Spiritual Warfare | The Unseen World (Part Five)

Thank you for listening to the Riverbend Church Podcast.

Riverbend Church exists to lead all people to know, love, and

live new life in Jesus Christ. We hope that you enjoy this

message. One of the ministry partners

that we have, that we so gladly support is.

Is Moyo Missions you? If you've from this area, you

may know them by the previous name and title.

It was Helping Hands Ministry couple years ago.

A few years ago, I guess they they rebranded to Moyo.

Here's what I would tell you about about Moyo.

Several things. Number one is we're currently

working with them to try to find opportunities and, and dates to

where we can take mission trips as as Riverbend Church to serve

alongside the people of Moyo #2. I would tell you that that

Brenda, she's the real deal. Probably the greatest compliment

that I could that I could ever give anybody is she is the real

deal #3. Here's what I would say that if

you're on the fence about, I know that maybe you're in here

and there there may be a stirring or you're joining us

online and there's a stirring there to where God is slowly but

surely giving you a discontent over what you have been doing

and you just really feel that he's moving your heart to

serving him and in in vocational ministry.

One of the one of the main pieces of advice that I give any

person, any guy, any girl that feels like, hey, I don't know,

like what to do with this. Like it is God calling me.

To step out to serve him in ministry.

Number one, I always encourage, I always say man, that is

incredible, continue seeking God.

Number two, the first prayer that you should pray is if you

feel that God is calling you to step into some form of

vocational ministry is God. Do you want me to serve you in

the capacity of missions somewhere overseas, taking your

gospel to, to, to, to, to people that they may not have heard of

your of your son. They may not have a copy of

God's word. Maybe they have heard of Jesus

and they do have a copy of God's word, but there's certain things

that are in their lives that are prohibited from them really

stepping in and surrendering that I can I can go and I can be

their hands and feet. In the meantime.

Here's what I would tell you is Doctor Kowalski.

She is she's back there at our table team from Moyo missions as

in that front lobby stop by there talk with them get

involved sponsor. Stay tuned to the the ways in

which we're going to be able to go serve alongside of them

Brazil and Uganda. So incredible, incredible

ministry. Something that if you're looking

to get involved with a ministry and a work, could not recommend

Moyo any higher than that turn. You may have seen out in the

lobby, depending on which lobby you walked into.

We got a bunch of kids wearing neon and glow necklaces.

It is glow Sunday so we never want you to feel left out.

There's a glow necklace. Good catch.

There's a glow necklace for you and also I know that that all

the parents out there, y'all are such super fans of daylight

savings time. So sorry that your kid woke you

up an hour before they had to. But you know what?

Just take their candy from from last week.

That'll get them back. Anyway, if you are new to

Riverbend, my name is Ben. If we haven't had the chance to

meet yet, we'd love to connect with you.

We'd love to talk with you. I'd love to personally thank you

for choosing to be here with us. Probably the best way that we

can connect with you is through that connect card that came with

your bulletin. We don't make that weird or

anything like that. We just, that's just kind of our

tool. Just get a snapshot of who you

are. So whatever info you feel

comfortable passing on. If you're with us online for the

first time, just drop in the comment section name and then

just an address that we can send a small thank you gift out into

the mail to you just for you choosing to be here with us.

But if you are new to Riverbend, we are in the middle of a series

called The Unseen World. We're in the middle of a series

called The Unseen World, and we've been looking at this whole

world or this whole reality, the spiritual realm that is

happening at this very moment that we cannot see.

But just because we can't see, it doesn't mean that it's not

real. And just because you may be new

to new to church or you may be new to Riverbend, or maybe

you're just seeking and, and when you hear us talk about the

spiritual world or this unseen world or the spiritual realm

there, there's a little bit of skepticism.

And here's what I would tell you.

Like we get it. We really do.

Like, first of all, thank you for being here with us.

But our hope and our prayer and our desire is that you would

just be open to, maybe just open to the possibility of the fact

that just because you may not be able to see it, it doesn't mean

that it's not real. And just because you may not

acknowledge it, it doesn't mean that it's not impacting your

life. You see, we're we're here in

week 5 of this series and the first four weeks up until this

point in time, they have been much more informing in nature.

So we want to have the right information as as as the Bible

impacts it For us this morning is going to be kind of a hinge

and a pivot, A hinge that pivots us from the informing to the

equipping. This morning what we're going to

be concentrating on is this whole element of spiritual

warfare. You see, over the last several

weeks we've taken a look 30, 1000 foot fly over look at key

essential elements of the spiritual world, elements like

God and angels in heaven. Last week, if you were with us,

we took a look at Satan and demons in in hell.

This morning we're going to talk about and we're going to take a

look at what the Bible says about how these elements, how

Satan and God, how demons and angels held heaven and hell, how

there is a war that is raging all around us.

And we're going to talk about kind of the origins of that of

that world and how it impacts us.

So before we get started and before we go any further, I just

want to ask that you join me in a word of prayer.

God, we thank you for bringing us here.

And God, we thank you God for everything that has LED up to

this point. God, some of us, we had

incredible weeks. Some of us had weeks that we

would just much rather forget about.

