Stand Strong

Introduction

Ephesians 6:10–24 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Let’s pray

Have you ever noticed that the most dangerous problems in life are the ones you don’t notice right away?

A few years ago, one of the largest cyberattacks in American history happened. Hackers slipped into a major software system—SolarWinds—and quietly moved around for months without anyone realizing it. No alarms. No flashing warnings. No “You’re being hacked!” pop-up.

One cybersecurity expert said, “We had no idea the enemy was already inside.”

That’s exactly what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6. You may not see the battle. You may not feel the battle. But you’re in the battle.

Every day you wake up, you are:

being lied to,

tempted,

discouraged,

distracted,

spiritually attacked.

Not with mortar shells and jump scares. But quietly—strategically—like a spiritual hacker looking for weaknesses.

That’s why Paul says: “Be strong in the Lord… put on the armor… stand firm.”

This text is relevant because you are already in a battle, whether you’ve realized it or not. The question isn’t “Am I in a spiritual fight?” The question is “How do I stand strong in this fight that i’m already in?”

There is a war waging on for your soul.

Luke 22:31–32 ““Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.””

Peter — one of Jesus’ closest friends, one of the most passionate disciples — had a faith that was fragile. Just like yours. Just like mine.

Satan wanted to sift him. To shake him violently. To tear at his faith until it fell apart.

Satan wanted to destroy Peter’s trust in Jesus.

And listen: he wants the same thing for you. Satan wants to sift you like wheat. He wants to destroy you.

But here’s the good news: Jesus prayed for Peter. And Jesus prays for his followers today — that we will endure, that our faith will not fail, that we will stand strong.

But you will not stand strong accidentally. No one drifts into spiritual strength. No one stumbles into spiritual victory.

If you are not aware of the battle, you will not fight the battle. And if you do not fight the battle, you will not stand in the battle.

So how do we stand strong? - Paul gives us the answer in this passage...

1) God is stronger than you, so find your strength in him. (10)

We see this clearly in v.10 of our passage: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

Notice what he doesn’t say.

he doesn’t say,

be strong in yourself

be strong in your self-confidence

be strong in the way you feel

he says, be strong IN THE LORD

you are strongest, not on your own, but when you are in the Lord.

This whole book of Ephesians has been describing what a life “in the Lord” looks like.

Being in the Lord, means you have union with Christ.

Apart from Christ, you can accomplish nothing at all.

Apart from Christ, you are dead in your sins,

but because of God’s love shown through Jesus’s work on the cross, all those who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins, are spiritually placed in Christ.

It means that God doesn’t see you and your sins.

you are covered by the righteousness of Christ because you belong to him.

you are safe and secure in Him.

Everything you now are and all the spiritual blessings you have—forgiveness, adoption, acceptance, his love, his strenght— it is all located in Him—

By yourself, you are weak. you are easily tempted by the treasures and pleasures of the world.

So where does strength begin?

Not in self-effort, but dependence

the beginning of strength, is actually in recognizing your own weakness.

because it is in our weakness that the power of God is displayed.

The command there to be strong in the Lord is a passive verb. It literally means be strengthened.

Don’t look in the wrong place for strength.

The source of power is not you; it is the strength of his might.

The temptations you face are strong; the devil who tempts us is strong, but the power of God is stronger

It is his power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and that raises us who follow him from the death of sin.

These evil forces were defeated at the cross and are now under Christ’s feet.

So the invisible world, thought it may attack us, is ruled and reigned over by Christ.

So take courage and look for strength in the Lord who is already victorious.

Who you are and the resources that are available to you are all found in Christ.

Are you desperate for the resources he provides?

Are you desperate to be filled by his Word each morning, because it is what nourishes and strengthens you for a new day?

Do you thirst for God like he is water to your parched soul?

Strength for each day is found in the Lord and the strength of his might.

The strength to fight your battles is found in Christ, who won the greatest battle, defeating the grave.

