Strength to Stand
Ephesians 6:10-13
Intro: In his book, Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey writes, "There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him.
"Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons, but the instructor wanted $5 a lesson. That was a lot of money. I found that it was cheaper to pay the bully, so I gave up karate."
Too many Christians believe it’s easier to pay the bully than learn how to defeat him.
-Today I’d like to take a look at what God wants to say to us about standing our ground. He has brought us here to this point in our lives so that we can continue to know Him and love Him and help others do the same. To go back now through retreat or defeat is to undo some of the work that God is doing in us and perhaps in those around us. That is why He gives us the strength to stand firm. He wants us to be victorious! He wants us to win the struggles we face. And He wants us to pull together and help one another stand our ground, not yielding a single inch to the enemy.
-In short, the message today is this: God wants you to stand your ground and He will give you everything you need to do so.
-TS: Let’s look at a few reminders that will help us find the strength to stand as we face the enemy of our souls.
I. Remember where your strength comes from (10)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
-After all that Paul has just written, he brings v.10 as a reminder that we can’t do it ourselves. We can’t be the best worker or boss, treating others as we would treat Christ. We can’t obey our parents in all things. We can’t be good parents, providing patient and loving training to our kids. Husbands can’t love their wives as Jesus loved the Church and gave Himself for her. Wives can’t submit to their husbands as to the Lord. We can’t live a holy life of love that is pleasing to God – UNLESS .. we have His help!
-And He has certainly helped us, or we wouldn’t have grown as much as we have! We wouldn’t be standing on the ground we are standing on unless the Lord had been with us. But let’s never forget that what got us this far is the only thing that will keep us moving closer and closer to Jesus and all He has for us to be and do!
-You might ask, “Well, how can I be strong in the Lord? What does that mean in my life?” We can certainly find ways to tap into the power of God throughout the Bible. Paul already mentioned that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit, rather than wine or alcohol. A really good way to do that is found by waiting and hoping in the Lord.
-Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
-Joshua was encouraged by the Lord to be strong and of good courage after Moses died and he was appointed to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. He did this by trusting in God and believing that God was with him, just as He’d been with Moses.
-King David too recognized that his help came from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
-Paul shows that the full armor of God is what will make you strong in the Lord, and he will spell that out in the next several verses. If you were to boil them all down, I suppose you could simply say, “Staying connected to God is what will make you strong.”
-TS: This next verse reminds us why we need to be ready to fight in God’s power.
II. Remember why you are fighting (11)
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
-Why bother? Why fight? It’s easier just to give up and stop caring. But that doesn’t come without a price. That is paying the bully, and you will pay – it may cost you your family, it may cost you your spiritual vitality, it may cost you your testimony to those who are watching your life. Don’t pay the bully!
-You will lose ground if you don’t fight – “so that you can take your stand.” Roman soldiers were taught to fight together. If fear or intimidation caused them to break ranks and split up, then they lost their ability to fend off an enemy. The ground you are standing on represents growth and strength and God’s work in your life. You don’t want to give that up! That is why you need God’s full armor. You don’t want to lose ground or become a casualty.
-And know that the enemy is scheming – “against the devil’s schemes.” Maybe you’ve heard that God loves you and has a plan for your life. Well, the devil doesn’t love you, but he does have a plan for your life. He wants to devour you, as Peter wrote. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy as John wrote. But Paul says, “…we are not unaware of his schemes…” (or ignorant of his devices - 2 Corinthians 2:11).
-We are fighting for our spiritual growth, progress, and for the opportunity to make a lasting difference as we stand our ground.
III. Remember who you are fighting (12)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
-We don’t need to make too much of the list Paul gives here to describe the enemy. We could sum it up as the devil and all His evil forces who are at work in this world. Satan is not our only enemy, but he does appear to be the leader of the enemy forces in the spirit realm. Let’s look at a few thoughts that will help us know who we are up against.
1. Satan’s Names Reveal His Tactics
*Satan (adversary)
*Devil (slanderer)
*Lucifer (son of the morning)
*Beelzebub (prince of demons)
*Belial (without profit)
*Evil one
*Tempter
*Prince of this world
*Accuser of the brethren
*Representations include a Serpent, a Dragon, an Angel of Light.
