PREPARED FOR BATTLE 

 

EPHESIANS 6:10 - 22

            Sooner or later every Christian discovers that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground, and that we face an enemy who is much stronger than we are apart from the Lord.  Now I'm defining Christian the way it is defined in Acts 11:26 where it says “the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch".  A Christian is a disciple of Christ.  Jesus said in John 8:31 "if you continue in my words then are you my disciples indeed".  Continuing in His word means to hold fast to His teachings and live in accordance with His will.  So Christians are those who are committed to living their lives as God ordains.  Soon after we become Christians we begin to recognize that we seem to be always warring against something.  We may not understand what or who it is that we are warring against but it is evident that we are in a struggle.  By the way, Christians are not the only ones in the struggle.  Those who are not Christians are also in the same war.  They may not be aware of it, because their master is not as honest with them about what is going on as Jesus is with us.

            As Christians we face three enemies:  the world, the flesh and the devil. (Read EPHESIANS 2:1 - 3)  The world refers to the system around us that is opposed to God; in other words, society apart from God is the world.  The flesh is the old nature which we inherited from Adam.  It is the nature that is opposed to God.  Christ through His death and resurrection has over come the world.  He teaches us this in John 16:33 where He says I have overcome the world.  He has also overcome the flesh and the devil (Col. 2:15 says that he spoiled principalities and powers and openly made a show of them, triumphing over them).

EPHESIANS 1:19 - 23

            Here we see Jesus exalted above principalities, powers, might and dominion, and ever name that is named or every title that can be conferred now and forever more.  So as believers we do not fight for victory, we fight from a place of victory.  Through the Spirit of God we stand as victors with Christ. (Romans 8:37 says that in a time of distress, trial, famine, persecution, need, danger or war, we are more than conquerors through Christ.)  However, though the battle was has already been won, we must still go out to meet the enemy each day in battle.  It is as if we were fighting a war in Russia and the Russian president had already admitted defeat to the U.S. president.  However, the word of their defeat had not reached his troops yet.  Now though the U.S. troops know that the war has been won they must still fight and protect themselves until the call to retreat is sounded and they are brought home.  As long as they are on the battle field and the enemy is attacking they too must continue to fight in order to survive and get home.  Like the U.S. soldiers we as victorious Christian must each day dress for the battle, take up our weapon and go forth to fight the enemy and this we must do until we hear the call to retreat and come home.

            In our scriptural text this morning we see 4 needs associated with fighting a battle.

1.  Need 1 is to know the enemy (6:11-12)

            The intelligence corp. plays an important part in any war because it enables the officers to know and understand the enemy.  Unless we know who the enemy is, where he is, and what he can do, we have a difficult time defeating him.  We are told here in these verses that our enemy is the devil.  The word devil means accuser.  The devil accuses God people day and night before the throne of God.

REV. 12:7-11 - The angels rejoiced because the devil was kicked out of heaven.  They were glad because he spent all of his time there accusing the followers of God.  But the saints overcame his accusation because of Jesus’ sacrifice and their testimony of having Jesus as their savior.

            Our enemy is also called Satan which means adversary because he is the enemy of God.  He is called the tempter, the murderer and the liar, the deceiver and the god of this world.  But the devil is not alone in his warfare against God.  Paul also speaks here of principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness.  These are all names of different classes of evil spirits that work with the devil.  This suggests a definite army of demonic creatures that assist Satan in his attacks against believers.  Therefore, as believers, it is imperative that we remember that we are not fighting against other humans.  Though other humans may be the avenue through which the enemy works, our ultimate enemy is these spirits that influence human behavior.

            Do not be deceived into believing that the devil is a weak foe.  He is a defeated foe but not a weakling.  He still has enough strength to lead his army, to drag millions into hell with him and to cause some to turn from Jesus and follow after him.  He is a strong enemy, who uses our own flesh, the world and everything or everyone at his disposal to come against us.  We must have the power of God to stand against him.

            Our enemy is wise and crafty.  We are told that we must fight against his wiles.  Wiles means cunning, crafty arts, or stratagems.  We ought not to be ignorant of his devices.

2 COR. 2:9-11

            Though we should not be ignorant of the craftiness, deceit and strategies that Satan uses against us, we often times are.  We don't see his hand in our jealousy, in our hatred, our strife, our unforgiveness, our fear, etc.  Therefore we give him an advantage over us.  He takes any small advantage that we give him, no matter how minute, and slowly builds on it until he has a strong hold.  This is the enemy with whom we wrestle.  We are in a hand-to-hand battle with him.  Though we cannot see or touch him, we are not mere spectators at a fight, we are the fighters.

2.  Need 2 is for equipment and weapons

            Once we understand the nature of our enemy, we need suitable weapons and equipment.  