So in each moment that you face

plug into Christ who is your strength

when you face temptation, when you feel lonely, when life is confusing, when school pressure crushes you—plug into Christ. Ask God for help. open his Word. Pray. Depend on Him.

If the Christian life depended on your strength, you would fall every time.

But since it depends on his strength you can stand.

If everything depended solely on us, we would fail. we are weak and we are sinners,

But strength to defeat temptation, and to live according to the new life you’ve been given in Christ is available to you.

Does this meaning, there is nothing for us to do? Does finding strength in Christ, mean God does all the work and we should just let go and let God?

No, that’s why in the very next verses he says “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

We need to look in the right place for strength and that is putting on the armor that God has provided, which brings us to our second point.

2) There is a battle going on, so put on the full armor of God (11-17)

So, Paul has just instructed us to Put on the whole armor of God, for the purpose of standing against the schemes of the devil.

but look how he continues in v. 12

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Paul want us to know that the enemy is real and strategic. Your enemy is not:

your parents

your teachers

your coach

your classmates

your siblings

a different political group

or people on the internet

your true enemy is spiritual

that language of the rulers and authorities and cosmic powers

it is describing organized, personal, intelligent demonic forces.

Satan is not some cartoon with a pitchfork.

he is a strategist

a schemer

an evil planner

Satan sends trouble are way, flaming arrows in the shape of lies, temptations, doubts, distractions, all of which are designed to weaken your faith.

That is why Paul says in verse 13;

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Notice that you’re not called to win the victory, for that has already been secured by christ.

You are urged to stand firm against the onslaught of the devil.

the devil is scheming

And so we are called to stand firm

how?

by putting on the full armor of God.

Imagine a soldier who enters a battle unarmed? What good will he be?

And most of us don’t even realize there is a battle waging war around us.

Paul is saying, wake up!

Prepare yourself so that you can stand firm against the enemy and remain faithful to your Savior.

you can’t stand firm without the armor

you can’t fight unprotected

and thus, you cannot life the Christian life casually.

Paul, now lists out the armor in v.14-17

The Belt of truth

Fastening on the belt of truth, is a symbol of the Christian filling himself with the truth of God’s Word. Our minds must be filled with truth if we are to do battle.

It was the truth of God’s Word that Jesus used in the desert when he was tempted by the devil.

It is the truth of God’s Word that will stabilize you when lies are all around.

Truth must not be just in our minds though

it needs to get through to our hearts, to our inmost being.

We can’t just master the truth in our minds, the truth needs to master us.

We need truth to battle Satan and the lies we all face

without truth, we will all be tossed to and fro by all kinds of ideas.

Many people today are ruled by their feelings and not truth.

Satan has no weapons against the truth.

So ground yourself in the truth of God’s Word

commit yourself to knowing the truth. Know it, love it, abide in Christ who is Truth and you will not be deceived by the evil one.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate covered the chest and abdomen to protect it against assaults and arrows.

righteousness is right living.

So we are to put on the qualities associated with our new life in Christ, the same ones reflected in the life of Jesus.

We put on the breastplate of righteousness so you do not give an inch to Satan

Don’t give in to impurity, lust, greed, or injustice.

Put on the righteousness of Christ,

when we fail to live in holiness, we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy.

So don’t enter the battle without this armor.

Gospel Shoes

Next as shoes for the feet, we put on the gospel of peace

the best way to stand against the devil is to have the clearest possible understanding of the gospel

The Gospel is the good news that we can have peace with God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

your identity, comfort, and stability all depend on knowing and experiencing the Gospel.

The gospel gives you stability, grounding, readiness.

you can stand firm because you stand in peace with God.

imagine trying to run on ice in socks—you would likely fall constantly

many students fall spiritually because they have no stability

no grounding

no gospel foundation

The gospel gives you grip and readiness for battle.

so do everything you can to know and love the Gospel

read God’s Word, cherish it, pay attention to the preaching of God’s Word, read good books about the Gospel.

Shield of Faith

The Roman shield was huge, 4ft tall, 2.5 feet wide— a wall of protection

Paul says faith is what quenches the flaming arrows of the enemy.