2. Satan Attacks God’s Program, The Church, By...
*False philosophies - Col. 2:8
*False religions - 1 Cor. 10:19
*False ministers - 2 Cor. 11:14-15
*False doctrine - 1 John 2:18
*False disciples - Matt. 13
*False morals - 2 Thess. 2:7
3. Satan Attacks God’s People By . . .
*Directing governments - Dan. 10:13
*Deceiving men - 2 Cor. 4:4
*Destroying life - Heb. 2:14
*Persecuting the saints - Rev. 2:10
*Preventing service - 1 Thess. 2:18
*Promoting schisms - 2 Cor. 2:10-11
*Planting doubt - Gen. 3:1-2
*Provoking sin and Anger - Eph. 4:26-27
*Pride - 1 Tim. 3:6; Worry - Matt. 13:22; Self-reliance - 1 Chron. 21:1; Discouragement - 1 Pet. 5:6-8; Worldliness - 1 John 2:16; Lying - Acts 5:3; Immorality - 1 Cor. 5:1-2
*Producing sects/cults - 1 Tim. 4:1
4. Satan’s Power Is Limited
*He is created, therefore not omniscient or infinite
*He can be resisted by the Christian - James 4:7
*God places limitations on him - Job 1:12
-So, we must know some of the tactics of our enemy and identify the opposition. It also helps when we remember who the enemy isn’t.
IV. Remember who you are not fighting (12)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood
-There are times when we think that another person is our enemy. It is true that Satan can use other people as pawns to do his dirty work, but you will not gain any ground by directing your attack at another person.
-As we glance back over what Paul has just written, it may help us to realize that our struggle is not against a boss, it is not against a parent or one of our children, it is not against our spouse, it is not against worldly people, and our struggle is not against other members of God’s family.
-Sadly, Christians sometimes fall into the trap of sparring with other Christians, perhaps to prove their superiority or because they have mismanaged an offense that stands between them and another believer. The Bible tells us that humility is the order of the day and that we should take care of offenses by going directly to the source and seeking to work things out. Don’t let the sun go down on an offense. Get it taken care of, whether you’re the offender or the offendee. It is up to you to take action that will restore peace and grace to the relationship. Remember, it takes work and effort to keep unity in your spiritual family – and in any family.
-So Be Smart! Be Aware- Remember, this is spiritual war! Don’t launch an attack on a fellow flesh and blood humans! You might hurt somebody. Next time you’re tempted to lash out at another person, remember who your real enemy is.
V. Remember what it takes to stand your ground
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
-In 2 weeks we plan to spend a little time on the full armor of God. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, God’s word, and prayer – you need them all! The full armor means that we need to use all that God has given to help us win the struggle we face.
Romans 8:31-32 If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
-We have all that we need from God, but we’d better put it on.
A Fight to the Finish
10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
13-18Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. [The Message]
Conclusion: Are you standing your ground? Are you doing it with God’s strength or your own? Victory begins and ends with God and His power over the enemy. By ourselves, we can’t do it! We will fall flat on our faces in our own strength. But with God for us, and His armor on us, all things are possible! We can win our struggles against our invisible enemy.
-If you need God to help you and strengthen you today, would you just slip up your hand? I’d like to pray for you that you would know God’s power in the coming days. Maybe you are really feeling the weight of the struggle and just need the Lord to breathe new life into you right now. One thing about it though, to get recharged you need to plug in. Plug into praise. Plug into prayer, time with God. Plug into God’s word. Plug into fellowship, spending time with others who belong to God’s family and can encourage you and pray for you. Don’t try to go it alone! And plug into God’s purpose for your life. If you’re not doing what God has called you to do, then you lose your sense of direction and it really doesn’t matter where you stand. One place is as good as another if you’re not really following God’s purpose for your life. So as I pray, ask the Lord to show you His way, and to lead you in the way you should go.
[Portions of message adapted from Barry Davis, sermoncentral.com, from Ephesians 6]
