August 26 sermon Spiritual Warfare Ephesians 6: 10-20
Is it worth it? Is it worth fighting any more? Is there a time when you say “Lord, forget it. I can’t do this any more. I’m exhausted. I want out.”
In the movie ‘The Matrix’, Neo was sitting in a chair. He had a choice to make. If he took the blue pill, he would wake up in the world he had been in all this time as if nothing has happened. If he took the red pill, he would fall down the rabbit hole just like Alice and see just how far down it goes.
Oh what a ride when your eyes are opened to the spiritual war that is happening all over right now.
The ACLU and the teachers association is defending a teacher who was burning a flag in class as a demonstration, but oh let him pray to God and he will be crucified.
The 10 commandments cannot be displayed on any public property without being challenged. Up in a northern state, the memorials the county has displayed for troopers who have died in the line of duty are being challenged to remove because they are large crosses with plaques on them.
The Boy Scouts are being kicked out of school because they are governed by a higher authority which is God. There are many more I can list. And don’t be tricked into believing that these 4 walls will protect you from persecution.
In Matthew 7:15 Jesus says to watch for false teachers or false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inward they are wolves. He goes on to say “By their fruits you will recognize them.” These are the people that don’t let God be God.
I took my bicycle in to be fixed the other day. When I got into the shop and asked the guy how long it would take he said a couple hours. So I waited and waited and waited. Finally I said “how much longer will this take?” He said “well sir, if you will let go of the bike, I can get started to fix it.” You have to let go and let God.
What can God do? God can do anything he wants. These wolves in sheep’s clothing are going to be the ones that poo-poo all your ideas. When we were talking about a new building, one person said we could use it for a mother’s day out.
Some other ideas were physical fitness classes and health clinics, after school care, boy scouts, revivals, hosting area youth events, more classrooms, more storage, basketball, volleyball.
Oh we can’t do that, the wolf will say. We are too small. We are not visible to the community; we’ve never done that before. I DON’T WANT MY LITTLE CHURCH TO GROW. You might laugh at that last one, but I have heard it before.
So what do you do? First realize that some of these people are scared of change. They see different as bad and comfortable status-quo as good. Next, Paul tells us what to do. Be strong in the Lord and his power. Smile, Nod, and go on and fulfill the calling set before you by God.
Pray big. You have a big God. Lean on him. Rely on him. Don’t hesitate to go to him and ask for direction and help. Then be quiet. Listen for his words. Paul says I try to please everybody in every way. But I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Do you think Paul was trying to do the impossible? I will please everybody in every way. He qualified it though. I’m not seeking my own good. I’m following Christ.
Sometimes, those wolves are big bad wolves. They want to huff and puff and blow down your spiritual house.
These are not subtle shots from the people around you, but all out war. What do you do? Put on the full armor of God. This struggle is not against flesh and blood. We are not contending with only physical opponents. The devil is up in our business and he wants to try and tear it all down, one piece at a time. Discouragement and pride are part of his weaponry.
You know what discouragement sounds like, right?? You’re not really good enough for that church buddy. You know what you did last year. After that episode, you can’t possibly make it here. You better keep sweating and I’ll tell you when you will make it.
How about pride? Man your better than the people in that church. They are just a bunch of hypocrites. I even heard that in a prayer group they talk in tongues. Pride puts you above God and other people.
If this struggle is not against flesh and blood, how do we fight? If I can’t get my hands around it, how can I defeat it? First we need to be secure. We have the armor of God to put on to secure us.
Each piece must be in place to overcome the temptations and attacks. In verse 14, Put on the belt of truth. The waist or abdomen area was generally thought to be the seat of emotions. To belt this area with truth is to commit your emotions to believing the truth.
Many times people will believe a lie because of fear of self-pity. I’m not good enough to do that because I’ve never done it before. But the bible says “we can do all things thru Christ who strengths us.” Believers must hold a commitment to the truth regardless of the repercussions.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness. You heart has always been thought of as the place the soul dwells. Your heart must be kept pure and righteous to not give sin a foothold. As anyone under the control of an addiction and they can tell you all about this.
If an alcoholic has one drink, it won’t stop at that. Someone addicted to pornography will not stop with just one magazine or movie. Most of the time these addictions are actually covering up something else.
Telling one lie such as, oh I don’t know, where you were last night, will build into something bigger over time. Skipping church gets easier and easier each week you do it. I’ve been there, I know. But if we confess our sins before God, he is faithful and just and will purify us.
In the next verse we must have our feet ready with the gospel of peace. Standing in place, ready to be attacked. Not running away. If you have ever done any gardening or yard work, a company makes these sandals with spikes on the bottom. They are to aerate your yard. As you walk, they push holes down into the soil.
Those in battle had the same kind of sandals. This gave them a firm footing. Good shoes also allowed you a better trip from place to place to spread the gospel. We need to readiness to share the gospel at a moments notice. That’s the business we should be about.
Take up the shield of faith he says. Shields were usually sheets of wood covered with animal hide and sometimes held together with iron. They were soaked in water to extinguish any flaming arrows that came at them. The shield of faith is a protection from the fiery darts of temptation and fear from the spiritual enemy.
Put on the helmet of salvation. A helmet protects the brain and your thoughts. You Christians can rest confidently in the protection of the Spirit because of the assurance of your salvation. Jesus said that none who are believers of me will be taken from my hands.
Doubt and insecurity can be dropped when you can say “Lord thank you for dying for my sins, your blood covering me, my blackness being washed away, and folding my into your kingdom. I know I am set apart for your good works and I have a guaranteed future with you.”
And then the sword. The sword of the Spirit and the Word of God. Do you have the word of God with you? Read your bible. The Word he is talking about is scripture that will help you thru specific circumstances.
In Matthew, the devil tempted Jesus. “Turn these stones to bread, jump off this temple, bow down to me and you can have everything.” At each instance, Jesus countered him with scripture.
He did not back down but stood firm in the faith. The living Word is powerful, effective and instructive.
The last thing Paul tells us is to Pray Always. It is to be constant as you prepare daily for this battle you will have to fight.
Prayer opens the channels between us and God. When the army is on the battlefield overseas, they are in constant contact with their commanding officer. When you see the secret service, they always have those little ear pieces on. For you football fans, you can see the quarterback holding his hands over his helmet ear holes to be able to hear the coach call plays into him.
You know, football is a good way to look at this. The coordinators are up in the booth high above everyone else and they can see the forest from the trees. They see how the other team is getting into position and can call out plays to out maneuver them.
Those on the field or in the trenches can ignore the calls given and go out to battle on their own, but the effectiveness of that will be evident quickly.
You have your armor now. You have your belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of assurance of salvation, shield of faith, shoes of readiness to share the gospel. And you have your sword.
That is the Spirit who will give you the words to say, but only if you are close to your commanding officer. To do that you must stay in prayer, read scripture, walk by faith and on the right path. Every step you take forward in the will of God, he will make the path clearer for you.
Have you seen those Claritin commercials? The people are all fuzzy and blurred out, and they take Claritin and are Claritin clear. That’s how it is with your faith walk. The fog will lift and your path will become clearer.
I’m praying for you. Pray for this church and the mission that is before us. We are here to give a reason for the assurance of our faith. Know what you believe and why you believe. If you don’t have those two things, you don’t have a belief at all.
So I will pray for you as Paul did, that “whenever you open your mouth, words may be given to you so that you will fearlessly make known the gospel. Declare the truth fearlessly. You have a big God.
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