INVINCIBLE CHURCH 8-11-24

Invincible Church Sermon Notes
8/11/2024
Enemies of God Pt. 3- Ephesians 6:10-18
Spiritual Attacks and Worldly Influence
It is super important that every True Follower of Jesus understands that we are all involved in spiritual warfare! We can’t avoid it! So, we have to develop our “spiritual awareness,” which is learning how to recognize when the enemies of God are near, either “attacking” or trying to “influence.”
In God’s perfect “battle plan,” the “key” for us to be successful in what He designed us to do is to be: obedient, intentional, and diligent through prayer, preparation, and training! It’s how we stay “equipped and ready” to stand up for what’s right! It also increases our confidence, courage, and determination while we are fighting the good fight!
It’s part of the process that helps us get stronger in our belief in God, faith in Jesus, and trust in the Holy Spirit! It also helps us “remember and understand” that God’s “Holy Word” is the only weapon we will ever need to win the “spiritual battles” we are going to face! Paul said it this way in:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV - 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
That ought to make it clear to every True Follower of Jesus. that “warfare” against the enemies of God is spiritual. So, we can’t win by only fighting with our “physical strength” or “human effort!” Because the energy, efforts, strongholds, and weapons of the enemy are all spiritual!
The only way that supernatural enemies of God can defeat us in “spiritual battles” is when we fail to seek God first and try to fight “supernatural battles” with human “power and weapons!” Failing to seek God first is the biggest factor in any spiritual battle that the enemy happens to win.
Another thing that’s important to understand here is that Paul isn’t just saying that our personal “well-being” is the only reason we go to battle against demons, pagan worldly influences, and the temptation to sin. While that’s certainly part of it, the ultimate goal that Jesus and the Apostles showed us is every time they cast out demons, performed signs and wonders, healed the sick, fed the hungry, endured persecution and oppression, and took on every bad “circumstance and situation” that could occur in a fallen/sinful world, it was:
To bring glory to God by proving the “authority and truth” of His Word and the perfection of His plan! And nothing’s changed! As a True Follower of Jesus, we should be looking to bring glory to God, if we will be obedient to stand up for what’s right, face spiritual attacks “head-on,” and resist worldly pagan “influence and temptation,” then:
God will always be faithful to give us “powerful proof” to show the world that we’re loyal ambassadors, warriors, servants, and saints in His “invincible military!” Our identity is in Jesus, and we belong to Him! So, God has given us the ability to prove the accuracy, authority, integrity, and reliability of Scripture through the power of the Holy Spirit!
It’s why every “spiritual battle” we fight as a True Follower of Jesus. is physical, mental, and spiritual! So, if we want to win, we have to engage our heart, mind, body, and soul! We always start by seeking God first to discern the words, wisdom, and way that He wants us to proceed. And the only “spiritual weapon” we’ll ever need is the Holy Word of God!
Something else to think about is every True Follower of Jesus is also going to be dealing with their own “personal and unique” spiritual battles! The Bible warns us that “the devil is like a ‘roaring lion’ seeking somebody to devour!” So, we’ve got to always be “spiritually aware” when he’s near!
Another way the Bible describes it is the enemy of our souls has “flaming arrows” that can only be stopped by the “shield of faith” in Jesus when it’s used properly by a true believer who “has on” the full armor of God! Jesus told us how to use it in:
Mark 14:38 NIV- 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation! The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!
There are real “spiritual forces” in this world who are the enemy of God! A lot of times, they’re “aided and abetted” by the speculations, ideas, concepts, reasoning, and philosophies of man, which we talked about in last week’s message! This “evil dynamic” includes:
Lost people in the world who try to “build up” different kinds of “spiritual strongholds” because they want to avoid the “authority and truth” of God! The sad reality is these “strongholds” can turn into “prisons and tombs” for a lot of people!
It goes back to what we “read earlier” in:
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV – 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world! On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds! 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!
Jesus calls and commands His followers to “break down” these strongholds and rescue the “lost people” who are “caught up” inside all of it! It is “dangerous and difficult” work, but we always have “God’s arsenal” that we ought to “access and use” anytime we’re in battle!
We also need to keep improving our “spiritual awareness” skills because one of the main strategies that the enemy uses is to try and get us to fight against “spiritual attacks and worldly influence” with human weapons instead of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God!
Worldly philosophies are a big part of “pagan influence!” Most of it comes from the supernatural realm, so human “wit and weaponry” won’t do us any good! Human weapons are things like:
Marketing techniques, counter-philosophies, trendy phrases, human rationalism, secular organizational models, emotion triggers, persuasive entertainment, advanced technology, spiritual mystique, better lighting, better music… and on and on!
