I remember a time when I was hit hard with criticism. Three times in a row. A letter. A phone call. A conversation. Three punches to the gut. I heard things like:
“You’re not honoring God. You’re just trying to entertain people. You’re too tolerant. You don’t give seasoned Christians anything challenging. The direction of the church isn’t right. Your teaching isn’t consistent.”
Now, usually when I receive criticism, I ask God to show me what I need to hear. More often than not, some truth is there. And I don’t want to miss the lessons God wants me to learn. Then after I learn what I need to learn, I try to forget the negative, critical, judgmental stuff.
But this time, I couldn’t shake some thoughts. I threw the world’s largest pity party for myself. You can ask Maryanne: I was not fun to be around. I ended up thinking, “No one likes me. Everyone hates me. It’s not worth it. You can have this job. I’ve given the best years of my life to build the kingdom of God here in NE Ohio only to have my life’s work criticized and devalued. I just don’t know if I want to keep doing this anymore.”
I was no longer a soldier at war; I had become a prisoner of war.
Question: Were those words coming from God? Does God want us defeated and depressed and discouraged and ready to quit? I don’t think so! If the words running through my mind weren’t coming from God, then where could those words be coming from?
Have you ever been there? It might be where some of you are right now. Defeated. Depressed. Discouraged. Ready to quit on your marriage, your kids, or your career? Ready to walk away from a ministry, a relationship, or a dream because of a bunch of depressing words running through your head? Are those words you are thinking words from God?
The big box office hit right now is War of the Worlds. Promo pieces say, “They’re already here.” Who? The aliens. But that’s Hollywood make-believe. They are already here all right. The Bible calls them “cosmic powers over this present darkness” and “spiritual forces of evil.” They have been here and many people who lived before us didn’t know. They are here now attacking us and many of us don’t recognize it.
We are in a war. But we are often unaware. We could call it, not the War of the Worlds, but the...
War of the Words
To help us learn more during this series, at the welcome table in the foyer are 2 resources today. A little book called The Covering. $6. A great read on this topic. Get it and read it and read it this summer. We also have a paper written by our elders answering the question: Can a Christian be demon possessed? The Bible says, “No.” This paper will tell you why… and what’s dangerous about the deliverance ministry movement in the church. Two good resources for you to pick up after the service.
My former pastor, Adrian Rogers, says…
We have an internal enemy – the flesh. (Gal 5:16-17)
We have an external enemy – the world. (I Jn 2:15-17)
We have an infernal enemy – the devil. (Eph 6:12)
You say, “Rick you don’t believe in the devil and in demons do you?” Well, around here we call ourselves followers of Jesus. And we seek to do what Jesus did and believe what Jesus says. And when you read the Bible, it’s clear that Jesus believed in the devil. One of His followers wrote these words:
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
Do we get it – that we are in an invisible war? That we have an enemy who wants to steal and kill and destroy our families our future our faith?
Kanye West gets it. He’s a rapper who won a Grammy for “Jesus Walks.” Listen to the words:
“We need to recruit all the soldiers, all of God’s soldiers. We at war.” Then he says, “God show me a way because the Devil’s trying to break me down.” Even the rap world gets the fact that we have an infernal enemy. Do you get it?
Are you a soldier at war or a prisoner of war?
To win this war of the words, I must…
1. Anticipate the fight.
We miss the fact that it is God who actually wants us to engage with the enemy because it gives Him great glory when we depend on Him for the win. God gives the enemy freedom – a length of leash – to operate in our lives.
We’re kidding ourselves if we think God will keep us from the war. No. We are drafted to be soldiers at war – to show the world that God’s word is better than Satan’s words. We can actually look forward to the fight. The war is an opportunity for us to glorify God – to show the world that feeding on His word and following in His will give us the greatest delight.
The absence of conflict is not the goal. The presence of surrender and commitment and obedience to God is the midst of the conflict is the goal. That’s what gives glory to God.
Let’s look at Jesus in His war of the words.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. And the tempter came…
Matthew 4:1-3a (ESV)
It was part of God’s plan for Jesus to be engaged in spiritual warfare. The removal of the devil from Jesus’ life was not a part of God’s plan. The defeat of the devil was. The same is true for you.
Jesus has just been baptized. The Holy Spirit has come to rest on Him. The Father has said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased.” The call on His life is clear. He is ready to fulfill His Father’s will. And now comes the temptation.
Some of us think that when we get close to God and start really serving Him, the devil will leave us alone. That’s certainly not true! Others of us think that when we are not close to God and don’t serve Him, the devil will leave us alone. And that’s not true either. That’s when he has us right where he wants us. That’s when we are truly prisoners of war.
Anticipate the fight. This is where a lot of us fail first. We’re blindsided. We let our guard down. We forget that there is an invisible war. We think we’re having a struggle with people. We don’t think that the enemy wants to attack us.
Be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
I Peter 5:8 (ESV)
And that someone he wants to devour is you. He wants to devour your joy, your hope, your peace, your power, your fulfillment. He wants to destroy you family, your ministry, your career.
The stakes are high. What if you lose this fight? What if you give into temptation?
