What We Need to Know About Spiritual Warfare.

Introduction

Last Monday, Bobby, Poss and myself attended a great seminar on the topic of Spiritual warfare.

It was so good, timely and informative that the Lord spoke to me and I realized we needed to hear this message.

We need to hear this message because we are involved in Spiritual warfare. We are the children of God, and as the children of God the devil seeks to hurt us, he seeks to stop us, and if possible I believe kill us as the children of God.

If he stops us, if he hinders us and if he gets us out of the way, then he stops the influence we have in the world around us.

I am reminded of what was said of D.L. Moody.... because of his life and witness, it was said “It is yet to be seen what God will do with a life fully consecrated unto him.”

My friends it is yet to be seen what God can do and will do with your life as you live to your fullest potential for the glory of God.

Now as we reflect on this passage, I would ask that you pray for me and my family. Without a doubt, as I teach through this I expect that frying pan of life to become hotter if you will. I expect that as some of you pray and seek the Lord’s will for you life that will increase in your life as well.

You see as a child of God, we are a treat to the devil, as we seek to serve and follow the Lord you are a threat to the Lord as well.

If you don’t want the devil to bother you, then do nothing for the Lord. But if you love the Lord, if you desire to do the very best you can for Him and for His glory, then expect the devil to turn up the heat of the frying pan of life.

Now this is not a message that can be done in one setting, it will take a few weeks to walk through all that is the Biblical truth of Spiritual warfare.

Now with all that being said, we will begin

Let take our Bibles and lets go to Genesis chapter 3. We will start where it all began…

Genesis 3:1–15 ESV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

So today lets consider this thought…

1. The Deceit of the Serpent.....

So lets begin with trouble, the Bible tells us of the first point of trouble in the garden, and it begins with the Serpent.

The Bible tells us very plainly in verse 1 that the serpent was more cunning or crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord had made.

Now how do we know this serpent was the devil himself, well from the witness of Scripture it self, as the Lord address the Serpent and dispenses punishment to it. The second being another testimony of Scripture in .

That passages says...

Revelation 20:2 ESV

2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

Rev 20:22

So the devil, Satan what ever name you want to address him by, is the serpent from old, ancient if you will.

And the Bible says He is cunning or crafty.

The Bible says He is cunning or crafty. The word crafty there in the Hebrew says that he was “marked by skill in deception...” He is the master of deception, the father of lies.. listen to Jesus in John 8:44

John 8:44 ESV

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

This truth as always been asserted, from the Biblical record, the Testimony of Jesus and the church through the centuries have never encountered anything good from him.

Now we know on this day he approached Eve, the first woman and begins to talk to her, asking her about what God has said, seeking to twist the words of God around in an attempt to get her to be disobedient. Now the man, Adam is there as well.

Listen to the text..

Genesis 3:1–5 ESV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The serpent challenged her and challenged the words God has said to her. The devil put into her mind that God was trying to withhold something good from her, something that she was truly entitled too...

Only the devil would take the goodness and mercy of the Lord and turn it into a evil thing. He will always use false teaching to try and separate us, hurt us and drive us away from God.

He deceived her and her husband, Adam. They were both there that day...

If the devil can get false teaching into our churches, then our churches will be going in the wrong direction. That is one reason it is so crucial that we know and study the word of God my friends, the word of God is powerful, it can refute all the lies of the devil and it tells us all we need to know about the Father and his plan for us

So with the birth of sin, the devil now has something he can use against us, he can temp us to do and live a part from the Word and ways of God.

And sin is what separates us from God. Look at with me...

verses 1-2

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Sin separates us from God, it keeps us from being heard and it keeps us from following the Lord.

So He, the devil, he deceived her and her husband, Adam. They were both there that day...

Friends on this one thought, we must do two things. Pray and Study the Word of God.

A. Pray, asking forgiveness first and foremost each day, asking God to forgive us of any sin, those things we have done knowingly or perhaps those things, we were not aware off. I am blessed that the Scriptures promise forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 ESV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And then

B. We must stay in the word of God so that we know how to live, walk and yes talk in a way that is pleasing to God.

Psalm 119:11 ESV

11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

These are things we must do, we must resist the devil and every advance he makes at us to keep our life and walk with the Lord pure and holy.

Now back to Adam and Eve....

So He, the devil, he deceived her and her husband, Adam. They were both there that day...

How do we know this? When she takes the apple and eats it, she gives it also to her husband to eat as well. Adam ate and disobeyed God as well.

And friends, right there at that moment you have witnessed the birth of sin this our world, it has now changed everything because of the temptation Satan brought to Adam and Eve.

And what does sin do my friends, it separates us from God.

The enemy will always come after us with

The enemy will always seek to isolate us and keep us separated from God

Now let me remind you of this thought when we think about the deception the devil brought to Adam and Eve, do you think God was aware of it? Do you think He knew what was happening and could have stopped it?

Now let me remind you of this thought when we think about the deception the devil brought to Adam and Eve, do you think God was aware of it? Do you think He knew what was happening and could have stopped it?

