Armed For Spiritual Warfare Series

Armed for Spiritual Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-20

Happy early July 4th, Independence Day. Certain things are worth fighting for. The founding fathers of the United States of America felt that representation in government was worth fighting for. That's one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War.

What is worth fighting for in your life? Some people fight over small things, like their toys. Other people fight over big things, like their health, especially when a life-threatening illness comes upon them. What is worth fighting for in your life?

This morning, we'll learn to fight for the freedom Christ purchased for us by His death on the cross. The Bible tells us in Colossians 2:13-16, "When you were dead in your sins ..., God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ...; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities [demonic spiritual influences], ..., triumphing over them by the cross."

Christ felt our relationship with God was worth fighting for. Worth dying for. He gave His life on the cross to give us forgiveness and freedom from sin and Satan. We must fight to keep from returning to sin and Satan's control.

The Bible tells us that Satan was a high ranked angel created by God to serve God. But he became proud and wanted to be worshipped like God. So he declared war on God and one-third of the angels joined him to oppose God. They were unsuccessful, and God cast them down to earth. Satan and his angels are now known as demonic spirits. You can read about this in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.

C.S. Lewis pointed out two common mistakes we make with regard to Satan and demonic spirits. First, we ignore or deny their existence. Second, we focus or dwell on their existence. Neither is helpful. The Bible calls us to know their existence and stand firm in Jesus Christ when they attack.

Demonic spirits attack in two ways. They use sneak tactics and scare tactics. But their goal is the same, to prevent people from worshipping God and trusting Jesus Christ.

Sneak tactics are the most common. They might begin with tempting you to break one of God's commands. And when you give into the temptation, the next step is to condemn you for doing it. And finally to accuse you for being a failure.

Scare tactics might involve unexplainable occurrences or supernatural appearances. I remember as a campus minister at UC Davis going to an apartment with a pastor. Those living in the apartment reported seeing an empty bottle slide across their counter and their spring door stop bounce on its own. One of the roommate reported waking up in the middle of the night with a "half fox, half pig" sitting on top of her.

The pastor and I made sure they were not using hallucinogenic drugs. Then we prayed in the name of Jesus throughout the apartment and for the tenants. I called back the next day and the next week to asked if they were still experiencing supernatural occurrences. They told me there was no more. As recorded in the New Testament and seen in that situation, Jesus had authority over demons and their powers.

Our text this morning is Ephesians 6:10-20. I'll read the passage, give some context, then explain and apply the text to some examples in life. (READ)

Paul wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus. He wrote to Christians about our spiritual blessings in Christ: Forgiveness of sin, unconditional love, wisdom for life, and eternal inheritance from God. He wrote about how we are to live our new life in Christ and new relationship in Christ's church. He wrote about how Christ influences the marriage, the family and the marketplace.

And finally, he closes the letter reminding us to stand strong in Christ because there will be opposition. This opposition is not human nor earthly. This opposition is spiritual and demonic. And we need God's weapons, not man-made weapons, to be victorious.

Paul uses the metaphor of armor to picture how we are to live victoriously amid spiritual warfare. He describes each piece of the armor from verses 14 to 17. And he concludes with a battle cry in verses 18 to 20. Let's look together.

The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. Live out Christ's truth. vs 14a

Satan is a liar. He wants to destroy us, our families, our church and our future with his lies. John 8:44 records, "the devil ... was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Paul calls us to live out Christ's truth to overcome Satan's lies. Satan's lies are meant to prevent us from worshipping God and trusting in Jesus Christ. Some lies people believe from Satan include: