possession? According to a Gallup Poll taken among 1,236 adults and reported a while ago in local papers more than ½ the people polled believed in the devil (or 55%, with 8% not sure and 37% don't believe the evil one exists). One in ten claim- to have talked to the devil. Some 49% believe that people are at times possessed by the devil, and 22% are not sure, leaving 35% of the population who do not believe in demonic possession."
a. I am not sure what a current poll would reveal today!
b. Chip states, “Is Satan for Real? The Bible isn’t ambiguous on the reality of Satan. He’s there in the beginning in Genesis 3:1, tempting Eve. He’s there in the middle in 1 Chronicles 21:1, inciting David to take a faithless census. He’s there in the end in Revelation 12:9, hurled from heaven along with his fellow rebels to the earth.”
i. Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 45). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
c. But we can say with accuracy from the Bible that Jesus, Peter, Paul, the disciples and even Legion (The demon possessed man in Mark 5:1-20) all believed in demons and Jesus always dealt with them with His authority.
i. Chip states, “Jesus certainly thought Satan was real. He referred to Satan twenty-five times and had a personal encounter with him in Matthew 4:1–11.”
1. Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 45). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
• I have been sharing Scriptures revealing that there is an Invisible War: Do recall the story from 2 Kings 6:8–23?
a. The story is of Elisha, a prophet of the Lord and the Invisible War! Elisha prayer that his servant who saw the army which came to arrest him had surrounded them and filled with fear. So, Elisha prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes to the spiritual army they had on their side and – the servant eyes were open and he saw the heavenly army that was with them.
b. Summary of Introduction to Chip Ingraham “Invisible War” book: Chip states this about our 3 key verses above in Ephesians 6:10-12 and the Invisible War we are all entrenched in (whether we believe it not) – He states, “Spiritual Warfare 101 — cover Paul’s general command in v. 10, his specific command in v. 11, and the reason he gives these in v. 12 for both commands.”
i. The General Command — “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (v. 10)
ii. The Specific Command — “Put on the full armor of God” (v. 11)
iii. The Reason for the Commands — “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (v. 12)
1. From Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 17). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
iv. When we face spiritual battles, our response can be fight or flight – what do you do?
• What do we need to know/do from this message?
a. Answer: Chip states, “Your first responsibility is to be aware of the battle, your second responsibility is to depend on God’s strength, and your third responsibility is to use the protection God has provided.” Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 29). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The Invisible War Part 2:
Thesis: We Christians need to understand that we are in a spiritual war this is the crucial first step to victory. This war is for your soul and the souls of people all around you and yes, even for your loved ones. But, It’s our job as Born Again Spirit filled Christian warriors to fight for our souls and for those around us with the Lord’s help.
Introduction:
Our country has gone to war many times. You may have been involved in one of the many wars our nation has fought in. The truth is the times of war are nothing new for this world in which we live. We see the first hand videos of the war in Ukraine with Russia. The death, pain and suffering from this war. Wars have been happening since mankind fell in the Garden of Eden. The Bible has a lot to say about war.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says there is a time for everything under heaven. Listen to King Solomon’s wise words:
There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under Heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
Yes, the Bible says there is a time for war – can you believe that?
Webster’s Dictionary tells us that war is defined the following way, “It is a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism which causes a struggle or competition between two opposing forces with each one fighting to get their particular way.”
War is not glorious – it’s filled with pain, suffering, battles, death, defeat and victory.
I shared a few weeks ago – that we are in an invisible war - Yes, there is another realm out there that is involved in wars like Ukraine, like the Middle East wars. The war rages in the physical realm but it is also being waged in the spiritual realm. The two forces at war spiritually are between demonic forces of evil and Heavenly forces of good.
For Example:
The terrorists which drove the planes into the world towers on 911 where demonically inspired. They were deceived into thinking that they were going to go to Heaven if they blow themselves up for their holy cause and kill as many people as they could.
