Learning Your Tools

Introduction

-Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and took many young people from royal/noble families. Among those taken were Daniel and his friends: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were taken from their homes to a far away land in captivity. They underwent strict training intended to brainwash them into submission to their captors. They had to learn a new language instead of using their own. And they were given new names in accordance with the false gods of Babylon. But then Daniel 1:8–9 “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,”

Any of us would have been tempted to give up and give in, Daniel probably was too. But he resolved in his heart (he determined) not to defile himself, rather, he would please God. When he was tempted he went above and beyond the call of duty to please the Lord and God blessed him for it.

What about you? Sure, you’re not in captivity or being brainwashed or being renamed but what about your daily life? When that first temptation hits before you leave your house in the morning. Or your mind begins to wander as you lay in bed at night. What’s your resolve? Will you defile yourself or go above and beyond the call of duty to please God?

-In our spiritual warfare the apostle Paul has revealed the tools we can use to overcome temptation and be pleasing to the Father (Ephesians 6:10-20)

I. Stand Firm (v. 10-13)

A. Do we understand the gravity of this text? It’s not a pretty picture that brings us encouragement. It’s a uniform, armor and weapons, for when we face our spiritual battles everyday. If we want to be prepared for battle then we need to understand our enemy, our battleground, and our tools so that we can stand firm.

Stand firm is repeated 3 times (v. 11, 13, 14). It’s the idea of being immovable, unshakeable. Like the 3 little pigs, the big bad wolf blew down the houses of straw and sticks but the bricks could not be blown down. It was made out of the right stuff. Or, to use a biblical example, the wise man built his house upon the rock. The storm came, the wind blew and beat against the house, the waters rose but the house did not fall because it was built on the rock. When you are build on Jesus Christ you are able to stand firm!

Did you catch that? Building yourself on Jesus Christ, only then can you stand. We say and that but do we understand that? Our battle is not against flesh and blood, it’s no ordinary fight. You can’t lift enough weights to be ready for this fight, you can’t run fast enough to avoid this fight, it’s not a physical war but a spiritual one. Must do it by God’s strength, we are unable. His might is the only one that can overcome because He is the only one who ever has (Jesus beat temptation, being without sin, and resurrected to defeat sin and death).

B. 3 commands in this text: “be strong in the Lord” (v. 10), “put on the full armor of God” (v. 12), and “stand firm” (v. 14). First, God gives strength, He then gives the tools, now it’s up to you to stand. Stand tall against the devil’s schemes.

II. The Armor of God (v. 14-20)

A. Truth (John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””, Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” ). The devil lies (Getting kids to believe a boy is really a girl born in the wrong body and the way to solve all their problems is to identify as the opposite gender and if that doesn’t work then get a gender-swap surgery or take hormone blockers. No, you were created in the image of God and someone has made you feel insecure and worthless and useless. You are valuable because God made you with inherent value. Don’t fall for the lie that changing the way God made your body will fix the problems of your heart. -Lie: you were just a random accident, so live for what makes you happy like all other animals. No, we were created with spirits for beyond this world. We have special intelligence, creativity, power, self-control, language, and all things in accordance to the likeness of God. -You might fall for the lies “I’m not worth saving, I’ve done too much wickedness in my life, God won’t hear my prayers, He lets evil run rampant.” No, God is good, is in control, and He loves you more than you know, enough to send His only Son to die for you) So, it’s crucial to know and live the truth so that you won’t fall for the lies of the devil.

B. Righteousness protects the heart: “From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” We were enemies of God, infected with sin’s illness, tending toward evil and selfishness. Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Galatians 3:27“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. We now have the righteousness of Christ accredited to us, our hearts have been changed. Now, let’s understand we are righteous before God because of Christ and live a life that reflects it. Satan is trying to corrupt our hearts to crave only evil. Believe and do what is right to protect your desire for God.

C. Feet fitted with readiness: (Illus. playing poop deck with kids at Refuel. You have to be in a ready position to speed off, the right kind of footwear helps too). Satan wants to keep knocking you down. The more he can beat you down with failure, doubt, and shame the more likely you are to give up. Be ready with the gospel (the good news about the salvation through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection) for only through the gospel of Jesus do we have peace (Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”). Satan says, “Ha! You sinned again, might as well give up.” You respond, “Christ paid the debt, He’ll carry me through.” Satan says, “Why do you have to go through such a hard time? I thought God was supposed to be on your side.” You respond, “This world is not my home. God promises me something better in Jesus.” Don’t let Satan beat you down. Keep moving forward in peace because of the gospel

D. Shield of Faith: Satan loves to take us out by instilling little plagues of doubt in our minds that can grow like a cancer if left unchecked. “You’re not good enough, Your sin trumps God’s grace, You have to earn your way, There’s too much evil for God to exist, Your life doesn’t have meaning, Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” 2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” We aren’t going to see the whole picture in this life. There will be things we don’t understand. We know God is good, that He loves us, that He has the power to bring us through anything. Keep trusting in Jesus for your salvation, keep living with a daily trust in every circumstance “give us this day our daily bread.” Continual trust in God blocks the arrows the devil sends our ways.

-Helmet of Salvation: Satan is constantly appealing to our flesh so we chase selfish, sinful endeavors instead of the good God wants for us. The devil wants us to abuse alcohol, get lost in porn, lie through our teeth, cheat to get ahead, tear someone else down to build ourselves up, hate people that are different than us, and more. Anything he can do to tear us away from the love of God.

Remember, nothing can separate us from God’s love. His salvation is meant to be our helmet, to protect our minds. Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. You don’t have to let your fleshly cravings win out. Choose to dwell on God’s salvation, pray through temptation, talk to someone and pray with them, go and serve the Lord instead of sitting in silence. God gives your mind a way out.

-Sword of the Spirit: Jesus used the Word to combat temptation. Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Internalize God’s Word through memorization and meditation and quote it when you feel tempted

-Prayer (v. 18-20):

Conclusion

God is the One who gives us the armor, He is the One who makes it work. Both, for our defense and our offense. When we trust that God will help us in our weaknesses and when we take initiative to share the gospel and do the good God has prepared for us to do. All of it must be saturated in prayer. We can’t do it on our own, it must be by the strength of God. This armor causes us to stand firm on the Rock of Christ: His gospel, His righteousness, His peace, His salvation, His truth, His Word. Learn the Word, Live by Faith, Love like Jesus. Saturate everything in prayer and God will make you stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Stand firm in God’s might