John 12:31-32: Our Victorious Warfare

Scripture Reading

Intro

The Christian life is a battle… a war.

The Apostle Paul calls it a wrestling match… fierce, one-on-one hand to hand combat where two wrestlers enter in and focus all their strength… all their fury… all their force and energy… to try to break the other into submission (Ephesians 6:12).

And its a war every Christian is engaged in.

There is no one sitting on the sidelines.

To be a Christian is to be engaged in spiritual warfare against Satan, demons, sin, and the world… all the powers over this present darkness… the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light (Ephesians 6:12).

But here’s the problem. we aren’t really sure what spiritual warfare actually is.

Either A: Christians don’t even realize they are in a war so they are taking shots and losing ground without even realizing it.

Or B: They don’t know what the war is.

They know we are in a war but because there is so little and such poor teaching on spiritual warfare they don’t know how to engage in it.

How do you actually fight against spiritual powers you can’t actually see?

We hear spiritual warfare and we think demons… possession… things like that and because that’s so uncommon… even though I think its more common than we actually think…

We don’t really know what to do with it… so functionally we let our guard down and take ourselves out of the fight as well allowing ourselves to be run over by the Kingdom of Darkness without barely even putting up a fight.

Boxing as one who’s beating the air (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

I hope to fix that today.

What is spiritual warfare?

How do we engage in it?

How do we put up a fight… and not just put up a fight, but fight victoriously overcoming all strength and opposition by the victorious blood of Christ?

I’ll tell you… this sermon really is born out of God’s grace.

I almost didn’t even preach it.

As I sat down to research, study, and pray… I realized I didn’t even know what spiritual warfare is?

How do you know it when you see it?

When is something a spiritual attack and not just a hardship of life.

All those problems I mentioned earlier were the problems I realized I had.

How do I fight when I don’t even know what I’m fighting?

Where do you even point the gun?

How do you engage in this spiritual war you can’t even see?

The Bible says we are to be wise to the schemes of the devil… his strategies and his tactics (2 Corinthians 2:11).

How he wars against us and how we are to war against him.

Can that be said of you and your own spiritual life and battle?

After today, I hope it will be.

So here’s what I want to do.

Usually when people talk about spiritual warfare it is filled with confusion… speculation… and unbiblical teaching of how men think spiritual warfare might work… Here’s this principality… Here’s this power… Here’s this spirit at work in the world…

When what we really need is simple, clear biblical teaching… simple truths proclaimed in God’s Word.

So what I want to do is simplify spiritual warfare for you.

I want to bring it back down to earth so to speak.

I want to help you get your hands around a biblical understanding of spiritual warfare so that you can actually and effectively engage in the war you are already in… the spiritual war that is all around us.

We are going to cover a lot today.

You can think of this as a Spiritual Warfare Bootcamp 101.

And there’s really three emphases I want you leaving here with today.

Number 1: Spiritual warfare is much broader than Satan and Demons… its a war against all the powers of the Kingdom of Darkness.

Number 2: The Christian is engaged in this war from a position of victory.

Christ has already come. Christ has already conquered.

We are not fighting a losing battle… we are engaged in a victorious war.

And Number 3: I want to shift our mentality about spiritual warfare.

To see that we are engaged in it every second of every day.

And we need to have a shift of seeing our lives as trench warfare.

Its up close… personal… you’re going to get punched in the mouth…

But we need to have a mentality if we aren’t gaining ground we are losing it.

The war’s been won… but are we winning the battle in our lives, in our church, and in our families?

Last week we looked at Christ’s Victorious Cross and this week I want to look at the implications of that and applications for it in our lives by looking at Our Victorious Warfare.

So the first thing we need to do to discern the schemes of the devil and understand the spiritual war we are in is to look at the enemy general himself.

If you’re going to fight in a war you must know your enemy.

So who is Satan and what is his position today?

Satan Background

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

We covered this last week but it bears repeating today.

