Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for Freedom in Christ
Lost and Found
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Note to reader: These sermons on Ephesians are not my typical verse-by-verse exposition. Most were preached in 1990 in a series on “Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for Freedom in Christ.” I used Ephesians as a springboard for this series but referred to many other passages as well. Some of the sermons in the series are stand-alone messages preached at various times and various places. The early sermons from 30-35 years ago are not well footnoted, as I never expected them to be published.
Introduction: Last Lord’s Day we asked the question, “Who Are You?” We observed that every believer is involved in a spiritual battle, that a lot of us are experiencing defeat in that battle, and that the single greatest obstacle to victory is Satanic deception. Furthermore, one of the prime targets for his deception is our personal identity. We are being told by our culture and our society that appearance plus popularity equals a whole person, or that performance plus accomplishments equals a whole person, or that status plus recognition equals a whole person. These are all lies.
Marilyn MacDonald told me about a J.C. Penney commercial she saw on TV this week. It was apparently one of a series called “Attitudes on Fashion,” in which a female Ph.D. in child development reports that dressing your baby in darling, fashionable clothing will make him or her the object of lots of “oohs and aahs.” The conclusion was, “Not only will they look great, but they’ll be getting their very first lesson in self-esteem.” Marilyn commented, “I could just envision the insecure first-time mom watching this commercial, and running up the Penney’s charge card so that her child will have self-esteem!” Sad, isn’t it?
We concluded last Sunday that since “who we are” determines “what we do,” and since no person can consistently behave in a manner that is inconsistent with the way he perceives himself, it is, therefore, mandatory that we come to a biblical understanding of who we are in Christ. And we closed by reading Ephesians, chapter 1 for just a glimpse of our fantastic identity in Christ.
Today I want us to talk in more detail about who we are by examining three stages of human identity, as described in Scripture.
As created by God, mankind was significant, safe, and secure, and in possession of a sense of belonging.
Significant (Gen. 1:28; 2:19-20). Since we’re going to look at several passages in the early chapters of Genesis, I want you to turn to the first pages of your Bible and look at the 28th verse of the first chapter. It says of the man and woman God created, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number (our congregation takes that very seriously, as evidenced by three new babies this week); fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'” Later God instructed Adam to name all the livestock and the beasts of the fields and the birds of the air, indicating that he was superior to them and had authority over them.
Interestingly, in the New Testament Satan is called the “god of this world.” But he was not the original god of this world—Adam was. He didn’t have to fight for significance or value; there were no feelings of lostness in a vast universe. Significance was an attribute he was created with. Not only was Adam significant, however; he was also …
Safe and secure (Gen. 1:29; 2:8). God put him in an environment that was completely conducive to security. Look at verse 29: “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'” And in the next chapter, verse 8, we read, “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.” In other words, all of mankind’s physical needs were provided for. There were no possible wounds to his self-esteem through loss of a job or lack of financial security. Thirdly, there was a sense of …
Belonging (Gen. 2:18). In verse 18 we read, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.'” And God did just that; He created a woman so there would be no sense of loneliness or isolation for Adam. Loneliness, you know, has nothing to do with population density. There were thousands of animals and plants for Adam to enjoy; the problem was that none was a true counterpart to him, none with whom he could share intimacy. Sure, Adam had a kind of intimacy with God, but God knew that Adam also needed someone with skin on.
All three of these factors—significance, safety and security, and a sense of belonging—were attributes of mankind originally; they were an inherent part of the human condition. But something tragic happened which turned each of them from an attribute into a need. That tragedy was the Fall, the entrance of sin into the world.
Injured by the Fall, mankind experienced guilt and shame, weakness and helplessness, and rejection.
Each of these three results of the Fall corresponds to one of the attributes mankind enjoyed when created. I think most of us are familiar with the term “the Fall,” but I don’t want to take anything for granted. It refers to the entrance of sin into the paradise God created. Satan, who was himself once a perfect creature but had rebelled against God and was cast out of His presence, deceived Eve into doubting God’s goodness and His word, and she, in turn, seduced her husband Adam to disobey God. By the way, why did Satan seek to destroy man’s perfect paradise and fellowship with God? I believe, having lost what power and authority he had in Heaven because of his rebellion, Satan desired the power and authority on earth that God had granted to Adam. Destroying mankind’s fellowship with God was Satan’s way to reign on earth.
The result of the sin of Adam and Eve was that paradise turned into a prison of sorts. Everything God had created for mankind was tainted—animals and plants included—and the image of God in mankind was seriously marred. The greatest harm of all was spiritual separation between God and mankind (which is called “spiritual death” in the NT), but other catastrophes included physical death, competition between the sexes, pain in childbirth, and hard labor.
