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My purpose for this message: To alert believers that they are the frontlines to the spiritual war Satan is waging on the church.

frustrate Satan’s attacks on the church by praying and obeying God.

Delivered: Jan. 31, 2010

 

 

Sinister Fight with No End in Sight

Pray.

Find Revelation 12:17.

When I say “spiritual warfare”, what comes to your mind?  When a friend of mine was an associate pastor in a Pennsylvania Free Church, there was a sizeable group involved in witchcraft in the community.  Some nights, local wiccans offered animal sacrifices at the back of the church property.  Because several witches and warlocks had came to Christ through that church their group was determined to destroy it. 

They marked pastors’ cars and put curses on their homes.  On a number of occasions “Dennis” had people in his office speaking in horrible voices that weren’t their own.  Once he had goat’s blood thrown on him.

What comes to your mind when I mention “spiritual warfare”?  Tulsa Oklahoma’s Higher Dimensions Church once drew thousands of people each week.  Its pastor was Bishop Carlton Pearson, a graduate of Oral Roberts University who was personally mentored by Oral .  For 15 years Pearson served on the board of the University, had one of the most-watched shows on Trinity Broadcasting Network, and George Bush once invited him to the White House.

About 8 years ago he began to preach what he called “The Gospel of Inclusion”, a doctrine that says all people will be saved—whether you put faith in Christ for forgiveness—or don’t.  Within a few years he had renounced virtually every Christian teaching.  In 2008 the church doors closed and the remaining few hundred souls were absorbed into a Unitarian church. 

What comes to your mind when I say “spiritual warfare”?  Last week for the first time in 18 years as a pastor, illness kept me from preaching.  Is it coincidence that the topic was spiritual warfare?

 

We’re spending several months we’re talking about “Growing for God’s Glory”.  Not just numerical growth but how do we spiritually grow as we numerically grow?  One thing for sure, is knowing what we’re up against—and I mean more than the challenge of raising $1 ¾ million; who we’re up against.

President Abraham Lincoln’s short speech at the Gettysburg Battlefield in 1863 was so eloquent that for decades, school students had to memorize it.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

And then he said…  Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.  Christian, we are now engaged in a great civil war. 

The first major clash of the American civil war took place at Manassas, VA or “Bull Run.”  Because the battle was so close to Washington D.C., and because northerners thought the south would quickly fold, about 500 civilians went to watch the fight.

Although most never got closer to the front lines than 5 miles, some politicians ended up on the battlefield.  When the south began to rout the union troops, New York Congressman Alfred Ely was captured and spent 6 months in a rebel prison camp.

Ohio judge Daniel McCook was having lunch with his son who was an officer with the 2^nd Ohio Regiment, when the union retreat rolled back over them.  The father watched in horror as his son was gunned down by a rebel cavalryman. 

Civilians don’t belong on the battlefield and maybe some of you think that spiritual war is fought by the “professionals: the pastors, the elders, people with specialized deliverance ministries.” 

But every person here is in this fight; on one side or another.  We all started on Satan’s side (Ephesians 2:2), and when we left his ranks, he painted a red bull’s eye on your back and mine: we’re enemy combatants.  READ Revelation 12:17. 

Since “we” comprise the church, he’s against it too.  The only church Satan’s not trying to destroy are those which have abandoned the gospel.  The rest are in his crosshairs.  We are caught up in a sinister fight with no end in sight.  Only dying gets you a discharge from the fighting ranks.  Ain’t that good news! 

 

How did this happen?  Why Satan, why us, why the mortal combat? 

1.     Righteous beginnings

Satan was part of the “good” world God created in 6 days (Genesis 1).  Satan was an angel God created good.  Not just a private in the ranks, but a top dog in command.  In Ezekiel 28, a portion of a prophecy against the king of Tyre (coastal city in what’s today southern Lebanon) has more in mind than a person—at least parts of the prophecy describe an angel. READ vv.13-14.

Satan had a righteous beginning.

2.     Unrighteous desire

His righteous beginning was in jeopardy because he wanted what he couldn’t have: God’s position.  READ Isaiah 14:13-14.  Despite the wisdom God had placed in him (Ezekiel 28:12b), Satan’s pride made him stupid enough to think that he could take on God and win. 

3.     Failed revolt

Sometime between when God finished His creative work on the sixth day, and when the serpent tempted Eve (weeks, months?), Satan revolted against His Maker.  And lost.  READ Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:17.  “Demons” are the angels who joined Satan’s rebellion (Revelation 12:9), and still follow him today. 

Satan’s still locked in an allout campaign against God.  He knows intellectually he can’t win (Revelation 12:12) but lashes out everywhere—still holding out hope that somehow God’s going to buckle.  But rather than attack God by throwing punches in heaven, his strategy is the same as it was in the garden, and the same as it was with Job: he attacks God’s love: His people (Revelation 12:17).

