War a Good Warfare

[0:00] 1 Timothy 1.18.

[0:15] Paul writes to Timothy, he says, This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee,! That thou by them mightest war, a good warfare.

[0:30] He prays for Timothy, he says, I commit the word to you, that by the word you might war a good warfare.

[0:43] How do we war a good warfare? It's almost a conflict in terms, isn't it? How can war be good? How can warfare be good? But we're told to war a good warfare.

[0:54] There's a battle that is a good battle. And spiritual warfare is what we're talking about tonight. Spiritual warfare, it's a present reality. It's happening in the present day.

[1:06] It's a war out there. And in here. It's a war. We're in a war. We're in a warfare. How can we war a good warfare?

[1:17] How can we war a good warfare? We need to realise the reality of it. Warfare. It's not something pleasant and easy. We need to realise the reality of it.

[1:28] Warfare. We're in the midst of a battle. You are in the midst of a battle. Maybe you don't even realise it. Sometimes we don't even stop to think of the warfare that we're in.

[1:40] We are in the midst of a battle. It's a battle. And there's a war going on. A spiritual conflict being waged for human souls.

[1:51] In the spiritual realm. It's very real. And it's in your lives and mine today. Warfare. You have a committed enemy.

[2:06] He's committed against you. He's resolute. And he's ongoing in his attacks. Constant. He's a spiritual enemy.

[2:18] He's pitted against you. And look, there's some good things we can say about the devil. He's a hard worker. He works hard. He really does. He works hard.

[2:30] And he doesn't rest very much. He's constantly on the prowl. Like a lion. And he's against you. He's against you today. He's against you.

[2:40] He's against the church of God. He's against the saints of God. Against the people of God. He's against the work of God. And he wants to target you. Each one of you. He's got his target sights on you.

[2:54] And it's constant. Constant. You are his target. And he knows your weaknesses. And he'll exploit them. He wants to destroy you. And we're going to consider him tonight.

[3:07] Not to give him glory. Not to give him any acknowledgement. Because he's a dastardly, devious soul. And he has pitted against you.

[3:18] This enemy of your soul. We're going to consider our enemy. We're going to consider his strategies. And consider our strategies in combat against him. So we can war a good warfare.

[3:30] As we're instructed to. When we're facing a warfare situation. We need to know our enemy. That's critical. It's fundamental that we know who our enemy is. What he's about.

[3:42] Now I don't have much experience in warfare. In the physical side of things. Because I know I did spend some time as a weekend warrior. As a part of the Army Reserves.

[3:56] And it didn't last very long. But I spent a good couple of years doing it. And I enjoyed it. And firing the machine gun. And firing an SLR rifle. And putting on the greens.

[4:06] And marching up and down. And getting barked at. And told off all the time. By the sergeants. And sometimes it's about that reality. Of what a soldier is about.

[4:19] It's not always pleasant. In the recruit camp. You have to get up really early. In the morning. Before we. At some unimaginable early hour of the day.

[4:30] And then go for a big long jog. And get trained. To train up. And to build up strength and stamina. So that we could fight the battles that might lie ahead.

[4:40] It's no picnic. It's no picnic. It's no picnic being a soldier in the real army. And I can't speak. There's some. Maybe here tonight. You've been in the real military.

[4:51] You know what it's really like. But friends. We are in a battle force. We are meant to be soldiers in the Army of God. The Bible speaks of that. And you are his enemy today.

[5:04] We need to know our enemy. In World War II. They used to have these silhouettes. Of different planes. And I've sent some old manuals such as that.

[5:14] And the anti-aircraft gunners would have to recognise the silhouettes of the planes. So they could recognise the difference between a Messerschmitt and a Spitfire for example.

[5:25] And such things. So they didn't ship down the wrong plane. And we need to know our enemy. We need to know about him. We need to know what he's about. And the enemy of our soul has many names.

[5:37] He's got many names. One of his names is the Devil. He's the old serpent. Satan. Many names that he has. One of the names of the Devil is Beelzebub. Beelzebub.

[5:48] It means Lord of the Flies. Or some have termed it Lord of the Garbage. That's a fitting name for him, isn't it? He's the Lord of the Garbage. You know. Next time when you get that smelly garbage bin out.

[6:00] And you've got to put it in the big green bin. And you get the smell of the garbage. And you hear the flies buzzing around. The mouldy meat.

[6:11] And the foul stench of it all. And that is a picture of Satan. And hell. Because hell was likened to the garbage dump in Jerusalem.

