The Good Fight of Faith
Pastor Phil Derstine 6-12-22
Be Strong in the Lord
· Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the LORD, and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.”
· Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
· Wrestling – continuous, no time outs
· Flesh & blood – it’s not a physical battle, but a spiritual one
· Principality – a territory ruled by a Prince (Daniel 10:13 – The Prince of Persia)
· Luke 10:19 “Behold I give you authority (exousias) over all the power (dynamin) of the enemy.”
· II Corinthians 10:5 – Imaginations, thoughts
· II Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel…”
· Matthew 5:20 “Unless your righteousness shall exceed the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Spiritual wickedness = Religious spirits)
The Good Fight
· I Timothy 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (12) Fight the good fight of the faith.”
How does Faith Fight?
1. Faith SEES – With Spiritual eyes
· I Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
· II Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (Put on your Faith Glasses!)
2. Faith SPEAKS – With Declaration
· Romans 10:8 “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming.”
· Matthew 12:34 “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
· I Samuel 17:46 (David) “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head; and then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”
· David discussed GOD (his answer), not the Giant (his problem)
3. Faith ACTS – Do Something!
· James 2:17 “Faith without works is dead.” (Works = acts, action, obedience)
Miracles through Faith that Fights!
· Woman of Canaan – Matthew 15:21
· Woman with issue of blood – Mark 5:25
· Peter walked on water – Matthew 14:29
· Two blind men – Matthew 20:30
· The paralytic man – Luke 5:18
· Joel 2:23 “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” (Former & Latter Rain = Symbol of Revival)
