2009 Spiritual Warfare Series, Part 2

Ephesians 6:10-13

Strong Armor for Weak Sheep

Blessed:

If you own just one Bible you are abundantly blessed because 1/3 of the world doesn’t have access to even one Bible.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness,
you are more blessed than the million who won’t survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world today.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among
the top 8% of the worlds most wealthy.

If your parents are still living and still married, you are very rare even here in these United States

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

 

If you believe in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God you area part of a very small minority in the world and the most blessed.

 

That sort of puts things in perspective doesn’t it?

A) Easy to wake up in the morning and immediately get weighed down by all the little cares of this life.

 

B) Before you know it you are discouraged before you have even started your day.

 

C) That is why it is helpful for us to remember that we are in a Spiritual battle.

1) With an enemy who is always wanting to cloud our perspective and discourage our hearts

 

D) A enemy who wants us to get weighed down and distracted by the cares of this life

1) To hinder the work of the seed of God’s word from really taking root in the soil of our hearts

 

Last week started this series – Looking at the enemy who is our battle against

A) Origin: Fallen Angel who tried rise up in the place of God.

 

 

B) The Demons are the 1/3 of the Angels who followed him in his rebellion.

 

C) He is powerful – but not all powerful.

1) He is wise but not all knowing.

 

D) He is not omniscient – he cannot be every where at once.

1) He is not the opposite of God

 

E) He has already been defeated by Jesus

 

Tonight once again we are in Ephesians Ch. 6

Focus on the source of our strength and an overview of our Armor.   Rd 6:10-13

 

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and 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 and 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 withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

Notice first of all that our Starting position is a Position of Strength – emphasized – word Stand

A)V.11 Stand against, V.13 withstand

V.13 Having done all to stand

 

B) V.14  Stand therefore,

In v.10 we are given the reason for our position of Strength. – Exhorted to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

A) Notice He doesn’t say: BE STRONG – LIVE STRONG

 

B) We make a big Mistake if we think that the key to standing is found in us – Our strength

 

C) We are drawn to that image though /– the strong athlete – Solider

1) Admire the Olympic athlete – lean muscles and wash board stomach  - refrigerator stomach{ watch

 

We like the images in the Bible of Men like Joshua –leading Israel into Battle

A) David – killing Goliath – cutting his head off and carrying like a trophy miles & miles back into Jerusalem

 

C) We like the Story of Caleb – 85 I am just as strong

 

Ole and Airosoft – Wrote – didn’t approve – teaching our kids violence

A)Nicely said to her – Have you ever read your Bible

 

B) But listen those men who did great exploits in the Bible were not super men –

1) Empowered by a Super God!

 

C) Be strong in the Lord … of His might

It is interesting that the Bible frequently compares the believer to a Sheep. Not flattering

A) Sheep are dumb -   need Protection / ….need guidance

 

B) Sheep are not fit – sheep don’t run fast – sheep can’t fight – sheep don’t Roar

1) Lions Roar – Elephants Roar

 

C) Not sheep – not impressive creatures

1) Never hear the ring Master at a Circus say and now in the Center ring we have Sheep – Listen roar

 

What does that have to do with Battles and warfare?

EVERYTHING!

A) Listen to what Romans 8:36 says about us

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 

 

B) Not only are we not roaring we are waiting to be slaughtered.

1) Paul is writing waiting to be Martyred – Fait of many a believer in the first century.

 

C) But the very next verse in Romans 8 is so incredibly encouraging Romans 8:37

1) Yet{ Word that introduces a contrast – having given one picture in v.36 – altogether different picture in v.37

 

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Literally: We overwhelmingly conquer through Him.

We keep on conquering to a greater and greater degree through Him

 

We keep on winning a more glorious victory through Him.

 

The Contrast presented between v.36-37 sums up the whole point!

A) Alone we are nothing but sheep – destined to be slaughtered – easy prey for the enemy.

 

B) But in Christ – His strength – with His Armor we are more than conquerors – through Him who loved us!

 

C) In Christ the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds.

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

 

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.

 

D)Our strength is in the Lord

1)Our Protection is in His Armor!

 

Now there are two words used here that tell us something of the battle we find ourselves in.

 

V.11 Wiles{ Some translations schemes – greek word Methodia – English words methods – or strategy

 

The Devil has a Strategy of attack in our lives.

A) He has methods that he seeks to pull against us.

 

B) It is important that we are aware of those schemes

We know where he is prone to attack us.

 

C) Although the devil only has limited # of the types of arrows  in his arsenal

1) It important that we know what they are and which ones he is more inclined to use on us.

 

D) See fellas the strategy he is going use in attacking your wife is probably going to be different than the one he will use on you.{ Need to be aware.

 

When Joe Lewis was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.  

 He  fought,  71 times professionally; he lost only once. 

During the decade and a half he held his title, he defended it 25 times.

 

Lewis was asked in an interview what was the secret of his Success and how he could win over people who were at times much larger than him? 

