Spiritual Warfare - Message 1
There are times when we see evil so blatant, so powerful that we shudder with fear and weep in despair. On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 a.m. - American Flight 11 from Boston crashed into the North Tower at the World Trade Center. Onlookers were stunned and the media focused national attention immediately on lower Manhattan. At 9:03 a.m. - United Flight 175 from Boston crashed into the South Tower at the World Trade Center. It became apparent in that moment that we were not simply witnessing an awful tragedy. Evil was at work. Before that day was over, we had started to trace the outlines of a conspiracy that was bent on creating chaos and suffering. We were looking at one face of evil.
On any city street, we can find overt evils in the drug pushers and pimps. It is not hard to spot the evil that lurks in the displays of pornography, or in the ads that lure people to believe lies of materialism or unrestrained sensuality. But we make a serious mistake in thinking that evil only shows in these ways. Many Christians spend huge amounts of energy fighting the social sins while ignoring evil that is hidden away inside their own ranks.
Frequently evil hides behind a facade of good.
∙ There is that person uses the structure of the Church, not to save and heal those who are broken, but to build a personal power base from which he destroys one person after another.
∙ There is the parent who praises God loudly in public worship who beats his son at home justifying his brutality with Scripture quotations.
∙ There is the woman who is careful about her public image, who is primly proper about her attire, whose public words are chosen to reflect her submission to Christ who at home is a hate-filled, gossiping, selfish person.
Evil may be loud and blatant or it may be lurking furtively in the shadows.
The world is filled with pain, suffering, cruelty, and exploitation — the result, directly or indirectly, of evil.
This series of messages does not attempt to solve the riddle of why evil exists. That question is a most difficult one that people attempt to answer in different ways.
First, why is life such a battle? Because of evil brought to us by a mastermind of evil who is given several names in the Bible: primarily Satan, the Devil. He engages in a constant war against God and His creation. He is a destroyer!
Second, is it supposed to be like this? No, God would have us to live as conquerors of evil both individually and in the world.
Then the questions are: How do we defeat this Mastermind of Evil?
How do we build the kingdom of Christ with peace and righteousness?
The answer: SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
I am reluctant to even bring up the phrase. Presenting this subject requires walking a very narrow road of truth that has a deep ditch on either side.
On one side the ditch of silly superstitions that will swallow us up with empty incantations, worthless recitations, and fables mistaken for life principles.
One the other side is the ditch of skepticism. Here we are deceived by our intellectual pretensions and we
ignore the realm of the spirit. We attempt to serve Christ through the power of our mind, using the ordinary self-improvement techniques and the psychological principles of behavior modification.
Despite the pitfalls and possibility of misunderstanding this Pastor feels strongly that it is my responsibility to teach you about the warfare that is necessary for good to triumph over evil. God has placed at our disposal adequate weapons for the battle and promises that we will not fight alone. It is important that we not be fooled into believing that our faith is inadequate in the modern world. Genuine Christianity, a life connection with the Holy Spirit that empowers you and me, makes us more than equal to the task. The Christian is, in fact, the only one who is completely adequate to deal with the problems that are rooted in evil.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
Jesus Christ informs us that life will be a battle, but that we will; because of Him, emerge in victory.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I
have overcome the world.... John 17:13-18 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (NIV)
SENT in the world for SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Our text is 2 Corinthians 10:1- 5. Pew Bible page 863
By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you -- I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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. (NIV)
1. Take note first of a phrase in v. 3, "For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does.”
Christians are different. We are part of the world, but live by an entirely different ethic. We do not act like other people, operate from the same motives, or even gauge success in life as they do. There is something quite different about us. If you try to judge us on the same basis you judge others you are going to be very far off; you will miss the point entirely.
In these verses we find the basic conflict that causes tension in Christian’s life. Though we live in the world as part of normal society, and look just like everyone else; we think completely differently and engage the problems of life with a different goal. We are not carrying on a worldly war but a spiritual one. Often we begin to feel alienated from the world as we grow under the principles of Christ and His Holy Spirit. We then tempted to withdraw into a separate society, to attempt to create a parallel world within the world. But note carefully that the answer is NOT DISENGAGEMENT. “We live in the world...” We don’t run away from it. Monastic life has appealed to many through the centuries. History is full of men and women who have retreated to quiet places and tried to shut themselves away from life. There are many who seek to do so yet today. As the culture grows hostile many Christians have this attitude: retreat! We have attempted to create a Christian hothouse, an atmosphere which is thoroughly Christian from the womb to the tomb, and permits no invasion of secular ideas or forces. It seeks to insulate and isolate as much as possible the Christian from the world. This is basically unbiblical and sub-Christian because it is contrary to this clear word of the apostle. who says. "We Christians live right in the midst of the world."
The Lord Jesus himself put it this way, Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (NIV) That statement might lead us to a couple of different conclusions about our Shepherd: He is crazy OR He knows something about the power of God that we have yet to understand.
Yet, says Paul, though we live in the world and do not run away from society, still we do not use human plans and methods to win our battles. We must be distinct. How so? Hang with me!
We may oppose the right enemy but with the wrong weapons we will not be successful. If we take up weapons that are like those used by people who are not full of God’s Holy Spirit the results will be limited. How do ordinary people try to change evil to good? They use the weapons of power politics, action coalitions, organized programs, demonstrations, boycotts, picketing, more law, more education; or even violence and arson. Any non-Christian who is confronted by our problems and is trying to find a solution will try at least some of that list. This is the way of the world. However, their solutions fail because they are essentially one-dimensional. They deal only with the physical realm, the observable world. They are unable or unwilling to address the spiritual issues.
