Sermon Tone Analysis

Know your enemy!

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Playground or battleground?

According to the scripture we face spiritual battles in this world, so this world is a battleground, a spiritual battle ground.

This morning we are looking knowing our enemy, our enemies abilities and the enemies demise!

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In heavenly armor we will enter the land.

You know the song, but it hold so true, and so needed.

This world is a battlefield not a playground.

We may face some physical battles in the name of Jesus, but there are many spiritual battles we will face that want to wage war against us as Christians.

Author, Sun Tzu in his book Art of War says:

“If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Our enemy is stronger than we are (outside of the Lord).

My we come to realize the battles we face in this world are, against this world, the flesh and the devil.

The world (Eph2:1-3; 1Jn2:15-17)

The flesh (Rom8:6-8)

The devil (Rev12:7-11)

May we remember who we were, where we lived and what we did previously.

We were dead, walking in the ways of this world

Ways that were by nature opposed to God making us children of wrath

The world - those things that are around us that are contrary to God, that are opposed to God.

John gives a stern warning in his epistle.

The flesh: the old nature, that is who we were before Christ, but not who we are today, for the one who does the will of God lives forever.

We have a new way, a new mindset

Battle ready Christians need to be reminded

Christ overcame the world (Jn16:33; Gal6:14)

Christ overcame the world (Jn16:33; Gal6:14)

Christ has victory over the flesh (Rom6:1-6; Gal2:20)

Christ overcame the world (Jn16:33; Gal6:14)

Christ has victory over the flesh (Rom6:1-6; Gal2:20)

Christ defeated Satan (Eph1:19-23; Col2:13-15)

The battle we fight today is not for victory it is from victory.

Paul is reminding the Ephesians to walk in victory, and to beware of the enemy, the adversaries still out there and to be sure you have your issued battle gear on!

This morning we are looking at the battle ready Christian, the one who knows their enemy and knows themselves.

As Sun Tzu says “if you know your enemy and yourself you need not fear the result.”

God tells us much about our enemy so we should never be caught off guard.

You have enlisted in the Lord’s Army (though I wish it were Marine Corp) and you have been given a manual, so let’s see today what the manual has to say about our enemy.

For this is not basic training, this is advanced infantry training now.

I. Knowing your enemy

The enemy can be shown, described, identified in the scripture.

The enemy has help too, we will look briefly at his help too.

Knowing where our enemy battles is important to be a battle ready Christian.

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Our enemy and his names in scripture:

Accuser, Devil, Satan (Rev12:7-11)

Serpent, dragon (Gen3:1; Rev12:7-11); Tempter (Mt4:3)

Father of lies (Jn8:44); like a lion (1Pt5:8)

Disguised like angel of light (2Cor11:13-15)

And he is the god of this age (2Cor4:4)

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Our enemy and his names in scripture:

Accuser, Devil, Satan (Rev12:7-11)

Our enemy and his names in scripture:

Accuser, Devil, Satan (Rev12:7-11)

Serpent, dragon (Gen3:1; Rev12:7-11); Tempter (Mt4:3)

Our enemy and his names in scripture:

Accuser, Devil, Satan (Rev12:7-11)

Serpent, dragon (Gen3:1; Rev12:7-11); Tempter (Mt4:3)

Father of lies (Jn8:44); like a lion (1Pt5:8)

Our enemy and his names in scripture:

Accuser, Devil, Satan (Rev12:7-11)

Serpent, dragon (Gen3:1; Rev12:7-11); Tempter (Mt4:3)

Father of lies (Jn8:44); like a lion (1Pt5:8)

Disguised like angel of light (2Cor11:13-15)

So we have Satan, the deceiver, the devil, father of lies, also known as Lucifer according to Isa14:12-15.

He is a created being, so there is limited knowledge and activity.

He is unlike God and cannot be everywhere.

So he needs help to wage war against the righteous ones.

Here are a few of his helpers according to the scripture.

Satan’s named helpers (Eph6:12)

Rulers, powers

World forces of darkness

Spiritual forces of wickedness

If you are wondering how many helpers, John tells us

Daniel says there are forces, evil angels who wage war in the spiritual for control with God’s angels, (Dan10:13-20) in short the passage speaks that Gabriel was delayed in coming to Daniel for 21 days because he had to wrestle with the prince of Persia (spirit of darkness).

There is a spiritual battle going on in the heavenlies and since we are a part of the body, we are seated in the heavenlies according to Eph1:3 and Eph2:6.

It is our battle too, and we need to walk in the victory in which Christ gave us when He defeated Satan.

May we remember who are enemy is, what names he and his minions go by and where are battlefield really is.

His helpers are not weak, hence why Paul tells us we need the power of God to withstand our enemy (Eph6:10-12)

I.The Enemies Abilities

We should not underestimate the power of the devil and his minions.

We are not spectators in this spiritual battle, we are participants, so it is best to know the enemies abilities.

A reminder of the passage

If our enemy was not strong, Paul would not tell us to be strong (Eph6:10)

Not by our power, not by our might, but by the strength and power of God’s might.

We need the power of God to withstand the enemy (Eph1:19)

Christians are called to be soldiers not gladiators

Soldiers fight in a unit, come together in unity, where gladiators fight alone.

We are called to be in unity as the church (see Eph4)

Don’t underestimate the power of the devil

He is not compared to a lion or a dragon for no reason or just for name sake.

In book of Job it displays the power in body, home, wealth and friends.

Jesus tells us that the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy (Jn10:10)

Our enemy is wise, he is deceitful, he is a liar, he is cunning, we cannot afford to be ignorant of his devices to deceive.

(Eph4:14; 2Cor11:14)

He even masquerades as an angle of light

Don’t be deceived and blinded from the light of the Word, the Light of Truth.

In (Eph6:12) Paul says we do not wrestle, that means this battle is up close, it is person, it is hand to hand, or handled on your knees.

We are not spectators, we are participants, Satan was to use our external enemy (the world) and our eternal enemy (our own flesh and fleshly desires) to defeat us.

His weapons are strong and should not be taken lightly.

The battle ready Christian is fully equipped to face the battle.

II.