The Onward Christian Soldier
(Ephesians 6:10-20)
Well folks, it’s great to be back with you tonight. It’s a real joy to be with those who love the Lord Jesus and love each other. I believe when we come to God’s house that this should be a place where we can enjoy each other’s company and learn and grow together in the grace of God. Because let’s face it, out there it’s hard enough, isn’t it? And you know as well as I do that it’s a real battlefield! It’s a battlefield because there’s a spiritual war going on in the lives of God’s children. It seems like there’s always something that thrown at us just when we’ve overcome some great difficulty that we’ve been through. It may be physical. It may be financial. It may be emotional. But you can count on this if you’re a believer, chances are – it’s spiritual!
But we can’t just give in when trouble comes knocking. We have responsibilities. We have families to raise, nurture and protect. We have people to minister to and to reach for Christ. We have to keep on going through the struggle. You may say, “well Bro. Marty that’s easy to say, but how do we do it?” Well, that’s what I want to share with you tonight. I’ve entitled tonight’s message, “The Onward Christian Soldier.” Turn to Ephesians chapter 6. We’re going to be looking at verses 10-20.
In Ephesians chapter 4 through the first part of chapter 6, the apostle Paul has been discussing the walk of the believer. Now all of a sudden he changes course and states that there’s another way to look at the believer’s life in Christ and he begins to talk about the war that Christians are engaged in
In their everyday lives. Folks, I’ve never had to go and fight for my country, although I would have if called upon to do so but there’s an enemy that constantly causes conflict in my life and tries his best to destroy me and any type of ministry I attempt to do. And it’s from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed at night. And if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ you know what I mean. As believers we’re soldiers in the army of the Lord. I love the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers.” We are called to be good soldiers. That involves a lot of things. It involves motivation. It involves training. It involves discipline. It involves having the right equipment and it involves endurance. So tonight we’re going to talk about the Christian solder. (Read Ephesians 6:10-20/Pray)
In these 11 verses of scripture tonight I want us to see 6 things that are important to the Christian soldier. The first thing we need to see is,
I.The Charge to the Christian Soldier – verses 10-11.
If you’ll notice in verse 10 Paul uses the word “brethren” or “brother.” It’s us as believers that are given the charge, not the world. Paul tells us to listen up because there’s no other way to conquer the enemy that so violently opposes what we stand for in Christ. And he also wants us to know that if we don’t find our strength in the Lord then chances are we’ll be more likely to not experience the abundance and joy of life. We won’t know the power and deliverance that God provides. If we don’t walk in the Lord’s strength each day we’re going to be shadowboxing with the devil in a game that he’s a lot more experienced in and familiar with than we are.
Too many times we think of the Christian life as a playground instead of a battleground. So we have to be strong in the Lord Paul says, and in the power of His might. Notice he’s stressing strength here. He uses the words strong, power and might. The reason Paul uses those particular words is because he knows what we are in our strength. We’re not talking about just physical strength here. There’s only so much human strength can accomplish and it’s not much. But Paul knows that God possesses unlimited power because He’s God. That’s what the word “omnipotent” means, “all-powerful.” It means that God can do whatever He wills to do. So he tells us to be strong in Him because there’s no way our own physical, mental or emotional strength can overcome the world with all of it’s trials and temptations.
Look what else Paul says in verse 11, “Put on the whole armor of God”. Notice this, once the believer is strong on the inside then the believer is ready to equip himself on the outside, so to speak for the fight. Now let me say this, no amount of armor is worth the material it’s made of if the soldier doesn’t have the heart or desire to fight and win. I see Christians all the time that may as well roll over and play dead because they’re so defeated in life. They don’t sense victory in their life, they don’t have joy in life, they’re not effective for Christ and they wonder why. Paul says, “Be strong in the strength that God gives and then use the equipment that God provides for you as you go into battle everyday.” And folks, it is every day. Don’t think you sneak out the back door to get away from the fight.
In Isaiah 41:10 God says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
The charge of the Christian soldier is to be strong in the Lord and to put on God’s armor. But not just the armor, put on the whole armor of God. Paul tells us to put it on for a reason and here’s why, the second thing I want us to see is,
II.The Enemy of the Christian Soldier – Look again at verse 11.
