I WILL OVERCOME EVIL Ephesians 6:10-24 Armor of God Video 3:28 Dr JD Harless Tri-County Christian Church November 27, 2016 Resources: Commentaries & Expositors There is a new movie that was just released titled Hacksaw Ridge. Private Doss is one of the main characters that is a conscientious objector. He refuses to touch a gun. One of the foundational quotes from the movie is He does not believe in violence. Do not expect him to save you. Many people view Christianity as this kind of religion passive and avoiding battle at all costs. BUT that is not what the Apostle Paul suggests. Paul suggests that Christians are at war! And we are to be warriors fighting in that war! Paul spent the first 3 Chapters in Ephesians giving basic theology telling us how all believers are united in Christ becoming a family of God and there are not second rate family members or favorite children because of race or nationality but we are all equally his children. In the last 3 Chapters he is telling all of those in that family how we are to live out that family connection we now have in Christ. The segment of this last chapter we are looking at this morning is an effort of opening our eyes to the attacks that will come our way simply because of our family ties. And not only making us aware of them but telling us how we can be victorious in that battle. Let me share with you this morning four directives that helps us overcome in the battle against evil. 1 KNOW THE ENEMY One of the issues in the war against ISIS that makes victory difficult is that we don t always know who the enemy is. We are finding that the enemy could very well be the next-door neighbor. Knowing our enemy is essential for victory! And guess what the Nazarene Church the Baptist Church the Methodist Church is not the enemy! Satan is. Let s expose him for who he is I WILL SUBMIT 1
He is for real! Barna Research Group, Ltd. conducted a poll in which they discovered that o 2 out of 3 American adults believe that Satan does not really exist he is only a symbol of evil o Among evangelical Christians 52% do not believe that Satan exists o Among the Catholics 72% do not believe that Satan exists. Do you understand what that means? That means that a large portion of the Christian community does not only not understand who the enemy is they even believe the enemy does not exist. That is scary! We cannot just shut our eyes and it makes it all go away. Satan the enemy is for real! He is powerful! Another danger in battle is to underestimate your opposition. We have heard often of bullies that would pick on a smaller person and end up getting thumped. They underestimated their opposition. o Satan is a fallen angel with high intellect o He has power over kingdoms of the world o He has power to afflict people with sickness and difficulties o He is able to sift the saints But don t forget this as powerful as Satan might be God s power is far more powerful! 1 JOHN 4:4 tells us 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. He has a plan! Satan o Tempts o Perverts the truth o Opposes God s purposes o Assumes many disguises o Hinders the Gospel o Creates doubt, denial and confusion o Blinds multitudes to the truth o Seeks to destroy faith o Seeks to discredit Christ o Makes sin attractive I WILL SUBMIT 2
o Tries to break up families o Tries to give the world another gospel (humanism, moralism, universalism, ritualism, evolution) o Seeks to discredit the Church Satan is not sitting back bidding time he is in the attack mode. Listen to 1 PETER 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. To ignore the enemy is dangerous! So what we need to do is put on our armor and get ready for battle 2 PUT ON THE ARMOR READ VERSES 10-18 We need it always be ready! And part of being ready for battle is that we put on the armor that our Commander and Chief provides! Not just part of it all of it. What is that armor? (SHOW GRAPHIC) VERSE 14 Put on the belt of truth. This belt he is talking about is not just a thin piece of leather like we use today. It has a top similar to ours but sewed onto that belt are pieces of leather that hangs down and protects the thighs. When you saw someone putting this belt on you knew they were about to go to battle. As for us who are Christians are belt for battle is the truth. By the way remember what Christ said about the truth in JOHN 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life. Never, ever go into battle without being completely wrapped and protected by Jesus Christ the Truth! VERSE 14 also tells us that we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breast plate was made up of metallic scales or leather. It fit over the front of the torso. It would be similar to the bullet-proof vests that our police might wear. Its purpose was to protect the vital organs especially the heart! The difference between a bullet-proof vest and this breastplate Paul is referring to is that the breastplate did not have protection on the back. You were not protected if you were running. You were only protected when you were facing the enemy. I WILL SUBMIT 3
