Protection for the Christian in Combat
Does it ever seem to you that you have had more trouble after becoming a Christian than you did before?
You may not be imagining that. When you accepted Christ as Savior you enrolled as an agent of Heaven and declared yourself an enemy of all evil and the Evil One himself. The Deceiver is committed to the destruction of your faith. He works to confuse us and demoralize us so that we will conclude Christianity is a cruel hoax, an empty promise.
Must we live in fear of attacks of evil?
Are we merely defenseless pawns in the cosmic battle waged in the spiritual realms?
Let me answer that by asking you, do you live in constant fear of becoming ill?
Normal people do not. We know that if we practice good health: getting good nutrition, exercising properly, and providing rest for our bodies; we can reasonably expect to live a healthy life. Thus, if we get the flu, we don’t think we’re about to die. Instead, we take a day or two to rest and then get on with our life.
Evil attacks us like the germs that attack our physical bodies. Evil come from many sources; self, the systems of this present world, and even Satan, through his messengers.
We know that if we are taking care of our spiritual health, regularly giving ourselves to prayer and the truth of the Scriptures, we are able to resist the evil assaults. Sure there are times when the attacks are ferocious and we need to get prayer support and even take a couple of days to rest, but we do not live in mortal fear of the forces of evil. We know that God is greater and that He is working in us. This week I wrote to my TFTD list on Wednesday about the great promise of the GOSPEL, i.e.; God is on YOUR side! That is the heart of the message.
Do you realize that He is for you, not against you? "Gospel" is the translation of the Greek NT’s word, ‘euaggelion,’ a compound word meaning, the good message! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is summed up by Paul with these words, (Romans 5:8) God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
The most basic defense that we have when evil attacks is to remember: God is on my side!
Demons do their most effective work in our minds! Using lies, twisting and manipulating, they work to create fear, confusion, and doubt. We must learn to shut them off, to still their evil chatter with the undeniable truth of God’s Word.
The disinformation campaigns of demons reminds me of the propaganda wars that were waged on the morale of the troops in both the European and Pacific theaters of WWII. At night on the shortwave radios, the troops could tune in to Tokyo Rose or Axis Sally. These women would tell the Allied troops how successful the Japanese and German forces were, how that they were going to die in battle. They would remind the soldiers how much they missed home and even play music to stir up feelings of homesickness. The lies of these agents weren’t ultimately successful, but no one knows how many American men suffered torment because of the lies they told over the radio. They would have spared themselves much grief if they had turned off the radio. The disinformation was destructive and untrustworthy, so why listen in? There was a war to be fought that was not won or lost because of propaganda.
When demons torment us with lies, we place ourselves at risk by listening, repeating, and agreeing.
Instead, let’s take up the Word of God and find the truth that equips us for living as victors. God has not left us defenseless.
In our text for this morning we discover the Protection given by God to the Christian Believer who is in combat for the kingdom of God.
Turn with me to Ephesians 6. In your Pew Bible the text is found on page 1823.
This is a familiar passage so some of you might be thinking about tuning out at this point. Please don’t. Though you may have read these verses dozens of time and even heard a hundred sermons and Bible studies on them, you will be encouraged in hearing them again. The instructions and promises found here are bedrock foundations on which our assurance as Christ-followers rests.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Note first:
Staying protected requires the Believer’s ACTIVE participation with God.
We read these directives: “Be strong... put on... stand firm ... take up... pray in the Spirit.”
Dr. Neil Anderson writes:
You may be wondering, “If my position in Christ is secure and my protection is found in Him, why do I have to be actively involved? Can’t I just rest in His power and let Him protect me?” That’s like a soldier in the United States Army saying, “Our country is a major military power. We have advanced weapons systems: planes, missiles, and ships. Why should I bother with my helmet? Why post guards or learn to shoot a gun?” When the battle is on, guess who the first will be to get picked off?
So how does the Bible tell us to stay protected? What must we do?
