1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,040 Heal Our Land was the theme for the National Day of Prayer this year. 2 00:00:08,040 --> 00:00:10,280 Good reminder of that. 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:16,000 There were probably 75 people who showed up to a prayer breakfast that morning at Calvary 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,080 Baptist Church here in Roseville. 5 00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:23,600 There were some who gathered on the Capitol steps and then there were about 500 who gathered 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:30,480 for prayer on the evening of the National Day of Prayer in downtown Minneapolis. 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,880 And hopefully there were thousands of others, Christians, remembering to pray for our land 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:36,680 that day. 9 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,840 I invite you to open your Bible with me to Ephesians chapter 6 as we think today regarding 10 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:47,520 the invisible war and the tactics of the enemy. 11 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:57,240 Put on the full armor of God, writes Paul in Ephesians 6, 11, that you may be able to 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:02,720 stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 13 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:10,000 This last week, General James H. Smith and Major General William Garrison testified before 14 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:16,080 the Senate regarding the loss of American lives last October in Somalia. 15 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:25,840 18 Americans were left dead and 72 wounded in a particular battle in Mogadishu. 16 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:33,280 The problem was that the American forces were not allowed to have the armor that was requested 17 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,840 of the Pentagon. 18 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:48,000 And it resulted in a tragic, unnecessary, and so it seems, a waste of American lives. 19 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,080 A soldier's success in battle depends upon a number of factors. 20 00:01:52,080 --> 00:02:01,520 His training, his equipment, his stamina and strength, his battle plan, his support system, 21 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:06,360 and also his knowledge of the enemy's tactics. 22 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,920 How the enemy maneuvers for advantage. 23 00:02:10,920 --> 00:02:18,760 For when a soldier knows that, he knows how to take counteraction to be successful. 24 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:28,360 You and I as Christian soldiers dare not imagine that we can ignore our spiritual enemy, Satan. 25 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:35,020 That we will be delivered from his attacks and from spiritual warfare. 26 00:02:35,020 --> 00:02:41,560 If only we remain ignorant of him and his devices. 27 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:48,960 Our ignorance only makes us more vulnerable and exposed, and in the end guarantees our 28 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,680 defeat in spiritual battles. 29 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:57,780 Now, if that weren't reason enough to learn about spiritual warfare, let me give you another 30 00:02:57,780 --> 00:03:02,600 reason found within the context of Ephesians 6. 31 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:09,920 That is that Jesus Christ has called us to active service in spiritual warfare. 32 00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:18,480 The command that he gives us in verse 14 is this, stand. 33 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,080 Three times that word is used in this paragraph. 34 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,140 The final time it is an imperative. 35 00:03:24,140 --> 00:03:26,000 It is a command. 36 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,600 We are to stand firm, a command. 37 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:39,800 In other words, we don't have a choice but to learn the truths about spiritual warfare 38 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,940 and to be involved in the battle. 39 00:03:42,940 --> 00:03:49,560 We are called to active duty, not to the reserves. 40 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:58,240 Now the word stand probably means more than to stand in a defensive posture. 41 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:07,680 To stand may imply drawing up into military formation in order to charge the enemy. 42 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,840 The Roman legions were famous for their formations. 43 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:19,480 They had a flying triangle, it was called, that devastated their troops. 44 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,720 It was a formation of their soldiers. 45 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:28,520 Paul may well have had that in mind when he tells us that we are to stand in formation 46 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,960 and to charge the enemy. 47 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:43,680 Satan, our infernal enemy in spiritual warfare, employs a variety of schemes to attack us. 48 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:52,800 If we will learn them and arm ourselves, we can experience increasing victories in this 49 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:57,440 warfare for souls. 50 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,360 This morning I would like for us to think about some of the schemes and how we can arm 51 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:02,600 ourselves. 52 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,640 Scheme number one is that of lies. 53 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:16,400 Jesus himself said, Satan was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth 54 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,620 because there is no truth in him. 55 00:05:20,620 --> 00:05:29,200 Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father 56 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:30,200 of lies. 57 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,360 John 8.44. 58 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:42,240 When one lies, he speaks falsehood with the intention to deceive. 