The Invisible War pt. 3
Video Transition: Paul Harvey – “If I were the Devil!”
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.
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.
Quote: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils (demons – spiritual warfare). 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. And Batterson, Mark. Not Safe Zondervan. 2013.
Let’s read Paul’s thoughts on this Invisible war. Main Scripture Text:
Ephesians 6:10-20: ESV
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 warns us that we are in a spiritual war! We stresses that 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 but the other side will use any means possible to win- even though they have lost the war. 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.
Illustration: I watched Lord of the Rings movies this week actually in preparation for this sermon series on “The Invisible War”:
A few observations and quotes from the trilogy, “Lord of The Rings” by Tolkien about Spiritual Warfare: “The world is not in your books and maps, it’s out there.” — J. R. R. Tolkien
#1: Scene: “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
? J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
#2: Scene: “Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
? J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
#3: Scene: In Rodin with King Théoden and Aragon in the courtroom the conversation goes like this after the king is delivered from an evil spell: “I will not risk open war. Aragorn: Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.”
- J. R. R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
Tolkien understood that there was a great cosmic battle for good and evil in this world – He fought in World War 1 – assisted in code breaking in WW2 for a short time. He saw the horrors of war the rise of Hitler and a world at war. He knew it was not just men creating war but a spiritual force of evil in the background stirring it on. His writing of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings revealed much about what he learned from his life – from becoming an orphan by the age of 12 – to having godly men (A priest) take him and his brother in and educating and helping them to grow wise in the faith and in life. He knew the horror of war first-hand fighting in WW 1- he knew the pain of losing good friends in battle – he knew the struggle of dealing with sickness and disease which he got during the war which most likely saved his life – it took several years to become healthy again – In his stories he portrays the message that Good will overcome evil. He painted a picture on the good small ones which are under-rated by society are the ones that will rise up to save the world from evil because their hearts are pure.
As Paul Harvey said in his address today – If I were the Devil - I would seek to cause division and strife among nations, churches and especially families – Tolkien saw the same when people are divided based on unforgiveness, division, spirituality, race, nationality, statue, ethnicity, social status then we will always see evil taking hold and causing mass devastation, suffering and pain. But unite the different people to wage war against the evil one and you will see victory come forth over evil.
Three points to remember from Spiritual Warfare 101:
1. We are in an Invisible War whether we believe it or not. So, we need to know we are in the fight and acknowledge it!
2. We need to know who our enemy is and learn his strategies and tactics.
3. We need to know we have the victory – the war was won on the cross!
a. Chip states, “Satan continues to fight even after Jesus has won the victory. Satan was defeated at the cross. Sin’s penalty was paid for all people for all time. Sin’s power was broken. Yet Satan and his host of fallen angels continue to engage in guerrilla warfare to discourage, deceive, divide, and destroy God’s people and God’s program. Believers are commanded to equip and prepare themselves in the strength of the Lord and in his mighty power to stand firm against the enemy’s schemes, repel his multifaceted attacks, and engage and defeat him in specific battles.
i. Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 67). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The Invisible War pt. 3: Spiritual Warfare 201
Thesis: We need to put on the full armor of God each day like the Roman Soldiers did and be ready for battle because the war is raging. If we are not ready and prepared for war we will be defeated by the enemy and swept into his bondage, death, torment, suffering and pain.
Introduction:
The Devil as we established over the last few weeks is the master deceiver and he twists God’s Word to get people to buy into lies and false beliefs: For example: “God wants me happy!”
I heard one woman say, “I know God hates divorce - but God wants me happy, so I am divorcing my husband and leaving my family! God will be okay with this – I know He will!”
Note: Here is some background on the statement: The husband had not beat her, hurt her or anything like that! She just wanted to abandon her commitment to her family, marriage and live the carefree party life. But here is the most disturbing part of it all – she was so deceived she thought God would be all in for it and she in her deceived mindset would finally be free!
