Edited By: Pastor Tim Patoka
Midweek 2020 Lenten Sermon
Reconnaissance Report Ephesians 6:12 1) Who Our Enemies Are 2) What Their Tactics Are 3) Armed To Fight With Jesus’ Light The theme for our midweek Lenten services this year is “The Son of God Goes Forth to War” where we look at Jesus’ journey to the cross through a militaristic lens. Even though I’ve never served in the military, I’ve heard that before going on the offense or mounting a defense you should always run a reconnaissance report. You do this so you can know what you’re up against to minimize the loss of life and to help you achieve your objective. If you don’t run a reconnaissance report, then you’ll face unnecessary hardships and may even fail to accomplish what you set out to do. There are lots of examples where people failed to do a proper reconnaissance report and had to pay the price. But perhaps none is more famous than in 1812 when French general Napoleon Bonaparte decided to invade Russia. He had one of the largest fighting forces the world had seen up to that time with 680,000 men under his command. Yet he failed to do a proper reconnaissance report which took into account how big Russia was, how cold it got, and how to supply his troops the entire way there and back. Even though he captured Moscow, by the time his army returned to France he had lost around 75% of his fighting force. This costly Russian campaign would spell Napoleon’s future end. But it’s not just historic figures who fall victim to bad reconnaissance. It’s also regular people like us. Remember that time when you went on vacation but failed to look at the weather forecast? Or when you didn’t bring along that one pair of shoes and weren’t prepared for what you were going to do? These too are examples of bad reconnaissance. Reconnaissance is helpful for more than just waging war or going on vacation. As Christians, we are on an earthly pilgrimage to our heavenly home. Yet our journey is full of hardships and difficulties, some of which we can prepare for or avoid if we have a proper reconnaissance report. As we look at our verses from Ephesians chapter 6 and elsewhere, we see what God’s reconnaissance report is where he tells us who our enemies are and their tactics are so that we know what to expect. But God’s reconnaissance report is more than just doom and gloom. For in it God also tells us what he has already done so that we can be prepared to fight with Jesus’ own light. 1
Edited By: Pastor Tim Patoka
Midweek 2020 Lenten Sermon
1) Who Our Enemy Are When we typically think of an enemy, we picture the flesh and blood kind like those who plot our country’s demise across the seas or a criminal who might invade our homes. We know how to defend against such enemies and where to go for help. In these particular days, we may picture the Coronavirus which is beginning to make its way across our country. Even though we can’t see it, we know that the best way to protect ourselves and others is to practice self-isolation. But as bad as we think these enemies may be, there is a greater one. One that sends a chill down our spine because it is simply evil, mysterious, invisible, and deadly. God’s reconnaissance report tells us who this is in Ephesians chapter 6 where the Apostle Paul writes, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). We face a dangerous enemy. We’re not talking about fictitious ghosts or the Bogeyman. We’re talking about the Devil and his demons, which are all evil and real angels that have fallen into sin. And Paul’s references to rulers, authorities, and powers indicate that the evil angels are all organized in a military fashion with leaders and soldiers who follow their general—Satan. As unrepentant followers of their leader, Satan, their goal is to do one thing to you and me and everyone else— our faith, our life, our hope, and our soul. There is nothing fascinating or attractive or funny about Satan, whose very name means “enemy.” We Christians recognize Satan for who he is – our greatest enemy who wishes to plunge us back into the spiritual darkness in which our mothers bore us. Satan is also the greatest enemy of unbelievers who wishes to keep them cut off from God’s good news of salvation. God’s reconnaissance report goes on to compare our enemy to a hungry wild beast. The apostle Peter said it like this in his first letter: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It’s startling to see this picture because it means that Satan and his army of demons are not a static thing. They are like a darkness that is always present in the distance, even when you turn on the lights. Also, hungry lions don’t stay in one place. They are on the prowl. So this spiritual darkness is like a blackness that continually creeps out, seeking to snuff out every light of Christ until all that’s left is complete and utter blackness. And God’s reconnaissance report tells us what their tactics are to do just that. 2
Edited By: Pastor Tim Patoka
Midweek 2020 Lenten Sermon
2) What Their Tactics Are As Jesus made his journey to Calvary’s cross, we see in John chapter 8 where he tells the Jewish people who was truly behind their dark plot to put him to death and reveals to us how Satan works his deadly will. Jesus says, “You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The Devil’s main tactics are lies which are his native language. One of the ministries I have the privilege to serve in at Grace-Tucson is our English as a Second Language ministry. And when I talk with our students, I get to see first-hand how comfortable a person is when speaking their native language. When our students are talking in English, they carefully choose which words to say from their limited vocabulary and struggle to pronounce them in an understandable accent. But when they talk in their native language, even though I don’t understand much of it, that’s when they become alive. Their personality and mannerisms come out. They are most comfortable when speaking in their native language. For we native English speakers, we are most comfortable in English because we use it all the time and are well-versed in all its vocabulary, expressions, and figures of speech. As Jesus points out for us, Satan’s native language is lying. He uses it all the time and is well-versed in all the different ways to make a lie sound like the truth. Lies which he uses to work his deadly will. And he has two favorite lies in particular to lead us away from God. They go like this. First, he tells us that we are good enough so that we don’t have to worry about God’s condemnation. There are far worse people out there than us, people whom God is certainly going to condemn to an eternity of punishment. And we look pretty good next to them! So we don’t need to make it a priority to remain in God’s Word or listen to him. The second lie he uses is the exact opposite but just as effective. He tells us that we are so bad that not even God would want us. That while God is love and he promises forgiveness, those things aren’t for us who have sinned in ways that no one knows about and we would die of shame if they came to light. With these two lying tactics, the Devil wants to separate us from our God and his Word because he knows that’s the only way he can achieve his deadly will and drag us back into the darkness of sin. And if we were to fight against him on 3
Edited By: Pastor Tim Patoka
Midweek 2020 Lenten Sermon
our own, it would only be a matter of time till we believed his lies and called him our master once again. But that’s why the Son of God goes forth to war! That’s why God’s reconnaissance report is not just doom and gloom! For in it God tells us what he has already done so that we can be armed to fight with Jesus’ own light. 3) Armed To Fight With Jesus’ Light If there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that light will always defeat darkness. Whether it’s a stadium’s bright lights or a candle’s dim flicker, darkness will always surrender to the light. But more importantly, another light shines here, the light that led you here, the light that has pushed out the very darkness that Satan has tried to shove back into your heart, the light that has given you forgiveness and hope for heaven. That light is none other than our Savior Jesus Christ. It is about this light that the apostle John is talking when he says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4,5). Did you catch the battle in that verse? “Darkness has not overcome it.” Time and time again we see the battle between light and darkness, between Jesus and the Devil, as recorded in the New Testament. Most of the time, Jesus used his Word to defeat him. Sometimes he used miracles to undo the damage and death that Satan had caused. But the greatest place where this battle took place was at the cross. Both Jesus and Satan used it as their weapon of war. Satan thought he had beaten Jesus when Jesus died on the cross. After all, what better way is there to defeat your enemy than to literally kill him! But as we know, Jesus used that cross to forever defeat the Devil and every other enemy we have out there — that army of demons, this troubling world, our sinful flesh, and even death itself. Satan is defeated eternally! But like a wounded animal, he lashes out at all. Like a roaring lion, he’s still on the prowl to devour Christians’ light-filled souls. Yet in the midst of the danger that surrounds us all, thanks be to God that you and I have been given the wonderful gift of faith in Jesus. Through that faith, we see Jesus for who he really is—the Savior of the world who freely gives forgiveness and eternal life to those who believe in him. And we would be wise to remain in this light because there is none other that can push away Satan’s darkness. After all, as the apostle John said before, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4,5). 4
Edited By: Pastor Tim Patoka
Midweek 2020 Lenten Sermon
As much as we appreciate physical light in a dark place, Jesus’ light is all the better for it arms us to fight against the Devil’s two lying tactics. Against that first one where the Devil tells us we don’t need to worry about God’s condemnation because we’re basically good enough, Jesus’ light shows us how dark we truly are. It shows all the sins we have committed so that we never forget our need for a Savior. Against that second one where the Devil tells us that God’s love and promises aren’t for us, Jesus’ light assures us that it shines even unto us so that we are included in his promises of forgiveness and peace and so much more. And whenever you see Satan’s darkness encroaching again on your soul, go back to the cross and see your Savior’s light. That is proof of Satan’s defeat and Jesus’ victory. That is where your many and mucky sins were punished so that you may be free from them for all time. That is where the Son of God went forth to war and defeated all your enemies as told to us in God’s reconnaissance report. As we’ve learned, It’s important to run a reconnaissance report before doing something new. Because if we don’t, we’re likely to run into unnecessary trouble. As we travel on our earthly pilgrimage to our heavenly home, we see the reconnaissance report which God gives us. God tells us who our enemies are – the Devil and all his demons – who want to snuff the light of Christ out of us and everyone else. God tells us what their primary tactics are – lies which are designed to take us away from God’s Word for one reason or another. Yet God’s reconnaissance report is not all doom and gloom. For as we look at Calvary’s cross, we see where the Son of God has gone forth to war to break and defeat the Devil and all his demons once and for all. It is that light which assures us we are forgiven and at peace with him. His light which arms us to fight against Satan’s two lying tactics by reminding us we need a Savior and we have a Savior. And as we travel to our heavenly home, we would do well to pay attention to God’s reconnaissance report so that we can prepare for the hardships ahead of us and reach our objective of living with our Father in the heavenly heights above. Amen.
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