Pulling Down the Strongholds
Part 1
On
June 6, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower made a pivotal decision when he
decided to send 155,000 American & Allied
troops to storm the beaches of France to break down the Stronghold of
Nazi Germany.
As they landed on the
shores, the enemy, already entrenched, began to fire round
after round on those 155,000 brave soldiers. Ten thousand men lost their
lives at Omaha Beach on that bloody, brutal day.
Yet the Allied
soldiers kept coming wave after wave
after wave until they took the strongholds, the high towers from which the
Nazi soldiers fired.
Had the Allies
failed, Germany would have dominated Europe, and possibly the world militarily. But their success insured eventual
victory.
It has been said that The
greatest military invasion in the history of the world took place on D-Day.
But an
infinitely greater invasion took place the day God invaded this world in the
Person of Jesus Christ.
A)The repercussions from
the Sacrifices & Bloodshed on the Beaches of France on that day were
Monumental
1) But they were nothing
compared to THE RESULTS of the sacrifice and
blood- SHED at Calvary.
B) See Satans plan of
nailing Jesus to the Cross totally backfired because his foothold on Humanity was Broken forever that
day.
1)because the blood of
Jesus paid the price for the sin of all men, Satans foothold is obliterated.
Interesting
that When the Allied invasion succeeded, Hitler and the Nazis in Berlin knew their days were numbered.
A)They knew they didnt
have a chance but they continued fighting to the bitter end.
B) This explains the reason that although the outcome of the
war was determined on June 6,
1) more blood was shed in
the year following the victory at Normandy than at any other time in history.
C) So too, Satan knows he doesnt have a chance. He knows that
the grasp he had on man is gone. He knows his time is running out.
1)Yet so deep is his
hatred of God that he wants to take as many down w/ him as possible
Now
for the believer in JC / Jesus declared from the Cross It is finished, For us
the - The victory is won. -
Although the war goes on
A) But we do not fight FOR victory. We fight FROM victory.
We are in a battle / daily skirmishes but we have Victory in Christ
B) SO we are fighting not
for Victory but from a Position of Victory as we rely upon the Lord for our
Strength & Provision
C) Now In Ephesians 6:12
Paul identifies the nature of this battle we are in - For we wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places.
D) Which is why he
declares here in our text v.3 that we do not War according to our Flesh Not a
fleshly battle
1) Not w/ spouse / Boss / your Heathen neighbor / Govt
institutions But the Battle is Spiritual Satan & his Demonic forces
E) Peter put it this way
I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.
Note Peter
identifies Satan not as the adversary, but as your adversary..
A)Your adversary means
you have a personal enemy might not be Satan himself but a few of his minions
Fallen Angels
B) But know this he has a
specific plan to manipulate you and rob you of joy,
power, and your ability to influence others.
1) Last thing he wants is
for you to make an impact in this world so he is going to try his hardest to
get you distracted & bound up in this life
C) See
as believers Satan cant possess our
hearts. But theres still a battle going on for the mind.
1) The spirit is secure/
but the soul the mind, emotions, and will is still up for grabs.
D) Satan is constantly trying to lay hold of
lost ground in our lives by infiltrating our minds thru what Paul calls in
Eph 6 Fiery darts /
1) More Accurately those
flaming missiles { Thoughts that come flooding into our lives out of the
Blue
E) This explains how I
can be driving down the road, enjoying the day, when suddenly a thought will
come into my mind,
1) or an attitude into my
heart which causes me to say, Where in the world did that come from? It didnt come from this world. It came from
hell.
F) But each time I give in to a temptation to sin, each time I
succumb to an attitude or an activity I know is wrong,
1) I open the door for
Satan to form a Stronghold in an area
of my heart / I give him an opportunity to lay claim to that which Christ has
made free.
But that doesnt have to be the case which is why Paul declares
here
4
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds,
A)Now For the rest of our
time today I want us to talk about Our weapons of Warfare { Not fleshly but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds
B)
Wed. night we talked about this in a general sense Society as a whole
Weapons of our warfare Pulling down strongholds in Society
1) Paul Preached the gospel
in Ephesus the impact was so great the idol makers almost went out of
Business { Huge Impact}
C) Major Stronghold was
broken Affects of Revival Strongholds of
the enemy are broken down in society
D) Today I want to
consider this on more of a personal note: How do we tear down the strongholds
that Satan seeks to re-erect in our lives
1) How Bring every
thought into the Captivity of the obedience of Christ
Start by discussing what is a stronghold &
has does one get re-erected in our hearts.
A)The word stronghold means "to harden, or to make hard." It describes
an entrenchment, or fortress.
B)
Thus, in the spiritual life, Paul is speaking of a hard place. He is speaking
of an unbending place.
1)
He
is speaking of an entrenchment, or a fortress fought
over. He is speaking of an area contended for.
C)
Therefore, a stronghold is any place in our life that seems to be an area of
contention.
1)
It
is any thing that poses a threat to our spiritual progress.
D)
It is any person, place, predicament, or problem that hinders us, harbors us,
hinders us, or holds us in its clutches,
1)
and
impedes us from our full potential in Christ.
E)
How does a Stronghold get set up:
James
1:13-16
13 Let no one
say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted
when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death.
A)Within
our flesh lies the capacity for ever sort of Sin & evil imaginable
Usually what happens Satan plants a thought in our minds
B)
If we give any place in our thought life it becomes a desire / if we continue
to dwell on that thought it is
conceived
1)
Conception
gives place to sin/ sin continues grows full grown death
Death to your intimacy w/ God / Family / Body of
Christ
C)
Adam & Eve naked & not ashamed { After the Fall they knew they were
naked exposed felt need to cover up Sin does destroys intimacy
1)
Marriage
/ With Lord / With Friends
Example of how this Happens: Guy is at the office catches a
female co worker staring at him / being overly friendly
A)Satan
plants the seed I think she is interested in you she thinks your hot { your
wife would never know
B)
Now if give some place to that thought I wonder what it would be like / The
attention is kind of nice { That can become a desire
1)
Turns into
something he is thinking about from time to time Now it is conceived
conception has taken place { Only time abortion is permitted
C)
Conception gives place to sin It wouldnt hurt
to go to lunch maybe I could witness to her / [ if believer] encourage her in the Lord Yea innocent
1)
Now
sharing your heart w/ someone other than your wife { Sin is growing { Leads to
adultery Destroys families / etc
D)
The Starting place of the Stronghold of Satan in your heart was when you gave
that thought the time of day allowed it to be conceived
1)
Satan
was saying Weve got him only be a matter of time until he is another Casualty of the War
Now as a Pastor the most common Strongholds that I see that
get formed in a believers life are these
A)Bitterness{ Hurt thought of revenge or disdain
thought that says they hurt you & you deserve to feel this way:
B)
Again
natural desire is self preservation{ Satan plays into that thought becomes a
desire / I have a right to be mad / not forgive
1)
Now
sinning Jesus commands us to forgive { Brings forth death } Root of
Bitterness many to be Defiled
C) Fear: Another Stronghold Fear of
Failure / fear of rejection / fear of making a mistake in ministry :
1)
Stronghold of the enemy where we are not allowing the Lord to use us
Another is Jealousy: So worried about
others what they are doing I wanted to do that cant do that not doing
anything{ Stronghold
A)Jealousy
in the sense so focused on the gifts of others you feel so inferior God
cant use me never make yourself available Stronghold
B) Another is materialism: Focused on the things of this
world
1)
Stronghold of Distraction
C)
Another is: A
Extreme desire to please others: Stronghold of the enemy in your
life so worried about what others think pleasing them
1)
Keeps you from doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord Keeps you
from having right priorities & making stands when you should
D) Finally : Sexual Lust: Leads
to Porn / Adultery / Perversion
1)
Open
door thru an R-rated movie / or internet site leads to great destruction:
Stronghold in the mind
A)She reduces a man to a crust of Bread in
other word he is just a shell of what he once was { Thru
her influence he destroys his soul
25 Do not let your heart turn
aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; 26 For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by
her were strong men. [ Leave themselves unguarded /
unaccountable]
27 Her house is the way to
hell,Descending to the chambers of death.
C)
That is a very common stronghold that SATAN is using today on both men &
women: Internet Chat rooms / Porn /
1)
In
appropriate relationship at work or even in the Church
So those are some common Strongholds how they get erected
in a Christians life How can they be pulled down: 5 Weapons
A)WEAPON
#1 The Word : In Eph 6 Paul talks about the Armour of God Two references to
the Word
B)
Belt of Truth: & the Sword of the Spirit
which he clearly defines as the word of God
1)
The Belt of Truth is a defense weapon used for combating deflecting the fiery
darts { Sword of the spirit is for offense Counter attack
C)
The Belt of
Truth is about: Appropriating the Scriptures to keep the Strongholds &
Imaginations from taking root Classic Illustration Rom 6
The Theme of Romans 6 is the truth that the believer is dead to sin
& alive to God 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be
slaves of sin.
A)The
body of sin / influence of sin Satans power to use our flesh to control us
get us to do what we dont want to do done away w/
1)
Done away w/ is not annihilated but rendered inactive
B)
Bobby
Knight Crazy B- ball coach Yelling
Screaming in face throwing balls at you: If I am on the team Subject to that
Submit to that
1)
Off
the team Bobby can yell at me all he wants his power has been rendered in
active in my life { Courson Paralyzed Bully }Intimidate
C) That is the truth Satans Power in
our life has been paralyzed only power he has is what we give him { Power
of Intimidation
1)
So I attack the stronghold by applying the Belt of Truth to that
situation { Not in Bondage Power is Broken } Knowing
this
.
D)
Notice what Paul says next: v.11 Likewise you
also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
A)Reckon that is an
absolute fact -
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
B) Because that is the truth: I am going to further break down the Stronghold of Satan instead of giving into my flesh
1) Lust / fear / jealousy / bitterness/ Worldliness thru materialization
C) Instead of presenting
my members to those things I am going to present myself to God Rom 8:5-6
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on
the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things
of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace.
D) Instead of setting my
mind on the things of the Flesh things of the Spirit
1) Key to walking in the Spirit what is your mind
focused on: R-rated movies / Sienfield / Letterman / Leno that is where mind
spent
E) Mind is wrapped up in
Vogue / Cosmo / Playboy / - Open door to the enemy: But if your mind is set on
the things of the Spirit Word
1) Influenced by KWAVE radio Sanders / Chambers / Spurgeon You are going to
be more consistent in walking in the Spirit less opportunity for the ENEMY {
So that is the Belt of Truth
Also mentions
the Word as the Sword of the Spirit:
A)Satan comes w/ a temptation: Combat it w/ the Word Jesus turn stones into bread You are Hungry ..
B) Jesus Responds w/ the
Sword of the Spirit It is Written man shall
not live by Bread alone but by every word
.. of God
C)
Important truth Only as you live by the word of God can you fight by the word
of God,
1)
It is only the word that you live that becomes the sword of the spirit for you.
D) That is why David refused Saul's armor (he hadnt lived by Sauls armor so
he could not fight with Sauls armor).
2Sam 23:9-10 One of Davids mighty men in battle
named Eleazar rose up against the philistines and he smote them until his hand
was weary because he clave to the
sword,
A)One
definition of the word Clave is to become joined to) = To become one with.
B)When
we become one with the word of God, and it lives in us and breathes in us, and
it speaks through us,
1)
Then we are guaranteed mighty victories.
C) Gods success strategy for Joshua in pulling
down the strongholds in the land of Canaan was simple (Josh 1:8) Keep my words in front of your eyes, and keep them coming
out of your mouth.
1) Another great truth : For Gods
word to be the powerful effective sword of the spirit in your life it must be
coming out of your mouth.
D)
It was not what Jesus knew, or believed, or meditated upon that defeated Satan:
1) It was the written coming out of his mouth by the
power of the Holy Spirit. Use the sword
Quote Scripture / Live Scripture { Flee
Lust
You Know what is Sad :Some people have been saved
for many years, but their sword of the spirit is about the size of a toothpick.
A)The
bible is full of powerful truth that will defeat the enemy, but it is only the
truth that lives in your heart that will defeat Satan in your life).
