Spiritual Warfare (Part 2 of 2)

To win a battle, whether it's physical or spiritual, you need to know the opponent and recognize his strategies. So what are some of Satan's most common lines of attack?

And what's our best line of defense? We'll find out today on Truth for Life Weekend. Alistair Begg is teaching from chapter 6 in the book of Ephesians, but he begins today with a story about the Ephesians that you find in the book of Acts chapter 19. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers and authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places or heavenly realms.

The people in Ephesus were in little doubt that there was a devil. Acts chapter 19, and verse 11, God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them. And some of the Jews who were intrigued by all of these goings-on, we're told in verse 13, went around driving out evil spirits—at least, they went around trying to—and they tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed.

And they would say, In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out. Seven sons of Siva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you guys? So the evil spirit called their bluff, then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. So they didn't need anybody to convince them about the reality of demonic activity, the reality of spiritual warfare, the existence of cosmic and satanic involvement in spiritual wickedness.

The very fact that the seven guys go out with all their clothes torn off and bashed up and beaten up and bleeding. Everybody said, Did you hear what happened to the seven sons of Siva? Now nobody would have difficulty talking about spiritual warfare to these people, because they understood it clearly. So much so that verse 17 says, When this became known to the Jews and the Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. And many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.

Incidentally, this is what happens when the Spirit of God moves in power. People asking all the time, Is there revival here? Is there revival there? Well, one of the ways in which revival is identifiable throughout all of history—biblical history too—is that there are dramatic and inexplicable events in relationship to the repentance of believers and the radical change which God brings about in their lives. And the seven sons of Siva got their beating, and then people who had practiced sorcery began to bring their scrolls together, and they started to burn them in a big public bonfire. And when they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. And a drachma was a silver coin worth about a day's wages.

Fifty thousand days' wages! That was a lot of satanic activity that had been going on in Ephesus. If there was that much stuff going on, and that amount of people using these scrolls… And verse 20, "…in this way the word of the LORD spread widely and grew in power." So when he writes to the Ephesians and he says, Now I want you to be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power, they look at one another and say, That's right.

And when he reminded them that the struggle that they were facing was in this dramatic realm, they were not put off by that in any way. We may need to be convinced of it. We may find ourselves sitting here saying, No, I don't think that's right. And indeed, I think, by and large, the church at this point in history doesn't think it's right, apart from a few preoccupied zones. If we really thought that this was the battle, and if we really believe that this is the armor, and if we really believe that prayer is the key to effective transformation in a culture, then we could relax about November and the whole political struggle. Why is it that the church is preoccupied with all those other things? Because the church believes that that's the battle.

And Paul says, Mm-mm. Here's the battle. We're not up against human beings here. We're up against this powerful, evil, cunning force. Notice how he identifies this struggle as being a struggle that is against a great power. He says, These are the world rulers of the present darkness. The word that he actually uses there was used in astrology of the planets, which in the minds of these people were used to control the fate of mankind. And Paul wants his readers to understand that the foe is defeated, that these powers are no longer what they once were.

The fact is, they just won't quit. The victory in Christ is certain. V-day is absolute, but we're in V-day and D-day. The victory has been established, but the skirmishes are going on before finality is brought to the whole matter. So we are involved in a struggle that is against dramatic and powerful forces. We are involved in a struggle that is against evil. Evil.

These are the spiritual forces of evil. You know, people say tonight, you know, why is it that things are the way they are? Why is it that we have all this dreadful holocaust of abortion? Why is it that the embracing of pornography and filth and degradation is so endemic in our culture? The answer is, because of the prince of the power of darkness. Hollywood knows that it can make movies and make profit without filth, without destruction, without brutalizing violence.

So why in the world don't they just make these highly profitable, very enjoyable, family-type movies? And the answer is, because they are either wittingly or unwittingly the subjects of the prince of the power of darkness. They are both infiltrated and mobilized and enabled by spiritual forces, agents from the very headquarters of evil. And that's why it's impossible to reason with them, because they have no code of honor.

That's why it's impossible to talk to them about right and wrong or about the idea of censorship, because they have no moral principles. That's why it is impossible to suggest to them that there are things beyond ourselves that are more significant in terms of the matters of life, because they have no higher feelings. And the church lives in the midst of this world. Jesus said, I don't pray, Father, that you take them out of the world.

