2 CORINTHIANS 10:1-62005 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2005.

Reconciliation, starting all the way back in chapter 3. And he's been talking about how you and I have been given this great ministry and that he's called us to help bring people into a right relationship with him. He's called us and he desires to use us that we would be involved in other people's lives in demonstrating to them the love of God. That we would be able to share with them the message of God, which is the message of the cross, the gospel message.

We've been talking for the last three weeks about one of the ways that we do that. We use our gifts and all of the avenues and methods and the time and energy that God has given to us to perform this ministry, but the last few weeks we've been also talking about the area of finances and giving as a way, as a method of contributing or being a part of the ministry of reconciliation.

Well, now as we begin chapter 10, Paul will begin to switch gears a little bit. He's changing lanes. He's moving on to a different subject, though there's some connections still. Of course, the ministry of reconciliation is a part of everything that we do, but he'll move on now in chapters 10 through 13.

to speak and to really direct his message to his words towards those who are false apostles. Those who have raised themselves up within the body of Christ and are proclaiming that they're apostles and that Paul is not.

that their ministry is valid and that Paul's is not, and that the people of Corinth should listen to them instead of listening to Paul. And they refuse to hear from Paul. They refuse to be obedient to the things that Paul shares. And so the messages that Paul will be giving now in chapters 10 through 13 will be much harsher in nature. They'll be a little bit more stringent as far as, hey,

we're going to be direct and clear to the point about what you need to do and what you need to take care of. And so, as we begin to chapter 10, we need to understand this so that we get a picture of what Paul is dealing with and who he's writing to. Some have speculated, and many scholars will say, that chapters 10 through 13 really doesn't belong in 2 Corinthians, but possibly it's the letter that...

Paul wrote in between 1st and 2nd Corinthians. You might remember the story that they had a problem in a situation and so Paul visited them and took care of and took some corrective measures and they seemed to receive it but then it didn't really take. They didn't receive it. They continued on in their ways and so Paul had to write them another letter that was

very harsh and dealing with and judging those who were in the wrong and taking care of the situation that was happening. You might remember the story where the gentleman that was involved in sexual immorality was leading a type of revolt against Paul and saying that Paul basically had no valid ministry. He wasn't called to be an apostle of God.

And so Paul writes a letter to them to correct the situation again. And it was taken by Titus, as we've been understanding, especially from chapter 7 of 2 Corinthians. Titus took this letter, they received it, they obeyed with great joy. And so Titus brought back news to Paul that they had received it and all these things had taken place. And so Paul wrote 2 Corinthians as a response. And so some say that 2 Corinthians should end at chapter 9 and chapters 10 through 13 actually were that letter in between.

Personally, I don't believe so, but that is what some say. And so we can understand, though, that Paul is dealing with those false apostles, those people who raise themselves up, proclaiming their own ministry and discounting Paul's. And so let's take a look at what Paul has to say to them. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, starting in verse 1, it says this.

Now I, Paul, myself, am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent, am bold towards you. But I beg you that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience fails.

is fulfilled. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning, God, and we ask that you would meet us here in this place. As your word says, where two or three are gathered, Lord, we know that you're here in our midst now. And so, Lord, we thank you that you desire to dwell with us and to have a relationship with us. And so, God, we ask now that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit.

Lord, that we would take this opportunity that you've given to us to hear your word. And God, I pray that you would open our ears, that we would be able to hear exactly what you want to speak to us this morning. God, I ask that you would help us to open our hearts. Lord, that we would apply it to our lives. Lord, that we would let it take root and that we would live it out. Lord, we need your help in this, God, because our hearts are hard.

And we continually wander from you. So Lord, grab our attention this morning. Speak to us by your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The Apostle Paul now begins to talk about spiritual warfare. As he's beginning his conversation now with those who are false apostles,

he starts out by talking about spiritual warfare, something that's very important that we need to understand. Now, he starts out in verse 1, he says, Now I, Paul, myself, am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

Paul starts out this conversation, he starts out this discussion, sharing his heart with them, and he makes the point, and we see very clearly here that Paul desired to live like Christ at all times, in all ways. That was his desire. He says, look, in beginning this, I want to share with you that I'm trying to live a life like Christ lived. I'm living with the same characteristics and same nature that he lived, with meekness and gentleness.

I'm writing these things to you. Meekness. You know what meekness is. It's often said that meekness is not weakness, and that is so true. Meekness is power or strength that is under control. Of course, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is the ultimate example of this. He has all power, all strength, but...

controlled it and allowed himself to be crucified on the cross. Jesus' ministry was continually in meekness and gentleness. And Paul says, I'm myself pleading with you in the same manner with the meekness and gentleness of Christ. You can see this. It's evidenced by the fact that children would often want to be with Jesus.

You remember the story as children were walking to Jesus and the disciples are, you know, busy making a big circle around him saying, hey, keep out the children, no kids allowed. And Jesus rebuked them for it. Let the children come to me. It was something that they wanted to be around Jesus because of his meekness and his gentleness. He had a quality that they desired to be around. We also see his meekness and gentleness in the cleansing of the temple.

You remember that. Jesus walks in and there's all this money changing going on and people ripping off those who were coming to worship God with bad exchange rates and ripping them off with the selling of the sheep and the sacrifices that had to be offered. And Jesus, He did show some authority there. He did use His power and strength there, but it was very controlled. He made a whip and He drove them out of the temple.