In the Middle Eastern Wars we have fought in – some soldiers were killed by showing people empathy and compassion – One story I recall reading spoke about a pregnant women who motions for help to some soldiers in Irag. They respond and go over to help her and the car she is in blows up. The soldiers along with others are killed. These terrorists focused on the caring and kindness of the soldiers to kill them. The Devil is ruthless prowling around like a lion to kill those who follow and stand for the Lord.
A religion based on hate and tactics like this is not of God from what I read in scripture. But here me on this thought, the Bible is very clear what is of God and what is not of God in Scripture.
I want to be clear with you today, why, so you understand that God does not delight or rejoice in war.
It says in Psalm 68:30 “Scatter the nations who delight in war.” It is clear from this passage that no one should delight in war. If you do God will scatter you. We should not rejoice or delight in war either. War is ugly and many innocent people get hurt, maimed and killed. The word of God tells us to make sure we seek guidance before going to war Proverbs 24:6 “Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.”
Today, I want us to ponder our current situation and to seek guidance from the Lord about war. I believe our leadership in this country is not seeking God’s guidance about war. Some are very concerned we will be pulled into the war between Ukraine and Russia or have a war with China over Taiwan.
The truth is we are already in war in our country over our motto on our money - “One Nation Under God.” You see we are at war spiritually for the soul of this nation – there is an Invisible War raging.
The truth is when we are born into this world, we enter the battle. Especially when we become Born Again Christians, we are told we become a part of the army of the Lord – why because we are in a spiritual war that’s for the most part invisible.
Let’s read Paul’s thoughts on this war. Main Scripture Text:
Ephesians 6:10-20:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:10-20 The Message
A FIGHT TO THE FINISH
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.
Paul in our passage today warns us that we are in a spiritual war and we must know how to defend ourselves and how to use the weapons of spiritual warfare that the Lord has provided for us. We need to understand that this Invisible War is for the eternal lives of the people around us including our families. It’s a war for control of the spiritual condition of mankind. We are on the side of good and on the other side is evil. One side represents freedom and life the other side represents bondage and death.
Quote: Chip Ingraham states, “There is an invisible world, and it’s very, very real. That is “basic truth number one” that we desperately need to be convinced of before we study the scriptural teaching on spiritual warfare: there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world (Eph. 6:12). The Bible doesn’t inform us of this invisible world in passing references or isolated verses here and there. The witness is resounding and pervasive. If the spiritual world of angels and demons is not reality, neither is the Bible.” (Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (pp. 32-33). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)
Good will follow the rules of godly combat the other side will use any means possible to win. They will lie, cheat, deceive, twist the truth, use terrorist attacks, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons, they will use innocent humans to protect their cause as shields, they will sacrifice their babies to win, they will use torture because their leader is called “destroyer.” He roams around seeking to kill steal and destroy and the only force holding back his attacks is us the Christian army of the Lord which is connected with Heavenly Forces.
Video Illustration: Ghost – Toward the end of the movie Sam the departed soul battles his friend (living) who is trying to kill his wife. The man ends up killing himself in the battle and discovers he has made a wrong choice and he is hauled away into torment and darkness by demonic spirits. Sam tells his love when the Light of Heaven appears that the Love inside is what you take with you when you go to Heaven. This scene paints the picture that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers.
The truth is we need to know our enemy and put on the full armor of God to fight in this spiritual battle. I would like to make some comparisons between past wars and the tactics and equipment used in them and parallel them to our spiritual weapons to be used in the Invisible War.
I. The first thing our text tells us is we need to be strong in the Lord not in our strength – ability – or knowledge (Verse 10-13).
a. We do not have the weapons to defeat this spiritual enemy that we are warring with.
i. We must use the insight and wisdom provided by the Lord to win this war.
1. His Wisdom and insight is essential for this fight - remember Elisha – the Lord would reveal to him the King of Aram’s plans to protect the King of Israel.