[6:24] And the enemy of our soul is called Beelzebub. The Lord of the Flies. Or the Lord of the Garbage. And so you can think of him next time you take the garbage out. It's what he's about.

[6:35] He's a stinky, slimy, skunk of a thing. The Devil. We're going to talk about him tonight. And hell is like a cosmic garbage dump. It's a wasted life, isn't it?

[6:46] When you think of the garbage, it's waste. And that's where many lives will be wasted. Many souls will spend eternity there. And the small g, God, who will end up in this garbage dump.

[6:59] This eternal cosmic garbage heap is the Devil himself. It's a fitting picture of him. A garbage pile. Who is this one? We're going to talk about the Devil tonight.

[7:10] Who is he? This one with whom we engage in warfare. He's the constant enemy of God. Of God's people. Of Christ. Of God's kingdom. Of the followers of Christ.

[7:21] Of all truth. He's full of falsehood and malice. He works to seduce people in evil. In every possible way. Where did he come from?

[7:34] Where did he come from? At one time, the Devil held an honoured place. He was the chief angel. One of the chief angels of God's side. He was anointed.

[7:45] He was beautiful. There was a beauty about him. This anointed cherub. However, in his pride and treason, he sought to unseek God from his throne.

[7:58] And he still seeks that today. He still seeks that people worship him. He got proud and he lost his rank and position and he fell from heaven. Luke 10 verse 18.

[8:10] The Lord Jesus, it says, He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. The Devil. He was given the name Satan.

[8:23] Satan means adversary. He's your adversary. He's against you. He's the adversary of God and man. He's public enemy number one. And one of his names is the accuser of the brethren.

[8:36] Revelation 12 verse 10. In other words, a defamer. A slanderer. And he still does this nefarious work today. He's a slanderer against God's own.

[8:48] An accuser of the brethren. He's called the tempted. He's called the God. Small g. Of this world. In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4. It tells of him.

[8:59] It says, Of the world in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them.

[9:12] He's blinded minds. We've seen who he is. Where he's come from. What does he do? What does he do to this enemy of our soul? Friends, he's still at work today.

[9:24] He's non-stop. He's still at work today. He's blinding the minds of them which believe not. He wants people to be obsessed with the world, the flesh and the devil. With the philosophies of the world.

[9:35] He wants you to mind earthly things. He wants you to be sucked in to the philosophies, the thinking, the lies of this world. His power is very great in the world today.

[9:48] The Bible says of him in 1 Peter 5. He is like, as it were, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. It tells in 2 Timothy 2 that men are taken captive by him.

[10:02] In 2 Corinthians 2.11 it talks of how Christians are to be warned against his devices. His devices. His subtle methods that he uses against us.

[10:14] His devices. And we want not to be ignorant of them. But to be informed about them. That's what we're hoping to do something of tonight. To be informed about the devil.

[10:25] What does he do? Satan blinds the minds of the lost. So they cannot see the gospel. He steals worship away from God. Now friends, everybody worships something.

[10:39] Even atheists. Everybody worships something. Perhaps even unwittingly. Satan wins over people. And he makes them worship something other than God.

[10:52] Himself. When people worship and chase after power, prestige, possessions, pleasure. Whatever it be.

[11:02] Unknowingly, they're taking away worship from God. They're falling prey to the devil and his power. Because God says, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

[11:14] No other gods. Satan is called the prince of this world. John 12, 31. Many people are ensnared by him. They're under his reign. Under his dominion.

[11:25] As it were, as a prince. As a king. Ensnared by him. Under his domain. In his dominion. In his control. But there's one thing where we can know about the power of Satan.

[11:37] Friends tonight. We can take heart in this. That Satan's power is limited. It's limited. As it was, that power and authority that Satan had over Job.

[11:49] He had to ask God permission. Permission. He had to come cap in hand, as it were. And ask God permission. As to what he was to do to Job.

[12:02] Permission to afflict him. And friends, sometimes for you, for me. Sometimes we might have to walk a mile in Job's sandals. You might be walking in Job's sandals today.

[12:16] It could be. You're going through some tough things. You're feeling a bit like Job tonight. Satan's power is limited. It's not going to be beyond your capacity.

[12:30] God will help you. How can we as God's own people war a good warfare today? How can we have that warfare? We, the church, we're meant to be on a war footing.

[12:42] You know, when nations raise an alert, an alarm. And they raise a level of alert. When there's some potential conflict arising. They raise the level.