We got whether they are they are weeks that we're just incredible

or weeks that we're we're just glad that are over.

God, what we know is you. You've been faithful and you've

never left us. You've never abandoned us.

God, you work all things to the good to those who love you.

So God, I pray that as you have worked throughout this week to

bring us together for this time and in this place and in this

space, God, whether it's live or in the room or online, got to

pray that you would bring clarity.

Got to pray that you would illuminate your word to us.

God, that you would make your word come to life.

And God, I pray that Lord, that you would do the deep work in

every single one of us. God, where we need to be

encouraged, you would encourage us.

Where we need to be convicted, you would convict us.

But God, I pray that you would always move us, every single one

of us. God, that your Holy Spirit would

do something within every single one of us, whether in the room

or online, that moves us closer to you as a result of being.

With you and. It's in Jesus name that we pray.

Amen. Just to bring you up to speed.

If you're new to Riverbend, maybe just new to the series,

bring up to speed. Make sure that we're all on the

same page. If you're taking notes with this

on the back of the bulletin, I want to show you the kind of the

big truth or the main truth, the big idea that we've been riding

along those rails for the for this series.

And here it is. The unseen world is just as real

as the one I can see and it's shaping my life every day.

This unseen world is just as real as the one I can see.

So even though we may not be able to see God or see angels or

see Satan or see demons with our, with our, with our physical

eyes, they are just as real as the things that we can see.

They are just as real as you and I are in this room together.

They're just as real. And not only are they real, but

they are shaping our lives everyday, every single one of

us. And whether you, whether you see

them or not, they're there and whether you acknowledge them or

not, they're having an impact on your life.

And like I said earlier this morning, what I want to do is I

want to use this morning in our time together kind of as that

hinge that pivots us from the informing to the equipping.

So this morning we're going to be talking about spiritual

warfare. So if you, if you're new to the

series, I would highly encourage you go back to the church's

website or the church's app or YouTube channel, wherever you

listen to podcasts. And you can listen to the last

four weeks together or last four weeks.

And together they'll give you a better foundation of where we're

going to be heading this morning.

But here's what I want to talk about.

I want to give us 4 essential elements to what is spiritual

warfare. What is spiritual warfare?

If you're taking notes with us, here's the first thing that you

and I, we need to understand. There is an unseen spiritual war

that's raging all around me. There is an unseen spiritual war

that's raging all around me. And here's what I would tell you

about this unseen spiritual war from the time that God created

mankind, from the time that God created humanity in his image.

By the way, the only example or the only part of God's creation

that the Bible tells us that God created in his own image is

humanity. It's, it's mankind as incredible

as, as, as the animal Kingdom is as incredible as nature is.

None of those are created in the image of God.

Mankind, you and me, all of humanity are creating the image

of God. You see, I believe that after

God, soon after God created mankind in his image, that's

when you have going back time it back to last week, you have

Satan, who in his pride launched A rebellion against God.

Because Satan, as we discussed last week, he sought to make

himself equal and even above God himself.

I think that Satan was motivated this pride.

He was motivated because of all of creation, including angelic

creation. The only part of creation that

God created in his image is humanity.

And I believe that the Bible teaches us that Satan launches

this rebellion against God. And with Satan, he takes a third

of the angels and they rebelled against God and, and the, and

the heavenly hosts. And like we talked about several

weeks ago that that this rebellion, Satan was overcome in

this rebellion and he and his angels were exiled from heaven

and they were cast down to earth.

And these angels, they were twisted beyond their original

form and became demons. Now, when they were cast out of

heaven and down to earth, this spiritual war that once started

in heaven began to expand to now the earth.

And like we talked about last week, Satan hates most what God

most loves. And what God most loves is you

and me. And like we talked about last

week, maybe, maybe you need to be reminded of that.

Maybe you, you, you. Come in here and you feel like a

failure. You feel lesser than or lesser

loved and you need to be reminded that and the God of the

universe, His most prize and treasure possession is you.

When he looks at you, he does not look at you through the lens

of anger. He looks at you through the lens

of love. And what God loves the most,

Satan hates the most. So the spiritual war that

started in heaven has now made its way to earth.

Second thing that we need to understand about spiritual war,

there is no neutrality in this spiritual war.

There is no neutrality in this spiritual war.

And you may say, well, Ben, this whole thing of spiritual war,

this is kind of new to me. And honestly, it's kind of

scary. And I'll just be honest with

you, Ben, I don't want anything to do with it.

I didn't sign up to be a part of a spiritual war.

I want nothing to do with it. Listen, on the one hand, I get

it. I really do.

But on the other hand, I'm going to say this as lovingly and as

compassionately as a as I possibly can.

It doesn't matter if you want to be a part of the spiritual war.

The fact of the matter is. You are a part of the spiritual

war. You are part of the spiritual

war. So you can choose, you and I, we

can choose whether or not we are going to be just, we're going to

be engaged in the spiritual war or we're just going to be

collateral damage of the spiritual war and we're going to

get to the differences between the two in just a moment.

But there is no neutrality in this spiritual war.

The Bible is very, very clear on the fact that you and I, we are

either on the side of God and angels in heaven, or we're on

the side of Satan, demons and hell.

