Spiritual Warfare: Part 2 Ephesians 6:14-17 (NKJV)

Spiritual Warfare: Part 2 Ephesians 6:14-17 (NKJV) Last week we started the warfare section of Ephesians. We got through verses 10-14 where Paul reminds us of the nature of our battle, that it is spiritual, not physical. He reminds us in verse 10 that our human strength is not sufficient; we must be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. He also reminds us who we are battling the devil and his bad guys listed in verse 12. Then Paul moves us into the armor listed in verses 14-17. Notice the first piece of armor that is listed for the Christian soldier... Vs. 14a Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth... The Christian s Armor: 1. The Belt of Truth The Roman soldier would gird his waist with a belt that kept all the rest of his armor on. Without it everything would fall off. Some of us know how important a belt is. If we weren t wearing one it wouldn t be good, it would be embarrassing, it holds a lot of stuff up. The Christian soldier is to wear a belt of truth because Satan, our enemy, is a liar. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44 (NKJV) We see Satan lying from the very beginning. The Lord told Adam and Eve that they could eat the fruit of all the trees of the Garden, but the one in the middle was off limits. If they ate of that tree, then they would surely die. Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 1

And when Eve started having a conversation with the devil, she was fed a lie by the king of liars. Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:1-5 (NKJV) Notice the lie You will not surely die you will be like God In other words, God is not only lying to you, but holding out on you; there is something in this fruit that will make you greater and wiser so eat up! So they ate and from that moment on they started covering up. Adam covered himself, his wife, and even started hiding. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8 (NKJV) Instead of enjoying the intimacy that they once had with the Lord, they started covering up and hiding from the Lord. You can go back to the first man and woman and you can see when they walked in truth there was liberty, there was intimacy, there was life, but once they believed the lie, death would enter in. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 (NKJV) The truth of God will always bring the freedom of God. It s only when we believe a lie that we will find ourselves in bondage and enslaved, and when that happens everything starts to fall apart. Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 2

That s why when we take our stand we are to gird our waist with the truth. There is a lot of talk today in the fitness community about our core. It s our mid-region. The stronger it is the more stability we have. Our core as believers is truth. Listen to what the psalmist said Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6 (NKJV) We could say it this way, You desire truth in the core of our lives. Truth must be the authority in our lives; it must be at the core of who we are, the belt that holds everything else up. Notice the next piece of armor Vs. 14b having put on the breastplate of righteousness 2. The Breastplate of Righteousness For the Roman soldier this was something that would cover him from neck to waist and from the front to the back. For the Christian soldier this symbolizes the righteousness we have in Christ. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) Paul would say it this way But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption 1 Corinthians 1:30 Peter would say the same type of thing in his letter... Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 3

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:1 (NKJV) If you are in Christ you are as righteous as you will ever be. Because we stand in the righteousness of Christ there is nothing more to be done. Don t try to earn what has already been given; just be thankful for it and live it out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice the next piece of armor Vs. 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace 3. The Gospel Shoes As crazy as it sounds the Roman soldier would wear sandals. Sounds like Southern California, but these sandals were not your usual sandals on the bottom they would have steel spikes. Like some of your golf shoes today they would wear them to keep them grounded, to give them traction, to enable them to stand well. For the Christian soldier we stand in the gospel. Listen to Paul explain this Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand 1 Corinthians 15:1 (NKJV) Notice what happens when we stand in the gospel by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:2 So what is the gospel that we stand in? Paul will continue For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 4