I would like to focus on how the Fall affected these three attributes of significance, safety and security, and a sense of belonging. Instead of significance and value, mankind experienced …
Guilt and shame (Gen. 3:7-10; Eph. 2:1-2) Gen. 3:7-10 reads that following Adam’s and Eve’s sin, “The eyes of both of them were opened; and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.'”
When first created, the man and his wife were both naked and felt no shame. Neither had to worry that the other might not find him/her attractive; neither had to protect himself or herself against cutting remarks, perhaps even offered in jest; no defense mechanisms were needed to protect fragile egos. Their nakedness in that innocent environment signified total freedom and perfect self-esteem. But when sin entered the picture, immediately guilt and shame entered with it.
If you’ll keep your finger in Genesis and turn to Ephesians 2, we’ll see that this condition of guilt and shame was no temporary problem; it was passed on to every descendent of Adam. Paul says to the Ephesians, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” You see, the sin of Adam radically affected all his posterity.
Second, the safety and security man once enjoyed were replaced by …
Weakness and helplessness (Gen. 3:16ff; Eph. 2:3) When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their secure status with God and began to struggle with alternate feelings of inadequacy and arrogance, valuing the opinion of others more than the truth of God. This robbed them of their true self-worth and put them on a continual but fruitless search for safety and security. In the last half of Genesis 3, the weak, helpless condition of Adam and Eve following their sin is described in some detail, ending with the observation that “the Lord God banished Adam from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” The safety and security they had richly enjoyed was gone.
Again, turn back to Ephesians 2:3, where Paul describes the continuing weakness and helplessness of mankind as descended from that first Adam: “All of us also lived among them (the disobedient) at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” Weak and helpless!
Third, the sense of belonging was replaced by …
Rejection (Gen. 4:8-12; Eph. 2:11ff). The seeds of rejection were seen in the need of Adam and Eve to cover their bodies, but it’s not until chapter 4 of Genesis that we see the real fruit of rejection. Their first son murdered their second son out of jealousy and anger, and part of God’s judgment upon him was that he would be “a restless wanderer on the earth.” The alienation evident here has continued to plague mankind, and Ephesians 2 reminds us of it very clearly beginning in verse 11: “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” Not much of a sense of belonging there!
It’s critical to recognize that while through sin mankind lost his sense of significance, his safety and security, and his sense of belonging, he did not lose his desperate need for these things. Larry Crabb writes in his book, Inside Out, “The basic personal need of each person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being.” Tragically, however, the history of humanity is the history of a desperate search for these in all the wrong places. Significance, safety and security, and a sense of belonging are not optional. We must have them to survive, and we will do almost anything to obtain them.
I came across an excellent book this week—The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. The author states that …
“Human beings develop elaborate defense mechanisms to block pain and gain significance (and I would add, to find safety and security and to gain a sense of belonging). We suppress emotions; we are compulsive perfectionists; we drive ourselves to succeed or we withdraw and become passive; we attack people who hurt us; we punish ourselves when we fail; we try to say clever things to be accepted; we help people so that we will be appreciated; and we say and do countless other things.”
But none of these efforts will succeed in meeting our basic needs. The vacuum in human hearts is indeed God-shaped. The hunger for self-worth is God-given and can only be satisfied by Him. So, let’s turn our attention thirdly to the fact that …
Restored by Christ, the believer is without condemnation, strong in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and a child of God.
Here again I want us to keep our fingers in two books of the Bible, Romans 8 and Ephesians 2, for both teach the same truths about the restoration of the believer to a place of significance, safety and security, and a sense of belonging. Let’s begin with the fact that the believer is …
Without condemnation; therefore, the believer need not grovel under guilt and shame. (Rom. 8:1; Eph. 2:4-10). Romans 8 opens with those fantastic words, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Our guilt and shame have been assumed by Christ, and significance has been restored for all those who are “in Christ.” Eph. 2 explains what that means. After describing the dreadful condition mankind is in by nature, we read starting in verse 4:
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Please note that our escape from condemnation and our restoration to a place of significance is not the result of our own doing. In fact, it is not even brought about by our faith. It is brought about through faith but by the grace of God, the undeserved love He extends to us by allowing His Son to take upon Himself the penalty of our sin.
Second, the restored believer is …
Strong in Christ and in the Holy Spirit: therefore, no longer weak and helpless. (Rom. 8:5-9; Eph. 2:13-18). Turn back to Romans 8, beginning in verse 5:
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”
Please observe that the Apostle is not talking to spiritual giants here; he’s not talking to fellow apostles or perfectly mature believers. He’s talking to ordinary Christians in Rome, and his message is that they are strong in Christ and in the Holy Spirit.
