Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Warfare worldview: The real star wars (Last in the series, 'A Christian Worldview') Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA November 28, 2004 Main Scripture text: Ephesians 6:18-20. A Christian Worldview Sermon Series Aug. 8, 2004 • The Power of Perspective Aug. 15, 2004 • The Holy Bible: Our Guide for Faith and Practice Aug. 22, 2004 • Origins Aug. 29, 2004 • Will the Real God Please Stand Up? Sept. 5, 2004 • The Spirit World Sept. 12, 2004 • A Warfare Worldview Sept. 19, 2004 • War Stories: Invasion and Liberation Oct. 10, 2004 • War Stories: At the Front Oct. 17, 2004 • The Enemy's Battle Plan Oct. 24, 2004 • Personal Defense Oct. 31, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit Nov. 7, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Name of Jesus Nov. 14, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Blood of Jesus Nov. 28, 2004 • Warfare Worldview: The Real Star Wars The evil galactic Empire, powered by the dark side of the Force, seeks to gain control of the universe with deception, intimidation, and brute force. Led by brave and determined Jedi Knights, who draw power from the good side of the Force, the rebel alliance opposes the advance of the Empire and seeks to maintain freedom and justice in the universe. The excitement of the unfolding story have captured the hearts and minds of millions of people, young and old, for more than 25 years. Why has Star Wars been so incredibly popular? I think it's because Star Wars is something of a metaphor of our reality. There is a cosmic conflict in progress. Today our subject is "The Real Star Wars" -- the real story in which we have a role to play. In this sermon series I've directed our attention to four spiritual facts: 1) We are at war -- we were born into a cosmic conflict which we cannot avoid; 2) Our enemy is not human -- we war against principalities and powers in the heavenly places; 3) Our weapons are mighty in God -- they pull down strongholds the enemy has established in our lives and world; 4) Our primary weapons are: The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; the name of Jesus; the blood of Jesus. The way we launch those weapons into the enemy's camp is through prayer -- warfare prayer. This is prayer that specifically attacks what Paul calls "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." It is prayer that tears down demonic strongholds in human life and society. That's why I call it "The Real Star Wars" -- it is prayer that reaches into the heavenly places. There are two areas in which warfare prayer is essential: 1) Evangelism. The devil blinds people to the truth of the gospel. We have to pray the blinders off before our witness will be effective. 2) Destroying strongholds. Satan seeks to trap people into destructive habits will destroy them. When we are praying, we need to address strongholds that may be evident in their lives. There are four things about prayer we need to remember: 1) Common sense will tell you prayer is absurd. This is why we must learn to pray in faith, and by faith leave the results to God. 2) Effective prayer is rooted in our oneness with God through Jesus Christ. To bear fruit, we must abide in Christ; apart from Him we can do nothing. 3) Our prayers must represent God's interests. Prayer isn't about what we want; we may not even understand what is best in any given situation. True Spirit-led prayer will always represent God's interest in the people or situations for which we pray. 4) There are no guarantees. Yes, God always hears and responds to our prayers, but in His sovereignty He has given human beings the power of choice. A person for whom we are praying can refuse God. Our responsibility is to begin addressing the powers of hell in the name of Jesus, to represent God's interest in the world, to plead the blood of Jesus and the Word of God over people's lives and over situations for which God leads us to pray. When we do these things, I believe we will see results. We will see people turn to Christ and we'll see the Kingdom of God advance on the earth -- but we must be willing to pray the price. Supporting texts: 1 Corinthians 14:15 | 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 | John 15:5 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (41:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 041128a: Warfare Worldview: The Real Star Wars. © 2004 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us