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Spiritual Warfare - Part 1 (Ephesians 6:10-20)
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Spiritual Warfare - Part 1 (Ephesians 6:10-20)
Ephesians: Growing in Christ
Sunday Message recorded 11 June 2023
by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Introduction and Importance of Scripture
00:00:06
Speaker
Truly amazing. Great job, y'all. Thank you so much. I know what some of you are thinking. Okay, pastor, your time. I've got a copy of the written word, so I'm going to read it rather than quote it. But anyway, I thank the Lord so much for this opportunity. But I want to invite you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter six, where they just quoted from.
Life as a Spiritual Battlefield
00:00:31
Speaker
They did it so perfectly. Thank you.
00:00:34
Speaker
You know, when you hear verses like that, you know, we can respond and say, well, you know what? I'm just going to pretend that this world and this life is nothing more than a playground so that I can just have fun. And I don't have to worry about serious things like spiritual warfare. But you know what the truth is? The truth is we are living in a spiritual battlefield.
00:01:02
Speaker
It's battleground all around us. There was a man named John R.W. Stott who said beneath the surface an unseen spiritual battle is raging. See, Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 is like an intelligence briefing. It's like in war times and so God is giving us intelligence on what the enemy's doing, how to overcome, how to win.
Spiritual Warfare in Family Life
00:01:32
Speaker
Not long ago, our family watched the Christian movie War Room. I don't know if you've seen it lately or if you've seen it at all, but if you've never seen that movie, I encourage you to see the Christian movie called War Room. It's actually about a family and how Satan was attacking a family and how they began to see a change in that spiritual battle.
00:01:56
Speaker
There are strategies that will help us win over Satan's temptations and over his attacks and so forth. You know, I'm told that Napoleon wanted to conquer the world, and so one time he spread out his map on a table and he told his lieutenants, if it were not for that red spot pointing to Great Britain, I could conquer the world.
00:02:25
Speaker
He was later defeated in 1815 at Waterloo, Belgium by a coalition of forces, one of which was Britain.
Christ's Victory Over Spiritual Powers
00:02:35
Speaker
Satan, I think, does much the same thing. He looks at Christ's death at Calvary and says, if it were not for that red spot, I could rule the world.
00:02:46
Speaker
But you know what? Colossians 2.15 tells us two vital truths about the cross. It says that He disarmed the rulers and authorities, and He put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him.
00:03:04
Speaker
You know, there was a military historian named Bevin Alexander. He's written books on how to win battles. He wrote one book called How Great Generals Win. He wrote another book called How Wars Are Won. And what he did, he went back into history and just studied how all these different armies were able to win.
00:03:26
Speaker
And he found a cluster of things that were coming together telling him these are some of the reasons why they win. What Colossians chapter 2 verse 15 is telling us that Christ on the cross, he disarmed the enemy and he also defeated the enemy. So in the energy of the flesh, we, me and you, we cannot win against the devil.
00:03:56
Speaker
But in the power of Christ, we cannot lose against the devil. You see, Matthew records how the enemy tempted Jesus three times. And yet all three times, Jesus overcame each temptation through the word, through the written word. He would always respond the same way. It is written. It is written. It is written.
00:04:21
Speaker
That's why I think it's so important that we look into God's word together Sunday after Sunday and say, what is written? These things will help me in my life, that will help me resist temptation, that will help me to win in my family life.
00:04:40
Speaker
In his letter to the Ephesians, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to instruct the disciples living in a place called Ephesus in three major areas. Remember in chapters one and two, he said, you need to know who you are.
00:04:56
Speaker
in Christ. You need to know your spiritual wealth in Christ.
Armor of God
00:05:00
Speaker
What do we have in Christ available to us? Those things are all outlined right there, chapters one and two. From chapter three all the way to chapter six and verse nine, he's told us how to walk with Christ. How do you walk with Christ each and every day in 2023? It's right here in the written word of God.
00:05:25
Speaker
But also chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 is going to tell us how can we battle against a spiritual foe? How can we even possibly experience victory on a personal basis? It is possible.
00:05:41
Speaker
through Christ. So I want you to turn with me and look at this passage of scripture in Ephesians 6, 10 through 20. I want you to stand in honor of God's word and let me read it even though we already heard it. Let me read it through one more time. We're not going to look at all of these verses today. We're going to focus on the first ones, but just for context. I just want to read the whole thing, okay? Here it says, Ephesians 6, 10, finally, be strong in the Lord.
