(Om Orientation) Our Situation - Warfare - Part 2 — George Verwer

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

Young men, college graduates, doctors, strong young men whose parents had spent thousands of dollars to give them a well-balanced education and they moved it and they threw it away for a little island and there were 20 ,000 casualties on Iwo Jima, 20 ,000 casualties and 5 ,000 men never returned to tell the story.

And the story might not be very real to some of you who are listening to my voice. War isn't real to most of us, of this younger generation, but our mental hospitals and our veterans' hospitals are filled with young men who will testify to the reality of that war.

You see, that's one of the things about war that we must understand. It's only real to those who get in it. Some of you who are listening to my voice are yearning for greater reality in the Christian faith.

You have doubts even about the Bible. You have doubts about basic truths of the Christian faith and at times you're wondering what it's all about. And I want to tell you this with all sincerity and I'm the authority of the Word of God.

You'll never find reality in a textbook. You'll never find reality sitting in a chair somewhere reading, even if you're reading the Bible. You'll find reality only when you, by faith, enter into this gigantic battle, this gigantic struggle for truth and righteousness and love and godliness.

Spiritual Weapons Against Strongholds

Reality is found on the front line with the weapons of warfare in our hands and the Bible says the weapons of warfare that we have are not carnal, they're not missiles, they're not intercontinental ballistic missiles or any other kind of weapon that human beings can ever discover.

The weapons we have are more powerful, they're greater, they've got more potential than anything men ever dreamed of. Our weapons are spiritual weapons, as it says in Corinthians. And they can tear down strongholds and they can cast down imaginations and they can bring, think of this young person, every thought into captivity.

Every evil thing you think about, every wrong thought, every lust, it can be brought into captivity by the power of God, by the weapons of the warfare that God has given to us. And I tell you, that's greater than a cobalt bomb or anything any human being has.

Yes, it took 5 ,000 men and 20 ,000 casualties to take a little island in the Pacific. Do you really think it's going to take any less to take spiritual islands in Mexico, in England, in America, in Iraq, in Moscow, in China?

Do you think it's going to take any less? Who would be so foolish? For God says, you wrestle not against flesh and blood. You wrestle not against flesh and blood, but you wrestle against the very powers of hell.

And the devil has a roaring line. Seeketh whom he may devour. Young person, it's war. And until you and I come to grips with this fact, until we realize it's a warfare and we've got to enlist as soldiers.

Enlisting as Soldiers of Christ

So endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, for no man that warrants entangles himself with the affairs of this life. These are verses from the word of God. This isn't my idea. I didn't say fight the good fight.

I didn't say endure hardship. I didn't say that we wrestled against the powers of darkness. I didn't say any of these. These are verses from the New Testament. And when we look into the lives, when we look into the lives of the men of the New Testament and of the old, what can we say?

This is the final confirmation. We look out at the world situation. We realize it's desperate. We realize it's a crisis. We realize it's war. We look into the word of God and we see the verses that clearly tell us that our situation is war.

That our situation is desperate. That our situation is an emergency situation. Worse than anything that happened in Sofia or Iran or during any earthquake, tidal wave or hurricane. And then when we look into the lives of the saints, when we look into the lives of men in the Old Testament, let's stop.

Moses and the Faith That Endures

Let's stop and turn in our Bibles to Hebrews the 11th chapter. Let's look at some of these men. Hebrews chapter 11. Let's see how these men lived. Let's see the kind of life they led. Let's see if they were militant or not.

If they really lived like soldiers. If they really lived as if it were a crisis situation. Let's read about a few of these men. Look at Moses in Hebrews 23. By faith Moses when he was born was hid three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the commandments of the king.

By faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect under the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.

Oh my when we look at men like this Moses with all the pleasures of Egypt with the best possible education with all the women of Pharaoh's court with all the riches with everything else he forsook it and he entered into that warfare of suffering and of reproach and of enduring hardship as they went across the wilderness and were beaten and went through every possible trial.

This was a soldier and we read on we read about Joshua and then we come to verse 32 like a great crescendo we read these words and what shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Japheth and of David also and Samuel and of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stopped the mouths of lions quenched the violence of fire.

Escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.

And others had trial of cruel markings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment they were stoned they were sawn asunder they were tempted were slain with a sword they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute afflicted and tormented.

Although the world was not worthy they wandered about in deserts in mountains in dens and caves of the earth and these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect do you see the power of that passage.

They didn't have what we have they didn't have the promises that we have they didn't have all the blessings that we have and yet this is the kind of life they lived. Look into the new testament and into the lives of men who lived in the new testament we see the same thing we see the description of the apostle Paul in Corinthians 11 and it's shocking what this man went through because he lived the life of a soldier.

Beatings mocking scourging wandering suffering the care of the churches and all the rest read the passage and then we read in 2nd Corinthians 6 Paul is speaking to all of us who desire to be faithful unto Jesus Christ who desire to be faithful ministers unto Christ.

Patience Through Affliction and Ministry

And he says in 2nd Corinthians 6 these revolutionary words why if we dare to even obey this one chapter the world would be turned upside down and God doesn't need a great number we're not looking for great numbers in this crusade we're looking for faithful few who dare to begin to live the life of faith.

We're not looking for perfect people either we we've given up on that we're looking for people who are willing to say Lord teach me people who are willing to break before Calvary as Isaiah broke and say Lord here am I send me take me mold me make me a new like the potter's vessel to be broken.

The hands of the Lord the chastening hands the loving hands the kind hands the meek hands it'll take us through trials and suffering it'll take us through difficulties it'll bring us into life into life live with people who are of different personality it'll take us into various circumstances.

It reminds me of a story of a young boy who wanted to learn patience and he went to the pastor and he said passion pastor I want you to pray for me that I might learn patience and the pastor said okay let's pray and he got down on the floor and he began to pray and he said oh God the pastor prayed oh God send this young man tribulation send him tribulation Lord and he went on to pray and the little boy began to shake and after the prayer he got up and he said but pastor he said I asked you to pray that the Lord would give me patience.

The wise pastor took the word of God and he opened it he pointed to a verse and the verse said but tribulation work is patience and if you want to live the life of Christ if you want to be conformed to the image of Christ if you want to become a true disciple and a true soldier of Jesus Christ get ready for the problems get ready for the storms get ready for the battles get ready for the difficulties get ready for the unloving people get ready for the criticisms and the lies and the backbiting for all of this will be used.

To conform you to the image of Jesus Christ now this isn't my idea look at the passage 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 starting at the 3rd verse giving no offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed but in all things are proving ourselves as the ministers of God.

Here it is approving ourselves as ministers of God going through the test what happens to us in much patience in affliction in necessity in distresses in strikes in imprisonment in tollments in labours in watching's and fasting's by pureness by knowledge by long suffering by kindness by Holy Ghosts by love unsame by the word of truth by the power of God by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and the left.

By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

There it is. Clear. Specific. This is the life of a soldier. It's not easy. It's not a game. It's real. It's a bottle. And this, and this is our situation today. As we face England, as we face Mexico, as we face Europe, as we face the regions beyond, our situation is warfare.

Forsaking All to Follow Christ

It's an emergency. It's crisis. It's desperate. And the only way to meet it, the only way to enter into it is the same way that Jesus Christ said in Luke the 14th chapter. He said, Except you forsake all that you have, you cannot follow me.

The command was specific. The terms were definite. There were no ifs, ands, buts or maybes. He said, Unless you forsake all that you have, you cannot be my disciple. It seems, as we look at the context of the passage, that he was mainly referring to material things.

You see, Jesus knew how closely we were knit to the material world. In our day, we've tried to separate the material from the spiritual. But only a fool really does that. Our stomachs are close to our heart.

Our eyes are close to our minds. And so it is. We're materialistic. We want things because we know things bring status. We want our way. And Jesus said we had to forsake it. But also Jesus, both in this passage and in his other teachings, clearly teaches that we're to forsake all other things.

And I find that our day there's things harder to forsake than material things. Pride, self-love, status-seeking, the desire to be recognized, irritability, impatience. These are the things this passage talks about.