[12:52] We should be on high alert. We should be at the top of the alert. Because we are in a war. This is no fairy story. This is no, just a make-believe.

[13:03] This is real. It's now. It's happening. And you're in it. You're in it. And it's a big mistake that many Christians make. They don't realise that they're meant to be on the alert. Because of spiritual attacks.

[13:16] And we sometimes miss that. We need to heed and act. As it were in a time of war. There's a call to arms today. A call to engage in battle.

[13:26] And it's right through the scriptures. We call and we should be aware that we're in a battle. You know, maybe you're very well aware of that tonight. But maybe you're not. Maybe it's just a passing thought for you.

[13:37] You know, life just goes on as usual. You don't stop to think that you're actually under attack. That's why things are going tough for you. Because you are under attack.

[13:48] You're to expect it. It's not something to be unexpected. It's something to expect. The battle rages for you. And you're in the target sites, as I say.

[13:59] Sometimes the battleground of the spiritual warfare is in your mind. It's against your mind. It says in 2 Corinthians 10 verses 4 through 5.

[14:10] It says, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. In other words, of our flesh. Of our physical person. But they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

[14:21] Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

[14:33] Amen. Satan wants to subvert hearts and minds. To turn people against God. He wants your mind to be barraged by doubt and unbelief and philosophies of worldly thinking.

[14:44] That take away from your spiritual life. And the battle rages and the battleground is the mind. That's why we've got to be careful what goes in the ear gate and the eye gate.

[14:56] This battle rages and it's worldwide in scale. 1 John 5 verse 19 it says, The whole world lieth in wickedness. It's a war.

[15:09] War. What does war mean? War means devastation. It means people getting hurt. It means casualties. It means people broken and wounded.

[15:21] How many wounded, hurting Christians do you know? I know many. I've met many wounded, hurting Christians. And sometimes we shoot the wounded, don't we?

[15:34] We shouldn't. We shouldn't shoot the wounded. We shouldn't love the wounded. And I've been faulty. I've missed it. Friends, we've got to be careful of that.

[15:46] Don't shoot the wounded. War. It's devastation. There's going to be casualties. There's going to be some wounded people. You know, you see these, at times you see like in a war movie scene, as the troops head to the battlefront, there's troops coming the other way.

[16:03] And they're bandaged and beaten with missing limbs. They're battle scarred, trudging back from the front lines, bandaged and torn. It's a picture for the church too.

[16:15] There's wounded Christians. There's wounded Christians here. Tonight even. Maybe you're sat next to one. Maybe you are such a one tonight. Take heart. Take heart today. He binds up our wounds.

[16:30] He binds up our wounds, it says. So friends, you might be trudging back from the front lines. This is our struggle. You'll get healed up and you're going to go back to the trenches again.

[16:44] Sometimes we need a bit of rest. We need a bit of recovery. But we're still in the battle. You're still signed up. You might feel like you've failed, but you're still in the army of God.

[16:54] And he'll help you through. He'll help you to get back on your feet again. And to restore your strength, your spiritual power. This is our struggle. We need more and more awareness of such things as this.

[17:05] Of the dangers that prevail in the battle zone that is life on planet Earth. We've heard of who he is. Of where he is from. Of what he is to do.

[17:17] And we need to recognise another thing. His tactics. Of his tactics today. We're warned, don't be ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2.11 it says, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us.

[17:33] For we are not ignorant of his devices. What are his devices? What are his tactics? His strategies that he uses? His schemes, his wiles, his secret designs, his methods.

[17:46] How will we recognise his works? It's important that we have a means of doing so. 1 John 4. We read, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God.

[18:05] Because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.

[18:19] And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come.

[18:34] And even now, already, is it in the world. Recognise the spirits. Try the spirits. Test the spirits. We need to be watchful and watching.

[18:47] Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is a Christian. Not everyone. Not every church that calls itself Christian is Christian.

[19:04] Why do I say that? Because the devil, one of the hallmarks of his strategies is deception. Deception.

[19:17] Snake. He's deceiving. And he's still deceiving today. He's a schemer. A deceiver. And he uses various methods.

[19:31] And one of them is deception. Deception. Deception. Because much of his warfare is covert. Covert. And when I was in the Army Reserves, I almost signed up for the intelligence unit.

[19:47] But I wasn't intelligent enough. No, really. I almost signed up for it. But then I got transferred with my job to Mount Isa. It never happened. But I was kind of looking forward to being in the intelligence unit.

[20:01] And being able to almost be like a spy, you know. And sort of work out codes. And see what the enemy is up to. And sort of, you know, see behind the enemy lines.

