Spiritual Warfare 101

SPIRITUAL WARFARE 101
From the book by Chip Ingram
Ephesian 6:10-12
(10)Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (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.

The General Command - (10)Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
> People often have two responses when they find themselves in the midst of spiritual warfare: Fight or Flight.
*Flight: Because they don't feel up to the task.
*Fight: Because they feel strong enough to handle it.
*Answer to both extremes: be strong in the strenght of God's might.
> This general command to be strong in God's power applies to every believer at all times. This is not optional for a Christian.
*You cannot dismiss yourself from the battle.
*Greek word for power is dynamite. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and now dwells in us.

The Specific Command - (11)Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
> The second command tells us how to fulfill the first one. Put on the full armor of God.
*Putting on the armor for the purpose of standing firm - holding our ground.
> We don't have time to consider carefully whether we want to be in this war; we are in it whether we acknowledge it or not.
*An action we take for ourselves - there's nothing passive about it.
How does that sit with you? Knowing that you are in the midst of a war that you cannot see, and that you do not have a choice about being involved?
What do you think would happen if you choose to sit out? We relinquish the benefit of our position in Christ as we are bombarded by schemes designed to destroy us and render us ineffective in the kingdom pursuits.

The Reason for the Commands - (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.
> This list of spiritual powers has connotations of hierarchy and organization.
> Even though the Bible doesn't tell us how these vast structures function, it does acknowledge the existence of these evil adversaries doing battle in the heavenly realm.
*Very clear this is where our fight is.

FIVE BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
1. THERE IS AN INVISIBLE WORLD.
> Both Old Testament and New Testament refer to the invisible world.
*Old Testament -
2 Kings 6:15-19 - Elisha surrounded by a hostile army, tells his servant that invisible hosts are protecting them
Daniel 10 - An angel reveals to Daniel the battle he has been waging.
*New Testament -
Ephesians 6:12 - One of many references by Paul to a conflict that is not of the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - The weapons we use are not of the flesh, the battle we fight is not of the flesh
> Prime-time television has portrayed the underworld, or dark side, since the early sixties. Although these shows are based on fantasy, but the reality from which these fantasies arise is rock-solid, biblical truth.
What do you notice about dark movies and T.V. today verses those of generations past?
> Evil entities exist and interact with human history. The Bible answers this topic emphatically with a "Yes".
Do you believe the Bible to be God's infalable Word? The absolute truth? If you answered yes, then you have to believe in the spiritual world of angels and demons. If we deny the reality of Satan, demons, and angels, we are casting judgement on the Holy Spirit's revelation to us.
> More scriptural references:
1 John 5:19 - "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one"
Revelation - Received by John concerning the end-times is filled with cosmic conflict with references to the dragon and evil spirits.
Luke - Recorded numerous encounters with their opposition and the words coming out of their mouths were pointed and precise:
*Satan and demons are behind unbelief, deception, fear, false religions, and persecution.
Jesus - The Son of God himself had personal interaction with Satan and demons, and he refered to their work frequently.
Is the invisible world still to hard to swallow?
> Examples of things throughout time that were once unseen and not believable:
*Bacteria, Viruses, Electricity, Natural Gas, Carbon Monoxide, Wind, Sound Waves, Atoms
> The truth is that there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world.

2. WE ARE INVOLVED IN AN INVISIBLE WAR.
> It is real, serious, ultimate in its consequences.
*We are soldiers in the battle that matters most.
When was the last time you honestly considered that some struggle or relational conflict was rooted in satanic opposition?
> The souls of every man, woman, and child on the face of this earth are at stake. The enemy seeks to blind us all from the truth (2 COR 4:4), and to ruin our lives. That's what spiritual warfare is all about.
What is your reaction to people who periodically attribute their problems to demonic activity?

3. OUR FOE IS FORMIDABLE.
> The goal of Satan is to destroy God's people and discredit the cause of Christ.
*1 Peter 5:8 - Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
> The lion is a powerful image. Lions prowl around for on reason: they are looking for something easy to kill.
> Not only does he try to devour us on the front end, but he comes from the side and behind to smother is in guilt and condemnation.
> Christians who take Satan lightly are ignoring biblical instructions.
> We ourselves are not more formidable than Satan. But, God is. We are to understand the capabilities of this angelic being and to depend on God's strenght for victory.

IS SATAN FOR REAL?
*He's there in the beginning (Genesis 3:1) tempting Eve.
*He's there in the middle (1 Chronicles 21:1) inciting David to take a faithless census.
*He's there in the end (Revelation 12:9) hurled from heaven along with his fellow rebels to the earth.
*Jesus refered to Satan 25 times.
*Jesus personally encountered him in Matthew 4:1-11
*Western culture envisions him as a cartoon character, a mascot, or just a metaphor for evil.

WHO IS SATAN?
*Job 1:6 and Colossians 1:16 says he's a created spirit.
*Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:7 refer to him and his minions as angels.
*Ezekial 28:14 refers to Satan as a Cherub angel. The highest class of angelic beings. Ezekial 28 says Satan was the highest of them all.
What comes to mind when you think of Cherub Angels? Greeting card angels; Cupid; Wall paintings of cute child like angels. Satan. Not so cute anymore, are they?
*The greatest created being.

WHERE DID SATAN COME FROM?
*He was created perfect (Ezekial 28:12-13 as Lucifer)
*He had a heavenly estate (Jude 6)
*He was the guardian of God's glory (Ezekial 28:14)
*Ezekial portrays him as having more power than anyone in the universe except for God.
*He was more beautiful than anything or anyone but God.
*His rebellion against God was because of pride (Isaiah 14:31; 1 Timothy 3:6)
*He is a powerful angel who committed treason against his Creator and convinced a third of the angels to rebel with him.
*He is a created being and has limitations.

