Today, we
continue in our new series titled “Facing Your Enemy.” Last week, Carl introduced the series and
talked about “Choosing Your Battles.” I
told Carl afterward I thought it was one of his best messages. It really struck home with me. I often feel like I have a hard time
articulating what brought me from where I was in my walk with Christ to where I
am now. And as Carl was talking, I could
relate again and again the mistakes and pitfalls he described to my poor
decision making and how I was confused along the way over the years.
The biggest point was how we can easily get pulled into fighting the wrong battles. In particular, I used to exert a lot of energy in praying that I do not sin or praying repentantly after I have sinned. I’ve got journals at home with those kinds of prayers written on pages and pages. There was not a point in my life where I remember thinking, “I’m fighting the wrong battle.” But, I don’t dwell on myself nearly as much as I did, but rather put my focus on Christ.
Carl said it
this way, “The battleground is earlier, upstream, … in what I believe about His
Spirit and in what I ask God to do in my life through His Spirit. For me, when I successfully engage in this
battle, the later ‘downstream’ battles [like not falling into temptation and
yielding to sin] are mostly already won. … If you are battling your old self in a
particular sin area and it is making you miserable, I would encourage you to
see your battle as not about that sin, but about your overall intimacy with Christ.
Choose your battle!”
It is the
Spirit that gives us self-discipline and makes us soldier-like. As Christ’s soldiers, we join the battleground
for men’s and women’s souls. We avoid
entanglements in civilian affairs, worldly pursuits. We battle protecting our own minds and souls
putting the truth of God, the Scriptures first and foremost. We battle protecting
our loved ones in prayer and encouraging and helping one another.
A good
soldier is one who enters into battle. A
soldier who runs from the battle or hides from the fight is not a soldier, but
a deserter and a fraud. A soldier who
joins the fight will endure hardship and suffering. But, 2 Timothy 2:3 says this, “Join with me
in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
We join with
one another. We come with Christ, we get our battle wounds with Him, and suffer
with He.” By His Spirit, we come to be good soldiers.
Carl
finished up with four key questions:
Perhaps
those were on your mind this week. I was
freshly reminded that I need to choose my battles. As we talk about fighting the good fight, God
has not left us empty-handed, and that is what we will talk about today. We have been equipped for the battle. Before we turn to God’s Word, let’s take a
moment and pray.
Lord Jesus,
You fought the fight of purity and holiness for us. You rejected sin and took our penalty as the
pure and spotless Lamb of God. Teach us
how to number our days aright and prepare ourselves for the battle for
souls. Show us today how to be equipped
and prepared in every circumstance. We
are your servants. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We’re going
to take a pretty big draft of the Scriptures today. Our home base is going to be the familiar
passage from Ephesians chapter 6 about the armor of God. Last week, we talked about how there is a
significant amount of military jargon and analogy in the Bible. We are the church, the ekklesia, the called
out ones. The use of military language
is another way that we can see ourselves as set apart from the world.
A soldier is
not concerned about civilian things. Not
only that, a soldier is prepared for much more than the average civilian is
prepared for. A soldier is known by his
uniform, his equipment. Right away, you
know a soldier from a civilian. They
stand out. But, it’s not just an
appearance thing, looking different for sake of looking different. There is a plan behind what they are
wearing. They are trained in all the
equipment they have and they know how to use it with devastating effect.
Paul wrote
the book of Ephesians from prison, likely in Rome. He was likely chained to a soldier, one of
the Praetorian Guard from the bodyguard of the emperor. It is not a book that addresses error in the
church. Paul writes about God’s
purposes. It speaks of God’s
blessings. He talks about our salvation
and how it is a gift and not something earned.
He prays twice in the course of the letter, first for understanding for
the readers and then for strengthening of the readers. He talks about how we are reconciled to God
and to one another.
There is a
stunning verse in Ephesians 3 which says,
His intent was that now, through the church,
the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians
3:10-11
So, the ballgame is not about what we see with our eyes. You and I are a part of a testimony where the manifold wisdom of God is made known. “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)
The wisdom of God is being made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms through us, His church. Whoa!
Paul goes on then to talk about unity and maturity of the church under the headship of Christ. He contrasts our old way of living with the new life of purity and submission. He then comes to the end of the letter, and in light of all that has come before, he says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Eph 6:10)
So, the ballgame is not about what we see with our eyes. You and I are a part of a testimony where the manifold wisdom of God is made known. “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)
The wisdom of God is being made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms through us, His church. Whoa!
Paul goes on then to talk about unity and maturity of the church under the headship of Christ. He contrasts our old way of living with the new life of purity and submission. He then comes to the end of the letter, and in light of all that has come before, he says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Eph 6:10)
We need
divine strength to live lives which bring glory to God. A life that can be calm under pressure and
respond to adversity with patience and love cannot be based on man’s strength
or virtue. A life that can make known
the manifold wisdom of God can’t stand on its own.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can
take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Ephesians 6:11-12
The battle
is not against people. We are not
fighting against people who rage against God.
When people that don’t know the Lord hurt us, our primary response
should be one of sorrow, pity, and compassion.
They are captives. I read a quote
recently that said something to this effect.
“If a blind man stepped on your foot, would you be angry. Why then are we angry when an unsaved person
responds toward us the way an unsaved person should, in hurt, anger or
selfishness?” We should be thankful when
we find grace in a situation where we would expect judgment and difficulty.
The battle
is against principalities and powers.
There are spiritual forces of evil that are at work. They would like nothing better than for chaos
to reign and all people to live in sin.
In Christ, we stand opposed to that agenda. Those who believe in Christ have been rescued
and we are under the protection of God.
But even if he cannot have us, the devil wants us out of the fight.
“There is no
neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is
claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”
-C. S. Lewis
In order to
stand, in order to fight, we need protection.
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.
Ephesians 6:13
The idea behind “full armor” is really the full armament. It means both defensive armor and offensive weaponry, and as we’ll see, even some things we associate with defense can be used in an attacking method.
In battle, you’ve got to stay on your feet. If you’re on the ground, bad things can happen. You can’t move quickly. You can’t advance. If you’re on the ground, you can’t even retreat. This verse also has the feeling that we’ve got ground to defend. This fits in with what Carl was talking about last week. We surely are responsible for our own selves, but we also have friends and family and brothers and sisters in Christ who are co-laborers and fellow soldiers whom we need to protect by standing our ground. If there is a gap in a military formation, that’s where the enemy wants to strike because that is the weakest point in the defense.
There is also a time aspect to the battle. It isn’t “game on” at least not at the same intensity all the time. But, we don’t know when the battle will come. We need to stay in a state of readiness. If we get lazy, our armor can become unusable. At our house, it’s shoes. Whenever we get ready to go somewhere, it is not uncommon that someone cannot find their shoes, especially the younger boys.
On the day of battle, you don’t want to be running around trying to find your armor. Don’t use your helmet as a planter. Don’t use your sword in the kitchen for cutting watermelons. Be prepared.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Ephesians 6:14
How are we able to stand then? In our full armor. Literally in the Greek, the first phrase there is to “gird your loins” with truth. Men, you know what I mean when I talk about girding your loins. There is one place where you can get hit that will incapacitate you in a moment.
The idea behind “full armor” is really the full armament. It means both defensive armor and offensive weaponry, and as we’ll see, even some things we associate with defense can be used in an attacking method.
In battle, you’ve got to stay on your feet. If you’re on the ground, bad things can happen. You can’t move quickly. You can’t advance. If you’re on the ground, you can’t even retreat. This verse also has the feeling that we’ve got ground to defend. This fits in with what Carl was talking about last week. We surely are responsible for our own selves, but we also have friends and family and brothers and sisters in Christ who are co-laborers and fellow soldiers whom we need to protect by standing our ground. If there is a gap in a military formation, that’s where the enemy wants to strike because that is the weakest point in the defense.
There is also a time aspect to the battle. It isn’t “game on” at least not at the same intensity all the time. But, we don’t know when the battle will come. We need to stay in a state of readiness. If we get lazy, our armor can become unusable. At our house, it’s shoes. Whenever we get ready to go somewhere, it is not uncommon that someone cannot find their shoes, especially the younger boys.
On the day of battle, you don’t want to be running around trying to find your armor. Don’t use your helmet as a planter. Don’t use your sword in the kitchen for cutting watermelons. Be prepared.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Ephesians 6:14
How are we able to stand then? In our full armor. Literally in the Greek, the first phrase there is to “gird your loins” with truth. Men, you know what I mean when I talk about girding your loins. There is one place where you can get hit that will incapacitate you in a moment.
Truth is the
foundation of everything. Without a
basis of truth, on what can a Christian stand?
If I am filled with uncertainty and doubt, am I ready for battle? If I doubt the commander, will I be able to
follow his commands in confidence? No,
I’ll be looking over my shoulder trying to look out for myself. I’m not able to trust and focus on my
responsibility. If I question God’s
goodness, if I say, “Well, I’m not sure that God has my ultimate good in mind,”
it will be easy for me to be shaken if something bad happens.
What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the truth.” The short answer to “what is truth” is Jesus. He is truth. Just stop a minute and let that sink in. The foundation of your armor, your innermost protection, is Jesus.
