Title: Speak Out with Boldness
Central idea: We are to fight against the evils of our time with truth, righteousness, faith and we are to proclaim the Gospel boldly.
Specific purpose: to persuade the congregation not to set idly by but to fight for God by speaking boldly for Christ.
Delivery style: Speak boldly, forcefully
Paul was in chains in prison when He wrote this letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:10-20, "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 1 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against [defensive] the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench 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 in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak."
As Hitler’s appetite for power and territory grew, his army began to march across Europe. In some cases, in the Low Countries, the defenders were so weak that the fight was no a battle, just a skirmish. The German army had tanks with technologically advanced weapons. In some of the less militarily developed nations, their armies made a futile effort to resist Hitler’s aggression. For example, in 1939 when the Germans attack Poland, the Polish army had horse mounted cavalry to charge tanks and biplanes to go against powerful Messerschmitt 109's. It was no contest. Poland fell in a few weeks. Poland was not equipped for the battle.
We who oppose evil today are much like the Polish army of 1939. Many of evil's victims do not even know there is a war going on. They make easy prey. We Christians must realize that we are in the midst of a great spiritual struggle. Even more distressing is the fact that many who consider themselves “in the war” do not understand the nature of evil's schemes, of the weapons that evil employs, or of the weapons that God has provided for our defense.
I. Paul says, "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."
A. The church is engaged in a spiritual war, and its enemy is Satan and a host of unseen angelic and celestial enemies whose power vastly exceeds our own. Our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition.
1. These enemies are both worldly and spiritual. In verse 12, Paul describes the many enemies as “rulers,” “powers,” “world forces of this darkness,” “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.
2. We cannot fully grasp the variety and the number of those forces that oppose us. They range from evil people to fallen angelic beings.
3. To underestimate his power is to underestimate the immensity of the spiritual struggle, and the corresponding need that we have for divine enablement.
4. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we dare not underestimate our enemy, “who prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Satan does not have false teeth. He not only desires to devour, he will devour those who do not take up the “whole armor of God.”
II. Paul’s focus in our text is not on every aspect of Satan’s opposition to God and man, but on the devil’s war with the saints. You are the saints, the members of the church of Jesus the Christ. Satan carries on his warfare on various fronts. Evil seeks to keep unbelievers from the truth, but, in Ephesians, Paul’s concern is with Satan’s war against the church and with the defenses that God has provided the Christian.
A. In the spiritual war, evil employs a variety of strategies to oppose and to defeat the Christian. Paul does not speak of the “scheme” of the devil, but of his “schemes” (plural). 1. Recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 is how Satan tempted our Lord. Satan finally failed and then came back and back again. For forty days and nights, Jesus was in the wilderness and the devil tempted Jesus. Jesus ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When every test was finished, the devil departed from him until an opportune time.
b. Luke 4:13 makes it clear that it was only for a time, only until Satan could regroup, “And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” Not only did Satan tempt Jesus different with lines of approach, he purposed to continue to tempt Him, when the opportunity presented itself. Satan is an opportunist, with an almost endless variety of “schemes.”
B. At the present, Satan’s opposition against the church is not a frontal attack, but a subversive attack through intrigue, deception and trickery. The demons were shocked to discover that Jesus had come. Matthew 8:28-29 tells us that they were expecting Him to come later, for their final confrontation. Satan is presently employing deception and intrigue to trip up the Christian. This is a time of guerilla warfare, of snipers and booby traps, not of frontal attack.
C. There is a coming, “evil day,” when the spiritual war will intensify, and when the dangers for believers will increase. It is true, in one sense, that the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Paul does not seem to be speaking of “evil days” in general but of a coming “evil day.”
1. I understand this day to be that future day when satanic opposition will intensify, leading to the second coming of our Lord and the final destruction of satan and his hosts (see II; Revelation 12, 20).
2. The Christian warrior is to be vigilant, not be caught off guard by evil's schemes, and so that he will be able to stand in the final days of confrontation.