[20:12] And find out what the enemy, our potential, you know, Australia's potential enemies are up to. And sort of do some intelligence and spy work, that kind of thing. But I never got to do it.

[20:23] Praise God. It's something I missed out on. But, you know, what I'm saying is that in some kind of warfare, it's covert. It's covert. It's under the radar.

[20:34] It's sort of hidden. It's like the plainclothes detectives, you know. They're covert. They're kind of hidden. They can't see them. And it's like that with the devil that we're against today.

[20:46] He's covert. He's undercover. He's undercover. He's hiding. He uses lies and deception and disguise. He cloaks himself with religious guys.

[20:58] So we need to be alert for that. Watch out for that, brothers and sisters. You know, I know some have told me they're tuning into certain TV preachers. And I think, oh, no, I wouldn't recommend that one.

[21:09] I would not recommend that one. And it's hard to tell people that because they think, oh, you're having a go at me or, you know, whatever it be. But, friends, there's certain most TV preachers that you would not recommend.

[21:22] I would not recommend them to you. Honestly. There's much caution over such things. Why? Because the devil is covert.

[21:34] He's undercover. And one of the devil's works is subversion. Here's another big word for you tonight. Subversion. And I had to look this up in the dictionary myself.

[21:44] So subversion. In other words, what it means is being sneaky. All right? That's an easy way to say it, isn't it? The devil is sneaky. He's sneaky.

[21:56] He sneakily tries to undermine and overthrow something. So when there's subversion in a government, people join the government and then they undermine it and overthrow it.

[22:08] You know, there's a coup or whatever. They work secretly and then they get enough power to overthrow the government. And the devil sometimes uses subversion as well as the covert, undercover kind of way.

[22:22] And 2 Corinthians 11, 14, we read in the context, it talks about this kind of deception, this kind of hallmark of the devil. And it says, And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[22:37] Well, you hear some, in fact, it's not uncommon, I put it to you today, to hear certain preachers say, Oh, I saw an angel.

[22:51] And an angel told me this. And an angel told me that. And I went to heaven and I saw lots and lots of angels. An angel said this. An angel said that. Joseph Smith saw a beautiful angel, he says.

[23:05] And he got a new revelation, a new testament, a new new testament, a new story. There's many so-called prophets who've had these angels appear to them.

[23:20] The Bible says, if there's an angel who tells you something different from what's in here, give them a wide berth. Don't go near them with a barge pole. That's the Andrew Craig version. You know, don't go near them.

[23:31] Don't go anywhere near them. If an angel comes to you and it's another gospel, don't listen to them. Friends, I urge you tonight. No marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[23:45] So watch out. If an angel comes and starts talking to you, you've got to be careful. It might not be an angel of God. And in the same context, it talks about counterfeits.

[23:58] Counterfeits. I know there was one day I was a bit cheeky. I took a $50 note and I put it in my colour photocopier and I waved it around and then I tore it up.

[24:09] I meant to do that tonight. But just to show, you're not supposed to do that with your colour photocopier, by the way. But that's what some people do, isn't it? They try to counterfeit money. And the devil is like that.

[24:21] He tries to counterfeit the things of God. He does that. He's transformed into an angel of light himself. And it says that he's got his own synagogues and his own churches.

[24:32] Revelation 2 verse 9 tells of the synagogue of Satan. Satan has counterfeit churches. And they even have Jesus Christ as part of the name of them.

[24:46] There's one round the corner from me. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It says Jesus Christ on there. It's on their wall. And it's a beautiful building.

[24:57] Much better than this one. Jesus Christ is on the name of that building. On the name of that church. Doesn't that make it right? It's another Jesus, people. It's another Jesus in that church.

[25:10] It's a counterfeit church. Satan's churches are empowered, not by God's spirit, but by a different one. They've got great power and charisma. They preach a gospel, yes, but it's a counterfeit.

[25:22] It's a different one. It's not the gospel of Jesus Christ of the Bible. It's a different Jesus. And it's a gospel that will damn you to hell. It's a subtle one. The differences are subtle, but they're enough.

[25:35] It's a damn you to hell. It's a belief in them. And many of Satan's churches, they loudly proclaim. They proclaim the name of Jesus. They use this like a mantra. In the name of Jesus.

[25:47] They use that all the time. As if it's some kind of mantra. And sometimes it's not really on track.

