Prepared to Prevail - Pt. 1
Prepared to Prevail – Pt. 1
PPHC – 1/7/07 A.M.
Text: Ephesians 6:10-13
[PPHC - “Prepared To Prevail” Series]
Illustration: “Are you ready for reality?” The test for a mental patient in the past to be released from a psychiatric hospital was...Take them to a room that water running into a sink that is plugged up. Give them a mop. Will they mop up the water continuously or will they cut off the spigot, and then clean up? Are you continually mopping up the circumstances while the root of the problem is still there? If you are, it’s time we took a look at reality!
I. The Nature of Your Armor
A. “Be Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might.” v. 10
1. Paul’s Address – To whom is he addressing this letter?
a. Paul is NOT addressing some “Super-Warriors” here. He is NOT calling out some great
select individuals that have manifested some great gifting at one time or another. He is
addressing the “corporate body” as the “army” of the Living God. As a general, he
gives his troops a “battle address”.
b. However, this was not for just a “particular battle” – this was to be a way of life; the
proper attitude of the believer…lest we take this scripture out of context.
· Illust. – In an interview with a reporter, an Iraqi counsel member: “If you Americans were to run into trouble, the majority would have to stop what they were doing, and go home to get their gun. The counsel member then opened his coat, revealing his sidearm. “The difference between us and you Americans is that for us, warfare is a ‘way of life’.”
2. “Be strong in the Lord…” The battle is the Lord’s...
a. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “…ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price…”
- Illustration - White Fang: Taking the Fight to Momma
· “You choose to fail when you choose to stand in your own strength!” (D.T.)
1. When you stand in the name & character of the Lord, you can stand in confidence.
b. Literal rendering - “Find your strength in the Lord” - David looked to God as his
Source of strength. (Ps. 35:1-3)
1. David’s ability to take such a great stand in the Lord grew out of his “relationship” with
God, as a lad on the hillside, watching over his father’s sheep.
· Facing Goliath – “I come to you in the name of the Lord.” – He was basing a “triumphant stand” totally upon his relationship with His God.
a. Relationships take TIME to develop. (The bear, lion, Goliath, Philistines, kingdom)
· Becoming a CHAMPION, doesn’t just happen!!!!
· Bob Beamon – Set the world record in the long jump (29’ 2 1/2”) at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City; yet, he didn’t get to that position overnight. He crawled, he stood/fell, he walked/fell, he ran, he jumped (short distances), and practiced (for years) until at last, he leaped his way into our history books.
3. Be strong in the Lord - We must realize we’re no match for the enemy.
a. Our duty = put on the armor of God (to sink down into ...as the hand in a glove)
1. Big corps. hold seminars annually to teach their sales forces how to dress so as to make
the right impression.
a. They claim you must “Dress For Success”; companies often give clothing allowances
so that their employees can dress the part to make the best impression possible.
B. In the Spiritual, You must Dress for Success
1. You must put on the armor of God - v. 11
2. “Put on” – aorist imperative middle voice – an action that the subject does to himself.
- Paul was writing to an area that had strong associations with magic. The Ephesians were familiar with the idea of the god, Vulcan, making armor for the mythological warriors.
- Vulcanization – A process which makes the material harder, much more durable and also more resistant to chemical attack. Wikipedia
a. “the whole armor” (panopli’a)– pas hoplon = “all the weapons”
b. The armor is all from God. We must put on Jesus every day
c. Paul says this in Rom. 13:11-14 (wake up and put on the “armor of light”)
- Halloween – TRANSFORMATION - Children like to dress up as someone famous, scary, powerful, or someone they have always dreamed of being and for a night they “feel” and “act” like that character.
- Thor - I made Thor’s hammer (Mjolner – “Myol-ner)
- Superman – the little tights and cape – I terrorized every pillow in the house!!
d. Paul instructs us to put on Jesus everyday of our lives...LIFE is not a child’s
masquerade party!
- God wants us to prevail in this life; yet, prevailing doesn’t just happen by coincidence. “You choose to fail when you choose to stand in HIS strength!” We must rely upon the Lord and not ourselves.