Intro
Are you ready? Are you ready for anything? An important theme in Scripture is readiness. Second Timothy 2:21 talks about being “prepared for every good work.”i Sometimes God opens a door for a person, but the person is not prepared to go though that open door. He is therefore not able to make the most of the opportunity (Eph. 5:16 NIV). For an important assignment, there is usually a necessary preparation. We ask God for opportunities; God asks us to prepare for opportunities.ii
After giving the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 25:13).iii We are to stay ready for the coming of the Lord. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:6: “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” Most of the world will be taken by surprise by the coming of the Lord. They will be so busy with other things, that that day will catch them unprepared.iv
Peter tells us to be sober and vigilant “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Many Christians today are like a soldier that has forgotten that he is on the battlefield. He has been lulled into a very dangerous complacency. His prayer life has withered up. He has gotten caught up in the cares of this life. He only reads his Bible occasionally. And the Devil has convinced him that he does not need to be in church. He only comes occasionally as a religious duty.v
I recently watched a documentary on the Vietnam War. As those soldiers made their way through the jungle, they were very alert. They were aware of the dangers they were walking into. They watched where they stepped because they did not want to step into a booby trap. They listened carefully to the sounds around them because the enemy might be lurking in the thick vegetation. That is what you do when you are in a war.
Did anyone tell you that you are in a war? It is a more dangerous war than Vietnam. There you could lose your physical life. But in this war, you could lose your eternal soul or the person living near you could lose his eternal soul. That reality should cause us to be alert.
We do not have to live in a state of anxiety. In fact, we should not live in anxiety (Phil. 4:6). There is no need for anxiety if we are doing the things we are supposed to be doing. Sometimes the people that should not be anxious are anxious, and the people that should be anxious are not anxious. “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). There is safety in living in humble dependence on the Lord. There is danger in thinking we can neglect this great salvation and do well in the long run (Heb. 2:3).
America made a fatal mistake in the Vietnam War. We underestimated our enemy. We looked at their lack of material resources compared to ours, and we assumed we could defeat them. But we were facing a determined enemy who had strategies different than what we anticipated. They drew us into man-to-man combat that neutralized much of our resource advantage. We thought we were invincible, but we lost.
As you can already see, this is not a pep talk. This is a sobering declaration of reality. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”vi That is only one side of our reality. The other side is far more encouraging. God has given us everything we need to win every battle.vii He has also shown us how to be prepared for anything. And that is what I want to talk about this morning.
Our text is found in Ephesians 6:10-18:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
I find in that passage a caution followed by an instruction. Verses 10-13 remind us that we are in a war. It cautions us against “the wiles of the devil.” Verse 14-18 instructs us on how to win the war. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God” (v. 13). Today we will deal with verses 10-13: the caution to stay alert and prepared.
OUR ENEMY
In verse 12, the enemy we fight is described as an organized, formidable adversary. Four levels of authority are mentioned in that verse: (1) Principalities (arche) which are authority figures who initiate activity. These are probably the top leaders in Satan’s kingdom.viii (2) Powers (exousia) which are ruling authorities probably below principalities, but very powerful entities.ix They assert significant influence. (3) Rulers (kosmokrator) which are the invisible fallen angels behind all the political turmoil and upheaval. “Cosmos is ‘world,’ and kratas is ‘powers.’”x Satan is the “god of this world,” and he rules through these fallen creatures (2 Cor. 4:4). (4) Hosts of wickedness (phrase: pneumatika tes ponerias) are evil spirits that promote hatred, sickness, perversion, and other evil thoughts and deeds. We know there are lying spirits (2 Chron. 18:21), spirits of infirmity (Luke 13:11), unclean spirits (Mark 1:23), deaf and dumb spirits (Mark 9:25), and spirits of divination (Acts 16:16) to name a few.
The categories that Paul lists here may have as much to do with function as with rank. Paul is not giving us a detail teaching about Satan’s kingdom. He is giving us enough so that we know we are up against an organized army of wickedness. There is not much benefit in trying to understand that kingdom in detail. If there were, God would have given us that in his word. Don’t let the Devil trick you into giving too much attention to him and his minions. Don’t let him deceive you into thinking he is not there either. Satan and his followers are created beings in opposition to God. Because God loves humanity they go about to steal, kill, and destroy anything God loves.xi They are at war with God, and because we are his people they are at war with us. There is no use avoiding the conflict. The admonition Paul is giving in our text is to be properly equipped for the conflict.
