We're going to continue our theme today on spiritual
warfare. I invite you to get your Bible handy
as we prepare to look at the Word of God along
this theme. I received a letter this last week
from Dr. Bruce Kerr, who is the Church Relations
Director of the Conservative Baptist Foreign
Mission Society. This is what he says, Dear Pastor,
You in the pastoral ministry and we in the ministry
of missions are very aware of the spiritual battle
in which we are engaged. We certainly do have
an adversary, the devil. Recently I spent ten
days in two parts of our country ministering
in churches and contacting pastors. I am deeply
burdened over the problems that are dividing
so many congregations. I have never heard of
so many pastors being dismissed by their congregations.
One pastor was asked to resign after faithfully
serving his congregation for over 25 years. There
was nothing wrong morally, doctrinally, or in
his faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. Many times
these turmoils are stimulated by men in leadership
who are less than spiritual and are possessed
with the spirit of this world. It does seem to
me an epidemic and we are deeply concerned about
it. We in missions face satanic opposition in
many ways ourselves. Sometimes it comes through
sudden restriction of the visa process. In Indonesia,
our missionaries have been told that after the
present visa expires, they will have to leave
the country. On other fields, violently anti
-God forces are intimidating, incarcerating,
and brutally treating national Christians. At
other times, the devil makes personal attacks
on the missionary, his wife, or his children.
A missionary with many years of effective ministry
already behind him is suddenly plunged into deep
depression, almost to the point of incapacitation.
Another missionary wife comes from the field
for home assignment and is so drained emotionally
that she is incapable of taking meetings and
supporting churches. A young missionary couple
home from the field has just been told by the
physician that their five -year -old son has
a terminal disease. and at the most would live
to be only nine or ten years of age. In times
like these, the servants of the Lord must learn
anew what it means to be completely cast upon
God. It is incumbent upon us to be faithful to
him and to his word, and to walk humbly and circumspectly
in all things in the light of that word. We also
realize that, quote, greater is he that is within
us than he that is in the world, close quote.
What Dr. Kerr writes to us is a reminder of the
truth that we are studying from Ephesians chapter
6 regarding spiritual warfare. You, my friend,
my fellow believer in Jesus Christ, you are engaged
in a battle for your life. There is an enemy
stalking you and seeking to destroy your life's
potential. And if he is allowed, he will succeed.
There is no compromise with this enemy. There
is no live and let live attitude of disengagement.
He will not be satisfied with anything less than
your total ruin and destruction. That enemy of
every man, woman, and child is the devil. The
devil is a personal spiritual being. created
by God in righteousness, but fallen because of
pride and rebellion which developed in him. While
not possessing the attributes of deity, the devil
is nonetheless a formidable foe who seems to
be everywhere because of the pervasive evil empire
he controls, his system of wickedness. employing
a host of fallen angels who are only inferior
to him. These are called demons. It is only the
child of God who is free to resist the devil.
The unsaved are citizens and slaves of his kingdom.
I invite you to turn with me first to Colossians
chapter 1. And notice with me this verse, verse
13, which tells what has happened to us, but
also tells us where the unregenerate still are.
He says, For he, that is the Father, delivered
us from the domain of darkness. and transferred
us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. That's
the change that has been brought about in us
who have trusted Jesus Christ. But it plainly
teaches that those who have not come to Jesus
Christ are still in the domain of darkness. Then
flip back to Acts chapter 26 and look at these
words. the apostle. Acts 26 and verse 18. He
is here quoting the commission given to him.
God says, I am sending you, Saul, to the Gentiles.
And then in verse 18 he says why. To open their
eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light
and from the dominion of Satan to God. Now the
Christian is released from that dominion. He
belongs now to Jesus Christ and is empowered
by the Holy Spirit to resist and to withstand
his former master. Only the Christian is free
to do that. In order to successfully overcome
him, however, we must be alert to his crafty
methods of operation. That is what the Apostle
Paul insinuates when he says in Ephesians 6 .11,
put on the full armor of God that you may be
able to stand firm against the schemes of the
devil. The word scheme there is our English word
methods. But it means more than that in the original
language. It has to do with crafty methods or
tricks. He says, put on the armor of God that
you may stand against the crafty methods of Satan.
He puts it this way in 2 Corinthians. We are
not ignorant of Satan's schemes. He uses a different
word there in schemes. There the word means his
well -thought -out plans. Never think that Satan
goes about his work and seeks to accomplish it
haphazardly. Satan is very methodical. He thinks
well. regarding his schemes and plans. He studies
you and he studies me so that he can arrive at
the best method possible from his perspective
as to how to destroy you. He seeks to determine
your weak spots and will attack you there. He
knows likewise your strengths and will put together
a scheme to trip you up in the area of your strengths.
