Sermon notes 5-25-2014

I AM Victorious!!

Ephesians 6:10-24

Where we are

So here we go, our last week talking about Identity,

·      The first 3 chapters talks about who Jesus is

·      The last 3 Chapters talk about who we are supposed to be in light of finding our identity in Jesus

Do you know in the end we win, we win the fight between Satan and demons, but do you know the war still rages on, Satan knows his out come, but like all terrible rulers he wants to take as many with him as he can!

Have any of you been shot emotionally lately?

·      Doctor says, “It’s cancer.”

·      Friend says they don’t want to be with you anymore.

·      Spouse says, “I think we’re done.”

Shot financially—

·      You lose your job,

·      You’re upside down,

·      Something busts, you don’t have money for it.

·      You find yourself in real trouble.

You’re shot spiritually—

·      You don’t know why, but you’re discouraged, depressed.

·      It feels like there is a cloud that is encircling you.

·      Your thoughts are foggy, and your hope is fading.

We tend to, in those moments look up to God—“God, where are you? I thought you were good. I thought you loved me. I thought you would take care of me. I thought you would provide for me. Why do you hurt me? Why are you opposed to me? You ever felt that? People go all kinds of directions when they find themselves in those moments of getting shot. “Maybe there is no God. Maybe God isn’t good. Maybe God loves other people, but God doesn’t love me. Maybe God isn’t that powerful.” Here is the problem, We don’t know our Enemy!!

We are at WAR!! We are at war and every good solider will tell you there are three things you have to know before you fight (1) your enemy,  (2) who or what your fighting for, (3) what weapons are at your disposal!!

First: You have to know your enemy!

You need to know, I need to know, we need to know that it’s not just us and God.

·      There’s a third variable that we absolutely have to factor into everything, and that’s Satan and demons.

·      We live in a day when, through psychology, through explanation, through a resistance to the supernatural, people don’t even believe in Satan and demons.

·      We turn them into fictitious cartoon characters the stories we tell and the fairy tales we enjoy—we don’t think they’re real.

·      We don’t think that Satan is real; we don’t think that demons are real.

·      And so we tend to, every time we are shot, question or blame God, while Satan laughs and runs away.

This is incredibly important. The world is not the way it should be. Not everything that happens is God’s will. There is also God’s enemy. And it’s so important that it’s the final word in the book of Ephesians. The book does talk about your salvation. It does talk about your friendships. It does talk about your marriage. It does talk about your work life. It does talk about your children. But if you overlook, if you neglect, the existence and the war from Satan and demons, it will infect, affect, and destroy everything God is trying to do in your life, in our church.

Read The Scripture!!! 6:10-24

It’s very clear. There’s the church, there is God, and then there is a war against God and his people that is waged by Satan and demons.

·      The truth is, we’re all soldiers. But it takes an army to win a war.

·      This is a word to the whole church—not just individuals in the church but the whole church, laboring, warring, working together.

·      Jesus loves us; Satan hates us. Jesus has plans for us; Satan has plans to oppose us. Jesus, in every way, will bless us; but Satan will, in every way, seek to undermine that blessing.

It’s a war!

·      Do you know that? Most Christians don’t!

·      We live in a culture where God is reduced to a damnable life coach who comes along to ask you what you want and to give you tips and tricks to do a better job, to live for your glory, to be what you want, to get what you want, to do what you want!

·      it’s absolutely demonic! God does not exist to bless you; you exist to serve him!

·      How many of you feel like this life is just a freaking war? You know why? It’s a freaking war!

·      The closer you get to Jesus, the more resistance you’ll get!

·      The more you advance to the kingdom of God, the more shots you’ll take!

·      Don’t be a coward who says, “Oh, things are hard. It must not be God’s will.” The harder it gets, the closer you are to the will of God.

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

·      Do you know you have an enemy?

·      Do you know you’re not loved by everyone and everything?

·      Do you know you’re hated, despised, and opposed?

·      People are not our enemy; Satan and demons are our enemy.

·      The Bible speaks of non-Christians as captives.

o   What happens in a war is an overtaking army then enslaves and takes captives the citizens who are conquered. That’s called earth.

o   So, our war is not against the captives; our war is against their captors, Satan and demons.

o   This is why Jesus says very early in his earthly ministry that he has come to set captives free. That’s what he’s talking about. So, our war is not against the non-Christians. Our war is not against those who would disagree with biblical faith. Our war is against Satan and demons who have taken people captive to do his will.