All it takes is just a little hook to catch a big fish. And don’t forget: Satan wants to catch you! Just taking his bait one time can cost you.
(Play Marvin’s story here.)
Just a little hook. It’s just a little sin. Listen…
Sin will always…
… take you farther than you meant to go,
… keep you longer that you want stay, and
… cost you more than you thought you’d pay!
Lose this war of the words and you’ll be a fish out of water, a prisoner of war.
To win this war of the words, you must anticipate the fight and you must…
2. Evaluate your thoughts.
I hope you know by now that the battle is for your mind. But just in case you’ve missed that point, let God’s word make this clear. II Corinthians 2 speaks about our adversary.
We are not ignorant of his schemes.
II Corinthians 2:11 (NASB)
Unfortunately, some of us are ignorant of his schemes – his tricks, his lies. That’s why we are prisoners of war – not doing the will of God for our lives, not find the joy of living out God’s plan for our lives. What’s in the enemy’s bag of tricks? What are his schemes? II Corinthians 11 says…
I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray…
II Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
Do you see it? His schemes? He wants to lead our thoughts astray.
Have you ever had thoughts that were so weird or so ugly that you wondered where those thoughts could possibly have come from? I bet you have.
The devil and his demons are liars. It’s not mind games they are playing. It’s an all out war. The enemy would rather you think a wrong thing than do a wrong thing because the thought is the father of the deed. If you think the wrong thing, you’ll do the wrong thing over and over and over again. That’s why the devil lies to us.
Listen to Jesus.
The devil… has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 (ESV)
Our enemy is a big-time liar. The biggest of all time. In Genesis 3, he’s called crafty, cunning, shrewd. You’ve got to look beneath the surface to see his lies. Think about it. The best lies sound like the truth.
What can cause more trouble? A clock that is six hours wrong or a clock that is sixteen minutes wrong? Look at a clock that’s six hours wrong and says 3:00 pm and you’ll say, “That can’t be right. It’s not even noon yet.” You don’t believe it. But a clock that’s sixteen minutes wrong can make you miss your plane!
Satan’s lies are close to the truth. Lies that are nearest to the truth are the most dangerous.
Now, back to the story in Matthew 4:3,
The tempter came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Satan skips over adultery, stealing, lying, and murder. Those temptations are too obvious. Those are the lures little demons use on the weakest of us.
Jesus was not weak! But in His humanity, He had physical needs. He was hungry. So Satan wanted to get Jesus to fulfill a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.
He does the same with us. This is right where we live. “If you are a child of the king, why don’t you live like a prince or a princess? Gotta eat, right? The children of the king don’t eat at Taco Bell, they eat steak. Gotta have clothes, right? The children of the king don’t shop at K Mart, they go to Legacy Village. If you are a child of the king, get some bread. Don’t trust God to meet you needs. Take things into your own hands. Satisfy your desires.”
Satan wanted to get Jesus to fulfill a legitimate need in an illegitimate way.
Notice what Jesus says in verse 4…
But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
He quotes a verse to win this war of words. He’s saying, “God will take care of my physical food. I know what I need most. I need to feed my spirit, my soul.”
Satan says, “Comfort yourself. The children of the king don’t throw their lives away in India or El Salvador or Mozambique or Ghana, living on a shoestring.”
But we say, “I’ll trust God to meet my needs. Comfort is not king to me. Hearing God’s Word and doing God’s will. That’s what I’m all about.”
Next skirmish in this war of the words. Matthew 4:5-6…
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written…
When Satan fights with the strong, he misuses the Bible. Truth ripped from its context leads to error. Watch out for that.
… for it is written, “‘He will command His angels concerning You,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike your foot against a stone.’”
“Jump off the top of the temple in Jerusalem.” This was not a temptation for Jesus to commit suicide. Many people were there at the temple. And Satan is saying, “Jump off. The Bible says that the angels will catch you. Everyone will see it. They’ll know You are awesome. Only the Son of God gets caught by the angels. The people will follow you. Jump!”
Satan was doing whatever he could to keep Jesus from the cross – to keep Jesus from fulfilling God’s plan for His life. He wanted Jesus to get a following without the cross. The cross meant the final destruction of Satan and salvation for you and me. It was God’s will that Jesus be a servant, not a celebrity. Verse 7…
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Jesus didn’t bite. He didn’t dodge the cross. And when we are tempted to take a short-cut to success, we don’t bite. We stay focused on God’s plan for our lives. Verse 8…
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.”
Satan tried to use the glitz and glamour of the world to distract Jesus. You can have power and pleasure. You ought to be healthy, wealthy and prosperous. You can have influence. All it will take is… compromise.
We get the same treatment. The devil makes the things of this world appealing. He tries to get us to focus on the wrong things. It’s a war for our worship. Satan will attempt to diminish the intensity of our love for God. But Jesus will have none of it. Look at verse 10…
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’”
Jesus said, “I’m not getting distracted. I will honor My Father.”
Now, what do verses 4, 7, and 10 have in common? “It is written…” Every time Jesus was tempted He used the Word to defeat the devil.