“That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” In every battle there’s an enemy and in the battle of the Christian life the enemy is the devil and his strategies. The word “wiles” used here means the deceits, craftiness, trickery, schemes and methods the devil uses in his war against the believer in Jesus Christ. And you can be sure of this, he will use whatever means he can to deceive and capture you and me. You’ll be surprised at some of the things he uses. I John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”
When we talk about the lust of the eyes we usually think of something that’s appealing. Well how does the devil use that? The devil is very subtle. He doesn’t just come up to us with a red suit on, horns and a pointed tail and a pitchfork saying, “hi, I’m the devil, do this.” The scripture says he comes as an angel of light. He may be wearing a 3 piece suit and say all the right things. But he will do something like this, he’ll try to get you to eat that second helping that you don’t need. He’ll tempt you to take that second look where you shouldn’t be looking. He’ll try to get you to buy that thing that you don’t need. And here’s something else he’ll do – he’ll try to get you to seek a little more power and position, one that draws attention to you. You see the Bible says that the boastful pride of life is from the world not the Father. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. There is an enemy in the Christian life. It’s the devil and he’s out to destroy any testimony you might have for Christ so be on your guard. There’s the charge to the Christian soldier and there’s the enemy of the Christian soldier. But the next thing I want us to see is,
III.The Warfare of the Christian Soldier – Look at verse 12 (Read).
This warfare is not human and it’s not physical – it’s spiritual! Now when Paul talks about wrestling here he’s not talking about that mess you see on TV. In Paul’s day wrestling was a little more serious. Two wrestlers went at each other in attempts to overthrow the other one. And you better believe each one had his sights on victory because in the Greek wrestling contest the loser had his eyes gouged out. So when Paul uses the word wrestle here, you can bet it got the attention of the Ephesians he was writing to. In a wrestling match there’s a struggle and the point here in verse 12 is that the believer’s struggle isn’t against flesh and blood.
Who the believer wrestles with is not human. It’s not a physical struggle. It’s spiritual – spiritual forces that have unbelievable power. The child of God fights against principalities, against power, against the rulers of darkness and against spiritual wickedness. Now what all that boils down to is this – the forces of evil are powerful forces. The reason Paul worded verse 12 the way he did is because he wants the believer to know the enormous power of evil that stands against us everyday. And evidently this is a highly organized hierarchy of evil because rulers of the darkness seems to point to different ranks of power and position in the kingdom of darkness. Now let me say this here – being in darkness means not knowing the truth. Being in the light means knowing the truth and knowing God. The forces of evil are rulers of darkness. There is no truth in spiritual wickedness. I John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.”
The chief ruler of darkness, Satan himself, knows that if a person has put their trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for their salvation he can’t have them. But he and his demon henchmen will do everything in their power to render the believer ineffective for God. Can he do that? You better believe he can and he does everyday. Listen to some of the things Satan uses to ruin a believer’s testimony. He uses pride, he uses bitterness, he uses prejudice, anger, selfishness, lying, cheating, immorality and he uses division. If church members are fighting each other how can they fight against spiritual wickedness? The answer is – they can’t!
Folks what we fight we can’t see because it’s not physical. It’s against forces of evil in high places. There’s the warfare of the Christian soldier. Next I want us to look at,
IV.The Duty of the Christian Soldier Look at verse 13 (Read).
Okay now we’re getting to the instructions for battle. Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. Now again, what the apostle Paul is really trying to get across here is the need to see just how essential this armor is for the battle.
Paul knew a lot about armor. You know why? Because he was chained to a Roman guard a lot of the time. As a matter of fact, as Paul is writing this letter to the Ephesian church he’s in a prison cell. I mean, when he wasn’t chained to a soldier he was looking at one that was close by day in and day out. So he knew what a Roman soldier’s armor consisted of and he put into writing the comparison of the Roman soldier’s armor and the armor of God that a Christian soldier had to put on to equip himself for the battle in the Christian life. The duty of the Christian soldier is to put on the whole armor of God and that’s what I want to show you next, let’s look at,
V.The Armor of the Christian Soldier – Verses 14-17.
Let’s look at the armor piece by piece here and see how it helps us in the battle with wicked spiritual forces.
1. Belt of Truth – Verse 14 starts off by telling us to stand, having our loins girt about with truth or having gird your waist with truth. He’s talking about putting on a belt. Have you ever worn pants that were alittle bit big without a belt? They may be allright when you first put them on but try doing some kind of activity. What happens? They stretch out alittle and start falling down! Let ask you this, if a Roman soldier is holding up his pants with one hand, how’s he going to hold his shield and sword in the other hand? The belt was important to the Roman soldier because it held everything together and that’s what truth does for the believer – it holds everything together.
The soldier’s belt kept his clothes from flapping about and gave him freedom of movement and that’s what truth does for the Christian soldier. It keeps him from going from one thing to another doctrinally. It keeps him from being tossed to and fro by every attack of the enemy. Paul starts out with the belt of truth. The next piece of the Christian’s armor is,
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate covered the body of the soldier from the neck to the thighs. It was used to protect the heart. This is a vital part of the armor because as believers in Christ we possess the righteousness of Christ in our hearts and that has to be protected. Not that we’ll lose it but because the Bible says our righteousness is as a filthy rag. Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest says, “As the soldier covers his breast with the breastplate to make it secure against a disabling wound, so the Christian is to endue himself with righteousness so as to make his heart and will proof against the fatal thrust of his spiritual assailants.