His meekness and gentleness was evidenced there. We also know of his meekness and gentleness in dealing with the woman that was caught in adultery. As she is brought there and the Pharisees and they say, hey, the law says that she needs to be stoned. But Jesus said, I'm not going to do that. He didn't make a whip out of cords real quick and say, come here woman. He said, go and sin no more. He applied grace to her life. So meekness and gentleness

was evidenced throughout his ministry. Now, of course, these are all the results of love. Because Jesus Christ was full of love for people, that's why he had these qualities, this meekness, this gentleness, and he was able to act appropriately, and it was evidenced in his ministry. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.14 that it's the love of Christ that compels him. So, of course, he's going to take on the same characteristics, the meekness and the gentleness of

Now, it's interesting characteristics when you realize what Paul is up against here with those people who are not being nice. It's not a friendly little spat. They're...

horribly reviling Paul. They're saying scandalous things about him. They're accusing him of just doing things because that's what he wants to do and he's hungry for power and hungry for money and he has all these bad motives and false motives that he's not called of God, that he's not qualified. They were saying some very horrible things about Paul and Paul says, I'm coming to you

Not in the same way, not coming with all this power or anything like that. I'm coming with meekness and gentleness. The characteristics that Christ had because Paul had a love for those in Corinth.

Next week we'll get to see a little bit more as we finish off chapter 10 about Paul's authority. The authority that had been given to him as an apostle. But Paul is saying, look, I'm not trying to use that authority or be big and impressive or strut my stuff. He says, I'd rather be meek and gentle and allow God to do a work in their hearts. But he's very clear. He will use his authority if necessary when he comes. And so we'll see that.

Verse 1 goes on to say, Who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold towards you. This is what the false prophets, the false apostles, had been saying about Paul. In verse 10 of 2 Corinthians 10, for his letters, they say, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.

They didn't have a very high regard for Paul and the person. They said, yeah, his letters are pretty awesome, but in presence, I mean...

He's not that impressive. I find this interesting because it's often just like us. Because myself, I don't know about you, maybe you're not like me, but when I read the Apostle Paul and I forget about these portions, I envision something quite different than probably was actual. The Apostle Paul, you know, I picture if he came into this room,

that there would be an awesome presence, that all of us would just fall silent, that we'd just all be quiet because the Apostle Paul is here, this great apostle, evangelist, man used by God, wrote the New Testament, or at least half of it, and he's here. And so there would be this presence, this awe. None of us would talk because Paul's here. Why would we say something when we could listen to what he has to say?

I get this picture of Paul, you know, he comes in and he's got this big build of a body, you know, awesome presence with a deep voice, you know, like David Hawking. He said, I'm Paul, powerful. And we all just go, whoa, that's Apostle Paul. That's what I envision when I read his epistles. And

And that's, I'm sure, what the false apostles were saying. They were saying, look, he seems so powerful in the things that he says, but when he shows up, you know, he's just like a little short bald guy who can barely talk. He's not very impressive. He's not very powerful. Well, of course, the false apostles are commending themselves and saying, look, we're great. I mean, look at the presence that we have. Look at the way that we can talk and the way that...

We can use our words in the things that we say and things that we do. We have this great presence. Well, the Apostle Paul, he might write some good letters, but he's not very impressive when it comes face to face. They're accusing Paul of being bold when he's away. And you know how it is. Think about it. I'm sure that you've experienced this yourself. Conversations and things that you might say to people often,

over the phone would be much more difficult to say in person. In fact, many times things you would never say in person you'll be comfortable saying over the phone or people will be comfortable saying to you over the phone things that they would never tell you in person. And to take that a step farther, things that you would never say over the phone or that people would never tell you over the phone, they'll gladly and boldly tell you in email or a letter form.

There's a difference in communication and that's what the false apostles are saying. Look, yeah, he's really bold when it comes to letters, but what good is that? What value is that? When he's actually here, his presence, he's weak. His speech isn't very compelling. It's not very eloquent or anything like that.

They're accusing Paul. And of course, that was Paul's boast. In 1 Corinthians 2, he said, Hey, when I came to you, I didn't come with eloquent speech. I just came to you with the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So the false apostles, they don't have very high regard for Paul. They're like, Paul Schmall, whatever. It doesn't really matter.

Listen to us. Look at our presence. Look at us. Proclaiming themselves instead of him. Paul's response, though, in verse 2, he says, But I beg you, that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

Paul's response to them is to beg them. I know you're approaching me this way. I know you're saying these things about me and you have these opinions of me. But my desire is that you would change now, that you would hear now. I beg you. I'm pleading with you, he says in verse 1, that you would receive these things now when I am not present. That when I am present, I may not have to be bold.

I know you have this impression, but don't believe it. Don't continue on in that. I beg you, change now, repent now, so that when I come, boldness will not be necessary. You know, it's like when you were young, or maybe when you're not so young, but when you're young and your parents come out of the room, it's two o'clock in the morning, and they say, look, this is the fourth time we've had to come out here to tell you guys to be quiet. If I have to come out here one more time, and you know the rest, right? Paul's saying the same thing. Look, please, repent.