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (NIV)
It is something of a challenge to bring the word pictures that are used here up-to-date. Paul, the apostle, is writing this letter to Christians while he is imprisoned in Rome. Perhaps as he was concluding this letter the Holy Spirit inspired him to look at the guard posted nearby. Looking over at the Imperial Guard that was part of the elite unit that guarded the Caesar, Paul noted the defensive armor and it became a way of instructing us about our protection in confrontations with evil.
Full Armor “panopliva” Gk. NT [panopleeah] includes shield, sword, lance, helmet, greaves, and breastplate.
In verse 14, we find the protection of the vital area. Here we find two words that we’ve already discussed in this series appearing once again: Truth and Righteousness!
The largest target area on the soldier’s body is the chest area. Here are his heart, lungs, and other vital organs. One shot in this area will likely kill or at least badly wound.
Using this image, God tells us to protect the vital areas of ourselves with a bullet-proof vest of righteousness held in place with a wide belt of truth! We find great protection in being in reality who we profess to be.
This is righteousness. The Christian who sings one song in church and another at work has laid aside a critical piece of his protection. Any time that there is large gap between what we preach and what we practice, we are vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Put on righteousness.
We must be ever so careful not to attempt to construct our own righteousness, however.
Righteousness is first a gift – granted to us through Christ in response to our faith.
Righteousness is closely connected to Truth. Jesus told us how we find truth so we may buckle ourselves into the protection of righteous living. In John 17:15-17 the Lord prays for us, “protect them from the evil one
. . . Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (NIV) If the Lord declares it, then it is truth. It is up to us, however, to put truth on by faith.
The core truth is who God is and how He relates to us. A few moments ago, I reminded you that God is on your side. The TRUTH is that He is loving, forgiving, reaching out to give us salvation which we do not nor could we ever deserve. Satan uses all kinds of lies to obscure that fact! He even uses well-meaning churches and Christians to hide the truth of God’s loving nature.
*ill.- A young man’s Christian father found him sitting in a restaurant bar a couple of weeks ago. He reprimanded the young man harshly saying, “You’re going to Hell!” Score one for the Devil. That Christian father lied by implying to that young man that having a drink was going to send him to Hell. How much wiser that Dad would have been to have reminded his son that drinking too much is a sure road to many problems. He might then have assured his son of God’s deep and abiding love while inviting a conversation about the fact he was drinking.
Our right standing with God is granted by the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. That is the indisputable truth.
Certainly, we have a responsibility to accept God’s grace and to commit ourselves to holiness. We become the
Devil’s victims, however, the moment that we attempt to weave a robe of righteousness of our own making because
we are duped by a lie about God, believing He is a vengeful, stern, angry God just waiting to blast us into Hell.
It is important that we must commit to living truthfully. IF there is any place in our lives where we knowingly live a lie or where we agree to be deceptive, we have created an opening for spiritual attack. No matter how small the compromise seems to you at the moment, don’t surrender to it. Satan will not allow such an opportunity to go unexploited. Small fibs have a way of becoming big lies. Little sins committed in secret places have a way of bringing down the mighty. If you don’t believe it, read the story of David in the Bible.
Knowing the truth about God’s love and grace will allow you to admit to unpleasant even ugly places in your life where His Spirit does not rule. The truth will allow you to open up some dark secrets you’ve carefully hidden away to the light of Christ A sin acknowledged is a sin half-defeated. Satan loves the secret sins that we have never confessed. In those dark corners of our minds, he causes awful rot and infections that can effect our spiritual health, weakening us.
In verse 15, we find a critical piece of our protective gear, the gospel of peace.
Imagine a soldier with the best rifle, the warmest clothing, and the safest helmet. Now you look down, and he is barefoot! How effective will he be in battle? How many miles can he cover with bleeding feet? In the rough conditions of the battle, the simplest piece of equipment becomes one of the most important.
