Ephesians 6:10-14
Spiritual Warfare Part 2
INTRO: He was a professional thief - His name stirred fear in the hearts of men, like desert wind stirred tumble weeds.
A.) Even the
most rugged frontiersmen were scared of him
1.) For 13 years starting in 1875 - he held up
29 Wells Fargo Stage coaches successfully - amazing! Never fired a shot
B.) Weapons:
fear, intimidation and Deception
1.) Ride up to a stage and the driver of the
stage see this man Dressed in black sitting on horse -
identity never described - black hood
C.) Newspapers
- San Fran - New York - Black Bart!
1.) One of the most notorious outlaws of all
time!
D.)Finally caught up with him - 13 years - wasn't
wicked outlaw, crazed killer - death
valley .... very smart, file clerk - from
Decatur, Illinois
1) Amazed at the havoc he caused
This man, Black Bart, in black hood, reminds me of another
one who has been terrorizing and haunting our society - humanity globally
A.)Weapons - like Black Bart - fear & intimidation/ Deception : SATAN
B)
he
tries to get into your mind - cause you to fear, be intimidated listen
to lies - stumble, compromise
C)But like with Black Bart -
when they found out he was just a smart file clerk – (our reaction when we see
our foe- Amazed caused so much trouble)
1.)Don't
get me wrong - I believe the devil has power - no doubt
D.) But when
we see him in light of our Hero - Our King we are going to
say "this is he who held the world
captive"
1) Not because of his
lack of power - but because doesn't compare with
our Lord - Our King!
Eph 6 is about seeing Him who is our King - It is about
laying hold of the provision He has
given
A)It is about standing strong - not in our strength but in His!
2 Tim 1:7 - The Lord has not
given a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind"
B) Study last time we talked about the Battle in
General – and the overall Strategy of our ENEMY-
1)
How
he uses the things of this world to entice our
flesh – to get us to live in a way that is independent
of God – Do our own thing
C) Tonight we are going to begin to break down the
Armor that God has given to us – Enabling us to Stand Strong against the
Attacks …..enemy
1)
As
we look at each individual piece of Armor we will discuss how applies to a
specific Tactic or Device – of the Enemy
MORE INDEPTH STUDY ………………………………………….
A.) In that
setting the Lord gives him this insight into spiritual warfare
B) And using the very Armor that was common to the
Roman Solider God gives us a [Visual Picture ] of what the Christian is to
be Clothed w/
C) Notice v.11 – Put on the whole Armor - Whole thing – not partial
1.)
Football player - foolish /no helmet
and pads - won't work
2 DIVISIONS to this Armor - HAVING & TAKING
A)1st 3 - he
says "having girded waist
w/ truth; having put on the breastplate
of Righteousness, having shod feet w/ ..."
B.) By using
the word "having"
puts this in the past tense / Something that has already
happened - when did this happen? { Moment received JC
C.) App is this : The first 3 pieces of armor deal w/ who you are in Christ.
Your position
1) They deal w/ knowing 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
Now In the second
list the verb usage is different -
present tense - take up shield, helmet,
sword - praying always - daily action!
A)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!
B)
SO First remember - every piece of armor is directly related to who Jesus is
and what He has done - who we are in
Him
Consider
tonight those first 3 pieces of armor - 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;
A)As Paul is
sitting in prison next to soldier - the 1st thing the Lord draws his attention
to is the belt around waist!
B) Roman Tunic / purpose of belt - hold up
tunic and to hold sword! Holds
breastplate in place Idea is
readiness!/ Freedom of movement
2 Tim 2:4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of
this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
C)
But
see Satan wants to Entangle you w/ the things of this life & one way that
he tries to do that is by Loosen that Belt of Truth
1) If you and I are going to stand strong against
the attacks of the enemy is important that we first of all have this belt of
truth on.
Question:
What is the belt of truth we are to have on represent ?
A)First consider what it doesn’t represent: - Some have erroneously taught - that is
simply means to be honest, truthful - person of integrity!
