ephesiasn 6:10-24

Ephesians 6:10–24 ESV

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. 21 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. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Last instructions are important especially if you are headed into danger especially if they come from from somebody who knows what they're talkin about so we should take it really seriously when Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians talking about spiritual warefare these are his last instructions and that and it must be really important for him to bring this up. Now Ephesian culture has looked at earlier was really spiritualistic we talked about this in our first session they asked if pulled over 50 different gods in their city and they were they were big into the accult. They thought alot about the spirit world all the time anyway most of us by contrast don't really think of it that much at all maybe you don't really even believe in demonic powers but at least consider this as we begin our study today. Paul believee in demonic powers and Jesus he believes in them too. he told us that we have an enemy who walks around day and night looking to, kill, to steal, and to destroy. What he is after is your destruction. So what Paul says to them about the Spiritual armor is as relevant to us as it was to them. He basically two commands about spiritual warfare that the first is in chapter 6 verse 10

Last instructions are important especially if you are headed into danger. especially if they come from from somebody who knows what they're talking about so we should take it really seriously when Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians talking about spiritual warfare these are his last instructions, and that and it must be really important for him to bring this up.

Ephesian culture as we looked at earlier was really spiritualistic we talked about this in our first session they had temples over 50 different gods in their city and they were they were big into the occult. They thought a lot about the spirit world all the time anyway most of us by contrast don't really think of it that much at all maybe you don't really even believe in demonic powers but at least consider this as we begin our study today. Paul believe in demonic powers and Jesus he believes in them too. he told us that we have an enemy who walks around day and night looking to, kill, to steal, and to destroy. What he is after is your destruction.

Ephesians 6:10

So what Paul says to them about the Spiritual armor is as relevant to us as it was to them. He gives them basically two commands about spiritual warfare that the first is in chapter 6 verse 10

1. Be strong in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10 ESV

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

ultimately this fight has nothing to do with our ability to overcome the powers of sin and Darkness it's about the Lord's power in us andI how strong you are is irrelevant in fact your strength can become a liability in spiritual warfare because those places where you feel strong are the places you're most likely to forget your need to depend on God. In fact if I you feel weak and unqualified to engage in the spiritual realm that's actually a good thing because you're more likely that you lean on God's power that then somebody who feels strong. Listen, if dependence is the objective, then weakness becomes an advantage beware of your strengths not your weaknesses because you're strengths are those places that you are most likely to forget God. So thats his first command Be strong in the Lord.

ultimately this fight has nothing to do with our ability to overcome the powers of sin and Darkness it's about the Lord's power in us andI how strong you are is irrelevant in fact your strength can become a liability in spiritual warfare because those places where you feel strong are the places you're most likely to need to depend on God. In fact if I you feel weak and unqualified to engage in the spiritual realm that's actually a good thing because you're more likely that you lean on God's power that then somebody who feels strong. Listen, if dependence is the objective, then weakness becomes an advantage beware of your strengths not your weaknesses because you're strengths are those places that you are most likely to forget God. So thats his first command Be strong in the Lord.

2.Put on the whole armor of God

Ephesians 6:11 ESV

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

Its really important to understand that paul is not introducing new content right here like something he wants to say that he's just forgotten about. he's like oh yeah these random pieces of Spiritual armor are important too so dont forget them each of the seven pieces of armor is simply a way of applying the gospel that Paul has been talking about our six chapters in this letter. putting on these pieces is how you accomplish his command in verse 10 to become strong in the Lord you see Paul's gospel message begins with seeing yourself as weak and trusting in God’s power and Grace given to you as a gift. you first become a Christian when you realize I'm not righteous enough to save myself but I'm going to have to depend on Jesus’s Grace to save me. Well in the same way you gain spiritual power when you realized I don't have the ability to overcome Satan in this area of my life. I'm going to have to trust in God's grace and in his power to overcome him through me. So without us a backdrop lets look at each piece of the armor now and see them as applications of the Gospel to vulnerable parts of our Lives.