I pray that you leave them in the world, and I pray that you keep them from the evil one. We're supposed to be living in here. We're supposed to be in Hollywood making movies. We're supposed to be writing editorial articles for major newspapers. And we're not.

And the reason we're not is because twenty years ago, somebody told everybody, you're not supposed to do that. To the best of my knowledge, there is no significant Christian in that arena speaking out for the cause of Jesus Christ. And Jesus said, I pray you don't take them out of the world, Father. I pray you leave them in the world in the middle of this cosmic warfare with forces that are powerful, with forces that are evil.

And I pray, Father, that you keep them from the evil one. Why do we run away from that stuff? Because we're more afraid of the devil.

Oh, we couldn't go there. He might get us. Well, why would he get us greater to see that it is in us than he that is in the world? Powerful, evil, and cunning forces. That's the significance of the phrase, the devil's schemes. The devil's schemes. At the end of verse 11, then you will be able to take your stand against the devil's schemes. You find him saying similarly to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians chapter 2, in verse 11, in order that Satan might not outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes.

The evil one seldom attacks us openly. He identifies himself as an angel of light. He comes as a dangerous wolf, but he comes disguised as a sheep. He is the master of intimidation. He comes as a bully. He is the master of insinuation.

He comes as a beguiler. And that is why it is so imperative that we're no longer infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of man in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4.14. We're not to be those kind of people, he said. We're to be people on the alert. We're to be people with a knowledge of the Bible. We're to be people understanding the schemes and the dreams and the dialogues of our day. We're to be able to interact with the world in which we're living. We're supposed to understand what's going on here. We don't have to drink the poison to know it will kill us, but we are alert to the fact that it is poison. We are able to equivocate between light and darkness, truth and error, and we are able to stand back from it and see that ultimately this great and tragic cosmic affair is in light of the fact that we're engaged in spiritual warfare.

Now, as I say, all I wanted to do tonight was to introduce this to you. And that's really all I have endeavored to do. I want to mention to you that the concern that Paul has for them and for us is that we would be able to stand, that we wouldn't be wobbly Christians who have no foothold, either in Christ or in the Scriptures. For the wobbly Christian who neither knows his Bible nor is in intimate relationship with Jesus is an easy prey for the devil.

And this whole section is about becoming stable both in character and in the face of conflict. And that's why he says, I want you to be able to take your stand against the devil's schemes. When you have faced the evil day, that you may be able to stand your ground.

And after you've done everything else, that you would be able to stand. And then in verse 14, that you would be standing firm then. And then he's about to go on and introduce the material that is there concerning the armor into which we will come. Well, let me just summarize this by reminding you that there are a number of traditional lines along which the evil one comes to the believer. You remember he attacked Jesus without success in Matthew chapter 4?

You can read that for your homework. And as we observe his insinuations and his attacks in the Scriptures, and as we become alert to them in our lives, we find—at least I find, perhaps you do too—that the evil one comes to attack us in the realm of our assurance. Right at the very beginning of the relationship between man and God, the evil one comes to Eve in the garden, and what does he say to her? Did God really say?

Did God really say that? And one of the classic and continual lines along which the evil one comes to rock and to displace the believer tonight is to seek to attack us in the realm of our assurance, to try and unsettle us concerning the truths of who Jesus is and what he has done. And we need to learn how to identify his schemes. He comes to attack us in the realm of our worship. He comes to attack us in the realm of our purity. He comes to endeavor to disable us and discourage us, and he's masterful in his scheming. He's subtle, as it says here in verse 11. He's a schemer.

He likes to come and attack us also on the intellectual realm. 2 Corinthians 4.4. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. You listen to that Discovery Channel for more than half an hour, and it drives you crazy.

Tremendous intellectual prowess that is manifested there. How can it be that people so bright miss it so badly because of the cosmic struggle in which we find ourselves? The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They can't see the light of the glory of the gospel in Jesus. And he comes to attack not only in a subtle way, not only an intellectual way, but he comes to attack us at the realm of morality. 2 Timothy 2. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness and faith and love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because, you know, they produce quarrels, and the Lord's servant mustn't quarrel.

Instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will. Can I ask you this evening, are you standing your ground in the matter of assurance, in the matter of worship, in the realm of purity?

Who's winning the battle there? When we have fought, as Philip says to us, stand still, enabled by the strength of the Lord Jesus, we can still stand our ground. And it is as we live in relationship with God that we're enabled in that way. How was it that Daniel, in an environment so alien to him, in a world in which they changed his name and changed his education and changed his location and changed so much about him—how was it that Daniel was able to stand in the evil day? And I think the answer simply and surely is that he recognized that his strength was in the Lord. He recognized that the battle belonged to the Lord, and he dared to put God to the test.

The matter of spiritual warfare has been dealt with in a number of key places throughout history. Some of you may have on your shelves or may like to get on your shelf a book by William Gurnell, an English pastor in Suffolk in the seventeenth century. He wrote a book in 1655 called The Christian in Complete Armor. In one of its versions, a three-volume version, it runs to 1,472 pages. It has 261 chapters. That's what I call a book.

He qualifies as a writer. It was called The Christian in Complete Armor. Listen to his subtitle, The Saints' War Against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness, and chief design he hath against the saints. A magazine opened from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with the armor, and taught the use of his weapons together with the happy issue of the whole war.

Can you imagine him trying to convince the editors today that this would fit nicely on the front cover as a little subtitle? What he's saying is, I've spent 1,472 pages telling you dear people about this, because you live in a war zone. I was born in 1952. There was still rationing in Britain when I was born.

And indeed, when I was old enough to be aware of what was going on, there were still the evidences, the lingering evidences of warfare all around us. You know, why is the cooking so bad in Scotland and in Britain? I mean, why is the food the way it is, people have asked? It's not so bad today. But it was traditionally pretty bad.

Or, I should say, pretty basic, not bad. And those of you who understand this and were around at the time will know that there was a cliché which went round and around when people said, Oh, I'd love to have an egg. Oh, I'd love to have some sugar in my tea.

Oh, I'd love to have a pastry. And the answer was, Don't you know there's a war on? Loved ones, whenever believers start to fight one another, don't you know there's a war on? Whenever we begin to assume that the whole object of our Christian experience is so that we might sit around and have pastries with each other and just rub one another's backs for the kingdom, hey, don't we know there's a war on? Whenever we're tempted to settle down into superficiality and settle for lethargy in our Christian experience, we need to open up the Scriptures and hear the Spirit of God say to us, Hey, don't you know there's a war on? And then, in taking it seriously, with a thorough knowledge of what we're up against and a solid grasp of the victory that is ours in Christ, and with an awareness of the provision that God has made for us in the struggle, we will be able, as in the words of the hymn we sang, to stand then in his great might, with all his strength endured, and take to arm us for the fight the panoply of God. That means the fullness of his provision in terms of the armor, that having all things done and all our conquests past, whatever the word was, that we may be victorious in Christ alone and stand complete at last. It is important that we are able to recognize the devil's schemes and at the same time to stand firm in Christ's victory and the truths of God's Word. You're listening to Truth for Life Weekend with Alistair Begg.

Alistair returns in just a minute. But I want to tell you about a brand new book titled Gospel Shaped Marriage, Grace for Sinners to Love Like Saints. If you've been married for any length of time, you know that even the best union isn't going to be perfect. All marriages have challenges. The book Gospel Shaped Marriage explores how to draw from both God's design for marriage and the love of Christ to overcome common challenges.

You can find out more about the book Gospel Shaped Marriage when you visit our website, truthforlife.org. Now here's Alistair to close with prayer. Our gracious God and Father, we thank you that your word is clear, that you have redeemed us in Christ and raised us to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, raised us to the realm of victory but to the realm also of warfare. And we thank you for the reminder that the struggle that we face is not ultimately against flesh and blood and agendas that are earthly in their origins, but it is ultimately against powerful, evil, cunning forces. And we thank you for the reminder that your plan and purpose for us is not that we would go and hide in a corner somewhere and wait for you to come back and get us.

Nor is it that we would go and make a fuss and a bother in areas that we should leave well alone, but it is that we should be in your world, actively living in the realm of business and education and home and music and literature and journalism and ethics, shining in the midst of darkness. We thank you tonight for the protection that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ against the evil one. And we pray that you will continue to protect us, to provide for us, to enable us to say afresh, Here I am. Send me out, Lord. Use me in the struggle. And grant that I may go in the enabling of your great strength for Jesus' sake. Amen. I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for listening. The Bible is clear that Jesus has defeated Satan.

So why do we still need to be concerned about it? Join us next weekend to hear the answer. On behalf of all of us at Truth for Life, Happy Father's Day to all of the dads listening this weekend. We hope you're able to spend time together with your family. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.