Ephesians 6:12
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.
We as people are wired to press into spiritual conflict, and when our sin nature takes over we’ll even find conflict when there isn’t any.
There’s a constant spiritual battle going on around us. It’s happening beneath the surface of the world we live in, and we can sense it, hear it, feel it, and sometimes see it, but it’s not always clear to us what’s really happening.
Hebrews 1:14
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
- Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 talk about Satan being a beautiful angel who fell because of pride and thinking he was better than God.
- Jude talks about the other angels who followed Satan into darkness and lost their place of authority.
- Revelation 12 tells us that 1/3 of the angels ended up as demons, and want to destroy the work of Jesus and the people of God.
1 Timothy 2:4
(God) wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
In the same way that God still wants the hearts of all people no matter how evil they are, the enemy still wants to steal, kill, and destroy, and wants us to help him do it. If we follow Jesus, the enemy has painted a huge target on our backs!
What the Fight Outcome Can Look Like
In the war between good and evil, GOD WINS.
Colossians 2:15
15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
In Acts 7, Stephen is sharing the Gospel with a group of people and they stone him to death. Sometimes it doesn’t end well for us.
In Acts 12, Peter is taken to prison for sharing Jesus and an angel showed up and walked him out of the prison. Sometimes angels physically rescue us.
In Acts 14, when Paul and Barnabus were sharing Jesus a mob pulls together and plans to kill them but they found out about it and they were able to go to another city. Sometimes we run away.
Later in Acts 14, Paul was sharing the Gospel and people dragged him outside of the city and tried to kill him. Sometimes we get beat up.
In Acts 16, there’s a female slave who is possessed by a demon and Paul says, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” Sometimes we cast cast demons out in the name of Jesus.
In Acts 17, an angry mob captures a believer named Jason and they have him put in jail. Jason then just pays bail and gets out. Sometimes God just saves us using simple methods.
In Acts 19, a group of believers went out looking for demons that they could cast out using the name of Jesus and they got overtaken. Sometimes we don’t have the righteousness in our lives or closeness with God to be able to cast demons out.
In Acts 27, Paul is on a prisoner transport ship, but they end up hitting a hurricane and crashing because of weather. Sometimes it’s not part of the spiritual battle at all,
and we just make boneheaded decisions.
We know the war has already been decided by Jesus on the cross but there are going to be battles that we win and there are going to be battles that we lose.
How do we fight?
Ephesians 6:10-18
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,
Centering your life on Truth is the only thing that will keep you going
when you want to quit and strip the armor off.
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
The only thing that is strong enough to protect your heart is righteousness - choosing to live a life of holiness, rejecting sin, and being right with God.
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Keep moving, keep going when you’re attacked - keep sharing Jesus with a hurting and broken world.
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.
Faith in the power and goodness of God and His promises is the only thing that keeps you from believing the lies of the enemy and giving in to his threats to get you to back down!
17 Take the helmet of salvation
Salvation is the only thing that protects us from the kill shot. We need to remember that we are saved and redeemed by Jesus, and stand on the safety of our salvation.
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The way we fight back against demonic attack in our life is not threats, anger, logic, or verbal attack...it’s the word of God.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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 Lord’s people.
We need to band together as a church, PRAY for each other, and pull other people into that place when we need help.
