Ephesians 4:22-27

Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

The emotional life of God and his children is very complex. The inner workings of God's heart and the hearts of his saints are not simple.

For example, Exodus 34:6 says that God is "slow to anger" and Psalm 103:9 says that God "will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever." Yet Ps. 7:11 says that "God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation (or anger) every day."

Galatians 4:1-11

Luke 22:31-34

The word of encouragement and consolation and hope that I want to offer you today from God's Word is that, if you love God and are called according to his purpose, if you are despairing of your own resources and looking to Christ for hope, then to you belongs a most wonderful promise: Jesus prays for you and will never let Satan destroy your faith and bring you to ruin. Do you know why we need a message of hope and encouragement the Sunday after Easter? It's because our worst spiritual and emotional collapses often follow in the wake of our happiest most victorious experiences. Maundy Thursday was rich and holy; Good Friday was sober but sweet ("Today you will be with me in paradise"). Easter morning was glorious ("Begotten anew to a living hope through the resurrection"). Easter evening was moving ("No Greater Love"). But then came Monday morning. And I know personally of three of our people whose burdens have brought them to tears this week. It's almost like a law of nature with me. I've gone home at night and said to Noel, "Well, tomorrow is going to be real hard to bear." And she says, "How do you know that?" And I say, "Because today was so great."

Hebrews 2:14-18

Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; ¹⁵ and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

"YOU WERE BORN TO LIVE FOREVER"

On Wednesday night at the Metrodome Billy Graham took his text from John 3:16 and began to talk about God from the two words, "For God." But what struck me in that message was how often he spoke of death. He was very blunt and forthright and looked us all in the face and said something like, "In fifty or seventy years you will all be dead." But then he made clear that he meant we would all be in heaven or in hell. He said, "When you were born, you were born to live forever, and you will—either in heaven or in hell." Then he went on to tell us how to reach heaven and escape hell through faith in Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that this was exactly the right way to start his crusade: talking about God and death. If there were no God, then death would be sad for most people, but it wouldn't be terrifying. It would be sad because life is the basis of all our pleasures—family, friends, work, leisure, food, sex, music—if we lose life, we lose everything that makes us happy—if there is not God. So death would be sad. But not terrifying. Falling asleep and going unconscious and never waking up into consciousness again is a sad farewell to contemplate. The ending of a long, beautiful summer is sad.

Spiritual warfare is one of the most popular topics in theological discussion today. C. Peter Wagner wrote Warfare Prayer (Seattle: YWAM, 1990) in which he charges Christians to expel so-called "territorial spirits" from their cities. This turns task of evangelism into magical confrontation with demonic forces.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12

I would like to begin this morning with a definition of the term occult. I designate anything as belonging to the occult that involves dealings with the world of spirits or of supra-normal forces which (dealings) are not oriented on Jesus as he is revealed in the Bible. With this definition I am assuming the reality of a spirit world and of mysterious supra-normal forces. I am assuming that the church makes a grave mistake when it says that supra-natural phenomena are restricted to another age or that only godly people can work miracles. Such a mistake lays the church open to the power of evil precisely because it refuses to recognize the presence of that power. The definition is also intentionally very broad. I mean to include everything from the most blatant Satan worship to the most commonly accepted use of horoscopes. As examples I would mention seances, necromancy, and all forms of communicating with the dead, PSI, ESP, and all forms of supra-natural psychic phenomena, real magic (as opposed to simple sleight-of-hand tricks), fortune telling, the casting of spells, wearing of charms, the use of ouija boards, astrology, etc., etc. What I would like to show this morning is first, that the Scripture forbids God's people to be involved in these practices, second, why this is so, and third, what our positive alternative should be.

2 Chronicles 20:1-25

After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazontamar" (that is, Engedi). Then Jehoshapaht feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

No picture of the Christian life is more frequently cited throughout the ages than that of a soldier engaging in mortal combat. Perhaps this is because all true believers instinctively understand that they are called to a fight-a fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. In every age the church has had to face this battle on all three fronts. Our age is no different.

A wartime mindset must include shrewd knowledge of enemy tactics. Ephesians 5:11, "Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."

Christianity stands or falls with the reality of Satan and demons. Why? Because Jesus spent his whole ministry fighting them. If they are not real he is reduced to a comic figure.

What is Satan's aim and his strategies?

1. He is the Father of lies. John 8:44

His nature is falsehood! He only speaks the truth in order to deceive.

2. Therefore, his chief enemy is truth - he opposes God's word. Genesis 3:1-5