The Spiritual Warfare

THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Matthew 12:22-30

Introduction Attention- In 1989 the communist system fell down in all the Eastern European countries. Romania was the only one that had to pay for its freedom with innocent bold. My friend from this Eastern European country told me that, it was a time of terrible fight between unarmed citizens and terrorist groups.

Many people died. His Church members suffered a lot when two young Christian ladies from his church were killed while returning home after the Sunday evening service in December of that terrible year. Other three members were imprisoned and tortured. A civil warfare is extremely dangerous.

Transition- But let me tell you something: There is continuous spiritual war fare going on, and its much more dangerous than a civil warfare.

Description

• A civil warfare is fought against flesh and blood; the spiritual warfare is fought against spiritual powers.

• A civil warfare endangers the body, but the spiritual warfare endangers the soul.

• A civil warfare may have long term consequences, but a spiritual warfare has eternal consequences.

Historical Context- Jesus Himself had to fight a spiritual warfare. If you open your bibles in Matthew 12: 22-30, you will see him engaged in a spiritual warfare against Satan and his kingdom of darkness.

Text Presentation-The text presents a man that Jesus healed. He was in a very bad situation: he was demon possessed, blind, deaf, and he couldn’t speak. Four major problems, Jesus healed him and immediately he could see, speak, hear, and the demons were gone. People said, “oh this must be the Messiah, he does this wonderful things”. The Pharisees were jealous, and so they started the rumor through the crowd, “Oh yeah, but he does it by the power of the devil, not by the power of God.” Jesus responded to that by saying three things that are very important not only for them over 2000 years ago, but they are important for us today.

Need Element- If you are Christian, then you must know that you are in a spiritual warfare against Satan. I wish I could say that the Christian life is free of problems, but it is not. Every moment he is attacking Gods children. Maybe you see him attacking you in any moment and from any possible position. Listen to the Word of God; Jesus has something important for you today.

Textual idea- Luke recorded the healing of the demon-possessed man and the discussion related to it, so that Theophilus may be aware of the spiritual warfare.

Sermon idea- A Christian believer should be aware of spiritual warfare.

Interrogative-What are the things that a Christian believer should know about spiritual warfare?

Transition Sentence- Our text presents three basic facts about spiritual warfare.

Sermon divisions

1. Jesus is engaged in a spiritual warfare against Satan.

2. In the spiritual warfare, Jesus is stronger than Satan.

3. The spiritual warfare has no non-combatants.

Explanation- Number 1, Jesus is engaged in a spiritual warfare against Satan. You see here, Jesus says in verse 29, “How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions, unless he first binds the strong man? “Now, this is not a suggestion that can be used to go and rob your neighbor. The strong man in this context is Satan. The possessions of the strong man are people that Satan has bound by his various ways of operation. And Jesus is saying that God is at warfare with Satan.

Description- Satan binds people by fear. Satan binds people by drugs, by alcohol, by illicit pleasures, by witchcraft.

Illustration, Personal example- Twenty three years ago God used me to plant a small church in a small village in Kenya. One of the members of that church, a 35-years old lady, mother of 3 children, died from a cancerous brain tumor. When I went to bury her, the graveyard was filled with unbelievers standing and listening to the gospel. It was an excellent occasion to proclaim the word. Right after I quoted Acts 17:30, “God is declaring to men that all everywhere should repent”, a mad man jumped in the middle of the crowd and said: “Don’t mention repentance!” Satan used this bound man to stop the gospel.

Argumentation Description Biblical References- This is nothing new. Right from the beginning, from Genesis 3 Satan is opposed to God. He chose to rebel against God. He deceived our parents in the Garden; he is the one who originates the whole evil in the world. He is the great enemy of God. More than that, Satan is using people to fight against God. Even the pharisees were used by Satan to fight against Jesus.

Application, - My friends let me remind you that whenever you see something opposing God, His kingdom, His people, His work, it is Satan who opposes God.