Phil: Somehow my mind has returned, as it often seems to do, to familiar scripture, but I hope we’re aware as we go along serving the Lord that just because something is familiar doesn’t mean we don’t need it. Because the Christian life is not just a matter of having correct information and doctrine, and this is how you do stuff and all that kind of stuff. It hasn’t been brought down to that kind of a level, but there is a need for this relationship and there is a need for us to as I’ve, the Lord has just brought to my mind over and over again lately, how much we need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
If all we’re doing is upholding our traditions, we’re dead or dying. We need the living Savior to dwell among us, and He’s the only one who has what we need. We need life imparted. And I just pray that God will quicken. Lord, if this is You, then You just go ahead and take over.
But anyway, Ephesians Chapter 6 seemed like it’s an appropriate scripture, particularly in light of the psalm that we just read. And I will go ahead and read the passage involved and then just ask the Lord to kind of focus where He wants to focus. There are so many things in this passage, you could have a whole message on a word here and a word there.
But anyway, verse 10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 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.
“Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the evil day comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and 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. 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 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
Paul was in prison at this time and had been for years, and yet here he is still engaged, not sitting there feeling sorry for himself, but encouraging God’s people. I pray that God will give us that kind of a heart toward one another, that our lives are not just our own, that God leads us in the way that He leads us for His purposes, that we belong to one another. We’re meant to be channels of God’s life to one another. May God help us to do that, because left to ourselves, it’s impossible, but all things are possible with Him.
Anyway, so what’s Paul’s focus? Why is he dealing with this particular subject? Obviously, you could jump right in and say, well, this is what he says to do, but why does he say to do all that? Well, it’s obviously that God wants to call attention to the reality of the world we live in.
We are inclined to see what we see with the eyes, what we detect with our senses. We react to politicians and the, the crazy things that they say and other people in public life. We just think, oh my God, if they just straighten them out, everything will be fine. But there is a kingdom that we don’t ever need to get up in the morning and forget that there is a real, unseen kingdom that is absolutely in control of this world system.
Now, that does not mean that the Lord does not have a control that is over that, that rules and overrules according to His purposes. But apart from that, there is a government that is real.
Now, back in David’s time, you saw that more plainly in the heathen gods. They were the fallen angels that had set themselves up over the peoples that they had been given to watch over. And there they were being worshiped as gods and ruling and giving their authority to Satan.
But you remember when Jesus was being tempted by the devil and how the devil took Him up to a place where he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, said, All this will I give you if you bow down and worship me. Well, Jesus did not contest his statement that he ruled over the kingdoms of the world, did He? He knew that was the case. So obviously that’s something we need to reckon with.
We are basically in completely over our heads if we are running in our own strength and our own wisdom and our own resources, we don’t have a chance in this world. The devil’s smarter than we are and he’s not simply talking about clever use of information and lies. It is that, but there is real power that he exerts.
And I’ll tell you, a lot of us feel it, don’t we, at times? The Lord allows us to feel the oppression of the enemy. And that’s what David was talking about. He was in a dark place, wasn’t he? He was in a battle and we see how he was contending with that. Well, that’s what God has called us to.
And folks, we don’t need to wonder, why in the world is this happening? This doesn’t make sense. Oh God, where are You? We feel that way like David did, but the reality is this is the world that we have been called to live in, and there’s a reason God’s doing this and we’re gonna understand it better by and by, aren’t we? As the song says. Thank God!
So, this is the context. Paul wanted to remind them. I don’t care what people do to you, that’s not what you need to focus on. We can get ourselves all bent outta shape over what people do to us. My God, do we not see what’s behind that? Jesus had people do all kinds of things to Him, and yet He didn’t lash out and get all outta shape, bent outta shape over it. He recognized there’s an enemy here. He’s got a hold in that life. That’s my enemy. That’s the one I need to stand against. I need to have compassion. This person is a victim. They’re in prison.
Not only are they in prison, but God has given me the authority to reach into Satan’s prison and to rescue souls. The very person we may think is the worst of the worst may be somebody that God has His eye on. He cares about it and He wants us to have that kind of a heart toward people. May God give us the grace to do that. Oh God, we are so unlike Him, and it’s what he’s working on to make us like Him.
But anyway, so here’s the point, and I’ll remind you of what Jesus said. He’s talked about the confession of the revelation of who He was. He says, On this rock, the rock of the revelation of who Jesus Christ. That’s something that somebody can know in their heart without someone just explaining it and trying to convince them logically. There is a knowledge that we can come to possess of who Jesus is. Upon this rock, I will build my church.
I remember many times being at overseas pastors’ conferences and pointing out that Jesus never told any of us to build Him a church. And even if He leaves a group of people in our ministry charge, if you wanna say that, it’s not our church, it’s His. And our job is to hear Him and do what He says and trust Him for life to come. Because if all we do is preserve the form and the doctrines and the practices, we have nothing left but religion. God help us to be in touch with the one who alone is the source of life and power. So anyway, that’s the context.