00:06:11
Speaker
And in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore, take up.
00:06:40
Speaker
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.
Understanding the Adversary's Tactics
00:06:47
Speaker
And having done all to stand firm, stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances,
00:07:06
Speaker
take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance
00:07:32
Speaker
making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. Let's go to the Father in prayer. Lord, now we look into your word.
00:07:55
Speaker
Open it up. Open our spiritual eyes that we might see all that is available to us in Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated.
00:08:07
Speaker
So let's gather now around our commander's strategy table and listen in this biblical war room of what his instructions are to each one of us. We're gonna focus today on only two vital truths of spiritual warfare. We're gonna look at truths about the adversary and truths about our ally. Our text gives us two primary warnings about the spiritual foe. Do you anticipate
00:08:36
Speaker
that sometime in your life you will be attacked by the adversary? Or are you assuming that you can follow Jesus Christ as Lord and just remain neutral? He won't bother you. You'll be safe. If you live for Jesus Christ, you'll never face temptation.
00:08:56
Speaker
Well, I want you to anticipate attacks from the enemy at some point in your life, and this passage will get you ready. My job as a pastor is to equip the body of Christ. So this morning, I'm trying my best to equip you when the attacks do come. The first thing that is a warning about the adversary is to anticipate the resourcefulness of the adversary.
00:09:23
Speaker
Notice that he says schemes plural, schemes plural. You know, that word there is methodia. Some translations, perhaps the one you're holding, it may say the wiles of the devil, it may say the strategies of the devil, or it may say the schemes of the devil or the methods of the devil. But just know that the idea there, based on that word that the Holy Spirit used,
00:09:50
Speaker
is the idea of deliberate planning. It's a systematic approach. Some of you may have heard Dr. David Jeremiah before.
00:10:01
Speaker
Dr. Jeremiah compared the resourcefulness of our adversary to that of an enemy who keeps a file, keeps a file on those that he's targeting. And he said, I wonder if he has a file entitled David Jeremiah. And he knows that the best way to get David Jeremiah, just discourage him.
00:10:21
Speaker
Just discouraging. But then underneath discouragement, Satan is drawn perhaps like an arrow. The way that you get him discouraged is you get him over-committed. You overextend him. You keep him so busy, he doesn't have time to meet with the Lord every morning in prayer and every morning in the Word. Get him away from the Word. Get him away from the other people in the body of Christ. Get him away from Bible studies. Get him away from church conferences or church worship services, whatever.
00:10:51
Speaker
You just keep him out there by himself. And so there will be discouragement. But maybe it's a mind's not discouragement. I have a short fuse. I have this bad temper.
00:11:05
Speaker
And Satan always knows and he hits me there, just like a boxer. When he bruises your ribs, he hits you and he hits you where you're already bruised. Maybe you would say, no, it's not a temper. It's not discouragement. For me, it's worry. For me, it's fear. It's anxiety. It's covetousness. Or it's lust. Or it's insecurity. Or it's pride. Or it's acceptance from man. Or it's gossip. Or maybe it's the love of money. Or maybe it's the love of popularity.
00:11:32
Speaker
But whatever it is, I just want you to know the enemy is developing a file. He's got all kinds of different strategies that he will tailor make just so he can interrupt your discipleship following Christ.
00:11:47
Speaker
When I looked at these verses, these things stood out to me about his resourcefulness. If you're a note taker, I encourage you to write them down. The first thing about his resourcefulness is it's tactical. It's tactical. Remember I did say the schemes, plural, not the scheme of the devil, singular, the schemes, plural. He's got different methods. If he can't get you this way, he will come at you from another door. He wants to bring us down.
00:12:16
Speaker
Tactical is definitely a word that I would use to describe his resourcefulness, but I would also say personal. His resourcefulness is also personal. Did you get the word wrestle that's in there? Wrestle? You see, the idea is not you're throwing a hand grenade over there. The idea is not that the enemy is going to bomb you from some elevated position.
00:12:40
Speaker
No, he's coming after you, he's coming after me. It's like a wrestler. Have you ever seen two men or even two women wrestling? It's so up close. It's personal. Hand-to-hand combat is the nature of that word wrestle. But while it is tactical and personal, make no mistake, it is spiritual. It is spiritual. That's why he's trying to tell us our real battle is not with flesh and blood.