Listen now. Take heed to the things that I'm saying now so that when I come, it won't have to be in boldness. It won't have to be in correction. It won't have to be taking care of these problems and situations. I won't have to come with that confidence, he says, which I intend to be bold against some. Now, Paul does intend to be bold against some. He does intend to use his authority and to be bold to deal with things directly, head on.

with the situations that are taking place. Bold. Now, he'll continue to be meek and gentle in his boldness, just like the ministry of Christ. He's not going to say, he's not saying, I'm going to come and fly off the handle. He'll be using the power and authority, applying the correct amounts of righteous indignation, applying the correct amounts of judgment and punishment of righteousness to the situation that it would be taken care of.

It doesn't mean he's going to just show up and yell real loudly at them, but it means he's going to deal with them directly. Applying the word of God, not beating around the bush, but clearly sharing what the word says and applying it there in their lives and to that body. So he says, I'm praying, I beg you, change now, listen now, receive the words now, so that when I come, I don't have to do that because it's not going to be pleasant for you. It will be painful, it will be a tough thing for you.

Who is he going to do this to? Well, he goes on to say, those who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

We'll have to be bold towards some, Paul says. Because they think of us, they think of our ministry as if we walked according to the flesh. And what does that mean, that they walked according to the flesh? This is what they thought of Paul. How did they think of him? What does that mean? Well, we know the word flesh is often used to reference or to speak about the sinful nature of

The innate desire that we have to sin. The continual desire that we have to sin. The sinful nature that causes us to stumble day in and day out. That's the flesh. Well, there's another type of flesh, and that's what Paul's referring to, and that's just...

The simple human nature. Not necessarily involved in sin, but just what man can do on his own. Natural methods, natural tendencies. And so Paul says, they think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. That we're doing this purely on the basis of our own human motives and nature and what we have to offer.

They're basically saying of Paul that they're just teachers. They don't really have any authority. That they're walking in the flesh as opposed to walking in the Spirit and being empowered by the Spirit to do the work and the ministry that they're doing. That they're walking in the flesh as opposed to acting on behalf of God, representing God and doing the things that God had called them and ordained them to do.

These false apostles were saying, they're just men. They don't even have a real ministry, a real calling from God. And so Paul says, it's those ones that we'll have to be bold with. Because God has ordained us and has called us and has put us into this ministry. They don't submit themselves to our authority. They think they're better than us. They think we're just doing things because of our hidden motives and for our basic, plain old human reasoning.

On our strength and with what we have to offer. But the reality is that God had called Paul, that he had put him into ministry. He enabled him, he qualified him, and he empowered him by his spirit. And so Paul says, I beg you, I'm praying, I'm pleading with you. Change now, repent now. So that when I come...

You won't have to learn this the hard way. Verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. In verse 3 now, he almost sounds like he contradicts himself because he says in verse 2 that we don't... Those who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh are those that we're going to be bold towards. But...

Then in verse 3, he says, we do walk in the flesh. He's not saying they're walking in the flesh is the sinful nature. He's saying, look, we are human. We are men. Our ministry is made up of men. And so we do walk in the flesh. We do live this life as human beings, as men. But

He goes on to say, we do not war according to the flesh. Our activities, our war, is not according to the world's principles or the natural principles, man's principles. It's a totally different set of principles whenever you come to the war that the Apostle Paul is fighting. Completely different. He says, yes, much like what John said, that we're in the world, but we're not of the world. Yes, we walk in the flesh. We have bodies, but

But we have a calling, a ministry that is from God, that is ordained by God. And so the war that we fight is not according to the flesh. Now, an important thing to notice here is that Paul is saying we are in a war. It's a spiritual war. So we don't war as the world does or by human methods. It's a spiritual war that's taking place.

Spiritual warfare, Paul begins to talk about now. I would encourage you on your own time to spend some time in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 where it talks about Paul shares with the church of Ephesus the armor of God.

essential things when you're talking about and dealing with spiritual warfare. But Paul's point here, we also see in Ephesians 6.12, where he says, 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. He says, look, we don't war as the world does. We don't use human methods or human tools, human instruments to

What we can think of or arguments that we have? No, no, we don't use anything from us. Why? Well, because we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. It's not against people that we're fighting. It's not against people that we're at war. It's a totally different type of battle. It's a spiritual war. What is war? Webster's defines it as a state or period of open and declared armed fighting between states or nations.

A state or period of open and declared armed fighting. Now, we're in a spiritual war. We're not in a physical war. What Paul is sharing. And so it's not a physical battle that's taking place. It's not a physical state of open and declared, but it's a spiritual state. A spiritual time, period, of open and declared armed fighting.

Between who? Who's fighting this war? Well, we know that we are in the spiritual war. That it's open and declared. It's continuous. It's not just a one-time battle, a quick skirmish and then it's over. But it's a battle that we'll be fighting for our entire lives. But what is this war about, really? Who's fighting? What's this war? Who's on what side? What's going on? Well, we know very clearly from the scriptures, the war is not really our war. It's not our battle.

It's between Satan and God. Satan is at war with God. Ever since the beginning, when he desired to exalt himself and lift himself up, he's been at war with God, coming against God. But he doesn't fight directly with God because he knows he's not stupid. He knows he can't. He knows he's a created being and God is almighty. So he doesn't fight directly. He fights more like a terrorist. He hurts the ones that God loves.