III. The Christian’s weapons have been divinely provided in Christ. Putting on the “full armor of God” is putting on the armor that our Lord girded Himself, when He set out to bring about the salvation of His own in an evil day. When men write about the spiritual warfare, the devil and his demons receive too much prominence; not so in Scripture. Paul says Christ is preeminent.
A. During the Second World War, many men received a letter in the mail that began something like this, “Greetings from the President of the United States.” Those were the first words in your daft notification welcoming you into the military. The President’s “greeting” was not an invitation but a summons. One did not dare to ignore this letter, without expecting serious consequences.
1. Paul’s instructions concerning the spiritual war are similar in that Paul is informing God drafts every Christian, not to fight a physical war, but to fight a spiritual war. We are not encouraged to take up the “full armor of God.” God commands us to do so. Paul says use the same tools God does, that Jesus used when in the wilderness. These verses are our marching orders, and we dare not ignore them or fail to carry them out to the letter.
2. We must put on the "the full armor of God" for that is our protection against Satan’s attacks. Satan’s schemes are many, and he attacks us at any point he considers vulnerable. Thus, our armor must be complete. We cannot choose our what armor we are to put on; rather we must put all of it on.
B. Our duty is not to attack Satan or to defeat him, but rather to withstand his attacks. Our task is defensive, not offensive. Those who would attack Satan do not understand Satan’s power, or God’s plan. We will not defeat Satan, God will.
1. God is the One who wins the battle. Yet, God has chosen us to fight alongside of Him. In Revelation 12:11, the saints who are “over comers” do not defeat satan. Indeed, many of them actually die at his hand. In Revelation 20:7-10 we learn that Satan’s final defeat comes not at the hand of the saints, but from the hand of God who sends fire from heaven.
2. In spiritual warfare, the battle is the Lord’s. At times, God simply commanded the people to “stand still” and watch the Lord win the battle, without any human help. We find a wonderful example in Exodus 14:10-14. ”10And as Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11Then they said to Moses, 'Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? 12Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.' 13But Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord that He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.'”
IV. Paul urges us to, ”14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 1 7 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak."
A. We must be righteous and unafraid to speak the truth. Righteousness is doing our best to do what God would have us do, obey His Commandments. We are to speak the truth about our society's abrogation of God's laws. For example, the Bible is abundantly clear; a child's life is as sacred as that of an adult. The Greeks abandoned weak and unwanted children on a lonely mountain to die of exposure or for animals to eat. The Romans simply murdered unwanted children. The Greeks and the Romans persecuted the Jews for speaking out about this practice. Romans and Greeks looked upon the Jewish position as a “contemptible prejudice” and sneered at them. Today, we who speak-out against abortions for any reason, we are portrayed as somehow stupid. 60,000,000 will not be neglected by God. The selling of aborted baby tissue is an atrocious. Genesis records that when Cain killed Able. Then God heard the cry of Able's blood. Surely, God has heard the cries of the millions of innocent babies crying from the ground. God will punish our nation.
B. We are to proclaim the gospel showing love to all people regardless of circumstance. The homeless, the poor, the man or woman in prison is just as valuable to God as any saint that ever walked the face of the earth. We are all sinners. God loves us and we are to reach out to all.
C. God has saved us, why do we fear what people say about us. Speak-out with boldness.
V. In Romans 13:11-14 Paul says, "11And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."
A. Joshua 5:13–6:27 tells us that we are actively engaged in the battle, God wins the victory. When David fought Goliath, he did not even have a sword, but only a sling. While David fought, God gave the victory. Even Goliath’s words to David made it clear that this young man could not prevail on his own. David’s words made it clear that the battle and the victory was the Lord’s.
B. Belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit. God has our amour laid out before us. We are called to put them on with prayer, thanking God for the victory in the war which Christ has already won, but whose battles are still being fought in our midst every day.
C. We must stand this ground. There is no retreat. God placed us here with one command, "Stand your ground." Stand firm then, Christian, putting on the armor of God.
