The Armor Of God: Be Strong In The Lord Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

Watch This Sermon at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/episodes/146009

Introduction

This morning we move into the culminating passage of our entire study of Ephesians. I usually spend a great deal of time introducing a message and I try to include a contemporary context to the biblical context of the message. The reason for this is when we study Scripture, we must first understand the context in which the Scripture was originally inspired to apply it appropriately to our contemporary context. The purpose of the sermon is to build a bridge between the two contexts through the truth of Scripture.

This message and the following several messages should be applied in your personal life and will benefit your walk as a believer. But may I also emphasize the importance for us to understand this as a church? It is important for us as a church to be prepared for spiritual warfare. The enemy will stop at nothing to thwart God’s blessings in our lives. So the Christian life can be defined simply as warfare. I believe that too many believers and too many churches are unaware of the battle happening and the spiritual battle is inseparable from what is happening here physically, culturally, and politically.

Ephesus was a major trade hub in Asia Minor. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire with a population of about 250,000 at the time this letter was written. What I want you to know as we prepare to read the opening verses of this passage is that Demonic, Pagan worship was a stronghold over the entire city. Ephesus was the home of the goddess Artemis. It was the center of sensuality, immorality, idolatry, and prosperity. Because of this, when Christianity came onto the scene, there was an immediate tremendous clash of cultures (cf. Acts 19:21-41). The mere presence of the Gospel was a threat to the pagan worship in Ephesus and the citizens of Ephesus wanted it gone.

But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:8–9)

This was the city of the Church Paul was writing to through this Epistle we’ve studied. The first three chapters are this marvelous section on the positional truth of the believer; who we are in Christ. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing from God (Ephesians 1:3). Adopted as God’s Children and predestined, forgiven, and enlightened in truth from God. We’ve been taken out of the dominion of Satan and placed in the Kingdom of God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, for an eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).

In Chapters four through six, Paul tells the church living in the shadows of the massive temple, how we are to live in light of these blessings. We are not to give the devil a foothold in the church (Ephesians 4:27) or let any form of immorality be named among them (Ephesians 5:3). Instead, believers are being filled with the spirit living in complete contrast to the world around them (Ephesians 5:18). Because of that, the Christian marriage is different, the way we parent is different, and even the master/slave relationship is transformed.

I find it interesting that the very relationships Paul gave specific instruction about in Ephesians are the very relationships our modern culture is destroying. The sanctity of marriage is under the constant barrage of assaults from the alphabet mafia (LGBTQ), along with the role of the man in the home and also the role of the woman in the family. Our children as young as Kindergarteners are now exposed to the likes of drag queens and their perversions. Grades above that level are routinely taught the anti-God lessons of transgender and CRT (Critical Race Theory). The demonic philosophies of Marxism and Socialism are celebrated as the gold standard of society. And human life is counted as a parasitic inconvenience. Population control is an actual mission of globalists like Klaus Schwab, Bill Gates, and political leaders of the World Economic Forum to save Mother Earth. Like the church in Ephesus, we must be aware that behind the physical and ideological movements there are demonic forces driving these.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. (Ephesians 6:10–12)

I. Finally...

That first word, “Finally,” is important. It is more than just saying ‘in conclusion...” It is the Apostle Paul tells us, in light of everything else, you’ve read...” All of these other things are a culmination of this one prevailing truth: our struggle is a spiritual battle, not a physical battle. As a general principle, we must live in constant dependence on God’s strength.