If you need a little more philosophical answer, R.C. Sproul said it this way, “Truth is reality as God sees it.” We don’t see the world without our own bias. This is one of the biggest reasons behind conflict at our house. It’s pretty uncommon that someone does something out of spite. Instead, someone perceives a slight or thinks someone is acting in an unkind way toward them, then if there is not a quick correction, it can kind of snowball. Defensive behavior kicks in, and then you get angry responses.
We need Christ to help us see as He sees and diffuse our tendency to overreact or underreact, guarding us from the schemes of the evil one.
The breastplate of righteousness covers your heart and protects you from fatal blows to your internal organs. Whose righteousness is Paul talking about? Commentators agree that this is personal righteousness, not our positional righteousness in Christ. Ephesians 4 says that we have new life created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 5 says that we are to live as children of light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We strengthen our protection by devoting ourselves to the things that please God and avoiding sin. Doing these things demonstrates to us that we are living on that foundation of truth we already talked about.
What is truth? Jesus said, “I am the truth.” The short answer to “what is truth” is Jesus. He is truth. Just stop a minute and let that sink in. The foundation of your armor, your innermost protection, is Jesus.
If you need a little more philosophical answer, R.C. Sproul said it this way, “Truth is reality as God sees it.” We don’t see the world without our own bias. This is one of the biggest reasons behind conflict at our house. It’s pretty uncommon that someone does something out of spite. Instead, someone perceives a slight or thinks someone is acting in an unkind way toward them, then if there is not a quick correction, it can kind of snowball. Defensive behavior kicks in, and then you get angry responses.
We need Christ to help us see as He sees and diffuse our tendency to overreact or underreact, guarding us from the schemes of the evil one.
The breastplate of righteousness covers your heart and protects you from fatal blows to your internal organs. Whose righteousness is Paul talking about? Commentators agree that this is personal righteousness, not our positional righteousness in Christ. Ephesians 4 says that we have new life created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 5 says that we are to live as children of light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. We strengthen our protection by devoting ourselves to the things that please God and avoiding sin. Doing these things demonstrates to us that we are living on that foundation of truth we already talked about.
The evil one
doesn’t remind you about the time you stood firm and did the right thing. No he reminds you of your failures. If there is nothing new, he’ll go back into
your past. What if you have fallen recently? Well, remember that all your sins are
forgiven past present and future. Pray
as Carl encouraged us that the Holy Spirit will enable us to live righteous
lives rather than keeping us from sinning alone.
and with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:15
The picture of a soldier in Paul’s mind is obviously the Roman soldier. Roman soldiers had a nice piece of footwear for that time. It was kind of like a sandal boot. It had imbedded metal spikes in the sole for traction. It was pretty well closed on the top, so it offered a reasonable amount of protection to the foot. It was open enough to be ventilated and was not as likely to cause blisters.
The picture of a soldier in Paul’s mind is obviously the Roman soldier. Roman soldiers had a nice piece of footwear for that time. It was kind of like a sandal boot. It had imbedded metal spikes in the sole for traction. It was pretty well closed on the top, so it offered a reasonable amount of protection to the foot. It was open enough to be ventilated and was not as likely to cause blisters.
It’s not the best idea to base our Christian life on the strategies of the Roman army, but there some ideas that Paul is using as parallels. The Romans were known for their aggressiveness in battle. Their thought was always to take the fight to the enemy, to push him back. The Romans could have worn armor all over their bodies. They had that kind of technology, but instead, they kept their legs free and their feet shod with light comfortable footwear, ready to run.
We are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. That’s what lets us move forward against the enemy. We can share the gospel and draw people to Christ, rescuing them from the evil one and “taking territory” as it were. Move forward.
In addition to all this, take up the shield
of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil
one. Ephesians 6:16
So this is no small buckler on the forearm. The Roman shield was a large rectangle shape but curved outward. It was about a ½” thick. It had a curved shape. The shield was not just a defensive weapon. If you were fighting an enemy with a long reach weapon, like an axe or pike or long sword, then you would push forward into the enemy and cut off his ability to throw a blow. It was covered with leather and could be soaked with water to extinguish flaming arrows.
One of the strengths of the Roman legions was their constant training and preparation in battle. They had a neat formation that they would use. They would literally make a human tank called a testudo. Working together, they could survive a hail of arrows in such a formation. One Roman historian recorded how they could protect the entire unit including the lighter armed troops, baggage animals, and cavalry.
Our shield is our faith. I John 5:4 tells us that our faith has given us victory over the world. Galatians 2:20 tells us we are crucified with Christ and we no longer live but Christ lives in us. Our new life comes by faith in Jesus. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we have not seen. This is our shield. We have many, many promises of God
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
Your head has to be protected from the fatal blow. The Roman helmet enclosed the head and even the sides of the face. It had an apron in the back so that if someone came down with a blow from above, and you turned your head to the side, the gap between your breastplate and neck would be covered by your helmet.
