"Spiritual Warfare"…
***Why Does Warfare Exist???
***1. Laying the Foundation***
A. If we are to deal with the enemy, then we must know who he is:
***28 names***
*** the accuser, adversary, angel, Beezebub, Belial, demon, devil, dragon, enemy, evil one, evil spirit, god of this age, god of this world, "he who decieves the whole world", Leviathan, liar, father of lies, Lucifer, Morning Star, prince of demons, prince of the power of air, prince of this world, Ruler of the demons, ruler of the kingdom of the air, ruler of this world, Satan, serpent, son of the dawn, tempter, & unclean spirit...
***2. What do we mean by spiritual warfare???
A. Some limit warfare to conflict with the Devil and his forces....
B. Others include enemies mentioned in the Bible such as the world and the flesh...
( Ephesians 2:2-3)- New King James Version- 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
***Message Bible Reads- 2 You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. 3 We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us
***Note*** Others include enemies mentioned in the Bible such as the world and the flesh... -is referring to the fleshly , physical, seen to the eye, warfare...
3. What is Spiritual Warfare???
*** It is the conflict of the two opposing Wills...
***Basically, that of God& His followers VS. Satan & his followers
*** FACT*** - God is good and seeks good, He cannot do evil...
- Satan is evil and seeks to do evil, and he cannot do good...
- God's will always desires to build & that whom or which builds...
-Satan's will always desires to destroy & that whom or which builds
- God's desires that which is right, pure, & lovely
-Satan's desires that which is wrong, corrupt, and deverse
***Note- Each one has followers, and when the desires of God's followers come in contact with the desires of Satan and his followers, Spiritual Warfare occurs...
4. How did God and Satan come to be at odds/ Rivals???
And by odds it means disagreement or a difference by which one thing is favored over another...
1. Why did the warfare between God and Satan begin....
*** Note*** Many scholars believes that ( Ezekial 28:11-19) is the scripture that reflects the beginning and the fall of Satan...
A. What is a scholar???
*** According to the Webster's it is a student, pupil, or a person learned...
Hebrew Word is: tal-miyd-( tal-meed)- meaning from a pupil
B. What is a Pupil???
*** a child or young person in school or in the charge of a tutor... Disciple
***Note*** We as Christians ( living in the spiritual being), are charged odf a tutor- we have an ultimate tutor, ( God, Jesus, Holy Spirit), in which makes us pupils...
Hebrew Word for pupil is:la mad (law-mad)- means accustomed to or to make familiar through use or experience... 2. diligent, steady, energetic effort seeker, pain-staking, 3. expert,, instruct, learn, skillful, teach
C. What is a Disciple???
*** One who accepts and helps to spread the teachings of another: a convinced adherent
D. What is an adherent???
***one that clings to, one that gives support, and maintains loyalty...
*** Read Ezekial 28:11-19***
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
*** Satan's Beginnings***
1. Satan was originally created as an annointed cherub... Ezekial 28:14
A. What is a cherub???
*** It is an angel of the 2nd highest rank, not only an angel, but one that guarded the throne of God...
***Note*** No other angel would have been closer to God, and probably no other angel exceeded him in power
2. Satan was absolutely: perfect, full of widom, and exceedingly beautiful. Ezekial 28:12
***Note*** Scripture states in Ezekial 28:13 that God created or adorned him with every jewel possible, so that he was to perfection of beauty...
God adorned him meaning he showered him with the appearance of ornaments, jewels...
*** What were two factors that caused Satan to turn from God???
1. proud on the account of his beauty-
Ezekial 28:17- Amplified- 17 Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you.
A. What does proud mean???
*** proud means having or showing excessive self-esteem, highly pleased, glorious, arrogant, over-bearing
2. selfishness-
A. What does selfishness mean???
***concerned with one's own welfare excessively or without regard for others...
*** in Isaiah 14:12-15 it states Satan saying the words I will 5 times:
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
BENIDICTION:
I would like to challenge you to answer honestly, and meditate on this question:
1. Can God-given abilities and attributes become a temptation to focus on self?
2. List anything you've been given that could become a temptation to pride..
Remember that Jesus is the focus and He is our strength and even though we are studying our enemy, we cannot defeat him without God. Search yourselves, and open up your hearts to the holy Spirit...
