Spiritual Warfare

Recite the Lord’s Prayer

Finishing our series on the Lord’s Prayer called “Lord, Teach Us to Pray”.

This morning I want to look at the last petition in Jesus’ prayer, “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” This final clause of the Lord’s Prayer has been a source of confusion for many. The straightforward reading would appear that we are asking God himself not lead us into temptation. That would be nonsensical, and the scriptures clearly tell us that God does not tempt anyone to sin, so the more appropriate way to understand this prayer is “And let us not be led into temptation but deliver us from evil”.

This phrase in Jesus’ prayer introduces the subject of spiritual warfare. My first encounter with evil that I can remember was when our son Ethan was an infant. We had reached the point that he would go to sleep very easily when we laid him down. But one night he was simply inconsolable. If we held him he was fine, but as soon as we tried to lay him down he would cry. It started to seem that this was not a cry of discomfort but of fear. While I didn’t know fully what I was doing, I felt the urge to rebuke out loud any evil spirits that were trying to afflict him and disturb his rest. Nothing weird happened. But when I laid him back down, he went immediately to sleep. Coincidence? Maybe, but if so, I’ve had a lot more coincidences over the past 30 years. I’m convinced spiritual warfare is the reality.

This immediately creates several responses. Among secular people, and certain Christians, this provokes a response of skepticism or even embarrassment. Isn’t all this talk of angels and demons and the devil just superstition from a less enlightened time? After all, we modern people know that there is no such thing as the boogey man, right?

At the other end of the spectrum, some respond by readily accepting this notion, and then take it to an unhealthy extreme. There are Christians and Christian ministries that have written volumes on demonology, going so far in some cases to give demons personal names and offer special prayers for each kind. In the end they propose to have information that one could never derive from the Bible.

We need to find ourselves somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. C.S. Lewis wisely wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.  They themselves are equally pleased by both errors…” The truth is that scripture records Jesus, and later the apostles, having direct encounters with spiritual forces of evil. This was the accepted reality, and we would do well to bring our worldview into alignment with the worldview of scripture. We ignore the reality of spiritual warfare to our own peril.

It is impossible to give a full teaching on this subject in a single sermon, so I want to focus on what has been the big idea for this whole series, which has been to answer the question, “Why pray?” What we will see this morning is that we need to pray because this is how we fight our battles. Prayer is the means by which we join God in coming against the spiritual forces of evil at work in our lives and in the lives of others.

What is spiritual warfare?

We will be looking at Ephesians 6 this morning if you want to turn there. But before I look at our passage I want to look at “what is spiritual warfare?” What are we talking about.

The spiritual realities attested to in scripture have unfortunately become Hollywood-ized. We hear the word devil or demons and we may think of the sensational movies and TV shows that have come out. These often portray spiritual conflict in very graphic and frightening ways. I don’t want to suggest that there haven’t been credible stories over time of very weird and even frightening stories of evil, but Hollywood has pushed this beyond the pale. For the very vast majority of us, this is not how we will experience spiritual attack.

The satan - small “s” because that is not a name but a description in Hebrew that means adversary - is typically subtle. Paul even writes elsewhere that he masquerades as an “angel of light”. Often his attacks present you with something that could even be called “good”, yet it becomes a distraction from God. Or he will persuade you to invest all your time in things that are irrelevant side-issues. Or he will lead you into becoming fascinated by some distorted teaching. Most of the time, it is simply the age-old temptations of money, sex and power.

All of us experience normal temptations and the struggle to break bad habits. We all give in to temptations to sin occasionally. But how do you know if you are under spiritual attack. Sadly, there is no sure-fire way of knowing, but over time here are some things that might be indications you are under attack:

Disturbing or very graphic thoughts or feelings you can’t seem to control.

Temptation toward lust, hate, fear, anger that seem to be much stronger than normal.

Strong feelings of discouragement, depression, despair, or rejection.

Loss of spiritual desire or spiritual confusion.

Feelings of guilt and shame you can’t seem to shake.

Turning back to old habits that you had gotten free of.

There are other reasons we may experience these things, including psychological, but when they are especially strong and persistent we should at least be aware of the possibility of spiritual attack.

Know your limits

Ephesians 6:10-11

The first thing you need to understand about spiritual warfare is that you need to Know your limits. The devil Paul says is “wiley”. The word literally means that he schemes. He has been around a long time and he is way smarter than you and way stronger than you. To face him on your own means certain defeat.

That is why Paul says we must fight him with the strength that comes from the Lord. He says to be “strong” in the “strength” of his “power”. It’s not an accident that these are the same words he uses at the beginning of this letter describing the resurrection of Jesus. The very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the very same power that is now available to us as children of God. We don’t fight the devil with our strength but in His strength.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:11 “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (NLT). I want to take a moment for us to just sit in this truth: if you are a child of God, the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you. Take a moment to internalize this truth...

Know your enemy

Ephesians 6:12

Paul says you should also Know your enemy. I’ve already mentioned that we don’t have a personal name for the devil. But that doesn’t mean he is not personal. There are real entities behind the evil in the world. Paul calls them the “powers and principalities”. In later liberal theology, the idea of a personal devil or demons was replaced with the idea of evil world systems or institutions. “Powers and principalities” is used in the Bible to refer to those things. And so according to them, these powers might “feel” personal, but they are just the workings of corrupt human systems. They would reference something like the system of chattel slavery of Africans as an example of a corrupt and evil system.

But here Paul is speaking about powers and principalities that are cosmic and heavenly. He most certainly has in mind spiritual powers and principalities. These powers CAN operate through corrupted human systems and institutions, like in the example of slavery, but they are capable of working apart from them as well. The bottom line is that there is a real spiritual realm filled with created beings that are evil and opposed to God’s work and God’s people.

