The Fact of Spiritual Warfare

Introduction: Over the next several weeks in Adult Sunday School we are going to invest a little bit of time in a topic that was asked about and that is spiritual warfare.

I will endeavor to repost some sermons that our pastor has preached concerning this matter and will be creating a new webpage under the “Bible Studies” page where you may be able to access them.

This topic will cover our time between now and the time that we, with the Lord’s help will start in our study of the book of John.

There are so many questions we could come up regarding spiritual warfare.

As I begin to think about this topic, I tried to break it down into several subtopics.

Today for instance we will be looking at “The Fact of Spiritual Warfare.”

(Does Spiritual Warfare Exist?)

The Fight of Spiritual Warfare

(The Actual Warfare Itself)

The Fallacy of Spiritual Warfare

(What is untrue)

The Furnishings for Spiritual Warfare

(The Armor of God)

The Forging from Spiritual Warfare

(The positive result)

The Fallen from Spiritual Warfare

(Those who experience defeat in battles)

The Frontier of Spiritual Warfare

(The forward movement for Christ)

So let us begin by reading

II Corinthians 10:3-5

“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Let’s pray

We begin this most serious topic by seeing an allusion to what has been termed spiritual warfare.

Paul in this passage says this, “we do not war after the flesh...”

What exactly is it that Paul is saying here with this statement?

In the context of the passage what is Paul speaking about?

In II Corinthians 10:1 Paul begins to explain and defend his ministry there at Corinth.

ThisNew Testament church had dealt with some very difficult issues as spoke about in I Corinthians.

The dealt with some major issues that were detrimental to that local church.

They had problems with division from within. (I Corinthians 1:10)

They had sexual immorality accepted within their ranks. (I Corinthians 5:1)

They had issues discerning the propriety of marriage. (I Corinthians 7:1)

They had issues concerning food offered to idols and exercising liberty versus causing a stumblingblock. (I Corinthians 8:4,9)

They had issues with murmuring and criticism. (I Corinthians 10:10)

They had issues with idolatry. (I Corinthians 10:14-22)

They had issues with authority and appearance (I Corinthians 11:1-15)

They had issues with abusing the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:16-34)

They had issues with the exercise of Spiritual Gifts (I Corinthians 12-14)

They had doctrinal issues concerning the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:12)

We could go on and on.

But Paul in that 1st letter to that church, dealt extensively with all of these issues.

When he comes to II Corinthians, he gives them further instruction, but consoles them and explains his ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ.

He says here in our text in rebuttal to some who would say Paul is just walking “according to the flesh...” (verse 2)

Look at it there in verse 2.

II Corinthians 10:2 “2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.”

Paul is saying this, ‘yes, though we live move and breath in these physical bodies, and though there is an outward temporal state that we are in’, “we do not war after the flesh...”

In other words, what Paul is saying here is that there is a war going on.

But it is not the kind of war you have seen with your eyes.

It is not the kind of war that men wage with physical weapons and mighty multitudes of human soldiers.

It is not the kind of war where men are fighting physically sword to sword and spear to spear or using heavy machinery to scale walls and bulwarks.