Spiritual Warfare

Preached in

Lesson Text:

Introduction:

There has been so much talk about War lately. I think most of us have seen the headlines “war on terrorism“. Or at least heard about it. Or maybe you have been keeping up with the war in the Middle East. With all the social and political and religious issues there.

If you have ever taken a look at War you would find that War is a hard, bloody, long and often drawn out event or series of events. Were people lose their lives and were nations can rise or fall depending on who wins. War is not something new to the earth. There have been wars and battles going on from just about the beginning of time. If we look in the Old Testament we find many battles and wars. In fact we see some of the strangest wars and war plans in history. Remember Jericho

Talk about taking Jericho

This is just one example of a strange battle plan. But history is littered with wars. It’s a good thing we aren't like Israel was God has commanded us to fight wicked nations and peoples to gain the promise land. RIGHT? It is true that we don’t have to fight some nation to gain land. We have the promise of Heaven as Christians threw Christ. But I would challenge the idea that we don’t have to fight.

In fact, we are in a war right now. No I'm not taking about the war on terrorism. Thought a physical enemy would be somewhat easier to fight. I’m talking about a much more important war. You see we are in a Spiritual War were soul’s are won or lost depending on what we do. Don’t miss understand me not all the power come from us.

If you don’t think that there is a Spiritual War going on just look around you. Turn on the TV, and find a young good-looking guy in a brand new Toyota F1 50. Loaded out with all the extras and the Commercial basically tells us that if we have this truck then we have made it to the top and everyone else will be jealous and envious and that’s what were told we need. To be set apart and selfish and we see this with bumper stickers that say “my toy” or things like “you wish you were me.” And the list goes on. Were being feed lies and it upsets me to see all the lies being regurgitated by those who get a steady diet of it. Something else that upsets me is the lies that are being told to our children. We have children being told lies and being drafted into the Enemies army. They’re told its o.k. To have sex at 9, 10, 11, and their told, by their so-called friends, that everyone else is doing it. There told It’s O.K.' to have sex when you’re in LOVE. But there not told what love is and there not told what the creator of the universe, of Man has set up for Love and Marriage. There told its ok to have same sex relations because it’s just another alternative life style. And these things of this nature are being taught at the kindergarten level in some states. There told that you have the right to have an abortion at the age of 11 without a parent’s permission (at least some are trying to pass. that type of law).

Oh how great this world will be when our children are taught homosexuality and abortion instead of multiplication.

But were they getting this from? Who is teaching our children and us this? I don’t blame this just on their so-called friends. And I don’t blame this just on the teachers and politicians or movies and TV shows and the media in general. Thought they are at fault and are a big source of confusion and anger and lust and pain. But there is something more, something behind all of these influences.

Paul tells us in Ephesians.

Eph 6:12

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Paul makes it plain that the struggle we have is not against the physical but against the spiritual. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood.”

There is something behind the everyday existences that uses the material world as a veil or cover for the war that is being waged.

Matrix

Has and body in here ever saw the movie the Matrix? The whole story is about one man feeling like there is something more to life and after a few encounters with some very weird people this one guy finds out that the world he has been living is not real. It is a lie. It was a dream state that he was put in from birth. You see robots have taken over the earth and are using humans as power, as batteries. But some humans have woken up and have seen through the dream like life. And are going around trying to wake up others from this state.

Sounds kind of similar to me. Most of people in this world are in a dream state. And most if not all of us have been in this dream state. But we were ruddily woken up. But the movie does not end there and neither does our life. The robots in the movie don’t want to have the humans wake up and rebel against them so they send out their warriors to find attack and eliminate the rebel humans.

Satan from the beginning of human history has told us lies and has moved us away from God into a dream state were we are told lies that keep us in that dream like state and we are being destroyed.

Gen 3:1-5

3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

2The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

4"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

NIV

If your drink Pepsi you will be liked by all kinds of beautiful people, If you wear these close you will be popular, If you don’t believe in God you will be considered smart.

Nothing but lies. Satan tells us lies and with those lies he kills the souls of humans.

But what do we do? How can we help? Where do we turn?

The Good news is that God came to the earth and started a small freedom fighting group to save the souls of the world threw Christ. To wake those who have fallen asleep and to fight.

But Christ never spoke about warring, did he?

Matt 10:34

34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

NIV

We are in a spiritual war with the powers of darkness. And we, Christians are God’s army in this world. Christ working in us.

God lives in you and through you God will save those in this world. But we have to fight. And how do we do that? Is it enough to be Baptized and read the scriptures. Sitting alone in our houses. If it were that would be fine by me. But we as Christ's army of Good news of the Gospel are told to make war. Do we gather bombs and blow up abortion centers or stock pile guns for this war. NO.

2 Cor 10:3-5

3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

NIV

1 Thess 5:6-9

6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled, 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

Self-control and awareness of our own lives and our own thought are good places to start. And we are told that some of the fighting will take place in our minds. But we are not stop with ourselves. It is true that we need to learn to be aware and awake.1st Peter says.

1 Peter 5:8-9

8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

We are in a war right now.

So be alert and awake, and self controlled. As a warrior of God in this time of Warfare we need to put on our Armor every day. We need to put on Christ every day. Victory is ours threw Jesus Christ we need only fight. The way we wage war is by being self-controlled, aware, and by attacking the Enemy straight on.

You may have heard this old saying “sometimes the best defense is a good offence”. As Christians our defense is Christ working in us to be aware awake and self-controlled. But what is our offence how do we attack? If that old saying is true that sometimes the best defense is a good offence, what is our offence? Had do we attack?

Matt 28:18-20

18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Preach Christ, Teach Christ, live Christ. That is our Attack. Telling others of the relationship with God threw Jesus Christ. No matter where the battle takes place, whether in your mind or in your home or out in the world Christians we have victory. We have already won; Christ gives us victory over sin, Satan, and over Death. But not only that He gives us Victory over everything in our lives and if we choose to we can Preach Christ out in the world and have victory they’re as well.

1 Cor 15:57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Conclusion:

We don’t win the Victory. Christ has already won. On the cross he won the victory. We need only take the victory. Like Israel under Moses when God gave them the promise land but they sent out 12 spies AND THEY CAME BACK and told all of the Israelites that they could not take the land even thought God has given them the land. They only had to take the land God had already won the Battle. The same is true with us.

Israel under Moses failed to take the Promised Land because they did not believe God. After the death of Moses and after wandering in the desert for 40 years Israel under Joshua took the Promised Land because they believed in God. Let’s believe God. Let’s believe God when he says he has given us the victory. Because there is a war going on right now and we as God’s army. God tells us that threw Jesus Christ we have victory. Victory over every aspect of our lives and victory in saving the souls for God. If you remember nothing else remember this, threw Jesus Christ we have VICTORY!

1 Cor 15:57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV