Sermon
Prepared for Spiritual Warfare
May 18, 2003
Pastor Leighton Sheley

If you've got your Bibles please turn in them to Ephesians chapter 6. For months now our nation's attention has been riveted on the war in the Middle East and there has been much attention to military strategies and tactics, equipment and training. Through the technology of television and global communications Americans have been able to see the realities of battle from the comfort of their own living rooms. Unless an American was living in a cocoon, it's hardly likely that they would be unaware of the situation in Iraq.

Another war that Americans are constantly reminded of is the war against terrorism within the borders of this God blessed nation and around the world. Hardly a day goes by without some terrorist or possible terrorist event making the news.

There is another war that is taking place right now, everywhere, within the boundaries of our nation, our communities, our homes, even in our hearts. Television cameras cannot catch it. There are few eyewitness reports. Battles take place and are won or lost in the twinkling of an eye. There is no possibility of a truce. It is a fight to the death. Though the actual battles are not covered on the evening news, sometime the casualty reports are. No one can safely watch this war from the comfort of their living room, or the comfort of anywhere else, because everyone lives behind the front lines. This war is spiritual.

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10 and following, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

A believer who does not struggle, not only against his own flesh, but also against the world and Satan, has either fallen into sin or is in complacency. If there is no spiritual conflict in a believer's life, it is because that believer has removed themselves from the front line of battle. Believers will not find the goal of seeking first God's kingdom to get easier over time. Faithful witnessing, teaching, preaching, and serving in the name of the Lord will inevitably bring both internal struggle and external opposition.

Jesus said in John 15, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also."

The internal struggles and external conflicts of the apostles are recorded for our benefit throughout the New Testament. When Paul ministered in Ephesus he led many Jews and Gentiles to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through preaching and miracles. Even those who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. He ministered there for over two years of the word of God says that all of the Jews and the Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

But with the success of promoting the gospel, Paul also came against much resistance. He was run out of the local synagogue. He was threatened by merchants who were suffering from an economic downturn as the result of not selling as many idols, and religious leaders were plotting against his life.

Now considering how much of the Bible is written concerning how we should conduct our daily living, there are very few passages which give us insight into the battle taking place in the spiritual realm. Perhaps this is because that battle is not to be our primary focus. God's word is adequate in every regard. There is no need to supplement God's word. The information that God provides us in his word is sufficient to meet our need. It doesn't need to be supplemented by theology courtesy of Buffy the vampire slayer. Now the reason I should mention that, and it's not in on my notes, is I was checking my e-mail the other night and there was this ad that came up, 'Buffy is gone, what will fill the void?'

For me there is no void. But it occurred to me that there is a whole generation of young people who have not been raised in Bible teaching churches whose entire theology concerning spiritual warfare has been provided courtesy of Buffy, Sabrina, and whatever Hollywood is selling at the time.

Let's look this morning at what the Bible has to say, shall we? Paul writes this to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us. How Satan stopped Paul and his companions from visiting the Thessalonians we are not told, but Paul indicates that the impedance was not solely at a physical level.

In Daniel chapter 10 we are told that the angel who was sent to answer Daniel's prayer was delayed by a demon 21 days, and had to call for the assistance of the archangel Michael.

According to Jude 9 in the New Testament, the archangel Michael had to battle with Satan over the body of Moses. The passages that we have that reference this battle in the spiritual realm usually only provide us a summarization of the outcome and not much detail. We know that there was a struggle, but we don't know how that struggle was conducted. Was it a debate? Was it an argument? Was it hand-to-hand combat? Did they fight each other with swords? Or lasers? Or missiles? Or whatever? We're not told. We're simply given a summary of the outcome of the spiritual struggles.

The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 5, be self-confident and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour. Now even though our knowledge of this spiritual battle is limited, we are not immune from it's effect. We must be alert.

A friend took me to watch an IMAX documentary on the life cycle of the Serengeti Desert, and we watched scenes of jaguars and lions crawling on their bellies through the tall grass, closing on relatively defenseless antelope whose only true defense was being alert and speed. Those who were on the outside edges of this pack were prime targets, as were those who were not alert, and those who were weak; often times they would become a meal. And it occurred to me that sometimes Christians don't like to live in the center of their Christianity. They try to live on the outside edges of their Christianity, and as the result, they expose themselves as a prime target. Other Christians are weak because they do not nourish themselves through the reading of God's word and prayer; they are prime targets. Other Christians are not alert; they are prime targets. Whether believers are comfortable with the thought or not, there are no noncombatants in this spiritual battle, and Satan does not take prisoners.