In what sense is Satan the ruler of this world?

First we must be very clear. Satan is not God.

He is not equal with God. He is not like God.

He is not all powerful… He is not omniscient… He cannot read your mind or be everywhere at once.

He is a created being… an angel… according to Ezekiel 28, he was a high and anointed cherub (Ezekiel 28:14).

But Satan rebelled against God.

Isaiah 42 says He wanted to make Himself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:12-14).

And led a third of the angels, we now call demons, to rebel with him (Revelation 12:3-4, Matthew 9:34).

Names

The Bible uses several different names for Satan… the three most common ones being:

Satan meaning The Adversary… Enemy… or Opposition.

The Devil meaning Accuser or Slanderer not only accusing and slandering men but God.

You will not surely die… God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5).

God is not good. He cannot be trusted. He is a liar who is only withholding things from you.

And the Evil One emphasizing his sin, wickedness, and evil in contrast to the holiness and righteousness, and goodness of God.

In John 8:44 Jesus says was a liar and murderer from the beginning and that there is no truth in Him.

Satan is a Deceiver who twists God’s Word… and God’s truth… and God’s Character just as he did with Adam and Eve to lead others astray to their own death and destruction.

And the Bible here, and in 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him the ruler and the god of this world.

Ruler of this World

And this is where we need to qualify that because there is a lot of bad theology about Satan and his power today.

Satan is not the god of this world as in he is the sovereign of this world… he is not is not sovereign over the world as in the physical earth and everyone in it.

Jesus is.

Jesus said All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).

And Isaiah 66:1 says Heaven is His throne, and the earth is [His] footstool.

Satan is the ruler of this world, but Jesus is the LORD of Heaven and Earth.

Well what does that mean?

The word world here for John, refers to Fallen, sinful humanity in rebellion against God under the control and dominion of Satan.

Satan is the god of this world in the sense that He is the god of unbelievers.

We see that in the immediate context itself with verse 31 where Jesus said Now is the judgment of this world…

Now… with the cross… the judgment and wrath of God is revealed against sin and fallen, sinful humanity in rebellion against God.

Now is the judgment of this world… The cross reveals the wrath of God our sin and fallen sinful, humanity in rebellion against God deserves.

In 1 John 5:19 John says the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

But this is in contrast to believers those who John says are born of God.

So the whole world that lies in the power of the evil one does not refer to the whole world and all people in general but to unbelievers and the unbelieving world in particular… fallen, sinful humanity in rebellion against God.

The clearest place to see what it means that Satan as the ruler of this world is…

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

So Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that he is the god of this world… the god of unbelievers…

The spirit who is now at work the sons of disobedience otherwise known as children of wrath who blinds the minds of unbelievers and keeping the sons of disobedience in bondage and chains by their slavery to their sin.

Or as Jesus said You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires (John 8:44).

So make no mistake. Satan is not running the show down here.

He is not the one in control.

He is on a leash under the decree and providence of God.

Summary

Here’s the biblical way to think about it… a good summary for how we think about Christ, Satan, and who is ruling the world as we think about it.

Jesus is the LORD of Heaven and Earth…

He alone is God… He alone is the sovereign Lord and ruler over all things.

Satan is the god of this world.

The god… lowercase g… of unbelievers… the ruler of this world leading the world and fallen sinful, humanity in rebellion against God.

Satan’s Current Position

But notice what Jesus says…

John 12:31 Now… [Now as in when Jesus was speaking this]… Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

The now Jesus is referring to is the hour of His death and crucifixion.

On the cross, Jesus would crush the head of the serpent and the ruler of this world would be cast out (Genesis 3:15).

And That’s where we are today.

This is a present reality now.

Christ has crushed the head of the serpent.

He has conquered the enemy.

Christ by His death and resurrection is victorious now!

Satan is a conquered enemy.

The death blow has already been dealt.

Satan has been slain and is falling to the ground.

