06PM May 14 Ephesians 6 10_17
May 14, 2006—Evening Worship
“The Glorious Grace of God” Series – Part 17
Be Prepared!
Tips for Basic Training in Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-17
Intro: I’m told that many years ago our church sponsored a Boy Scout Troop. As you probably know, the motto of the Boy Scouts is, “Be Prepared!” That also happens to be the title of the message tonight from Ephesians 6:10-17. & as we carefully pour over these verses, we are going to find tips for basic training in spiritual warfare.
Many of you have served in some branch of the Armed Forces. & you are very familiar w/basic training exercises. The whole purpose of basic training is to physically, mentally & emotionally toughen up those who have joined & to prepare them for battle. Basic training gives the enlisted men & women the skills, the wisdom & the weapons they need to be able to stand & fight the enemy effectively.
Ladies & gentlemen, I would submit to you tonight that what the world-wide Church needs are men & women who have been trained to fight; men & women who have been physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually toughened to face the enemy. What we need are those who are prepared! We need those who have seen the need; who have felt the urgency; who have trained & studied & focused on the great task at hand.
W/o preparation, any army would be defeated. W/o preparation, the Christian army is not able to stand in the face of the enemy. W/o preparation, the Church is weak in itself – not grasping the great strength it has in Jesus!
& so, tonight, we want to find the instructions, the admonitions, the tips for basic training in spiritual warfare b/c w/o it – we will be unable to land the powerful blows that lead to victory.
Let’s read Ephesians 6:10-17 & allow the Holy Spirit to help us “Be Prepared!” for whatever may come our way.
Ephesians 6 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to w/stand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist w/truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 & having shod your feet w/the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith w/which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 & take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
- Paul gives us very specific details on how to face the enemy & be victorious.
- Notice that he 1st says you are to…
1. Find your Strength in God. (vv. 10-13)
- We are never to rely on our own strength b/c in our own strength we have no power!
- But the Bible commands us to…
A. Trust His Power. (v. 10) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord & in the power of His might.
- For years I thought it meant that Paul was simply winding down his message. For years I thought it meant he was coming to a close—that this was just his way of saying “in conclusion.”
- But the word translated “finally” doesn’t mean that at all! That word literally means, “for the future, henceforth, for the rest.”
- IOW what Paul is saying here is that, “From this point on, for the future, for the rest of your lives, be strong in the Lord!”
- Don’t ever let the enemy rattle you; don’t ever let the enemy shake you; don’t ever let the enemy “get into your head;” don’t ever let the enemy confuse you!
- But you, brethren, be strong in the Lord; stand strong in His power!
- That word “strong” literally means “to be strong or to receive strength or to be strengthened.” IOW you must get your strength from the Lord. You must trust His power!
- You have no strength of your own; by yourself you are weak, frail, puny & no match for the power of the enemy!
- But you can receive your strength from God! Find your strength in Him! Trust His power!
- What a wonderful word of encouragement! But there’s more! Paul also says you are to…
B. Trust His Provision. (vv. 11-12) 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
- You must trust God’s provision b/c you face a formidable foe!
- Notice v. 11 says you stand against the wiles of the devil & v.12 names 4 other adversaries; principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, & spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places!
- These are all the forces of hell; all the demons who fight w/the devil; these are all the opposition against God & heaven.
- & ladies & gentlemen—each one of you fight against these forces regularly!
- When you fight against principalities you are fighting against the devil’s 1st line of defense.
- The word literally means, “the person or thing that commences, the 1st person or thing in a series.”
- This is the leading edge of the armies of hell that come against the believers to stir up problems & cause trouble!
- The powers against which we fight are the powers of government as it relates to judicial decisions. These are the judges, who are the devil’s pawns, who sit on the bench & apply misinterpretations of the constitution & hand out injustice instead of justice.
- The rulers of the darkness of this age are the demons that take their orders from the devil. Please notice that the Bible clearly says that their power is limited!
- They are only the rulers of the darkness or blindness of this age. They have no power in any other realm or at any other time!
- The spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places are beings that are of a higher order than man but inferior to God.
- IOW these are the multitudes of unseen demons that constantly fight against angels directly above our heads.
- The phrase “heavenly places” literally means “the heavenly regions” which is where the stars & clouds are found.
