Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 86 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; Overcoming the power and influence of Satan; Eph 6:10-18.
length: 66:27 - taught on May, 11 2016
Class Outline:
Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 86 - Essential qualities of leadership: The filling of the Spirit; Overcoming the power and influence of Satan; EPH 6:10-18.
Announcements / opening prayer:
Principle:
Overcoming the power and influence of Satan demands the filling of the Spirit. Since he is a supernatural foe, human power cannot overcome him.
A dear friend sent this to me this morning and I knew I had to share it with you, and since our current principle is overcoming the influence of Satan, I didn't think it was a coincidence that my eyes were open to this today. This is how we overcome, through Christ. This is right in the first word and line of the Bible.
GEN 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
There is a hidden meaning here, but not based on a manmade allegory, as so many attempt to do to sound smarter than anyone else, but right in the Hebrew language itself.
Hebrew is a very ancient language. To each Hebrew letter there is attached a numerical value as well as an idiographic and pictographic meaning.
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Barasheet = "In the beginning" or pictographically:
The Son of [Bar] God [Aleph] will be destroyed [Shin] by His own hand [Yod] on a cross [Tav].
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These are ancient in their origins and are not a modern addition. An idiogram is a symbol that represents an idea, like the picture of an outline of a plane represents an airport.
Knowing these we can attach pictographic or idiographic meanings to Hebrew words.
Let's look at the first word of the Bible.
Barasheet in Hebrew
Idiographic breakdown of BAR
Idiographic breakdown of ASHEET
Barasheet = "In the beginning" or pictographically: The Son of [Bar] God [Aleph] will be destroyed [Shin] by His own hand [Yod] on a cross [Tav].
In the beginning it was determined that the Son of God would die for us, that He would be pierced through for our transgressions.
this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. [NIV]
"created" - (the first verb in the Bible and the actual second word) = Bara [Bet Resh Aleph] - to create something out of nothing. Idiographically it means "Son of [Bar] God [Aleph]." The Son of God creates out of nothing.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him.
In the first two words of the Bible we have the Son of God as Redeemer and then Creator. Our chronological minds would put creation before redemption since our finite thinking would necessarily say that there has to be someone to redeem, but God's thoughts are not ours. It may be that God is emphasizing redemption above creation since the former is from His love and the later from His omnipotence. Yet I think that we can also conclude that God is a Redeemer in essence in that before there was anyone needing redemption, God was infinite love and so eternally, He is a Redeemer. And remember that redemption was accomplished for all mankind and not just the elect, so this idea lends no fuel to the Supralapsarian view held by the hyper-Calvinist that God elected the elect before He created. Once again we see that a belief in the false doctrine of limited atonement erodes other grace doctrines from within. The scriptures frequently and dogmatically testify to the unlimited atonement.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
who gave Himself as a ransom for all
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men
But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Principle:
Overcoming the power and influence of Satan demands the filling of the Spirit. Since he is a supernatural foe, human power cannot overcome him.
Satan is the greatest of all of God's creatures and so it stands to reason than another creature cannot overcome his power or influence. He is a supernatural foe whose only enmity is against God. Yet since believers are children of God we find this powerful creature as our own foe. We cannot overcome his power and influence alone. We must stand firm against him in the armor of God, holding the sword of the Spirit.
EPH 6:10 Finally, be strong [keep being clothed with strength] in the Lord [not self effort], and in the strength of His might.
EPH 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
The emphasis is on the whole armor. We are to wear the equipment in completeness, not lacking any part.
The figure of the Roman soldier, under whose guard Paul now sits, is found in several places in his writing. "Stand firm" is a military word that means to hold your ground and it is a stand against the wiles, cunning arts, trickery, craft, and deceit of the devil.
It is unlikely that Satan will use a physical attack, although we do see that happen as in the case of Job and Paul's thorn (we assume the thorn is physical). A physical attack does Satan no good unless it can affect your spiritual condition. More often than not the attacks are upon the soul through wiles, cunning arts, trickery, craft, and deceit. Likely he will wait until you are weak, pressured, tired, etc. Yet, we cannot determine any concrete details for accurately predicting an imminent attack.
EPH 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The word for "struggle" is the Greek word for wrestle, which was the most popular organized sport in Ancient Greece.
We do not wrestle against blood and flesh as is the case in the games, but against a mighty and organized demon army.
Although a Roman soldier does not wrestle, and if he ever were to, he wouldn't be clad in full armor, we see that the opponent is Satan and the kingdom of darkness and so we understand the need for full armor. Wrestling therefore places the emphasis on a close quarter contest.
Verse 12 gives us amazing insight into the fact that this demon organization works from the heaven known as our atmosphere. Certainly their base of operations couldn't be in the highest heaven inhabited by holy angels, so then they are close to us, and since they are enemies of God and we are children of God, we are their enemy. So be it. Our armor is more than sufficient for us to hold our ground.
They are:
Satan
Rulers (arche)
Powers (exousia)
World rulers of this darkness (kosmokrator)
Spiritual wickedness
Therefore, because of this invisible war we are issued a military command with the snap of military curtness - pick up and put on the full armor of God.
EPH 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
"take up" - pick up and put on (aorist active imperative). The armor is not to ever be taken off. The command is to put it on once and for all.
This takes mental discipline and alertness.
The renowned historian Edward Gibbon, in his great work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. III, pp. 271-272), describes how the Roman army became lax in discipline and exercise. "It is the just and important observation of Vegetius, that the infantry was invariably covered with defensive armor, from the foundation of the city to the reign of the emperor Gratian [late fourth century]. The relaxation of discipline, and the disuse of exercise, rendered the soldiers less able, and less willing, to support the fatigues of the service; they complained of the weight of the armor, which they seldom wore: and they successively obtained the permission of laying aside both their cuirasses [breastplate or torso armor] and their helmets. The heavy weapons of their ancestors, the short sword, and the formidable pilum [javelin spear], which had subdued the world, insensibly dropped from their feeble hands. As the use of the shield is incompatible with that of the bow, they reluctantly marched into the field; condemned to suffer either the pain of wounds, or the ignominy of flight, and always disposed to prefer the more shameful alternative. The cavalry of the Goths, the Huns, and the Alans [Iranian nomadic peoples], had felt the benefits, and adopted the use, of defensive armor; and, as they excelled in the management of missile weapons, they easily overwhelmed the naked and trembling legions, whose heads and breasts were exposed, without defense, to the arrows of the barbarians. The loss of armies, the destruction of cities, and the dishonor of the Roman name, ineffectually solicited the successors of Gratian to restore the helmets and cuirasses of the infantry. The enervated [weakened] soldiers abandoned their own, and the public defense; and the pusillanimous [timid] indolence may be considered as the immediate cause of the downfall of the empire."
The Christian, likewise, can become apathetic, timid, lazy, and therefore weak.
In such a state the believer is a sitting duck for the kingdom of darkness and he will be easily defeated.
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.
Many of us know what it is to be in shape physically and out of shape. Spiritually, it is imperative that we remain in shape. This means learning the word of God consistently as well as applying it consistently. Our enemy is strong and motivated.
EPH 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
The evil day is the day of pernicious attack, which is active opposition to good.
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