Untitled Sermon

Series Intro

Intro

If we are to have clarity of vision for this year… then it’s important that we understand that any person that is blessed by God, will be involved in spiritual warfare. ...

There was once a boxer who was being pummeled in the ring by his opponent. Blow after blow by his adversary left him with a bloody nose, swollen eyes, and an enormous amount of pain.

The battered boxer’s trainer, trying to encourage his man between rounds, kept telling him, “You’re doing great, Fred. That bum is barely touching you.”

To which the boxer responded, “Then you better keep your eye on that referee, because somebody is killing me!

No amount of smooth talk could camouflage the reality of the bloody battle in which this fighter was engaged. Psychologically correct talk and personal encouragement could not mask the pain he was suffering.

In the same way, you and I are engaged in a real battle, one of cosmic proportions. We know we are facing a real opponent because this world bears the bloody, painful scars of this conflict: war among nations, shattered lives, broken homes, suicide, rape, abuse, and immorality of every kind.

NOW: You’ve probably heard it said that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. THAT’S TRUE and ENCOURAGING!

· But at the same time, Satan hates you, and has a HORRIBLE plan for your life.

· He wants to DISTRACT, DISRUPT, and ultimately DESTROY you.

· He wants you as a Christian to be weak, feeble, & ineffective.

· He doesn’t want you relying on Jesus or in church, or reading your Bible, or reaching others with the gospel.

· He wants your marriages ruined, your kids shattered, and you he’ll take as miserable & depressed.

· Anything & Everything BUT growing strong spiritually!

Background

A DEFINITION

Spiritual warfare is that conflict being waged in the invisible, spiritual realm that is being manifest in the visible, physical realm.

In other words, spiritual warfare is a battle between invisible, angelic forces that affect you and me the cause of the war is something you and I can’t see. But the effects are very visible in the kind of problems I mentioned earlier in the day-to-day stuff you and I face all the time.

I. Know the Source of Your Strength

There is a story in the Bible of Samson and Delilah, check out Judges 16 when you get home. Samson was strong… at his birth his mother dedicated him to God and made a nazirite vow that he would not cut his locs.

Samson grew to be strong and know one could beat him.... he fell for this woman who had be paid to trick him and to find out the source of his strength...

As Paul winds down his letter, he encourages us, commands us as believers to be strong in the Lord.

Finally, most importantly brothers, here is what you must do!

Don’t be strong in your opinions. Don’t be strong in your experiences. Don’t be strong in your bank account, or your career, or your knowledge… BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Because that’s where your strength lies.

And the problem that many of us have in the church is that we often take for granted our source of strength.

One age old approach to war was to cut off the food supply to a strong army.. If you couldn’t beat them… you surrounded them… but didn’t attack them you just cut off their food supply from getting into their camp… then they’d be to weak to fight back.

One of our challenges in church is that we have so many believers who will shout over the blessings… but fail to protect their time with God, fail to spend time in prayer and reading His word… only for the devil to watch you get weak spiritually and easily take what God had blessed you with.

II. Know Your Enemy

III. Know The Enemies Strategy

2 Corinthians 11:3 ESV

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.

Satan’s battle strategy is simple. He is out to deceive us, to trick us into buying his lies and temptations. He’s been at his plan for countless years, and he’s good at it.

2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.