And the differentiator, the, the, the main decision or the

main hinge that that that creates that decision or that

aligns us on one of those two sides is what you and I do with

Jesus. It's what we do with Jesus.

You see, if there's been a point in time to where you've asked

Jesus to forgive you of your sins and you have committed to

following Jesus for the rest of your life, then the Bible tells

us that you will be saved, that you are saved, that you have the

Holy Spirit of the living God living in you.

And that is how you are on the side of God and Jesus, God and

and angels and and heaven. But if you reject Jesus and say

I'm, I'm going to do it on my own, I don't really believe in

Jesus, I don't need Jesus, then by default you are going to be

on the side of Satan, demons, and hell.

Here's the thing. The span of time in which you

and I live and exist. What you and I, what we call a

lifetime, that span of time, that lifetime that is the

measure of time that God gives us to choose our allegiance.

There is no neutrality. There is no such thing as

spiritually riding the fence in this spiritual war.

There is no neutrality #3 the spiritual war is shaping what I

see, what I feel, and what I face in this world.

Remember that big idea that that we keep coming back to?

This is the fifth week that we've come back to it.

This unseen world is just as real as the one that that I can

see. And it's shaping my life every

single day. This is how it's shaping my life

every single day is when I recognize that there's a

spiritual war going on, then my eyes are open that the things

that are going on around me actually have spiritual roots to

them. So like we talked about in our

first week together, what Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 6,

Ephesians 6:12

verse 12, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

And he goes on to talk about how our true enemy is spiritual in

nature. So we look at the evils and we

look at the atrocities in this world, and it's not about

letting anybody off the hook. It's not about a lack of

accountability for actions, but we look at the spiritual roots

behind the evil in this world. And the more we recognize the

spiritual world, the more that we will connect those spiritual

roots to it. You see, this is not a

Republican and a Democrat thing. This is not a race thing.

This is not a, this is not a, an America versus everybody else or

an everybody else versus America thing.

This is a spiritual roots thing. And the more I recognize the

spiritual war, the more I will start to see those spiritual

roots kind of behind the scenes. It also tells us that the

spiritual wars impact how I feel.

It impacts how I feel in, in other words, that you and I, we

need to understand that one of the greatest tactics in

spiritual war comes in disguise as discouragement, comes in

disguise as discouragement or frustration or just unhinged

anger. That one of the main tactics of

spiritual war is if Satan and demons and and the forces of

hell itself can get a hold of our emotions, can get a hold of

our emotions. No matter if those emotions or

feelings, we know that they're powerful, but what we may not

know is, are they true? You see this whole notion, the

more I start to recognize the spiritual war, the more I see my

emotions and my feelings as just another spiritual battleground

for this war going on around me. He also tells us not only is the

spiritual war shaping what I see, what I feel and what I

face, but what I face in this world.

You see one of the things that we start to understand, we start

to see when we understand and recognize the spiritual war is

one of the main combatants in the spiritual war is a or one of

the main battlegrounds of the spiritual war is a war over my

priorities. It's a war over my priorities

and it is a war that every single one of us we face every

single day. Am I going to choose comfort?

Am I going to choose the easy way or am I going to choose

obedience to God? And a lot of that has everything

to do with what you and I will face in this world. 4th

essential element of spiritual war.

What's at stake in the spiritual war is not temporary, it's

eternal. What I would tell you is this is

this is the most important component of spiritual war.

It's the most important component of spiritual war

because spiritual warfare, yes, it is true.

It's shaping every single one of our lives each and every day.

It is having an effect on my day tomorrow.

It will have an effect on my day next week, next month, next

year, next season. But the stakes are actually so

much higher than affecting next month.

You see, the stakes are eternal in nature.

The stakes are eternal in nature.

And again, going back to the second component, there is no

neutrality in the spiritual war. What I choose to do with Jesus,

that is the only litmus test that determines eternity.

You see, every single one of us, one day we will die.

Every single one of us, we, we, we are.

We are created as temporary beings with bodies that will age

and and and breakdown and, and, and one day die.

But our soul, that part of us that is made in the image of

God, that deep part of us that makes us, us, will go on and

live forever. God created our soul to live for

eternity. I had the honor and privilege of

being able to, to, to, to speak at A at a dear lady's funeral

yesterday. She passed away at the age of 93

and here's why. I would tell you not a doubt in

her mind that she was ready, that she was ready to, to to

meet. Jesus face to face.

So as we're in this Chapel and as we are yesterday, as we're in

this Chapel and as there are tears in the room, there are

more, There are no more tears for her.

You see, she lived her life devoted to Jesus.

She gave her life to Jesus. And, you know, for a while there

were stories being shared about this woman and how incredible

she was and how loving she was and, and, and what a great

example she was to her family. But make no mistake about it,

when she took her last breath here on earth and opened her

eyes for the very first time in the presence of God, God did not

ask her, hey, how good of a woman were you?

How good of a wife were you? How good of a of a mother were

you? How good of a of a grandmother

and a great grandmother? How good of a church member?

How many times out of out of 52 weeks a year, how many of those?

What was your church attendance? Average.

All those things are really, really important.

Make no mistake about it. All those things are really

important. The number one question is this.