He knows you better than you know yourself. The
Word of God exposes the crafty methods of Satan.
I believe that we must learn what they are. so
that we can be equipped to combat this enemy.
I would like for us to consider first the activities
that he uses to enslave, control, intimidate,
and use the unregenerate, that is, those who
have not come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
What are those methods that he uses? to thus
treat and abuse and use unsaved people. Number
one, he charts the course of human history. That's
one of his methods. This is suggested to us earlier
in Ephesians in the second chapter and the second
verse. He says, you were dead in your trespasses
and sins. in which you formerly walked according
to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, of the spirit
that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
That spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience is the prince of the power of the
air, who it says has a course. for this world,
this cosmos, this organized system of evil. Ultimately,
we know that God is in control of all things.
There is no matter that is outside of the sovereignty
of God. But the Bible tells us that under that
umbrella of God's absolute sovereignty, He allows
considerable latitude for the devil. Within the
broad strokes that God paints on the canvas,
Satan is able to do what he wants to do with
a certain freedom that God gives to him. I would
compare it to a river. which can change its course
over the process of time, but which must always
answer to the law of gravity. I went home to
Kansas a couple of weeks ago to finish up some
details following the funeral of my mother last
summer. And while I was there, I went walking
on our farm, something I hadn't done for some
time. And as I walked, I noticed the change of
the bed of the creek that I used to play in as
a youngster. It no longer follows the exact path
that it did a quarter of a century ago. My goodness,
I can't believe it. Let's say it this way. Twenty
-five years ago, when I was a boy and played
there on that farm, it has changed in those 25
years. It's had a certain latitude to do that.
But that latitude is governed by the law of gravity.
It cannot resist the law of gravity. Likewise,
my point is that Satan can change his course
and plan his schemes for world history, but always
he is subject to the law of God and the direction
that God intends for history to go. The Bible
indicates to us that demonic powers are identified
with the nations, the governments, and the leaders
of this world. They seek to influence them in
order to oppose God's purposes. We have alluded
to this before, but I invite you to turn into
the Old Testament at this moment to the book
of Daniel and to the 10th chapter. of this most
remarkable book. Daniel chapter 10, and we look
in verse 13. I remind you that Daniel had prayed
to the Lord for a certain thing. And the answer
to that prayer was delayed and delayed and delayed.
And the reason for it is found in verse 13. where
the angel who finally gets through says to him,
but the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding
me for 21 days. Then behold, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me, for I had
been left there with the kings of Persia. These
are strange words, aren't they? Let me assure
you that the prince of the kingdom of Persia
was not a human being. Michael, one of the chief
princes, is not a human being. Rather, these
both are angelic creatures. Skip on down to verse
20. Then he said, against the prince of Persia.
So I am going forth, and behold, the prince of
Greece is about to come. However, I will tell
you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.
Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me
against these forces except Michael, your prince.
Again, some intriguing words that are used here.
Who are these princes of Persia, of Greece, and
of Israel? For Daniel was a Jew, and Michael
is identified as the prince of Israel. These
are angelic creatures. The prince of Persia,
the prince of Greece, were exalted powers in
the kingdom of darkness. who are seeking to bring
about Satan's purposes in world history. Michael,
on the other hand, is a powerful, holy angel
of God who seeks to guard the people of Israel
and to accomplish God's purposes on the side
of good. We have here but the briefest glimpse
through Daniel. into the warfare that takes place
in the realm of the heavenlies, as it is called
in the book of Ephesians. At the moment that
we are speaking, there are demonic forces and
holy forces of angels who are involved in strategies
and battles and warfare for the course of human
history. Do not think that the most critical
battles are being fought in the Gulf of Aqaba
today. The most critical forces there are not
those of France, Great Britain, the United States,
the Soviet Union, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. The
most critical forces in the Mideast today are
the angelic forces that are fighting in the invisible
realm. And what happens in that realm directly
impacts what will happen in the visible realm
of things. Satan seeks to accomplish his purposes
through the course of human history. He has a
course plotted. He knows where he wants it to
go, and within certain realms, certain boundaries
rather, God allows Satan to accomplish his ends.
But always, even what Satan wants to do must
flow in the direction of history that God wants
it to go in, because God is ultimately sovereign.
