Spiritual Warfare

Well, we are here on a very powerful day in many ways, as Mr. Powell read earlier. John writes, of an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit, a great chain in his hand, he lays ahold of that dragon, the serpent of old, the devil, and Satan, bounds him for a thousand years.

An incredible conflict leading to the banishing of Satan the devil himself. Putting an end to such strife, such adversity, war, conflict, and putting an end to that warfare that Satan the devil enacted and began so long ago.

It's coming to an end, but we know we live now between the time of that great day of atonement and today. We're not there yet. The warfare continues today, and in many ways, God's people are admonished to put forth an end to Satan's rule today in our lives. We are to fulfill that great banishing today, that great conquering. So the title of our study today is Spiritual Warfare. Spiritual Warfare. I invite you to open your Bibles, and let's turn to a very familiar passage of Scripture and book back to Ephesians chapter 6. Let's turn there. We're going to begin reading verses 10 through 13 in just a moment. Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 13. But as you turn there, I'd like to start off this study on this great day of atonement by asking a question. It's a question that often arises in our thoughts, particularly today. It's a question, what is actually wrong with our world today? What's wrong with our world? Why is it so unbelievably broken?

Those are the questions that have been asked by so many men and women, increasingly more today, with the pandemic that is facing us, all the racial and political strife that we live in, all the direct attacks at the very fabric of what was once the fundamental moral beliefs of what we assumed. You may be asking some of these questions, what's wrong with the world? How do we account for all the atrocities of this world? Why have all of our attempts at unity, unity in the nation, unity in the family, unity in the church? Why have all those attempts failed so often? Why is there so much conflict in the world? Maybe more importantly, in the overarching question, will it ever end? Well, of course, the day of atonement helps us in these questions. It helps us to grapple with these kinds of questions. And it's immediately clear this is what Paul was writing as he finished his letter to the Ephesians here, to the Ephesian believers. Paul had been made aware of a great conflict which was occurring, and he was given insight by God to write these words. Let's read this. Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 13. He begins to finish his letter here. Finally, he says, My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places, therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Let's stop there. So it is obvious that God had been given Paul's particular insight here, and understanding deeper insight. And he was looking to make this clear to the Ephesian people then and to us today. And what he was looking to make clear is this.

That the conflict which is happening here on the ground, it is the conflict that we're here experiencing here on earth, it is directly tied to the conflict in the heavenly realm. That is a vital truth to get today. It's the acknowledgement that the conflict that's happening here on earth is directly tied to conflict in the heavenly realms. Okay? Now that might bring true to you today because if you're like me, when you look at the world's events and all that's happening, you get the impression that there's something far more deeper, that's more of a sinister nature, that we're seeing something far more beneath that which the surface which we're observing. And all this chaos, all these horrific events in the world, particularly these things that are in direct opposition to God's Word and fierce opposition to God's people.

Something's happening here and it leads us to this question that we could ask, you know, why is it that the very fabric of fundamental biblical beliefs are being attacked? Why are the people that follow these fundamental fabric beliefs being attacked? You know, at this time that Paul was writing to the Ephesians here, the church was being established and early on when the church was being established, you had men and women making their affirmations that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, was the Son of God. They were making these declarations being brought into the fold of God's church. And in doing so, conflict was coming straight to them.

