September 1, 2005
Morning Worship
Text: Ephesians 6:12
Subject: Spiritual Warfare Part 2
Title: Knowing Your Enemy
As I ministered the Word to you last week I began the series on Spiritual Warfare with understanding the strength we have. We are in a continual battle with an unseen enemy and if we are to win out against him we must not try in our own strength.
I have been rereading the Chronicles of Narnia Series of books by C. S. Lewis. The seven books in this series are, on the surface, children’s stories, but they are actually biblical concepts written in allegorical form. In the 3rd book a chapter deals with the hero characters fighting against an invisible enemy. This enemy, though invisible, used real weapons and could inflict real injury or even death. I was not until the heroes confronted the enemy, learned who they were, and took appropriate action to make them visible, could they really take charge of their situation. Once the enemy was revealed they found that they (the enemy) were no match for the power that the heroes had working in them. In order for us to take complete control of our lives and the battle that rages we also have to realize that we have an unseen enemy. But because we have spiritual power through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that reveals the enemy, there is no tactic to which we must give in.
Today let’s look closely at who our enemy is and how he works in the world.
I. SATAN’S STATUS. In order for us to understand how to win the battle against evil, we have to understand who the enemy is. The apostle Paul calls satan the “god of this world” – god with a little “g”. Does he have any authority on the earth? As he tempted Jesus in the desert he took Jesus up on a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. Luke 4:6, “and the devil said to Him, “all this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” The word translated “delivered” can also mean “surrendered”. That’s what Adam did when he sinned. He surrendered the authority as caretaker of the earth over to satan. So satan has power on the earth. It is power that is limited in a sense, because God has ultimate control of the big picture. But even though it is limited it is still broad in its scope. Let’s understand something. satan may be the god of this world, but he is not God. God was in the beginning. satan is a created being. Can the creation ever be greater than the Creator? Turn over to Ezekiel 28, beginning in verse 11. 11Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 12“Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.”’”
Now this was written about the King of Tyre but has dual interpretation also referring to Lucifer. How do we know that? Verse 13, “You were in Eden, the garden of God…” Not only was satan created, he was the most beautiful of all the angels ever created. God went to great detail to make him beautiful. “Every precious stone was your covering…” Many of these jewels are mentioned as being as being a part of the high priest’s garments giving us a clue as to Lucifer’s purpose in heaven. He was the worship leader. He ministered before the Lord. “The workmanship of your timbrels (tambourines) and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.” Verse 15, “You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created.” But look at what happened in the process. Satan began to take his eyes of the Lord and look at himself. 1) Iniquity was found in you… iniquity means moral perverseness. 2) He was filled with violence – Any doubt about why the world has become a place of violence? 3) Your heart was lifted up – pride is the ultimate root of all sin. When you willfully sin you are telling God, “I know it is sin but I know what’s good for me better than You do…” That’s exact where satan was. So God cast him to the ground.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O £Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
That is the enemy you fight against.
II. SATAN’S STRUCTURE. We know that we are in a spiritual battle. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against… 1) principalities; Strongs’s Concordance says that this word refers to a chief in various applications of order, time, place, or rank. Who is it that would have authority over a principality? It would be a prince wouldn’t it? Turn over to Daniel 10:10-13. 10Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. satan appears to have set up his chain of command after the way God has set His angels. A principality is a demon with great authority, probably answering directly to satan. 2) powers – The word that is translated powers refers to the supernatural. It can mean a magistrate or a civil justice of the peace. This would be a much lower level of authority than a principality. A power would be in the chain of command over a city. 3) Rulers of darkness – Now we get to the upper echelon of spiritual evil. The word “ruler” means “a world ruler”. Ultimately it refers to satan himself but likely includes the other members of the unholy trinity in Revelation that is the anti-christ and the false prophet. 4) spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places. “spiritual” not of the flesh; “wickedness” – depravity or malice; “in high places” this refers to the heavenlies – not of the earth – the spiritual realm. These would be the general run of the mill demons who are sent about the earth to torment. spirit of jealousy, familiar spirit , a spirit, spirit of deep sleep, unclean spirit spirit of infirmity, spirit of divination, spirit of bondage, enticing spirit, spirits of false the prophets, seducing spirits, evil spirits, the tormentors, a devil, devils, god of forces, spirit of fear, spirit of error, foul spirit, another spirit, spirit of the world, unclean devil, dumb spirit, spirit of heaviness, perverse spirit, spirit of travail and vexation, a haughty spirit, hasty spirit, a lying spirit.
satan has an organization that is very efficient and willing to perform his will on a lost and dying world and on unaware Christians as well.
III. SATAN’S STRATEGY. satan’s ultimate goal is the total destruction of mankind. You know as God’s people we are told that we must love the sinner but hate the sin. The enemy loves the sin but hates the sinner. He will use every mode of attack available to him to bring someone down. He especially loves to see a Christian fall. All of those spirits that I mentioned before are at his disposal. He uses them for specific purposes. He attacks at our point of weakness. He is aggressive. “he roams around like a hungry lion seeking those he may devour” He steals the good seed that is the word of God. He sows tares (evil people) among the good crop. He inflicts disease. He accuses the brethren. He induces mental and emotional disorders. He also has a specific armor that he wears. He masquerades as an angel of light. He operates in deception, darkness, intimidation, ignorance, confusion and doubt. His weapons are lies, distractions, condemnation, fear, destruction, and false teachings. And he will take the opportunity of every open door opened to him, whether it is unrepentant sin, spiritual curiosity, or oppression. But his power is limited. He has no authority over the Christian who has the Spirit of the Living God dwelling in him. Yet we unwittingly allow doors to open for his influence. Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.
How do we overcome the enemy? First of all let’s confess that the work has already been done. Jesus took the curse of sin upon Himself on the cross of Calvary. The enemy’s hold on mankind has lost its power. Second, the resurrection of Christ in power has removed the stranglehold the enemy placed on humanity in the form of death, hell and the grave. Third, not only has the enemy been utterly defeated, but Jesus took the keys to his own house away from him. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus said, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Jesus also tells us that all authority in heaven and on the earth has now been given to Him. Who did it belong to before? satan. And now He has given us power to tread on serpents. Fourth, we are overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Telling people about Jesus keeps the enemy on the run. He can’t stand against the word of God. Fifth, we overcome by remaining unified as a body of believers. This is the same unity that is apparent as we partake of communion together. Co = together; union = unity, in other words, being in agreement with one another. Let’s celebrate communion together, knowing who the enemy is, but more importantly, knowing who we are.
