PREPARED FOR THE BATTLE
Ephesians 6:10-20
Everyday around the world someone or some group is fighting
for something.
Some for good causes and some for evil motives. Anything
good comes from the
Lord. All evil originates from Satan.
RECOMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTH
V:10. " Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. "
A. It is not by our
strength that we are strong, it is by the Lord's. Isa 51:9
1. There is
physical strength.
2. There is
mental strength.
3. There is
supernatural strength.
B. It is our nature to
claim that we have everything to do with our mental
and physical
strength.
1. All we really
do is enhance that which God has gifted us with.
2. There is
supernatural mental and physical strength that only God controls.
3. When we are
weak, it is God that is strong in us.
4. God extends
our natural strength to levels we cannot obtain by ourselves.
5. It is God that
maintains these clay bodies that contain His strength.
C. The Apostle Paul
encourages us to rely totally on God for our strength in every
situation.
1. Since we
belong to God, He has a special interest in our ability to do His will.
2. Since we belong to God, He has a special
interest in our safety and welfare.
EQUIPMENT OF THE BATTLE
V:11. " Put on the full armor of God so that you can
take your stand against the devil's schemes. "
A. It is the faith we
have in God that allows us to stand against the devil.
1. The church is
largely unaware of the armor of God.
2. Those who have
heard about God's armor don't fully understand it.
3. Those who have
tried the armor, have used only parts of it.
B. The devil has
armor and he knows how to use it.
1. He has his
lies. He is the father of lies.
2. He has his
deceptive practices. He is a master deceiver.
3. He has his
darkness. He is the prince of darkness.
4. He is armed
with the Word of God perverted to mask himself as an angel of light.
5. The devil and
his demons know how to use their armor to draw men into the
dungeon of
darkness.
6. The devil and
his demons go to and fro to see who they may devour.
a. Their
objectives are to steal, kill and destroy by any means necessary.
b. The devil
and his demons are always on high alert.
V:12. " For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms."
A. The Lord reminds
us that it is not our neighbors we ought to worry about.
1. It is not the
local robbers and thieves or the local thugs we ought to worry about.
a. We can
eventually identify those who walk around in flesh and blood.
b. It is the
spiritual forces of evil that we can't see with the naked eye, that we need
to develop
a spiritual sight.
c. It is the
spiritual forces of evil that is behind every act of violence.
2. We need to be
on high alert for the unseen devil.
a. We cannot
not take him for granted because he is always busy in his work
of
destruction.
b. Not only
does the devil have his demons at work, but he also has the evil hearts
of man at
work for him.
3. Do not think that because nothing bad
appears to be happening to you, that
you are not
the devil's target.
B. God Himself said
that we struggle against the power of darkness and evil sprits in
high places.
1. It is what we
can't see that ought to scare us the most into trusting God.
2. Since God
knows all, He knows what schemes the devil has planned against us.
3. Satan has
power over darkness, but he has no power over the light that is
in Jesus
Christ.
4. Our struggle
ought to be to hold on to Jesus in trouble times
PREPARED FOR EVIL DAYS
V:13. " Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything, to stand."
A. We are instructed by the Father to put on His armor, not
ours.
1. God does not
tell us to arm ourselves with guns or put security systems in our
homes for
protection against the devil and his demons.
2. These earthly
systems are no match for the devil.
3. It does not
matter how much you try to protect your stuff, thieves can get to
it.
B. God commands us to
put on His full armor.
1. The devil and
his demons are armed and they know how to use their
arsenal against
you.
a. Look around
you and see the effect of the devil's power.
b. People are
robbed and killed everyday for evil motives.
C. The problem in the
Church is we don't know the armor of God.
1. We have heard
about it, but have not tried it out.
2. It is in the Word, but we have not taken time
to understand it.
D. It is only the
full armor of God that enables us to stand against the devil.
1. We can't
stand against the devil with half the armor of God.
2. We have to
do all we can and let God do the rest.
3. Putting on
part of the armor of God is not all we can.
