Word of Salvation - December 2010

 

BEING PREPARED FOR BATTLE – PART 1, Peter Smit

(Sermon 13 of a series on Ephesians, Series Title – Ephesians: Portraits of a living church

 

Text – Ephesians 6:10-12

 

It is a great day when people give themselves to God and profess their faith in Jesus Christ. It is a great day because God has been at work changing people’s lives. God is faithful to his promises. It can be a mountain-top experience when people profess faith in Christ.

 

But next to every mountain top you find a valley. Sometimes they’re deep and dark. And even mountain tops can get covered with cloud. The grand view you saw can be obscured in a moment. That’s a picture of life. You have great bright days, and dark and difficult days.

 

The Bible’s realistic about that. In fact, as a Christian God says you’ve got to be ready for dark days. Because the Bible says that the Christian life is a battlefield. On the battle field you’re going to experience dark days, hard times, threats, discouragement and disappointment. So you’ve got to be prepared.

 

In Ephesians Chapter 6 God teaches us about how to be prepared for battle.

Paul starts by saying in vs 10, “Finally”. He’s not saying, we’ve got through all the important stuff about Jesus and his saving work on the cross. We got through God’s teaching on how to have great relationships in marriage, with your kids, and how to live for God in your workplace, that’s all the important stuff and now here’s a little extra bit on the end.

 

No. What Paul is saying here, is absolutely essential teaching for a Christian.

This is probably one of the most important things you need to be aware of as followers of Jesus Christ.

He’s teaching you…

 

How to be prepared for spiritual battle.

In my experience as a Christian leader and pastor, when God does a great and powerful work in someone’s life it can often accompanied by really difficult challenges that come out of the blue. Great disappointments can happen; or hardships, or temptations or struggles. The apostle Paul experienced really difficult times in his Christian life.

Listen to what he said to the church in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 1:8

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…

 

If people tell you that when you become a Christian everything is smooth sailing and God will solve all your problems, don’t believe them. Jesus never promised that.

In John 16:33 Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble”.

You’ll face hardship, persecution, rejection. At times the battle will be within, with doubts , despair and dark days.

But God makes a promise to you – “I’ll never leave you and I’ll never forsake you”.

Even in those dark days, those deep valleys he can fill you with indescribable divine peace

Jesus said, in me you may have peace. John 16:33

 

But you’ve got to be prepared for the battle.

Paul gives you two basic strategies here for standing strong in the midst of spiritual battle.

1. An awareness strategy (what is happening and why)

2. A response strategy (how you respond to the battle)

Today we’re going to look at your awareness strategy, next week you’ll get part 2 of God’s teaching here: your response strategy.

 

1. AWARENESS STRATEGY:

Paul teaches us that there are two main things you need to know. You got to:

a. Know your need for God’s strength.

b. Know your enemy.

 

A. KNOW YOUR NEED FOR GOD’S STRENGTH.

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

In this short phrase Paul uses three different Greek words for strength.

NASB Ephesians 6:10

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might .

 

If God says something three times in thirteen words, you want to sit up and listen.

The p oint is you are going to need strength to live the Christian life.

If you try to do it in your own strength you’ll fail.

 

Please remember that. Many of us here have tried and failed. You can’t live up to God’s standard unless you are drawing from God’s strength. That’s why Paul said back in chapter 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. You need God’s Spirit to fill you and empower you.

 

So how can you be strong in the Lord and in his strength?

 

You do what Paul has said in this letter. You build your life on the promises of God.

Believe 1:7 that in Jesus you have redemption through his blood, your sins are forgiven, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on you.

 

You believe 2:8 that by God’s grace he has saved you, through faith, not by your works , not by you living “a good life” because none of us are good enough, our sins condemn us. But you believe that by grace, God’s unmerited favour, he reached out to you and saved you. Your salvation is God’s gift to you. You didn’t earn it and you don’t deserve it.

 

You believe 3:12 that you can approach God’s throne with freedom and confidence.

 

And you pray 3:18 that you may have power with all God’s church to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 

When you believe these truths and God’s Spirit is filling you daily, you will receive God’s mighty strength.

Paul’s saying be strong but be strong in God’s mighty power.

You are responsible to draw near to God, to believe his word and have faith and pray.

As you do that God supplies you with His inner power.

You could compare receiving God’s strength to jumping on a trampoline.

You’ve got to believe the trampoline will enable you rise higher, and based on that belief you have to start to jump, with each jump you’re taken higher.

 

In the same way to be strong in God involves action, prayer, unflinching faith, and pressing in to God. In his grace he will provide you with his unending strength.

 

Remember God has mighty power, to strengthen you with.

So rely on him completely to help you live out the commitment you’ve made before him.

That’s the first awareness strategy “ Know your need for God’s strength”

 

The second awareness strategy is:

B. KNOW YOUR ENEMY.

One of the things that prove s the truthfulness of the Bible is the presence of evil.

 

A basic premise of evolution is that things get better. Evolution presupposes that things develop, grow and advance. Evil can only be accounted for because things haven’t evolved to perfection. But when you look at the world, you don’t see people getting morally better.

