Taught 2/15/2009
Ephesians 6:13-17
Walk in Victory ~ part 2
Open your Bible to…
Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Pray
Intro
√ Walk in victory ~ part 2
We discovered in our study last week that we are locked into a cosmic battle with the devil and his armies.
We learned the identity of our enemies.
We learned their strengths and limitations.
We learned that God has Satan on a short leash!
In our study this morning we pick up with Paul’s instructions to put on the armor that God has given us and how to use the spiritual weapons so that we might stand successfully against the devil!
Ap. The model
Paul’s illustration of the armor and weapons that God has made available to us was based off of the equipment used by the soldiers of Rome.
Makes sense as he was chained to one!
Remember that Paul wrote the letter before us while awaiting trail in a Roman prison.
So, he makes the best of a difficult situation and uses the Roman Legionnaire he’s chained to as his model for describing the equipment that God has given us to fight the devil.
The original recipients of Paul’s letter would have no trouble understanding Paul’s illustration as there were Roman soldiers in every city of the Empire.
However, for us living in the 21st Century Paul’s illustration may not be as clear!
So, as we work through the illustration I’ll do my best to describe the equipment of a 1st Century Roman soldier so that we can make good application from Paul’s teaching.
The Encounter (vs. 13)
Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
√ The encounter
Before we talk about the armor and weapons that God has given us let’s clarify something about spiritual warfare that many Christians are confused about.
That is, we are not called to search out demonic strongholds and attack them!
Many Christians have that perspective because they misunderstand Jesus’ comments in Matthew 16:18 where He said…
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
It sure sounds like Jesus is describing His Church as an army that is advancing against and battering the gates of Hell.
In one sense that is true in that anything we do in the power and might of God is going to have a detrimental effect on Satan’s kingdom.
But, that’s not really what Jesus is describing in Matthew.
The problem with that interpretation is that we don’t see Jesus or His disciples going out and hunting for demons to attack.
Rather, we find Jesus and His disciples going about doing God’s will and dealing with Satanic opposition as demons attack them.
When the enemy attacked Jesus and the disciples stood against it.
The point is that the armor and weapons that God has given us to fight Satan and his demons are primarily defensive…
…not offensive.
Ex. Gates
A better understanding of what Jesus is communicating in Matthew 16 is derived when we understand the context of Jesus’ comments about the “gates of Hades.”
In the ancient world the gates of any city was where the community leaders gathered, where the judges held court, and where the elders and leaders planned and strategized.
For example, when Jehoshaphat and Ahab met and planned war against the Syrians we find them sitting at the gate of Samaria!
2Chr. 18:9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
So, what Jesus is communicating in Matt. 16:18 is that ultimately no satanic strategy, no plot of Hell, no demonic deception will succeed against the Church!
Ap. So, what do we do when attacked? Stand!
God has called each of us to serve Him.
He’s given us a task, or a mission to accomplish.
Satan is going to do his best with the help of his demon army to stop you from fulfilling God’s call.
When he attacks we are to stand our ground and not abandon the mission that God has given us.
So, our armor and weapons are primarily defensive to help us to stand against the attacks of the devil, thus Paul writes…
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
You don’t have to look for a fight, the devil will bring it to you!
The Equipment (vs. 14-17)
Eph. 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph. 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph. 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Eph. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
√ The equipment
It’s interesting to note that the order in which Paul describes our equipment is the same order in which the soldier put them on!
The belt of truth
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth” Vs. 14
Truth is here symbolically represented as a belt, which serves to hold the other parts of the equipment in place.
On a Roman soldier the belt gathered together his clothing so that he could move freely without getting tangled up in his garments.
The belt also held the sheaths for his sword and dagger.
It might seem odd that the belt is the first thing a soldier put on, but understand that he was already clothed…
…putting on a belt indicated that a soldier was preparing for action…
That is, when a man sat down to relax he took off his belt, but when it was time for battle he put his belt on.
