Ephesians 6:10-12

Walk in Victory ~ Part 1

Open your Bible to…

Eph. 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Pray

Intro

√ Walk in victory ~ Part 1

In 1655 William Gurnall a pastor in England published the first of his three books on this section of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians titled…

“The Christian in Complete Armour”

By the time he finished he had written 261 chapters comprising 1,472 pages ~ on just these few verses!

Since that time many other authors have penned additional commentaries on this section filling many more thousands of pages.

Obviously then this section of Scripture is packed full of truth that has captured the attention of Christians throughout the history of the Church!

That’s because Paul gives us vital instructions for defending ourselves against the attacks of Satan and his armies.

So, while I’ll do my best to cover the important truths here we will certainly not exhaust the subject of spiritual warfare even though I’ve broken this study up into a couple of Sundays.

Ap. You’re in combat

By way of personal application you’ll note in vs. 10 that Paul says…

“Finally”

That is, at the end of his letter in which he has carefully laid out for us all the riches we have in Christ…

In light of all that God has done for you.

In light of the glorious standing you have as a child of God.

In light of His great plan of the ages that God has made you part of.

In light of the plan for Christian maturity and growth He gives to you.

In light of the conduct God calls every believer to live.

In light of the filling of the Spirit and our walk in the Spirit.

In light of all this, there is finally a battle to which we’ve been called to fight so that we might walk in victory!

That is, we have an enemy who is actively battling against you with the purpose of destroying your faith and making you ineffective in the work of the Kingdom.

Therefore, it is imperative that we understand the enemy we face and how to use the equipment that God has given us to fight that enemy.

The Essentials (vs. 10-11)

Eph. 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

√ The essentials

Before Paul introduces us to the enemy of our faith he presents two essential elements necessary to combating that enemy…

First you must be strong in the Lord and the power of His might ~ literally Paul writes…

“strengthen yourself in the Lord”

He was probably thinking of David’s experience recorded in 1 Sam. 30:6.

Second you must put on the whole armor of God!

Much of the teaching I’ve heard or read on the subject of Spiritual Warfare focuses on the second, that is, the armor of God while neglecting the first step that is to be strong in the Lord!

While armor is vital to our survival and victory in Spiritual battle it will not be so if we neglect the first step…

…that is, to be strong in the Lord!

The point is that if you put good armor on a weak man who is barely able to stand he will be an ineffective soldier!

Ex. US Military

Most people who join the military want to play with the toys as soon as they arrive at camp!

Fire automatic weapons

Throw a grenade

Launch a missile

But drill sergeants don’t let new recruits touch weapons until they’ve completed boot camp because they need…

Physical training to prepare bodies for the rigors of combat and that they will have the strength to carry the weight of equipment necessary to engage in combat.

That’s what Paul is communicating here!

He’s telling us that before we can put on the armor of God and wade into battle we first have to become strong in the Lord.

Not physically strong, rather spiritually strong so that the Christian soldier knows how to use the spiritual equipment that God has provided.

Ex. Unprepared for my meeting with the witch

I had the weapons, thought I knew how to use them but wasn’t strengthened to use them effectively.

√ The empowerment

So, how do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord? Paul says…

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

The word “might” speaks of strength potential, or stored energy.

Ex. Ferrari ~ lots of horsepower available

The word “power” refers to the exercise of that might!

Ex. Putting the Ferrari into gear ~ experiencing the power!

The spiritual application is that God has made His might available to us to use in the form of power to live a Christ-like life and to do combat with Satan!

However, that power isn’t realized in our lives until we engage it to accomplish His work.

Like the Ferrari above you could be sitting in a car with 600 horsepower, revving motor, and making all sorts of noise but until you put the car into gear you’re not going to go anywhere!

Ex. Teaching

The spiritual application is that His power to teach and preach the word won’t be realized in my life as long I remain seated in one of the chairs in the sanctuary.

I have to get up and walk to the pulpit trusting fully that He will give the power to do what He’s asked when I open my mouth!

Once in the pulpit He releases His might, which is demonstrated through the power to teach His word in such a way that it touches the hearts of the listeners.

Ex. Peter walking on the water

The might, that is the potential to walk on water was available to Peter…

…but he didn’t experience that power until he got out of the boat.

Ap. God’s power in your life

God has made all of His might available to you but you can’t experience it until you step out and rely on His power!

The Enemy (vs. 12)

Eph. 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

√ The enemy

Good intelligence on the enemy is an essential element for defeating that enemy.

It enables military planners to know and understand the enemy.

To know where he is and what he is capable of doing.

Without that knowledge it is difficult to defeat him!

The same is true in the Spiritual battle to which we’ve been called to fight!

