Proclaiming the Truth in a World of Lies

Well, good afternoon. If you have your Bibles with you, please open them to the Book of Ephesians, Book of Ephesians and look with me at Ephesians chapter chapter six. So I contemplated our topic. I thought, what we would do is sort of take a view from thirty five thousand feet and just look. Instead of looking at particular lies, particular falsehoods, and how we counter particular falses, there are so many of them. I want us to take a more general approach to this and look at something that underlies all of it, and that is spiritual warfare, which is something that it's essential for us to understand in the context of missions. And hopefully as we go through this you'll see why and how that is the case. Ephyesius, chapter six, beginning at verse number ten. Finally, be strong in the Lord, and then the strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. And at the end of the day, these falsehoods where there they are, that's what they are. For 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. Therefore, take up the whole homour of God, that you may be able to a stand in the evil day. Having don't understand, firm stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of the righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of Peace in all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish the flaming darks of the evil one. And take the hell of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Praying at all times and the Spirit with all prayer and supplication to excuse me to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and also for me, that words may be given to me, and opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mysteries of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. Now what I want to do here, Keep your bibles open and your fingers nimble. I want you to understand this in the context of Paul's letter. I want you to understand this in the context of Ephesians. There are so many things that we believe about spiritual warfare that have little to do with this text or any other. Has to do with books that people have written that have been very entertaining, or with stories that we've heard, you know, that have been captivating. But what I want us to do is I want to understand. I want us to understand what Paul is saying here in this text. The most comprehensive text about spiritual warfare Sewod Brinthians ten would be another very important one. But when we grasp this, you'll see why I'm making that point. So I say keep your bibles open and your fingers nimble, because we're going to allow the Book of Ephesians to interpret itself here. So he says, finally, be strong in the Lord, strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. First thing I want you to understand is this, when it comes to our resources in this battle, it is two things. Number one his might and number two his armor. This is incredibly important when we think about spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is not about you, as a Christian somehow becoming strong enough and spiritual enough and. Tough enough to take on the devil. This is not you, you know, as a Christian, becoming some you know, special forces Christians storming the gates of Hell or the water prystoal That's not what this is about. This is about His might and his armor. Your resources are alien to you. You are insufficient for this fight. Let me say that again, you are insufficient for this fight. The enemy would love nothing more than for you to believe otherwise. He would love nothing more than for you to believe that if you just remember, if you just memorize enough versus right, just just just say enough prayers or the right kind of prayers, or learn you know, some some magical this that whatever, he would love nothing more than for you to believe that. That's what this is all about, because they'll eat you alive. This is about the Lord's might and the Lord's armor. Those are our resources. In addition to understanding our resources, if we're going to think about this rightly, we also have to understand our adversary. There are a couple of mistakes that we make when we think about spiritual warfare, one we we we overestimate our adversary. When we overestimate our adversary, then everything becomes spiritual warfare. I remember my family and now were visiting a church several years ago, and our children were much smaller, and we came in and we sat on the back, you know, back when we would tell them, you know, walk like ducks, you know, just getting a row everybody, you know, just walk together. And wherever we would go, people would people would look at us, and we could tell that they were looking at us because they were going so sitting in the back of the church. And I don't know. It was a church in our neighborhood. I don't know why we went to this particular church at this particular time. We just had a Sunday where we need to find the church. And this church was just wild, charismatic church doing all kind of stuff. Fine, you know, it's charismatic church. But then something happened with the sound and they, you know, having problems with the sound, and then it got so bad they're like, okay, everybody pray, okay, fine, and then they got up and they would you know, rebuked you know Satan and binding Satan because whatever, you know, he's messing with the sound and all this kind of stuff, and that always just fascinates me, right the whole you know, we're binding Satan. Satan, we bind you. I'm like, Okay, if you've bound him here, do you need to call the rest of the churches in the world and say we got in this week? But anyway, And so they're they're binding Satan and all this, and then at one point they tell the people to open the back doors so that they could bind Satan and chase him out of the I turned my wife, I'm like, bridget, get everybody ready. She's like, what are you doing. I was like, we're leaving with the devil apparently, because like we're not staying here. That's overestimating our adversary, right, he's not worried about our sound system. Amen. But then there's also underestimating our adversary. There are some people who actually believe there's not real evil in the world. There's not a real devil. Satan is not real. That is a terrible mistake. So this is not about us overestimating or underestimating our adversary. Verse twelve. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. By the way, that's why our resources have to be alien to us, His might, his power, because we're not wrestling against flesh and blood. You can't make yourself strong enough or skilled enough for this fight. 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. Now here's what's interesting. When you allow Paul to interpret himself, when you allow the Book of Evisians to interpret the Book of Ephesians, something really interesting happens. Now. I read that verse, and for most people, you know, it's kind of like, man, I get the chills like that, that's scary. Let's do it again. Against the authorities, against the cosmic powers, over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. They're out there, they're gonna get us. No, that's not what's intended here. Look at chapter one and verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Where where where in the heavenly places? Huh So? Chapter six is not the first time he's mentioned heavenly places. The first time he mentions it, he mentions it as that realm where we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Well, look at, sorry, let me do this Chapter two, verses four through seven. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. And watch this, raised us up with him and seated us with him. Where in the. Heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us In Christ Jesus. So the heavenly places is where we're blessed with every spiritual blessing. The heavenly places is where we are seated with Christ, so that God can show off his glory. Look at chapter three. So we've seen it in chapter one, we see it in chapter two. We see it in chapter three. The Book of Ephesians is divided neatly into two halves. We see it in the first half of the book. There in the second half in chapter six. We have to read it in light of what we've seen before chapter three, beginning of verse eight. To me, though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given to precede the gentiles the unstarchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone the plane. What was the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to. The rulers and authorities where in the heavenly places. So the Church. Is making the menifold wisdom of God known in the same realm and to the same forces that are identified there in chapter six. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ, Jesus our Lord in wisdom, we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. News flash, Saints. When he mentions our adversary, the rulers and the authorities in heaven these places in chapter six, he's not saying that so that we'll be afraid. He's identifying them in the realm that he's already shown us is the place where Christ rules and reigns, the place where we are seated the place where the Church is proclaiming the menifold wisdom of God, and the place where we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. In other words, that's not the realm that they run. How about that, that's not the realm that they run. The one who runs that realm is our Lord, our Savior, our Master with whom we're seated. What about our goal? What is our golden all this? Okay? Chapter six, verse thirteen. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, to stand, that's it, to stand. That's our goal in this fight, period, full stop. Why would we need to do anything else? If the war is taking place in the realm where Christ rules and reigns, we stand. We see this earlier in chapter four Good Chapter four, verse thirteen and fourteen. Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. What's the opposite of being tossed to and fro? What is the opposite of being carried about? Stand? Stand? What about our uniform? Our uniforms gets very interesting lead verses fourteen through sixteen. We'll see our uniform stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, that's the first piece of our uniform. Chapter four again, verses fifteen and sixteen. Rather speak the truth, Rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way, and to Him who is the head, and to Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped. When each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds up, builds itself up in love. By the way, that's very important. I'll just give you this little tidbit now. One of the things you need to understand about spiritual warfare. Ironically, when we think about spiritual warfare, we always think about number one, these scary forces that are out there to get us. And we always think about these scary forces that are out there to get me. Spiritual warfare is not individual. It's never intended to be individual. You're seriously in trouble if you believe that spiritual warfare is about you individually taking on the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. You'll see as we continue to go through this, that spiritual warfare is a corporate reality, not just an individual reality. So back in six, so we fastened on the belt of truth, and having put all the breastplate of righteousness. We've seen that before as well, also in chapter four. To take a time, we won't look back at that one. And as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of peace. Saw that way back at the beginning. Even when Paul opens up in verse two, grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We see it in chapter two, verses thirteen to seventeen. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He himself is our peace. Christ is our peace. He makes peace, reconciles us both in one body, thereby killing the hostility. He came and preached peace to you who are far off, and peace to those who are near so when it comes to our uniform, again, these are things that are alien to us. At the end of the day, what we're doing is we're putting on Christ, truth, righteousness, peace. Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our peace. In other words, we clothe ourselves in Christ. What about our weapons? What about our weapons? The verse sixteen sixteen through eighteen, in all circumstances, take up the shield of faith. So there it is the shield of faith which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. This shield is another thing that really alludes to the fact that this is something that is corporate and not individual. The idea here the shield of faith. Remember, Paul is imprisoned, he's under Roman guard. What he uses here is the uniform of the Roman centurion. It is the most. Ubiquitous and well known military uniform and all of the world in his day. So anybody who's reading would understand what he's referring to here when he talks about this shield of faith. He's not talking about, you know, the little shield that you you know, you hold up here in your arm, and you know and you block with this and no He's not talking about that, because that shield will do nothing for you if fiery darts are coming at you. He's talking about out the large shield that can be combined with the shields of your fellow soldiers so that you can all get down behind them together and form a wall of shields. Again, not individual, corporate, not individual. Spiritual warfare is not something that we're to understand on that level. The helmet of salvation, the helmet of salvation. Spiritual warfare is Again, if we're not wearing the helmet of salvation, what's the most important piece. Of equipment that we can have you? I mean, you got to protect your head. Amen. Not only is this helmet for the Roman soldier something to protect his head, it's something to identify him in the battle. He wears his helmet and he has his plume on the top, that crimson plume on the top, and everybody who sees him, even from afar, knows which army he belongs to. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This only offensive weapon. Some say, I think that's wrong. Why because of the next thing. Praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. That's an offensive weapon too. Amen, that's an offensive weapon too. So we have truth, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. These are our weapons. Now. In two Corinthians, chapter ten, we have this very familiar passage, this companion passage about spiritual warfare. Listen what Paul says Verses three through six and segon Corinthians ten. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. It's an amazing statement. They have divine power to destroy strongholds. Now strongholds or fortresses, depending on your translation. Why is that significant? Paul is writing during a time when there was no weapon strong enough to destroy a fortress. It's unthinkable if somebody was in a fortress, you had to engage in siege warfare. It could take you weeks, it could take you months, it could take you years. The idea that there was a single weapon that could now you and I think in these terms right with bunker busting bombs and atomic bombs. But don't make this mistake, don't think that well, Paul was talking about something as strong as an atomic bomb. No no, no, no, no, no no. Paul was talking about something more powerful than anything that our puny minds could conceive of. That was this point, which makes all the sense in the world when you recognize that this is a spiritual battle, that we're not waging more according to the flesh. He says, we destroy our arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete, those are our weapons. What about our partners. Back in chapter six to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Again, corporate not individual. It's corporate not individual. But what about our victory? This is where we want to land, and this is where I'll clarify the point that I made earlier, he continues. And also for me that words may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. Say something. And I want to demonstrate this to you. When it comes to spiritual warfare and victory in spiritual warfare. I think our ultimate victory in spiritual warfare is when the proclamation of the Gospel results not only in the salvation of lost sinners, but in the establishment of new churches. And I know that may sound, you know, out of bounds. No, we never thought about it in those terms, and that's not Paul says to pray for him in the context of our offensive weapons in spiritual warfare. He says, pray for him so that he'll be bold and so they he'll proclaim the Gospel. What happens when we proclaim the gospel? Think about it in terms of warfare. When we proclaim the Gospel, we have two armies arrayed against one another, and we're going to battle. Well, some interesting things can happen in battle, the most common of which is one of mine kills one of yours, and we can win the battle that way. More of mine kill more of yours. By the way, there's something else that happens in this battle. My side proclaims the Gospel, and we don't kill one of yours, one of yours becomes one of ours. Now your minus one word plus one. That's what happens in spiritual warfare. Through the proclamation of the gospel, people come out of darkness into marvelous light. We invade the adversary's kingdom and take from him that which he thought was his. And how about when we established churches in places where there were no churches? Now we establish fortresses and raise our flag in what used to be enemy territory. This is this Ephesians two one through three. We were dead and the trespassors and sins in which He once walked, or or you were dead in the trespassors and sins in which He once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind. And where by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, we were all. In the enemy army. We were all arrayed against Christ. But God. But God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ. By grace. You've been saying, He makes us a live together with Christ. And then what does he do He redeems us. And then what does he do? He seats us with Christ in the heavenly places and bestows upon us every spiritual blessing in that realm where this war is taking place. I'm not just making stuff up, guys. The proclamation of the gospel, the winning of souls, the planting of churches is spiritual warfare. It doesn't involve spiritual warfare. It is spiritual warfare. Missions is spiritual warfare. It is the ultimate expression of spiritual warfare, the ultimate act of spiritual warfare. Well, then you said, well, is this