Wartime Mentality    Sermon Series

Wheelersburg Baptist Church 1/5/03 Brad Brandt

1 Peter 5:8-9 "The Need for Spiritual Warriors" **

There are few things more terrifying than the ferocious roar of a lion.

Gary Richmond, now a pastor, at one time spent seven years at the Los Angeles Zoo working as a zookeeper. He wrote a fascinating book entitled A View From the Zoo, in it sharing some amazing true stories of life in the zoo which illustrate powerful spiritual truths.

Here's one that nearly takes your breath away. The event happened one day when it was time to close the L.A. zoo. At 15 minutes to 5:00, the animals were anxiously waiting to be let in for the night. The routine was the same every day. The zookeepers would let the animals into their night quarters and feed them.

Here's what happened next, as Richmond tells the story:

"Dave, the keeper who cared for the lions, had performed this ritual a thousand times before. The lions' night cages were clean and dry and several pounds of Zupreem Feline Diet were awaiting them. Dave gave a pull on the lever that lifted the guillotine door. It changed into position but no lions ran into the night cage. He looked into the opening created by the raised door and his heart stopped beating. There in the dim light was the female lioness. Her muzzle was bloody and she was snarling over her prey—a man, or what was left of a man. Dave gasped and ran for the phone.

"When the investigation was concluded, the man’s story was pieced together. This man has chosen phencyclidine hydrochloride [angel dust] to find another less painful plane of existence. Because this drug has so many different effects, it was impossible to determine what motive caused him to take a detour into a nightmare. No note, no friend, no clue as to why this man confronted our lioness on her territory. We were told that he had entered the exhibit by leaping to a palm tree that grew near the twenty-foot wall around the moated area. His arm must have shown the abrasions or his clothes must have disclosed fibers from the tree because the police were certain that this was the way he entered the exhibit.

"There was no way of knowing just how the next moments passed. I don’t want to know."

The victim was deluded by drugs. Apparently, he was beguiled into thinking that the dangerous lion was his friend. But he was wrong, dead wrong.

Listen to the Word of God: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ^9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." That's 1 Peter 5:8-9.

My friends, the Bible is clear about this. We have an enemy and we are living in enemy territory. Our enemy is crafty and dangerous. The threat is real.

Here is the warning from Scripture:

Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."

2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (Phillips Modern English) "...Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is only to be expected that his agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousness--but they will get what they deserve in the end."

It’s with this realization in mind that we are beginning a new series to prepare for the new year, a study of God’s Word I’ve entitled, "Living with a Wartime Mentality." The fact is, you look at life differently when you’re at war. You live differently when you’re at war.

But most of us tend to live with a peacetime mentality. Indeed, we’d rather live with a peacetime mentality. In peacetime the focus is on pleasure. In wartime it’s on survival. In peacetime we think about personal comfort. In wartime our thoughts are consumed with the mission at hand. In peacetime our agenda is to accumulate. In wartime it’s to sacrifice for a greater cause.

I’m convinced of this. You will never succeed in the Christian life until you learn how to live with a wartime mentality. What does that mean and how do we obtain it? We’ll find out in the weeks ahead.

Series Overview: "Living with a Wartime Mentality"

"The Need for Spiritual Warriors" 1 Peter 5:8-9

"How the Enemy Works" Genesis 3:1-8

"Living in Enemy Territory" John 16:1-4

"Survival Training for the Christian" 2 Timothy 2:3-7

"How to Survive in Spiritual Warfare" Ephesians 6:10-18

To begin I must say a word about the subject of spiritual warfare. That is a hot topic in Christian circles these days. It's also a controversial one. I must warn you to beware. There are a lot of ideas being circulated in "Christian" books about spiritual warfare that grow out of the imaginations of men more than the Word of God.

Key: Some people ignore the spiritual forces of evil, and that’s dangerous. But others are consumed with them in excessive fashion—they look for a demon under every rock, so to speak—and that’s equally dangerous.

Let me illustrate. The following article appeared in the Los Angeles Times: "Under the militant banner of ‘spiritual warfare,’ growing numbers of evangelical and charismatic Christian leaders are preparing broad assaults on what they call the cosmic powers of darkness.

"Fascinated with the notion that Satan commands a hierarchy of territorial demons, some mission agencies and big-church pastors are devising strategies for ‘breaking the strongholds’ of those evil spirits alleged to be controlling cities and countries.

"Some proponents in the fledgling movement already maintain that focused prayer meetings have ended the curse of the Bermuda triangle, led to the 1987 downfall in Oregon of free-love guru Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, and for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, produced a two-week drop in the crime rate, a friendly atmosphere and unclogged freeways."

