Maybe you are emotionally strong. Maybe you can handle a lot of pressure, work for long hours, day after day after day. Maybe you are the one who is the emotional anchor in your family and everyone leans on you for support.
There are many kinds of strength. But the most important one is the strength you need in the Lord. True Christian strength is not of the body. True Christian strength is of the spirit, measured in faithfulness, trust, and perseverance. By Grace we live by Faith.
I believe it was Lincoln that said one time, "In the time of peace, prepare for war."
We are currently at war with the enemy satan. This is a battle that has been going on since the beginning of time as we know it. It was satan who first introduced sin to the world. Sin began when satan wanted to be like God.
2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
verse 12, "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
Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst;
he promises honor and pays with disgrace;
he promises pleasure and pays with pain;
he promises profit and pays with loss;
he promises life and pays with death.
Thomas Brooks.
Dan 10:11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.
Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
Dan 10:13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
Jud 1:9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."
A. Being strong in the Lord is the only way to be able to resist the devil.
B. You are not merely fighting frail men with all their physical and mental deficiencies. You are fighting the innumerable host of fallen angels. It is they who are in control of the world of ignorance, sin, and sadness. Therefore, you must be strong in the Lord and fight the battle with spiritual weapons.
C. I want to speak briefly of three men: Solomon, Samson, and David.
i. Solomon was the wisest of all men. He had great wealth and great power.
ii. Samson was the strongest of all men. He killed 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass and he toppled a temple with his own hands.
iii. David was gifted with devotion. He loved the Lord and sought to honor and glorify God. Just look at the Psalms and their beautiful poetry of adoration.
iv. Yet, all three fell. As strong as these men were they were no match for the schemes of the Devil.
a. Satan, in his evil cunning led Solomon to marry many foreign women and through them he fell to the temptation to serve false gods.
b. Samson, as strong as he was, was unable to resist the persistence of a woman. Delilah hounded him into telling the secret of his strength, and through her betrayal of Delilah, he ultimately fell.
c. David fell into the temptation of lust, then adultery, then murder.
As Paul is writing this letter he is in bonds, He would have been bound to a Roman Guard. The Guard would have been wearing this outfit that Paul decides to use as an illustration for a spiritual message.
He identifies six different items of Christian armor that we need in order to survive in the battle
Two were considered offensive weapons: shoes and sword
Three were considered defensive weapons: breastplate, shield, and helmet
One was considered neutral: loin belt (girdle
We are going to look at three of these items today
Belt of Truth
The belt was a very important part of the Roman soldiers uniform. He would have put the belt on first and it would have had many different loops to hold his weapons. The belt was tied in several places to stay in place, so that no matter how the soldier moved about, fell down, climbed hills, etc., the belt was always in place with weapons at the ready. If the belt were not on straight, then everything would be out of place for the soldier. This would cut down his efficiency in battle and may even cost him his life.
1Ti 2:4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Joh 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
We live in a society that claims there is no absolute truth. This is exactly what is being taught in some of our schools today. We are afraid to hurt a child’s feelings, and a lot of this stems from guilt because we aren’t spending the time that we should be with our children. So it plays out something like this, Bobby comes home from school with a paper where he has done some math problems and he has answered 2 +2 = 5 and he has a smiley face on his paper for effort. We don’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him that his answer is wrong.
My question to the professors who claim that there is no absolute truth, is simply: Are you absolutely sure?
The belt was the first thing that the soldier put on. Just as this is the first thing a Christian must put on. Much of the weaponry and protection depended on the belt being in place properly. If we do not use the word of God as our belt of truth, we have no foundation on which to base our warfare with the enemy. The belt held things in place where they needed to be. The truth of God’s word does the same for us.
Breastplate of Righteousness
One key area the Soldier’s breastplate protected was the heart. While the heart is the one key organ responsible for sending blood through our circulatory system to keep us alive, our spiritual lives can deaden if our hearts are not right with God!
1Jo 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
Rom 6:13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Gal 3:6 just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?
When you walk in the righteousness of God, it is a weapon of defense against all those slanderous accusations, and outrageous strategies of the devil.
Feet fitted with readiness
Some historians credit footwear as one of the greatest reasons why the Roman Army was so victorious over its enemies. The Roman Soldier was equipped with footwear that had spikes on the soles which provided them a strong enough stance and balance that gave them a superior posture in battle on hills and uneven terrain. In martial arts, the stance is the most important move and is what is practiced first, for from the basic stance are all manners of kicks and punches launched!
Offensively this peace will help you to stand with your feet planted firmly on the Word of God and stay there, unmoved by the devil’s threats and lies. It will protect us when we walk through the rough places and keep us steady in the heat of a battle. It will keep our spiritual foes where they belong...under our feet
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
A.B. Simpson is reported to have said that the gospel "Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled, that justice is satisfied, that sin has been atoned for, that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, the condemnation of the sinner cancelled, the curse of the Law blotted out, the gates of hell closed, the portals of heaven opened wide, the power of sin subdued, the guilty conscience healed, the broken heart comforted, the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone
