INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Isn't it so easy to live for Jesus? Are you not glad that we live in a world that embraces Biblical truth, that encourages righteousness?
• Are you not glad that we the media, Hollywood, as well as politicians doing all they can to promote Biblical values? ?
• Wait, never mind!
• Living out your faith is not easy; we are hit in so many directions with so many messages that are in direct opposition to Jesus.
• We are saturated with messages, media, and other things that make living our faith more difficult.
• Lest you think I am whining about this, I realize that in places like China, you can end up in prison for practicing your faith.
• The Muslim world is so fearful of Christianity that they persecute and kill Christians.
• The early church suffered persecution for practicing their faith, so in contrast to that, we have it easy.
• Nonetheless, it is safe to say that society is becoming less tolerant of a Christian worldview.
• Today we will conclude our series, Masterpiece in Progress.
• How do we thrive in a hostile world?
• We have to realize we are in a battle, a battle for the heart and soul.
• Paul concludes his letter by reminding his readers of the cosmic narrative in which they hold an essential role.
• He describes the battle at work in the spiritual realm as well as the tools God has equipped us with to ensure our victory.
• Let’s begin by turning to Ephesians 6:10-11
• SLIDE #2
• Ephesians 6:10–11 (CSB) — 10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. The battle. (10-11)
• In this verse, Paul uses the word FINALLY.
• This represents the culmination of the encouragements concerning our conduct in this world.
• In the second half of this letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul goes from theological to practical.
• Since we are called to be different, we need to know how to be victorious over the enemy instead of becoming victims of the enemy.
• Verse 10 emphasizes the fact that we need to be prepared for the battle that we face every moment of every day!
• Since we are in a battle of epic proportions, we need to realize our strength comes from the Lord.
• For those that used to watch Popeye, and for our younger folks, it was not a cartoon about chicken. Google it. ?
• Whenever Popeye was confronted by Bluto, who was always hitting on Popeye’s woman Olive Oly. Popeye would get beat up by Bluto until Popeye busted out his chocolate chip cookie, I mean his nasty can of spinach.
• Once he ate the spinach, Bluto got a beatdown of epic proportions.
• For the Christian, Jesus is our spinach. He is where we are to get out strength so that win the battle that we will fight each day.
• Jesus is the only one who is undefeated!
• The battle we face is a spiritual battle, we have to understand that fact.
• If we are not aware of the battle we are in, we will succumb to the enemy and be defeated.
• We are encouraged to put on the full armor of God so we can be victorious!
• The imperative to put on the full armor of God is one all of us are called to do. We all must be aware of the power we have through Jesus!
• The phrase FULL ARMOR was a military technical term that spoke of the equipment worn by the heavily armed Romans infantrymen who were always in a state of readiness.
• By the way, Paul was chained to a Roman soldier as he wrote this letter.
• We must put on the full armor of God, lest we fall victim to the schemes of the enemy.
• In the face of this battle, we are told to stand firm.
• Once again, STAND FIRM is a military term that carries the idea of holding one’s position against the enemy rather than allowing oneself to be overrun.
• It also denotes standing as the victor, unvanquished!
• What we are facing are schemes to defeat us.
• Schemes are insidious plans or systems of attack, evil tricks.
• How many of you have received a call from the Social Security Administration or from someone claiming to be from the IRS?
• Those are schemes to get your money.
• Now that we know we are at war let's look at verse 11-12.
• SLIDE #4
• Ephesians 6:11–12 (CSB) — 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
• SLIDE #5
II. The opponent. (11-12)
• One of the most vital issues when it comes to being able to be successful in winning the battle is that we have to know what we are up against.
• A person can spend so much time fighting against the wrong opponent if they are not careful.
• If we do not know our enemy, we cannot win, and we will not be adequately prepared.
• The other danger of not knowing your opponent is the tendency to underestimate the opponent.
• Remember the Revolutionary War? The is no chance we should have won that.
• The British thought they would plow through us in no time.
• After all, they were one of the most powerful military forces on earth at the time, our country was led by a guy who had not had a lot of success on the battlefield.
• Our military was understaffed, underpaid, and lacked training.
• We looked like easy pickings.
• Well, the British forces tried to use their old school march to the battlefield, line up and shoot at each other.
• Our guys had a different strategy. We played to win, not to look like gentlemen.
• One of the mistakes we can make, which could inhibit our ability to win the battle is when we mistake who we are fighting.
• It is easy to see people as the enemy, or a political party as an enemy. We can see other countries as the enemy.
• People, politicians, governments, and such are all pawns exploited by the real enemy.
• We are fighting the realm of darkness headed up by the prince of darkness, Satan.
• Just as God has angels in the spiritual realm, Satan has his demons in the spiritual darkness realm.
• For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
• People are not the enemy; they are pawns of the enemy.
