Text: Ephesians 6:10-20, Title: Warring in the Spirit, Date/Place: 5/23/10, AM
A. Opening illustration: “The unprepared believer becomes a defeated believer who seeks to serve the Lord in his own wisdom and power.” –JM, Baseball kids coming to the game without their hat vs. w/o a cup,
B. Background to passage: in Ephesians Paul has dealt with some large theological and ecclesiological themes, and he has been very practical with his talk of putting on the new man and being filled with the Spirit. So here he is preparing the church for spiritual warfare. He gives us the most direct instruction on it in this text. And on the heels of last weeks message about territorial spirits and spiritual warfare, I want to follow up with exactly what Paul does; prepare you to go to war in the Spirit. For if you are convinced of the reality of the demonic schemes in your family, your workplace, your neighborhood, your church, I want you to go to war. Passivity is a really bad option when others’ spiritual health rests upon our warfare.
C. Main thought: So as you prepare, take up, put on, strap tight the full armor of God that you might stand
D. Secondary intro: Satan’s schemes come in many shapes and sizes, read MacArthur’s brief list. But Paul commands us to “stand” or resist Satan’s deceptions. The military language means to hold a crucial position under attack. Because his goal is to get you to fall, here are some ways, Mac 9 ways. And this is not only an instruction to individuals, you have a responsibility to be strong in the Lord as an individual for the church. We are to be strong together. We are vulnerable as a body at the points of weakness. The language here is not only military and corporate, but it is close combat. There are no unmanned drones, or computer guided smart-bombs, you must fight hand-to-hand. So here’s how he says to prepare to meet thy enemy:
A. Tie up loose ends (v. 14)
1. This command deals with the clothing worn by soldiers in this day. The long tunic they wore was very loose fitting for comfort in between combat. But when fight time came they would tuck it in and tie it up with a belt, so that it would not hinder them in fierce hand to hand combat. So Paul says to tie up the loose ends of your Christian walk with truth, and be prepared to fight.
2. 2 Sam 18:9, Isa 11:5,
3. Illustration: we use the phrase all the time, “tying up loose ends” meaning that we are getting all the details ready for a smooth action, process, or procedure. “Engaging in spiritual warfare is fortifying our lives against the enemy by applying the Gospel to every part of our lives (i.e., our relationships, our dreams, our self-esteem, our suffering, our joys, our hopes). Any part of us that is not saturated with the Gospel is subject to manipulation by our enemy for our destruction.” –JD Greear,
4. The belt of truth helps guard against deception and lies of the enemy, because it leaves no snags to catch the thorns. The knowledge of God’s truth will dispel many attacks. The word also helps us in sanctification to throw off hypocrisy. Therefore to put on the belt of truth, you must be self-disciplined to read, study, memorize, and understand the applications of the truth of God’s word. You must also be committed to fight for Christ. Those that don’t gird up the loose ends are probably not going to fight.
B. Walk in Holiness (v. 14)
1. This plate went from the neck to the thighs of a man. It was also called “the heart protector.” It was to guard all the vital organs of the soldier. Paul says guard your vitals by living in godliness. Figuratively, believers fail when they begin to think wrong thoughts and feel wrong feelings.
2. Eph 4:27, Heb 12:15, Isa 59:17
3. Illustration: how many teachers, leaders, pastors, church members allowed sin to come in and get a foothold only to cause them so much pain they leave the church, and wallow in a lifestyle of sin…I could give you a list of leaders that have fallen, and more that will soon fall.
4. The heart and mind are the entry points and the site of most attacks. Holiness will guard your heart and mind from temptation, sin, and guilt that follows failure. One of the main ways to battle demons is to live in righteousness and not give them a foothold. Lack of holiness can be the death of your spiritual life. It can and will cause fruitlessness. Wanna guard against the demonic? Fight against sin, pursue holiness.
C. Train swift gospel feet (v. 15)
1. Paul says to have your feet molded to and founded on and ready with the gospel. Soldiers needed firm footing so as not to slip in the fight. Their boots/shoes were a crucial piece of armor. Two aspects: the gospel purchases peace with God, granting us peace in our minds. AND we can now proclaim that peace to men.
2. Isa 52:7,
3. Illustration: “in it’s context (Isa 52) the picture is painted of a lone messenger whose beautiful feet are drumming across the mountaintops with all the swiftness of a gazelle, bringing good news to Jerusalem. As he comes within earshot of the city he shouts ‘peace,’ ‘good tidings,’ ‘salvation,’ ‘Your God reigns!’”
