War! Huh! What is it Good For?

Read Ephesians 6:10 - 20

War is a frightening thing.  If you have ever lived or served during a major war or conflict you know the level of terror involved in warfare.  For those of you who have served in the military (especially on the front lines) you know better than anyone of us the importance of having the proper equipment and training when engaged in battle.  You know the necessity of wearing a helmet, keeping a weapon nearby, and knowing how to use it.  Before one is sent off into battle he is given the necessary equipment and training to both help and protect in the midst of battle.  

We are all in a battle.  It may not be modern physical warfare but we are in a spiritual battle.  Since this is the case I believe it is necessary to have the necessary equipment and training while engaged in this battle.  The passage above gives us a look at the battle gear you and I have at our disposal as we engage in and use for protection in the spiritual battle.  This gear (just like a soldier going to war) is available to use it.  The first thing Paul tells us to do in this battle requires human action!!!  We must PUT ON THE ARMOR!  We will not be protected if we just have the armor sitting off to the side and we never put it on!  The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to put on the armor so we can stand against the schemes of the devil.  He refers to the works of Satan as the schemes as a reminder that he has mastered the craft of trickery and deception.  The Bible tells us that Satan masquerades himself as an angel of light.  He is a first class deceiver and he’s good at it.  So Paul tells us to put on the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD and not just a few select pieces we think we need so we may be protected by the master deceiver.  Each piece of the armor serves a purpose and is vital to have in order for us to be fully protected and engaged.

As we look at the spiritual armor I would like to note that the armor serves a twofold purpose.  The armor serves first as defense (protection against the attacks) and serves as a means of offense (engaging in the battle and progressing forward).  This is important for us to understand because we can never be victorious in battle if we are only on the defensive and never on the offensive.  There is a time to protect and defend and there are times to divide and conquer.  

We will look at the armor in the next post...

Our Response

Erwin Lutzer states, “We should never give the impression that because Satan is the god of this world, God kind of says, ‘Well, what am I going to do? He is the god of this world. I just have to let him do whatever he wants.” He is like a bee without a stinger. He may look scary but there is no power in his sting because he has no stinger.

I hope I have established the fact that we do have an enemy and the enemy is Satan. He wants to devour you like a hungry lion. We are in a wrestling match with evil and you and I are not strong enough to overcome or pin down the evil one in our own strength. However we do have the protection and the necessary equipment given to us by God to be successful in this battle.

God does have a protection plan for us! The first thing to realize as we fight this battle is our strength does not come from us. It doesn’t matter how strong you are physically, how holy you may act or how much you read your Bible, our strength comes from Jesus Christ alone! He is our strength and our power! God has given us the means to fight this battle and to be protected against the attacks of evil in Jesus. Paul refers to this protection as the armor of God and I will talk about this more next.

If you cannot wait until the next blog I will give you a glimpse into our first and initial response and this is to PUT ON THE ARMOR of God! We cannot be protected if we just have the armor sitting on the side and we never put it on! We are told to put on the armor so we can stand against the schemes of the devil. The Bible tells us that Satan masquerades himself as an angel of light. He is a first class deceiver and he’s very good at it. Klyne Snodgrass writes, “Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited camouflaged trap.”

The Enemy

His Story

Who is this devil being and how did he come to be?  We will look at two passages in the Old Testament Isaiah 14:12 – 15 & Ezekiel 28:12a – 17 (this is believed to be the story of the fall of Satan). 

Isaiah 14:12

1)     He was an angel & his name is Lucifer.  Since he is an angel we also know that he was a created being, thus he has no more power than any other angel. 

2)     He wanted to be the greatest of all angels; even to the point of exalting himself over God.

3)     As a result he was cast from heaven and he now walks to and fro on the earth (Job 2:2).

4)     We will one day see our adversary and marvel at the fact that he played such a key part in the evil of history.

Ezekiel 28:12a – 17

1)     He was the signet or the signature of all that was perfect… wisdom and beauty.

2)     He was the anointed guardian cherub

3)     He was blameless from the day he was created.

4)     However unrighteousness was found in him.

5)     In his rebellion he convinced a 1/3 of the angels to rebel with him (Revelation 12:3)

6)     His fate is sealed.

Characteristics

A)    Names… Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, Prince of this world, Prince of the air, The Evil one, The tempter, Satan, The Devil, The Dragon.

B)    He is a murderer (John 8:44)

C)    He does not stand in truth/ He is a liar (John 8:44)

D)    He is crafty & tricky (Gen. 3 & 2 Cor. 2:11)

E)     He disguises himself as an angel of light/imposter (2 Cor. 11:14)

F)     He seeks to devour all who oppose him (I Peter 5:8)

G)    He is the Tempter (Rev. 2:10)

H)    He is a deceiver (Rev. 12:9)

I)     He is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10)

Prepare For War

The Battle

(Read Ephesians 6:11, 12)
We are in a spiritual battle or wrestling match, but our opponent is not a person. The text above says that we do not struggle against “flesh and blood” which is translated as human/mankind. We are not in a struggle with our fellow man; our battle is spiritual. It is against rulers, authorities and evil powers of the spiritual realm. The enemy we wrestle with hates us, he wants to destroy us, and he will do whatever it takes to overpower us. This is frightening when you think about it but as we will soon see this is nothing for us to be afraid of.