59 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:50,060 To lie is to cause an incorrect impression to be given to another. 60 00:05:50,060 --> 00:05:54,320 It is to present a misleading appearance. 61 00:05:54,320 --> 00:06:01,920 Some of our advertising today is based upon this satanic scheme where people are told 62 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,920 to do one thing in order to get them into the store. 63 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,520 When they are in there, it is the old bait and switch tactic. 64 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:13,040 They are brought in under one guise only to sell them something else. 65 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,680 How many of you have gotten a card in the mail saying you have been the grand prize 66 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:21,440 winner of a cruise in the Caribbean? 67 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:31,160 All you have to do is call this usually 900 number down in Florida and pay $250 for the 68 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,600 processing and you will have your cruise. 69 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:36,920 Too good to be true, isn't it? 70 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:38,840 And it certainly is. 71 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:43,820 It's a lie. 72 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:52,880 We lie by the words that we use, by actions that we live, by behavior that we conduct. 73 00:06:52,880 --> 00:07:00,720 An example of this sadly in the early church is Ananias and Sapphira who chose to lie 74 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,120 regarding what they were giving to God. 75 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,320 Now it wasn't the fact that they brought a certain amount. 76 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:14,100 It was that they pretended to bring more than they actually did. 77 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:19,560 They were giving a false impression. 78 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:28,960 And therefore Peter spoke to Ananias and said, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to 79 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,560 the Holy Ghost? 80 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:33,840 And he dropped dead. 81 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:39,120 That was God's way of bringing immediate judgment in that case and creating fear in 82 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,120 the church. 83 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:50,800 When he says why has Satan filled your heart, he uses the very same term, interestingly, 84 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:56,920 that Paul uses in Ephesians 5, 18 when he says to us that we are to be filled with the 85 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:01,840 Holy Spirit. 86 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:10,920 So it is possible even for a Christian to be controlled by Satan, to be ignorant about 87 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:11,920 it. 88 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:20,920 I don't think that Ananias and Sapphira made a pact with the devil, but Satan lied to them 89 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:30,560 and caused them to lie in their actions. 90 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:38,380 We are commanded in Ephesians 4, verse 25, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each 91 00:08:38,380 --> 00:08:40,780 one of you with his neighbor. 92 00:08:40,780 --> 00:08:44,560 We are members one of another. 93 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:56,600 You see the propensity of human beings to lie is not a phenomenon of the 20th century. 94 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:02,120 It is a propensity of the human heart to lie and it always has been. 95 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:08,720 And therefore we easily believe lies and pass them on. 96 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:19,040 Sometimes at the instigation of Satan, lying is one of his schemes. 97 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:26,960 Our culture is riddled with lying and the economy of our state is being affected by 98 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:27,960 that. 99 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,200 No, I'm not talking about politicians. 100 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,680 I'm talking about gambling. 101 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:40,080 Gambling is a lie, did you know that? 102 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:49,760 Gambling seems to say that you can pay this and be rewarded famously for doing nothing. 103 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:55,800 Yet how many people win the prize and how many lose everything? 104 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:00,760 It seems to say this is an innocent pastime and yet there are those, including a city 105 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:06,320 council member in Minneapolis this last week who acknowledged it, that become hooked and 106 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,840 addicted to gambling. 107 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,660 Gambling is based upon a lie. 108 00:10:11,660 --> 00:10:19,740 It is a satanic scheme and it corrupts society. 109 00:10:19,740 --> 00:10:26,040 Satan loves to use his lies to infect the wounds of our lives. 110 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:36,440 For example, rejection or abuse or the conflicts that we get into. 111 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:48,320 He infects these wounds with lies about who we are, about our worth, about God's character. 112 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:58,600 And so we find these thoughts coming from somewhere that say, God doesn't love you. 113 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,600 If he loved you that wouldn't be happening. 114 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:03,920 God doesn't care about you. 115 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,040 God isn't fair. 116 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:11,200 Those are lies. 117 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,440 Or this thought seems to come from within you. 118 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:19,000 It's planted in your mind and it says, I'm no good. 119 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,880 I'm worthless. 