A Charge to Keep
Ephesians 6:10-13
September 12, 2004
Introduction
Three years ago the bright blue skies of New York, Washington D.C., and rural Pennsylvania were pierced by a series of hijacked planes as part of a diabolical plan to pierce the heart and soul of our nation. Three years ago we woke from our dreaming to find that we were living in a nightmare. Our hearts broke as we watched planes used as missiles, our icons reduced to rubble. We watched as lives were lost and our false security was shattered. We watched as millions turned their eyes back toward God only to turn away once the crisis was over.
On that September day, we watched as war was declared upon our nation and we saw devastation unlike any we have ever known before. War has been declared against us and somehow I believe that we have forgotten that fact. We have forgotten the widows who will now raise their children alone. We have forgotten the parents who will never again be able to hold their children. We have forgotten the heroism of ordinary people who rose to the occasion in extraordinary ways.
We have forgotten that this battle did not begin on September 11th but rather that it began shortly after the dawn of time. It began in a peaceful garden and a lie that would change all of humanity. This war is fought not through physical means but rather through spiritual means and sadly we have forgotten our place is not on the sidelines but on the frontlines. Our battle is not about land, material wealth or anything of that nature. Our fight is for the souls of others all around us each and every day.
As we turn to the scriptures this morning I want to look at one of the battle cry passages of the New Testament, turn with me to Ephesians 6:10-13. We are very familiar with the verses that follow this section of the passage but I think that far too often we miss the charge that the apostle Paul issues to us.
I. Christians are given the charge to be strong (10)
Our strength rests in a person
Paul issues a charge for the Ephesian church and for our church as well. He calls us to be strong because he understood the reality of the battle that we would be facing. The need for strength is clear enough to see because we all have it. The truth is that we have a deep personal need for an inner strength that will give us the ability to get through the daily grind of life. This strength impacts each and every day that we live on this earth and it helps us live faithfully for the next life.
Paul shows this daily need coming into our lives in two related ways. The first is found in God being the source of the strength we so desperately need. The only source of the deep inner strength that gets you through life is God and anything else is just a cheap imitation.
Paul relates this truth earlier in the book of Ephesians.
I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians 3:16
God has the strength that you need and He wants to give it to you, all you have to do is ask Him for it. Our strength is not in the flesh, it is not in the will of our mind. It is not in the realm of physical means, the strength that we need is spiritual in nature.
Our strength results form His power
The second way Paul speaks of the strength is in the sufficiency of God’s power. Paul is literally saying that everything that we need in this inner strength does not come from within us but rather it all comes from God’s own personal power. In other words; the deepest needs of your life cannot be met by your abilities or your efforts. Instead we must rely on god to give us the strength that we need out of the depth of His resources.
II. Christians are given the charge to stand (11)
Our ability to stand involves preparation
Paul tells the church that they must be willing and able to stand. It is important to remember that Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison and would have likely been chained to a Roman soldier at all times. So Paul uses a military term that all of his readers would have easily understood and was a call for the soldiers to hold their position against an enemy assault.
Paul is describing a process that the Christian must go through in order to stand. The first step is to be strengthened by God Himself and allow His power to flow into our lives. The next step Christians need to take in order to stand is to put on the full armor of God. The word here for put on was understood as a permanent act, so that when one put God armor on they were never to take it off. Once we have the strength of God in out lives we need to be ready and willing to hold our position against attack.
The full armor of God is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sward of the Spirit. I am not going into detail about these items but it is important to note that Paul describes both the entire armor of a Roman soldier and the complete provision of God fore our lives. Just as a Roman soldier would not have been ready for battle without all of their armor, so the Christian is not ready to stand for God with all that God makes available.
Our willingness to stand indicates our position
Paul is clearly telling the believers in Ephesus that they are to hold the life giving position that they have in Christ against the attacks of the devil. Specifically, Paul says that they need to carefully watch for the schemes of the devil. The Greek word for schemes is methodia, which is the same word we get our English method. The devil uses certain strategies and plans to attack the Christina with and to make his assault against the church.
How does the devil attack the church?
1. Division – If the devil can get a church focused on the things that they cannot agree on than he has an easier time of attacking because the church is not unified in their position.
2. Delay – If the devil can get us to wait before we reach out and look for only the “right time” to share Christ’s love, we waste opportunities to evangelize
3. Distraction - If the devil can get our attention on things that have nothing to do with Christ’s work, we lose our effectiveness.
4. Discouragement - If the devil can get us to believe that what we are doing for Christ is insignificant or unimportant, we will cease to give our best efforts or give up.
