Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Ephesians 6:10-20

The last several weeks we have followed along as Paul talked about the practical walk of the believer. He spoke to kids, parents, husbands, wives, slaves, employees, and employers. All with instruction on what is expected in the believer's life; and how we should live our lives in a manner that reflects Christ in us.

As we round out the end of the letter, Paul jumps into a different gear and changes course. While he has spent time giving practical application of the gospel, he now takes a different look at the life of the believer.

- Paul addresses the life of the believer as a battlefield.

From the moment we respond to God’s call to salvation, we will experience a constant barrage of attacks from the enemy.

- Satan does not desire for you as a believer to live a life of comfort.

Satan will stop at nothing to get you to question your faith, and back out on your trust and hope in God. Satan will tempt you with constant struggles against the corruptible lust of the flesh and temptations offered by the world. Because of that, we must become warriors in our battle against the enemy.

- If we do not fight, our destruction is almost inevitable. (Romans 7:15-23, Galatians 5:17, Galatians 6:8)

Romans 7:15-23 NASB

15 For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts.

Galatians 5:17 NASB

17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.

Galatians 6:8 NASB

8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

In this battle, in our text, Paul gives us six points. We will look at the first four tonight, and then the final two next week.

Ephesians 6:10-20 NASB

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints, 19 and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

In this text, we see the soldier's charge, the soldier's enemy, the soldier’s warfare, the soldier’s duty, the soldier’s armor, and finally, the soldier’s supernatural provisions.

I. The Soldier’s Charge (v 10-11, Luke 1:37, Ephesians 3:6, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 41:10)

I remember when I was ordained to the Gospel ministry. I had the wonderful opportunity to have a charge given to me by my dear pastor, a man whom I respect greatly. He preached from the text:

2 Timothy 4:1-5 NASB

4 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

PREACH the Word. That was the charge given to me as a young pastor. I have never forgotten that and strive to always adhere to that charge.

- In our walk as followers of Jesus Christ, we have been given a charge.

We have been given a responsibility; our marching orders for life. There is no other way for us to conquer our enemy than to follow the charge we are given. This charge will help keep us from falling into the temptations the world and Satan use to get us off course.

- If we fail to engage in the battle, here are a few things we can expect.

· We will not experience an abundant and joyful life (John 10:10)

John 10:10 NASB

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.

· We will not experience the power and deliverance, care and concern, love and fellowship of God’s presence in our daily lives. (Matthew 28:20)

Matthew 28:20 NASB

20 …behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

· We will be uncertain and unsure of our future

· We will not have the confidence of being acceptable to God.

· We will not be assured of living forever with God (1 John 5:13)

1 John 5:13 NASB

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Without engaging in battle, this is what our life will be like. Therefore, we must heed what God tells us in this text to conquer the enemies of our lives.

Ephesians 6:10-11 NASB

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

The charge to the believer is twofold:

1. The believer must be “Strong in the Lord and the strength of His might.”

Paul uses three words to describe the power and strength: strong; Lord’s might; and power. Each of these words stresses the absolute necessity of the believer being strong and possessing power.

- Strong: means power, might, and strength.

We need this to go to Walmart, but especially in our Christian walk

- The Lord’s Power: God’s sovereign unlimited power and dominion over all things.

- The Lord’s Might: means strength, force, and ability.

This is GOD’s ability to use HIS strength and force in wise perfection.

The believer must walk in the Lord’s mighty power and ability. This is not a human power or ability. This is not a force or strength of the flesh. This is not a strength based on any otherworldly powers or force. But only through the believers' living and dynamic relationship with the Heavenly Father.

- God must be the source of our power and strength to stand in battle. Without it, we are helpless.

Without it, we are weak and vulnerable. Nothing else outside of God’s power will give us the strength to overcome evil and death.

2. The believer must put on the “Full armor of God.”

Once we are strengthened within by the power and might of the Lord, we then must be clothed in the armor of God. But note this,

- No amount of armor will protect you if you are not first inwardly prepared for battle.

I don’t know how many athletes I handed a football helmet to in my career that I thought, “I’m wasting my time giving you this. You ain't prepared to battle.” If we do not have the heart to fight, if we don’t have the “want to” to fight, the armor of God will do us no good. The inward battle must be won first.

Once we have the power and presence of God within, then we can begin to arm ourselves for battle against our spiritual enemies.

Something else to note here; we are to put on the FULL armor of God.

- Leaving off any aspect of this armor will leave us exposed and vulnerable to our enemy.

We’re not going to get into the armor tonight, we will do that next week, but one thing I wanted to point out concerning the armor, is that there is nothing that protects the back. When we have the mind to fight, when we have the power of God to enter the battle, there is nothing to protect our back because we are expected to charge into battle, not run from it. We must first grasp that first part of the charge and be strong in the power and might of God. If we have that, we can face the battle fully covered and protected.

Ephesians 3:16 NASB

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self,

2 Timothy 1:7 NASB

7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Isaiah 41:10 NASB

10 Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Luke 1:37 NASB

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

II. The Soldier’s Enemy (v 11)

Ephesians 6:11 NASB

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

It is not only critical to be prepared for battle, but to know who your enemy is. All to often Christians find themselves unaware of their enemy and end up fighting everyone or everything except for who the real threat is.

- Our enemy is Satan and his schemes.

