Living Free in the Spiritual Realm (Engaging in a Spiritual War and Winning) The Theology The Basics of Spiritual Warfare

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1 Living Free in the Spiritual Realm (Engaging in a Spiritual War and Winning) (Revised 4/6/15) (The following notes are condensed from Spiritual Warfare by Chuck Lawless and John Franklin and Putting on the Armor by Chuck Lawless. Chuck is the chair of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism at Southern Seminary, Louisville, Ky. John is a pastor, Chair of Prayer for the North American Mission Board, and noted speaker on prayer. ) A. The Theology The Basics of Spiritual Warfare 1. A war began in Heaven between God and Satan. 2. This war is over God s sovereignty and Satan s Freedom. i. Is Satan free to attack you at will? Is God sovereign? 3. Let s examine the answer: Satan s freedom does not mean he is free to do anything he wants. It must fit with God s purpose. i. Old Testament Response 1. Job 1 & 2 - He had to ask permission. 2. Satan is already in a box. New Testament Response 1. Luke 8:32 Permission needed to enter pigs. 2. I Cor. 5:5 Prayer of a saint to remove hedge of protection from errant believer. 3. Rev. 13:7 Permission given to Satan to have additional powers. 4. Luke 22:31-32 Prayed for faith to be granted. a. He did not pray that Satan be bound. b. He did pray God s purpose in his life would be accomplished and that is that his faith be strengthened. 5. Examination of N.T. Scriptures on binding: a. Matt. 16:16-19 Released to add to the Kingdom with assurance. b. Matthew 18:15-18 Decisions in Church Conflicts. c. Matthew 12:29 Jesus operates from victory. i. He is already limited See my actions! Jesus operates from position rather than activity. d. Logic: Binding Satan defies logic and imposes God-like attributes to Satan. 4. Understand the Implications of a Sovereign God. i. Purpose? Kingdom expanded and his glory. Focus? On God. i Confidence? Victory depends on God and not me. iv. Success? Did God accomplish his purpose? 5. Understand the Implications of an Un-Sovereign God. i. Purpose? None other that random attacks from Satan.

2 Focus? Satan s machinations instead of God s purpose. i Confidence? My performance in wrestling Satan to the ground. iv. Success? Were we able to remove or bind Satan? 6. So, how do we approach Spiritual Warfare? From victory! He set us free! 7. Who is in Charge of your life? God Romans 8: God reveals His will and His glory through Spiritual Warfare. Part II - Putting on the Armor Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Eph. 6:10-13 Be strong. It s God s Armor. Struggle is against world forces and spiritual forces in high places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day. The battles that we fight today are real and they are designed personally for you! It is not easy because we are struggling against powers. It s not a quick fix, but a daily lifestyle of daily living of pleasing and honoring God. If you do not sense that you are in a spiritual war, then you are losing it! A. Putting on Truth Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with Truth Eph 6:14a a. Satan is a liar so the best defense is the truth. i. Example: Presented in the first person, I can t be a Christian because I just did, b. Jesus is the Truth, so we go to Him when the lie is presented. i. Example: Lord, I confess (I John 1:9) I did and I claim Romans 8:35 that, Nothing can separate us from the love of God. It is Truth that sets us free and keeps us free! c. Wearing the belt of truth means living a life of integrity and honesty before God, first, and then men. d. A test. i. Do you consistently tell the truth? Do you withhold the truth? Confess you sins one to the other, and pray for each other, that you may be healed. Jas. 5:16 i Are your public and private lives consistent with each other? iv. Do you strive to be the same person internally as you are externally? v. Do you rationalize your wrong, even when you know God is displeased? vi. Do you ever lie to convince yourself that your particular sins are

3 sometimes acceptable? e. Three movements of a Truth Encounter related to personal sin. i. The enemy accuses you - if you have sinned go to Truth who is a person, confess it and receive forgiveness. You are accused by the enemy of sin that you have already asked forgiveness. Check with Truth to see if the sin is dealt with, if you are confirmed by the Holy Spirit to be forgiven, and then resist the enemy. i You are accused and you do not go to Truth, but allow yourself to enter a torture chamber. Matt 18:34 f. Summary Statement i. Know Jesus personally Know His word i Live in the word B. Putting on the Breastplate of Righteousness and having put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. Eph. 6:14b a. Image of the Roman Soldier covers the vital organs including the heart i. Protects heart mainly Righteousness is a heart issue b. We are protected because He has given us his righteousness by faith. i. In righteousness you will be established; you will be for a from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. Isa. 54:14 count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ.. Phil 3:8-9 i Righteousness is a legal state, A DECLARATION as we have received his righteousness as payment for sin past, present, and future sins iv. We stand in Christ s righteousness when we are living out a life of righteousness, so that the work of God is evidenced daily in our live. c. A test from Paul s perspective in Ephesians 4:22-51 i. Put off falsehood and speak truthfully. (v.25) Those who have been stealing must stop. (v.28) i Don t let unwholesome speech come out of your mouth. (v.29) iv. Don t grieve the Holy Spirit, put away slander, anger, wrath, etc. v. Believers who wear the breastplate of righteousness not only turn away from wrong but turn to good. vi. v It is a legal state It is practical daily living in the Word - we cannot fully understand God s standards of right and wrong apart for knowing Christ and His Word!!! d. Summary Statement i. Live like Jesus Make right choices i Resist temptation

