WEBVTT 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:13.599 In the book of Ephesians this evening, we're 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:16.320 going to primarily be in Ephesians chapter 6, 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:19.940 but we're going to be jumping around just a bit. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:27.480 I want to start in Ephesians chapter 1. As you're 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:33.700 turning there, consider the life of Grace Fellowship 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:38.380 Church. Grace Fellowship Church that started 00:00:38.380 --> 00:00:45.740 in Grayville. in a small conference room, and 00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:50.640 moved to Fortney United Methodist Church. The 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:54.679 Lord seemingly brought families together and 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:59.399 men together to lead the congregation. And I 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:06.000 forgot to turn my mic on. And the Lord seems 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:09.719 to bless it and grow it. It's obvious and clear 00:01:09.719 --> 00:01:12.579 the Lord is working in our midst. And we think 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:15.040 about the location of Grace Fellowship Church. 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:19.719 Southeast Illinois. Right now we're in Browns. 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:24.180 What's the population of Browns? 200, I think. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:33.799 An estimate. Somewhere in there. Who is there 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.180 to stop us from growing and doing the work of 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:42.060 God out here? Right? God's going to bless the 00:01:42.060 --> 00:01:45.780 church. God's going to bless His people. He'll 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:47.879 grow His church. He's going to grow His kingdom. 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:51.739 Who is there to stop us, brothers and sisters? 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:57.659 Can men stop the work of God? Can people stop 00:01:57.659 --> 00:02:00.719 the work of God? Can there be a hindrance and 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:06.719 a stumbling block to it? Are there enemies afoot? 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:12.939 as the work of God continues, as the church is 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:18.580 established and blessed? The answer is yes, there 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:24.840 are enemies, though they are not men. They are 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:28.240 not people that oppose the church, that are the 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:32.159 greatest threat to the people of God and the 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:36.419 church of Jesus Christ. They are spiritual forces. 00:02:37.229 --> 00:02:41.650 Of wickedness. Spiritual forces of darkness. 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:47.550 That do not want. A healthy. Vibrant. Growing. 00:02:47.810 --> 00:02:55.289 God blessed church. In southeast Illinois. There 00:02:55.289 --> 00:03:00.250 are forces. Afoot. Brothers and sisters. That 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:08.569 hate. This church. There are forces afoot and 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:12.129 surrounding us and at work opposing the church 00:03:12.129 --> 00:03:16.509 of Jesus Christ and this local expression of 00:03:16.509 --> 00:03:23.169 the church of Jesus Christ that despise and strategize 00:03:23.169 --> 00:03:29.409 how to cause the downfall of grace, fellowship, 00:03:29.849 --> 00:03:36.840 church. So when we talk about Spiritual warfare. 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:42.860 We have to understand we're not talking about 00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:50.280 bedtime stories and fairy tales. If we believe 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:56.800 in the Apostle Paul, we have to believe in the 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:01.740 spiritual forces of wickedness that the Apostle 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:07.389 Paul teaches us. so clearly about. The Bible 00:04:07.389 --> 00:04:11.569 is abundantly clear regarding the nature of true 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:17.850 opposition to the church of Jesus Christ. Tonight 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:19.850 we're going to consider the reality of spiritual 00:04:19.850 --> 00:04:23.149 warfare. We're going to consider the supernatural 00:04:23.149 --> 00:04:27.589 nature of this warfare, or just the nature of 00:04:27.589 --> 00:04:30.870 it. And then we're going to consider the need 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:35.250 for Christians to resist. and stand firm against 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:41.569 these principalities, these powers that be, that 00:04:41.569 --> 00:04:46.930 are against the church of Jesus Christ. So first, 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:52.689 the reality of spiritual warfare. Now, we can 00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:58.750 see its reality because it's implied in the cosmic 00:04:58.750 --> 00:05:02.939 need. for the reconciliation of the universe. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:08.360 In Ephesians chapter 1, verses 9 -10, we read 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:12.019 these words. He made known to us the mystery 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:15.620 of His will, according to His kind intention, 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:20.720 which He purposed in Him, with a view to an administration 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.899 suitable to the fullness of the times, that is 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:29.490 the summing up of all things in Christ. Things 00:05:29.490 --> 00:05:34.990 in the heavens and things on earth. Things in 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:37.550 the heavens and things on earth. There's times 00:05:37.550 --> 00:05:40.230 where the Bible uses that language to talk about 00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:44.189 the sky. To talk about the stars. But there's 00:05:44.189 --> 00:05:46.850 also times in the Bible where it's used in a 00:05:46.850 --> 00:05:53.550 cosmos sense. Meaning everything. Every realm. 00:05:54.699 --> 00:05:58.839 Every order of creation, every sphere of creation 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:02.639 that God has ever made, that's the idea here. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:07.360 The whole creation that God has made, the whole 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:11.879 cosmos, the invisible realm that Colossians 1 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:15.639 talks about, and the physical or earthly realm 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:19.579 that we live and exist and we breathe and we 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:24.709 touch things and we're material people. That 00:06:24.709 --> 00:06:28.290 realm. So everything needs to be reconciled. 00:06:28.769 --> 00:06:31.509 Everything needs to be brought under the unity 00:06:31.509 --> 00:06:35.189 and the headship of Christ. It implies, brothers 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:39.230 and sisters, that even the spiritual realm that 00:06:39.230 --> 00:06:43.290 God made needs to be reconciled as a result of 00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:47.370 the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not just the earthly 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:51.930 world and realm that we live in, but the invisible. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:58.279 unseen spiritual realm where these forces and 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:05.139 these powers, these angels or demons exist and 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:09.740 oppose the church. It needs to be reconciled 00:07:09.740 --> 00:07:13.800 and brought under the headship of Christ. But 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:17.899 we also see in the book of Ephesians that the 00:07:17.899 --> 00:07:23.040 work of Christ has reference To the spiritual 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:27.779 realm. Which God has made. Consider the end of 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:33.259 chapter 1 in Ephesians. Specifically. Starting 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:38.839 in verse 19. And what is the surpassing greatness. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:44.959 Of his power toward us. Who believe. These are 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:47.399 in accordance with the working of the strength 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:50.600 of his might. Which he brought about in Christ. 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:54.220 And listen, here it is. When he raised him from 00:07:54.220 --> 00:07:57.959 the dead and seated him at his right hand in 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:04.279 the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority 00:08:04.279 --> 00:08:09.620 and power and dominion and every name that is 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:12.420 named, not only in this age, but also in the 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:17.420 one to come. And he put all things in subjection 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:20.810 under his feet and gave him his head over. all 00:08:20.810 --> 00:08:24.170 things to the church, which is his body in the 00:08:24.170 --> 00:08:30.670 fullness of him who fills all in all. The death 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:33.669 and resurrection of Christ isn't just with reference 00:08:33.669 --> 00:08:38.169 to the earth and the world of men. But Christ 00:08:38.169 --> 00:08:41.990 is raised. He's exalted above every spiritual 00:08:41.990 --> 00:08:45.710 authority and every spiritual power that exists 00:08:45.710 --> 00:08:50.090 in the created order. So his exaltation and his 00:08:50.090 --> 00:08:54.269 resurrection is not just with reference to men. 00:08:54.990 --> 00:08:59.409 It has reference to the spiritual realm. We also 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:03.330 see that the work of redemption, as seen in the 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:09.850 church, is witnessed by the spiritual realm and 00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:14.330 the spiritual forces that exist in that realm. 00:09:14.490 --> 00:09:22.519 We see this in chapter 3. Verses 8 -11 To me, 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:27.899 the very least of all saints, this grace was 00:09:27.899 --> 00:09:32.000 given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:36.000 riches of Christ and to bring to light what is 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:38.519 the administration of the mystery which for ages 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:41.500 has been hidden in God who created all things. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:46.149 And here it is. so that the manifold wisdom of 00:09:46.149 --> 00:09:49.090 God might now be made known through the church 00:09:49.090 --> 00:09:53.509 to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly 00:09:53.509 --> 00:10:03.970 places. So, the spiritual realm is exposed to 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:07.950 the work of redemption as it's portrayed and 00:10:07.950 --> 00:10:12.309 pictured and displayed in the church of Jesus 00:10:12.309 --> 00:10:16.210 Christ. John Calvin refers to the church as the 00:10:16.210 --> 00:10:19.649 theater of redemption. And that begs the question, 00:10:19.850 --> 00:10:27.370 who's watching the play? Who's observing the 00:10:27.370 --> 00:10:32.750 acts of redemption? Who's admiring the manifold 00:10:32.750 --> 00:10:36.029 wisdom of God that's being displayed in redemption 00:10:36.029 --> 00:10:38.870 being accomplished? Well, it's spiritual powers. 00:10:39.450 --> 00:10:43.669 It's spiritual authorities. It's spiritual rulers 00:10:43.669 --> 00:10:47.090 that are looking on at the work of God, whether 00:10:47.090 --> 00:10:52.909 they be good or bad. Whether they be angelic 00:10:52.909 --> 00:10:56.029 beings that serve the living God, whether they 00:10:56.029 --> 00:10:58.889 be demons that hate the living God and follow 00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:04.409 the father of lies, Satan himself. But they see 00:11:04.409 --> 00:11:09.370 the work of God and the work of Christ on display 00:11:09.370 --> 00:11:12.850 in the church. There's no mistaking the meaning 00:11:12.850 --> 00:11:19.269 of these texts. There is a spiritual realm that 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:24.230 witnesses, is conscious of, notices, and observes 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:28.830 the realities concerning redemption. And it's 00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:33.549 evidenced in the life of the church. So finally, 00:11:33.649 --> 00:11:37.230 we see that the work of redemption, as seen in 00:11:37.230 --> 00:11:43.340 the church, is opposed. By spiritual forces. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:50.519 In and from that realm that observes the work 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:53.899 of Christ. We see this in Ephesians chapter 6. 00:11:54.539 --> 00:11:56.580 And this is where we'll spend the majority of 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:02.860 our time. We read in Ephesians chapter 6 starting 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:08.000 in verse 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.590 in the strength of his might. Put on the full 00:12:11.590 --> 00:12:13.889 armor of God so that you will be able to stand 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:18.309 firm against the schemes of the devil. For our 00:12:18.309 --> 00:12:21.450 struggle is not against flesh and blood. It could 00:12:21.450 --> 00:12:26.690 not be any clearer. But against the rulers, against 00:12:26.690 --> 00:12:29.950 the powers, against the world forces of this 00:12:29.950 --> 00:12:33.409 darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness 00:12:33.409 --> 00:12:37.450 in the heavenly places. Therefore, take... Up 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:40.429 the full armor of God. So that you will be able 00:12:40.429 --> 00:12:43.750 to resist in the evil day. And having done everything. 00:12:44.230 --> 00:12:49.710 To stand firm. Stand firm therefore. Having girded 00:12:49.710 --> 00:12:53.870 your loins with truth. Having put on the breastplate 00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:57.230 of righteousness. And having shod your feet with 00:12:57.230 --> 00:13:00.509 the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition 00:13:00.509 --> 00:13:05.529 to all. Taking up the shield of faith. with which 00:13:05.529 --> 00:13:07.970 you will be able to extinguish all the flaming 00:13:07.970 --> 00:13:11.450 arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:14.070 salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:17.370 is the word of God, with all prayer and petition. 00:13:18.450 --> 00:13:22.269 Pray at all times in the Spirit. And with this 00:13:22.269 --> 00:13:26.210 in view, be on the alert. And with all perseverance 00:13:26.210 --> 00:13:29.690 and petition for all the saints. And pray on 00:13:29.690 --> 00:13:32.879 my behalf. That utterance may be given to me 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:35.759 in the opening of my mouth to make known with 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:44.039 boldness the mystery of the gospel. There are 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:49.639 spiritual forces of wickedness which oppose the 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:54.720 work of redemption and oppose the church of Jesus 00:13:54.720 --> 00:14:03.200 Christ in the world. Spiritual warfare is real. 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:12.440 Spiritual warfare exists. There is more than 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:19.360 what meets the eye, brothers and sisters. We 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:24.220 can't live only thinking about the world in which 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:29.960 we exist. Christians have to be those. Who look 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:35.559 behind the events. Christians have to be those 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:40.740 who look behind the men. Who look behind the 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:45.500 agenda. Who look behind the chaos and the disunity. 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:49.139 Who look behind the pain and the suffering. And 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:53.580 look for the source. And what's bringing it about. 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:59.980 Something deeper. Something unseen. Spiritual 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:05.320 forces which oppose the church of Jesus Christ. 