Putting on his belt prepared him for action, freed up his movements and put him in a battle frame of mind.
Interestingly Jesus used a similar illustration where He described the faithful servant who is ready for his Lord’s return…
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.” ~ Luke 12:25-26
Jesus was here emphasizing the need to be ready, in this case for His imminent return.
In our text in Ephesians Paul is exhorting believers to be ready at all times for the attacks of Satan by securing your life with God’s truth.
The spiritual application is that the foundation of our defense against the enemy, the thing that holds all else together, is that we must practice the truth!
For example, a believer whose life is controlled by the Truth will find that he is ready for whatever attacks the enemy brings and can defeat the devil!
Conversely the believer who is compromised, a man or woman who is not really practicing what they preach, will find themselves’ unable to defeat the devil because they are unprepared for his attacks.
So, to put on the belt of truth means that before we engage the enemy we are to check to make sure that we not only know the truth…
…but that we’re also practicing it!
Ex. Weak Christians
The primary reason that the Church today is weak is that the majority of people who claim to be Christian don’t actually live what they say they believe!
A recent Barna survey found that only 9% of Evangelicals have and practice a Christian worldview!
The sad reality is that many Christians are compromised by lies, sexual immorality, dishonest business practices, covetousness, and slander.
A person who lacks integrity in their life will not be able to stand against the devil because the enemy will have a foothold in their life, which he will exploit.
Ap. Walk like Jesus
We’ve been talking about this since the first verse of chapter 4!
Paul’s instructions in these last 3 chapters are an exhortation to Christians to live like Jesus!
Here’s what you’ll find, if you walk like Jesus you’ll also be able to fight like Jesus!
Ex. Temptation in the wilderness
Jesus fought the devil with the same weapons we have!
“having put on the breastplate of righteousness”
Vs. 14b
The breastplate of a Roman soldier’s armor was fashioned from overlapping plates of metal that covered the chest, back, and shoulders.
Symbolically the breastplate represents righteousness that protects the heart (soul) of the believer from the attacks of Satan.
It’s important that we understand that it is not our righteousness that protects us, rather, it is the righteousness of Christ that we received by faith when we trusted in Jesus that protects our heart from the enemy.
The point is that it would be spiritual suicide to wage battle against our spiritual enemies trusting in our own righteousness!
The enemy knows that we are sinners and can use every sinful experience in our lives against us.
But, when we trust in the righteousness of Christ we gain a confidence to withstand the attacks of the enemy because we know that in Christ the enemy doesn’t have anything on us!
Ex. Depression, gloom and hopelessness
These are not primarily the result of physical attacks, rather they are the wounds of spiritual assaults upon our heart (mind/soul).
These attacks come primarily through our “feelings” vs. our intellect.
Without the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness to protect our heart the enemy is able to thrust the sword of accusation deep into our heart.
He reminds us of our failures, our sin, our hurts, both those we’ve caused and those done against us, all of which unsettle our heart and cause depression, discouragement, and self-loathing leading to either disobedience or the abandonment of our call.
That’s why it is essential that we see ourselves as God does, that is, “in Christ” (repeated 12 times in Ephesians)!
So, when the enemy reminds you of just how bad you really are…
…remind yourself that the Father doesn’t see you that way anymore He sees you as perfectly righteous because of your faith in His Son!
So when depression or discouragement come upon you because of your past sins put on the breastplate of righteousness by bringing to mind God’s truth that you’re a new person in Christ Jesus!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~ 2 Cor. 5:17
The shoes of peace
“and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” ~ vs. 15
Roman soldiers were issued special sandals that gave them an advantage over their enemies.
The secret of their construction was the use of hobnails that were hammered through the sole and protruded downward like the spikes on golf shoes.
The hobnails served three main purposes…
To reinforce the sandal.
To provide the soldier with better traction and footing in combat.
To allow the sandal to be used as a weapon (i.e. to allow the soldier to inflict damage by stamping).
