John 12:31-32: Standing Firm Against a Hostile World/Salt and Light in a Hostile World
Notes
Transcript
Unfinished
Unfinished
Intro
Intro
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind… (Romans 12:2).
Don’t give in… Don’t get pressed into the mold of the world but hold fast to Christ.
How do you do that?
How do you stand firm against an all out cultural assault…
A full-court press of the Kingdom of Darkness… all the powers of Satan… against the church.
And maybe most importantly… what hope do you have to keep going?
Over the last few weeks we’ve been focusing in on…
John 12:31–32 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Christ is talking about what He would accomplish in His death on the cross.
That on the cross He would condemn sin in the flesh… Now is the judgment of this world…
On the cross Christ judged our sin.
For the unbeliever, Christ’s death was a testimony of judgment and the wrath of God our sin deserves…
But for the believer… for those who trust in Christ… Christ’s death didn’t just condemn sin in the flesh… He condemned our sin… all the ways we’ve sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and paid for our sins in full.
The second thing that Christ accomplished on the cross was that the ruler of this world would be cast out.
That’s Satan.
On the cross… Christ crushed the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).
He defeated him… He conquered Him.
Where Adam should stepped on the head of the serpent the moment he tempted Eve… Christ drove a stake through His skull… crucified on the place of the skull otherwise known as Golgotha (Matthew 27:33).
Christ conquered Satan.
Later, Jesus says the ruler of this world… the world being fallen, sinful humanity in rebellion against God under the control and dominion of Satan… is judged.
The Bible else where describes him as Bound… defeated… destroyed… rendered powerless… and overcome (Revelation 20:1-3, Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 John 2:13).
And as a result… because Christ paid for sin and conquered and overcame the devil… I when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
Christ would save all His elect.
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare
And what we particularly focused in on last week was the implication or the application of now will the ruler of this world be cast out in regards to spiritual warfare.
What does it look like to engage in spiritual warfare this side of the cross?
How do we put on the armor of God and stand firm against the schemes of the devil… a conquered but powerful foe… in our everyday life?
He may be conquered but we still need to fight.
Peter says in…
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Satan may be defeated but he still rages against Christ and the church.
The Enemy has been slain… the death blow has been dealt… Christ defeated satan in His death on the cross.
We already saw that… He crushed the head of the serpent.
But like a wild animal… a dragon still clinging to survival… Satan lashes out in his death throes… prowls about like a roaring lion and we are called to stand firm.
And the way Satan is looking for someone to devour… is not by taking away our salvation.
He can’t do that.
We have been seated with Christ in the heavenly places… He can’t touch us… He can’t touch our eternal souls (Ephesians 2:6, 1 John 5:18).
No one is able to snatch us out of Christ’s and the Father’s hands (John 10:28-29).
We have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit and we are secure in the Almighty Hands of the Almighty Triune God… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit saving all those who call on Him (Ephesians 1:13-14).
So what does Satan do? What is Spiritual Warfare about in the Life of the Christian?
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion looking to steal, kill and destroy:
Your Life - as in the fullness of life…
Your hope… Your joy… your vitality in Christ
Your Doctrine - the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
He wants to deceive you and lead you astray in false teaching away from the pure and precious promises we have in Christ.
And your Witness.
Whether by sin or by conformity to the world, He wants to destroy your effectiveness and your reputation for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That’s what we are fighting for. Your Life… Your Doctrine… and Your Witness…
A pure and sincere devotion to Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 2:11).
But because of what Christ has accomplished on the cross… Now will the ruler of this world be cast out… we don’t need to fear Him.
As James says James 4:7–8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
We fight a conquered foe.
We fight from a position of victory… Christ’s victory…
And now because of Christ… and by depending on Christ… we have the whole armor of God as Paul says in Ephesians 6 that we may stand fast against the schemes of the devil.
Macro
Macro
But this week, I want to look at this verse… Now will the ruler of this world be cast out… and this idea of Spiritual Warfare on a macro level.
I don’t want to just look at us as individuals… one here, one there engaging in spiritual warfare in our own personal lives…
I want to look at us as a church… Christians as a whole… at war against Satan and the Kingdom of Darkness in the world at large.
And my goal in this sermon is really twofold.
One is to encourage you.
The days are dark.
Its easy to look out at the world and allow ourselves to be discouraged.
