Chico Alliance Church
September 3, 2006
Pastor David Welch
"Spiritually Aware, Alert, Armed and Aggressive" Pt 6
NOTE to Sermon Central browsers.
This is part six in the series when preached but notes for part 4 and five are not included because the sermons from part three notes took two extra weeks to cover. New material starts here in part six!
REVIEW
Last week we talked about being in a wilderness. We are no more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy than in the wilderness. Satan took his best shot at Jesus in the wilderness experience. Our wilderness experience may indeed be caused by Satan but at the very least he will take advantage of any difficult situation to launch his brutal attacks. We must therefore be prepared to battle.
I. Be Aware
II.Be Alert
Satan is in an all out war to bring torment and destruction on his enemies. He wants to prevent God-honoring transformation among believers. What is our defense against such a fearsome foe? Paul described the key elements that protect us against the enemy’s cunning brutal attacks and arm us to do effective battle.
III. Be armed
There are four clear commands for every believer in Ephesians 6:10-18
A. Be fully empowered
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10
All the armor in the world will be of no benefit if we don’t have the strength to use it. We must first understand our power source. This is a supernatural battle that requires supernatural strength. Where do we get this strength? The kind of strength necessary for this battle can only come from the Lord. Before we can do battle we must be strengthened.
Paul instructed them to be empowered by the Lord. Paul used a passive tense verb – be strengthened by someone. Be strengthened in the Lord. This is a concept used throughout Scripture having to do with vital connection to Christ.
1 Samuel 30:6
Adequate spiritual strength comes through vital spiritual connection with Christ. Such connection comes through the practice of the spiritual disciplines. Spiritual warfare comes last in the spiritual disciplines because the others are necessary for the strength to wage successful war against the enemies. Some try to resist the enemy in their own strength.
We look for some formula or quick method when such strength only comes from relationship with Christ. We need to be empowered in the strength of His might. Once we have been empowered, we need to be protected.
B. Be fully armed (Put on / Take up God’s complete armor)
Paul repeats this command twice. One in verse 11 and one in verse 13
Put on the full armor of God, vs 11
take up the full armor of God, vs13
To put on and take up both have to do with something we must do. We must appropriate God’s armor. We must put it in place. The words mean to envelop in, hide in, cloth with, take up, engage, employ, apply. Just as armor is useless without strength, strength is useless without armor. It doesn’t matter how strong you are. When the bullet rams into your chest, you’re dead! Not only do we need to take it up. We need to take up the whole thing. We need ever piece in place. We must leave no area exposed to the enemies attack.
A second problem today is that we are trying to fight the enemy without protection. That is not faith – that is foolishness; especially when God specifically instructs us to put it on.
There are several implications we can draw out of this command. First, there are different aspects to protection. Second, we must have all of the pieces. Third, this is armor supplied by God.
It is important to keep in mind that this is God’s armor not our armor. These are things related to God. aul clearly explains why we must employ the full armor of God.
This is indicated by the words “so that”.
so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Vs 11
so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Vs 13
The reason we need to be empowered in the Lord and protected by his armor is so that we will be able to stand and resist. We need God’s power and armor to resist the attack of the devil. Our war is against the devil, the accuser, slanderer, the evil one. He concocts schemes against believers. He perpetuates evil. Resisting takes action on our part.
There is something for us to do. We must stand. We must resist. We must engage the enemy. We must do everything we can to stand against whatever attack comes our way.
Only when we are empowered in the Lord and armed the in his armor will we be able to stand firm. Sandwiched in between the two commands to employ God’s armor is a more detailed description of the battle and the enemy.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies (unseen spiritual dimension). Ephesians 6:12
Struggle of which Paul speaks is a face-to-face conflict. Even though we are called to help one another alternately the battle against the enemy is a personal battle. I cannot stand and resist for you. I can give you the tools, I can pray, but I cannot resist for you. Paul used a term indicating one-on-one face-to-face conflict. “wrestle”
In the culture of the day wrestling was much more involved than what we think of as wrestling today. This was a desperate conflict in which one would throw the other to the ground and hold them down by the neck. Oftentimes the loser’s eyes were gouged out.
Satan is after you. This is not child’s play. This can be a desperate conflict. We must stand. We must engage the enemy. But we must never engage the enemy without the strength of the Lord in the armor which he provides. This brings us to the third command in the passage.
C.Stand firm
Paul is very clear that we are to do everything we can to stand and resist the enemy. We are in a culture today where we ignore the enemy. We must not be ignorant of the enemy’s schemes where we will become enveloped in the enemy’s chains.
Stand firm therefore
The command to stand is clear. It means to engage the enemy. We run from sin. We engage Satan. The power God gives us is his own strength. It’s the strength we saw in Jesus enabling Him to resist 40 days and 40 nights of continuous temptation in the wilderness. It’s the strength we saw in Jesus to command evil spirits to release their hold on their captive time and time again. It is the power God demonstrated in the raising Jesus Christ from the dead -- victorious over the ultimate enemy who will be the last enemy to be destroyed when Jesus returns. It is the power that God gives to every child of His to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. It is the power that God gives to break down the gates of hell as we march into the territory of the enemy and reclaim the ground for the glory of God.
