We are at War
Message by: Harrison Briner
When we pray Romans 10:9, it is answered 100% of the time.
Romans 10:9
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
A few weeks ago, Eladio preached on urgency. The time is coming, ready or not. Something we can't stop or hinder is the fact that - we are at war.
The devil is against you because you are the bearer of God's image. Satan will call you by your sin, but God calls you by YOUR name.
Satan hates you so much. He wants you dead… Not just dead in your life, but he wants you to turn from Jesus so that you will not make it to Heaven. He wants you tortured. He wants you apart from God.
John 10:10a
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
The enemy is working to separate you from Christ because… Jesus said:
John 10:10b
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
1 Peter 5:8-11
[8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The enemy wants to isolate you. You're an easier target when you are alone. The devil will have a harder time surrounding you if you surround yourself with other Christians - lifting you up and keeping you in check. You will have an easier time resisting him if you surround yourself with other born-again believers.
Genesis 3:1-7
[1] Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” [2] And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, [3] but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” [4] But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. [5] For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
The devil loves to plant doubt. Doubt that you aren't versed in God's word. Doubt of all things God tells you. He is crafty and deceitful. He kicks off the cycle of sin by planting doubt. Satan used that seed of doubt to begin the fall of man.
He will use whatever he can separate you from God and get you to sin.
Throughout the Bible, the devil is called many names throughout the Bible…
Matthew, Mark, Luke ~ Beelzebub
Job, Zachariah ~ Satan
Isaiah ~ the Morning Star/Lucifer
Revelation ~ the Accuser
Revelation, Job ~ the Deceiver
Throughout the New Testament ~ the Evil One, the Father of Lies, the Prince of this World, the Great Dragon
In John 17, Jesus prays for us that even though we live in this world, we are not of this world.
Now, before Jesus called His first disciple or performed His first miracle, He was tempted by Satan in the desert.
Luke 4:1-13
[1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness [2] for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. [3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” [4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” [5] And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” [8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” [9] And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, [10] for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ [11] and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” [12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Nobody is exempt from Satan's temptations.
1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
This verse highlights three separate sin temptations.
Flesh ~ Things that your body desires more than God. (Satan tried to tempt Jesus with glutton/eating bread after a 40 day fast.)
Eyes ~ Things that you see and want. (Satan tried to tempt Jesus with looking/wanting to rule over the kingdoms of the world.)
Pride ~ The preoccupation with oneself. (Satan tried to tempt Jesus with the exercising His command over the angels.)
In Luke 4, we see that even Satan knows Scripture. He will use whatever it takes to tempt you. He used the Holy Scriptures to Jesus, the Christ, to try to tempt Him against God the Father! Isn't that outrageous?
Ephesians 6:10-18
[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; [17] and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…
How do we fight?
Be strong in the strength of God's might. Not ours.
Wrap yourself up in the truth - God's word is truth!
The deeper you are in Christ, the more ready you are for battle.
Be rooted in the Word so that you will have it on the ready when you are in battle.
John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus our Lord. The enemy is trying to convince you that you are condemned and that you are your sin.
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
This is a hard book to read… but we need to and we are blessed for doing so.
Revelation 12:7-17
[7] Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [8] But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [9] The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
[10] Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. [11] They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
[12] Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” [13] When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. [14] The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. [15] Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. [16] But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. [17] Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
He knows his time is short. He is warring with us every day.
Everyday when you wake up, you are faced with choices. From the first moment.
We are faced with distractions from the moment we open our eyes. He does want you to distance yourself from God. He wants to kill you.
Revelation 20:1-3
[1] Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. [2] And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, [3] and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:7-10
[7] And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison [8] and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. [9] And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, [10] and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
He is desperate, knowing his time is short. He is using his time to come up against you - building up your guilt mountain and your sin mountain.
We are at war…. But we know Who wins the war. We do not fight from an even footing; we fight from victory!
