Strategy For Spiritual Warfare:
Know What
Spiritual Tactics To Use & When To Use Them
Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
Sermon Delivered 9/2/01 & 9/9/01
Review
We have been studying the Biblical strategy for
spiritual victory. Let’s review what we have covered so far.
- If you will be
victorious in the Christian life, you must…
- Realize that you are in a spiritual battle
- Recognize that
you cannot be neutral
- Become acquainted with the character and
strategy of the enemy
- Know and use your weapons
Our weapons are…
The Word of God
Heavenly Wisdom
Prayer
The Power of God, Not The Arm of The Flesh
Our Christian Testimony Backed
Up By A Godly Life
Putting Our Life In The Hand of God
In this message we will begin examining…
Knowing What Spiritual Tactics To Use & When To Use Them
You will remember that I have been using the American
Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens to illustrate the strategy that we must use
for spiritual victory. "The battle of Cowpens was a critical turning point in the
Revolutionary War…and stands as perhaps the finest tactical demonstration of the
entire war. On 17 January 1781, Colonel Daniel Morgan’s force of Continental troops
routed British regulars and Loyalists under the command of Banastre Tarleton. The victory at Cowpens helped put the British army on the road
to the Yorktown surrender and, ultimately, cleared the way for American
independence." (A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens by Lawrence E.
Babits; quote from the front book cover). The first tactic that we are going to look at is…
One of the reasons that Colonel Daniel Morgan successfully
defeated Banastre Tarleton’s superior British force was because he knew when to
run. For two weeks Morgan and his troops were on the run. But, Morgan had a
purpose. He knew that his men could not stand up against a bayonet charge. But,
Morgan knew he had a fighting chance if he could fight the British on familiar
ground. He knew the Cowpens area very well. And further, he has issued a call to
the Patriots to meet him at Cowpens.
Christian friend, standing and fighting is not always the best
way to deal with a spiritual assault. There is a time to run! Turn in your Bibles to
Matthew 2:13-16 "And when they
were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream,
saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to
destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out
of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked
of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." The word flee is a translation of the Greek word
feugw pheugo (fyoo'-go; 5343) and literally means to run
away. How thankful we can be that Joseph heeded the Angel of the Lord and ran to
Egypt! Let’s examine some other times we are told to flee.
1 Corinthians 6:18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that
a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against
his own body." This verse says we are to flee porneia
porneia (por-ni'-ah; 4202). So what does that mean? Here is what the lexicon
in my online Bible disk says: 1a) adultery (sex with someone other than your
spouse), fornication (sex before your are married), homosexuality, lesbianism,
intercourse with animals etc. 1b) sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev.18.
1c) sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman.
Paul’s day was much like our day. In his day sexual promiscuity
was encouraged. Most of the pagan temples, including the temple of Aphrodite in
Corinth not only condoned fornication but encouraged it. In our day the public
schools condone and in some cases advocate sexual immorality. Most public schools
say that promoting abstinence is not a reasonable option. Hollywood promotes sexual
immorality! But, Christian friend, I do not care who is for it because God is
against it. We are told to flee fornication.
The sexual drive is very strong, and we must guard against
letting our passions get the upper hand. The best way to handle the temptation to
participate in sexual immorality is to flee. That’s exactly what Joseph
ended up doing when Potiphar’s wife grabbed his shirt and said "lie with me." We
read in Genesis 39:12 that Joseph "fled, and got him out." Listen men and women, when the temptation to become sexually
immoral presents itself, don’t stand there with your face hanging out, get out of
there. Flee fornication! But why should the Christian flee sexual sin? The last
part of verse 18 tells you why – "…he that committeth fornication sinneth
against his own body." So what does that mean? Let me answer a question with a
question that is posed in Proverbs 6:27 "Can a man take fire in his bosom,
and his clothes not be burned?" Just as a man who tries to hold fire up to his
chest will be burned, so the person who is sexually immoral can anticipate
consequences that will affect his body." I mean to tell you that sexually transmitted diseases are at
epidemic proportions in our culture today because of sexual immorality! I had young
ladies in my office who cried their hearts out because they were sexually immoral
and now they have a disease that has forever destroyed their ability to have
children. Their promiscuity affected their bodies. Several years ago, a young man
in his mid 20’s came into my office. He had been saved a couple of years. He was
beside himself because, he had been very promiscuous before he was saved, in this
teen years. He had been having some health problems and found out that he had AIDS.
As I recall, he was married and had likely unknowingly passed it to his wife. The
man only attended several times. I don’t know what happened to him, but I do know
that there is NO cure for AIDS! I do know that it can lay dormant in your body for
up to 6 years. Those who are sexually immoral sin against their own bodies. Let’s read the rest of the passage. Turn to
1 Corinthians
6:19-20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For
ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's."