What did you do with Jesus? That's the litmus test.

Every single one of us, our bodies will break down, but we,

we will die one day, but we will stand face to face with God.

And the number one question is, what did you do with Jesus?

You see? What we're talking about in

spiritual warfare, it does affect today and it does affect

tomorrow and next week, next month, next year, next season.

But the stakes are so much higher than this temporary.

The stakes are actually eternal. So with the stakes so high and

you and I facing spiritual warfare.

What we need to know kind of the tactics of our enemy.

I want to show you something we've gone through back to this

verse before. This is what first Peter 58

reminds us. Be sober minded.

He's talking to the church, he's talking to followers of Jesus.

Be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary of the devil, he

prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Seeking someone to devour. So here's the main question in

front of us. It would do us a lot of good to

understand what are the primary tactics that Satan, demons and

the forces of hell use against us.

Because if you were with us last week, we talked about the number

one objective is to keep you and I to keep people, to keep the

things, the people that God loves the most away from the

heart of God. So how does he do that?

What we're about to walk through today or in just a few moments,

is not an exhaustive list. This is really probably the six

most prominent tactics, tried and true tactics across time and

history that Satan and his demons employ to use and deploy

to keep people away from the heart of God.

If you're taking notes with us, I want to show you the first

one. The first one is keeping us

ignorant to His existence. Satan is Satan and his demons

would love nothing more than for you and I to sit there and go.

Man, what a great fairy tale. 2000 year old ruse is just

trying to control the masses. It's not really real.

To keep us ignorant of his existence, How do we see?

How do we see this tactic being deployed in in in our lives in

in, in our world? I think it's several ways there

there is an increased sense of skepticism and mockery.

There's a there's an increased sense of skepticism and mockery.

We see this in in comical depictions of Satan.

The more. Casual We, we, we, we, we.

We think about Satan in terms of like cartoonish characters or

bumbling idiot in A, in a, in a red suit with horns in A, in a

tail and pitchfork. There there's a inherent

skepticism and sense of mockery. I think that there's also a

tactic of distraction, that the more Satan can keep us busy, the

more that his demons can keep us busy, the less time that we have

to really think about and meditate on like the deep

matters and the deep questions of life.

There's an old saying to go something like this, that if

Satan can't destroy you, he'll distract you.

If Satan can't destroy you, he'll distract you.

What's that all about? It's keeping you ignorant of his

existence, and it's keeping you ignorant of his activities in

our lives. The second effective tactic that

Satan and his demons use is to keep us paralyzed by fear.

You see Satan and his demons, really, really crafty masters of

swinging that pendulum from wanting to keep you ignorant of

their existence to trying to get you to attribute everything to

their activity. And that that keeps you

paralyzed by fear. If you're always fearful, you're

going to hunker down and, and you're just going to, you're

going to become isolated to kind of like a, an ecosystem and a

ecosystem of your own. And there's going to be a

paralysis of fear that goes on. This whole notion that maybe,

maybe you've been a part of church for a while and you've

heard the phrase like somebody trying to see a demon under

every rock, you know, attributing all, all things to

demonic activities and sit there and go, man, Satan and his

demons, they are everywhere and they're, they're in full force

and they, they, they are doing everything.

And there's a paralysis that comes over us.

There's a fear that comes over us.

How about this one? I am the master at this is

getting us in our minds to play out all the what if scenarios.

Anybody there with me like if you're if you're if you are a

what if master, we should have like a contest, right?

I can what if I can out what if anybody and you know what it

always leads to fear. It always leads to fear if if

you're one of those if you're in the what if master club with me.

Have you ever noticed that you can what if something to death

and you become more and more fearful?

But have you ever noticed that all those really bad what ifs,

they never come to fruition? What is that?

That that that is a That is a sense of.

A paralysis by by fear. That's a sense of paralysis by

fear. I would tell you that this takes

place in different stages of our lives too, right?

Like if you if, if you're, if you're young or you're single in

here with us, you know those what if games of what if I never

found a spouse? If it, if you, if you, if you

get. Married what?

What if my spouse doesn't stay faithful to me?

If you have kids. What if this really bad thing

happens to my kids if you have grandkids?

What if this really bad thing happens to my kids or my

grandkids? I don't think that the what if

game is exclusive to any single person or any stage of life, but

all of it is a tactic to keep us paralyzed by fear.

Here's the third very effective tactic.

If he can't keep us paralyzed by fear, wants to keep us chained

in sin. So what is sin?

Sin is living in a way that is counter to God's ways for us.

It's living in a way that are count that are counter to God's

ways for us. Typically we think of sin as

doing things that God tells us not to do.

That's true, we call those sins of Commission.

But sin is also not doing the things that God tells us to do,

though we call those things of sin of omission.

But Satan want and his demons, they want to keep us chained in

sin. They want to keep us chained in

sin. Because here's one of the things

that I would tell you when you and I, when we give into

temptation, by the way, temptation and sin, 2 totally

different things. We're all tempted, but we don't

have to sin. Jesus was tempted.

Yet we know that Jesus lived a sin, a sinless life, right?

So temptation is is is the opportunity to do things our

way. Sin is actually giving in to the

temptation. But here's what sin always does.