[25:58] It's just getting off track. We've got to watch that, people. And Satan wants to hinder you. He wants to steal God's word from you. That's another of his methods. To steal God's word away from you.

[26:10] He's a counterfeiter. He's a counterfeiter. Satan plants counterfeit Christians within churches today. He plants them. It says he's going to in Matthew 13.

[26:23] It says there's going to be tears among the wheat. You can't tell the difference. And in some churches, they're members in good standing.

[26:36] They're on the roll. They might have an office. They might have a title. They might be the preacher himself. Satan has tears.

[26:48] That he's sowing amongst the wheat. And there's counterfeit preachers and teachers of God. They might speak from the Bible. They might even have a good Bible like this one. And get it wrong.

[27:00] They may repeatedly invoke the name of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 11. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.

[27:11] Ministers of righteousness. That sounds good, doesn't it? They're preaching righteousness. They're preaching holiness. But they're counterfeit. Counterfeit. And there's counterfeit miracles.

[27:23] Counterfeit signs and wonders. In Paul's day, they were bent on counterfeiting or corrupting the Bible. 2 Corinthians 2.17 says, For we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God.

[27:39] That's interesting, isn't it? Paul says, In his day, there was people, many, many, which corrupt the Word of God. There are Bibles like this today.

[27:52] There's one that we can all agree is corrupt. The New World Translation. Isn't that corrupt? Isn't that corrupt? The Bible of the Jehovah's Witnesses is corrupt. It's corrupt.

[28:02] They've deliberately corrupted it. They've deliberately changed. In John 1 verse 1, where it says, The Word was God. They made him a God. They downgraded Jesus to just a God.

[28:16] That's a counterfeit Bible. In Paul's day, they were doing that. It says, Many, many corrupt the Word of God. So we've got to be careful about such things.

[28:29] Satan will try and tempt you. He impresses Christians. He's going to sift you as wheat, it says. He wants to cause you doubts and fears, discouragement. He's going to deny the truth.

[28:40] He'll try and make us believe a lie. And Satan will hinder the work of God and undermine godly churches. So we've seen, for instance, that we've seen who he is, where he's come from, what he's up to.

[28:52] We've seen his tactics. So let's now think for ourselves now in answer to that tonight. What strategies can you use?

[29:04] Listen now. What strategies can you use as a believer, as a Christian here today? What can you do to overcome this enemy of your soul? How do you combat him?

[29:15] Be on the lookout. Be on the lookout. It's one of the big things is to be watching. Watch. Be watchful. Be on the lookout. Don't place yourself in a position of temptation.

[29:28] 1 Corinthians 10, it says, There have no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful. God is faithful who will not suffer you or allow you to be tempted above that you are able.

[29:46] But will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So when you're tempted, look out for the way of escape. Look for the nearest exit. Okay?

[29:57] Don't hang around. When you're in a place of temptation, flee. Run. Run for your life. Look for the way of escape because God has promised that it will always provide one.

[30:09] Be on the lookout. Keep close to God. Submit to God. In James 4, it says that God gives grace. He resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble. It says, Submit yourselves, therefore, to God.

[30:20] Resist the devil and he will flee from you. That's a threefold thing, isn't it? Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Then it goes on, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.

[30:33] So, keep close to God and submit to God. That's another pointer for us. Another pointer is do not give the devil a foothold in your life.

[30:46] In Ephesians 4, 27, it says, Neither give place to the devil. What does that mean? Don't give the devil a foothold in your life.

[30:58] Don't give him an inch. Don't give him anything. Don't give way. Guard yourself. Guard yourself. In Galatians 5, we read of the fruit of the Spirit. It talks earlier about the works of the flesh.

[31:13] The works of the flesh. It's good to have a look at that. We're familiar with the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, etc. But think also of the works of the flesh.

[31:24] The works of the flesh. Here's where we can give the devil a foothold when the works of the flesh come to bear in our life. Things like lust. Idolatry. And that means anything that comes before your God.

[31:38] Anything that comes between you and the Lord. Idolatry. Laziness. Not caring to witness to live the life. Touchiness. When the flesh rises up. When you're disagreeing over every little trivial matter.

[31:52] Touchiness. Judgmentalism. Divisiveness. Gossip. Worry. Doubt. Selfishness. Discouragement. Wastefulness.

[32:03] Wasted hours that you could have been doing something worthwhile with. Just wasted. Just evaporates. The Lord of the garbage. Waste. Don't waste your life. Bad temper.

[32:18] Covetousness. Fierce. It's giving place to the devil. Recognise it. Recognise it and don't do it. Ask God by his help to give you the strength to say no to the flesh.

