1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,060 you 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,060 you 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,060 you 4 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,060 you 5 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,920 you 6 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:37,320 We have your Bibles will be in Ephesians chapter 6 this morning. 7 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,640 We began our journey through Ephesians more than a year and a half ago, believe it or 8 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:42,920 not. 9 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:48,560 We are on our last leg of our journey together and for the next three weeks we will see why 10 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,520 we called this series battle ready. 11 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:58,060 For the first three chapters, if you remember if you were here, Paul explained to us who 12 00:07:58,060 --> 00:07:59,920 God is. 13 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:07,160 All these amazing attributes about God built on the foundation of what this book is. 14 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:12,640 That God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 15 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:19,560 He chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him. 16 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:27,360 His will is perfect and right because of who He is and because of what He's done for us. 17 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:32,600 We get to obtain an inheritance because of our faith in Jesus. 18 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:38,040 Then on top of that, that faith that we have in Jesus isn't even our own. 19 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:39,740 It was given to us. 20 00:08:39,740 --> 00:08:42,080 He gave it to us. 21 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:47,040 We have learned that there is nothing that we can do to obtain our salvation. 22 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,240 We will never be good enough. 23 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,680 It is only because of God's sovereignty and love towards us that we are able to be called 24 00:08:54,680 --> 00:08:56,200 His children. 25 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,200 He chose us. 26 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,240 We didn't choose Him. 27 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:00,880 He chose us. 28 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:08,520 Even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, when all hope was lost, God being rich 29 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,080 in mercy made us alive in Christ. 30 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,600 Then we got to chapter four. 31 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:21,800 From then on, it has been what is our response and what our response should be in light of 32 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,640 all these awesome attributes about who God is. 33 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,700 He started off, we should strive for unity as God's people. 34 00:09:29,700 --> 00:09:32,600 Unity has to be fought for. 35 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,120 That happens when we walk in submission to one another. 36 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:42,720 The rest of the world, I don't know if you know this or not, is dysfunctional. 37 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:49,160 We have two political parties that can't seem to agree on anything. 38 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,480 Divorce rates are high constantly. 39 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:58,600 And even currently, we have Jews versus Palestinians. 40 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:04,800 And it seems like if we can find a reason to disagree about whatever it is, we're going 41 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,680 to do it. 42 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:13,360 But we as believers are called to walk in unity and not function in the same way as the rest 43 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:14,360 of the world. 44 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:18,760 We are called to walk in love even when it is hard. 45 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:23,080 Husbands are supposed to love their wives in the same way that Christ loves us. 46 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:29,240 In response to that, wives are to submit to their husbands and recognize that he is the 47 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:30,960 head of the household. 48 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,520 Children are to obey and honor their parents. 49 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:40,280 As employees and employers, we are to work as if we are working for the Lord. 50 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:45,480 We are to work and lead in a way that honors Christ. 51 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:52,240 So Paul has spent over five chapters telling us all these things, and now he's going to 52 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:57,360 tell us what is going to keep us from reaching that goal. 53 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:59,320 Because we need to understand. 54 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:04,640 We have to know in our hearts that there are powerful things that will keep us from walking 55 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,640 in unity. 56 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,240 There are powerful things that will divide us. 57 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:15,600 There are powerful things that make you believe that you don't have to submit to your husbands, 58 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,840 that you don't have to love your wives. 59 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,520 There's this thing in us that will tell us as children that we don't need to obey our 60 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:27,800 parents or work hard or submit to one another. 61 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,000 So let's look at how we can be strong in battle. 62 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:39,080 I'm going to invite up the recently graduated from Iowa, Maddie Trotter, to read our passage 63 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:40,080 this morning. 64 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:45,080 Okay, so this is Ephesians 6, 10-13. 65 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,080 Stand up. 66 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:54,120 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 67 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,120 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the 68 00:11:58,120 --> 00:11:59,280 devil. 69 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:04,480 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, 70 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:09,280 against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of 71 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,720 evil in the heavenly places. 72 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:16,240 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil 73 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,120 day and having done all to stand firm. 74 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:20,120 Amen. 75 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:21,120 Let me pray. 76 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:22,120 Father, thank you for Maddie. 77 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:24,200 Thank you for just what you're doing in her life. 78 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:29,600 And God, as we look at this passage this morning, I pray that you will protect us. 79 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,680 I pray, God, that you will help us understand it. 80 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:36,440 I pray, God, that you will wake us up to the reality that we are in a war. 81 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,120 And I pray, God, that you will equip us today to fight it off. 82 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,120 It's your name you pray. 83 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:44,280 Amen. 84 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:46,120 Thank you, Maddie. 85 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:53,320 The attacks that occurred in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001 were a wake-up 86 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,440 call for our country. 87 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:00,840 As the 9-11 Commission and others observed about after the fact, one of the main reasons 88 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:07,560 that we were attacked is that as a country, we didn't even recognize that these Islamic 89 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:10,720 extremists were at war with us. 90 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:16,240 And since we didn't realize that we were in a war, we had made adequate preparations 91 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,600 to prevent such an attack. 92 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:26,080 Now, unfortunately, especially in this country, our Christianity has become so comfortable 93 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:32,680 that I'm afraid that many of us have either failed to recognize that we are in a war or 94 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:36,160 we've long forgotten that over the years. 95 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:44,200 Somehow we get into our air-conditioned cars and drive to an air-conditioned building where 96 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:51,600 we enter in, we sing joyful songs of praise, we listen to a 30-minute message, and we sing 97 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:57,960 another couple songs, we put an offering in the offering box, and somehow that just doesn't 98 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,080 seem like we are at war. 99 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,680 It doesn't feel like we're at war. 100 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:07,600 One of the most important aspects of this war is that God doesn't expect us to fight 101 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:08,600 alone. 102 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:14,160 He has brought us all together in one body, the church, so that we can stand shoulder 103 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:18,640 to shoulder and help encourage each other as we fight. 104 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,320 That is the overriding principle all throughout this letter. 105 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:27,440 And I think one of the mistakes that people have made over the years is that they approach 106 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:36,360 this section on spiritual warfare as merely an individual battle, that this is how I respond 107 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,160 to the enemy. 108 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:44,440 But I would suggest to you that Paul has a much more corporate approach in mind. 109 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,880 So the first thing we need to understand that as a church is we need to be strengthened 110 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:49,080 by God. 111 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:53,520 He says be strong in the Lord, the strength of his mind. 112 00:14:53,520 --> 00:15:00,040 Most of us at least have some familiarity with the whole concept of the Christian armor. 113 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:05,480 But I'm convinced that the reason that armor is often not as effective as it should be 114 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:10,360 is because of this crucial first step. 115 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:17,040 Before a soldier is ever trained in handling weapons, he must first go through a great 116 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,920 deal of physical training in order to build up his strength. 117 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:26,720 It wouldn't do much to equip that soldier with all the latest weapons, with all the 118 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:31,320 greatest gadgets if he isn't strong enough to even use them. 119 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,960 The same thing is true for our spiritual armor. 120 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:40,000 If we are not first strengthened enough to use it properly, it won't be much used to 121 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:41,560 us thereafter. 122 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,640 Most of our English translations don't reflect it very well, but the command Paul gives here 123 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,360 in verse 10 is in the passive mode. 124 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,840 It literally means be strengthened in the Lord. 125 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,000 In other words, I can't strengthen myself. 126 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,160 You can't strengthen yourself. 127 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,400 Someone else has to do that for us. 128 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,960 And that's evident throughout this whole book so far, right? 129 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:02,960 We don't get to do anything. 130 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:04,320 He gives it to us. 131 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:10,040 We also see clearly that it's God's mighty power and not our own that is necessary. 132 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:16,740 A good soldier is constantly training for battle, even though he does not know when he's going 133 00:16:16,740 --> 00:16:18,480 to be deployed. 