B)
SO the First weapon of our warfare Mighty Gods word in our Heart and being
lived out in our lives The Belt of truth
1)
Gods
word coming out of our mouths- the sword of the Spirit
B) Problem of the Church
methods of Psychology feel better about yourself Confidence in your
abilities / talents / experience
1) The Bible wants us
fighting from a position of weakness no strength in ourselves { Strong in the Lord Power of His Might
On Sunday nights looking at the last words of Jesus to his
disciples Jn 13-17 almost 2 whole chapters on the Spirit
A)Jesus
calls Him the Helper the one called alongside of you to strengthen you
guide you and teach you
B)
We read there where Jesus says I am leaving you
but it is a good thing didnt leave spirit couldnt come He is w/ you /
In you
1)
But then he also says I am in you & you in me I will come to you
C)
Language that can be confusing until you understand He is coming to live in
them thru his spirit teach them / empower them
1)
He
is wanting them to live lives completely dependant upon his spirit and it is
in that Context Jn 15 he says W/out me do nothing
The point he wants to get across to these men is You need
to be 100% reliant upon me
A)But
it is also interesting in that Section He says in several places : whatever
you ask in my name do it /
B)
In my name you will do great things Awesome connection Walking in the
Spirit being reliant upon the spirit
1)
And the name of the Lord relates to pulling down strongholds
C)
To go forth in the name of the Lord is to go forth in His Authority and not my
own Which means I am dependant upon
Him not me
D)
David went out against Goliath he said You
come w/ a sword and a spear weapons of man I come in the name of the Lord
..my hand
1)
A
stronghold of the enemy fell that day !!!!
E) Elijah met the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel (in the
Name of the Lord.)
Ps 118:10 All nations compassed me about: but (in
the name of the LORD) will I destroy them.
A)In
that Place there is great safety : Pr 18:10 (The
name of the LORD) is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is
safe.
B)
When I realize the power of the foe who is against me the last thing I want
to do is to try and fight him in my strength No way
C)
I need the authority of Christ & the Power of His Spirit in me to give me
the Victory !!!
1)
So
the Stronghold of Satan is broken when I realize my weakness & surrender
to Christ Strength & Authority
WEAPON #3 Praise:
A)In
Acts ch.16 we see have an interesting scene that I think illustrates this
point.
B)
Paul & Silas are in Philippi ministering Uprising against them and they
are thrown into Jail{ Rat infested disease plagued
Jail
1)
Placed in the Dungeon locked in locked up For the moment Bound by
the forces who were against them
C)
It was a great opportunity for them to be destroyed both emotionally and
Spiritually
1)
Temptations
to question Gods care / doubt Gods love /
Question their calling / Bitterness / depression
/ anger / fear could have set in
D)
But it didnt : Why? Well we read in v.25 Ch.16 that in the Midnight hour
instead of giving into fear & doubt Paul & Silas: Sang
1)
They Sang Hymns A song of Praise
addressed to God
E)
Something incredible happened as they did that : The Prisons doors swung open
the Stronghold of the enemy was Broken
1)
The
Jailer who held them ended up getting saved He & his house
Listen there is Power in Praise to open Prison doors / break
down the Stronghold of the enemy in our lives
A)Why
is praise a Powerful weapon? Well Satan wants to be
worshipped reason he was thrown out of heaven { Exalted above God
B) Satan still wants to be worshipped today: But the way
that he pursues that desire is by trying to get us to exalt ourselves { glory
in ourselves
1)
In
doing so he knows that he is shifting the attention that should be given to
God to us our lives
C)
He is indirectly being worshipped in the process
A)You
are Good not I am good We exalt thee oh Lord Not I exalt me You are the
Focus / Not us
B) True Worship : Acknowledges our dependency upon God
We cant live w/ out Him He is our everything
C)
Satan hates true worship: Nails on a chalk board Because he wants to be
Worshipped directly indirectly he doesnt care
1)
Just
as long as we are not worshipping God
A)He
wants us to turn inward in our focus he wants us to get discouraged forget
God
B)
John the B The Dungeon of Doubt Go ask if
he is the one or should we look for another
1)
Jesus said Go tell John what you are seeing Lame walk/ Blind see /
dead Raised
C)
John dont focus on what isnt happening focus on what is happening what
you Know to be true - That is what Paul & Silas did
1)
We are in Prison not sure why but God is still on the
Throne So we are going to Praise Him { Prison doors opened
D)
When we worship the Lord in those circumstances in the heat of the battle
put on PRAISE the enemy flees strongholds broken
1)
Focus
on who God is what He has DONE / what He is DOING
- THERE IS VICTORY :