But he also refers to something else, it’s not simply the reality of the government that we’re against, but the fact that he has schemes, he’s got all kinds of tricks. You know, if you were a military commander and you were given the task of overcoming and fighting against a certain military force, you wouldn’t just say, okay, oh, you know, to arms, run out there and let’s get ‘em. You’d be studying their setup. You’d be looking for every kinda weakness you could come up with. Where’s their weak point?
Do you know the devil has spent his entire, well, in general, but the devil has assigned spirits to study us? I’m not saying that to make you scared, but this is something we need to reckon on. Every one of us has weaknesses. Every one of us has vulnerable points where we need a savior. We need to learn from Him and learn His ways. He’s given us everything we need. That’s of course what He brings out here.
But Satan has all kinds of tricks and we need to learn to be sensitive and seek the Lord. We need to have the hunger that David was talking about, where we’re reaching out and really, do you feel your need of the Lord today or are you just muddling along and doing your own thing and figuring you got everything under control? You don’t. One of Satan’s schemes is to put you to sleep, and me, cause us to feel like, hey, we’re okay. Everything’s fine. And you’re walking right into a trap and all of a sudden Satan’s gonna close it on you and he’s gaining a hold and you don’t even know it. Oh God, help us to be awake.
You know, at one point he talks down about prayer. He talks about being alert. Doesn’t Peter say the same thing? Be alert, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion. Why does he do that? What’s he after? Seeking whom he may devour. Do you know, he’s talking to Christians there. I don’t want the devil to eat me for lunch and mess with what God’s purpose is for my life. Oh God, help every one of us. We need Him. The more I learn about myself, the more I realize I need a savior. Oh God, make that real to our hearts.
Okay, so in that context, we’ve got a kingdom that’s in control of this world. And we know from scripture he speaks of the evil day. When the evil day comes, not if, it’s the point we’ve made many times. Obviously there have been evil days that have come through the ages. You know, Jesus said when He went to the cross, this is your hour when evil reign, when darkness reigns. There was a time when God stepped back and allowed Satan to do his worst, what he thought was his worst, but God used it, didn’t He?
And God’s gonna use what’s happening in the end of the age. There is an evil day. When Christ comes, darkness will be at its zenith. A lot of folks don’t get that. And it doesn’t mean God’s gonna forget His people, far from it. God’s gonna bring every one of us all the way through regardless of whether we go by the upper taker or the undertaker. God’s not gonna lose one of His. He’s gonna rescue every single one. Nothing that the devil can do can prevail against His plan and His will.
But God wants us to learn our place in this scheme. So we’re not just sitting back, going through the motions, playing church, believing the right stuff and doing the right stuff, and figuring, hey, everything’s okay. He’s got it all taken care of. I can just live my life. God wants us engaged and awake and aware. So what does that involve?
Well, obviously, it begins with we’re gonna have to get some help that’s more than us. Finally, be strong in the Lord. I’m so glad he has that phrase, in the Lord, and in His mighty power. Is that what he says in this translation? And in His mighty power. Yeah.
Anybody here need power? You got all you need in yourself? You got it handled? I don’t. You know, my mind went back to what he says in Chapter 1 that we’ve referred to so many times, where Paul wanted the believers to understand the incomparable power of God. But there’s an awesome phrase that he puts in there. It’s not just so we can say, oh wow, but that awesome power is for us, for us.
Every one of you who knows the Lord, who’s put your faith in Him, who’s given Him your life, you need to be able to wake up in the morning and say, God, I believe in Your power. It’s greater than all the other power in the universe. And not only that, it’s for me. Here, today, Your power is for me. You are for me, not against me. Even when You have to work in me, even when You have to discipline me, it’s for me. It’s motivated by the heart of love that I’ve come to know and believe in. Your power is mine.
Oh God, is there anybody that can say to the Lord, You can’t do what You’re planning to do? I got the power to stop you. My armies are here. You’re just gonna have to give in. No. My God, I’ll tell you, there’s a devil who can do all kinds of stuff.
I was thinking about the occasion, and this is always a good illustration of the day when Jesus said, “Let us go to the other side,” and got in a boat. And that’s a pretty good illustration of God’s promises to us. He didn’t say, Let’s start out and hope for the best. He said, We’re going to the other side.
Do you know, when he calls you to His kingdom, that’s the message to your heart. We need to be able to look up and say, thank you, Lord. I know things don’t look good, but I’m going to the other side because You said so. Praise God. Praise God!
But something happened when they got out in the water, didn’t it? There’s a terrible storm that threatened to sink the boat, waves were crashing, the disciples were scared to death. Where do you suppose that storm came from? Yeah. Was that just happenstance? The devil knew that He was going over there. Probably didn’t know exactly what. He said, Boy, I gotta do something. He’s got something in mind. He said we’re going to the other side. I better do something. You know the devil has power? In this case, he had power over weather.
