The Invisible War

Mountain Life Church/Life Pack/August 10-11, 2013

The Invisible WarSermon NotesAugust 10-11, 2013

I. Did God Change?A. Old Testament Warfare

1. God relates to people within their own culture2. God’s purposes in Old Testament warfare

JudgmentA picture of things to comeA picture of God’s victorious characterA picture of God’s victory over every enemyLife is warfare on this earth

B. New Testament Warfare1. No longer against people2. Three enemies

The FleshThe WorldThe Demonic

C. The battleground of the mind

D. Life is warfare on this earth (the same as in the Old Testament)

II. Our Tendency to Fight Against PeopleA. Satan’s Will for Our Life:

1. To keep us from surrendering to Jesus2. To ruin our testimony3. To keep us in defeat mode4. To make people our enemies 5. To cause us to question God and His character6. To get us to walk by sight rather than by faith

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Table TalkTeens

Read Ephesians 6:10-12 Question One:

What does the term “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” mean?

 Question Two:

Why does Paul encourage each one of us to put on the whole armor of God?

 Question Three:The purpose of putting on God’ armor is to be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Without God’s armor, what do you think would happen to believers against Satan?

 Question Four:

Describe the difference between a spiritual battle and a physical battle.

 Question Five:

What are some ways you can put on the armor of God to protect yourself against Satan?

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B. God’s Will For Our Life:1. Overflowing abundance2. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit3. Live a life of joyful worship and dependence4. Live free from sin habits and bitterness

C. Our Tendency1. Focus on people and their problems rather than on

spiritual realities2. Fight against people through bitterness and vengeance

rather than through love and introspection3. Behavior modification rather than heart change

III.Spiritual ForcesA. Three Heavens

1. The first heaven (“the heavens”) = The universe2. The second heaven = The spiritual realm3. The third heaven = The paradise where God dwells

B. Eyes To See1. II Kings 6: 15-17 - Elisha and his servant2. These forces shape cultures

C. How Do We Fight?1. Differing opinions in the body of Christ

Defining spiritual forces and praying & shouting against themLove, prayer, and authentic conversation with God

2. Our prioritiesSubmit to GodThen resist the devil

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Life Group Questions for August 10-11, 2013

Message =The Invisible WarIce  Breaker:        Tell  about  the  most  outlandish  or  interesting  costume  you  ever  wore.

Read  Ephesians  6:  10-­‐‑12.

1. Tell  what  you  observe  about  this  passage.

2. Have  a  couple  of  people  count  how  many  times  Paul  says,  “Stand”  in  verses  10-­‐‑14.    Why  do  you  think  Paul  mentions  this  word  so  often?

3. If  the  baIle  is  not  against  people,  but  really  against  invisible  forces,  how  do  you  think  we  are  to  practically  engage  the  enemy?

4. Have  someone  read  II  Corinthians  10:  4-­‐‑6.    How  does  this  passage  shed  light  on  spiritual  warfare  to  you?

5. Do  you  ever  struggle  with  the  concept  that  people  are  not  your  enemy?    Have  there  been  people  with  whom  you  could  not  forgive  or  relate  to  because  you  were  focused  on  fighting  them  rather  than  spiritual  forces?    Please  explain.    

6. The  New  Testament  tells  us  that  we  struggle  against  three  enemies:  the  flesh,  demonic  powers,  and  the  corrupt  world  system.    Which  of  these  seems  the  most  difficult  for  you  to  deal  with  on  a  daily  basis?

7. Pray  for  one  another

Table TalkElementary

There is no elementary Table Talk for this week. Sorry!

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Table TalkPreschool & Nursery

Ephesians 6:10-12, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Psalm 121 Day 1: Read Ephesians 6:10-12As a family, talk about some different heroes and villains (fictitious or factual). The good guy is the hero and the bad guy is the enemy. In our lives, we have an enemy, the devil, or Satan, and our hero is Jesus. God gives us all we need to protect us from the enemy. He wants us to put on the Armor of God. Talk about what armor is and what it looks like in real life. (pictures help)

Day 2: Read 1 Peter 5:8-9Talk about some of the ways Satan tries to get us to turn away from God. Some examples might be lying, hitting, or fighting with our siblings, or disobeying mom and dad. God wants us to resist those things and be strong like Jesus. Discuss some of the good things God wants us to do.

