| Ephesians 6:10-20
There’s a War Going On--We're in a War,
a Raging Battle
In Jim Wilson’s “Principles of War” he
says this “war” we’re in is more deadly than any man has ever fought--the war
of the soul. [“Principles of War: How to
Use Proven Military Strategies in Spiritual Warfare” by James I. Wilson,
available online from http://www.amazon.com ] The spiritual warfare in New England appears
to be more intense than in southern California. It is harder for Christians to do things for
the Lord in this area than it has ever been for us out in California. Daniel 10 shows us there is a battle going on
that we don’t even see. I have seen a
great opposition to us right here in New England. It is very intense.
Ephesians 6:10-20, “Finally, be strong
in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you
can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and
with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With
this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should. Finally Brethren, be strong in
the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:1-7, 14-20 cross
references to this thought. Ephesians
1:15-23, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord
Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers. I
keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may
give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the
riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great
power for us who believe. That power is
like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet
and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 3:1-7,14-21, “For this reason I,
Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--Surely you
have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for
you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already
written briefly. In reading this, then,
you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was
not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the
Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the
Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and
sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus. I became a servant of this gospel by the
gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power…” (vs. 14-21) “For
this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and
on earth derives its name. I pray that
out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit
in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love that surpasses knowledge--that you
may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
for ever and ever! Amen.” You can
know about the power of God, but you need it in you to accomplish
victory. Our opponent is too great for
us alone, but he and those that are his are not too great for God’s power. When I think of New England, I think of
Gideon. He was the least of the least in
Israel. 130,000 Midianite soldiers
opposed him. There is a direct
correlation between physical warfare and spiritual warfare. Jim Wilson outlines 11 principles of warfare every
army must follow to succeed. I managed
to get 8 of them here:
- Every
army or fighting unit needs an objective.
- You
must be on the offensive, not defensive.
- Concentration of forces
[brings max. fire-power to bear on the target]
- Mobility [for
when you meet an obstacle, you can go around it.]
- Cooperation [team
work facilitates mobility, concentration of forces, being on the
offensive, economy of forces and pursuit of the enemy. This one’s very
important!]
- Economy of forces [no
wasted actions, firepower or manpower]
- Pursuit of the enemy
[cousin to being on the offensive. Taking the battle to his doorstep,
instead of letting him show up on yours.]
- Obedience [Our
marching orders in detail, showing the specifics of the territory and
battle we’re to fight, including minefields to avoid and other pitfalls and snares the enemy has laid out. The Law of
God contains all of this information. Jesus indwelling in us through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes obedience possible. On our own it is not possible.]
- What
is our objective? Evangelism
and reaping the harvest (making disciples), isn't it? This is the stated mission assigned by
our Commander-in-Chief, Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to
them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.’” [refer to link article “What is
Evangelism?” for an in-depth description of our marching orders,
evangelism see https://unityinchrist.com/evangelism/1.htm]
2.
An army on the offensive has a
military advantage. God's crippling blow
against Satan was Christ's death, burial and resurrection. A very good analogy was the crippling blow the
United States Navy delivered to the Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway. This one naval battle ended Japanese Naval
superiority. The rest of the war,
although extremely deadly, was a mop-up operation. The carriers the Japanese lost in that battle
was their famed Kido Buti, their famed fast powerful carrier strike force which
had hit Pearl Harbor. After that battle,
the Japanese had lost their offensive strike weapon--from experienced pilots to
the carrier force itself--they lost the whole offensive strike weapon. Our armour is intended to be offensive in
nature, helping us to go into harm's way. It is God's will that we be exposed to attack,
but not defeated. It's quite likely Paul
was chained to a Roman soldier as he wrote this passage in Ephesians 6. We are told to put on Christ here. We're told to put on the whole armour of God. Romans 13:11-14, “And do this,
knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our
salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the
day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us
put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in
revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and
envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” We
can see here that putting on the armor of light is accomplished by putting on
Jesus Christ. Jesus is the armor of God,
the armor of light. King David put off his armor in his castle when he should
have been in battle and he was hit harder than ever by Satan (the Bathsheba
incident). To put on the armor of God is
to hang out with the Lord. We don’t have
a choice here. John 14:6, “Jesus said
to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.” [Hudson Taylor
finally learned what it is to “put on Christ.” Refer back to the section about
Hudson Taylor to more fully understand this essential principle.]
Standing
militarily equals:
- Having
good intelligence, knowing your enemy's plans.
