Fight For Your Life | Knowing is Half The Battle

Not a PHYSICAL FIGHT — SPIRITUAL FIGHT Today’s Goal Know that we are a part of something bigger Knowing is half the battle This world is NOT WHAT IT SEEMS There is a behind the veil We live in BOTH… A PHYSICAL REALITY A SPIRITUAL REALITY More than just a body A soul/spirit Naturalistic vs. Theistic Worldview Naturalism – naturalism beliefs Naturalism: The belief that nature is all that exists and that all things supernatural (including gods, spirits, souls, and non-natural values), therefore, do not exist Theism: The view that all things are dependent in some way on one supreme or ultimate reality or being Naturism is what we have inherited Suspicious of anything that cannot be proven by science Trust the science But this has left us with a MEANING CRISIS What is the point of life if there is nothing beyond what we can see (naturalism) The spiritual tide is returning — But bring in with it the sharks Not all good things A recent study of 10,000 Gen Z individuals aged 13 to 25 years: 68% considered themselves religious 77% considered themselves spiritual Gen Z individuals define spirituality as: Autonomous and faith unbundled, and it is inclusive of all faiths and practices All roads lead to the same destination Pick your spirituality Individualism with a “SPIRITUAL VENEER” Significant increase in the supernatural “Witchtok” Wiccan Crystals Horoscopes Palm Readers Tarot Cards Pagan ceremonies New Age philosophies These are off-limits to Christian believers Cannot be a partner with both light & darkness   Why does this matter? It matters because of the CHRISTIAN WORLD VIEW There is a spiritual reality This spiritual reality is composed of EITHER – Light or Dark – Goodness or Evil This Spiritual reality has REAL CONSEQUENCES for our PHYSICAL life   The Christian answer to this is this The Christian recognizes that there are Good spiritual forces that come from God our Father, and there are also rebellious, wicked forces that oppose the things of God How we engage with this reality is called: SPIRITUAL WARFARE We take spiritual warfare seriously because we take the Bible Seriously   Paul writes a letter to a church he planted after being a missionary in a place called Ephesus Ephesus was known as a place that practiced pagan (demonic) magical arts Diverse area Mixing pot of religion and philosophies   To fight for your life, you must first… 1: Know Your Enemy Ephesians 2:1-3 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. Paul introduces us to the “UNHOLY TRINITY OF EVIL POWERS” The Unholy Trinity of evil powers: The Devil The World The Flesh   We must take into account all three of these The Devil Satan is the personal name of the head of the demons. Demons are evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world The tempter – in the Garden and of Jesus The King of lies The enemy of God and his good creation The World The political, philosophical, moral, and relational powers and forces of our current age What the world strives for Tell us is important Driven by the enemy of God We must understand our culture and RESIST its lies, and speak the truth BACK TO IT Salt and light The Flesh Fallen Human nature with its affections and lusts Our natural fallen inclinations/desires Not always “The devil made me do it”   Satan will use all three to his advantage He can only tempt us and lie He cannot force us to do anything This is what we are up against, but we are not POWERLESS and WITHOUT HOPE   To fight for your life, you must… 2: Know your allies Ephesians 3:10-12 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. God’s answer is not LONE WARRIORS but THE ARMY OF CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS The church of Christ Jesus The church is BEST THING for the world It’s God’s plan for the nations Spiritual warfare is not a battle we should fight alone but with one another Praying for one another Encouraging one another How does a church equip you to fight for your life? Corporate Worship – Declaring God’s victory together Corporate teaching – Understanding the truth of the world Sacraments – Modeling and remembering Christ’s victory (Baptism, communion) Life-Giving Relationships – Supporting one another A lone warrior is an easy target Satan will pull you away from people to distract and destroy you There are no bystanders Your church helps keep you strong   To fight for your life, you must… 3: Know the enemy’s tactics Ephesians 4 17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.   20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.   25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.   Playing high school football – Film Day Learn from your mistakes from the previous week See what you were up against next week This knowledge lets you go into the game with a STRATEGY Paul is teaching us to live a SPIRITUALLY STRATEGIC life   What are the enemy’s tactics? Hard Hearts: A heart that cannot be touched and moved and made to feel tender emotions — empathy, sympathy — toward suffering Pulling you back to a former way of living Returning to the broken thinking and actions that you lived in before coming to Christ Habitual sins Opportunities What we do How we speak (foul language) How we respond Bitterness, anger, slander, malice   We’re in a fight for our life For our culture For our families For our church Let’s close with Paul’s words… Ephesians 5 15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.