Memory Verse:“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” - Ephesians 6:11

Day 3: Read - Psalm 121Sometimes it can be scary or difficult to fight off our enemy. But we do not have to worry because God is on our side. He is also fighting the enemy for us. God is our hero and Protector and all we have to do is trust that He is in control. We can win with Jesus! Pray together as a family. Activity: Stack six plastic cups in a pyramid and take turns tossing a beanbag or a crumpled up piece of paper to knock down the cups. Everyone tries again only, this time, have someone stand in front and “protect” the pyramid of cups. Explain we are like the pyramid and Satan is always trying to knock us down. But God is our Protector and He will not let us get knocked down as long as we keep Him in between

Satan and us.

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Personal Devotion PagesThe following pages are designed to help you enjoy a regular time alone with God. We have divided up the curriculum to help us grow wherever we are at in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of His Kingdom.

LEVELS: Since we are a Colorado church, we use skiing imagery to communicate the different levels of intensity and time involved in relating to God.

BEGINNER: If you are new in your relationship with God, we encourage you to try the exercises under this symbol:

INTERMEDIATE: If you have walked with God for some time and would like a little more challenge and more time involvement, try the exercises under this symbol:

ADVANCED: These exercises are for people who have walked with God for some time and display maturity in their relationship with Him.

These exercises provide a practical way to encounter God and His truth on a regular basis. There are no rules here. Please don’t hurry through the process. Slow meditation and memorization seems to soak in better than cramming.

Enjoy!

Day One1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.

2. Meditate  on  Ephesians  6:  10-­‐‑12.

3. Ask  God  to  show  you  anyone  with  whom  you  are  biIer  or  angry,  or  even  someone  you  do  not  like.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  the  real  enemy  in  this  situation.

Memorize  Ephesians  6:  10.

Memorize  Ephesians  6:  10-­‐‑12.

Memorize  Ephesians  6:  10-­‐‑12.

For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

~Ephesians 6:12, NLT

Because we are fighting invisible evil forces, there have developed two schools of thought regarding what the battle really looks like.

One perspective is that we need to identify the demonic rulers of certain areas and provoke them by speaking to them during prayer times. We bind, rebuke, and do all sorts of verbal jousting with these demonic lords, believing that they must bow to the authority given to us through Christ.

The other perspective says that there is no real Biblical authority to identify the demonic powers and then command them to leave an area through authoritative verbal commands. The people who hold this view believe that you focus primarily on God, and when the enemy attacks, you quickly identify the lies you are hearing, submit to God’s truth, remembering what Jesus did on the cross for you, and then choose to walk in victory.

I personally go with the second view, finding no real Biblical authority to have shouting matches with demons. Jesus dealt with demonized individuals by authoritatively commanding them to be quiet and leave, but we never see Jesus or His disciples speaking to invisible demons assigned to rule certain geographic areas, and commanding them to leave.

Jesus and the New Testament writers took a simple approach of walking in love, choosing truth over lies, and realizing that our enemy is not people, but rather sin, Satan, and a sinful world system.

Father, teach me to walk only in Your truth today. I choose right now to reject evil and walk in love.

Day Five

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Day Five1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Read  Judges  7  in  light  of  spiritual  warfare.

3. Ask  God  to  begin  showing  you  how  to  love  people  who  are  difficult  for  you  to  love.    Write  their  names  here  and  begin  to  pray  for  them.

4. Finish  your  Bible  memorization  today.

Day OneA final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power.

~Ephesians 6:10, NLT

We have progressed now through the first two parts of the letter to the Ephesians. As Watchman Knee outlined, the first three chapters taught us our identity IN CHRIST. Chapters 4-6 will give us practical, hands on directions on what it means to daily walk as a New Creation IN CHRIST. We call this the WALK portion of the letter.

After learning where we sit and how to walk in that new identity, we now learn how to STAND against the enemies of our soul. Paul rightly expects us to encounter stiff resistance to becoming like Christ in our daily lives. If large numbers of believers were to truly understand their identity, practically walk that identity out in daily life, and live in victory over sin and selfishness, the world would be turned upside down. An array of invisible, evil forces stand against us daily and the onslaught is, frankly, overwhelming at times.

In His resistance to the enemy, Jesus actually sweated drops of blood. None of us has resisted to that point. As the writer of Hebrews says, You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin... (Hebrews12:4).

The first thing Paul will remind us to do in battle is to stand strong in God’s mighty power. This is not a new teaching unique to Paul. Most of the Old Testament writers understood that we mortals cannot handle the battle on our own. Even the most athletic and strong among us cannot stand firm against the enemies of our soul on our own strength.

Father, help me to allow You to fight my battles for me today.

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Day Two1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.  

2. Meditate  on  II  Kings  6:  1-­‐‑19.

3. Take  a  few  minutes  to  pray  for  people  that  have  hurt  you  in  the  past.    Ask  God  to  bless  them  and  give  them  peace,  reconciliation  with  Himself  and  with  others.

