Spiritual Warfare

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 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, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Whole Armor of God

The Devil and his forces

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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.

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.

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

18 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,

19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Introduction

If you have followed the news in the past few weeks you are aware that there was an attack on the US embassy in Iraq. This attack was significant. In response the US is deploying more troops, around 1000 to the region. Now this sermon is not going to be on the politics of the event, I do want to connect the warfare we have seen, heard of, or participated in these past 19 years, and what spiritual warfare looks like for Christians today.

For those of us who have served, my hope is my story will align with your experience. Id like to open the door to what it looks like to be a member of the armed forces, a soldier. First there is a commitment made. You swear in, you swear to defend the nation against all enemies both foreign and domestic. That commitment is then tested through the rigors of basic training. There you are placed in stressful situations every hour of every day for up to 13 weeks. you are given little sleep, enough food to remain energized, and a ton of personal attention and encouragement. Once you have demonstrated your commitment, you are sent to a advanced school to specialize in a specific career field. This school is not as stressful but ultimately tests your ability to think and perform specific functions in stressful situations. You are then sent to your unit, the command where you will get qualified to perform your job as part of a team, and given the tools and equipment necessary to accomplish your mission.

You have been thoroughly prepared for war, as best as years and years of experience and education can prepare anyone. You are prepared for the most grueling, physically and emotionally demanding time a human can experience, warfare.

Our Orders (v. 10-13)

v. 10 “Be strong”/ v. 11 “Put on the whole armor of God”/ “Stand against the schemes of the devil”/v. 13 “Take up the whole armor”

The Christians strength, that is, strength to do battle against the devil and his schemes, is only found through Christ. We are encouraged, even commanded to take up strength only found in Christ.

The armor is a complete set, not just the defensive equipment but the offensive equipment as well. A soldier is not prepared for battle with the means of defense and, of course, a strong offense.

Must be done in order to “withstand in the evil day”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Our Armor (v. 14-17)

Belt of Truth- “Now what truth does Paul have in mind here? Commentators vary in this. Some say it is the truth of theology or a true understanding of the things of God in the gospel that gives the ability to be agile in the field of attack, to be able to move quickly when Satan is throwing his darts. Others say it could refer to truth in the sense of living the truth. In other words, personal integrity. The person who is involved in spiritual warfare, but is weighted down with his own sinfulness, is like someone trying to run through a battlefield with a robe around his ankles”

Breastplate of Righteousness- “When believers are living in unconfessed sin, they are vulnerable to the assaults of Satan.”

Shoes of Readiness” “The breastplate in a Roman soldier’s armour was the heavy section that fitted over his torso. Its chief purpose was to protect the vital organs of the body from being pierced by an arrow or a sword or other weapons.”

Shield of Faith- In battle, torch arrows were fired into the enemy’s ranks to set the clothes of the soldiers on fire. They were also fired into the city where they could wreak havoc and panic among the inhabitants. The analogy here is that Satan doesn’t just throw darts that can wound and penetrate, but flaming darts that can burn and sear and scar us deeply. The way we overcome all of these things that assail us, as we seek to live out the Christian life, is by the shield of faith. What protects us from the enemy is our trust in the living God.

One of the most formidable weapons of Satan is the weapon of accusation. The only answer we have to these attacks of Satan against our integrity is that we are justified by faith. Our saving faith in Christ is the shield that protects us from the accusations of the enemy.

Helmet of Salvation- The helmet protected the head, where it was so easy to deliver a fatal blow. Although Satan cannot kill the soul, he can wound the mind. Those who are in a state of salvation have their minds covered by the salvation (past, present and future) that has been wrought for them in Christ.

Sword of the Spirit (the word of God)- Jesus himself, when he was beset by Satan, foiled him with the word of God. He used Scripture to disarm Satan who could not stand against the counter force of Scripture.

Our Attitude (v. 18)

Prayerful and alert- All of our warfare and all of our activity must take place in the context of constant, unceasing prayer. Just as a soldier on the battle line has to keep in constant communication with his general headquarters and his commanding officer, so the Christian who is on the battle line must be in constant communication with his Lord. He might be fully equipped with all of the armour, but if he is cut off from personal communication with his own commander, then he will be isolated and vulnerable.

Praying in the Spirit means that the Spirit helps us to communicate with the Father, interceding for us. When Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit it reminds us of what Jesus said to the woman at the well, that we are called to worship God in Spirit and in truth. Not in a perfunctory manner, not by reciting our favourite syllables or empty repetitions, but praying from the depths of our souls. To pray in concert with the Holy Spirit means that the communication is earnest in its origin and in its passion.

Prayer is not a meaningless exercise. We are to be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (verse 18). We are not just to be praying for ourselves, but for all of those who are part of the fellowship of the household of God.

Breastplate of Righteousness

Shoes of Rediness

Shield of Faith

Helmet of Salvation

Sword of the Spirit (the word of God)

Our Example (v. 19-20)

Then Paul makes a personal request in verse 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. If ever there was a request answered by the people of God, it was this call to prayer. Who has ever preached the gospel with greater perseverance and with greater boldness than the apostle Paul? Even while he was in chains in prison, Paul was preaching the gospel.

Verse 20 says, for which I am an ambassador in chains. What an image! When people go to Washington, the capital of the United States, and look at the ornate buildings that decorate what is called Embassy Row, and see the uniforms that the diplomats wear on the various formal occasions, they fall over themselves to make a visiting ambassador feel like a dignitary. We accord great respect to their office. The greatest ambassador in history, apart from Jesus himself, is Paul who now goes into the highest political centre in the world at that time, into Rome itself. And he comes into that city, not with formal dress or with the uniform of a visiting dignitary, but in chains. He asks his friends to pray for him that, even when he is in chains, he will deliver the message that the King has commissioned him to speak. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. There is a moral imperative to be bold with the proclamation of the gospel, rather than mealy-mouthed or apologetic.

Application (Christians cannot afford to be on the fence)

Today is the day to take up your armor. Whether you are aware of it or not, you, me and all of us in this room are engaged in a spiritual battle. This battle is raging all around us and we cannot help but see it. You see it don’t you? TV adds, Bilboards, Radio and TV commercials, all have demonstrations of this war. The devil uses these means to entice you to think about things you shouldn't think about, entice you to lust over that person or the idea of that activity, entice you to be angry about a thing, entice you to be covetous or envious about a thing. The devil will not make you feel those things, those response are part of our internal battle that we must be winning also, but he uses those things as a means to defeat you.

Exhortation (Engage!)

Start now, begin to become more familiar with the armor and its functions. Pray that the Lord would give you a renewed sense of the urgency of the battle raging around us. Rely on the righteousness of Christ to strengthen you for battle. Christian PUT ON YOUR ARMOR.

Fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, shoes on your feet, The shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, become men and women of prayer.

Related Media

Related Sermons