120 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,800 No one can love me. 121 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:33,240 I'm a bad person and I deserve this abuse. 122 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:39,760 I'm so stupid I'll never amount to anything. 123 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:43,040 You notice how quiet it is in here? 124 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,480 That's because these lies are so common. 125 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:52,680 And I've only begun the list. 126 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:57,480 One of Satan's tactics is lying. 127 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,920 And those thoughts seem to come from within ourselves. 128 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,440 And they may. 129 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,800 But how often they come from Satan. 130 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:14,400 And once we create them ourselves he immediately jumps on it to exaggerate and magnify and 131 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:22,000 intensify that lie in our lives with the express purpose of destroying us and our faith in 132 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000 God. 133 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,520 He's very effective with lying, isn't he? 134 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,640 A second tactic that he uses is that of accusations. 135 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:39,040 He is called in Revelation 12 10 the accuser of the brethren. 136 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:46,120 An accuser is one who blames or charges another with crimes. 137 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:53,160 An accuser is one who finds fault, who indicts others. 138 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,560 There are many examples of this in the Bible. 139 00:12:55,560 --> 00:13:03,440 Satan, for example, stirs up accusations, hostility and enmity against God's people. 140 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:07,840 He did that with Jesus. 141 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:12,380 Pilate asked the Jews, what accusations do you bring against this man? 142 00:13:12,380 --> 00:13:17,340 And they laid the lies before him. 143 00:13:17,340 --> 00:13:21,240 Satan loves to accuse. 144 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,520 He was successful in interrupting the apostle Paul's ministry. 145 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,760 And of course that's under the providence of God. 146 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:32,440 But he interrupted Paul's ministry through false accusations of the Jews. 147 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:42,360 He was arrested and had to defend himself against accusations. 148 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:48,320 And then most of the apostles had to put up with accusations against them. 149 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:53,960 A good deal of 2 Corinthians is based around the accusations that liars brought against 150 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:54,960 Paul. 151 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,680 And he had to defend himself. 152 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:06,120 This is a day when accusations are so common. 153 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:11,400 Sometimes coming from amazing sources. 154 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:13,360 Accusations. 155 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:18,640 And how do you protect yourself against accusations? 156 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,180 We've thought about that as a staff. 157 00:14:20,180 --> 00:14:27,780 How do we protect ourselves against accusations from a counseling situation? 158 00:14:27,780 --> 00:14:32,400 If you're alone with someone and they come out of the session and say during that session 159 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,280 you did this. 160 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:37,840 And they get a lawyer and go to court. 161 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:43,240 How do you defend yourself against that? 162 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:49,000 We've had to take some steps to do what we can to defend ourselves. 163 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:50,040 We leave a door open. 164 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,920 There is a window in the door in the room where we do counseling. 165 00:14:54,920 --> 00:15:00,200 There are times when we do it with other people present. 166 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,520 We have to. 167 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:07,840 Three years ago the American Bar Association held a seminar at their national meeting telling 168 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:15,080 lawyers how to sue churches on the basis of an invasion of the right to privacy. 169 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:22,800 A brand new basis for legal action against churches that is taking a heavy toll. 170 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:24,840 Do some things happen that are bad? 171 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:26,600 Yes they do. 172 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,720 And when they do they need to be exposed. 173 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,520 There needs to be an accountability for it. 174 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,840 But what I'm talking about are false accusations. 175 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,200 That's Satan's special love. 176 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,000 False accusations. 177 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:48,600 And he engenders fault finding and blaming among God's own people. 178 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:53,400 And it's not that we sit down and we say, oh well now devil what would you like me to 179 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,280 say? 180 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:04,240 But it is that somehow there is this spirit of fault finding, of negative thinking, of 181 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,240 criticizing. 182 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,880 And it comes from Satan. 183 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:22,880 He seeks to create suspicion among the people of God which will produce division and factions. 184 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,800 You say well that can come out of the flesh too. 185 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:25,880 The Bible says so. 186 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:27,600 And indeed it can. 187 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:28,760 It can. 188 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:35,560 But I want to tell you that when the flesh begins Satan is quick to use it. 189 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:43,800 Because accusations, blaming, fault finding is of the devil. 190 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:50,500 We need to be aware of believing everything that we hear. 191 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,480 Even the apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthians. 192 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:58,160 He says I hear that there are divisions among you and I partly believe it. 193 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,840 You see he said I only partly believe it. 194 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:07,840 And then of course we must be extremely careful of passing on gossip. 195 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:14,280 As though we know something is true when it's rumor. 196 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:20,680 The third tactic of the enemy is doubts. 197 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:22,720 Satan loves doubt. 198 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:28,720 Doubt is an uncertainty in one's mind. 199 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:34,040 Doubt is having an unsettled opinion or belief. 200 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,920 Doubt is at its heart mistrust. 201 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:44,080 Now all of us I would assume have questions from time to time about God or about the Bible. 202 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:45,280 That's normal. 203 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,240 There's nothing wrong with healthy questions. 204 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:52,240 When your teenagers or your children come to you with questions that strike to the very 205 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:56,280 heart of your faith don't get angry and become alarmed. 206 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:01,920 Thank God for this teaching opportunity. 207 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,840 Questions mean that one is thinking. 208 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:14,640 Questions mean that one is trying to assimilate, to make one's own what he's heard. 209 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:22,000 But questions that aren't answered, sometimes because they're not asked, they're just allowed 210 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,480 to fester inside. 211 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:31,380 But questions that remain unanswered often lead to doubt, to disbelief. 212 00:18:31,380 --> 00:18:33,540 That's another step away from God. 213 00:18:33,540 --> 00:18:36,640 That's not good. 214 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,160 Questions are okay. 215 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,160 Doubt is sin. 216 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:47,200 An example of Satan using this of course is in Genesis 3 where Satan went to Eve in the 217 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:58,520 garden and said to her, indeed, has God said, see the doubt there, has God said, you shall 218 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:03,100 not eat from any tree of the garden? 219 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:10,680 Not only does he inject doubt but he twists just a bit what God actually said to create 220 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:11,920 doubt in Eve. 221 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:13,400 It worked. 222 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:18,160 It worked. 223 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:24,600 Thomas said, unless I can touch him with my hands, I will not believe. 224 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,280 Jesus gave him the opportunity. 225 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,440 Thomas didn't avail himself as far as we know. 226 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:36,800 He just simply fell in his face and said, my Lord, my God. 227 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:45,360 Among other things, Jesus said to him, Thomas, be not unbelieving but believing. 228 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:48,240 We call Thomas what? 229 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:50,000 Doubting Thomas. 230 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,960 Be not doubting Thomas but believe. 231 00:19:53,960 --> 00:20:01,680 It is amazing that even in those days before Jesus went back to heaven, after he had been 232 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:08,880 alive and showed himself to his disciples, Matthew tells us in Matthew 28-17, and some 233 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,560 were doubting. 234 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:13,520 Isn't that amazing? 235 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:21,120 The resurrected Christ among them and some were still doubting. 236 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:24,080 This is a favorite of the enemy. 237 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:30,100 Among the most common doubts are doubting one's salvation. 238 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:35,800 How do you know that you were sincere? 239 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,600 How do you know that God heard you? 240 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:44,080 How do you know you used the right words? 241 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:48,400 Bordering this is a doubt regarding eternal security. 242 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:58,240 How do you know that God is going to save you after what you've done? 243 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,760 He causes us to doubt God's care. 244 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,200 We're in the middle of a crisis. 