Armed for Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-20
Happy early July 4th, Independence Day. Certain things are worth fighting for. The founding fathers of the United States of America felt that representation in government was worth fighting for. That's one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War.
What is worth fighting for in your life? Some people fight over small things, like their toys. Other people fight over big things, like their health, especially when a life-threatening illness comes upon them. What is worth fighting for in your life?
This morning, we'll learn to fight for the freedom Christ purchased for us by His death on the cross. The Bible tells us in Colossians 2:13-16, "When you were dead in your sins ..., God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ...; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities [demonic spiritual influences], ..., triumphing over them by the cross."
Christ felt our relationship with God was worth fighting for. Worth dying for. He gave His life on the cross to give us forgiveness and freedom from sin and Satan. We must fight to keep from returning to sin and Satan's control.
The Bible tells us that Satan was a high ranked angel created by God to serve God. But he became proud and wanted to be worshipped like God. So he declared war on God and one-third of the angels joined him to oppose God. They were unsuccessful, and God cast them down to earth. Satan and his angels are now known as demonic spirits. You can read about this in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.
C.S. Lewis pointed out two common mistakes we make with regard to Satan and demonic spirits. First, we ignore or deny their existence. Second, we focus or dwell on their existence. Neither is helpful. The Bible calls us to know their existence and stand firm in Jesus Christ when they attack.
Demonic spirits attack in two ways. They use sneak tactics and scare tactics. But their goal is the same, to prevent people from worshipping God and trusting Jesus Christ.
Sneak tactics are the most common. They might begin with tempting you to break one of God's commands. And when you give into the temptation, the next step is to condemn you for doing it. And finally to accuse you for being a failure.
Scare tactics might involve unexplainable occurrences or supernatural appearances. I remember as a campus minister at UC Davis going to an apartment with a pastor. Those living in the apartment reported seeing an empty bottle slide across their counter and their spring door stop bounce on its own. One of the roommate reported waking up in the middle of the night with a "half fox, half pig" sitting on top of her.
The pastor and I made sure they were not using hallucinogenic drugs. Then we prayed in the name of Jesus throughout the apartment and for the tenants. I called back the next day and the next week to asked if they were still experiencing supernatural occurrences. They told me there was no more. As recorded in the New Testament and seen in that situation, Jesus had authority over demons and their powers.
Our text this morning is Ephesians 6:10-20. I'll read the passage, give some context, then explain and apply the text to some examples in life. (READ)
Paul wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus. He wrote to Christians about our spiritual blessings in Christ: Forgiveness of sin, unconditional love, wisdom for life, and eternal inheritance from God. He wrote about how we are to live our new life in Christ and new relationship in Christ's church. He wrote about how Christ influences the marriage, the family and the marketplace.
And finally, he closes the letter reminding us to stand strong in Christ because there will be opposition. This opposition is not human nor earthly. This opposition is spiritual and demonic. And we need God's weapons, not man-made weapons, to be victorious.
Paul uses the metaphor of armor to picture how we are to live victoriously amid spiritual warfare. He describes each piece of the armor from verses 14 to 17. And he concludes with a battle cry in verses 18 to 20. Let's look together.
The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. Live out Christ's truth. vs 14a
Satan is a liar. He wants to destroy us, our families, our church and our future with his lies. John 8:44 records, "the devil ... was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Paul calls us to live out Christ's truth to overcome Satan's lies. Satan's lies are meant to prevent us from worshipping God and trusting in Jesus Christ. Some lies people believe from Satan include:
A common lie Satan tells people is, "God is like my biological father, who abandoned the family. Or God is like the church leader who misused his power." But Jesus says in Matthew 7:11 that God is not like our human father, who is imperfect and sinful. Christ's truth says, "God is good, and He will do what is right and just."
A lie Satan tells Christians is, "You can live life fine without knowing God's Word or spending time in prayer each day." But Jesus says in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” And Jesus relied on prayer with the Father God to guide his daily life and ministry. The truth is, we will be defeated in spiritual warfare unless we know God's truth through reading the Bible and discern God's will through prayer.
The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. Accept Christ's righteousness. vs 14b
Satan is an accuser. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is in the business of accusing people. Maybe you've heard his voice in your head. Or you've heard Satan using your parents' voices. Or in the voices of those who spread rumors and gossips.
