Know the Enemy

One Enemy That is Truly Our Enemy

Today we are starting a series where we will look at the supernatural realm. We live in the physical realm, but there is more going on than what we can actually see.

In the spiritual realm, what we cannot see, is a whole other world. Paul talks about this realm in Ephesians 6. In the 80’s Frank Peretti wrote 2 books on this realm called This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. In the early 60’s, C.S. Lewis wrote a book on this subject called The Screwtape Letters. When I was a Youth Pastor I use to show a movie to my students called Invisible Enemies. This has always been a fascinating subject to me and over the next several weeks I want us to take a look into the spiritual realm and I am hoping that you get a better understanding of what is happening in the spirit world.

If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Ephesians. I want to read 3 verses today from chapter 6. So, let’s begin reading at verse 10

Ephesians 6:10 NIV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Look at the first word that Paul uses here. He says, “Finally...” This word not only indicates the beginning of the final section but also means “from now on.” Paul is saying that the battle that is starting now will be ongoing until the Lord returns.

Paul is telling us that we can not win this battle in our own strength, we are going to need the Lord’s mighty power.

If you are going to be victorious in your daily walk, then you can not stop relying on him and receiving his mighty power. Your enemy is not going to rest, therefore you can not waver in your dependence on God’s power. Is that understood. Now look at verse 11.

Ephesians 6:11–12 NIV

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

After Paul tells us that we must fully depend on God’s power to defeat the enemy, He then goes on to tell us that we put put on the full armor of God. We will look at that next week. It is verse 12 that I want to spend most of my time on today. I want to read it again to you.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

It is in this verse that Paul is telling us exactly who our enemy is. I like how the Message translates this verse

Ephesians 6:12 The Message

12 This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

When you read verse 12, you see that what we are facing is not something in the natural sense. We are fighting something that is very active in the supernatural world. This is not fiction, this is not fake, but it is very real and you need to be very aware of it.

If it was a physical battle that we were facing then if we had enough training we might could take on the enemy on our own, but it is not physical it is spiritual and the only way to win this battle is with the Power of God.

Think about this way. Think of the largest fighter you have ever seen. Maybe someone as be as Goliath. Goliath was 9 feet tall. And imagine that giant going up against someone that was 5 feet tall. More than likely that giant is going to win. The odds would seem hopeless except for one critical fact: God is fighting on our side.

If you remember studying Roman History you will remember the stories of the Gladiator battles that took place in the Roman Coliseum. These Gladiators would fight to the death. It was hand to hand combat determined by two possible outcomes. It was either victory or death. It was a fight to the finish.

This is the reality that we face this spiritual battle that we are in is a battle of two possible outcomes, either victory or death. The odds seem stacked against us when you hear Paul describe our enemy. He tells us that our enemy consists of “rulers,” “authorities,” and “the powers of this dark world.” This is the closest the Bible comes to describing the military order of the demonic forces. When we look at this type of enemy we think, what chance do I have against such cosmic powers?

The first two words used, “rulers and authorities,” is words that Paul has used before to describe this enemy of believers.

The third phrase he uses in verse 12 gives us a little more detail. It literally means, “world powers of this darkness.” This describes their ruling function and power in the world of evil.

Scripture tells us that these beings were cast out of heaven into this world and are now imprisoned in it, they constitute the gods of this world and its rulers under their leader, Satan.

2 Peter 2:4 NIV

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

Jude 6 NIV

6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

Revelation 12:7–9 NIV

7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

In the Roman world the term “world powers” spoke of the absolute power of the Roman deities; here it denotes the evil “deities” over the spirit-world of darkness and evil.

So, the first 3 terms are summed up in the fourth description, “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This is a term that encompasses all of the fallen angels. They are spiritual forces arrayed against God and his people. They both constitute and stand completely on the side of evil in all its forms.

You and I live and function, we receive spiritual blessings as well as fight against the evil powers in the heavenly realms. Our battle is a spiritual battle in a spiritual realm. The battles that we face are not here on this earth, but they are in the heavenlies. You can not see this battle take place but trust me it is there.

But Christ, is also at work there.

Ephesians 1:20 NIV

20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

And it is in Christ that our victory is secure.

Satan and his demons are your enemies. When someone is saying mean things against you or they are doing evil to you. That evil comes from one place. Your enemy satan.

God did not make evil. Evil came about because of rebellion.

Isaiah 14:12–14 NIV

12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Here verse 12 uses the words morning star. The King James uses the word Lucifer. This is the same word. It means light-bearer. According to Isaiah Lucifer was an angel who rebelled against God and wanted to take to himself the worship that belonged only to God. His ambition was to be like the Most High or be like God. This is the same temptation that Satan presented to Adam and Eve in the garden. The same is true for today. The world worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator.

Romans 1:25 NIV

25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Man is self-serving today. We want our desires, we want our needs, we want what we want and we don’t care what God wants. This is what Satan has presented to us. He wanted to separate man from God so he used Eve to bring sin in the world but God prevailed by building a bridge for us to cross to himself by sending Jesus, a perfect, spotless lamb, to come and die for our sins.

The ambition of the Christian should be to be like Christ Jesus in all things.

Satan wants us to be self-serving like Him. That is what we were like when we were not living for God. We wanted our desires and pleasures, but on the day that we surrendered our life to Christ we gave up our way of doing things and we decided to live as Christ lived.

Philippians 2:1–11 NIV

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Once I surrendered my life to Christ I gave up my way of thinking and I follow his plan for my life. And when I did that I became an enemy of the world.

So, my enemy is not a physical enemy it is a spiritual enemy that lives in a spiritual realm and the only way I can defeat that enemy is through the power of God.

I want all of you to stand with me and I want you to make a declaration.

Say...

Satan, you have no authority over me. I am a child of God. You have no authority over my family. We are bought with a price. In Jesus name you must flee.