Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with
the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Pray Continually
18 Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance
A. v. 11 Our Enemy's Name - This name is the Devil! This is a
word that means "slanderer, accuser." We get our word
diabolical from it. His name reveals his character. Since he made his first
appearance upon the pages of the Bible, the devil has been in the business of
lying, slandering and accusing the people of God, Gen. 3:1-6; Job 1, 2.
B. V.
11-12 Our Enemy's
Nature - These two
verses tell us two things we need to keep in mind concerning this enemy.
1. V. 11 He Is A Shrewd Enemy - The word "wiles"
in verse 11 is the same word from which we get our English word "method".
It refers to craftiness and trickery. In Ephesians
4:14, it is translated
"lie in wait." It gives the image of a hunter disguising himself in
order to capture his prey. What a perfect picture of the devil! Remember what
the Bible tells us about him, 1
Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor.
11:14. Satan will pull out all the stops to trip you up!
2. V. 12 He Is A Spiritual Enemy - Too often, we are guilty of fighting
the wrong foe! We will get at odds with our fellow believers, when the real
enemy is the devil! He is a master at sowing discord among the brethren. We
need to remember that our fight this evening is a spiritual battle.
(Ill.
The devil might work through people at times to get to us and cause us to
stumble, but the real battle is fought on a spiritual level. We must never
attack other people! Our battle is with an unseen army of spiritual enemies
lead by the devil himself.)
Satan has authored no book, but God has fully exposed our
enemy's tactics in His Holy Word. Study it and plan your defense. The key to
defeating the devil is understanding how he works. And the secret to that is
reading about him in the Word of God, 2 Tim. 2:15.)
. Our Enemy In This Fight
II. V. 10 OUR
ENERGY IN THIS FIGHT
(Ill. The Bible makes it clear in these verses that our goal as
Christian soldiers is that of standing. This word refers to something that is
firmly fixed. It speaks of people who do not waiver. If we are to stand in this
the day of battle, then we must not only know our enemy, but we must possess
energy for the battle. Verse
10, gives some much needed insight into this matter of our spiritual
energy.)
A. The Source Of Our Energy - We are told here that the source of
our energy is not within ourselves. That is good to know, because there are
times when my energy runs low. We are told, however, that we are to "be
strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." This means
that we draw our strength from the "power of His might."
This sounds redundant on the surface, but when you understand that the word
"might" means "force, strength and
ability", and that the word "power"
refers to God's "dominion and sovereign ability to exercise His
power." Then it is easy to see how the Lord can strengthen and energize those
who place their trust in Him.
B. The Scope Of Our Energy - When a believer's faith is in God,
then the Lord's power becomes the power of that believer! If the church could
ever grasp the truth that we are as strong as that in which we trust, it would
revolutionize the world!
(Ill.
Let me illustrate. I cannot fly, but when I put myself in an airplane and yield
to its power, suddenly, I have the ability to soar into the air. I cannot run
65 miles per hour, but when I get into my car and yield to its power, I
suddenly have the ability to achieve speeds that I could never achieve on my
own. Those are poor illustrations, but when my faith is in God and in His
power, then His strength becomes my strength. His power becomes my power. That
is why the Bible says what it does to those who live by faith:
Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us,"
Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto
them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall
not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith
shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
C. The Strength Of Our Energy - Ill. It enables us to stand, 1
Cor. 15:58. So that when the battles are all over and we go
home to be with the Lord in His heaven, we can leave this world like Paul did, 2
Tim. 4:7. God's power will
be our power and we will be able to stand for Him in the day of battle! We all
know that too many aren't standing, they are falling by the wayside! I don't
want to fall, I want to stand!
Pastor Rolando Ramos
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