245 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:05,920 A child is sick. 246 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,120 A loved one has died. 247 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:10,840 The job has suddenly disappeared. 248 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:18,280 And he's there to whisper in the ear, see, there's what you get for following God. 249 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,200 God doesn't care about you. 250 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:28,080 God may be faithful to some people, but he surely hasn't demonstrated it in your life. 251 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,080 Doubt. 252 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:37,280 A fourth area of tactics that Satan uses is that of temptations. 253 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:43,920 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness, says Matthew, to be tempted by the devil. 254 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:51,080 The tempter came, the tempter came. 255 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:59,080 To tempt means to entice, to allure what is forbidden. 256 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:04,120 There are some people today, instead of worshipping God or out the God of heaven, are out worshipping 257 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:09,080 the fish god. 258 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:17,040 And their whole attempt in their worship service today is to entice a fish to get on that hook. 259 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,760 And they do everything they can with the bait or the lure to catch that fish. 260 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:25,080 This is the very idea in temptation. 261 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:29,080 It is to seduce. 262 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:37,000 Neil Anderson says, the essence of all temptation is the invitation to live independently of 263 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:50,640 God and fulfill legitimate needs in the world, the flesh, or the devil instead of in Christ. 264 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:57,040 He's right. 265 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:58,820 Jesus was hungry. 266 00:22:58,820 --> 00:23:02,360 He had fasted for forty days. 267 00:23:02,360 --> 00:23:08,040 The tempter said, Jesus, aren't you hungry? 268 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:13,320 Don't you think some nice warm bread would taste good right now? 269 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:19,400 If you're the Son of God, command these stones to be warm bread, maybe a little honey on 270 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:24,560 the side. 271 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:30,720 You see, it was a legitimate need which he sought to fulfill, to get Jesus to fulfill 272 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:35,400 outside of the will of God. 273 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:39,280 Satan knows how to exploit our needs. 274 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:47,000 He knows how to exploit our weaknesses, the weaknesses of our flesh. 275 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:52,040 And so then he employs the things of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 276 00:23:52,040 --> 00:24:00,360 the pride of life, to beguile us away from the worship of God. 277 00:24:00,360 --> 00:24:05,320 You see, Satan is content for us to worship anything at all. 278 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:11,240 We don't have to become Satanists to please him. 279 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:16,520 He's happy for us to be in church on Sunday. 280 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:20,000 He's happy for us to sing hymns on Sunday. 281 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,260 He's happy for us to read our Bibles. 282 00:24:24,260 --> 00:24:30,320 As long as we have something else in God's place of preeminence in our lives, the Bible 283 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:37,440 calls that, by the way, idolatry. 284 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:43,680 Idolatry is the name of his game, and he knows how to play it well. 285 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:50,720 He tempts us to forsake God for a substitute. 286 00:24:50,720 --> 00:25:00,840 A fifth area of tactic for Satan is that of condemnation, guilt, shame. 287 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:07,320 Now of course, there is a place for genuine guilt when it comes from God, for it shows 288 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:13,000 our need for repentance and restoration to him. 289 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:20,740 But there is another kind of guilt that comes from the devil. 290 00:25:20,740 --> 00:25:26,640 There is a self-condemnation that he seeks to encourage. 291 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:38,200 You see, he wants us to feel shameful, miserable, remorseful, sorry, as long as we don't feel 292 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:43,800 repentant. 293 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:45,880 There are examples of this, of course, in the Bible. 294 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:54,280 One of them is Peter, who denied God, and Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus. 295 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,560 Both of them felt condemned. 296 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,880 Both of them were guilty. 297 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:07,400 They both wept, but it was a different kind of tears. 298 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,560 Warren Wiersbe writes in The Strategy of Satan, one of his books, 299 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:17,680 A feeling of guilt and shame is a good thing if it comes from the Spirit of God. 300 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:24,500 If we listen to the devil, it will only lead to regret and remorse and defeat. 301 00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:31,300 When the Spirit of God convicts you, he uses the Word of God in love and seeks to bring 302 00:26:31,300 --> 00:26:35,440 you back into fellowship with your Father. 303 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:42,960 When Satan accuses you, he uses your own sins in a hateful way, and he seeks to make you 304 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,600 feel helpless and hopeless. 