[32:33] And yes to the spirit. There are many fronts on which the devil does attack you. And he will attack you. And he's going to attack you tomorrow. And it might be tough.

[32:47] You might get some battle scars tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. What are some strategies that the believer can use? Friends today. The word of God. Is one of the big things that we miss.

[32:59] Use the word of God. You know I've got the armour of God. This is the only kind of attacking part of that armour isn't it? It's the sword of the spirit. It's the word of God.

[33:10] Use the word of God. It's what the Lord Jesus did isn't it? When the devil came and tempted him. What did he say? It is written. It's written.

[33:22] Use the word of God. Keep feeding your spirit with it. Keep feeding your spirit through Bible study. Through fellowship. Put God's word in your memory. Get to know the scriptures.

[33:33] And walk in Christ's victory. There's many promises of God. That we can take to heart. 1 John 3 verse 8. It says you're already on the victory side.

[33:45] You're already victorious. As a Christian tonight. By faith. It says that Christ has won our victory. Christ's victory is our victory.

[33:56] It says in 1 John 3. That for this purpose the Son of God was manifested. That he might destroy the works of the devil. This is why Jesus has come.

[34:08] To destroy the works of the devil. He wants you to destroy the works of the devil in your life. And one of Satan's greatest blunders was the cross. He thought he had won at the cross.

[34:20] You could see in effect that he engineered the death of Christ. You know he enjoyed the brutality of the affliction of it. The suffering of it. That he vented on our saviour.

[34:31] Thinking that he could destroy Jesus our Lord. That Christ's death would be a victory for him. But really it was a victory for Christ.

[34:43] Amen. Over Satan's control. The cross is our victory today. The blood of Jesus is our victory today. Our praise is another means that we can use in this warring of a good warfare.

[35:00] Our praise. Joshua 6. Joshua conquered Jericho through praise. As he praised, as the people praised, the walls fell. Jehoshaphat, when he was under attack, he got victory through his praise.

[35:15] The Bible says that God inhabits, he dwells in the praises of his people. He's enthroned, as it were. He's elevated to the throne, as it were, as we praise him.

[35:30] Psalm 22, verse 3. Learn to praise God, even when you feel like crying. Praise instead. Praise instead. And friends, one of the key things, and there's so much we could say, really we're just scratching the surface, and really Ephesians 6 bears much deeper scrutiny and deeper study.

[35:52] Take Ephesians 6 and read it through as your homework if you can. It says, put on the whole armour of God. In other words, every bit of it. Ephesians 6, it talks about different items that the spiritual soldier wears, the spiritual uniform, the spiritual armour of the soldier in God's army.

[36:16] And it describes these different items. A belt of truth, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, and other things. And when you look at all these items of the armour, it all speaks to us of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[36:32] Amen. It's Him. It's being clothed with Christ. As we put on the whole armour of God, it's really being clothed with Christ. He is the truth.

[36:44] He said, I own the way, the truth and the life. He is the belt of truth. He is our righteousness, the breastplate of righteousness. In Romans 3, 24, it says that He is our righteousness.

[36:56] It's Jesus. He is our peace. Romans 5, verse 1. You know, the feet shod with the gospel of peace. He is the author and finisher of our faith, the shield of faith.

[37:09] He is our faith, the shield of faith. He is our salvation, the helmet of salvation. Hebrews 2, verse 10. Jesus is our salvation. And He is the Word of God, the sword of the spirit.

[37:22] He is the Word of God. So it's all Jesus. It's all Christ is our armour. And it's being clothed with Him that can see the victory won. Friends, I urge you tonight.

[37:35] Again, I know I'm speaking somewhat in picture form here. But this is not to discount that this warfare is real. It's real and it's now and it's here where we live.

[37:50] It's in our homes. It's in our families. It's in our neighbourhoods. It's warfare. It's warfare and it's real, brothers and sisters. And it's time that we look out.

[38:04] That we watch and pray. That we stand under the authority of God's Word. That we stand on its authority. That we seek God's counsel. That we seek God's leading.

[38:17] That we seek the Spirit's empowerment. The Holy Spirit. And that we watch and pray. Now, friends, tonight, the enemy's fate is sealed. You know, like someone has said, read in the back of the book and you see who wins.

[38:32] That's good news. Alright? So when you're feeling like you're going through a battle, have a look in the back of the book. Amen. In Revelation, see where the devil ends up. Revelation 20, verse 10.

