Spirit-Filled Warfare Series

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

Ephesians 6:13-18

SPIRIT-FILLED WARFARE

We rejoice when/experience small victories here/there.

• Make it through/month/enough money

• We count that a spiritual victory.

• When/no conflict in our lives, we think/victory as well.

While those things are important in our day to day lives

• They/victories w/o battles--conflicts w/o enemies.

• Truth is, every child of God is at war.

Should be/heart’s desire of every believer to “stand” faithfully for the Lord until He calls us home.

Most of us know someone who failed to “stand.”

• Whatever reason, they succumbed/“wiles of the devil”

• fell into sin/out of fellowship with/Lord

• happens far too frequently

Many have taught Sunday School

• Attended church/even preached/Word/God faithfully/years

• Only to give up, turn their backs/Lord/walk away/the world.

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Verses before us speak about spiritual warfare

• Remind us we/fight of our lives

Against a relentless, powerful enemy

• engaged in battle/spiritual being/intent on our destruction

• Fighting against an enemy who hates our God/hates us too

• Wants/devour our families, destroy our testimonies

• devastate our church/discredit our God

• This enemy of whom I speak is not all-powerful.

• The God we serve is, 1 John 4:4.

While Satan/intent/our defeat--Lord is interested/giving/victory

Bible/very clearly/end, God/have/last word, and Satan will be forever defeated and banished/Lake of fire, Rev. 20:10-15.

Meantime, God/provided us with everything we need to “stand” for Him against everything the enemy can throw at us.

Today, we will begin to consider the resources the Lord has given to us to help us “stand” for Him, and to enjoy victory in the spiritual battles of life.

• Study/pieces comprise “the full armor of God.”

• Eph 6:10/13 tell/armor/daily warfare with our enemy.

• Enemy/identified/Satan v 12

• passage teaches us/only hope of victory we possess

• To be adorned in “the whole armor of God.”

V 13 tells us to “full armor of God.”

• Literally means “to take up.”

Image of a soldier standing amid the pieces of the armor.

• “Take it up”, v 11 says he is to “put it on.”

This armor:

• does no good in the armory

• does no good until it is put on the soldier’s body

• enable/do/verses 11-13-14 say/that is “stand.”

• Will also make it possible to “withstand,” or “resist,” the daily assaults that come our way from the enemy.

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Let’s begin today to examine the pieces of “full armor of God.”

I. V. 14a THE BELT OF TRUTH

Standard garment/Roman soldier/loose fitting tunic

Nothing more/large, square piece/cloth/holes cut/arms/head

• Usually worn loose, allowing it to drape over the body

• Came time for battle/tunic/very dangerous for the soldier

• Most combat/hand-to-hand in ancient times

• Giving/enemy/easy handhold would mean certain death.

• tunic, if left loose/hinder the soldier’s freedom/movement

Before/battle began/soldier/carefully gather/tunic around his body and hold it in place with a heavy leather belt.

• “Girt about” literally means to “fasten one’s belt.”

• common among ordinary citizens as well

• culture wore long, flowing robes

Had to move fast/do some/physical work, the robe would be tightened about/body so movement would be unhindered.

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Lord/brought/children of Israel out of Egypt, and gave them His instructions concerning the Passover

• He told them to “This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.” Ex. 12:11.

• They were to be ready to go.

The Lord Jesus told His people to be ready to go as well. In Luke 12:35 He said, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning or KJV Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.”

• Ready to go all the time.

• spiritual loins are to be girded

• Looking for the coming of the Lord.

• We don’t wear robes today/we are to be “girded” up as well.

• Our “girting” is not physical/mental and it is spiritual.

Here is how Peter said it: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” 1 Pet. 1:13.

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“Belt” we wear/our spiritual battles/not/belt/leather/belt “truth.”

• Word refers to “the content of that which is true.”

• If we are to “stand” in “evil day”

• Then we must “stand” in the “truth.”

• When Paul speaks “belt of truth buckled around your waist”

• Referring/couple of specific areas of truth.

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First “truth” found in the Word of God.

Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the truth: your word is truth,” John 17:17.

• W/o working knowledge/truths of Scripture

• Child of God is easy prey for the enemy.