- Having
good protection, offensive armour. [putting on
Jesus.]
- Having
good offensive weaponry.
Who’s our enemy? Isaiah 14:12-15, “How you have fallen from
heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who
once laid low the nations! You said in
your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars
[angels] of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost
heights of the sacred mountain [Hebrew: sides of the north]. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I
will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the
depths of the pit.” Revelation
12:3-4, 7-12, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and
ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars [the word
stars can symbolically refer to angels when used in certain contexts] out of
the sky and flung them to the earth…And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost
their place in heaven. The great dragon
was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the
whole world astray. He was hurled to the
earth, and his angels with him. Then I
heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now
have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Christ. For the accuser
of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down. They overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not
love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who
dwell in them! But woe to the earth and
the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that
his time is short.’” There could be
billions of angels in existence. Satan
deceived and drew one third of all of them to himself. Satan or his demon allies are not Omnipotent,
or omnipresent like God is. Satan may
have been the counterpart of Michael. Satan
is called a roaring lion by Peter. 1st Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the
same kind of sufferings.” 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. And
no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants
masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “And even
if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the
minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [for my about knowing your enemy, Satan,
see https://unityinchrist.com/Satan/satan.htm] The mind of the enemy: Read Job 1:6-22; 2:1-10. God uses Satan. Look also at Joseph's life. His brothers meant evil, but God worked it to
the good. Satan's weapons are ignorance,
and lies. The external weapon he
uses is the world, his societies which make up the world we live in. The internal weapon he uses against us are the
desires of the flesh. God’s ultimate
weapon is Love, Agape Love, and forgiveness. Forgiveness and love disarms the enemy and his
works. Your battle is never against
people. Daniel 10:4-14, “On the
twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the
great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in
linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like
lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of
burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. I Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision;
the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled
and hid themselves. So I was left alone,
gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly
pale and I was helpless. Then I heard
him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to
the ground. A hand touched me and set me
trembling on my hands and knees. He
said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am
about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.’ And when he said this to me, I stood up
trembling. Then he continued, ‘Do not be
afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that
you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God,
your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom
resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to
help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. [A spirit
king, the prince of Persia] Now I have
come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the
vision concerns a time yet to come.’”
Ephesians 6:12-13, “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 spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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.”
Verses 14-19, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet
fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With
this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should.”
The first article of our armor is the
“belt of truth
There are two interpretations for this belt.
- The
Word of God [but the "sword of the Spirit" is defined as the
word of God.
- A
true sincere life without hypocrisy.
A hypocritical life will lead to
defeat. You’re an easy target for Satan
if you’re a hypocrite. Satan is “the
accuser of the brethren.” Don’t give him
ammo! John defines spiritual hypocrisy
pretty accurately. 1st John 1:1-8, “That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim
concerning the Word of life. The life
appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal
life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with
his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him
and declare to you: God is light; in him
there is no darkness at all. If we claim
to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the
truth. But if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. If we claim we have not
sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
John here either gives you confidence that you are in the Lord, or a hypocrite,
with you pants down around your ankles! It's hard to fight with your pants down around
your ankles. That’s why the admonition
to put on the “belt of truth.” Our heart should be to do the truth, to
live it. God is not into lip-service. Obedience is very important in warfare,
especially spiritual warfare. When the
church is girded in truth it is strong. When it is girded in disobedience it is broken
down and weak. Obedience is like a
soldier’s marching orders for a particular upcoming battle. You follow them. You don’t neglect specific details in these
orders which tell you to go this way or not to go that way—to avoid pitfalls in
the terrain or enemy entrapments and minefields. Remember, obedience is the 8th principle of waging successful warfare. Being
8th doesn’t make it less important. Missing any one of these points can cause
failure. If you don’t think so, watch a
real war movie about soldiers who unknowingly walked into a minefield. A Roman soldier's belt also held the famous
Roman short-sword. This weapon was a
superior weapon in close combat situations. Verse 17, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.” Jesus took up and used the “sword of the
Spirit” against Satan in his titanic battle with the devil in the desert.
Matthew 4:1-11.
Our Armour & Weaponry
The Belt of Truth and the Breastplate
of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14-19, “Stand firm then,
with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted
with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With
this mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery
of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should.” Of the two articles
of our armor we’ll look at today, the belt of truth was an article used to
secure the soldiers armor and weapons. To
have a lose belt would be to fight with your pants down, so to speak. There are two interpretations for the belt,
but since the word of God is the sword of the Spirit, the second one seems to
apply.