Why? Well, it's on the account of a devil we're reading here and his demons. And they are in opposition to Christ and his followers. And the conflict was being brought to the Ephesian church, then those following Jesus Christ, and it's being brought to God's people today. So let me answer the question, be crystal clear with it. What is wrong with our world today? Why all the conflict? The answer is Satan the devil and his demons are the current and temporary rulers of this world. That's it. And Paul is bringing this directly to Ephesus. And this was the message in which he was given. And this is not something that Paul sprung up with Paul out of nowhere. This was the conflict that was announced from the beginning. Mr. Powell referenced it. In fact, if you'll put your marker here, we'll come back. Let's turn back to Genesis 3, verse 14 and 15 and see that God speaks of where all this conflict, where it all originated here. Genesis 3, verse 14 and 15. God is going to aspire the scripture to speak of a serpent, which is Satan the devil. And God reveals the origins of this great conflict here. This is after the deception by Satan in the Garden of Eden, leading Adam and Eve to sin. Genesis 3, verse 14. So the Lord God said to the serpent, the devil, because you have done this, you're cursed more than all the cattle and more than every beast of the field, on your belly you shall go, you shall eat dust all the days of your life. Here it is, verse 15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed, he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. So enmity, immense hostility, immense conflict between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. Here announced is the conflict between the devil and God's people. And of course, the devil and all of mankind, all of mankind, it's God's will that they all become his sons and daughters. So Satan is against all of mankind. And as was mentioned, the bruising of the heel, metaphor of Christ's crucifixion. Of course, death couldn't hold Christ. Three days, three nights, he raises up, establishing the destiny of the future bruising of Satan's head. So while Satan, you will bruise the heel of Jesus Christ, instigating the crucifixion. It's true. But Christ is risen. He sits at the right hand of God. Thereby, it is written into the very unfolding of time that Jesus Christ will one day bruise the head of Satan the devil is going to be a fatal blow. A fatal blow on this great day of atonement. He could not prevent Jesus Christ from being raised back to life. And he cannot then prevent Jesus Christ from ultimately defeating him. And on this great day of atonement, this is what it pictures. You know, the pictures that putting away of Satan for those thousand years. Pointing forward to Jesus Christ and the ultimate victory.

But, but until that final victory again, Jesus Christ over Satan, there is enmity. There's intense hostility between man and the devil and particularly God's people and the devil. We won't turn there, but Peter picks up this theme and says to be sober, be vigilant. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. So that's 1 Peter 5.8. Seeking whom he may devour, you know, it's not stumble or just eliminate, eliminate altogether. Eliminate from the incredible inheritance that is waiting for God's people today and eventually all people.

And so, as a result, he roams to and fro, seeking whom he may devour. A chess reference, you know, while the game is still being played, Jesus Christ has ultimately declared checkmate. Checkmate. So the devil can stumble around to and fro and see who he can devour in the meantime, but checkmate is determined. So, as a result of this, all conflict in the world can ultimately be traced to this one root. Satan the devil. All conflict can ultimately be traced to this one root.

You're going to hear it today. You're going to hear that today. You're not going to hear it on the evening news, you know. I don't think I heard this this week. You know, there's no surprise that we have conflict, you know, in Afghanistan because, of course, Bob, we understand we exist with conflict in the heavenly realms, you know. More news at five. Yeah. Now, you're not going to hear this. There's not that acknowledgement, you know, that what the Bible declares about the history of mankind, that we understand there's this great cosmic battle. We, in Genesis, introduced it to us. That's occurring today. And this cosmic battle is ensuing in the realm that we don't see. You don't hear this. People, by and large, do not have this notion of what Paul is writing about back in Ephesians 6. Let's turn back there. How many in the world have this notion that our fight is not ultimately against some physical enemy? Look at this. Ephesians 6, verses 11 and 12 again. Put on the whole armor, physical armor? No. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And here it is. Ephesians 6, 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. That is an all-encompassing statement there. But who do we wrestle against? Ultimately. Principalities. Powers. Against rulers of the darkness of this age. Against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.

Phillips puts it this way, his commentary. We are up against an unseen power that controls this dark world and spiritual agents from the headquarters of evil. So we're gonna have to decide whether we believe this or not. You know, that the conflict in the world, which is in opposition to God and his purposes, it's not simply or merely what we're seeing is not simply or merely a result of political bumblings or inaptitudes or misinformed people or careless people. No, rather, all of it. All of the conflict and atrocities are traceable to the fact that within the corridors of power, even within the governments of the world, there are dark, sinister, unseen forces at work. And it is that the people making these decisions, wittingly or unwittingly, may be the very agents or pawns of this dark ruler.

Sounds bizarre, doesn't it? Sounds bizarre to even say it in this world that we live in. But if we were ever to just once, if God was ever to pull back the curtain, as it were, and the spiritual world behind it would come into view, it would expose to our vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, so sweeping, everything in its range, that the fierce battle ever fought on earth would seem a mere game in comparison.