[38:43] That's good news.

[38:56] That's where he's going to end up. That's where your enemy is going to go. And he'll be there forever. So the good news is that you've got victory today. It's assured.

[39:08] Fellow Christian, be on the alert today. You're under attack. You will face his attacks. The devil wants to stop you, fellowship then.

[39:18] He wants to stop you going to church. He wants to get you offended over something or other. To get under your skin and think, oh, I've had enough. The devil wants to cause trouble.

[39:30] He wants to cause division. He wants to wound you. He wants to hurt your feelings so bad that you're going to feel like quitting. He wants to make you useless.

[39:41] He wants to disrupt your worship. He wants to stop your prayer life, your life in the Bible. He wants to corrupt your worship from the truth. And he wants to veer you off into false doctrine.

[39:54] There's many ways, many strategies he's going to use. Follow Jesus. Follow Jesus. Do not put it off. Do not put it off. Do it now. Follow Jesus tonight.

[40:04] I urge you tonight. Friends, just to get back to the Word of God. Speak the Word of God. It is written. There's power in the written Word of God. And in the spoken Word of God.

[40:16] Confess the Word of God. It's our supernatural weapon. This is supernatural ammunition. You don't need anything else, really. than this. To counter the enemy's attacks.

[40:31] Put it in your minds. Memorise it. The battle is between God says and the devil says. The devil says worry.

[40:43] God says, cast all your cares on him. For he cares for you. Pray. Don't be anxious. Don't be careful for anything.

[40:54] Pray about everything. Satan says, gossip. God says, love one another. Bear one another's burdens. Satan says, covet.

[41:06] Be greedy. God says, set your affection on things above. On things above. Not on things on the earth. Satan says, lust.

[41:17] God says, be holy. For I am holy. Satan says, be dissatisfied. God says, be content with such things as you have.

[41:32] Satan says, fear. God says, fear not. My peace I leave with you. Satan says, you're defeated. God says, you're victorious.

[41:43] You're more than a conqueror. He says, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. There's many encouraging scriptures. It's about taking those to heart. You know, exceeding great and precious promises.

[41:54] Many of them. Just a quick three or four just to close now. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them.

[42:05] The context is of evil. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. That's a good one to know, isn't it? Amen. You can say to the devil, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

[42:20] Amen. You can tell him that. It's on God's authority. In God's word, you're victorious. It says, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devout.

[42:36] Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. We're not in North Korea today. It says, who resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

[42:55] Be sober, be vigilant. Keep on resisting the devil. Be steadfast in your faith. In Romans 8.37 it says, Nay, in all these things, it talks about a whole range of things that might be things that we could feel like despairing.

[43:11] And Paul says to the people in Romans, he says, Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

[43:22] And friends, we have the victory. It says in 1 Corinthians 15, But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[43:33] We're more than conquerors. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. That's everything. It's all encompassing, isn't it? It covers everything, doesn't it?

[43:44] The world means everything. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

[43:55] Who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. Know that faith today, that victory today. That soul-saving faith.

[44:06] I pray. I'm not taking it for granted tonight. That everyone knows that faith that overcomes the world. It's not faith in yourself.

[44:17] It's not faith in anyone or anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ. It's putting a trust in him. It's putting a trust in his finished work.

[44:28] In his bleeding and dying and rising again from the dead for your sin. In your place. When he bore that suffering, that penalty of your sin.

[44:39] And it's trusting him. It's trusting him for that. Trusting him for that. I urge you tonight, put your trust in him. And know his victory. This is the victory.

[44:49] Even our faith. Simple, isn't it? Simple faith. Trusting him. Trusting him. It makes an eternal difference. I urge you tonight. If you've not trusted Christ, that you make peace with God today.

[45:03] Seek prayer. There's people here. There's Christians you know are here tonight. Whether myself or another Christian that you respect here tonight. If you'd like prayer, seek that today.

[45:14] Before you leave, please, I urge you today. To reconcile yourself to God. Be reconciled to God. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that you are the victorious one.

[45:25] You've overcome death and hell and Satan himself, Lord. And you lead us in triumph. We thank you, Lord, that we have the victory. Even our faith that overcomes the world.

[45:35] Help us, Lord, to know that when we war this warfare. That we recognise the devil in all of his disguises. In all of his deceptive ways. Help us, Lord, to recognise the counterfeits.

[45:47] And to realise the true. Help us to search out the genuine. And to find it, Lord, that faith that is in you. Our only Lord and Saviour. Our only hope for time and eternity.