The identification of satanic powers with human
leaders, I think, is further indicated by the
fact that two of the key passages spoken about
the devil Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 are spoken
to the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre.
God uses these human leaders to speak through
them to the one who is directing them and controlling
them, and that was Lucifer or Satan. The great
movements of world history find their direction
in the heavenlies. The struggle between the forces
of God and the forces of the devil directly affects
the way things go in human history. Frankly,
most people are ignorant of this fact. And if
you were to say these things to the average person
on the street, they would try to find a hospital
for you to be admitted into. Because such things
are entirely out of the realm of what they consider
normal. But the Bible, the Word of God, declares
that that is normal. And to ignore these things
is abnormal. Now the interesting thing is that
the child of God can participate in these battles
in the invisible realm. Not only can we, but
we are expected to. through prayer. Do you ever
see prayer as a weapon to be used against the
forces of Satan in the invisible realm? If not,
you've missed one of the great purposes of prayer.
God allows us, who are mortal, weak, frail human
beings, who have been redeemed by the blood of
Jesus Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
to participate in the spiritual battle for human
history through prayer. A couple of examples
must suffice this morning. Over 20 years ago,
the country of Brazil was about to undergo a
communist revolution. The Christians in that
country, as well as others, became aware of these
plans for revolution. A certain date had been
set by the Communists for a coup, the murdering
of the leaders of Brazil and a takeover of the
government of that nation. Christians went to
prayer, not knowing the date. But the climax
of their prayer meeting The consummation of their
national gathering for prayer occurred in the
very day when the forces of evil had planned
their coup against the Brazilian government.
And I believe that in answer to prayer, that
coup was averted and Brazil was delivered into
the hands eventually of those who would bring
it to democracy. I am convinced beyond any shadow
of doubt that it was the prayers of Christians
in Brazil that made a difference in the history
of that land. Another similar example would be
England 200 years ago, when as the result of
the prayer of God's people and the pouring out
of the Spirit of God, the British Empire was
spared the bloody and ruthless revolution that
France underwent. I think that we have an example
in 1987. I have read to you already Dr. Kerr's
comments regarding the government of Indonesia
declaring that there would be no extension of
visas for any missionaries. When the visa runs
out, the missionary must go. But within recent
weeks, two young ladies had their visas extended
and can stay in Indonesia. despite what the government's
orders were. Why has that happened? Because people
prayed. What I am saying to you is this. Satan
charts the course of human history, and God allows
him a great deal of latitude in doing that. You
and I participate in the warfare for human history
through prayer, and we need to be doing that.
And then Satan also seeks to enslave, use, and
intimidate unsaved people by perverting the message
of the gospel. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter
4 to some familiar words at the beginning of
this chapter. But the Spirit explicitly says
that in later times, Some will fall away from
the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy
of liars, seared in their own conscience as with
a branding iron. Men who forbid marriage and
advocate abstaining from foods which God has
created to be gratefully shared in by those who
believe and know the truth. What the apostle
is saying is that the gospel of Jesus Christ
would seek to be perverted by legalism, by the
adding of certain man -made rules and ideas to
the simplicity of the gospel which says that
we are saved by grace through faith. Satan seeks
to pervert the message of the gospel. And if
he can succeed in that, then it takes away the
hope of people of ever knowing the gospel and
being released from his slavery. The gospel is
the key that unlocks people from their prison
to Satan. If he can pervert the gospel, then
he redesigns the key, and the key will not fit
the lock to release people. So he seeks to pervert
and to change the message of the gospel. That's
because God's good news is bad news for the devil.
What secured redemption for us assured damnation
for him. He hates the cross of Jesus Christ.
He hates the message of the shed blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He despises the message of
salvation through faith. I remind you that in
the first place, Satan sought to avoid the cross.
He attempted in Old Testament history to corrupt
the human race so that no Messiah could ever
come. Genesis chapter 6 records that. when the
sons of God and the daughters of men intermarried.
That was an overt attempt on the part of Satan
to so totally corrupt the human race that no
one would ever be qualified to come as the seed
of the woman to bring redemption. But he failed,
because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,
and Noah walked with God in that generation.
And God in grace spared Noah and his sons, and
the human race started over again after the flood.
Satan failed in that attempt. He tried to cut
off the line of Messiah various times in order
to prevent Messiah from coming. That was the
purpose of the oppression of the Jews in Egypt.
That was the plot of Haman in the days of Esther.
It was Satan using human leaders to try to cut
off the Jews, to destroy the line of the Messiah.
And there were many other attempts, but he failed.