His war is against those that God died on the cross for, that he shed his blood for. And Satan's desire is that he would ruin their lives, destroy their lives, and keep them from spending eternity with God because God loves them. God loves us. And so Satan desires to destroy our lives in order to war with God.

And to get back at God. And to hurt God. And so that's what he does. Much like Gateras. Now, we are part of this war because we're the object. We're who he wants to attack to destroy our lives in order to

Keep us from spending eternity with God. But we're also part of this war because if we go back to chapter 3 and on and we talk about the ministry of reconciliation, we understand that our call, every single one of us have been called to leading people into a right relationship with God. Sharing with them the good news that Jesus Christ died upon the cross that we could be forgiven and spend eternity with Him and receive peace and forgiveness and joy and all that God has to offer.

That's our call, our ministry, the ministry of reconciliation. Well, it's in direct opposition to what Satan desires, what the enemy desires to accomplish. He wants to destroy people's lives and take them away from God. And our ministry...

is to take those people and draw them to God, introduce them to God, keep them there in a relationship with God. That is our ministry. That is how we are involved in this war because we're in direct opposition. What we've been called to do is completely opposite of what the enemy wants to accomplish. And so he wants to destroy us. He wants to destroy those around us. He wants to destroy all mankind. He is powerful. He's cunning. He's evil. And he absolutely hates you. And he desires to destroy your lives.

and make you spend eternity away from God. And so there's deceptions, there's problems, there's situations, all kinds of things that go on in our lives that are the result of spiritual warfare of the enemy trying to keep us from having a relationship with God. Now, the false apostles would be warring not by the spirit, but by the flesh. They were using human methods, commending themselves. Paul will speak about that. He's spoken about that before, but...

commending themselves and telling everybody how great they are and the ministry that they have and how well they talk and the messages that they teach and all the things that they have to offer, talking about themselves. At the same time, they were slandering Paul, putting him down. And so they're trying this human approach, an approach we see often.

Everywhere we go, within families, within workplaces, within politics, everywhere we go, it's what we see. Talking great about ourselves and slandering others that we might improve our position. That's what the false apostles were doing. They were using human methods, fleshly methods, rather than fighting the spiritual war that we are involved in.

In verse 4, Paul goes on to say, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. They're not carnal weapons that we fight. We're in this spiritual war, but because it's a spiritual war, the methods that we have and the weapons that we have, the things that we have to offer, because we are flesh, we are human, we are men and women, they're useless in the spiritual realm.

We need to fight with spiritual weapons because it's a spiritual war. It's important to remember this because we often fight flesh and blood.

Very often we fight flesh and blood. On the 91 freeway, sometimes it's steel and rubber. But flesh and blood, steel and rubber, you get the picture. We fight one another. We struggle against husbands and wives, children and parents, bosses and workers, people in line at the grocery store. There's a constant struggle between flesh and blood. But the real struggle is

The wrestling is not to take place there. Paul says if you're fighting that, you're fighting the wrong battle. The weapons of our warfare are not these physical things. They're not these programs or things that you can come up with or arguments that you have. The real battle is in the spiritual realm and so the weapons we need to use are spiritual. And the weapons that we would normally use or normally we would be able to offer, they're rendered useless in this war.

How do you fight a spiritual war? Well, with spiritual weapons, of course. And I know that may sound fake. But understand, I didn't say imaginary weapons. Okay? It's not, whoosh, all right, let's fight, I'm ready. It's not an imaginary weapon. It's a spiritual weapon. It's real. It exists. God has given us spiritual weapons. They're not carnal. They're not according to the flesh. They're not something that we can contribute or we can offer. But it's something that's given to us by God.

To fight this battle that we are in. Spiritual weapons. What are these spiritual weapons? Well, two come to mind. The first one, the Word of God. The Word of God is a weapon. It's a spiritual weapon that God has given to us to accomplish His purposes. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 17, as it's talking about, Paul is sharing about the armor of God.

He tells us that the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we're to take up. We're to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It's the offensive weapon of the spiritual armor that's given to us there in Ephesians chapter 6. The helmet, the breastplate, the shield, those are defensive things. But the offensive weapon that God gave to us was the sword of the Spirit.

A powerful weapon indeed. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12, for the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It's living and powerful. It's

It's not a weak weapon. It's a powerful weapon. Isaiah 55, 11, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God says it's a powerful weapon, and it's going to do exactly what I created it to do.

Jeremiah 23, 29. God asked the question, Is not my word like a fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? That's the word of God. Very effective, very powerful for doing what God has called it and given it to us to accomplish.

But, of course, the thing that we need to understand when we talk about the Word of God is it's not enough to have it to read it. It needs to be applied. James 1.22 says, Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself. I can read and deceive myself because I go, Oh, I feel good now. But if I don't actually take it and live it out and apply it to my life, I'm just deceiving myself.

There's no actual combat taking place. I pulled out the sword and I say, wow, it's shiny. That's nice. But I don't actually put it to use and use it for what God intended it. And that is that it would affect my life, that it would be applied to situations that I'm involved in and shared with those around me that need to hear it. The Word of God applied a powerful spiritual weapon that God has given to us. The second spiritual weapon that comes to mind is prayer. Prayer. Prayer.