4. What is the gospel? Write it down. Dwell on it, think about it, let it drive your thoughts, worship, decisions. These gospel shaped shoes will help protect from doubt and condemnation. And the gospel also gives us a message to offer that peace to others, announcing to them divine rescue! Do battle with the enemy right where he has the unbeliever blinded and with the weapon that he cannot handle. Share the gospel today with someone.
D. Hoist the quenching barrier (v. 16)
1. This was a large shield that protected most of the body when fiery arrows tipped with pitch were coming right at them. 2” x 4” covered with metal or leather, and drenched in water. These could extinguish a virtual fire bomb. Paul says this shield for the believer is faith. Like the righteousness earlier, this is not speaking of saving faith, but of staying faith. This is the confidence that God will fight for you when the arrows are in the air, so to speak.
2. Pro 23:7, Mar 9:24
3. Illustration: deputies going to work without their vests,
4. Does not protect from suffering, sorrow, or loss; but it does stabilize, strengthen, and give victory. This will protect our life when the fires of tribulation are the hottest. When all you can do is duck down, and pray, this is the confident trust that God is who He says He is, and will do what He said He would do. This is the trust in God’s power, His protection, and His sovereign plan for you while the fire is flying by. So when the battle rages, when you think that all the demons of hell are aiming for you, believe, trust, hope in Him. And when that belief begins to fail, reach out to Him for help (that is faith).
E. Cover your head with steel (v. 17)
1. Paul speaks of a helmet that covers the mind. The helmet is related to salvation, not because you need to defend it, but that these attacks are focused on your mind and the security of salvation. Salvation also deals specifically with the final realization of salvation to come—glorification.
2. 1 Thess 5:8,
3. Illustration: book “Battle for the Mind,” Charles Stanley’s wrestling with confessing “all” his sin
4. How many of us have ever doubted our salvation—that was a flaming missile at our head. This is the guard against fear of men and demons, against discouragement, and against doubt of our salvation and doubt of God’s character. We must fix our eyes up on the prize of the end, which is worth it all. And keep that end in the backdrop of our perspective. And we must preach to ourselves the gospel and the security that we have in our union with Christ. Preach there a while.
F. Swing to kill (v. 17)
1. The main offensive weapon that Paul mentions is the sword (which also can be used for defense purposes). Paul identifies this as the word of God, but calls it the sword of the Spirit. The link is that the Word is what changes hearts and defends us against attack, but it is the Spirit that wields it in and through us. This is not the word logos, but rhema which is a specific word or saying.
2. Matt 4:4, Heb 4:12,
3. Illustration: “The bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound. Rob us of our bibles and our sky has lost its sun.” –Thomas Guthrie
4. The word of God, memorized and used specifically and precisely and skillfully, will not only thwart attacks in your life, but will do great damage to the kingdom of darkness, it’s lies, deceptions, and traps. “The bible says somewhere, something about…” is not good enough. We must quote the Word in power with the actual Words of scripture. Do you want to stop temptation in its tracks? Quote the appropriate scripture. Want to fight with weapon of unstoppable power? Know it, memorize it, speak it. Not to know the Word is dangerous and it is culpable.
A. Closing illustration: “The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean people who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time and pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. This something else is important. Very important, and pressing, but still less important and less pressing than prayer.” –S. D. Gordon
B. Say a few words about prayer. Pray with consistency (all prayer, all times, in the Spirit), intensity (be on alert, with perseverance), strategically (make gospel known in prison, in Rome), specifically (utterance to be given, and boldness), and intercessantly (for the saints, for Paul). I want to go, fight, win. We must launch a fresh campaign against the forces of darkness that have never ceased to fight us.
C. I am inviting you to enter the battle in your own life and the life of this church more than ever before. We are surrounded about with many demons and evils that if not warred against will destroy us. If we battle, it may get harder; but we must for the kingdom, for the church, for your family. We need prayer agonizers. We need those willing to fast. We need spiritual warriors, not those that play church, go through the motions, or are wolves in disguise, messengers of Satan sent to subtly harm the church. I am begging you, pleading with you, praying for you, that your eyes would be open to the battle, that you would feel the need to rise and fight, that you would take up this armor that you may be protected, and willingly, valiantly, courageously, and passionately enter the battle! Fight for your God! Fight for your King! Fight for your family! Fight for your own soul! Come now, and enlist!
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
