Secular politicians, newspapers, and the media look at conflict and wars around the world and cite economic and political factors as the cause. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “The Devil and the Nations,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that this sort of reductionism demonstrates that natural humanity is preoccupied with the symptoms but not concerned with the true cause. Great conflict and war, according to the Scriptures, is the arena of a much deeper reality than economics or politics. The answers provided by politicians to a restless world will never be sufficient. Only the Bible gives an adequate answer to these things. The apostle Paul says that Christians wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. At the levels of the individual and national, this world is the arena of spiritual conflict. The devil and demonic powers are at work together with the pride, greed, and lusts of people to usurp God’s authority. God has responded to this demonic influence by instituting human government to restrain and punish evil. Ultimately, however, God has answered this demonic threat by sending Christ to crush the seed of the serpent. Listen to Dr. Lloyd-Jones as he expounds this text and answers important questions for what these truths mean for today.

http://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/the-devil-and-the-nations/