So, God has given us the intel we need to know who the enemy is and how he operates so that we can defeat him!

With that information there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be able to walk in victory!

1. The leader ~ the devil

In vs. 11 Paul identifies our main enemy as the devil…

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. “

That’s just one of a number of names by which he is known in the Bible.

Devil = “accuser” because that’s what he does! We’re told in Rev. 12:7-11 that day and night the devil brings accusations against us to the Father in heaven.

Satan = “adversary” because he is the enemy of God and God’s people.

Tempter because he uses temptation as a means of inducing people to sin (ref. Matt. 4:3 ~ Jesus in the wilderness).

Murderer because he is the father of murder (ref. John 8:44).

Father of lies because he invented lying (ref. John 8:44).

Angel of light because he uses his beauty and glory to deceive people (ref. 2 Cor. 11:13-15).

The god of this age because this world is under the curse of sin and corruption (2 Cor. 4:4).

The Bible also speaks of him metaphorically as a “dragon” and a “lion” reminding us that he is dangerous and more than we can handle on our own!

Remember, he is a fallen angel and though he is not equal to God in power (not omniscient, nor omnipotent, or omnipresent) because he is a created being…

…none the less he is powerful!

In fact, many Bible students believe he was originally one of three arch angles along with Michael and Gabriel and was known by the name of Lucifer (ref. Isa. 14:12).

So, the devil is our enemy.

But, as I just mentioned he is limited in his power and ability to attack because he cannot be everywhere at once.

How then does he cause so much trouble? He’s got help!

2) The army ~ demons

Note vs. 12 where Paul lists Satan’s (not Santa’s!) helpers…

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Paul lists four levels, or ranks of fallen angels commonly referred to as demons who are organized into a fighting army under the leadership of Satan…

Principalities

Powers

Rulers of the darkness

Spiritual hosts of wickedness

Additionally Revelation 12:4 indicates that a third of all the angelic host joined Satan in his rebellion against God!

So, when spiritual attacks come our way it is most likely not the devil himself who is coming against us (he’s got bigger fish to fry)…

…rather it is one of his many helpers, a demon(s) who has been assigned the task of destroying your faith or at least making you ineffective for the Kingdom of God.

One last point here is the reality that you are in this battle whether you acknowledge it or not!

Ap. You’re a target

You don’t have to go out looking for demons to slay, they’re already targeting you!

The point is that you don’t get to opt of this war you’re in it whether or not you’re ready for it.

So, recognize that the devil and his helpers are attacking you and your faith everyday.

You’re success defending yourself and defeating the wiles of the devil is directly tied to how you prepare for the fight and use the weapons that God has given you.

3) The resources ~ Satan’s weapons

Paul’s instructions here indicate that Satan is a strong enemy and we need the power of God to be able to stand against him.

It is a foolish thing to underestimate the power of the devil, he isn’t called a “dragon” and a “lion” just for fun!

In fact even the most powerful holy angels don’t do combat with him alone, they too call on the power of the Lord!

“Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” ~ Jude 1:9

An example of Satan’s power is seen in the book of Job where the devil…

Killed off all of Job’s children with a tornado (power over nature).

Destroyed and plundered Job’s possessions (power over people).

Inflicted a terrible disease on Job’s body (power over disease).

Of course he couldn’t touch Job unless God granted him the freedom to do so, none the less, we see in Job’s experience just how much power Satan can bring to bear on humans.

Ap. God has Satan on a leash

Job’s experience as well as Peter’s in the New Testament remind us that Christians aren’t open to the devil’s discretion!

Rather, the devil must first obtain the Lord’s permission to attack any of God’s children (ref. Luke 23:31).

The only reason that God would grant the devil such access to us is that God knows that we’ll be better for it as these trials will…

Purify

Refine

Temper

…our faith.

Ex. Job ~ proved that a man will love God just for who He is!

So, you don’t have to stay up and worry about Satan’s plans for you…

…God’s got you covered!

√ The wiles of the devil

In addition to the physical harm that Satan can bring to bear he also employees weapons directed at our mind (the soul), note Paul’s warning in vs. 11…

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. “

Wiles means…

“Cunning, crafty arts, and stratagems”

We find an example where these weapons were used back in the Garden when Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

Satan didn’t threaten Eve, nor did he force her to eat from the Tree…

…rather, by cunning and deceit he tempted her to eat the fruit that God said would bring death.

I’d suggest that Satan and his army use these weapons against us far more often because they are so effective!

Lies whispered into our minds

Discouragement and depression

Thoughts of hatred and envy

Doubt about God, His love and His promises

All of these weapons are effective because they’re so subtle that most of the time we don’t even realize they are from the devil!

Close

√ Walk in victory ~ part 1