But what does it look like to engage in Spiritual Warfare in the culture as a church on this side of Christ’s victory on the cross?
And second goal is related to the first.
What are some of Satan’s most common and effective tactics and schemes he is using against the church today so that we as a church might be able to stand firm and live as salt and light in the world… in the world but not of it.
The Bible tells us to be wise to Satan’s schemes and the only way we can actually do that is if we know what those schemes actually are.
What is Satan doing? How is He pressing us and attacking us and how do we stand firm.
And this is an important message for us today, because for most of us the Spiritual War in the world has never been hotter.
And I’m not just talking about June… I’m not just talking about Pride Month.
Pride Month might be where Satan’s schemes and tactics are the most overt and obvious but those same schemes and tactics are true with every sacred idol of our culture.
Whether we are talking about Homosexuality or Transgenderism… Abortion… Feminism… a Corrupt and Authoritarian Government… Race and Ethnicity…
On every cultural issue Satan’s tactics are always the same and they are constantly pressing us.
So what are those tactics… what is Pride Month and every other idol of the culture ultimately about?
Tactics (persecution and conformity)
Tactics (persecution and conformity)
We looked last week
Goals (Shrink back, give in, give up).
Intro
Intro
Do not be conformed.
How do you stand firm when you face an all out cultural assault. A fool court press of the kingdom of darkness and sin against the church.
We’ve been talking about verse
For conclusion? The world will not overcome us. We will overcome the world. I have over come the world. Our faith.
One of the things Satan’s trying to warn against is Satan’s trying to steal kill and destroy our witness. Two goals 1. Make us be ashamed 2. Defeated/give up. Make us think we are fighting a losing battle and standing firm is meaningless. Or 3 give in.
Romans 12
Nehemiah 10 (what’s Roman’s 12 look like)
Shadrach
Stay faithful no matter the cost. If they hated me. Promise in Roman’s how persecution cannot overcome us. Our job is to be salt and light. To be faithful. To not conform to the culture but shine the light of Christ. But if salt has lost its saltiness it’s good for nothing. The lamp stand will be removed.
But what hope to we have. The ruler of this world has been judged. Cast out. Bound.
But it looks like he still deceives. But he has no power to hold them. Christ has the power to plunder them. Through the church.
We have divine weapons. What are those weapons? 3ps. Go to acts and how by 3ps turned the world upside down. Remember book burning. That’s what the gospel did! Singing. Fellowship and community - they will know your disciples by your live. Godly churches that honor the Word. Good works-that they may see your good works/transformed lives and glorify God. Holiness. Godly families. Godly marriages. I want you to see just how much living the normal Christian life is engaging in spiritual warfare. So is your life battle ready or just coasting.
Christ has given us power to trample scorpions and serpents so Matthew 16:18 is now possible.
Darkness cannot over come to light. John 1:5. Word study on overcome. Christ is a victorious triumphant king and to him belongs the obedience of the nations. But his kingdom grows like mustard seed and like leaven. We need only be faithful. And Christs promise is Roman’s 16:20. And he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Standing fast in spiritual wars of the culture.
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Matthew 5:13–16““You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
2 Corinthians 10:3–5“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
1 John 5:19 “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
1 John 4:4 “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 5:4–5“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
John 17:14–18“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””
Romans 8:31–39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because Christ has overcome world and the ruler of this world, Christians can and must overcome all opposition and pressure of the world and hold fast to Christ.
Edits
Edits
Because Pride Month and the month of June out of all months is where Spiritual Warfare is most obvious in our culture.
But here’s what I don’t want to do.
I don’t want to stand up here just give a sermon on Pride month…
I don’t want to stand up here and just bemoan the ills of our culture.
Listen… You know where we stand. Homosexuality and transgenderism is an abomination before God.
Its not that hard.
Its a sin clear as day laid out in God’s Word.
But if you’re anything like me you’re already over it.
The constant assault and the constant barrage… and even to an extent… the constant lament of Christians over Pride Month… it all just starts to wear you out..
And that’s what I don’t want to do this morning… I don’t want to just keep wearing you out.
What I do want to do is look at cultural Spiritual Warfare as a whole and some of the most common and effective schemes of the devil we face today.
Because its not like Spiritual Warfare just goes away all the other months of the year.
Its always there.