134 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:24,000 He has to continually participate in physical conditioning and practice with his weapons 135 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,800 so that he will be ready to go into battle whenever he is called up. 136 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:38,240 Far too many Christians, far too many Christians have been deceived into the practice of preying 137 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,240 on the armor each day. 138 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:49,320 As if some kind of magical shield of protection, but they have failed to yield the control 139 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:59,000 of their lives to Jesus consistently and constantly so that he can empower them with his resurrection 140 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,560 power. 141 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:06,680 And then they are surprised to find that the armor they thought was protecting them isn't 142 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,960 effective at all because there's no power behind it. 143 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,040 The second thing we need to understand is our enemy. 144 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:19,320 We need to understand our enemy that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the 145 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:25,120 devil for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against 146 00:17:25,120 --> 00:17:30,560 the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual 147 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,080 forces of evil in the heavenly places. 148 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:42,000 In order to be successful in battle, it is essential that one has the accurate understanding 149 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,320 of our enemy. 150 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:49,600 During Desert Storm back in the 90s, the United States and its allies were able to defeat 151 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:57,480 Iraq, even though Iraq had a substantial advantage in troop strength and conventional weapons. 152 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:04,240 That was because the military leaders who planned the operations understood that the 153 00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:10,880 Iraqi military and equipment, they understood their strategy so well that they were able 154 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:15,880 to plan their operations to take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses. 155 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:22,080 If we hope to be successful in our spiritual battle, it is essential that we have the proper 156 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,960 understanding of our enemy. 157 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:31,120 Even though the enemy is not flesh and blood, he is real. 158 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:32,840 He's real. 159 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:39,880 Unfortunately, even many who claim to be followers of Jesus have ideas about him that are far 160 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,960 too close about what we think about unicorns. 161 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,880 That he's just some mystical thing. 162 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:52,720 A survey conducted by the Barna Group found that 57% of the people surveyed believe that 163 00:18:52,720 --> 00:19:02,280 the devil is only a symbol of evil and not a living being. 164 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:08,440 What's even more frightening is that nearly half, 46% of those who identify themselves 165 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:14,520 as born-again Christians deny the existence of Satan. 166 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:21,120 Even though our enemy is not flesh and blood, that does not mean that he is not real. 167 00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:23,720 Adam and Eve found out he was real. 168 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:28,200 Job certainly would testify that Satan is real. 169 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:33,760 Jesus certainly believed that he was real when he met him face to face in the wilderness, 170 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:39,520 and Paul makes it clear in this passage, even though we cannot see him, he is certainly 171 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:40,760 real. 172 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:46,440 I'm convinced that the biggest difficulty that we face in our spiritual battle that we're 173 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:51,600 in is that so many Christians don't even realize they're in a battle. 174 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:56,680 You just go day to day to day thinking this is normal life, and even amongst those who 175 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:03,200 realize that they are in a battle, they relegate it to some mystical battle between the concepts 176 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:04,440 of good and evil. 177 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,560 It's that cartoon picture, right? 178 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,960 Like there's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, and they're whispering 179 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:11,280 in our ears. 180 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,280 It's more than that. 181 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,800 It's a real battle against a real enemy. 182 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:22,960 We also need to understand that the devil is a powerful enemy. 183 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:30,080 The spiritual battle that we engage in is not fought with long range missiles and smart 184 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:36,160 bombs, but it is face to face combat with a powerful enemy. 185 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,520 Peter described our enemy like this in 1 Peter 5. 186 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,440 He says, be self-controlled and alert. 187 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:48,400 Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 188 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:50,240 He's looking for you. 189 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:54,600 In any way he can, he's trying to devour you. 190 00:20:54,600 --> 00:21:02,160 The second mistake we make in evaluating our enemy is that we underestimate his power. 191 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:07,360 When I was growing up in El Paso, we had a minor league baseball team that fed into the 192 00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:09,840 San Diego Padres. 193 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:17,120 The baseball team was called the El Paso Diablos, devils for those of you that aren't fluent 194 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:20,240 in Spanish. 195 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:25,720 Their logo was a pitchfork. 196 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:32,680 Their mascot was not an intimidating being, but a smiling baseball head that had flames 197 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,760 on his jersey. 198 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:38,360 Kids wanted to take their picture with him. 199 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:43,480 But the reality is that the Bible portrays him as a powerful enemy. 200 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:49,680 And as we'll see more clearly in a moment, if we try to take on the enemy in our own 201 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,440 power, he will defeat us. 202 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,040 He's powerful. 203 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,440 We also need to understand his weapons. 204 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:02,720 The devil's main weapon is deceit. 205 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:08,640 Although it is dangerous to underestimate our enemy, we can also be guilty of overestimating 206 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:13,640 his power and therefore responding inappropriately as well. 207 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:18,560 We don't have time to navigate or investigate this in detail this morning, but the Bible 208 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:24,760 is very clear that Satan and his demons clearly have limits to their power. 209 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:30,720 They are not some, as some people imagine, little gods or bad gods. 210 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,120 That's not who he is. 211 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,240 Unlike God, they are not omnipresent. 212 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:38,640 They can only be in one place at one time. 213 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,080 Unlike God, they are not omniscient. 214 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:45,400 Like humans, they can only know what God has revealed to them. 215 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,320 And unlike God, they are not omnipotent. 216 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:54,960 They only have power to do what God allows them to do in the life of a believer. 217 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,320 I mean, that's quite clear in the book of Job. 218 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:04,600 And so the devil and his demons have to resort to deceit. 219 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:08,720 Notice that Paul writes that we need to be ready and we need to stand firm against the 220 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,640 devil's schemes. 221 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:17,240 There is a word there that conveys cleverness, crafty. 222 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,240 He's cunning. 223 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:19,240 He's deception. 224 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,440 He has deception. 225 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:27,640 And that is exactly the tactic that Satan used in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. 226 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,600 And it's still the tactic that he employs on us today. 227 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:40,440 In most cases, Satan's deceitful schemes today are not quite as personal or as easily discerned 228 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,520 as the direct assault on Adam and Eve. 229 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:50,080 Instead, Satan, whom Paul described in chapter 2 as the ruler of the kingdom of the air, 230 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:57,200 uses the world system that he rules over in order to carry out these deceitful schemes. 231 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:02,920 Now although Paul references to rulers and authorities, powers of this dark world and 232 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:11,080 spiritual forces in the heavenly realms may very well describe a hierarchy for structure 233 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,880 of Satan's demons. 234 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:19,000 Paul also seems to be right about how Satan uses these structures of this world system 235 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:23,680 to exert evil influence against the followers of Jesus. 236 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:30,240 We can easily observe this in our culture today where the media, those people that are 237 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:38,400 in places of prominence and even our own government, right, can promote that which is an opposition 238 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,800 to the standards that God has established in His world. 239 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:43,800 In His word. 240 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:48,120 Think about Nazi Germany. 241 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:52,120 What about what's going on with North Korea or the Middle East? 242 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:57,960 People are led to believe one reality and therefore becomes harmful to us as a society 243 00:24:57,960 --> 00:24:59,640 as a whole. 244 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:07,040 So this battle we're in is primarily a battle of our minds and that's why as we'll see 245 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:14,800 in more detail in the weeks to come that the armor of God is primarily designed to protect 246 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,160 our minds from the schemes of the devil. 247 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:24,240 First thing is we need to put on the full armor of God. 248 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:29,120 Since our battle is spiritual and not physical, we need to make sure that we use the right 249 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:30,120 weapons. 250 00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:35,320 2 Corinthians chapter 10, Paul writes, for though we live in the world, we do not wage 251 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,480 war as the world does. 252 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,160 The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. 253 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:47,800 On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 254 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:55,760 Now unfortunately, even as followers of Jesus, we are often tempted to use what Paul refers 255 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,560 to as weapons of this world. 256 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,660 We think that we can use our intellect. 257 00:26:02,660 --> 00:26:04,200 We can use our logic. 258 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:08,040 We can use our willpower to defeat the evil one. 259 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:13,960 But the Bible makes it clear that those weapons that we think that we have are totally ineffective 260 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,880 against the schemes of the devil. 261 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:22,400 In fact, it is so crucial that we use the right weapons that Paul commands us twice 262 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:27,120 in this passage to put on the full armor of God. 263 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:33,720 Those two commands are actually two different Greek verbs that have slightly different meanings. 