THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERS VIOLENCE AND VIOLENT MEN TAKE IT BY FORCE. MATTHEW 11:12
By Matthew Thompson
Spiritual Warfare: It has been said that nothing worth having comes without a fight. God has given us a gift. Satan wants to take it away. God has made us free. Satan wants to enslave us. There is heavenly war waged over you each day. No one ever said it more truly than CS Lewis when he said that we are living in enemy occupied territory. We have been called to battle. Henry the Fifth said it well when he said that we are warriors not for the working day. We are warriors day in and day out. Let us not forget that. So like Braveheart lets remember that we have come to fight as free men and free men we are.
Intro: Being in the Marine Corps offers a unique opportunity and perspective on warfare. We are trained in warfare. The question is how we take this military training and combine and adapt it with Biblical teaching to fight a spiritual battle. Tonight we will look at using a military combat order for spiritual warfare. We call this a five-paragraph order.
What is a five-paragraph order? This is what we in the Marine Corps use and issue to the troops to explain all aspects of a particular mission. We use the basic acronym SMEAC along with other internal acronyms. SMEAC stands for situation, mission, execution, admin and logistics and command and signal.
One: Situation
Situation: First we need to figure out what the situation is? Here’s the situation – Satan attacks believers. He desires that all should perish. To know what the situation is we need to see the big picture and understand who the players are and how they play. There are two elements to this first part of the five-paragraph order. Friendly and enemy with subcategories for each.
Enemy Situation: Satan and his legion of demons are real and they are here to destroy us. That is their job. Satan seeks to destroy 1 Peter 5:8 your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. John 10:10 the thief, Satan, comes only to kill and destroy. He is always looking for an opening in our defense. He will exploit any vulnerability. John 8:44 says Satan was a murder from the beginning.
Capabilities and limitations:
Capabilities: Satan can seemingly perform miracles. Mat 24:24 false prophets will show great signs and wonders. Revelation 16:14 speaks of spirits of the devil working miracles Satan can possess human beings. Luke 18:2 speaks of seven devils possessing Mary Magdalene. How many evil spirits did Jesus and the disciples dispense with in the Bible? We know they are true. Many of us have seen this with our own eyes. The Bible is the same yesterday as it is today. It was not only the early church who had to deal with Satan. Too often churches today pretend there is no such being as Satan.
But he is real. Satan can pretend to be good. He is the great deceiver. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 says, Satan transformed into an angel of light. 2 Thessalonians talks of the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. Notice the word lying. Satan is the king of lies the king of deception. Thomas Brook says that Satan promises the best but pays the worst. He promises honor and pays disgrace, he promises pleasure and pays with pain, he promises profit and pays with loss, he promises life and pays with death. We have all heard Satan’s lies. You’re not good enough. You’re not pretty enough. You’re too ugly. You’re too sinful to be involved in ministry. You’re too old. You’re too young. On and on and on they go. Satan targets your mind. He is the accuser. He has an army. Jesus called Satan the ruler of the demons in Matthew 12:24. These demons can torment people and they can even inflict bodily affliction. Remember the blind, the deaf, and the crippled of the Bible that Jesus healed and cast out demons.
Limitations: Now we know the enemy capabilities we must look at his limitations. God promises us that we will not be tempted beyond what we can stand. 1 Corinthians says that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bare, when tempted God will provide you a way out. Satan only has as much power as the Lord our God allows him to have. Remember Job? God would not allow Satan to pass certain limits. Romans 8:28 assures as that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord. Satan often does the Lords work with out knowing it. God used Satan and his plans, to redeem the world through Jesus. Satan had thought he had won once and for all by killing Jesus but God used this for our redemption. One of the key limitations of Satan is that he is defeated. He is a defeated enemy. The battle is already won. If any of you know about military strategists, you will know that there are some legendary dead Germans that have been influential in war fighting philosophy. One of those strategists was Clausawitz. Clausawitz once said, Only pursuit of the beaten enemy gives fruit of victory. Apply that here and we see that although Satan is defeated he still holds some spoils of war. We desire to see those captives set free and that which he has stolen returned.
MPCOA: Another aspect of the enemy situation is the Most Probable Course of Action. We need to know what to expect the enemy to do. We use yet another acronym here.
DRAWD -Defend, reinforce, attack, withdraw, or delay. Not only are these options for a military force but they are the same tactics that Satan employs. We must use discernment to understand what Satan is doing and has done. At different times he will use different tactics depending on the situation and the person.
Friendly Situation: The next part of the situation paragraph is the friendly report. The friendly situation consists of three parts Higher, adjacent, and supporting.
