In our last study we read about the wise men coming to worship Jesus and to bring Him the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We looked at the facts:
· We were not told how many wise men came
· Jesus was not an infant when they came
· There was significance to each of the gifts they brought
King Herod had requested that the wise men come back and tell him where to find this one who was born King of the Jews. The wise men were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod but to return home another way. When we read the word “they” in verse 13 we are talking about the wise men.
Matthew 2
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."
21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
At this point the enemy did his best to destroy Jesus.
There are some things that we need to know about the plots and plans of the enemy, so let’s look at 5 things we need to know about spiritual warfare.
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#1 The plans of the enemy are predictable.
John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Any time that stealing, killing, and destruction are happening, Satan is at work.
Let me give you a few ways Satan comes against God’s people.
· Satan uses intimidation
1 Samuel 17
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
6 And he had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.
8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us."
10 And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together."
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul.
13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.
15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
That is such a picture of intimidation! 40 days every morning and evening Goliath is out in the open field challenging the army of Israel. Intimidation says, “You don’t stand a chance against me, so don’t even try!”
· Satan uses fear
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
We learn from that verse that fear is a spiritual battle! It is important to realize that you can’t fight fear in a natural way; it must be fought in a spiritual way!
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Fear brings torment, which is why Satan loves it so much! God is into grace, not torment.
· Satan uses condemnation
Satan accuses you of every kind of wrong, but he doesn’t just accuse you to your face, but he also accuses you before God!
Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”
Satan is accusing you before God, and he never stops. Night and day Satan speaks against you, but you have someone who speaks in your defense!
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus
Satan would love to convince you that you are incapable or unqualified to do anything for God. So, don’t be intimidated by him because he is a liar. Jesus told described Satan’s lying.
John 8:44 “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Let me take to you to the book of 2 Kings to show you a couple of more truths about the enemy.
2 Kings 6
8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place."
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there."
10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#2 The plans of the enemy are known to the Lord
We forget that Satan is not omni-present (simultaneously present everywhere), and he is not omniscient (all knowing)
We learned that in from the book of Job.
Job 1
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
Satan was wrong! He is not all knowing, he does not know the future.
God alone is omniscient.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
There is nothing that He does not see. He has intimate knowledge of you.
Psalms 139:2-4 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
God is not only aware of actions, but He knows your thoughts as well.
Isaiah 46:9-10 “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'”
That is incredible knowledge! He knows how things are going to turn out before they even begin.
So, the plans of the enemy are known to the Lord, let’s continue reading from the account recorded in 2 Kings Chapter 6.
2 Kings 6
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?"
12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."
13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"
16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#3 There are always more with us than are with the enemy
We are not told in the New Testament that we need to be fearful of Satan. In fact, this is what Jesus told us:
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
We have nothing to fear, because God is not only with us, but He is in us!
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
That is why Paul could write:
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Even when the mob came to arrest Jesus, there were still more with Him than against Him.
Matthew 26:52-54 Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"
There will always be more on our side than are on the side of the enemy. Let’s continue reading from 2 Kings 6.
2 Kings 6
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#4 God will use supernatural means to accomplish your deliverance
Supernatural intervention is not something strange or foreign to the people of God!
God has always come through for His people, and He will never stop. God knows how to deliver His people.
2 Peter 2:9 the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment
God can deliver you more than once.
Job 5:19 He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
God showed His awesome power when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt.
Exodus 3:19-21 “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.”
God delivered Peter when Herod was getting ready to have him executed.
Acts 12
6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.
8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."
9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people."
From a natural perspective it seemed impossible that Elisha would escape with his life. But God had other plans!
Let’s go back to Matthew 2 to see our final truth.
Matthew 2
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#5 God will not allow the plans of the enemy to be successful
Herod’s plan was just a simple one, eliminate all the children, and Jesus would be eliminated. Not only Herod not know where the Messiah was to be born, but he didn’t know Isaiah 54:17
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.
Jesus promised that His church would never be defeated.
Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Because you are part of His church, you are part of those who will never be defeated.
The enemy may not realize it when he attacks, but he is destined for defeat.
Deuteronomy 28:7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
When we trust in the Lord, God becomes our security.
Psalms 125:1-2 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.
► 5 Things you need to know about spiritual warfare
#1 The plans of the enemy are predictable.
#2 The plans of the enemy are known to the Lord
#3 There are always more with us than are with the enemy
#4 God will use supernatural means to accomplish your deliverance
#5 God will not allow the plans of the enemy to be successful