Quote: Mark Batterson addresses the mass deception today when he states, “Most people in most churches think they are following Jesus, but I’m not so sure. The reality is this: they have invited Jesus to follow them. They call Him Savior, but they’ve never surrendered to Him as Lord. And I was one of them. Trust me, I didn’t want to go anywhere without Jesus right there behind me. But I wanted Jesus to follow me, to serve my purposes, to do my will.” (Batterson, Mark (2019-06-24T23:58:59.000). Not Safe. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)
David Platt stated in his book Radical – taking back your faith from the American Dream this truth, “I am convinced that we followers in American churches have embraced values and ideas that are not only unbiblical but that actually contradict the gospel we claim to believe. And I am convinced we have a choice. You and I can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian Life and in church as a whole, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed him and really obeyed him.”
Chip Ingraham states this about this deceptive mindset, “If this is our mind-set (God wants me happy), what happens when we pursue happiness according to what we believe God surely wants for us and then we struggle with conflict and pain? We feel that God didn’t live up to his end of the bargain. When circumstances don’t make sense, a relationship goes wrong, financial hardship strikes, or there’s emotional or physical hurt, we put our hands on our hips and say, “Why, God? I can’t figure out what you’re doing. I did all the right things. Why isn’t this working out?” That’s a great example of what Satan’s likes to do to us. His deceptions are aimed ultimately at making us question God, doubt his goodness, and conclude that he doesn’t have our best interests at heart. That’s what he did with Eve in the first sin, and he’s been following the pattern ever since. Here’s the truth that God tells us. Life isn’t turning out to be a playground for one very good reason: it was never a playground to begin with. This fallen world is a battleground, not a playground. The bullets are real and the bayonets are awfully sharp. There are demonic powers that are secretly seeking to destroy your life, your marriage, your friendships, your self-image, and your confidence. The master strategy is to undermine your fruitfulness and discredit the name of Jesus.” (Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (pp. 54-55). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.)
I was in another discussion recently where a person was upset and mad, “The person was mad at God because a relative of his who was a Christian had his cancer re-appear and therefore in his mind, “God was so unjust, unmerciful, a tyrant for letting this comeback!” He was so mad at God because all these evil people around him were healthy as a horse. In his view God was wrong in doing this to a good person who deserved to be healed. To him God was to blame for all the evil and sickness in this world. My wife Kathy and I talked about this mindset – Kathy made a great point” “God is blamed for all the bad in this world but never given credit for all the good in this world!” I agreed we always want to blame God for the bad and miss all the good He does each day – but it comes down to having a biblical worldview! It also comes down to understanding we are in a war in this world – an invisible war for our lives. This war is spiritual and the Devil does attack through many means and sickness can be one of them – the other reality is we live in fallen world filled with sickness, disease, and such – But Heaven will be another story from what I read in Scripture and I am looking forward to it whether it’s next month or in 20 years!
T.S - So, lets learn how to be ready for this Invisible War and see how we are to put on the protection of Jesus for this fight!
I. 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, out families lives and others lives (verses 16:4-20).
a. These verses in Ephesians 6: 4 -20 describe the weapons and the protective gear the Lord has given to us to use for this Spiritual War. 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! Chip notes, “It’s also important to remember that the armor is a description of how we are to live out a dynamic relationship with Jesus. This is a lifestyle, not a checklist. These pieces of protection aren’t things that we can mechanically pray onto ourselves each morning in a step-by-step routine. It is a visual aid to help us understand how to live out a relationship with the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Ingram, Chip. The Invisible War (p. 75). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Let’s explore the armor we need to have one!
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.
a. Would you agree with me?