E. In any of our armed
forces, soldiers go through rigorous training programs.
1. They are
trained to be obedient to their commanding officer.
2. Their bodies
are beaten into shape with rigorous exercises to perform on
battle
field.
3. They are
trained to be a unit in a combined force against the enemy.
4. They are
trained to be proficient in the use of their weapons of war.
F. The Church on the
other hand, go to battle without any training.
1. The soldiers
in the army of the Lord go to battle without knowing how to use their
weapons of
war.
2. The soldiers
in the army of the Lord don't really know how to identify the enemy.
a. The enemy
is a leader; 1/3 of the angels in heaven fell with Satan. Rev 12:4
b. He is
called the devil: accuser of the people of God.
c. He is
called Satan: Adversary or enemy of God.
d. He is a
tempter. Matt 4:3
e. He is a
murderer and a liar. John 8:44
f. He masquerades
as an angel of light. 2 Cor 11:13 -15
g. He is the
god of this age. 2 Cor 4:4
h. The enemy
has all kinds of helpers; principalities, powers and rulers.
3. The soldiers
in the army of the Lord are not on high alert for war.
a. We get up each day and act as if the
enemy does not exist.
b. We are
not prepared to meet the enemy when we walk out the door.
THE ARMOR OF GOD
V:14. " Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place."
A. The first thing we
Christians have to learn to do is STAND.
1. We cannot run
in the face of trouble.
2. We can't back
down when Satan shows up.
3. We have to
learn to be patient with the Lord.
B. We stand on the
truth.
1. We need to
know the Word of God for ourselves.
2. Satan is a
liar.
a. He perverts
the truth to make his way seem right and make God a liar.
b. The truth
is, Satan has already been defeated and we are already victorious.
c. With the
truth ingrained in us, Satan can't attack our mind.
d. With knowledge
of the truth, you can tell Satan who he is, and where to go. Hit
the road
jack and don't you come back!
c. The power
behind the truth is Jesus.
C. The breast plate
in the Roman army was a piece of metal or chains that covered the
neck to the waist front and back.
1. That breast
plate is the believers righteousness in Christ.
2. When you are
living according to the righteousness of God, Satan can't accuse you
before God.
3. There is power
in the Word to resist Satan.
a. When you
know who he is, you see him coming and can resist him with the Word.
b. The breast
plate covers the heart.
c. Out of the
heart flows the issues of life.
d. The heart
of life is the Word which Satan has no defense against.
e. We are
covered by the blood of Jesus. His righteousness is imputed upon us.
f. If we don't
practice righteousness, Satan has the opportunity to attack us.
V:15. " And with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from the gospel of
peace. "
A. The Roman
soldiers had nails in the soles of their shoes for better footing.
1. Football players
have special shoes designed for traction
on the field.
2. Ice skaters
have steel blades attached to their shoes to navigate on the ice.
3. Likewise,
Christian must stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. We have to
believe every word of Christ.
5. Christ made
peace with the Father for our sins against Him.
a. We must make peace with each other.
b. There
must be unity among believers to stand against the unity of the Devil and
his
demons.
B. We are
ambassadors for Christ empowered to draw men to Christ.
1. There is
power in the unity of the Church.
2. Divisions in
the Church destroys that power.
V:16. " In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil
one."
A. The shield in the
Roman army was a large piece of wood, 4 foot by 4 foot covered
with leather
with eye holes for the soldier to see.
1. Interlocked
together, the shield formed a wall of protection as the soldier move on
the battle
field.
2. The shield
protected the soldiers against the spears and arrows and fiery darts of the
enemy.
B. Likewise, Christian
must take up the shield of faith.
1. Faith in
Christ is the wall around us.
2. Satan will
come against us in many ways, but faith in Christ is our protection.
3. The promises
of God have their evidence in the battles of life.
C. The text informs
us that we are in a war that cannot be won by ourselves.
1. Thank God for
Jesus, because victory is promised for all battles in life.
2. Not only does
Jesus promises us victory, but also promises defeat of the enemy.