Finally, Ephesians 6:10 says, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Anything and everything that is good and righteous in the life of a believer comes from God. Life comes from God as does strength, and health, a sound mind, spiritual discernment and wisdom. Our strengths though, whatever they may be, are wholly inadequate for this battle. In this battle the only adequate source of strength is God.

Paul said, I can do all things through God who gives me strength, Philippians 4:13. We acquire the Lord's strength through prayer with God, faith in God, and obedience to God and God's holy word. The victory of God over Satan has already been announced. In the crucifixion and resurrection Jesus was victorious over Satan, sin, and death. And so long as we are standing with the Lord, we are standing on the victorious side.

Verse 11, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. As Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians he was probably chained to a Roman guard, and it may have been one of those Roman guards who provided the inspiration for this word picture: put on -- Put on the full armor of God. Enduo is in the middle aorist imperative tense which indicates something that is to be done once and for all. The full armor of God is not something to be taken off and put on at will; it is to be left on permanently.

The full armor of God should be worn by all believers at all times. Believers are never off duty. Histemi, translated take your stand, when used in a military sense meant to hold a critical position while under attack. Put on the full armor of God so that you take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Unlike the teaching of some religions, the Bible teaches that the devil is not a mere personification of evil inclinations, but rather a very real, thinking, and conversational person. Satan is the personal name of the head of demons. Demons are evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world.

The apostle Peter writes, God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment. Revelation describes this heavenly battle in chapter 12, And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 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. We call those fallen angels, who fought alongside Satan, demons.

At some point before the serpent's deceit of Eve in the garden of Eden, Satan had gathered around himself some angels and challenged God's authority. Some biblical scholars believe that Isaiah chapter 14 provides insight into that ancient event. It reads:
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
But you are brought down to the grave,
to the depths of the pit.

Evidently, Satan and his fallen angels, like Adam and Eve, chose to rebel against God. You see, the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not the issue; obedience was. Some people have wasted untold hours and idle speculation about what kind of fruit hung on that tree. The apple seems to get the most votes, but the type of fruit was not the issue; obeying God's commandment and thus acknowledging him as sovereign was, and continues to be, the issue.

Before mankind's decision to rebel against God, Satan rebelled. Satan's desire was, and is, to lead mankind into rebellion against God and his word. Satan wants allies. The name Satan is a Hebrew word that means adversary. The New Testament took the Hebraic pronunciation and used it. Satan is an adversary against God. He is also an adversary against those who stand with God as well. The Bible uses other names for Satan. He is called the serpent; and in the New Testament he is called the devil, Beelzebub, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the evil one.

Now there is much speculation and misinformation concerning the abilities of demons. The book of Job makes it clear that the power of Satan and his demons are limited only to what God allows. Jude 6 in the New Testament describes Satan and the demons as being bound with eternal chains. Satan and his demons are not lose. They are under the control of God. Demons do not know the future nor can they read minds.

God speaks through his prophet Isaiah in 46:9 and 10: 'Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' I am God. There is none like me. I make known what is still to come. Jesus said that not even the angels know the time of his return. Neither angels nor demons know the future.

Nowhere in Scripture does it teach that demons know how to read a person's mind. Dreams occur in a person's mind. And King Nebuchadnezzar and asked his wise men, enchanters, magicians, and astrologers to describe it. None could. God's prophet Daniel said, no wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the King the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come.

God can read our minds. God can read our hearts, but angels and demons cannot read our minds, and they cannot read our hearts. And though they cannot know the future or read our minds, they can observe our actions and know our activities. Listen carefully to what the evil spirit says as recorded for us in Acts 19, Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them.

Listen carefully to what he says, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. There were at least seven of them, and probably more, and this one man gave them a beating. And often time that's where the focus of this particular passage goes, but listen to what this evil spirit said. He said, "Jesus I know." You know, before that fallen angel was fallen, he was an angel, and he was in heaven and enjoyed the presence of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This angel knew Jesus.

The evil spirit also said, "I know about Paul." Although he did not know Paul, he knew about Paul. Now how he knew about Paul we do not know. Perhaps he heard about Paul at a demonic convention. Perhaps he heard it through their e-mail system called d-mail. We don't know, but we know that he knew about Paul. It is possible that he in his activities observed Paul in Paul's activities, and that's how he knew about Paul.

