In what turned out to be a battle lasting two full days, 18 American soldiers were dead and 73 wounded. While it may have been a poorly planned offensive, how many lives could have been saved if those soldiers had brought all their gear to the battle? And how much more do we need to bring all our spiritual weapons and armor to the battle we are in?
Do you
believe we are in a battle? I hope it’s easy for you to understand that all of
us are
in a battle every day. We know that 1
Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a roaring lion but did you know that scripture
also calls him the accuser, the adversary, the beast, the deceiver, the dragon,
the enemy, the father of lies, the evil one, a murderer, serpent, tempter,
thief and wicked one. Yea, he’s a bad dude and he hates you and if you don’t
think you are in a battle with him, then just give him an inch and he will take
a mile and he will keep taking it and keep taking it until you and your witness
are dead.
All he needs
is one little opening into your life. It starts as no big deal, just a thought,
then a temptation, then a foothold and then he has a full-blown stronghold in
your life and you are helpless against him. So far this isn’t a very fun
sermon, is it? Well, let me give you some good news. In fact, it is great news
in 2 Corinthians 10:3 that says, “For though we live in the world, we do not
wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of
the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Do you have
a stronghold that needs to be demolished? Maybe a friend or loved one has a
stronghold of Satan in their life. Well, have you tried trying harder? Maybe if
you had an intervention and you promised your friends and family that you would
do better and you really meant it and you cried and then tried really, really
hard. Maybe that would do it. Do you think? No? Maybe some counseling would
help you kick that habit or that addiction. Maybe you can come up with
something on your own to get back the peace and everything else you have lost
in your life. Maybe a good self-help book would keep you from falling for the lies
and the tricks of the greatest trickster and liar and schemer in the history of
the world.
I’ve talked
to a lot of people who have tried all of that and yet they still struggle with
sin in their lives or they struggle with circumstances they continue to find
themselves in and they can’t seem to find their way out. Does that mean we
shouldn’t try at all or that we shouldn’t get help where it’s available or even
pick up a self-help book? No, that’s not what it means. In fact, as we will see
in scripture here in just a second, we are to do all that we can do; get all
the help we can; take every step that can be taken.
But it says
that if you want supernatural power to fight off the supernatural enemies that
are waging supernatural war in you and against you that cause real physical,
mental, financial and relational problems, then we are to do one thing: stand. To
see this, turn to Ephesians 6:10-18.
This should be a familiar passage to those of you who have been around here for
a while. We have studied it several times and I make no apology for going back
to it. There is no better passage for us to know and understand about how Satan
and all the forces of evil work and how we can go to battle against them.
This is week
two of our Combat Training where we will learn practical ways to defeat our
supernatural enemies. We graduated from Boot Camp where we learned the basics
and now we get into some constructive and applicable tactics that we can and
need to use in our everyday lives.
The author
of Ephesians, Paul, knew about spiritual warfare. In 2 Corinthians 11 and 12, Paul famously “boasts” about being flogged,
beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, cold, left for dead and had a thorn in the
flesh that was a messenger of Satan sent to torment him and yet he ends by
saying that he delights in all these things because, as he says at the end of chapter 12, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
Now, without
the passage we are about to look at, this might never have truly made sense to
some of us. I want to read all of this passage but concentrate on a small part
that will help us to understand how Paul could say – and mean – “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
Let’s read Ephesians 6:10-18. Finally, be strong in
the LORD and in his mighty power. Stop right there for a second. How can I
be strong when I am weak? I am strong “in the Lord”. That’s important to
remember. Let’s go on… 11Put on the full armor of God, so
that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when
the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in
the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this
in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD's people.
I may be
mixing my metaphors a little bit here in my illustration of this but let me
shift from a battlefront scenario to the Olympics. How many of you watched the
Olympic games the past couple of weeks? Did you notice the athletes mentally
going through their jump or their routine of whatever they were about to do?
Even at the top of the hill as they were just about to slide down or just about
to go out on the ice, they would be mentally preparing themselves to go through
it.
They would
visualize the routine or the course or the jumps they were planning to do in
their minds but also physically acting it out. That is a time-tested and proven
way to effectively prepare for anything but absolutely necessary for battle.
You don’t wait until the enemy is charging to learn how to use your weapon or
put on your armor. You practice it and visualize it over and over again so that
when the time comes, you know exactly what you are going to do. That is exactly
what we are going through in this Combat Training. We are preparing for spiritual
battle before we see combat.
Now, when it
comes to putting on the full armor of God and standing against the devil’s
schemes, you may feel more like a golfer than an Olympian. Do y’all like to
play golf. To me, golf may very well be a scheme of Satan in and of itself.
It’s of the devil, I’ll just say that. A friend of mine used to be a golf pro
and he gave me some free lessons one time and I’m sure he was a good teacher
but it was an awful time. First, I showed up wearing the wrong clothes and
wrong shoes. I hadn’t even started and I messed up. Then I showed him my swing.
He said it wasn’t bad but it needed a few changes and then he changed EVERYTHING
about my swing. Grip the club like this. Stand with your head down, eyes on the
ball, this arm stiff, this arm loose, hips forward, ears back, elbow behind the
knee…and just relax, he said.
When it
comes to putting on the armor, you may feel the same way. How can I remember
all that, much less do it? Well, Paul starts with the most important part. When
you are in a spiritual battle with spiritual enemies with more power than you,
don’t fight in your own physical or mental power. You will lose every time.