00:13:09
Speaker
A real battle is against all these different enemies that are mentioned here. Rulers and authorities and cosmic powers and present darkness and spiritual forces of evil. That's what he's talking about. That's what he's trying to warn us of. He's trying to say, don't underestimate your enemy. But when I read that word darkness, when I read the word evil in verse 12, I thought, yeah, his strategies, his methods,
00:13:39
Speaker
His whole approach to us is also immoral. He wants to derail us through immorality. But I want to move on beyond just his resourcefulness and look at one other aspect.
00:13:52
Speaker
Ruth ruthlessness. He is ruthless. You see, what I'm trying to tell you is that according to these verses, Satan is not only tricky and cunning and able to adjust his attack. There's something else about him. He's cold. He's cruel. He's vicious. He's brutal. He's like the worst bully that you've ever known in your whole entire life.
00:14:19
Speaker
He's not passive, he's aggressive. He's hostile. That's why verse 16 says that we need something that's gonna stop those flaming darts of the evil one. Let me tell you the truth. Okay, this is the truth. God loves you. But this is also an equal truth. Satan hates you. God is for you.
00:14:46
Speaker
But Satan, he's against you. Don't underestimate him. Don't think that he's not out to get you. Do you remember what scripture uses to describe our enemy, the adversary, our foe? Well, it uses different metaphors like these. He's like a snake or a serpent.
00:15:06
Speaker
He's like a roaring lion, is what 1 Peter 5 says. But also you'll see, like in Revelation, some other places, he's described more like, well, like a dragon. So you think about those three images and you think, oh my goodness, you know what? The lion is loud. The lion is intimidating. The lion will charge you openly. But you think about a snake.
00:15:34
Speaker
Is this Nate going to charge you openly or is he going to slither through the grass and come up really close and he will bite you and strike when you're not thinking about it? He wants to be close so that he can betray you. And then there's the dragon. You may say, hey, dragons are real. Yeah, you're right. Dragons aren't real.
00:15:55
Speaker
Satan's real. So why would God choose an image to call Satan like a dragon when he's real? I think I know what it is. Fear. You know, most of
God as a Powerful Ally
00:16:09
Speaker
our fears are unfounded. Most of our fears, they're not really based. They're unrealistic fears, unfounded fears.
00:16:17
Speaker
And so Satan uses those things. That's why Jesus, you know what he did to the disciples in the Gospel of John? He pulls back the curtain and he says, this is what your enemy looks like spiritually. And in John 844, he said, you know what the enemy's like? He's like a murderer. He's been a murderer from the beginning. He's like a liar. He doesn't tell you the truth.
00:16:42
Speaker
He's the father of lies. John 10, 10 describes him like a thief and said, you know what the enemy wants to do to every one of us in this room? He wants to kill and to steal and to destroy from us. He wants to take what's yours. He wants to kill it and destroy it. We have to anticipate the attacks of this very real and very powerful adversary, but also there's one more truth before we wrap it up.
00:17:12
Speaker
the assimilation of the ability of your ally. Yeah, he's definitely stronger than me, that's for sure, but he's not. He is not anywhere close to being as strong as Jesus, as the Father, the Spirit. No, it's not even close.
00:17:31
Speaker
That's why in passages like Psalm 91.13, it talks about how we can tread over all three of those. If you were to read it in the King James Version, you'd say, oh my goodness, there's the snake, the lion, and the dragon. Psalm 91.13. You know, this morning I was praying over all of you, all of us, Psalm 91, because we're talking about spiritual warfare. So I was going right down through there, praying over that.
00:17:59
Speaker
But what do I mean when I say that God is our ally? That we need to depend upon His ability. You know, Romans 8.31 says, if God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8.31. Do you know that five times in Psalms, it says that God is for you. You know what the devil wants to lie to us and tell us? God's not for you. He's against you. God hates you. That's not true.
00:18:27
Speaker
Psalm 56 verse 9 says, then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know that God is for me. Do you know that? Do you know that child of God? Do you know that church family? Do you know that God is for you? Psalm 118 says it twice, once in verse 6 and again in verse 7. Psalm 118 verse 6 says, the Lord is for me.
00:18:54
Speaker
The Lord is for me, and you know what he says after that? He says, therefore I will not fear. He does not want you to be afraid of the adversary. God says, I'm on your side, so don't be afraid.
