Take a Stand (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Paul begins this letter to the Ephesians in Ch. 1:3 with, “who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” The gospel, at its core, is spiritual blessings through what Christ achieved for us. Paul concludes this letter in Ch. 6:12 with, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” There is spiritual warfare in the same location as those spiritual blessings.
3 observations that are critical to understand because life is a battle:
Observation 1 – If you are not aware that you are in a war, you are losing – You will be hated for whose you, and you are Satan’s #1 enemy. He will stand against us at every turn. You are no match for him, but with the Holy Spirit, he stands no chance with you.
Observation 2 – If you don’t know who your enemy is, you are defeated – verse 12 says, “it is not against flesh and blood”. It’s not a horizontal battle against people. He is the great deceiver, he is organized, and he has a plan. The sad thing is that he has never had to change his plan. We know it. He hates God, and all those who know God.
Satan’s plan to destroy is:
- Attack the Word of God and its reliability (Gen 1 – Did God really say???)
- Attack the character of God and His generosity (Gen 1 – You can’t eat that…)
- Attack the righteousness of God (Gen 1 – You won’t die…)
- Attack the abundance of God (Gen 1 – He is withholding from you with that tree)
- Attack the fellowship of God (Gen 3 – It was his fault, no, it was her fault)
Observation 3 – You need to know your King – who you are fighting with – He has already won the war. He is with us every step of the way. Eph 2:4 – By grace you have been saved. You can’t live the Christian life in your own strength.
We must be fully prepared. Paul gives us 6 resources, but we must remember that it’s God’s armor, so that “you may be able to stand.” The “You” is about community. We stand together! We face the enemy every day. Unfortunately, we are getting hit with “friendly fire” within the church. We must seek unity (John 17). We must put on the whole armor so we can stand. We don’t put it on to run and hide.
- Belt of Truth – hold to the Truth of the Word
- Breastplate of Righteousness – Guard your heart
- Shoes of peace – Remember the gospel is about restoring everything to wholeness
- Shield of faith – Guards against temptation
- Helmet of Salvation – Remember whose you are. This protects your mind
- Sword of the Spirit – This is our weapon for battle!
Prayer goes beyond the armor. It is how we put on the armor, how it leads to its effectiveness, and how it makes living the Christian life possible. Prayer is the mark of companionship with the Father, Son, and Spirit.
- Pray at all times – Stay ready
- With all prayers and supplication – Be aware of how you can pray
- With all perseverance – Keep alert
- For all the saints – Pray for others (not just those you know)
Prayer reminds us that we are not in control. We surrender our will to His will. That’s the way we fight this battle. The gospel of God’s grace, redemption, and his sanctifying work is irresistible. We take that into the world’s battle every day. We don’t go into the battle alone.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you “prepare for battle” each day?
- When have you fallen into the trap of battling horizontally instead of vertically? Why do you do that?
- Spend time this week praying on the full armor of God so you can fight victoriously
