Standing Strong with God’s Mighty Power
Eph 6:10-18 NIV
Life is littered with defeated Christians who have never discovered how to stand strong in this evil broken world.
They have depended on their own moral strength, their ethical wisdom, their high ideals and a personal commitment to justice and righteousness. And they have faced evil in a naked encounter, without being clothed in the armor of God.
They may react in response to evil that dominates society, but they haven’t found total victory
Illus: The story has been told of a mental hospital that many years ago came up with an unusual test to determine when their patients were ready to go back into the world. They brought the patient who was ready for release into a room where a water faucet was left on so that the sink overflowed and was pouring water all over the floor. Then they handed the patient a mop and told them to mop up the water. If the patient had enough sense to turn off the faucet before mopping up the water, they were ready to be released. But if, as in the case of many, the patient started mopping while the water was still flowing over the sink, they kept that patient for more treatment.
Application of story
As Christians, all of us face the world in which we live and are confronted with the need to do battle with the evil that dominates it. But, like the patients in the mental hospital, until we realize where the source of that evil is, we will not make any real contributions to its defeat.
Our battle does not end at salvation; it begins at salvation.
We need understand that failure to see the source of evil in the world means that we must conquer the evil that pouring from our own heart.
Then, to deal with the evil around us, we need a “mop,” which is the spiritual armor that God has provided for us
Eph 6:10-18 NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.
What we have here is a description of a spiritual set of armor.
Illus: I am told that Emperor Napoleon once went to a very skillful workman, and inquired of him if he could make a bullet-proof jacket or under garment, one that he himself would feel safe to wear as a protection against bullets.
The workman assured him he could make just such a garment; one he would feel entirely safe to wear himself. The Emperor engaged him to make the article, requesting him to take time, and see that it was bullet-proof.
The workman took much time and pains in its construction. The jacket was finished, and the Emperor notified that it was ready for him. Napoleon, after carefully examining it, asked the maker if he still felt sure a bullet could not pierce it. The workman said he was sure no bullet could penetrate it; that he himself would feel entirely safe with it on in a shower of bullets. The Emperor asked him to put it on, that he might examine it more fully. The maker put the jacket on himself, that the Emperor might see how finely it fitted and protected the body.
After a careful examination of its make-up and apparent safety, Napoleon stepped back a few feet, and drew his pistol on the man, who cried out: "Don’t try it on me!"
But the Emperor said: "You told me it was perfectly safe," and fired. The armor proved itself bullet-proof.
Christ has made an armor that renders its wearer perfectly safe against all the fiery darts that may be hurled against it. Christ has tried it on.
He was led out into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. For forty days and nights Satan tried to pierce this armor, but broke all his arrows on it. It could not be penetrated.
It was thoroughly tested on Christ, that all who put it on might feel safe.
Each soldier of Christ is told, at his start, to "put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
This armor covers the Christian’s loins, his breast, his feet, and is a complete shield to his whole being against any temptation or trial he may encounter. Christ was "tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin."
Let me say, then, to all who feel a little timid about the Christian’s armor, that it has been tested by our "Captain" and thousands of his soldiers, and has never yet been pierced by our enemy’s bullets.
Let us all learn a lesson from this incident of the Emperor, to put on and trust the Christian armor.
It has been tested.
Trust it in life.
Trust it in death.
Putting on the whole armor of God is important because Satan is picking people off in the battle, taking unprepared, and unarmed Christians captive along with those without the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Verse 10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
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Putting on the whole armor of God is important because satan is our Adversary.
Paul wants us to understand his wiles or schemes; Satan studies us and exploits our weaknesses.
I Peter 5:8-9
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
a) It might be a tendency toward lust or pornography; greed and the availability of easy credit; low self-esteem; a proclivity toward addictive behavior; a fearful spirit or short temper. We can be sure that Satan, in effect, has a file with our names written on the tabs and has developed a strategy for our undoing
b) He’ll use such things as money, lust, criticism, and worry to lure us into wrong thoughts which will lead to wrong behavior.
c) At the same time we’ve got to be courageous because at other times Satan makes a frontal assault.
d) He comes at us with teeth bared. He’s not sneaking. He’s not faking. He’s out to kill us and we’ve got to stand up to him
Putting on the whole armor of God is important because of satanic powers in this broken and fallen world
Verse 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
Putting on the whole armor of God is important because “the evil day” is approaching
Verse 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.
In military language this is Zero Hour, when the attack is launched.
Putting on the whole armor of God is important all our weapons are only mighty through God.”
ILLUS Michael Godard is a SBC Medic Missionary to Africa for 12 years. From time to time he would get on his bike and travel through the jungle to a nearby city to get more supplies. It was a 2 day trip so he would sleep in the jungle. During one of his trips, he came across 2 men fighting and one was hurt very badly, so he took care of his wounds the best he could, and then shared the gospel before traveling on.