Ephesians 6:13 ESV

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.

first take up the belt of Truth. In other words surround yourself with truth. How do you determine what is true and right in your life? For some people they rely on this internal Compass they think they have: what feels right others they just follow the whims of popular opinion. whatever their friends, or professors, or the majority of people, or their favorite stars in Hollywood think. Paul says the only way for you to escape the deception of the enemy is to let is to let the word of God establish what is truth in every area of your life, you know Satan's first attack on the human race was to say is God really said (genesis 3:1). For centuries he has just repeated the same lie. Are you devoted to the word of God? do you know it? Satan’s goal is to get you to do one of two things with God's word. Number 1 more doubt it or number 2 neglect it which for him it works just as well. For most of us the problem isn't it is not that we doubt God’s Word Its that we just don’t give it the priority in our Lives, that we know it deserves. if we believe this is God's book. They why are we not devouring every single morsel of it.

the second piece of armor, the breastplate of righteousness. Now a breastplate covers your your vital organs. Paul’s is telling us to saturate every part of our lives with obedience to God so that there is literally nowhere that Satan can penetrate. You see Satan will use whatever part of you is not surrendered to God. He will use that as his focal point of attack is whatever area of your life that is not covered with obedience to God's truth. Maybe that is a bad habit that you have that you know is sinful but you just don't take it seriously enough to actually deal with it and to break it. Or maybe it's a Temptation you feel like you just can't say no to. Or just some area of your life is not under god’s control. It may be your dating life or how you spend your money or for what you watch on TV or or what career path you're choosing or have chosen. whatever area of your life is not brought under obedience to God's word that's going to be his focal point of attacking your life so it let me just ask you to consider what do you think that area would be for you?

Third piece of Armor shoes for your feet Paul says have you put on the Readiness given by the gospel of peace that. your feet are kind of like an offensive weapon they carry you into battle Paul says the way that we overcome Satan in the world is by offensive engagement with the gospel in people's lives. A couple of things to consider. First, he calls the gospel “the Gospel of Peace” hes talking about extending forgiveness where there's been wrongdoing and that starts by actively forgiving those people who have wronged you. perhaps the most powerful way that we have to stop the progress of satan in the world is to extend the Forgiveness to others that we have experienced in the gospel.

listen nothing makes you more like Satan then to take upon yourself responsibility to get everybody who hurt you. And there's nothing that manifest Jesus’ is presence in your life and drives away Satan like like offering forgiveness and peace the way that he did. So we need to be ready to quickly and freely offer forgiveness. We can stop the progress of Satan in our lives and the lives of others if we do that. The other implication of gospel of peace he says “Readiness of the Gospel” means that we are going overcome Satan simply by sharing the gospel, with all Peoples, an in all places at all times. People can't believe in the gospel is never heard about

Martin Luther said it this way, “ it wouldn't matter if Jesus died a thousand times and nobody ever heard about it” it is aggressively sharing the gospel of peace that overcome say satan h

heres are 4th piece of armor above all taking the shield of Faith by which we can sing with the fiery darts of the wicked one Satan’s fiery darts are are the lies that he throws out to us about God's love and power in our lives. Satan tells us he says things like you know this situation that you're in is totally out of control. God has forgotten you either really care. Or maybe he doesn't even exist at all. You can't fight those lies with logic you can only hide from them. that's what you do with the shield right if you hide behind it that's what Paul is telling us to do this Shield is called The Shield of faith is Faith in what God has showed us about himself and what he's doing in our lives in the gospel. What does the gospel show you about God? well the cross shows us that the death of God's love for us how far he was willing to go to save us the resurrection shows us how much power is available for God to accomplish his plans and purposes in our lives so what I'm holding the shield of faith I know that whatever else is happening in my life is not because God doesn't care about me or or not because he's not in control so I hide behind that Shield of faith in the gospel and I use that to extinguish fiery line darts that Satan throws at me. Again don't argue with the lies of Satan don’t reason with him just run back into what the gospel tells you is true about God and cling to that and hide behind it. I can assure you that when you do that satan will shut up because not even he can argue with the word of God

Heres our 5th piece. take up paul says the helmet of salvation. Now your head is were you think. Paul is telling us to let the truth about our salvation of God's grace just saturate are mind permeate everything that we lose we think about ourselves every morning there's two things I have to tell myself to saturate my mind in the truth of the Gospel before I start each day.

