Of Battles and Warfare, and Struggles Without and Within

by Greg, SFCC Elder

I. Battles and Warfare

A. Introduction
It seems appropriate on Veterans Day to speak of battles and warfare, and of great struggles within and without. The bible speaks much of warfare. There are histories of battles won and lost; prophesies of battles yet to come. It speaks of moral, physical and spiritual battles. It tells of those engaged in various kinds of warfare and of how they handled the rigors of those engagements. The following is a summary of the kinds of words that can be used to describe warfare and how often they appear in the New International Version translation of the scriptures. Not all are used in reference to warfare, but they are all words that come from the idea of warfare.

B. So What? (And My Point Is…?)

When you really contemplate it, those aren't surprising numbers; for we are in the midst of a great battlefield. We battle individually with sin and compulsions and the weaknesses of being human. We fight moral and sometime physical battles to protect our families and friends. And also there is a great spiritual battle that rages around us; a battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. That battle is for our very soul and for the souls of those we love.

I'd like us to look at some instances of those who were preparing for a physical battle and draw some parallels to the preparations that we need to make as we prepare for the battle for our souls and the souls of those we love.

II. The Battles Without

A. What Makes a Good Soldier? - Biblical Reference

1 Chronicles 12:1-2 / Warriors Join David
1 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed ; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):

 I want us to note that these men came armed and ready to fight. They were so proficient with bows and with slings that they could handle them expertly with either hand.

1 Chronicles 12:8
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear . Their faces were the faces of lions , and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.

Don't be afraid to underline or write in the margins of your bible if it helps you to find or remember things. In the passage we just read you might underline or highlight the abilities that this group of warriors brought with them. They were brave, they were ready for battle, and they knew how to use their weapons. They set their faces for war like lions ready to attack. They were ready to run swiftly wherever they were needed.

B. Attributes of a Good Soldier

In the battle that rages around us we must also be prepared. We need to know how to use the weapons God has provided for us and we must be experts in their use. We must be vigilant and ready when we are called into the battle; and we must be ready to move swiftly to where we are needed.

1 Chronicles 12:14:15
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand . 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

One against a hundred or against a thousand; that seems impossible, yet with God the impossible becomes not only possible, but common place. Battles that we shrink back from thinking that we cannot possibly fight are the same ones that we need to charge forward into; knowing that God is able to sustain us.

1 Chronicles 12:23-38 / Others Join David at Hebron
23 These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him, as the LORD had said: 24 men of Judah, carrying shield and spear -6,800 armed for battle ; 25 men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle -7,100; 26 men of Levi-4,600, 27 including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok, a brave young warrior , with 22 officers from his family; 29 men of Benjamin, Saul's kinsmen-3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul's house until then; 30 men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans-20,800; 31 men of half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king-18,000; 32 men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do —200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command; 33 men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon , to help David with undivided loyalty -50,000; 34 men of Naphtali-1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears ; 35 men of Dan, ready for battle -28,600; 36 men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle -40,000; 37 and from east of the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon -120,000. 38 All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks . They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel .

Note those highlighted phrases: armed for battle, ready for battle, carrying shield and spear, armed with every type of weapon, brave, experienced, prepared, with undivided loyalty, and fully determined. Note also that they volunteered to serve in the ranks.

If we are to be of any use to in the battles going on around us, if we are to have a hope of saving ourselves, our families, and friends; we too must unite with the King. We must come to meet him prepared to enter into the good fight. We must come armed with all the weaponry he has provided and we must be proficient with them. We must come with undivided loyalty, fully determined to win and ready to serve in the ranks of his mighty army.

Husbands and Wives, you fight for your spouses. Mothers and Fathers, you fight for your children. Students, unfortunately you fight on the very front lines of the battle each and every day and you're losing friends to the enemy.

C. Weapons of a Good Soldier

Ephesians chapter six lists the weapons and armor of warfare that God has provided for us. Our Commander, the King, gives us five pieces of armor, 2 weapons, and 3 commands

Ephesians 6:10-18 / The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God. 18 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 saints.