D. L. Moody said, “When you think sin, think scripture.” Do you do that? Do you replace the lies from Satan with truth from Scripture?
I know some of the lies you are hearing. I hear excuse after excuse for why people aren’t following God’s plan for their lives. When will we see that these are lies – words put in our minds by our enemy? They are lies designed to keep you from obeying God, to keep you from God’s best for your life, to keep you from fulfilling His purpose and plan for you, to keep you from know true joy, to keep you from glorifying God.
What are some of the lies?
I’m missing all the fun.
I won’t have any friends.
I’ve tried it before and it doesn’t work for me.
It’s too good to be true.
It’s not that bad; God will forgive me.
What I do doesn’t matter.
I’m not gifted enough.
I should never have married her/him in the first place.
It doesn’t work for me.
I’ve blown it too many times.
It’s just not worth it.
I’m doing fine the way I am.
I need to look out for me.
One little lie won’t matter.
One little sin won’t hurt.
One little sin won’t kill.
And the next thing you know, you are a fish out of water. You are a prisoner of war.
Satan sends his demons who say, “Satisfy your flesh – quit. Quit on your marriage. Quit on your kids. Quit on your ministry. Quit on your friends. Quit on your dream. Quit on your fight against your addictions. Quit! Give into your flesh!” But you say, “It is written, “Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you. For I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
You can’t do that if you don’t know some scripture. It’s got to be buried deep in your heart. Memorize it. You can’t always reach for your Bible, but you can reach in and pull up whatever you’ve made part of you. You need some portable spiritual power – verses you know that you can use to hit the enemy with as you fight temptation.
That’s why we’ve given you a head start on developing a “hit list.” Look in your programs at the tear-off section of your worship guide. It’s a spiritual warfare hit list. (Tear off!) These are verses for you to memorize to hit the enemy with when you are in a fight.
Everyone here has 3-5 areas in your life where you face temptation over and over again. Why not take some time this weekend to ask God to show you those areas? Then ask Him for verses to learn so you can fight.
Look at the hit list. Do you see any area you struggle with? Memorize a verse to carry with you an invisible Bible MP3 player.
That time when I was defeated and depressed and discouraged and ready to quit? I knew it was warfare. I even had a verse I tried to use. Isaiah 43:4. “You are precious and honored in My sight.” But I only made a half-hearted effort to hit the enemy with the sword or the Lord, the word of God. In fact, the sword fell out of my hand. (Drop the Bible.) And I continued to be a prisoner of war.
We’ve got to say with passion and power from God, “It is written…” and the enemy will run.
To win this war of the words, you must anticipate the fight, evaluate your words and you must...
3. Celebrate the win.
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.
Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV)
Are you fighting and feeling alone in the war? God hasn’t forgotten you. Hit the enemy with the Word for a win! God will come and minister to you. You can celebrate the win with Him.
Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
I John 4:4b (NASB)
Depend on God’s Spirit in you for this fight. The win will come!
The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
Revelation 12:10b-11a (NIV)
That time I was throwing myself a pity party and the sword fell out of my hand? I wanted to quit but I made myself come to the office that next week. I heard a knock on the door. A younger pastor – new to the ministry walked in. I’d been meeting with him for several months. He handed me an envelope with a note. I don’t know why I’m here today because I don’t have much time. But God let me know that I needed to give you this today. Read the note.
“Dear Rick,
Thanks. I’m going to be ordained as a minister in just a few weeks. You’re a big reason for that. Thank you. For listening to my gripes. For being tough when you needed to be. For being my friend.
Then he handed me a box and said “Open it.”
Inside was a picture. The title was “Legacy.” You see a pastor and behind him stand Jesus and Moses and Peter and John the Baptist. My friend was saying, “You part of that legacy and your legacy lives on in me.” I had tears in my eyes. And my resolve not to quit was growing.
A verse was at the bottom of the picture. Since we are surrounded with such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” It was as though God picked up the sword and put it back in my hand and said, “OK. You fight!”
Satan says, “Quit.” I say, “It is written, ‘Run with endurance the race that is set before you.’”
God sent an angel – a messenger – to me to help me win.
To win this war of the words, I must celebrate the win.
* * *
A truth to take home: This war can be won if I hit him… with the Word!
When you think sin, think scripture!
A verse to take in: And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17b, ESV).
A question to answer: When will I develop my own personal hit list?
In this War of the Words, are you a soldier at war or a prisoner of war?
* * *
In July, 12 years ago, a Los Angeles pastor named E.V. Hill spoke from this passage as he challenged God’s people at a Promise Keepers conference.
Jesus said, “Devil, it is written.”
“It is written,” that’s what He said.
“It’s written.”
And every time the devil opened his mouth,
Jesus threw scripture in his mouth.
He came back at him again and he said, “Devil, it is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”
It is written, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”’
He hit him over and over and over… with the Scripture.
And guess what happened? The devil ran!
And guess what you can do beginning tonight?
You don’t have to take it!
You don’t have to take his mess!
You don’t have to take his stuff!
Hit him!
Hit him!
Hit him!
Hit him!”
