Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching notes. Scriptural Preaching is at least the fourth most important weapon we are given. It is surely a high-priority weapon. The person we allow to teach us the word of God and our family the word of God, in actuality, becomes the spokesperson of Jesus and Christ’s Spirit. If in error, that person’s thoughts and interpretations can and will present a stronghold for the devil. If that person is in error, the Holy Spirit must find a way to penetrate what that person builds in a soul.
WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
- Warning of false teachings
- What is the purpose of Scriptural Preaching?
- What did Christ Jesus preach?
- So, what did the apostle Paul preach?
- What should scriptural preaching do?
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
by Delbert Young
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 1 Peter 5:8-9, MATTHEW 7:15, MATTHEW 24:11, 24, MATTHEW 24:24, MARK 13:22, LUKE 6:26, ACT 13:6, 2 Corinthians 11:13, 26, 2 Corinthians 11:26, Galatians 2:4, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1, Revelation 19:20, Titus 1:3, Matthew 4:23, Matthew 9:35, Mark 1:14, Luke 8:1, LUKE 11:20, MARK 9:1, Acts 15:35, Acts 20:25, 31, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Luke 3:3, Matthew 12:41, Luke 11:32, Act 2:38, Act 26:20, 1 Corinthians 1:21
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (KJV)
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, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (TLB)
3 It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles.
4 I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.
5 These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ.
6 I will use these weapons against every rebel who remains after I have first used them on you yourselves and you surrender to Christ.
There is a war in the spiritual realm. Every person, believer or non-believer, will be attacked. Those who do not activate and utilize their weapons of warfare will be destroyed.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
(KJV) 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
(NIV) 1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(TLB) 1 Peter 5:8 Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.
We are given weapons of warfare to destroy the enemy’s strongholds. These strongholds are imaginations and thoughts that exalt themselves above what Christ has spoken. Strongholds are arguments against God and include rebels against God.
For the most part, this battle is fought in our souls. The soul dimension is the area of thought processes, feelings, emotions, and attitudes.
1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
The soul is the area between our ears–our minds (1Th 5:23). War wages in all of us in our thoughts and imaginations. What we think that is contrary to Christ must be brought down if we are to experience victorious salvation. What Christ said must be exalted and heeded. Paul used the weapons of our warfare on the Corinthian believers. Even the thoughts of believers must be brought into subjection to Christ.
Strongholds are developed in many ways. Strongholds are developed by the way we are raised. That is why it is imperative to raise your children in a true house of the Lord. Strongholds are created by the way we were taught to think as a child and as an adult. Reading material develops strongholds. Television develops strongholds for the enemy to stand in.
Anything allowed to enter our soul has the potential to develop a stronghold. Music is a stronghold in many. Teachings are a stronghold. Habits that destroy lives are strongholds for the enemy to war with the Christ within. People will often maintain a habit and go to hell rather than plucking out an eye and entering the kingdom (Mat 18:9). The list of strongholds is probably without a number.
The weapons we are issued for the war will destroy each and every stronghold. The problem is believers do not know about or activate their weapons of our warfare.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
The Weapon of Scriptural Preaching
To me, Scriptural Preaching is at least the fourth most important weapon we are given. It is surely a high-priority weapon. The person we allow to teach us the word of God and our family the word of God, in actuality, becomes the spokesperson of Jesus and Christ’s Spirit. If in error, that person’s thoughts and interpretations can and will present a stronghold for the devil. If that person is in error, the Holy Spirit must find a way to penetrate what that person builds in a soul.
Warning of false teachings
The Lord Jesus Himself and the writers of the New Testament warned again and again about false teachers. Following is a list of some of those warnings.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
2 Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
With so much warning, why should we think that because our preacher says it, it is true? False teaching is everywhere. It is on television. Often, we think that if it is on television, then it is valid. That is not true. We think that if the ministry is large, then it must be valid. That is not true. How many large ministries teach against speaking in tongues? Peter warned that there are damnable heresies! Many today are victims of such heresies.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
My point is that false teaching and false preaching are readily available today. Because a person is in an established denominational church does not give that person a vaccination against false teaching. The largest denominations in the days of Jesus were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They were wrong–dead wrong.
What is the purpose of Scriptural Preaching?
It is so sad to me that today, most preachers are hired and fired by a board of deacons or something similar. It was not done that way in the scriptures. If you are one of those deacons who hire and fire, you will relish the power you control over your pastor. However, you may be in trouble with the Lord. You are not the shepherd (pastor). You are disabling the man of God from bringing the word of God. For his sake and the sake of his family, he most likely will preach what scratches ears and gives security. You may well miss the true word of God. You have power but may be deceived along with your family.
What is the purpose of Scriptural Preaching? Many do not know. The scriptures teach us what preaching is to accomplish.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Titus 1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Titus 1:3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior, (NIV)
The purpose of scriptural preaching is that his word may be manifested. Scriptural Preaching is to bring his word to light. Scriptural Preaching is not to make us “feel good” about ourselves. For one thing, it is not to make us shout. In particular, it is not to get people to say, “Amen!” By all means it is to manifest his word and take his word out of darkness into light. Scriptural Preaching is to help us understand the Word of God. By properly understanding the Word of God, we understand God.
What did Christ Jesus preach?
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Luke 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Jesus preached the kingdom. He preached that it was time for the kingdom of God. The message the twelve apostles learned to preach was the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Jesus went on to teach us to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Mat 6:33). The reason this is brought out here is to show the amount and severity of false teaching today. How can we first seek a kingdom that has not yet come? The answer is we cannot. The kingdom is now. Jesus said,
Luke 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
(TLB) Luke 11:20 But if I am casting out demons because of power from God, it proves that the Kingdom of God has arrived.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
The kingdom was inaugurated at the Ascension of Christ (Dan 7:13-14; Rev 5:7-10). How could some of the apostles be alive at the coming of the kingdom if the kingdom was not yet available?
Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
Is this what you are taught? Is this what your family is taught? I understand that if you have never been taught the kingdom, then you may well stop reading at this point. However, you must admit there is something here, isn’t there? This study is not a teaching about the kingdom of God. The point was brought up to challenge our thinking simply. There is much deception (2Co 11:13-15).
What did the apostle Paul preach?
Acts 15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
When the scriptures say, “The word of the Lord,” what does that mean? It would mean the word of the kingdom of God, which was the word of the Lord and what Paul preached.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
What should scriptural preaching do?
Luke 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Luke 11:32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 26:20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
We are taught that Scriptural preaching should bring us to repentance. Explicitly, John the Baptist’s preaching was a preaching of repentance. Certainly, Jesus desired people to repent. Additionally, Peter and Paul preached repentance. The first weapon of warfare we studied was the weapon of repentance. As we learned, the word repent means to adjust the mind to receive spiritual truth. It is the Greek word metanoeo (Strong’s #3340).
Scriptural preaching does sometimes seem foolish. This is true because biblical preaching should sound contrary to what we think to bring repentance. If preaching always makes sense and we always agree with the preaching we hear, then there is never repentance. We never receive new spiritual truth. Scriptural Preaching must sometimes be foolish if it is to do its work—save those who believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
This is accomplished by preaching truth and then enlightening it (making it relevant). We are saved by grasping the word of the kingdom and applying that word to our lives. It is then that Jesus becomes Lord.
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
Scriptural Preaching Weapon – How to Overcome Strongholds Through Preaching
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