Third, the restored believer is …
A child of God: therefore, no longer rejected. (Rom. 8:14-17; Eph. 2:19-22) How is this for a renewed sense of belonging? Romans 8:14:
“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”
And the same basic truth is taught in Eph. 2:19-22: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
You see, we belong to God and we belong to the rest of God’s family, and nothing can destroy those relationships except our own failure to believe the truth and act upon it. Therefore, we no longer must fear rejection.
This morning we have focused on a few of the tremendous truths that constitute the believer’s personal identity in Christ. But we have only scratched the surface. In your bulletin is a sheet which lists as many biblical truths concerning the question, “Who Am I?,” as I could get on one page, along with the Scriptural justification of each. (I am not the originator of this list, but I have edited it and added to it). I want us to read it aloud and in unison. Will you do this with me?
I am the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)
I am the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14)
I am a child of God, a part of His family. (John 1:12)
I am connected to the true vine, a branch of Christ’s life. (John 15:1, 5)
I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. (John 15:16)
I have been set free from sin and have become a slave to righteousness. (Rom. 6:18)
I have become a slave to God, which leads to holiness. (Rom. 6:22)
I am a joint-heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. (Rom. 8:17)
I am a temple of God. His Spirit dwells in me. (1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19)
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him. (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am a part of Christ’s body. (1 Cor. 12:27)
I am a new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17)
I am reconciled to God and a minister of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
I am a child of God and united with all other believers in Christ. (Gal. 3:26-28)
I am an heir of God since I am a child of God. (Gal. 4:6-7)
I am a saint, a holy person. (Eph. 1:1)
I am God’s handiwork created in Christ to do His work. (Eph. 2:10)
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s people in His family. (Eph. 2:19)
I am a prisoner of Christ. (Eph. 3:1, 4:1)
I am righteous and holy. (Eph. 4:24)
I am a citizen of heaven and have a position in heaven right now. (Phil. 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. (Col. 3:4)
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. (Col. 3:12)
I am chosen and loved by God. (1 Thess. 1:4)
I am a child of light and not of darkness. (1 Thess. 5:5)
I am holy and I share in a heavenly calling. (Heb. 3:1)
I am one of God’s living stones and am being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5)
I am a part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, called to proclaim His praises. (1 Pet. 2:9, 10)
I am an alien and stranger to this world I temporarily live in. (1 Pet. 2:11)
I am an enemy of the devil. (1 Pet. 5:8)
I am now a child of God; I will resemble Christ when He returns. (1 John 3:1-2)
I am born of God and the Evil One cannot harm me. (1 John 5:18)
I am not the great “I AM” but by the grace of God, I am what I am. (2 Cor. 15:10)
Conclusion: Last week Bill Moyers had a TV special on the great hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Listen to those words:
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”
God has purchased us out of slavery by the payment of His Son’s life on the cross. Satan’s rule has been broken, and we are invited to reign with Christ.
Are you trusting in your own abilities to gain acceptance with God? Or are you trusting in the death of Christ to pay for your sins and His resurrection to give you new life? And is that trust more than just intellectual assent? Here is a simple little analogy that clarifies the importance of personal commitment: An engaged couple may intellectually know they want to marry each other, and probably feel very close to one another, but until they willfully say “I do” to each other, they are not married.
Many people are at that point in their relationship with Christ. They need to say “I do” to Him. If there is any doubt in your own mind whether you have been born again by faith in Jesus, I urge you to express your faith by means of a simple prayer, which you can pray silently as I pray in closing. “Lord Jesus, I need you. I want you to be my Savior and Lord. I accept your death on the cross as the complete payment for my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and for giving me new life. Amen.”
There’s a song in our hymnbook which tells the same story as “Amazing Grace” but is even clearer in identifying the source of our restoration and healing as being the Person of Jesus Christ. It’s song # 628, “He Touched Me.” It can serve as our response to the truths we have examined this morning as well as preparation for coming to the Lord’s Table.
The Lord’s Table: He touched me. Thirty-two times the word “touch” is used in the Gospels and every time it is used of Jesus, either of Him touching someone to heal and to bless or others touching Jesus to be healed. An example is the suffering woman of Mark 5:28, whose thoughts were recorded for all posterity: “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” I’m here to tell you that we need not even touch His clothes. He provided for the complete healing of your basic spiritual needs when He offered His body and shed His blood for you at Calvary. As we come to this simple supper which He instituted for His followers, may we remember Him and rejoice in the security, safety, security, and sense of belonging that are available only through Him.
DATE: September 16, 1990
Tags:
Significance
Security
Guilt
Shame
Acceptance