Higher: There are many aspects of the higher situation. We all fall under authority. In the Marines we are organized in many ways. Divisions, regiments, battalions, companies, and platoons. As Christians we fall under authority as well. We are not lone rangers. We are NOT an army of one or do we want to be. It is important for us to know whom we are under and whom we are accountable to. Pastor, elders, leadership team, accountability partners, mentors, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives. And higher than all of us is the Ultimate Authority our Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Adjacent: Another part of this section of the order is Adjacent. Who is adjacent? In other words who is to your left or right. This is important to know because we do not want any friendly casualties. We do not want to get in the way of their mission. We also need to remember that we are fighting the same battle and same enemy. We are one body. One force. This not only applies to our fellow Christians at Christian Fellowship Church. But also to other churches New Life, Gods Way, Calvary Chapel, Desert Springs, Hoffmantown, Church on the Rock.
Supporting: Our supporting units would include number one the Holy Spirit. God has sent the Holy Spirit to be our Guide and to be there to support, teach us and lead us. Luke 12:12 says that the Holy Spirit shall teach you. He shall guide you that still small voice that Isaiah speaks of. John 16:3 says that the Spirit of Truth shall guide you into all truth. He empowers and power comes through the Holy Spirit. The Church and fellow believers are also there to support us. There are ministries right here in this church that are here to support. The intercessors support you. The marriage ministry and counseling ministry are prime examples. Rabbit trail: Prayer partners and mentors. Everyone needs someone to be accountable to. We should all have someone who is praying for us and with us. We should all be mentored to and mentor. We should never overlook one of our major supporters: our family and spouses.
Attachments and Detachments: Angels are to protect us and watch over us. Psalms 91:11 He will command his angels to guard you. (Paraphrased) I used to think that angels were only for the Catholics. That’s a Catholic thing. I thought I’ve got the Holy Spirit. I’ve got the blood of Jesus, I don’t need any cute little feathered friends. Then I realized that angels ministered to Jesus (Matthew 4:11). Was I better than Jesus? I don’t think so. If angels ministered to Jesus they can most definitely minister to me. Hebrews 1:14 says that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. Have you received this inheritance? Then the angels are for you. There is heavenly host available to join with us in the Lords work. They will protect and watch over us. Ephesians 1:7 says that He makes his angels winds and his servants flames of fire. We are the flames and the angels are the wind. What happens to a fire when it is fanned with wind? It flares up, gets bigger, and spreads. Think of the Los Alamos fires that occurred not too long ago. The Heavenly Host is available to fan our flames. We can be a burning ember or a blazing fire. This revelation was a new one to me and just came on Thursday as I was looking over my notes.
Two: Mission
Mission: We’ve finally made it past the first part of the operation order. We are now in the mission section. What is our mission? I believe our mission can best be summed up in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Our mission is to impact the whole world. To share our faith and evangelize. How do we do this? Most of that will be covered in the tasking section of the operation order but we look to Jesus to see how to ultimately fulfill this commission. Remember Jesus said all authority Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and taught about the Father.
Three: Execution
Execution: The third part of the five-paragraph order is execution. This is how the mission is to be accomplished. There are four parts to execution: Commanders intent, Concept of Operations (scheme of maneuver), Tasks, and Coordinating Instructions.
Commanders Intent: We know who our Commander is The Lord Jesus Christ. We receive our marching orders from him. We are called through him. The commanders Intent tells us what the desired result of the mission is. The desired mission of the church and ultimately of our Lord is that non should perish and that all would come to repentance and know that Jesus is Lord. 2 Peter 3:9
Concept of Operation/Scheme of Maneuver: The concept of operation could just as easily be called the concept of salvation. This is what we must do to fight this battle, to fight a spiritual battle we must first be on a spiritual level. The weapons he has given are given to those who are already saved. These weapons are not available to the unbeliever or unrepentant. Just as the weapons that we use in the Marine Corps are not given to civilians the spiritual weapons are not given to non-Christians. To fight with the Marines you must first go through some training, you must first go through boot camp and other training. To fight with in the Lords Army you must first join up with him. You must repent Luke 13:3, Matthew 3:7-8, Mark 1:15, Act 3:19 and on and on. Then you must accept the Lord Jesus as Savior and Lord John 3:15-16, John 6:37, Romans 10:9.