So, we need to know our enemy.

·      Any of you ever been in a fight?

o   I need to know who I’m fighting.

·      Satan was created by God.

o   So, he’s not God; he’s not equal to God. You need to know this.

o    He doesn’t share all of God’s attributes.

o   God can be everywhere; Satan can’t.

o   God knows everything; Satan doesn’t.

o   God reads your mind and thoughts; Satan can’t.

o   He’s created; he’s also fallen. He’s rebelled against God. He’s turned his back on God. He’s declared war on God.

·      He’s also very powerful as a spirit being, akin to an angel who has turned to the dark side.

·      He’s also been observing human history for thousands of years, so he understands how to read people.

·      He can’t read your mind, but he can read your life and your body language.

·      We’re not all dealing with Satan because he is limited, but he has demons at his disposal. These are fallen angels, rebellious angels, who joined him in his war against God.

Satan’s motivation is ultimately pride.

·      Satan is the most proud being in the history of creation. Meanwhile, God is utterly humble.

·      We see this in the Lord Jesus.

·      Satan has done such a good job in our day that self-esteem is not a vice; it’s a virtue.

·      Independence is not a vice; it’s a virtue.

·      The root of demonic work is always sourced ultimately in pride.

·      “I don’t need to listen to someone else; I’m smart enough.

·      I don’t need to submit to someone else; I can take care of myself.

·      I don’t need to follow someone else; I’m the authority in my own life.”

·      And Satan will, in every way, tempt and test your pride. He fell through pride. The angels who fell with him and became demons fell through pride. And he will tempt you ultimately through pride.  

We need to be careful not to make too much of him or too little of him.

·      Charismatic and Pentecostal backgrounds:  Sometimes they make too much of Satan and demons to the degree where you’re not responsible for your own sin. You could pull out the card that Eve did in Genesis 3. “Oh, the devil made me do it.

o   He may tempt you, but you’re the one who sins.

o   He may set an opportunity for you, but you’re responsible for how you react to it.

·      Some make too little of Satan and demons because you try to explain everything away with hormonal conditions and medical conditions and psychological conditions and biological conditions.

o   You try to have an explanation for everything that omits the spiritual.

o   Or some of you are worldly in the fact that you think in a way that is not biblical. You think, “Well, Satan and demons—that’s very primitive; that’s from a bygone era.

o   We’ve evolved beyond that.”

And Satan would say, “Nice job with the pride. I appreciate that. I appreciate that you think that you’ve evolved beyond the primitive teaching of the Bible and Jesus.” Satan is real. We have a real enemy.

We wrestle.” Any of you ever wrestled?

·      True or false, it’s exhausting?

·      It’s hand-to-hand combat.

·      It’s exhausting. It is absolutely exhausting. There’s nothing like it.

Ministry is like that. Serving Jesus is like that. Preaching the gospel is like that. Growing our church is like that. Planting a new church is like that. You say, “Man, this is hard. This is exhausting. I feel like we’re gonna run out of money, we’re gonna run out of energy, we’re gonna run out of opportunity.” It’s exhausting. It’s absolutely exhausting. I think some of you don’t give, you don’t pray, you don’t serve because you know it’s going to be a fight. So, you’ll just stand on the sidelines and cheer and criticize those who are at war. Know your enemy.

2: know who and what you’re fighting

Ephesians 6:10 (ESV)

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

KNOW YOUR KING!!

·      If you don’t know whom you fight for, you’re probably not going to fight well.

·      You need to know this:

o   it’s his fight.

o   This is his church, right?

o   This is his book.

o   The spiritual battle—it’s his war. It’s not yours; it’s not mine.

·      We’re not the king; it’s not our kingdom.

·      We’re the servants;

·      We’re the soldiers,

·      We labor for a great, glorious, and good King.

The question is: how in the world am I going to live?

·      In the clench—Satan and demon’s hand on you,

·      Exhausting you,

·      Trying to destroy you,

·      Your family,

·      Your relationships,

·      Your ministry,

·      Our church?

Let me say this: you’re not going to make it for a lifetime on your own.

·      He says, “Be strong.” How? “In the strength of his might.”

·      Jesus is going to need to give you his strength, because yours won’t do.