Sandals may seem insignificant when compared to a sword or shield yet the reality of war in the 1st Century was that those hobnailed Roman sandals provided just the edge need by the Roman legions to win numerous battles!
Ap. A solid foundation
The spiritual application of the sandals (shoes) is found in vs. 15 where Paul uses the word “preparation” which means…
“A prepared foundation”
What Paul is communicating is that the Gospel provides the footing for everything we do.
That is, the only reason we are even able to stand against the attacks of Satan is that we are first saved through the Gospel!
The Gospel has set us free from Satan’s power and dominion.
The Gospel gives us new standing in Christ from which we can defeat the devil.
So, it’s on the foundation of the Gospel that we can confidently stand against the onslaughts of the devil.
Ap. A reason to fight
One more thought before we leave this section and that is that Paul probably had Isaiah 52:7 in mind as he penned vs. 15…
Is. 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Reminding us that not only does the Gospel give us a foundation from which to fight the enemy…
…it also gives us motivation to wade into the battle as it is the Gospel message we preach that has the power to set others free from Satan!
Ap. Think of the lost as POW’s!
The lost people of the world are not our enemies…
…they’re POW’s held captive by our enemy. Share the Gospel with them so that they might be rescued from the devil.
The shield of faith
“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” ~ vs. 16
The Romans were military genius and had taken the development of military equipment and weapons for foot soldiers to new level of efficiency in the 1st Century.
One example is the shields carried by Roman Legionaries.
The Roman shield…
Was large measuring about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide (the average height of a Roman soldier was only 5’4”).
It was made of wood and covered with leather and painted with bright colors and symbols.
The vertical edges were so designed that soldiers could interlock them and form a shield wall to advance against the enemy.
When attacking a walled city, or when under attack by cavalry units the solders on the outside of the unit would lock their shields together vertically and those on the inside raised their shields to cover everyone’s heads.
The Romans called it the “Testudo”, or Tortoise formation, if you watched the movie “Gladiator” it was the formation used by the Gladiators to defeat the Carthaginian chariots in the Coliseum.
The Roman shields gave their soldiers a decided advantage against their enemies and got those Roman recruits safely through their 16-20 year enlistment!
Ap. The shield of faith
Paul uses the shield to symbolically represent our faith, not saving faith, rather living faith.
Saving faith is what places us in God’s family. It’s that tiny desperate expression of trust in Jesus that saves us from our sins and brings us into eternal life.
Living faith is trusting in the promises and power of God. Living faith is something that God grows in us after we’re saved.
It’s that living faith that protects us from the “fiery darts” of the enemy.
Ex. 1st Century warfare
It was a common tactic for archers to dip their arrows with an inflammatory substance, light them and fire them at the enemy.
Caused panic and confusion among the troops.
The spiritual application is that the devil shoots “fiery darts” at our hearts and minds with the intent of bringing confusion and panic to our lives, you know that you’ve been hit when…
A flood of depression or discouragement rolls in like a black cloud.
A relatively insignificant thing gets blown out of proportion and you’re tempted to over react.
A sense of panic and helplessness washes over you bringing fear that paralyzes you.
A burning desires for sin comes over you.
If we do not by faith quench these darts they will light a fire within and we will disobey God…
…or retreat from the battle that God has called us fight.
Ex. Worry
Christians aren’t supposed to worry! We’re supposed to trust in God and His promises to care for us and provide for every need we have.
But, the reality is that many of us, and I include myself here…
…worry about everything!
So, when we’re tempted to worry about something we need to first recognize that it’s a dart from the enemy!
Then we raise our shield of faith by so that we might extinguish the fiery dart.
We do that by filling our mind with God’s promises.
For example, when worry comes we can claim our right as God’s children to let Him handle our worries!
“casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:7
The shield of faith is simply trusting God and His word over the feelings that the enemy manipulates, I thing that’s the promise found in Isaiah…
“You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.” ~ Isa. 26:3
So, use the shield of faith against all the different darts the enemy shoots your way by exercising your trust in God’s promises.