How do we put on the breastplate of righteousness? It’s very simple – we live righteously in this unrighteous world. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.” The next piece of the armor Paul mentions is,
3. The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
You may ask, “why does he mention shoes here or footing?” Well, a Roman soldiers sandals were a sign of readiness – readiness to march and to do battle. They helped the soldier stand firm and steady even in a rough terrain. If a soldier isn’t sure-footed in battle then one slip could cost him his life. Verse 15 tells us to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The sign of the Christian soldier is readiness – a readiness to march and to bear witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” Sure footing means you’re standing on a firm foundation and what is the firm foundation we stand on as believers? The good news that a relationship with Jesus Christ is the way to peace with God! I Cor. 3:11 says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” As Christian soldiers we need to be sure-footed on a firm foundation. The next piece of armor mentioned is found in verse 16,
4. The Shield of Faith
What do you think of when you think of a shield? The first thing I think of is defense. The Roman soldier didn’t carry the little round shields you see in many pictures. They carried a great oblong shield that would protect the entire body. That’s why Paul says to take the shield of faith, to protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Give Illustration)
What are those fiery darts the devil throws at believers? Well, many times these darts are an assault on the mind. They’re the darts that cause a true believer to question his salvation, to question God’s call on their life, to question if he’s worthy, to question if he can really serve God. They’re darts of doubt, discouragement, depression, defeat and desire.
But the Christian soldier has a defense – the shield of faith, an everyday faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for victory over sin and the onslaughts of Satan. Scripture many times tells us that God is our shield. Psalm 3, verse 3 says, “But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the one who lifts my head.” Psalm 18:30 says, “He is a shield to all who trust in Him. ”Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield.” When a believer takes up the shield of faith those fiery darts are quenched and by faith in Christ we can defend ourselves in the daily battle. The shield of faith is an important piece of the soldier’s armor. So is the next piece,
5. The Helmet of Salvation
Now, the helmet protected the head of the soldier. How’s that important in battle? A soldier’s thinking ability had a lot to do with how strategic his game plan would be. He needed to be clear-headed at all times. Well, the Christian soldier needs to put on the helmet of salvation because he needs to be clear-headed in his game plan too. We need to keep our thoughts and mind on the Lord Jesus Christ. The helmet of salvation helps us do that. A lost person is focused on earthly things. He seeks more, to possess more, to indulge in the things he’s not suppose to.
But a person who knows Christ keeps his focus on His plan and mission on sharing Christ with an unbelieving world. Phil. 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be praise, think on these things.” That’s a good verse to gauge your entertainment. Now all of these pieces of the armor we’ve looked at so far seem to be for defense but the last piece mentioned is both an offensive and defensive weapon,
6. The Sword of the Spirit
The soldier’s sword was for protecting himself and it was used in fighting and slaying the enemy. For the Christian soldier the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. A sword is sharp and it cuts. Well you know as well as I do that words can cut too. Heb. 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God is powerful. It changes lives. So you’d better know the word or you won’t be able to stand on the promises of God. II Tim. 2:15 says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The Christian soldier must know how to handle the word of God accurately. Jesus knew how to use it defensively during His time of temptation in the wilderness. There’s the charge to the Christian soldier, there’s the enemy of the Christian soldier, there’s the warfare of the Christian soldier, there’s the duty of the Christian soldier and there’s the armor of the Christian soldier. But finally there’s,
VI.The provision of the Christian Soldier – verses 18-20.
What’s the provision of the Christian soldier? I’ll tell you what it is - Prayer – a constant spirit of prayer! The Christian soldier enters a conflict fully dressed and armed, but if he’s going to victorious in battle he’s going to need to go into the battle with confidence, with assurance and with courage. And those things come from a spirit of prayer.
I Chron. 16:11 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.” Soldiers are trained for endurance. The same goes for our prayer life. We are to persevere in prayer, to continue in spite of difficulty. Folks, when you don’t feel like you can fight anymore, you can always pray. And you know what? A lot of those battles are won through prayer. In verse 19 Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him that he might speak boldly when sharing the gospel. You know why Paul asked for prayer? I know why because I’ve been through it.
There are 3 things the devil can’t stand. A Christian who reads God’s word, a Christian who shares his faith and a Christian who fervently prays. James 5:16 says, “ The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” All of the pieces of the armor of God are special and they work together. Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. I mean, you don’t want to go into battle half-dressed. A soldier would never go to a fight without his shoes or without protection or without something to fight with. The Christian soldier must be prepared for battle and God has given what we need to win the daily battles we face.
We’re in a war folks, with wicked spiritual foes and we need to be prepared for it everyday. Well, how do you put on the whole armor of God? First of all spend time with God in prayer and in His word (Illustrate putting on the armor).
The onward Christian soldier marches as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before. Are you an onward Christian soldier? Are you in the army of the Lord? If not you can be in just a few minutes. Put your trust in Jesus Christ and follow Him. Wherever He leads you He’ll take care of you. Let’s pray!
