The Warfare of A Believer

Intro. Our Enemy

Scripture is quick to point out that we do have an enemy.

Eph. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Our enemy is not with the unbeliever, even though occasionally we meet people who are so full of evil and rebellion against God that they declare themselves the enemy against Christians.

Our enemy is not secular media or world systems that work relentlessly trying to undermine God’s truth.

Our enemy is no mere man, but our enemy is Satan.

Our battle is against principalities, authorities, the world rulers of the darkness of this present age, the prince of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We have an enemy who in Rev 12 accuses the saints night and day, an enemy who is the tempter in Mt. 4, who is a murderer and liar in Jn. 8, a deceiving serpent in Gen 3 and Rev. 12, he disguises himself as an angel of light in 2 Cor. 11, and is called the god of this age in 2 Cor. 4.

He is cunning and crafty, he is seductive, he is pernicious and destructive.

He seeks to blind the minds of men to the truth of God’s word

He has a strategy to deceive us, distract us, and accuse us.

There is a real enemy who seeks to claim our eternal souls and we should not be ignorant concerning his devices.

You find in our text 3 commands in the warfare of a believer against the enemy.

1. Be Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might

Our strength is derived from God, not ourselves.

At the beginning of Eph. Paul prayed for believers to know God’s power for us to believe.

Eph. 1:19-20- “19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,”

We that are Spirit filled believers have that same resurrection power that rose Jesus from the dead, and that power prepares us for the spiritual battle that we face everyday.

A. Inner Man

Eph. 3:16 “ to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”

Ro. 7:22- For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”

2 Cor. 4:16- For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

2 Cor 5:17- Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Our inner man needs daily renewal. We can only be strong in the Lord if we are renewed by the Holy Ghost day in and day out.

Our strength comes from a daily walk with God, prayer, fasting, giving ourselves to the studying of the Word.

The opposite of our inner, spiritual, man is the outward, fleshly, man.

2 Cor. 4:16 says that our flesh is subject to death and decay, in distinction with the spirit.

1 Pet. 3:3 explains that our flesh is the image of worldly though and pride.

So the first command in the warfare of a believer is not to fight with your own strength or your own power, because we cannot win on the basis of our own might, or power.

But it is to,”Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might,” because our strength only comes by being renewed day by day by the Holy Ghost.

2. Put On the Whole Armour of God

We are responsible for “putting on” the armour of God.

This phrase “put on” conveys the idea of permanence.

This is not a temporary armour of the flesh that we out on and take back off, but a permanent armour of God that is sustained throughout life.

V. 13 again says “take” unto you the “whole armour of God.”

This armour is a complete outfit of protection from head to toe.

A. Belt of Truth

This belt was not used for an ornament, but it was used for strength and security, and so is truth.

The belt indicates that a soldier is ready for action.

This belt served and essential purpose. It held everything together.

It gathered in the short tunic, it held the breastplate in place, from it hung a scabbard the holstered the sword.

The belt was an essential piece of equipment.

In Is. 11:5 speaking of our God,“5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”

Eph. 1:13 speaks of the truth of the Gospel.

Ps 51 speaks of truth in the inner man.

Eph. 4:21- the truth is in Jesus.

Eph. 5:9 “ (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)”

Truth holds everything together.

The opposite of truth is deceit.

Without truth everything falls apart

Without the “belt of truth” we are exposed and vulnerable to the lies and tricks of the devil.

The truth of God’s word is what links the rest of the armour together.

B. Breastplate of Righteousness

Righteousness is joined with truth.

The breastplate was made of metal plates, or chains. It consisted of two parts; one that covered the whole region of the thorax, and the other covered the back from the neck to the waist.

The breastplate guarded the vital organs of the body, so the breastplate of righteousness guards our heart and soul.

It renders our hearts inaccessible to the hostile influences of the enemy.

In Isaiah 59 God Himself put on righteousness as a breastplate.

It is God’s righteousness that guards us, not our own.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren, but he cannot accuse the believer who is living a Godly life, in the of the Spirit.

C. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Roman soldiers wore boots with nails in them to grip the ground in combat.

These boots were often brazen and they covered all the up to the shin.

A type of solen was often used which covered the sole and laced the instep, preventing the foot from being wounded by thorns or rugged ways, and giving firmness and security to the foothold.

With their feet shod, these soldiers could take their stand safely, or they could move with alertness over all sorts of ground.

In a world that is troubled and at war, as Christians, we are ambassadors of peace.

The gospel brings peace and we as Spirit filled believers have a mission to declare the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. To declare a message of hope and peace to a lost and dying world.

We are traveling through hostile territory, our feet must be covered so they won’t be wounded, our feet must be steady so that we do not fall into traps and snares, our feet must be steadfast so that we do not mis step.

Progress in truth is made by being firmly established in its principles, and truth is advanced by the one who is sure of the ground that he walks on.

Is. 52:7 “7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; That bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; That saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

We preserve the truth by spreading it, and the best defence against the enemy of truth is to speak to them about the “gospel of peace.”

D. Shield of Faith

Above all taking the shield of faith.

This shield was not small. It was large and oblong like a door. It was about 4 ft. long by 2 1/2 ft. broad.

Joined together in battle, these shields formed a wall that hid the soldiers and protected them from the enemies arrows and missles.

These shields were made of wood and covered with thick leather that deadened the shock of the enemy's missles and protected the frame from the fiery tipped darts of ancient artillery.

Faith is the shield that protects us from the fiery attacks of the enemy.

1 Jn 5:4 “4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Our faith and trust in God shields us from the fires of lust, pride, hatred, malice, lies, blasphemous thoughts, and a fiery desire for sin.