According to Webster’s 2 New Riverside Dictionary the word wrestle is defined as “struggle with an opponent in an attempt to throw or pin him down.” This is what the sport of wrestling is, whether fake or real, it is trying to pin down your opponent. It is a sport of strength, endurance, the mind and manipulation (Various moves). Many moves of a wrestler are not ones where you overpower by sheer strength your opponent but are often moves of strategy where you set up your opponent (manipulate him) so you can put a move on him that will result in victory.

There is a saying, generally said before going into battle or even before a wrestling match or any sporting event, “Know your opponent.” Why is this? Because if we have done our homework and studied our opponent’s tactics and we have properly trained and prepared for our match, then we will be able to come out victorious. This is why sports teams watch films of their opponents the week before a game; so they can be familiar with plays, strategies and weaknesses so they can be victorious. The same goes for Christians in Spiritual warfare. We need to know our enemy because he is crafty, deceitful and he will do whatever it takes to pin you down and destroy you.

Our struggle is taking place in the spiritual dominion. The enemies are the spiritual authorities, powers, forces and rulers of evil in the heavenly realm. These include Satan and his legion of dark angels. Did you know Satan is real? I believe one of his craftiest maneuvers is to deceive people into believing he does not exist, to convince people he is just a figment of our imagination. He is this character that people made up to represent evil. Some people actually think if you believe in this Satan character then you may be delusional or mentally unstable. The Bible talks about the devil, Satan, the dragon or Lucifer quite a bit. Jesus talks about him and many of the epistles make references to him as well. He is alive and well and he is doing whatever he can to try and destroy God’s people.

Who is Satan, what does he represent? This could be a sermon series in itself, but I will give you a glance at his characteristics. Satan has no love for God’s people, in fact Jesus says to Peter in Luke 22:31, “Simon, Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he may sift you like wheat.” And James says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He doesn’t like you and he will do whatever it takes to deceive you and cause you to fall and stumble.

Ponderings for People who Place Pastors on Pedestals

Sometimes  people have the tendency to put Pastor's on Pedestals.  I have a strong conviction that as soon as a pastor is placed on a pedestal people better be prepared to be disappointed and the Pastor steer people from putting him on one.  I was shocked when I went to fallenpastor.com and read some eye opening statistics.  I would like to share them with you…

·        1500 pastors in America leave the ministry EACH MONTH due to moral failure     (this does not count those who leave out of frustration and discouragement).

·        50% of Pastor’s marriages will end in divorce.

·        80% of Pastors and spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their roles as pastors.

·        70% of Pastor’s fight depression.

·        Almost 40% have admitted to having an extra-marital affair since the beginning ministry.

          These stats tell me three things… 

                     1) Pastor’s are just as susceptible to sin as any other person.  

                     2)  Pastor’s are human and have no place on a pedestal.  

                     3)  Pastor’s need to be prayed for. 

          The irony is most people who are placed on pedestals don’t want to be there nor do they ask to be put there. May we be reminded of the words of Isaiah 42:8 which is frank and to the point where God says He will not share his glory with anyone.  Praise, worship, and pedestals belong to God and God alone.  

Why Did God Create Us?

Why did God create us?  The answer is two-fold.  First, He created you because He loves you.  This makes you very special.  Second, the apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:16,

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

We were created for Him!  We can think that God exists for us, but on the contrary we actually exist for God and His delight.  All things we created by Him and for Him.  Now we can get offended by this and think that since God created humanity for His benefit and not ours is a selfish thing.  But we need to get over ourselves and realize that all of creation (humanity included) is part of God’s big picture.  This big picture or story if you will was created for God and He has invited all of us to be part of this story.  He has not chosen us to be the main characters, but he has chosen us to play a big part in this story.  That’s something that should instill an enthusiasm in your heart and soul.  The infinite God who created all things and is bigger than all of creation has chosen little ole you and me to be part of His BIG story.

Consider the words of Job 10:9 – 12 

“Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese?  You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.”

          God has taken great care in creating you.  He has not given up on you and He does not want us to give up on Him!  He did not cast us away, but found value in each one of us and He has poured His love down on us, so let’s seize the day and live our lives for Him.

Am I A Mistake?

“How did I get here?”

“Why am I here?”

“What is the meaning to life?”

“Is my life significant?”

“Do I have a purpose?”

“Is there more to life than what I am currently experiencing?”

          These are some questions you may have right now and there are times I ask them myself.  They are good and meaningful questions with no easy answer.  But they do have answers.  

          How did we get here?  Did life just begin as a flash of lightning hit a puddle of mud and created a living organism and after billions of years humanity evolved from this organism?  Are we the descendants of fish, monkeys and half man half ape creatures?  Personally I see the Bible holding the answer to this question.  Genesis 1:26, 27 says,

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

          I want to key in on a word that is used a couple of times… created.  How did you come to be?  God created you; that’s how.  But God didn't just throw together a bunch of sludge and POOF! you came in to existence.  No, we are told that God created man in His image and in His likeness.  He took great care in creating you.  You are in fact a creation of the Almighty God and you are created in His image.  Isn't this amazing?  When understand and believe this it adds so much value to you as a person.  

Think of it this way.  If you are indeed an evolved ape, fish, monkey man who came into existence by accident and chance; then what value is there to you life?  You are an accident with no purpose or value... You are an accident of nature.  But when you come to terms with the biblical truth that you are a special and intricate creation of God it adds so much more value to who you are.   You are not an accident.  You are a child of God created in his image.

This is amazing, and it excites me!