- Several
times the Bible uses an analogy of armor to help us understand spiritual battles
a.
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great
reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
b.
“The
LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.”
(Psalm 28:7)
c.
“He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of
vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” (Isaiah 59:17)
- “Put on the full armor of God, so
that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11), “…that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (NKJV)
a.
We don’t have the ability to stand on
our own—we’re no match for the devil and evil spirits
i.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2
Corinthians 12:9)
ii.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power through
his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16)
iii.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10)
iv.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
(Philippians 4:13)
v.
“Being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and
patience” (Colossians 1:11)
b.
The devil can’t force us to do
anything—his power is temptation, deception, and influence
i.
If someone can get us to believe a lie and
live accordingly then they have power over us
ii.
The devil wants you to believe there is
no God, therefore if you believe there is no God then you’re deceived by the
devil and you’re being ruled by him
iii.
The devil not only wants us to believe
there is no God but also that there is no devil
iv.
The whole idea of tricking someone is for
them to not know they’re being tricked, if they know they’re being tricked then
they’re not being tricked
v.
What’s the real problem? Do we really
need more evidence or simply less deception?
c.
Jesus called the devil “the prince of this world” (John 12:31,
14:30, 16:11); “The god of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4); “We know that we are
children of God, and that the whole
world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)
- “…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)
a.
The devil’s scheme is deceiving us into
believing that flesh and blood (people) are the problem
b.
Our true enemy is the devil but he gets
us fighting with each other instead
i.
Stand against the devil and love people—if
we’re fighting people, we’re in the wrong fight!
ii.
“Love your neighbor as yourself”
(Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8)
iii.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans
12:21)
c.
People live ungodly and mistreat others
because they’re tempted and deceived by evil spirits
- “Therefore
take up the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV)
a.
“‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your
wrath, nor give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27), “Be very careful,
then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity, because the days are evil.”
(Ephesians 5:15-16)
b.
“Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matthew 6:34), “Sufficient for the day is
the evil of it” (YLT), “Sufficient to the day is its own evil” (DBY, WEB), “Each day’s own evil is sufficient”
(HNV)
c.
We should start the day recognizing it
will be full of evil—this is not pessimistic but realistic
- “Stand firm
then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14)
a.
Because of the depth of the devil’s
deceptions, the very first thing we need is truth
b.
Notice that this piece of armor is “the
belt of truth” not “the belt of assumptions”
i.
An assumption is something we believe
to be true but might not really be true
ii.
If we’re living by false assumptions
then we’re vulnerable to the enemy
c.
“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus”
(Ephesians 4:20-21 NKJV)
i.
“I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)
ii.
“Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37)
iii.
The only way to wear “the belt of
truth” is to live by the truth Jesus Christ taught
d.
Truth is simply reality—the way things
really are, not necessarily the way they appear to be
e.
Those who aren’t living by the truth Jesus
Christ taught are living in a skewed reality
- “With the breastplate of righteousness
in place” (Ephesians 6:14)
a.
“And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24), “Therefore each of you must
put off falsehood and speak truthfully” (v. 25), “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do
not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (v. 26), “Anyone who has
been stealing must steal no longer, but must work” (v. 28), “Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths” (v. 29), “Get rid of all bitterness,
rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (v. 31),
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other” (v. 32)
b.
A right relationship with God is
contingent upon having right relationships with people
i.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends
on you, live at peace with everyone.”
(Romans 12:18)
ii.
“Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18 NKJV)
iii.
Sowing seeds of peace with others bears
the fruit or result of being right with God
- “And with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the
gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15)
a.
The solution for evil is not more
education, laws, social reform, or a better environment
b.
The solution for evil is to put on our
shoes and go share the gospel with people
c.
People must change from being ruled by
evil spirits to being ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ
- “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)
a.
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great
reward.” (Genesis 15:1); “But you, LORD,
are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” (Psalm
3:3); “We wait in hope for the LORD; he
is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20); “You who fear him, trust in the
LORD—he is their help and shield.”
(Psalm 115:11); “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
b.
People shoot flaming arrows of slander,
gossip, ridicule, mocking, sarcasm, yelling, accusations
c.
We are to let the shield extinguish or
quench the flaming arrows shot at us, not shoot back
d.
“Even so the tongue is a little member
and boasts great things. See how great a
forest a little fire kindles! The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil
among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course
of one’s life on fire, and is itself set
on fire by hell.” (James 3:5-6)
i.
Our words are like fire because they
spread quickly and cause much destruction
ii.
“And
anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
iii.
If we use our tongues like flaming
arrows to hurt others then we will end up in hell
e.
“See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its
work. And it is I who have created the
destroyer to wreak havoc; ‘No weapon
forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants
of the LORD, and this is their
vindication from me,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:16-17)
i.
God created the smith that forged the
sword and the destroyer that wields the sword
ii.
The world falsely accuses us of hate
when we stand against sin in people’s lives
iii.
We quench the fire of accusations by not
defending ourselves but letting God defend us
- “Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians
6:17)
a.
“But since we belong to the day, let us
be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8)
b.
“Therefore, with minds that are alert
and fully sober, set your hope on
the grace to be brought to you when
Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 Peter 1:13)
c.
This helmet is the hope and expectation
of being rewarded when Jesus Christ returns
- “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 Lord’s
people.” (Ephesians 6:17-18)
a.
It has been rightly recognized that the
sword of the Spirit is the only offensive piece of armor
b.
This sword has two edges: (1) the word
of God; (2) praying with all kinds of prayers
c.
Our own words carry no authority, we
must depend on God’s authority in His words
i.
“Now
the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had
made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God
really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” (Genesis 3:1)
ii.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness to be tempted by the
devil. ... Jesus answered, ‘It is
written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” (Matthew 4:1, 4)
iii.
When tempting and troubling thoughts persist,
the solution is not to keep trying to clear our thoughts or to think positively
but to speak God’s word and the thoughts will go away
d.
“And pray in the Spirit on all
occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18)
i.
Twice in this letter to the Ephesians,
Paul had prayed for them (1:16-23, 3:14-21)
ii.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
(Matthew 5:44)
iii.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but
in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
- Concluding
words and encouragement to seek God and come to Him through Jesus Christ
a.
All the while you’re thinking God
doesn’t exist, He’s so incredibly involved in your life without you even knowing
it!
b.
He knows what we think even before we
think it, how can we possibly outsmart Him?
c.
If you’re not sincerely trying to find
Him then He won’t let you find Him, and sadly you’ll perish
i.
“But if from there you seek the LORD
your God, you will find him if you seek
him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
ii.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your
heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
d.
He can very easily make Himself known
but purposely hides because He wants us to seek Him
e.
If you’ll seek, submit, trust, and obey
Him, He’ll be pleased and begin revealing Himself to you