B) Those are Biblical
& admirable traits to have – but that is not what this belt is
referring to – for 2 Reasons
1)
1st
When we are involved in Battle – the Bible never ever seeks to get us to rely
upon our Abilities – The focus is never us
C) David w/ Goliath – Wasn’t that he was good w/ a Sling Shot
– It was that the God who delivered him from the Lion & the bear
1)
Would
be the same one who would deliver him from the Giant
1)
Same
w/ Joshua at Jericho – it wasn’t their Strength / Gideon etc
D) So to say
that this Belt of Truth is your Commitment to try & be an Honest &
truthful person – puts the focus on you
1) Strong in your Strength & the Bible doesn’t
encourage us to do that!!
2ndly I ask you this what good is your honesty -
against the lies/ cunning and
craftiness of Satan?
A)He is smarter than you and all of us – have already Lied at different points – which
means – He has opportunity to throw that in our faces
B) NO this belt of truth must be talking about
something different
The truth we are to be ready with INVOLVES 2 THINGS
1st it is the truth concerning who Jesus is – God in the Flesh – Jn 10:33
A) That Jesus
is the only way to God – JN 14:6
B) That Jesus work on the Cross
was Sufficient to pay the price for man’s sins
C) Now we saw in
our study last time – Eve in the Garden – Satan Questions the truth / Has God said
1) Key tactic
– He wants to get us to doubt God’s word
D) He then DENIES – God’s word – You will not die
1) Then he substitutes
his own lie - "For God knows that in the
day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil."
E) 3 COMMON TACTICS – QUESTION GOD’S WORD / DENIES
GOD’S WORD / SUBSTITUTES HIS OWN LIE
Satan constantly is attacking Who Jesus really is
A) Question : Was Jesus really
God or Just a very important man ?
Denial: Jesus is not the
only way to God/ but one of the many
ways ?
B) Substitute:
You can’t
trust t in Jesus to save you – Focus on being a good person – living by the
golden rule – that is the ticket
C) So first of
all if we are going to stand against the attacks of the enemy we need to make
sure we are clear on who Jesus is So first
1) God / only way/ Redeemer
2ndly the Belt of Truth represents not just who
Jesus is but also Who we are in Jesus
A) Saved / set
free from sin / John 8:32 - "Know the truth and the truth
shall set you free! / V.36 -………… son
makes free is free indeed"
B) It is knowing that I am accepted in the beloved – into
God’s family on the basis of What Jesus did for me
1) I am blessed / I am forgiven / I am loved / I
have an inheritance / all the promises of God are available to me – all Because
of who I am in Christ
C) So I can stand in that truth that – confident in
that truth that God is for me / if God is for me
who can be against me
1) SO the Belt of Truth – represents – who Jesus is
/ Who I am in Him /
Now watch how these other pieces of armor are connected to
this Belt
A) Next Paul
moves to the Breastplate of Righteousness – Now the Breast plate of the Roman Solider was fastened to the belt –
B) And likewise there is
a connection between the belt of truth and the Breastplate of righteousness
C)
The Breastplate – consisted of 2 parts of layered metal scales that was
fastened upon leather –One that covered
the front & the other the back
D) Now Some Bible teachers
say that we have to always be moving forward because there is no armor that
covers the back side
1) Now although it is true that the Lord wants us to
always be moving forward in our walks
E) The truth of the Matter is that the Lord has
left us fully Protected on all sides – the Breastplate covered the front &
the Back .
1) Means we are Protected even from Surprise attacks
Also Notice is that the breast Plate covered the VITAL organs – in fact in Roman
times – it was called the HEART GUARD !!!
A)That the area of the Chest that covered that area
of the VITAL organs the Heart/ Lungs / intestines / abdomen /
B) Covered that area central to emotions – the
heart { Satan plays on our
emotions - big weapons are Guilt &
Condemnation { Breastplate crucial
So
what is this Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS – THE layered ASPECT OF THE
Breastplate gives us a clue .
