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May 11, 2020 12:01 am
When we become Christians, God receives us as our Father. But at the same time, we gain a new enemy: Satan. Today, Sinclair Ferguson describes the character of this enemy and the armor that Christ has given us to withstand the devil’s attacks.
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Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind. When things go awry in the Christian life when things go awry in the church. We must always have at least one eye open to the presence and the power of the enemy because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood. When we become a Christian.
We are transferring from the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of light that's great news also means that we have gained a new enemy today on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson helps us recognize the twin errors of overemphasizing Satan's influence and underestimating his power. I want to spend the next few studies with you together by looking at some aspects of what it means to live the Christian life. I want to begin with something that at first may seem rather strange, but I think is very important to call this study facing the enemy. I want us to think together just a little note about what it means to live the Christian life within the context off the fact that the Bible tells us we haven't enemy of our souls, and he seeks to destroy us actually letters built-in to Jesus manifesto wasn't remember Matthew 1618.we looked onto a number of studies ago when Jesus says I will build my charge on the gates of Hades will not be able to prevail against it on the story of Jesus ministry is a story of Satan seeking to destroy his ministry.
The story of the Christian church is the story of Jesus building his new community on enemy occupied territory. So right there in Jesus manifesto is counsel given to the church was an ugly place at every stage. When the church of Jesus Christ is built when men and women in Boys and Girls Club are called to faith in Jesus Christ. They are called into living in enemy occupied territory. They have been delivered from about enemy by the work of Jesus Christ but not animate will not leave them about for one of the most important things for us to long. As Christians, as I say is that we have people who have an enemy unpatched the best place to go in the New Testament, at least to capture much of what the Bible says about living the Christian life. Within this context is of course Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 20.
Cuellar Paul has really already said in Ephesians that Jesus Christ has won the decisive battle in the conflict against Satan but now we are engaged in mopping up operations and justice. People who are veterans of the military, especially the second world war. Remember that that was a decisive moment and not walk when there was no doubt whatsoever. What the result of the war would be. But then that was it.
After that event. That event that sometimes called DD when many died. Many were wounded even overflow the decisive battle had been fought in a way, it's the same in the Christian life. Jesus has one.
The victory in our lives, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
But that does not mean that the battle gets any easier are that the enemy goes soft on us on this is why Paul at the end of his great letter to the Ephesians speaks to these Christians about the fact that they're not only living in a world where horizontal event under pressure as they whet an emphasis� Is a supernatural enemy and they need to understand that at the end of the data, not wrestling as he says just with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers in the heavenly places. So I want us briefly to think about three things here. The first is the nature of the battle in which we are engaged. The second is the character of the enemy that we have on the thunders resources for victory, but Christ gives to us all. Notice a few things about the nature of the battle.
Cuellar isn't being fought Genesis what Paul says here he says we are wrestling against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. If we dredge Ephesians from the beginning we would've noticed the Paul uses less expression more than once, but the most interesting place I think really uses.
It is in the very first chapter 20 says that we have been chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world in order that we might be blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. See the significance of not be so these are bookend expressions.
The policy is that when you become a Christian you are brought into this new realm that he describes as the heavenly places, but in fact is the value realm in which the conflict is engage and of course when you think about it, but that makes sense. So long as we are prisoners of Satan that will be no conflict with this is one of the reasons why young Christians will sometimes say to their pastors, pastor, what is it that life seems to get more difficult for me now that I'm a Christian on the reason is because there's an enemy because he wants to try to get you back so the sphere in which this conflict is engaged us in the heavenly places where we live in Jesus Christ but that she will move on, but I wonder if you've noticed ever for Paul is talking about before he begins to speak about the spiritual warfare will engaged in. That's always interesting to me, why is it that our minds move from one topic to another, that sometimes it's it's quite difficult to answer that question when you're reading the New Testament letters and want to see what's move from this topic to this topic sentence for the topic is immediately before the topic immediately preceding is your daily life, the relationships you have within the family. Husbands and wives, parents and children. The relationships that while within the broader structure.
Masterson there's something what this Paul suddenly knows thoughts about this great Christian battle because that's the sphere in which that battle takes place.
If you have a preacher, that battle would take place when you were in the pulpit but it would be even more likely about battle would take place before you left the house to get to the Copeland when something went wrong, but is not the case that is sent out are not a life but Satan seeks to bring us down and because of course it sent out are not a life of the Lord Jesus wants to show his glory, and to use us for his glory, and sometimes Paul goes on to say about battle will take place and what he calls the evil day. Once the evil day, and all that are sometimes when we are tempted done that actually is no opportunity to fall to temptation and that is sometimes when we feel weak, but we are not tempted but ofttimes when we are weak and we have wrong desires and we are tempted and when that happens, the pressure is on and within the evil day, and Paul wants the teachers to watch out for such occasions until remember, as we'll see, but Christ gives us the resources to remain standing and that's why he speaks about standing do you notice in verse 10. Finally he says, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. So that's what he says about the nature of the battle and he's hinting to us at the end they are in verse 10, but if we are going to be able to fight that battle. We need to be able to be strong in the Lord. I think I mentioned in an earlier study, but I began to read the Bible when I was 900 when I became a Christian I still the memory of reaching Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to 20 and when Paul speaks about standing having done all, to stand. I have, for some reason this fairly vivid memory of thinking is not all that a student you I had people speaking about the victorious Christian life on life with a L on phrases like that that probably dates me when I read this. Having done all, to stand. I thought it's a bit disappointing but doesn't really solid inflectional muscular Christianity, but no looking back.
