Ephesians 6:13-18
SPIRIT-FILLED WARFARE - PART 2
Introduction
Intro: In our
modern, relatively peaceful world it is easy to forget that we are a people at
war. In verse 12, we are
reminded that we have a very powerful and insistent enemy. Our enemy, Satan, is
doing everything in his power to defeat, dismantle, and destroy the kingdom of
God. We must fight him in Gods power, wearing Gods armor. Unfortunately, many
believers do not see the need for the armor of God.
We rejoice when we experience small victories here
and there. When we make it through the month with enough money, we count that a
spiritual victory. When there is no conflict in our lives, we think that is a
victory as well. While those things are important in our day
to day lives, they are really victories without battles. They are
conflicts without enemies. They are moments enjoyed by people who are really
not fighting a war. People who think such moments in life represent spiritual
victory are not interested in armor, because they dont recognize this truth:
if they are saved, they are at war! Theres far more to spiritual warfare than
being able to pay your bills on time.
The truth is, every child of God is at war. In
Gods army, there are no deferments, and no one is exempted from service. The
saints are at war with Satan and his army, and we will be until the Lord calls
us home to glory. Thus, we need to heed what the Spirit of God is saying to us
in these verses.
When Paul says take unto you the whole
armor of God, it literally means to take up the whole
armor of God. It is the image of a
soldier being presented with everything he needs to wage the battle. The armor
is arrayed about him, lying at his feet, All he need
do is pick it up and put it on. Everything he needs has been provided, but it
must be appropriated, if that soldier expects to fight well and if he expects
to survive the conflict. Victory wont come from within, only from without.
If we expect to withstand the attacks of the enemy, that word speaks of resisting, then we must tap into a reserve of power greater than
ourselves. The phrase evil day refers to the
days of our lives. That is, all the days we live in this world are evil days, because they are days when we come under attack
by the enemy and his forces. There will be no rest in this war. There will be
no cease fire. There will be no armistice. One day of
battle will flow into the next, and it will continue until we die, or until the
Lord comes to take us home. These are evil days because they
are days of battle, conflict, warfare, and casualties.
But, it is possible to stand against the devil. It
is possible for the people of God to withstand his attacks.
We will not stand until we have done all to stand.
We will not stand until we have taken advantage of all the Lord has
provided for us in Jesus. The way we ensure that we have done all to stand is to obey His command to take up and put on the whole armor of God. When we do that, God, by His power will cause us to be able to withstand.
We want to begin a study of the armor of God today.
In verse 10-12, the
Lord told us about the Spiritual Power He has
given us. In these verses, He will reveal the Spiritual Provisions we have been given, that have literally been
placed at our feet. May the Lord help us to take up what He has provided for us so that we can resist the wiles of the devil.
It should be the hearts desire of every believer
to stand faithfully for the Lord until He calls us home.
When Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms on April 2, 1521, he was
accused of heresy for his views on salvation. After being condemned for
preaching that men are saved by faith alone in Christ alone, he declared, My conscience is captive
to the Word of God.... Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.
Most of us know someone who failed to stand. For whatever reason, they succumbed to the wiles of the devil and fell into sin, and out of fellowship with the
Lord. It happens far too frequently. Many have taught Sunday School,
attended church, served the Lord, and even preached the Word of God faithfully
for years, only to give up, turn their backs on the Lord and walk away in to
the world.
That was Pauls fear, But I keep under my
body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway, 1 Cor. 9:27. It was Johns fear, Look to yourselves,
that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full
reward, 2 John 8. It should be our fear too.
We do not have to fall away. We do not have to be
disqualified. The people in the church do not have to speak of us in the past
tense. We can be faithful until the end. We can be like Paul,.
Who at the end of the way, was able to say, I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith,
2 Tim. 4:7.
I want to be able to say that, dont you? It is
possible, but only if we fight the war Gods way, in the armor He has provided
for us to wear. By the way, the command is for us to put on the WHOLE armor. A piece or two wont suffice. A piece or two
will leave parts of our lives vulnerable to attack. A piece or two of the armor
will result in certain defeat. When we don the whole armor of God, we are guaranteed victory in the war with the
devil.
Lets consider the pieces of the spiritual amour of the Spirit of God. The pieces of the armor we will study here will help us to resist the attacks of the enemy. They will help us to
finish well for the glory of God. Lets continue our study of Spirit-Filled Warfare.