Stand Firm

MP: As the Church, we are need to stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare.

Introduction:

Normally, when we come to the armor of God in scripture, It can get some of us excited. Finally, a fight, a battle, put on the armor and get ready to win. We can think of this armor as individual items in which we are to don, so we can charge Hell with a water pistol. We acknowledge the spiritual battle that we are in, and we are on the offensive, ready for war, charging ahead in the battle.

We can also do the opposite. We can come to this section and take the skeptical view of the war that is going on. We can say there is not a spiritual battle that is ensuing. There is nothing to worry about. We can be so disconnected from the spiritual war that we are apathetic to the prospect of the war.

There are points in which these two different views if pushed in either direction can be destructive to the Christian. In the first view, we can be going to war without back up. It would be as if you were on the front lines and a charge was not issued and you ran in the middle of the field of battle and there was no one behind you. You are a sitting duck, easy for the plucking.

In the second view, We are so apathetic to the war that is going on, we exit our house in our bathrobe, and walk into the field of battle to check the mail and you can imagine the rest.

However, what this text this morning is alluding to is not even a mix in between these two views, but a third. This armor has a purpose for the church. Not just a singular person, but the church as a whole. For us the spiritual battle that we are in is a defensive war not offensive. During the spiritual warfare that we are in, the purpose of the armour is for us to stand firm.

The main point that I want you to see this morning is this: As the Church, stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare.

How does the church stand firm? First we are to be strong. Second, put on the armor of God. Third, We pray.

Ephesians 6:10–20 (ESV)

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

Be Strong (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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.”

First, we need to be strong. There is a battle that is raging. If you notice in the text, the strength that we are to have is not of our own. Our strength comes from the Lord and his might.

This strength to perverse and stand firm is found in his love for us. This is the strength that Paul prayed for the church to have in Ephesians 3:18-19 “may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” So he tells them, I have prayed for you to have this strength, this strength doesn't come from you, it comes from the Lord, so be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might or power.

This is the same strength that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in heavenly places. It is an unimaginable strength. This same power that is seen in the creation. God spoke and the world came into being. God spoke and made plants, animals, and humanity. It is the same strength that takes dead men and raises them to life.

It is a power above our own. Paul is reminding these Christians as the war rages don't try to stand in your own strength. Stand in the strength of Christ. He is the one who has power over the spiritual. He is the one that has defeated sin and death. This is encouraging to us in the midst of the battle. We do not have a king that hides away and tells us good luck, but we have one that goes before us and gives us his power to stand firm against the spiritual war that we are in.

He gives us power, He also clothes us in his armor. The armor that we are to wear is not made by us or through us but it is armor that is given to us by God. It is his armor. Our God not only saved us and gives us strength, but he also provides for us protection in the war. Isnt that amazing? See the grace of Jesus, he has saved us, provided for us and now Jesus knows the battle that we are going into, he knows the dangers that we are going to face, and he dons us with armor. We dont have to makeshift our own armor but it is provided to us to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Paul finally introduces who we are at war against. We are at war against the devil. This is the same devil that Paul tells us to not give an opportunity to when we are angry earlier on in Ephesians. The devil is crafty, Peter describes him as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. In the the devils schemes, there are many playbooks on how to deceive and destroy. Jesus describes him in John 8:44 “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Paul describes the battle against the schemes as a struggle, or a wrestling match. He says that we do not struggle or wrestle with flesh and blood. That means we do not battle human enemy but we battle against rulers, authority, cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Paul isn't talking about political rulers or human kings. but spiritual rulers. these are the same ones that Christ has been seated above in Chapter one verse 20-21.

He doesn't go into detail concerning each aspect of those that we are wrestling against. but it is the same battle that has been happening since the fall. As the devil, crept into the garden and deceived eve from trusting in the words of God, he and his minions have been doing the same. Remember what the struggle that Jesus faced? When he was in the desert for 40 days. Satan tempted him in the wilderness with half truths and quick ways to have power. He is crafty, a deceiver, and wants nothing more than to disrupt the church from its mission. Paul doesn't say that we are to defeat the devil because of this armor but it is the purpose that we are to stand.

I want you to notice the defensive position of standing firm. It is as you are in a river, and the current is pushing against you. You brace yourself as the power of the water pushes against your knees. You are bearing the weight in which the water is rolling toward you, but you are not actively fighting to gain more ground you are standing firm. I think this text takes it one step farther. As the water funnels toward you, Christ stands in front blocking the current, with his strength and his might, while you are standing in his armor. Christ is protecting you fully, so that you can stand firm.

So we stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare through being strong in the Lord. Church understand this, do not underestimate the enemy. He is wrestling against us. if we try to fight him out of our own power we will be defeated. We must rely on Christ. When we are tempted, we need to be prepared to defend. We cannot defend properly if we are using our own power and strength. So this means for us, when we feel like we are falling into temptation, or sin, or the battle is roaring around us, look to Christ. See him in all his glory, see the champion. See the king of all kings.