3. Satan want
stop coming at us because he lost one battle, that is why the shield of
faith has to
always be employed.
V:17. " Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God. "
A. Christians must
protect their minds with the helmet of Salvation.
1. If you get hit
on the head, that can be a fatal blow.
2. The mind is a
terrible thing to waste.
a. We put the
waste of this world in our mind all the time.
b. There is
junk on TV, junk on the internet, junk in the street that
we are
exposed to every day.
c. Don't let
your mind be a junkyard for the world opinions and ideas.
b. Jesus is our Salvation.
c. The mind
is unprotected without the Word of God.
d. You can
live a miserable life on earth and still go to heaven.
c. Without
the Word of God, Satan's lies can persuade us into hopelessness.
B. Since your Salvation is sure, the only way
Satan can get to us is through ignorance
of the Word.
1. Satan
destroyed the peace in the Garden of Eden through Eve's ignorance of the
Word and
Adam's disobedience of the Word.
2. When we know heaven is ours, we know God's
inheritance belongs to us, and we
can stand
against the Devil's lies and deceptions.
3. Jesus said
we can ask what we want according to His will be done for us.
a. If Satan
can destroy our prayer life, he can destroy our hope.
b. Our
preservation is in the Word.
C. The Spirit of God
is our sword.
1. The sword is
an offensive weapon used in close fighting.
a. The
Roman soldiers used the sword to wound and to kill their
enemies.
b. Our
spiritual sword, the Word is used to heal and to give life.
2. It is the
Holy Spirit that guides our understanding of God's Word.
a. The Word
convicts us of our sins.
b. The more we understand the Word, the more
we become convicted.
3. The Word is
sharper than a two edged sword.
a. The Word
pierces our hearts and minds building our faith in Jesus.
b. The Word
gives us power to say no to sin dealing a crippling blow
to Satan,
stopping him in his tracks from hindering God's work.
PRAY FOR THE SAINTS
V:18. " And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the saints."
A. God is spirit.
1. They that
worship Him must do so in spirit and truth.
2. Prayer is our
direct line to God.
3. When we pray
in the spirit, we are praying according to the will of God.
B. There is no prayer
that God does not welcome from us.
1. The text says
all kinds of prayers.
2. The text says
on all occasions.
3. Every moment
in everyday is the time for prayer.
a. Prayer
keeps us talking to God.
b. Prayer
keeps us close to God.
B. No request is to
small or to large for God to handle.
1. The text says
come to God with all requests.
2. Our requests
are important to God.
C. The text says be
on the alert.
1. Satan the
adversary, is constantly seeking a way to destroy you.
2. If you are on
the alert, you will seek to please God in all your ways.
D. The Saints of God,
which includes all of us, are under attack by Satan and
his helpers.
1. We are
commanded to pray without ceasing.
2. Satan is
looking for a weak prayer life.
3. He is looking
to see if we are in communication with God.
4. Satan is
looking for away to disrupt our peace with God.
5. Our prayers
should include every Saint.
V:19. " Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel."
A. Paul encourages us to pray for the teachers and preachers
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. We need your
prayers so that every word form our mouths are directed by God.
2. We need your
prayers so that God will make known to us the understanding of
His Word.
3. We need your
prayers so that we can preach and teach the Word without fear.
B. We need your
prayers because Satan is seeking to stop the spread of the Gospel.
WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST
V:20. " For which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray
that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. "
A. I don't know about
you, but I am chained to the Gospel of truth.
1. I am forced in
my mind to study the Word with hope of a correct interpretation.
2. I need your
prayers so that I can declare what is right regardless of public opinion.
B. We are all
ambassadors for Christ with an obligation to tell others the truth about
Jesus.
1. We cannot in
good conscience preach anything other than the Word.
2. If the Church
don't tell the truth, how will the world know the truth?
3. How can people
get better if we don't give them the right medicine?
4. The right
medicine is the Word of God.
GET PREPARED FOR THE BATTLE
Rev. M Mitchell, Asst Pastor of GMBC
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