Sermon Central
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Fighting For Freedom
Contributed by Johnny Creasong on May 27, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: Many have given their lives for my freedom; only One has given His life for my soul!
Fighting for Freedom
“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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation 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 saints. (NIV)
Many have given their lives for my FREEDOM;
only One gave His life for my SOUL!
VISIONS OF VICTORY
1. God does not want you to FAIL. (Ephesians 6:10)
He wants you to be STRONG.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
(NIV)
2. God does not want you to FEAR. (verses 11- 12)
He wants you to know Satan’s SCHEMES.
“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.”
(NIV)
Our struggle is not against common forces like 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.” The Apostle Paul has specific enemies in mind. He doesn’t name them by name, lest we think the battle is over because the named enemy was defeated in some by-gone days. We will have to fight against these enemies until the end of the war.
But God has done the reconnaissance mission and he’s telling us what the enemy is like. The enemy of our souls is like a powerful, authoritative ruler, throwing his weight around. We have no reason to fear because when you know what you are up against, fear is dispelled! Steve Green, inspirational Gospel singer, tells about getting to know some of the work crews who work in large auditoriums like the Century Tel Center here in Bossier City. The “riggers”, worker who hang speakers and spotlights, didn’t seem to be bothered by the sight of looking down a hundred feet. According to Steve Green, the riggers told him they were scared to death of FLASE CEILINGS – acoustical tile slung just a couple of feet below the rafters. They were still high in the air and if they slipped their weight would smash right through the flimsy tile. But their minds seemed to play tricks on the them, lulling them into carelessness.
Satan’s business is not so much in scaring us to death as persuading us that the danger of a spiritual fall is minimal!
3. God does not want you to FALL. (verse 13)
He wants you to STAND prepared.
“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.”
(NIV)
HERE IS WHATGOD HAS PREPARED FOR YOU TO BRING YOU VICTORY:
¬THE ARMOR OF GOD!
This is what God wears when He does battle!
He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor,
with Salvation on his head like a helmet,
Put on Judgment like an overcoat,
and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders.
The parts of God’s armor are given to us in the same order that the Roman soldier of Paul’s day would put them on.
OFFENSIVE PARTS FOR PROTECTION
1) The BELT of Truth because Satan LIES!
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place”
(NIV)
The Roman soldier put on the belt or girdle first. The belt bound his tunic tightly to his body, thus allowing him to move without his tunic getting in the way. In addition, the rest of his armor was attached to the belt, so it was the foundation of the entire armor. Why is TRUTH foundational to being victorious in our battle against sin and Satan? Because Satan lies!