2 COR. 10:3 - 6

            Our fight is not carnal and neither are our weapons.  Our weapons are mighty and will pull down strong holds in our lives.  They will cast down all the bad images, bad habits, ungodly thoughts, etc., that attempt to flood us.  Our weapon of faith will rid us of fear.  The weapon of love will dislodge hatred, selfishness and jealousy.  Our weapon of truth will overcome deceit and dishonesty and our weapon of obedience will override unforgiveness and disobedience.  So our weapons are suitable for the battle.  We are also properly equipped for the war.

            Since we are fighting against enemies in the spirit world, we need special equipment both for offense and defense.  (Read EPH. 6:13-17)  God has provided us with the whole armor and we cannot afford to omit any part.  Satan looks for an unguarded area where he can attack.  We need the whole armor on so that we can withstand the evil attacks that come our way.   But before we talk about the armor itself, notice that our command is not to attack, but rather it is to stand.  We are to stand and hold the ground or territory that Christ has already conquered.  We know that through His death Jesus has broken the power of sin over our lives; He has provided us with a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that the world cannot understand.  Jesus became the bridge across which sinful man can walk and unite with the holy God.  We are commanded to not give up the ground which Jesus has already conquered for us.

            There are 6 pieces of equipment given to us in Ehp. 6.

            First, is the girdle of truth.  This is a belt worn around the loins.  The loins are part of the back and side between the hip and ribs.  They form the pivot of the body.  The loins also include the region of the reproductive organs.   The loins were considered the seat of  or place of strength.  The girdle was the soldier’s belt.  It symbolized power, strength and activity probably because it covered man's vital and reproductive organs and because the sword hung from this belt. 

2 Samuel 20:8

            As seen here the belt was used not only to hold the sword, but also it was used to gather the tunic or  other long clothes about the waist so that one could move about freely.    The term to gird up ones loins is used often in the scriptures and denotes preparation for battle or other activity requiring lots of motion.

            So we are told in Ephesians to gird our loins with truth.  Truth in the sense of personal honesty, sincerity and dependability must be the pivot point from which all of our actions as Christians flow.  This is important because a person of integrity,  with a clear conscience, can face the enemy without fear.  Once a lie gets into the life of a believer everything begins to fall apart.  For a year King David lied and tried to cover his sin with Bathsheba.  During that time everything went wrong for him.  Truth is one factor that  must be at the center of Christian character.  Being truthful allows us to move freely in our relationships.  As  a soldiers belt gave ease and freedom of movement, so the truth gives freedom with self, others and God.  A belt or girdle can be restricting, too tight and uncomfortable.  Sometimes being truthful brings discomfort and can be hard, but the repercussions of lying eventually will be more uncomfortable.

            Second is the breastplate of righteousness.  The breastplate was made of leather or metal plates and often covered the body from the neck to the waist, both front and back.  It symbolizes the imputed righteousness that the believer receives from Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).  It also symbolizes the righteous life that the believer is to live (Romans 6:13).  When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impregnable.  Words are no defense against accusations but a good life is.  The only way to meet accusations against Christianity is to show how good a Christian can be.               The breastplate of practical righteous living in our daily lives protects the heart which is considered to be the Biblical seat of one's personality, conscience and will.  As the soldier’s breastplate protected his chest from an enemy's attack, so sanctified righteous living guards a believer’s heart against assault from the devil.

            Third are the shoes of the gospel.  The Roman soldier wore sandals with hobnails in the soles to give him better footing for the battle.   If we are to stand and withstand against the enemy we must have a sure and firm foundation.  Christ is the foundation on which the Christian stands.  He is a firm foundation that cannot be shaken  Our love and commitment to Him and to His gospel are the nails that keep us firmly planted in Him.  The believer obtains stability and surefootedness from the gospel which allows us to stand firm and strong in the mist of the battle.  The sandals of the soldier allowed him to stand securely on wet slippery turf as well as on dry cracked ground.  Likewise a firm grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ will allow one to stand in the mist of life's trials, proclaiming the victory in the mist of each battle.  The sandals are also a sign of one equipped and ready to share the gospel of Christ with others.  One of Satan's main reasons for attacking believers is to keep us off balance so that we cannot advance.  But the believer who is clad in his armor, stands ready for battle and watches diligently for an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God through sharing the gospel.

            Fourth is the shield of faith.  The shield was large, made of wood and covered in tough leather.  The edges of the shields were constructed so than an entire line of soldiers could interlock shields and march into the enemy like a solid wall.  This suggests that we Christians are not to do battle alone.  Rather it suggests that one's faith is to act together with that of  fellow believers to present a united front against the devils attack.  The faith mentioned here is not saving faith, but rather living faith; a trust in the promises, will and power of God.  Faith is a defensive weapon  which protects us from Satan's fiery darts.  The idea here is that a Christian's faith in the Lord can stop and extinguish all flaming arrows the evil one aims at us.  In Paul's day, arrows, dipped in some inflammable substance like pitch or tar were ignited and shot at the enemy.  When the shield was presented to the dart, the dart sank deep into the wood and the flame was extinguished.  Satan constantly shoots fiery dart at our hearts and minds.  He shoots lies, evil  and hateful thoughts about and against others, doubts, temptations and burning desires for sin.  If we do not by faith quench these darts, they will light a fire within us and we find ourselves disobeying God.