Sin always comes with a cost. Sin always builds a wall up

between US and our heavenly Father and and these.

Tactics, these temptations of sin, they're they're deployed

in, in in several different ways There there's kind of the the

quiet whispers, Hey, nobody will ever find out how many marriages

and relationships have been blown apart because people

listen to the lie. Nobody will ever find out.

How about this whisper? Hey, you deserve it.

You've been working. Really hard, man.

Those kids have been really stressful.

You deserve just another, just another drink, just another hit.

You deserve it. And what ends up happening is

the more and more that we give into temptation, the more we

find ourselves chained by addiction, to where we're

controlled by something, by substance that we have a hard

time seeing our Savior. And when we give.

Into temptation and cross the line from temptation to sin.

That's when hell swoops in and attacks us with this next tactic

is to keep us isolated by shame. You see, shame always happens on

the backside of giving into temptation.

Can I tell you something? I think that we're in a room

full of people. People join us online that when

we start talking about being chained by sin or having a

secret sin struggle, there's a sense of shame that starts to

like creep over us and and overlay.

And we're so fearful of people finding out to where we have to

create this alternate version of us because if we revealed the

true us to the people around us, we feel that they would reject

us. That's what shame does.

Shame whispers to us, You're a failure.

You're a loser. Here you are again.

If only the people around you knew.

So what ends up happening is we withdraw and we isolate

ourselves in shame. We create the.

Shell version of our self that may look happy and joyful on the

outside, but on the inside man, we are crying.

It's almost like. We're, we're, we're.

In the fetal position, in the corner, crying.

Why? Because of shame.

And if Satan and his demons can keep you locked in shame, you

will never and I will never, we will never experience the

victory that God has for us. This is why, This is why one of

the greatest things that we see all throughout Scripture is

God's command that when we do crossover from sin, from

temptation into sin. One of the.

Greatest tools at our disposal is confession.

Is confession, and I'm not talking about airing out all of

our dirty laundry for everybody, but having a trusted person in

our lives to, to where we say, listen, I'm struggling with

this. Can you pray for me?

I just, I, I know that it's sin and I don't want it to be

present and have its grip on my life anymore, but I'm, I'm

struggling. That's confession.

You know what confession does? Confession drags the sin out of

the dark into the light. Shame.

Shame is that part of us that wants to keep sin actually in

the dark. Shame will call sin to, to, to,

to be drug kicking and screaming into the light, kicking and

screaming. Into the light and we're going

to come back to, in just a moment, a key truth that you and

I need to understand about sin and confession and shame.

But then there's a fifth component or 5th tactic.

And this kind of goes into shame is Satan and his demons in the

force of hell want to keep us prideful in ourself.

I think that this tactic right here, this tactic is so evident

and so prominent in our nation and in our culture, in a nation

and culture to where there's there there's opportunities for

upward mobility and a nation and culture that is that is far

wealthier than way over 99% of the world around us.

And in a nation and culture that prides itself on the American

dream, it is this pride in self is hey, I got this, I got this.

How do the forces of hell, how, what is their way?

What are the mechanisms that they use to keep us prideful in

self? I, I think it's several, I think

it's number one. I think that one of the major

tactics there is, is, is that is that spirit within us that, that

temptation, that fault that that creeps into our minds.

And, and, and make no mistake about it.

If you were here with us last week, we talked about how Satan

and demons, they can't read your thoughts, but they do know your

patterns. They do know your ways.

Like if Facebook and Instagram, if the algorithm has you pegged,

make no mistake about it, Satan and demons know you.

So they're going to be, they're going to know what temptations

are going to be most effective in your life.

And one of the major temptations is a sense of pride.

This thought of hey, you got it. This notion of hey, you're not

being prideful, you're not being prideful, you're just being

strong. No, this pride or distorting

pride as weakness, hey, a real man or a real woman, they

wouldn't need anybody else. They wouldn't need this church

thing. They wouldn't need, they

wouldn't need religion. They wouldn't need Jesus.

They wouldn't need the Bible. They get through this on their

own. Here's another pride one by

trapping us by comparison and whispering to us and causing

many of us to become convinced this this whisper of they don't

deserve that. If anybody deserves that, I

deserve that. What did they do?

I've been working so hard. I've been putting in the hours.

I've kind of laid the groundwork.

I've paid my dues, yet they're the ones with the.

With the bigger house and the nicer truck and you know the the

the kids that take good pictures, they don't deserve

that I deserve that you know what that is That's that's

that's pride. That's pride.

Here's that 6th tactic. I think this is probably the

most effective is to keep us doubtful of God's goodness is to

keep us doubtful of God's goodness.

You go back very beginning, Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

God creates Adam and Eve, puts them in the midst of paradise,

gives them one commandment. Do not eat the fruit of that one

tree. And what do we know that they

do? They eat at the fruit of that

one tree. But if you go back to.

Genesis chapter 3 In verse one, Satan comes on the scene in the

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

form of a serpent. And did you ever notice how

Satan started the conversation with?

Eve, he didn't say. Eve, you look hungry.

Man, that fruit looks really good.

Have you tasted? I know that you've tasted all

the other fruits. But you haven't tasted that one.