- The
Word of God
- The
true sincere life without hypocrisy. A hypocritical life will lead to
spiritual defeat. You’re an easy
target for Satan if you’re a hypocrite. Satan is called the “accuser of
the brethren.” (Rev. 12) Don’t give
him ammo!
1st John 1:1-8, “That which
was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning
the Word of life. The life appeared; we
have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which
was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with
his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our [Some manuscripts your]
joy complete. This is the message we
have heard from him and declare to you: God
is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet
walk in darkness, we lie and do not live in the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin. If we claim to
be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him
out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1st John 1:1-8 either gives you
confidence that you are in the Lord, or as hypocrite, with your pants down
around your ankles! Our heart should be
to do the truth . God is not into lip-service. He is into life-service. 1st Peter 2:11-12, “Dear
friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from
sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify
God on the day he visits us.” What
Peter is saying is that obedience is important in warfare, especially spiritual
warfare. When the Church is girded in
disobedience it is broken down and weak. Psalm 119:1-16, “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk
according to the law of the Lord. Blessed
are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. You have laid down precepts that are to be
fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were
steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then
I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise your righteous laws. I will obey
your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me
stray from your commands. I have hidden
your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your
decrees. With my lips I recount all the
laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice
in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your
ways. I delight in your decrees; I will
not neglect your word.” For a
Christian, Jesus defined the law of God right down to its spiritual intent in
Matthew 5:17-48. Read this section and
meditate on it. This is the heart and
core of God’s law that we are to live by and fashion our lives around. Living by this law girds the belt of
truth to us firmly. Meditating
on it fastens it into our minds if the Spirit of God dwells in us. Stop right here and turn to Matthew 5:17-48
and read it through meditatively. Do so
for a week and see what happens. You are
fastening the mind of Christ in you. Follow
what you read and hypocrisy will flee you. The belt is tight now. Now gird on the sword of the Spirit.
The Sword Of The Spirit
A Roman’s belt also held the famous
Roman short-sword. This sword was a
superior weapon in close combat situations. Let’s see Jesus himself in action with his
spiritual Roman short-sword which he used against Satan. We find Jesus led of the Spirit into the
desert, where he fasted for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:1-2). When you fast like this, you’re hungry. For the first two or three days you are
hungry, and then that hunger goes away. Then
when you are about to die (some time after forty days
if you’re real strong or have a lot of fat on your bones), the hunger comes
back with a vengeance. Satan hit at this
time, trying to defocus Jesus and refocus his attention on the physical. Jesus defense was this offensive statement. He took a particular part of Scripture and
used it to destroy Satan’s plan and temptation. Verse 3-4, “The tempter came to him and
said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ [Satan
was also tempting Jesus with pride, with the statement, “If you are the
Son of God.”] “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ [Deuteronomy 8:3] Verses 5-7, “Then the devil took him to the
holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw
yourself down, for it is written:
‘He
will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your food against a stone.’ [Psalm 91:11-12]
Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ [Deuteronomy 6:16] Verses 8-11, “Again the devil took him to a
very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘If you will bow down and
worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away
from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship
the Lord your God, and serve him only.’" [Deuteronomy 6:13.] Satan is not only the “accuser of the brethren”
but the great tempter. The sword of the
Spirit can be used successfully against the temptations of both Satan, his
demons, and the world. We will cover
this weapon in a later study with some more Scriptural details.
The Breastplate Of Righteousness
The breastplate of righteousness--Jesus
in you is the breastplate of righteousness. It’s not our own righteousness, but his. Jesus is also the shield of faith which has
the special ability to quench the flaming arrows of Satan. Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in his mighty power.”
2nd Chronicles 14:2-15, “Asa did what was good and right in the
eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the
foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the
Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to
seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars
in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. He built up the fortified cities of Judah,
since the land was at peace. No one was
at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest. ‘Let us build up these towns,’ he said to
Judah, ‘and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought
the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.’ So they built and prospered. Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men
from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and
eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men. Zerah the Cushite marched out against them
with a vast army [Hebrew with an army of a thousand thousands (i.e. a
million man army!)], and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. Asa went
out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah. Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said,
‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you,
and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God;
do not let man prevail against you.’ The
Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, and Asa and his
army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his
forces. The men of Judah carried off a
large amount of plunder. They destroyed
all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the
Lord had fallen upon them. They
plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there. They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen
and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.” Then read 2nd Chronicles 16:1-14. Asa stopped relying on God but tried to rely
on his own wit and schemes. God was
testing the heart of Asa. He knew
previously that he couldn’t stand against that million-man army without a
divine miracle, but this problem wasn’t so bad, so he reasoned that he could
figure a way out on his own without relying on the Lord. Verses 8-9 of 2nd Chronicles
holds the key. “Were not the Cushites and Libyans a
mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered
them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to
strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on
you will be at war.” As a church and as individuals, we have to “be
strong in the Lord.”