None of these things will equip us to win a “spiritual battle” because natural elements can’t “thrive and survive” in a supernatural conflict!”
1 Corinthians 2:4 NIV– 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.
The only “offensive weapon” we have to fight against “spiritual attacks and worldly influence,” and the only weapon that’s effective, is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God!
As warriors in God’s military, His sword gives us “invincible advantages” in spiritual battles! When we learn to trust Him and cling to it with true faith, it gives us freedom from fear because we know that God is fighting for us, and He will never leave us or forsake us!
Joshua 1:7-9 NIV– 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!”
The Word of God also gives us freedom from guilt because we know that after we have proclaimed the truth about Jesus to people, we’re not responsible for their souls, even if they continue to reject the opportunity to submit to Him as “Lord and Savior.”
Mark 6:11 NIV– 11 And if any place [people in a place] will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place [people in that place] and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them [people]!
“Knowing and using” God’s Word gives us freedom from despair because we know that when we are persecuted, oppressed, and hated for the cause of Christ, we’re in “great company” because Jesus was persecuted, oppressed, and hated too! Look at:
John 15:18 NIV– 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first!”
The Bible also gives us freedom from fear because we know that our spiritual “battle wounds” for the sake of what is right will be completely healed in heaven, and we’ll never have to suffer pain of any kind again physical, mental, or spiritual! It says in:
Matthew 5:10 NIV– 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
All of these freedoms come from using the “powerful weapon” of the Word of God! So, if we use human weapons to fight attacks, evil influence, and temptation from the enemy, we’ll struggle, enduring “failures and disappointment.” On the other hand, the victories that God gives us will keep building our confidence in the guaranteed hope of heaven!
Hebrews 10:22-23 NIV– 22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful!
So… The hearts of everybody who hears and accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are made “right with God” through the “soul-cleansing” blood of Jesus and made “pure” with the living water of the Word of God, both of which give us the strength to fight for what’s right!
Ephesians 5:26 NIV– 26 ... to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word. Also in …
John 7:38 NIV – 38 “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them!”
This tells us that the first thing to do when we think we could be under “spiritual attacks and worldly influence” is to seek God first, to discern if what we’re experiencing is truly a demonic attack or the influence and effects of living in a sin-cursed world! We can not just blame every “sin and conflict” on demons that need to be cast out!
In Romans 6, Paul also instructs believers to wage war against the temptation to sin that’s within themselves. God’s perfect battle plan is always the same, whether we are truly under spiritual attack from demonic forces, battling the evil influences in the world, or just fighting the sinful nature in ourselves! The key to the battle plan is found in:
Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV– 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.
Paul starts by saying we have to be strong in the Lord and in His power, not in our own power, which is no match for Satan and his forces! Then Paul tells us to put on the armor of God because it’s the only way to stand against spiritual attacks from the evil described in verse 12! We see a description of the spiritual armor that God gives us in:
Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV– 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, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
The good news is that these things are available to everybody who belongs to Jesus! God’s spiritual armor represents the invincible truth against Satan’s lies! So, we’re supposed to proclaim the gospel no matter how much resistance we face! We don’t back down in our faith, no matter how fierce the attacks! Our ultimate defense is the assurance we have in salvation, which no spiritual force can take away! Our offensive weapon is the Word of God, not our own opinions and feelings.
Finally, we’re supposed to follow Jesus’ example in recognizing that some spiritual victories are only possible through prayer! Jesus is our ultimate example when it comes to warding off spiritual attacks. When Jesus was tempted by direct attacks from Satan in the wilderness, He handled temptation the same way—He used the weapon of the Word of God! His counter to every attack was a quote from the Scriptures. Jesus knew the Word of the living God was the most powerful weapon against the temptations of the devil. If Jesus Himself used the Word to counter the devil, then obviously, we should too!
A great example of how not to engage in spiritual warfare is the “seven sons of Sceva,” a Jewish priest, who went around driving out evil spirits by trying to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. We see the story in:
Acts 19:13-16 NIV– 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
The seven sons of Sceva were using Jesus’ name, but they didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, so their words were void of any power or authority. They weren’t relying on Jesus as their Lord and Savior, so they were not employing the Word of God in their spiritual warfare. As a result, they received a humiliating beating. Hopefully, we’ll learn from their bad example and approach spiritual warfare as the Bible instructs us.
For a True Follower of Jesus to be successful in winning spiritual battles, we have to always seek God first, so we can accurately discern the enemy’s purpose, strategy, and goal for the current spiritual attack or attempt to influence.