A)
It speaks to us of two aspects of our
RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST – IMPUTED / IMPARTED
B)1st look at IMPUTED
POSITIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS{ Rom 3
C) The Bible speaks of righteousness
that is imputed to all who believe
Rom 3:21- 22, But
now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by
the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus
Christ to all and on all who believe.
Rom 4:24 . It shall be
imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised
because of our justification.
NKJV
D)Paul declares that there
is a righteousness of God APART FROM THE
LAW - The Law is RIGHTEOUS –
Problem is we can’t follow it
1)
So the Law Condemns
us { Guilty – Satan accuses
A) it is the
Righteousness of Christ – that is Imputed or Transferred when believe in Jesus
B)
Paul put it this
way in 2Cor. 5: 21 For He made Him who
knew no sin
to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in
Him.
C) Key is in that last Phrase – IN HIM -
We come to Christ – thru faith / He comes to Live in us thru His Spirit
1) But we are also placed IN HIM – The Father sees us
righteous in His Son – Covered in the righteousness of Christ –
This aspect
of our Breastplate - Speaks of our POSITION IN CHRIST –
Is 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul
shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of
salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
D)
As a result of this Paul wrote in Rom 8:1 -No
Condemnation.... in Christ
Now
it is important that we understand – because Satan is the accuser of the
brethren this righteousness becomes our Breastplate, of Protection
A)
This is basically
how it works – the devil comes along & finds us flat on our faces in some
failure / & he begins to Condemn us !!!
B)
He
places thoughts in our minds ( fiery Darts)
like how can you call yourself a Christian – blowing it like that”
1)
Fight w/ your wife: Supposed to be Mr. Christian/ Bob the godly
husband - yea right -
A)
When Satan the accuser of the brethren comes along
seeking to condemn us like this / pointing out our failure
B) Here is how we respond – You
are right / it is true everything that
you are saying is absolutely right – I
blew it –
1) But oh how thankful I am that my Righteousness has
nothing to do w/ whether I fail or Succeed
C) But everything to do w/ the Fact that Jesus did not fail
but He succeeded
1) He died for my sin & Rose again & now I am
Righteous in HIM
There is no Condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus –
That
is the Protection of God’s truth – found of IMPUTED Positional Righteousness –
that is the First layer
A) However
there is a second layer – Briefly Discuss – would call Imparted practical
Righteousness
B)
It is imparted
to us because it comes to us directly from the Lord & is the Direct work of
God’s Spirit in our Lives
1)In
2 Pet.1:4 We are told that we have become Partakers of a divine nature
C) Salvation
is not merely the Declaration that we are now Righteous but it is
Simultaneously an impartation of the DIVINE nature of God
A) LJ puts it
this way
“ The
Seed has been put into me, and that seed grows and develops. This is what is
meant by the idea of ‘imparting’ righteousness. Another term that has sometimes been used states that the
righteousness is ‘infused’ into me. It
is not only put upon me as a cloak and a covering, but also ‘infused’ into me. It is comparable to a blood transfusion
where the blood from one person is put into the circulation and the blood of
another. It can be ‘transfused’ or ‘infused’, ‘injected’, ‘imparted’ --- these
are all terms which stand for the same operation.” MLJ
B) That transfusion of God’s
life and power into my life – results in Power to live righteously to walk
victoriously in this world
Eph.3: 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that works in us,
Col. 1: 29 To this end I also labor, striving according
to His working which works in me mightily.
So
having on the Breastplate of Righteousness is Knowing I have been made
Righteous in Christ
A) And that the Lord has imparted
/ infused w/ in me the power to live a Righteous life thru the H.S.
living inside of me / as I yield to Him
1)
Discover that God’s Commandments Become God’s
enablements –
Now
the next piece of armor is directly connected to this righteousness that we
experience as a result of God’s truth - 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the
gospel of peace
A) Doberman Story ……. Ran …… Baseball –
worn out cleats –
Pt is good shoes are a necessity
Bb) And when talking about soldiers a good pair is vital part of
their equipment
1) Needed for marching / climbing / running /
being sure
footed
in fighting the enemy!