To fight the spiritual battle we need spiritual weapons. Ephesians 6:12-19 speaks of the Armor of God. But first we will look at our most effective weapon – prayer. Our battle needs to be fought on our knees in prayer. We are told to pray unceasingly. Prayer cannot be retired as a secondary force in this world. The prayer ministry is an all-engaging force; it must be all engaging to be a force at all. Even more as men we are called to Prayer. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, men are exhorted to lift up holy hands in prayer. Once again I’m off on a rabbit trail, but there is an important point here that needs to be emphasized. Men need to pray. For too long men have left the praying to their wives or to the women. Men are called to be the spiritual leaders. Men are called to pray. Have you prayed with your wife? Has your husband prayed with you? Pray for him to take that role. When men relegate the spiritual leadership to women we get weak spiritual families. Plato once said that the way of the man is the way of a family and the way of a nation. Back on track now. The Marine Corps has another beloved acronym that talks about what level of force protection we need to be in. The acronym is MOPP (mission oriented protective posture). Our posture should be one of prayer, whether that is on our knees, on our face, or with our holy hands lifted to the sky. What about those holy hands? It is important to be in the right spirit before going into battle. We must focus on what we are doing. We must be disciplined. The enemy will attempt to distract.
He will send phone calls, telemarketers, random thought, and so much more to distract you. Don’t let me forget–stuff. Satan loves to distract us with stuff.
Back to the Armor of God, Ephesians 6. The first thing we put on is the belt of truth or as the KJV puts it the girdle of truth. Since Satan is a liar we must oppose him with the truth of God. The belt holds everything together just as the truth of God does. The belt or girdle is a defensive weapon.
The breastplate or breastpiece of righteousness needs to be placed on next. This piece of armor covers the soldiers front of the body and is equivalent to today’s bulletproof vest. This protects all the vital organs such as the heart and lungs. The righteousness is the righteousness of Christ that we put on for there is none righteous but one. Christ is that righteousness for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The shoes of peace or feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. How you fight relies a lot on how you stand. There is a saying that goes, if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. Roman soldiers used to wear hob-nailed shoes for mobility and stability. As Marines we were leather boots. If a fighter loses his footing he may lose his life or lose the battle. A firm and sure foundation is essential. As Christians we stand because of and on the Gospel. It is the victory of Christ and the Gospel of peace that keeps us safe and solidly standing.
The shield of faith with which can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The Roman shield was large and covered the entire body. This shield was in sorts a moveable wall that the soldier could stand behind. Compare this today to the military’s Kevlar or armor protection. It is your faith that makes up this shield. How much faith do you have? This will determine how big of a shield you carry into battle. Do you want a small one or a large one? I hate to use this saying but, yes, size does matter. We cannot quench these fiery darts by ourselves it is Christ that quenches them for us. We can do nothing on our own.
Next we must take up the helmet of salvation. We can relate this to 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ..and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. If our mind is protected by the blessed hope of the Lords return, Satan cannot use discouragement to attack us. Discouragement is one of those powerful weapons that Satan wields. Moses and Elijah were both so discouraged that they asked God to kill them. The helmet protects and filters our thought life. For we know what enters the mind can infiltrate the heart. Lets follow another rabbit. That is why it is so important to be wary of what you let enter your mind. What are you viewing on TV, listening to on the radio, reading, listening to?
The sword of the spirit. This is the first offensive weapon spoken of here. Compare this to Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The spiritual sword of the Word of God. What does John say of the Word? In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). So this sword is actual God. Unlike material, metal swords created by man that grow dull this sword never dulls. Our Lord used the sword when he was in the wilderness and was tempted. Jesus said, it is written. And Satan could not stand. How often do you go into battle with out your sword? Without the Word of God? I am not strictly speaking of a literal Bible but the Word of God. As a Marine I would never think about going into battle without first preparing. Without taking my M-16/A2 service rifle and loading up on ammunition. The Bible tells us that we are to write the Word of the Lord our heart as to have it with us at all times. Deuteronomy 11:18 says fix these words on you minds and your hearts. If the word is on our minds and hearts we once again recognize the importance of the breastplate and helmet. Also look at Isaiah 51:7, Jeremiah 17:1 and 31:33, Romans 2:15 and Hebrews 10:16. To use this weapon you must know this weapon. You must know the word. Get into the Bible and get to it if you don’t. The OC Supertones say it like this, Fight like a man, Scriptures in hand.