In his book How to Meet the Enemy, John MacArthur shows how an unbiblical understanding of the nature of spiritual warfare will lead to unbiblical practices. He writes, "More and more Christian leaders seem to be championing such efforts. I know of a large conservative mission organization that is requiring all its missionaries to attend special training seminars to learn how to confront and assault the powers of darkness. Their strategy includes speaking to demons and learning techniques for exercising them. It is becoming very popular to deliver incantations against Satan and supposedly rebuke or bind him."

Are those methods biblical? Is that how the Bible says to survive in the spiritual battle? No. you'll find no such counsel in Scripture.

But the fact remains, we are in a battle, a war! The Bible has much to say about this war and what our responsibilities are in it. In the weeks ahead we’ll be looking at what God says about this matter in five passages. The first is in 1 Peter 5.

According to 1 Peter 5:8-9, there is a great need for spiritual warriors. As Christians we are at war and if we are going to survive, we must follow two marching orders.

Notice the first words of verse 8 "Be self-controlled and alert." The KJV renders it, "Be sober, be vigilant." In other words, be on your guard!

That’s an interesting command in light of the context. Look back at the end of verse 7, "He cares for you." God cares for us. What an incredible truth! As Christians, we are not immune from anxiety in life. Yet when the anxiety comes, we can cast it upon the Lord, knowing He cares for us.

The Christians to whom Peter wrote needed to know that. They were being black-balled by the authorities in the Roman Empire. Many had lost a lot for Christ. They had suffered much for Christ. You can imagine what this hope would have meant to them—God cares for you.

But know this. Hope is not a sedative. It's a shot of adrenaline! Hope doesn't put us in a rocking chair to wait passively for Christ’s return. It puts us on the battlefield.

Here’s our first marching order in verse 8. Be alert.

One of the things that impressed me most when I spent a semester in Israel was the Israeli soldier. Every citizen of Israel joins the military at age 18, and serves his country with mandatory active duty and then in the reserves. He carries his gun with him wherever he goes, walking down the street, in the dining hall, wherever. He doesn't allow you to take his picture. Do you know why? He is alert. One thing is true of the Israeli soldier. He is alert, in time of peace and in time of war.

In verse 8 Peter sounds like a drill sergeant talking to his troops. That ought not surprise us, for we are in a battle. And we need to be alert.

Notice again the commands sergeant Peter gives us in verse 8.

"Be self-controlled." [KJV "Be sober"] The Greek verb nepho means "to abstain from wine, to be temperate." In 2 Timothy 4:5 it’s translated, "Keep your head in all situations." If we’re going to survive in the spiritual battle, we must be in clear control of our mental faculties.

Next, "be alert." [KJV "be vigilant"]. This term means "to be awake" or "to watch."

Do you remember what Jesus told Peter and the disciples the night of His arrest? There in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter heard this plea from our Lord (Matthew 26:38), "Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’"

You remember what happened. When Peter and the others should have been watching and praying, they were sleeping. They failed to be vigilant, and the adversary played havoc with their souls.

Peter is writing with the authority of first-hand experience. Be sober! Be vigilant! Be alert!

We find this admonition throughout the Scriptures. Earlier in this same letter Peter had this to say in 1 Peter 1:13, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." And in 1 Peter 4:7 "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."

Jesus gave this warning in Luke 21:36, "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

The apostle Paul used soldier imagery in his charge in 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ^7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ^8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."

The order is clear. Be alert!

But why? Why do we need to be alert? The answer is because we have an enemy. He is the devil. "Be self-controlled. Be alert." At this point in the text the NIV inserts a period, but in the KJV we see the word "because," which is more literal. What follows is the reason for our need to be alert. It’s because "your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." There’s the reason we’re on alert status. It’s the devil.

Just who is this being the Bible calls "the devil"? Peter gives us three characteristics about the devil in verse 8.

A. The devil is our adversary. "Your enemy the devil prowls around." The KJV actually uses the term "adversay."

The word "devil" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for "Satan." The word means "slanderer" or "accuser." That's what the devil does. He slanders. He accuses. Remember how he accused and slandered Job right in the very presence of God?

It's no wonder Peter describes the devil as our "adversary." The term comes from a legal background. An adversary refers to an opponent in a lawsuit. The devil is our opponent. He is our adversary.

It amazes me how easy it is for people to become enamored with the devil and things associated with the demonic world. Even professing Christians seem to fall prey to this fascination. Movie producers make big bucks off of themes of the occult and demonism. And no small share of contemporary musicians glorify the Evil one in their lyrics. And sadly, more than a few fill their minds with such things and call it "innocent" entertainment.

Peter would say, "Be alert! The devil is our adversary!"

I read about a parable a Haitian pastor told to illustrate the need for total commitment to Christ: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The Haitian pastor's conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation."  

Are you giving Satan any pegs in your life? Pegs come in many forms. A music CD with ungodly lyrics. A television program that fills your mind with immoral thoughts. A so called "friend" who isn’t interested in living God’s way. Be alert! He is our adversary!

