Demolish Strongholds

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We have a divine power to demolish enemies of God, sinful thoughts, and disobedience.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

THANK WORSHIP TEAM

Good morning Ambassador! How is everyone doing? Good? Let’s break the ice a little bit: everyone, turn to the person on your left and say something you like about their eyes.

[WAIT]

And when you’re done, turn to the person on your right and say something you like about their hair.
[WAIT]
Well, thank you for joining me with that. My name is Alvin, but some people like to call me Simon or Theodore. We have probably never met me before, but I am a Bible, Theology, and Ministry major at Biola and I have honorably asked to speak with y’all this wonderful morning.
But before we start to get to know each other and our deepest and darkest secrets, let us pray.
Lord. Thank you for this bright and beautiful day. We thank you for your death and resurrection on the cross that bought our salvation. Lord, bless the hearts, minds, and souls of my brothers and sisters here as they receive the Word of God, and may your Word be magnified for your glory. In Jesus’s mighty and precious name, amen.
SWITCH SLIDES (TITLE) 2
We are continuing our sermon series today with a message titled “Demolishing Strongholds.”
Last time, we talked about prayer and how to live in life and rhythm. This week, we will be talking about strongholds, or in other words, things that attack or tempt us.
I currently go to Biola and one of my favorite classes I have ever taken is called “practicum.” Basically, it is a small group of close friends that spend an hour a week discussing topics like dating, humility, and purity together. One of the weeks, we were talking about spiritual warfare.
The professor told us these crazy stories of spiritual warfare, but overall, he told us an easy way to perform an exorcism, basically learning how to cast away a demon.
Show of hands, who wants to know how to cast out demons? It is quite simple really, all you need to do is command the demon to leave in Jesus’ authority and then invite the Holy Spirit to safeguard against demons.
When I heard this, I was like “Wow….I’m scared of how easy that is but that sounds fake.”
Fast forward to a month later, I am back home in San Jose hanging out with my best friend, Rachel. Were sitting in the parked car chatting about spiritual warfare. I was telling her all the weird stories my professor shared with us and I told her the two-step process of casting out demons. 1) Command the demon with Jesus’s authority, and 2) invite the Holy Spirit.
We spent an hour talking about this but once we were ready to leave, I turned on my car and started driving. But something was instantly wrong. Both Rachel and I heard this loud, and I mean loud, ticking sound. Tick Tick Tick. But it was worse actually, because the ticks got faster and faster, resembling a bomb. Tick tick tick.
So, as a joke, I said to Rachel “what if the car has a demon?”
The next thing I know, I was shouting:
Demon! I command you to leave! In Jesus’ name, I compel you to leave!. Leave this place. You have five seconds to leave. Five, four, three, two, one, zero!
And it stopped. Rachel and I look at each other and have the face “what just happened?”
That one was an extreme example, but we also learned of other types of demonization. There are intrusive thoughts. Perhaps anxiety, depression, nervousness, hearing voices. I am not saying that anxiety or all these other things are always caused by demons, but when you are in the thick of life-know that the devil and his demons and strongholds are working against you.
[CHANGE OF TONE]
Think for yourself. Have you ever experienced moments of anxiety or extreme sadness? Have you ever had thoughts of “it won't happen” in your prayers? Maybe you are stuck in the same vices like anger, impatience, pride, or greed? Maybe your battles are not fought against feelings, but against people saying you are worthless, unlovable, or hated. Perhaps, maybe, you think that our battles are fought against flesh and blood or people, but what if our fight is against things unseen?
[CHANGE OF TONE]
Well, let’s see what the Bible has to say. Turn in your Bible to 2 Corinthians 10, verses 1 to 6. Hear what the Lord has to say
SWITCH SLIDES (VERSE) 3
2 Corinthians 10:1-6
By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
Church, we are in a war against our strongholds. Whether it is the strongholds of others who seek harm, the evil one seeking for us to commit sin, or our own flesh waging war against the Spirit. What answer do we have?
Hence, I want to speak with you quickly about three things.
SWITCH SLIDES (DIVISIONS OF PROOF) 4
We have divine power to demolish the enemies of God, to demolish sinful thoughts, and demolish disobedience
SWITCH SLIDES (DEMOLISH ENEMIES) 5

