WEBVTT 00:00:11.369 --> 00:00:15.130 Make no mistake, there is evil in the world. 00:00:15.390 --> 00:00:19.030 Mass shootings, the sex trade, children being 00:00:19.030 --> 00:00:22.390 abused. Are we in fact in a spiritual battle? 00:00:22.690 --> 00:00:26.370 Is Satan, demons, are those things that are real? 00:00:26.510 --> 00:00:29.949 Yes, you need to learn how to protect yourself 00:00:29.949 --> 00:00:37.149 and win the battle. Stay with me. Welcome to 00:00:37.149 --> 00:00:39.990 this weekend edition of Living on the Edge with 00:00:39.990 --> 00:00:42.579 Chip Ingram. The mission of this daily program 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:45.399 is to intentionally disciple Christians through 00:00:45.399 --> 00:00:47.460 the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.740 Let me ask you, does the wickedness of our world 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:53.899 panic you to your core? You feel that evil is 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:56.880 running rampant everywhere, not just on the nightly 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:00.000 news, but at work, church, or even in your home. 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:02.740 Well, this past week, we began Chip's powerful 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:05.819 series, The Invisible War. For the next week, 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:08.219 Chip will dispel our fears and provide us with 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:11.040 some helpful insights into this relevant topic. 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:14.439 Join us in Ephesians chapter 6 as Chip highlights 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:17.400 the vital theology believers need to know about 00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:20.640 spiritual warfare. Today we're revisiting the 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:23.060 first program in this series, so grab your Bible 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:25.680 and notes as we join Chip now for his message, 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:30.180 What is the Invisible War? If you want to open 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:32.989 your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. There was 00:01:32.989 --> 00:01:36.290 one key text, verses 10 through 20, where the 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:39.090 Apostle Paul is going to explain spiritual warfare. 00:01:39.390 --> 00:01:41.370 Now, what you need to understand, if you will 00:01:41.370 --> 00:01:44.030 mentally go with me here, is chapters 1 through 00:01:44.030 --> 00:01:47.140 3. He's telling them, this is who you are in 00:01:47.140 --> 00:01:49.620 Christ. You're a brand new creature. You've been 00:01:49.620 --> 00:01:51.760 redeemed. You've been sealed with the spirit. 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:54.980 You have an inheritance. God has made this brand 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:57.420 new thing called the church of Jew and Gentile. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.480 And then chapter four says, in light of all that 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:04.200 God has done for you, I want you to walk in the 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.420 manner worthy of your calling. The word worthy, 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.080 we got our English word axis. It's a picture 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.000 of those balances. And it's saying chapters 1, 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.740 2, and 3 is all that God has deposited in you. 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:17.500 You are new in Christ, seated in heavenly places, 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:20.360 loved more than you can ever be loved. It'll 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:23.400 never, ever change. Now, live in a way where 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:25.539 your belief and your behavior tell the same story. 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:28.659 And then in chapter 4, he'll talk about how that 00:02:28.659 --> 00:02:30.780 has happened and the role of the church. And 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:32.680 then he'll talk about life change and how that 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:35.099 occurs. In chapter 5, he'll talk about walking 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:37.199 in purity. He'll talk about walking in the light, 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.659 being filled with the Holy Spirit, what that 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:41.199 looks like in your marriage, what that looks 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:42.939 like with your children, what that looks like 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:45.960 in your employment in that day with slaves. And 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:48.080 then after giving all that, he's going to say, 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:52.659 this new life and all those relationships and 00:02:52.659 --> 00:02:54.680 the Spirit of God living his life out through 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.639 you is going to occur in a hostile environment. 