Confidence and trust in the Lord are what protect you from anything that the devil throws your way

, fear, shame, anxiety, temptation, discouragement, all of it is extinguished through faith in the promises of God.

hold up the shield of faith in Christ. Trust in the Lord at all times and He will protect you.

The Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protects ones head.

The enemy wants to attack your mind. he wants you to doubt God’s love and your salvation.

God’s people are to put on as a helmet, the hope they have in Christ.

Your feelings are not the final authority

Set your mind on the hope of Christ, so you can endure the trials of this life.

Your salvation is secure in God, if you are trusting in Him.

So don’t believe the lies of the enemy. Put your helmet on and do not let the evil one get to your head.

Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God

the final weapon is an offensive weapon.

The believer must take up the sword and engage the enemy.

this sword was a short sword used in personal combat.

And Paul explains that the sword is the Word of God.

Do not enter battle without a sword.

Daily we must read God’s Word. Trust it. Memorize it. Pray it. Proclaim it.

You fight by having confidence in the Word of God.

My brother in law was looking to spend all his money on this old sword.

It was really cool, but even as you look at it and feel its power you kind of think it is useless for modern warfare.

no one would recommend it for troops today.

How similar is this to the Bible. Many people admire the bible and maybe even put it on display in their house. But never use it. They think it is like an ancient sword, useless for modern warfare. Don’t be deceived. You can trust God’s Word. It is powerful. The enemy is defeated by the Word of God. You need God’s Word.

3) You can’t stand alone, so pray faithfully and encourage one another (18-24)

After describing the armor, Paul shows us the only way it works:

Prayer.

Prayer is not the seventh piece of armor — It is the power that activates all the armor.

Verse 18 says:

Pray at all times

Pray in the Spirit

Pray with perseverance

Pray for all the saints

Students — prayer is the oxygen of your spiritual life.

If you don’t pray, you will suffocate spiritually.

If you don’t pray, the armor will feel heavy. If you don’t pray, you will rely on yourself. If you don’t pray, you will fall in battle.

A Christian who doesn’t pray is like a soldier who refuses to breathe.

Praying is more important than anything else you are doing.

Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress said, “you can do more than pray after you’rve prayed, but you can’t do more than pray until you’ve prayed.”

if we truly believe that man is man and God is truly God, the we must be persistent in prayer.

And then Paul says something beautiful:

Paul asks for prayer. The greatest missionary in history says: “I need help. Pray for me.”

Students — if Paul needed community, so do you.

Tychicus and the Gift of Encouragement (vv. 21–22)

Paul sends Tychicus “to encourage your hearts.”

One of God’s main strategies in spiritual warfare is the local church.

You are not meant to stand alone.

You need people who:

pray for you

encourage you

keep you accountable

remind you of truth

stand beside you

Christianity is a team sport. Spiritual warfare is fought together.

Paul’s Final Blessing (vv. 23–24)

The letter ends with three gifts:

Peace

Love with faith

Grace

Students—everything you need to stand strong comes from God.

Peace when you’re anxious. Love when you’re lonely. Grace when you fail. Strength when you’re weak.

This is how you stand.

Conclusion: How Students Can Stand Strong This Week

If you want to stand strong in the spiritual battle:

1. Plug into God’s strength daily.

Even 10 minutes with God can change the course of your day—because it’s not just 10 minutes. If you meditate on it, and pray it, you are spending time with the Lord all day long.

2. Put on the armor — identify your weak spot.

Which piece do you lack right now?

Truth?

Righteousness?

Faith?

Assurance?

Scripture?

Put it on.

3. Pray like your life depends on it — because it does.

Talk to God throughout the day.

4. Don’t fight alone.

Talk to a leader. Talk to a friend. Be honest. Ask for prayer.

Spiritual warfare is real. But Jesus is greater. Satan wants to sift you like wheat. But Jesus has prayed for you. And He gives you everything you need to stand strong.