Next Week is: Does the war still occur today? We will be coming out of Revelation 12:7-12
***1. Laying the Foundation***
A. If we are to deal with the enemy, then we must know who he is:
***28 names***
*** the accuser, adversary, angel, Beezebub, Belial, demon, devil, dragon, enemy, evil one, evil spirit, god of this age, god of this world, "he who decieves the whole world", Leviathan, liar, father of lies, Lucifer, Morning Star, prince of demons, prince of the power of air, prince of this world, Ruler of the demons, ruler of the kingdom of the air, ruler of this world, Satan, serpent, son of the dawn, tempter, & unclean spirit...
***2. What do we mean by spiritual warfare???
A. Some limit warfare to conflict with the Devil and his forces....
B. Others include enemies mentioned in the Bible such as the world and the flesh...
( Ephesians 2:2-3)- New King James Version- 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
***Message Bible Reads- 2 You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. 3 We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us
***Note*** Others include enemies mentioned in the Bible such as the world and the flesh... -is referring to the fleshly , physical, seen to the eye, warfare...
3. What is Spiritual Warfare???
*** It is the conflict of the two opposing Wills...
***Basically, that of God& His followers VS. Satan & his followers
*** FACT*** - God is good and seeks good, He cannot do evil...
- Satan is evil and seeks to do evil, and he cannot do good...
- God's will always desires to build & that whom or which builds...
-Satan's will always desires to destroy & that whom or which builds
- God's desires that which is right, pure, & lovely
-Satan's desires that which is wrong, corrupt, and deverse
***Note- Each one has followers, and when the desires of God's followers come in contact with the desires of Satan and his followers, Spiritual Warfare occurs...
4. How did God and Satan come to be at odds/ Rivals???
And by odds it means disagreement or a difference by which one thing is favored over another...
1. Why did the warfare between God and Satan begin....
*** Note*** Many scholars believes that ( Ezekial 28:11-19) is the scripture that reflects the beginning and the fall of Satan...
A. What is a scholar???
*** According to the Webster's it is a student, pupil, or a person learned...
Hebrew Word is: tal-miyd-( tal-meed)- meaning from a pupil
B. What is a Pupil???
*** a child or young person in school or in the charge of a tutor... Disciple
***Note*** We as Christians ( living in the spiritual being), are charged odf a tutor- we have an ultimate tutor, ( God, Jesus, Holy Spirit), in which makes us pupils...
Hebrew Word for pupil is:la mad (law-mad)- means accustomed to or to make familiar through use or experience... 2. diligent, steady, energetic effort seeker, pain-staking, 3. expert,, instruct, learn, skillful, teach
C. What is a Disciple???
*** One who accepts and helps to spread the teachings of another: a convinced adherent
D. What is an adherent???
***one that clings to, one that gives support, and maintains loyalty...
*** Read Ezekial 28:11-19***
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
*** Satan's Beginnings***
1. Satan was originally created as an annointed cherub... Ezekial 28:14
A. What is a cherub???
*** It is an angel of the 2nd highest rank, not only an angel, but one that guarded the throne of God...
***Note*** No other angel would have been closer to God, and probably no other angel exceeded him in power
2. Satan was absolutely: perfect, full of widom, and exceedingly beautiful. Ezekial 28:12
***Note*** Scripture states in Ezekial 28:13 that God created or adorned him with every jewel possible, so that he was to perfection of beauty...
God adorned him meaning he showered him with the appearance of ornaments, jewels...
*** What were two factors that caused Satan to turn from God???
1. proud on the account of his beauty-
Ezekial 28:17- Amplified- 17 Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you.
A. What does proud mean???
*** proud means having or showing excessive self-esteem, highly pleased, glorious, arrogant, over-bearing
2. selfishness-
A. What does selfishness mean???
***concerned with one's own welfare excessively or without regard for others...
*** in Isaiah 14:12-15 it states Satan saying the words I will 5 times:
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.
BENIDICTION:
I would like to challenge you to answer honestly, and meditate on this question:
1. Can God-given abilities and attributes become a temptation to focus on self?
2. List anything you've been given that could become a temptation to pride..
Remember that Jesus is the focus and He is our strength and even though we are studying our enemy, we cannot defeat him without God. Search yourselves, and open up your hearts to the holy Spirit...
Next Week is: Does the war still occur today? We will be coming out of Revelation 12:7-12
