Preaching Series: The Tie That Binds
The Battle of the Church
Text: Ephesians 6:10-20
Introduction: True story....A Christian leader was traveling recently by plane. He noticed that the man sitting two seats over was thumbing through some little cards and moving his lips. The man looked to be in his fifties and somewhat professorial with his goatee and graying brown hair. Guessing that he was a fellow-believer, the Christian leader leaned over to engage him in conversation. "Looks to me like you’re memorizing something," he said. "No, actually I was praying," replied the other man. "I believe in prayer too," the Christian leader responded. "Well, I have a specific assignment," said the man with the goatee. "What’s that?" "I’m praying for the downfall of Christian pastors." Surprised, the Christian leader said, "I would certainly fit into that category. Is my name on the list?" "Not on my list," the man replied. Stories like this can make us uneasy, but they also remind us that we are firmly entrenched in the midst of a spiritual conflict. While the outcome has already been determined by Christ’s victory over sin and death (See 1 Corinthians 15:56-57), the battle rages on. The enemy, the Devil, seeks to rob God of glory by leading men and women on a pathway of rebellion (See Ephesians 2:1-2). So it becomes important for Christians to take time every now and then to review our understanding of this ongoing spiritual war lest we become casualties in this great battle.
Background: Though the church at Ephesus was undergoing only minimum persecution from without at the time this letter was written (See Acts 19:23-29), they were experiencing some conflict from within. Some influential, yet ignorant men (See 1 Timothy 1:6-7) were teaching false doctrine, propagating fables and genealogies (See 1 Timothy 1:3-4) and putting forth ideas such as the forbidding of marriage and abstaining from certain foods (See 1 Timothy 4:3). Paul understood that they constituted a very real danger to the believers in that city and so he warned Timothy to guard what had been entrusted to his care (See 1 Timothy 6:20). Yet he never considered that the battle was to be fought against flesh and blood (i.e. other people). The real conflict was of a spiritual nature and so had to be approached with this perspective in mind. Listen to what he says about the nature of spiritual warfare.
I. Our adversary in warfare (See Ephesians 6:10-13). Make no mistake, our enemy is the Devil. He is constantly scheming to ruin mankind.
A. Here are some of Satan’s schemes for unbelievers.
1. He blinds the minds of unbelievers (See 2 Corinthians 4:4).
2. He snatches away the Word of God (See Matthew 13:19).
3. He sets traps for the unwary so that they oppose the Lord servants (See 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
4. He masquerades as an angel of light (See 2 Corinthians 11:13-14) to deceive men and women.
B. Here are some of Satan’s schemes for believers.
1. He fills our hearts to lie (i.e. sin--See Acts 5:1-6).
2. He hinders the servant of God from doing His work (See 1 Thessalonians 2:18).
3. He destroys the unity of the church by creating discord (See Ephesians 4:26-27).
4. He leads the world to persecute the church (See Revelation 2:10). Application: 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us that the Devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is to be respected for his strength (See Jude 9) and, in fact, can only be overcome by complete reliance upon the power of God. His greatest weapon is deceit. Illustration: You may remember the Twilight Zone episode where an American on a walking trip through Central Europe happens on a residence for a brotherhood of monks during a raging storm. Much to his surprise, they only reluctantly take him in. Later that night, the American discovers a cell with a man locked inside. An ancient wooden staff bolts the door. The prisoner claims he’s being held captive by the "insane" head monk, Brother Jerome. He pleads for the man to release him. The kindly face and gentle voice of the prisoner win him over. The American confronts Brother Jerome, who declares that the prisoner is actually none other than Satan, "the father of lies." He is held captive the "Staff of Truth," the one barrier he cannot pass. This incredible claim convinces the man that Jeromis is indeed mad. As soon as he gets the chance, he releases the prisoner---who instantly transforms into a hideous, horned demon and vanished in a puff of smoke! The stunned American is horrified at the realization of what he has done. Brother Jerome responds sympathetically, "I’m sorry for you, my son. All your life you will remember this night and whom you have turned loose on the world." "I didn’t believe you," the American replies. "I saw him and didn’t recognize him"--to which Jerome solemnly observes, "That is man’s weakness...and Satan’s strength."
II. Our armor in warfare (See Ephesians 6:14-17). For this great spiritual conflict, God loans us His armor (See Isaiah 59:17).
A. The belt of truth (buckled around your waist). "Truth" here may refer to the Gospel of Truth, but more likely, it is speaking of the quality of truthfulness in how we relate to each other as those who have new life in Christ (See Ephesians 4:25).
B. The breastplate of righteousness. By putting on God’s righteousness (See 2 Corinthians 5:21), believers are committed to being imitators of Him and so doing the right thing in all our dealings (See Ephesians 4:24).
