Supernatural Warfare part three

 

Supernatural Warfare – part three

 

Two weeks ago, we looked at the evidence all around us of the supernatural evil – the growing supernatural evil.  Last week we began our look at the supernatural armor God has provided us for our protection in this deadly spiritual battle. In so doing, we also reminded ourselves that we are never, ever alone in this battle. God lives inside each follower of Christ, and God provides angels who always guard us. Always guard us, even when circumstances seem as it we are left alone.

 

As we began our examination of the Christians spiritual armor found in Ephesians six, we looked at the belt of truth with which the apostles urged us to bind up our loins. The word ‘loins’ in Scripture often refers to the seat or the essence of a person’s strength.

 

So, when Paul used the belt illustration, he was telling his readers that if we don’t hold truth close to ourselves, if we compromise or dilute God’s truth, then we open ourselves to mortal attack by that enemy – which is likely the reason we are seeing so much demonic activity in our culture. Truth – God’s eternal truth – has been utterly diluted and compromised, even in many churches – that it is nearly unrecognizable. I’ve talked about that many times in the last several years during Bible study and my Sunday messages.

 

When I first preached this message a year and a half ago, I had had a brief conversation with someone on one of my social media sites who thought a church marquee was an abusive use of the Christian message.  Here is what the church sign read: “The fact that there’s a highway to hell and only a stairway to heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers.”

 

He responded: “Christians should do better than using abusive scare tactics to gain and retain members.”  I told him the church sign was a direct allusion to Matthew chapter seven: (Matthew 7:13-14) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” But he didn’t seem impressed. He certainly didn’t change his mind.

 

And so, the dilution of the gospel message continues in many churches into near oblivion. I have even had pastors tell me in private conversation that they do not talk about certain social issues in their homilies so as to not offend people in the pew.

 

That is one reason we are looking once again at this armor of God. We must never compromise truth. So, let’s move on through the text in Ephesians 6. Today we pick up at verse 13.

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints  . . . .” (Eph 6:13-18)

 

Let’s look now at two more elements of the spiritual armor: The breastplate of righteousness, and the shield of faith. The word ‘righteousness,’ as used by the writers of Scripture, often carries the idea of thinking and acting according to God’s commandments. It holds virtue, integrity, moral purity, as godly principles.

 

The equation seems simple enough. Obey God’s laws – the more scrupulous the better – and you’ve got nothing to worry about. But God has something deeper in mind when it comes to Biblical righteousness. Here is what the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:

“. . . I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith . . . (Philippians 3:8-9)

 

And listen to what the Lord Jesus said during His sermon on the mount to the crowd of disciples, curious onlookers, and some religious leaders. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom.” (Matthew 5:20)

The scribes and Pharisees were meticulous in their observances of the Law of Moses, as well as in their multiple oral interpretations of those laws by their scholars. In fact, the two major theological schools of Hillel and Shemmai both taught that oral traditions were as authoritative as the written laws handed down by Moses and the prophets. Their oral traditions informed them that if they followed those traditions and interpretations of the Law, God would consider them ‘righteous.’

 

Yet, the Lord Jesus told His disciples – and He tells us the same thing – unless their righteousness surpassed that of their religious leaders who were scrupulous in their observances, they would not enter the kingdom of heaven.

I can imagine what the crowd thought to themselves: If even the holy men around us will not enter heaven, then WHO can ever be saved?

 

Who, indeed?

As the New Testament repeatedly informs us, Biblical righteousness is not defined so much by what we DO, but by what we ARE. And please pay attention to this follow-on comment: It is what we ARE that must translate into what we do.

 

That’s why anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ but still acts and thinks and talks like he or she did before allegedly becoming a follower of Christ, that person is a liar. Here is this word from John’s first epistle: (1 John 2:3-5) “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. The one who claims, “I know him,” while not keeping his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know we are in him.”

To repeat, because of its important point: Religious rituals and good works, in and of themselves, save no one. That was precisely the stumbling stone the Holy Spirit spoke of in Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

Painstaking observance of the law or of tradition alone saves no one. Why? Because sin is part of our inherited nature, written like some genetic code into our spirits that invariably leads us away from the Savior.

 

That was the lament of that great apostle, St. Paul. Feel this man’s passion as he cries out in Romans 7 regarding his sin nature: “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. . . . For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want . . . I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good . . . Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:15-24)

But thanks be to God, Paul didn’t stop at the end of chapter seven with the bad news. He moved on to the next verses that we find in chapter eight. It is there that Paul shouts the good news about the righteousness that God imputes to us – the righteousness God credits to us – solely on the basis of our baptismal faith: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus – which mirrors what he wrote a few chapters earlier: But now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested . . . even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe . . ..” (Romans 3:21-22).