00:19:06
Speaker
But verse seven says, the Lord is for me among those who help me. See, there's a whole church full of people here that want to stand with you, want to help you. Psalm 124 says it twice as well. Psalm 124 verse one, Psalm 124 verse two, starts out the same way. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side. Says it again in verse, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side.
00:19:35
Speaker
You see, I think that what we need to remember in verse 10 is this. I need to surrender to him. I need to say, Lord, I want you to be my greatest, my closest ally in all of life.
00:19:49
Speaker
And so verse 10 says, finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, not your own might, not the might of the flesh, but the might of the Lord. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. No wonder Paul said in Galatians 2, 20, I'm crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
00:20:15
Speaker
And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered himself up for me." What he's trying to say is, don't let the flesh
Achieving Victory Through Faith
00:20:26
Speaker
live. Let Christ live through your life. James 4, 7 says, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
00:20:35
Speaker
Sometimes we want to resist the devil, you know, and talk real big and tough, but you know what it says first? Submit to God. Therefore, brothers, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You know what I think this is doing?
00:20:50
Speaker
I think we're going full circle. We're going back to Ephesians 5, 18. Remember when we talked about being filled with the Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit? I think that's so critical, it's so foundational for living in victory every single day of our Christian life. We ought to always say, oh Lord, I need the filling of your Spirit. I want you to be the power in my life today.
00:21:17
Speaker
So, the first thing if you want to have the Lord to be your ally is surrender. Surrender to the Lord and say, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. I'm going to depend on the Lord today. But let me go to the second thing, the assimilation truth of trusting in the supremacy of the Lord, verses 10 through 13.
00:21:42
Speaker
Is it really true that we can win against the devil, or do we just have to wave the white flag and say, you know what, I'm done? Well, verse 11 says that you may be able to stand. Look at verse 13, that you may be able to withstand
00:22:01
Speaker
It's possible for us to win. I want to show you something in Ephesians chapter 1. In Ephesians chapter 1 it tells us why is it that Christ is so much stronger than all these other principalities and powers and so forth.
00:22:19
Speaker
If you look at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 19, you'll see that something happened on the cross, something happened when he was buried in the tomb, something happened when he was raised from the dead, and here's what happened. Ephesians 1 verse 19, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe? According to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ
00:22:48
Speaker
when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come." You see what I'm saying? You see what God's word is saying?
00:23:11
Speaker
He's saying when Jesus died on the cross, when he was placed in the tomb, when he was raised from the dead, he overcame the enemy. And so he's far above them right now.
00:23:23
Speaker
There's another passage, I've been praying about going to Colossians after we finish Ephesians. But I want you to listen to what Colossians says in Colossians chapters 1 and verses 16 through 18. Colossians 1, 16 through 18, for by him, that is by Christ, all things were created.
00:23:45
Speaker
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things. All things were created through him and for him, and he's before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in him he might be preeminent." You see,
00:24:13
Speaker
He was there at creation. And so that's why he's also, he's Lord, he's above it. He rose from the dead, yes, but even at creation, he definitely knows. That's why when Jesus was recorded in the gospels as coming across these people who sometimes were possessed with a demonic spirit, with an evil spirit, do you remember those times when Jesus got whipped by the devil?
00:24:41
Speaker
You know why you don't remember that? Because it never happened. Because every time, seven different times, he encounters people that are possessed with an evil one with some demonic spirit. And every single time he won,
00:24:57
Speaker
The man in Capernaum in the synagogue, he delivered a blind man and a mute who was demoniac. He delivered a maniac in Gadara. He delivered a mute demoniac. He delivered a Syrophoenician woman, the daughter. He delivered a demon-possessed boy, and he delivered a crippled woman on the Sabbath. They all had evil spirits.
00:25:25
Speaker
And yet each time he overcame with no problem. You know, I want to close by just reminding you some connecting corresponding verses.
00:25:37
Speaker
You know James 4 verses 7 and 8 reminds us of this whole thing. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners.
00:25:58
Speaker
And purify your hearts, you double-minded. But then in Peter, in 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9, what does it say? The same thing. The same word resists surfaces again. Be sober-minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion.
00:26:16
Speaker
seeking someone to devour. And then what does it say? Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. But here's the thing, even though it says, yes, we're going to have a satanic attack at some point in our lives, he'll come against us with a temptation.