Everything we see now are just the death throes of a wild animal clinging to survival with the last breaths of his life.

The cross of Christ for Satan, was a total and utter defeat.

Like David with Goliath’s sword… Christ cut the head of the serpent.

He has been cast out outside… thrown out… thrown down.

Utterly defeated.

The Great Pharoah has been broken and now all of God’s people are being delivered out.

The way the Bible talks about Satan and his position post Christ and the cross is…

Judged (John 16:11).

Cast out (John 12:31)

Destroyed… Rendered powerless (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Disarmed and conquered… triumphed over (Colossians 2:15).

And Bound (Matthew 12:29, Revelation 20:1-3).

Yes… Satan’s ultimate defeat and eternal death awaits the last day on the Day of Judgment where Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire in Hell (Revelation 14:10).

Some people don’t know that.

Satan doesn’t rule over Hell… Jesus does.

Hell itself was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

And the only reason why sinners go there is because all men will share in their father’s inheritance… the believer will share the inheritance of eternal life… the unbeliever will share their father’s inheritance of eternal death.

But without a doubt… Satan, by the death of Christ… has been cast out… defeated… rendered powerless… and bound.

So here’s what I want you to see. We are waging war against a conquered enemy.

Satan’s already been defeated.

We are fighting from a position of Christ’s victory!

He’s already conquered Him and 1 John 4:4 the one who is in you is greater that the one who is in the world.

And 1 John 5:18 God protects the one born of God and the evil one does not touch him.

The devil can under God’s providence harass, tempt, and even persecute us.

But he can never reclaim us. He can never lay hold of us.

No one is able to snatch us out of Christ’s hand (John 10:28-29).

As we engage in spiritual warfare we need to remember that the war’s already been won.

We might lose the battle… we won’t knock it out of the park every time.

But we need to fight from a position of victory in full assurance and confidence in the Lord, no matter what we face to carry us through.

And that takes us to where we are today.

What does spiritual warfare look like this side of the cross?

Because we might have a defeated enemy but we still have and enemy and we need to be wise to his schemes so that in Christ we might overcome him.

Defining the War

Turn with me 1 Peter 5:8.

Roaring Lion

1 Peter 5:8–9 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

This is another picture that even though we are on this side of the cross, we are in a war.

Peter is writing to Christians who are being persecuted for their faith, and he ties this persecution to the attacks of Satan.

He says be sober-minded… be watchful… be vigilant… be on guard… because Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Always be ready… always be watching to see that you are not eaten alive by any of Satan’s schemes.

Peter compares Satan to a roaring lion to represent his power,, strength and ruthlessness

He is a ferocious lion on the prowl and on the hunt.

But what are we to understand by Peter saying that he is on the prowl to devour Christians?

Satan cannot devour us as in take our salvation.

We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:6).

And as strong as Satan is, Christ is stronger, and no one is able to snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28-29, Luke 11:22).

While Satan cannot touch our position in heaven… he can attack us here on earth.

And I think we can understand Peter’s meaning of seeking someone to devour by Jesus’ words in John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

Here’s the war.

Satan can’t take you out of heaven… he can’t touch you there.

But he can devour… he can steal, kill, and destroy…

Your Life - as in your hope… joy… vitality in Christ.

Your Doctrine .., your faith as in what you believe by trying to corrupt the teaching of the church… the faith delivered once for all to all the saints (Jude 3) or leading you astray into false teaching.

And Your Witness… whether by your sin or by cares for the world to make you ineffective or ruin your reputation for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Satan is a roaring lion looking to devour… looking to steal, kill, or destroy… your life, your doctrine, and your witness.

He wants to eat your faith alive and take you off the board…

In any way he can as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

A sincere and pure devotion…

That’s what Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy…

That’s what Satan is looking to devour.

And that’s where the war is fought.

You can think of it like Jesus telling Peter Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat (Luke 22:31).

To crush you and shake you violently that you might fall.

