Have you ever been confused by all the various teachings on spiritual warfare today?! In this message we analyze several different tactics popular teachers suggest we use in spiritual warfare, and compare them with Scripture. Then we look at what the apostle Paul actually tells us to do in Ephesians 6. I think you might be surprised.
Teaching Notes:
The Believer’s War Against Satan
Ephesians 6:10-13
Intro: The subject of spiritual warfare has become a hot topic in Christian circles. When we lived in Milpitas I remember getting something in the mail notifying the entire Christian community in the Bay Area, that Candlestick Park was being rented out for a night so that thousands of Christians could gather and “cast out” the territorial spirits that were ruling San Francisco. Well, as you well know, Satan is still alive and well in San Francisco today. Others have focused on “spiritual mapping” which is when you seek through research to discover witches or demon possessed persons, and then wage spiritual war against them, in order to break Satan’s hold over a region. Others have emphasized the way to win the war with Satan is to “plead the blood of Christ” or to “bind the enemy” or to “rebuke the devil.” Well, here in Ephesians we have the longest and most detailed teaching on spiritual warfare in the NT, and interestingly, none of these spiritual warfare tactics are mentioned.
In 6:12 we are told that we “struggle” against demonic forces. The original word for “struggle” was used for those who wrestled in Greek athletic contests. The loser could have his eyes gouged out. Our struggle with Satan is that serious. Our struggle is hand-to-hand. It’s not a gunfight. It is sweat against sweat, breath against breath.
For an army to be victorious in warfare, an accurate knowledge of their resources, their enemy, and their battle plan is crucial. Let’s look at each of those areas this morning.
1. Our Enemy in Spiritual Warfare: (not the Russians, Germans, or Chinese)
Our enemy is defined at the end of vs. 11 as the devil. The word devil means “slanderer” and appears 34 times in the Bible. Sometimes he is called Satan which means “adversary” and appears 53 times in Scripture. He is called the evil one 10 times. In other places he is referred to as the prince of the power of the air, the ruler of this world, the god of this world, the Serpent of old, the great dragon, and the accuser of the brethren. Well, what do we know about him?
A. He is Cunning: Verse 11 mentions the “schemes” of the devil. This word refers to the machinations, wiles, strategies, and methods of the devil. His schemes are his stratagem or trick intended to deceive or ensnare. This implies that the devil has a sinister plot and that it is cunning. In Genesis 3:1, we are told that the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field. Satan is no intellectual midget. He is very intelligent and uses all his mental powers to deceive and destroy. He has been honing his methods for at least 6,000 years. If you studied a particular subject like ladybugs for 50 years, you would be considered a true expert in this field. But what if you studied ladybugs for 6,000 years?! Never underestimate your enemy’s knowledge of you. We must be on guard against him!
B. He Is Powerful: we do not struggle against flesh and blood. These are wicked spirits and they are far superior in strength than any human being. They have an immense advantage – we can’t see them approaching to flee or fortify ourselves against them. In a human warfare there would be times when the war would cease from weariness. But these are spirits who are invisible and incessant in their warfare. These spirits are called Rulers – Powers – world forces of this darkness – spiritual forces of wickedness. These spirits are referred to as rulers, powers, and forces. All these words imply the power of this enemy. In Scripture Satan inflicted sickness, brought death, aroused winds, brought fire from heaven, and could bring about amazing signs and wonders (2Thess.2:9). We must never underestimate his power. It is far superior to ours.
2. Our Resources in Spiritual Warfare: (not guns, tanks, rocket launchers, or atomic bombs)
A. The Power of God: “in the Lord, in His might.” Surely Paul is teaching us here that our own strength is insufficient for this war. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” We have too powerful a foe to vanquish him on our own. Only omnipotence can defeat him. We must appropriate God’s strength in able to stand. Our strength is found in dependence on the Lord. “Be strong” is in the present tense which could be translated, “Be continually strengthened in the Lord.” Even after many years as a believer, we have no more power in ourselves to conquer our enemy than we had when we were newly saved. The fact that we are “in Christ” is a powerful truth that Paul has mentioned over and over in this little epistle. His life is ours, His truth is ours, His strength is ours. We must appropriate His strength through faith and prayer. What is the strength of His might? Paul has told us in 1:19-23 and 3:20-21. If you are a soldier guarding a fort and see the enemy approaching, what do you do? Do you run through the gate shooting your gun at the enemy? No! Guards don’t fight; they tell their commander. When Satan attacks, don’t fight him in your own strength. Report to your Commander, Jesus. He has the power to conquer this enemy. This is how David conquered Goliah: 1Sam.17:43-47.