00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:02.860 You're in a battle. And so beginning at verse 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:06.180 10 through verse 20, he's going to teach very 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:08.840 clearly what the battle is, where the battle 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:11.819 is, how to put on spiritual armor, and how to 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:15.560 actually experience the victory. that Christ 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:19.219 has also given us. So with that, you'll notice 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:22.419 verses 10 to 12. It says, finally be strong in 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:24.879 the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:26.960 on the full armor of God that you may be able 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.500 to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:33.740 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.780 but against the rulers, against the powers, against 00:03:37.780 --> 00:03:40.280 the world forces of this darkness, against the 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:42.939 spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly 00:03:42.939 --> 00:03:45.409 places. I'd like you to underline the phrase, 00:03:45.550 --> 00:03:48.050 be strong in the Lord and put a number one above 00:03:48.050 --> 00:03:50.250 that. And then I want you to move over and it 00:03:50.250 --> 00:03:53.210 says, put on the full armor of God. I want you 00:03:53.210 --> 00:03:55.949 to underline that and put a number two. There's 00:03:55.949 --> 00:03:59.990 two commands in this passage. The first is a 00:03:59.990 --> 00:04:03.550 general command and it's grammatically what's 00:04:03.550 --> 00:04:05.469 called the present tense and a passive voice. 00:04:05.550 --> 00:04:07.270 And I'm going to give you, for some of you Bible 00:04:07.270 --> 00:04:08.949 students, you'll appreciate that and others will 00:04:08.949 --> 00:04:10.490 go, I don't know what that is and it really doesn't 00:04:10.490 --> 00:04:13.430 matter. Here's what it means. It means this is 00:04:13.430 --> 00:04:15.770 something that you are commanded to do right 00:04:15.770 --> 00:04:19.389 now, but the passive voice, it's something that 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:22.410 you have to allow to happen to you. I'm commanded 00:04:22.410 --> 00:04:25.389 to do it, but I can't make it happen. So for 00:04:25.389 --> 00:04:28.490 example, right below the general command, I basically 00:04:28.490 --> 00:04:31.269 took the text, and let me give you an expanded 00:04:31.269 --> 00:04:34.410 translation. Allow yourself to be continually 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:36.649 strengthened by the power already made available 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:39.579 to you in your new position in Christ. in your 00:04:39.579 --> 00:04:41.939 relationship with him. The power that raised 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:45.120 Christ from the dead now also dwells in you. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:48.939 First and foremost, there's a general command 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:53.279 to be strong in the power that God has already 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:56.680 given us. Allow that power to work in and through 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.339 your life. And then there's the specific command. 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:02.899 This is, well, how do you do that? You put on 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:05.759 the full armor of God. And we're going to spend 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:07.639 some time talking about what that is and what 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.180 that looks like and very practically how to do 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:13.220 that. And then notice the purpose clause, that 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:17.040 you may be able to stand firm against the schemes 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:21.040 of the devil. Circle the word schemes. We get 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:26.139 our word strategies. And literally, it's a picture 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.519 of... literally holding fast or standing firm, 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:32.339 it's the idea that if you would understand that 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:35.420 you, when you trusted in Jesus Christ, were taken 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:37.839 out of the kingdom of darkness and you were placed 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:40.579 in the kingdom of light, then you were sealed 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:43.920 with his spirit. His spirit was deposited in 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.319 you. Spiritual gifts were given to you. You were 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.699 made a part of the body of Christ. You are now 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:51.220 protected in a part of it. Now he says, this 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:54.240 is all that you have. I want you to stand firm 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.699 or hold on to what you already have. And then 00:05:57.699 --> 00:06:00.500 he says, the way you do that is by putting on 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:03.800 the full armor of God. And then he gives the 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:06.600 reason. He says, for our struggle, put a circle 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:08.860 around that word, is not against flesh and blood. 