- & v. 11 tells us that we must put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles or schemes of the devil.
- Your adversaries in this spiritual warfare are not made of flesh & blood like you are.
- Your adversaries are spiritual in nature b/c this is spiritual warfare.
- Your adversaries may indeed cause a man or woman to attack you in this battle – but your fight is not w/that man or woman – your fight is against the forces of hell.
- & for that reason you must—it’s a command—you must put on the whole armor of God.
- You are to put on (literally sink into) the full, complete armor of His provision.
- When you find your strength in God you learn that you can trust His power & His provision & you can…
C. Trust His Plan. (v. 13) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to w/stand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand.
- In v. 13, “therefore” means “for this reason, b/c of this” you are to take up the whole armor of God.
- V. 11 told us to “put on” the armor & now v. 13 says “take up” the armor.
- What’s the difference? V. 11 is reflective – it means consider the armor God has provided. But v. 13 is active & means to actually take the armor & put it on w/o delay!
- God’s plan is that you be clothed in armor & safe from every spiritual attack.
- I want you to note the importance of standing. The Bible does not tell us here to be on the offensive – we are to be on the defensive. We are not to take ground at this point – we are to hold the ground we have.
- When the devil or his forces come against you—you are to stand; stand firm; stand tall; stand fearless; stand in victory!
- Nothing rattles the mind of your enemy more than the knowledge that you are standing unafraid of what he can do!
- It’s the spiritual equivalent of standing w/your feet firmly planted & saying, “Bring it on! I’m not afraid of you! My Father can handle you & I’m standing in His power! So bring it on!”
- But let me strongly warn you NEVER to do that w/o the armor! B/c you will fail! Only God’s armor can protect you & it’s His plan that you wear it daily!
- Find your strength in God & trust His power; His provision & His plan as you stand against whatever the enemy throws at you!
- So the 1st tip in basic training for spiritual warfare is to find your strength in God.
- 2ndly you are to…
2. Live the Standard of God. (v. 14)
- God’s standard is lived…
A. In the Purity of truth. (v. 14a) 14a Stand therefore, having girded your waist w/truth…
- You know that Paul was chained to a Roman soldier & used the analogy of his armor to describe the armor of God.
- The Roman soldier’s 1st piece of armor was his belt on/which he would hang the rest of his armor.
- & so, we must begin w/truth. The child of God, the soldier of God must stand in the truth. What truth? The truth of God’s word!
- God’s word is pure truth. There is absolutely no mixture of error in it! It’s not 99.44% pure—it’s totally pure!
[In a True / False question, a true statement can be made false by just changing one letter! If that letter is changed – the whole statement is no longer true but false!]
- God’s word is true; it is pure; it is w/o error; it is His instruction; it is our guide to life!
- Regardless of what anyone else may say—God always tells the truth!
- Stand in His truth—having equipped yourself w/the knowledge of His truth!
- & that implies you study it for yourself -- & it’s not just something you’ve heard repeated.
- You are to come to the conviction of the truth of the word of God & stand on it—come what may!
- God’s standard is lived in the purity of truth &…
B. For the Purpose of righteousness. (v. 14b) 14b Stand therefore…having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
- This piece of a Roman soldier’s armor would protect him from his neck to his waist.
- The breastplate was made of 6 or 7 overlapping pieces of metal.
- It was fastened together w/leather ties. The shoulders were covered w/curved strips of metal buckled w/leather so that the arms could move freely.
- This protected the soldier’s vital organs; his heart; his lungs, liver, kidneys & spleen.
- & when you have immersed yourself in righteousness, your heart is also protected against attack.
- The word translated “righteousness” means, in its broadest sense, to be in the state as you should be, IOW to be acceptable to God.”
- You have no righteousness of your own, if fact the Bible says that all our self directed attempts at righteousness are just filthy rags before God!
- So to be acceptable to God means to have His righteousness & that is only obtained through a personal, love relationship w/Jesus Christ.
- Jesus took your unrighteousness & gave you His righteousness. When God sees you He now sees the righteousness of Christ into which you have been immersed through faith in Him!
- As a result of having the righteousness of Christ, you are to let your light shine so that others may see Him in you & be drawn to Him!
- The purpose of righteousness is that you may become more & more like Jesus Christ the righteous!