            Fifth is the helmet of salvation.  Satan wants to attack the mind.  The helmet refers to the mind controlled by God.  When God controls the mind the Christian cannot be led astray.  This is why renewing the mind as spoken of in Romans 12:2 is vital.  Having one's head guarded by a helmet gives a sense of safety, so the assurance of salvation gives one a sense of protection and safety in God.  The Christian who understands his salvation, the cost that was paid and the prize to be won, will not be lead astray so easily.  This helmet of salvation speaks not only to forgiveness of our past sins, but gives us strength, courage and determination to conquer daily sin.

            The sixth and final piece of equipment is the sword of the Spirit.  The sword here used is the word of God.  The Greek word used here for word is Rhema which refers in general to the utterances of God given by the Holy Spirit into the heart of man.  These utterances may come from the written word of God, the preached word of God or the spoken word of God, but in all cases they are spoken or revealed in the heart of man.  This is the only offensive weapon we were given in this passage. 

Hebrews 4:12

            The word is  compare to a sword because it is sharp and able to pierce the inner man or the heart just as a material sword pierces the body.   The more you use a physical sword the duller it becomes but  using God's word makes it sharper in our lives.  A physical sword requires the hand of a soldier, but the word of God has its own power.  A physical sword wounds to hurt or kill, but the Word of God wounds to heal and give life to man.  When we fight against Satan with the Word of God, we deal him a crippling blow, keeping him from hindering the work and will of God.  From Matt. 4:1-11 we see the effect of the word on Satan.  We also see that he will attempt to use the word against us.  The better we know the word of God, the easier it will be to detect Satan's lies and stand against his wiles.

            If we are to win the daily battles that we must fight we must be properly dressed and know how to use our weapon.  No soldier wanting to win a battle would go into the battle unprepared.  But even the best dressed and equipped soldier still requires something else to fight a good fight. 

3.  He must have energy. (Eph.6:18)

            Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and swing his sword.  We cannot fight the battle in our own power.  Paul says we should always pray or we should be always communicating with God.  Whether God is talking or I am talking of if I am just sitting on hold waiting for Him to speak, the lines of communication should always be open.  This is what is meant in I Thess. 5:17 where it says pray without ceasing.  We are also told to pray with all types of prayers.  We talked last semester in Bible study about types of prayers.  We should not spend all of our prayer time praying for ourselves.  We should pray for others and spend time thanking and worshipping God.  We are told to pray in the Spirit.  I'm not going to spend time debating whether this is praying in tongues or not.  I will say that a prayer that is in the Spirit will be in accordance with the will of God because Romans 8:27 says that the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  We are told to stay on the alert and diligently pray for other saints.  In other words, we are to pray so that we have power and energy for the battle and to watch the back of other saints.  In my watching, I might see where the enemy is setting a trap for you.  I might keep you from getting attacked from behind and we might in turn be able to sandwich the enemy between us and cause him to flee or even defeat him in that particular area in your life.

4.  Need 4 is for encouragement (Eph. 6:21-22)

            As the battle lingers on the soldier sometimes gets tired and discouraged and may even lose hope that the end will ever come.  Paul says he sent someone to comfort them.  The soldier sometimes needs a letter from home, and encouraging word from a fellow soldier, or a motivational word from a high ranking officer.  Jesus said in John 16:7 that when he left He would send the comforter, the Holy Spirit, to  us.  I Thess. 4:18 tells us to comfort one another with the fact that one day we will leave the battle behind.  And sometimes God, through His Spirit and His word, drops a word of comfort and encouragement into our spirit.  The comfort of knowing we are not alone in this battle helps us to stand our ground, giving no place to the Devil, and fight the good fight of faith that we might lay hold on eternal life.

            What then do we as Christians need in order to be prepared for battle?  We need to Know Our Enemy.  We need to Have and Know How to Properly Use Our Weapons and Equipment .  We need Energy to Fight and Encouragement to Continue until it is time to go home.

            Some are not even near being prepared to fight and win the battle.  You do not know the enemy, have no equipment or weapons, have no energy and can not trust the encouragement you receive.  Why is this so?  Because you have missed a primary element required to win the battle.  You are still on the losing team.  You still have an allegiance to the Devil and whether you recognize it or not, you fight as an enemy of God.  However, you do not have to continue being God's enemy.  God will accept all defectors from Satan's army.