And after Christ was born, he attempted to destroy
Christ. He was in Herod, as Herod sought to kill
the male babies of Bethlehem, but missed Jesus
because they were warned by an angel to flee.
Later, in Christ's adulthood, he tempted Christ
to disobey God and thus to disqualify himself
as the sinless substitute for lost man. But he
failed in that attempt. Satan did everything
that he could to avoid Jesus Christ from coming,
to avoid the cross sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I have no doubt that all the powers of
hell, every demon that exists, was in Palestine.
During those three days he was in the grave,
and I believe that all of their pressure was
exerted against that stone on the tomb. Because
now that he died, they wanted to keep him dead.
But they couldn't. He was conquered in that.
So since he lost the battle, Since Christ came
and died for our sins and rose again from the
dead, he has sought to confuse and to compromise
and by any means possible to undermine that message
of the gospel. And so he attacks it every way
that he can. Let me give you four areas of attack
where he attacks the gospel. First, he attacks
the authority of God's word. He began this in
Genesis chapter 3 when he came to Eve and he
said to Eve, Has God said... You see the point?
He was trying to get her to doubt the authority
of what God had said to Adam and Eve. Has God
said this? And still today he is whispering that
question in the ears of people. Has God really
said that? There is an unparalleled attack against
the authority of the Word of God in our day.
This is illustrated in a seminar that took place
here in the Twin Cities two weeks ago. It's called
the Jesus Seminars. 125 New Testament scholars
are attempting to find the authentic sayings
of Jesus. Did you read about this in the paper?
They are examining the Gospels with the scientific
critical method of scholarship to determine which
of the sayings attributed to Jesus are authentic,
that is, which ones he actually said. They met
on the campus of Luther Northwestern Theological
Seminary in our city. And their purpose of the
study, they say, is to give ordinary Christians
the benefit of cumulated research by American
theologians. There are some benefits we could
do without. They are going to produce, when they
are done, a book dealing with the five Gospels.
You say, the five Gospels. Yes, it's called the
New Red Letter Edition of the Five Gospels. because
they not only include Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, but a recently discovered manuscript called
the Gospel According to Thomas, and they say
that that should be included in the Bible. And
all of the sayings of Jesus will be color -coded
by these scholars to indicate how authentic the
words of Jesus really are. They have already
made some interesting discoveries. They have
decided, for example, that Jesus never did speak
of the end of the world and never did say that
he was going to come again. They have decided
that Jesus did die in Jerusalem at Passover and
that he was likely charged to be the king of
the Jews, but that his execution was totally
politically motivated and that the charge that
Jews were responsible for Jesus' death is not
true. and there are other details that are historically
inaccurate concerning his death. For example,
he never did actually say those seven last words
from the cross, they say. They say there was
no Jewish trial of Jesus before the Roman authorities
executed him, and that no Jewish crowd was involved
in his condemnation. They further say that the
parable of rich man and Lazarus, remember that
one, Luke 16? That's not authentic. I think you
know why. The wicked tenets, that parable in
Mark 12, why Jesus could never have spoken such
harsh words. Aren't you glad for the accumulated
research of these American theologians? What
is this? It is another attack against the authority
of the Bible. fomented by Satan. That's what
it is. And it's one of many that's taking place
today, some of them closer to home in evangelical,
so -called evangelical circles. Any attempt to
undermine the authority of the Bible finds its
ultimate source in Satan, who is seeking to pervert
the message of God in any way that he can. Furthermore,
he attacks the deity of God's Son. 2 Peter 2
.1 warns that false teachers will deny the Lord
that bought them. They deny the Lordship of Jesus
Christ. I was talking on the telephone this week
and the doorbell rang. Isn't that when it usually
rings? My son went to the door and he came to
me and said, there are two people at the door
to see you. And so as I'm talking to this individual,
I said, have ties on? He says, yeah. I said,
you tell him I'm on the telephone. I can't talk.
So he did. So I got done with the conversation.
He said, hey, Dad, they're coming back. I said,
okay. So I looked out the window, and they were
across the street at my neighbor's place, Dave
Sulak's. So I let him talk to them. In fact,
it was not who I thought it was. but it was a
young man neatly dressed and a lady who was with
him carrying their big satchels. And when Dave
had finished with them, they got back in their
car and they talked a while and they got out
and came to my place. And by this time I was
outside. And so they came up to me and they pulled
out a couple of magazines and they said, these
are magazines that talk about our faith and would
you like to buy these magazines? And I said,
no, I wouldn't, but I do have a question for
you. I said, do you believe that Jesus Christ
is Jehovah, God come in the flesh? He said, oh
no, we don't believe that. I said, well, you
better realize that he claimed that he was. He
said, I am he. And he said, if you believe not
I am he, you will die in your sins. And our conversation
went on from there. But you see, the point is
that that has been one religion. I'm talking
about the Jehovah's Witnesses. That is but one
of the cults and religions that deny the deity
of Jesus Christ. Satan seeks to pervert the message
of the gospel by denying the deity of Jesus Christ.
