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WE ARE AT WAR!
Introduction:
Our topic for this morning is WE ARE AT WAR! The emphasis in this presentation will
not be about our nation involved in physical warfare. You and I are rightly concerned about
the affairs of this world, our freedom as citizens which includes: religious freedom, freedom
of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, the right to petition our government,
and even the right to bear arms. We should never take these freedoms and rights as
citizens for granted. Nevertheless, let us concentrate at this time on the spiritual warfare
you and I, as Christians, are embattled in.
The Lord’s kingdom is not an earthly-type kingdom, but spiritual in nature. Because of
this fact our Lord would not allow His disciples to use literal weapons against those who
apprehended Him. Peter, on his own impulse, had cut off the ear of a servant of the High
Priest. “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). Jesus healed
that man by restoring his ear whole (Lk 22:51).
John 18:36, “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom
were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to
the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
Yet, we cannot be passive in the great spiritual battle against evil.
As soldiers of Christ we are to be prepared for the spiritual and moral confrontations
by putting on the whole armor of the God. This will enable us to have assurance whereof
we stand. Our weapons are principles of righteousness.
II Cor. 10:3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the
flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to
the pulling down of strong holds;)”
I Pet. 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you
with meekness and fear:”
I Cor. 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
In standing in the faith there are some things we are to uphold and other things in which
we are to stand against.
Discussion:
I. WE ARE AT WAR WITH THE DEVIL.
A. The devil is a treacherous evil spirit. He even attempted to entice the
Son of God to sin.
1. When Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days the devil, as the
tempter, tried three avenues of temptation upon the Lord. If Jesus had
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submitted to those temptations then God’s means of redeeming mankind
would have failed. We can be thankful that our Lord resisted and
overcame those temptations.
Heb. 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin.”
2. The devil seemingly won a victory when the Son of God died upon the
cross. But when Jesus was resurrected from the dead this was a crushing
blow to the devil’s ambition to thwart the Heavenly Father’s means of
redeeming mankind.
Gen. 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
B. The devil was successful in enticing Adam and Eve to eat of the
forbidden fruit. Because of their disobedience physical death was
brought upon humanity.
Rom. 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
C. A brother who is not well grounded in the faith should not be selected
to be elder. The devil will entrap a novice in the eldership to lead a
congregation away from a “thus saith the Lord” unto unscriptural
worship and practices.
I Tim. 3:6-7, “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the
condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which
are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
Acts 20:27-31, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn every one night and day with tears.”
D. You and I must remain alert less the devil overcomes us.
I Pet. 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are
in the world.”
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1. We can be tempted by the devil, as the Scripture so teaches at (I Cor.
7:5).
James 4:7-8, “Submit your selves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee
from
you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
II. WE ARE AT WAR AGAINST THE WORLDLY & UNGODLY ELEMENTS IN OUR
NATION.
A. Has our society already reached the sinful state of Sodom and
Gomorrah?
defend the sanctity of marriage as one man and one woman.
millions of unborn infants murdered. It is now estimated that there have
been well over 50 million unborn infants murdered.
B. You and I must abstain from the very appearance of evil. Not only
that, but we must keep our self from becoming spotted of the sinful
world.
I Thess. 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world.”
I John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
III.
WE ARE AT WAR AGAINST THOSE WHO WOULD PERVERT THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST.
A. In reality any false doctrine and/or unscriptural practice is of the
devil. This is true whether it is taught by someone outside the church
or someone in the church of our Lord.
II Cor. 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works.”
I John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
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Jude 3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
IV. WE ARE AT WAR WITHIN OUR SELF.
A. You and I cannot blame God because of the enticements for us to sin.
Neither can we rightfully pass the blame upon others or even Satan
for every temptation that comes our way. Instead much of the fault
falls upon us personally. This truth is explained at:
James 1:13-16, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for
God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.”
James 4:1-3, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill,
and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because
ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may
consume it upon your lusts.”
B. The following Scriptures further emphasize our responsibility to
overcome the battle within us.
I Cor. 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee.”
Prov. 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:”
Phil. 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
C. The Apostle Paul was showing that under the Mosaic Law no one
could be justified in that once they sinned they had to look beyond it
to Jesus Christ as their Redeemer. In the seventh chapter of Romans
he was placing emphasis upon a struggle within a person which made
it impossible to live a sinless life.
1. What was true then is still true. Jesus Christ was the only person to have
lived without sinning. All who are accountable have sinned (Rom. 3:23).
Rom. 7:18-25, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good
thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I
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do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I
delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the
law of sin.”
I Cor. 10:12-13, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he
fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but
God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it.”
Closing:
Like the Apostle Paul it is my prayer that you and I will be able to say when it is our time
to walk this earth no more: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have
kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Tim. 4:6-8).
--Dub Mowery