Fighting for Freedom
Ephesians 6:11-18
Ephesians 6:11-18
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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. (NIV)
Many have given their lives for my FREEDOM;
only One gave His life for my SOUL!
VISIONS OF VICTORY
1. God does not want you to FAIL. (Ephesians 6:10)
He wants you to be STRONG.
Ephesians 6:10
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
(NIV)
2. God does not want you to FEAR. (verses 11- 12)
He wants you to know Satan’s SCHEMES.
Ephesians 6:11-12
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
(NIV)
Our struggle is not against common forces like flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Apostle Paul has specific enemies in mind. He doesn’t name them by name, lest we think the battle is over because the named enemy was defeated in some by-gone days. We will have to fight against these enemies until the end of the war.
But God has done the reconnaissance mission and he’s telling us what the enemy is like. The enemy of our souls is like a powerful, authoritative ruler, throwing his weight around. We have no reason to fear because when you know what you are up against, fear is dispelled! Steve Green, inspirational Gospel singer, tells about getting to know some of the work crews who work in large auditoriums like the Century Tel Center here in Bossier City. The “riggers”, worker who hang speakers and spotlights, didn’t seem to be bothered by the sight of looking down a hundred feet. According to Steve Green, the riggers told him they were scared to death of FLASE CEILINGS – acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters. They were still high in the air and if they slipped their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile. But their minds seemed to play tricks on the them, lulling them into carelessness.
Satan’s business is not so much in scaring us to death as persuading us that the danger of a spiritual fall is minimal!
3. God does not want you to FALL. (verse 13)
He wants you to STAND prepared.
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)
HERE IS WHATGOD HAS PREPARED FOR YOU TO BRING YOU VICTORY:
¬THE ARMOR OF GOD!
This is what God wears when He does battle!
Isaiah 59:17
He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor,
with Salvation on his head like a helmet,
Put on Judgment like an overcoat,
and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders.
The parts of God’s armor are given to us in the same order that the Roman soldier of Paul’s day would put them on.
OFFENSIVE PARTS FOR PROTECTION
1) The BELT of Truth because Satan LIES!
Ephesians 6:14
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place”
(NIV)
The Roman soldier put on the belt or girdle first. The belt bound his tunic tightly to his body, thus allowing him to move without his tunic getting in the way. In addition, the rest of his armor was attached to the belt, so it was the foundation of the entire armor. Why is TRUTH foundational to being victorious in our battle against sin and Satan? Because Satan lies!
John 8:44
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He 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.”
(NIV)
Without truth, everything else loses strength.
2) The BREASTPLATE of Righteousness because Satan ACCUSES!
Satan is called the “accuser of the Brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Part of his M.O. is to steal and he does this by accusing you. He wants to declare you unfit for battle. But it is not our righteousness (I don’t dance, drink, smoke, cuss, or chew and I don’t hang around girls who do)...it is not our right living that protects us from the devil’s accusations! It is Jesus’s righteousness that I put on as a breastplate of protection .
2 Cor 5:21
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
(NKJ)
Holiness protects the heart! A pure heart resents with disgust and scorn the approaches of temptation.
3) The BOOTS of Readiness because Satan has declared WAR!
Ephesians 6:15
“...and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (NIV)
The word translated here as “readiness” or “preparation” although only found here in the New Testament, was often used in Paul’s day to mean that you had a sure footing. Why is a sure footing important? Because Satan has declared war! He’s out to get you! You look too much like Jesus in your breastplate of His righteousness. Satan is going throw his arsenal at you and you’d better be ready!
How do we get ready for Satan’s attack? Put on God’s shoes and take a stand! His shoes, like those of the Roman soldier of Paul’s day, have a thick and sturdy sole so that you can stay balanced.
Remember, those who stand for nothing fall for everything! Get ready!
The other half of the armor God wears and gives to us is for fighting back!
DEFENSIVE PARTS FOR PULVERIZATION
4) The SHIELD of Faith because Satan causes DOUBT!
Ephesians 6:16
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (NIV)
This is no small, puny hand held shield, but a large (4 feet by 2 ½ feet), oblong shield that often was curved on the inside. That’s the word Paul uses to describe this “Shield of Faith”. The soldier can place his whole body behind it and charge forward into the battle, regardless of the flaming arrows of the evil one.
5) The HELMET of Salvation because Satan causes SIN!
Ephesians 6:17
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (NIV)
When Satan tries to plant an evil thought in my mind, I counter with remembering my relationship! I am saved! Just like in the temptation of Jesus, Satan tried to make me rationalize his proposition. He wants my mind to dwell on those things which would harm my relationship with God or hinder my progress toward victory. I need to receive the helmet of salvation, recognize my relationship with Christ, reflect upon who I am and Whose I am, and say “NO”!
6) The SWORD of Spirit because Satan knows the BIBLE!
Just like Jesus did, I need to use the Word of God when temptation comes. If I will hide His Word in my heart, it will insulate me in times of temptation. God will cause you to recall His Word if you will work to remember it. He will bring it to mind at just the right time to counterattack the enemy of your soul.
Each part must be put on with PRAYER which is the ENERGY enabling you to WIN!!!
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.” (NIV)
A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan.....
"While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies, and then begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital.
Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at the same time talked to him about the Lord.
I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without incident. Two weeks later I repeated my journey. Upon arriving in the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated.
He told me that he had known I carried money and medicines. He said, ’Some friends and I followed you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight. We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards.
At this I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone in that jungle campsite.
The young man pressed the point, however, and said, ’No sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw them, and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.’"
At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day this happened.
The missionary told the congregation the date, and the man who interrupted told him this story:
"On the night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here and I was preparing to go play golf. I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you. In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called men in this church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you.
Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?"
The men who had met together to pray that day stood up. The missionary wasn’t concerned with who they were, he was too busy counting how many men he saw.
There were 26.
