Naylor Community Christian Church, Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ephesians
6:10-18
Ephesians
6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full
armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12
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. 13 Therefore 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. 14 Stand firm then, with
the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of
righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that
comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield
of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God.
18
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.
-- a few years ago, Paige Winter and
her family were on vacation at the beach in North Carolina -- she was standing
in waist deep water with her father -- just talking and enjoying the sunshine
and the waves hitting their bodies -- when, all of a sudden, Paige disappeared
-- at first, her father thought she
was playing, but then he realized what had happened -- a shark had grabbed
Paige and pulled her under the surface
-- without pausing, her father
immediately went on the offensive -- he dove under and attacked the shark --
punching it in the face over and over -- five times -- until it finally
released Paige and swam off
-- he helped his daughter to shore
and got her to the hospital, where they unfortunately had to amputate her leg above
the knee, along with several fingers because of her injuries
-- in the media interviews that
followed, the family praised the father’s efforts because the situation could
have been much worse -- without his quick intervention, Paige would likely have
been killed
-- but thankfully, her father was
there and ready to take action when something threatened his family1
-- thinking about this story of Paige
Winters and her attack by the shark, I couldn’t help but think about the
dangers that surround all of us in our daily lives
-- just like her, we can be having the
greatest time in our life -- standing there in peaceful, calm waters and
enjoying life with family and friends -- when, all of a sudden, we are attacked
and pulled under the water and left fighting for our lives -- maybe not against
an attacking shark -- but against spiritual enemies who are even more dangerous
to our eternal lives
-- this morning, we are continuing the
message, “Walking with Jesus in Spiritual Warfare,” that we began last week --
this is the last message in the “Walking with Jesus” series from the Book of
Ephesians that we have been going through
-- last week, we looked at what spiritual
warfare is -- focusing on verse 12 from this passage, where the Apostle Paul
reminds us that we are in a supernatural struggle with a spiritual enemy who is
trying to do everything he can to keep us from growing in Christ and to keep
others from coming to Christ for salvation
-- and Paul tells us that our situation is
similar to Paige Winters’ situation -- we can’t see our spiritual enemies with our
fleshly eyes -- we look around us and everything seems calm and peaceful -- but
underneath, this enemy lurks, seeking to devour us and to lead us astray
-- we talked about the forms that
spiritual warfare take -- from spiritual harassment and spiritual oppression
against God’s people to include even physical and mental anguish and even
sickness and disease, in some cases -- and we talked about how demon possession
of unbelievers still occurred on occasion in our day, and how Christians are
protected from possession because of the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling
us
-- so, this morning, I want us to spend
some time considering when spiritual attacks are most likely to occur and how
we can counter them with God’s mighty power and in His strength
II. Predicting Spiritual Attacks
-- when our spiritual enemies attack
us, it happens just like a shark attack -- sudden and immediate and deadly -- but
unlike a shark attack, we can be aware that we are in imminent danger and take
steps to avoid being attacked by our spiritual enemies and to be ready when
such an attack occurs
-- look back at verse 10-11
Ephesians
6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full
armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
-- so, Paul tells us here to get
ready -- to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power and to put on His
full armor, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes -- it’s
that idea of the devil’s schemes that I want you to think about
-- the devil has a plan -- he
schemes against us -- as Peter put it in 1 Peter 5:8, our enemy is like a
