Apostles Church

Spiritual Warfare Part 3. Jesus’ understood his life and mission to be an all out war against what Paul calls “this present darkness;” a conflict between two kingdoms, the eternal, unshakeable Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Satan has plunged the world into sin, misery, division, death and condemnation, but Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil and will consummate his victory over Satan at his return. Look how does Jesus describe his mission?

Matthew 12:25-30. Jesus makes it clear that there are two kingdoms – the Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. These two Kingdoms are in conflict. Satan is called the strongman, one with great power and he has people held captive in sin and suffering. Don’t think that he is just talking about demon possessed people. Jesus clearly teaches (John 8) that in our natural born condition, because we have rebelled against God, we have joined Satan’s team in his all out rebellion against God. That does not mean we are Satan worshippers or that we are demon possessed or that we are as bad as we could be, but it means that we have chosen to side with Satan in his rebellion against God and we stand in opposition to God. We have joined Satan’s team in our rebellion and we share his same desire (to be independent of God and be our own God), walk in the same pattern (enslaved to sin and living in unbelief) and share the same fate (death and condemnation). As such, Satan has laid claim to our lives and according to Jesus and the Christian Scriptures, we are under his controlling influence. The picture is that Satan is a strongman who has captured people to do his will; He leads people further away from God into sin, destructive life patterns and misery; keeps people in bondage, accuses them and steals away any imagination and hope of being different or being free. Some of you know exactly what this like. The problem is that Satan and our own internal inclination to sin and rebellion against God is so strong that we are not strong enough to overcome either. So, we are weak slaves unable to break free. But, Jesus says he is entering the strongman’s house and he binds him (ties him up and renders him powerless to stop his attack), and then plunders his house. Jesus has come to rescue us. Jesus’ power to cast out demons is a demonstration that a greater kingdom is present with a greater king who can forgive us and free us and make us new. He binds the strongman; he overcomes him. Jesus is talking about his cross where Satan is rendered powerless and Jesus wins salvation for all who will believe in him. Jesus defeats Satan by his cross. We are forgiven and reconciled to the Father by his cross so now we have been brought to God’s side and Satan no longer has dominion or claim over our lives. We are free from the controlling power of sin and Satan, free from condemnation, and are made new with new capacity to live the life he intends for us. This is the broader picture: Two Kingdoms in conflict. One of a usurper king who has captured people and is keeping them in bondage to sin, inflicting suffering, and leading them to eternal alienation from God. The other king is Jesus who triumphs over the evil king and liberates the captives, reconciling them to God and freeing them to live a new life that beforehand has not been possible. Light is dispelling the darkness. The Kingdom of Satan is losing ground and the Kingdom of God is advancing. Notice: Jesus says that you are either with him or against him. You are part of one of those kingdoms. You either continue on Satan’s team in an all out rebellion against God living for self and enslaved to sin, or you turn to Jesus. Jesus invites us to side with him and receive his salvation and the ever emerging new life he creates in us; so that we are never what we used to be and not what we will be. Hope! For those of us who have sided with Jesus, we enter into this spiritual conflict. We are sent by Jesus to carry out his mission and to rescue those who are enslaved. Jesus said, we are either for him or against him and we are either gathering or scattering. We are called to be gathering; we are called to dispel the darkness with the light of the Gospel; to announce a freedom that has been won and to plunder the goods of a strongman who has been bound. We now belong to the kingdom of light and we are pushing back the darkness. When Paul was saved by Jesus, Jesus gave him this commission and it is every Christ-followers calling - Acts 26:14-18. So, we take the sword of the spirit (the word of the Gospel), shod our feet with the Gospel of Peace, and pray.

Light Dispels Darkness when people hear, understand and believe the message of Jesus. Satan adamantly opposes this with deception. The lie: They would not be interested. We believe this either because we see the person as a really moral person or as a really immoral person. Either they are quasi-religious or they are all out rebellious. Let me remind you: the gospel is for the self-righteousness and the rebel; the religious and the irreligious; the moral and the immoral. The Gospel says we are all sinners so no one is exempt from the need of grace and forgiveness; and the Gospel says we are all loved so no one is excluded from the invitation of grace and forgiveness. The Gospel says that in reality we are all so bad that Jesus had to die for us, yet so loved that he was glad to die for us. So no one can commend anyone as beyond the need of grace, and no one can condemn someone as beyond the reach of grace. A word about the immoral and irreligious: Many people think they would not be interested in the Gospel. They openly talk about their sin and illicit lifestyles. We think, They would not be interested in God. But, many of those same people are thinking that God would not be interested in them. One of the biggest lies that Satan will promote is that mercy is for the qualified. The only thing that qualifies us to receive mercy is sin. God never turns away a humble sinner who acknowledges their need for grace, and he stands ready to forgive and create in you an ever emerging newness of life. "The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it.” – John Eldridge. Satan opposes the gospel through intimidation and persecution. (1Thess 2:17-18). If you have ever experienced rejection, there is a fear factor that sets in on you. You start to believe some lies. Prayer is vital (6:18-20). Paul chained and praying for courage. Pray for boldness and compassion. There has to come a time when you care more about people’s salvation than your reputation.

Light Dispels Darkness when people personally experience the mercy of Jesus. Satan and sin have unraveld the fabric of creation. Jesus is reweaving it and will one day finally restore it. The Scriptures have given us a striking vision of what this world is destined to be when Jesus returns and finally heals it. Until then, we are to see all the brokenness around us and say “That looks nothing like what this world is destined to become and I have to do something about it.” So, as the people of God, we do what Jesus did, we enter the brokenness of this world, the ruin of people’s lives and we bring mercy and compassion and the power and authority of Jesus to change things. The enemy would love for us to be lulled into a life of pleasure seeking and comfort while the world all around us suffers. “I would rather die now than to live a life of oblivious ease in so sick a world.”– Nate Saint. The enemy would love for us to buy into the lie that we can’t really do anything to change the world. "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait, watch, and work. You don’t give up." – Tweet from @OfficialLove146. We are a people of stubborn hope who wait, watch, and work.

Closing: What is your carbon footprint - the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product.” Trying to reduce it. But, What is your Missional Footprint? Are people coming to know the love and grace of God through you? Are people becoming experiencing more of the ever emerging new life God wants for them because of your investment in them? Are broken people being made whole through your outreach; our outreach? We don’t want to reduce our missional footprint but expand it.