There have been many sermons preached and lessons taught from and about this passage. I won't endeavor to cover all those things here. But take note of a few things that are easy to discern.

He tells us twice to put on the “full armor” We learned in a study of Joseph from Genesis that when God tells us something twice He intends for us to take good notice of it. Part of the armor won't do, we must put on “all” of it. We're also commanded to “Stand Firm”; no waffling, or wavering, or being blown around by every new doctrine that comes around will be accepted.

We also need to understand these are more than just metaphors. We must understand each of these items of warfare intimately and be able to make use of them. Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, and salvation; can we define these? Do we really understand what each of these mean? Have we embraced them and made them our own? That's what is meant by putting them on.

As we leave this passage, note that there are two weapons; though many people only recognize one. One is the sword that is the Word of God. The other isn't listed outright as a military item, but prayer is the communication system that keeps us in touch with our Commander, the King. The men coming to David were so familiar with their weapons that they could use them in either hand. We must be equally experienced and knowledgeable with prayer and the scriptures.

III. The Battle Within

A. Rivalry Within the Ranks

Unfortunately our army isn't as cohesive as David's army. We fuss and fume and take pot shots at each other instead of the enemy. We lose our focus on the battle and begin to focus on ourselves, our wants, and our needs to the detriment of our brothers and sisters.

James 4:1-3 / Submit Yourselves to God
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you ? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives , that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Fights, quarrels, and battles; sounds like warfare doesn't it? Our selfish desires are the root cause of the quarrels in the church. We want something we don't get so we fight about it.

The second part of that passage notes that we either don't ask or ask God with impure motives. Let me say that when we finally begin to think and act like Jesus, we will be asking for things to for others, not to fill our own desires. Then it will be God's great pleasure to answer our prayers and give us the things we ask for.

James 4:4-6
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

Back to the army…. We cannot go off and join the enemy army or we become an enemy. That's pretty simple isn't it? God wants us whole heartedly and want us to want Him the same way. He is a jealous God who sees us as being adulterous when we flirt with the things that belong to the enemy.

B. How should the soldiers of God Act?

James 4:7-12
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

It's time to submit, brother and sisters. Have you submitted yourself to God? Have you placed yourself under his command? Or do you still need to join his army. This is the time. Come and present yourself as a volunteer, ready to do His will; ready to give your life into His hands for His use.

If you're already in His army, it's time to resist the enemy. Too long we've been allowing the enemy free reign in our lives, in our families, in our homes, in our jobs, and in our church. You know where you've allowed him free reign, and you know you need to begin resisting him. Come kneel and ask our Mighty God to give you're the power to resist the enemy and to push him out of your life.

You have been Christians for some time; I want you to think about your fitness as a soldier. Have you taken the time to understand and use the armor He provided? Can you wield the bible and prayer as holy weapons against Satan and His kingdom of warriors? If not, now is the time to commit to studying the bible so you can understand it and be able to use it. Like any weapon or tool that can only happen with study and practice. Come now and kneel and ask your commander for wisdom in studies. Ask Him for help in being a good student of his word.

How's your prayer life. Do you really spend time talking with your King asking for his advice for your life? It's time to start. Come now and kneel and ask Him. He will respond.

Have you been guilty of wounding your brother or sister soldier? Go to them now and make things right. Begin helping them heal and you'll find that you also will begin to be healed.

C. Final Thoughts

James 4:13-17 / Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Brothers and Sisters, we don't know what tomorrow holds, or if we even have a tomorrow. God had numbered each of our days and given each of us an amount of time to prepare for eternity.

It's very important to understand that we WILL go into eternal life. Every one of us will receive immortality. Both the army of God and the army of Satan will put on immortality. Where we will spend that eternity depends on which army we have served. If we do not serve God, then we do serve Satan. Choose today whom you will server, but choose wisely. We have no promise of another day on earth.