Last thoughts on Spiritual Warfare and the importance of our position in Christ

1. Spiritual Warfare
Robert D. Patton
Missionary to Suriname
Baptist World Mission

2. Sin is not unavoidable
 Sin is a temporary aberration of the
universe. It is not permanent, although
we find it virtually everywhere
 Adam did not have sin in his life at first
 Jesus never sins
 So sin is not necessary, but at this time
it is overall

3. Furthermore we do not need
sin to experience grace
 More sin does not mean more grace.
God’s grace is adequate, but remember
that Paul asked “should we sin that
grace might abound? God forbid”
 But sin is rebellion against the holy God
of the universe, and deserves to be
punished
 Sin separates us from God

4. To overcome sin
 Simple regret is not adequate
 An offering is necessary, but one which
God Himself chooses
 That offering is the death of Jesus in
our place, which can undo the negative
effects of sin
 Remember – sin is also in our thought-
life and emotions

5. When we sin
 We become a slave to sin
 Our emotions and will are set against
God, and we become rebels
 Jesus death paid the penalty of our sin,
but also broke the power of sin in our
lives
 Sin makes us unclean inside and outside

6. Our spiritual growth begins at
the cross
 A holy life comes out of that position
 The cross is adequate for
 Salvation – cleansing and pardon
 Sanctification

7. Our spiritual life in Christ is the
key
 Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death
 My life in the Spirit can take the trials
and troubles of life to make me grow
 This would take away the ground given
to Satan if I respond correctly – victory
over sin, death and the devil

8. I am now in Christ
 By birth, I am in Adam, who fell into sin.
God does not say: Well, try again. Maybe
you will succeed where Adam failed
 By the new birth, I am in Christ, who was
victorious over sin and satan and death:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore no
condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus

9. Christ died to make me free
 He died to defeat sin –
 Now we must remain in our position in
Christ Jesus
 In our fleshly life, we come under
condemnation, but in the Spirit we have
life and peace

10. Those in the fleshly life
 They work in the flesh, think in the flesh,
and react emotionally in the flesh
 They can be
 A new believer
 A backslidden older believer
 A believer who has never grown proper
spiritually

11. Three things enter into my
freedom in Christ
 Substitution: Romans 5 Christ died for
my sins
 Identification: Romans 6 I am crucified
with Christ – identified in His death and
resurrection
 Union: Romans 7: We are dead to the
law and married to Christ

12. My power comes strictly from
Jesus Christ
 We cannot pay for our sins apart from
Christ
 We cannot become free from the power
of sin apart from Christ
 We cannot serve God acceptably apart
from Christ

13. Before salvation
 My spirit was “dead” – non-functional
 I could not respond to God
 But as I am now saved, God is busy changing
me, especially as I look on Jesus Christ: 2
Cor. 3: [18] But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

14. Changed to resemble Christ
 Eventually I will be transformed truly into His
likeness: I Jn. 3:[1] Behold, what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the
world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is

15. After salvation
 I am to think like Christ so that I can
understand the spiritual blessings I
have in Christ Phil. 2:[5] Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus:
 Then I am free to do His will, which is
true freedom

16. As I show the fruit of the
Spirit…
 Love, joy peace – my emotions
 Patience, long-suffering, gentleness -
my life among others
 Faith, meekness and self-control - my
character

17. True freedom
 My thoughts will be free as I accept and
stay in the truth
 My conscience will be free as I realize
that I do not have to pay for my sins,
and that I have been cleansed by the
blood of Christ

18. Faith and love
 Faith makes everything possible
 But true love makes everything easier,
because I will to do His will. And this
love comes from God too.
 Then we will find the truth of I Jn. 5:3,
where we find that His commands are
not burdensome – He carries them…

19. As we look to Jesus
 We are transformed into His image
 Remember that we have everything we need
for our Christian life given to us – His nature,
which meets every need
 II Peter 1:[4] Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.

20. Characteristics of true
surrender
 We no longer argue with and fight
against God
 We no longer hold out on God or
hold things back from Him
 We no longer work in our own power

21. God puts is into Christ
 Wwe are in Him through God’s power and
not our own. And Jesus Christ is not only
our wisdom and righteousness; He is also
our sanctification and our redemption I Cor.
1:[30] But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption:

22. The work of the Holy Spirit
 He puts Christ in our life to live there
 He brings forth the fruit of the Spirit
 We can change our outside, but we
cannot change our inside
 We make fruit for Him as well – but
only as we stay in Him

23. Thus in Christ we have
 Power for the Christian life
 Sanctification
 Fruit

24. What hold us back from this
victory?
 If we lack faith. Remember that
Jesus could not do many miracles in
Nazareth because of their lack of faith
 Remember that life comes out of
death. As we are one in His
death, then we are one in His
victorious life as well.

25. The cross
 Where we lose our old fleshly life
 Where we find our new spiritual
life in Christ Jesus

26. Take up the cross daily
 Keep our old life in the position of
death to sin
 We are separated from the
kingdom of darkness
 We are separated from our old
self-life

27. We are in Christ
 And He has all power and
authority
 We have all things in Him
 We are complete in Him
 Power for a good life
 Power for a holy life
 Power to serve God as is
appropriate

28. How can our power increase?
How can we do greater works?
 Our power is limited by our faith
 As our faith increases, so our
power increases too
 God wants to work through us –
and show His strength in our lives
 We must yield moment by
moment to His desires for us

29. A clean heart to do His will
 We must not try to hide things from God
(though that is really impossible) but
desire that He search our hearts
 We must want Jesus Christ to be
king of our whole lives

30. Total surrender is needed
 God shows Himself powerful in
our weakness
 He is glorified in this way – and
He will not give His glory to
another!

31. What about fighting spiritually
 Give yourself totally to the Lord
 We are 100% safe in Christ
 We are 100% in danger outside of Christ
 Then stand against the devil using
your spiritual armor
 Remember that you cannot win the
flesh in your own strength = Flesh
does not cast out flesh

32. Winning spiritually
 We need to be filled with the
Spirit and then walk in the Spirit
 Cast all our troubles and cares on
the Lord
 Seek His will for us at all times
 Thirst for the filling of the Spirit

33. Filling with the Spirit
 It is not us getting more of the
Spirit, but emptying ourselves of
self so that He can have all of us
 As we stay in this condition, we
will be attacked by the Evil One,
but we will be in a position of
victory