B. The Armor of God: The word “of” denotes possession. God owns this armor and provides this armor for us. It is not of our own making. It is His truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and word. These all come from God freely by His grace. But although it is His armor which He gives freely, we must put it on. The victory is ours in Christ, but we must appropriate it to stand against the enemy. You have a part to play in this warfare. Clothe yourself with His truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and word, and the victory is yours!
3. Our Battle Plan In Spiritual Warfare: Every army has a plan. What is ours?
What Our Battle Plan Is NOT:
A. Plead The Blood: This expression is never found in Scripture. It seems as though “pleading the blood” is used almost as a magical or superstitious incantation. In other words, by just saying the right words we will drive the evil spirits away. It seems more like the practice of a witch doctor than a Christian. We have no Biblical example or precedent for it.
B. Rebuke the Devil: There is only one individual in the Bible who ever rebuked unclean spirits – Jesus Christ. Interestingly, we don’t have any record of Jesus rebuking Satan, just his underlings. Even Michael the archangel said, “the Lord rebuke you.” He wouldn’t bring a railing accusation against the devil himself. The only time Jesus rebuked an unclean spirit was when he was about to cast the spirit out of a person. We have no Biblical examples of any of Christ’s apostles or disciples rebuking demons. About the most we might say, is that if we were to follow Jesus’ example, we would rebuke an unclean spirit before casting it out of a demon-possessed person. I have witnessed people rebuking Satan in prayer. One minute they are talking to God. The next minute they are talking to Satan. Why do we believe we should talk to the devil in prayer?!
C. Binding The Devil: The only person in Scripture who “bound” the devil was Jesus. We have no Biblical examples of anyone else ever “binding” Satan. There is no command in Scripture for us to do this. Further, the way Christ bound Satan was through His life, death and resurrection (Mt.12:29; Jn.14:30; Col.2:13-15; Heb.2:14). But what about Mt.18:18? The context is church discipline. Binding = forbidding; loosing = permitting. Mt.16:19 probably refers to granting authority to the apostles to teach doctrines which would permit or forbid certain things (circumcision, certain foods, holy days). Another issue is if we are supposed to bind Satan, how long does it last? Is this “binding” temporary or permanent? Why not bind the devil and all his demons forever in 1 quick prayer – we would never have any more trouble with him again!
What Our Battle Plan IS:
A. Resist: “that you may be able to resist in the evil day” (6:13). This is the consistent teaching of the NT on spiritual warfare (James 4:7; 1Pet.5:8-9). We are never told to go looking for Satan in order to attack him. Not told to bind him, rebuke him, plead the blood against him, or cast down his territorial spirits. Told to resist him. When the devil attacks, resist! If someone came up to you and pushed you, you would fall down if you were not on the alert. The only way you could stand firm, is if you were alert and resist and brought as much opposition against him as he was using against you. This word “resist” teaches us that Satan is trying to do many things to God’s people, and we must not allow him to. What things is he seeking to do? He’s trying to tempt us into sin (Mt.4:1-11), deceive us (Rev.12:9), lie to us (Jn.8:44), bring us under condemnation (1Tim.3:6), keep us under the fear of death, lead us away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ (2Cor.11:3), tempt us to depend on our own strength (1Chron.21:1), and lures us to set our mind on man’s interests instead of God’s (Mt.16:23). When he attacks in all of these ways, we must resist!
B. Stand Firm: Paul doesn’t tell them to march, but to stand. We don’t fight for victory, but from victory. We don’t have to gain victory, we just maintain it. Our victory comes from our position (1:20-22; 2:6). We must hold the ground Christ won; not gain new ground. Christ’s war was offensive; ours is defensive. Stand your ground! Don’t let the devil take away anything that you have been given in Christ! Don’t budge an inch! What is true of you? You have been chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, sealed, reconciled, made alive, raised, seated, brought near. You are the righteousness of God in Him. Never let Satan rob you of these precious truths! He can’t rob you of your position, but he can rob you practically if he gets you to doubt them. Remember that deception is his master trick. Believe the Word and Promises though heavens fall! Satan will flee!
Don’t underestimate your enemy. Don’t trust in your own resources. Trust in God’s power. Resist the enemy. Stand firm against him. Hold all the ground Christ has given you.
1. What is the devil’s most powerful means of attack in your life?
2. What have you found is most effective in resisting His attacks?
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