B. The devil is an aggressor. He "prowls around like a roaring lion."

Did you know that a lion tends to roar only when he already has his prey? Think about it. Otherwise, the prey would be forewarned of impending danger, and flee to safety. It's when a lion has cornered or killed its prey that it roars in triumph, right before he devours it.

The devil is cocky and proud. He has a warped view of himself. He acts like a conquering lion. Yet the Bible makes it clear that his sentence of doom was fixed. Where? At the cross. When the Son of God came into the world He allowed wicked hands to nail Him to the tree. The devil thought he had won. What he didn’t realize was that this was God’s plan, for on the cross the Son of God died as a substitute for sinners. He paid sin’s penalty and broke the power Satan held over sinners. If you want to be free from Satan’s control, you must come to know Jesus as your Savior and Lord. If you know Jesus you are on the winning side.

But having said that, know this too. The devil is an aggressor. He is as dangerous, and more so, than a famished lion loose on the streets. He knows his time is limited.

Peter says to us, "Be sober! Be vigilant! Be under control! Be alert!"

Do you know when we are most vulnerable to the attack of the enemy? One time is when life is a breeze. When there's plenty of money in the bank, when the kids are healthy, when all is well in the home. When that happens, we tend to let down our guard. We tend to puff up with the pride of self-sufficiency. "Let him that stands take heed lest he fall," the Scripture says (1 Cor 10:12).

But another great time of vulnerability is when we're in the middle of a time of affliction. In the middle, not at the beginning. When a trial first begins, we cry out to God. But after the trial lingers awhile, and when discouragement sets in, we're prone to let down our guard. Oh, we know that "God is in control," yet we start thinking less about God and more about our problem.

Peter says, "Be alert!" The devil is our adversary. He is an aggressor.

C. The devil is on the attack. He is "looking for someone to devour."

Again, a word of caution. I agree with Wiersbe, "Some people see a demon behind every bush, and blame Satan for their headaches, flat tires, and high rent." It's one thing to be alert. It's another (and unbiblical) thing to blame everything on the devil.

But having pointed out this dangerous obsession, never forget this. The devil is on the prowl. He's walking about seeking whom he may "devour." The Greek term katapino means "to drink down, to swallow up, to destroy."

It's possible that Peter is giving us a veiled allusion to the persecution that had already begun in Rome. Emperor Nero was notorious for his cruelty. He took sadistic delight in seeing innocent Christians mauled and devoured by lions in the Roman Coliseum.

Peter's point is this. Nero attacked the church, no doubt. But the reason Nero attacked the church was because he was energized by the Prince of this world, the devil himself. The devil hates Christ, and anything or anyone associated with Christ.

Last week a militant killed three missionaries in Yemen, but the reason he did so is because of the destructive intent of the Evil One himself. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood," Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, "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."

The devil is on the attack. He walks about, he prowls about. No, he's not omnipresent. The devil is a created, spiritual being. But he has a host of apparently well-organized, wicked cohorts.

What can we do about this ever-present threat? Here's our first marching order. In order to survive in spiritual warfare, we must be alert. Here’s a second order.

Verse 9—"Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

We need to be aware of the devil. Peter knew the necessity of this from firsthand experience. About three decades before he wrote this letter, Peter heard a sobering message from Jesus. Here's what the Lord told Peter in Luke 22:31, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you  ^a as wheat. ^32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail." The language of the KJV is even more intense, "Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat."

Satan wanted Peter. Why? Because Satan hates the servants of Christ.

Jesus continued in verse 32, "But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." That's what happened. Satan sifted Peter. But Peter repented. And Christ used Peter's failure to refine him, and make him more usable in ministering to others.

What had Peter learned about how to deal with the devil? He tells us right here. You must resist him. Notice that it's a term of defense, not attack. The word means "to stand against, to withstand." We don't fight for victory against the devil. We fight from victory. And we resist him by standing firm "in the faith." It’s not "our faith" that overcomes him. The charge is to stand in "the faith." The faith is the objective truth about Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scripture. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free," Jesus said (John 8:32).

Again, I believe a word of caution is in order. Be careful about the contemporary notion of "territorial warfare." One advocate writes, "I have come to believe that Satan does indeed assign a demon or a corps of demons to every geo-political unit in the world and that they are among the principalities and powers against whom we wrestle."

Another proponent says, "Dealing with territorial spirits is major league warfare and should not be undertaken casually. I know few who have the necessary expertise, and if you do not know what you are doing, Satan will eat you for breakfast."

Several years ago I read two novels by Frank Perretti, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness. They’re well written, enjoyable reading. They also challenge your prayer life. But remember. These books are novels. They are fiction, not factual theology. We must always build our beliefs, not on an experience we had, or on what somebody wrote, but on what the Bible says.