roaring lion -- going about looking for someone to devour -- scheming and
planning how he can take us down and keep us from our walk with Christ
-- and while the spiritual attacks
that come against us are individual in nature and are designed specifically
against us to take us down, there is a method in the madness -- there is a
pattern to the devil’s schemes -- he has been attacking humans since the garden
of Eden, and his methods and his schemes follow a similar pattern -- like a
shark in the ocean, he is looking for an opportune time and an opportune
occasion in which to attack
-- the first danger point occurs
when we first come to Christ -- new Christians are especially susceptible to
spiritual attacks -- as babes in Christ, they haven’t taken in enough of God’s
word and haven’t learned enough about God’s strength and power made manifest to
them through the Holy Spirit to stand up against an attack by the devil
-- that’s why the attrition rate
among new Christians is so high -- that’s why you hear of so many people who
have an experience with Christ -- who come to the altar and lay their lives
down and ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior -- who just a short time later turn
away -- who give up and go back to their old lives -- because they weren’t
ready to defend against the attacks of the devil
-- that's why we need to make sure and
follow up with new Christians and to disciple them in their faith as soon as
possible -- we can't leave them out there alone to face an enemy that they are
not prepared to face -- we have to help them and make them aware of the reality
of spiritual warfare early in their Christian life
-- we have to be like the buffalo -- when
wolves attack a buffalo herd, the wolves seek out the weak and the sick and the
injured -- they seek out the young and the vulnerable -- and concentrate their
attack there -- and if they can scatter the herd, they can easily pick off
those who are left behind
-- but if the buffalo are ready -- if they
are led by older animals who have experience with predator attacks -- they know
what to do when the wolves come -- rather than breaking and running and leaving
the weaker individuals on their own, they form a phalanx against them -- they
put the young and the weak and the vulnerable in the middle -- and they face
out against the enemy with their heads down and their horns visible -- daring
the wolves to attack -- and keeping the most vulnerable safe from danger
-- that is what we must do as the church
-- that is what we see told to us throughout scripture -- Paul told Titus to
have the older women teach the younger women and train them up in the way they
should go -- in the same way, he said the older men should be examples to the
younger -- and that Titus himself should set them an example by doing what is
good -- by teaching them the way of Christ -- and showing them how to live
lives of integrity and how to say “no” to ungodliness and spiritual temptations
-- all of us who have been Christians for
some time should find someone new in the faith -- not necessarily someone
younger than us, because older people may be new in their faith, as well -- we
need to find them and disciple them and mentor them and stand with them, so we
can help them stand against the devil’s schemes and his attacks
-- the second danger point -- the second
moment when we are more vulnerable to spiritual attacks is when we are going
through trials and troubles -- when we are afflicted with life
-- not everything that happens to us is a
spiritual attack -- some things happen just because we live in a fallen world
and some things happen as a consequence of our actions and our sins
-- but when we are weak and already down
-- when we are struggling with life or with spiritual issues -- when there’s
sickness or death in our family -- that's a time when Satan likes to step in to
deliver the coup de grace -- what better time to attack than when we are
already spiritually weak?
-- we need to know that those times are dangerous
-- we need to be aware of that in the lives of those around us -- and we need
to step in and take care of them when they are most in danger
-- the third time we are vulnerable to
spiritual attack is when we have achieved some notable success in spiritual
things -- maybe we're taking up a new spiritual discipline -- maybe we're
really growing in our spiritual lives -- maybe we've helped lead someone to the
Lord -- or maybe we've exercised our spiritual gifts
-- remember as a kid when we used to play
“king of the mountain” on the playground? -- and how easy it was for someone to
knock us from our lofty position?