Our Army Boots, Roman Military Sandals Of The Gospel
Ephesians 6:15, “and with your
feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…” Shoes,
or army boots, or in Paul’s case, Roman military sandals, were defensive,
giving a sure foothold to the soldier wearing them. If the enemy can knock you over or off
balance, you’re an easy kill. The gospel
of peace, if you rest in the gospel of peace, the gospel of Christ, you can’t
be toppled over. [Romans 1-8 is the
clearest description of the gospel of Christ ever written, and Paul gives a one-chapter
version of the whole Gospel in 1st Corinthians 15. What is the Gospel? seehttps://unityinchrist.com/misc/WhatIsTheGospel%20.htm] Psalm 94:18, “When
I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.”
Psalm 34:17-22, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers
them from all their troubles. The Lord
is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but
the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them
will be broken. Evil will slay the
wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be
condemned who takes refuge in him.” Psalm
40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the
mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Cry out to God for his power. Remember our primary objective? Matthew
28:18-20 if anyone forgot. It is to evangelize. Ephesians 6:15 (new King
James), “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Isaiah 52:7 shows this gospel
being offensively brought, and makes direct reference to the feet of those who
bring it. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring
good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call
on the one they have not believed in? And
how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them? And how can they
preach unless they are sent? As it is
written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news!’”
The Shield Of Faith
The Shield of Faith: The Roman shields could be interconnected so
they could march right into and through the hostile fire of the enemy, until
they broke through the enemy lines. It
was a defensive weapon used for offensive fighting. When flaming arrows were being shot, they
locked shields and marched forward into the hostile fire, not away from it. Hebrews 11:30-39, “By faith the walls of
Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she
welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what more shall I say? I do not have the time to tell about Gideon,
Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith
conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who
shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames, and escaped the edge of
the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in
battle and routed foreign armies. Women
who received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be
released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still
others were chained and put in prison. They
were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated--the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in
caves and holes in the ground. These
were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been
promised. God had planned something
better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” [cf. 1 Corinthians 15:49-54.] When the
allies took Normandy the war was already won, so to speak [and giving much
thanks to the Soviet Russians, see https://unityinchrist.com/topical%20studies/America-ModernRomans1.htm] All in Europe knew it was won. But there were battles that still needed to be
won to bring ultimate victory. The
Nazi’s were no longer conquering the world, they were in the process of being
conquered. The key battle of Midway
spelled the doom of the Japanese Navy, which was their only offensive tool for
conquering the Pacific empire they were building. This victory at Midway won the war for us. The next four years brought fierce battles,
but they were all mop-up battles which would bring ultimate victory. The war was already in the bag after Midway--the
Japanese offensive strike weapon, the Kido-Buti had been destroyed in one day. Jesus at the cross destroyed Satan’s victory
over mankind. The redemption of mankind
was a sure thing after this. When Joshua
conquered Jericho all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan knew they had lost
the war--that they were goners. But the conquering of Canaan required years of
battles to finish the job. Read the book
of Joshua. We are in the spiritual
counterpart of what Joshua and his soldiers did. Joshua was a symbol for Jesus Christ, and we
are in the army of Jesus Christ, fighting spiritual battles that are just as
real, for spiritual territory--the souls of men and women around the world.
The Helmet Of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation: 1st Thessalonians
5:7-11, “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get
drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting
on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake
or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each
other up, just as in fact you are doing.” The hope of salvation--the hope of your future--the kingdom of heaven--starting
with tomorrows world spent ruling in the Millennial Kingdom of God as immortal
kings and priests under Jesus Christ our King of kings and Lord of lords (cf.
