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(This sermon was preached at Eastview Baptist Church
on February 1, 2004. All Scripture 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Introduction: In our passage of Scripture, Paul uses the military to illustrate to believers about the conflict that we are in with Satan. Paul was chained to a Roman soldier (6:20), and his readers were certainly familiar with soldiers and the equipment they used (BEC). It was a good illustration to remind believers of the war that they too were in, and what is expected of them in the heat of battle. Its been said that, "Sooner or later every believer discovers that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground, and that he faces an enemy who is much stronger than he is" (SL). This is especially true the more involved you get in service and ministry. You see, Satan doesn't care if you are doing nothing for the Lord, he'll leave you alone - because you are no threat to him or his war on man. John MacArthur puts it this way, "A Christian who has no conflict is a Christian who has retreated from the front lines of service." That means they are AWOL! But be assured that if you get involved in serving the Lord, you can expect to face the heat of battle - head on! The more you serve, the closer you get to the enemy and the more of a target you become. Transition: This is why that as Soldiers of the Lord's Army, that we prepare ourselves for the battles that we will face. . . I. Our Preparation for battle
(vv.10-11a). 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His mightApplication: There's an old saying, "Let go and let God." This is what Paul is talking about here for the believer. Just as a soldier in today's army must be willing to put their trust and life in the hands of those who are leading them, Christians are commanded to do the same with Christ. We must put our total truth in Him, and in doing so He will provide His Soldier with all the strength, power and might that is needed to stand firm in the midst of battle. We are also reminded of this truth in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We are to be continuously empowered in union with Christ. He is the source of spiritual power and the spiritual battle require spiritual strength (LBC). Transition: Not only are we to put our total truth in Christ and allow Him to empower us to meet our enemy, He gives us further protection. . . 2. Through the putting on of all our armor (v.11a). 11a Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand. . .Application: The full armor of God is not something to be put on and taken off occasionally but is something to be put on permanently. It is not a uniform to wear only while playing a game and then to remove when the game is over. The armor of God is to be the Christian's lifelong companion. It provides believers with divine power from "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24: MacArthur). It is the equivalent of today's soldier's chemical warfare suit. Where the treat of deadly chemicals are real, their suit is their lifeline. To take it off, would be deadly. To only where part of it, leaves them exposed to the enemy and the end result is the same - death. Just as a soldier would be foolish to go into battle without every piece of his armor in place, so it is for the Christian. To leave off even one piece is to leave some area of our lives exposed and vulnerable (JISR). Transition: In military strategy one must never underestimate the strength of the enemy (EBCNT). Paul now addresses who are enemy really is. . . II. Our Enemy (vv.11b-12).
11b . . .the wiles of the devil Application: Warren Wiersbe sums this all up like this, "The admonitions Paul gave indicate that Satan is a strong enemy, and that we need the power of God to be able to stand against him. Never underestimate the power of the devil. He is not compared to a lion and a dragon just for fun! The Book of Job tells what his power can do to a man's body, home, wealth, and friends. Jesus calls Satan a thief who comes 'to steal, and to kill, and to destroy' (John 10:10). Not only is Satan strong, but we are told here that he is also wise and subtle" (BEC). The Apostle Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 11:3, "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (NIV). John MacArthur points out 9 ways in which Satan uses his craftiness to defeat the believer, some of them are direct and obvious, and others of them are indirect and subtle. First of all, he attempts to impugn God's character and credibility, just as he did with Adam and Eve so that people will distrust God. Second, Satan tries to undermine our current victories by generating trouble that makes life difficult, thereby tempting us to forsake obedience to God's standards and calling. Third, Satan attacks believers through doctrinal confusion and falsehood, so that those believers who are untaught in God's Word fall easy prey to wrong ideas about the things of God and biblical truth. Fourth, Satan attacks God's people by undermining their ministries to weaken and hinder their service to God. Fifth, Satan attacks believers by causing divisions. Sixth, Satan attacks believers by persuading them to trust their