Clarity 11-3-10 “Superhero Night”

          What makes a hero a hero? Is it the tights? Is it the bulging muscles? Is it the kind of strange outfits with bright colors? There is normally something that happens that creates a superhero. A baby is sent to earth and because of the specific kind of sun orbiting he inherits super abilities, flight, lasers shooting from his eyes, super strength. A person is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains super abilities like a spider, climbing walls, jumping to great heights. But is that what makes them heroes? No. Many villains start off with that same kind of beginning.

So what makes them different? How are they separate? There is something else that takes place, a calling, or a destiny if you will. They come to a crossroads where they could decided to follow their own desires and live in luxury ruling over people, or they can live for others, helping them and sacrificially fight for them.

Heroes stand up for what is right, for what is moral. They seek justice for all. Nothing deters them from doing what is right. They fight those who try to overcome good with evil. Like what Peter Parker says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” You are either accountable to your actions and take responsibility, or you live care free, not concerned with lesser people.

What makes a villain? Villains seek to destroy the good that is in people. Their purpose is to gain power, success, money, or whatever pleases them by any means. They do not see an issue with how they live, their focus is only on getting what they want.

Isn’t it interesting that we know that there is a good side and a bad side? There is a constant struggle between light and dark, good and evil. There is a difference. There is truth.  

            This is the same in the Bible, in fact, it originated with God against Lucifer. There really is good against evil. So, if this is true, which side are you on? Do you know what you are up against? Do you have an idea of how to fight back? How do you learn to use your powers against evil?

In order to know how to proceed, we really need to know what we are up against. No one likes to enter blindly into a battle. You have to know what is coming against you to formulate a plan to protect yourself and figure out your enemies weaknesses. If you know what they are attacking with, you know how to react. Towards that end, read Ephesians 6:10-19 with me:

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Eph 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Eph 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Eph 6:19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

What are we up against?

So, what is it that we are fighting? We are fighting against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil. That sounds like a pretty intense crowd to go up against doesn’t it? There are a lot of people who do not believe that demons exist, or for that matter, that Satan exists at all. I find this hard to understand since the Bible clearly lays it out in so many easy to understand passages.

To be able to defend ourselves from this impressive of an enemy, we need to know how they operate. Just like the villains of a comic book, demons seek to destroy the work of good, the work of God and anything that has to do with God.

It all started in the Garden of Eden. Satan disguised himself as a serpent and tempted Eve to sin. This put a huge barrier up between God and the two humans Adam and Eve. God no longer walked with them in the garden. Their ties with God were severed. I think you get the point.

Satan once again tried to foil one of God’s greatest plans to rescue mankind. Jesus, God’s son, had to live a perfect life on earth to be given as a perfect sacrifice for our sin. Satan tried to screw that up too! He spent 40 days putting Jesus through temptation after temptation trying to make Him fail, but He didn’t.

Straight from “Systematic Theology” Grudem pg 415: The tactics of Satan and his demons are to use lies (John 8:44), deception (Rev 12:9), murder (Ps 106:37), and every other kind of destructive activity to attempt to cause people to turn away from God and destroy themselves. Demons will try every tactic to blind people to the gospel and keep them in bondage to things that hinder them from coming to God (Gal 4:8). They will also try to use temptation, doubt, guilt, fear, confusion, sickness, envy, pride, slander, or any other means possible to hinder a Christian’s witness and usefulness.

Demons and their tactics

            Growing up in Africa gave me some insight to the way that demons work. Whenever you step up and start serving God you become a target. The forces of evil do not like you messing around in their territory. They start using their tactics to persuade you, or even just plain scare you away from the possible impact you can have for the Gospel.

We are up against a powerful opponent! Someone that will stop at nothing to make us fail in our walk with God, or to completely keep us away from walking with God in the first place! These are some extreme villains. That is why we need to know what our powers are and how we can use them for good.

Who’s team am I on?

            Probably the most important thing to understand is who we are fighting for. We are on the winning side if we are fighting for God. No matter the force and no matter the strength that evil throws at us, we will be able to stand against it and overcome it. We can overcome their power because they have limited power.  Jam 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Focused on True Power: We must have our focus on the right thing. Our battle is not against flesh and blood (The people of this world), but against the spiritual forces of evil. So, our strength cannot come from this world.

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Be strong in the Lord? How on earth do I do that? You know, none of the superheroes that you read about just “receive” power and are able to use it. They have to practice. They have to spend time focusing their mind on their ability. They must spend time concentrating and developing their power. This is the exact same thing for us. We have to focus our mind and use the powers we have against evil.

Even Jesus’ disciples had to learn how to use the power that He had given them. Jesus sent His disciples out 2 by 2 and they were learning how to heal the sick and cast out demons in Jesus’ name. Mar 9:28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
Mar 9:29 And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

Our strength really isn’t even ours at all. It all belongs to God. The only way that we can stand up against demons and evil forces is because of Christ. We are clothed with Him and so the demons are actually afraid of us. They have to leave when we tell them to go in the name of Jesus. Our faith has to be routed in God and nowhere else. The only time we have strength is when we call upon the name of Jesus.

Shielded with Armor: Guard yourself with the armor of God so that you have protection to stand up against the schemes of the devil. Make it a habit to ask God to cloth you with the armor of God. You wouldn’t want to get into a fight without your armor would you? Fight against your sinful desires that ask you to give in to evil. Demons can’t read your thoughts, but they can place thoughts in your mind to lead you to sin.

Disciplined in Mind: We must discipline our thoughts. An undisciplined mind leads to destruction, like Superman on red kryptonite. No inhibitions, he just wants to do his own thing. It leads him to rob banks, to seek after his own glory and power, pushing everyone and everything else out of the way.)

Disciplined in Actions: Being undisciplined in our actions leads to a sequence of bad decisions that continue to spiral downward into more bad decisions. Once you have taken a step towards sin it becomes easier and easier to continue on that path. As a Christian, you can’t allow for that! It robs you of your life line, your connection to God.

Only when a superhero focuses and disciplines himself is he able to become the person he has to be. He becomes useful for the forces of good.

            Read this verse with me:

Eph 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
Eph 5:16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Protection and Power of Christ

Let me clarify a few things for you. Talking about demons tends to make a lot of Christians uneasy. The only reason you should be uneasy is if you do not know Christ and you do not have that protection. I am going to finish up with a story about a Sorcerer. Sorcerer that came to Christ (Tried to kill the Christian lady, but could not do it no matter how hard he tried.

Conclusion:

            Here is your spiritual crossroads. Which will you become? A villain, living for himself and allowing the forces of evil to lead you? Or a hero, standing up for what is right and serving a God that is true?