Ephesians 6:10-12, Beloved We are at War (Part 2)

Ephesians 6:10-12
Beloved, We are at War, Part 2

            Last week we learned that we are at war as Christians.  We learned that the work we do as Christians invites war.  This week we are going to learn more about the nature of our combat. 

 

#2:  Our War is a Spiritual War.

            Our war is a spiritual war.  It is not a physical war.  It is spiritual in nature.  Notice verse 12, “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.”  In 2 Corinthians 10:3 Paul says, “For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.”

 

Throughout Scripture we see pictures of this spiritual war going on.  In Revelation 12.  In Daniel 9.  In 2 Kings 6:8-18.  It is a war that takes place in the spiritual realm, a realm that is invisible to us while we are in the physical world.  And what Paul is telling us is that we engaged in a war, but not in a war like those of this world.  It is a spiritual war occurring in a world, a realm beyond that which our eyes can see.  Let’s look at several aspects of this spiritual combat we are in.

 

#1:  Our enemy is spiritual.  In verse 12 Paul begins by informing us who our enemy is not.  He says it is not other human beings, which is evident from his words, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood.”

 

Paul wants us to have eyes to see beyond this physical world and see the larger context of our warfare.  It is a spiritual war.  Furthermore, he wants us to see that our enemy is not those within our fellow race, but, those who are of another race.  A spiritual race, or races.  He says we fight against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

 

Let me make just 2 quick points.  First, Satan obviously is organized.  Many commentators say that this list of demons implies a certain hierarchy within Satan’s demonic empire.  There are sophisticated organizational charts with various levels or power and authority and jurisdiction.  All the details of this structure are not for us to know.  What is for us to know is that this massive organization of evil is sophisticated, powerful, efficient and it is all aimed at the destruction of our little human race.  This should sober us up to the reality of a deeply wicked enemy whose employment is aimed at destroying us.  All their resources, intelligence and energy are working around the clock to scheme and strategize our downfall.  And this realization should motivate us to turn to God for the power and protection afforded us in Christ in order to withstand these enemies.   

 

What should be clear to each of us is this:  Satan and his demons are experienced.  How long has the human race been around?  A long time.  He has been employing his strategy for a long time.  He comes to you with thousands of years experience in tactics for attacking the human race.  How many years have you been consciously engaging in spiritual warfare?  How long have you been practicing your stance against his tactics?

 

Satan and his armies have been doing this for a whole lot longer than us.  We are no match.

           

            #2:  Our enemy’s tactics are spiritual.  In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  In order to devour someone he has in his arsenal a variety of spiritual weapons.  I’m going to point out 5 such weapons:  Doubt, Deception, Discouragement, Disobedience, and Division.  These are 5 weapons Satan uses. 

 

                        #A.  Doubt.  The only way a man may save his soul is by faith.  We can only be counted as righteous by God if we believe (Rom. 4:5).  The only way to please God is through faith (Heb. 11:6).  Anything that does not come from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).  So, one of Satan’s chief objectives is to keep men in doubt.  Keep the unbeliever from believing so that his soul will perish with Satan.  And, keep the Christian from living by faith so they never please God or produce righteousness in their lives (2 Cor. 5:8).  Satan wanted Eve to doubt God, which is why he came to her to lead her into disobeying God’s command.  All disobedience to God starts with doubt of God.  Doubt always underlies disobedience just as faith always leads to obedience in the Christian life.

 

                        #B.  Deception.  How does Satan cause someone to doubt?  He uses deception.  He is the chief architect of all that is false.  He is the supreme engineer of lies.  Jesus said of him in John 8:44, “Satan was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  Satan never tells the truth, and, he does whatever he can to keep people from the truth.  In 2 Corinthians 4:4 it says that he “has blinded the minds of unbelievers”.  Blinded them to what?  To the truth of Christ that can save their souls, it says next, “So that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  It then says in 11:14, “for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 

 

He lied to Eve in Genesis 3:4.  She knew that God said not to eat from the tree or she would die and Satan’s words were an outright lie, “You will not surely die.”  He prompted Peter to lie 3 times and deny that he knew Christ.  He led Judas to lie and betray Jesus.  In Acts 5 Satan put it into the hearts of Annanias and Saphira to lie to the Apostles.  Revelation 20 tells us that even the nations of the world are trapped in the net of Satan’s lies, “[The angel] threw [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the 1000 years were ended.  After that he must be set free for a short time.”  There will be 1000 years when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign over the earth in truth and righteousness, when lies will be no more.  But at the end Satan will be released from the Abyss and he will start up his machine of deception again as verse 7 says, “When the 1000 years are over, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth…”

 

He is a liar and his work is lies.  And he has his workmen.  Second Corinthians 11:13-15 says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising then if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.”  He has false apostles sent throughout the world pretending to be sent by Jesus Christ. 

 

These are Satan’s false teachers sent to the Church, who spread the doctrines of demons, 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”  These are the wolves Paul warned the Ephesians about in Acts 20:29-30 when he said, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.”  These are the men whom Jude 4 says, “For certain men have secretly slipped in among you.  They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”  Satan wants to corrupt the Church with his lies and he uses his workers to do it by pretending to be real Christians but in reality they are wolves, false apostles, and false teachers. 

 

He also has false churches that name the name of Christ but do not belong to Him.  They are false Christians, the kind Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 11:26.  And these false churches are made up of false Christians who demand false teachings from false teachers.  You might say, “Oh c’mon Pastor!  Whole churches?”  Well, this is what 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  In 2 Timothy 3:5 Paul warns true believers about what these false churches look like, “[They will have] a form of godliness but deny it’s power.”  In other words, they will look like they are godly, like they are righteous and like they belong to God, but, they deny the power of God, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:24). 

 

These false Christians are the people who Jesus said won’t realize they had it wrong until they are judged.  Jesus said in Matthew 7:23-24, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evil doers!’”  They are the tares among the wheat (Matthew 13), the false Christians who belong to Satan  and gather together thinking they are the real Christians.  And because they are so many they will think to themselves that they are on the right road.  But Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter [destruction] through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” 

 

            Listen brothers and sisters, here is a very important point:  Satan uses the truth to tell lies.  In other words, Satan uses the truth of God’s word and twists it into lies.

He used God’s Word against Eve, “Did God really say?”  He wanted to have a discussion about God’s Word with her.  He even used God’s Word, Scripture against Jesus Christ, of course without success.  In Matthew 4 Satan tempted Jesus 3 times and each time his tactic was to use a twisted Bible verse out of context.  This work of deceiving people about God’s Word has always been Satan’s best tactic, and, it still is today.  For instance, in 2 Peter 3:16 we are informed of people who twist Scripture, “Paul writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.  His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”  These are the same kinds of people who Paul said in Acts 20:30, “Even from among your own number men will arise and distort the truth …”  This means Christians, specifically Christian leaders. 

 

They add to and they take away from the Scriptures.  Of course in Revelation 22:18-19 we find this sober warning, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which is described in this book.”

 

Satan uses God’s truth, twists it, and uses it to then tell lies.  By doing this he makes people feel like they really know God and are safe, but, in reality they don’t.  His favorite citizens of Hell are those who live so close to the truth but never see it, and never escape their descent to Hell.  Satan’s chief weapon against us is deceit.