After years since Christian. It seems to me almost miraculous that I've been Standing so this is a very important message that Paul is giving to us to understand the nature of the battle to no one enemy as it were. If we are going to remain standing� Second thing I want us to focus on what does Paul say she had about the character of our enemy.
While he says several things doesn't he. First of all, he says, remember that your enemy is supernatural in his power will not wrestling merely against flesh and blood. I wonder if this is about trust your mind and the church things go badly wrong on the church behaves in the same way the world behaves wondrously well do something goes wrong you look around and say who's to blame. Something goes wrong in the church and with this tended to just think I've had people say this, things like that don't happen in churches like ours and I want to say if you never read the New Testament.
People shouldn't behave like and you see we are blindsided by our enemy and we need to remember the things that Jesus uses in one of his parables from the mindset is an enemy has done this when things go awry in the Christian life when things go awry in the church.
We must always have at least one eye open to the presence and the power of the enemy because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, which of course is why cha-cha organization will never solve Chuck's problem, which is why prayer is so important because spiritual enemies need to be dealt with using spiritual weapons, so we need to remember. He is supernatural in his power. We also need to remember is I think Paul can see it in verse 11 that he is supremely well organized and his strategy.
No I don't think it would be profitable for us to ask questions like, what's the difference between rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers, but all of those expressions indicate to us a kind of superstructure in the kingdom of darkness.
Don't make an organized structure on Jesus for warns us of lists in Matthew chapter 16 I'm building my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against why the gates of Hades Hudson Old Testament expression was the significance of the gates in the Old Testament with the gates of a city auto timing. While clearly the Township Public community was disorganized seat of authority. Remember when glass wants to marry Ruth Granderson goal. He goes to City Hall but planet City Hall City Hall is at the time gate. And so Jesus has advised us that Christians are under strategic attack and so we must never downplay the strategies of the evil one, but interestingly remember how Paul says to the Corinthians.
We are not ignorant of the strategies and again are sometimes if I read that in the service I want to stop and say hands up those who can tell me what he strategies and it it's really a great study is important to do the ask yourself the question, what does the New Testament teach me about the strategies of the evil one because if this is a spiritual conflict. My guess is never having been in the military and a military commander would say to you, you need to understand the enemy's strategy and so it's an important thing for us to proceed to to look for an example of the ways the enemy is described.
He's described as the as the deceitful and that's why so often, the New Testament tells us you really need to understand the gospel so that you wouldn't be deceived Eve, you need to listen to the warrant so you won't be deceived like Eve was deceived in the garden of Eden. Sometimes people might think that signs of any antifeminist kind of thing to say.
How did he say that Eve was deceived to Steve who says she was deceived and how often pastors find people coming to see them and saying to them had done no hands I can understand why it happened.
I don't know what came over me on the lives and spiritual ruins because they didn't understand what one of the enemy strategies would be to deceive them. So the enemy is supernatural in his power and he's organized in his strategy. I don't think this is rather a difficult thing for us to grasp.
He is evil in his disposition.
We live in a world that makes jokes about the devil.
But, my friends, the devil is no laughing matter. If you think about it, with one single exception in the whole of human history.
He has managed to trick up every single individual who has ever lived, including the very best. So who's your hero who shows hero in the Bible how many sealers out there in the Bible about whom only good things are cited that are not very manic, and they themselves in the course of their life story, confess their sinfulness on their feelings and so we need to understand his power on the fact that he is evil in his disposition member of the wonderful illustration John Bunyan gives of lesson programs progress about how evil he is but I sees as the pilgrim is going through his way on his pilgrimage to the heavenly city.
The evil ones could cut behind him and they seem to be able to inject blasphemous thoughts into his mind I need is mind exploits with a sense of guilt and Bunyan says he he didn't see that it was sleep. The evil ones doing this now. Many Christians go through life and have nothing and then experience the parallels that I am I am impressed by the number of Christians who've experienced that very reality CH Spurgeon was an example of this. He said he had never had anyone cuss on defined curses against Jesus flooding his mind that subtasks doesn't. He is supernatural in his power and he is wicked he will not play by your rules. And Paul is warning us against us by the very title that he gives to him as the evil one, but then thought, and thankfully Paul tells us not only about the nature of the battle and about the character of the enemy that he tells us that in the gospel of Jesus Christ that our resources for victory that actually is what takes up most of this passage I want you to notice a couple of things about what he says about those resources. He describes them as the Christian armor on the first thing I think we need to notice as we can trust this armor completely.