5. Distortion – if the devil can get our doctrine clouded and twisted, confusion is the end result.
6. Distance – if the devil can get people to feel that they are not wanted or needed in the life of the church, they may withdraw from the fellowship.
III. Christians are given the charge to struggle (12)
Our struggle is spiritual
The Greek word that Paul uses here for struggle is an athletic term that was used in the sport of wrestling. The struggle described here is like one wrestling with an opponent for a victory. Wrestling matches in ancient Greece were fierce competitions that were part of an aggressive battle for victory. The wrestling was extremely desperate because the loser would have their eyes gouged out. Make no mistake this was an aggressive, desperate fight that no one wanted to lose. Paul is making it clear that we should adopt the same attitude in our spiritual walk with Christ and fight Satan with a determination to win.
The struggle that we are part of is not a physical contest but rather we are involved in a spiritual battle that is desperate. Our position for this struggle is not one of weakness but rather, we have been given strength by God Himself for this fight. God gives us this strength so we can enter the fight.
I think that far too often Christians believe that we are meant to let the world go on or that we are too weak to do anything to stop this world’s decay. Christians are not meant to be doormats of this world but instead we are put on this earth to be change agents of God’s grace. You have been put on this earth at this time to make a difference for the Kingdom of Christ.
Our struggle is against spiritual domination
Satan works through this world to accomplish his master plan of domination but his goal is far beyond controlling this world. Satan understands that this world is the battleground for the eternity and he is more than ready to fight.
We are charged to stand against the works of Satan through our world. Paul speaks of Satan using the authority structure of this world to fight the Kingdom of Christ and the greater harm he can inflict on Christians in this life, the more effective he can be in his own kingdom. Satan uses people like Osama Bin Laden and Sadaam Hussein as puppets to accomplish his work.
Our struggle is against spiritual darkness
Satan wants to keep as many people in spiritual darkness as possible because he does not want them to see the light of truth and believe. So he does everything he can to keep the truth from penetrating their hearts and lives. Satan often creates confusion or some form of distraction to keep people from seeing the truth.
We are charged to stand against the spiritual darkness of ignorance by spreading the light of the good news. We must stand up for those who do not yet know the truth because they are walking in darkness. As Christians we are meant to carry the light to a lost and dying world.
Our struggle is against spiritual domains
Satan also works in the higher spiritual realms that are beyond our ability to see but we do see the effects of this work each and every day. Satan works through the spiritual realm to attack Christians and the church. The ultimate goal of Satan is to take the place of God and that is what he works toward but we already know that Satan was defeated by Jesus.
The problem is that Satan acts much like a madman; he either believes that he can still defeat Jesus or he is just trying to take as many people to Hell with him as he can. He is a real threat and he is working against us.
IV. Christians are called to stand strong (13)
We can stand strong in God’s protection
Paul again tells the believers in the Ephesian church that they need to put on the full armor of God and never take it off. Every Christian will need the armor of God because we all will need to stand strong in the day of evil. What exactly does Paul mean by the day of evil?
Paul is not necessarily speaking of one specific day when Satan strikes at us but rather he tells us about every day that Satan strikes at us. Make no mistake Satan will attack harder at some times than others but we have to understand that we know Satan will come after us. Everything that God blesses Satan will attack.
The important thing to remember is that whenever Satan comes at us with trials and temptations, God has already supplied what we need to win. He has given us forgiveness through Jesus, the strength to stand and the armor for protection. When we put on God’s armor, we walk in His strength and we are covered by His power.
We can stand strong in personal consistency
Paul tells the Ephesian church that they are to do everything in their ability to stand for Christ and his message for our church is no different. How do we stand for Christ? Do everything in your ability to live each day for Jesus.
The Word: Take time each and every day to read your Bible because it is filled with God’s instructions for living.
Prayer: Spend some time each day in prayer because it builds a deeper relationship with Christ.
Worship: Spend time each day in worship of Christ because that is how you experience His glory.
Conclusion
Are you wearing your armor this morning?
Belt of Truth – Are you standing in the cover of God’s truth or do you need more?
Breastplate of righteousness – Are you right with Christ this morning?
Boots of the gospel – Are you living in the light of Christ’s good news?
Shield of Faith – Are you standing with a firm belief that Jesus can do anything for you?
Helmet of salvation – Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?
Sword of the Spirit – Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?
Maybe you are in the midst of a spiritual battle and need more of God’s strength
Maybe you have realized that you don’t have all of the armor of God on anymore or maybe you’ve just let it get loose
Maybe you just need stand up and affirm your position in Christ
