The War of the Worlds

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. NKJV
I. Rumors of War
A) Present cultural moment can feel to us like a WAR IN THE SOUL.
1) Enemies of the soul: “the world, the flesh, and the devil”
a) “course of this world”
b) “prince of the power of the air”
c) “desires of the flesh”
2) Language of spiritual warfare used throughout NT.
a) 1 Timothy 6:12
b) Ephesians 6:10-12
c) 2 Corinthians 10:4
II. Realities of War
A) What does “the world, the flesh, and the devil” look like in 2022?
1) DECEPTIVE IDEAS (Devil) THAT PLAY TO DISORDERED DESIRES (Flesh) THAT ARE NORMALIZED IN A
SINFUL SOCIETY (World)
B) Three shifts in western culture that have affected the church.
1) The shift from a majority to a minority status.
2) The shift from a place of honor to a place of shame.
3) The shift from a widespread tolerance to a rising hostility.
III. The Battleground of War
A) The battleground is the mind and the fight is against “thoughts” with a malignant will behind them.
1) WHAT IF our fight with the devil is first and foremost a fight to take back control of our minds from
captivity to lies and liberate them with the weapon of truth?
a) 1 Timothy 2:22-26
IV. insights into Our Enemy
A) John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you 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.”
1) There is a devil—“Your belong to your father, the devil…”
2) The devils end goal is to spread death—“He was a murderer from the beginning”
3) The devils means is lies—“He is the Father of lies”
B) THE PRIMARY WAR THAT JESUS SEES WITH THE DEVIL…IS A WAR OF TRUTH VS. LIES.
V. The Weapons of Our Warfare
A) Jesus: You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
1) It is the truth you KNOW that makes you free…not the truth that exists somewhere.
B) It is Jesus himself who establishes the pattern of fighting lies with scripture/EX Wilderness temptation

1) 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…