- So in giving you these tips in basic training for spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul tells you to find your strength in God & to live the standard of God—& 3rdly he says you are to…
3. Use the Supply from God. (vv. 15-17)
- Notice, from the last 3 vv. of our text…
A. The supply of Peace. (v. 15) 15 & having shod your feet w/the preparation of the gospel of peace;
- You have a reason to be at peace tonight b/c you have peace w/God through the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
- No longer are you under the bondage to sin! No longer are you a slave of unrighteousness! But you have been set free & if the Son has set you free you are free indeed!
- The Roman soldier’s sandals were made of ¾” thick leather soles w/hobnail spikes to grip the ground & help him stand.
- & the gospel gives you sure-footed stability in the face of hell’s threats!
- & that gospel; that peace; you are to spread everywhere you go!
- You are to constantly be laying down the preparation of the gospel of peace that others may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior.
- You have peace w/God through Jesus & you can be an instrument in the salvation of others if you prepare the way for the gospel to reach their ears & enter their hearts.
- Not only does Paul mention the supply of peace but also…
B. The supply of Protection. (v. 16) 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith w/which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
- The shield that the Roman soldier carried was usually made of several layers of wood glued together & framed w/an iron rim & covered in leather.
- Early shields were small & circular, but later they were made larger & rectangular.
- The shields had a curve to them that would help deflect the blows of the enemy swords.
- They were also made in a way that caused the flaming arrows of the enemy to simply burn themselves out.
- IOW the shield extinguished the arrows.
- In the same way, your faith in Christ is a shield about you that will not allow the fiery darts of the devil to burn you.
- While you are not untouchable as a child of God, you are indestructible until His purpose has been fulfilled in you!
- Therefore, God’s supply of protection is exactly what you need—exactly when you need it!
- & that protection is appropriated by faith—So lift up your shield & quench the fiery attacks of the devil!
- & then finally notice, Paul calls your attention to…
C. The supply of Praise. (v. 17) 17 & take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
- I don’t know about you, but knowing that God has graced me w/salvation makes me want to praise the Lord!
- I don’t know about you, but knowing that God has given me His word on how to live makes me want to praise Him!
- As a child of God you have plenty for which you should praise the Lord!
- The helmet that Paul likens to salvation – was made of bronze outside w/iron on the inside & w/a leather skull-cap worn next to the head—all for the protection of the head, face & neck.
- Your salvation today protects your mind against the onslaught of thoughts & images placed there by the devil.
- Your salvation gives you peace of mind & clarity of thought & focus for the task of praising the Lord!
- The sword commonly was 2 feet long, often made w/a corrugated bone grip for a handle.
- It was two-edged, but Roman soldiers were taught to stab rather than cut.
- They were known for their deadly accurate thrust.
- Constant weapons drills made them experts at their trade.
- You also have the weapon of the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, & constant weapons drills will make you an expert in using it!
- This is your only offensive weapon! Its use is for the taking of spiritual ground!
- IOW the word of God is what changes the hearts & minds of unbelievers! You are to use it to accomplish change in them!
- But the sword of the Spirit will also accomplish change in you if you apply it to your daily walk w/God!
Conclusion: Dressed in the armor of God, you find your strength in Him, you find the ability to live the standard of God & you are able to use the supply which God gives. However, if you are not dressed in the armor, then you are vulnerable. You are open to blatant attacks from the devil & his forces. You are totally unprotected & unable to fend of the blows that threaten your victory!
W/the same urgency of Paul, let me encourage each one of us to daily put on the whole armor of God. Don’t leave one piece off! Don’t leave one area open to attack! But be clothed w/His armor & ready for whatever comes your way!
Invitation: W/heads bowed & eyes closed, let me encourage daily put on the whole armor of God. & let me also ask you; are you in the habit of praying through putting on each piece? If not, now is a good time to begin to do that. Every morning when you rise, pray through Ephesians 6:10-17 & ask God to help you through that day w/His armor & protection!
If you need to confess some area of unrepentant sin or you need to come to God through Jesus Christ to receive free pardon of sin, would you come? If God has shown your lack of preparedness, would you come & seek His forgiveness & receive His readiness?
In what ever way God may have spoken to you through His Spirit tonight, would you be obedient to Almighty God tonight & respond as He calls you?
Hymn 325 Whiter than Snow