Title: Spiritual Warfare / Ephesians 6:1-20
A life of faith is like a war.
1) It is a war against oneself.
2) It is a war against heresy and false teachers.
3) It is a war against the sins of the world.
4) It is a war against the devil and Satan.
You must not lose this war. You must win.
Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Here, the phrase "overcome the world" also means "overcome the devil and Satan".
Today's reading is a lesson about the fight against Satan, that is, spiritual warfare. How can we win this spiritual warfare?
The words of this text teach the secret of victory in spiritual warfare.
1. You must be strong to win.
Verse 10 says, “In the end you will be strengthened in the Lord and by the power of his strength.”
Before enlisting in the military, a physical examination is performed. You must be healthy to become a soldier. To pass, you must be physically and mentally healthy and sound. It is something to be proud of to say that he was born in the Republic of Korea and served as a soldier. Even a spiritual soldier can become strong and become a soldier.
1) It must be within a week to be strong.
Fish need to be in water to be strong. All living things must be in the air to survive. A small child is strong when it is in the arms of its mother.
All of us saints must be in the Lord to be strong. Jesus said.
He said, "I am the vine and you are the branches; if he in me and I in him, this man bears much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. Those who have turned away from the Lord are as weak as the prodigal son.
“I have gone far and far, and I am sad and wretched and lonely and wandering aimlessly.
Jesus Jesus, come to me now, my lord, do not leave me, and be with me on the way (Hymns 440:1)
2) We are strong only when we receive the strength that the Lord gives us.
Some people need money to become strong. But without money, they become weak. Some people need power to have power. But when power leaves, it weakens. Some people need to be popular to gain strength. However, as popularity declines, it weakens. For some people, a healthy body gives you strength. But when you lose health, you become weak.
Money, power, popularity, or physical health have limits.
But the strength the Lord gives is power.
That's why the Apostle Paul said, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
The prophet Isaiah said, "Those who wait in the Lord will find new strength, and they will soar up on wings of an eagle."
We can win the spiritual warfare only when we get the new strength that the Lord gives us and become strong.
Romans 8:27 says, "But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
We ourselves are weak. If Jesus, the powerful longevity, is with us, we can overcome. David was able to defeat Goliath because God gave David courage and strength.
2. You need to know the enemy immediately to win.
Verse 12 says, “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against the rulers of this darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens.”
1) Our enemy is Satan.
The object of our wrestling is that the object of war is not flesh and blood. That is, it is not human.
There are times when we think of those who disagree with us as enemies. In spiritual warfare, we are not fighting people. You need to know yourself and your enemies to win the war.
In the book of Revelation, there is a record of spiritual warfare taking place in heaven.
"There was war in heaven, and Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, and there was no more place for them in heaven. The great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called the Devil and Satan. He who deceives the whole world was cast out to the earth, and his angels were brought up with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).
The great dragon, the old serpent, the devil, Satan, and the one who deceives the whole world all represent one being. Satan, or the devil, is the head of all evil spirits and demons. Under this chief are principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, and evil spirits.
The devil is a liar and the father of lies. I was called a murderer from the beginning.
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and cannot stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. You have become the father of lies” (John 8:44).
2) You must know the enemy's tactics and strategies.
Verse 11 says, “To be able to resist the schemes of the devil.”
Here, "scheme" refers to a cunning tactic. The devil has tactics and strategies. The devil interferes with God's work of salvation. That's why people don't believe in Jesus. It makes you doubt God's love. It prevents you from trusting in God. Sometimes there is persecution. It also makes you suspicious. disappointingly. It makes you feel sorry for God. The devil tries to make even believers fall if possible.
1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be sober and watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Be strong in the faith and resist him."
They try to divide the church and corrupt people's hearts. make it fall. It keeps you away from God. disobeying God. Willfully cause them to rebel against God. So they're trying to destroy humans.
3) You must know the enemy's abilities.
Satan and the devil have more power than us humans. pretends well. He disguises himself as an angel of light.
No matter how strong the power of the devil is, it cannot follow the power of our Lord.
3. We can be victorious only when we are armed with the full armor of God.
In order to win the spiritual warfare, we must be armed with the full armor that God has given us. The Apostle Paul, now imprisoned in a Roman prison, saw closely the Roman soldiers armed with full armor. Then they say that even in spiritual warfare, we must be armed with the full armor that God has given us.
1) We must wear the belt of truth.
This is true life. Lies seem strong, but they are weak. Only the truth is strong.
2) The breastplate of righteousness must be attached.
This is a righteous life. Right relationship with God and right relationship with others is called righteousness.
3) You must wear the shoes of the gospel of peace.
This is a life of evidence. We can become strong only when we preach the gospel of peace. You must have shoes that can go anywhere with the Gospel. That is, we must witness the gospel everywhere.
4) You must have the shield of faith.
This is a life of trust and obedience. It means trusting in God's faithfulness and His power, and believing and obeying God's promises. Abraham had this shield of faith. The shield of faith can stop the arrows of enemies. The enemy continues to shoot arrows of doubt, arrows of despair, and arrows of resentment at us. However, if you have the shield of faith, you can stop these things.
5) You must wear the helmet of salvation.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, it is called “the helmet of hope of salvation.” Hope is the helmet of salvation. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). You must have the assurance of salvation.
6) You must have the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the Word of God.
It is said that the word of God is like a two-edged sword. Jesus also overcame the temptation of the devil with the word of God.
7) You must pray ignoringly.
Verse 18 says, “With all prayers and supplications, pray always in the Holy Spirit, understand this, and be alert and always do your best to ask.”
Prayer is your best weapon. Prayer is the greatest weapon to overcome the devil. In Matthew 26:41 it says, “Watch and pray, that you may not fall into temptation.”
4. You can win only when you do not allow the devil to break through.
In Ephesians 4:27 it says, "Do not allow the devil to break in."
The devil can attack us whenever there is a chance and give us a fatal blow.
There are ten factors that give the devil room to attack.
1) Pride
The first factor that gives the devil a break is pride. It was because of pride that Adam Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. Pride is the desire to become like God.
2) Unbelief
Unbelief is trust and disobedience to God. Like the ten tame soldiers who spyed out Canaan, like the Israelites, unbelief prevented them from entering the land of Canaan.
3) fear
For many of God's people, the most dangerous chasm is fear.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). There was a time when Elijah was also afraid of Jezebel and became desperate.
4) dissatisfied
It means that you are not satisfied with your life. But the Apostle Paul confessed, "I have learned to be content in all circumstances."
5) Misuse of finances
Not only in society but also in the church, if you misuse your finances, you will be rejected not only by people but by God. Ananias and Sapphira is a good example.
6) Bitter root caused by wounds
We are hurt by our words or actions by others. When you start resentful and angry, the wound deepens. It will take root deep in your heart. This is the bitter root. The root of bitterness is when we do not forgive.
7) disappointment
Being good at disappointment and being good at discouragement is giving the devil a chance. “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we are not weary” (Galatians 6:9).
8) Guilt
There is a sense of guilt in the gap that the devil seeks.
But the Lord has forgiven us from all our sins and has set us free. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the guilt of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
9) Laziness and busyness
Laziness and busyness are matters of time management. There are cases when we are too lazy to do the Lord's work, or we are too busy with other things to do the Lord's work.
10) Wrong relationship
There are many people who are defeated by the wrong sex. The Apostle Paul counseled, “In all honesty, treat women as sisters” (1 Timothy 5:2).
As verse 13 of today's text says, "This is so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and after doing all things, you will be able to stand." This means that even after fighting the spiritual warfare, we must be victorious and stand strong and unwavering.