          His response was interesting :

 

"I study my opponent, I plan my fight very carefully.  The results are always the same.

 1) I'm never surprised and

 2) I stay on the offensive".

 

That's pretty good counsel for dealing with the devil.  Satan Success often hinges on surprise & Ignorance.

A)He loves to catch us off guard – unaware and he preys upon the ignorance of believers

 

B) So the word wiles or schemes lets us know that Satan has a strategy

1) Not random – attacks – calculated strategy in coming against you.

 

The 2nd word is wrestle V.13 -  Pale in the greek

A) Describes a hand to hand combat –

 

B) Not literally a hand to hand combat – because we can’t see the devil – feel him –

1) We are not literally wrestling

 

C) The thing that is implied by this word is that the battle is not from a distance

1) It is up close and personal

 

D) It is strategic  and it takes place in the mind

Eph 6:16   above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

                        Fiery darts – thoughts in the mind!

Lustful thoughts – temptations – evil thoughts – fearful thoughts – doubts – Paranoid thoughts

A) He bombards our minds with thoughts – distracted, depressed, confused, condemned

 

B) So the Battle is spiritual – it takes place in the mind primarily – and there are specific tactics

 

C) As we go through this series and start looking at the armor of God.

1) We want to see how each piece of Armor is meant to combat a different strategy of Satan.

 

D) Brief overview of the Armor tonight and the strategy of the enemy  it combats 

1) Next time start breaking down specifics

 

RD V.14-19

A) Now understand – where Paul is at when he is writing this.

 

B) Roman jail – Chained to a Roman guard – 2 yrs

1) Holy spirit is going to use the pieces of the Romans Soldiers armor to illustrate our Armor

 

C)These are not literal pieces – literal belt / Symbolic

1)They are figurative pieces used to fight and invisible war. {Can’t buy at Christian book store

 

D) Belt – Breastplate- Shoes- shield – helmet- sword

1) Each one is significant to combat specific attacks

2 DIVISIONS -  HAVING & TAKING

1st  3 - he says having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

 

By using the word "having"  puts this in the past tense – 1) when did this happen?  The moment you received Christ!

 

C) The first 3 pieces of armor deal w/ who you are in Christ. Your position

 

D) The point of this is knowing the reality of what Christ has done for you and in you!    Not redoing but knowing!

 

D) Example: You don't go out each day and re-check the         registration on your car!  Make sure this is my car

1) You know!  (wish it wasn't)   but you know - put key in and drive

 

E) In the second list the verb usage is different  - present tense –taking and take up  shield…, helmet…, sword…. - praying always - daily action!

 

The first three pieces of the armor have to do with who you are in Christ

The second  three have to do with Who Christ is in You.

Now I believe the late pastor Ray Stedman - pointed out an interesting insight into armor - wrote:

 

The armor is nothing more than a symbolic description of the Lord Himself! The armor is Christ and what He is prepared to be and do in each one of us!"  When Paul speaks of these various pieces of armor he is speaking of Christ and how we are to regard him, and how we are to lay hold of him as our defense against the strategies of the devil. It is not merely Christ available to us, but Christ in us being appropriated by us!       True!  He is right

 

So lets finish up tonight by giving a brief description of these pieces of armor –

A) How they are connected to each other & how they are used to combat specific strategies of the Devil

 

B) Belt of truth: Truth found in the Word.

1) Specifically about who Christ is, Who we are in Christ and what He has done for us.

 

C) Know the truth ….. Free!

 

Breastplate of righteousness: Speaks of our position in Christ – righteous because of His blood.

 

Shoes of Peace: Our standing being at peace with God, which allows us to experience the peace of God

 

So the first three have to do with our position in Christ – based upon what He did for us at Calvary.

A) The 2nd three have to do with our applying the reality of those truths

 

B) Above all taking the Shield of faith.

 

C) Shield of Faith: Is the application of the truth found in these first 3 pieces of armor.

 

Helmet of Salvation: Assurance that I am saved.

A) Application of the truth of the word and believing in the my standing as righteous – Peace with God

 

 

Sword of the spirit which is the word of God

A) Not word in general - words specific – speaking those words

 

B) Knowing specific scriptures to speak in the moment of Battle –

1) Brings peace to our hearts

 

C) Prayer ties it all together

 

Belt of truth:

A) Used to combat strategy of Casting doubt

False teaching, being enticed by the world.

 

Breastplate of righteousness:

A) Used for combating – condemnation and accusations from the enemy and thoughts of guilt

 

Shoes of Peace:

A) Used to combat confusion that comes from sickness, tragedies, affliction and trials.

 

B) Combats worry, distractions, bitter thoughts and unforgiveness.

 

Shield of Faith:

A)Used to combat – complacency, fear, intimidation

 

Helmet of Salvation:

A) Used to combat doubt – and trying to be saved by our works or our performance.

 

D) Our strength is in the Lord

1) Our Protection is in His Armor!

 

The Bible is the Story of two Gardens