Brothers and Sisters, We are in Christ. We are seated with him. Their is an aspect of the already but not yet that is seen in this passage. The War has been won, in Christ, but the battle is still going. It is the final battle in a already victorious war. All we have to do is stand firm against the onslaught of our enemy. So how do we do this? We Put on the Armor of God

So we stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare through being strong in the Lord.

Put On the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:13-17 “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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

As the church, we need to be the ones that are actively seeking a defensive stance against the evil one. Paul shows this even as he reminds us in verse 13 to take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm.

Paul’s understanding of the armor of God is that the church will be able to withstand or another word is persevere in the evil day. Having put on this armor the believer is equipped to stand. This armor that we are putting on can be said simply that we are to put on Christ, know who we are in Christ and live in a manner that reflects faithful discipleship in Christ. Furthermore, this is not only individual attire but is a corporate attire that we as the church should adorn. believers are to stand as one body clothed in God’s armor.

Paul goes on to describe the armor of God.

fasten the belt of truth

This literally means one of my favorite phrases in the bible. Gird up your loins of truthfulness. This girding of the loins means that they would grab the long clothing and pull them up for ease of mobility in battle. Gird up the loins of truthfulness by belting the loose clothes close to you in battle. Paul tells them they are to fasten the belt of truth this truth is a reference back to chapter Ephesians 1:13 and Ephesians 4:21

That means that truth of the gospel, truth concerning Jesus and who he is, truth of the redemption story of Christ’s work is part of our protection against the devil. It is the same truth that we speak to each other in 4:25. We need to be concerned as a local body what is truth. Truth is not subjective based upon the persons own desires but it is based upon God and his standard. That means that in our battle with the enemy, who likes to distort truth, we need to stand upon the objective truth of the word of God. God’s truth needs to be the means in which we fasten our selves up. God’s truth is the means in which the church should function, in the way we do things as a church and our desires and vision for the church. We also seek God’s truth in the way that we live. We speak to each other in truthfulness.

put on the breastplate of righteousness

Next we are to put on a breastplate. This would cover vital organs on the torso area in the front. Righteousness can be defined as a right standing before God through his own standard, himself. This standard is shown to us through his law. For us to be righteous, we must perfectly obey this law and when we do not obey we are unrighteous.

Jesus Christ is the only one to ever is and was truly righteous. He lived in perfect obedience to the commands of God. This is important to remember for our salvation. We are not able to be righteous on our own, since we disobey God. When Jesus went to the cross, put himself in our place, taking the punishment for the unrighteous. He took the punishment that you and I deserve be cause of our sin. Through faith in Christ, Our sin was imputed or put on him and the righteousness of Christ imputed or put upon us. We are given his righteousness, Now when we stand before God, he sees not our own unrighteousness but Christ’s righteousness covering us.

While this imputed righteousness is an important aspect to the Christian, this is not what Paul has in mind. Paul is talking about a righteousness that the believer cultivates. As Paul mentioned earlier all the put offs of unrighteous living, and all the put ons of righteous living. this is one last reminder that we are to put on these things. God views us as righteous because of Christ’s imputation of righteousness, However, because Jesus has saved us and loved us, we then live in obedience to his commands. This is important for the church, because if we are not all seeking righteousness, satan can use the sin that we are not repenting of to cause the church to loose her footing. Our individual unrepentant sin can be used in the schemes of the devil to effect the church.

We have to constantly be repenting of our sin and fleeing from temptation. This also means when we see others in sin, we address it. We talk to them and disciple each other through it. we look after our brother or sister, whose breastplate may be missing a piece and we help them mend it through the gospel. If we do not do this, the church’s breastplate of righteousness is broken and it can cause us to fall under the schemes of the devil.

as shoes on your feet put on readiness given by gospel peace

Paul is not saying that we should put on the gospel as one puts on shoes. What he is saying is that we should put on the readiness that is given by gospel peace. The Christian is to know the peace that is gained through Christs work on the Cross. The Christian understands the gospel and how it relates to life. They understand the peace that it brings to them. Remember, Because of our faith with God, Christ has given us peace with God. Before we were Children of wrath, now we are his children. God’s wrath was upon us. but now in Christ we experience peace since Jesus took upon himself the wrath that we deserved for our sins. It has provided us peace with God. Further, There is peace with one another. Jesus’s has broken down the wall of hostility and has made us one. It is a uniting peace that we have been given in Jesus.

As we put on the readiness that is given by gospel peace we need to ready to pursue peace with one another and with God. We quickly forgive, we quickly make things right, we quickly love.

take up the shield of faith

Christ brings peace, but the devil’s schemes brings flaming arrows. We are called now in our need to stand firm, to take up the shield of faith. This shield that is described man sized. It could be around 2 ft wide by 4 ft tall. It would be used by Romans to form a shield wall as they would advance. The front of the army would hold theirs directly in line with one another forming a barrier as they progressed, while those behind would place their shields above, protecting the head and those around them from arrows that were coming from above. Paul is reminding the church that they are stronger together in faith than apart. The Corporal aspect of the Armor of God is important. The church stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare better united together in faith. Paul is urging the Ephesians to stand fast and hold on to their shields.

