prayer, shall we? O Lord God, this is your holy word. We are your servants. Give us understanding that we might know your testimonies. You have prayed, O Lord. Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Use your holy, eternal, inerrant, written word to set us apart to your service and to your glory. Show us now great and mighty things which we do not know. The sower sows the word. Let not your word go out and return empty, but accomplish those things, that purpose for which you have drawn us together. and that purpose for which you are now sending out your word. Protect us from Satan who will snatch your word. Protect us from a wrong reaction to difficulties and discouragements and persecutions which make our hearts hard and unresponsive to your word. Protect us, O Lord, from neglect and from slothfulness when it comes to your word. Rather, O Lord, give us good soil. Plow up now the hard ground of our hearts that your sown word would send roots downward and then bear fruit upwards. Unsheathe now the sword of your spirit, O Lord, to the dividing point of bone and mirror, soul and spirit. Judge now the thoughts and intentions of each person gathered here. Spread your word before us as a banquet table, O Lord. Grant grace that we might eat of the rich meat and drink of the sweet milk of the great doctrines of your word. Give us the heart of the prophet who cried to you. Thy words were found and I did eat them. And thy words became to me a joy and a delight of my heart from call by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. O Lord, we live in a dark and a wicked age. Broad is the way, and many are on it, that leads to destruction. Make your word a lamp to our feet. Make your word a light to our path. Show us that narrow way that you would have us run. And Lord, as we run in the paths of your commandments, enlarge our hearts. that in loving you we might be more obedient to your written word. Drop your word against our lives as a plumb line, O Lord. Grant grace that we might see how we deviate from its high and holy purposes. Make your word to us a mirror, O Lord. grant grace that we might not be as those who look and go away and forget. Make us active doers, not forgetful listeners of your Holy Word. Oh Lord, because of our fealty to you, because of our undying love and devotion to your Son, our resurrected Savior, We pledge to you this day our total submission to your holy, eternal, inerrant written word, and we pledge to you our unquestioning obedience to all of its commands. In the name of our Lord and resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Okay, Dr. Arnold, we are going to look at what spiritual warfare is. Now remember last week we looked at what spiritual warfare is not. It's not interacting with demons. Even though it is possible to know that which is forbidden, we do not engage in it. It is not a miracle contest. It is not where we get involved in miracle contests with Satan. That which is unique to the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not miracles but come to Jesus. And we remember that. We remember that on earth Christians will come and go. Hebrews 9 27. Demons do not die. Satan does not die. He will be sent to hell which is his eternal state or his form of death. But angels and demons have eternal existence as do the souls of men. And it may seem sometimes like Christians come and go, rise and fall, but Satan and his demons are constant. But that's why God has given us the Holy Scripture and that we know that in Revelation 20, verse 10, that Satan is going to be confined to hell. Spiritual warfare is not a spiritual gift. Spiritual warfare is not a ministry or a calling. So, what is spiritual warfare? Well, the first thing spiritual warfare is, is the battle for the souls of men and women. Dr. Irel, would you read 2 Timothy 2, 24 and 26, please? Let's take a look at that. 2 Timothy 2, verses 24, 25, and 26. The Lord's servant must not quarrel, and must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness, God will grant them repentance, leading them to the knowledge of the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will. So, non-Christians are enslaved to Satan, aren't they? And that's why when we're witnessing, we don't get mad at them. they are not the enemy so when we are witnessing we are engaging in spiritual warfare to free captive men and women aren't we perhaps you read about the children who've been kidnapped by the muslims in the northern nigeria and when uh... and nigerian army goes goes into these uh... Islamic militant camps and does battle with them to save the children. The children aren't the enemy, are they? It's the terrorists who are the enemy. And we have to remember that when we're witnessing that the non-Christian is not the enemy, it's Satan who is holding him captive. And to what degree does 25 and 26 say he is held captive? To do his will? Yeah, that's right. So we don't get mad at non-Christians by the way they're acting. Because they are enslaved by Satan. Read Acts 26, verse 18. to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Yeah. Keep going. That they may receive forgiveness of sins and may share among those who are sanctified by faith. Yeah. So, we want to save men and women from their fate, don't we? in Acts 26 verse 18. Notice what it says. Read that again, Acts 26 verse 18. To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and is shared among those who are sanctified by faith in him. Now read Colossians 1, 13. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son, the Lord. So we're not just freeing them from Satan, They are being transferred. Where are they being transferred from? From the domain of darkness. To where? Into the kingdom of the sun. So we are transferred from one kingdom to another. So that's spiritual warfare. It's invading the kingdom of Satan and freeing non-Christians. Read Ephesians 2, one through three. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now walking in the district. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying now the incarnations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath, as the others were also. Now, what we have to remember is, What, in Ephesians 2, 1 through 3, what is the state of non-Christians? They are under the power of Satan. That's right. They are. And Satan would much rather play miracle games with us and spiritual contests than have us engage in true spiritual warfare whereby he loses members of his kingdom. He would much rather there be these Holy Spirit crusades and miracle crusades and spectacle crusades than Jesus crusades. The fact is that Satan would rather have us engage in miracle crusades, spiritist crusades, spectacle crusades, than Jesus crusades. Hey, he doesn't mind that. Any demon can do a miracle. We looked at that last week, didn't we? You want to have the so-called deliverance crusades where people cast out demons? Hey, Satan's all for it. He'll even participate in it. Look at Matthew 7. Verse 22 and 23. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? Drive out demons in your name? Undo many miracles in your name? Then I will announce to them, I never knew you, but for me so-called deliverance crusades, Satan is all for it. In fact, he'll even join in, won't he? Anything to keep us from preaching Jesus and freeing men. So what spiritual warfare is, it is the battle for the souls of men and women. It is witnessing. in the name of Jesus. What spiritual warfare is, it is the battle for the Word of God. Let's look at Matthew 4, 1-10 and Satan's interaction with Jesus. Matthew 4, 1-10. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to be gone bread. But he, Jesus answered, said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city, and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said, If you are the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, so you will not strike your foot. So you see, Satan is quoting the Bible, isn't he? And we have to be ready to know what the Word of God really says and not just what the phrase that he is pulling out of the Word of God says. That is very important. Look at Mark 4, 13 through 15. I'll let you read that, doctor. Then he said to them, don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables? The sower sows the word. Some are like the word sown on the path. When the year, immediately Satan comes and takes away the Word so many times. So Satan, one of his ministries is to blind people from the Word, isn't it? Hmm. Hmm. To take away the Word. You're out witnessing what Satan's doing. He's following you around doing what? One thing is to take away the Word. Yeah. Yeah. Distracting people. He doesn't want us in the Bible. He doesn't want us hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, or meditating upon the Holy Scripture. He doesn't want us to take up the sword of the Spirit. He wants to distract us and to blind us. He wants to snatch it away. Look at Revelation 12, 9. Revelation 12, 9 says, So the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent who is called the devil and satan, the one who deceives the whole world he was thrown to earth on his angels with him. So, what does Satan do? What is his ministry to the world? Deceiving. Yeah, he deceives them. He's a liar and a deceiver. And so one of the great ministries of spiritual warfare is the battle for the Word of God, for truth in the face of Satan's lies and deceptions. Boy, Satan will ask us to engage in any type of battle with him other than that, the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. Let's go back to Matthew 7 again. Okay, why don't you read Matthew 7 verse 22 and 23. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name? write out demons in your name and do many miracles in your name then I will announce to them I never knew you apart from me you know me. So what type of mystical and spiritual things can Satan do there? Satan can prophesy. Okay, good. Write out demons. Yeah, in fact, look at Acts 16, 16 and 17. Once, as we were on our way to prayer, His little girl met those who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. Yeah. Keep going. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune telling. Yeah, so any demon can prophesy, can't they? That's no big deal. Satan would be happy to engage us in miracle and spiritist crusades. He's happy to do that because any demon can do it. As long as we are not preaching Jesus. He will even join in. He'll be happy to do these things. We can see that in Matthew 7, 22, 23. Satan can do these things. He's happy for us to do it. It's the battle for the Word of God and battle for men's life. Look at 2 Corinthians 4, 1-5, please. Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy We do not give up. Instead, we have renounced sacred and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone's conscience by an open display of the truth. Okay. Okay, let's begin again. Now read a verse. second Corinthians four verse one therefore since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy we do not give up so we engage in the ministry because of mercy most people think we have the ministry all because of grace it is true God's gifts and calling are irrevocable by his grace we're saved and by his grace we have gifts and calling but here it's mercy One of the things that gives us confidence in the ministry is God is merciful. He doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve. Now read verse two, please. Instead, we have renounced sacred and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone's conscience So, we don't have to be tricky, sneaky, underhanded. We can speak straight forward. Now verse 3 and 4. But if our gospel is veiled It is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this age has blinded their minds, the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Yeah. So why are people not understanding the gospel? Satan is blinding their minds. That's right. Now verse five. For we are not proclaiming ourselves the Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. What's our response to the fact that people's minds are blinded? We are preaching Christ. Yeah, we preach Jesus. Saint Woodrathers do miracle crusades. Satan would rather us have deliverance crusades. Satan would rather have us do anything but preach Jesus from the word of God. And then what happens? For God who said, let light shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. So, when did God first say, let there be light? At the beginning? Yeah. Of creation? That's right. And now we look for the same God who spoke light into total darkness, to speak light into the minds of the unbelieving. we preach Jesus and wait for God to act look at first Thessalonians 3.5 please for this reason when I could no longer stand it I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that a tempter had tempted you and that I never might be forgotten." So, Paul was concerned that Satan, he wants to deceive, doesn't he? He wants to keep us out of the Word of God. So, Spiritual warfare is the battle for the Word of God. That is both in our lives to be in the Word and in the lives of the lost. that we would not preach the word that we would not preach Jesus through the word look at first Peter 1.23 because you have been born again Lord of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God. Yeah, so we preach Jesus through the Word of God and so spiritual warfare is for the battle of the Word of God both in our lives that we would be in the Word and in the lives of the lost that we would preach Jesus through the Word both of these things are opposed by Satan and both come under his attack. The truth is that Satan will be happy to engage us in miracles and in mysticism as long as we do not take up the sword of the Spirit and preach Jesus from the Word of God. Anything else he will be happy to do. So, the first thing is, spiritual warfare is the battle for the souls of men and women. Next, spiritual warfare is the battle for the word of God. Then, spiritual warfare is resisting and standing firm in the face of Satan's attacks. Let's look at Ephesians 6, 10 through 12. Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers against the authorities, against the cosmic paths of this darkness, against evil spiritual forces in the heaven. So we have Satan and his rule. He is seeking to destroy the lives of the lost. He is seeking to destroy the lives of the Christians. Spiritual warfare is us as individuals resisting him in terms of our walk with God, not putting on spectacles. Look at 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9. Be sober-minded. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. So Satan is looking for someone he can devour. Now, let's go back to Ephesians 6, shall we? Okay, now read verse, read, turn to Ephesians 6. Here we go. Now read verses 10 through 17. Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day. And having prepared everything to take your stand, stand therefore with truth. like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet saddled in readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Now, think of this. Satan is seeking someone to devour. He's roaring around, isn't he? He's looking for someone to devour. Now, he comes across a Christian. What two pieces of armor or aspects, let's say pieces of armor, after salvation, you've got the helmet of salvation, so after that, what two pieces of armor would Satan most want us to lay down so that he might attack and devour us? Well, it would be the sword of the spirit, the word of God, wouldn't it? And it would be the shield of faith. That's both trusting and obeying Jesus. So what Satan wants us to do first is to have a lack of trust in the Word of God. And then he would like us, because of that lack of trust, to cease obeying it. Look at Romans 1 verse 6, I mean verse 5. Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. Okay. Now, The world system, faith, is a matter of miracles, isn't it? For the apostles, what was faith in Romans 1.5? Read Romans 16.26. and made known through the prophetic scriptures according to the command of the Eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles. Yeah, now if Satan can engage us in miracles and spiritism contests, rather than spiritual warfare being the obedience of faith, he will win, won't he? He will always win. And that's why he loves that. The two pieces of armor after salvation that Satan would most want us to lay down, that he might attack and devour us, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and the shield of faith, which is trusting and obeying the Word of God, Jesus. If Satan can engage us in miracles and spiritism contests, rather than spiritual warfare, and rather than spiritual warfare being obedience? Well, he's won. Look at Ephesians 2, verse 3. We too, all previously, lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thought, and were by nature children of the wrath as the others were also. Yeah. Yeah, when we manifest moral excellence in contrast with our previous spiritual state, that's spiritual warfare. 1 Peter 2.11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that which war against the soul. Now let's turn back to Ephesians 2 verse 3. Read that again. Ephesians 2, 1 through 3. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now walking in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying now the inclinations of our flesh and tongues, and we were by nature children of the rock, as the others were also. Now, living out our fleshly desires, that's what Satan wants. Look at Ephesians 5, 1 through 5. What does God want? Therefore be imitators of God as dearly loved children, and walk in love as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity of greed should not even be heard of among you as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable but rather giving thanks. To know and recognize this, every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person who is an adulterer does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. Now, Satan would much rather us engage in miracle contests than manifest and live a life of moral excellence, wouldn't he? Resisting Satan by manifesting moral excellence in contrast with our previous fleshly state, this also is true spiritual warfare. Man would much rather engage in miracle contests than live a life of moral excellence. 1 Peter 2.11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from the sinful desires that witch war against the soul. Yeah, you know, people would much rather get up on a stage and cast out demons, which any demon possessed man can do. Do miracles and prophesy, which any demon possessed man can do. They would much rather engage in those activities. than live a life of moral excellence. And it's important for us to remember that. Look at 1 Timothy 6 verse 9. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, entrap and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. Man would much rather engage in miracle contests than live a life of trusting God no matter the lifestyle. Read 1 Timothy 6.9 again. For those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires. which plunge people into ruin and destruction. Yeah, and many of the, even pastors fall into this. Let's engage in miracle contests rather than living a life of trusting God. That would be much better, wouldn't it? Let's get rich doing miracle crusades. You can get rich doing miracle crusades, but no one gets rich preaching Jesus and repentance. No one gets rich doing that. 1 Corinthians 10.13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity that God is faithful. it will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with a temptation, it will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it. Now, we will be attacked by Satan, but we can overcome. The Bible says, or the Holy Scriptures say, that where temptations and attacks by Satan increase, so does God's grace. It does not say where irresponsibility increases, so does God's grace. We learned from Job, didn't we, that Satan is on a short leash. But a foolish man will approach a lion on a short leash to his destruction. Isn't that right? Let's look at Job 1. We know Satan is on a short lease. We've already studied that in our previous lecture. We know that. Job 1, 8. Then the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil. Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse you to your face. Very well, the Lord told Satan, everything he owns is in your hand. is in your power. However, do not lay a hand on Job himself. So Satan left the Lord's presence. So Satan is on a short leash. He can only do what he's allowed. But Satan is not a... Satan is not a dog. He's a lion. And it is a foolish man who will approach a lion, maybe to pet it or see what it would be like. Maybe he thinks he can snatch a piece of his mane or a whisker. But he'll be eaten, won't he? The Holy Scripture says, that where temptation increases, so does God's grace. It does not say that where irresponsibility increases, so does God's grace, does it? So we are to maintain the armor of God, knowing that Satan is prowling around looking for someone to destroy. And the shield of faith, obedience, and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, are the two pieces of armor that Satan would most like us to lay down. Most like us to lay down. Rather than witnessing, mastering the Word of God, and maintaining a high standard of moral excellence, Satan would rather us become preoccupied with miracle contests and Mr. Cesar. But don't do that. Don't do that. Spiritual warfare is resisting and standing firm in the face of his attacks. So we looked at what spiritual warfare was not. Remember that? It's not interacting and gleaning information for demons. 1 Timothy 4, 1 and 2 says, it is a sin to pay attention to deceitful spirits and the doctrines of demons. It is not miracle contest or mystical metaphysical contest. And we remember that Jesus talked to demons. Well, why can't we? Well, Jesus did many things that we are not permitted to do. And we had a chart on that. One of them is talking to demons. We looked at the fact that it is possible to know that which is forbidden. Pornography, gossip, lies, slander, and more. We learned that Spiritual warfare is not a miracle contest or a metaphysical victory. What differentiates us is not miracles and mysticism. Any demon can do a miracle. What is unique to the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not miracles but come to Jesus. John 14, 6, Jesus said, He will glorify me. Acts 1.8, the power of the Holy Spirit is manifested in our witness. Revelation 22.17, the Spirit and the Bride say come. We will die, Satan and his demons will not die. So, when Christians come and go, it will seem like Satan and his demons have the upper hand. as if they are the constant and we are the variable. That is why God has given us the Holy Scripture. In Revelation 20, verse 10, we find that Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. He is not in charge of hell, he is in hell being judged by God. Spiritual warfare is not a spiritual gift. Spiritual warfare is not a ministry or calling. Moral excellence is not a spiritual gift, a ministry or calling. It is what we do. Because Jesus is Lord and we are under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Evangelism is a gifting calling. Witnessing is not. It is what we do. So what is spiritual warfare? Well, it is the battle for the souls of men and women. Satan would much rather play miracle games and contests than have us engage in true spiritual warfare whereby he loses members of his kingdom. So-called deliverance crusades, Satan is all for it. In fact, he will join in, we find out in Matthew 7, 22 and 23. anything to keep us from preaching Jesus and freeing his slaves. Spiritual warfare is the battle for the Word of God both in our lives to be in the Word and in the lives of the lost that we would preach Jesus Both of these things are opposed by Satan and both come under Satan's attack. We saw that in Matthew 4, 1-10, his struggle with Jesus. In Mark 4, 13-15, how he opposes the sowers of the word. in Revelation 12, 9 and 13 and 14, how he deceives. In 2 Corinthians 4, 1 through 6, he blinds. That's contrasted with us preaching Jesus. The truth is that Satan will be happy to engage us in miracles and mysticism as long as we do not take up the sword of the Spirit, Ephesians 6, 17, and preach Jesus from the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 4, 5, 1 Peter 1, 23. Spiritual warfare is resisting and standing firm in the face of his attacks. The two pieces of armor that Satan would most like us to lay down are the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith. That's the word of God, vision 617, and obedience to God's word, Romans 1.5 and 16.26. We resist Satan by manifesting moral excellence in contrast with our previous spiritual state good study is to contrast God's expectation for us in Ephesians 5, 1-5 with the lost in Ephesians 2, 1-3. Man would rather engage in miracle contests than live a life of moral excellence. 1 Peter 2.11. That's why we see so many pastors falling into sexual sin. especially those who carry on so-called miracle crusades. First Timothy 6.9, man would much rather engage in miracle contests than living a life of trusting God rather than seeking riches. That's why so many of these men who engage in miracle crusades are getting rich. You can get rich doing miracle crusades But no one gets rich preaching Jesus. In fact, I have known people who have gone broke preaching Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10.13 tells us we will be attacked by Satan, but we can overcome The Holy Scripture says that where temptations and attacks by Satan increase, so does God's grace. It does not say where irresponsibility increases, so does God's grace. We learned something from Job. that Satan is on a short leash, Job 1, 8-12, but a foolish man will approach a lion on a short leash to a man's destruction. Rather than witnessing, mastering the Word of God, and maintaining a high standard of moral excellence, Satan would much rather have us become preoccupied with miracle contests and mysticism. So I'll close with that, Dr. Arnold. Mastering the word of God, maintaining a high standard of moral excellence and witnessing. That's true spiritual warfare. It's a real contest. Contrast. When's the last time you saw a poster that said spiritual warfare crusade. Learn how to hear, read, study, memorize, and meditate upon the Word of God. Separate from sin so that you might have a high standard of moral excellence rather than women and money. And then learn how to witness. and lead others to Christ. Ever hear that associated with spiritual warfare? No, no. And you won't. Because Satan doesn't want us engaged in spiritual warfare. And as Udabong Edameter has pointed out to me, he's a navigator missionary in South, from Nigeria to South Africa, he's pointed out to me many times that rather than taking up the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith, Satan would much rather give us miracles and mysticism and will in fact even supply them to us. We have to resist that temptation and stick with God's definition of the armor of God and spiritual warfare. May God bless the teaching of His Holy Word. In Christ's name we pray, amen.