-- when we're at the height of the
mountain, that's a good time to expect Satan to step in and try to take us down
-- that's why we see so many successful pastors and church leaders fall -- it's
because they've had some spiritual success and Satan has targeted them for
destruction
-- if you’ve really been growing in your
spiritual walk -- if you’re experiencing spiritual highs in your life -- be
careful -- pay attention -- and keep your eyes open for any spiritual attacks
that may come your way
-- as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12,” if
you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
-- the final way we are vulnerable to spiritual
attack is when we are idle in our faith and isolated from others who share our
faith -- when we’re not staying in the Word and not praying on a regular basis
-- when we miss church and miss our faith communities and find ourselves more
in the world than in the Way
-- it’s so easy for Satan to get to us
during these times -- just a little push -- a little distraction -- a little
temptation -- and we’ll reach for the trap like a kid reaching for a sucker --
we’ll give in and turn away from Christ and fall back in our faith
-- when you don’t feel like reading the
Bible -- when you don’t feel like praying or being around God’s people -- watch
out -- because you’re treading on thin ice and the bottom may soon give way
-- if you were Satan, who would you rather
come against? -- the church of God, united together and standing firm against
his attack -- or a lone person standing out there by themselves -- it just
makes sense that someone who isn't coming to church or meeting with other
Christians is vulnerable to attack
-- we need to be on the lookout for our
brothers and sisters who haven’t been joining together with other believers for
worship and life -- it is our responsibility to watch out for them and to
protect them by standing alongside them -- if they won't come to church, then
we need to be the church for them
-- so, those are the four times when
we have to be careful about spiritual attacks -- these are the times when it is
likely for Satan to attack us and to try to bring us down and divert us from
our Christian walk -- watch yourself and those around you in times like these,
and be ready to stand against the devil’s schemes when they occur
-- pay attention to your own
personal lives and try to identify the times when you experience spiritual
attacks -- is it when you are alone? -- with a crowd? -- on vacation? -- in a
motel? -- certain times of the day or certain seasons? -- think about when you
are most tempted -- when you are most distracted or diverted from your faith --
and know that that is when the devil has determined it is the best time to
personally attack you -- and stand firm and get ready before those times occur
III. Spiritual Defense
-- so, we know what spiritual
warfare is -- we know when it is likely to occur -- now, what do we do about
it?
-- the first thing to keep in mind
is what Paul tells us in verse 12 -- look back at that verse
12
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.
-- our struggle is never against
flesh and blood -- it is never against another person -- they are not our
enemy, although they may be used by our enemy -- remember that that rude person
that is attacking you -- that person who is hostile to your faith -- that
person who is under your skin -- they’re pawns in a spiritual battle -- they’re
not your enemy -- so, don’t take the battle to them -- take the battle to the
real enemy behind them
-- and since our enemy is not flesh and
blood, our weapons and our defenses against them cannot be physical, either --
hold your place here and turn over to 2 Corinthians 10 with me or listen as I
read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we
live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight
with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power
to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make
it obedient to Christ.
-- Paul tells us here that we are not to
wage war as the world wages war -- the weapons that we fight with are the
weapons of Christ -- the Word of Christ -- the Love of Christ -- the Peace of
Christ -- the Forgiveness of Christ -- against these, the enemy cannot stand --
against these, the enemy is powerless
-- Paul says here that these weapons have
divine power -- the very power of God -- to demolish strongholds, arguments,
and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God -- you
can think of strongholds as Satan’s castles -- as his forts -- as the places
where his power and influence stand greatest -- but even these are no match to
the power of God
-- Jesus said that the gates of Hell would
not prevail against us, referring to these strongholds and places of satanic
power in this world
-- notice that this battle is fought in
the mind -- that it is a battle of thoughts that come against us -- those
whispers of temptation that cause us to doubt -- that lead us astray -- that
cause us to sin -- to defeat these spiritual attacks from Satan, we take these
thoughts captive -- we make them obedient to Christ -- that means that we
counter these false thoughts and temptations by wielding the sword of the
Spirit -- the word of God against it -- by letting the Holy Spirit call to mind
God’s scriptures to counter what the devil is saying
-- think of Jesus’ temptation in the
wilderness -- every time the devil tried to tempt Him, Jesus countered by
saying, “It is written” and then He would quote scripture -- this is how we
take every thought captive, by defeating it with the word of God -- but that
means that we must know the word of God and have it hidden within us, ready to
be used when the battle comes
-- go back now to Ephesians 6 and let’s
finish up -- Ephesians 6:13
13
Therefore 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.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take
up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
18
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.
