INTRODUCTION
If you want real peace, and if you want to bring peace to others, you have to fight for it. Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers not peacekeepers. Here in Ephesians 6 God shows you how to fight for peace – both in your own life, and for the people around you. Ephesians 6 gives us God’s prescription for peace.
1. KNOW YOUR ADVERSARY (6:10-13).
What do we know about your enemy?
a. The leader is the devil.
• “Devil” means accuser, because he accuses God’s people day and night before the throne of God (Revelation 12:7-11; Zechariah 3:1).
• “Satan” means adversary. Because he is the enemy of God.
• He is also called the tempter (Matthew 4:3), a murderer and a liar (John 8:44), as well as the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Although he is a formidable adversary, he is not all powerful.
... the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4 NIV)
b. Satan’s helpers – Demons.
Ephesians calls them ...
... the rulers ... authorities ... the powers of this dark world and ... the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12NIV).
c. His abilities
A look at the book of Job tells us what Satan can do to a man’s body, his family, his home, his wealth, and his friends. He can take it all – that’s why Jesus calls him ...
... a thief [who] comes only to steal and kill and destroy;(John 10:10 NIV)
He’s not just strong, he’s wise and subtle. Ephesians 6 says that your fight is against his “schemes” (v11). He’s a schemer, he has a plan.
2. KNOW YOUR ARMORY (6:14-17)
A Christian Believer is not only a servant, you’re also a soldier too. And here are the weapons that are available to you ....
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 (Ephesians 6:14-17).
a. The Belt of Truth
Satan is a liar, that’s why you can defeat him if you are controlled by the truth.
b. The breastplate of righteousness
Satan is going to have a hard time accusing you of wrong doing if you are living a godly life in the power of the Spirit. The life you choose to live will either make you stronger against Satan’s attacks, or it will make it easier for him to defeat you.
c. The shoes of the Gospel.
Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet (Ephesians 6:15 CEV)
The selfless desire to share the gospel of peace with others is like shoes with good tread, it helps you stand your ground and not be distracted from your main aim of winning souls.
Secondly, boots aren’t just for standing - they’re made for walking. And if you are a Christian Believer, everywhere you go you carry the presence of Jesus with you. Satan has declared war, but you are an ambassador of peace, and as such you take the gospel of peace with you wherever you go.
... God ... reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation ... We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19 and 20).
d. The shield of faith.
The faith mentioned here is that living faith – it’s a trust in God’s promises and in God’s power. If you want to defend yourself against Satan’s fiery darts, then you have to live by faith. Trust God when he says something to you in the scriptures – you can trust every word of it. Following God will never see you defeated.
e. The helmet of salvation.
Satan also wants to take the hill that is your mind. So we are to put on the helmet of salvation. If you want to stand your ground, then study the Bible in depth, learn the meaning of Bible doctrines, search its history and it’s purpose. Move beyond the basics and be made strong in your mind against the Devil’s attack.
f. The sword of the Spirit
This is the Bible. The Spirit of God wrote the Bible through godly authors, and the Spirit of God attacks the devil and his henchmen with the Word as you take it up and use it. Jesus used the Word of God to fight the devil when he was tempted – and he defeated him. You can do it too. The better you know the Word of God, the easier it will be for you to detect Satan’s lies and deceit.
3. KNOW YOUR ABILITY (6:18-20)
I hope you’ve got the picture that Satan is a formidable foe. I hope also that you understand that you cannot fight him in your own power, no matter how strong you think you are. God’s prescription for peace includes knowing your adversary, knowing your armory and also knowing your ability. If you want peace, you must know where your ability comes from.
It’s God’s armor that you’re putting on here – not your own.
Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. Put on all the armor that God gives ...
(Ephesians 6:10-11 CEV)
This is a spiritual battle and it must be fought on spiritual ground.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ... against the spiritual forces of evil
(Ephesians 6:12 NIV).
Prayer to God provides the Christian soldier with the ability to win the battle. We know our adversary (the devil), we know our weapons (The armor of God), but in order to win, you must also have good communication. Lack of communication on the battle field leads to confusion and fatal errors.
a. You need clear and frequent communication to overcome your adversary.
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)
You should never have to say, “Lord I come into your presence now ...” because you never left his presence. You can learn to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean you’re always mumbling prayers under your breath, it means you are constantly aware that God is with you and listening – the receiver is always off the hook – your prayer should be a constant high-speed broadband connection to God - - not dial-up with limited downloads!
b. You cannot stand against your adversary alone, you must call in the big gun himself (God)
We have Christ and his angels available to us.
"Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Daniel 10:12-13).
There’s a lot about that passage that we don’t understand. But what you can be assured of is that God hears you when you pray, and he will send the heavy artillery when you ask for it.
It’s important for you to know though, that Daniel was praying “in the Spirit.”
... pray in the Spirit on all occasions ... (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)
It’s possible to pray feverishly in the flesh and not get a hearing from God. It’s also possible to pray quietly in the Spirit and see God’s hand do great things.
What’s the difference? Humility. Look at Daniel’s example (Daniel. 10:12)
CONCLUSION
Friends don’t be blind to Satan’s tactics. If you want to win peace for your life and in the lives of those you love you’ve got to fight for it. And God’s prescription for peace is that you know who your adversary is, how to use your armory and where your ability comes from.
www.australindbaptistchurch.com