If you read Genesis chapter 3 verse one, Satan approaches Eve

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

and he says several just simple words.

Did God really say that's how the conversation?

Started did God really say don't eat of the fruit?

And we when when Satan said that to Eve, what he triggered in

Eve's mind was this notion that God was somehow holding

something good back from her, that God was holding, holding,

holding out on. Her and Satan tempted Eve, and

Eve gives into the temptation. He tempts Eve into questioning

the goodness of God. Now here's the question.

Was Satan was God holding something back from Eve?

Absolutely he was. But what was he holding back

from Eve? A sense of shame and guilt and

sin. You see what God held back from

Eve. He wasn't withholding his

goodness. He was withholding undue

suffering from Eve. But the tactic of Satan was to

get Eve to question God's goodness.

That tactic is so used today. I think that that tactic is is.

Used in ways like getting you and I to really focus in on what

we don't have and getting us to think, God, if you were really

good, then I would have this in my life.

God, if you were really good, I'd have a husband or a wife.

God, if you were really good, we'd have kids.

God, if you were really good, I'd have a solid job.

If you were really good, then I wouldn't struggle with this,

with this emotional or this mental issue.

That I'm struggling with. And, and getting us to think

that what we don't have is sometime, sometimes a type of

evidence that God isn't good, or many times he'll, he'll get us

to to question God's goodness. He'll get us to question God's

goodness by by causing us to focus.

In on our pain and twisting our thoughts into thinking if God

was really good, then you wouldn't have to go through

that. If God was really good, your,

your, your son, your daughter wouldn't have to face that.

If God was really good, all these bad things wouldn't be

happening. And I think a lot of times what

Satan and his demons, what they do is they try to fool us and

they try to trick us into focusing in on the temporary and

making us think that the temporary is permanent.

You. Want to know one of the reasons

that one of our most treasured treasures, and I know that

that's redundant, but it's true. One of our greatest treasures

here at Riverbend. You know who you know what it is

or who they are. It's our senior adults.

You want to know why? Because our senior adults have

lived enough life and walked long enough with God to where

they can give a perspective that what?

You may be. Going through right now.

It stinks, it hurts, it stings, but it's not forever.

You see Satan and his demons, they want you to think that the

that all the bad that you're going through right now, it is

forever. And if you.

Think that what you're going through right now is forever.

Then you'll start to question God's goodness in the time we

have left this morning, I want to pivot because these tactics

are very real and they seem very.

Scary. But you and I, we do not have to

be bait to these tactics. So what can you and I do?

What can we have in our lives, what can we institute in our

lives to make sure that we are not bait or just mere casualties

of the spiritual war, but we're actually offensive forces in the

spiritual war. And here's why I would tell you

it's going to start with our defense.

And over the next 4 weeks together, we're going to talk

about how you and I engage in the spiritual war.

But I want to give you 4 quick items and four quick essentials

to our defense. Here's the first one taking

notes with us. We've got to maintain parallel

vision. Here's what I mean by parallel

vision. My weakness, God's power.

The first part of that parallel vision is I've got to know

myself. I've got to be aware of where I

am weak, and I've also got to be aware that where I'm weak, God

is strong. Let me show you a passage that

the Apostle Paul writes in Second Corinthians.

He goes so to keep me from becoming conceited because of

the surpassing greatness of the revelations, we kind of jump

straight in midstream mid thought with Paul.

Let me kind of explain what he's talking about.

The apostle Paul, greatest missionary that the earth is

ever known, he got to see God do some incredible things, some

awesome things, raise the dead to to back to life, heal the

sick, bring families together, start revivals in cities.

And basically Paul is saying, hey, to keep me from thinking

that I had anything to do with that and that I'm something

bigger than I really AM because I got to be a part of this and I

got to see it. That's what he's saying to keep

me from becoming conceited because you're passing greatness

of the revelations. A thorn was given me in the

flesh. Now, most scholars believe this

was not a physical thorn. This is not a physical thorn.

It's a metaphorical thorn. It's a it's a struggle.

It was a lifelong struggle for Paul.

And nobody really knows what that thorn in the flesh really

was. Some would say that that that it

was poor eyesight. Some would say that it was poor

health. Some would say this or that, but

it was a it was a it was a very real impediment to Paul.

But check this out. He says a thorn was giving me in

the flesh a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep reminding

me. Paul, you're not really all that

you people say that you are to harass me, to keep me from

becoming conceited. Check this out verse 8.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should

leave me. He went to God and pleaded 3

different times. God, I believe you are who you

say that you are. You are all knowing, all

powerful, everywhere present. It is nothing for you to remove

this thorn from my flesh to remove the struggle.

God, if you remove the struggle, I can be so much more effective

for you. I feel that this struggle is

holding me back from serving you in a way that I know and that I

can and that I really want to. Three times he prayed that to

God. Check out God's response.

But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power

is made perfect in weakness. He goes on to say, therefore I

will boast, I will brag all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so

that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ then I am content with weaknesses,

insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This maintaining parallel vision is understanding.

I have to be honest with myself enough and self aware to where I

realize where I'm weak. I have to own those weaknesses.

