The Forging, The Fallen and The Frontier of Spiritual Warfare

Introduction: We have spent a great deal of time looking at the Furnishings for Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians chapter 6. We now turn our attention to the last few lessons in this series.

In this final set of lessons we will look at:

The Forging in Spiritual Warfare

The Fallen from Spiritual Warfare

The Frontier of Spiritual Warfare

We will begin by reviewing all that we have learned up to this point.

In the introduction to this series we investigated the Fact of Spiritual Warfare.

Is this something the Bible teaches?

As we have discovered, the Bible does not use the term Spiritual Warfare.

However, what we call ‘spiritual warfare’ is taught in the Word of God. (See II Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; I John 2:16; Revelation 17:4)

The events of this world that are in view and the events of the world which we cannot see with our physical eyes (those things that are spiritual) are connected.

We also discovered that there are three enemies that every Christian faces.

The first is the World system.

The World system has to do with those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The World system speaks to the accepted ways of this world without Christ, by the ‘children of disobedience.’ They are travelling the “course of this world,” just as you and I did before we were saved.

Our Savior has taught us that in this world there are wheat and there are tares.

This speaks to those that are by nature the children of wrath, and those by regeneration are the children of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ not only has indicated who is involved but also He has taught us concerning the path that leads to life and the path that leads to destruction.

In doing so, He has given to us an understanding of what to expect.

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

This is what our Savior was describing when he spoke about the broad way and wide gate versus the narrow way and the strait gate.

As the Lord commonly did, He gave a real-life example to help aid us in understanding truth in Matthew chapter 7.

The large gates and the broad way of the city are where most people travel.

As the masses of people enter into the city by these broad ways through the wide gate they would be lead to large avenues or the main roads of concourse.

But there were also strait gates — this is different the word s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t.

The word used here translated as ‘strait’ means narrow but gives the idea of difficult passage or hard pressed to enter.

The strait gate and narrow way would refer to path less travelled. The strait gate was a smaller entrance used for specific purposes.

The idea being that many would enter in by the broad way.

This would be most travelled path of the multitudes.

And so, as we look at this world at large and its system, we see and understand that it is under the influence and direction of Satan.

The majority are headed down the broad way.

Those who are lost, because they are dead in trespasses and sins, walk contrary to God and His ways.

And because of this, the World is at variance with God and His people.

The Bible records for us the Savior’s Word in John chapter 15.

Particular attention ought to be given to this long section of Scripture in the book of John. (John 14-17)

It was here that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed so much to us and His disciples just before His crucifixion and soon departure.

He told the disciples this, “18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18-19)

Secondly, we spoke about the battles we face with the Old Man.

The Bible says in the book of Galatians 5:16,17 “16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

The third enemy is Satan and His workers.

All that is going on in this world and with man can be traced back to the enemy of our souls which is Satan and His workers.

From the beginning, when God created man, our Adversary, the Great Deceiver, has been engaged in warfare against us.

Knowing this, we determined to look at the passage in Ephesians chapter 6, which describes for you me in great detail what God has prescribed for us to fight the good fight of faith.

With all of that being understood we now turn our attention to some exhortation.

How do we make sense of all that is taking place in the midst of this warfare?

Sometimes it is that we cannot understand what is taking place, because we do not allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.

If we were to look evaluate all that is going on using carnal reasoning, we might be thinking to what purpose is all of this?

It is the argument you sometimes here given, “If God is all-powerful then why doesn’t He just put an end to all of this?”

I would submit to you, one of the greatest blessings that God has given to His children is purpose.

Many in the world today, come to a place where they begin to see the emptiness of this world.

They look out at all the destruction and the depravity and have no answers at all.

They pursue all that this world has to offer, and in the end it turns up nothing.

They look for answers in vain or perhaps even believe a lie.

The Christian as He takes God’s revealed Word, and by the ministry of the Holy Spirit is able to see really understand what is taking place.

The Christian has filter of the Word of God by which we can discern the times.

We don’t have all the answers, but God has given to us what we need to know.

The question is, to what is the purpose in all of this?