What does this mean? Well it means that demons can know about us. They can watch us. They know our family lineage and history, and it's not surprising that some soothsayers are able to provide what we might think is very personal information, because they can watch us. But demons cannot know the future and they cannot read our minds.

Another misconception is that demons are the source of all evil. This is not so. Some evil and sin flow out of the heart of men. Jesus said in Matthew 15, For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. Not all evil comes from demons.

Another myth is that we should fear Satan and his demons, and though the Bible clearly teaches that we should not arrogantly trifle with demons, it teaches that we should not be afraid of them. In his letter to the Philippians Paul wrote, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

Jesus said in John 16, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take courage! I have overcome the world." Jesus took on flesh and blood, as Hebrews 2:14 says, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death--that is, the devil.

Revelation 12:11 says, They, that is speaking of the saints, overcame him, speaking of Satan, by the blood of the Lamb, speaking of the crucifixion of the Christ, and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. They were not afraid. Believers are commanded to not be afraid. We are commanded to not be cowards.

Now how does one know if a spirit is evil? The apostle John writes in 1 John 4, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

That's how we identify who an evil spirit is. How do we respond to an evil spirit? James wrote in James 4, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Resist him.

And the apostle Paul also instructed the believer to stand firm and resist the devil when he wrote, Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then. And then after describing how to identify an evil spirit, the apostle John writes; You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, that is these evil spirits, because the one who is in you, we are the temple of God's holy Spirit -- God's holy Spirit resides within us, is greater than the one who is in the world. The apostle John is saying there is no reason to be afraid for God's holy Spirit who lives within us is greater. Fear and faith are mutually exclusive.

He says, put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Schemes is from methodeia. Thayer defines the word as cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery, and it's often used of a wild animal whose stocks and then pounces upon its prey. You know, it's not always the fastest or the strongest who eat. Some animals hunt with great cunning, and others work as a pack and wear down their prey. The devil's schemes employee deceit and trickery. The devil came to Eve in the garden in the form of a serpent and deceived her into taking the forbidden fruit.

And Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11, I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

In other words, they would accept whatever teaching was coming along and would not test it against God's word. You know when these lion are crawling through that tall grass the antelope know they are there, and they look around and they see the lion, and when they put their head down to drink or to eat the lion comes a little closer and stops. And they put their head up and they feel safe because the lion is not moving. And they put their head down to eat or to drink and the lion moves up and stops.

There's an often used illustration: if you take a frog and you throw it in boiling water, it will jump out. But if you put it in comfortable water and turn up the heat, it will stay there and cook to death. You put up with it easily enough.

The devil's schemes include promoting complacency, deluding responsibility, inverting the truth -- making right appear wrong and wrong appear right, undermining moral absolutes, perverting social tattoos, compromising the preaching of the gospel, blinding the minds of non believers to the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, snatching new converts and leading them into cults and godless religions, distracting believers from prayer and the reading of God's word, promoting doubt in God and his word, sewing dissension and discord among the brethren, fomenting unforgiveness -- for if you do not forgive you will not be forgiven, tempting believers into immorality, worldliness, pride, self-reliance and self-satisfaction, and encouraging guilt and confusion.

The devil knows that there is a lake of fire that is being prepared for him, in Revelation 20:10, but he won't be alone in that lake. Revelation 21:8 says, But the fearful, speaking of mankind -- the coward, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The devil's goal is to fill that lake of sulfur with as many humans souls as he can devour. And to that end, the devil's goal is to promote cowardice and unbelief among mankind. The devil's goal is to promote violence and murder among mankind. The devil's goal is to promote sexual immorality of all kinds among mankind. The devil's goal is to promote the occult and witchcraft among mankind. The devil's goal is to promote idolatry among mankind. The devil's goal is to promote lying so that he can fill that lake with as many souls as possible who have fallen victim to his schemes.

Revelation 3:5 says, He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that overcometh. The devil does not want us to be overcomers.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Let's pray. Lord we are so thankful for Your word and that it is wholly adequate to us to provide us with what we need to know, and to protect us from that which we shouldn't. With what we have learned this day, Lord, we realize that we are in a battle and that we are affected by that battle, and we do not have the strength in and of ourselves to be victorious in that battle. And we are so thankful Lord that You have promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We are constantly in Your care and Your protection. Thank you Lord, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.