Again, our earthly struggle is a representation of all the unseen spiritual struggle around us. And this struggle will, in fact, continue until Christ comes on this great day of atonement to bound the One, the originator, the instigator, and put an end to His evil reign.

So it's just this is when I say this is a powerful holy day, this is a powerful holy day.

And in many ways, and I may mention this later, when we fast, it is to get everything stripped away from us, everything that takes all of our priorities, our mind away from what we're here to commission to do. And it's just to bring us to the raw message of the Scripture. And these words from Paul here bring us to this whole matter of spiritual warfare. We do have a wonderful time coming, and I cannot wait until we get to the Feast of Tabernacles and all that it pictures. But we need to be warriors today and put on this spiritual armor and be aware, be educated by the Scripture. So Paul was writing to the Ephesians here. They were just beginning their journey. He knew a lot was ahead of them. And he says here in verse 12, your battle is not against flesh and blood. You know, if we make the mistake of thinking that our opponents are human beings, we're not going to fight the right battle. We're going to spend a lot of time fighting the wrong foe. So we need to understand it's against rulers, authorities, powers of a dark world in the heavenly realms. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, principalities, powers, rulers, darkness, spiritual hosts. You know, some say that that's indicating the four tiers of spiritual dark opponents, you know, principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual hosts. I don't know. I'm not inclined to that view. I think what Paul is doing is what he often does. He's just heaping phrases on top of each other. You know, they didn't have highlighters back then. They didn't have underlines. So he just heaps words to make a point here. And he's identifying the essential factor that we have an enemy. And it's in this realm of a spiritual realm. And it's cosmic and it's all embracing. Therefore, we need and it's unavoidable. And Satan is at the helm of it all. He is the devil described as the evil one. You know, when you look at this, Paul is giving education, but he really didn't have to convince the people of Ephesus of this realm, this unseen dark realm. They didn't need any convincing of a devil. Not many of them. They had little doubt. If you'll keep your marker here, I want to turn you to a moment in the early days of the Church of Ephesus that would have really made quite an impression on them. It's found in Acts 19. So if you'll keep your marker here, let me show you this story that's given to us in early Ephesus, the church there. Acts 19 verse 11. And so Paul's early readers would have been aware of this whole cosmic spiritual struggle here that he was speaking about in his letter, because this is what happened in Ephesus 19. Let me give you a little buildup to this. God was doing incredible miracles through Paul. Paul who wrote Ephesus in writing that letter to them. So listen to us pick up the story here, Acts 19 verse 11 and 12.

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick and diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. So Paul, God was doing incredible work through Paul, removing evil spirits. Look what happens next. Some of the Jews were intrigued by this and they tried to do the same thing that Paul was doing. Turned out horribly wrong. Verse 13. Then some of the Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, we exercise you by the by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. Also there were seven sons of Siva, a Jewish chief priest who did so. So they're calling upon the name of Jesus. They were took it upon themselves to do this. Verse 15. And the evil spirit answered these guys and said, Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you? Calling their bluff. Verse 16. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. Let's stop there. So again, when I say that Paul didn't have to convince the young Ephesian church of this realm, this dark spiritual realm, this is why. They knew of the reality of demonic activity here. It was all around them. And just the fact that seven guys ran out of a house attempting to go at it themselves without their clothes on, bashed, beaten, and bleeding. They would have said, did you hear what happened to the seven sons of Siva? And they would have said, yeah, he met a dark evil force.

No one would have had any difficulty talking about spiritual warfare. They would have clearly understood it. They clearly understood it so much. So look at this incredible impact here, verse 17 and 18. So after this incident, verse 17 and 18, this became known both to the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus. And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. So after this beating, this is what happened. And remarkably, look what happens next. They then started bringing all their sorcery and dark scrolls and all that to a public bonfire, verse 19. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.

And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled 50,000 pieces of silver. So I looked this up. A single silver coin was worth about a day's wage. So this is 50,000 days' wages here. This is the vast amount of stuff that was being burned. Dark stuff. This kind of darkness is in our culture today. So this is the impact that God's people are having today. I don't want to go too far with this, you know, with this statement, but our atonement is today. Our banishing Satan from our reality is today.