I like what Pastor Chuck shared about prayer at one of the men's conferences a couple years ago. He says, if you want to share with somebody and you want to fight this spiritual battle, the battles that are hardest to defend yourself against are the ones that you don't see coming. And if I share a scripture with somebody, the defenses are up because you can see it coming. If I share a scripture with you,

It's right there in front of you. Your defenses are up. You're engaged in the warfare there. There's a battle taking place. But he says, prayer, I love prayer because prayer is like long-range artillery, right?

Now you don't know where it's coming from. You're praying for someone and suddenly they're thinking about God. Boom! Where'd that come from? Boom! What's going on here? All of a sudden I'm thinking about God or people are telling me about God or things are happening. I don't know. What's going on? I didn't mean to flip to that channel. I didn't know it was going to say that when I picked up that book. Whatever the case may be. He says prayer. Oh, it's so great because it's long range. You don't see it coming. Your defenses are down.

And so it's very effective. James chapter 5 verse 16 says that the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. And you know what that is, right? The effective fervent prayer. You know how to do that, right? Well, an effective fervent prayer is when you raise your voice about 20 decibels and you shout it really loud. That's when it's really effective. And if you don't, then it's not going to be very effective. I'm just kidding, of course.

That's not what makes prayer effective. Well, if you really want to pray effectively, then you need to pray in this position. No, that's not what it says. That's not what he's talking about. Listen, if you want to pray effectively, I'll summarize it for you. Pray the will of God and pray the word of God and watch your prayers be effective. Pray the will of God and the word of God.

And your prayers will be effective. So, these two weapons that God has given to us, the Word of God and prayer, powerful weapons, Paul says. They're mighty in God. They're not of the flesh. They're not carnal. They're not of anything that we can contribute to or have to offer. They're completely useless unless they're given to us by God. But in God, oh, they're mighty.

They're powerful. They're very effective. Powerful weapons that God has given to us. He's sending us into battle, not with a BB gun, but with a bazooka to take care, to rock the enemy's kingdom, to blow holes in the defenses, to do the work of the ministry. What are these weapons used for?

What do they do? What do they accomplish? Paul will go on to give us four areas where these weapons that are given to us by God are mighty and effective in accomplishing. The first area we see right there, pulling down strongholds. What's it effective for? What's it mighty in God to do?

These weapons that he's given to us, they're mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. The word of God and prayer are mighty in accomplishing this. Now, a stronghold, the word is really a castle or a fortress. And so, of course, we're not talking about flesh and blood or physical things. We're not talking about actual castles that can be built with brick.

It's a war against the enemy. It's a war against Satan. So Paul is saying that Satan has strongholds. He has fortresses where he is strong, where he's often victorious, where he has control. Strongholds that are in people, strongholds that are in places, in organizations, and yes, even in churches. There's strongholds where Satan has control, where Satan is victorious, areas where he accomplishes very much.

1 John 5, verse 19. John tells us that we know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The world in general is under the sway of the wicked one. The world itself is a stronghold of Satan until the Lord comes back to kick him off the throne. It's a stronghold of Satan. The whole world is under the sway, under the power, under the control of Satan.

The enemy of the devil. In Daniel chapter 10, you might remember the story. Daniel is there and he's praying for his people, praying about the things that will come.

And an angel is sent to him, the angel Gabriel. And when he arrives, he tells him this. Daniel chapter 10 verse 13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. He says, look, Daniel, the day you began to pray, I was sent out. But I had to pass over this area. The prince of Persia there withstood me for 21 days. I was in a battle. I was...

not able to continue on until he says, Behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. So there was a fortress there, a stronghold there in Persia where the enemy was strong and powerful. And Gabriel, on his way to answer Daniel's prayer, was delayed 21 days.

Strongholds and places, specific areas where Satan is strong and victorious, where he has control. There's also strongholds that the enemy has in people and in their lives. Do you remember the story in Matthew chapter 17 where Jesus is on the mountain with three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John?

The other disciples are at the foot of the mountain. And while Peter, James, and John are up there with Jesus, we know it as the Mount of Transfiguration, where Christ was transfigured before them, and His clothes became whiter than white, and He was bright, shining as the sun. They saw Him in His glory there with Moses and Elijah. This great experience, getting to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. And as they come down the mountain, they come to a big crowd around the disciples.

And there's a big crowd around because a man had brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples and they were not able to cast him out. They were doing everything they could think of, but nothing was working. They were not able to cast out the demon from this boy. There was a stronghold there. And Jesus Christ, of course, he's the Son of God. He's able to. He delivers the boy. And the disciples come later and ask him, Hey, how come we couldn't deliver the boy? How come we couldn't cast this demon out?

And Jesus first shares with them about their faith, their lack of faith. They didn't have very much faith and that was a problem. But he goes on in verse 21 of Matthew chapter 17 and he says, Jesus says, Look, you didn't use the weapons of God that are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds and delivering people from the power of the enemy. They can only come out by prayer and fasting, he says.

So the world, areas, people's lives, the war ranges all over. It affects many places and people. But praise God because our weapons are mighty in pulling these strongholds down. And what are our weapons again? Prayer and the Word. The Word of God being applied to our lives and to the situations around us. And prayer, prayer, interceding, getting to know God, spending time in prayer.