enough? I often get asked, you know, and what about what about demon possession, demon oppression? What about all this stuff you know, and animism and familiar spirits and what about all these things? Isn't that what spiritual warfare is all about. Okay, let's go there for a moment, and let's say that what we do is we all learn some incantations and learn how to go and and and and cast demons out of people or or or deliver them from from from familiar spirits and generational curses and things like this, which you have a huge problem with already, because Ezekiel chapter eighteen tells us that those things don't exist. But but but let's just go with it, right, that's what spiritual warfare is. We're all gonna go learn how to do exorcism, right, We're all gonna go. We're gonna just you just run devils out of people. Matthew, Chapter twelve, beginning of verse forty three. Very interesting passage de scripture related to this, related to the whole idea of exorcism. Jesus says, when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but it finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits, more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. But guess where demons can't come back and dwell in the soul of one who has been redeemed by Christ filled with his spirit. That is no empty space. That is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling place of God himself. So you tell me. Which thing we ought to be majoring in going and running demons out of people when Jesus says the last state of that person will be worse than the first, or proclaiming the gospel, calling people out of darkness into his marvelous light so that they are redeemed, filled with God's spirit and transformed through the person in the work of Jesus Christ. You tell me which one it's the latter. Whatever else, we're doing the proclamation of the gospel, and ultimately I would add the planting of churches, because what's Paul doing when he's saying, pray for me, Pray for me, Pray, pray that I'll be bold, Pray that I'll preach the gospel as I ought to. What's he doing. He's going on missionary journey's planting churches, and essentially he's saying, pray for me when you're engaging in this spiritual warfare, when you're standing firm, when you're putting on the uniform, when you're clothed in His might and in his armor, and when you're praying, pray that as I go, I'll be bold and our preachers I ought to why because he's setting up outposts in enemy territory. That's missions. That's missions. So when we think about spiritual warfare, we are not cower because our resources are sufficient, our adversary spiritual and powerful, Our goal is simple to stand. Our uniform is supplied, our weapons are supernatural and powerful, our partners are substantial, and our victory is guaranteed. That's the way we, as followers of Christ, must think about spiritual warfare. And I'll say it again, there is nothing in the Christian life that fits this paradigm better or more completely than missions. Nothing, not one single solitary thing. And I didn't always see this. I always saw and I always heard, you know, when you're engaging in that, you're engaging in you know, spiritual warfare. But my thinking was just, yeah, the devil's gonna be upset and he's going to oppose us because of what we're doing. This completely flips the script. This is not about the devil opposing us because of what we're doing. I mean, he does what he does. Amen, this is about us literally taking enemy territory. And now I can just put a finer point on it. You know, we talk about Jesus and. Acts and. Before his final departure and acts one eight there. You know, you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon me. You'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the remotest parts of the earth. Here's what's interesting. People who think about, you know, the power of the Holy Spirit, right, we're gonna receive the power of the Holy Spirit. They're all these things that we think, well, no, receiving the power of the Holy Spirit looks like this, or receiving the power of the Holy Spirit looks like that. Just let Jesus speak for himself. You don't receive power when the Spirit comes upon you. Wow, the Spirit of God is gonna come upon me, and I'm gonna have power. What's it gonna look like, Jesus, You're gonna be my witness. That's the evidence of the power of the Spirit coming upon you in your life. You're gonna be my witnesses where Jerusalem, Jadad, Samaria the remotest parts of the world. And we like to sort of take that and allegorize it, right, and well, you know, Jerusalem, those are the people closest to you, and Judea those are the people out there. Samaria, those are you know, No, no, no, no, No, when he said Jerusalem, he meant Jerusalem. When he said Judea, what he really meant was Judea. Wat's this. When he said Samaria, what he was really referring to was the Samaria. And when he said the remotest parts of the earth, what he's referring to is Ireland, America. Think about that for a moment. The people who heard him say that could not conceive of this place. It could not conceive of America. This church right here, right now is a fulfillment of jesus promise in Acts one to eight. To sit with that one for a moment. This would have been the remotest parts of the earth, and yet the Gospel made it here, my homeland, the remotest parts of the earth. And yet the Gospel made it there because we have his word on it, and our victory is guaranteed. What an amazing reality that this was absolutely enemy territory, and yet the Gospel invaded this place. And now all over this land and all over the known world, there are outposts that say Christ reigns here, Folkses changes everything. Amen. Now what we're doing is kind of backfilling, because now the places that we're thinking about going. Are places in some instances where the gospel was long before it was here. But if they could have believed God for Ireland when they couldn't even conceive of Ireland, what can we believe for? Let's pray, Father, we do thank you for this time that you've given us in your word. Thank you for reminding us of the task at hand, more importantly, of the resources, and of the promise that we have that the task will be accomplished. Amen.