Now let me remind you of this thought when we think about the deception the devil brought to Adam and Eve, do you think God was aware of it? Do you think He knew what was happening and could have stopped it?

The more I thought about this, the answer is yes. God was aware.

He is all knowing, omniscient. So what’s up with that.....

God has given man free will my friends.

God made man to be free, to make choices to of right or wrong, good or bad and to decide for themselves, and yes for ourselves what we will do. Will we be obedient or not.

But no matter what, the devil is the deceptive serpent who came to temp Adam and Eve.

Now, let move to a second thought this morning, Let talk about the Judgement of the Serpent

2. The Judgment of the Serpent....

After this event, we find that Adam and Eve discovered they were naked, Their eyes have been opened, they made clothes for themselves and hid themselves from God.

How sad to one day walk with God, stand in his presence and commune with him and then because of sin, you are hiding from Him. That is the saddest truth we will ever see, sin kills, steals and destroys...

Now lets go back and look at verses 14 and 15.

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:14–15 ESV

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Look at what is being said here.

The serpent is at the center of the event, He is the one who came and deceived the woman. As the result of this deceit, this action the devil came and presented to this couple, Adam and Eve, there is a 2 fold judgment God gives to the devil the ancient serpent.

So lets look at what is being said her...

A. Cursed are you among all the livestock.: A Physical punishment

The form of the devil is cursed, the serpent, the thought of many early scholars was perhaps the serpent was a beast that was graceful and beautiful in nature, it was something elegant to look at and behold.

It is interesting that Satan himself, Lucifer was a angel of light, the most beautiful angel of God’s creation but he fell in sin, in dissidence and arrogance desiring to be like God.

So the Serpent is cast down, God said that from this point and time forward it would be looked down upon, it would be forced to move on its belly, the dust of the earth always upon and in its mouth.

The serpent would been hideous, feared and the most degraded of all the animals of the kingdom of God

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Man, what punishment for its actions....

Secondly, Enmity is Placed Between you and your seed and the seed of the Woman: a Spiritual punishment.

God said I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

He will bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

Now here is where it gets interesting, and here is perhaps the one truth I never considered until I heard it a few days ago.

Enmity, the meaning is strife, conflict and battle, to be in opposition with another...

God placed this between the devil, the ancient serpent of old, his offspring and the woman and her offspring. Part of the reason we know… Jesus will die on the cross for the sins of humanity.

Spiritual warfare has been placed between the two sides for the sole sake of God receiving glory.

And the final word, you will bruise his heel, but he will bruise, crush his head. There is God’s victory cry, Jesus on the cross will crush the devil and his plans, He will crush you, one day His judgment upon the devil will be sure and swift.

My friends I want you to know God put conflict, spiritual warfare between the seed of Woman, and the seed of the devil…

But I assure you God is the one who is in ultimate control. This we will see over and over again in the days and messages to come. The devil is never outside the control of God.

God may allow him to reach and touch a person like he did Job, but God knows the outcome and the glory He will receive. The devil will be continually defeated and God will always win.

Are you in a battle today, please know that God will always win, your sole responsibility is to live for him and no one else. Wait and see the hand of God work and deliver you.

Now just one last thought today as we finish this first message.

3. God has a plan in place....

My friends one of the more difficult thoughts for me to reconcile in my mind is the omniscience of God.

God is all knowing.

He is in sovereign control of our world. He did not create and then step away and does not act anymore as some “deists” of our past and yes present claim.

God is in control, has been in control and will always be in control, that is part of the sovereign nature of God.

God knew what to do after this event, Why? His ways are perfect. lets go back to the text.

Genesis chapter 3, verses 20-24

Genesis 3:20–24 ESV

20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Everything has changed my friends, to walk close to God and then be separated from Him, wow. Judgement has fell and yes even Adam and Eve fall under those consequences … and all humanity with them.

But God will provide an offering for this sin....

Verse 21 tells us this...

Genesis 3:21 ESV

21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

I think Ken Hamm said it best, He said He is the first picture of redemption, the first picture of the lamb of God being slain.

God made garment for them made from skins… God took the life of what I believe to be a lamb, he takes that skin and prepares it for them, so that they can be clothed in the days ahead.

One day and lamb would come, He will be slain to be a covering for sin, an atonement to settle the wrath and justice of God and restore unto man all that was lost this day.

That is God’s plan. from the seed of woman would come one named Jesus who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords...

Ole how wonderful my friends, God in His love… provided for them and He will provide for us as well.

Let me ask you a question today.... Do you know that God loves you?

Do you know that in the midst of your storms, He is there, watching waiting, extending His hands waiting for us to say, Lord save me!

And once His Child, he will fight for you, protect you and keep you all the days of your life. Temptation, evil might still come our way, Be He is with us.

Do you trust Jesus today?

Then lets take our needs to Jesus, lets commit ourselves and our walk to HIm.

Lets follow whole heartedly, seeking to never give place to the devil. seeking to put God first in our lives.

today, do you know for certain you are saved?

Today, if you haven’t walked with him completely, then come to him, ask forgivenss and start a new.

Today, if you need a church home, come!

Lets pray together.