Nothing protects our soul which we often refer to as our heart as living a right life before God! Right living stops Satan from being able to penetrate our hearts with his evil. VERSE 15 tells us to put on the shoes of readiness. When a professional football team goes on the road to play they often take several pairs of shoes for each player. Each pair is made for the conditions of the field. If the field is wet there is a different shoe than if it is dry. The reason for that is surefootedness is extremely important. When a player bursts into action their feet need to be firm and ready to move. It is even more important in battle. Your shoes have to be able to keep you from slipping and falling. The shoes or sandals Paul would have been envisioning was the Roman military boots that laced up the leg and had a sole that was studded with nails so they would not slip. 1 PETER 3:15 says 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. The way that we become ready for battle to put on our shoes of readiness is by being in the word the gospel of peace. VERSE 16 says to take up the shield of faith. The shield he is referring to was not one that we often see on TV shows that is round and about the size of a garbage can lid. They were full body shields. They were about 4 feet high and 2 1/2 feet wide. It was usually made by alternating layers of bronze and ox hide. It was soaked in water so that when flaming arrows dipped in pitch hit it the water would put it out. When your faith is weak you are far more likely to succumb to the temptations of sin that will bring you down! The stronger your faith the safer you are in this spiritual battle of life. ISAIAH 7:9 says If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. VERSE 17 tells us to put on our helmet of salvation. The helmet of a Roman soldier was a simple metal bowl, with a brow, neck, and cheek guards extending from its borders. I WILL SUBMIT 4
Salvation is life eternal life right? If you want to finish someone off there are two basic locations on the body that a killer would typically aim for the heart (which is protected by the breastplate of righteousness) and the head (which is protected by the helmet of salvation. Our salvation is protected from the enemy. ROMANS 8:38-39 says it this way For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. VERSE 17 also tells us that we are to take up the sword of the Spirit. What is the sword of the Spirit the Bible. HEBREWS 4:12 says For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The best biblical example of using the word of God to fight the enemy is Jesus when he is in the desert and being tempted by Satan. Every time Satan would tempt him Jesus would always respond with the Scriptures. The Scriptures are our sword. With the Bible we fight the enemy of God and his people. Not primarily with psychology or science or rationalization but with the Bible. Lucas Sibana, a South African was walking along a remote path, minding his own business when a python slithered out from behind some shrubs. Sibana froze. Within a few seconds the snake had wrapped itself around him and began constricting. Pythons are large snakes that suffocate its victims before swallowing them whole. Sibana was trapped. He didn t know how he would escape. He decided the only way to get free and save himself was to bite it as hard as he could just below the head. He bit, he kicked and he punched the snake until it released him. Then he killed it with a stick, took it home and skinned it. His family had it for supper. We need to understand that this Christian thing we do it is not for sissies it is for warriors. And that is who you are a warrior of God doing battle against the enemy make sure you are covered with your armor. I WILL SUBMIT 5
3 PROTECT YOUR ALLIES Most of you know that I am a C.S. Lewis fan. I love his writings. I was so excited when The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came out on film. The battle toward the end of the movie between the Witch (which is Satan) and her cronies and the Lion (which is Christ) and his army of warriors is something everyone should see. There is one thing that stands out in that battle. The warriors did not just fight to save their own lives they fought for every warrior there. And every one of them fought for the Kingdom of the Lion! The spiritual battle we are fighting today is not just for ourselves! It is for our fellow warriors and the Kingdom of the Lion of Judah Jesus Christ. So how can we protect our allies? READ VERSES 18-24 The best way to fight for and to protect your allies is to pray for them! Listen to what James the brother of Jesus says in JAMES 5:16 The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. I love the saying A person is most powerful when they are on their knees. Satan trembles over a praying Christian. He knows that when we pray we tap into the power of God. A little girl was praying a little longer than usual one night and her mom asked her why she prayed so long. She replied, My Sunday school teacher said that the devil trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. I just thought I d make him shake a little longer tonight. 4 STICK TO THE BATTLE PLAN If you look back to VERSE 19 you can see that it tells us what that battle plan is 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, That is the whole purpose of this battle to steal back those whom Satan has taken hostage to destroy his kingdom and bring the Kingdom of God to its final I WILL SUBMIT 6
victorious state. And that is the mystery of the gospel! And that is Pauls message for us. Mark Batterson writes in his book... Chase the Lion The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy your life. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Simply put, we were born on a battlefield between good and evil and we have to choose sides. I am not one of these people that see a demon behind every bush. But I also know that our struggles are not against flesh and blood. We re in a dogfight with the devil. So Stand firm and fight! And some day you can say along with the Apostle Paul 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 TIMOTHY 4:7) I WILL SUBMIT 7