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:10.659 Now, consider the nature of this warfare. We 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:17.740 see this in these verses. The first thing we 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:23.879 see clearly is that it's a non -physical warfare. 00:15:24.840 --> 00:15:30.779 It's non -material. Meaning, we wrestle not against 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:37.019 flesh and blood. The battle which rages against 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:43.240 the church is with unseen, invisible, spiritual 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:49.379 forces, powers, rulers, and authorities. That 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:54.039 means, and we'll get to this, that our warfare, 00:15:54.279 --> 00:16:01.669 our fighting, Our resisting, our standing has 00:16:01.669 --> 00:16:06.090 to be in accordance with the nature and the character 00:16:06.090 --> 00:16:12.570 of the battle. Carnal weapons have no effect 00:16:12.570 --> 00:16:18.490 against spiritual warfare. The arm of the flesh 00:16:18.490 --> 00:16:22.190 does nothing against the devil, brothers and 00:16:22.190 --> 00:16:26.789 sisters. Our warfare must be waged in accordance. 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:29.710 with the nature and the character of the battle. 00:16:31.070 --> 00:16:35.710 Spiritual in nature. So it could be summed up 00:16:35.710 --> 00:16:41.929 in the words, the schemes of the devil. We see 00:16:41.929 --> 00:16:48.710 this term here in verse 11. Stand firm against 00:16:48.710 --> 00:16:52.669 the schemes of the devil. That word schemes in 00:16:52.669 --> 00:16:59.750 the Greek is the word methodeia. Methodea. It 00:16:59.750 --> 00:17:05.329 means that there's a methodical approach. There's 00:17:05.329 --> 00:17:14.130 strategy. There's a craft to it. There's intent. 00:17:15.789 --> 00:17:21.329 There's organized strategic planning involved. 00:17:21.849 --> 00:17:28.180 And who is the head of this? The devil. Many 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:30.920 churches have, in their statement of faith, a 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:32.799 lot of fundamental Baptist churches especially, 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:39.140 have a section regarding the literal personality 00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:44.099 of Satan. And the reason being, they want to 00:17:44.099 --> 00:17:48.720 clarify that he's not the personification of 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.539 some idea, which is becoming fairly popular in 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:58.450 our day and age. The idea that the devil is symbolic 00:17:58.450 --> 00:18:03.430 of evil and wickedness and all that is opposed 00:18:03.430 --> 00:18:08.089 to humanity and man and God. This principle almost. 00:18:09.109 --> 00:18:14.329 But the Bible is clear that Satan is a real, 00:18:14.329 --> 00:18:20.509 literal being that hates God and opposes the 00:18:20.509 --> 00:18:27.220 church. And that he... methodically plans and 00:18:27.220 --> 00:18:34.759 schemes and organizes how to produce chaos, suffering, 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:39.480 and the downfall of the church in the world. 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:44.740 Now, consider the diversity of the enemies that 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:50.299 oppose the church. Look at this in verse 13. 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:56.940 We won't go into every single... So we'll consider 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:00.119 a few implications. For our struggle is not against 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:05.000 flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:10.259 the powers, against the world forces of this 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:14.079 darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:16.900 in the heavenly places. Now, just think about 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:21.400 the title. What does it convey about the enemy 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:23.400 of the church and the enemies of the church? 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:29.819 There's order. There's structure. There's a corporate 00:19:29.819 --> 00:19:34.759 character to it. There's localized. And there's 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:39.980 worldwide forces and groups all actively working. 00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:45.259 Why? And how? And what for? To what end? To hinder 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:48.799 the church of Jesus Christ. To hinder the gospel 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.839 in the world. To do harm to the body of Christ. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:59.960 It's not as though these forces randomly seek 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:05.400 their own agenda in the world. We don't see that 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:11.240 in this text. There's organization against the 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:17.019 church within these enemies of the church. Now, 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:21.099 we consider these enemies and the diversity of 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:23.420 them. We consider the nature of this. we might 00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:28.880 ask, well, how do they attack the church? How 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:33.980 does the spiritual warfare manifest itself? How 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:39.180 is it seen in evidence in this world, in this 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:44.359 life, in the life of Christians? How do we see 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:48.400 this warfare? Well, the Bible talks about a lot 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:53.240 of different ways that it does this. We can't 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:57.039 look at all of them. We can think about the life 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:03.140 of Job. Consider Job and the church in the world 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:12.619 in Job's day. Job. The devil waged war against 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:18.500 the church in that day, in that age. What were 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:22.509 the manifestations? Of the warfare in Job's life. 00:21:23.130 --> 00:21:28.089 The loss of everything. The destruction of his 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:34.450 home. He was nearly killed. The Lord permitted 00:21:34.450 --> 00:21:39.190 Job. To be sifted and tried and tested. And purified. 