I have to then turn those weaknesses over to God and then

rely on God's power to fill those areas, to fill those areas

with His power. Can I go ahead and tell you

probably your most effective area of ministry is going to be

your most personal weakness. Why?

Because it's not your strength, it's God's power in you.

What is the aim of God of using our weakness?

The aim of God is for the people that know you best and know that

you struggle in those areas of weaknesses to look at you and

look at what God's doing in and through you and go, I don't get

it. I don't get it.

I knew that guy back in middle school and high school, and he

could barely read, and yet he's telling people about Jesus.

I don't get it. We've got to know our

weaknesses, own our weaknesses, turn our weaknesses over to God

by prayer, and then expect God to use those weaknesses for His

glory and His power. Second area defense is we've got

to stay fueled by Scripture and let Scripture shape my life.

I've got to, you've got to, We've got to stay.

Fueled by scripture and let scripture shape our lives.

I didn't write this in your notes, but you may want to jot

this out to the side. If I want to grow closer to God,

I have to read my Bible. We make it so hard so many

times, don't we? If I want to grow closer to God,

I've got to read my Bible. He may say, well, Ben, I've

tried. And then I got stuck in

Leviticus. Don't start in Leviticus.

If I want to grow closer to God, I've got to read my Bible.

Here's why. I have got to know what God's

Word says about me, about Him, about the spiritual world, about

life around me and my purpose. And I've got to know it and I've

got to read it to where it makes its way from here into the deep

parts of me. Here's why.

Most of us in this room, we know that if you really want to know

what a man or woman is truly made of when they're squeezed,

pay attention to what comes out of them.

Listen, I'm not telling you something that you don't already

know. You and I, some of us will sit

there and go, I'm already there. I'm ahead of you.

We will be squeezed by life and here's what we want.

We want when we are squeezed, we want the Word of God to come out

of us. That cannot become a reality if

we are simply fueled weekly. We've got to be fueled on the

daily. We've got to be fueled on the

daily, but check this out. That's not where it ends.

Our goal is not to become champions, world champions of

Bible trivia because the Bible tells us we do not want to

simply be hearers or readers of the word only.

We also want to be doers. That means that I've got to take

the word of God and I've got to read it and I've got to digest

it and I've got to lay my life up beside the word of God and go

where are the inconsistencies in my life and what the word of

God. Says.

So when it comes to the issues of marriage, I've got to do

marriage the way that God defines marriage.

When it comes to the issue of raising a family, I've got to do

family. When it comes to the issues of

finances, I've got to manage my finances the way that God's word

says. When it comes to the issue of

friends and what God's word says about the the core group of

people that are our most primary influencers, I've got to follow

the words of God there because they are for my good.

I've got to be fueled by Scripture and to allow scripture

to change and shape my life. Third, I've got to establish

wise and godly boundaries in life.

I've got to establish wise and godly boundaries in life.

All right, every single one of us in this room, does it matter

if you're a male or female, young or old, veteran of church,

new to church, We all struggle and in some way, right?

We may not struggle in the same way, but we all struggle.

But we all struggle. Like I said, Satan can't.

Satan and his demons, they can't read your thoughts, but they

know your ways, they know your habits.

They know what? Temptations are going to be most

effective against you. We have got, we have got to

establish wise and godly boundaries in our lives because

some of us some of the time. We are making it way.

Too easy for Satan and his demons.

Here's why we're fearful of establishing wise and godly

boundaries. We're fearful of establishing

boundaries because somehow we think that boundaries are

legalistic. They're not legalistic.

They're wise. So if you struggle, if you

struggle with alcohol, don't go to a bar.

If you struggle with pornography, do not use your

phone or your tablet or your laptop in your bedroom.

If you struggle with lust, do not be alone with someone of the

opposite gender behind closed doors.

If you struggle with materialism, stay off Amazon.

Like, listen, we have got to make it harder for Satan and his

demons. And I'll go ahead and tell you,

many of the people around you, they won't get it.

That's why you're establishing these boundaries.

But the people that truly love you, they will.

The people that truly love you, they will. 4th and final a

central tired offence. Hell cannot handle a unified

church. Hell cannot handle a unified

church. God will not heal What?

You keep hiding. Let me say that again.

God will not heal what you keep hiding.

I didn't say he can't heal. Of course he can't.

He will not. God will not heal what you and

I, what we keep hiding. That's where confession comes

in. Who do we confess to?

A godly brother or godly sister? Maybe not literal bio family,

the spiritual family, The church.

You want to know why? We could probably go on and on

and on about war stories of different churches that we may

have been a part of. Three hour yelling, screaming,

fighting business meetings and you sit there and go, Oh my

goodness, like this was not in the book of Acts.

You want to know why Satan attacks the local church so with

such vigor and ferocity? Because the local church

matters. The local church matters.

Let me let me say this as clear as I possibly can.

There's not a single one of us, me, you, none of us in the room

online that does not need the local church.

We need one another. We need one another.

But I want to show you something that that is actually.

An even bigger deal than the local church.

