Dealing with Conflict (Spiritual) (PART 1)
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Text:
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Introduction:
Last week we dealt with emotional conflict. How to deal with conflict in interpersonal relationships.
I said last week that:
Whether we realize it or not at some point we are all going to have to deal with some type of conflict. There are different types of conflict that we deal with: emotional, spiritual, physical.
I don’t know, maybe if the LORD allows me to do so we will deal with physical conflict 1st Sunday. But today we are going to deal with Spiritual Conflict.
Okay define conflict:
Conflict:
1. A state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war.
2. A state of disagreement or disharmony between persons, and or ideas.
3. An emotional or mental disturbance resulting from the opposition or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, and tendencies.
We are going to deal with all three examples.
Fact: the word conflict is found only twice in the Bible. More specifically in the New Testament, it is used by the Apostle Paul. When he uses the word conflict, he uses it in context to dealing with personal feelings that he has about two separate situations.
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Here the subject matter is that he addresses the saints of Philippi and encourages them to live as citizens of heaven. That they are to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then he says that whether I come or hear about you, I will know that you are STANDING TOGETHER with ONE SPIRIT and ONE PURPOSE, and I quote from the NLT “FIGHTING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH” which is the Good News.
Then he says in verse 28 “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
Every saved, born again, believer just tell someone “I’m going to be saved by God himself!
So lets break this down:
When we read in the KJV verse 27 says “only let your conversation” and we automatically think Paul is talking about conversing with people, he’s talking about talking right, saying the right thing.
Well on the surface that is right, because we do have to have good conversation. But Paul is referring to something deeper than conversing right. The word conversation is actually translated “conduct”. Because if your conduct is right, then your conversation is going to be right.
Then he says “be as it becometh the gospel of Christ” or let it be worthy of the Good News that you declare, that we declare, that we believe in.
Here is the meat of this portion of text:
First we have to:
Stand Fast in One Spirit
With one mind, we need to strive together for the faith of the gospel.
So the question now becomes “Why?” We do we need to stand fast in ONE SPIRIT? Because to put it plainly, the devil wants to divide and conqueror.
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
How does this happen? The devil will come in the house and he will infiltrate the minds of those in whom he can influence.
And you know how he comes in? He comes in through pride, he comes in through arrogance, he comes in through rebellion, he comes in through division, he comes in through egos and individuality, he comes in through disagreements, he comes in through jealousy, envy, and partiality. He comes in through false doctrine, false teaching, false prophecy, false prophets, false teachers, confusion because God is not the author of confusion.
And the only way that the church can overcome and win is that WE HAVE TO STAND FAST.......WE HAVE TO STAND OUR GROUND AND WE HAVE TO DO IT IN ONE SPIRIT.
THE CHURCH HAS TO HAVE ONE MIND, we have to STRIVE......SOMEBODY SAY “STRIVE”. It means we’ve got to FIGHT, and THE FIGHT ISN’T AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!!!! We have to fight for the faith which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why do we have to fight for it. Because we are living in the last days, we are living in evil times. The devil doesn’t want the gospel to be preached, he doesn’t want the good news to be published because he wants people to live in misery, darkness, and in a false sense of security.
The church of Philippi was being persecuted because of the faith, and Paul encourages them in verse 28 and tells them:
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. Who is your enemy? Anyway that tries to fight you.....doesn’t always have to be a physical fight. I know you may think you get along with everyone.....BUT EVERYONE HAS ENEMIES!!! EVEN IN THE CHURCH!!!! ANY PERSON OR THING THAT TRIES TO FIGHT AGAINST YOU IS AN ENEMY!!! Because they produce conflict!
MY GOD.....THIS SCRIPTURE IS BLESSING ME RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE PAUL TELLS THE CHURCH.....IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR ENEMIES DO TO YOU......GOD IS GOING TO SAVE YOU HIMSELF!!! GOD IS GOING TO DELIVER YOU......IT MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE LOSING RIGHT NOW.......THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO PERDITION BUT TO YOU, OF SALVATION, GOD IS GOING TO SAVE, HE’S GOING TO DELIVER.
Part 2
But you need to understand that sometimes things are the way that you think they are. A lot of times you see with the natural eye and unless God gives you the spirit of discernment, you cannot see what is going on behind the scene.