2. For us the “Belt of truth” is the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The Bible. Without the belt of truth - we are vulnerable on the battlefield because without it we will stumble and fall.
a. Truth is what keeps you from being humiliated and destroyed in battle! Truth keeps you supported and agile in battle. Lose truth lose your pants – lose your support system – them everything falls and collapses and you end up being taken down by the enemy.
b. Truth – holding on to it gives you the presence and power of Jesus – who has already defeated the Devil – take off truth – you lose Jesus and His army and you are their on the battlefield with your pants down and the enemy picks you off like a sniper in war as you stand their exposed and unprotected.
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, were beaten bloody and were humiliated. I believe they were lucky they were not killed by this evil spirit.
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.
2. 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.
4. Truthful point: “Why do we think we should be safe and not be in the battle when Scripture is clear – we are in a war – no one is safe in war - we are not safe! Your family is not safe!”
a. Mark Batterson states, “When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. It’s storming the gates of hell. The will of God is not an insurance plan. It’s a daring plan. The complete surrender of your life to the cause of Christ isn’t radical. It’s normal. Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Batterson, Mark (2019-06-24T23:58:59.000). Not Safe. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
b. Story from Mark Batterson, “More than a hundred years ago, a British revivalist issued a holy dare that would change a life, a city, and a generation. That timeless challenge echoes across every generation: “The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” The original hearer of that call to consecration was D. L. Moody. When those words hit his eardrums, they shot straight to his soul. That call to consecration defined his life. And his life, in turn, defined consecration. It was Moody’s all-in moment.” (Batterson, Mark (2019-06-24T23:58:59.000). Not Safe. Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)
c. Satan deceives many with twisted ideas of God all the time: For example: Many believe “My life will always be safe filled with no danger, no suffering, no wrong, nor hurt and no pain!” So, when the suffering comes - they get mad at God and blame him – not the enemy of their souls “Satan” on this earth – who is the master deceiver and foe and the oppressor and the instigator of the war.
d. They blame God for hardship – abandon the truth and in the process expose themselves to being taken out by the enemy – because their support and protecting system is gone. They choose to take off the belt of truth!
i. This is never a wise idea by the way!
ii. It’s like taking your belt off and running trying to run – you don’t get far and your pants fall down making it easy to be caught by the enemy.
1. Share story from the police show you were watching.
5. Truth – the belt is the support system that holds us together in battle – truth will support us – strengthen us – hold us up – protect us - but un-truth abandoning the truth will destroy us and cause us to fall and be destroyed in war by the evil one.
ii. The second protective gear is the “Breast plate of righteousness.”
1. This is like the flak jackets and bullet proof vests that the soldiers/policemen use to protect their vital organs.
2. It is positioned over their vital organs to given you protection in the fire fights or from an ambush of the enemy.
3. The spiritual implication here is the same - the breastplate of righteousness is there to protect your heart from the Devils bullets.
4. If you expose your heart in a battle by taking off the breastplate of righteousness you can and will eventually be killed.
a. 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 by the enemies’ bullets.
5. Righteousness (defined):
a. What is God's definition of righteousness?
i. And (righteous are) those who pray, pay alms (tithes and offerings), honor their agreements, and are patient in (times of) poverty, ailment and during conflict. Such are the people of truth. And they are the God-Fearing.
b. What is a righteous man according to the Bible?
i. Being righteous literally means to be right, especially in a moral way. Religious people often talk about being righteous. In their view, the righteous person not only does the right thing for other people but also follows the laws and commands of the Bible.
c. How do we walk in righteousness?
i. The path of righteousness is to walk by God's side, to be committed to Him, to be loyal and faithful to Him. Covenantal loyalty to God is expressed by the covenant path which is the path of righteousness.
1. The following definitions taken from Google search.
iii. The third element needed in warfare is that your feet are “Fit with the readiness.”
1. 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.
a. Revelation – the book – the last book of the Bible states in Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
i. The book then progresses into giving a resurrection vision of Jesus and he addresses the churches and says you need to be ready or your going to be in trouble when I come – wake up – get ready – I am coming!