Fight “in His mighty power”.
But what does that look like? How do we do that? Well, sometimes
an example of how not to do something can be our best example. In the Book of
Revelation there are letters written to the churches of Asia Minor at the time
and those churches are prototypes of churches that have existed ever since. In
John’s vision he saw Jesus commanding these letters be written and the first
letter is written to the church in Ephesus, the same basic group that Paul is
writing to in our main passage this morning.
The
Christians at Ephesus were active in good works. They persevered through trouble.
They were intolerant of sin, opposed false teaching and patiently endured
hardship for Christ’s sake. Jesus points all that out first and I’m sure when
they read it they were glad. But then Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, “Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first
love.”
They had a
lot of good things going for them but they had forgotten their original,
single-minded and devoted love for the Lord Himself. (MacArthur, Ephesians, page 333) They were
good at church and religion and good works but there was no excitement or
devotion, no passion for the life, death, burial and resurrection of the
Savior. Do you remember when you were first saved; when you first accepted
Jesus to be your Savior and to forgive you of your sins? Do you remember how
you felt, like you wanted to tell everybody? You listened to Christian music in
your car. You carried your Bible to school or work and you just couldn’t wait
to go to church. You didn’t have all the answers but that didn’t stop you from
trying to make God look good in every situation.
Does that
still describe you? Are you still excited? Does the thought of Jesus dying for
you on the cross still give you chills? Are you still in awe of Him and what He
has done? Oh, sure you are, right? You still enjoy going to a biblically sound church
and you tithe and do good stuff. You and Jesus are tight. You may even be
offended that I would ask except you just assume I am talking to the other
people in your pew.
I’m reminded
of Peter who was shocked and offended when Jesus questioned him three times
whether he really loved Him (John 21:15-17). He said, “Jesus, you know that I love you.”
Peter’s theology and morality were sound, but where was the passion? Where was
the absolute devotion? I’m asking you and I’m
asking me, where is the absolute desperation for God to work in your life
and be glorified in your life no matter what the circumstances are, no matter
what the other Christians are doing and no matter what the world thinks? Are
you desperate for Him? Are you completely devoted and sold out? Are you all in?
Whatever you want to say, however you want to ask it. You know the answer and
if you are not completely and stupidly in love with Jesus then you are not
fighting in His power.
Billy Graham died this past week and what a party
there must have been in Heaven. He was the greatest evangelist since the
Apostle Paul. He had influence over presidents and celebrities and dignitaries
all over the world and never had a sex scandal; nobody ever accused him of misappropriation
of funds or lying to get something he wanted or anything like that. He led more
people to the Lord than most of us will ever see. And do you know what his
secret to success as an evangelist was?
He had a
passion for Jesus. He wanted everybody to have what he had. He wanted everybody
to know he loved Jesus. You can have this world. Give him Jesus. That’s why he
was a spiritual force to be reckoned with. I bet when he died there was a party
in Hell too with all the demons saying, “Man,
I’m glad that old man is gone!” Too bad for them that Billy’s son and
grandson are following in his footsteps.
If you ever
hear any of those Grahams being interviewed on TV or radio, they make a beeline
for Jesus, no matter what questions they are asked. Interviewer:
Well, Mr. Graham, how ‘bout them Texas Rangers?
Graham:
Well, Bill, I think they’re doing good
and that reminds me of what Jesus has done in my life! Let me tell you about
it!
Because
their love for Jesus is real and passionate, God obviously has been their
strength and their shield and the force that carries them and protects them. If you want to be a powerful soldier for the
Lord; if you want to resist temptation and react correctly when Satan attacks,
then remind yourself of what God has done for you in the past, what He is doing
in your life now and what He has promised to do in the future. That ought to
make you passionate about Him and following Him and telling others about Him.
In short,
this life isn’t about you. It’s about Him and when you live like that, you are
living and fighting and being strong in the Lord. Yes, we are to do everything
we can do as far as putting on all of our armor, as we will talk about in the
coming weeks, but if you don’t fight in God’s strength and in His mighty power
by loving Him and making it obvious to the world and making Him look good…then
the armor just won’t fit right.
Let me ask
you a question. What are you known for? When people talk about you behind your
back, what do you hope they say? He’s a good provider. She’s a good mom. He
doesn’t sweat much for a fat guy. Whatever it is, even your enemies ought to be
able to say, “I didn’t really care for them
but they sure loved Jesus!” One of our favorite songs around here is by the
band Casting Crowns and it’s called “Loving My Jesus”. One of the verses goes
like this:
When all is said and done
When my last song's been sung
I stand face to face with the One
Who gave all for me
May all I have to show
Be all that mattered most
Making Your great name known
Let this be my only legacy
When my last song's been sung
I stand face to face with the One
Who gave all for me
May all I have to show
Be all that mattered most
Making Your great name known
Let this be my only legacy
Does that
describe you? I hope it describes you and I hope it describes me. Let’s spend a
few minutes in prayer with each of us asking God what in our lives needs to
change to make Him look good and to make Him famous. Maybe you need to ask God
for forgiveness of your sins, repent of those sins and ask Him to be Lord of
your life. Maybe you need to rededicate your life to Him or join this church.
Whatever
your prayer need is, I would love to pray with you about it. Let’s do that now
as the music plays.
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