No. In order to help us understand that. I think we probably need to get rid of the Sunday school picture of the apostle Paul here in person and the fully God Roman soldier standing beside him. Roman soldiers did not God.
Prisoners like Paul in full battle dress. They were not Steinman man wearing the helmet but Paul is using about picture of the Roman soldier in order to remind us that that is actually in the Scriptures. A picture of another soldier in the language he uses here as well is the language he uses. Interestingly, in Romans chapter 8 is not just Paul saying look at the Roman soldier isn't he a great illustration of the kind of armor that we can win what he seems to have in mind is those passages in the prophecy of Isaiah. When Isaiah speaks about the Lord himself willing the Armand that she needed an altar to conflict with Satan. I say they love that Paul describes he is absolutely reliable. For this reason but Jesus himself warrant that you think back. This again is a great study to do privately, isn't it, to look through the whole of Jesus life and ministry in terms of the fact it was a conflict against the evil one on to ask yourself the question armor was Jesus wearing not the question.
Can I land from what Jesus did, but what was Jesus doing when you find so many illustrations of it in the pages of the Gospels and Paul spells it out here. He says we need the belt of truth, I think here. He may be refashioning not simply to the truth of the gospel, but to the truth of the gospel received into our hearts, not just the Bible out there, but the Bible being brought into our very hearts so that we we are able to face the battle not by scouting around and sing.
Is that a verse of the Bible that will help me here because the Scriptures are become so much part of our lives, but they hold everything about toast together. Then he says you need to wear the breastplate of righteousness. Why because one of the things that Satan characteristically does is to try to bring us to the spirit of our salvation by constantly reminding us of our guilt and our shame and arson. Of course this doesn't happen to insensitive people to indifferent people, but it happened to sensitive Christians with conscious self arson with conscious of our guilt and that gives the evil one a kind of landing place in our lives and hidden from our view, he will seek to stir laptop and say to us, how can you possibly be a Christian if that's in your mind and balance in your life and we need to allow them to where they armor off the righteousness of the breastplate was given to us in Jesus Christ.
The headlights are structuralist don't when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the sin within. What do I do what I say to my noise but slept you say that to him and you arty gonna use a timer Muslim but upward dilute and see him there, who made an end of all my sin. Satan accuses me, but my righteousness does not depend on anything in me, my righteousness is found in Jesus Christ on defined in Jesus Christ. I can say to Satan. Satan I am is righteous before the throne of God as Jesus the son of God, because the righteousness with which I am righteous is his righteousness, and then he says you need the shoes that will give you stability that's great us into his home office expression in some ways it's an unexpected expression as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
No, you know many places in the United States to even of sidewalks to walk on and so is difficult for us to imagine why would these boots be so important. It was so important because Roman rule absolutely existed.
One model on the one dangerous and testable and you are you on Moncton tracking on Roman roads. So what do you do all the shoe manufacturers understand what you need you need us soft and kind of strong shoe. If you're going to walk about children and Paul says that's what you get in the gospel and so you wear the shoes of gospel stability you use the shield the clenches Satan stops you take the sound of the spirit which is his word and you probably will. And what do you do if you fail when you come back to when you get to ask forgiveness. Putting on the system when a wonderful reminder. Even though the enemy accuses us we can stand firm because of Christ featuring Dr. Sinclair Ferguson series. The basics of the Christian life this week on Renewing Your Mind glad you joined us on this Monday. This is a series that captures the essence of what it means to be a Christian, you learn about the means of grace that have been given to us to help us grow. Plus how to discover God's will and how to endure hardship.
We invite you to request this 12 message series on two DVDs. Contact us today with a donation of any amount when you call us. It 800-435-4343 or when you go online to Renewing Your Mind.org again that phone number is 800-435-4343. There are other helpful resources available to you online@tabletalkmagazine.com, for more than 200 articles on the topic of spiritual growth, all with the goal of helping us as Christians press on in our walk with Christ every month. Table talk provides a Christian perspective on a current topic.
Plus, it provides daily guided Bible studies. Dr. RC Sproul started tabletop many years ago to help establish a single word to deepen our understanding of God. You can learn more about this helpful resource when you go to table talk.com. Well tomorrow Dr. Ferguson continues this series on the basics of the Christian life. I was tasked as Christians is not to discover what the secret will of God's task as Christians is to discover what the will of God punishing fascinating to me. Throughout the course of ministry. How many Christians want to discover the secret will of God. No interest in discovering the revealed will of we hope you'll join us Tuesday for another edition of Renewing Your Mind