Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
July 14, 2002 A.M.
The Christian's Battle Dress
Reading - Ephesians 6.10-18
Our reading this morning makes it clear that the Christian life is...
- A conflict...
- A war...
- A constant battle...
- A fight to the finish.
This can be seen in other writings of Paul. It was to Timothy, near the end of His life that Paul wrote... I have fought the fight... I have finished the course... I have kept the faith... And I know there is a crown of life... Not only for me but for all those who love His coming.
Not only is the Christian life a war... Paul lets us know in verse ten that our ally... our helper... our equipper... in this struggle... in this battle, is none other than God.
Church.. We must know this morning that...
- Our strength to overcome...
- The Christian's Enablement...
Comes from above... Not from within.
The power to defeat Satan comes from God... Christ is our sufficiency. We are not asked to fight this fight... Run this race... Keep this faith on our own. God is working in us... With us... For us... Through us. We are promised that He will intervene and not allow us to be tempted and tried beyond that which we can withstand.
Listen to these other scriptures concerning God's help with the battle...
- It was Jesus who promised us His authority and presence in the Great Commission... All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I am with you always, to the
end of the age.
- Then Paul writes to the church at Corinth saying... God is able to make all grace abound to you... So that in all things... At all times... Having all that you need... You will abound in every good work.
- Then, Peter lets us know that the weapons we fight with are not from this world... But from HIS
world... His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
- Earlier, Paul said to these very Ephesians... Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine... According to his power that is at work within us. This whole concept can be clearly seen in verse 11... Whose armor do we put on?... God's armor... Armor supplied by God for fighting spiritual battles.
I think it is important here... That we examine the enemy. Who is the enemy... Who are we fighting against? Read verses 11 and 12 again... 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.
I believe Paul makes it clear here that our battle... Our spiritual fight is... With Satan... With principalities.... Power... Forces of evil.
John R. W. Stott points out that this Ephesian audience would have known exactly what Paul was talking about because they once dabbled deeply in the occult. You remember... While Paul was in Ephesus... They gathered their books on magic arts and publicly burned them. Acts 19.19 says... They calculated the value of the books at 50,000 drachmas... 50,000 days of wages... That's almost 15 years' wages. These people were serious about their war with Satan weren't they?
Note three things about our enemy this morning...
First... He is powerful.
Who of us would deny the power of Satan. We have witnessed Him destroy our own dreams... And the dreams of others. September 11th, we witnessed his power destroy thousands of lives.
Church... One of the real problems today is that...
- We fail to see...
- We fail to admit..
- To comprehend... the awesome power of Satan.
We fail to acknowledge his power in the destruction of children and adult minds with...
- Worldliness...
- Materialism...
- Addictions to alcohol... drugs
- Television... music... videos...
- Adult web sites... etc.
We fail to see his destruction of marriages and families... through sexual temptations. We fail to see his destructive power right here in the church... through disunity.
Secondly... Satan is not only powerful... He is evil... wicked.
You see... Power is neutral.... It is neither good nor bad. It all depends upon how it is used... Right?
Satan uses his power for evil... wicked purposes. We must know this morning that all the...
- Pain...
- Suffering...
- Evil...
- Hate... In our world is the work of Satan. Satan does nothing that does not ultimately bring Pain... Death... Destruction!!
Thirdly... Satan is cunning.
Satan is filled with tricks, lies, and deceit... He has been like this from the beginning. His name means... Deceiver... Slanderer... Accuser. This name indicates his character.
Church... Make no mistake... Satan's promises may at first appear to be...
- Good...
- Fun...
- Refreshing...
- Fulfilling...
- Expanding...
- Exhilarating...
- Exciting...
But the end is always pain... death... destruction... ALWAYS... ALWAYS!!.
He lied to Eve... He painted her a picture of being as wise as God... But that lie led to her death.
He lied to Noah's world... Eat... drink... and be merry... This is what life is about. Satan's lie ultimately led to their destruction.
He lied to Israel saying... One God is as good as another... Worship whom you like... It's OK!! But their idolatry led to Assyrain.. and Babylonian captivity.
He lied to Judas... You can make some extra cash here... Plus... You'll go down in Jewish history as a hero of our people. That lie led to his shame... A shame that will last throughout eternity.
He lied to Ananias and Sapphira... You'll be the greatest in the Jerusalem church... Everyone
will be singing praises to your name. But Satan's lie led to their death.
Church... Nothing has changed.. Satan's lies still destroy and defeat us... Still lead to death.
Perhaps it is worthwhile to talk about HOW SATAN WORKS?
- How Satan gets to us...
- How he tempts us...
- How he exerts such tremendous power over us.
James tells us... When tempted... We cannot say... God is tempting me... For God cannot be tempted by evil... Nor does he tempt anyone... But each of us is tempted when we are dragged away by our own evil desire... And it enticed... Then... After desire has conceived... It gives birth to sin... And sin, when it is full-grown... Leads to death.
You see... Satan uses our own flesh nature... Our own fleshly weaknesses to get to us.
John adds... Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world... The love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world... The cravings of sinful man... The lust of his eyes... And the boastful pride of life... Comes not from the Father but from the world.
Satan uses...
- The lust of the flesh... The evil desires of the flesh
- The lust... The evil... Inappropriate desires of the eyes
- The Pride... The boasting... The pretentiousness.... Of this world to lead us into sin. In every temptation, Satan uses one of these three avenues to get to us. Avenues that we need to be familiar with... So we can take steps to protect ourselves.