4. Write  down  some  of  the  lies  you  hear  on  a  regular  basis.    Ask  the  Holy  Spirit  to  show  you  how  to  receive  truth  instead  of  believing  these  lies.          

5. Continue  memorizing  and  meditating  on  the  scriptures  for  this  week.

Day FourFor we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

~Ephesians 6:12, NLT

The Old Testament battles, though fought brutally and hand to hand, are symbolic of today’s spiritual battles. The Israelites were commanded to enter Canaan and destroy every living person among the inhabitants, making it appear that God is blood thirsty and openly barbaric. The context shows us that God had given the Canaanites hundreds of years to repent of their idolatry. Once they proved that they were not going to repent, the Israelites came in as the hand of judgment.

God also knew that the pagan Canaanites would tempt the people of Israel to worship their gods. Until a person is born again (a new covenant idea), their hearts manufacture idols. The way the Israelites were merciless with the Canaanites graphically shows us today that we must be merciless with dispensing of our old temptations. We must show no mercy to lies, deceit, and old ways of thinking in our lives.

In this passage, Paul tells us that Satan’s minions are disciplined, passionate, organized, and invisible. They dwell in heavenly realms. This realm is not the same as where the throne of God is located. The New Testament tells us of three Heavens. One is describing space and the outer universe, the other is the realm of spiritual beings, both Godly and demonic, and the other realm is where we go when we die, the place where God in all His glory dwells.

Satan’s forces dwell in the spiritual realm where I cannot see them if I am born again, I can sense their reality. These are the true enemies of our faith, and we must stand firm against them at all costs.

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Day TwoThe king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.

~Psalms 33:16-21, NAS

Paul warns us to understand that people are NOT our enemy. As we consider people who have hurt us, abused us, and ruled as tyrants over us, we must realize they are simply pawns in an invisible war. These people are manipulated and empowered by sin, demonic powers, and by lies that have dominated their lives, possibly for years.

Paul awakens us to something the Old Testament described in great detail: what is unseen is every bit as real as what is seen. Joshua destroyed the Canaanite strongholds only through God’s strength. Gideon wiped out the Midianites with 300 men in order to prove God’s great power. Samson’s strength was not in big muscles, but rather in his uncut hair, signifying his commitment to God. David killed a nine foot giant only through God’s mighty power. And Jehoshaphat destroyed an invading army through worship, not warfare.

Father, where I have held bitterness against a person or persons, show me the real battle that rages within me against an invisible enemy. I receive Your grace to forgive those who have hurt me.

Day Four1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Meditate  on  Ephesians  6:  10-­‐‑18.    Ask  the  Lord  to  show  you  which  piece  of  armor  you  tend  to  forget.    

3. Pray  for  your  boss.    If  you  are  the  boss,  pray  for  God  to  show  you  how  to  respect  and  honor  your  employees  in  a  deeper  way  than  you  do  now.    

4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  week.

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Day Three Day Three1. Take  some  time  to  praise  the  Lord  for  who  He  is  and  enjoy  

thanking  Him  for  what  He  has  done  in  your  life  lately.    

2. Read  I  Samuel  17.    Ask  God  to  give  you  insight  into  spiritual  warfare  through  the  passage.

3. Bring  at  least  three  friends  or  loved  ones  to  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  faith.    Ask  Him  to  show  you  how  you  can  boldly  love  them  and  speak  the  words  of  Jesus  into  their  lives.      

 4. Continue  meditating  on  and  memorizing  the  scripture  for  this  

week.

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Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.

~Ephesians 6:11, NLT

Many of us read this as a command to pantomime putting on spiritual armor each morning before starting the day. I find this a little silly - I’m sorry if that offends you. Paul’s advice so far has been so incredibly practical, so why would he command us to pretend that we’re putting on invisible armor before taking on the real world each day?

I think Paul is using the armor as a metaphor. The armor symbolizes practices that we must utilize daily in order to fight against the onslaught of lies and deceptions that come our way each day. For example, the helmet of salvation refers to our need to daily let the realities of our salvation impact our thinking. We place the helmet on our head, therefore, we are to remember how salvation has affected our present posture before a loving God. If we don’t remember what His salvation has done for us, it’s easy to take on the shrapnel that comes from lies that tell us we are not worthy before God, and that we’re really unchanged and untransformed.

The armor of God has been given to us to use in practical ways, not in silly super-spiritual pantomime. I need the things the armor symbolizes in order to stand firm against the invisible attacks of lies, deceptions, and distortions that come at us regularly.

Lord, as I meditate on each piece of the armor of God, show me where I am vulnerable to attacks from my enemies.

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