One: We have divine power to destroy enemies of God

When I first heard my professor speak about how to cast out demons, I was like “he’s nuts,” and maybe you are listening to me thinking that “I’m nuts.” But casting out demons is not really what Paul is getting at here, but the idea that we have divine power is very much real here.
In the Corinthian church, there were many false apostles using their voices to draw people away from God.
The church was misled into thinking that Paul was a terrible teacher because Paul was “timid” when they were together, but bold when away. Essenctally, Paul was being called a coward.
Moreover, there were those who sought to attack Paul and his authority in the church, which was nuts because Paul should not have to defend himself in the own church he planted! That’s Acts 18.
So, now Paul writes that he came with humility and gentleness. Paul’s enemies came with lofty speech and arguments against the knowledge of God.
SWITCH SLIDES (VERSES) 6
Hear 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 "When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Paul is going counter-culture! When the world wages war, using arguments and attacks, we do not wage the same war as the world does. Why? Because we do not fight with the weapons of the world. We do not fight by using arguments, but with humility and gentleness and with the Spirit’s power. This is the way Paul fights!
What exactly is this divine power? Well, it is the proclamation of the gospel! Let’s read 1 Corinthians 2 again.
SWITCH SLIDES (VERSES) 7
“I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For i resolved to know nothing while I was with you expect Jesus Crust and him crucified… My message and my preaching were not with wise aand persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirits power.” In other words, Paul’s power is the preaching of the gospel with the divine power. You have this same power because you hold within you the Spirit.
SWITCH SLIDES BLANK 8
Look, folks, there are people who will attack you. There are people who will seek to harm you. But you, you have the divine weapon. It does not use rhetoric or arguments but contains God’s divine power. Proclaim the gospel in hurt!
[CHANGE OF TONE]
I’m from San Jose, think the San Francisco Bay Area, and the people from San Jose are majorly not Christian. In fact, I would say that they are more than just atheists, but anti-theists. Knowing this, I want you to flashback with me to my high school U.S. History class.
I was in class and the teacher asked us to partner up with our table buddies. He asked us to think of the 10 most influential people. So in a true test of my Christian life (as if this was the true marker of a Christian), I suggested Jesus should be on the list.
I thought, “somewhat controversial but nevertheless, super influential dude. I mean, His work has ballooned into the largest religion in the world.”
My partner was like “absolutely not. No. Wrong. Bad. No. In fact, you are not even legally allowed to preach in school! Stop.”
I wasn’t even trying to convert her. I was just trying to do the assignment.
[CHANGE OF TONE]
We all have been in situations where our faith has been tested. Do you think that your friends at school would judge you if you become more vocal about your beliefs? Are you scared of inviting someone to church fearing their rejection? Maybe you have been in arguments about Christianity and were afraid to say something because “you just don’t want the attention,” and then having the feeling of conviction thinking you should have said something.
Church, Paul writes here that we have a divine power to destroy those arguments.
SWITCH SLIDES (DEMOLISH SINFUL THOUGHTS) 9

Point two: The divine power allows us to demolish our sinful thoughts

[CHANGE OF TONE]
In the same practicum class, we were talking about sexual purity. For whatever reason, the class became heavy and we began talking openly and honestly about our struggles. Some said that they were still dealing with lust, which is sexual desire. Others said they were struggling with pornography. Others said they had difficulty putting God first before their relationship with their partners.
I’m not any different. I still have my own struggles. For me, it's lust.
For you, it may not be sexual sin, but a sin of the mind. Perhaps, you see your crush hanging out with the boy or girl you dislike and think “I hate them.” You work a part-time job and you’re only there for the money and nothing else. Maybe you see your enemy at school and you just feel anger and hatred within you. Or maybe you cheat in school because you need to get into that college. Church, have our thoughts been made captive?
SWITCH SLIDES (VERSE) 10
Hear the word of the Lord, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Paul was not just talking about false apostles attacking using words and speeches, but also against wrongful thoughts.
SWITCH SLIDES (QUOTES) 11
In the words D.A. Carson, a world-renowned theologian, he writes that Paul “means something far more: his weapons destroy the way people think, demolish their sinful thoughts patterns, and the mental structures by which they live their lives in rebellion to God.”
Church. Do not be ashamed if you are experiencing this. For you know that Jesus died for your sins. And now, Paul is writing that we have the ability to take every thought captive using divine power.
“Alvin,” you may say, “but I have been in my sin pattern for x amount of years now and am still struggling with it.” Then pray and do not stop praying. Seek an accountability partner. Talk to your pastor. Talk to your parents. Talk to your mentors and friends. Resit every sinful urge and refuse to act on them, and when you fail, receive God’s grace and continue to resist. You can do this, why, because you have a divine power to help.
SWITCH SLIDES 12 (DEMOLISH DISOBEDIENCE)

Point Three: The divine power allows us to demolish disobedience

SWITCH SLIDES 13 (VERSE)
Paul writes, “And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
Paul came to the Corinthian church in humility and gentleness of Christ. Therefore, he does not wish to condemn the church but to guide using humility and gentleness. This is why he says” once your obedience is completed,” because Paul gives graces, before punishing those who attack the knowledge of God or continue to have their thoughts uncontrolled. However, it will be the false leaders and false apostles that will be punished for their sins.
So church, be united in this: that you would first be obedient to Christ by the use of the divine weapon, so that, the attackers and the sinners could be punished for their misdeeds.
There are those who would attack you. They will be punished. There are thoughts that wage war against you, those will be punished. But, in the end, since we have a divine power to cease all disobedience to God, let us use it for God’s glory.
I want to close with this.
SWITCH SLIDES (TITLE) 14
[CHANGE OF TONE]
When I told the story of the demon in the car, I didn’t share everything. I actually forgot to pray to invite the Holy Spirit in. It is true that the sound did stop when I counted down, but after I had dropped off my friend at her house, the noise started again.
This time, it was just me in the car. I did the same thing. Demon leave! Never come back! You have five seconds to depart away from me because I have the authority of Jesus. And when I said zero, the sound stopped. And this time, I remembered to pray to ask the Holy Spirit to help. The sound never returned again.
It was only after that I realized what I had done. I wielded the divine weapon to protect myself and my friend. But while I have divine authority, I still needed to ask the Spirit.
Do not think that God works on a 5 second timer. You may be dealing with sins that you haven’t stopped in years. But be motivated in that you have the Spirit, the divine weapon, to help you. I needed help from the Spirit.
Church, I do not know what you are going through. Maybe you are experiencing spiritual warfare. Maybe you need help defending yourself against the words of others. Perhaps gossip has run its course around the school and now you’re ashamed. Maybe you need a bit of help dealing with your emotions and feelings
Know this, you have the ability to destroy the strongholds in your life. Use it and be transformed by it. Do not live in sin.
SWITCH SLIDES (BLANK) 15
[CLOSE IN PRAYER]
BENEDICTION
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Bibliography
Barnett, Paul. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub, 1997.
Donald Arthur Carson. From Triumphalism to Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 10-13. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House, 1984.
Hafemann, Scott J. 2 Corinthians: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text -- to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 2000.
R Kent Hughes. 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006.
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