We must have the shield of faith to extinguish these attacks, to protects us from wounds, and to keep them from spreading.

E. Helmet of Salvation

Eph. 6:16 says,”Take,” the “helmet of salvation.”

That means that it is something that we have recieved, something that was given to us.

The previous items of the armour were laid out for the soldier to pick up, but the helmet and the sword were handed to the soldiers by their armour bearer.

Salvation has been handed to us.

Our salvation is a “present deliverance from sin to be consummated in eternity by complete deliverance from every kind of evil.”

1 Thes. 5:8 the helmet is identified with the hope of salvation.

The devil wants us to doubt our hope of salvation. He wants to destroy our assurance of salvation with thoughts of doubt and discouragement.

The enemy will try to speak into our mind with the voices of the past. He will speak into our mind accusations and condemnation.

But we are bought by the blood of Jesus.

I’ve been filled with the Holy Ghost and now there is therefore no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God to salvation.

We find hope in the promise of His word.

The hope of salvation guards my mind against fear, despair, anxiety, and the temptation to give up and quit.

F. Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the spirit is the only offensive weapon mentioned in this passage.

This is not a sword that wounds the body, it is not a physical weapon, but this is a weapon that is given by the Spirit.

It is specified as the Word of God.

Eph. 5:26 washing of the water by the word.

Ro. 10:8 “ The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;”

Ro. 10:17 “17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Heb. 4:12 “12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

When we hear the word we are cut to the heart. The word convicts us of our sin and it provides us with an opportunity to change.

Paul tells Timothy the goal of Word preaching : Reprove, Rebuke, and Exhort.

The word corrects us, it washes us, it leads us and guides us, and the Word keeps us.

Peter used a physical sword to try to defend Jesus in the garden, but he learned on the day of Pentecost that the “sword of the spirit” did a better job.

The more you use a physical sword, the duller it gets, nut the more you use God’s word, the sharper it becomes in your life.

A physical sword requires a soldiers hands, but the “sword of the spirit” has its own power because “alive” and “powerful.”

A physical sword wounds to hurt and to kill, but the “sword of the spirit,” when it cuts deep, wounds to heal and to give life.

While the “sword of the spirit” heals and gives life to the Spirit filled believer, it deals a fatal blow to the devil.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil 3 times, He used the word to combat the devil. He said,”It is written.”

Ps. 119:11 “11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”

The “sword of the spirit will mortify and kill the lust and the corruption in our lives.

This armour is what God Himself was armed with in Is 59:17 “17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation upon his head; And he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

The “whole armour” is a picture of Jesus Christ.

Jn. 14:6 Jesus is the way, the Truth, the life

2 Cor. 5:21 He is our Righteousness

Eph. 2:14 He is our peace

Gal. 2:20 “20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

His faithfulness in saving me is what makes my faith possible.

Lk. 12:20 He is our salvation

Jn 1:1,14 He is the Word that was made flesh.

We have put our faith and trust in Jesus, and we have recieved the armour, and now is the time to wake up, and to cast off sin, and to put on the armour of light!

Now is the time to be prepared for the battle because we know the time that we are living in, and the night is far spent, and the day is at hand!

When you wake up, prepare yourself, before you walk out onto the battlefield, clothe yourself.

Do not leave any part vulnerable against the attack of the enemy.

Pray a covering over yourself, pray a covering over your family!

Be fully armed so that you cannot be wounded and that the wound would not be infected, and the infection makes its way through the bloodstream to the heart!

Put on the whole armour of God!

3. Stand

Put on the whole armour of God, so you can Stand against the wiles of the devil.

What does it mean here, to “stand?”

It is a military command to hold a position, to maintain, to establish.

We arm ourselves for the battle so that we can stand still, stand firm, stand ready, and be steadfast against the wiles of the devil.

The opposite of standing is to fall.

If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

V. 13 tells us to take unto us the whole armour of God so we can “withstand” in the evil day.

Withstand here can mean to be “hostile toward,” “to resist,” or “to oppose.”

The “evil day” is immorality, undesirable conditions, potentially physically harmful, it is an evil generation.

The command to stand is the spiritual battle cry being armed to defend our liberties, maintain our rights, discomfort the enemy, and hold our ground against them.

We are commanded to Stand.

4. The Promise of Victory

We have a promise that we can stand on.

In Gen. 3, you find that even in the garden, there was an enemy that sought to destroy the souls of men.

There was a sly serpent spewing lies in the garden.

Man fell into the lies and traps of this lying serpent.

This is the same enemy who spits lies and deceit, and fear and anxiety today.

You see the temptation in the garden, you see the fall of man, but you see a promise that was spoken in Gen. 3:14-15 “14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

There was prophesied a struggle between Satan and the Church, but you see in the middle of a curse passage, a message of hope shines forth.

That there will be a savior that will crush the head of the serpent.

Paul said it in Ro. 16:20- The God of Peace will crush Satan under your feet.

Heb. 2:14- Through death he might destroy him who had the power of death.

Rev 12:9-11 “9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Rev. 20:10 “10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Closing

“See a Victory”

The weapon may be formed, but it won't prosper When the darkness falls, it won't prevail 'Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph My God will never failThe weapon may be formed, but it won't prosper When the darkness falls, it won't prevail 'Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph My God will never fail

There's power in the mighty name of Jesus Every war He wages He will win I'm not backing down from any giant 'Cause I know how this story ends Yes, I know how this story ends

I'm gonna see a victory I'm gonna see a victory For the battle belongs to You, Lord I'm gonna see a victory I'm gonna see a victory For the battle belongs to You, Lord