Mighty weapons that God has given to us. In Matthew chapter 12, verse 29, Jesus is dealing with another situation of demon possession and the scribes and the Pharisees are accusing him of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.

And Jesus is saying with him that that's not possible. A house divided cannot stand. He goes on to say in verse 29 of Matthew 12, how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man and then he will plunder his house.

Matthew chapter 12. You can check it out for yourself on your own time. He says, look, what you need to do, what needs to take place is the strong man. The stronghold that's there is because of the enemy's presence and he needs to be bound. And then, then you'll be able to plunder the house. And Jesus is saying, look, the reason why I'm able to deliver these people from demon possession is because I'm binding the strong man. Satan has no power when it comes to the name of Jesus Christ.

And so there needs to be a binding of the work, of the stronghold. Think about Las Vegas. Do you think it's a stronghold of the enemy? Absolutely. It absolutely is. And so that's why I want to encourage you. Let's put these weapons to use that God has given to us. We were informed a couple weeks ago that Pastor Raul with Calvary Chapel of Golden Springs is going to do a Somebody Loves You crusade there in Las Vegas.

He's going to apply the word. Our part, let's pray.

Let's pray that God would tear down those strongholds, that a mighty work would be done. Because the weapons that He's given to us, the Word of God that will be shared, the prayers that we will offer are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. We can pray the Word's going to be applied and there's going to be a mighty work of God. Strongholds in our hearts. Areas where Satan has victory. You know what's really good for that? Prayer in the Word.

Take two of these and call me in the morning. Prayer and the Word. That's what we need in our lives when there's areas where Satan continually has the victory. Where there's strongholds. Where Satan has a foothold. Psalm 119.11 says, Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. And it's not again that we just look how shiny the sword is and just quote a verse, but that it's being applied to our lives and being lived out. And it keeps us

from having those strongholds in our lives. Because the Word of God and prayer is mighty and effective in pulling down strongholds. There's strongholds maybe in your home or at your workplace or wherever you might be, there's strongholds. But praise God, He's given us mighty weapons. Let's make sure that we use them. Prayer and the Word of God being applied.

The second thing we find in verse 5, as he goes on to say, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The second area where these weapons are very effective and what they've been given to us to accomplish is for the casting down of arguments and every high thing.

Arguments that keep people from knowing God. Every high thing that exalts itself and keeps people from knowing God. Prayer and the Word of God are mighty in this area for casting those things down that God might be glorified and seen for who He truly is. And that's what we've been called to, the ministry of reconciliation. Now, we're completely incapable of reaching people without God's resources.

We don't have the one argument that's going to solve everything or the one presentation that's really going to just change everything. We don't have anything to offer.

of our own selves. But what we can do is we can use the weapons that God has given to us. Everybody is going to have their arguments, no matter who you're talking to within the ministry of reconciliation, sharing with people about God. If you're talking to atheists or Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons or Satanists, it doesn't matter. They're all going to have their arguments. They're all going to have their things. They're things that are high lifted up and keeping them from the knowledge of God. And nothing you can do on your own strength

with your own wisdom, can accomplish anything in helping those people. Nothing. What works? The weapons that God has given to us. The Word of God and prayer. We can argue with them until we're blue in the face. It doesn't matter. It won't change anything. What works? What's mighty in God for accomplishing that is the Word of God and prayer. It's the only thing that will break through these mighty weapons. What are our weapons again?

The Word of God and prayer. Learn them well. Use them wisely. Use them often. Because they're mighty in God for accomplishing His work. Listen, oftentimes we have doubts and struggles within us. Personal things that go on. Games that our mind plays. Happens all the time. You really believe all this stuff that you're reading there? You really believe that God exists?

Is that really true? Does this really happen? Is that really how it's supposed to be? And on and on and on. We have all these struggles and things. Our minds play tricks on us and play games with us continually. You know what really works in a situation like that?

The Word of God and prayer. For all those arguments and the high things that exalt themselves, where we think we know better or we think we have this or that or whatever, the Word of God and prayer. We need to apply them to our lives because they're very effective in casting down those things. That word argument is the word that's often translated reckon or account. It's a calculation or a logical argument or approach. Right?

It's just basically the best of what the mind can have to offer. The logical argument that can be put together. The Word of God and prayer are mighty in casting down those things. Evolution is a good example of this. The best that the mind can have to offer. Scientists putting these things together. These high and lofty things, exalting them against the knowledge of God. But it's not true. It didn't happen that way. The Word of God and prayer is very effective.

at casting down those things. I would encourage you tonight, we're showing a video called A Question of Origins that deals with the subject of evolution and deals with what the Word of God has to say about it, showing that it is completely inaccurate and not true at all. The third thing that we see

The Word of God is effective in. It's mighty in God for, number three, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. So first it's for bringing down strongholds. Second, for casting down arguments and everything that exalts itself. And thirdly, for bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We often quote this verse. We tell each other, hey, take every thought captive.

