Disciples are in a Battle

Westhill Community Church

Sun 27 Oct 2019

Reading 2 Cor 10: 1-6

1. Spiritual Warfare is Experienced by Every Disciple

Paul asserts here: we are waging war; we are fighting with weapons; we are demolishing strongholds; we are taking things captive; we are punishing disobedience. He is not speaking of himself alone. This is not a unique and specialised gifting and ministry of just an apostle or church leader. He says we are engaged in this battle. No one is exempt. This is part of the calling of every disciple of Jesus.

Near the end of his life the apostle Paul shared with Timothy his perspective on all that he had been through: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4: 7). He doesn’t say that his life has been wonderful or blessed. He doesn’t say that things have gone well for him and that he is content with his lot. He doesn’t say that he has been privileged to see the Church of Jesus Christ grow, with vibrant Christian communities planted all over Asia and Europe. He might have said any of these things quite accurately and truthfully. But instead he summarises his life as follows. It has been a battle. It has been a struggle to overcome. I have had to hold on tight to my faith.

Do you find that surprising? I have to say many of us do when things start getting tough. We so often respond to difficulties and setbacks by saying, “Why has this happened to me? It shouldn’t be like this. I thought my experience as a Christian would be love, joy, peace, blessing and contentment, but instead I’m facing difficulties and pressures – what is going wrong?” But the apostle Peter says to us, actually this is to be expected if you are a true disciple: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Pet 4: 12). The spiritual battle we are engaged in is not a skirmish in a distant land; it is a ferocious onslaught raging all about us and against us, whether we are aware of it or not.

I have to say that I believe this battle is raging more fiercely about our church just now than we have ever experienced before. There are many who are feeling overwhelmed by pressures of one kind or another, troubled with feelings that they will be unable to cope. And at the same time there exists a much wider spiritual onslaught against the people of God in general. The society in which we live increasingly holds different values to followers of Christ. We are in a time when those who aspire to follow God’s will are viewed at best as archaic and at worst as morally bankrupt. The idea that one should seek God’s will and obey Him is anathema to our secular society, and those who live this way are increasingly marginalised and vilified. So this brings me to my second point.

2. Spiritual Warfare is fought on Three Fronts

There are three major opponents that we battle against. The apostle Paul wrote,

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.” (Eph 2: 1-3).

The decision to follow Jesus and be his disciple means in practice that we cease to follow three other entities: the ways of the world; the ruler of the kingdom of the air; and the cravings, desires and thoughts of the flesh. These three are referred to in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer:

“[F]rom al the deceytes of the worlde, the fleshe, and the deuill: Good lorde deliuer us.”

2.1 The World

John wrote, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2: 15). J B Phillips translated Romans 12: 2 as “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould.” Do not be confused as to the meaning of the world in these and other similar verses. We are told that God loved the world (John 3: 16), and this being so then clearly we too should love the world. God’s love is for the lost people inhabiting the world. The world referred to in John’s and Paul’s letters is the set of principles and values that motivate and inspire those who refuse to acknowledge or accept God’s authority. Human society without God – what it holds important and dear. And it is this world that exerts a continual pressure on the people of God, through its media, through its values, through its examples, always beckoning, always calling and insisting “follow our way.” And the Christian must always respond, “I have decided to follow Jesus: no turning back, no turning back. The world behind me the cross before me: no turning back, no turning back.” The Bible uses one word to summarise the Christian’s response to the attacks of the world – overcoming.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33)

The apostle John wrote, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5: 4)

2.2 The Flesh

There is similar confusion as to the meaning of the flesh in these Bible verses. But it is not referring to the natural biological inclinations, even though these are often involved when we fall. The flesh referred to here is those principles and values that motivate and inspire the individual who refuses to acknowledge or accept God’s authority. The flesh is my own self-will when I refuse to submit to God’s will, when I go it alone, when I act according to my own inclinations and wisdom without seeking God’s way. It is what I trust in when I don’t trust in God. The flesh is what caused the fall in the Garden of Eden. And the flesh continues to beckon and entice those who follow Jesus. This is a very real conflict, but Paul encourages the committed disciple, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5: 16). When I seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, when my trust is fully in Jesus, when I obey his instructions without question, when I walk closely following his footsteps, then I will walk in victory over the flesh.

2.3 The Devil

The third opponent of the follower of Jesus is the devil. The devil represents and leads a vast army of spiritual beings vehemently opposed to God’s will and those who seek God’s will. Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6: 12). Paul makes the following points about the devil’s opposition. He is a spiritual being: he attacks intelligently and often from a direction that takes us unawares. He leads forces: there are many of them and they are strong. He is evil: none of his enticements are benign, all are intended to destroy us. He inhabits heavenly realms: he operates in a dimension quite beyond our understanding.

In the face of such formidable opposition it would be understandable for the disciple to throw up his or her hands in surrender, were it not for one thing. The Bible says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4: 7). The refuge that God provides is not only a safe haven from the enemy’s attack, it also causes him to flee in fear. This is quite remarkable, and it brings me to my third and final point.

3. God Intends us to be Victorious

In our reading Paul said that the people of God have been provided weapons that are powerful. Weapons that can demolish, destroy and take captive. These are not natural, physical weapons, nor are they the kind of weapon that the world uses or could use. They are divine; they are powerful; and they are effective.

I have already referred to one of these weapons: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4: 7). Well, I call it a weapon, but actually it is more like the key to the entire armoury. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” is one of the texts we like to memorise, and perhaps hang up on the wall so we don’t forget it. But I wonder, how often have you resisted the devil and he hasn’t fled away, but just stayed their prodding and provoking. Perhaps something came to mind that you felt guilty about, and although you reminded yourself that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and claimed forgiveness through his blood, the feelings of guilt remained. You couldn’t throw them off no matter how much you tried. Or perhaps things had not been going well and you started having anxious thoughts. And of course you knew that you could cast all your burdens on the Lord and be freed from anxiety, but somehow it remained and got worse.