It's today for God's people. Why does it have to be today? So that we can make this difference. We can make this impact in this society. We need to make this impact now. This is why the Bible talks about us being a light in darkness, you know, because look at verse 20.

So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. You would have never gone to this part of the country. It was so steeped in darkness. And this is where God sends His people to make a difference. Be a light. You know, one of the biggest regrets, and I feel it when I fast at all these, you know, you might be the same way when you fast, all this stuff kind of comes out and comes aware, all the things in your life which aren't of God.

And I just I'm so disappointed in myself sometimes, because I know if I'm closer to God, and if I'm practicing this day of atonement in my life today and putting all this out, I can make an impact on the community. But if I'm part of that stuff in any way, I can't make the impact that God would have that would make in me. So that's the angst of the sin in my life. I just it makes me think, boy, I know God can't use me the way He might He might have, you know. So I need this day of atonement in my life today.

I need to be aware of the battle so I can banish Satan out of my life with God's help. And it's not I, of course, you know. So when Paul writes to the Ephesians back in Ephesians 6, if he'll turn back there, Ephesians 6, it isn't the I. It's focusing on the He, the Jesus Christ. And Paul makes that point here in Ephesians 6 verse 10 and all throughout this where he says, now I want you to be strong of and by yourselves.

Can you fight this battle? No. I want you to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. We're no match. We're no match for this world. But we don't have to have shaky knees. Why? Because the one who's already had victory is living in us. There's no fear in this. I hope this talk of a realm doesn't really enact fear in you. You should have a proper respect for it. But it really should empower you to be aware of it so that you can come out of it with God's help even more and accomplish what we need to accomplish.

They were no match for these wicked evil force there. But Paul goes on to say, I want you to... but this is how you fight. I want you to put on the whole armor of God. The whole armor. We're not going to have time to get into the whole armor, but you can read it for your homework. But it's all there. They list all of our tools. We need to be wearing it.

But again, we're bringing our whole notion to this world and we may need to be convinced of it. We may be aware of this world, but we really need to be convinced of it. I know at certain times in my life, I just wasn't so sure. But I think one of the greatest successes that Satan has had, particularly in this current culture, is that he's been able to convince society that he doesn't exist. That's his greatest success right now, that he doesn't exist.

I found this poem. Let me read it to you. It's a little bit in old English, so bear with me. But I think it points to the fact of, by and large, society's notion that there really isn't a devil or this dark realm. This is written from by HMS Richards. HMS Richards. It's kind of a satire poem, but it's titled, Satan, Who Carries His Business On? Who carries his business on? Quote, Men don't believe in a devil now, as their fathers used to do. They've forced the door of the broadest creed to let his majesty through. There isn't a print of his cloven foot or a fiery dart from his bow to be found in the earth or in the air today, for the world has voted it so. They say he doesn't go round about as a roaring lion now, but whom shall we hold responsible for the everlasting row? To be heard in the home and church and state, to the earth's remotest bound, if the devil by unanimous vote is nowhere to be found. Who is in the mixing of the fatal drought that pauses heart and brain? And loads the bire of each passing year with ten hundred thousand slain? Who blights the bloom of the land today with the fiery breath of hell? If the devil isn't and never was, won't somebody rise and tell? The devil won't be voted—the devil was voted not to be. And of course the thing is true. But who's doing the kind of work the devil used to do? Won't somebody step to the front forthwith and make his bow and show? How the frauds and the crimes of a single day spring up? We want to know. The devil was fairly voted out and of course the devil's gone. But simple people want to know who carries his business on. So that's the notion of society, I believe.

There is no acknowledgment of a devil. There is no acknowledgment that he's the instigator of all these things. It's the worldview. Satan wants to have the whole world preoccupied with other battles. What battles are we looking to engage in today that might be the wrong battle? You might be able to answer that. One of the challenges and questions that the Church always faces is to vote or to not vote in the political elections. I asked myself this week, do we really think we're going to change the world by rallying around a particular candidate? Is that where the battle is waged? It's a battle waged with flesh and blood. Where's the battle? Where's the armor? Where should we be focusing our time and attention?