The next time Michael took this trip to the city, the man he had treated approached him and said, “I know you carry money and medicine me and my friends followed you into the jungle that night after you treated me. We waited for you to make camp and go to sleep, because we were planning to kill you for your money and medicine. As we moved in on your site we saw 26 armed guards surrounding you, and only 6 of us so we left.”
Then Michael said to the man, “But that’s impossible because I always travel the jungle alone and there were not 26 men with me that night.” The tribesman said, “But we were only 5 feet from the campsite in the bushes and we know what we saw!”
When Michael was back at his home church in Michigan he told the church of his experience. A man in the congregation interrupted Michael during his presentation and said, “We were with you in spirit! On that night in Africa it was morning here. I stopped here at church to load up my car with some supplies and then I sensed the Lord leading me to pray for you and so I called other leaders and in minutes we were praying for you!” Then this man turned to the congregation and asks, “Men, those of you that prayed with me, please stand right now.” One by one they stood and it was 26 men standing!
Putting on the whole armor of God is important because it’s a defensive weapon, and it’s offensive weapon
ILL: A recent magazine article described modern high-tech body armor, yet it’s remarkable how similar it sounded to Paul’s list in Ephesians 6. New form-fitting, bullet-resistant fabrics to protect the chest and back, video-display goggles and headgear, a wrist-mounted weapons pod, and so forth are simply modern versions of what the apostle saw on the Roman soldier guarding him.
a) The belt of truth buckled around your waist,
This is easy to understand, since Satan is said to be the "father of lies" (John 8:44).
Ray Stedman: "No Christian has the right to a private life. Our lives are to be lived openly before all men, transparent, a spectacle unto all the world. We have no private lives and we must not expect to have. This is basically and fundamentally wrong. Christians are to be demonstrations of the truth."
b) The breastplate of righteousness in place,
This righteousness is not works of righteousness done by men—though these are certainly a hedge of protection when used against the reproaches and accusations we suffer at the hands of the enemy. Rather, this is the righteousness of Christ, imputed by God and received by faith, which guards our hearts against the accusations and charges of Satan, and secures our innermost being from his attacks.
c) Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Imagine yourself standing barefooted in a rocky climate, like in the Middle East. You could move--ever so carefully--but without shoes you would be useless in battle. The weight of the other pieces of armor would only make your feet more sensitive if you had no protection. You would be a "push-over" for the enemy, as you would have no agility and be wincing in pain every time you attempted to move. This is why it is essential to have our "feet shod with the gospel of peace".
Rom 10:15 (KJV) ...As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
d) The shield of faith,
It makes ineffective Satan’s assault of sowing doubts in regard to the faithfulness of God and His Word
e) The helmet of salvation
The head of the soldier was among the principal parts to be defended, as on it the deadliest strokes might fall, and it is the head that commands the whole body. The head is the seat of the mind, which, when it has laid hold of the sure Gospel “hope” of eternal life, will not receive false doctrine or give way to Satan’s temptations to despair.
Ps 140:7 (NAS) "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation [Yeshua], You have covered my head in the day of battle."
f) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
While all the rest is defensive in nature, here is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God. A greater spiritual weapon is not conceivable. In Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan
g) Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
ILLUS A fisherman who was out of fellowship with the Lord was at sea with his heathen buddies when a huge storm came out of nowhere and was close to destroying their small ship. His friends begged him to do anything, even pray, but he said to his buddies, “It’s been a long time since I’ve done that or even gone to church”. Finally they were desperate for anything, so he said O.K. and prayed, “O Lord, I haven’t asked anything for you for 15 years, and if you help us now and bring us to safety, I promise I won’t bother you for another 15 years!”
Prayer as the most essential element to spiritual victory and maturity.
If we are reading our Bibles every day, finding verses to meet the conditions and needs in life, and claiming promises that counter our trials and temptation, the devil will become discouraged with us. He can’t do much with people who keep stabbing him with Scripture.
Conclusion:
Spiritual warfare, the unseen, is a reality. Satan continues to seek ways to divide and destroy
All we have to do is look around to realize there are a lot of wounded Christians! They have perished because of being fatally wounded in the battle. They failed to put on the ‘whole armor’ of God.
Are your weapons sharpened and brandished, or are they rusted, dulled and blunted?
Are you a warrior, a watchman and a witness, or are you a weakling, a wimp and a wanderer?
You have the weapons. You can overcome the attack of the enemy with “faith to take a stand.”
a)Resist Satan Immediately! - James 4:7 (NIV)
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
b)Use God’s Word Strategically! - Psalm 119:9, 133 (NIV)
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. .
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
c)Worship God Exclusively! - Deuteronomy 6:5, 13
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. . .
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only. (NIV)