2. Knowledge of the opponent is important in combat.
ii. We are fighting against spiritual forces of evil they are not defeated by conventional natural means. We must use spiritual weapons of warfare made available to us by Jesus Christ.
b. The Bible warns us to make sure we understand who we are fighting. We need to know our enemy.
i. Good generals will tell you to understand your enemy in war. Soldiers are taught to learn their enemies tactics and their strategies for doing battle.
1. If you have ever seen the story of Patton. You may recall that when Patton’s armor met Rommel’s army in Africa Patton defeated him! Why? Because Patton had read Rommel’s book on how to fight.
a. It is said during the battle between Patton and Rommel – Patton would yell out as he was winning “I read your book Rommel!”
b. He was able to defeat the enemy because he knew his tactics and strategies.
2. The same is true of all soldiers and or Generals in War. They have to study their enemies and anticipate their tactics and strategies and use the counter measures to defeat the enemy.
a. We need to do the same in spiritual warfare! We have a source of wisdom and insight from the Holy Spirit to win the battles with the enemy if we are connected to it.
c. We should learn this lesson well because Ephesians tells us to take our stand and fight against “The Devil’s Schemes”.
i. But to be able to stand you must know how your enemy operates.
1. Satan and his demons are deceivers, mockers, accusers and liars.
a. They will seek to kill steal and destroy anyone on the side of God.
b. Satan will even come as an Angel of light to deceive people into thinking he is speaking from God and give direction contrary to the Word of God.
i. See 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
1. Case in point Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon and other writings. Claims he received from an angel of light “Moroni”
2. The writings of Mormonism twist Scripture and reveals what Paul warns of in the New Testament.
c. Chip states, “Our foe is formidable, and his goal is to destroy us and discredit the cause of Christ (Eph. 6:12). My friend Rick Dunham and I were studying Ephesians 6, and he summarized the enemy’s goal like this: “Satan and his forces have a plan to terrorize your soul, to render you impotent as a believer, to make you worthless to the cause of Christ, and to make your life one of misery and spiritual defeat.” Did you realize that? There are demonic spirits who want to terrorize you and make you miserable.
i. Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 44). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
d. Scripture reveals how Lucifer – the Devil was cast out of heaven
i. Satan’s sin against God was pride, he was as a Cherubim angel considered beautiful in the sight of all - but He sought to overthrow God – Note - He is a created being and not God and was no match for God even though he pulled 1/3 of Heaven with him in his rebellion. He and his fallen angels were cast out of Heaven like a bolt of lightening.
ii. Chip notes: Satan’s prideful rebellion is characterized by five “I will” statements in Isaiah 14:13–14:
1. “I will ascend to heaven.”
a. He wanted to occupy the abode of God and have equal recognition with his Creator.
2. “I will raise my throne above the stars of God.”
a. The stars in this context are the other angels. Satan wanted the greatest allegiance and respect from all creation.
3. “I will sit on the mount of assembly.”
a. The mount of assembly is where God ruled. Satan wanted the highest position of authority.
4. “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.”
a. Clouds in Scripture usually indicate the glory of God. Satan wanted the glory due only to God. God’s answer to that, of course, is that he does not share his glory with another.
5. “I will make myself like the Most High.”
a. That has always been Satan’s ultimate goal—to replace God and to receive all the beauty, glory, wisdom, and power of God.
i. Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 47). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
ii. These “I will” statements are in direct conflict with Jesus “I am” statements found in the Gospel of John, by the way, but that is another message!
iii. Chip states, “A good starting point for understanding Satan’s schemes is to examine his names:
1. Satan means “adversary” (Job 1:6–7; 1 Thess. 2:18).
a. He opposes God’s agenda, he works against God’s plan, he violates God’s character, and he assaults God’s people. He makes it a point to get in the way.
