Series: 2
Corinthians
Title:
Pulpit Warfare
Text: 2
Corinthians 10: 3-6
Date:
December 3, 2017
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
In 2
Corinthians 10: 1, the apostle Paul said, “Now
I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in
presence am base among you,…”
Now,
picture the preacher stepping into the pulpit and suddenly, he wields weapons,
inclulding a sword. He begins to strike those in the pew. All their defenses
are pulled down. They themselves are cast down and taken into captivity. It sounds like that preacher is engaging in warfare.
That is exactly what every God-sent preacher does every time he steps in the pulpit. But it is not exactly like it might
sound, it is pulpit warfare.
2 Corinthians 10: 3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4: (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal,
God’s
preacher is going to war but he is not using carnal weapons: not using
excellency of speech or wisdom of men, not using titles and impressive resume’s,
not using so-called contemporary worship, not speaking of philosophy or politics
or civil rights.
2
Corinthians 10: 4: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God…
He is strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might. He has on the whole armour of God, that he may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
So he stands therefore, having his loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And his
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, he takes the
shield of faith, wherewith he shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. And takes the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God: Praying always that God might make him speak as he
ought and make the word effectual in his people. (Eph 6: 10-18) These are the weapons
of our warfare provided by God.
Proposition: Our
chief weapon is the preaching of the gospel of Christ and him crucified because
it is the power of God unto salvation.
Notice
how effective this weapon is: 1) 2
Corinthians 10: 4…to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2) 5: Casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and 3) 6…bringing into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ; 4) 6: And having in a readiness to
revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLES
2 Corinthians 10: 4 [It is mighty through
God] to the pulling down of strong holds;)
As the
gospel is preached it is used of God to break down the gates of hell.
A “stronghold”
is like Jericho—with its walls up to heaven—no one got in or out without
permission. The strong walls of the sinner’s stronghold are his sin, pride, self-righteousness, his
refuge of lies. The sinner thinks he has wisely built his stronghold by
his impenetrable arguments. His walls cannot be broken down like these poor,
weak, deceived Christians. But the
sinner does not realize that he is the one who has been deceived. He is captive
in the devil’s stronghold.
Luke 11:21: When a strong man armed keepeth his palace,
his goods are in peace:
Still,
Christ promised his church that not even “the
gates of hell shall prevail against us.” (Mt 16: 18) So we preach Christ: we
march around Jericho blowing the gospel trumpet. By the mighty power of God, he
breaks through the gates of hell, pulling down all the walls of the sinner’s
strong holds.
CASTING DOWN IMAGINATIONS
2 Corinthians 10: 5: Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and
As God
makes the sinner’s stronghold fall, the gospel exposes and destroys the sinner’s
inward most imaginations of God.
Being conceived in sin, every thought the sinner has
about spiritual things is wrong: he is wrong in his thoughts about God, about
salvation, about his own sin, and about Christ. All his thoughts about spiritual things are from his
sinful, corrupt imagination—so they are all imaginary. His every thought is a high thing exalting itself against the knowledge of God.
You that
have spiritual discernment, examine how a spiritually dead sinner reasons and
you will see: his thoughts of himself,
his will, his works are high; but his thoughts of God, of what God requires, of
how God saves are low.
But through
the gospel of Christ, the Spirit of God exposes all his vain imaginations. This
sword of the Spirit, this gospel of Christ and him crucified, is mighty through
God, so that it is
Hebrews 4:12:…quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.
Every
proud, lofty argument is exposed as utter folly to the sinner himself. God
gives him true knowledge making him understand he has been exalting himself against the knowledge of God. God
makes him understand,
John 17: 3: this is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
The more
God opens the scriptures to him, the more the sinners own vain imaginations are
cast down because…
2 Timothy 3: 15…the holy scriptures,…are able to make
thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
As his
imaginations and his high thoughts are cast down all the things he thought were
gain become loss to him, all his high things become worthless things. He begins
to say within his new heart,
Phillippians 3:8: Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…
THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST
2 Corinthians 10: 6…bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;
The power
that breaks down his strongholds and brings low his thoughts is that through
the preaching of the gospel, God reveals that Christ is the Righteousness of
God. Now, all his thoughts are brought into captivity to behold salvation is,
NOT BY HIS OWN OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW BUT BY THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST HIMSELF—who on behalf of all God’s elect, became
obedient to God, even unto the death of the cross!
Colossians 1: 14: In whom we have redemption through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 2: 9:
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10: And ye are complete in him, which
is the head of all principality and power:
For the
first time, the sinner knows—he knows
the truth of the gospel—that we are not justified by our obedience but the by
the obedience (the faith) of Christ. When we say we preach Christ and him
crucified, we are saying we preach Christ and his obedience; Christ and his
righteousness; Christ and his faith.
Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of
Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified.
For the first time, his every thought is about…
Philippians 3:9: be[ing] found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ [the obedience of Christ], the righteousness which
is of God by faith [of Christ]:
Through
the gospel, God has stripped the sinner and laid him in the dust and he is made
obedient to cry out,
Acts. 9: 6: Lord what
wilt thou have me to do?
Christ answers
the sinner in his heart and teaches him what God would have him to do, what is
true obedience in the sinner before God:
John 6: 29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
READINESS TO REVENGE ALL DISOBEDIENCE
2 Corinthians 10: 6: And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when
your obedience is fulfilled.
So
lastly, by the power of God’s might, as the sinner hears the gospel, Christ
makes the sinner willing to take sides with Christ. He is now made willing—made ready—to
take revenge on his own disobedience. He is no longer “ignorant
of God’s righteousness”, no longer going about to establish [his] own
righteousness, he has been made ready and willing to submit himself unto the
righteousness of God.
Romans 10: 4: For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth.
He takes revenge on his own disobedience by repenting from all his own works, by casting all his care on Christ, by confessing Christ publicly in believer’s baptism, by uniting with his people in Christ’s church to support
and promote the gospel of Christ.
Not only this, God gives him a “readiness,” a willingness to take
revenge against all Christ’s enemies. Not
using his former vain, high thoughts, not warring after the flesh any longer. But
he is made the meekness and gentleness of
Christ, ready to use the weapons
provided by God. He has been made to put on the whole armour of God, that
he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. He stands therefore,
having his loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness; And his feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above
all, he takes the shield of faith, wherewith he shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked. And he takes the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God—the gospel of Christ and him crucified!
(Eph 6:10-17)
By the
power of God through the gospel, he has renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty and God has given him readiness, willingness to use one weapon, so
he says,
Romans 1: 15:
So, as much as in me is, I am ready to
preach the gospel to you…16: For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17: For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by
faith.
Amen!