Divine Protection and Commitment to Christ
00:26:39
Speaker
But here's the thing, don't forget your ally, because with each one of those, resist the devils. What else did it say in those verses? Submit to God, draw near to God, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts, strengthen your faith.
00:26:59
Speaker
See, that's why Psalm 91, I was praying that over each one of us this morning in my own personal quiet time. Because you know what it says in there? It talks about how God can protect us, protect us from the enemy, but it says what we need to do is just simply dwell in Him, abide in Him, hold fast to Him, know His name, call to Him. And then there's this incredible security system around us.
00:27:27
Speaker
I thought to myself, where was that where Elisha's servant wakes up in the morning and goes out to put the coffee on, I'm sure, at the campfire and looks around and they're just surrounded by enemy forces, by the Syrian troops. They're all around them with chariots, just untold soldiers and so forth. And I found it. It's in 2 Kings 6, 8 through 23. I read it this morning as well.
00:27:55
Speaker
But Elisha sees the panic in his servant's mind and face and in his words. And Elisha says, do not be afraid and listen closely to what Elisha says to his servant. Do not be afraid for those who are with us or more than those who are with them.
00:28:17
Speaker
And then he prayed and asked the Lord to open these spiritual eyes of the young men. And the young men seized beyond the Syrian troops all around in the mountains were chariots of fire. God had his angels just waiting.
00:28:34
Speaker
And so whenever Elisha says, Lord, would you blind this whole army here of the Syrians? God put a blindness on them temporarily. And so Elisha and his servant said, we'll take you to where you need to be. And he took him right to the King of Israel. All those troops, the King of Israel said, what should we do? Should we put them all to death? And Elisha says, no, God brought your enemy right here. You feed them. You feed them. You take care of them.
00:29:04
Speaker
I thought to myself, you know, God knows how to take care of the enemy. You know, 1 John 3.8 says, the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3.8. I remember one time my mom quoting Hebrews 2, 14 and 15 to my father. My father was transparent one morning at breakfast and my father said, you know what? I'm afraid of dying.
00:29:31
Speaker
And my mom said, why would you be afraid of dying, James? You know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And she read Ephesians, Hebrews 2, 14 and 15. It says that through death, Jesus might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
00:29:57
Speaker
And it's like in an instant, my dad said, I'm not afraid anymore. He said, I just trust Jesus right now. And I watched my dad even through two battles with cancer, one with lung cancer, the second with brain cancer, and he never was afraid.
00:30:14
Speaker
He was always so peaceful, and I sensed the Lord's presence there. The Lord's presence will be in your life if you'll simply say to Him, Lord, I need you to be my ally. I want to be on your side. I want to change from being over on the devil's side. I want to be on your side. Perhaps there's someone here this morning that would have that kind of commitment, because whenever we come to Christ, you know what we have to say? I've been going the wrong way.
00:30:42
Speaker
I've sinned and so repentance means I'm going to turn. I'm going to turn and do a U-turn. I'm going to go in the other direction and say, God, please help me to follow Christ. And so I surrender to him. I put my faith and trust in the victory that he won on the cross when he shed his blood on the cross and his blood was shed as our sin substitute. He died in your place. He died in my place.
00:31:09
Speaker
And that's why the father says, my son doesn't deserve death. So three days later, he raised him from the dead. That's why Jesus can help you in your battles today. He's not dead. No, he's alive. He is alive. And he is the number one person to have on your side. Why don't you join his side?
Conclusion and Prayer
00:31:29
Speaker
Would you stand with me? We're going to have an opportunity for any that would like to trust Christ to do so.
00:31:34
Speaker
That's what, when I stand down here, I'm just trying to help people find that personal one-on-one connection with Jesus Christ that is available. Would you join me as we pray together for this time of invitation? Lord, thank you so much. We've been so blessed to hear what you're doing through the Fars. Thank you so much for how Max and Sarah May came and just quoted those verses from Ephesians 6. Our hearts have already been blessed.
00:32:00
Speaker
Lord, thank you for that song. I agree with Madison. That song's powerful as we talk about speaking the name of Jesus. There's many of us in this room and we've seen that.
00:32:11
Speaker
But there's some of us in this room, they've never personally seen that in their lives. They've never seen you win a victory, but I believe they can. I believe that that victory in Christ is available to anyone that would repent of their sins, place their faith and trust solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ. So Lord, you be exalted. This is your time. We're extending the invitation, not in our name, in your name.
00:32:43
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.