Spiritual Warfare

INTRODUCTION

Chip Ingram developed a new DVD Teaching series called “The Invisible War”.

Many thoughts began to run over situations in MY LIFE & the LIVES OF OTHERS recently.

- Questions asked recently (sickness, death, constant struggle, financial)

- Battles Christians are struggling - trying to understand the pains in their life.

- Battles even with children who were raised in a Godly home who are now in rebellion.

Spiritual Warfare brings Two groups of people:

1. One Group talks about this Warfare all the time. I call it The Demon Group

- the flat tire demon;

- the too hot BBQ demon;

- the bad boss demon;

Everything is related to a demonic spirit who causes this and this and this

2. The Other Groups says that …

- “yes, the Bible talks about Satan and demons but that was in another time”.

It’s just a series of circumstances. Not really anything to it.

3. There doesn’t seem to be a middle of the road! This is what I want us to talk about!

A False Truth being taught:

Many in the Evangelical community teach New Believer that once saved and IF they will do certain things like go to church, tithe of the top, get involved more and more, be completely committed, and if they pray, and on and on, THEN they will live a life of blessings with God.

Paul teaches us the opposite.

Once you become a Christian, a new type of BATTLE will take place. While the WAR IS ALREADY WON, THE BATTLE IS ON!

- This new life will be lived in a hostile environment

- You will still live in a fallen world

- While YOU are brand new, you will still have the old flesh environment that wages war against the newly given Spirit.

He says…

- things in this sinful world are not as God intended

- He will make it right one day but until then, it’s still a fallen world and

- We are in the middle and have a BATTLE TO CONTEND WITH.

Let’s TALK ABOUT THE BATTLE! SATAN is real and wants …

- to take you out.

- to ruin your life.

- to ruin your marriage.

- to ruin your children.

- to split your church.

He wants to have you to be overwhelmed, deceived, believing lies and be rendered completely ineffective in this new relationship with Christ so that you become a miserable person.

Then all the work of God and the work of the cross and resurrection goes for nothing.

So here we are – You ready? Are you prepared to receive a blessing – a BLESSING that helps us in this desperate time we live in? Let’s pause RIGHT NOW AND ASK GOD FOR A SPIRITUAL BLESSING – one that will help you in THE INVISIBLE WAR!

TITLE: THE INVISIBLE WAR #1

TEXT: EPHESIANS 6:10-13

I. A BATTLE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

VERSE 10

“finally” - after all of chap 1-6a - “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power”

- refers to strength derived from God

- not strength we have to somehow obtain – BUT strength we already have

The same power that raised Christ from the dead empowers God's people so they may ALSO be strong in God’s Power. But WHY? WHY DO WE NEED THIS SPECIAL POWER OF GOD?

VERSE 11

"put on the full armor of God"

full armor - GRK complete equipment - head to toe protection both defensively and offensively.

READ VERSE 14-17 (we’ll talk in depth about this passage next week)

"you can take your stand against the devil's schemes"

Paul describes a divine and complete "outfit" that God FITS on the believer in order to provide all we need to stand against the strategies and schemes of the devil.

So we know from verses 10-11 that …

1. there will be a battle and we are in it

2. at our disposal is a full suit of armor for hand to hand combat – but this suit takes preparation. IT MUST FIT!

3. it’s purpose is for standing up to the devil’s schemes – REAL SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

APPLICATION

1. Be strong in THE LORD and in HIS mighty power. HE DOES THE FIGHTING.

2. We must we must prepare for the FITTING OF THE SUIT. IT’S THE KEY TO VICTORY.

3. In order to put on God’s Armor, He must be given complete control!

But WHAT IS THE BATTLE?

II. AN INVISIBLE WAR

Most of the problem is that we fail to understand WHAT and WHERE the REAL BATTLE is. When you feel the devil is after you, where is the battle found to be?

We keep thinking the problem is SOMEONE ELSE!

- The problem is my wife/husband

- The problem is my child