*ill.- poverty- not simply an economic issue, throwing money at it in one dimension fails
there are opportunity issues, relationship issues, marriage issues, etc.
Racism- recognizing rights and creating new laws, one dimension... does nothing for the
the surrounding problems of misperceptions, lies, prejudice, etc.
The Bible gives Believers a new POINT OF VIEW - seeing beyond the obvious into the realm of the spirit. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we are told that “we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV) There is an added dimension that the Christian brings to the discussion. Thus, the he uses weapons that are not of the world.
2. The second statement made in our text about our weapons is that they “have divine power!” They work. They destroy strongholds, they overthrow entrenched evil, they set people free. That is what they are for. If they do not do that they are worthless, they are no better than any other program.
What are these weapons?
If they are not normal human plans, what are they?
If they do not include these approaches that are so common today, then what are they?
Paul does not list them here but the Bible is clear about those weapons in the Christian arsenal that provides for the defeat of evil and the Evil One. This I will say without reserve or exception: If you faces any problem with these weapons, you will be a victor. You will not only find a life that has personal satisfaction, you will become a person who influences a wide circle of family and friends; indeed, your world for Jesus Christ.
First we must choose to live in truth.
Jesus said, John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NIV)
Truth is the chief weapon of the Christian. Truth is not knowledge nor is it education. Education is the favored weapon of those attacking our problems today as the most effective way of solving them. Obtaining knowledge of reality is a very important thing in solving problems, it is a powerful weapon. We see the inadequacy of education when we see that knowing the difference between right and wrong does not guarantee that a person will choose right over wrong.
We must be committed to truth. Christianity introduces truth into any situation. It reveals reality. It reorders the world with God as supreme. It defines the purpose of our existence: to glorify God. It tells us the bare facts about the state of our being and teaches the way to find our way back to our Creator.
It is not only the Christian’s business to know the truth. He must demonstrate truth. Here’s where the rub comes. We are too often labeled HYPOCRITES and too often accurately so. We profess more than we live and then excuse away our failure. On writer describes much of Christianity like this: Fraudulent pieties! But a Christian, above all others, ought to be characterized by openness and honesty.
Our world is full of image-makers and marketers. We are sold everything from coffee to a President! We can never be sure if a person is just “giving us the line” or if they genuinely believe what they say. But what a refreshing experience to meet a person or a group that is authentic and transparently open. That is what every Christian and every church ought to be.
Think! No Christian has the right to a private life. Our lives are to be lived openly before all people, transparent, inviting inquiry. We have no private lives and we must not expect to have. This is basically and fundamentally wrong. Christians are to be demonstrations of the truth.
The second weapon is love.
What a tired word. We love a spouse, ice cream, our dog, and our son. All differing feelings. Biblical love is without self interest and is described in detail 1 Corinthians 13 where we read “ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
The Bible says If you cannot love other people in that way then you are not a Christian no matter what kind
of a creed you subscribe to. 1 John 4:8, 12 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV) God says we must love others without reference to their sex, their creed, the color of their skin, their abilities, their attractiveness or lack of the same, or even their similarity to ourselves. Godly love is a mighty weapon. It irresistibly attracts people to Christ. It also is a powerful change agent that transforms people caught in webs of sin into saints who honor God.
The third weapon is righteousness.
We will not win any ground for Christ without a commitment to obedience to both truth and love. In Ephesians 4:1 God says to us... “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (NIV)
When Christ came into your life a new life came with Him. You cannot stay as you are excusing your wrong behavior to heritage, parents, personality, or peers. We must stop our lying, our stealing, our cursing, our immorality, and our harshness toward one another, our unforgiveness, our jealousy and our petty insistence on fairness. We replace those common human traits with the character of Jesus Christ who is tenderheartedness, accepting, and forgiving, and loving.
If you focus your “righteousness” around your choices not to engage in certain social sins: smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling or not watching “R” rated movies— you are a sorry example of a Christian. Our righteousness does not ignore some of these choices, but it goes much deeper to issues of selfishness, greed, injustice, prejudice, etc. Because of the Spirit in us, there should be a quality a radiance which cannot be explained except by the fact that God is at work in you.
The fourth weapon is the prayer of faith.
All people pray! But Spirit-filled people pray in faith believing that God hears and answers. Prayer is a mysterious way to become an agent of good and God in a world besieged by evil and suffering.
James 5:16 reminds us that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (NIV)
Faith is reliance on the direct activity of God in human life.
Prayer is the request for that activity; faith is the expectation that God will do it. What a mighty weapon is put in our hands when we pray; not as a last resort with some vague hope that someone out there hears; but confidently asking God to work in us and through us to do His will.
These are the powerful weapons at our disposal for spiritual warfare: truth, love, righteousness, and the prayer of faith. My friend, I challenge you to accept the declaration that they have divine power to demolish strongholds. With them, the Bible says we will— demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God!
They all work together. You cannot isolate the one from the other; they are all necessary. And when we begin to major on these weapons we will be a tremendously potent force for God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today we have only touched on the surface of this subject. In weeks to come I want to explore with you the importance of taking the offensive against evil and about discerning the roots of sin and suffering in our lives so that we can really change.
Commit to live in truth, in love, in obedience, and full of faith filled prayer. Amen!