And it's important. It's something that we need to do. Are you having trouble with your mind? Feel like there's a war going on inside? Battles that take place with what you think about, with where your thoughts go, hatred, lust, greed, whatever the case may be. There's a battle. There's a war. It's taking place. You know what really works well in that situation? The Word of God and prayer. Apply it to your life. Live it out.

and spend time in prayer. That's what we need. That's what it was for. That's what it's mighty in God to do. Whether it be our thought or someone else's or a thought, we don't even know how it got there. The idea is that we take that thought, we march it straight to the throne of Jesus within our heart and we say, Jesus, here's this thought. What would you like me to do with it? And he says, well, that's not a very good thought. You need to crucify that one. Put it to death. Don't think about that.

Or he might say, that's a really good thought. You need to dwell and meditate on that. That's something I want to speak to you about. Let your mind work on that one. Turn on that one. Bringing every thought into captivity for God to give the order. Okay, what do you want me to do with it? That's what we're called to do. That's what the Word of God and prayer is mighty in doing in our lives.

to keep our minds focused on the things of God and away from the things that are not of God. Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 says, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue or if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.

Those are the things that you want to think about. Those are the things that you want to consider and meditate upon. Those are the thoughts that you'll take to Jesus and He'll say, yes, that's a good one. Hold on to that one. The Word of God and prayer is mighty in bringing every thought into captivity within our own minds. The thoughts and philosophies and opinions that bounce all over the place in the world that we live in, the Word of God and prayer is mighty

Mighty. Very effective. Powerful in dealing with those. It's not wimpy. It's not, oh, that was an ancient book written 2,000 years ago. No. It's mighty. It's effective. It's living and active. Powerful. Sharper than any double-edged sword. And it will accomplish what God set it forth to do. The fourth thing that we see found in verse 6.

He concludes, "...and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." Ready to punish all disobedience is the fourth thing we see here. The weapons that God has given to us that are not carnal but are spiritual are mighty in God in making us ready to punish all disobedience. That word disobedience is the idea of active disobedience which follows inattentive or careless hearing.

Inattentive or careless hearing. So basically, you're not paying attention. You don't really care what the other person has to say. And so you have disobedience. You ever done that? Not really paying too much attention. I know the manual says I'm supposed to do it that way. And you put it together completely wrong. I don't know why I have these bolts left over. I don't know what these were for. Inattentive, careless hearing.

results in disobedience. Or you turn the wrong direction because you weren't paying attention to MapQuest or your wife, whichever was the one giving you the directions. You have these disobediences. That's what it's all about. Now, of course, this is one that Paul is going to be dealing with directly in the area of the city of Corinth because there was those false apostles. And this is what they were doing. They were involved in

Not listening, not paying attention, not heeding what the Apostle Paul said and doing their own thing. Active disobedience. And Paul says, look, the Word of God and prayer, the weapons that we've been given are mighty in God to make us ready to punish all disobedience. You and I, we have this situation. I don't know what to do about it. I don't know how to handle it. You know, my kids keep doing this and they just won't listen. They're going this way or doing that. I just don't know what to do. You know what's really good in that situation? To punish all disobedience.

The Word of God and prayer. My husband's doing this. My wife's involved in that. My friend, my family, my co-worker, whatever. All these things are going on. I just don't know what to do. I have to do something. What do I need to do? The Word of God and prayer are mighty in God in preparation to punish all disobedience. We have a mighty weapon of God in this area as well.

They leave you in a place where you're ready to deal justly with disobedience, rightly and accordingly, the way that it's supposed to be. We saw the example in Jesus' ministry that we looked at earlier, in Matthew 21, verses 12 and 13, where Jesus cleansed the temple. He was ready to do what needed to be done, to punish the disobedience. And so he made a court, and he turned over the tables, and he drove out the money changers. He took care of business. He punished the disobedience because disobedience

The Word of God and prayer were an active part of his life. And he was ready to deal with the situation, the problem, the way that it needed to be dealt with. With the right amounts of righteous indignation applied and controlled because he was meek. With the right amounts of gentleness being applied because he loved them. He did it exactly the way that he was supposed to, that needed to be done, but that dealt with the disobedience.

And then we saw the example of John chapter 8 verses 1 through 11 with the woman caught in adultery. And again, he didn't make the court out of whips and apply the same thing. No, no, no. He was ready to apply the discipline or the punishment that was deserved and needed, necessary for that situation, which was not punishment at all, but it was instead applying grace and saying, go and sin no more. He was ready. He was ready.

Because of the word of God. The weapons of God are mighty in this area and preparing us to deal justly and rightly with the situations where disobedience needs to be taken care of. Now, again, Paul is saying, hey, this is going to be important to you guys that I'm sharing with in Corinth because you guys are trying to fight this on human levels and human terms and commending yourselves and slandering me.

But this is not the war that I'll be fighting. This is not the fight that I'll be having. It's not going to be with these human methods, but it's going to be the weapons of God, which are mighty and preparing me to punish those who continue on in disobedience because they refuse to listen. Paul says, I'm going to take care of it. It's not going to be pleasant. So that's why back in verse 1 and 2, I plead with you, I beg you,

That you receive these things now, that you hear them now, so that when I come, I won't have to come in the boldness that I intend to come. I won't have to use these weapons in that way that God has given to me. Because I will be ready, I will be prepared to deal with it the way that God wants to handle the situation, because He's called me as an apostle, as an authority in this ministry. And so He says, I'm going to have to come and do what God wants me to do, but I'd much rather you receive it now.