Revelation 5:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:49-54). The Old Testament is chuck full of prophecies
about the kingdom Jesus will usher in when he returns to earth. Revelation 19-20 just gives a peek into the
beginning of it. Read Isaiah 11,
Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36 and Zechariah 14 just for starters. Then read Revelation 2-3; 5:9-10. Revelation 20:4-6. Our hope is in the future. Right now we’re in
a war. [seehttps://unityinchrist.com/Prophets_Prophecy.html]
Ephesians 6:17,
The Sword of the Spirit
In John White’s book “The Fight” he
mentions some college students who came to Christ. He mentioned how that their initial conversion
seemed real enough, but that as he observed them immediately after their coming
to Christ, he said, “They seemed like an unlikely bunch.” They just didn’t seem with it spiritually. Their actions and language didn’t seem to fit
with those of other Christians. What he
was getting at was that these young men seemed to be more in the world in their actions and language, than in Christ. But they were in the Word, studying
God’s Word on a daily basis. Then lo
and behold when he had opportunity to observe this same group a year later,
they were transformed. He knew by
observing their actions and language that they were indeed Christians. What happened? The simple answer: Their conversion had been genuine enough. When God the Father draws us to Jesus (John
6:44), he draws many of us just as we are. You’re familiar with the song, “Come as you
are.” But these young men studied
the Word of God, delved into it, on a daily basis. And with Jesus in them, his Word had a
transforming effect. The key for them
was studying the Word of God on a daily basis. When we’re alone with God in His Word on a
daily consistent pattern, change is going to happen. We grow in grace and knowledge. How many times have you studied the Word of
God this week? If you haven’t been
effectively studying the Word of God on a daily basis, you’re like a soldier
without a sword--without his or her weapon. Without personal daily Bible study it’s like
going into battle in ‘Nam or Desert Storm without your ammo clip. You have an empty gun. Someone who seeks God is going to be in the
Word daily. Ephesians 6:17, “Take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The sixth article mentioned in Ephesians 6 is
the sword of the Spirit, which is defined right there as the
word of God. The word used for “word” here in Greek is Rema which means a small portion of Scripture. This denotes that a Scripture will come into
your mind at a specific time to help you fight a specific battle. Jesus Christ’s prime example of this use of
the sword of the Spirit is found in Matthew 4:1-11. Each time (as we saw earlier) that Satan
tempted Jesus, Jesus countered Satan with a specific Scripture. But without being in the Word on a consistent
daily basis, over a period of time, your mind and the Spirit of Jesus won’t be
able to call up the right or appropriate Scripture needed to fight a temptation
or guide us in a questionable situation. It’s that simple. There are three ways the sword can be used:
- To
bring about personal growth,
- To guide us,
- To
guard us.
Point 1. The Word of God
causes growth in us when we study it to commune with God. We as Christians are in a spiritual battle
with Satan and his world. Satan won’t
stop attacking us because we don’t have our sword in our hands. 2nd Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.” Paul has this to say about
people who don’t effectively gird on their sword. Hebrews 5:11-14, “We have much to say about
this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all
over again. You need milk, not solid
food! Anyone who lives on milk, being
still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use [i.e. constant daily Bible study--communing with God in His
Word] have trained themselves to distinguish good from
evil.” You don’t learn about God
just by having a Bible in the house. You
must open it, study it, and learn it. When you study, it helps if you kneel down at
first and pray, “God I want to encounter you.”
