Sermon Tone Analysis

There is no question that the world we live in is surrounded by spiritual warfare.

We see throughout history, and in the world around us, the schemes of the devil and the power and effect demonic forces have on culture around us.

Our world is drenched in pornography, lust, abuse, hatred, and greed.

All these schemes of the devil are used to undermine God’s plan of redemption and entice people further and further from the truth.

We see the world celebrate people like Sam Smith who dresses like the devil and sings songs about adultery at the Grammy’s.

We see the world celebrates abortion and LGBTQ culture saying that if you believe that what the Bible says is truth you are old fashioned, intolerant, and a hateful person.

We see social media championing villains, saying that if you want to be a real man or a real woman this is how you should act.

Satan is using all these different lies to hurt people and keep them in bondage.

As we continue to talk about what it means to be on mission, it is important that we begin to see the world from an Biblical perspective.

Paul tells us that our enemies are not other people but are spiritual forces.

Paul wrote this second passage to a people surrounded by spiritual darkness.

It was so bad in Ephesus that in Acts 19 the people of Ephesus rioted because they hated Paul’s ministry.

They were surrounded by idolatry, immorality, sorcery, and demon possession, and Paul knowing this, encourages them to continue in their mission.

I think it is important for us that as we look at our city and our schools we are prepared to face the Spiritual opposition we will face for the name of Jesus.

Every day we need to take time and prepare for battle.

Put on the full armor of God and pray for boldness to stand against evil in our communities.

We see this is one of Jesus’ primary focuses in coming.

Time and time again Jesus cast out demons from the people He was ministering to.

On one of these occasions the religious leaders accused Jesus of being sent by satan.

Jesus in response essentially says that not only is He sent by God, but the kingdom of heaven is at hand and that Jesus has come to bind satan and restore what satan has stolen.

satan has manipulated this world into celebrating what is evil, but Christ has come to set us free from our slavery to sin.

The world celebrates unholiness, but Jesus celebrates holiness

The world propagates relative truth, but Jesus is The Truth

The world boasts wealth and comforts, but Jesus serves with humility

Who or what is satan?

I think this is an important question to ask.

I like to read the Art of War by Sun Tzu.

It is this really old book written by this guy from ancient China.

He was like a brilliant military leader and a lot of military strategies are influenced by what he wrote.

I like to look at it from a perspective of spiritual warfare.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

-Sun Tzu

I think this is helpful wisdom to consider as we approach this idea of spiritual warfare.

We need to know our enemy and who we are.

More importantly we need to know who God is, because who we are comes from who God is.

Knowing God is the most important step in fighting against the enemy.

Our victory comes from Him and Him alone.

Knowing who He is, that He is a loving and powerful God of angel armies who overcomes the power of sin and death by Jesus’ death and resurrection makes the difference in how we approach the battle.

Knowing that He has made mankind in the His image and that He has given us the objective truth of His Word, the Holy Scriptures, knowing these things gives us an anchor in the storm.

Who is satan?

satan is a fallen angel who leads demons in their rebellion against God.

He is referred to throughout Scripture as the devil, the serpent, the great dragon, the prince of the power of the air, the god of this age, the evil one, the prince of demons, the accuser, and the tempter.

satan is a created being, meaning that He is not over or equal to God. he, like other demons, is subjected to God’s sovereign will.

It is easy to look at it as an equal fight between good versus evil, but God is already victorious over satan and will destroy him without contest in the final judgement as we see in the book of Revelation.

satan opposes the spread of the Gospel by blinding unbelievers to its truth, persecuting the church, and promoting false doctrines that oppose the truth of the Gospel, yet in all these things God has used the faithful teaching and ministry of His people to overcome the devil’s schemes.

Despite his opposition the Gospel continues to spread.

an accuser

The name satan isn’t actually a personal name.

It is a nickname for the devil.

satan in Hebrew means accuser.

Where the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, the accuser condemns us for our sin.

The Holy Spirit gently corrects us when we sin.

He speaks to our heart and leads us to repentance.

satan on the other hand wants us to feel shame and guilt.

To feel like we are worthless and disposable.

As satan tries to remind us of our sin, make us feel like we can never change and that we are stuck, the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus’ blood has washed away every stain and that we are made new and there is nothing satan can say or do that changes how much God loves us.

a thief

a prowling lion

a father of lies and a deceiver

It is no wonder why satan’s lies seem so appetizing.

He makes sin look so worthwhile and attractive, but in the end a chocolate covered turd is still a turd.

Luke chapter four gives us a unique story of spiritual warfare.

The stakes were high.

One slip and all reality would come crashing down.

satan, who had convinced Adam to sin in the most beautiful paradise, where every need was met, was now looking to tempt Jesus in the desert, where He had no food, no comfort.

Yet we see, where Adam failed in a garden Christ would remain faithful in a desert.

Sometimes, as we live on mission and follow the Holy Spirit’s call on our life, it takes us into dangerous and uncomfortable situations.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Even though it would be difficult, Jesus was obedient.

When God calls us to go somewhere it is important that we are obedient.

We can have confidence knowing that wherever we are led in our mission that God is there with us.

We don’t have to be afraid or worried because God’s grace is sufficient for all of our needs.

Praying and Fasting

One of our greatest tools against spiritual warfare is prayer and fasting.

Jesus spends forty days of prayer and fasting before He ever called a disciple.

As we follow Christ’s example, it is important that we also are frequently spending time with God through prayer and fasting, seeking His wisdom and direction in our lives and decisions.

Prayer is how we communicate to God.

God already knows what we need but He teaches us how to pray and hears our prayers because He wants us to trust Him, to have a relationship with Him, and be involved in events that have eternal significance.

He brings us into relationship with Him through prayer.

When a country is at war the soldiers don’t typically have access to their generals.

I think of George Washington.

He would have had his own tent where He and his administration would look at strategies and make plans before coming out and telling the troops what they need to do.

There are ranks and chain of command that needs to be followed in order for an army to run efficiently.

God doesn’t operate this way.

In our spiritual war, we have direct access to the commander and chief.

We can go to God directly and talk with Him.

He has created us all uniquely and given us all different skills and abilities so that we can use those things for His kingdom and He invites us to be creative in how we serve Him.

The second tool God gives us to aid us in spiritual warfare is the study and memorization of Scripture.

Studying and Memorizing Scripture

Jesus defends Himself against the schemes of the enemy by using passages of Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy.

If somebody ever tells you that you don’t need the Old Testament or that its irrelevant I want you to remember that Jesus held very closely to what it taught.

All Scripture includes the rich library of Old Testament texts given to us throughout the ages.

So Jesus uses these passages from Deuteronomy and does so to show us something about who He is.

Jesus truly is the perfect Israelite.

If you remember back, Israel also spent some time in the wilderness.

Forty years to be exact.

They were brought through the Red Sea on dry ground, led by God, into the wilderness where they would spend forty years fully dependent on God for every need.

Likewise, Jesus is brought through the Jordan river through baptism, led by God, into the wilderness where He would spend forty days fully dependent on God for every need.