C) Shoe of
the Roman solider was a specially designed / sandal
w/
the thickest leather bottom possible .
1) In
the leather was attached nails called hobnails
D) When
wearing this sandal the solider could step on stakes
thorns,
rocks -& not
be fazed at all! {
1) In hand to hand combat the nails would grab
into any surface
allowing
him to stand steadfast & fight !
So they had this
especially designed shoe for battle & God has given us such a shoe so that
we can Stand / w/ stand / standfast – { Immovable
A)
Now what do these shoes represent ? What is this peace referred to here? 1st consider what it doesn’t
represent
B):
There is a common misinterpretation that
occurs when talking about - feet being shod w/ prep ... peace!
In Rom10:15 - Paul said how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the
gospel of peace: who bring glad tidings
of good things!"
C.) Because
of that some have taught that having your feet covered w/
the
gospel of peace means - to be preaching the gospel
D.) But a
simple rule of interpretation in scripture is
to take the verse
in
context w/ rest of passage
1.) This passage is about standing strong in
spiritual battle it is not about evangelizing!
E) Although it is true that the gospel is awesome
& we need to share it / & there is a blessing to those who do!
1)
And it does bring peace to those who believe & Receive- the Focus
here is on Spiritual warfare and Standing strong
And These first 3 pieces of armor are talking about who
we are in Christ – not what we are do be doing for Christ { Having =
past tense
A) Not
talking about something you do / but what you have already in Christ
B) So what does having your feet shod w/ preparation of the
gospel of peace represent? / 2 aspects
of this peace
C) Because we have embraced the
truth concerning who Jesus is and what Jesus did to save us
1) We are now covered in the
righteousness of Christ – God sees us now not in our sin but in His Son – Saved
redeemed / righteous
D) Which means that now we get to
experience being at Peace w/ God
Ps 32:1-2 Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed
is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
Rom 5:1,2 Therefore, having been
justified by faith, we have peace w/ God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
A) Knowing that we are at peace w/ God helps us to then be
able to experience the peace of God
Phil 4:6,7 Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
How does it relate to the battle: Our enemy Jesus described as
a thief and a robber - and he seeks to rob us of our peace!
A) One tactic of the enemy is to make you feel being at peace w/
God
isn't as easy as just believing in Jesus / ( must do
more)
B) God’s word tells us that salvation is a gift that
we receive – but Satan says no – not that
easy you need to earn it
C) Instead
of just receiving & enjoying Him / Satan Tries to get us to
seek
to earn favor we already have !
1) Once we realize that it can’t be earned-
/ just enjoyed! There is Peace
A.) What is
opposite of peaceful setting? stormy !- exactly what he seeks to do - when storms into your life!
B.) He is the
author of confusion: of chaos – Tactic “ you
wouldn’t be going thru this if God really loved you – really was w/ You”
C.) Having my feet shod w/ the preparation
of the gospel of peace doesn't
mean - I won't experience storms / confusion
1.) Doesn't mean chaos - won't invade my life!
John 16:33 -
"these things spoken that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
tribulation but be of good cheer - I have overcome the world!
E.) It is a given that
as believers we are going to face difficulties - but having my feet shod w/ the prep of gospel of peace
1.) means that I can experience the peace of
God in the midst of that situation - because I know
I'm at peace w/ God!
F) Jesus Disciples in the boat – He is w/ Them – He
is at rest
1) Petco – Amy
– She is in Gods hands !!!!
So having our Waist girded w/ truth is standing in the truth
concerning who Jesus is / Who we are in Him { Resulting in:
A) Covered in
his righteousness – against the accusations of the enemy
Filled w/ Power to walk in Victory { Live
righteously
B) Standing in
the reality of the Peace w/ God – which enables us to experience the peace of
God – knowing – He is in Control