2. Devil means “slanderer” (1 Peter 5:8).
a. One of his schemes will be to say false things about people and ruin their reputations. He loves to stir up false witnesses and juicy gossip in order to discredit a servant of God.
3. Lucifer means “son of the morning” or “shining one” (Isa. 14:12).
a. This means he is not going to come to you transparently ugly and scary but will appear beautiful and winsome. You’ll be attracted to his agenda because he’ll dress it up and seduce you with it.
4. Beelzebub means “lord of the flies” (Matt. 12:24).
a. It was a pagan idol that was supposed to protect from swarms of flies. Jews understood it as “the god of filth,” which is an apt description of Satan.
5. Belial was the name of a false god (2 Cor. 6:15).
a. Anything Satan can do to divert worship from God and direct it toward himself interests him. The evil one (1 John 5:19) in Greek is the word for absolute corruption. He will influence anything he can to corrupt it and make it as evil as possible. That is why human trafficking continues. That is why school shootings occur. That is why terrorists behead people and distribute videos of the atrocities through social media. There’s evil in the world, and it comes from a wicked, corrupting influence.
6. The tempter (1 Thess. 3:5) will exploit our perfectly good desires and entice us to fulfill them with artificial means.
a. That is why all good gifts from above—food, rest, sex, ambition, and work, for example—have distorted and twisted variations that are far from the will of God.
7. The prince of this world (John 12:31) is a master of false systems.
a. He crafts entire schools of thought that can suck us in and destroy us. He’s working to create an image of what is attractive for young girls, convincing them that if they don’t look like a cover of Seventeen or Cosmopolitan, they’re not worth very much. But there are many other schools of thought being promoted in our educational system and world which are contrary to Scripture.
8. The accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) will condemn you.
a. He points out your sins—the sins God has paid for in blood and forgiven—and reminds you of them constantly. “You’re a terrible Christian, a bad dad, a no-good wife, a worthless human being,” he’ll whisper. If you ever hear that voice, it does not come from God.
i. The above quoted from Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (pp. 50-51). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
T.S. – The first step in Spiritual warfare 101 is to know your enemy’s plans and tactics so you can counter them. The next thing we must do is have our spiritual warfare equipment on - this is spiritual warfare 201.
II. Paul in Ephesians tells us to make sure we put on God’s Armor for this Invisible War we are in! Why? Because it will save our lives and others lives (verses 16:4-20).
a. These verses 4-20 describe the weapons and protective gear the Lord has given to us to use for this Spiritual War we are in. Please note these verses are not some to do list we do but it is a lifestyle we live everyday – just like the Roman soldiers did who stood in front of Paul each day – they dressed for battle everyday – they were prepared for war each day! Paul makes these observations I believe looking at the Roman soldier guarding him:
i. The Belt of Truth- This is the support system that holds your pants up in battle.
1. For the soldiers in war, they have belts that hold up their pants while in combat. Crucial to have by the way it’s hard to fight when your pants are falling off in war.
2. For us the “Belt of truth” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the belt of truth - we are vulnerable on the battlefield.
a. Truth is what keeps you from being humiliated and destroyed in battle! Truth keeps you supported and agile in battle.
3. The 7 sons of Sceva discovered this reality when they tried to take on the spiritual forces of evil without the truth.
a. Acts 19:11-20:
i. 11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.13Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon–possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.15‹One day› the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”16Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.17When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.18Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.19A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
ii. They lost their clothes in battle and were humiliated.
1. Same is true today if you try to fight the enemy without the belt of truth you will lose your pants and be shamefully exposed and destroyed. There are many dropping their pants in battle because they don’t have the belt of truth keeping them up. It will bring defeat to them in this war.
b. The second protective gear is the “breast plate of righteousness.”
i. This is like the flak jackets and bullet proof vests that the soldiers/policemen use to protect their vital organs.
ii. It is positioned over their vital organs to given you protection in the fire fights or from an ambush of the enemy.
iii. The spiritual implication here is the same - the breastplate of righteousness is there to protect your heart from the Devils bullets.
iv. If you expose your heart in a battle by taking off the breastplate of righteousness you can and will eventually be killed.