A Christian who is in turmoil in his relationships with God and others is not ready for spiritual battle. One of the devil’s most effective means of neutralizing a church or a Christian is to get a fight going! Think about it!
How well do you pray when you’re fighting with your spouse?
How many people are attracted to a church where the pastor and deacons are at war with each other over the budget?
Do you take every concern prayerfully to God when your mind is not at peace?
Jesus Christ is our Peace. He is called the Prince of Peace. He came to bring us to a place of peace with God and with others. When we are ready to fight, ready to turn viciously on each other... let’s turn instead to Jesus with a plea for His peace. Colossians 3:13-15
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (NIV)
Next we learn of the value of the Shield of faith.
Faith is not mystical. Faith is being informed by the Bible about God and His work in His creation. According to this passage, Satan and his demons are firing at us all the time.
Accusing thoughts that attempt to destroy our confidence before God are fired at us.
Bitter thoughts that stir up hatred are fired at us.
Lustful thoughts are fired at us to try to pervert love into something selfish.
Fearful thoughts are fired at us to cause us to become defensive and self-focused.
How are we protected? By a shield of faith.
We extinguish [what a great word!] those darts with the truth of God’s word. Remember Jesus’ time of testing and temptation? He constantly referred back to the word of God to refute the arguments of Satan. In Matthew 4, each time He is tempted, Jesus says “It is written...”
Build your faith by processing the Bible’s truth. Be careful about thinking that just being able to quote a verse for every situation is a shield of faith. The shield is created when that truth is integrated with your life, when the Truth informs your world view and shapes your value system.
Each time you read a passage, hear a sermon, or do a Bible Study you enlarge your shield of protection.
“Take the helmet of salvation” points to the importance of the head. We may live without an arm or a leg. We may survive a shot that damages our vital organs, but the head is a critical area that needs to be protected. God created us with a thick boney container called a skull that protects that amazing collection of nerve cells that holds our memory, our personality, the very essence of our uniqueness.
So in our spiritual life we must have a transformed mind that accepts the spiritual work of Christ on our behalf. We will never be an effective agent of Heaven until we allow salvation to do a work our mind.
The contemporary idea of salvation has the implication of rescue, as in, ‘saved from Hell.’ While that is certainly an aspect of our salvation, the larger truth of salvation is restoration to wholeness and healing. When we trust Christ for forgiveness, He begins to heal us of sin’s sickness, restoring the image of God in us.
That restoration, I believe, begins in our thoughts and attitudes and works outward. Thus, the encouragement to
‘Take the helmet of salvation.’ Let God change your mind and thus, your life and your eternal destiny!
The absolute protection of your thoughts, your mind, is the fact of your salvation. You are no longer subject to evil for in Christ, you have become an adopted child of God! Put on that helmet of salvation.
As I close, I want to move to the final thought in our text: Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Prayer is a protective power that we fail to appreciate or to use all too often. Fervent prayer connects us to God and thwarts evil at every turn. Does this mean we must be alone in some quiet room on our knees crying out to God all day? Not a bad idea, but not very practical. Surely there is a time for that kind of focused prayer. But just as important is the prayer that we carry on throughout the day and night. We can stay in touch with God and we should. But often we don’t!
In this passage, we are told to “pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers.” Pray when you’re overwhelmed. Pray when you’re exhausted. Pray when you get up. Pray before you fall asleep. Offer up praise in the middle of the day. Give thanks for the small things that allow you to see the goodness of God.
In short, learn a habit of being in the Presence of God. This is your best defense.
*ill.- a little child walking with his father, a real sense of security!
God has you covered. Are you participating in His protection?
1. Accept the righteousness of Christ as your own.
2. Believe the Truth about God’s nature and His love for you.
3. Accept the gift of peace with God and live peacefully with others.
4. Study the Word and build a strong shield of faith by the integrating the truth of that Word into every part of life.
5. Accept your salvation, God’s restoration of wholeness to you, that is possible by Christ alone.
6. Pray!
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (NIV)
amen