C. Your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. With this equipment the believer is ready to bear the good news of the Gospel. It is only through the death of Christ that anyone can be at peace with God (See Ephesians 2:17-18).
D. Take up the shield of faith. Faith is the impregnable shield that extinguishes all of the flaming arrows of the Evil One. He is same one who stands before the throne constantly accusing us yet never persuading God of our guilt (See Revelation 12:10).
E. Take the helmet (which is) salvation. In Isaiah 59:17 God the victorious warrior wears ’the helmet of salvation’ as He saves His people and judges their enemies. Now the helmet is salvation. We have been raised with Christ who is far above all rule, authority, power and dominion (See Ephesians 1:19-21).
F. The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This is an important offensive weapon meant to be used in close combat with the enemy (See Matthew 4:1-10). Illustration: Sunrise was dawning when Los Angeles motorcycle police officer Bob Vernon saw a red pickup truck speed through a stop sign. "This guy must be late to work," he thought to himself. He turned on his emergency lights and radioed that he was in pursuit. The pickup pulled over, and the officer approached. Meanwhile in the truck, the driver thought, "The cops already know!" He rested his hand on the same gun he had used a few moments before to rob a twenty-four-hour market. The sack of stolen money was beside him on the seat. The officer said, ’Good morning, sir, may I see your--’ He never finished the sentence. The driver shoved his gun toward the policeman’s chest and fired from just inches away. The cop was knocked flat seven feet away. A few seconds later, to the shock of the criminal, the officer stood up, pulled his service revolver, and fired twice. The first bullet went through the open window and smashed the windshield. The second tore through the door and ripped into the driver’s left leg. "’Don’t shoot!’ the thief screamed, throwing the gun and sack of money out the pickup window. What saved the policeman’s life was dozens of layers of Kevlar, the super strong fabric used for bulletproof vests. Only three-eighths of an inch thick, Kevlar can stop bullets cold. The Bible instructs every Christian to put on the full armor of God. Simple qualities like righteousness and faith can deflect what the Enemy of souls may fire at us.
III. Our activity in warfare (See Ephesians 6:18-20). Here Paul spells out where the battle lines are actually drawn. The enemy will do anything to keep the Gospel message from going forth! Because this is so, we are told to pray at all times in the Spirit.
A. This prayer is to be unceasing (at all times). Even with the awareness of our adversary and the armor of God, Christians are only capable of standing firm when we are continually in prayer.
B. This prayer is to be done in the Spirit. In other words, it is not our piety or merits that will result in answered prayer, but the Spirit of God interceding for us (See Romans 8:26).
C. This prayer is to be for all the saints. Since all believers are involved in spiritual conflict we all need the support of one another’s prayers. What should we pray for? (1) That we will not be unaware of the Devil’s schemes; (2) that we will put on the armor of God so that we can stand firm; (3) that we will be bold in our witness to others.
Conclusion: Several years ago, I led a team of 4 Campus Crusade for Christ staff and 18 students to Guyana, South America to show the Jesus Film. During our time there, we witnessed a wonderful response to the Gospel, but not without becoming acutely aware of the spiritual battle which we were waging. During one of film shows, a local drug dealer named Victor approached some of our girls trying to get them to go with him. They refused. Later he threatened our team that if we continued showing the Jesus Film, he would "sneak into our homes and slit our throats while we slept." About that time, a 9th grader named Greg was beaten and robbed of his money belt and passport. The night he came home from the hospital, our team was sleeping when someone attempted to break into the boy’s cabin. In light of the threat from Victor, they were very frightened. As I contemplated what to do, our cook took my hand and said, "Let’s pray." In a bit of a daze, I bowed my head as she began. "Lord, I seem to remember that before the Devil could do anything to Job, he had to get permission from You first. So we’re counting on the fact that You are in charge and the Evil One can only do what you allow." After we prayed, I became a braver and managed to get the entire group safely into one of the homes where we slept restlessly until morning. The next day, I called the team together and said, "I know that when you made the decision to come on this trip, you were not anticipating threats and violence. We’re going to take a vote, and if you decide that we need to leave the country now, we will board a plane today. How many would like to go?" Before I could count the hands, Greg asked to speak. "Kerry, we knew there were certain risks involved when we decided to sign up. If we leave now, we give the victory to the Devil. I vote that we stay." One by one, the others students indicated their agreement so that a vote was not necessary. The lion had roared, but God had once again given us the victory. During our remaining 10 days in country, we showed the film to more people and saw more of them come to faith in Christ than in the previous 4 weeks combined. Those most bold in their witness are those who are most often on their knees!