·      You can’t serve Jesus for a lifetime without Jesus’ strength.

·      You can’t love your spouse for a lifetime without Jesus’ strength.

·      You can’t raise your children for a lifetime without Jesus’ strength.

·      You can’t be a faithful church member for a lifetime without Jesus’ strength.

·      You can’t be a faithful Christian leader for a lifetime without Jesus’ strength.

It’s his war fought by his strength, and this is ultimately the person, the presence, the power of the Holy Spirit—that Jesus gives us. Its The Holy Spirit who empowered the war life of Jesus against temptation and exhaustion and sickness and opposition and criticism. How Jesus persevered, how he was strong, was by the power of the Holy Spirit, and he sends that same Holy Spirit to us to empower us.

Anytime I’m strengthened by the strength of his might, I can do things I can’t do; I can endure things I can’t endure. And he gets the glory, and I get the joy. That’s the Christian life.

All God is asking you to do is what you cannot do. Have you ever felt that way? You’re like, “God, you’re asking me to do something I cannot do.” Good, now you’re clear on your orders. So, you look to the Lord Jesus—“How am I going to get this done?” “By my power.” “Oh.”

3. YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR WEAPONS!!

Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)

¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Don’t get to caught up on the armor! Some people read way too much in to it! What kind of helmet, and the shoes are they tennis shoes or boots?? Listen here is the deal WIN!! Throw the boots, swing the shield, do what it takes to WIN! But we got some time so lets look at it!!

BELT OF TRUTH!

·      What’s the opposite of the truth? Lies.

·      Any lies in the world?

·      John 8:44, Jesus says that Satan is the father of what? Lies—that lying is his native language, that all he’s ever done is lie.

·      When you and I lie, we’re doing something demonic.

·      Satan is going to lie to you. Satan is going to lie to us. Satan lies all the time.

·      Something need not be true to be powerful. Have you noticed that?

·      See, Satan knows that something doesn’t need to be true; it just needs to be believed.

·      So he’s going to lie.

·      He’s going to send false teachers,

·      He’s going to send bad counselors,

·      He’s going to try to stack and pack your life with things that aren’t true.

He’s responsible for lying, but you’re responsible for believing.

·      This could be lies about God,

·      this could be lies about yourself,

·      this could be lies about people in our church,

·      this could be lies about leaders in our church,

·      this could be lies about the word of God. It doesn’t really matter.

Some of you are really governed by lies.

·      Satan has got a deep, deep, deep foothold in your life.

·      You need to think, “Is this true or false?

·      Is this right or wrong?

·      Is this from God or Satan?

·      Does this lead to captivity or does this lead to freedom?”

BREAST PLATE OF RIGHTOUSNESS

·      What he’s talking about here is, one of Satan’s tactics and tricks is to tempt us.

·      You ever been tempted?

·      Was Jesus tempted? Yeah. Luke 4, Matthew 4, Satan comes and he tempts Jesus.

·      Hebrews 4 says, we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with us. He’s been tempted in every way as we are yet without sin.

·      One of the lies Satan is going to tell you is, “Well, if you’re tempted, you’re already sinning.”

·      There’s a difference between temptation and sin. Jesus was tempted, but he never sinned.

·      All temptation does is provide me an opportunity. I can either resist it, fight it, defend myself from it

·      Or I could remove the righteousness of Jesus and give in

·      Some of you have got excuses for your sin. You don’t need to excuse your sin; you need to fight it.

·      You don’t have to give in to temptation. You can instead, by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, choose to walk in righteousness.

·       

And this is very important. Jesus died for your sin. He gave you his righteousness. You are righteous in Christ. That’s your identity.

See, some of you, one of the lies you’ve believed is, “I can’t change. I will never change. This is the way I am. I need to accept myself.” God loves you enough to meet you in your sin, but he loves you enough to compel you away from your sin. And that’s the breastplate of righteousness.

Next time you’re tempted, remind yourself, “This is a demonic battle. Satan is trying to destroy me. I’m a soldier in the war, and my enemy has come, and he’s trying to take me out so that I can no longer battle for my King Jesus.”

BOOTS OF THE GOSPEL

You have to sleep with your boots on! We are at war!!

·      You never know when the enemy’s attacks are going to come, so you have to always be ready.