The important thing to understand is this: “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (v. 12). The enemy we contend with is in the unseen spiritual world. According to verse 12, they are “in the heavenly [epouranios] places.”xii They are in the spiritual realm or dimension.
The mistake we must continually guard against is losing sight of that reality. Study church history, and you will find Christians persecuting and even killing other Christians because they thought they were the enemy. Paul warned the Galatian church against biting and devouring one another (Gal. 5:15). Your enemy is not a Democrat or a Republican. Your enemy is wicked spirits that are deceiving people and promoting ungodly thoughts and behavior.
A key to winning the war is knowing who the enemy is. One problem American soldiers had in Vietnam was distinguishing peaceful farmers from Viet Cong militants. If the Devil can get you confused about who the enemy is, you will fight the wrong adversary with the wrong weapons. Paul reminded Christians at Corinth: “. . . the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4). Our battle is a spiritual one. We do not wage war by carnal means. If we try that, we will lose. We have to get at the real source of the problem. And the ultimate source of the problem is Satan and his host in the spiritual realm.
In this election year we must keep that in mind. There is something behind evil politicians pulling the strings and running the show. Those spiritual powers must be brought down. When that happens the evil dries up at the natural level.
Daniel knew how to do spiritual warfare. He knew how to fast and pray effectively—so effectively that God sent a high-ranking angel to answer his prayers. In Daniel 10, that angel was hindered from getting to Daniel with the answer. In verses 12-14 the angel told Daniel: “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” It was not a politician that was hindering that angel’s assignment. It was a principality who was over Persia. The answer was delayed but it was not denied. Daniel kept seeking God until he got the answer. And I want to encourage you to do the same. We cannot see everything that is going on in the heavenlies. But we can pray, and we can keep on praying.xiii
OUR STRENGTH
In Ephesians 6:10, Paul introduces his teaching on spiritual warfare with this summary statement: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” The word “finally” not only indicates he is drawing the letter to a close, but that he has been working his way to this exhortation all along.
In his commentary, Jack Hayford wrote: “This section is the point of the entire letter. The church is fully competent in the heavenlies to bring decisive victory upon the earth. We do not have a simple metaphorical conflict of ideas. We are engaged in actual battle and have the resources to fight the battle. The church is fully gifted with all that is necessary for victory.”xiv
We cannot take time to rehearse all that Paul has taught up to this point in this letter. But those truths are foundational to effective spiritual warfare. In chapter one, we are taught our acceptance and identity in Christ. In chapter two, we are reminded of our deliverance out of darkness into light. God has raised us up and seated us in the heavenlies in Christ. In chapter 3, Paul talks about the love of God and his power that is working in us. Chapter 4 tells us to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and walk in the light. Chapter 5 tells us to be filled with the Spirit. All of this equips us to win the war that we are in. We can win, but we must do it God’s way. Worldly techniques and methods are not the answer. Better church growth promotions are not the answer. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
We must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” The verses that follow tell us how to do that. What we must see at this point is that carnal might, intellect, fleshy exuberance are meaningless and powerless. It is “‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). How many church leaders can preach that passionately, yet lead their churches by carnal means? Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17). The blessing comes in the doing. Our strength must be spiritual strength through the Holy Spirit. Our strength must be “in the Lord.”
The Laodicean church in Revelation 3 was strong financially and in many other ways. So much so that they boasted, we are “rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (v. 17 KJV). Their confidence rested on the wrong thing. They had become proud and self-reliant. In spiritual matters they were half-hearted and weak. They were not “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
The Greek verb translated “Be strong” [endunamoo] in Ephesians 6:10 is in the present tense, indicating continuous action. That is one reason we must be reminded of these things on an ongoing basis. How many people have been strong in the Lord at some time in their lives but failed to continue in that dependence on the Lord. H. A. Ironside suggested “it might be rendered, ‘My brethren, be daily strengthened.’”xv Jesus taught us to pray daily, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). Yesterday’s manna will not do.xvi We must receive strength from the Lord on a daily basis. That is one reason we are here today, digging into the word of God. We cannot live off of yesterday’s experience. We need God’s strength for this day.
OUR ARMOR
In verse 11 and again in verse 13 of our text, we are told to put on the whole armor of God. The emphasis is on putting it all on. Any area of neglect is a point of vulnerability in our warfare with the enemy. And in these verses, we are given two reasons for doing that.