264 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:39,920 Both are imperative and they are a command to put the armor on right now. 265 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:41,240 Put it on right now. 266 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:45,280 There's a sense of urgency to these commands. 267 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:50,760 Both commands also mean to put on the armor once and keep it on. 268 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:55,800 This is not like putting on your uniform, going to go play the game, and then coming 269 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:00,200 home and putting it in the wash and then putting it on next time. 270 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:05,800 That's why I have such a problem with the very practice taught in many Christian circles 271 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:12,120 that we need to get up each and every day and pray on our armor before we get out there 272 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:13,640 to face the day. 273 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:23,560 The fact of the matter is that the battle that we are engaged in is an ongoing never-ending 274 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:29,400 and we need to put on our armor of God and we need to keep it on so we'll be prepared 275 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,000 whenever the enemy chooses to attack us. 276 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:38,800 One of the great lies of Satan is that we just have a battle here and a battle there 277 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,720 so we don't really need the armor at all times. 278 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:47,520 But the moment we take it off, that's when he is sure to attack. 279 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,040 Let's consider first what he means by the full armor. 280 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:55,040 As we'll see in more detail in the weeks to come, the armor includes both offensive and 281 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,320 defensive weapons. 282 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:02,520 And the point that Paul is making here is that we don't just get a pick and choose the 283 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:08,120 various pieces of armor that we deem necessary based on our situation. 284 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:14,160 We need to make sure that we have all the armor on at all times. 285 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,520 And finally, Paul tells us to stand my ground. 286 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:21,520 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil 287 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:27,240 day and having done all to stand firm. 288 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:31,280 I'll come back to this principle of standing here in just a moment. 289 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:38,200 Let me first address the phrase, when the day of evil comes. 290 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,360 There are several different takes on what Paul is referring to here. 291 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:50,560 But given the context, day seems to refer to this present age in which evil reigns in 292 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:55,680 the world because Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air. 293 00:28:55,680 --> 00:29:03,360 But Paul also may be referencing those times when the enemy comes against us like a flood. 294 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:07,960 From the few biblical accounts that gives us some insight into the tactics of the devil, 295 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,880 it appears that his attacks seem to come in waves. 296 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:16,160 We clearly see that in the life of Job. 297 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,480 We see that in the life of Jesus. 298 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:23,320 And I think for most of us, that has been our experience as well. 299 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:30,480 But whenever the evil one attacks us, our response is always to be the same. 300 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,080 We are to stand firm. 301 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:38,920 The word stand, which is used three times in this passage, does not mean just casual 302 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:40,400 standing around. 303 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:44,440 It's not just leaning up against the wall. 304 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:51,200 It's not just sitting around talking with your friends. 305 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,640 But it conveys this idea of digging in. 306 00:29:55,640 --> 00:30:01,720 Roman soldiers wore spiked shoes called caligay so they could dig in and hold their ground 307 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,680 and not be knocked off course. 308 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:09,800 It also denotes standing firm against the onslaught that's initiated by another as 309 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:13,240 opposed to initiating the action on our own. 310 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:17,680 So we're to stand firm, ready for fighting. 311 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,880 We are never commanded. 312 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:24,640 Never commanded in the scriptures to attack the devil. 313 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,080 We are commanded to stand our ground. 314 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:30,720 James 4.7 says, submit yourselves then to God. 315 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,440 Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 316 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,520 First Peter chapter 5 says, be self-controlled and alert. 317 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:41,880 Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 318 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:46,360 Resist him standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the 319 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:50,360 world are undergoing the same kinds of sufferings. 320 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:56,680 In both of those passages, the word resist is the exact same word that Paul uses in Ephesians 321 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:01,960 that he writes that we are to stand against the evil one. 322 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:07,840 We've already seen that the enemy is a powerful enemy, more powerful and more wise than any 323 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:09,840 one of us in this room. 324 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,760 So we're never called to try to attack him. 325 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:20,480 Instead, we're called to report to the commander, put on the armor and stand firm. 326 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:27,160 I can't possibly overemphasize to you this morning the fact that we are engaged in a 327 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:29,960 battle. 