-- the key to success in spiritual warfare
is to not depend on yourself but on the power of God -- on our own, we will
fail -- on our own, we have no chance against the devil and his schemes -- but
when we stand in the mighty power of God -- when we are arrayed against the
devil in God’s full armor -- the victory is certain
-- the first piece of armor that he
mentions here is the belt of truth -- the belt was the foundation of a Roman
soldier's armor -- the belt secured the other armor and held it in place -- it
was used to cinch down the armor -- it was where the sword was carried --
without the belt you could not fight -- it is foundational -- so the first
piece of armor that we are told to take up is the belt of truth
-- remember who our enemy is --
remember how he is described in scripture -- in John 8:44, Jesus said that
Satan is a liar and the father of lies
-- there is nothing more insidious
than someone who lies -- someone who uses just enough truth to hide their
deception and who want people to believe something that is not true so they
will do what they want them to do
-- how do you fight a lie? -- how do
you come against false teaching and false beliefs? -- you combat lies with the
truth
-- the next piece of armor that we are
told to take up is the breastplate of righteousness -- the breastplate for a
Roman soldier was analogous to the Kevlar vest worn by police officers -- the
breastplate covered the heart and the vital organs
-- this is symbolically putting on the
righteousness of Christ to protect our spiritual hearts -- one thing that we
always need to keep in mind is that apart from Christ, we have no righteousness
-- when He died on the cross, the very righteousness of Christ -- the right
relationship He had with the Father -- the right lifestyle and holiness that He
possessed -- His right way of living -- was transferred to us
-- by taking up the breastplate of
righteousness, we are taking up Christ -- we are putting Him on -- we are
standing firm in a righteousness and a holiness that is not our own -- but that
was given to us to protect us from evil
-- here we're told to fit our feet with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace -- what Paul was envisioning
here was the footwear that the Roman soldiers wore when they headed into battle
-- more like boots than sandals, with cleats to help the soldiers maintain
their position on slippery ground and they laced all the way up the shins to
protect the lower legs of the soldiers from the enemy’s weapons
-- we all need to put on shoes -- we all
need to protect our feet -- our Christian walk -- our Christian witness -- but
we need to wear shoes that fit us and us alone -- relying on our personal
spiritual gifts and talents and abilities to stand against the devil
-- in verse 16, Paul writes: "in
addition to all this" -- King James says "above all" -- take up
the shield of faith
-- it all comes down to faith -- that’s
the great principle that Paul gives us in this letter -- Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith -- faith leads to salvation -- faith leads to walking with Christ
-- faith leads to believing the truth -- faith informs our Christian lives
-- Paul likens our faith to the shield
that the Roman soldiers used to protect them during battle -- the Roman shields
were large -- a soldier could hide behind them and keep all parts of his body
protected -- the Romans would also link shield together -- forming what they
called a phalanx -- an impenetrable wall of protection -- that would keep the
entire army from being overrun
-- the next piece in our armor is the
helmet of salvation -- the helmet of salvation protects our minds from the
attacks of the enemy and enables us to get back up when we fall -- the helmet
of salvation makes us sure of our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins
-- it protects our minds from the thoughts
and the temptations that demons whisper to us -- and it helps us to take those
thoughts captive in the power of Christ when they come
-- this next piece of armor -- the sword
of the Spirit -- is both defensive and offensive -- it not only protects us
from the devil's schemes, but it can be wielded with great power to regain the
ground that the enemy has taken
-- the sword of the Spirit is the word of
God -- there is no doubt about this -- you need to know this Bible -- like I
said earlier, you need to learn the word of God and make it a part of you in
order to protect yourself and to do what God has called you to do
-- The Greek word that we translate as
"word" here is "Rhema" -- a Rhema refers to a specific word
or "saying" -- In this case, it means a specific portion of God's
written revelation -- John 3:16 is an example of a rhema
-- when Paul says we are to take up the
rhema of God, he is saying that we should use Scripture to defend ourselves and
to resist the devil in our spiritual battles
-- and, finally, we are told to pray --
and while this is not comparable to a physical piece of armor, it is the glue
that holds it all together -- because through prayer, we engage the very person
of Jesus Christ -- in prayer, we call on the power of Heaven and the power of
God in our lives and in the lives around us -- in prayer, we stand with a
strength and a power that we do not possess on our own and that enables us to
defend against all the devil’s schemes and against any way he might try to
attack us
IV. Closing
-- A few years ago at a Willow Creek
Summit, Jack Groppel, who works with leaders to hone optimum performance,
showed two video clips from a recent training event.