 

And again, as I quoted earlier his words to the church at Philippi: “[N]ot having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith . . . (Philippians 3:9)

 

I hope you caught those Biblical promises, for they are vital to the integrity of our spiritual breastplate and our shield of faith with which, Paul tells us, we extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

 

Let me repeat myself: It is not so much what we do as what we ARE that imputes or credits to us God’s righteousness. It’s about what God promises us the very thing He already did the moment we are born again. It is a fait accompli.

 

So, what ARE we? The follower of Christ’s answer is girded and secured by the belt of truth – truth that assures us that we are a precious child of God, that you were born into His family through your baptismal faith – faith in the shed blood of Messiah Jesus that alone can wash away each stain of our sin.

 

St. Paul tells us what we ARE in his letter to the Christians at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)  But by [God’s] doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption . . . .”

 

Just as God calls us ‘saints’ – meaning ‘holy ones’ because of our relationship with Him through His Son – God calls us ‘righteous’ for the same reason. That’s God’s view of us; Holy and righteous because of who we are – what we are – in Christ.

 

For example, and here is an important text from 2 Samuel. David writes: “I was also blameless toward Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. “Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness before His eyes.” (2 Samuel 22:24-25)

 

It is essential that we understand the context of David’s remarks. This is AFTER his sin with Bathsheba, and his murder of her husband Uriah. But when David repented of His murderous sins in Chapter 12 of 2 Samuel, the prophet Nathan told him: “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.”  (2 Samuel 12:13)

 

Certainly, David suffered terribly in his lifetime for his sins. Bathsheba’s first child with David died, and David’s own children rose up against him. One even tried to murder him.  But our point here is that David’s remorseful repentance brought him not only forgiveness from God, but that God ALSO removed David’s sin. He REMITTED David’s sin. He obliterated David’s sin. That is why the king could say he was clean in God's eyes.

 

I’ve spoken multiple, multiple times in the past about God's promise of forgiveness. I’ve reminded us all that He completely obliterates our sins from His memory.

 

But if Satan can create doubt in our mind about God’s truth concerning what we already ARE in Christ – forgiven, clean, holy – if he can insinuate uncertainty in the unalterable promises of God, then he will have created a critical chink in your breastplate and shield – and he will go in for the kill.

That is why girding ourselves securely with Biblical TRUTH is so important to the Christian. God’s truth produces a strong faith and trust in Christ. God’s truth sets us FREE from fear that God has lied to us about any of His promises, or that His promises do not apply to us because of our past sins.

 

Which brings us now to that shield of faith.

 

The Roman soldier’s shield was often made of tough animal hide. It stood approximately 4.5 feet high and 2.5 feet wide. Before battle, soldiers soaked their shield with water which helped extinguish any flaming arrows fired at them by the enemy. The soldiers also formed parallel ranks as they marched toward the battle line, their shields protecting them from the oncoming army. But when a volley of arrows arced toward them in the sky, the first rank kept its shield in front of their body, while the second and subsequent ranks lifted their shields above the heads of the soldiers in front – forming something like a tortoise shell.

 

That is analogous to how YOUR shield of faith can protect those you love. Wetted by faith in God’s truth, your shield will extinguish the fiery arrows of doubts and fears and confusions and temptations sent against you from the enemy. At the same time, when you share God’s truths with those who are temporarily – shall we say – on the front lines, your words of Scripture, reinforced with prayer, will encourage, cover, and protect those who are under attack.

 

None of the Roman soldier’s armor was superfluous. Each piece was vital to his safety and the safety of his comrades, as well as to his ability to successfully wage battle against the enemy. In the same way, none of our supernatural armor is superfluous. Each piece Paul mentions in this sixth chapter of Ephesians is rooted in God’s truth and is vital to our safety – and the safety of others. Our armor, all of it, is also vital to our ability to successfully wage battle against our supernatural enemy.

 

Gird your loins with truth – God’s inerrant and infallible word. Read it. Study it. Memorize it. Tell it to others. And put on the breastplate of righteousness which God credits to us through our faith in the sacrificial atonement of Jesus the Messiah. And take up the shield of faith with which you will extinguish the enemy’s fiery lies and doubts and temptations and confusions.

 

We will look next at the other pieces of the Christian’s supernatural armor.