4 C. The Right Shoes. a. The Roman Soldier i. Wore strong boots with heavy soles for protection and studded nails for traction. The belt of truth or the breastplate of righteousness would do little good if the soldier is already on the ground. i Our footing needs to be sure and not slip. b. Standing firm is outlined by three writers i. Paul in Ephesians 6: Stand against the devils schemes.. 2. Stand your ground Stand firm... James 4:7 1. Resist the devil... i I Peter 5: Resist him (Satan) standing firm in the faith... iv. We aren t told to search for him or rebuke him, but standing on God as our rock. c. Feet fitted with readiness - experiencing His peace. i. The gospel itself tells a story of peace. 1. Jesus became our peace 2. Jesus offers reconciliation - peace. i Peace does not always indicate the absence of eternal conflict. 1. David faced a real enemy in the Philistine giant. 2. Conflict can be real, but so is inner peace! 3. Paul could speak of a gospel of peace even as he prepared believrs for war! God gives us peace even in the midst of battle. 1. Not like the world gives 2. Phil 4:6-7 SUGGEST YOU MEMORIZE THIS! d. Feet fitted with readiness - sharing our peace. i. Isa. 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns! i iv. Implication is readiness at a moments notice. God expects us to be obedient at all times which weakens the devils influence in our lives. Notice it was the obedience of the disciples that brought Satan down from heaven like a lightening flash. Luke 10 e. This relates directly to the abundant life. i. John 5:19...the son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does... Simply put, you must practice following the Father s activity everywhere you see Him going, and share the gospel of peace.

5 i You put this on by a clear commitment to Him each day to seek His direction and be used of Him to share the gospel of peace. f. A test. (Mark each statement T (true) or F (false) i. I am standing firm in my faith in spite of spiritual warfare. I seem to be under spiritual attack, and my faith is wavering. i I have a sense of peace in my heart that I really can t explain. iv. I know the good news should bring me peace, but I m experiencing more inner turmoil than peace. v. I am always ready to announce the good news, even when I m facing spiritual battles. vi. I m sure I ve missed opportunities to share my faith because I get more focused on my struggles than on God. g. Summary Statement i. Stand ready in faith. Be at peace with God. i Be at peace with others. iv. Share your faith. D. The Helmet of Salvation a. The Roman Soldier i. Leather or metal? Designed to protect the head from blows of a sword or club? b. Relates to hope of salvation i. Confident expectation that God will accomplish his will. A trusting, expecting confidence that God will save his children through the completed work of Jesus on the cross. c. Put it on i. To believe that God guides us today and will ultimately take us to heaven. i We then have confident hope that changes the way we live. We have complete confidence and a genuine hope that keeps us moving forward, never giving up, and running the race with faith. Heb. 12:1-2 & Rom. 12:1-2 d. This is a matter of the mind, which is protected by this helmet. e. Test. Which statement best reflects your level of hope: i. I want to trust God with confidence, but sometimes I struggle to accept His promises. i I believe in the hope of salvation represented in the resurrection, but I haven t though much about having hope in this world. I get so focused on my immediate needs and wants that I forget that God has an eternal plan for me. I live so much for today that I don t think much about the hope of eternity that God offers me. iv. My confidence in God is stronger, but I am still learning to fight off Satan by trusting confidently in God and His promises. v. I fight battles in my mind more often that I should because I

6 don t yet have enough confidence in God to trust Him completely. f. Ask God to restore your hope! g. Summary Statements. i. Understand who you were prior to salvation, and appreciated God s grace. Meditate upon and marvel at God s love and holiness shown in the cross. i Live in the assurance of Christ s return. E. The sword of the Spirit a. The Roman did not use the European long sword, but a short doubleedged sword for close hand-to-hand combat. i. The sword is a defensive and an offensive weapon. 1. Edge # 1 -With the word we resist the devil Jas. 4:7 a. We strike deadly blows to the enemy when we know, believe, and claim the truths of God s word. 2. Edge # 2 - We offensively enter Satan s domain when we proclaim forgiveness and freedom to those held in darkness. Col 1:13. a. The word of God will not return void. b. Evangelism is best carried out in one-on-one close and personal encounters. 3. The flat side of the sword was used to dub Knights in the British Empire. a. You can dub fellow believers by i. Encourage your fellow Christians with a verse of blessing, reproof, or doctrine. i Phil. 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Put it on 1. Study the Bible so that you can correctly handle the word of truth. 2. Know and live the Word! 3. Tell the good news found in the Word, offering hope to other persons held in bondage. 4. Memorizing Scripture will help us guard against sin. 5. Teach the Word to others so that they, too, will know how to use the sword of the Spirit. Summary Statement 1. Read, know, and live the word of God. 2. Speak the good news to others. F. Finally, with all Prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit. a. If one just took their thoughts captive, they would be in prayer most of the time. b. Prayer is communication with God, who is the Commander and Chief of the Lord s army.

7 c. How can you be successful in any war without clear communication from the General from whom the orders of the battle flow? d. You put this on by committing to Him each day that you listen and obey what He says. e. No missionary has been successful without hours dedicated to the simple act of prayer. G. Special advice to Mission Teams: a. A team must act like a team, so talk to each other. i. If you are struggling in an area, share it with the group. Spiritual healing comes. James 5:16, Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed b. Spiritual warfare unique to Mission Teams i. Spiritual warfare before a mission project. Generally designed to keep you from going or being on mission. i Spiritual warfare during a mission project. Generally comes in the first person like I wish my testimony was like George s. Goal is to keep you from being effective on the field you tend to believe what you think. Spiritual warfare after a mission project. Designed to keep you from ever doing this again or encouraging anyone else to do it.