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:11.649 In other words, the... men and people and material 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:14.769 world, but against the rulers, against the powers, 00:06:14.910 --> 00:06:17.750 against the world forces of this darkness, against 00:06:17.750 --> 00:06:20.089 the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:23.149 places. And so the specific command, if you want 00:06:23.149 --> 00:06:26.250 sort of a little broader interpretation here, 00:06:26.730 --> 00:06:29.750 okay, I'm going to be strong in the Lord. How 00:06:29.750 --> 00:06:33.009 do I do that? By continually and repeatingly 00:06:33.009 --> 00:06:36.110 putting on this at specific points of time, the 00:06:36.110 --> 00:06:38.490 spiritual protection God has provided for you. 00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:42.970 The spiritual armor. This is what's called an 00:06:42.970 --> 00:06:44.870 aorist imperative, and I'm not going to throw 00:06:44.870 --> 00:06:46.790 a lot of Greek words around, but here early on 00:06:46.790 --> 00:06:49.529 it's really important because an aorist imperative 00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:52.730 has a sense of urgency. In other words, what 00:06:52.730 --> 00:06:55.310 you need to do is be ready and be urgent and 00:06:55.310 --> 00:06:57.610 ready and continually when the battle comes, 00:06:57.769 --> 00:07:00.009 you need to be strong in the Lord and you do 00:07:00.009 --> 00:07:02.889 that by appropriating this armor at any time, 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:05.149 at any moment, when the darts of the enemy come. 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:08.500 Goes on to say, for the express purpose of holding 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:11.379 on to the position in Christ as you're bombarded 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:14.519 by satanic strategies designed to destroy you 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:18.040 and or render you ineffective in kingdom pursuits. 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:22.379 The reason is, it's because there is a real struggle. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.939 And that word struggle that you circled literally 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:27.939 is a picture of a wrestling match. They would 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:30.459 have the gladiators go in and wrestle to the 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:33.579 death. And this is that word. This is serious 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:37.279 stuff. This isn't a little man in a red suit 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:42.160 with horns and a plastic tail. This is against 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:46.720 the physical, material adversaries. That's not 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.120 the problem. People, circumstances, organizations. 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:53.139 But he's literally giving us a hierarchy. You 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:54.939 know, if you're in the military, there's generals 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:57.860 and majors and lieutenants and sergeants. He's 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:03.399 giving us a hierarchy of demonic forces. Rulers. 00:08:03.790 --> 00:08:07.610 powers, world forces of darkness, spiritual forces 00:08:07.610 --> 00:08:10.990 of darkness in the heavenly places. And so what 00:08:10.990 --> 00:08:13.069 I want you to do is, okay, we've got a general 00:08:13.069 --> 00:08:16.170 command, be strong in the Lord. We have a specific 00:08:16.170 --> 00:08:18.829 man. You do that by putting on the armor of God. 00:08:19.129 --> 00:08:21.509 You do that so that you can stand firm against 00:08:21.509 --> 00:08:25.689 the scheme strategies of a personal angelic being 00:08:25.689 --> 00:08:29.410 with a third of the angels who are seeking to 00:08:29.410 --> 00:08:33.059 destroy your life, render you useless. hurt you 00:08:33.059 --> 00:08:36.100 emotionally, spiritually, relationally, discredit 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:39.039 Christ, and do anything possible to make your 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.580 life miserable, and get you to trust anything 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:46.279 or anyone other than Christ. Now, with that said, 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:51.519 I want to give you five basic truths. Five things. 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:54.720 This is 101. This is just directly what the Bible 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.340 teaches about spiritual warfare. Are you ready? 00:08:57.879 --> 00:09:01.919 Good. Basic truth number one is there is an invisible 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:06.000 world that is just as real as the visible world. 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:09.179 There's an invisible world. There's a world that 00:09:09.179 --> 00:09:10.919 you can't see. And let me show you that from 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:13.340 both Old and New Testament. If you have your 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:20.240 Bibles, you can look at 2 Kings 6. And as you 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:22.419 turn there, I'm going to be looking at verses 00:09:22.419 --> 00:09:26.940 14 through 17. And it's about the prophet Elisha. 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:32.419 And Elisha has been used by God to frustrate 00:09:32.419 --> 00:09:35.960 a certain king's plans multiple times, multiple 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:38.659 times, multiple times. And they can never figure 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:40.419 out where he is and they want to get him. And 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:43.039 so they finally find out what city he's in. And 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.639 I mean, he sends cavalry, chariots, soldiers, 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:51.179 and they surround the whole city. And so now 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:54.940 they've got him. And the story will... pick it 00:09:54.940 --> 00:09:57.500 up, is his servant goes out early in the morning, 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:01.620 and he looks out in the city, and he goes, oh 00:10:01.620 --> 00:10:08.279 my, we're done. And so notice we pick it up. 