Introduction:
The Bible teaches, from beginning to end, of the existence of the invisible world, the world of the spirit. A world of angels and demons, yet a world that we touch daily as those who have been given not merely a body, but a spirit. This invisible world is difficult to believe in for many of us today. We tend to focus on that which our senses tell us is real. Things we can touch, taste, smell, hear, or see are real to us. An invisible world of the spirit seems a bit unreal or mystical.
One of the things I love about the way God’s Word presents the things of the spirit, is the way it stays away from the mystical or unreal. It presents the unseen world as simply a matter-of-fact. There are things that are seen; there are things that are unseen. Both are real. One is not more real than the other. The invisible world is not a matter of myth but of solid, well-grounded reality.
Jesus had a firm grasp of this reality. He was aware of and interacted with this invisible world on a regular basis. After His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days of prayer and fasting. During this time He encountered the Devil and was faced with a time of temptation. The battle is not presented with a flourish as if to say, “This was a unique, once-for-all battle reserved only for the Son of God.” Instead, it almost seems as though it is a model of what may happen to any believer who makes a decision to follow at all costs, the direction of God. At any rate, the battle in the wilderness was not waged with miraculous signs, but with a clear-headed use of the Word of God to counter the suggestions of the Enemy.
As Jesus moved through His years of ministry in His earthly body, He encountered the invisible realm a number of times. There was the time He was preparing to go to Jerusalem and Peter spoke up against the trip. Jesus turned to him, and we can almost see Him pointing His finger in Peter’s direction as He said, “Get behind Me Satan.”
How unnerving that must have been for Simon Peter! I don’t believe Jesus was calling Peter, “Satan,” but rather was responding to Satan himself. Jesus understood how Satan could put words into the mouths of others, like Peter, and simply went to the root of the problem with His rebuke. By the way, if Satan could put his thoughts into the mind of the Apostle Peter, do you suppose he can do the same to us? I’m convinced that one of the major reasons for the many commands given in Scriptures regarding watching what we say, is the possibility that our words, unchecked, may contain the thoughts of the Enemy.
This we should know. This we should be convince of the spiritual world...
13- Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14-That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15- But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4 KJV)
The armor is just a graphic way of saying what Paul says in Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” In other words, Christ Himself is our armor. He is the belt of truth (John 14:6). He is our breastplate of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). He is the gospel of peace that we stand on (Eph. 2:13-14, 17). He is the shield of our faith (Heb. 12:2). He is our helmet of salvation (Titus 3:6). He is our sword, the word of God (John 1:1). He is our full armor, capable of protecting us from every onslaught of the devil. Putting on God’s armor means that in every trial and temptation by faith you appropriate Christ’s strength in place of your weakness. By faith you cry out to Him for deliverance and strength to persevere. By faith you rely on His promises, even as Jesus defeated Satan by quoting Scripture (Luke 4:1-13).
Most Christians have forgotten that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield. As a result, very few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and ready to wage spiritual battle. Whether we ever believe it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to be successful in our work for the Lord Jesus, then we must be prepared for that battle and be ready to go to war.
Text:
10- A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11- Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12- For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13- Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
14- Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15- For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
16- In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
17-Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18- Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
(Ephesians 6:10-18NLT)
I- STAND WATCHFUL
v.10;18
Since time immemorial, God had already told it to Adam in Genesis 2: 15 “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.(NLT), till the days of Paul’s until now. Though Jesus finished everything in the Cross, we still have to watch and be alert from the wiles and schemes of the enemy. We are fighting a relentless enemy knowing that he got a short time to live. Paul is very clear about this verse that he doesn’t want us to experience a deja vu of what happened to Adam. We have to watch. Be alert. For the devil is like a roaring lion roaming around seeking someone who’s not watchful and alert to devour. God had given such a specific work to do because Ephesians 2:10, says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Watch and walk in them. Watching is so important for us since the fall of man as commented by Keil and delitzsch BibleCommentary... and I copied it in here to help us understand the true meaning of watching. Here it is...”He (Adam) would have detected the evil in the approaching tempter; but instead of yielding to it, he would have resisted it, and thus have made good his own property acquired with consciousness and of his own free-will, and in this way by proper self-determination would gradually have advanced to the possession of the truest liberty. But as he failed to keep this divinely appointed way, and ate the forbidden fruit in opposition to the command of God, the power imparted by God to the fruit was manifested in a different way. He learned the difference between good and evil from his own guilty experience, and by receiving the evil into his own soul, fell a victim to the threatened death. Thus through his own fault the tree, which should have helped him to attain true freedom, brought nothing but the sham liberty of sin, and with it death, and that without any demoniacal power of destruction being conjured into the tree itself, or any fatal poison being hidden in its fruit.”
