Spiritual Warfare, part 1

We have started a new series at Lifepointe Church titled, "Armor-All." The reference is to the the scriptural instruction for every believer to 'put on the full armor of God.' Spiritual warfare is the subject of the series. I encourage you to listen online at www.lifepointeindy.com. Just click the sermons button at the bottom of the start page. The first message is called, "The Devil's Schemes."

I have three main goals in this teaching:

1. RAISE AWARENESS

10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. 2 Cor 2:10-11

2. SOUND THE ALARM

1 Once again a message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. 3 When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. 4 Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. 5 They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives.” Ezekiel 33:1-5

3. EQUIP YOU TO WIN!

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. Eph 6:13


There are three big errors regarding this topic of Spiritual Warfare:

1. It is an error to deny the existence of the Devil and Demons.

In fact, this is the first lie that the devil would have you believe! He would love for you to discount his reality. But to deny the reality of the Devil and Demons is to disregard the teachings of scripture, the accounts of the gospels in particular, and even your own observations and experience. Surely most everyone would acknowledge the presence of evil in this world.

2. It is an error to attribute every negative thing or every sinful choice to the devil.

The fact is, the devil did not make you do it! Sinful choices are ultimately your own responsibility. And bad things happen in a fallen world. A bridge collapse or terrible tornado are not to be immediately attributed to the devil.

3. It is an error to believe that Christians are immune from spiritual attack.

The reality is that becoming a Christ-follower is not an inoculation against spiritual attack - in fact, it actually increases your exposure! If Jesus was not immune, neither are you as His follower.

The key bible teaching on which we will focus in this series is found in Ephesians 6:10-19.

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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 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. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. - Eph 6:10-19

I hope that you have that passage underlined or highlighted in some way in your bible. It is a key passage on winning in spiritual battle!

For this teaching, notice the phrase that I have highlighted above, "The Devil's Schemes." That's the focus of this study. What are, "the devil's schemes?"

To understand the devil's schemes, you must first understand his purposes. His purposes are revealed by Jesus:

"The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10

It is of critical importance that you see the big picture principle of this verse: Jesus is a giver and the devil is a taker! When you are aligned with Jesus, you receive of heaven's storehouse. When you align yourself with the devil, you are about to be taken!

Notice also the devil's three main goals: steal, kill and destroy. He is always stealing, always killing, always destroying. So pick your category: marriage, children, money, church, nation, liberty, spiritual life, personal joy and dreams, even your eternal soul - the devil is out to steal, kill and destroy them all!

Can you see why this battle is so important? The stakes could not be higher!

The devil's schemes are also revealed in the names of the devil: tempter (Matt 4:3), deceiver and accuser (Rev 12:9-10).

He will tempt you to sin.
Have you believe a lie to justify the sin.
Then accuse you as soon as you have sinned!

The devil is evil.

The devil's ultimate goal is to destroy your faith! Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6), so the devil wants to destroy your faith. He wants you to just quit - give up on anything and everything good or God-honoring.

There is much to study in the next few weeks about both the tactics of the devil and the overcoming victory that is ours in Christ Jesus. For now, I want to encourage you to re-read our primary text and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about the 'full-armor of God.'
We will explore the meaning of the text more but even now begin to put on the armor as best as you know how.

Here too are three words of encouragement for you as a Christ-follower:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO FALL FOR TEMPTATION

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Cor 10:13

YOU WILL NOT FALL FOR THE LIES

You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free! John 8:32

GOD DOES NOT ACCUSE YOU

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus...
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Rom 8:1, 31-37

May the Lord bless you, surround you, protect you, set you free, and station His angels near you as you seek to serve Him from your heart!

Check back next week as we continue exploring this vital topic.