Facing the Enemy in me!

Ephesians 6:12 NASB95

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The kingdom of darkness is a hierarchy of wickedness.

Why the word kingdom?

Kingdom points to a rule of structure that governs ones like.

The question then becomes, what governs the Believer?

Romans 10:9 NASB95

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Romans

Lord, is the greek word kurios, meaning master or owner.

kurios

Our confession of, “Jesus is Lord” is submission to His leadership and rule.

Colossians 1:13 NASB95

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

col

So, then the kingdom of darkness is another kingdom that we have been rescued out of.

So, the kingdom of darkness

This kingdom has hierarchy of wickedness

Hierarchy means, a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

We find 4 in our text

4 hierarchy of Wickedness

Principalities or Rulers

The word here is archē meaning, beginning, corners, domain

archē; from 757; beginning, origin:—beginning(38), corners(2), domain

in essence, the Leader, the first person.

2. Authorities or Powers

This is the power of rule of government. the very system that governs ones life.

3. World force of this darkness.

Present forces that are ruling in the world at this time.

4. Spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

Spiritual forces that are wicked that inhabit the air (or even, the air waves)

Modern example: TV, internet, radio.

While many of these things can clearly be seen in the culture that we live in.

The Church is to rule WITH Christ in the midst of His enemies.

I would even add, to push back these enemies.

ps 110

Psalm 110:2 NASB95

The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

We cant do this and be passive.. We cant do this and fearful

We are called to be Champions and not Chumps.

Notice

The position of Christ

Ephesians 1:20–23 NASB95

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1 Peter 3:22 NASB95

22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

1 peter 3

Colossians 2:15 NASB95

15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

eph 1:20-24

that leads to this question...

Whats the position of the Church?

We are His body.

Colossians 2:9–10 NASB95

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Colossians 2:9–19 NASB95

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

Ephesians 1:22–23 NASB95

22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

eph 1:

Ephesians 2:6 NASB95

6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

col 2:

joined to the Head

1 Corinthians 6:17 NASB95

17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1 cor 6

2. We are His inheritance

Ephesians 1:18 NASB95

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

If the riches of the glory of His inheritance is in the saints, then why are we letting the enemy occupy space that is the Lord?

Why are we so easily satisfied with sin.

C.S. Lewis says

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis

The Church MUST enter into sanctification.

We must face the enemy in us.

Realizing it doesn’t belong there.

We must:

Resist

James 4:7 NASB95

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

lets look at James’ previous verse

James 4:1–6 NASB95

1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

jam 4

DON’T let the devil ride!!!!!!

Galatians 5:1 NKJV

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

2. Loosen

Matthew 18:18 NASB95

18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

m

When you are completely surrounded by your enemy (without and within) resistance at times is not enough.

We need to cry out that God would deliver us from our bondage.

Psalm 142:1–7 NASB95

1 I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. 5 I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 “Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7 “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”

ps 142

3. Cast out

Mark 16:16–18 NASB95

16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16:16 NASB95

16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

mark 16

Deliverance from an invasion and occupation

The enemy actually occupies an of area of ones life.

Remember that area DOES NOT belong to him.

That area is no longer under his control.

KICK HIM OUT!

2. The believer must take authority and cast out 

Ill close with this.

“As kingdom confronts kingdom the church must rise up in the power and authority of her Head (Christ.) The Jerichos of wickedness must fall with all its rulers. Satan has had time to establish his kingdom throughout the earth. The Church must challenge these authorities and pull down strongholds of wickedness.” Dr. Carrol Thompson