00:21:39.190 --> 00:21:46.210 By the devil. This was warfare brothers and sisters. 00:21:47.650 --> 00:21:52.940 It was not accidental. The devil wanted to harm 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:56.960 Job. He wanted to bring disrepute and accusations 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:01.240 against the living God. And he still does the 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:04.880 same thing today. He's still out with the same 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:07.880 purpose to accuse the saints and slander the 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:10.680 church and bring disrepute to the name of Jesus 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:14.480 Christ. This is his purpose in the world. And 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:18.440 he does it in a bunch of different ways. But 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:21.829 I think there's a few that are... Most common, 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:26.730 especially in certain scenarios and situations, 00:22:27.309 --> 00:22:35.509 one is through or by appealing or alluring the 00:22:35.509 --> 00:22:41.430 flesh, the carnality of man. We see this in chapter 00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:46.049 2 of Ephesians. And you are dead in your trespasses 00:22:46.049 --> 00:22:49.079 and sins. in which you formerly walked according 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:51.740 to the course of this world, according to the 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:55.299 prince of the power of the air, of the spirit 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:57.859 that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 00:22:57.940 --> 00:23:01.839 And here it is, among them we too all formerly 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:07.000 lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.720 desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:13.619 by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 00:23:14.569 --> 00:23:17.809 How does the devil keep unregenerate, unbelieving 00:23:17.809 --> 00:23:24.089 men under his thumb? By indulging their carnal, 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:29.450 wicked desires. He controls them through their 00:23:29.450 --> 00:23:31.589 desires and through their longings and through 00:23:31.589 --> 00:23:33.470 their wants and through their minds, brothers 00:23:33.470 --> 00:23:37.509 and sisters. And he still does the same even 00:23:37.509 --> 00:23:41.130 in the life of believers. By luring them through 00:23:41.130 --> 00:23:46.200 temptation. By appealing to their carnal lusts. 00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:49.980 And the remnant of sin that remains within them. 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:53.680 This can manifest itself in all kinds of ways. 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:57.900 We can think about James chapter 3. And the earthly 00:23:57.900 --> 00:24:02.160 wisdom that's full of jealousy, vain ambition, 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:06.819 disunity and disharmony. It's demonic is what 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:13.519 James says. So pride and vain. Vain ambition 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:16.740 that doesn't glorify God, that is self -serving. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:20.880 It's demonic. It's devilish. We can think about 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:24.859 Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5. Peter 00:24:24.859 --> 00:24:27.539 says, why has Satan so filled your heart? What 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:29.900 did they want? They had greed that filled their 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:34.619 hearts. That was the devil appealing to their 00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:40.880 carnality. I think the devil works a lot in this 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:45.390 way. in the life of churches, to oppose churches, 00:24:45.509 --> 00:24:50.529 in the life of Christians, by luring them through 00:24:50.529 --> 00:24:54.210 temptation in their flesh. But I think there's 00:24:54.210 --> 00:25:00.109 another way, and this is a predominant way. And 00:25:00.109 --> 00:25:08.269 this is through, this is by influencing the mind 00:25:08.269 --> 00:25:12.430 and the understanding of people. Their thinking. 00:25:13.109 --> 00:25:17.230 Their beliefs. Their faith or their ignorance. 00:25:18.009 --> 00:25:23.430 We can think about 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Where 00:25:23.430 --> 00:25:28.049 Paul is talking about the power of the gospel 00:25:28.049 --> 00:25:32.269 to open the eyes of the unbelieving. And he talks 00:25:32.269 --> 00:25:36.950 about how the devil has blinded the minds of 00:25:36.950 --> 00:25:39.630 those unbelieving. And how has he done that? 00:25:39.710 --> 00:25:43.759 What is that veil? It's ignorance. It's unbelief. 