 

The Bible teaches that evil is real and has a source. That source is a spiritual being, who was once a powerful angel in heaven who rebelled against God. God cast him and all the angels who rebelled with him out of heaven. The Bible says evil has a source.

 

He’s God’s enemy and ours. Paul teaches us three things about him.

Who he is, what he does, and the nature of his attack.

 

i) The enemy is the devil or Satan.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

 

Jesus said to some religious leaders:

⁴⁴ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

 

Jesus said the devil is an adversary, a murderer, he doesn’t hold to God’s truth, he is a liar and a deceiver. And 1 Peter 5:8 warns us…

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

 

Like a lion the devil seeks to bring down and destroy his prey.

The devil is intent on bringing believers down – destroying their faith.

If you’re going to stand against him, you must understand his schemes.

 

ii) Understand his schemes. (What he does)

V s 11 so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

The devil has schemes.

In the original language of the NT the Greek word is methodeia – from which we get “method”

= craftiness, (wiles: a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive)

In another place Paul said about Satan,

For we are not unaware of his schemes. 2 Corinthians 2:11

 

What are those schemes?

Primarily the attack happens in your mind, in the area of your thinking.

Satan seeks to undermine your faith and lead you to believe his lies.

He can sow thoughts in your head, he can use people and circumstances.

Let me give you four key strategies he uses.

 

He deceives – He deceived the first two people in the Garden of Eden.

 

First Satan sows doubt,

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

God didn’t say that at all. God prohibited eating from just one tree.

Then Satan moves to denial.

The woman said, if we eat from this tree God said, “You will die.”

Satan responded ⁴ “You will not surely die,” Genesis 3:4 No your eyes will be opened. He denied the consequences.

The final step Satan led them into was deception.

Eve and Adam were completely deceived.

Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 

Satan will always seek to deceive you. He’ll make wrong things look right.

Right things will be made to look wrong.

 

He blinds - 2 Corinthians 4.4 says he blinds the minds of people so they don’t see Jesus.

They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Cor 4.4 (NLT)

 

He tempts – He wants to lure you away from obeying God’s commands

All of a s udden some enticing suggestion will come. The suggestion goes like this…

“if you forget what God says and do what you want you’ll be much happier. Go for it.”

 

Temptation is not sin. It’s when you starting thinking about how you might follow that temptation that you move into sin. God says don’t entertain temptation. Reject it.

 

Once when Jesus was telling Peter that he (Jesus) would have to die, Peter said,

“Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Matt 16:9

 

Jesus wasn’t calling Peter Satan, but Jesus saw where the temptation was coming from. When Satan tempts it’s always going to lead you to disobey God.

 

He accuses – the last book in the NT describes Satan as “the accuser of our brothers,

who accuses them before our God day and night” Rev 12:10

One of the devil ’s favourite schemes and methods of crippling Christians inwardly is accusation. When you get tempted to do something wrong, then he loves to say, “How can you call yourself a Christian if you even think things like that.” He is an accuser.

 

These are just some of his strategies.

You must understand his schemes. So when they come, which they will, you can resist him, you can stand firm in God’s strength and keep serving God with all your heart. You’ve got to know the enemy.

That leads us to the last aspect of awareness you need.

 

iii) Recognize that the battle is spiritual.

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.

 

The word for struggle Paul uses is like a wrestling match. It’s close in, hand to hand combat. It’s up close and personal. It happens within you and in your mind.

The forces we fight are not flesh and blood. Their source is not human, their source is cosmic and spiritual. The battlefield maybe unseen but it is real.

There will be times that every Christian, who is earnestly seeking first God’s kingdom, and striving to live for his glory, will face this battle.

 

How should we respond?

Should we cower in fear? Should we hide in a corner? No.

Paul says, “You must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

You must be ready for battle and put on the full armor of God to stand against the devils schemes.

 

You do that by putting all your trust in Jesus.

Jesus confronted evil, he brought in God’s kingdom rule. He over threw the power of the evil one by resisting temptation, by standing firm against his schemes.

 

His miracles proved his power is greater than the devil.

Demons trembled before him when he cast them out. He healed diseases.

It was at the cross that we see the greatest victory of all.

Until then Satan could laugh at us all, because before God we were condemned by our sins. We were rebels like him.

 

But at the cross Jesus paid for sin, so that you and I could be forgiven.

So now through him we can be more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Paul later wrote:

 

Romans 8:37-39

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers , ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

The Bible says that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, everyone who surrenders their life to Jesus, and believes that what he did at the cross, he did for their sins, they will be saved.

 

As you live every day with Jesus, praying to him, meditating on his word and obeying it, being filled with His Spirit and power, then in His strength, you will overcome.

The last book of the Bible talks about how the church overcame the accuser, the evil one.

¹¹  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;

Rev 12.11

 

You overcome by trusting that Jesus paid for your sins with his own blood.

And you overcome by believing God’s word of truth and confessing that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour.

 

B e strong in the Lord and in his mighty strength, and you will overcome.

For greater is Jesus who is in you, than he who is in the world.

Let’s bow in prayer.