I am reminded of a somewhat related question we find in the Scriptures.

In John chapter 1, which we will be dealing with shortly, we are told of a few of Lord’s first followers.

Some of these first followers discovered the Messiah by the declaration of John the Baptist. Others were called directly by the Lord Himself. And still others found the Messiah by the witness of those first disciples.

In this passage notice what is said, “43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”

Think about this question posed by Nathanael, “Can there any good thing come out of the Nazareth?...”

Many may be asking this same question of the warfare they face. Can any good thing come out of this?

We full well know the verse in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The trouble arises when we begin to reconcile with what is taking place in our warfare and what we call ‘good.’

The key to this is to understand the Forging in Spiritual Warfare.

Philip perception of Nazareth was a common one.

“The whole country of Galilee was had in contempt with the Jews; but Nazareth was so mean a place, that it seems it was even despised by its neighbours, by the Galilaeans themselves; for Nathanael was a Galilean, that said these words.”

“The character of Nazareth was proverbially bad. To be a Galilean or a Nazarene was an expression of decided contempt”

The problem with Philip’s perception is same problem we have oftentimes, it was carnal reasoning, not wholly biblical.

He may have known that the Scriptures which declared the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem for Micah 5:2 declared “2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from from of old, from everlasting.”

Obviously the religious sentiment of Galilee and certainly Nazareth was not good. For the religious crowd stated in John 7:52, ... “Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

And yet though Nazareth is not named in any known prophecy, there are many [prophecies that speak of our Savior being despised, rejected, of no comeliness…this was not the picture that the Jews understood concerning the Messiah.

I am just trying to help us to understand, that there is a purpose in this warfare that we face.

There is a forging that takes place in our lives because of Spiritual Warfare.

The Bible declares this as we continue in Romans 8, verse 29 states the purpose, “29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

The word here translated as ‘conformed’ is translated from a compound word which means similar --- formed. Literally it is the Words similar and morphed.

The design and end state of the believer is to be similar - formed to the eikon —likeness---image of Jesus Christ.

Drawing from our illustration: a forge, is “a furnace in which iron or other metal is heated and hammered into form.”

We see in our minds a blacksmith hammering a piece of hot steel. Pieces of impurity and that which is not part of the instrument being made is shattered and shed.

Out of the forge comes the instrument. It has been shaped; it has been bent; it has been tempered— made strong through heating and cooling.

In the end, what comes forth it what was intended.

This is but an earthly example I speak of to help us understand, that we are by design being “conformed to the image of His Son...”

We experience forging in the warfare.

In II Corinthians following the Lord’s revelation and exhortation to Paul, Paul declares the forging that takes place in His difficulties.

You would recognize the passage, as Paul describes His beseeching the Lord to remove a thorn in His flesh. Of which he describes as “the messenger of Satan to buffet” him.

He states, II Corinthians 12: 9a-10 “9a ..Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

What a change! Its a change in perspective. An understanding that Paul has because of the Lord’s words unto him.

The Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (II Corinthians 12:9)

How is it that our faith is strengthened? By the testing of it.

I Peter also aptly describes this for us.

In this Epistle Peter speaks of the trying of Gold, which is destroyed or perishes.

And yet he says, how much more precious is the trying of our faith.

Please turn to I Peter 1:1-9.

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

Charles Spurgeon said this concerning this forging of our faith seen in this passage, “The apostle declares that you must be tried even as gold must be put into the furnace. You have faith, and faith must be tested; it is according to its nature and divine purpose. The faith of Abraham was sharply tried, and so must the faith of all believers be. That your religion may be really solid metal and not an imitation of it or a mere gilded bauble, you must be tried. Your Master was tried: not without fighting did He win His crown; not without labor did He enter into His reward. God has a design in our present affliction—that He may have praise and glory and honor at the appearing of His dear Son; a praise, and glory, and honor in which we shall share.”

Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Commentary: 1 Peter, ed. Elliot Ritzema and Jessi Strong, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), 1 Pe 1:7.”

The great passage I will leave you with as we conclude this passage is found in Daniel chapter 3.