·      People who make the transition into ministry struggle with this. They’re like, “Oh, well, what’s my schedule?” You work until Jesus comes back or you die.

·      You and I, if we actually believed that we lived in war, we would not be so disappointed, we would not be so frustrated, we would understand, “Well, this is war, and during war, yes, there’s no schedule. This isn’t a job. This is a war.”

The gospel:

The good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ is the most powerful weapon we have.

Use it for yourself, and share it with everyone.

You’re part of God’s ground war, and Jesus sends you every day to tell others about your King and his kingdom so they may be freed from captivity.”

SHIELD OF FAITH

It says to wear “the shield of faith.” This is to “extinguish flaming darts.”

What’s your arrow of flame that haunts you??

·      Is it vain regrets?

o   Satan will haunt you for things that Jesus has forgiven you for.

o   And it’s gonna come out of nowhere.

o   You’ll just be walking along—it’ll be like a shot. “Where did that come from?”

o   You’ll be haunted.

o   Accusations—you’re not loved, you’re not forgiven, you’ll never change, you’re a fraud.

o   Any time you hear “you,” it’s your enemy.

o   Revelation 12:10 says that Satan is the accuser of the children of God, that he accuses them day and night.

You ever have days it literally feels like it is raining flaming arrows?

·      Everything you’ve ever done, every way you’ve ever failed,

·      Every sin you’ve ever committed, every mistake you’ve ever made

·      It’s just raining down on you.

·      It’s a demonic attack. It’s not God condemning you and accusing you and shaming you and opposing you. It’s the enemy shooting you. That’s what’s happening.

So, what do you got to do? He says you’ve got to hold up the shield of faith. “No, I trust the Bible. I trust Jesus. I trust the gospel. I trust the truth. I trust it.” And you’ve got to hold it in your own hand, and you’ve got to hold it over your own head.

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT (THE WORD OF GOD)!

“Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” This is a weapon.

·      Christian, let me tell you this. You stop reading your Bible—surrender.

·      You stop studying your Bible—surrender.

·      Stop memorizing your Bible—surrender.

·      Stop submitting to the truth of the Bible—surrender.

·      Stop going to church and being under the preaching of the Bible—surrender. Surrender.

Some of you’ve seen that, haven’t you? Life is hard, so you put your Bible down and stop going to church. And then all of a sudden, some of those complications go away.

·      It’s because you’ve joined the enemy’s team; you’re an enemy combatant. He’s not going to attack you because now you’re no threat because you have dropped your weapon.

·      Every time a Christian picks up the word of God, We are declaring war on Satan and demons and the kingdom of darkness and lies.

The word of God.

·      This is an offensive weapon for the forward progress of the kingdom of God through the church of Jesus Christ.

·      Most of what I’m saying shouldn’t be said, but it has to be said.

·      “Let’s just get away from Jesus.

·      Let’s get away from the word ‘repentance’,

·      and let’s get away from calling people from sin to their Savior.

·      Let’s just ignore the Book.

·      Let’s use the Book in a way that was never intended. Whatever we do, let’s just not handle the sword well.

·      Let’s not pick it up, because as soon as we pick it up, when we do there’s a lot of hostility and it’s a big conflict. And now it costs me a lot. Now my family’s upset. And as soon as I tell the truth, then there’s some resistance to that.”

Hey, welcome to war! Pick a team. You say, “I don’t want to pick a team.” Team’s already been picked. You’re born on Satan’s team; you’re born again on Jesus’ team. There are really only two kingdoms. There are really only two teams. And if you’re on Jesus’ team, you better keep the sword in your hand.

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT!!

One of the most important things in the battle is communication.

·      You need to talk to headquarters; you need to listen to headquarters.

·      We call that prayer.

·      He says to pray in the Spirit at all times for anything.

·      How’s your prayer life?

·      If you don’t know you’re in war, you don’t feel like you need to listen to the commander in chief, and you don’t feel like you need to talk to him.

·      This ain’t vacation, friends. This is war.

·      Imagine an army going to war without a communication plan.

·      Prayer is our communication plan.

·      It’s how we talk to God; it’s how God talks to us.

·       It’s how we tell him what’s going on, though he already knows, and it is the way that he gives directives to us.

How’s your prayer life? Do you pray for our church? Do you pray for our leaders? Do you pray for our other locations? Do you pray for our new opportunities?