• Alaska – Bull Moose – Antler battle – Fall Battle
• The moose with the biggest antlers is the alpha.
• The alphas defense starts way before the battle ever begins.
• His defense starts in the spring and the summer with good nutrition making stranger antlers in the fall.
• For us, our defense against the devil must start long before the attack,
• Today we are going to talk about what it means to have a good defense and how we prepare for the attacks of Satan.
• First we must understand something,
1. The battle is real.
a. In our time, people even in the church, want to deny that there is a spiritual battle going on.
b. The TRUTH: There is a real battle going on
i. Satan is not mythology.
ii. Neither are his schemes against you
1. Look at v12. There is an entire spiritual battle going on all around us
2. And it involves us.
a. Two weeks ago we talked about how Satan’s goal was to destroy the work of God:
i. And we are that work that he wants to destroy
1. Christ’s church
2. Us
c. Knowing that “the battle is real” is important for us to know what is coming toward us.
i. For example: the attack on Pearl harbor. Came as a great shock to the US. Why: we underestimated Imperial Japan.
1. We cannot underestimate Satan.
2. Satan is a roaring Lion, waiting to devour us! (1 Peter 5:8)
2. The Battle is unseen
a. Now what I mean by this is that the battle is not like a typical war.
i. It would be nice if we could just line up against Satan and fight a real battle that can be decisively won.
1. The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe
a. They lined up for Battle and the witch was defeated.
2. For us, the battle is not of flesh and blood
a. Therefore, we must be even more vigilant against the schemes of the devil.
i. Like our scripture reading today, be vigilant.
ii. We have to be on the lookout for the way that the battle is effecting us
3. The battle requires preparation.
a. This is where we take an active role
b. We must be prepared to fight against the work of the devil
c. IN our passage today, Paul give us some ways that we can prepare in advance for this battle.
i. I think it would be worthless for us to go to the battle field without our armor on.
ii. We would not want to wait for the fighting to start before we would go put on the equipment designed to protect us.
iii. In the same way, we do not want to wait until satan come against us, to be ready for the battle.
1. We must be prepared so that we can STAND OUR GROUND!
a. We must stand our ground and be ready to fight for our lives.
d. So what do we defensive tools do we have at our disposal?
i. Belt of Truth
1. Significance of the belt: It holds all things together.
a. The belt on a solders uniform would hold all the pieces of the uniform in place, keeping the other pasts of the armor from become a hindrance.
b. The truth holds the rest of the armor in place.
i. Without the truth, we will be lost
1. Remember: Jesus is the way, the TRUTH and the life.
2. This truth is fundamental and foundational for us as we fight the battle.
3. Remember, you have to know what the truth is, to live by the truth.
ii. We need to not just know the TRUTH, but be wrapped in the truth.
ii. Breastplate of righteousness
1. The significance of the breastplate is that it protects the warrior from mortal wounds to vital organs.
2. In the same way our righteousness protects us from mortal wounds to ourselves.
a. Remember that we cannot gain righteousness on our own, it only comes from God thought Christ.
b. So this is even a greater protection than our own righteousness.
i. For our own righteousness is flawed, but Christ’s is perfect.
iii. The shield of Faith
1. The Shield is designed to keep harmful things away from the body.
a. The shied keeps the soldier safe from the flaming arrows of the enemy.
i. Satan will sontinue to lob these arrows at us, so we must be ready with something to stand against them.
ii. Remember that faith is a firm confidence and a great hope in Christ.
1. With that firm confidence and great hope we can rest in the knowledge that Jesus is the one who will save us from temptation;
a. Look at this promise: No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Cor 10:13
2. The roman army was partly successful because of the shields they carried with them.
a. They could be held together and make almost a wall of protection from the archer.
b. This is important for us, because the victory over temptation is not won in isolation.
i. One of our greatest tools: The fellowship of believers and the faith that we share.
iv. The Helmet of Salvation
1. The helmet was designed to keep the head safe.
a. Improper use of a helmet can have drastic consequences
i. For example Goliath, he must have not been properly wearing his helmet because David was able to get a rock in his forehead.
ii. If we neglect or misuse salvation, it will open us up to attack, but
1. The proper use of Salvation, will keep us safe..
2. Because when we are in Christ, Nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8)
v. Shoes of the Gospel
1. The shoes are a symbol of Good Footing.
a. The gospel of Christ is the best footing that we can place our lives.
b. I heard a story about a man hiking. Took off shoes to cross river,
c. Lost shoes in a fall in the river. Had to hike miles with no shoes.
d. The shoes protect the feet which keep us moving forward.
i. We have to be the people who move forward with the gospel and share it with the world.
ii. As we do, we will not only strengthen us, but others against the schemes of Satan.
1. How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7
Remember the bull moose? He has to prepare for the battle that is coming
We also have to prepare each day for the battle that is coming our way.
Are you preparing by wearing you Armor?
