Rooted

There is an Enemy

Sunday March 6, 2022 - Pastor Wungreiso Valui

1 John 5:19

"We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one." 1 John 5:19

THE MESSAGE

The enemy is real BUT God's word that He has overcome Satan and the world is also real.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 (NKJV)

THE ENEMY IS REAL

1. The Creator and the created: God is the creator and the enemy is created.
2. Somewhere between creation and the temptation in the Garden of Eden, the devil Lucifer, renamed Satan, came to be.
3. Satan rebelled against God and fell from heaven. (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28)
4. When Satan fell, a third of the angels were cast to the earth and cast out with him. (Revelation 12:3-9)

THE PROBLEM

1. Recognize the problem. Sin is the problem.
2. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam; since that time, sin is our problem. (Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23)
3. Recognize that Satan is real.
4. Satan came to steal, kill, and destroy.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." -John 10:10a (NKJV)

Why it is vitally important to win the war:

1. The sins of the flesh dishonor God.
2. Sin gives the enemy a stronghold in our lives.

THE SOLUTION

1. Jesus is the solution.
2. The grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ is the solution. (Romans 5:15-17)
3. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. -John 10:10b (NKJV)

1. If Sin Is The Problem, How Can We Claim Victory Over Sin?

The Word of God is your secret weapon. Hide it in your heart.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. -Psalm 119:9-11 (NIV)

What was the Bible verse that impacted you daily this week?

2. Be Alert And Of Sober Mind

1. Do not let Satan's schemes outwit you. 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 (NIV)
2. Do not fear Satan. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
3. God is greater than the enemy. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. -1 John 4:4 (NIV)
4. The devil is a created being, not equal to God. God will destroy him in the end.
5. Jesus has defeated Satan.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." -John 16:33 (NKJV)

3. Put On The Whole Armor of God -Ephesians 6:11-18 (NKJV)

1. v.11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
2. You cannot defeat Satan with your own strength.
3. v.12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
4. Your battle is not against the flesh.
5. vv.13-14a: 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth...
6. The foundation of spiritual, moral, and relational truth comes from the Bible.
7. v.14b: having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
8. Righteousness is not cutting corners at work, not lying to make things easier, not falling into a temptation. It is staying faithful to your spouse, following through on your word, being kind and generous. (ROOTED)
9. v.15: and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
10. This is more than your expensive footwear; it is the foundation of your armor. It doesn't matter if you have the strongest shield and the sharpest sword, if you are slipping around, you are done for.
11. v.16: above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
12. Faith simply means to believe in God, and to grab onto the tools He has provided for you.
13. v.17a: And take the helmet of salvation,
14. Satan is a bully who wants us to believe that the sin is still tripping us up.
15. Salvation means the eventual reality that our victory as a follower of Jesus is assured.
16. v.17b: and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
17. Having a Bible on your bookshelf, or next to your bed, or even in your hand is not helpful on its own. It is only as we read, study, memorize, and practice God's Word that it becomes alive and active (ROOTED).
18. v.18: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-
19. When we pray, God gets involved in the battle on a whole new level.

4. Beware Of Your Cravings

1. There is no middle ground: either you love God, or you love the world.
2. You cannot love both.
3. The flesh is for self-gratification and is incapable of having a relationship with God.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. -1 John 2:15 (NKJV)

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." -Matthew 6:24

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. -Romans 7:21-25 (NIV)

5. Know Your Ability And Responsibility

1. You have a choice to win the battle.
2. You have both the ability and responsibility to live in the way God wants you to live.

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation-but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. -Romans 8:11-14 (NIV)

YOUR WEEKLY TAKEAWAYS

1. Jesus has overcome the world.
2. You are more than a conqueror.
3. Nothing can separate you from the love of God.
4. Live the abundant life Christ promised you.