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Strong in the Lord - Part 2

The Real Enemy

Ephesians 6v10-13

8th July 2016

Last time, we studied Paul's exhortation to:

Ephesians 6v10
...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Satan is crafty. Right back in Genesis 3, when man and woman were still in a state of innocence, the devil came saying, "Did God really say you mustn't eat from any tree in the garden?" When Eve replied that God had told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or they'd die, the devil lied, "You won't surely die, you'll become like God" Eve and then Adam fell for the deception, and mankind fell into sin.

And today, the devil will come to you and ask, "Did God really say you can't do this, or that, or the other thing? Does the Bible really say what it seems to say? That sin won't harm you; it'll do you good." Satan is crafty.

Even Jesus was sorely tempted. In Matthew Chapter 4, Satan came to Jesus three times to tempt him.

And if the devil will tempt Jesus in these ways, He will tempt you in the same ways.

Satan suggests to us that good can be achieved by doing wrong. He knows what we want, and he offers to it give to us if we'll only do things his way. Of course he's a liar, and we won't get what we want from him, but he's very persuasive.

Satan means "enemy". And Satan - the devil - is our true enemy. Paul says:

Ephesians 6v12
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.

When we see our fellow humans, including our brothers and sisters, persecuted by ISIS and other terrorist organisations, there is a part of our hearts that wants revenge. But our struggle is not against the terrorists ? it's against the demons that have so deceived them.

The terrorists are in thrall to lies. They need our prayers. They need Jesus, just like we do.

Our battle is against the demons that have deceived them into believing that blowing people up in clubs and shopping centres will somehow be rewarded by God.

Of course, governments sometimes need to fight to protect the people of their country. Of course it?s not wrong for a Christian to join the armed forces. But the church ? as church ? is engaged in a spiritual battle. And that battle is never against other humans.

If we only had to fight people, the situation wouldn't be too bad. People are weak ? just as we are weak. Demons are stronger than people. But Jesus is stronger than demons. So we must fight in His mighty power, not in our own strength.

And God gives us the tools we need. Paul tells us:

Ephesians 6v13
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.