Point 2. God’s Word guides us. David in one of his psalms says it’s a lamp to
our feet, lighting up the path we’re walking on in life. David prayed, “Let no iniquity rule over
me.” God’s Word provides moral
guidelines. It is for any person in any
society. The truths in God’s Word are
for any age. Scripture reveals God
himself. Scripture will do more than
tell you a certain thing or contemplated action is right or wrong, Scripture liberates us. Hebrews
4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God’s Word helps us look right into our own
minds, hearts, soul, where our attitudes are formed. Then through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
of God, Jesus in us (John 14), the active Word of God, the Logos, changes
us, our thoughts, our attitudes and then downstream from that, our actions!!! In my personal life, right this morning,
I had just woken up, and started to daydream about this girl. Immediately a specific Scripture flashed into
my mind. Matthew 5:27-28, “You have
heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a
woman lustfully [and that includes mentally, daydreaming] has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.” Now this Scripture fit, because I am
married. When this Scripture flashed
into my mind, I threw the daydream out of my mind and got up to make some
coffee. The sword had protected me once
again, and character was built up and not destroyed. But had I not been familiar with the words of
Jesus in Matthew 5, what would I have done? The Word of God in us stops sin in its’ tracks, before it has time to fester and grow! [The Jews and some old Sabbath-keeping Church
of God groups celebrate the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. These Days of Unleavened Bread are observed
for one week, where they have to get rid of all leavened products and keep them
out of their homes and not eat them for one week, starting at the Passover. (They have to eat Unleavened Bread instead,
for those seven days.) One of the
symbolic meanings for leaven in Scripture is that it represents sin. The Jews know this, as well as the Sabbath-keeping
Churches of God fellowships. Leaven is
all around us. It’s in the air as tiny
microscopic spores. The evil broadcast
of Satan is all around us also, putting sinful thoughts into the unsuspecting
simple-minded souls. The Days of
Unleavened Bread, a part of God’s Old Testament law, was not done away for
Christians, as many believe. They were
transformed and made active and new. The
spiritual intent of the Days, the reality of them, is lived in us whenever we
cast out sinful thoughts and/or actions, and replace them with eating the
Unleavened Bread of Jesus (John 6). The
Holy Days the ancient Hebrews observed, the Holy Days observed by the Jews to
this day, Paul said were a shadow for what the Lord does in us. If you are living in the Word, and it is active
in you, you are casting out the leaven of Satan, the spores of his evil
thoughts which fill the air. He is the
prince of the power of the air, Paul said. We today can understand better than those
before us how he charges the airwaves with his evil broadcasts. We have modern radio and television. And I don’t just mean he uses these, although
he does. He broadcasts his attitudes and
even sinful thoughts into the minds of unsuspecting mankind. So in a very real sense, these Days of
Unleavened Bread are observed by Christians, as they live in the Word of God,
casting out the leaven of Satan and his societies of man.] And it is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of
God, which and who is actively in us performing this work. Jesus wants us to be intimately acquainted
with the process in this battle, and thus we’re responsible for putting the
knowledge of God’s Word within our minds. Then he, the Logos, Jesus Christ through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, will paint or illuminate a specific
Scripture when it is needed. He will not
always do this if we have not effectively placed enough Scriptural emmo into our minds. In modern warfare, with the use of laser
targeting devices, we have the term to paint a target. This means that "recon" soldiers use
invisible lasers to paint or point out an enemy target. Then other forces "home in" on this
target and destroy it. In a much similar
way, Jesus can paint a spiritual target with a specific Scripture, and
then when we see it illuminated, we can destroy it. He did just that this morning. Jesus, the living Logos painted up a target in
my mind with Matthew 5:27-28. Then I
destroyed the target! And that gets us
into the third point. Even David pointed
out the light bearing qualities of the Word of God. Psalm 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light for my path.”
Point 3. God’s Word will guard you. Psalm 119:9-11,33-37,
43-48, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me
stray from your commands. I have hidden
your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…Teach me, O Lord, to
follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your
law and obey it with all my heart. Direct
me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not
toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away
from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word…Do not snatch
the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and
ever. I will walk about in freedom, for
I have sought out your precepts. I will
speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight
in your commands because I love them. I
lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your
decrees.” Wow! Read the whole psalm. Then you will come to realize why God
promised that he would place king David as resurrected
immortal king over the twelve tribes of Israel upon the return of Jesus to set
up the kingdom of God on earth! Even the
twelve apostles, promised to rule each over one tribe apiece, will have David
as their immediate king over them (read Ezekiel 37:21-22, 24). Is it any wonder? A whole book of the Bible is devoted to the
precepts of God. Let’s take a short look
at it. Proverbs 6:20-29, 32-35, “My
son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them
around your neck. When you walk, they
will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they
will speak to you. For these commands
are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the
way to life, keeping your from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of the
wayward wife. Do not lust in your heart
after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute
reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his
clothes being burned? Can a man walk on
hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished…But a man who commits adultery lacks
judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame
will never be wiped away; for jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will
show no mercy when he takes revenge. He
will not accept the bribe, however great it is.” The Word of God is another big part of
revival. Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we
understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen
was not made out of what was visible.” God is invisible, but he’s there. He’s a consuming fire. Satan our enemy and his host of demons are
there also. They are also invisible. We are at war with a powerful invisible enemy. Our ammunition is the Word of God. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Jesus is the active living Word of God, the
Logos (read John 1:1-11). Jesus gave us
an example of how the sword of the Spirit is to be used in Matthew 4:1-11. No matter what weapon analogy you chose to
use, let’s pick up our weapons, our ammo clips, and let’s fight!
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