4. WE MUST RESPECT OUR FOE BUT NOT FEAR HIM.
> Essential in helping us prepare for the battlefield.
> We give him too much credit - or give God too little credit - if we fear him.
> We are to respect him and not underestimate him.
> We need to be aware of the enemies strategies (2 COR 2:11).

SATAN'S NAMES REVEAL HIS TACTICS:
*Satan - means "adversary" (Job 1:6-7; 1 Thess. 2:18). He opposes God's agenda and works against God.
*Devil - means "slanderer" (1 Peter 5:8). One of his schemes will be to say false things about people; false witnesses; Gossip.
*Lucifer - means "son of the morning" or "shining one" (Isaiah 14:12). He will appear beautiful and winsome. He will appear attractive to seduce you.
*Beelzebub - means "lord of the flies" (Matt. 12:24) Jews understood it as the "god of filth", which is an apt description of Satan.
*Belial - was the name of a false god (2 Cor. 6:15). Anything Satan can do to divert worship from God to himself.
*The Evil One - In greek is the word for absolute corruption (1 John 5:19). There's evil in the world, and it comes from a wicked influence.
*The tempter - has twisted and distorted all good things from above. He will exploit our perfectly good desires (1 Thess. 3:5).
* The prince of this world - master of false systems (John 12:31). Materialism.
*The accuser of the brethren - will condemn you. He points out your sins and reminds you of those God has forgiven. Guilt. (Rev. 12:10)
> Other names in the Bible:
*The serpent - Genesis 3
*The dragon - Revelation 12
*Angel of light - 2 Corinthians 11:14
*Father of lies - John 8:44

SATAN ATTACKS GOD'S PROGRAM, THE CHURCH
> He is the master counterfeiter. He crafts attractive alternatives to the gospel and the church.
> New Testament spells out some of these attacks for us:
*Colossians 2:8 - takes people captive through false philosophies.
*1 Corinthians 10:20 - the mastermind behind false religions.
*2 Corinthians 11:14-15 - inspires many people within his domain to pose as ministers. They will lead people astray as they mix with true servants of God.
*1 John 2:18 - the source of false doctrine through the teachings of many antichrists.
*Matthew 13:24-30 - he makes counterfeit disciples and scatters them among the real ones.
*2 Thesselonians 2:7-12 - False morals are attributed to the work of the deceiver.
*According to the Bible - all falsehood, miguided worldviews, conterfeit religions and philosophies, and all teachers of any belief other than faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ are influenced by the father of lies.

SATAN ATTACKS GOD'S PEOPLE
> Here is a list of attacks:
*2 Cor. 4:4 - he prevents people from coming to faith in Christ by deception; he blinds their minds.
*Heb. 2:14 - he weilds the power of death.
*Rev. 2:10 - he persecutes believers.
*1 Thess. 2:18 - he hinders, or even prevents, or service to God.
*2 Cor. 2:10-11 - he alienates people and provokes schisms.
*Gen 3:1-5 - he plants doubts in our minds.
*1 Tim. 4:1 - he shapes cults and sects.
> One of the biggest lies we fall for today is rampant even in our churches. He has convinced us that life is a playground, that our primary goal is to be happy, and that God is the cosmic vending machine that can make it happen.
*Christian culture bought into the assumption that God's primary purpose for us is to have fun and be personally fulfilled.
*There's some truth to it. God does offer us fulfillment. But it's a by-product of our relationship with God, not number one goal (Matt. 6:3).
*We are never told in scripture to make happiness the object of our pursuit, that's idolatry.
> Here's another one of Satan's deceptions:
*We believe that if we read our Bibles, pray a lot, go to church faithfully, live reasonably moral lives, and serve wherever we can, God will respond with prosperity, peace, and lots of nice times.
> Here's the truth that God tells us:
*Life isn't turning out to be a playground for one very good reason: it was never a playground to begin with. This fallen world is a batlleground, not a playground.
How many of us are in the battle right now? How many of you are beginning to believe you are a warrior?

SATAN'S POWER IS LIMITED.
> Satan is a created being. He is not God's counterpart.
> Scripture is very clear that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and infinite. Satan is none of these.
> Satan's capabilities are not limitless. There are things he cannot do and places he cannot go.
> Satan can be resisted by the Christian who relies on God (James 4:7 - Submit to God and resist the devil).
> The enemy cannot remain where God exercises his power, and God exercises his power in us as we follow him.
> God places limitations on Satan (Job 1:12).
> Satan cannot do to us what God does not allow him to do.

5. WE DO NOT FIGHT FOR VICTORY, WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY.
> The ultimate victory has already been won for us by Jesus.
*That means when we fight, we're not trying to win. We're enforcing the victory that Jesus has already secured. In his power, we are invincible.
> Whenever you feel defeated, discouraged and anything but invincible, rehearse these promises often:
*1 John 4:4
*1 John 5:4-5
*Revelation 12:11
*James 4:7

THINGS TO REMEMBER:
1. Satan is a defeated foe. (John 12:31)
2. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. (Col. 2:15)
3. We are victors in Christ. ( 1 Cor. 15:55-57)
4. We have the power and resources to resist Satan and demonic attacks. (1 John 4:4)
5. We must learn how to put on the full armor of God to experience in daily living the victory we already possess. (Eph 6:13-16)