The problem with some of us in dealing with spiritual conflict is that we see people. Sometimes it is people. I can say in regards to dealing with people in the church you deal with people who are carnal minded, you deal with people that are trapped in tradition, you deal with people who don’t really know the word of God, don’t have a prayer life, it is several things really.
But when it comes to people outside of church, sometimes I can be the person, they have the worst attitude, they have some personal issues going on.
But most of all, when you don’t have God in your life, when you are not FILLED with the Holy Ghost.....I’m not talking about having the Holy Ghost, because some people who say they have the Holy Ghost really don’t.
But when your not filled with the presence and power of God in your life, When you are filled with the Holy Ghost that means God affects everything, he affects your thinking, he affects your decisions, he dictates your actions, and your thinking and actions line up with the word and will of God.
When your not filled with the presence of God, if your not careful, Satan can use you.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
See you thought the fight was with your family member.
You thought the fight was with your boss.
You thought the fight was against the girl or boy that’s been picking with you in school.
You thought the fight was against the politicians.
But the REAL FIGHT isn’t against your brother or your sister, it may seem as if it is.
But Paul says we wrestle not. The conflict, the disagreement sometimes, the dis-unity, the impulses, the tendencies, the desires don’t always come from a person!
Paul says we are really fighting against principalities, these are evil rulers and authorities in the unseen world.
These are spiritual figures that have been assigned to disrupt you, to deceive you, to discourage you, to prevent you from sharing your faith and the good news of the gospel, to hinder you from living right.
They have been assigned to every area of your life. They are on your job, sometimes they try and operate in the house, they try and work in the church. They have been assigned to government, they pass laws that defy word of God.
Watch this:
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
You have heavenly angels assigned to you. But yet at the same time, you best believe if there is a war going on, Satan is going to try to match and outwit every angel assigned to you.
Paul says we are fighting against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. All of this stuff that is being exposed in Hollywood is just the tip of the iceberg. These secret societies, that are in government and dominating the world scene. These secret societies that are manipulating the entertainment world to push on us their persuasion and ideology.
Paul then says mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places:
Daniel speaks of this when he records:
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
There are demonic principalities that are over regions and areas.
And whether you realize it or not, sometime between the 90’s up to this present time, demonic principalities have infiltrated Roanoke!
Why do you think there is so many killings in the street.
Why do you think there is so much sex trafficking in the area. Yeah you see a girl or a woman hanging out on the street and to you, your busy trying to get to your next destination, but what you don’t know is that they are being pimped out by some pimp that has eyes on her.
Why you think Roanoke has so many gangs, because those demons have moved from NYC to Roanoke, they’ve come from Los Angeles, they’ve come from St. Louis and Memphis, they’ve come from Mexico and Guatamela.
And the church has lost its voice......this is what Bishop Davis was talking about influence!
We’re not worried about souls, only thing we care about is coming to church, skipping, shouting, speaking in tongues, and being entertained.
And the devil has intimidated us, He is trying to silence the church, he is trying to shut you up talking about Jesus. I know he is because when you come to church you don’t say nothing.....and if you can glorify the LORD in the church, you won’t give him glory in the streets, you won’t give him glory on your job, you won’t give him glory in front of your friends.
LBGQT community has told us to shut up and don’t preach Jesus, let us live how we want to live.
BUT IF WE WANT TO SEE MEANINGFUL CHANGE.....I DON’T CARE HOW MANY SLOGANS YOU COME UP WITH, IT DON’T CARE HOW MANY IDEAS YOU COME UP WITH TO STOP THE VIOLENCE.......THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IS JESUS!!!! JESUS IS THE ANSWER FOR THE WORLD TODAY, ABOVE HIM THERE’S NO OTHER.......JESUS IS THE WAY!!!!
So I get it preacher......the devil and his imps are after us. But what do I do, what do we do.
Let me lay it out, and then we will come back and preach on this some more 1st Sunday:
Paul said earlier in Ephesians these words:
Neither give place to the devil.
Don’t let him in, don’t give him the time of day. When he comes in and tries to get in your thoughts, tries to get in your body, tries to get you to act on the impulse or the desire. Don’t give him place. You shut Him down in Jesus’ name. Don’t you entertain that thought.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
And finally, there is a whole lot more I can say, I’ll try and say more next go around, Lord willing but lets end with this scripture:
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.