Our salvation is that which protects us from the fatal blow. That kind of goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. David wrote in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” We should not be afraid of a fatal blow. The Lord has our life under His protection.
The sword is a truly offensive weapon. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 When you think of Jesus facing Satan in the wilderness, He only answered him with Scripture.
Satan: Tell these stones to become bread.
Jesus: It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone.
Satan: Throw yourself down for it is written: He will command His angels concerning You …
You shall not strike Your foot against a stone.
Jesus: It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
Satan: All this (the kingdoms of the earth) I will
give you.
Jesus: Away from me, Satan. It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve Him
only.
If Jesus only answered the evil one with Scripture, how much more should we? We should be diligent in our preparation to use our weapon. How can we use it unless we know it? We’ve got to read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it, if we want to be prepared for battle.
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. Ephesians 6:18
Prayer would be like our call for air support. The Romans could not call for artillery or missiles or bombs or anything like that. And, it is meant to be continuous. It is meant to be all encompassing, big things, small things, things in between. Cultivate a spirit of prayer at all times. We need to avoid that attitude that says to God, “I’ve got this one.” We can’t even tie our shoes without God’s enabling. He puts breath in us, and if he removed the breath, we would return to the dust. (Job 34:14-15)
There’s a ton of Scripture about prayer. Jesus encourages us to pray in secret. He encourages us to pray rationally and not babbling. We are to pray that you don’t fall into temptation. Pray without giving up. Pray in the spirit and in understanding. Pray when you’re in trouble. Pray for those who mistreat and those who persecute you. Pray, keeping yourself in God’s love. Pray with thanksgiving.
In addition to having a continuous and all-encompassing prayer life, we need to “be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” We need to be praying for the right stuff, so pay attention. We need to pray without falling asleep, be alert.
All kind of stuff can happen when we pray. God answers our prayers. James 5:16: The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Ask, seek, knock and you will receive, find, and be opened unto: Matthew 7:7 If we remain in Him, whatever we ask will be given to us: John 15:7 Strongholds can be demolished: I Corinthians 10:4
Jesus offered up fervent prayers. Hebrews says with tears and cries. Our prayer life can and should be passionate. One of Paul’s companions Epaphras is commended for wrestling in prayer for his fellow Colossians. He prayed “that they would stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Colossians 4:12
Although it’s not mentioned in this passage, it also important to mention one more weapon in our gear. Bill Bright called fasting the nuclear weapon of the Christian life. The disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast out a demon when they had been able to cast out others. Jesus responded that that particular demon would only come out by prayer and fasting. Jesus speaks about fasting that it would be something we would do. Matthew 6:17 ,9:14-15 The book of Acts has examples of the disciples fasting, before decisions, before sending people out.
Fasting doesn’t have to be going without food. Not all people are able to fast.
Fasting will also help open your eyes spiritually to what’s going on around you.
Spiritual warfare can be a scary thing, especially for a new believer. And yet, if you look at the circumstances around you, maybe it doesn’t seem so strange that there is a battle going on between good and evil.
I was reading a story about prisons in England where they were removing a Christian program which had the most favorable result in lowering the rate at which people were returning to prison. The justification behind it was that the government did not want to promote one religion over another. Why wouldn’t you want to promote that which provides the greatest good?
I heard Ravi Zacharias talk about a debate he once had. He gave his opponent the following illustration. What if you were in the wrong part of town, your car had broken down, and you saw three large men walking toward you in the shadows. How would you feel? The man replied that he would logically feel nervous. Then, Ravi said, what if I told you they had just come from a Bible study, how would you feel? His opponent responded honestly, I’d be relieved. Even unbelievers have an expectation that someone who studies the Bible would be unlikely to be a thug.
Satan is a dangerous adversary. He is the father of lies. Jesus said that when he lies, he speaks his native language. We need to guard our hearts and our minds from his deception. But we can also take comfort that Jesus has achieved the victory over Satan, sin and death. We are fighting not for victory. We are fighting from victory. The battle is already won.
Professional athletes make things that would seem impossible to you or me look almost easy. When someone is said to be at the top of their game, it’s like everyone else is moving slower from their point of view. In baseball, one of the ways that they prepare is to watch their opponents carefully. A slugger will watch a given pitcher to see what kind of pitch comes off of a certain throw. They use that information to know before the ball is even released by the pitcher where its most likely to go.
I John tells us that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the desires of the world. These are where our attacks are going to come. When there are things that cause us to want to set ourselves up above God, then we can know that’s probably not going down the right path. If something appeals to our immediate desires or cravings, and it hurts someone else or ourselves, then it is not for us.
We must not confide in the armour of God, but in the God of this armour, because all our weapons are only 'mighty through God,' 2 Cor 10:4 (I:53) William Gurnall
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