We'll see more of that next week as we finish off chapter 10 and continue on through the rest of the book. But this morning, there's a spiritual war going on. Will you be part of it? The spiritual war is for yourself. It's for your soul. It's for your family. It's for your friends and for your co-workers. It's for those around you who are not saved, who have not received the gospel message. It's

For this body and the body of Christ universally, there's war that's being raged and people are becoming casualties. But the weapons of God, they're mighty in this. Now, does God need our help? No, of course not.

He doesn't need our help to do what he wants to accomplish. But just like the ministry of reconciliation, because it's all working together here, the ministry of reconciliation, completely opposite of what the enemy wants, and so we're involving ourselves in this war, in this battle that's taking place. God desires to use us so that he may bless us. He wants us to be a part, that he will be able to bless us and reward us for being obedient to what he's called us to do.

The war around us is a war for souls. And carnal weapons are not effective. We need to engage with the spiritual weapons that God has given to us, which are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds, for the casting down of arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, for bringing every thought into captivity, to the obedience of Christ, and for being ready to punish all disobedience. We need to engage with these weapons. What are the weapons?

Prayer and the Word of God. Being applied to our lives, being shared in situations and to others around us. Prayer and the Word of God. Are you in a tough situation? Are you in a battle this morning? Remember that it's not against flesh and blood. However it may appear, however it may seem, it's not against flesh and blood. It's really not your spouse. It's really not your boss. It's really not all the other things that we could think of.

But what's really going on is behind the scenes, there's a spiritual war going on. And so we need to pray and apply the word of God. The weapons of God are mighty for doing the things that he set them forth to do. And you can tell when you're not fighting on a spiritual level very easily by looking again at verse 1 and understanding how Paul was fighting his battle with meekness and gentleness.

Meekness and gentleness. It's the result of love. It's the result of the Word of God being applied as well as prayer in our lives. Meekness and gentleness. And so it's very easy to tell when we're not battling or warring in the Spirit because there will not be meekness, there will not be gentleness. It will be completely opposite. There's a need for us to be involved in this spiritual battle on a spiritual level with the weapons that God has given to us. And that's why I want to share this with you briefly.

We're starting something new on Saturday evenings, a time of prayer from 6 to 7, just that we would be engaged. We spend much time throughout the week sharing the word and spending time in the word, but we want to use the weapons that God has given to us that are mighty for pulling down strongholds, for casting down arguments in every high thing, for bringing every thought into captivity, and for preparing us to deal justly with disobedience.

And so we also want to spend time in prayer. And there's going to be an outreach next month, the end of August. We're going to have an outdoor concert called Soldier, and I encourage you to be a part of that. But my prayer, my desire is I want to see people be touched by God in that time. I want to see people who were walking away from God and headed towards hell be redeemed and saved by their Savior as the message of the cross is given forth.

And so there's strongholds that need to be brought down. There's arguments that need to be cast down. There's thoughts that need to be taken captive. And there's maybe some disobedience that needs to be taken care of. And so I want to use these weapons personally because I want to be involved in the work of God and the ministry of reconciliation. Not just for that concert, but...

For all areas of my life. Because God has called me to the ministry of reconciliation wherever I am. And so I need to know and I need to understand that I'm going to be in a battle if I'm doing the things that God has called me to do. And so I need to use these weapons. I need to know them very well to be spending time in prayer and spending time applying the word of God, sharing it with others, using it in situations that God would do his work through me. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you that you sent your Son to die on the cross for us. That we might have relationship with you. That we might find forgiveness and peace and joy in all that you have to offer us, especially eternity with you, God. Lord, we thank you that you've called us to enter into this same ministry, the ministry of reconciliation, where you want to use us to be involved in bringing other people to a knowledge of you.

and right relationship with you. Lord, we know as we enter into this ministry, as we do these things that you've called us to do, there will be a battle. There will be a struggle because there is an enemy of our souls who hates us. And so, Lord, we ask that you would help us to use the weapons that you've given to us. Lord, that we would never approach this life and these battles on human terms and human levels with the strength that we have or the wisdom that we can offer.

But God, that we would take what you've given to us and use them and learn them. Lord, that we would spend time in prayer, getting to know you, interceding for others, lifting up needs that are around us, tearing down strongholds. Lord, that we would be applying the word of God to our own lives first, God. Lord, that we would live it out. We would let it direct us. And as you present situations and opportunities, we would share that word with others that they might be able to apply it to their lives.

Lord, because we know that these weapons are so effective, so powerful for accomplishing what you want to accomplish. And God, as we're in prayer and the word has been shared, Lord, I pray that if there's anything in this room that's not of you, Lord, if there's strongholds in our hearts, Lord, that you would cast them down. Lord, if there's arguments and thoughts in our heads and in our hearts, that you would cast them down as well. That you would bring every thought into captivity.

And Lord, that you would deal with our disobedience. Lord, we want you to do a work in our hearts that we might be used by you in the ministry of reconciliation. And Lord, if there's anybody here who's never received you as their Savior and Lord, Lord, there's a great stronghold in their life because the enemy has blinded them and kept them from you who love them so much that you sent your Son to die for them. So God, I pray that you would break through

that you would minister to their hearts. Reveal to them your love, your grace, the truth. We ask that you would be glorified in our hearts. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.