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:49.099 It's hard -heartedness. But we also see this 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:54.359 in Ephesians as well. If we look at chapter 4 00:25:54.359 --> 00:26:04.319 and verse 14, we see this and we read this. As 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:07.920 a result, we are no longer to be children tossed 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.789 here and there by waves. And carried about by 00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:15.130 every wind of doctrine. And listen. By the trickery 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:20.130 of men. By the craftiness. And deceitful scheming. 00:26:20.890 --> 00:26:25.970 Now who else is crafty? Who else is deceitful? 00:26:26.410 --> 00:26:31.130 The devil. The devil works through false doctrine. 00:26:32.009 --> 00:26:35.180 False preaching. There's a reason Paul says in 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:37.640 Galatians 1, even if an angel from heaven were 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:39.799 to preach another gospel, let him be anathema. 00:26:41.900 --> 00:26:46.940 Because angelic beings influence preachers to 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:50.960 preach false, erroneous, heretical doctrine that 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:55.380 hurts men and women. That keeps them under the 00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:58.700 thumb of the devil. That overcomes them and defeats 00:26:58.700 --> 00:27:01.619 them and brings ruinous ideologies and practices 00:27:01.619 --> 00:27:06.599 into their lives. It's not a little thing, brothers 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:11.279 and sisters. And it's real. This is why there 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:14.980 are so many false teachers. Timothy is told by 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:19.819 the Apostle Paul, I believe in 2 Timothy 4 .1, 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:28.339 about the doctrines of demons. And how demons 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:33.829 influence doctrine and truth. I believe this 00:27:33.829 --> 00:27:38.509 is very, very prevalent in our day and our age. 00:27:40.509 --> 00:27:46.609 Could this not be why there's so many possibly 00:27:46.609 --> 00:27:54.349 genuine believers whose lives are in complete 00:27:54.349 --> 00:28:00.750 chaos and living in madness in their lives in 00:28:00.750 --> 00:28:06.460 a sense? with no power, with no vitality in their 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:11.839 Christian life, because they believe the wrong 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:17.819 things. Because they believe false, erroneous 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:22.880 doctrine and truth. They are being overcome by 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:28.079 the devil. They are giving in to the devil's 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:30.750 work. because they've not put the belt of truth 00:28:30.750 --> 00:28:35.589 around their waist, brothers and sisters. The 00:28:35.589 --> 00:28:39.869 devil works in many, many ways. But we can't 00:28:39.869 --> 00:28:42.430 go into all of them. I believe those are the 00:28:42.430 --> 00:28:48.369 most prominent ways that we see. Now, the last 00:28:48.369 --> 00:28:51.269 thing we have to consider, not just the reality 00:28:51.269 --> 00:28:54.349 of spiritual warfare, or the nature of this warfare, 00:28:55.109 --> 00:29:00.880 but the need for Christians to resist, End this 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:05.740 warfare in the right way. Now, we've already 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:09.200 said that if we're going to be successful in 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:13.519 this battle, in this fight, then we have to fight 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:17.660 and we have to take up arms in accordance with 00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:22.200 the nature of the fight itself. If we use the 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:29.009 wrong resources, if we seek to wage war in the 00:29:29.009 --> 00:29:31.509 wrong way, if we seek to resist and defend ourselves 00:29:31.509 --> 00:29:36.869 in the wrong way, we will be defeated in our 00:29:36.869 --> 00:29:43.609 lives. We will be overcome. But we see that God 00:29:43.609 --> 00:29:47.009 has not left us to ourselves. Praise be to his 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:53.329 name. God has given us resources. God has given 00:29:53.329 --> 00:29:58.470 us the means. To stand firm. God has given us 00:29:58.470 --> 00:30:02.109 the means to resist. God has given us the means 00:30:02.109 --> 00:30:05.329 to fight back. God has given us the means to 00:30:05.329 --> 00:30:07.869 make advances in the kingdom of darkness and 00:30:07.869 --> 00:30:10.849 to bring forth the kingdom of light in His beloved 00:30:10.849 --> 00:30:17.470 Son. What are those means? Well, it's the armor 00:30:17.470 --> 00:30:23.150 of God. It's equated with the power of God in 00:30:23.150 --> 00:30:27.750 Ephesians chapter 6. We see Paul says, finally, 00:30:27.750 --> 00:30:30.910 be strong in the Lord and in the strength of 00:30:30.910 --> 00:30:34.269 his might. Then immediately he says, put on the 00:30:34.269 --> 00:30:38.089 full armor of God. These are the resources that 00:30:38.089 --> 00:30:42.490 God has given us to stand firm, to resist in 00:30:42.490 --> 00:30:46.670 the evil day. So the way that Christians stand 00:30:46.670 --> 00:30:52.029 firm, the way that we pick up our weaponry in 00:30:52.029 --> 00:31:00.839 a sense, is like this. We stand firm by cultivating, 00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:06.319 utilizing, and appropriating the resources and 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:11.740 the virtues that God has given to us. And we 00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:17.079 see these in the armor of God. So what are they? 