What does the Bible say we must do if we are to survive the warfare? Verse 9 says we must be aware. Of what? Three key truths...

A. We are in a battle. "Resist him, standing firm in the faith." The key word is resist. It’s a stark reminder that we are in a battle.

How can we experience victory in the battle of the Christian life? There are three different, yet common answers to that question.

One group says things like, "Let go and let God," and "I can't; He can." They are known as the Quietists, and take 2 Chronicles 20:15 as their motto, "The battle is not yours but God's."

1. The Quietists say that victory is up to God. Quietists believe the only way to live the Christian life is through passive surrender rather. There’s little emphasis on self-discipline. I need not struggle, but merely surrender to God. In contrast to the Quietists are a second group, the Pietists.

2. The Pietists say that victory is up to us. Pietists stress the need for self-discipline and holy living. When taken to an extreme, pietism adopts a set of legalistic rules. Pietists place the emphasis in sanctification on man's part, and tend to ignore God's role. The Pharisees were early advocates of pietism.

Which approach is biblical? Neither is.

3. The Bible says that victory involves cooperation. In other words, we need a balance between the two extremes. On the one hand, if we're going to be victorious in the battle, we must DEPEND on God. Without His help, we are helpless. But on the other hand, we must OBEY God. That takes effort, commitment, and self-control.

Let me say this as clearly as I can. No, I don't believe a Christian can be possessed by a demon. A house divided against itself cannot stand. But having said that, I would quickly affirm this. The devil can cause havoc in a believer's life. I see it happen all the time.

Some of you here today are feeling the destructive attacks of the Evil one. Do you know why? Because you're not practicing verse 9. You're not resisting the devil. In fact, you're doing just the opposite. You spend little time for Bible study in your life. Church attendance is on the back burner, and even though you always have an excuse for missing, the bottom line is that you don't realize the seriousness of the battle.

I fear for you. And I exhort you, be aware of this. We are in a battle. Truth #2…

B. We are not alone. "Because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." Peter reminded his readers in Asia Minor that they weren't the only ones experiencing trials. Other Christians were in the same boat.

Often when we're hurting, we feel like we're the only one facing a trial. We have an "Elijah complex." It’s then that we need to be aware of this. We are not alone.

It’s vital to know that in spiritual warfare. We are not "one man armies." We need each other. Brothers worldwide are facing the same assault. Be aware of that. And of this, #3…

C. We are on the winning side. Did you see the connection in verse 9 between human aggression against the church and Satanic activity? Satan hates Christ and His Body. Satan works through human pawns to create fiery trials for the church.

But remember this. We are on the winning side. God is sovereign. Even when we suffer the brunt of Satan's attack, God is using Satan's attack to strengthen the church, and bring honor to Himself.

Do you know what happens when we resist the devil? Peter doesn’t tell us, but James does. Turn to James 4:7. "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." When we resist the devil and submit to God, what happens to the devil? He flees from us.

Why? Because we are on the winning side! "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (I John 4:4)."

I began this message by recounting the story of the man who failed to recognize the danger of a lion at the Los Angeles zoo. He got into trouble because he was not alert, nor was he aware, his senses being dulled by drugs. His failure cost him dearly. But he’s not the only person who’s ever underestimated the potential danger of an enemy.

Gary Richmond shares more, again taken from his book A View from the Zoo: "One of our keepers lost his fingers to a hyena named Hatari. Hatari had been used in the John Wayne movie of the same name. This keeper, while under the influence of marijuana, lost two important qualities necessary for working around wild animals. He lost his good judgment and his timing. While trying to do his job after a brief encounter with a marijuana joint, he stumbled and grabbed for the chain link fence to keep from falling. Hatari was only too glad to take his fingers."

Richmond continues, "Drugs, more properly called pharmaceuticals, derive their name from the Greek word pharmakia. Whenever this word is translated in the Bible it is rendered sorcery. It was understood to be the devil’s work. And so it has become in our age. It’s just like the devil to take a wonderful life-saving science like pharmacology and turn it into the number one killer of our youth. Suicide by overdose claims more of our youth than any other single cause of death. In the book of John, verse 44 of chapter 8, we read about Satan’s method of operation. It tells us that Satan is a liar and a murderer and he has been so from the beginning."

1. Are you living with a warfare mentality? You’ll never survive without it.

2. Are you winning the battle for your mind? The battle is won or lost right here, on the battle front of your mind. Are you protecting your mind from Satan’s deadly arrows? Are you filling your mind with God’s truth?

3. Are you sure you are a soldier of Christ? Are you on the winning side? We mustn’t assume this. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Are you submitting your life daily to His control? To survive in this hostile world, we must.

What strategy does the enemy use as he attacks us? We’ll find out next time, the Lord willing, as we investigate Genesis 3. Until then, here are our marching orders. Be alert. Be aware.

Wartime Mentality    Sermon Series