• The cosmic powers of darkness refer to lings whose rule was world-wide. This is the only place this term is used, and it is rarely used outside of the Bible.
• The term STRUGGLE was a term that denoted a wrestling contest, or the secondary meaning spoke hand to hand combat between soldiers.
• The infantrymen were often engaged in this type of life and death battle.
• We see the word AGAINST on five occasions in verse 12. After we see our struggle is not against flesh and blood, the other four times conveys four classes of the realm of evil we fight.
• Let’s turn to verse 13-14
• SLIDE #6
• Ephesians 6:13–14 (CSB) — 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, …
• SLIDE #7
III. The challenge. (13-14a)
• We are given three challenges in these two verses.
• First, we are encouraged to take up the full armor of God. We have touched on this already.
• Because we must fight a foe that is scheming, inhuman, powerful, and evil, we need to be armed and protected with the equipment God supplies.
• We do not need to invent or manufacture their armaments; they just need to “put on” (lit., “take up”) the resources God has already made available.
• Paul’s repetition of the “full armor” of God is a reminder that we need the whole package; every piece is necessary. Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 6:13). Joplin, MO: College Press.
• We are told to take up the full armor of God so that we can do the second thing, resist!
• We cannot let the enemy win without a fight!
• We are also told to take our stand and to Stand!
• Take our stand at the end of verse 13, denotes still standing when the fight is over.
• The encouragement to STAND at the beginning of verse 14 means we are to be firm at the beginning of the conflict!
• Let’s look at verses 14-20
• SLIDE #8
• Ephesians 6:14–20 (CSB) — 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the Gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
• SLIDE #9
IV. The gear. (14b-20)
• God has given us some gear that will keep us safe and free from injury and death as we engage in the battle. We are given five items for defensive and protective purposes, one offensive weapon and a nice sat phone to communicate with HQ!
• SLIDE #10
• This belt, also called a girdle, was about six inches wide. Probably made of leather, it held together the clothing underneath as well as holding the other pieces of armor in place, such as the breastplate and the sheath for the sword. Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1996). Ephesians, (p. 131). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
• The belt formed the foundation of the soldier’s armor, much like the truth is the foundation for the life of a Christian.
• Truth is what holds everything together. If our life is not based on truth, we have already lost the battle.
• SLIDE #11
• The next piece is the breastplate or the armor of righteousness.
• The breast protected the vital organs.
• A breastplate was a large leather, bronze, or chain-mail piece that protected the body from the neck to the thighs.
• Righteousness means doing what is right both to God and people.
• “Righteousness” provides a significant defense; it gives the evidence that we have been made right with God and that this righteousness has been given us by the Holy Spirit.
• When we consistently practice right living towards God and people, there is no weak place where the devil can successfully attack!
• SLIDE #12
• A soldier is only as good as his feet!
• A soldier wore unique sandals or military shoes that protected his feet without slowing him down. Roman soldiers had special shoes made of soft leather with studded soles.
• This allowed them to march farther and faster as well as giving them stability in battle—they could dig in and hold their ground when in hand-to-hand combat. Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1996). Ephesians, (p. 131). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
• We can hold firm when we know the Gospel of peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts, and it will give us the confidence we need in this battle. (Philippians 4:7) If God is for us, who can be against us!
• SLIDE #13
• The shield of faith!
• This was a 4x2.5 piece of equipment that was made to interlock with other shields to offer protection to the soldier. When the enemy would shoot flaming arrows, the shields were dampened with water to help extinguish the arrows.
• For a Christian, our shield of faith is complete reliance on Jesus! It is also interlocking our shields with one another to make us stronger in so we can face the enemy together!
• SLIDE #14
• The helmet of salvation!
• This protects the head!
• Our salvation protects the mind. The battle for the soul is a battle for the mind! Romans 12:2!
• Now for the offensive weapon we possess!
• SLIDE #15
• This was a short two-edged sword the army used for close quarters battle.
• The sword is the Word of God! The Spirit works through the Word!
• The Word is what Jesus used to give Satan a beatdown in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11!
• Since it worked for Jesus, it will work for us.
• The thing about a sword is it can be dangerous for the one wielding it if they do not know how to use it!
• Practice getting to know how to use the sword!
• SLIDE #16
• Finally, a soldier who cannot communicate with their leaders is in a heap of trouble.
• We have the gift of prayer! We can call in air strikes, we can ask for help when we are overwhelmed.
• We can receive orders from our Lord!
• Prayer is powerful! Use it!
CONCLUSION.
• Ephesians show us we are a Masterpiece in Progress!
• Do not let the masterpiece be destroyed because you did not know you were in a battle, do not allow the masterpiece to be destroyed by anything or anyone!
• You are victorious in Christ!
• Run to the battle, know He has won it for you!