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:21.819 Well, we're given six things, and then an extra, 00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:24.549 which is kind of in a different category, but 00:31:24.549 --> 00:31:29.250 potentially the most significant. So the first 00:31:29.250 --> 00:31:36.549 is truth as a belt in verse 14. People of God 00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:38.529 ought to be of the truth. They ought to live 00:31:38.529 --> 00:31:42.210 in the truth. They ought to be people of the 00:31:42.210 --> 00:31:44.950 truth and people who speak the truth. The book 00:31:44.950 --> 00:31:48.589 of Ephesians talks a great deal about this. Truth 00:31:48.589 --> 00:31:52.990 undergirds and holds everything else up. If a 00:31:52.990 --> 00:31:55.710 Roman soldier didn't put on his belt, everything 00:31:55.710 --> 00:32:00.089 else would not function. So we see that truth 00:32:00.089 --> 00:32:05.369 is essential. Then we see righteousness as a 00:32:05.369 --> 00:32:09.789 breastplate. This most likely means the righteousness 00:32:09.789 --> 00:32:13.690 that is reckoned to us on behalf of Christ, but 00:32:13.690 --> 00:32:20.210 also the acquisition and the development Of moral 00:32:20.210 --> 00:32:24.369 integrity and uprightness in our lives. It's 00:32:24.369 --> 00:32:28.970 growing in our understanding. Of Christ's righteousness. 00:32:29.549 --> 00:32:35.049 And what that means. But it's also growing. In 00:32:35.049 --> 00:32:39.509 practical daily righteousness. And upright living. 00:32:39.589 --> 00:32:42.690 And moral living. In accordance with the law 00:32:42.690 --> 00:32:46.970 of God. So it's a breastplate of righteousness. 00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:53.119 We see that he's given us the gospel of peace, 00:32:53.380 --> 00:32:58.380 that we can be prepared and ready to do battle 00:32:58.380 --> 00:33:01.599 and to stand firm. I think it's interesting that 00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:06.880 he says he includes the word peace or the word 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:12.559 peace in this. Oftentimes, I believe that spiritual 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:20.579 warfare results in anxiety, worry. Stress. Chaos 00:33:20.579 --> 00:33:26.539 of the mind. Rampant worry and fear in our hearts 00:33:26.539 --> 00:33:32.000 and our minds. Unknowns and the unknowable. But 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.000 God has given us the gospel. The gospel of peace. 00:33:37.099 --> 00:33:40.019 Which enables us to have peace because the Spirit 00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:43.259 of God dwells within us. And because we have 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:46.769 peace with God as a result of... Christ's work 00:33:46.769 --> 00:33:53.009 in justification. He's given us faith as a shield 00:33:53.009 --> 00:33:57.789 so they can be protected at all times, even when 00:33:57.789 --> 00:34:01.130 we're out and about. We can trust and we can 00:34:01.130 --> 00:34:05.990 believe. He's given us salvation as a helmet. 00:34:06.910 --> 00:34:10.090 Most likely, this is not talking about future 00:34:10.090 --> 00:34:14.409 salvation, but he's probably talking about Ephesians 00:34:14.409 --> 00:34:20.300 2. And the reality that God has saved us. And 00:34:20.300 --> 00:34:23.380 we have this positional status with Christ. We've 00:34:23.380 --> 00:34:27.000 been made alive together with Christ. Who we 00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:30.679 are and what is true of us in Christ. Because 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:36.460 of our union with Him. And then finally, He's 00:34:36.460 --> 00:34:41.699 given us the Word of God as a sword to make advances 00:34:41.699 --> 00:34:51.059 in the kingdom of darkness. We stand firm by 00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:56.380 appropriating and taking up the armor that God 00:34:56.380 --> 00:35:01.039 has given to us. And Paul says, take up the full 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:06.619 armor of God. We don't want to be caught without 00:35:06.619 --> 00:35:10.659 a piece of the armor on. We need it all on so 00:35:10.659 --> 00:35:14.340 we have all the protection and all the defenses 00:35:14.340 --> 00:35:19.719 up and we're able to stand. As we ought to. The 00:35:19.719 --> 00:35:25.280 word of God. Seemingly. In this text. Is the 00:35:25.280 --> 00:35:31.460 only one. That is the offensive. Weapon that 00:35:31.460 --> 00:35:34.599 God has given to us. To make advances. And to 00:35:34.599 --> 00:35:39.179 do damage. To the enemy's kingdom. Teaching. 00:35:39.860 --> 00:35:44.920 Preaching. Instructing. Instruction in the word. 00:35:45.019 --> 00:35:51.239 Brothers and sisters. There's no other act that 00:35:51.239 --> 00:35:55.780 brings about spiritual ramifications like teaching 00:35:55.780 --> 00:35:58.239 and preaching the Word of God, whether it be 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:02.239 in church, whether it be in our homes, whether 00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:05.639 it be in our families or with our friends. The 00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:09.380 only way that we can make advances with regards 00:36:09.380 --> 00:36:15.289 to the demonic and devilish work around us It's 00:36:15.289 --> 00:36:18.510 by being committed to the word of the living 00:36:18.510 --> 00:36:22.789 God. Now, this is the armor that he's given to 00:36:22.789 --> 00:36:26.610 us. This is the armor that he tells us and commands 00:36:26.610 --> 00:36:31.050 us to put on and to take up and to stand firm 00:36:31.050 --> 00:36:34.010 in it. There's one other thing that he tells 00:36:34.010 --> 00:36:41.869 us. And this is in verses 18 through 19. He says, 00:36:42.989 --> 00:36:47.210 with all prayer and petition. Pray at all times 00:36:47.210 --> 00:36:52.010 in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the 00:36:52.010 --> 00:36:54.409 alert with all perseverance and petition for 00:36:54.409 --> 00:37:00.369 all the saints. Now, prayer is still to be included 00:37:00.369 --> 00:37:05.389 in this warfare. It's separate in some ways, 00:37:05.610 --> 00:37:08.269 but he's making sure that it's still a part. 00:37:08.510 --> 00:37:10.909 There's still the battle language. Be alert. 