 

Supernatural Warfare, Part One

 

Last week we looked very, very briefly at the supernatural warfare being waged all around us. For example, in the 1950s no one would have ever thought the killing of 2300 babies every day would be accepted so nonchalantly in our society. No one in 1950, a few years after we defeated the Socialists in Nazi Europe, and we were entering into a cold war with the Socialists in Russia, no one would have thought that in 2021 we would vote Socialists into our US Congress, and various state houses. Nor would anyone have believed in 1950 that even the Supreme Court of the United States would elevate sexual perversions to the place of what a growing number of Americans consider normal sexuality in our culture.

 

And certainly, no one even five years ago would have thought portions of our culture – such as in Washington State – would essentially force parents to allow their minor-age children to undergo sex-change mutilation.

 

We are at war. Never make the deadly mistake of thinking that all is well in our world and in our culture. It is not. Satan seems to have been unleashed and is working virtually unhindered – even by many in the Church – to

destroy our country and you and me and our families.

 

Proverbs counsels us to ‘wage war by wise guidance” (Proverbs 20:18). And so, today, and for the next several weeks, we turn our attention to the supernatural armor that God has given the Christian to successfully wage war in this supernatural battle.

 

One of the best-known passages of the New Testament dealing with this subject of supernatural warfare nis in the sixth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. It is here where the Holy Spirit makes clearest to us what are the defensive gear and offensive weapons God supplies to us. And it is the wisest AND the safest follower of Christ who not only knows about the gear, but who practices with them. 

 

Starting with verse 10 of chapter six, Paul writes these words – and I quote the entire section for context:

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”(Eph 6:10-18)

Although I read the entire section for context, today’s message focuses only on the first several verses, beginning with verse 10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

First: We are not alone in our battle. Like the undetectable radio and television waves that surround us in this building, do not wonder for a moment if we are surrounded by undetectable supernatural, godly forces. Not only does the Holy Spirit live inside each follower of Christ, but unseen angels never leave our side.

 

The psalmist tells us: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them (Psalm 34:7). Hebrews 1:14 assures us God’s angels are “ministering spirits sent out to render service to those who will inherit salvation” And again, Psalm 91:11  “For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.”

 

Angels surround us in this room. If we could see them, we’d see their swords unsheathed, their eyes watchful, their ears attentive, sent by our Father in heaven, creator of all things visible and invisible, to protect us.

 

Some of you might remember the story of Elisha and his servant in Dothan. The Syrian king was at war with Israel, and Elisha – the protégé of Elijah – was at the top of his list of enemies. When the king learned Elisha was hold up in the city of Dothan, he sent his army to surround the city. We find the story in 2 Kings 6. We pick up the story in verse 15:

 

“Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15ff)

 

Again, I will say it: Never let the thought remain in your brain for even a nano-second that you are alone in this battle. You are NOT ever alone. You do not ever, ever, ever walk that so-called lonesome valley all by yourself.

 

The lyrics of that song – many of you have heard it sung for years, even in churches across this country – the lyrics of that song are the most heretical lyrics of any so-called spiritual song I have ever had the displeasure to listen to:

You gotta walk that lonesome valley
And you gotta walk it by yourself
Nobody else can walk it for you
You gotta walk it by yourself.

 

Let me stop here a moment and proclaim to you that nowhere in all of Scripture does God ever tell His children bought by the blood of Jesus, NOWHERE does God even hint that we’re alone in our struggles and our trials. Never. Not one verse. Not one sentence. Not one word.

 

The song continues:

Jesus walked this lonesome valley
And he had to walk it by Himself
Nobody else could walk it for Him
He had to walk, walk it by Himself.

 

Are you kidding me? Even during that 40-days of wilderness trial, the Holy Spirit was with Him. And just before His capture and subsequent crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples: Jesus answered them . . . Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” (John 16:31-32)

 

Jones’ lyrics continue to wash over the hurting and frightened child of God like battery acid:

 

You must go and stand your trials
You have to stand it by yourself
Nobody else can stand it for you
You have to stand it by yourself.

 

Listen, child of God by your faith in Jesus’ blood to cover your sins, the Holy Spirit lives within you – and He has given His angels charge concerning you to protect you. Never forget that, despite your circumstances. You NEVER walk alone, and you NEVER fight this spiritual battle alone.

 

And so, St Paul tells us in this 6th chapter of Ephesians, “Be strong in the LORD.” In other words, do not depend on your own strengths or resources in this fight. Just as no soldier approaches a field of battle in gym clothes, we dare not enter this battle thinking ANY of our own abilities and talents can ever prevail in this supernatural battle. Many of you will recognize the lyrics of Martin Luther’s hymn:

 

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.