-- The first video was of a group of NFL
linebackers. When they showed up for some leadership and team training at
Groppel's center in south Florida, Groppel had an assignment for them: all the
linebackers were to run through the woods on a forest trail to the fence which
surrounded the camp -- once they were there, they were to grab a ribbon from
the post at the center and come back to the facility
-- Groppel then added one final, important
detail -- he told them that a wild boar had been spotted in the forest that
morning. He explained how dangerous wild boars can be and how they all needed
to be on high alert and ready for danger -- with that warning, these
professional athletes -- all men trained and in the best physical shape
possible -- took off on a run to get the ribbon off the post
-- Now, in preparation for the activity,
Groppel had a cameraman hiding in the bushes along the trail -- and if you
watch the video from that training event, you’ll see these massive linebackers
come around the bend in the trail, but they’re not looking as confident as
before -- they’re shaky -- they’re jumping at every noise -- the fear of the
boar had them shaken
-- when the cameraman saw them come around
the bend, he began to snort and rustle the bushes -- and immediately, all the
football players turned tail and ran, squealing and screaming like schoolgirls
-- Then Groppel showed another video clip
-- It was of the same training scenario, only this time it's with CIA
operatives -- he gives them the same direction -- warns them about the
dangerous boar in the bushes -- and sends them off
-- the CIA members take off, just like the
football players did -- but when they come around the bend and hear the
cameraman making noises and rustling the bushes, they didn’t turn tail and run
-- each of them got into a combat position and held their ground against the
potential attack2
-- what made the difference? -- the
CIA operatives were trained -- they were ready -- they were looking for danger
-- they expected the attack -- and when they heard the noise in the bushes,
they stood their ground
-- that is exactly the attitude and
the character that we need in our lives and in our churches when it comes to
spiritual warfare
-- spiritual warfare is real -- our
enemies are real -- but that doesn’t mean that we fade away in terror or jump
at every noise in the night -- no, we stand firm in faith in our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ -- we stand firm because we know God stands with us
-- to sum up how we should approach
spiritual warfare in our lives, let me leave you with these four steps:
1.
Be aware of your enemy: Know your
enemy is real -- be aware of his schemes -- study the Bible and see how others
have been attacked by Satan and his demons and how they either succeeded or
failed -- the first step in succeeding in spiritual warfare is to know your
enemy and be ready for his attack
2.
Be dressed for success: Make sure
the first thing you do in the morning before you face your day is to suit up --
to put on the full armor of God -- to envision yourself putting on the belt of
truth and the breastplate of righteousness and all the other pieces as you pray
and as you get ready to go out -- we succeed in spiritual warfare when we’re
covered in the armor of God
3.
Be wary in vulnerable moments:
Learn when you are at your most weakest point -- whether that’s when
you’re alone in the valley or on a spiritual high -- recognize the times in
your life when you have fallen in the past, and guard yourself in the future
when those times occur again -- prepare yourself before the battle
4.
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power: Remember that success only comes when we rely
on God and His mighty power -- alone, we can do nothing -- but with God, we can
do all things -- we can stand against the devil and his schemes -- we can turn
away from temptation and sin in our lives -- and we can grow in grace and
become more like Jesus everyday -- but we only do this through faith and trust
in His power and not ours
-- with that, we’ll close this message and
this sermon series -- so, if you would, let’s join in prayer for strength and
protection and grace, as we go forward onto the battlefield
-- let’s pray
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2
Source: Mark Buchanan, in the sermon "Courage," PreachingToday.com
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