Sermon Central
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Dressed For Battle
Contributed by Warren Curry on Jun 16, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: A brief discussion on Spiritual Warfare. My own heart and mind are being stretched at the time of this sermon prep.
Dressed for Battle
The last few weeks we have been dealing with the things of the spiritual world. The last two weeks in specific, we have looked at the reality of our enemy the devil and his angels, A.K.A., demons. We began a journey back at the first of January in regards to understanding the spiritual realm, the heavenly places that are mentioned in the Bible, that we have never given much attention to in the past.
It ties into the theme for this year that “THE LORD IS OUR BANNER!” Every battle that we deal with is not our battle alone. We only go out as we represent the Lord, the One to whom the battle belongs. We must also remember that our true battle is not against other people, but against our enemies who dwell in the spiritual realm. The apostle Paul makes it very clear that this is the case in our text for this morning.
As I said last week, we are going to examine how we can take our stand against our enemy. Our text for this morning brings clarity to this as well. Let’s examine what Paul has to say in regards to who we battle and how we battle.
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Eph 6:12 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.
Eph 6:13 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.
Eph 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Eph 6:15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Eph 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph 6:18 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.
In this text we find a call to arms. A call to all Christians to prepare themselves for battle against the enemy. Paul is admonishing the believers here at Ephesus, not to underestimate the schemes of our enemy, but to arm themselves in every way possible to be prepared to deal with the attacks that the devil will bring against them.
We too must be prepared. We must stand together, united in one spirit. Each member must have their life in order so we can take a productive stand against the attacks of our enemy. That is why we must put on the full armor of God. Christians are soldiers in the Lord’s army. Our own armor is full of weak links and the enemy targets those specific spots in order to cause the greatest amount of damage. Yet, when we put on God’s armor, we will find ourselves still able to stand even after we undergo attack, because we are not relying on our own resources, but upon God’s resources. Victory is secure, because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, but there are battles to fight until the war is finished. We can rejoice in the knowledge that we know how the war ends.
So let’s break down these verses so we can gain a better understanding of the spiritual warfare we are involved in:
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Our strength is found in the Lord. He is the supplier of every resource that Christians need to stand in the battle. We draw from His mighty power, since we do not have any power in and of ourselves.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
As soldiers in the army of the Lord we must be suited with the finest armor available to mankind. That armor is of God. It is a complete outfit, for it is the “full armor” of God. Not a portion of it but to the fullest extent. Being outfitted this way, allows the soldier to be protected from head to foot and has a variety of resources at their disposal, both offensive and defensive.
This armor also allows us to stand under the barrage of the attacks from our enemy. Standing, means being able to hold one’s position without being overcome. Before an offensive can be launched, we must be able to hold our ground in defense. Remember, it is the devil who is the commander and chief of our opposition. He is the sworn enemy of the church and seeks to take us down by whatever means he can.