2. We need to be ready to fight for Jesus at a moment’s notice.
a. Share the story from “Pearl Harbor” when we as a nation were not prepared for war! The war department who did not believe Japan would attack us did the following unwise things:
i. They bunched of planes together on the runways to protect them from individual terrorist attacks but this was the wrong thing to do when you are attacked by air.
1. The result 300 planes were destroyed very quickly by the Japanese.
ii. The ships and battleships were also grouped together in the harbor. The thought was they were safe bunched together – easily guarded – and the war department had the faulty idea that an air attack was impossible and torpedoes from planes would never be able to get to them because the harbor was so shallow!
1. Wow were they wrong and un-prepared for war.
iii. The radar controllers who saw the plans coming on radar blew it off as nothing and they did nothing. At this point the Japanese planes were 137 miles off the coast! If they had warned Pearl of the threat they would have had about 30 minutes to meet the threat of the attacking force!
1. Result was surprise attack on Pearl – if he would have sent the warning many planes could have been launched to intercept the planes of the Japanese and many on ships would have been prepared to meet them in battle!
iv. The impact of the disaster of Pearl Harbor!
1. The attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 68 civilians, 1,000 were wounded.
2. Japan destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships.
a. Luckily - The three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were out to sea on maneuvers.
3. 300 airplanes were destroyed sitting on the runways bunched together.
3. He’s coming back and the question is “Are you ready?”
a. Or are you - fat and out of shape spiritually?
i. Are you exercising those spiritual muscles?
b. Question: Are your weapons loaded and ready or are you sleeping like the church in Revelation not ready because you are asleep on the front lines.
i. See example in Revelation 3: 1-6: To the Church in Sardis:
1. 1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits£ of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
c. You must be ready – now – Why? - so you are ready when the day of evil comes.
d. A convoy in a battle that varies off course and is not prepared for battle - will always pay a deadly price.
iv. The next item we need for battle is the “shield of faith.”
1. 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.
a. 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.
2. Faith – compared to a statement from the movie “We Bought A Zoo.”
a. I watched this movie a few months back. Matt Damon plays the role of a British Writer, (true story) about Benjamin Mee, who rescues a failing zoo while coming to grips with the loss of his wife. He is a struggling widow and single with kids who are struggling.
i. In the movie there is a quote: “Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage.”
1. It’s highlighted over and over in the movie!
b. I call it a revelation of how faith works! Why? Think about these moments from the Bible and my own life!
i. That’s about how long it took for Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water to Jesus.
ii. That’s about how long it took David to charge Goliath.
iii. That’s about how long it took Zaccheus to climb the sycamore tree.
iv. That’s about how long it took Elijah to pray and call down fire on the false prophets.
1. Elijah’s prayer in 1 Kings 18:36-37 was only thirty-two words in Hebrew, but the power of these words showed as God’s fire consumed the altar. The spectators must have been amazed as the fire consumed the sacrifice, the altar and the stones! (And the false prophets) When the people saw this, they fell down and proclaimed, “The Lord – he is God!” (1 Kings 18:39).
v. That’s about how long it took for the walls to fall on the 7th time around Jericho.
vi. That’s about how long it took Moses to raise His arms to part the Red Sea for the Israelites.
vii. That’s how long it took me to ask Kathy to marry me! (Each time)
viii. That’s about how long it took me to surrender my life to Jesus.
c. Mark Batterson states this about insane courage like this:
i. “History turns on a dime, and the dime is a defining decision that takes about twenty seconds of insane courage (called faith). But if you have the courage to take that one step of faith and climb the cliff, it will change your life forever” (Page 69, Not Safe).
ii. 20 seconds of insane faith and courage can change everything!
1. That’s all it takes – no really – with God it’s possible!
2. So, what difficult decision do you need to make?
3. What tough conversation do you need to have?
4. What person do you need to forgive?
5. What crazy risk do you need to take for God?
iii. Maybe God is telling you to get 20 seconds of insane faith and go after the enemy!
v. When we are in spiritual combat, we must have the “helmet of salvation” on our heads and minds.
