NOT FLESH AND BLOOD

NOT FLESH AND BLOOD

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12).

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood! Anybody that bleeds is not our enemy. Demetrius was a silver smith in Ephesus who made silver shrines to the goddess Artemis. He opposed Paul and created a riot that turned the whole city of Ephesus into an uproar (Act 19:23-41). This may be what Paul referred to when he wrote about fighting with wild beasts in Ephesus (1 Cor. 15:32). Demetrius, however, was not really the enemy! He was merely a tool used by the devil to oppose the gospel. The real enemy was the spiritual force of evil that directed Demetrius to do his evil deeds.

Note that these spiritual forces of evil are in the “heavenly realms”! This expression is found five times in Ephesians:

•

God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). •

God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his own right hand in the heavenly realms (Eph. 1:20).

•

God has raised us up in Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6). •

God made known his manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms through the church (Eph. 3:10).

•

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).

•

OUR STRUGGLES ON EARTH ARE INVARIABLY LINKED TO WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS!

THE EXAMPLE OF JOB

Job had some serious struggles!

•

The Sabeans stole his oxen and his donkeys and killed his servants (Job 1:13-14).

•

The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up his sheep (Job 1:16).

•

The Chaldeans stole his camels and also killed his servants (Job 1:17).

•

A mighty wind from the desert killed his sons and daughters (Job 1:18).

•

Job was also afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head (Job 2:7).

•

IN EACH INSTANCE, HOWEVER, WHAT HAPPENED TO JOB ON EARTH WAS THE RESULT OF WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS! (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6).

THE EXAMPLE OF DANIEL

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a revelation was given to Daniel in a vision. This caused Daniel to mourn for three weeks and he ate no choice food, ate no meat and drank no wine, and used no lotions on his body. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month Daniel was given a special vision which no one with him was able to see. Even though they did not see the vision they were overwhelmed with terror and fled and hid themselves. Daniel had no strength, his face turned deathly pale, he was helpless, and fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground (Dan. 10:1-9).

Then, Daniel wrote: “A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty- one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (Dan. 10:10-14).

PLEASE NOTE THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO DANIEL ON EARTH WAS DETERMINED BY WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS!

PAUL’S MINISTRY IN EPHESUS

On his second missionary journey Paul wanted to preach the word in the province of Asia. Ephesus, as you know, was the chief city in Asia. The Holy Spirit, however, kept Paul from preaching in Asia at that time (Acts 16:6).

On his third missionary journey, however, Paul took the road through the interior of Asia and arrived at Ephesus (Acts 19:1). Ephesus was the center of pagan worship of the goddess Diana. The temple of Diana in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Paul knew that a great spiritual battle was about to take place, so when he found some disciples in Ephesus he asked them: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2). Paul knew these disciples could not prevail over Satan without the Holy Spirit! Let’s continue reading:

“They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2).

“Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.” (Acts 19:4-7).

Please note that the Holy Spirit was given in a special way by the laying on of the apostle’s hands (Acts 8:18).

By means of the Holy Spirit “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12).

In only two years everyone in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord (Acts 19:10).

Remember! “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”

JOHN’S BAPTISM VS. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

John’s baptism differs from Christian baptism in at least four ways:

• 1 John’s baptism was for Jews. We have no record of any gentile receiving John’s baptism. Christian baptism, however, is for “all nations” (Matt. 28:18-20).
• 2 John’s baptism was temporary. When Paul came to Ephesus it was no longer valid. Christian baptism, however, is to be practiced until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).
• 3 John’s baptism was on the authority of God preparing the Jews for the coming of Jesus. Christian baptism is on the authority of Christ. Now that Christ has come all authority has been given unto him (Matt. 28:18).
• 4 John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4). It contained no promise of the Holy Spirit. Christian baptism, however, promises both the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

THE POWER OF THE NAME OF JESUS

“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” (Acts 19:13-20).

When Peter and John were arrested for healing a man who was crippled from birth, they appeared before the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law in Jerusalem. This included Annas, the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and other men of the high priest’s family. Peter and John were then asked:

“By what power or what name did you do this”? (Acts 4:7).

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 7:8-12).

SPIRITUAL ENEMIES REQUIRE SPIRITUAL WEAPONS

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” (2 Cor. 10:3-6).

Immediately after Jesus was baptized the Spirit sent him into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for forty days: “At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended him” (Mark 1:12-13). Since Jesus was tempted in all ways like we are (Heb. 4:15), we too have angels ministering to us! In fact, one of the primary function of angels is to serve those who will inherit salvation (Heb 1:14).

After warning about the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Paul wrote: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Eph. 6:10-20)

These spiritual weapons are powerful. When we are unafraid our enemies are terrified: “Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This will be a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God” (Phil. 1:28).

The Word of God is our chief weapon. Remember! “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:12-13)

When Jesus was tempted He gained the victory by quoting Scripture to the devil. Jesus said: “It is written” (Matt. 4:4; 4:7; 4:10; etc.)

Jesus left us an example that we should follow in his steps!

THE DEVIL IS RELENTLESS

When Jesus successfully defeated the devil after forty days of temptation the Scriptures record: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an appropriate time” (Luke 4:13).

The devil doesn’t give up!

We shouldn’t give up either! It is when we are faithful until death that we receive the crown of life (Rev. 1:10).

An important part of our victory involves identifying our enemy!

In this regard, please remember - “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”