Tasks: I’ll bet you never thought I’d get through that? I could have gone on for an hour there. We move on, out of necessity to tasks. We all have separate callings. 1 Corinthians 12:7-31 we all make up one body but have different tasks just as we have different giftings. The hand cannot function as the eye nor was it made to. Some have been appointed to teach others to prophesy some for healing. Let us not forget the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 11. Some are called to be teachers, pastors, evangelists, prophets, or apostles Romans 12:7 has a whole list of gifting, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, prophesying, mercy. In the Marine Corps we have a saying that goes every Marine a rifleman. It doesn’t matter whether your military occupational specialty (MOS) is a cook, a tanker, an infantryman, a pilot or admin personnel we are all rifleman, all warriors. It is the same as a Christian we are all called to a battle. Lets not be ignorant. We need to get about our tasks but we must never forget that we are of one body and one army.
Coordinating Instructions: The last part of the execution is the coordinating instructions. These are control measures, formations, directions of attack, and time lines. Directions of attack and timelines are set out by those in authority. We need to pray for discernment to see these.
Four: Admin & Logistics
Admin and Logistics: This section covers Beans, bullets, Band-Aids and bad guys. We need to know what they are and where to get them and what to do with them.
Beans: To fight a battle one must be nourished. A starving army will easily be defeated. Remember the Gulf War in the early 90s? Starving Iraqi forces surrendered to TV crews. To fight a spiritual battle we also must eat. Not physical food but spiritual. For we know that man shall not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Also see Deuteronomy 8:3 and Luke 4:4. We need to feast on the word of God, this brings us back to the sword again. Jesus is the bread of life. John 6:35 says, I am the Bread of life. Jesus also speaks of water that if once drunk we never thirst again. John 4:10, 7:38 and Revelations 7:17 and 21:6. Now this is the food we eat the bread of life and the living water.
Bullets: Bullets are our prayers and the Word of God. The bullets pierce right through Satan and his schemes. They can bind Satan and his demons, they can bid him be gone, and they destroy his plans. Satan throws his fiery arrows and we fire right back. We declare the word of God and speak in the name of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is all the ammunition we need.
Band-Aids: The Marines do not have their own corpsman. We get ours through the Navy. As Christians, when we are injured we can go straight o the Healer, the Almighty Corpsman, the Great Physician, Jehovah Rapha. The Lord is faithful to heal. Besides our great Corpsman we can also practice buddy-aid. Our Church family and fellow Christians are there to help patch us up. Too often, it has been said that the Church is the only institution that shoots its wounded. We are not to be that way. What kind of an army is that? When one of our brethren falls, stumbles, or is hit directly between the eyes we need to be there to encourage him or her. To lift them up and see them restored.
Bad-guys: What will we do with Satan and his minions when we encounter them? We will cast them out. We will banish them in the name of Jesus. Remember WE cannot do this but Jesus works through us, uses us as his tools of deliverance. Satan is already a defeated enemy. We will hand them all over to the Judge, who is Jesus.
Five: Command & Signal
Command and Signal: We are almost finished here. The last section is on the command and signal. The Marine Corps is full of repetition. Repetition builds retention. Some of the stuff under command and signal may have already have been covered but it is worth reiterating.
Command: What is the chain-of-command? Who’s in charge? Where is he located? How do we contact him? Etc. We have already been through the issue of authority and we know who is ultimately in command. So I will just move on.
Signal: It is important to know when to execute. We need a sign to begin and to cease. Our signal is the Holy Spirit. He guides us and tells us when to begin and cease. In the Marines we often use pop-ups, illumination, or colored smoke to mark the attack. We should be like one of those flares that are shot into the dark sky. We need to be a beacon of light. We are to be witnesses. The problem with being a beacon of light or a light like a tracer round is that they work both ways. You may expose the enemy to the light but if you can see and identify him he also sees you. You have made yourself a target. Don’t enter the battlefield, if you do not want to fight.
Conclusion: I have skipped around a lot and covered a lot of material but I hope I have piqued your spirit and created a desire to be the warrior that God has called you to be. It is my desire to see everyone as warrior, especially men. A couple of months ago I was at a Randy Clark conference. Some of you may recognize him as one of the key leaders in the Toronto revival. During the praise and worship I looked forward and I saw this man a couple rows up. Across his back I could see the words WARRIOR tattooed. These may not have been physically there but they were most certainly there in the spiritual. I saw this man as a kindred spirit. I told him what I saw and you could see that he did not consider himself a warrior but God did. He was deeply touched and encouraged. He wanted to be a warrior and he was. I don’t know this man from any other on the street but I know that this was a man who went to battle for his wife, his children, his church and his friends. I want to see warriors raised up. Men returned to the position they have been called to. Ecclesiastes 3:3 tells us that there is a time to kill and a time to heal, and time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace. Let’s pray for the discernment to recognize those times.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The last thing in a five-paragraph order is a statement that goes something like this: The time on deck now is_________ we will be leaving ____________. Any Questions?