328 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,840 We could do this every single week and I still don't think we would get it. 329 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:41,480 We are in a battle and when we fail to enter into the war as God has commanded us, the 330 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,960 consequences are going to be most serious. 331 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:51,000 David is described as a man after God's own heart. 332 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,920 I would love to be described that way. 333 00:31:53,920 --> 00:32:00,880 A man after God's own heart, but the two greatest sins in the life of David occurred when he 334 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,800 failed to go to war. 335 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,200 It was his duty as the king to go to war. 336 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:14,520 Two times a read that David stayed in Jerusalem at the time when kings go to war. 337 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:19,960 The first and most familiar to most of us is recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 11. 338 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:25,960 Instead of going to war, as he should have, David was idle and he was hanging around at 339 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:31,440 the palace where he observed a young woman bathing. 340 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:35,000 We all know how that turned out. 341 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:40,200 With David committing adultery, eventually David committing murder and the consequences 342 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,800 of failing to engage the battle were serious and far reaching. 343 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:52,960 As a result, David's son died and his family became a total mess. 344 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:59,760 The second occurrence is memorialized in 1 Chronicles chapters 20 and 21. 345 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:04,920 At that time, because David was engaged in battle, was not engaged in battle as he should 346 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:12,760 have been, Satan incited David to take a census of Israel. 347 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:15,800 Clear violation of God's will. 348 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:24,560 As a result, God sent a plague on Israel and 70,000 men of Israel died. 349 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:33,720 For us, for all of us, if you are a believer in Jesus, it is also time for us to go to 350 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:35,960 war. 351 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:38,720 So let's leave our comfort zone. 352 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,400 Let's complete our basic training. 353 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:48,480 Let's put on the full armor of God so that we will be ready for battle. 354 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:52,920 We are in a battle right now. 355 00:33:52,920 --> 00:34:00,400 And you need to understand that his main weapon against us is deceit. 356 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:06,880 One of the best pieces of marriage advice that I got before we got married was that 357 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:11,320 I needed to trust the Holy Spirit in Sina. 358 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:16,680 Meaning, she's not deliberately trying to hurt me. 359 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:21,760 She's not trying to cause harm in the situation. 360 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:26,720 And when I start to believe those things, that's a lie that I'm buying into that Satan 361 00:34:26,720 --> 00:34:33,520 is trying to deceive me into thinking worst case scenario. 362 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:39,160 I fully trust that the Holy Spirit is living and active in Sina. 363 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:45,640 And so when she might be in the wrong, which happens. 364 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:50,560 Not very often, but it does happen. 365 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:55,200 I trust that the Holy Spirit is going to continue to work on her. 366 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,080 I need to trust that. 367 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,800 And there are moments where that is hard. 368 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,760 So here's how I want to challenge you this morning. 369 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:09,560 I want you to ask yourself some questions if you have any sort of conflict in your life. 370 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:16,240 Does anybody have any sort of conflict in their life? 371 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:22,400 If you have any sort of bad feelings towards someone. 372 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:29,120 If there is anything in you that wants to control how they act or how they respond. 373 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:33,280 I want you to ask yourself these questions. 374 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:41,960 Does this person have evidence of fruit from the Holy Spirit? 375 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,600 Notice I didn't say is this person saved? 376 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,400 Is this person a Christian? 377 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:53,280 Does this person have evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in them? 378 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:58,240 Are they bearing fruit? 379 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:00,320 Are they sharing the gospel? 380 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,040 Are they loving people well? 381 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,560 Are they showing patience in difficult situations? 382 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:11,880 Does this person that I have conflict with have evidence that the Holy Spirit is in them? 383 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:14,720 If he answers yes to that question. 384 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:19,960 My challenge to you is trust the Holy Spirit that's in them. 385 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:24,320 The second question is, is their behavior sinful? 386 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:29,360 The reason I have conflict is because their behavior is sinful or is it because it's 387 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:34,040 just going against what my preferences are? 388 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:35,920 Now we handle that two different ways, right? 389 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:43,080 If their behavior is sinful and they have evidence of the Holy Spirit as a believer 390 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:48,560 in Jesus as their fellow brother or sister in Christ, we follow Matthew 18. 391 00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:52,560 We confront them on their sin. 392 00:36:52,560 --> 00:37:00,680 If their behavior is sinful, we want to call out their blind spots, right? 393 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:06,040 But if their behavior isn't sinful, it's just going against our preferences. 