And when we say local church, we're talking about like

Riverbend Church. This past week I had the

opportunity to, to, to do last week was discover Riverbend and

we had the opportunity to to sit down here with several families

and walk through membership class and had just great

discussion there. As important, as good as that

is, man awesome Jesus. Actually, when he's talking

about the church, he loves Riverbend Church, but he's

talking about a capital C church.

Do you realize that the only thing that the Messiah, the

Christ, the Son of God ever started, founded or instituted

was the church? The church is the only thing.

This capital C church, which is all people of all languages, of

all cultures, all throughout time and history, who've

surrendered their life to Jesus Christ and have been forgiven of

their sins by Jesus. They belong to this, to this big

C church, this capital C church. I want to show you where Jesus

starts this church. There's a conversation between

Jesus and his disciples back in Matthew 16 to where he's saying,

Hey, who do people say that I am?

And his disciples give him several answers.

And then he turns it to the personal and says, but who do

you say that I am? Peter said this, you are the

Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you Simon Barjona, or

blessed are you son of John or son of Jonah, For flesh and

blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in

heaven, and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will

build my church in the gates of hell shall not prevail against.

It. Now let me tell you what Jesus

wasn't talking about. Jesus wasn't saying, hey,

blessed are you Peter. And on this rock and pat him on

the chest, I'm going to build my church.

You see, the Church of Jesus Christ was not built.

The foundation of the church is not a man.

It's a confession. It's a confession.

What's the confession? That you are Jesus.

You are the Christ. The.

Son of the living God throughout all time, throughout all

language, throughout all cultures, we're going to have

denominational differences. But at the core of it all, the

Church of Jesus Christ is made-up of men and women all

over the globe, all throughout language and cultures that have

said, I believe that Jesus is the Christ.

He is the Messiah. He is the only way to God.

He is the Son of God, and he is the only way that I can be

forgiven to my sins. And on that confession, the very

gates of hell shudder. They cannot advance against it.

Can I ask you a question? Are you a part of that church?

I'm not asking. Are you a member of?

Riverbend Church, Are you a part of that church?

Are you a part of like the Capital C Church to where you

say, Ben, I know that there's been a point in time to where

Jesus has forgiven me of my sins because I asked him to, and he's

taking control of my life because I asked him to.

Are you a part of that church? In just a moment, we'll give you

an opportunity. If you have questions about that

or, or doubts about that, I would love to talk with you down

here at the front. I think that many of us in the

room are online that we would say, you know, praise God, I'm a

part of that church. Like I, I gave my life to Jesus

maybe last year, last month, maybe when I was younger.

Praise God that I'm a part of that church.

Let me ask you a question for you.

What are the effective tactics that Satan and his demons are

utilizing against you? Can I tell you our first line of

defense prayer? Hand them over to God.

I hope one of the things that you get out of this last section

that we just walked through is there's not a single one of us

that has enough within us to combat hell itself head on.

Some of us, we sit there and go, man, I wanted, I just want to go

charge Satan in hell with a water pistol.

You're going to end up being bait.

You will become overcome. But if you rely on God's power

and God's strength in your life, the gates of hell can't move

against that. So in just a moment, we're going

to give you an opportunity. We'll pray together, give you an

opportunity. Is there something that you're

facing in your life that you just need to ask for God's

protection on you? Maybe ask for God's protection

for someone else? Before we enter into this, I

just want to say and I know trying to be very cognizant of

time. A lot of times when we get to a

time like this, an invitation, I think there's a misnomer out

there that I only come forward and I only pray when there's

something wrong. Can I tell you as your pastor,

when you come down and when you pray, I know that there's

something right. I know that there's something

right. In other words, that you realize

that the only way to engage in this spiritual war, not to

become bait, is to hand it over to God.

So I don't want there to be any walls, any hesitancy there, any

any pride that crops up to where you start to think, well, I just

don't know what people are think or people are going to like talk

or gossip or whatever. That's their problem and they're

wrong. You be obedient.

To what God's calling you to do, Let's pray.

God, we love you and we thank you for the clarity of your

word. God, you don't tell us about

spiritual warfare and Satan and demons in hell to to frighten us

or to scare us. But God to, to, to inform us,

God, you want us to know what we're up against.

And God, every single person in this room, whether we are

cognizant of it or not, we're in the thick of it.

We're in the midst of the spiritual war.

And the more you move in our lives and the more that you move

in Riverbend Church, the bigger the target we have on us.

But God, that just simply means that we get to experience the

bigness of you. So God, I pray if there's anyone

in this room or online, as we talked about this Capital C

church that is doubting or wondering if there really has

been a point in time to where Jesus has forgiven them of their

sins and that they are following him.

God, I pray that they would step out and they would come down and

pray for the pastor God for those that have made that step

and they, they know they have the, the, the secure sureness of

that decision. God, we know that the attacks

don't stop there. God, so many of us, we feel

bombarded by these tactics of Satan and his demons and the

forces of hell. God, and we admit in this time

that we are not big enough to stand up against any of it.

We need you. So God, I pray that this would

be a time to where we would release our pride and that we

would surrender the battle over to you.

And it's in Jesus name that we pray.

Amen. Thank you for listening to the

Riverbend Church Podcast. Learn more about who we are as a

church and how to connect. You can head over to our

website, Riverbend Church dot Life.