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:11.519 Now when the attendant, verse 15, of the man 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:14.580 of God had risen and gone out, and behold, an 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:17.799 army with horses and chariots were circling the 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:21.440 city. And his servant said to him, alas, my master, 00:10:21.580 --> 00:10:26.320 what shall we do? So he answered, Do not fear, 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:30.360 for those who are with us are more than those 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:34.220 who are with them. And then it's very, very interesting. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.120 Verse 17, Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:42.440 I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:45.200 Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, 00:10:45.259 --> 00:10:47.399 and behold, the mountains were full of horses 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:52.799 and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:54.899 they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:57.139 and said, Strike this people with blindness, 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:00.100 I pray. So he struck them with blindness according 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:03.320 to the word of Elisha. And then Elisha led them 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:07.179 back to that king. All I want you to get is there's 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:10.340 two realities. And there's one going on all the 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:15.759 time that we don't see. You're listening to Living 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:18.279 on the Edge. And Chip Ingram will be back to 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:20.779 continue our series, The Invisible War, in just 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.340 a minute. But let me quickly tell you that we 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.860 are more than a broadcast ministry. We're supporting 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:28.539 pastors globally, developing helpful resources, 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:31.320 and sharing the gospel with this next generation. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.000 So if you'd like to join us in these efforts, 00:11:34.159 --> 00:11:37.539 become a monthly partner by going to livingontheedge 00:11:37.539 --> 00:11:41.600 .org. And thanks for your support. We'll hear 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:53.340 again as Chip. a warfare that's going on. Not 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:57.100 only is there an invisible world, but there's 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:00.360 a battle going on. And in Ephesians he says, 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:04.360 look, it's not about flesh and blood. I don't 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:06.480 know if any of you remember Francis Schaeffer. 00:12:06.539 --> 00:12:09.519 He had a great impact in my early life. And he 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:11.860 wrote a lot, but he had a tiny little booklet. 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:15.200 And his booklet was called Two Contents, Two 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:19.110 Realities. And it really changed my life. I read 00:12:19.110 --> 00:12:21.250 it and he was a philosopher and a brilliant guy 00:12:21.250 --> 00:12:24.149 and did Labrie and all those things and traveled 00:12:24.149 --> 00:12:26.110 all around the world. But it was just, he said, 00:12:26.169 --> 00:12:29.210 there's two concepts, two realities. There's 00:12:29.210 --> 00:12:32.470 a material world and an immaterial world. There's 00:12:32.470 --> 00:12:35.210 a visible world and there's an invisible world. 00:12:35.450 --> 00:12:38.570 And what happens in the invisible world has direct 00:12:38.570 --> 00:12:41.309 correlation and impact on the things that we 00:12:41.309 --> 00:12:46.960 see. Premise, basic truth number one. There is 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:51.120 an invisible world that is just as real as the 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:54.519 visible world. Basic number two, we are involved 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:58.440 in an invisible war, a cosmic conflict that has 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:01.940 eternal implications. He says in 2 Corinthians 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:05.600 10, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.000 war according to the flesh. For the weapons of 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:11.500 our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:14.740 powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We're 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:18.080 destroying speculations and every lofty thing 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:20.899 raised up against the knowledge of God. And we're 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:23.779 taking every thought captive to the obedience 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.919 of Christ. So the apostle Paul is saying, I'm 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:29.679 in a battle, but I don't battle flesh and blood 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:33.519 in the same way spiritually. He says, and notice 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:38.240 the key words. He says, we have divinely powerful, 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:43.419 pulling down fortresses, speculations, knowledge, 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:47.559 and thoughts. The number one thing Satan is is 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:52.259 a deceiver. And he has a world system. He has 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:55.360 a world system