First, in verse 11 we must have our armor on so that we are “able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Your adversary is quite tricky. He has an array of strategies to use against us. The word translated wiles is methodeia. We get our English word method from it. It means “crafty scheming with an intent to deceive.”xvii Did you know that Satan can appear as an angel of light and his ministers can disguise themselves as apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13-14). I wish I could tell you there is nothing to be concerned about. But in our text, Paul is telling us to watch out for the wily strategies of our adversary. He does not play fair. But if we stay alert and follow the instruction that we have here in Ephesians 6, we can defeat him.
James gives us an important key to victory: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We cannot be passive in this war. There is some resisting to do. Our text is teaching us some principles for doing that. But the more important part of James’s instruction is that we submit ourselves to God. To the extent that we are submitted to God, to that extent we operate in his authority, and to that extent we can successfully resist the Devil.xviii
In Ephesians 6:13 we are given another reason for putting on the whole armor of God: “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” What is “the evil day”? It is those times when Satan’s assaults are particularly vicious.xix Job encountered an evil season in his life—a time when Satan did his best to turn him against God. Jesus had an evil day in Matthew 4:1-11 during his temptation in the wilderness. But he was ready for anything the Devil could throw at him, and he stood his ground in that evil day.
The picture here is of a soldier who is attacked on every side. The dust is flying in every direction because the battle is fierce. But when the dust settles, that soldier is still standing his ground. He is poised for battle and ready for more if necessary.
One of David’s mighty men was named Shammah. He was standing in a bean patch when the Philistines attacked the Israeli army. The Israelites fled from the enemy—except Shammah did not run. He stood his ground and killed the Philistines single handedly (2 Sam. 23:11-12). He was prepared and he was “strong in the Lord and the power of his might.”xx
Conclusion
In our next message, we will discuss the armor that Paul lists in Ephesians 6:14-18. Today we have seen the kind of enemy we face, the kind of strength we must operate in to defeat him, and the importance of staying alert and prepared.
What preparations would God have you to do now, so that you are ready for anything that may open up in the days ahead. I remember when I was working at Bell Helicopter as a CPA. I would work all day and go home and study Scripture in the evening. I was not teaching anybody but myself. In some ways it was strange to put all that effort in when I had no platform to share what I was learning. Then one day, quite unexpectedly, I was asked to step into full-time ministry. Because I accepted God’s plan of preparation, I was ready to seize that opportunity.
God has plans for you. There are things to do now that will prepare you to fulfill those plans. When the door opens, you will not have time to do the preparations that are to be done now. When God was about to bring Israel out of Egyptian bondage, he told them to prepare. As they ate the Passover, they were to be ready to go. Exodus 12:11 instructed them:: “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.” Is your belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hard? Are you ready for what God is about to do in your life? Are you at least getting ready.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Eph. 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Before you were born, God planned good works that he wants to do through you. There is an equipped that we must submit to in order to be prepared for the good works he has prepared for us to do.
iii See also Luke 12:35, 47.
iv 2 Tim. 2:4: “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
v Cf. Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:25.
vi 1 Pet. 5:8. See also Judges 7:5-7.
vii Cf. Rom. 8:37; 2 Pet. 1:3.
viii Fredrick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 2000) s. v. “arche, 6,” 138. W. A Criswell, Ephesians: An Exposition by W. A. Criswell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 290.
ix Fredrick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 2000) s. v. “exousia, 5, b,” 35
3. W. A Criswell, Ephesians: An Exposition by W. A. Criswell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 290.
x W. A Criswell, Ephesians: An Exposition by W. A. Criswell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 290.
xi See John 10:10.
xii Epouranios is the word for heaven, but we must keep in mind that there are more than one heaven. In 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul testified of being caught up into the third heaven.
xiii Cf. Col. 4:2.
xiv Jack W. Hayford and David P. Seemuth, eds., Ephesians & Colossians, Spirit-Filled Life New Testament Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 119.
xv H. A. Ironside, In the Heavenlies: Practical Expository Addresses on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 1937 (Nepturen, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1979), 305.
xvi Cf. Ex. 16:20-21.
xvii J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida, eds., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (United Bible Societies,1989. Bibleworks 6.0).
xviii As is often taught, Christ’s authority is available to God’s people. But operating in that authority depends on our submission to it—not just in a particular moment of confrontation with the enemy, but as a lifestyle of consecration to his Lordship.
xix It can be any time of special testing. Cf. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 553.
xx Your assignment may seem to be little more than a bean patch. The Devil will tell you it is so insignificant that it does not matter. But if God has assigned you a place to stand your ground, then stand your ground the way Shammah did. Any assignment the Lord gives us is significant whether it appears so or not. Cf. Luke 16:10.