394 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:10,400 It's just going against what we think should happen or how we think it should proceed. 395 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:15,600 Then we need to check our own hearts. 396 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:22,880 Is there evidence in the Holy Spirit in their life and are they just going against my preferences? 397 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:24,680 We need to figure that out. 398 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:29,400 And then finally, a question we all need to ask is, am I reflecting Christ in my response 399 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:31,480 to them? 400 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,840 So if there's evidence of the Holy Spirit, they're just going against my preferences. 401 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,600 Am I reflecting Christ in my response? 402 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:49,760 What I mean by that is, are you taking it before the Lord or are you taking it to man? 403 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:52,800 Are you sitting around gossiping about it? 404 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,840 Are you sitting around scheming about it? 405 00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:05,120 Or are you taking your concerns before the Lord? 406 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:11,160 Ask yourself those questions each and every time you have conflict, because the truth of 407 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:23,480 the matter is, if we all have our armor of God on, our full armor of God on, Satan has 408 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,600 no power in this place. 409 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,480 There's no dysfunction. 410 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:37,560 And we're moving forward together. 411 00:38:37,560 --> 00:38:39,960 We have to fight for it. 412 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:40,960 I hear it all the time. 413 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,600 Where does Satan attack? 414 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:47,320 When does Satan attack? 415 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:50,120 When things are going well. 416 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,160 When we're making an impact in the kingdom. 417 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,520 That's when Satan seems to attack. 418 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:58,600 When something big is about to happen, that's when Satan attacks. 419 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:05,720 Because he's going to do everything he can in my life and yours to prevent that from happening. 420 00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:10,880 We are in a massive battle. 421 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,920 And he's going for your mind. 422 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:19,920 He's going to make you think things about somebody else in this room that aren't true. 423 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:25,480 He's going to create animosity between you and somebody else that has no basis for anything 424 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:30,480 whatsoever, because that's how he functions. 425 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,600 That's how he works. 426 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:37,280 So if you are a believer in Jesus, we have to remind ourselves, our enemy is not each 427 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:40,000 other. 428 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:41,680 Our enemy is not each other. 429 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:46,400 Our enemy is not flesh and blood. 430 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:50,040 Our enemy is safe and he's powerful. 431 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:58,680 We've got to stand firm, put on the full armor of God in order to resist him. 432 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:04,400 So the next few weeks we're going to kind of go over the armor and what we should be 433 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,520 putting on each and every day. 434 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:13,240 What we should put on once and never, ever, ever take off so that Christ will empower us 435 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:16,600 with the same power that raised him from the dead. 436 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:17,600 Let's pray for us. 437 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:26,200 Father, I pray right now that you will help us recognize and understand the battle that 438 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:32,000 we are in. 439 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:45,320 That you will help us understand that the battle that we have is not with each other. 440 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:50,040 It's with an enemy that's trying to prevent us from stowing the gates of hell. 441 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:57,040 And so Father, I pray that you open our eyes and open our hearts to see the evidence of 442 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:05,520 the Holy Spirit. 443 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:13,120 I pray Father that you soften our hearts towards each other. 444 00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:22,640 I pray Father that you will protect our minds. 445 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:27,560 As we pray almost every night in my home, I pray Father that you will surround this place 446 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:33,680 with an army of angels to protect us. 447 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:38,080 Protect our minds, protect the mission, protect the vision. 448 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:43,360 And help us honor you with everything that we do. 449 00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:50,840 Let nothing stop us from making disciples who make disciples. 450 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:56,280 Help us understand that the power that you have, that you use to raise Jesus from the 451 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:00,160 dead is available to us. 452 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:07,080 It's more powerful than any scheme the enemy can throw at us. 453 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:14,600 And so Father, I pray that you remove any conflict in this place. 454 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:19,400 Help our eyes be open to the lives that have been told to us. 455 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:31,800 And Father, I pray that we will stand shoulder to shoulder as a church and storm the gates 456 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:40,400 of hell together, fully equipped with the army that you've given us to overcome the 457 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:43,720 evil in each. 458 00:42:43,720 --> 00:43:00,780 So Jesusğlu uh nécessaire and so always cherche 459 00:43:00,780 --> 00:43:05,800 förweder eyes or blood to苦 to go so the teaching to the souls is deep.