We are saved through faith, Faith in Christ gives us boldness and access to God, Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, we have one faith, Paul prayed that one day we will all attain unity of the faith. Therefore our faith in Jesus brings us Justification before God, Salvation, adoption and redemption. As the Enemy, shoots fiery arrows of impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment at the church, our faith extinguishes the frontal attack.

We must cultivate this faith in the church and help each other grow in our faith.

take up the helmet of salvation

There is something different that happens in the Greek with these last two pieces of armor. Paul gives an imperative here for the word take up. What it means is that these last two items of the armor are something that are given to us.

Salvation is given to us. One writer says, “the verb offers the picture of Christ handing to his faithful soldiers their sure deliverance and soldiers receiving their helmets gladly.”

The Christian is to continue to hope in the salvation that has been given to them as they stand firm against the enemy.

Savlation has been given to us by Christ. It has been placed upon our heads. Therefore, we remember this salvation as we are standing firm. We should preach the gospel to ourselves, we are forgiven, We are loved, we are saved from our sins, and nothing can separate us from Christ Jesus.

the sword of the spirit which is the word of God

As the Church, continues to stand firm, we use the Word of God that is given to us through the Holy Spirit. The Word of God helps us persevere in the attack of the evil one. We go to our scriptures, which contain the full story of redemption, the contents of our hope, the extent of our salvation. We use the word of God that we are given to parry the evil ones attacks.

Before we move on to the final means in which we are able to stand firm. I hope it is clear to you the Corporal aspect of the Armor of God. As the devil schemes and plans to steal kill and destroy, we unite together in our armor so that we may persevere throughout the onslaught, until our armor is exchanged for robes of white.

This is important because there is no individual Christian. Our salvation is not just personal it is corporal. We are saved into a family, a body, a people. There is no protection alone. It is easier for the devils schemes to be victorious and we can lose our footing without others around us.

BStudents as you are preparing for the next leg of your journey, understand that you need to be apart of a gathering of believers. You need to regularly attend the weekly church gathering, small groups, Sunday school. Make it a priority to be apart of the gathering of believers near your school. It is not enough to come back to Macedonia during the holidays. The Christians faith is to be lived out in community with one another.

Church, is this your priority too? or is your attendance to the local gathering only dependent on if you dont have anywhere to be this weekend? Do you make it a priority to gather together with others? or are you often not gathered with the body?

Pray

Paul is not saying that we need to pray on these Armor rather he is saying that In our battle to stand firm against the spiritual onslaught, we must pray. Prayer is important for us to stand firm. Prayer attunes our heart to the Lord. As we are in the battle, we must pray.

Ephesians 6:18-20 “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, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication

Prayer is to be offered at all times in the spirit. Not just when things are good or bad. All Times. Every incident in life we must use prayer as our guide. It becomes a habit for the church. It becomes a habit for the believer. We pray at all times so that we may persevere. We pray not only for ourselves but pray for others. This is what it means to pray with supplication. We saw Paul do this for the church in two places earlier in Ephesians.

Our prayer is not limited but we are to keep alert with all perseverance, We do not fall asleep but we keep alert at the schemes of the devil. We are to be watchful of the temptations that we are facing and we pray for ourselves but also for others that we will not fall into the temptations. We pray for our pastors, leaders, each other in the church. We pray for sin that we are dealing with, and sin that others are dealing with. We pray for those who annoy us, we pray for those we love. We keep at it. We always pray.

We pray for gospel proclamation. Paul asks for prayer for himself, not that he would get out of the prison that he is in, but to used for the proclamation of the gospel. Likewise we pray for gospel proclamation. We pray for each other that we may declare the saving grace of Jesus Boldly. Pray for your students. We have started a whos your one campaign where we pick one person that we know and share the gospel with them. Pray that they would boldly declare the gospel. Pray that we as the church will do it boldly. Pray for our missionaries. Pray that our churches would not shelter away from the world but boldly declare the gospel to a dying world.

Prayer is important in standing firm.

As you pray dont forget that we are in a spiritual battle. Pray for each of us to stand firm in our armor. Pray for each of us to stand firm in the Lord’s Strength.

Church, Lets not exit our houses in our bathrobes. Neither should we let our brothers and sisters go out alone charging hell with a water pistol. But let us come together united in Christ and stand firm in the strength of the Lord, in the armor of God, in prayer, until we finally see our savior and we get to be with him. He will give us new clothes of fine linen. Revelation 19:6-8 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

It is written of the one that goes before us, Revelation 19:11-16 “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Christ is before us in the battle let us stand firm through the strength of the Lord, in our armor of God, and through prayer till we see him the one that is called faithful and true. the King of Kings and Lord of Lord, our Saviour forever.