Read text: 1 John 5: 4
State subject: The power of faith
State title: Weapon of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is an instrument used in an attack that will totally and completely destroy someone of something. President Bush said that Iraq had assorted weapons of mass destruction as one justification for taking military action against that country. And church just as sure that there is a physical war with the United States and Iraq there is a spiritual war with Satan and the children of God. And just as with physical war in spiritual war both sides uses weapons.
Now we have learned from much television, radio, and newspapers on how the War on Iraq was started and the weapons used in the war. Likewise, in our message this morning we will look at how the spiritual war began and the weapons used. Now church, the New Testament clearly declares that sometime, somewhere, cosmic rebellion occurred as a vast army of angels evidently exercised their free will and chose to resist their God and Creator. Therefore, as a result, those rebellious angels were expelled from heaven. Now church, that army of fallen angels has one master over them; He is called the “the great dragon, the serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan. Help me this morning Holy Ghost.
Furthermore, my brothers and my sisters, the purpose of this army of fallen angel is to deceive “the whole world” and war against the children of God. Church, in the war that Satan has waged against the children of God, two of the weapons he uses in an attempt to defeat us is fear and doubt. Let us look at these two weapons of the enemy of God.
First, let us look at fear. Fear is defined as anxiety caused by approaching danger. For the Bible tells us that Adam and his wife Eve hid themselves from the presence of an Almighty God because of fear. Abraham denied Sarah as his wife and allowed her to be taken by others because of fear for his own life. Peter denied knowing Jesus because of fear. For look at the children of Israel who God brought out of Egypt and brought them to the border of the Promised Land, but because of fear of the people in the land they refused to go in a process the land that God had already given then therefore they were made to wander in dessert for forty years until the that entire generation except two had died.
For Satan know that if he can put fear in the heart of a person then he can cause that person to lie, cheat, steal, kill, disobey God and thereby defeating them physically and spiritually.
Church, even today the devil is still using fear to cause men and women of God to hide, lie and stand still and do nothing in the church. Church many of us today are missing the blessing that God has already given us because are fear. Many people are sitting on pews in churches today and have not done anything for the Kingdom of God in years because they are afraid of what others will say or do to them. Many people will not sing in church because of fear. Some will not pray in public because of fear, some preachers will not preach the truth because of fear. Many will not give as the Lord has command them to give because they are afraid they will not have enough to meet their own needs. Many will not love as God has commanded them to love because they are afraid of rejection. Many church are falling apart because of fear.
The other weapon commonly used by Satan in his attempt to defeat the church is doubt. Now church doubt is defined as uncertainty of mind. For it was with doubt that Satan was able to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden when he asked her the question “ Has God indeed said, you should not eat of every tree of the garden? In other words church he began to attack the mind of this naïve woman, when he ask “Has God indeed said,” you see church he was asking her are you sure? Are you certain? Did God really say what you thought he said? Church with questions of doubt the devil can attack our confidence in God. He gets in the mind of church people today and say are you sure; this is where God wants you to be? Are you sure, you can complete that task that God has given you to do. Do you think that is the song you should be singing? He gets in the mind of the preacher and asks are you certain that is the sermon God wants you to preach today? I love it when I have doubt about a sermon, that means the devil do not want it preached because it will do somebody some good. Church we must remember all ways that Satan is never our friend for he only comes to kill, steal, and to destroy. Moreover church, when he raises fear and doubt in our mind we must shut him down by using the sword of the Spirit, this is the word of God. That is why is so important to study and memorize bible verses. Remember church how Satan attempted to defeat Jesus in the wilderness with doubt when he said to Jesus if you are the Son of God command that these stones become bread, if you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down off this mountain, but Jesus stood firm in the word of God as He stated “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and again it is written you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Also in times of fear and doubt we must remember that the Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsaken us. He has told us that in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths.
In other words church in times of fear and doubt we need to remember that just as the devil has his weapons, God the Father almighty has empowered us with a mighty weapon. In fact, this weapon is so powerful it can be called a weapon of mass destruction. For the bible tells us with this weapon we the body of Christ, the church of the living God, the children of God can absolutely, completely destroy anything the devils puts in our path. For our scripture lesson tells us “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And we know that Satan is the ruler of this world. However, as children of God we can overcome Satan and the world and this is the victory that overcome the world-our faith. Who is the he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? You see church we have weapons of mass destruction against fear, remember church “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. The Spirit that we receive does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God. And as children of God and with our weapon of mass destruction we can say to Satan, the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want; Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil For the Lord is with me, His rod and His staff comfort me, and surely, goodness, and mercy shall follow me, all the day of my life. With our weapon of mass destruction, which is our faith. By faith Noah being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear and prepared an ark for the saving of his household. By faith Abraham oboyed when he was called to go out in to a the place which he would inhertance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith Moses parents hide him for three months because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they where not afraid of the king’s command. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after Joshua and the children of Israel circled it for seven days. Church we have come this far by faith.
Church we have a weapon of mass destruction; we need to use it against the devil when he attack our home, our health, our finances, our jobs, our churches we need to look him in face and boldly declare to him, no weapons formed against me shall prosper, we need to tell him greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. We need to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Church faith in our Lord Jesus the Christ is our weapon of mass destruction by which we can destroy any and all of the devil’s weapons. For Jesus said if your faith is as the size of a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, move mountain move, and it will move. With faith in Jesus, all things are possible for those who believe. Who is the he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Jesus the One that come by water and by blood- Jesus the Christ not only by water but also by water and blood. Church we are inwardly and outwardly defiled. Inwardly, by the pollution of sin in our nature. For our cleansing from this we need spiritual water. We are defiled outwardly by the guilt of sin upon on persons. From this we must be purged by atoning blood. Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus who came down through forty two generations, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born by a virgin, who when he suffered death on the cross they tell me they pierce Him in the side and out of the wound poured water and blood. For by the water our souls are washed and purified. By the blood God is glorified, his law is honored, by the blood we are justified, reconciled and presented righteous before God