that he takes what God says is 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:57.480 good and he twists it. And he wants to give it 00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:59.779 to a good thing at a wrong time in the wrong 00:13:59.779 --> 00:14:02.440 way or with the wrong person. He takes beauty 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.059 and he twists it. He takes what is right and 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:07.740 twists it to make what is wrong. He takes truth 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:10.539 and makes it relative and then he makes it different 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:13.669 and then he has All kind of things where what 00:14:13.669 --> 00:14:16.590 he's doing, deception, deception, deception, 00:14:16.929 --> 00:14:20.049 deception. And if he can get you to believe lies 00:14:20.049 --> 00:14:23.110 about God, his goodness, his kindness, how could 00:14:23.110 --> 00:14:25.710 a good God let this happen? Lies about you, you're 00:14:25.710 --> 00:14:28.649 worthless. You're a nobody. You'll never amount 00:14:28.649 --> 00:14:31.870 to anything. Or if that doesn't work, you are 00:14:31.870 --> 00:14:34.450 wonderful. You're entitled to everything. You're 00:14:34.450 --> 00:14:36.690 the most important person in the world. Lies 00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:39.230 about what makes you secure, what makes you successful. 00:14:39.370 --> 00:14:41.250 If you just had enough money, if you just had 00:14:41.250 --> 00:14:43.029 bigger muscles, if you just had those little 00:14:43.029 --> 00:14:45.269 purses that had the insignia on them so everyone 00:14:45.269 --> 00:14:47.029 would know how important you are. If you just 00:14:47.029 --> 00:14:48.970 had a car that had a little different emblem 00:14:48.970 --> 00:14:50.990 than the car that you have, if you go public 00:14:50.990 --> 00:14:53.070 and have so many patents, then you're a somebody. 00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:56.809 If your kids make the traveling team, you'll 00:14:56.809 --> 00:15:00.190 finally really be worthwhile if you get all A's, 00:15:00.269 --> 00:15:03.690 right? And the lies are some way, somehow, your 00:15:03.690 --> 00:15:06.269 performance, you can either possess something 00:15:06.269 --> 00:15:10.549 or be something or impress people, and somehow, 00:15:10.610 --> 00:15:14.429 some way, the lie is. That will bring joy and 00:15:14.429 --> 00:15:18.549 meaning and purpose and happiness. And so that's 00:15:18.549 --> 00:15:20.509 what he wants us to know. He says you're in a 00:15:20.509 --> 00:15:23.690 spiritual battle. Look, speculations, knowledge 00:15:23.690 --> 00:15:26.029 of God. And here's the deal. What you're going 00:15:26.029 --> 00:15:30.340 to find is much of spiritual, much. of spiritual 00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:33.299 warfare is about you putting good things in your 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:35.820 mind and renewing your mind so you look at life 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:39.600 the way God looks at life. So you are focused 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.659 on the truth because when you know the truth 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:45.840 and practice the truth, it makes you free. Notice 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.259 the Apostle Paul goes on, there was a situation 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:52.190 with a brother who had sinned. And the church 00:15:52.190 --> 00:15:54.529 was not handling the reconciliation very well. 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:57.190 And Paul's writing to them to correct that. And 00:15:57.190 --> 00:15:59.909 he says in 2 Corinthians 4 .4, in whose case 00:15:59.909 --> 00:16:02.909 the God of this world, Satan, has blinded what? 00:16:03.809 --> 00:16:06.350 Their minds of the unbelieving, that they may 00:16:06.350 --> 00:16:08.710 not see the light of the gospel of the glory 00:16:08.710 --> 00:16:12.870 of Christ, who is the image of God. Here's a 00:16:12.870 --> 00:16:14.970 little application that I would just like you 00:16:14.970 --> 00:16:19.049 to ponder. Because when you see that, there's 00:16:19.049 --> 00:16:23.230 eternal implications. People not believing in 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:25.629 Christ is not primarily an intellectual issue. 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:32.850 It's a moral issue. It's not that people don't 00:16:32.850 --> 00:16:35.330 understand, but there is an enemy blinding people 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:38.870 from understanding, making the connection. I 00:16:38.870 --> 00:16:41.110 mean, if you just look at it logically, the proposition 00:16:41.110 --> 00:16:45.009 of the gospel is like a win -win -win, how do 00:16:45.009 --> 00:16:48.049 you turn it down, unless your brain's not working. 00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:52.320 We all know we mess up. The Bible calls it sin. 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:55.700 We all know we fall short. We've all said things, 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:57.659 thought things, done things, hurt other people. 00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:00.860 We all know that we long to be forgiven. We want 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:05.559 life and purpose. God, in His great mercy, sent 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:08.680 God the Son who lived a perfect life to reveal 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:11.670 what the Father is like. And then living a perfect 00:17:11.670 --> 00:17:14.670 life, dies on the cross in our place to pay for 00:17:14.670 --> 00:17:17.269 our sin. Literally, the word is atoned. He covers 00:17:17.269 --> 00:17:19.589 it. He rises from the dead and proves it's true. 00:17:19.710 --> 00:17:22.930 500 eyewitnesses. And this isn't some fairy tale. 00:17:23.029 --> 00:17:24.890 This isn't another religion. This isn't like, 00:17:24.950 --> 00:17:29.650 oh, can I ponder this? And then it starts out 00:17:29.650 --> 00:17:32.349 with this mustard seed of a ragtag group of semi 00:17:32.349 --> 00:17:35.910 -uneducated people, save one. They transform 00:17:35.910 --> 00:17:38.230 the world. It's the largest movement in the world. 