00:37:11.349 --> 00:37:16.780 Be vigilant. and persevere in prayer. And then 00:37:16.780 --> 00:37:19.199 Paul gives this example, and he requests prayer 00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:24.739 in his own life for his preaching. So what is 00:37:24.739 --> 00:37:27.960 different about prayer with regards to spiritual 00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:31.059 warfare? Well, I think what Paul is telling us 00:37:31.059 --> 00:37:35.679 is that prayer is the essence and the basis. 00:37:37.420 --> 00:37:40.719 for all these other things being effective and 00:37:40.719 --> 00:37:44.599 powerful and full of life and vitality in the 00:37:44.599 --> 00:37:50.380 Lord. So, there is the possibility of reading 00:37:50.380 --> 00:37:53.559 the Word of God, but not benefiting from the 00:37:53.559 --> 00:37:57.380 Word of God. There's the possibility of preaching 00:37:57.380 --> 00:38:01.179 the Word of God, and then not being beneficial. 00:38:02.500 --> 00:38:07.280 If I never prayed, If I didn't pray over my messages, 00:38:07.579 --> 00:38:10.639 if I didn't pray for the preaching of the Word, 00:38:10.840 --> 00:38:14.780 if I didn't pray for its reception, then, brothers 00:38:14.780 --> 00:38:17.239 and sisters, the preaching of the Word would 00:38:17.239 --> 00:38:21.320 be flat and lifeless. It would be dead, useless, 00:38:21.539 --> 00:38:26.840 vain, and pointless. This is why the Apostle 00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:31.380 said in Acts chapter 6, but we'll give ourselves 00:38:31.380 --> 00:38:37.860 to the ministry of prayer. and the Word. Prayer 00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:45.880 is what clothes the Christian's acts in power, 00:38:46.039 --> 00:38:52.840 in life, in vitality. So if we want to take up 00:38:52.840 --> 00:38:55.460 the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of 00:38:55.460 --> 00:38:58.440 God, and to effectively slash at the devil's 00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:03.110 throat, Then I need to have a life that is saturated 00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:05.750 and soaked in the Word of God so that there's 00:39:05.750 --> 00:39:10.469 power present. And the same must be true for 00:39:10.469 --> 00:39:12.909 the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of 00:39:12.909 --> 00:39:16.469 truth, and the gospel of peace for the shield 00:39:16.469 --> 00:39:19.989 of faith. Brothers and sisters, prayer is what 00:39:19.989 --> 00:39:26.289 energizes it. It's what supports it. Prayer is 00:39:26.289 --> 00:39:31.639 essential. for the effective working of all the 00:39:31.639 --> 00:39:36.420 other armor. It's the basis and the foundation 00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:43.940 of the Christian's warfare in life. Now, the 00:39:43.940 --> 00:39:54.739 Christian life is not uneventful. The Christian 00:39:54.739 --> 00:39:59.860 life is not boring. Paul here pictures the Christian 00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:08.480 life as a perpetual battle. A perpetual war with 00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:12.139 the enemies of the darkness. Brothers and sisters, 00:40:12.380 --> 00:40:16.780 that's what the Bible teaches. That's what your 00:40:16.780 --> 00:40:20.119 life is about as Christians. That's what the 00:40:20.119 --> 00:40:25.420 church is in the midst of. We can't talk about 00:40:25.420 --> 00:40:27.559 these things. We can't discuss these things. 00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:31.380 We can't be around these things and think of 00:40:31.380 --> 00:40:35.340 them as ordinary and think about them as insignificant 00:40:35.340 --> 00:40:40.300 or boring or light or superficial. These are 00:40:40.300 --> 00:40:47.199 the realities that God tells us are true. The 00:40:47.199 --> 00:40:50.880 goal of our warfare, our resistance and our standing 00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:56.869 as believers is to stand firm in the evil day. 00:40:58.130 --> 00:41:02.929 Now, many, I believe, have been defeated. But 00:41:02.929 --> 00:41:06.230 I am confident, because of the work of the Lord 00:41:06.230 --> 00:41:10.710 Jesus Christ, and because every single individual 00:41:10.710 --> 00:41:15.889 here knows the armor of God, I am confident that 00:41:15.889 --> 00:41:19.230 none of those present will be defeated or overcome 00:41:19.230 --> 00:41:24.510 by the... Flaming arrows of the devil. Because 00:41:24.510 --> 00:41:27.389 you know you can take up the shield of faith. 00:41:30.230 --> 00:41:36.130 Your life isn't just living, brothers and sisters. 00:41:36.309 --> 00:41:40.289 It's not just breathing and getting by. Every 00:41:40.289 --> 00:41:45.010 morning you wake up. You wake up to warfare as 00:41:45.010 --> 00:41:48.670 a believer in Jesus Christ. So my exhortation 00:41:48.670 --> 00:41:51.400 and my admonishment. to every single one here, 00:41:51.559 --> 00:42:00.420 is get in the fight. Take up the sword. Get on 00:42:00.420 --> 00:42:05.340 your knees. Do some damage to the darkness. Don't 00:42:05.340 --> 00:42:13.019 cower. Fight the devil. Stand firm. Resist. And 00:42:13.019 --> 00:42:16.960 stand in the power of the Lord. Be strong in 00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:19.989 the Lord. and in the strength of his mind.