Beside this awesome power to engage the enemy, what armor do we have to resist his lethal weapons? Paul revealed five specific pieces of armor to defend against specific schemes of the devil. Remember, we are told to put on the full armor of God. So at the least we must understand and apply these five principles.
Each piece of armor protects against a specific vulnerability. Jesus employed each peace and becomes our armor. If we have not put on the armor we will be subject to the wounds the armor was designed to prevent. Paul urges us to stand against the enemy after we have been empowered and after we have put on the appropriate armor.
1.TRUTH
STAND having girded your loins with truth
Paul urged the believers to gird their loins with truth. Truth as found in the word of God is both defensive offensive. This is sometimes referred to as the belt of truth. The belt was a central piece of armor to gird up the long robes to enable one to be free to maneuver on the battlefield. Perhaps Paul talked about this first because it is one of the most essential elements to victory in every area of our life. Ignorance of the truth, denial, lies, and deception are the foundation of most every struggle known to man. Satan is called the father of lies. Failure to think and live according to the truth as God has revealed it is the source of all kinds of misery. Failure to see life from God’s perspective darkens the soul.
The loins were considered the symbol of vitality and strength. Truth is essential to life.
Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. Only proper thinking will produce proper living. We can only gain proper thinking when we know and embrace God’s truth.
Paul talks about the transformation that comes from the renewal of our thinking. Biblical thinking produces godly feelings which motivate godly actions. Emotions motivate behavior but emotion is triggered by perception. So often we feel miserable because we think improperly or have a false perception. Belief generates feeling which motivates behavior. A belief that going outside my house is dangerous it will cause fear which will cause me to not go outside. A belief that someone doesn’t like me will cause me emotional pain and I will avoid that person. A belief that God is mad at me will cause me to feel afraid an avoid Him. The defense against the lies that generate miserable feelings which motivate destructive behavior is truth. Satan perpetuates lie after lie. Sometimes he uses other people. Sometimes he uses parents. He uses the media and any other avenue he can control.
Satan operates on the principle that a lie told often enough and a vehement enough will be accepted as truth. Satan perpetuates lies concerning God. He promotes lies concerning ourselves and others. He champions lies about where real life is found. He most certainly formulates lies about his true nature and intent. The Bible urges us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. How can you do that if you don’t know the truth?
How can you discern truth if you have no standard by which to measure the myriad of assertions and ideas bombarding our brains every day? The Bible tells us that every Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God might be fully prepared for life and ministry.
Doctrine has been given a bad name. Doctrine is nothing but proper teaching from the word of God. We are told not to depart from sound doctrine. Scripture warns us about false teachers who do not teach according to the truth. Anytime we arrange our life around a lie we fall victim to the enemy. What we believe affects how we feel. What we feel motivates what we do. This piece of armor has to do with replacing faulty perception with Biblical perception.
We are a culture now that does not believe in absolute truth. We are in a culture that operates according to how they feel. The problem is that they don’t realize that their feelings came from a particular way of thinking. And much of that time that thinking did not come from the Scripture but from our culture. Scripture says that this world culture rests, for now, in the hands of the evil one.
We must restore biblical thinking if we are to restore biblical living. The number one protection against faulty thinking which results in miserable living is God’s truth. Our only hope of transformation is the renewing of the mind by the truth of Scripture.
Jesus met every attack of the enemy with the same tools that we have at our disposal. He faced the enemy in the power of the Spirit of God and the word of God. Jesus did not try to argue with Satan but met his temptation with clear Scripture. Jesus simply said, “It is written.” It is the Word of God that has the power to transform our thinking which will generate proper feeling which in turn motivates godly living. When I understand just how much Jesus really loves me I can’t help but feel love in return which motivates a desire to love and returned and live according to his word. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” When Moses encountered the glory of God there were some essential characteristics that stood out.
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6
God is truth and he wants us to live in truth. The more we live in truth, the greater protection we have from the attack of the father of lies.
How do we put this armor on? We are told to put on the belt of truth.
This is an action on our part.
God provides the truth.
We must appropriate.
We must first pursue truth by the diligent study of the Scripture.
That’s why interaction with Scripture is one of the spiritual disciplines.
This is something that we should be pursuing on a daily basis whether it is through personal study, listening to tapes or attending Bible studies.
Continual exposure to the truth of the Scripture is absolutely essential.
It is our only hope of restoring the right-thinking that produces right living.
God’s Word is the source of our rebirth.
God’s Word keeps us from sin.
God’s Word exposes sin.
God’s Word produces continual growth.
God’s Word restores the soul makes a wise the simple, rejoices the heart, in light of the eyes, endures forever.
God’s Word brings revival in transformation and restoration.
God’s Word is absolutely essential for our Ministry to others.
God’s Word is our only sure defense against the lies of the enemy and offense to cause him to flee.
Do you feel like the enemy has run you over?
You feel defenseless against his attacks?
You need to be empowered in the Lord.
Get your relationship right with him.
You need to then put on his armor beginning first with the belt of truth.
Nothing else will protect you.
Decide today to put the pursuit of God’s truth as a high priority in your life.