305 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:51,240 Judas listened to the devil and went out and hanged himself. 306 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:56,400 Peter looked at the face of Jesus and wept bitterly, but later came back into fellowship 307 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,400 with Christ. 308 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,920 The tears of Peter were tears of repentance. 309 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,040 The tears of Judas were tears of remorse. 310 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:10,520 There's a heaven and hell of difference between the two. 311 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:14,400 The devil doesn't mind tears of remorse. 312 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:20,140 He doesn't mind tears that I've been caught. 313 00:27:20,140 --> 00:27:26,000 He doesn't mind tears of defeat. 314 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:35,680 Indeed, what he wants to do is paralyze you with condemnation, self-condemnation, and 315 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:42,920 despair without pushing you to turn to God. 316 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:47,560 How do we arm ourselves against these tactics of the devil? 317 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:55,780 If in our warfare we understand his tactics, what is the armament for us? 318 00:27:55,780 --> 00:28:03,600 Let me show you quickly what it is in Ephesians 6. 319 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,340 The tactic of the devil is lies. 320 00:28:06,340 --> 00:28:14,000 You and I as soldiers are commanded to be girded with truth. 321 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,440 Verse 14, the belt of truth. 322 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:23,420 Neil Anderson says, since Satan's primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him 323 00:28:23,420 --> 00:28:25,760 is the truth. 324 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:30,480 Failing with Satan is not a power encounter, it's a truth encounter. 325 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:36,440 When you expose Satan's lie with God's truth, his power is broken. 326 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,920 That's why the first piece of armor Paul mentions for standing against the schemes of the devil 327 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:42,960 is the belt of truth. 328 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:48,000 Satan's lie cannot withstand the truth any more than darkness of night can withstand 329 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,960 the light of the rising sun. 330 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:58,440 The belt of the Roman soldier was this leather girdle almost that went around his body, protecting 331 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,280 his torso. 332 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:09,360 We are commanded to put on as the foundational garment of our warfare truth. 333 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:16,320 That certainly includes understanding and knowing what is true about God, ourselves, 334 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:17,320 our enemy. 335 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,660 It's objective truth. 336 00:29:19,660 --> 00:29:24,920 But I think that here he's talking especially about subjective truth. 337 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:33,160 That is, we are to arm ourselves by being truthful people. 338 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:37,760 There is to be integrity of character in our lives. 339 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:47,760 There is to be honesty about us, so that when the lies come, they bounce off. 340 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:54,880 Because we know the truth and we are truthful. 341 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:57,080 His tactic is accusations. 342 00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,980 We are to put on the breastplate, he says, of righteousness. 343 00:29:59,980 --> 00:30:06,200 This protected the vital organs of the Roman soldier in his chest. 344 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:17,740 Made out of fashioned metal or sometimes metal chain, the breastplate was essential. 345 00:30:17,740 --> 00:30:23,320 Here we are commanded to put on this covering of righteousness. 346 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:31,120 I believe that he's talking essentially and primarily here about holy and righteous living 347 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:35,600 that deflects accusations. 348 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:43,440 We cannot stop accusations being thrown at us, but our righteous, holy living can deflect 349 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:50,000 those accusations and prove them to be false. 350 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,360 The devil uses doubts. 351 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,400 We are to put on the shoes of peace. 352 00:30:54,400 --> 00:31:02,600 The shoes, of course, protected the soldier from injury that would come from stakes or 353 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:08,440 pieces of metal that the enemy would sew in the soil. 354 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:19,720 The shoes were leather and their bottoms, the soles, were often injected with metal 355 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:24,440 pieces to make them sort of like cleat shoes. 356 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:28,040 With these shoes, the soldier was protected. 357 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,560 The shoes of peace are our shoes. 358 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:36,780 That is, there is to be a subtleness of mind about God's trustworthiness. 359 00:31:36,780 --> 00:31:42,040 We are to truly believe the good news that God is for me. 360 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,040 He's not against me. 361 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:52,300 And oh, what peace that brings to us so that when the doubts come, we know God is for me. 362 00:31:52,300 --> 00:31:57,920 When he hurls at us doubts, we remember God is on my side. 363 00:31:57,920 --> 00:31:59,760 He's not against me. 364 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:01,760 And we're in peace. 