Then fourthly…How can we stand...How can we overcome such a powerful force?
Paul says... By putting on the whole armor of God. The belt of truth. The Roman soldier had a belt of leather and metal... Or perhaps cloth and metal. This belt served three purposes...
First... It allowed the soldier to gird up his loins... To gather loose ends and inhibiting clothing into the belt... So he could move... run... fight freely without restraint.
Church... Do we have some loose ends? What is it that inhibits us... restrains us? What is it that keeps us from being all that God calls us to be?
Secondly... This belt gave strength and support... Like the belts and support worn by those today who must lift heavy weights... Wal-Mart stockers... Nursing home attendants, etc.
We must know that... Truth supports. Folk... If our battle with Satan is not supported by truth, we are in serious trouble. Right?
- I pray that all we teach...
- All we stand for...
- That all of our spiritual concepts... weaponry...
Is held in place... and is supported by God's truth.
Then thirdly... The belt was also a means of securing their weapons and equipment such as the sword... knife... small shield.
Jesus said of truth... You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free... Sanctify them by Thy truth... Thy word is truth.
Paul tells us in Second Thessalonians that... We perish because we refused to love the truth.
He writes to Timothy saying... Present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed... Correctly handling the word of truth.
When we put Jesus... and Paul together we find that TRUTH... When obeyed... When properly used... Frees us from sin... sanctifies... and saves us.
The Breastplate of Righteousness.
The Roman soldier protected his vital organs with a breastplate. At baptism we are clothed... covered with Christ... covered to the point that Paul tells us that... There is NO... NO... Condemnation to those who are... In Christ.
WHY... Because we are clothed... covered... Not with our own filthy rags… righteousness... But with His righteousness. It's not our righteousness... Our good works that saves us... But His work of righteousness.
You see church...
- As we are walking in the light...
- While we are doing the good works... Good works that He has predestined for us to do...
- As we strive to be the people and person God wants us to be... There is little time and room for Satan to gain entrance into our hearts... Right? God help us to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Feet shod with the gospel...
The footwear of the Roman soldier served two purposes:
- It made him ready to travel... run.
- It gave him a sturdy stance... It kept him from slipping.
The gospel is the power of God to save. The facts of the Gospel provide us with the readiness we need to fight the fight... To run the race... To keep the faith... Knowing that there is a crown of righteousness for us. Knowing the gospel enables us stand our ground when Satan attacks.
The Shield of Faith...
The Roman shield was much larger than other war shields. It looked like a door... Large and rectangular. It was laminated with wood and leather so it would extinguish the darts dipped in tar. It is our faith... That shields us from harm. Our Faith... Our trust... Our absolute confidence in God... Serves to extinguish the fiery darts of Satan.
You see... When persecution... When suffering... When trials... and Temptations of different kinds come... It is our trust in God... And in his promises which sustain us... It did...
- Enoch...
- Noah...
- Abraham...
- Joseph...
- Moses...
- Aaron..
- David...
- Elijah...
- Jesus...
- The early church...
And it will us today.
Listen to me church... Do we believe... Do we have faith in such promises as...
Romans 8.1?... There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8.28?... We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
1 John 1.7,8 & 9?... If we walk in the light, as he is in the light... The blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us... And
purify us from all unrighteousness.
John 14. 1-6?... In my Father's house are many rooms... I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you with me... I am the way... the truth... and the life.
God help us to take up the shield of faith in God and His promises... Amen?... Amen!!
The Helmet of Salvation
This piece of armor was made of tough metal... Like iron or brass. It was lined with felt or sponge... Making it easier to wear. The Roman helmet served two purposes... One... Decoration; Two ... Protection
IF... IF... In our hearts... In our heads... We know we are saved... This decorates our life. It allows others to witness our faith... Our confidence... Our trust in Him. And at the same time it protects us from sin through the confidence we have... In Christ. You see... Knowing we are saved... Helps us to successfully battle Satan. It is within the cracks of doubt... That Satan enters most of our lives... Am I right?... Of course!! This is why John wrote saying... I write you these things... So that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Sword of the Spirit
This was the only offensive weapon of the Roman soldier. We will notice... However... That this is not the only offense weapon of the Christian.
The word of God supplies us with what we need to help us win... To help us fight the enemy. For instance... What weapon did Jesus use to fight Satan?... The word of God... The sword of the spirit!! This shouldn't surprise us... For Scripture tells us that... The Word of God is profitable for doctrine... reproof... for instruction... and correction in righteousness. That the soldier of God might be complete ...Thoroughly furnished with all good works.
Knowing the Word of God places each of us individually... and the church collectively ON THE OFFENSIVE WITH SATAN. He cannot successfully deal with the Word... Because, when used properly:
- It is the power of the Gospel to save...
- It is that which sets us free...
- It is that which sanctifies us.
The last weapon is what... Perhaps our most powerful... PRAYER
The Roman soldier may not have had this weapon... But it is in our arsenal... It is ours to use. You see church... Prayer gives us access to the omnipotent power of God... What a weapon!!
Are you using this weapon??... Don't know how, you say? James helps us here... Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
May God help us fight the fight... Finish the course... Keep the faith... Win the war
- We begin the battle by becoming a child of God by faith... repentance and baptism.
- We keep fighting by walking in the light and confessing our own sins and faults.
- We help maintain the offensive by depending upon God to help us through prayer.
If this lesson has spoken to you... If you need to respond... Come to Jesus as we stand and sing.