1. Your righteousness is the armor that lets you live for eternity. If you lose it or take it off you are open to eternal death.
c. The third element needed in warfare is that your feet are “fit with the readiness.”
i. In other word’s it reflects back to a scripture that speaks that Christ will come back like a thief in the night and that the soldiers need to always be ready to go with him into battle.
ii. We need to be ready to fight for Jesus at a moment’s notice.
iii. He’s coming back and the question is “Are you ready?”
1. Or are you - fat and out of shape spiritually?
2. Question are your weapons loaded and ready or are you sleeping like the church in Revelation not ready because they are asleep on the front lines.
a. See story of Sardis – Revelation 3: 1-6
3. You must be ready – now – Why? - so you are ready when the day of evil comes.
4. A convoy in a battle that varies off course and is not prepared for battle will always pay a deadly price.
d. The next item we need for battle is the “shield of faith.”
i. Faith is your shield in the mist of war. When your superior officer tells you to do something you have to trust - have faith that what he says to do will make the difference between life and death for someone in your outfit and for your life.
ii. Article on faith- we use faith every day!
1. But in spiritual warfare the shield of faith is like the patriot missile it knocks out the enemy’s missiles from hitting you - its target.
e. When we are in spiritual combat, we must have the “helmet of salvation” on.
i. The helmet is part of a uniform, in the wars in the Middle East, it designated whose side you were on. It’s the uniform and helmet that allows you the ability to be in the war fighting.
ii. The helmet is also there to protect your head and mind. To survive in this battle, you must have the mind of Christ and that is the mind of salvation.
iii. Salvation the helmet allows you the right to be in the war and it protects you in the fire fights.
1. It’s there to protect your mind and designate what side you are on.
iv. It’s a crucial piece of equipment – it stands between life and death.
f. The “sword of the spirit” is the next weapon in the arsenal of God for us.
i. We are to use the sword of the spirit against the enemy.
ii. Jesus used this in Matthew 4 in the temptation and it drove the enemy away.
1. I want you to know that this is an offensive weapon.
2. The problem in the church is no one uses this weapon to go after the enemy.
a. We think Jesus just wants us to leave sin alone and not make war.
g. The next weapon is “prayer” I call it the stealth bomber/fighter.
i. You cannot see it coming but when it hits you know it.
ii. We need to have more stealth bombers in the army of the Lord. Prayer is the force that creates miracles and allows God the opportunity to meet a threat head on with his power.
1. See Illustration Story “Gulf War Miracle.”
iii. By the way it’s important to note that the stealth planes are first in battle. Is prayer paving the way for you in battle?
h. I want to add one more for our list of spiritual weapons it is found in Luke 10:17-20.
i. We need to make sure we use the power of the name of “Jesus” in battle. Just this name alone terrifies the enemy and the demons and the enemy runs for cover.
Conclusion:
Today we have discovered that we have been in a war for years with spiritual forces of evil in this world.
We have also discovered that the Lord has given us specific insight into how to defeat this force trying to impose its way on this world.
We have discovered that we need to know who our enemy is.
We have also discovered that the Lord has provided us with the uniforms, the protective gear, the offensive weapons necessary to win this war and defeat the powers of darkness in our lives and in other’s lives.
• But it all comes down to us acknowledging first - that we are in a war.
• The second thing we must do is we must be willing to fight in this war.
• The third action is we must learn about our enemy and know his tactics.
• The fourth action is we need to put on the armor of God to wage war with our enemy.
Once we have taken these 4 steps of action, we will see the enemy driven back in our lives and in other’s lives. We will see that we have the stronger force on our side and that the battle is ours to be won - in the power of Jesus’ name.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go to war!