But we also need to recognize who Paul says is NOT our enemy. People. Flesh and blood is not who we are ultimately struggling against. This is written by someone who was beaten numerous times by the Jewish authorities, stoned by mobs, and arrested multiple times by the Romans and ultimately executed by them. If anyone had a reason to name people as their enemy, it was Paul. But he is clear that, while people can do evil things and be used by evil, they are never our enemy. They are not who we struggle against but the evil that is behind it all. Paul is simply following in the footsteps of Jesus who prayed while hanging on a cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

This is something the church has often gotten wrong. Whoever is opposed to us, whoever is living in ways we disagree with, whatever political parties have platforms we are against, they often become our enemy. It’s “those people” who are the problem and the source of our ire. Here is a place we need to repent. To the extent that we have demonized a person for some evil they may have committed, we must realign ourselves with God’s view.

This would be a good moment to consider areas where you look at people as your enemy. Maybe it’s not an individual but people who represent a group - LGBTQ, liberals (or conservatives), ethnic minorities, or people of other religions. Let’s take a moment to lift these people up to God and ask him to give us eyes to see them the way he does - as dearly loved.

Know how to fight

Ephesians 6:13-17

We need to know our limits, we need to know our enemy. But we also need to Know how to fight. Here Paul, using the standard equipment issued to a Roman soldier as an illustration, gives a list of the things that God has provided in order to fight spiritual battles. You can read 10 commentaries and get 15 interpretations on what these items mean, but here is a good distillation of how Paul says God has equipped us for battle.

Belt of Truth. We must know and be confident in the truth of the gospel message. The truth of scripture. The truth regarding who God is and who he says we are. This involves a necessary saturation in God’s word as the source of our truth. Friends, one verse a day will not combat the onslaught of competing truths you receive through music, entertainment, and news. You must be secure in the truth and this acts as a belt that holds everything else in place.

Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness in the Bible can refer to the righteousness that is given to people who have trusted in Christ. We are declared righteous - that we now have a right standing with God through Christ. Certainly this is essential armor to combat the accusations of the evil one. But it can also mean justice, or doing righteousness. To this point, John Wimber has said, “It’s hard to sit still and be good.” Sometimes our best defense is a good offense - being active in extending God’s righteousness to others. It may be best to take the meaning broadly, that our vital organs are best protected through the confidence we have in being made right with God while partnering with God to set things right for others.

Shoes for the Gospel of peace. This calls us to be people who are ready to share the gospel with others. This implies we know the gospel ourselves. I’m not sure this is always the case. Ask most Christians what the gospel is and they will likely point to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This is certainly the climax of the gospel story. But the gospel has to do with what God is doing in Jesus Christ. According to Jesus, the gospel is the announcement that the kingdom of God has come - in him. That through Jesus, God is renewing and healing and restoring the world and us. Yes, the cross and resurrection are essential to his plan, but limiting the gospel to just those things has given people the idea that the gospel is only about having sin forgiven so you can go to heaven when you die. The gospel is much bigger than that. The kingdom has come and is coming in Jesus, and this is how God is setting at things at peace - with himself and with others.

Shield of Faith. Belief in Jesus as the risen Lord and King, and loyalty to him, is what will protect us from all the flaming arrows the enemy throws at you. The arrows may take the form of doubt or despair; of adverse circumstances; of sharp temptation that will burn you up; of personal tragedy; or even the kind of success that tempts you to arrogance and pride. Believing loyalty will quench them all.

Helmet of Salvation. It’s vital that you know with a deep knowing that you belong to the family of God through your faith in Jesus, and that you have already been rescued from the ultimate enemy of sin and death. This enables you to face any other enemies that come your way.

Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. This last one has both defensive and offensive capability. We see in the gospels that when Jesus was tempted by the devil, with each temptation he responded with , “It is written...” Jesus defended against spiritual attack by knowing and standing on God’s word. But it also has power to cut through our and others defenses. Hebrews 4:12 “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This brings us back to the idea that we must know God’s word for ourselves if we want to be successful in spiritual battle.

Of these six pieces of armor I’m mentioned, take a moment to ask God which he wants to build or prioritize in your life right now. What does he want you to work on? Which most resonates with you?

This is how we fight

I’ve covered so much - really too much in one message. You may feel like you’ve tried to drink from a fire hydrant. I answered some questions, but likely raised more. Let me distill it down by going back to the main point. Their is a spiritual battle that surrounds you. You may live your life happily oblivious to this reality most of the time. But this spiritual realm at times breaks into our specific time and place in the form of spiritual attack. And when, not if, this happens, you must be ready.

It’s not an accident that Paul, right after listing our spiritual armor, goes on to say how we must use it. Ephesians 6:18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.” Prayer is where and how we fight our battles. Prayer isn’t the only way God calls us to action, but if we do not first fight the battle on the spiritual plane, we have little hope of winning the battle in the physical plane. There are victories that will not be won in our church or in our individual lives without prayer. I am convinced that there is no more important ministry that we can give ourselves to than prayer. As the old saying goes, you can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you can’t do more than pray until you have prayed.

At the end of the day, we remember that it is not our strength that wins the battle but the Lord’s. We stand in the strength of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, where he once for all time defeated the devil. We stand in his victory and are victorious in every way through him. Satan may win his battles here and there, but the war has already been decided. We can rest confidently in this.

My hope and prayer is that each of us will allow the Spirit of God to reignite a passion for prayer in our life and in our church. Lord, teach us to pray. Amen and amen.