The problem is we’re so good at quoting verses out of context, and this verse commences “Submit yourselves, then, to God.” The first step is actually not resisting the devil, it is submitting to God. What is submission? Many of us have a very limited idea of what submission to God means. We often think it means to trust in God and stop worrying and striving, to rest in His provision. But this isn’t what submission means. Submission is yielding yourself fully to God. It is laying down your rights, your resources, everything you are and have. It is kneeling before him with bowed head, recognising and acknowledging his complete authority over you. Submission was what Jesus did when he prayed “Nevertheless not my will but Yours be done” (Luke 22: 42). Submission is agreeing 100% with His purposes, His decisions and His requirements.

Psalm 46 reminds us that God is our refuge and fortress. Inside that fortress we cannot be moved, and the devil flees from us. But that fortress is a place of submission. Inside that fortress nobody is unforgiving. Why not? Because Jesus says forgive as you have been forgiven, and if I decide not to forgive I am not submitting. I am rebelling, so I have to step outside the fortress. And out there I am exposed to all that the devil wants to throw at me. Inside that fortress nobody is grumbling. Why not? Because the word of God says “Do everything without grumbling” (Phil 2: 14) and if I decide to grumble I am not submitting. I am rebelling, so I have to step outside the fortress. Brothers and sisters we all grumble! We all fail the Lord, probably every day. But the point is, when I become aware that I’m grumbling, or criticising, or judging, or whatever it is, I need to straightaway bring that to the Lord, seek His forgiveness, and determine not to fall into that trap again. That is submission. That way I stay in the fortress. But if there’s something Jesus said don’t do and I decide to do it anyway, then I am not submitting to him. And if he tells me to do something and I ignore him, then I am not submitting. Too often we persuade ourselves that what we think of as little sins, little acts of rebellion, don’t really matter. But they do. They render us exposed and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

Writing to the Ephesians Paul said, “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4: 27). Do not give the devil a secure place from which he can attack you with impunity. And what kind of things was it that Paul considered would give the devil such a foothold? Not speaking truthfully to one another (v 25). Harbouring an angry spirit (v 26). Appropriating what belongs to another (v 28). Ignoring the needs of others (v 28). Saying things that damage instead of helping (v 29). Anything that grieves the Holy Spirit, including bitterness, slander and every form of malice (v 30-31). Lack of kindness, compassion and forgiveness (v 32).

Let me share with you one of the most challenging and sobering statements in the New Testament.

“That is why many among you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.” (1 Cor 11: 30, 31)

There were some at the church in Corinth who had experienced weakness. Others had fallen sick. And some of them had died. And Paul said to them, if you were more discerning in your understanding of the body of Christ and your behaviour to one another as part of the body such things could have been prevented.

What was it about the church life at Corinth that Paul believed was out of order? It all had to do with celebrating communion or the Lord’s Supper. But it wasn’t that their liturgy was faulty. Nor was it that they weren’t correctly conforming to canonical law. It had to do with their communion with one another: their fellowship together; their love for, care for and support for one another. It seems that their celebration of the communion was in the form of a big fellowship supper. Everyone brought along their own food, but it wasn’t pooled as pot-luck meal would be. Those who were affluent brought along plenty of food and drink and had a banquet. Those who were poor brought along meagre scraps that hardly satisfied their hunger. But there was no sharing; these different groups ate separately. You are humiliating those who are poor, said Paul, and behaving like this you are effectively despising the body of Christ.

What Paul says here is consistent with what he shared with the church at Ephesus. When we fail to take seriously one thing or another that Jesus tells us to do then we give the devil a foothold – a place from which he can attack with impunity. And his attacks are designed to cause us maximum trouble and grief.

These scriptures are not teaching that every grief and trial we experience comes upon us because we have sinned. The disciples made that mistake, and Jesus had to firmly put them right. But they do teach us that not being serious about obeying Jesus can open up ways for the devil to attack us that otherwise he would not have. To be in that place of refuge from which we can effectively resist the devil and cause him to flee we need to be fully submitted to the Lord. And this means being totally obedient to what he bids us do.

I shared at the beginning that I believe the spiritual battle is raging more fiercely about our church just now than we have ever experienced before. As a church we are going to have to resist the enemy together in order to see him flee. We are going to have to gather together in believing prayer in order to see spiritual strongholds topple. The elders are considering opportunities for calling the church together for united prayer. We believe this is urgently needed. We will share more with you about this in the days to come.

But my task this morning is to present to you a challenge. If we try to break down spiritual strongholds but are half-hearted about our obedience to Christ then we will fail. If we try to cast down all the devil’s works but think we can pick and choose what we submit to Christ’s authority we will fail. If want to see God’s kingdom coming in power in Westhill and the surrounding area, with the gates of hell yielding before us, but are unprepared to bow the knee before the Lord in every area of our lives, then we will fail.

So my challenge is this. If you belong to Jesus, if you own him as your Saviour and Lord, will you, as you prepare for communion today, make this commitment to Him from the bottom of your heart?

“Lord, I am determined to give the devil no foothold from which he can launch his attacks. From this moment on I submit every thought, every word and every deed of mine to your lordship. I am truly sorry for thoughts I have had that have grieved your Holy Spirit. I am truly sorry for words I have uttered that have caused you and my brothers and sisters pain and sorrow. I am truly sorry for things I have done that have been contrary to your will. In making this commitment I ask you to alert me, restore me and forgive me whenever I stray from this pathway, and to give me the grace to hold true to this commitment for the rest of my days.”