[45:59] Our great and glorious and victorious God. We thank you, Lord, for the victory that you have won. And, Lord, we pray if there's any yet to trust you. They'll find that victory tonight. As we trust you.

[46:11] Help us to walk in it. For your glory and sake, we pray. Lord Jesus. Amen. We'll close with our final song. I'm thinking victory in Jesus. Which isn't in the...

[46:22] It hasn't got a number mark. So I might have to just search for that one. Victory in Jesus. I heard an old, old story. There's the first lines of it. I heard an old, old story. How a saviour came from glory.

[46:34] How he gave his life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. Victory in Jesus, my saviour forever. Just take a moment to find that.

[46:46] Be encouraged. It's a war out there. But you're on the winning side. It says in the back of the book, you've got to win. And you're on his side.

[46:57] And if God before us, who can be against us? There's nothing that he can throw at you that the Lord's not going to help you through. And get the victory today. So don't be surprised.

[47:11] Sometimes I think, when I preach a message like this, I'm going to get attacked. It could happen, can't it? You think, oh, I shouldn't have preached that. But we come and hear a message like that.

[47:23] And the devil wants to discourage. I heard an old, old story. I heard an old, old story. Let's pray for one another and encourage one another as we see the day approaching.

[47:38] That we can look to the Lord. Keep alert. Keep on the watch. Keep sober. Keep vigilant. And, you know, that's... We're in a world that's full of drunkenness and dissipation.

[47:51] But God says, be sober. Be vigilant. You know, don't get duped and drowsy. It's time to wake up. So let's stand up and sing. I heard an old, old story. I heard an old, old story.

[48:05] How I saved a day from glory. How I gave His life on Calvary. To save a rest like me.

[48:19] I let him out His groaning. Of His grace and love to glory. And I repented of my sin.

[48:32] And won the victory. Victory! Oh, victory! In Jesus, my Savior forever.

[48:44] He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood. He loved me and I knew Him.

[48:57] And all my love means to live. He plunged me to victory. He made me the cleansing flood.

[49:10] I heard an old, His healing. On His cleansing, I redeemed. How He made the pain to walk again.

[49:23] And caused the fight to sing. And then I cried, In Jesus, come and get my broken spirit.

[49:36] And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory. Victory! Oh, victory! In Jesus, my Savior forever.

[49:52] He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood. He loved me and I knew Him.

[50:06] And all my love is to Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

[50:18] Let's just hold it there a moment. Hold it there now. Are these words that just mouth me? Or do you mean it? Do you mean it? Do you know it tonight?

[50:29] Do you know the victory tonight? Do you? Yes! Let's sing it like we believe it. Let's sing it like we mean it tonight. I know the victory. Victory through Christ, through faith.

[50:41] The victory that overcomes the world. I heard about a mansion. I heard about a mansion. It has built for me in glory.

[50:54] And I heard about the streams of gold. Beyond the crystal sea. About the angels singing.

[51:07] And the golden mansion story. And some sweet day I'll sing a fearless song of victory.

[51:19] Let's sing it together. Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. He sought me and He bought me with His redeeming blood.

[51:37] He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. Glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God, our Saviour.

[52:13] Be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Go with God. Walk in that dominion.

[52:24] Amen. Walk in that dominion.

[53:07] Walk in that dominion. Lighting fit. Lighting fit. Lighting fit. Lighting fit. Lighting fit.

[53:19] Lighting fit. Okay. Wait to go. Do you know what it's called? That's got the... That one hasn't, but there's that one dry drum.

[53:31] You can power that one up, but not the one that's got the video. I'm a bit puzzled. There's nothing powering up. That might give you a sound. Look if I get another...

[53:43] Similar. Some of it might be out of our control, but we can hang on. We can try. We don't speak up. We don't speak up.

[53:55] We don't speak up. Exactly. We've got to speak up. We can do all the key. There's a show here. We can do a message.

[54:07] About the... Posting. Posting. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm pretty sure. I'm meant to get back.

[54:19] I'm finished. I'm doing very quick. You're going great, guys. You're ending. I've got the other one for a bit. Is that ok? Yeah, it's fine without that one. Without that one, ok. So you don't really need that one. That one was strong. What a good warfare. Thank you.

[55:25] Thank you.

[55:55] Thank you.

[56:25] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[57:01] Thank you.

[57:31] Thank you.

[58:01] Thank you.

[58:31] Thank you.

[59:01] Thank you.

[59:31] Thank you.

[60:01] Thank you.