own resources and not to put their trust in the Lord to supply them with all that they need to accomplish God's work. Seventh, Satan attacks believers by leading them into hypocrisy by living disobedient lives before unbelievers which undermines the truth. The believer who is more concerned about his outward reputation than his inner spirituality does the devil's work, not the Lord's. Eighth, Satan attacks believers by leading them into worldliness, by enticing them to let the world squeeze them "into its own mold." In times of prosperity he finds it particularly easy to lead God's people into materialism, self-satisfaction, self-indulgence, hedonism, and contentedness with the things of this world. And the finally Satan attacks believers by leading them to willfully disobey God's Word. Because God wants us to act faithfully, the enemy encourages us to act unfaithfully. Although we should be aware of these devices of Satan, our defense against them is not simply our knowledge of them but rather God's provision to meet them. "Therefore, take up the full armor of God," Since we do not know exactly when, where, or how the enemy will attack, we need to have on all of God's armor all the time for our protection (MacArthur).1) The phrase "the wiles," ("methodeia" {meth-od-i'-ah}) which carries the idea of deceiving someone by craftiness or trickery that has been planned out. Transition: Not only does the Devil use his schemes to trap us, he also has help in putting his plans into action. . . 2. Its army - Demons (v.12). 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Application: Verse 12 makes it clear that our adversary is highly organized and has infiltrated every level of human society and beyond. The greatest mistake in military strategy is not only to underestimate the strength of the enemy, but the position of the enemy (government, the media, religion, family: JISR). The apostle John summarizes the attack points of the devil with the exhortation in 1 John 2:15-16, where he writes, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world[Satan's present domain] -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world" The phrase the world is not only referring to the physical earth, but also in the realm of our culture; the way we think and the way we behave. And the best way for Satan to succeed is to silence believers from sharing the gospel, thereby ensuring that man will remain separated eternally from God. When a Christian doesn't share the gospel, when God gives us the opportunity too, then we are actually helping the enemy to win the battle. Would you want to be on the front line of a heated battle with someone next to you who refuses to fight back? Would you trust someone like that? Can the Lord trust you and me to be faithful as we stand next to Him in the heat of the battle? We can be faithful and victorious if we will use all the equipment that God has provided for us! Transition: The word therefore in verse 13 is in effect saying, "realizing the concentration and organization of your enemies" (JISR), Paul once again reminds us what the key to our victory is. . . III. Our Key To Our Victory (v.13).
13a Therefore take up the whole armor of God. . .Transition: This leads us to Paul's next point. . . 2. Standing firm in the midst of the battle (v.13b). 13b . . .that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.Illustration: On the evening of October 20, 1968, a few thousand spectators were preparing to leave the Mexico City Olympic Stadium the 26 mile marathon had been won over an hour earlier. As the remaining spectators prepared to leave, those sitting near the gates suddenly heard the sound of sirens and police whistles. All eyes turned to the gate. A lone figure wearing number 36 and the colors of Tanzania entered the stadium. His name was John Stephen Akhwari. He was the last man to finish the marathon. He had fallen during the race and injured his knee and ankle. Now, with his leg bloodied and bandages, he grimaced with each hobbling step around the 400-meter track. The spectators rose and applauded him. After crossing the finish line, John slowly walked off the field. Later, a reporter asked him the question on everyone's mind: "Why did you continue the race after you were so badly injured?" He replied, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it" (Fresh Illustrations, Leadership Journal). Application: God didn't send His Son, Jesus Christ, all the way from heaven to earth to die for you and me so that we would quit, give up or even worse, never serve Him. God expects you to finish the race too! To do all to stand firm when the battle rages around you so that when the battle is over and the smoke clears, you will be found standing true to the Savior. 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong." Invitation:
A. If you're a Christian, you are at war and will continue to be at war until Christ returns and takes charge of earth.2. If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, then know that you are not neutral in this battle. A. Here's what the Bible says about you:1) James 4:4, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (NIV)B. To be on God's side (the winning side), one joins His army by taking the oath found in - Romans 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
