HoHum:
"Sunrise was dawning when Los Angeles motorcycle police officer Bob Vernon saw a red pickup truck speed through a stop sign. He turned on his emergency lights and radioed that he was in pursuit. The pickup pulled over, and the officer approached. The officer said, ’Good morning, sir, may I see your--’ "He never finished the sentence. The driver shoved a gun toward the police officer's chest and fired from just inches away. The cop was knocked seven feet away. A few seconds later, the officer stood up, pulled his service revolver, and fired twice. The first bullet went through the open window and smashed the windshield. The second tore through the door and ripped into the driver’s left leg. "’Don’t shoot’ the driver screamed. What saved the police officer's life was dozens of layers of Kevlar, the super strong fabric used for bulletproof vests. Only three-eighths of an inch thick, Kevlar can stop bullets cold." “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” (Eph. 6:13)
WBTU:
In our series on “Stand Firm,” we find this phrase being used in vs. 14. We find the word stand being used 4 times. 2 of those times in vs. 13.
Ephesians 6:13 is a fighter’s verse. We can hear the sound of combat when we read it. We can sense the desperate battle, of soldiers rushing to the front lines, and at the end of the verse, we can hear the sound of victory. This describes our situation. The “evil day” is here. We have armor of God. We are called to stand our ground and to fight to the end so that we may be still standing when the day is done. Some years ago Mark Bubeck wrote a book called “Overcoming the Adversary,” a call for “warfare prayers (Vs. 18)” to turn back the powers of darkness. In that book he asks why Satan seems to be so active in the world today. 3 answers:
1. Christians have ignored the idea of spiritual warfare. Maybe a reason for this is that some have gone to extremes so many have shied away from the subject altogether. However, we need to realize that there is a war going on. If we ignore this we are unprepared.
2. Satan is active today because we are living in the last days. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.” 2 Timothy 3:1, NIV. There is a growing trend to view our days as the last of human history as we know it. If this is true, we need to be aware that Satan has redoubled his efforts, knowing that his time is short. “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”” Revelation 12:12, NIV.
3. Satan is gaining ground because society is rejecting God and embracing evil. Started with the idea that in public things need to be spiritually neutral to be inclusive, tolerant, and pluralistic. Instead of things staying spiritually neutral, the vacuum is being filled with all kinds of evil.
Thesis: Textual sermon on Ephesians 6:13, phrase by phrase
For instances:
The Warning (When the day of evil comes)
Notice that Paul does not say, “If the day of evil comes,” but “when the day of evil comes,” meaning that there is always a conflict in the spiritual realm. Important to understand this:
While every day has its share of evil, not every day is the “evil day.” There are certain moments in life when we feel the heat of battle in a big way. In those days temptation flares up, tempers grow short, friends turn against us, discouragement sets in, and we feel like giving up. Satan often punches below the belt. He attacks us in our weakness, he uses circumstances to discourage us, he tempts us to do things we swore we would never do, he hits us when we are alone and vulnerable. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8, NIV. Paul Nyquist, in his book Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture, notes that we in the West have been largely shielded from the kind of suffering our brothers and sisters in places like Somalia, Sudan, Syria, India and China routinely face, such as public abuse, legal restrictions, and sometimes arrest, imprisonment, and death. Nyquist says that things are bound to get worse for Christians in America as our society becomes more secular.
The evil day always comes sooner or later. It has come again and again in church history. No one gets a free ride on the journey from earth to heaven. We in the West need to get tougher if we are to survive what is coming our way. Might have had a good week, a good month, a good year, be thankful. But take nothing for granted. In the battle for our souls, Satan never takes a vacation. “in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11, NIV.
The Command (Put on the full armor of God)
What do we do when the evil day comes? Put on the full armor of God. The Greek word for “put on” comes from military vocabulary of the 1st century. This was the last thing the soldier would do before going out to battle. When the call came, the soldier would grab his armor, put it all on, and head for the fight. This is saying that when the evil day comes, before we go to battle, make sure we are in uniform. Imagine a football player playing without proper equipment!
The armor of God reminds us of who are enemies are. We might think that our enemies are certain politicians or certain rich and powerful individuals. When we see people fighting in favor of abortion or gay marriage and against Christian values in the marketplace, might think, “They are our enemies.” Vs. 12 says our struggle, fight is not against flesh and blood. Some Christians have a hard time praying for people like our President, Supreme Court, Congress, State or Local officials, because we feel like they are the ones to blame. Need to remember who was in charge around this time, Nero. Nero started persecutions that led to Christians being burned alive and thrown to the lions. He eventually had Paul beheaded. What did Paul say, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4, NIV.
Nero was not the enemy. As wicked as he was, Nero was just a tool of the real enemy, Satan and the forces of wickedness in the spiritual realm. This is actually liberating because this sets us free to love those who hate us. If we believe what the HS is saying here, we can stand strong when the world mocks our faith. When they curse us, we can bless them. If we put on the full armor of God, we won’t be thrown off stride.
What is the armor of God? Armor has 6 parts:
Belt of truth 2. Breastplate of righteousness 3. Shoes of the gospel of peace
Shield of faith 5. Helmet of salvation 6. Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
Good series to talk about each piece, not today. Think of Paul looking at a Roman soldier and applying this to our faith. This armor reminds us that our hope for victory rests in God. Vs. 10
Behind the belt of truth stands the God of truth
Behind the breastplate of righteousness stands the God of righteousness
Behind the shoes of peace stands the God of peace
Behind the shield of faith stands the God who is faithful
Behind the helmet of salvation stands the God of salvation
Behind the Word of God stands the God of the Word.
Supernatural enemies require supernatural resources, God fighting beside us and for us.
The Result (You may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand)
To be strong in the Lord, to be able to stand, we must be in the Lord. Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 discuss being in the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” To be in the Lord means that we are saved from God’s judgment by Christ’s grace through faith in Christ. Salvation is not based on anything that we have done or deserved. One of Paul’s frequent expressions in Ephesians is the phrase, “in Christ,” or “in Him”, used 8X in chapter 1. We cannot know what it means to be strong in the Lord unless we truly are in the Lord through saving faith in Jesus Christ.
The phrase “stand your ground” speaks of hand to hand combat. No one said being a Christian is easy. When we came forward, confessed, repented, baptized, we joined the Lord’s Army. In this army there are no desk jobs when we can stay far behind the lines and let others risk everything for Christ. We are all in this together as soldiers of Christ.
Good news and bad news: Bad news is that no one gets a break from the battle. We are under attack 24/7/365. Because Satan doesn’t sleep, we dare not go to sleep spiritually speaking. The good news is, God has provided everything necessary so that we might fight and win the battles that we face.
This last phrase, “after you have done everything, to stand” pictures a soldier standing in the middle of a battlefield after the conflict is over. It has been a long, hard, brutal fight, with casualties. He stands and surveys the battlefield, his uniform soaked with sweat, dirt and blood. His eyes are red with exhaustion. He hears the cries of those who have been wounded. He does not relax because he knows the enemy will attack again tomorrow. But tonight he will rest well, knowing that he was still standing when the fighting ended.
Recently heard about a book about the Marines who fought for years in Afghanistan. The author said that in the unit he was in, the commanding officer would say, “They (the Taliban) can start the fight any time they like, but we will finish it.” That’s Paul idea here. We stand and fight in Jesus’ name, and when the smoke clears, we will still be standing victorious on the battlefield.