These are the real knots in our life that have to be broken by the power of God before we're ever going to be used in a mighty way. These are the things that must be taken out of us as we train to be soldiers for Jesus Christ.

Grace Made Perfect in Weakness

Yes, God has called us to be disciples. And as you read the book, True Discipleship, you're going to find some principles that are so revolutionary that it's going to be hard for you to fall into accord with them.

But God will grant you the grace for he has said my strength is made perfect in weakness. Oh, might we remember that. My grace is sufficient, he said. My strength is made perfect in weakness. And so it's God in you who will live this life.

It's God who will enable you to be a true disciple. And remember, above everything else, a disciple is a learner. He's out to learn, he doesn't know it all. He can't say, I'm a true disciple. But he can say, I'm learning from Jesus.

The life of True Discipleship. And so, if you want to come on one of these crusades, if God is speaking to you about Mexico or about follow-up in a village in England or about a crusade in the Muslim world or in Europe, remember, we're not looking for people who are perfect.

We're not looking for the strong and the mighty and the intelligent. We're looking for those that will say yes to Jesus. We'll say yes, Lord, I'll follow thee. Through the problems, through the difficulties, through the trials, through the mistakes, I'll follow thee, I'll be thy disciple, I'll learn of thee.

I'll sit at thy feet in the school of prayer and the school of patience and the school of love and the school of meekness and the school of gentleness and the school of kindness. I'll follow thee. For my desire is that the life of Jesus Christ live through me.

Christ's Sacrificial Example

Jesus. But the attributes of this kind of soldier were quite different from the attributes of a physical soldier fighting a physical warfare. His attributes, his weapons, were love. Calvary love. Love that sent him from all of the glories of heaven to come to this earth to be born in a stable, to be reared in a carpenter shop, to take on the form of a servant in the form of a man and then to go through all the brutality of Gethsemane, of the court of Pilate of Calvary's road and to go all the way to the cross.

Thank God Jesus Christ didn't forsake half. He didn't forsake 90%. He didn't stop in Gethsemane. He didn't stop in the courts of Pilate. He didn't stop on Calvary's hill. He didn't even stop at the foot of the cross and say, oh what a wonderful thing this is.

I dedicate my life to this. But he went all the way to the cross. It was 100 dedication and Jesus Christ today demands of those that will be his disciples, of those that will be his soldiers, that they forsake all and that they go all the way to the cross.

He said, except you forsake all, you can't be my disciples. He said, except you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciples. He said, whosoever finds his life will lose it. Whosoever loses his life for my sake, he shall find it.

This is the tremendous thing about the Christian faith. This is the thing that should thrill our hearts. It's so completely different from any other religion. It's so completely different from any philosophy of men.

Becoming Like Christ Through Surrender

Jesus loses his life. Many of us want life. Even in Christian work, we want to be somebody. We want to go somewhere. We want a reputation. It's amazing, isn't it? Philippians 2 says Jesus for us became of no reputation, but so many of us want a reputation.

Jesus was so revolutionary. His ways were so revolutionary that if we just begin to obey them, if we begin to submit ourselves to these teachings, if we just begin to enter into this warfare, we'll find ourselves being turned upside down.

We'll find that our thinking will change, our walking will change, our talking will change, our attitudes toward others will change, our attitudes toward our teachers will change, the questions we ask change, the statements we make will change, our handshake will change, our facial expressions will change.

We'll become a new person completely as the Word of Christ dwells in us richly and as we worship him in spirit, as we daily worship him, as we daily praise him. Our situation is sirens around. Find life of Jesus Christ given unto each.

That will enable us day by day through great mountains to enlist for a call for this. He's chosen you already. We're up against forces that are more desperate than what was ever fought against in any world war or in any regime or in any...

We realize that the weapons of our warfare are not terminal. We realize, God, that being a disciple is becoming a learner. We want to enlist the school of love and the school of meekness and the school of kindness and the school of the life of Jesus.

Reckon our life as being nailed to the cross with Jesus. Identify with him that it might no longer be us but he who lives in us.