And that’s why Peter says Resist him. Firm in your faith.

Stand.

Don’t fall.

Don’t shrink back.

Don’t give in… Don’t give up.

Guard your Life… Doctrine… and Witness… fight for and defend your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

I hope you’re starting to see that spiritual warfare is much bigger than Satan and demons.

Spiritual warfare is about your life, joy, and worship of Christ.

Your faith and your doctrine… guarding the good deposit entrusted to you (2 Timothy 1:13-14).

Your witness and your effectiveness for the Kingdom and the Great Commission.

Its about you standing firm against every attack from the Kingdom of Darkness and living for the glory of Christ with all of your life.

That’s what Satan’s looking to devour… Life… Doctrine… Witness… your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Fronts of the War

And that leads us to the next question.

Where are the front lines of this spiritual war?

What are the fronts?

In other words, where are Satan and demons operating in the world to carry out their designs and purposes?

This was a key question for me because one of the things that caused me so much confusion regarding spiritual warfare was I was only thinking in terms of Satan and demons.

What actually constitutes a spiritual attack?

I didn’t know!

How could you know if it was a demon or just a runny nose?

And then it hit me. Spiritual warfare is much bigger than Satan and demons.

Don’t get me wrong. They’re over it. They’re behind it.

But spiritual warfare is a struggle against the Kingdom of Darkness as a whole…

Satan and demons yes… but Satan and demons at work in all the realms of their domain.

So think of it like this.

You have Satan and Demons.

They’re kind of over it all and pulling the strings, but spiritual warfare includes all the strings their pulling.

Wicked men… false teachers… all the sin and temptations of the world.

So you have Satan and Demons…

And then you have three realms or three areas that make up the Kingdom of Darkness all together pushing against the church and the saints.

Sin

First you have sin.

Temptation from the world and temptation from the flesh.

Sin from without and sin from within.

Beasts

Another area or domain of Satan is Beasts of wicked human governments that do no submit to Christ but rage against Him and persecute His church.

We see that several times in the book of Daniel and Revelation where you have a human government but Satan operating behind and giving power to the Beast (Revelation 13:1-9).

How many times have we seen the state elevate itself over God and persecute the saints?

We have a beast of a government now.

Our government doesn’t submit to Christ or obey him.

We are a nation that rages against him, and we’ve all seen what happens to Beasts that refuse to repent and turn to Christ… He breaks them with a rod of iron… judgment falls on that nation.

GOd’s servant called to obey him.

And someone might say, Well Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world.

Over this world and in this world as a mustard seed and leaven

False Teaching (Doctrines/Religions/Philosophies/Worldviews)

Those are the realms the front lines we are fighting. sin whether from the world or our own flesh beasts and wicked men and false teachers are the front lines of spiritual warfare. The war is against the kingdom of darkness as a whole. it doesn’t just look like demon possession.

Attacks of The Enemy

Next, what are those attacks?

What are schemes, tactics, strategies Satan uses?

This is where you start getting into the nitty gritty of spiritual warfare. What actually is a spiritual attack?

Think of all these attacks on a macro (church) and a micro (Individual families and Christians) level

The Christian’s Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-13. Resist Him and stand firm in a sincere and pure devotion to Christ everywhere in your life.

Hope for the Battle

Believer’s Victory - we fight by putting on the armor of God, resist, and stand firm (Word and prayer). Satan prowls but Peter tells us to resist him. James 4. tells us what happens when that happens. Depend on Christ and 1 John 4:4.

The Church’s Victory - Matthew 16:18. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. Gurnall 122

Prayer is a powerful weapon affecting the unseen spiritual real. So when you get discouraged about the world or attacks in you own life pray! How often do we merely wish it was different without taking the step of prayer?

Conclusion

In the Spiritual War against Satan and the Kingdom of Darkness, you are either gaining ground or losing it. (but the victory is already yours in Christ).

Let’s Pray