In fact Christian, "…the body is not for fornication, but
for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." 1
Corinthians 6:13
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from
idolatry." 1 Corinthians 10:14. The Apostle John wrote, "Little children,
keep yourselves from idols. Amen." 1 John 5:21
The New Testament has a lot to say about idols and idolatry.
However, people of our day have the idea that idolatry is not today. However, that
is just not true. Let’s begin with a definition of idolatry. Idolatry is
the worship of idols, images, or any thing made by hands, or which is not God. This
includes the veneration or worship of images, statues, pictures, etc. made by
hands; and the worship of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars, or of
demons, angels, men and animals. To be sure this is sin and breaks the first two of
the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-5). While there are many people who literally
worship and serve idols today, there’s another aspect of idolatry that is even more
prevalent today and many people do not realize that this is just as much idolatry
as bowing down to an image. This kind of idolatry is having anything, whether
object, idea, philosophy, sport, occupation, activity or habit above our love,
loyalty, trust or service to the Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ. Any substitute
for God is idolatry! Anything that comes before God, or our worship and service to
him in our lives is idolatry.
Here’s one example…
Covetousness
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry:" Colossians 3:5
So, what is covetousness? This is a translation of the compound
Greek word pleonexia pleonexia (pleh-on-ex-ee'-ah;
4124) which means the desire to have more. It can be the desire for more
money, more power, more possessions, more notoriety, more of just about anything.
How is that idolatry? If you are focused on earthly things, you will chase
after them. You will not have time for God, because you are too busy "minding
earthly things." That’s idolatry.
Too many people are filling their lives with things instead of
God. That is idolatry. Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth."
What’s first place in your life. Is it yourself, pleasure,
sports, television, music, sex, entertainment, your possessions, your job, what?
Anything in your life that attempts to cut in line and become first before your
love, loyalty, trust or service to the Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ, is
idolatry. And, idolatry makes us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy because it
hinders our fellowship and communion with the Lord. Turn to Ezekiel 14:4
"Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man
of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth
the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I
the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;"
Flee idolatry.
There is another thing we are told to flee if we are going to be
victorious in the Christian life. Turn to 2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee also
youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that
call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
The word lusts in this verse means strong desires that
are prohibited. So what youthful lusts are in focus here? I believe that
there are several that come into play, but one is particularly obvious in this
passage. I believe our text makes it clear that one of the youthful lusts
that young people are to flee from is following the wrong crowd.
That is easily discerned when you read the command "follow…them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart." The opposite would be, don’t follow those that rebel
against God, and do their own thing and go their own way. Peer pressure is a powerful force in the lives of young people.
Young people want to be accepted by the "in crowd." The problem is that the "in
crowd" is not usually those "who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." The
"youthful lust" to be accepted is the reason why many young people follow
the crowd into sin when they know better. One wise father urged his son, "My son,
if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." Proverbs 1:10. Several chapters
later we read, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of
evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken
away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of
wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just
is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they
stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings."
Proverbs 4:14-20. Flee from the wrong crowd, "…but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure
heart." (2 Timothy 2:22). There is one final passage for your consideration, which says,
"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow
after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
1 Timothy 6:11
In order to identify "these things" we are to "flee"
from, we have to examine the context. I believe we find the first thing
we are to flee from in verse 5. We are to "withdraw" ourselves from those
who think that "gain is godliness." That simply means we are to flee
from those who look at Christianity as a way of making money. We are to steer clear
to those who are in the ministry for the money. That includes the whole "Prosperity
Gospel" crowd. They claim that God does not want the believer to be poor but rich.
If you are not rich, some how, you do not have enough faith.
I beg your pardon. The Bible says, "The LORD maketh poor, and
maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." 1 Samuel 2:7. Know this,
money is not a valid measure of godliness or God’s blessing.
The second thing we are to flee from is revealed in verse
9-10. It is the desire to be rich or the love of money. Let’s read
1 Timothy
6:9-10 "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which
while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows."
The believer must be willing to forsake all and follow the Lord.
Our primary goal is conveyed in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." In summary, let’s review the first spiritual tactic that we have
been looking at –
- Know When To Run.
We are to…
- Flee Sexual Sin – 1 Corinthians 6:18
- Flee Idolatry (anything that comes before God) – 1 Corinthians 10:14
- Flee Youthful Lusts (following the wrong crowd) – 2 Timothy 2:22
- Flee The Desire To Be Rich – 1 Timothy 6:5, 9-11
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