|
Admin
Forum Admin
Norway
490 Posts |
 Posted - 12/15/2004 : 04:56:38
|
Lession 7 - Spiritual warfare in the heavens
Heaven is in the spiritual sphere
A. The letter to ephesians talkes about the heavenly 5 times
1. What the Father have done in the heavenly (sse 1,3)
2. What Jesus did in the heavenly (see 1,20-22)
3. What the church and the Holy Spirit do(se 2,6)
4.What the demons do(se 3,10)
5.What the church, Stan and the demons do in the heavnely (se 6,12)
B. Satan ruled once in the heavenly
Ephes.2,12
1. 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
2.He had the keys to the gates to the kingdom of death
C. God had a plan for the heavenly. He gave his begotten Son to save us from the grave (see John 3,16)
ii.The double challenge for God - holiness and legality
A. The five points about the heavenly help to solve these challenges
1.Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Eph.1,3-4)
What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ef 4,9; 1,20
3."6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, " (Ef 2,6). 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (see Ef 4,11-13)
4."His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" (Ef 3,10)
a.The believers are an example for the demonic powers of the grace of
b. The devil has never understood
5."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. " (Ef 6,12)
a. Satan will not challenge the position of Jesus over him (Constant # 1)
b.Satan will not challenge the position of Jesus in relation to God (Constant # 2)
C.Satan will challenge the church. He attacks on the point that is called unsolved anger.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
When believers become angry and will not forgive, they create a possibility for an attack from the enemy
iii.Conclusion
God saved the believers and sat them in the heavenly. He use yhem as xamples for hos grace and wisdom to defeat Satan. But the church can still be attacked on the subject of unsolved anger.
Lession 8 - Restoration of unity in the body
Unconfessed anger leads to split in the body
A.Unconfessed anger is a denial of the grace of God
1. 12For 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.
2.Unconfessed anger cause a christians testimony not to have effect
B. The body of Christ must seee to that anger is confessed and the body united so that prayers can be answered and the eyes of the unbelievers be opened.
C. The body of Christ must avoid 'rotten speech' - unwholesome talk .
Ephes 4,29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
2. Unwholesome talk contains truth without grace
3. Every time christians do not forgive others, they give Satan an opportunity to get a legal entrance into their lives.
4. When we choose not to forgive, we binde ourselves.
II. The body of Christ needs to be united and raised up.
A.God created race. Ethnics is what man created. No other grops have been further apart than jews and heathens. But in spite of that God made the two into one ( Ephes.2,11-16)
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)– 12remember 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. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
All the wholy ones come together to express Christ's fullness in the heavenly (Ephes.3)
1. It demands all the believers tied together to express God's truth in the heavenly
2. The condition to walk in unity (Ephes 4) is not in truth, but in the mind of peace.
C. Grace is the key to unity
1. Pray for mercy for yourself and others
2. Accept that we all are sinners who needs grace |
|
Ed Silvoso: Lession 7/8
