Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Stand Firm

I.                    We must stand firmly in Christ as we face our true enemy in life; that means we must stand firmly in God’s power            (Vv. 10-12)

a.       All human life is characterized by a struggle against forces which we can’t see, which stand against us, and which we’re powerless to stand against on our own. The one true source of strength which we all need to stand against our true enemy, is from the Lord, and is only acquired through union with Christ through repentant faith, by which He forgives our sins, and restores our broken relationship with God. Then we are to put on the armor of God which protects us from the attacks of the enemy. Our true enemy isn’t earthly and human, but spiritual. Satan hates God and all that God loves, so he hates God’s creation, opposes humanity, and we must wrestle against him in life. Satan’s nature and tactics are revealed by his names in Scripture, “Slanderer”, “Adversary”, and “Accuser”, he attacks subtly through temptation, and does his most damage by staying as close to the truth as possible, but twisting it to suite his needs, or by convincing others to believe he doesn’t exist, and even God doesn’t exist. He commands forces of spiritual wickedness, influences all levels of humanity, and works in his favorite mediums of doubt, fear, anxiety, pride, overconfidence, self-righteousness, and false truth. God is our only source of strength, hope, and peace to stand firmly against our adversary. To stand firmly in the face of his attack, we must know our enemy, his tactics, and the strength required to stand against him. (Vv. 10-12; Gen. 3:1, 14; 1 Sam. 30:6; Job 1:6; Matt. 4:1-11; 13:19; 25:41; Luke 11:15-18; John 8:44; 12:31; 14:30; 15:18-25; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:3; 12:9-10; Eph. 2:1-3; Heb. 11:32-34; 1 John 2:13)

II.                 We must stand firmly in Christ as we face our true enemy in life; that means we must continually resist in God’s armor    (Vv. 13-17)

a.       Now Paul describes the armor of God, which we’re to take up for protection, one piece at a time. First, we must put on the belt of truth. We must own the truth of God in our lives, believe Him, and live out His truth through our lives, so that we stand firmly, and continually resist the schemes of the enemy. Second, we must put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is the practical righteousness manifested in our lives through hearts transformed in Christ, as we walk worthy of our calling in Him. We must guard our hearts and stand firmly against Satan’s schemes and attacks which prey on our pride, greed, jealousy, and lust. Third, we are to prepare our feet with the sure footing of the gospel of peace. We must continually prepare ourselves in the gospel, through study and communion with Christ, so that we’re prepared to share the peace and hope of Christ in every terrain of life. Fourth, we’re to take up the shield of faith which defends against the projectiles of the evil one. Like the large rectangular shield which covered the whole body, faith in God, believing Him and what He says, defends us against the darts of lies and discontentment hurled by Satan to lead us astray. Fifth is the helmet of salvation. Preaching the gospel to ourselves daily renews the mind and protects our hope from the enemy’s daily impacts on our mind. Last, is the only offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This refers to the spoken word, or the gospel and God’s written word put into practice to engage life and its circumstances. The fact that God’s armor only covers the front of the body, indicates that there’s no backing up, only holding firmly. (Vv. 13-17; Ps. 18:30; 28:7; Prov. 30:5; Isa. 11:1-5; 49:2; 52:7; 59:17; Matt. 28:18-20; John 8:30-36; 14:6; 17:7; Eph. 4:1, 21-24; Acts 1:8; Rom. 5:1; 10:15-17; 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:7, 18-21; 1 Thess. 5:8; Heb. 11:1, 6; 1 Pet. 1:14-16; 3:14-16; Rev. 19:15)

III.              We must stand firmly in Christ as we face our true enemy in life; that means we must continually seek God in prayer        (Vv. 18-20)

a.       Lastly, we’re called to pray continually in the Spirit’s power and grace. There is never a point where all of humanity is not under threat of spiritual attack, even when we can’t see it. Satan works desperately to keep people from glorifying God, growing in Him, and sharing the gospel with others. Therefore, if we’re to stand firmly in life, we must live a life which is a continual prayer before God, that His people would seek Him to be strengthened to stand firmly in Him as effective witnesses. Jesus prayed that we would be protected from our enemy but not removed from the world, set apart and guided by the truth, and united in Him and with Him, for God’s glory. That must be our continual prayer for ourselves and each other. (Vv. 18-20; Ps. 6:9; Matt. 6:9-13; Mark 14:32-38; Luke 21:36; 22:31-32; John 17:12-23; Acts 2:42; 4:23-31; 6:4; 12:5; Rom. 12:10-12; Phil. 4:6-7; Col. 4:2-4; 1 Thess. 5:17; Heb. 5:7)