365 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,300 Temptations? 366 00:32:03,300 --> 00:32:09,040 For those, we have the shield of faith, the shield was the large rectangular shield of 367 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:10,920 the soldier. 368 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,580 It was leather fashioned around a metal frame. 369 00:32:14,580 --> 00:32:22,020 Often it was water soaked so that as fiery arrows were shot at the advancing soldiers, 370 00:32:22,020 --> 00:32:27,560 the arrow would stick into that leather and the wet leather would immediately quench it. 371 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:33,800 And so he tells us that when the fiery arrows of temptation come to us, we have the shield 372 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,680 of faith. 373 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:39,000 God is withholding from you. 374 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,840 You need to have that need met over here. 375 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:43,900 God isn't going to meet that need. 376 00:32:43,900 --> 00:32:50,380 And that shield of faith soaks in that fiery arrow, puts it out, and responds by saying 377 00:32:50,380 --> 00:32:52,420 God is good. 378 00:32:52,420 --> 00:32:54,440 God is able to meet my need. 379 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,600 God is wise in meeting my need. 380 00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:01,560 I will not believe this temptation. 381 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:02,560 Condemnation? 382 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:04,840 For that the helmet of salvation? 383 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:09,720 The helmet of the soldier was made of leather or sometimes bronze. 384 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:13,620 It protected the head of course. 385 00:33:13,620 --> 00:33:20,640 When thoughts of condemnation come to our minds, we need to remind ourselves that we 386 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,880 are saved, that we have been delivered from condemnation. 387 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:30,640 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. 388 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:36,600 And so when despair comes, we defeat it with the hope of salvation. 389 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:43,120 Then he says that we are to take up the sword of the Spirit. 390 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:49,220 The sword provides the cutting, piercing, penetrating weapon in our hands that drives 391 00:33:49,220 --> 00:33:54,680 the enemy back and defeats his attacks. 392 00:33:54,680 --> 00:34:00,240 We use the sword of the Spirit not by merely quoting verses at the devil, because he can 393 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,040 quote verses back at us. 394 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:11,760 We use the sword of the Spirit when we choose to believe the promises and base our thinking 395 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:16,240 and our actions on those promises. 396 00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:26,040 And then the weapon of prayer, where we call upon our God who is the Lord of hosts, the 397 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:35,240 God of the angelic armies of heaven, and ask him to intervene with whatever means he chooses. 398 00:34:35,240 --> 00:34:39,480 It weakens Satan when we pray. 399 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:41,880 It defeats his assaults. 400 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:47,080 If you want to know one of the great ways to pray against the enemy, I just learned 401 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:49,160 this this week. 402 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:51,640 I was excited to learn it. 403 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:57,840 Pray that there would be confusion created in the ranks of the enemy. 404 00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:01,640 One of the great ways to pray against the devil. 405 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:08,000 Pray that there would be confusion created in the ranks of the enemy so that the spirits 406 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:12,360 cannot coordinate and plan their attacks. 407 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:16,000 You think God will do that? 408 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,920 That fast. 409 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:19,120 That fast. 410 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,120 If we pray it. 411 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:26,760 And then he tells us that the whole goal of spiritual warfare is not just that we can 412 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,840 battle against the devil. 413 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,120 The whole goal of it is outreach. 414 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:36,920 Notice he goes on to say, and pray that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth 415 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:41,400 to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 416 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:47,560 You see what we're really about is advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ so the people can 417 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:53,600 be saved from their sin and their lostness and their hopelessness. 418 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,260 That's what we're really about. 419 00:35:55,260 --> 00:36:02,080 And the reason that we have to fight, the reason we have to stand, is because we have 420 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:07,720 a mission to accomplish in proclaiming the gospel of Christ. 421 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:11,200 We're going to be talking about that next Sunday and the vision of our church and how 422 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:19,560 we as a body of people believe God wants us to advance and to accomplish the mission, 423 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:24,760 the vision that he's given to us as a church. 424 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:28,160 That's why we have to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ. 