Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

-1 Peter 5:8-9

Suffering: Wrestling: Struggles: Temptations. Warfare.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

-Ephesians 6:12

  

It’s against:

• Local Rulers or principalities: harksas: Community Leaders: Under the Influence. Of someone else.

• Authorities: exousias: Those who execute the decisions made by greater authorities who are operating under the influence of evil.

Who are there great authorities?

• Rulers of the darkness of this age: Kosmokratos: World rulers: Satan’s representatives who are influenced and possessed by his power and will to accomplish his purposes. Those in authority on the earth who are under Satan’s world system.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

-1 John 5:19

• Spiritual Hosts of wickedness: GK: Hosts of evil—in the Heavenlies. Demonic Forces of influence all around us.

  

• One: The Battle is real. It must be taken seriously.

• Two: The Battle can be won. It must be fought.

• Three: The War is against the people of God and is fought on three fronts.

  

1. World: Systems or Orders.

  

2. Flesh: Unbridled passions to fulfill legitimate desires in illegitimate ways.

  

3. Devil: Chief Fallen Angel whose primary mission is destruction.

…For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb…

-Revelation 12:10-11

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

-Revelation 12:17

Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness…

-Romans 6:12-13a

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

-Romans 7:24-25

O what I suffer within. While I think of heavenly things in my mind, the company of fleshly things come against me when I pray.

-Thomas à Kempis

  

While the battle takes place on three fronts, it exists primarily in two major arenas.

• Mind: Your intellect. Your world View. Belief system. “What you believe determines what you do.”

• Emotions: Your experience and feelings.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

-John 10:10

Research has demonstrated that young men who play violent video games have a significant increase in aggressive thoughts, physiological arousal and aggressive behavior.

-Sciencedirect.com

I had this obsession, desires and thoughts wanting to control them, to possess them permanently, not because I was hungry with them, or because I hated them because I wanted to keep them with me…as my obsession grew, I would save some of their body parts. It is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight when you dehumanize another person and start viewing them as an object of pleasure than a living, breathing, human being.

-Jeffery Dahmer

I am not a social scientist, nor have I done any survey and I won’t pretend that I know, but I have been in prison a long time now and I know a lot of men who were motivated to be violent just like me, and without exception, every one of them was deeply involved with pornography.

-Ted Bundy

• The Brain has two main entries: The ears and the eyes.

• The Brain has two main exits: The Hands and the Mouth.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

-Ephesians 6:14-18

and do not give the devil a foothold.

-Ephesians 4:27

Scabbard: Slot for the Sword.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

-1 Timothy 4:1

  

The Kingdom of God is real! 

No, Christians are not perfect, but they wish they were.

  

The Kingdom of Satan is also real!

• The Kingdom of God has as its end goal, life to the full, with glory to God.

• The Kingdom of Satan has as its goal, destruction to the full, with glory to self.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

-1 John 4:1-3

Hinduism:

Islam: Directly attacks the Deity of Jesus.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God……This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist….

-1 John 4:1-3a

Jews: Israel. Rejects Yeshua as Messiah.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

-2 Corinthians 4:4

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.’

-John 8:42-44

Satan: They are anti-god and anti-Christ.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

-2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘If you will bow down and worship me.’

-Matthew 4:8-9

Satan’s real temptation?

You can become self-reliant, self-determined, and do what you want without restrictions from the Father and you will have everything you want apart from Him.

Does Satan own the kingdoms of this world?

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

-1 John 5:19 NASB

A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him.

-John 1:6-10

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.

-Colossians 1:13

  

We are members of the kingdom of light living in the midst of the kingdom of darkness.

  

Truth is: Every person is either owned by God or by Satan.

When Christ came, He made a way for us to be translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

  

First: You should praise God that He opened your eyes and raised you from the dead.

  

Second: You should rejoice that the ownership of your mind, will and emotions has changed hands.

Spiritual conflict occurs in the life of a believer when you begin serving any aspect of your old master!

and do not give the devil a foothold.

-Ephesians 4:27

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’

-2 Corinthians 6:14-16

  

One: If your Master is not Jesus, today is the day.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

-John 3:16

‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’

-Acts 2:36-38

  

Two: If your Master is Jesus, ask Him to show you your sin—areas where you have gone back to your old Master.

  

Three: If your Master is Jesus, and He shows you where you have given the devil a foothold, repent and close the door.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

-Revelation 3:15-16

‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.’

-Matthew 12:30

Today is the day of salvation.

Today is the day of repentance.

  

  

  

  

What are your main takeaways from this sermon?

Make a Decision Deliverance by J. Thompson