No matter where it is, the Church cannot find itself preoccupied with anything other than fighting this great adversary. Paul is bringing this to our minds. We're up against a powerful, evil, cunning force. It is a force that hates light. It is a force that has no code of honor. It is a force that has no higher feelings. It is a force that is unscrupulous, ruthless, devoted to malicious designs. How can we have the dreadful Holocaust of abortion, for example? All the embracing of filth and degradation in our culture, it is so powerful. It just seeps into me. It does. And I know we're all vulnerable to that because it's just all around us. And we have to just be very discerning. Very discerning.

Who's responsible for it all? Satan the devil. And again, there's so many ruling authorities that widdly or unwittingly are being infiltrated to make the decisions in our culture, in our society. It's impossible to have any meeting of the minds. I pride myself, I think, to really be able to come to some common ground with certain individuals, you know, even if we're polar opposites in our thinking. But I'm finding it more and more today that there is just, there's no basis which I can stand upon with them. There's nothing that we agree on. There's no base to even start any kind of, well, let's start there and maybe we can build upon that. There's no base anymore. This is what we're facing. There's no right or wrong. No idea of morality, moral principles, higher authority. So it's impossible to suggest that there's something beyond ourselves, something more significant in matters of life, no higher feelings. And the church lives in this world. And by the way, we're supposed to be here. You remember Jesus Christ prayed before he went back to the Father. I pray that you do not take them out of the world. What an interesting prayer. I pray that you don't take them out of the world. But I pray that you keep them from the evil one. That was his prayer. This is our day of atonement. This is our day of atonement.

Now let's turn back to Ephesians 6 here and look back here. We will begin to work to a conclusion here. You know, this is all very heavy, especially with empty stomachs, you know, and it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be. It's okay. We're about to celebrate days which are going to be filled beyond measure.

But Paul wanted ultimately to turn now their focus, and this he's the master at doing this. He brings them their attention. He brings them to the point of the need, and then he provides the one who can provide the need. And that's here in verse 13. His sole purpose for God's people to withstand in the evil day. Evil days are coming for us. And so he writes, therefore, take on the whole armor of God that you will be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand. So Jesus Christ doesn't do it for us. God the Father doesn't do it for us. We must have done all to stand ourselves. And then that which we have no power against, then Jesus Christ will take it from there. Do all that we can do to stand. Stand therefore. You see this this verb, this admonition to stand. Verse 14, stand therefore, it says, and he introduces the armor of God there. Are we standing strong, standing firm?

In the Lord, in the Lord. That's there. Verse 10, finally, my brethren, breathe strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

You know, again, one of the reasons we fast on this day is just to strip everything of us away and for us to realize where our true power comes from, where life comes from, where our purpose comes from, everything stripped away. So I'm so thankful for this day, and I know you are too.

So here before the Feast of Tabernacles, there are lots of distractions. What struggle are you going through today? What challenge? What trial is currently against you that's seemingly winning? Think of that that's going against you and acknowledge today that it's not a physical battle. Whatever it is, it's not a physical battle, ultimately. So therefore, victory will not ultimately come from physical strength or physical techniques. First and primarily, it'll be to bow your head to God. Humility, reverence, bring it to your Creator, and He will help you in your time of need.

Recognize the battle belongs to the Lord, and we're in a spiritual war zone.

Again, if God were to pull back the curtain for us, for us to see all that was happening around, I think it would drive us to our knees in a new way. It's very heavy.

But I'd like to remind you where Jesus Christ is today. You know, much of the world wants to keep our focus and to somehow believe that Jesus Christ is still on that stake, crucified. He was there. He's not there anymore. You know, they like to put forth that picture of kind of a helpless individual there. He did do that for us, yes. He did humble himself in that way. But today, He is risen. He's at the right hand of God, and He is waiting for the appointed time to come and deal the final blow to Satan's head. Put Him away for a thousand years.

That day is coming, and that day can come in our lives today. So we thank God for His protection in Jesus Christ. We ask God to continue to protect us and strengthen us in every way. I hope everyone has a blessed Feast of Tabernacles. I hope that you just know how blessed we are to have the meaning of these days and to be able to represent Him at this time. So I'll finish with Paul in verse 10 with these words, and with this we'll conclude. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.