The schemes of Satan are his deceit, craftiness, trickery, methods, and strategies. He will do everything he can to capture the believer.

- Satan has two categories of strategies:

1. Strategies that appeal to the lust of the eyes. (John 8:44, Ephesians 2:2-3, James 4:1-4)

Satan will always strive to pass something before your eyes that will catch your attention and get you off your walk with the Lord.

- This will be something that appeals to the lust of the flesh or the pride of life.

- This appeal will be different from individual to individual.

We are all drawn away by that which we lust after. Maybe it's food. Maybe it’s a person or their looks. Maybe it's possessions like clothing, cars, houses, etc. Maybe it’s a position or authority and power. Satan will put something before you that will catch your attention and sway you in his direction. If we are not fully clothed in the armor of God, the strategies of Satan will cause us to take a second, third, or fourth look, and possibly cave to the attraction of the flesh. We must know what we are enticed to and be alert to Satan’s use of these elements.

John 8:44 NASB

44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Ephesians 2:2-3 NASB

2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.

James 4:1-4 NASB

4 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

2. Strategies that involve false teachers (2 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Satan will also send false teachers among the people to sway them. He doesn’t use idiots either. No unintelligent, poorly speaking teachers will do the trick. Satan will use impressive teachers to do his work. Their speech will sound pretty and dipped in honey.

Remember, Satan isn’t a little red devil with horns, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork. If that was what we were expecting from Satan, he would be easily spotted in his schemes, but he’s not. Satan is living in a spiritual world, a being who can transform into a “messenger of light.” He has messengers who look much like him and walk about doing his bidding as well.

These messengers will proclaim a righteousness of their own making, but not one built on Christ. They will preach:

· Human goodness and good works

· Self-image and ego

· Personal (not spiritual) development and growth

· Self-improvement and self-correction

· Mind and will of man

They preach a message that appeals to the sinful flesh of mankind. They preach a message that IS helpful, but not of God. They are based solely on the power of man and exclude the power and might of God.

If we are not fully clothed in the armor of God, we will be vulnerable and open to such false teachings.

2 Corinthians 2:11 NASB

11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

2 Corinthians 11:3 NASB

3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NASB

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

III. The Soldier’s Warfare (v 12, Luke 4:6, Luke 22:31, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

- We must know that our warfare is not of human making, physical in nature, but is a spiritual battle we must fight every day.

Ephesians 6:12 NASB

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The word Paul uses that is translated here as “Struggle” is a Greek athletic term.

Thayer’s Bible dictionary defines it this way:

A contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to press and hold down his prostrate antagonist, namely, hold him down with his hand upon his neck.

Kenneth Wuest says, “When we consider that the loser in a Greek wrestling contest had his eyes gouged out with resulting blindness for the rest of his days, we can form some conception of the Ephesians Greek’s reaction to Paul’s illustration. The Christian’s wrestling against the powers of darkness is no less desperate and fateful.

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. The sooner we realize that, the much better off we will be. Paul lists four things we fight as believers:

· Against rulers

· Against Authorities

· Against the powers of this dark world

· Against the spiritual forces of evil

This reveals to us some very clear aspects of our battle.

1. The forces of evil are powerful forces.

The purpose of this verse is to stress the enormous power of the forces of evil. They are not weak.

2. The forces of evil are numerous.

Rulers, powers, authorities – all give the idea of large numbers of forces.

3. The forces of evil are apparently organized into a hierarchy of evil.

Again, rulers, authorities, and powers of this world in high places. All of this points to a ranking of spiritual forces with various authority.

4. The forces of evil are the powers of this dark world.

Darkness means the ignorance of or absence of truth and reality. A dark world is a world that lacks light. Light is knowing God and that God has a purpose and a place for our lives. Light is knowing the truth of salvation through the love of Christ if believe in and trust Him.

The forces of evil are the powers of the dark world that blind the minds of man from seeing the truth of the light.

5. The forces of evil are spiritual forces of wickedness.

These spiritual forces seek the loyalty and devotion that is due to God. They are after the spirit of man. If the forces can conquer the spirit of man, they have him for eternity. Therefore, they will do anything they can to lead man into evil and wickedness, thus conquering the spirit of man.

If we were to make a list of all the wickedness and evil that exists in our world, we could be here for days.

Think about it! Do we know better than to engage in evil and wicked activities? Of course, we do. Do not enough people know better therefore being able to snuff out the wicked? Yep! Then why do we not change the world for the better? The passage answers that question.

Ephesians 6:12 NASB

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

- We cannot wage a physical war against a spiritual opponent.

Therefore, we must put on the full armor of God in order to fight this battle.

Luke 4:6 NASB

6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want.

Luke 22:31 NASB

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to sift you men like wheat;

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NASB

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

IV. The Soldier’s duty (v 13, 2 Corinthians 2:4)

As followers of Christ, we are soldiers who have been given a duty.

Ephesians 6:13 NASB

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

- We must put on the full armor of God to stand in the day of evil.

- What is the Day of Evil?

· TODAY – the activity of evil is working in the world today

· ANY DAY – Temptations and trials can come at us in a moment’s notice.

· UNUSUAL TEMPTING AND TRIALS – Special temptations we face from time to time.

We must be able to stand in the day of evil having been clothed in the full armor of God.

2 Corinthians 10:4 NASB

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.