 

4.     What do battles look like?

a.     Attacks

Are we talking about frontal assaults by his demons?  Dark beings with red eyes, disembodied voices…, you know, weird stuff?  I’ve never experienced that kind of stuff, but other believers have.  But though Jesus cast out a lot of demons (from unbelievers), once he’d left earth most of the spiritual war played out—even in the remainder of the NT, is more mundane: lies, false doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1), enticements (Matthew 4:1-9), deceptions, (2 Corinthians 11:3) temptations to sin (1 Corinthians 7:5), sickness (Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians 12:7), imprisonment (Revelation 2:10), and exploiting our sins (Ephesians 4:26-27).  We can fail to see his hand in much that is his, simply because of the very “ordinariness” of his work; I’m sick—nothing more than that.  I got mad at him—nothing more than that.  I couldn’t resist and slept with her; nothing more than that.  I had a rebellious streak; nothing more than that.  I didn’t like how our church was led; nothing more than that.

READ 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.  The devil’s attacks often don’t look like attacks, they look like opportunities.  He’s a master of disguises, he masquerades, trying to pass himself and his enticements off as something else entirely. 

And so guys, an attack can look like a beautiful woman; young people, an attack can look like I want to be admired—is that so wrong?  Or attack can look like wanting good feelings (as in cocaine or too much alcohol).  To a rising corporate star a satanic attack can look like an astronomical salary where the price is your integrity.   A satanic attack can look like a chance to get even with someone who hurt you.  Or it can look like the one launched against Bishop Pearson: a doctrine of demons masquerading as “enlightened” truth.

What Satan uses to attack…, well, that list is endless.  But how he attacks is usually the same: deception, misdirection, camouflage.  READ 1 Peter 5:8.  When I hear God warn me like that, I get the idea that like a well-hidden sniper, this guy will pick me apart at will unless I am at a heightened state of attention. 

Same with the church as the individual.  He might throw things like drift from biblical truth like happened at Higher Dimensions, a leader’s moral failure, embezzlement (although that seems to have backfired here!!), sexual molestation, or apathy.

But I think church history bears this out—that Satan’s number one attack strategy with churches, is division (did you know, there are approximately 35,000 denominations in the world?).  Division over vision, over leadership; over church government, over budgets, over what color to paint the nursery, over starting a new ministry or closing an old one.  The squabble may start small.  12 years later others look back and say, “you mean it started with that?”  Because Satan’s better at camouflaging himself than any archery hunter here.  You can look right at the devil, but all you see is another person.

It may start innocently: 2 opinions—each with sort of equal merit; neither is morally wrong, neither more right than the other, just different.  In the discussions among people in the congregation, or discussions at the elder meetings, or staff meetings, no one’s thinking as they defend their points, “this could be the beginning of spiritual warfare”.  But it might be. 

Conflict is normal and when believers are kind and generous as they disagree, it’s actually a testimony of God’s work because people aren’t used to it.  But how quickly concrete walls can be poured, then reinforced, and then grenades are being lobbed back and forth over the walls, and Philippians 1:27 gets violated again and again: Always conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.   

What is our defense against this—or any attack of the enemy’s against the church?

b.     Defense: Jesus!

1 John 3:8 says that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  Jesus’ power, His work.  But how do we use that in spiritual combat?

                                                               i.     Pray

Since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, the fight starts on our knees: pray for your church.  That we’d glorify God, that He would guard us from our own pride; that your pastor and those who teach God’s Word here would get it right; for ears to hear God’s leading for new ministries.  Pray for our witness to our neighbors; for financial provision; for harmony despite diversity; guard us from divisive people and those with ungodly agendas.

Pray that no one who shouldn’t gets through our screening of children’s workers.  Pray for the purity of leaders—no…, that everyone would be pure.  Pray that every time the gospel is presented it’s clear.  Pray that we would love each other no matter what.  Pray that those sitting on the bench would get in the game.  Pray that we would be discontent to remain immature in our faith; that we learn how to say “Please forgive me”.

                                                             ii.     Obey/repent

James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Since Eden, every time we say “yes” to Satan we say “no” to God, but when we say “yes” to Go, Satan loses.  If we actually “love one another” that’s a blow to the enemy.  If among us we do not even permit a hint of sexual immorality, that’s a blow to him.  If we teach what is in accord with sound doctrine, that’s a blow to him.  If we provide food and clothes for those in need, that’s a blow to him.  If we ignore an offense, that’s a blow to his plans.  If we give thanks instead of complain, that’s unexpected.  If we repent of our bigotry, that turns back an attack. 

                                                            iii.     Scripture

In Matthew 4:2-3 Satan urged Jesus to turn stones into bread.  If I had been fasting for 40 days, that would have seemed like a good idea.  Jesus hauled out the word of God and hit Satan over the head with it.  Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 

You want to win this spiritual war—want to make sure you’re not a casualty?  Drink God’s Word.  This is why I badger you about the Bible.  I am thrilled that apparently we gave away more than 100 of the 6 year through-the-Bible plans this month.  Whatever it takes to help you read God’s Word daily, DO IT! 

Not so you can brag about how religious you are, but so you have bullets in your gun when you’re under attack. 

 

Concl:

Christian friend. there are no rear lines in this battle; and no individual lines.  When Satan attacks you, he attacks the church.  When he attacks the church, he attacks you.  And nothing is offlimits.  Be on your guard.

The good news is that in Christ, we are more powerful than he is.  On the one hand, there is reason to respect the devil’s power (Jude 9).  But there is no need to fear it.  1 John 4:4: …the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.