I have heard more than one story of somebody who had a tornado or some kind of windstorm bearing down on them and rebuking it. Now, is that a formula? No, but there are instances where God has demonstrated that there is power that Satan exercises even in natural things. He has all kinds of power, doesn’t he? But we serve One who all He had to do was speak and there were stars. That’s plenty of power.
And does not the word say greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world? By the way, where is He? In you. That’s kind of important, isn’t it? It’s not just out there being worshiped in some religious sense. This is, He needs to reside in a yielded, believing heart. Anything short of that, man, you are living in a world ruled over by darkness and that darkness is absolutely taking over the hearts and minds of everyone who doesn’t know the Lord. That’s the world we are living in. So this is the context in which Paul is saying what he’s saying.
“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” Then he says put on something. He doesn’t just say put on the armor, but there’s another word that kind of jumped out at me, the full armor. How would it be if you put on most of it? There’s a reason why we need it all.
And I hope maybe as we go through, we’ll see just a little glimpse of that. The Lord’s gonna have to open this up. Like I say, there’s so much in here and I don’t want to get bogged down any place, but the full armor of God. That expression is in two different places. Put on the full armor of God.
But he doesn’t say this is just sort of automatic. You’ve come to me, so don’t worry. You got the armor on. He wants us to absolutely participate in this. We just don’t wake up in the morning and say, okay, Lord, You got this. I’m just gonna go about my day and do my thing. There’s a sense which God wants us to actively seek Him, hunger for Him, reach out for Him when we feel our need, and He has a way of making us, putting us in places where we feel our need.
That’s a good thing. If we could just see the heart of love that’s behind that, we wouldn’t be complaining. Of course, we do, but I’ll tell you, the Lord knows what He’s doing, doesn’t He? Like was said last week, we don’t need to tell the potter how to do His job. He is so faithful and so merciful.
But put on, there’s something plainly stated, not just implied. That is plainly stated that I’ve got a part in this. This isn’t gonna happen without my doing something, okay? Praise God!
So then he comes in and talks about the kingdom and all of that. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, he says it again. Verse 13, So that when the evil day comes, you may be able. So what’s at stake here is my ability to stand. We’re called to stand in a dark hour, are we not? Well, how am I gonna do that? Where am I gonna get that kind of ability to do anything like that? I’m not smarter than the devil. He knows all of my weaknesses and I got plenty of them. I need a savior. Oh God, I need Him, don’t I?
But God wants you and me to know today that He’s for us, that power is for us, and that He has given us everything that’s necessary so that we are actually able to do the same things that Jesus did in the sense that, I mean, the devil came at Him in so many ways and yet there was always a defense.
Here’s Jesus walking in flesh, feeling the same things that you and I feel, the devil probing, trying to find a weakness. And yet somehow because the Father lived in Him and He relied on His Father and the power of the Spirit, He relied on that and God gave Him the ability to stand, to recognize the enemy, to recognize His lies, to know what to do.
God wants every one of His children to be equipped like that. Now, as I said so many times, this is not a matter of you coming down here and your getting a magic experience where suddenly you’re elevated to this warrior status where nothing ever touches you. This is a matter of starting where we’re at with what we got and what we don’t have, and just looking to God and saying, Oh, God, teach me Your ways, like David prayed so many times.
Look at all he went through to learn God’s ways, but his heart was reaching out, panting when he felt the need for God, reaching out like that. Thank God for all that He has given to us, but He has got all that we need and we need to reckon on that. He wants you today to know that wherever you come short, which is plenty, whatever need you possess, God knows about it, but He has made every provision for you, not just oh yeah, for them and for them, but I’m different.
Oh God, help every one of us to wake up to realize that’s part of the devil’s, that’s one of the devil’s schemes, to make you think you’re different and you’re the redheaded stepchild or the proverbial redheaded stepchild that just doesn’t quite fit in. Everybody that God calls fits into His plans. You have a place, you have a place of honor, you have a place of love, a place of mercy. You have every right to do what Paul says here. Praise God!
All right, stand firm then. How do we do that? With the belt of truth buckled around your waist. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about this, but I understand that the typical garb in the day was kind of a robe. It would’ve been good in a warm climate to have something loose. But how do you go into a battle with a robe that’s flashing around here and there and swirling around and getting in your way? There needs to be something that holds it in place that enables me to not have to worry about what I’m wearing. I can focus on the battle.
But what is it that God is focusing on? It’s truth. Now, how easy is it for us to reduce to a bunch of ideas and propositions and things like that? There’s something greater than that. God wants us to know Him Who is the truth? Truth is more than a bunch of correct theology. Truth is a person.
What did He say? I am the way, the truth, and the life. Do you know there’s no truth outside of Jesus? God wants His people to be so convinced in their hearts and minds that He is the truth, that we’re willing to walk in the light that He shows us, and that means, first of all, He’s gonna be showing us ourselves. That’s not something we’d naturally wanna see, is it? But I want him to show me.