Ap. We need to stand together
As I mentioned Roman shields were designed to be locked together so as to provide greater protection for each soldier.
The spiritual application is that Christians aren’t supposed to go into battle alone!
We need each other so that when one of us is under attack the brother or sister on our right and left can help fend off the enemy.
The helmet of salvation
“And take the helmet of salvation…” ~ vs. 17a
No soldier would go into battle without his head protected!
Of course movies like The Lord of the Rings almost always have the lead actor in battle without a helmet so you can see their face…
…but that’s not real!
In a real battle there’s way too many opportunities to get killed or knocked out of the battle to leave your head unprotected.
The Roman soldiers that Paul modeled this illustration after wore a metal helmet shaped like a cap and lined with leather for comfort.
The helmet had hinged metal plates attached on the side of the helmet that protected the face and neck.
So, while the breastplate protected the heart the helmet protected the head.
Ap. Protecting your head
The spiritual application is that helmet of salvation represents a mind controlled by the truth of God.
This is somewhat different than the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness that protect our heart…
…our emotions that Satan can twist.
The helmet of salvation protects our intellect from the lies of the Devil.
For example, Eve was defeated by deception.
She knew the truth but she believed the lie and chose then to disobey the truth.
Contrasted with David who was led astray by the burning desires of his heart (emotions).
The warning for us is that it is essential to our spiritual survival to protect our intellect from the lies of the Devil!
Too many Christians have been led astray by false teaching or human philosophies that are contrary to the Truth.
In fact, the majority of people who join cults or false religions are Christians who didn’t know enough of the Truth to discern the lie.
Ex. College students
The overwhelming percentage of young people who enter their college education as professed Christians graduate as non-believers.
Not because the ungodly philosophies and worldviews presented are correct…
..rather, because Christians don’t know the truth so they can’t discern or refute the lies they hear!
So, we put on the helmet of salvation by dedicating ourselves to know the truth as revealed in God’s word so that we won’t fall for the lies of the enemy.
The sword of the Spirit
“…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~ vs. 17b
The Roman sword was called a “gladius” from which we get “Gladiator” (swordsman).
It measured 20 inches long, was double-edged and ended in a sharp point.
The hilt ended in a round almost ball shape to aide the soldier’s grip and could be used as a weapon.
Legionaries wore the sword on the right hip while Centurions wore it on the left.
The best Roman swords were forged in Spain.
Roman soldiers had many other weapons but the sword was their primary offensive weapon and the only offensive weapon that Paul uses in his illustration.
Ap. The sword of the Spirit
Paul doesn’t leave us in the dark regarding the symbolism of the sword of the Spirit, rather he tells us it is…
“the word of God”
To effectively use the sword that God has given us we must first be confident in the Word of God!
That is, if you’re not confident that the Bible is truly God’s inspired word then you won’t be able to use it effectively!
Secondly we must know the word of God before we can use it properly.
In Paul’s example of the Roman soldier part of what made them a world power was their extensive combat training.
Legionaries spent hours in drill before being enlisted and continued that training throughout their career.
They practiced thrusts, counters, defensive and offensive strategies to make them superior swordsmen.
So when they finally did get into combat they didn’t have to think about what to do…
…they instinctively handled their sword correctly and were able to defeat their enemy.
Ex. Fencing
Think about the application in our lives.
We need to know what God’s word says, and how to use it before we’re confronted with the lies of the enemy.
We see this exemplified in Jesus’ life when He is confronted with by the devil in the wilderness.
For every temptation thrust at Him Jesus parried with the Word of God!
If you’re going to use the sword of the Spirit properly then you’re going to need to get into the Bible!
That’s going to take time and commitment on our part.
You’ll have to set aside time to read the Bible, and give yourself to understanding what it means.
As you do that you’ll be able to rehearse in your mind the different objections and lies that people use to attack your faith.
Then when you find yourself in a battle you won’t have to think about what to say, or what verse to use…
…it will be there!
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