 

No, never trust your own battle gear, your own skills and talents. Resort only to the gear provided us by the Holy Spirit – the belt, the breastplate, the helmet, the footwear, the shield, the sword – and prayer.

 

So, today, as we begin our examination of that battle gear, let’s first look at the belt of our armor. Here is verse 14 of Ephesians six: ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth.

 

The belt worn by the Roman soldier did more than simply keep his pants from falling. The belt also held in place his dagger and his breast plate that protected his heart and other vital organs. If his belt was not secured against his body, his weapon and the breastplate would fall away – leaving him defenseless against an aggressor.

 

That’s why Paul’s analogy of ‘girding our loins with truth’ is so instructive for us. Truth is the foundation of our faith. Truth – not philosophical truth, or psychological truth, or cultural truth, or emotional truth – But only Biblical truth is the foundation of our faith.

 

If we let truth slip away, if we compromise God’s absolute and authoritative truth, we lay ourselves open to deadly attack by our enemy and we cannot protect ourselves or those we love.

 

I can’t tell you how many times during our lives together when I was under some sort of spiritual attack that Nancy helped me through the battle by reminding me of some relevant text of Scripture. Likewise, how often I helped her wend her way through her own spiritual battles by reminding her of some passage in God’s infallible and inerrant word.

 

Without the belt of truth that undergirds our faith we are always in danger of the lurking evil. That’s why Paul wrote to the church at Colossae: ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”(Colossians 2:8-9)

 

The Greek work Paul used here for captive has the idea of being carried off as a prisoner of war.  And that is what happens to anyone who gets seduced by humanistic explanations of the supernatural – they become a casualty of the war, they become a prisoner of war and lose their ability to stay in the fight.

 

Pilate asked Jesus during that trial, “What is truth?”  (John 18:38). And then as soon as he asked the question, he turned and walked away without so much as a moment’s hesitation.

 

If Pilate really wanted to know what is truth, he’d have waited for an answer. But he didn’t, just as so many others through the centuries have not bothered to hang around for God’s answers, likely because they didn’t want to hear His answers. And of those who do hang around, many refuse to humbly and obediently receive what God says.

 

That was the main problem among many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They heard the word – they heard PLENTY of the words Jesus spoke – but they would not receive His word. Jesus touched on the root of their problem here in John 5:44 – “No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. (NLT)

 

“Gird yourselves with the belt of truth,” Paul wrote. So, what is truth? The answer to the question is captured throughout the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation. Here is psalm 119:60 – The sum of God’s word is truth. Ultimately, Truth is embodied in the Word of God made flesh – Jesus, who said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” (John 14:6) And in the Lord’s High Priestly prayer to the Father, Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

 

My brothers and sisters, the equation is so simple, a child can grasp it. The better you know AND OBEY the Scriptures, the better you know the truth. Lots of pastors and pew-sitters know the Scriptures. But without obedience to God’s word, their knowledge is worthless for any good. As St. Paul warned Titus, such people “profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” (Titus 1:16)

 

It is God’s truth alone that will set us free – free from fears and doubts and seductions – and yes, free from sin. The maxim has been repeated many times over: The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.  

 

So, be careful and conscious to hold truth close to yourself – the kind of Truth that leads to action and a godly lifestyle. The psalmist asked, How can a young man [or an old person] keep his way pure?” You’ll find that question in Psalm 119:9. And he immediately answered the question this way: “By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:9-11)

 

I need to bring today’s exhortation and encouragement to a close, so, let me sum up my message this way. There are four things I hope you will take away from what I have said this afternoon.

 

First: God is in absolute control of the battle AND the battlefield. From the front cover of the Bible to the back cover, the Holy Spirit assures those with eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive Truth – God’s authority over every created thing – seen and unseen – God’s authority is absolute.

 

Second: We are never, ever alone in this battle. The Holy Spirit lives within each believer, And His angels always surround us.  Be assured. Be confident: We do not walk a lonesome valley – regardless of how it seems when life’s storms pummel us. God has not lied to us when He said, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

 

Third: Put on GOD’S armor – and never rely on our own strengths, abilities, talents, education, wealth, or any other things we might fall back on as protection against the enemy. NOTHING natural, nothing of this creation, can even be effective against the supernatural. Put on God’s armor every day when you wake up in the morning.

 

Fourth: Don’t let anyone seduce you into thinking we can somehow accurately know truth about sin, righteousness, and judgment apart from God’s word. Intentionally seek Him in the Scriptures. Learn to love truth about God. And do not neglect to set yourself to LIVE what God says is truth.

 

Next week we will continue our look of the other elements of the Christian’s supernatural armor.