The psalmist said, “Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.” (Psalm 105:4 MSG)
Remember the basics. You were planned for God’s pleasure, formed for God’s family, created to become like Christ, shaped for service, and made for a mission! These aren’t just good points for teaching others or for leading a church. These are the purposes for which God made you!
One of the verses that has kept inspiring through all the years of ministry is Acts 13:36, “David served God’s purpose in his own generation.” That’s my desire! And that’s we all should desire...
II- STAND WARLIKE
v.11
Good soldiers knows that he is engaged in a spiritual warfare and he knows that the only way to succeed in the fight is to be proficient in the use of spiritual weaponry. You and I would do well to learn the art of spiritual warfare if we intend to succeed for the glory of the Lord.
In 2 Cor. 11:14 & 1 Pet. 5:8 shows how good soldiers should know that the enemy is ever active and never rests. The good soldier knows that the enemy is shrewd and ever attacking, but he also knows the Lord is there to help him, Heb. 13:5. He knows that regardless of the trap, God will make a way of escape for him, 1 Cor. 10:13. The good soldier studies the methods of his enemy and learn his weaknesses and these exploits to the fullest extent of his ability. The good Christian soldier needs to be wise to the ways of the devil and he needs to know that the Lord Jesus is greater than any enemy we will ever face, ( 1 John 4:4.)
Good soldiers not only cares about his own welfare, but he also looks out for the welfare of his fellow soldiers, ( Gal. 6:2).He learns about them by being around them. There is a need for the soldiers of the Lord to train together. ( Heb. 11:25).
Notice that the full armor of God that Paul had outlined for every Christian is complete but without back covers meaning to say that a Christian warrior is designed to always equipped to advance, and never given instruction to back down, retreat or surrender. If one decides to draw back, then the flaming arrows and darts of the enemy would defeat him. We will never draw back. All we have to do is fight from victory the Lord Jesus had started and finished. No retreat, no surrender. The good soldier does not retreat in the face of the enemy, he does not run from a fight. Instead, he stands his ground and fights the battle until the battle is over! Many Christian soldiers have dropped out of the battle! I challenge you not be among that number! ( 1 Tim. 1:19-20).
III- STAND WITH DRAWN SWORD AND PRAYERS
v.17
It has been said that a soldier is no better than his equipment. Paul has told us about our enemy and about our energy. Now, he takes the time to speak concerning our equipment. He lets us know that we know all about our enemy. We are blessed with boundless energy and we have the best equipment that any army in history has known. Paul uses the word “machaira” which is a dagger, a short sword. It was used defensively, for close-in fighting.
How do we use the word of God as a defensive and offensive weapon? We must speak the word of God OUT LOUD. Demons cannot read our minds. Jesus did this to Satan in Matthew 4. Meditating on a scripture will fortify our spirit man so he can direct our fleshly, unrenewed soul man. For example, If we are fighting fear, we must find scriptures that counter that... Meditate on them, renew your mind. "God's not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. ( 2 Timothy 1:7)
The righteous never go begging and my God will meet all of my need out of His glorious riches. You spirit of fear, you get out of here and leave me alone, in Jesus name!” This will fortify your spirit man so that your soulish mind yields. When the enemy comes, resist him by speaking them out to him.
Together with the Sword of the Spirit as an offensive and defensive weapon we have is prayer. Daily we decide, consciously or unconsciously, to cultivate virtuous habits that strengthen our spiritual armor or destructive vices that weaken or remove the armor. When God’s armor is unconsciously remove, or not used, we become extremely vulnerable to diabolical vexation. We may get weary of the spiritual battle, and procrastinate about doing anything constructive to combat the interior or exterior onslaught of negativity, lies, doubts, fears, and darkness that weigh heavily on the soul. To a degree, we give up; lethargy sets in. We just want the spiritual tension and torment to end. The flesh cries out for pleasure; the world beckons us to comfort. The devil taunts us, “Your God wants you to suffer. He doesn’t care. You’re in a fantasy world. Get real.” How do we respond to spiritual combat at its various levels of temptation, oppression, or obsession?
Let us all fight with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and on our knees in the confines of our secret place by prayer and our Heavenly Father who sees us in secret shall reward us openly.... victory, prosperity, success, blessings, overcomers. The greater the opposition the greater will be victory.
Conclusion:
I read about a missionary years ago in the jungles of New Guinea who wrote the following letter to his friends back home: “Man, it is great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old devil’s heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease. He doesn’t waste time on a lukewarm bunch. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him. You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you’re on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don’t bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning? No sir. That’s the time to pull out the stops and shout Hallelujah! The old fellow’s getting it in the neck and hitting back. Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching. “Will he stick with it?” As they see who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We’re not going to run away. We’re going to stand!”
Having done all... we can stand victorious in Jesus.
Nothing is impossible to anyone that believes in Him.
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