Sermon Series: Ephesians–the Believer's Bank

Stand Your Ground

Ephesians 6:10-13

11-12-00 PM

In a nutshell: Doing battle with evil forces must be done God's way, not ours. This includes fighting in the proper strength, being properly equipped and understanding the struggle in which we are constantly involved.

I. Introduction

A. Bush/Gore debate

One of the things that most impressed me about George W. Bush was something he said, several times, during the recent Presidential Candidate Debates. It had to do with deploying our troops. As near as I can remember he said something like this, "I would not deploy troops unless there is a clear objective that is obtainable, and a clear exit strategy to get our troops out of that region once the objective had been achieved."

To me, that just makes sense. If you fight a war, fight it with the intention to win. If you don't intend to win, don't fight the war. And that's the underlying idea behind what we're going to be looking at tonight in the book of Ephesians. When you intentionally fight a war that you intend to win, it just makes sense that you make the proper preparations to win it–such as having ready troops, who are armed with the proper weapons, and who have a good understanding of who the enemy is that you're going to be fighting.

B. Transition

Well, the fact is, that we signed up to fight in a war, when we became Christians. We call it a Spiritual War, not a physical war. But it is a war, nonetheless!

Illustration: An eleven year old boy called a pastor friend of mine in the mid-west, back when we used to live there. The young man told my friend that he was having problems with spiritual warfare. So my friend, being a good pastor, offered to help the eleven year old. But the young man who was calling said that he would rather talk to my friend's eleven year old son. My friend told me how proud he was at that moment that his son's friend was asking his son for spiritual advice. Later, my friend asked his son how the conversation had gone with his friend. His son replied, "Oh, just fine. He just needed help getting to the next level of the "Spiritual Warfare" Nintendo game."

Well, friends, game makers may be calling what is played on TV screens, spiritual warfare, but if you're a Christian, you have to know that if you are doing what is most important to God, then you are going to experience spiritual warfare everyday of your life. And if that's the case, you need to be prepared to enter the battle, and you need to be prepared to fight the battle so you win. And Paul tells us all about this war in this section of Ephesians 6, starting at verse 10.

Now, before we get into our text for tonight, let me tell you where things are headed in this series. Originally, I intended to concluded this series on Ephesians tonight. But this week, God told me that's not what He wanted me to do. Instead, tonight will begin the final section of Ephesians, but it will only be an introduction to the various parts and pieces of our armor that we are going to need to fight the spiritual battle and win. We won't get to those parts and pieces until sometime in February, but nevertheless, you at least will know where things will be going.

The first thing we're going to look at tonight is the strength that we need to use to fight this war. So, turn to Ephesians 6:10, and let's look at the first part of that verse...

II. The Strength

A. Source of the strength

Eph 6:10a
10a Finally, be strong in the Lord... (stop right there)

This statement teaches us two very important truths about this spiritual warfare that we are involved in.

1. First of all, the phrase "be strong..." is in the passive tense in the Greek language. That means that the best way to state this phrase is, "BE MADE STRONG". In other words, this phrase means that we aren't supposed to use our own strength to fight in a spiritual battle. We must be given the strength from another source, that comes from outside ourselves.

This is a comforting idea for me, and I hope it is for you, as well. In order to successfully fight a spiritual battle with God's enemies, you don't have to be a perfect person. You don't need to have your life "all together". You don't have to be a great Bible scholar. You don't have to be physically strong or healthy. You don't need perfect eyesight or hearing. You don't have to be a completely mature Christian individual. All you need is a strength that comes from outside yourself.

2. The second thing we're taught in this phrase is where the outside strength comes from. It comes from "in the Lord".

That word "in" is the key, here. It means "to put under authority". In other words..., the strength you are to use to fight in spiritual warfare is not yours but God's. But you don't have that strength unless you are living under His authority.

That simply means that if you're under Christ's authority, you are consulting and then following what Jesus says or what He did as your model for how you act. Like one person put it, "If you accept the authority of Jesus in your life, then you accept the authority of his words." (Colin Urquhart)

So, I hope you understand what's at stake here. Much of God's power to work in the world, to keep it from war, hostility, contentiousness, immorality, evil and so on, God has chosen to show through you and me, His church when we live our lives under the authority of Jesus. That's why Jesus calls us salt in Matthew 5. We are the preservative of all that is truly good in the world, when we live lives under the authority of Jesus Christ.

It was Edmund Burke, back at the founding of our country who said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

So, there's the first thing we learn from verse 10. We can't fight spiritual warfare on our own, we need a power outside of ourselves. And that power comes into our lives when we are living a life that is under the authority of Jesus Christ, everyday.

Now, look at the second part of verse 10...

B. God's Mighty Power

Eph 6:10
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

When we live our lives under the authority of Jesus Christ, we are given the mighty power of God. Corrie Ten Boom puts this in perspective when she said, "There are two great forces at work in the world today: the unlimited power of God and the limited power of Satan."

When we live under the authority of Jesus Christ, we have access to the greatest of the great forces at work in the world. We have access to the power of God.

Then A. W. Tozer writes... "To discuss the power and authority of Almighty God seems a bit meaningless, and to question it would be absurd. Can we imagine the Lord God of Hosts having to request permission of anyone or to apply for anything to a higher body? To whom would God go for permission? Who is higher than the Highest? Who is mightier than the Almighty? Whose position antedates that of the Eternal? At whose throne would God kneel? Where is the greater one to whom he must appeal?"

In spiritual warfare, God cannot fail, and neither will we, if we stay living under His authority–because then we are given a power to which there is no equal–the power of God.

So, that's the strength that is necessary and its ours for the asking.

III. Properly Equipped

The next thing Paul tells us is that to fight spiritual warfare, we must be properly equipped for war. And that involves three things Look at verse 11...

Eph 6:11
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

A. The Full Armor

First, it involves putting on "the full armor" of God–not just some of the armor–but the full armor! Too many Christians in our church are struggling when they are involved in spiritual warfare because they are only partially equipped.

Illustration: When I played football at Wheaton College, for half of my career, I played defensive tackle. One of the things I could do better than most of the guys was deliver a "fore arm shiver" to the head or helmet of an offensive lineman. It was one of my better techniques. However, during one practice, I injured my elbow to the point where it was very tender to the touch. The next day, the trainer gave me an elbow pad for protection.

When I suited up for practice, I put on all the equipment I had been issued–helmet, shoulder pads, knee pads, thigh pads, hip pads, hand pads, shoes, etc. But I forgot to put on the elbow pad the trainer had given me. It stayed in its box in my locker. During one of the first drills, that pitted an offensive lineman against a defensive lineman, I delivered one of my famous fore arm shivers to the helmet of an offensive lineman. The pain that occurred from my unprotected elbow hitting that other lineman's helmet was so excruciating, I nearly fainted. It took me a several weeks to recover from that injury. All because I neglected to put on the full armor that was mine.

Friends, its no accident that Paul says "full armor" here, rather than partial armor, or some of the armor of God. In February, when we examine each piece of armor that belongs to us, we will see that each piece has a specific purpose, and must be worn to be victorious in spiritual warfare.

And it's no accident that Paul tells us to "put on" this full armor. Because even though strength comes from God, it is our responsibility to dress properly for battle. We have to suit-up. God or your pastors or your Adult Enrichment class teacher or your Flock group leader cannot and will not be able to do this for you. And failure on your part to take responsibility to dress properly for battle will leave you vulnerable and increase the chance of you being wounded in spiritual warfare, or even killed in our spiritual life.

B. Take Your Stand

In addition to being properly equipped by putting on the full armor for spiritual warfare, you also need to know your battle objective. In spiritual warfare, that's encapsulated in the phrase, "To Stand" in verse 11. The term literally means to establish.

Now, what Paul is talking about is establishing or taking or defending, or taking responsibility for a specific piece of territory. And I don't think many of us have clearly grasped this concept yet.

Illustration: Let me use football again. When I started playing football in college, I was very inexperienced. I knew that the overall objective of the football game was to accumulate more points than your opponent, but I didn't understand my part in doing it. I failed to understand the concept of establishing.

But when I got down into the trenches of the defensive line, my coach told me, "Tom, you're responsible for this piece of real estate on the football field–the space between the nose tackle on your left and the defensive end on your right. If you control that space, and don't let anyone from the opposing team who is carrying a football, get past you, then that's all we can ask of you, and you'll be doing your job." And those same things were said to each lineman, defensive back, linebacker, etc. on the team. The concept the coach was trying to teach us was that if we each established ourselves in our specific piece of territory on that football field, by doing our jobs, our team would ultimately win the game.

Now, let's apply that concept to us. Most, if not all of you are frustrated with our current cultural situation in the Coachella Valley because it is increasingly going more and more against the values of God and the teachings of God in the Bible. You're frustrated because we're not winning the culture wars. That's a good thing to be angry about.

But what we're failing to grasp is that we're not going to win the culture wars until each one of us has established himself or herself in our individual sphere's of influence for the glory of God.