00:17:39.649 --> 00:17:41.890 And we have some people in the name of Christ 00:17:41.890 --> 00:17:43.589 that have done a lot of negative things. But 00:17:43.589 --> 00:17:45.829 I will say, boy, when you see what's happened 00:17:45.829 --> 00:17:48.450 to the last, go around the world with me. And 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:53.269 hospitals, orphanages, language. Man, it has 00:17:53.269 --> 00:17:56.769 been Christians, God's people, salt, light, loving. 00:17:57.349 --> 00:18:19.640 And he makes this offer. I mean, if someone said, 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:23.849 excuse me, sir, you could never have... a billion 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.289 dollars, because no matter how long you work. 00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:28.829 And so I have a friend, he would like to give 00:18:28.829 --> 00:18:31.069 that to you, but you need to receive that by 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:33.029 faith and put your trust in him in order for 00:18:33.029 --> 00:18:35.309 him to give you a billion dollars. Would we go, 00:18:35.390 --> 00:18:39.410 ah, that's too easy. It's probably a robocall, 00:18:39.450 --> 00:18:46.130 you know? And yet, that's the gospel. I mean, 00:18:46.130 --> 00:18:51.539 and it's clear, it's simple. It's the substitutionary 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:55.579 work of Jesus. But the issue is people's minds, 00:18:55.759 --> 00:19:00.019 they're blinded. This is why intercessory prayer 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:03.640 is so important. There's a correlation between 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:08.119 praying and beseeching God, asking the Father 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:11.180 to cause His Spirit to work in the heart of someone 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:14.059 to open their eyes and open their mind where 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:19.259 they could lay down their pride or feeling unworthy. 00:19:19.809 --> 00:19:22.609 in order to believe and to trust in what Christ 00:19:22.609 --> 00:19:26.150 has provided. The question I have, and you'll 00:19:26.150 --> 00:19:28.809 see this in your notes, when is the last time 00:19:28.809 --> 00:19:31.529 you honestly considered some struggle or relational 00:19:31.529 --> 00:19:34.589 conflict that was rooted in satanic opposition? 00:19:36.970 --> 00:19:39.950 And what I mean by this is that C .S. Lewis has 00:19:39.950 --> 00:19:42.549 wisely said, the greatest error when it comes 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:44.890 to spiritual warfare is to think far too much 00:19:44.890 --> 00:19:49.269 about Satan or to think far too little. And I'm 00:19:49.269 --> 00:19:52.869 amazed that we have a modern mindset and somehow 00:19:52.869 --> 00:19:54.509 we just think everything's cause and effect. 00:19:54.789 --> 00:19:56.970 I did this and this happens. I did this, this 00:19:56.970 --> 00:19:59.569 happens. Look at the pervasive evil in the world. 00:20:01.670 --> 00:20:04.509 All human beings are made in the image of God 00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:08.410 and have amazing dignity and value. But there's 00:20:08.410 --> 00:20:11.690 some unspeakable evil historically and currently. 00:20:12.650 --> 00:20:16.329 I am not saying in any way everything is caused 00:20:16.329 --> 00:20:19.440 by the enemy. But just for our purposes, would 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:22.440 you consider that there is an enemy that's seeking 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:24.720 to destroy you? And you can go the physical, 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:27.319 the psychological. But if you don't address this, 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:33.799 maybe nothing changes. This is Living on the 00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:36.259 Edge with Chip Ingram. And you've been listening 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:38.940 to part one of Chip's message, What is the Invisible 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:42.359 War? From our series, The Invisible War. Chip 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.640 will be back shortly to share some helpful application 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.900 for us to think about. Right now, there's a spiritual 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:50.720 battle happening all around us. We can't see 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:53.279 it, but it's an epic struggle for our hearts 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:55.779 and minds. So what are we as believers supposed 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:58.240 to do? Well, through this eight -part study, 00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:00.920 Chip shares some insights from Ephesians chapter 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:03.900 6 for how we're to think about, prepare for, 00:21:04.099 --> 00:21:07.839 and respond to spiritual warfare. Learn why we 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:10.039 don't have to be afraid because of the armor 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:12.700 God's given us to fight back. And fight well. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:16.160 To learn more about this series, visit livingontheedge 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:20.480 .org or the Chip Ingram app. Well, Chip's joined 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:22.759 me in studio now. And Chip, given that you're 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:25.700 addressing the reality of spiritual warfare over 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:28.579 the next several broadcasts, why should believers 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:31.380 dig in with us and get a better grasp of what's 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:35.160 going on around them every day? Well, Dave, this 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:38.400 is important because there is a real battle happening. 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:41.799 We need to understand that Satan is a fallen 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:45.640 angel with extreme power who led one -third of 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.720 the angels in rebellion against God, and his 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.839 goal is to destroy the work of God, the work 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:54.559 of Christ, you, your family, even your physical 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:57.259 life. And you're in a battle, and it's an invisible 00:21:57.259 --> 00:22:00.519 battle. And my experience is the average believer 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:05.119 is either unaware or because it feels a little 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:08.299 scary, tends to be frightened from it. This is 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:12.099 a very biblical, practical series that will help 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:15.240 everyday believers understand, one, what's going 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:18.609 on. Two, that you don't have to be afraid that 00:22:18.609 --> 00:22:21.769 Christ has accomplished victory. Three, that 00:22:21.769 --> 00:22:25.130 there is a process and a journey you need to 00:22:25.130 --> 00:22:29.230 understand on a daily basis to say no to lies 00:22:29.230 --> 00:22:32.450 and to even be able to confront the evil that's 00:22:32.450 --> 00:22:35.750 in the world in a way where you have a life. 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:38.980 that demonstrates the power and the love and 00:22:38.980 --> 00:22:42.279 the light of Christ. I think few things are more 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:45.440 misunderstood or there's been such extremes in 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.259 the teaching that people literally don't understand. 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:52.380 Spiritual warfare is a reality. You need to understand 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:56.099 it, learn how to live it out, and win. We have 00:22:56.099 --> 00:22:59.619 the victory. But if you're deceived or if you're 00:22:59.619 --> 00:23:02.160 in bondage or if you're not aware of what's going 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:06.140 on, you are fair game to have the enemy literally 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:09.420 destroy your life. I can think of few series 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:12.480 I've ever taught that the church needs more than 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:15.890 this one right now. Absolutely, Chip. Well, as 00:23:15.890 --> 00:23:18.269 we dive into this vital teaching, let me encourage 00:23:18.269 --> 00:23:20.630 you to get your family or a few friends together 00:23:20.630 --> 00:23:23.630 and listen to this series either at livingontheedge 00:23:23.630 --> 00:23:27.230 .org or wherever you listen to podcasts. Get 00:23:27.230 --> 00:23:29.750 ready to have your thinking about spiritual warfare 00:23:29.750 --> 00:23:33.049 forever changed. Well, with all that said, here 00:23:33.049 --> 00:23:35.930 again is Chip to share a few final words. As 00:23:35.930 --> 00:23:38.410 we close today's program, I ask you a question. 00:23:38.609 --> 00:23:41.609 I ask, when was the last time you considered? 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:44.720 that possibly some of the things that we think 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:48.559 are just everyday occurrences might in fact have 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:52.230 a spiritual warfare component. And as I ask you 00:23:52.230 --> 00:23:54.009 that, no, for sure, we're not saying there's 00:23:54.009 --> 00:23:56.650 a demon under every bush or all our problems 00:23:56.650 --> 00:23:59.250 are because of Satan or demons. What we're saying 00:23:59.250 --> 00:24:02.210 is, yes, it's a fallen world and bad things happen. 00:24:02.410 --> 00:24:05.289 Yes, we make bad decisions and there are consequences. 00:24:05.450 --> 00:24:09.950 But in addition, we are in an invisible battle 00:24:09.950 --> 00:24:13.230 and we need to recognize it and learn to deal 00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:17.039 with it. So right now, I want you to pray. Dear 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:20.259 God, will you show me if any of the issues I'm 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:23.059 struggling with today, any relationship, any 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:26.740 circumstance, could be rooted in demonic opposition? 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:30.140 He'll show you. Great challenge for us to think 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:32.500 about, Chip. You've been listening to a selected 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:34.720 program that we wanted to share from this past 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:37.720 week. To hear more from Chip's series, The Invisible 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:41.940 War, go to livingontheedge .org or wherever you 00:24:41.940 --> 00:24:44.799 listen to podcasts. Until next time, I'm Dave 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:47.180 Drewy saying thanks for listening to this weekend 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.220 edition of Living on the Edge.