Ephesians 6:10

INTRO

I. Be Strong

-Passive Command

-There is some outside force that is acting upon the subject.

-The subject is all believers.

-Passive means “to be made strong” or “to be strengthened” by someone or something else that exists externally of yourself.

-These a passage in Eph that closly paralells this one.

Ephesians 3:16 ESV

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

-So a couple of things about this.

I. Believer you will never be able to empower yourself.

-You in your greatest strength could never withstand the attacks of the enemy.

-The Believer’s strength comes from that which is external.

-It is not you…It is the Lord Jesus

-He alone has the power to defeat the enemy.

-During his earthly ministry Jesus...

-encountered demons

-in each case he demonstrated his mighty power over them

-One case in particular..

-Man that lived out in the tombs

-tormented by demons

-self-mutilation

-he was so strong that even chains could not hold him.

-But when Jesus showed up...

Mark 5:6 ESV

6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.

Mark 5:7 ESV

7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

-They begged him not to torment them

-the demons asked if Christ would let them enter the pigs and CHrist gave them permittsion

-They entered the pigs 2000 of them and the pigs ran off a cliff and drowned in the sea.

-WHO IS THE ONE THAT MAKES THE DEMONS SHUTTER IN FEAR?

-WHO IS THE ONE THAT THE DEMONS FALL AT HIS FEET

-WHO IS THE ONE THAT THE DEMONS WILL ANSWER TO

-IT IS NOT YOU…

-IT IS AN ETERNAL AND EXTERNAL BEING.

-IT IS CHRIST AND CHRIST ALONE.

BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL....HE THAT IS ETERNAL AND EXTERNAL HAS BECOME INTERNAL

-YOU HAVE BEEN UNITED WITH CHRIST BY FAITH.

-THIS IS WHY IT TELLS US THAT HE WHO IS IN US IS GREATER THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.

1 John 4:4 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

THIS IS WHY THE TEXT SAYS BE STRONG IN THE LORD...

AND IN THE STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT

Ephesians 1:19 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might

DONT FORGET THAT THIS IS A COMMAND.

The command is to be strong is the Lord...

The Bible says a lot about strength.

-sometimes physical, sometimes spiritual strength.

-Strength and related terms are used over 360

-but This is the only place I could find in the Scriptures that used the phrase “strong in the Lord”

-So what does it mean?

-Well first let me just ask you....

-In what are you strong?

-Are you strong in the Lord?

-Some would say yes, but if you peel away the layers you might find that they are strong in religion and weak in the Lord

-legalism…weak in the Lord

-hypocracy....weak in the Lord

-arrogance and pride....weak in the Lord

-excuses…weak in the Lord

-SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE STRONG IN THE LORD?

-WHAT HAS PAUL BEEN TEACHING ABOUT?

-ARE YOU FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?

-THE TWO ARE INSEPREBLE .

-THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS CONTROLING YOU AND DRIVING YOU IS DIRECTLY PROPOTIONATE TO YOUR STREGTH IN THE LORD

To be strong in the Lord means

That you understand that the strength to face the evil one is not our own

-it is not human or fleshly strength…ITS SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH

-not of this world, it is of Christ.

To be strong in the Lord means

-that you are walking with Christ

-you have a vibrant and dynamic relationship with Him

-WORSHIP HIM, Love him, honor him, live for him, obey him, submit to him

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:8 ESV

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

MAYBE YOU RELIZE TODAY THAT THE FIRERY DARTS OF THE DEVIL ARE INCOMING…I KNOW OF NO OTHER PLACE TO POINT YOU OTHER THAN CHRIST JESUS.

-HE IS OUR ONLY HOPE…BUT HE IS THE ONLY REAL HOPE.

-THERE IS NO OTHER SOURCE OF STRENGTH TO OVERCOME ALL THE POWER OF SATAN…ALL THE WORLDS TRAILS....ALL THE WORLD TEMPTATIONS…IT IS CHRIST AND CHRIST ALONE.

THIS IS HOW YOU ARE STRONG IN THE LORD…BY KNOWING HIM…HAVE A SAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM…SUBMITTING TO HIM....WALKING WITH HIM…AND RESTING IN HIS POWER.

WHEN I WAS A KID I HAD TO POUR MY OWN DRINKS....SO MISTREATED..

-3LT COKES

-huge cap

-little hands.

take it to my dad....he’d open it

as long as my father could open it…i could drink

rested in His strength...