v.10. -- Robertson: "in respect of the rest," like Gal.6:17- "be strong," ("endunamoo" {en-doo-nam-o'-o: v, imper, pres, pass, 2per, pl}): to be strong, enabled, empowered, to be able. -- Robertson: to empower.- "in" ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by, with. - "Lord," ("kurios" {koo'-ree-os: n, dat, masc, sg}); He to whom a person or thing belongs, master, Lord, possessor and disposer of a thing, sovereign. -- Wuest: The qualifying phrase, "in the Lord," defines the strengthening as Christian strengthening, such as can take effect only in union with the Lord (Expositors). The rendering, "be strong," could encourage one to self-effort at being strong, whereas the translation "be strengthened," causes the saint to depend on the Lord for the supply of that strength.- "and," ("kai" {kahee: conj, coord}); and, also, even, indeed. - "in," ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by, with. - "power," ("kratos" {krat'-os: n, dat, neut, sg}); of God's sovereignty, power, might, strength and dominion. -- Wuest: "relative or manifested power," "power as an enduement." The idea is, "in the active efficacy of the might that is inherent in Him."- "of His," ("autos" {ow-tos': n, pron, gen, masc, 3per, sg}); himself, his. - "might," ("ischus" {is-khoos': n, gen, fem, sg}); strength, power, might, ability. -- Vincent: Power of His might. See on Eph.1:19.V.11. - "Put on," ("enduo" {en-doo'-o: v, imper, aor, mid, 2per, pl}); dress, clothe onself with, to put on something. -- Wuest: "to envelope in, to hide in, to clothe with."- "the whole armor," ("o panoplia" {pan-op-lee'-ah: n, acc, fem, sg}); the full preparation of a foot soldier for offense and defense, full armor, weapons and armor, a complete suit of armor. -- Robertson: Complete armor in this period included "shield, sword, lance, helmet, greaves, and breastplate" (Thayer). Paul omits the lance (spear). Our museums preserve specimens of this armor as well as the medieval coat-of-mail. Paul adds girdle and shoes to the list of Polybius, not armor but necessary for the soldier. Certainly Paul could claim knowledge of the Roman soldier's armor, being chained to one for some three years.- "God," ("theos" {theh'-os: n, gen, masc, sg}); God the Father, God. - "that," ("pros" {pros: prep, acc}); to the advantage of, essential for, with regard to. - "may be able," ("dunamai" {doo'-nam-ahee: v, inf, pres, mid/pass, dep, acc}); to be able, be capable of, have power to. - "to stand," ("histemi" {his'-tay-mee: v, inf, aor, act}); to stand up to, offer resistance to, stand firm, hold one's ground, to stand firmly on one's feet. -- Wuest: The phrase "stand against" is a soldier's expression, used for standing one's ground, as against taking to flight.- "against," ("pros" {pros: prep, acc}); used here to indicate against something that is hostile. - "the wiles," ("methodeia" {meth-od-i'-ah: n, acc, fem, pl}); methods, procedures, schemes, craftiness, cunning, deceptions, cunning attacks, tricks. -- Robertson: He is a crafty foe and knows the weak spots in the Christian's armor.- "devil." ("diabolos" {dee-ab'-ol-os: adj, pron, gen, masc, sg}); slanderer, a false accuser, the devil. V.12. -- Wuest: Paul uses a Greek athletic term. Thayer defines as follows: "a contest between two in which each endeavors to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to press and hold down his prostrate antagonist, namely, hold him down with his hand upon his neck." When we consider that the loser in a Greek wrestling contest had his eyes gouged out with resulting blindness for the rest of his days, we can form some conception of the Ephesian Greek's reaction to Paul's illustration. The Christian's wrestling against the powers of darkness is no less desperate and fateful. One might be troubled at the change of figure from that of a Roman soldier to that of a Greek wrestler, arguing that a soldier does not engage in a wrestling contest clad in full armor. But the difficulty disappears when one sees that the figure of a wrestling match speaks of a contest at close quarters, and an individual contest, between the Christian and his demon enemies.- "against," ("esti pros" {es-tee' pros: v, ind, pres, act, 3per, pl and prep acc}); "to be" verb, denotes what exists; against. -- Robertson: used 5 times; face to face conflict to the finish- "flesh," ("sarx" {sarx: n, acc, fem, sg}); flesh, a physical body, used here of a person (of flesh and blood). - "and," ("kai" {kahee: conj, coord}); and, also, even, indeed. - "blood," ("haima" {hah'-ee-mah: n, acc, neut, sg}); blood, someone of physical descent. - "but," ("alla" {al-lah': conj, superord}); but, however, yet, nevertheless. - "against," ("pros" {pros: prep, acc}); against. - "principalities," ("arche" {ar-khay': n, acc, fem, pl}); used here of those with supernatural authority, rulers. -- Wuest: The literal Greek is, "Our wrestling is not against blood and flesh." The Greek reverses the order. The principalities and powers, are the,"first ones, preeminent ones, leaders,"- "against," ("pros" {pros: prep, acc}); against. - "powers," ("exousia" {ex-oo-see'-ah: n, acc, fem, pl}); authority, right, power. -- Wuest: "authorities," the demons of Satan in the lower atmosphere who constitute his kingdom in the air.