If he was not God, his sacrifice atones for no
sins. Then he seeks to attack the clarity of
God's salvation. Old Paul talks about this in
Galatians. He talks about it in Corinthians over
and over again. Even in that day, there were
those seeking to add to the gospel message faith
plus something else, faith plus baptism, faith
plus circumcision, faith plus anything, my friend,
is a perversion of the gospel message. Salvation
comes as the result of faith simply placed in
the Son of God who died and rose again for our
sins. But he seeks to attack the clarity of God's
salvation. And finally, he seeks to attack the
reliability of God's promise. What is that promise?
That his son would come again. Peter tells us
in 2 Peter chapter 3 that there would be those
mockers who would come in the last days and whose
message would be, where is the promise of his
coming? Oh, come on. Things have always been
just like they are now. There's a uniformity
to human history. Nothing's ever happened to
intervene before. And isn't that really the message
of evolution? They say nothing's going to happen
to intervene in human history. And Peter goes
on to say of this, they're willingly ignorant
that God has before intervened in the flood.
But they choose to overlook that truth, that
fact, and they deny that Jesus Christ is coming
again. So Satan attacks the validity, the reliability
of God's promise that Jesus would come again.
He is seeking in every way he can, my friend,
to pervert the message of the gospel. That's
why you and I are commanded to contend earnestly
for the faith. Jude, verse 3. That faith, he
says, has been once and for all delivered to
us. Paul says it has been entrusted to us. He
says guard the treasure. Retain, he says, the
standard of sound words. Don't allow this message
to be perverted and undermined. But rather, he
says, preach the Word of God. knowing that in
the last days there will be people who will come
with itching ears, that is, who will want to
hear a message that pleases them, that tickles
them, instead of the true, unadulterated Word
of God. You and I, my friend, are involved in
war. We have an enemy who is seeking today to
control his cosmos, to control his citizens.
by charting the course of human history. But
you and I can intervene in that by prayer. And
he furthermore seeks to enslave them by perverting
the gospel message. But you and I can preach
the gospel in its beauty, in its clarity, in
its purity, and attack Satan and his kingdom
at a vulnerable point because Satan cannot stand
the preaching of the cross. Jesus Christ. Next
week I'm going to continue this theme, but I
want you to know that you and I dare not go to
sleep. The issues are at a critical point in
our culture and in our society. Our part in the
cause of Jesus Christ depends upon our being
vigilant against this spiritual enemy. Never
has the need been more desperate for alert, biblically
intelligent Christians who will be involved in
the battle. That's why the apostle says to us,
put on the armor of God that you may be able
to withstand the schemes of Satan. Are you involved
in the battle? Are you alert to what's going
on? Or have you allowed your Christian life to
be lulled into complacency and sleepiness and
drowsiness? I can assure you that Satan could
not be more happy for you. He could not be more
pleased that you be mediocre and lukewarm in
your commitment to Jesus Christ. For if you are
that, he's got you where he wants you. But you're
not where God wants you to be. God commands all
of us today, be sober, be vigilant. Your enemy,
the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about seeking
whom he may devour. Let's pray. With our heads
bowed, our eyes closed, as we gain understanding
in the strategies of Satan. As we come to perceive
more clearly the crafty methods that he uses,
let us be sure that we have not somehow carelessly
become entangled in them ourselves. Have we allowed
ourselves to become lazy and complacent in our
Christian walk? Are we vigilant, sober -minded?
utilizing prayer and the spiritual weapons that
God has given us, the preaching of the word,
standing for the truth in the face of those who
oppose it. Oh God, help us to be the kinds of
soldiers that are true soldiers. Father, I pray
that we will be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
that you would equip us to be more effective
than we've ever been before as individuals and
as a church, so that by your grace and for your
glory alone, we may make a difference in the
world where you've called us to live for you.
Deliver us, I pray, from being ignorant of Satan
and his schemes, but having been taught by the
Holy Spirit, May we then be armored by the Spirit
of God and strengthened by him that we may fight
the good fight of faith. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.