425 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:35,680 But let me remind you, let me remind you, amidst of the battle, there's no reason to 426 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:36,680 fear. 427 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,840 There's every reason to rejoice. 428 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:43,960 And when he says that we're to pray with all prayer, put this kind of praying, number 429 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:47,280 one, on your list. 430 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:53,400 P-R-A-I-S-E. 431 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:57,960 The devil hates that above every other kind of praying you can do. 432 00:36:57,960 --> 00:36:59,000 He hates it. 433 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,540 He hates it when you praise the Lord. 434 00:37:02,540 --> 00:37:03,820 He despises it. 435 00:37:03,820 --> 00:37:05,040 He can't stand it. 436 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:06,360 He closes his ears. 437 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:07,760 He runs. 438 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:13,600 He cannot stand the people of God exalting the name of Jesus Christ. 439 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:18,920 So as you pray, praise, praise the Lord. 440 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,360 Sing choruses to him. 441 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:24,680 Lift your hands up to him and praise. 442 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:28,200 But when you do, the victory is there. 443 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,200 It's on the way. 444 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:35,760 You see, we need to understand the tactics of the enemy and what our armor is, and then 445 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:40,440 stand for active battle against him. 446 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:44,880 And when we do, we are guaranteed the victory. 447 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,720 Submit yourselves to God. 448 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:54,040 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 449 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:56,320 Pray in God for that victory. 450 00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,080 Are you living in it today? 451 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,560 Is your armor in place? 452 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:06,320 Is there truthfulness? 453 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:08,120 Is there integrity? 454 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:12,120 Do you understand the Bible? 455 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,520 Are you alert to the enemy? 456 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:21,720 You see, we can't just float along in the Christian life. 457 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:24,920 We can't be passive about it. 458 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,360 If we do, we are disobeying Jesus Christ. 459 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:34,240 That's the bottom line issue, because he says to stand. 460 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:40,760 And so let's get our armor on and stand up in the day of evil, and having done all, 461 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:42,760 to stand. 462 00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:47,760 Let's pray. 463 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:53,640 What piece of armor needs to be cleaned up and polished and put in place? 464 00:38:53,640 --> 00:39:00,480 What part have you forgotten that you need to get a hold of right now? 465 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:01,480 Have you been defeated? 466 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:06,560 Are you lying in the dust? 467 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:08,320 God's not finished with you. 468 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,360 God still loves you. 469 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:16,240 Don't listen to those thoughts of condemnation and shame and guilt, those lies that Satan's 470 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:18,000 putting into your mind. 471 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,760 Understand your value to God and what your calling is in Jesus Christ. 472 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:33,720 Get up off your face and stand before your commander in chief and get into the battle. 473 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:44,960 God deliver us today, I pray, from defeat, out of foolishness, out of sin, out of ignorance. 474 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:52,400 May we be your army at Grace Church. 475 00:39:52,400 --> 00:40:04,000 Alert to the subtle tricks and schemes of our enemy, and standing firm against him with 476 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:13,060 the panoply of God in place, and all the time praising you. 477 00:40:13,060 --> 00:40:17,080 Let our eyes off ourselves, Lord Jesus, and on you and the mission that you've given 478 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:20,720 us to accomplish in the world. 479 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:23,800 Remove our short sighted thinking. 480 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:27,440 Give us a vision for people who need Christ. 481 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,980 Let us look beyond the walls of this place, beyond those who are coming now to those who 482 00:40:31,980 --> 00:40:40,280 need to come, who need to hear, who need to be reached with the gospel. 483 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:43,800 These things I pray through Jesus Christ. 484 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:47,640 Would you stand together with me? 485 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:57,160 Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. 486 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:06,560 He sought me and bought me with his redeeming blood. 487 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:16,480 He loved me ere I knew him, and all my love is to him. 488 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:26,640 He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood. 489 00:41:26,640 --> 00:41:27,640 God bless you. 490 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:34,800 Let's live in that victory and wage warfare this week and stand for Jesus Christ. 491 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:35,440 We're dismissed.