Some accusations might sound like this: "You can't possibly be a Christian. You continue to use that kind of language. Or, you repeat the same sins week after week. Or, if people knew the real you, they would have nothing to do with you."
The Bible tells us the truth that there is no one righteous, not even one person (Romans 3:10). So are we doomed to feel condemned, ashamed and guilty? No.
1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." All we need to do is agree with God that what we did was wrong, ask for His forgiveness, and God will surely forgive us and make us clean.
God's Son, Jesus, already died on the cross to pay for mankind's sins. He is exchanging His righteousness for our unrighteousness. Putting on the breastplate of righteousness means that we accept Christ's righteousness for our own.
The third piece of armor is the shoes of peace. Offer Christ's peace. vs 15
The Bible tells us that Satan has wanted from the beginning to separate mankind from God and mankind from one another. In the Garden of Eden, Satan successfully tempted Eve and Adam to disobey God. The result was mankind's separation from God and one another.
We are broken people, and broken people break relationships. Romans 5:1 tells us we can regain peace with God through trusting in Jesus. And Romans 12:17-21 tell us that we are to do good to others to restore peace in our relationship with one another.
If we want to defeat Satan's divide and conquer tactic, we must be quick to ask for forgiveness from those we have wronged, whether that be God or another person. Then we must be quick to forgive those who offend or hurt us. This doesn't mean trust those who have hurt us. Trust needs to be earned, but forgiveness can come before trust is restored.
The fourth piece of armor is the shield of faith. Trust Christ's promises. vs 16
Satan is an expert in casting doubt in our minds about God's presence and power. When we doubt God is there, or that God is in control, we are left to our own limitations and circumstances. Anxiety, worry, stress and even fear can take over and drain us.
But Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20 and Luke 24:49 that His Spirit will always be with us. Therefore, we are never alone or powerless to face the challenges in our lives. We can face difficult classes, difficult people, career changes or even illness and loss. There is nothing in life that God and I cannot face together and get through.
The fifth piece of armor is the helmet of salvation. Rest in Christ's salvation. vs 16
Satan is the one who put the original wedge between mankind and God. World religion is man's attempt to restore that relationship with God. Christ's salvation provided by His death on the cross is the only effective means to restore mankind to God. And we can rest in Christ's finished work on the cross.
I've told this story three weeks ago in Connection service, but a good story is worth retelling. Watchman Nee tells about a Christian who came in deep distress to see his pastor. The Christian said, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.”
The pastor said, “Do you see my dog here? He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have my son, my baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit [all I have]? Not my dog; my son is my heir.”
Satan wants us to relate to God as a dog to his Master. Jesus wants us to related to God as a child to his Father. The helmet of salvation invites us to rest in God's goodness, not in our goodness, in Christ's salvation, not in religion.
The sixth piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit. Affirm God's words. vs 17b
Satan and demonic spirits will more often than not use sneaky tactics. He doesn't like to be exposed. But sometimes spiritual warfare will involve direct confrontation with Satan or demonic spirits.
Jesus had his first direct confrontation with Satan just before he began his public ministry. We read this in Matthew 4, the temptation of Jesus. How did Jesus overcome Satan in each attack? Jesus affirmed God's words. Read it for yourself, Matthew 4:1-11.
I normally sleep through the night without waking up. My head hits the pillow and the next thing I hear is the alarm in the morning. But this past week, my sleep was broken during two nights.
When I woke up in the middle of the first night, I saw a serpent coming down from the corner of my ceiling. I just went back to sleep. The next night, I woke up and saw possibly snakes on top of me and the serpent again coming down from the same corner of my ceiling. I screamed and woke up Susan.
Then I quietly whispered 1 John 4:4, "Greater is God's Spirit who lives in me than you, Satan, who is in this world." And I went back to sleep. Affirming God's Word is an effective weapon against demonic direct confrontation.
I share this not to creep you out, but to let you know that what the Bible teaches is real and is not outdated. I also share this in case you've encountered direct demonic attack. So you know you're not alone. And finally, I share this so you know God and Satan are not equals. Christ is far greater than Satan in power and authority.
Preparing this message has been very draining on my body, mind and spirit. But I thank God for a few people whom I asked to pray for me. Prayer is powerful because God is powerful.
And I prayed for myself also, that I, like Paul in verses 18-20, would be fearless to make known the mystery of the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is the battle cry of the Christian: Pray that I declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ fearlessly.
