Sit, Walk, and Stand - 6
Sit, Walk, and Stand #6
Ephesians
6/22/02 and 6/23/02
Review:
We have been doing a series on Ephesians. This is the 6th message. The outline we have used has been:
SIT
Ephesians 1
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
23 which is his body, the fulness of him who fills everything in every way.
He is seated.
Ephesians 2
4 ¶ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
We are seated in Him. Everything begins with our position in Christ. We are seated in Him.
WALK
Ephesians 4
1 ¶ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (NIV)
1 ¶ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (NASB)
Our lives should be different. We should let what is in us change us and come out of us so that we are like Jesus.
We may come back and pick up some more areas on how to walk right but we are moving on today to:
STAND
Ephesians 6
14 Stand firm then,
This is our stand against the enemy. It happens last. The first step is to submit to God and respond properly to Him with our lives.
So here we go.
Ephesians 6
10 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19 ¶ Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
1. IDENTIFY YOUR ENEMY
v.10-finally
Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might
-It isn’t you against the devil-it is God against the devil.
-Stop comparing your problems to yourself. Start comparing them to God.
-When David came against Goliath he made it clear that because of the covenant, Goliath was coming against God Himself.
-Hide behind the shelter of His wings.
-This says to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against
the devil’s schemes
-We have identified our enemy. The Bible says it is the devil.
-It is literally diabolos-slanderer.
1Pe 5:8 ¶ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Lu 12:39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
Joh 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
-God is a good God, the devil is a bad devil.
v. 11 tells us who our enemy is not:
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
-People are not our enemy. Flesh and blood is not our real problem.
-If you are in a war and you begin to attack the wrong person, you probably won’t win.
-Twila Paris has a song that makes me think of gay parades and those who are blatantly in your face with error. They are not the enemy.
-They are prisoners of war.
-People who are deceived are the object of Jesus’ help, not His wrath.
Luke 4
1 ¶ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone.'"
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: `Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
12 Jesus answered, "It says: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
-Notice that Jesus clarified who His enemy was.
-He used the sword of the Spirit-the Word against the devil and He reached out to the victims.
14 ¶ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
-There is a possibility that these four areas are categories of wicked forces.
Rulers
Authorities
The powers of this dark world
Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
EXAMPLE
Lester Sumrall in the Philipines.
Daniel 10
12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
-That sounds like the Peretti book.
2. ADOPT THE RIGHT POSTURE AND ATTITUDE ABOUT THE DEVIL
-Some people are afraid and some people treat it like He is everywhere and they go devil hunting.
-The Bible says BE ALERT-it doesn’t say BE AFRAID.
-You have to watch out for his schemes.
-We are told to STAND FIRM and to RESIST.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
-You can resist the devil after you submit to God.
Jesus said,
Lu 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
-The way to resist the devil and submit to God is to put on the ARMOR OF GOD.
WHAT IS THE ARMOR OF GOD?
-Paul wrote from a Roman prison and he probably looked up and saw the soldier in his armor. He used the armor as a picture to point to the spiritual reality of our armor.
1-THE BELT OF TRUTH
Ps 51:6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
-In Scripture “loins” are meant to signify strength.
-The Romans wore loose clothes so before a soldier would go to battle he would tighten his belt.
-That meant he was going on duty.
-You have to walk in truth. You have to come out of darkness.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all {Or every} sin.
1Jo 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.
1Jo 2:10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him {Or it} to make him stumble.
(NIV)
2. THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
-The breastplate of righteousness is the armor that protects your vital organs.
-It is submitting to God’s righteousness rather than trying to establish your own righteousness.
-After walking in the truth you have to submit to God’s ability and grace.
3. YOUR FEET SHOD WITH THE READINESS OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE
1Pe 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16 ¶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
-Don’t leave home without Him.
-Be ready. Be submitted to God.
4. THE SHEILD OF FAITH
-The enemies of Rome would dip their arrows in pitch and shoot them.
-The soldiers would get behind these shields.
-When the arrows are coming at you…you trust in God.
-The lies say…its over for you….you have no hope….your prayer won’t come to pass…PUT UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH.
-Trust God and be strong in His might.
5. THE HELMET OF SALVATION
-This guards your mind.
1Th 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
-We have to guard our minds with hope.
-Fear is the opposite of hope.
-The devil gets entrance into your lives by fear.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
6. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT-THE WORD OF GOD
-When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He spoke the Word to him.
-He said IT IS WRITTEN or THE BIBLE SAYS.
-The spiritual sword is the written Word SPOKEN.
-Speak the Word, the devil flees and angels hearken unto the voice of His Word. (Ps 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.KJV)
-Notice that all of these things have to do with adjustments and changes in your life.
-This is submitting to God.
-When that happens, the devil has to flee.