That's why we need to be armed with God's full armor and operating in God's power so we establish ourselves and the influence of God in our unique sphere's of influence. That's the significance of "standing" in verse 11. You have a job to do–to influence your sphere of influence for God–and you do it only in the power of God, and by intentionally putting on the armor of God.

C. Schemes

The third way to be equipped for spiritual warfare is to understand the schemes or tactics of the enemy.

Our enemy is identified as the devil. His one objective is to infiltrated every segment of society and destroy God's work. The Bible tells us that before the earth was formed, Satan, an angel–second only to God–wanted to be on par with God. And God would not tolerate that insurrection, so God cast Satan out of heaven. And ever since Satan was cast out of heaven, His schemes have taken on many forms, but they always have one objective–getting even with God by destroying what is most important to God–the lives of people.

So, to get even with God and try to destroy what is most important to God,
...Satan attacks the work of this church and every church both directly and indirectly.
...He attacks your walk with God.
...He attacks your relationship with your spouse, your children, your friends and your neighbors. ...He attacks your thought life.
...He attacks through your emotions and the circumstances of your life.
...He attacks through people and systems that are under his control.
Our struggle with the devil is a very real and a very personal struggle. Satan and the angels or demons who followed him, never sleep. They are highly organized and very good at what they do. And the strength of these demonic forces are no match for our human efforts. That's why Martin Luther wrote in his hymn, A Mighty Fortress, these words...

For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

IV. The Struggle

Finally, after describing the strength necessary to do spiritual warfare and how to be properly equipped to win the war, Paul describes the struggle that we are involved in.

Eph 6:12
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.

A. Hand to hand

First I want you to note the word struggle. This is the Greek word used for hand to hand combat. In other words, were not talking about a group effort here, until the individuals of the group are engaged in the war, personally.

Friends this is so important to understand. Our church will only be effective in Loving, Accepting, Guiding and Partnering when each of us who make up this church are individually engaged in spiritual warfare.

That's one reason I feel so passionately about how I measure my effectiveness as your pastor. If you can answer the question, "How are you intentionally advancing the Kingdom of God?" with a specific answer, and you understand how what you are doing is somehow connected to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, then you are involved in the hand to hand struggle.

But if you're avoiding doing Great Commission work in your unique circle of influence, then you are avoiding confrontation with Satan, and you are causing our church to lose its effectiveness in doing what God has called us to do here in the Coachella Valley and the world.

You see, the effectiveness of our church, starts with the effectiveness of you–personally engaging in spiritual warfare, under the power of God, using the weapons of God to stand your ground.

B. The size of Satan's Army

Second, notice that our struggle is not just against a single angelic being–Satan–but it is against a whole host of demonic subordinates, who like the devil are not flesh and blood. Satan is not an omni-present being like God is. He was a created being. He was an angel. But the myriad of angels that followed Satan infiltrate every strata of our lives. So, our enemy is not republicans or democrats; or liberals or conservatives; or homosexuals or lesbians or straights; its not corrupt politicians or radio talk show hosts; its not the neighbor who lets his dog defecate on your lawn; its not people at church who have said or done hurtful things in the past; its not the pastors or the elders. Our enemy is not the world we see, corrupt and wicked as it is, but the world we cannot see, being manipulated by a host of fallen angels who want to destroy what is most important to God–the lives of people.

Paul is giving us a glimpse into the power and sophistication of who we struggle against. So, don't take this struggle lightly. You need to be prayed up, powered up, and suited up to do battle every day of your life.

V. Conclusion

Paul concludes this section in verse 13...

Eph 6:13
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.

John MacArthur writes about this verse...

"It is easy for believers–especially in the Western world, where the church is generally prosperous and respected–to be complacent and become oblivious to the seriousness of the battle around them. They rejoice in "victories" that involve no battles and in a kind of peace that is merely the absence of conflict. Theirs is the victory and peace of the draft dodger or defector who refuses to fight. They are not interested in armor because they are not engaged in the war."

You know, it is possible to live the Christian life in lethargy, indifference, and in perfect satisfaction with the way things are–and still spend eternity in heaven with the Lord.

John 10:28-29
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

We cannot lose the ultimate war, because as Christians, we belong to the Lord, and the battle belongs to the Lord. But if chose to live that life of lethargy, understand, it comes at a cost–a very great cost!

...We will bring our heavenly Father and ourselves grief instead of joy;
...we leave lost souls in darkness and damnation instead of bringing them to the light of salvation; ...and we see our work burned up with fire like hay in a bonfire, as we forfeit the reward that faithful service would bring.

Why would you settle for that?

What are you doing to intentionally advance the Kingdom of God? Or to use Paul's words, "How are you standing firm?"

Amen.