One of the things is I say because I'm in Christ there's nothing I could do to make God love me anymore and there's nothing I have done that would make make you love me any less.

second thing is you God are all I need for Everlasting joy and other words its total unconditional and it is enough that's how I try to put on the helmet of salvation everyday.

and I would encourage you to do something similar.

and I would encourage you to do something similar.

Here is your 6th piece of armor sword of the spirit Paul says which which is the just so Master this book which gives us the ability to counteract Satan's lies the only way you can fight the lies is to know the truth it is the word of God that gives us the ability to escape corrupting destroying lies of the enemy that are all around us only by getting his work deep in our hearts so that think it and read it and bleed it. Its only then we will be able to escape the destroying lying power of the enemy finally

Paul says praying at all times in the spirit just remember in

Ephesians 3:17 ESV

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

means being aware of the height and the width and breadth of the death of God's love that's the evidence of being in the spirit praying in the spirit means above all trade with confidence in God's love and his presence in your life and it's good plan that he's working through you it also means listening and being sensitive as you pray to special burdens and movings and callings to the spirit of God is putting specifically on your heart. You don’t really pray to God as much as you pray with God the spirit of God pray the spirit is how you release the dynamic power of God into the world do the Book of James tells us that we have not because we ask not the cross shows is how much compassion for the world the resurrection shows us how much power is willing to use to save it there's so much love and power available do you there is so much love and power available if we just ask. Do you realize how much power and compassion God is is ready to pour out around you through you but we just often we have to so listen ask ask ask believe in God's compassion to power and ask for great outpourings of his power because that's the way we overcome the enemy in the World and lives of the people that we love. So you don’t fix prayerlessness by just ramoubg up your self-discipline beating yourself up and pray more you fix prayerlessness by really believing the Gospel. When you believe in your powerlessness and God’s willingness to help you prayer will come as natural to you as breathing.

we have not because we ask not the cross shows is how much compassion for the world the resurrection shows us how much power is willing to use to save it there's so much love and power available do you there is so much love and power available if we just ask. Do you realize how much power and compassion God is is ready to pour out around you through you but we just often we have to so listen ask ask ask believe in God's compassion to power and ask for great outpourings of his power because that's the way we overcome the enemy in the World and lives of the people that we love. So you don’t fix prayerlessness by just wrapping up your self-discipline beating yourself up and pray more you fix prayerlessness by really believing the Gospel. When you believe in your powerlessness and God’s willingness to help you prayer will come as natural to you as breathing. So paul’s last words are to tell us, that yes, life is a war but we can and should be confident that we have a God was willing to fight for us if we feel weak enough thats a good think because that weakness will just make us lean more into God's power because dependence on God is our objective there for weakness becomes our advantage to

So Paul’s last words are to tell us, that yes, life is a war but we can and should be confident that we have a God was willing to fight for us if we feel weak enough thats a good think because that weakness will just make us lean more into God's power because dependence on God is our objective there for weakness becomes our advantage

the cross shows is how much compassion for the world the resurrection shows us how much power is willing to use to save it there's so much love and power available do you there is so much love and power available if we just ask. Do you realize how much power and compassion God is is ready to pour out around you through you but we just often we have to so listen ask ask ask believe in God's compassion to power and ask for great outpourings of his power because that's the way we overcome the enemy in the World and lives of the people that we love. So you don’t fix prayerlessness by just wrapping up your self-discipline beating yourself up and pray more you fix prayerlessness by really believing the Gospel. When you believe in your powerlessness and God’s willingness to help you prayer will come as natural to you as breathing. So paul’s last words are to tell us, that yes, life is a war but we can and should be confident that we have a God was willing to fight for us if we feel weak enough thats a good think because that weakness will just make us lean more into God's power because dependence on God is our objective there for weakness becomes our advantage to

the message of Ephesians from cover-to-cover from start to end is Be weak in yourself remember you were nothing but a condemned dead sinner but be strong in the Lord crazy levels of confidence in God's grace because remember this also when you were lost he chose you when you were guilty he forgave you when you were dead he raised you and if God Gave All That Grace you when you were his enemy. surely he won't give up on you now that you are his beloved child the one who chose you before the foundation of the world will see this thing through all the way to the end for his glory in the church in your life forever and ever.