1. The helmet is part of a uniform, in the wars of 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.
2. 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.
3. Salvation the helmet allows you the right to be in the war and it protects you in the fire fights.
a. It’s there to protect your mind and designate what side you are on.
4. It’s a crucial piece of equipment – it stands between life and death. It represents who you belong too – it tells you you are a child of the King of Kings – It reminds you of your God given identity!
vi. The “sword of the spirit” is the next weapon in the arsenal of God for us.
1. We are to use the sword of the spirit against the enemy.
2. Jesus used this in Matthew 4 in the temptation and it drove the enemy away.
a. I want you to know that this is an offensive weapon.
b. The problem in the church is no one uses this weapon to go after the enemy.
i. We think Jesus just wants us to leave sin alone and not make war against evil.
3. Ray Stedman stated, “In this verse, the word of God does not refer to the complete Bible. There are two words used in Scripture for the word of God. There is the familiar word, logos, which is used in the opening verse of John's gospel: In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God (John 1:1). Then there is another word, rhema, which is different in meaning. Logos refers to the total utterance of God, the complete revelation of what God has said. Rhema means a specific saying of God, a passage or a verse that has special application to an immediate situation; to use a modern term, it is the Word of God applied to experience, to our existence. Rhema is the word used here. The sword of the Spirit is the saying of God applied to a specific situation. This is the great weapon placed in the hands of a believer. Perhaps all of us have had some experience with this. We have all read passages of Scripture when the words suddenly seemed to come alive, take on flesh and bones, leap off of the page at us, or grow eyes that follow us around everywhere we go. Perhaps we have experienced this in some moment of temptation or doubt, when we were assailed by what Paul calls here the flaming arrows of the evil one (v. 16). But it has been answered immediately by a passage of Scripture that flashed to mind, something we had not been thinking of at all, but which supplied the needed answer. That is why this is called the sword of the Spirit, because it is not only originated by Him as the author of the Word, but it is also recalled to mind by the Spirit and made powerful by Him in our lives. It is His answer to the attack of the devil, who comes to discourage us, defeat us, lure us aside, deceive us, or mislead us in some way. Looking back in my own life, I am aware of many times when this sword of the Spirit has saved me from error and delusion of some kind or other.”
a. https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/ephesians/the-sword-of-the-spirit#:~:text=The%20sword%20of%20the%20Spirit%20is%20the%20saying,of%20us%20have%20had%20some%20experience%20with%20this.
vii. The next weapon is “prayer” I call it the stealth bomber/fighter.
1. You cannot see it coming but when it hits you know it.
2. 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.
a. See Illustration Story “Gulf War Miracle.”
3. 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?
a. Jim Cymbala quote: “Does the Bible ever say anywhere from Genesis to Revelation, ‘My house shall be called a house of preaching’? Does it ever say, ‘My house shall be called a house of music’? Of course not. The Bible does say, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’. Preaching, music, the reading of the Word – these things are fine; I believe in and practice all of them. But they must never override prayer as the defining mark of God’s dwelling. The honest truth is that I have seen God do more in people’s lives during ten minutes of real prayer than in ten of my sermons.”
4. Jim Cymbala quote: “I learned as never before that persistent calling upon the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God. For Christians in these troubled times, there is simply no other way.”
5. Jim Cymbala quote, “If we prevail in prayer, God will do only what he can do.”
6. Jim Cymbala, “No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times of prayer.”
viii. I want to add one more for our list of spiritual weapons found in Luke 10:17-20.
1. We need to make sure we use the power of the name of “Jesus” in battle.
2. Just this name alone terrifies the enemy and the demons and the enemy runs for cover.
3. Luke 10:17-20:
a. 17The seventy–two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
b. 18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
c. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
d. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
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 and on our family, church and lives.
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.
Application:
• 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.
Illustration from history: The Revolutionary War and the pastors!
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go to war!