rose again the third day according to the Scriptures 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NKJV) That s what we stand in, not in our work, but His work. That s how we were saved from our sin and it s not just for us, it s for anyone who would believe. That s why out of all the things to say, this is what Jesus chose to say to us before His ascension And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 (NKJV) When we strap on the gospel shoes let s be mindful: it s not just for us, but for those we encounter all throughout the day. That s how the gospel advances through those who have been saved by it. Don t miss those divine opportunities each day. Notice the next piece of armor Vs. 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 4. The Shield of Faith Notice how big the shield was: it was four feet in length and two feet in width; this was no little guy. It was designed for the soldier to hide behind when the fiery darts of the enemy were shot at them. When a soldier went to battle he could link his shield with the soldiers next to him; it would fortify them all. The idea here is that nobody had to be alone; you could lock in with those next to you and become stronger and greater than you were alone. It s a great reminder for the believer of how important the community of believers is. When you re getting hit by the enemy, one of the best things you can do is get to church. It s a covering that is needed in the day that we live in. It s here you re going to have fellowship with one another, you re Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 5

going to encourage one another in the faith, and you re going to grow in your faith as you hear the Word of God as you experience the presence of God. The shield of faith is a growing faith. As the enemy shoots his fiery darts of deception that s when we put up the shield of faith as we trust in the promises of God. Let me remind you what Jesus said in John s gospel about our faith For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. 1 John 5:4 (NKJV) It s our faith in the overcomer that enables us to overcome. That s why Paul reminds us Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NKJV) When the enemy shoots the darts of doubt and discouragement, when he shoots the darts of lust and anger, put up the shield of faith in the promises of God. Get to church where you can be with the family of God and you will find the covering you need. Vs. 17a And take the helmet of salvation 5. The Helmet of Salvation The helmet for the Roman soldier of course protected the head. We all know if you get a head wound then you could go down quickly. Get a cut on the arm or the leg and you can still walk wounded, but if you get a serious wound to the head you won t know which way is up. For the Christian soldier the helmet is our hope of salvation. Paul will explain this to the church of Thessalonica... Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 6

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 (NKJV) Our helmet is the hope of salvation; it s what keeps our minds focused on the eternal while living here in the temporal. Think about it when we see things like we have recently in the news that are taking place in New York and in Ferguson, Missouri we see some things that should not be. It s not pretty, it s ugly. It s in times like these we strap on the helmet of salvation, keeping our minds eye on things above, realizing that heaven is our home and these are the birth pains of the coming of the Lord. Notice the last piece of armor Vs. 17b and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God 6. The Sword of the Spirit The sword for the Roman soldier was his weapon. Just as the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the list of the armor, Paul reminds us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It s the word logos in the Greek, which speaks of the written word. Listen to what the author of Hebrews tells us about the Word... For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) It s what gets to the internal matter of the heart; just as a physical sword can cut physically, the sword of the Spirit has the ability to cut into the heart and soul of a man. It also has the ability to cut through and discern the lies that the enemy shoots our way. Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 7

Jesus gave us a perfect example of how this was done. When Jesus was led out in the wilderness and tempted by the enemy, Satan would do as he always does, he would appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Each time that Satan tempted Him, Jesus would counterattack with the Word of God. After fasting for forty days Satan tempted Jesus in His flesh to turn stones into bread But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Luke 4:4 (NKJV) Satan would also tempt Him in the lust of the eyes by taking Him to a high mountain and saying that if Jesus would bow down and worship him, he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world, something that was lost back at the Garden. And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. Luke 4:8 (NKJV) When that didn t work he tempted Jesus in the pride of life, taking Him to the top of the temple in Jerusalem and asking Him to throw Himself down so that the angels would come to His rescue. And Jesus answered and said to him, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Luke 4:12 (NKJV) Three times the enemy tempted Him and every time Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to cut through the lies and deception. And the Christian soldier must do the same. And make note, it s the sword of the Spirit. The emphasis here is on the Spirit; without the Spirit of God empowering us to use the Word of God, we won t use it properly. We even read that Jesus was filled with the Spirit before He was in the wilderness to be tempted. Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 8

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness Luke 4:1 (NKJV) The Word of God must be used under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Word of God in the hands of the Spirit of God that accomplish the work of God through the man of God. Kent Hughes So Wildwood, lets suit up, let s take our stand! When we do we will see victory, we will encounter victory. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV) Copyright 2014 Chris Fraley 9