- "against," ("pros" {pros: prep, acc}); against. - "the rulers," ("o kosmokrator" {kos-mok-fat'-ore: n, acc, masc, pl}); one holding power over the work, used in the NT for demonic forces, spirit-beings who control parts of the world system, world rulers. -- Robertson: The world-rulers of this darkness This phrase occurs here alone. In Joh 14:30 Satan is called "the ruler of this world." In 2Co 4:4 he is termed "the god of this age." The word kosmokrator is found in the Orphic Hymns of Satan, in Gnostic writings of the devil, in rabbinical writings (transliterated) of the angel of death, in inscriptions of the Emperor Caracalla.- "of the darkness," ("o skotos" {skot'-os: n, gen, neut, sg}); darkness, gloom, obscurity, used here as a metaphor of the domain under the authority of the devil and demons, realm of evil, evil world. -- Robertson: These "world-rulers" are limited to "this darkness" here on earth.- "of this," ("toutou" {too'-too: adj, demonstr, gen, neut, sg}); of this one, used to call attention to a designated person or object. - "spiritual hosts," ("pneumatikos" {pnyoo-mat-ik-os': adj, pron, acc, neut, pl}); spiritual, pertaining to the spirit, used here of spiritual forces of evil, supernatural evil power. -- Robertson: No word for "hosts" in the Greek. Probably simply, "the spiritual things (or elements) of wickedness."- "wickedness," ("poneria" {pon-ay-ree'-ah: n, gen, fem, sg}); of intentionally practiced ill-will, evil, wickedness, malice, evil purposes and desires. -- Robertson: depravity (Mt 22:18; 1Co 5:8).- "in," ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by, with. - "heavenly places," ("epouranios" {ep-oo-ran'-ee-os: adj, pron, dat, neut, pl}); heavenly regions, or of heavenly origin. (KJV = high places) -- Robertson: Our "wrestling" is with foes of evil natural and supernatural. -- Wuest: The heavenly places here are not those highest ones inhabited by the holy angels, but the lower heavens, the lower atmosphere surrounding this earth. -- Vincent: more literally, in the heavenlyplaces. Used in the general sense of the sky or air. V.13. -- Wuest: "on this account," because the fight is with such powers as the demons of Satan, "take unto you the whole armor of God."- "take up," ("analambano" {an-al-am-ban'-o: v, imper, aor, act, 2per, pl}); take up, pick up. (KJV = take unto) -- Robertson: of "picking up"- "the whole armor," ("o panoplia" {pan-op-lee'-ah: n, acc, fem, sg}); the full preparation of a foot soldier for offense and defense, full armor, weapons and armor, a complete suit of armor. -- Vincent: An interesting parallel passage, evidently founded upon this, occurs in Ignatius' Epistle to Polycarp, 6. "Please the captain under whom ye serve, from whom also ye shall receive your wages. Let no one of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism abide as your shield; your faith as your helmets; your love as your spear; your patience as your whole armor. Let your good works be your savings, that you may receive what is justly to your credit." Gibbon relates how the relaxation of discipline and the disuse of exercise rendered the soldiers less willing and less able to support the fatigues of the service. They complained of the weight of their armor, and successively obtained permission to lay aside their cuirasses and helmets (ch. 27).- "God," ("theos" {theh'-os: n, gen, masc, sg}); God the Father, God. - "you may be able," ("dunamai" {doo'-nam-ahee: v, subj, aor, pass, dep, 2per, pl}); to be able, to be capable of, to have the power to. - "withstand," ("anthistemi" {anth-is'-tay-mee: v, inf, aor, act}); to set one's self against, to withstand, to resist, to oppose, to refuse to yield. -- Wuest: "to stand against, resist, oppose," here to stand against the onslaught of the demons.- "in," ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by, with. - "the evil," ("poneros" {pon-ay-ros': adj, dat, fem, sg}); ill will, evil, wicked, malicious. -- Wuest: "pernicious, evil in active opposition to the good."- "day," ("o hemera" {hay-mer'-ah: n, dat, fem, sg}); the day, used here of a period of time appointed for a special purpose. -- Wuest: The definite article before "day," marks it out as a particular day, probably, as Expositors says, "the day of violent temptation and assault, whenever that may come to us during the present time."- "and," ("kai" (kahee: conj, coord}); and, also, even, indeed. - "having done," ("katergazomai" {kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee: v, part, aor, mid, dep, nom, masc, 2per, pl}); to perform, accomplish, as throughly working at something, prevail, overcome. -- Wuest: "to perform, accomplish, achieve, to do that from which something results, to carry something to its ultimate conclusion."- "all," ("hapas" {hap'-as: adj, pron, acc, neut, pl}); as expressing the totality of, all, the whole, all together, everything. -- Vincent: Everything which the crisis demands.- "to stand," ("histemi" {his'-tay-mee: v, inf, aor, act}); to stand up to, offer resistance to, stand firm, hold one's ground, to stand firmly on one's feet. -- Robertson: After the fight (wrestle) is over to stand as victor in the contest. |