FULLY ARMED AND READY FOR BATTLE

We are in a fierce battle with forces we cannot see. Our warfare is spiritual. We are not fighting against flesh and blood. Our enemy is spiritual. It is, therefore, necessary that our weapons and armory be spiritual. We are in a cosmic battle with the forces of evil. To win, we must be fully armed. But how? 

We are continuing our study of the Book of Ephesians. This week, we are looking at Ephesians 6:10-20. Moving from the emphasis on unity, Paul moves to a crucial point that affects not only the Ephesians but everyone who joins the Christian army. When we join forces with Jesus, our battle becomes spiritual. Thus, we need supernatural powers to fight this war. Here, we talk about how we can obtain it.

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Let Us Inviting God’s Presence:

God Most High, this war has become fierce, and at times, it seems as though we are losing. Help us remain steadfast and fully armed.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

“The servant of Elisha got up early one morning. When he opened his eyes, he saw an alarming sight!  He saw an army with horses and chariots ready for war circling about their city. Stammers out the bad news, the servant asks Elisha, the prophet, ‘Oh, my master, what can we do?’ Elisha tells him, ‘Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.’

Then Elisha, pulling him close, prayed, saying, ‘Lord, open my servant’s eyes. Let him see.’ “The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:15–17, NLT).

Between the servant of God and the hosts of armed men was an encircling band of heavenly angels. They had come down in mighty power, not to destroy, not to exact homage, but to encamp roundabout and minister to the Lord’s weak and helpless ones. When the people of God are brought into strait places, and apparently there is no escape for them, the Lord alone must be their dependence. (Prophets and Kings, pp. 256, 257) 

This is Paul’s point in Ephesians 6:10 and 11.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)

When Paul wrote Ephesians 6:10–20, he essentially prayed that God would open the eyes of his readers the same as Elisha asked God to open his servant’s eyes. Paul asked God to help Christians understand the worldwide war, the great controversy between good and evil. When we fully view the reality of the great controversy between good and evil, then we will “see” the things God had to do to save us. Then, we will have hope, knowing we are fully armed and ready for battle. 

In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul shouts a battle cry, urging his hearers to prepare for war. What warning does he give, and to whom is the warning given? Read Ephesians 6:10-20 and proceed to Part 2: Battle Speech

Ephesians

(Lesson 12)

The Call to Stand

Part 2: Battle Speech

So, Paul shouts a Battle cry. It is a battle cry against evil. God asks us to join Him in the battle against evil, the war against Satan and his evil forces. This fight is a cosmic war between good and evil. As soldiers of God, we are in the middle of this war!

You see, Paul wanted the Ephesians who were converted to Christianity to understand that their work for God is the same as a real war with armory and weapons.

So, Paul’s closing address is one on war.  His aim is to help them get ready to fight the battle against evil.

Paul starts his battle cry by saying, 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV).

Then Paul commands them to put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11).

Then he tells why it is necessary to have on full body armor:

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11). Paul then, in Ephesians 6;12 points out that the war they are fighting is against the powerful, spiritual army of evil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

Again, in Ephesians 6:13, Paul tells us to “take up the whole armor of God” so that we can stand strong in the fight (Ephesians 6:13).

Now, God’s battle suit has many parts. Paul describes it in Ephesians 6:14–17. It includes a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. (Split)

In this suit, as Christians, we will be able and ready to fight. Paul also invites us to do what wise soldiers did before they marched into battle: What did they do? They prayed!

So, he says in Ephesians 6:18-20

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18–20)

In Paul’s urging to prepare for battle. He was, in a sense, preparing for what might be called an eve-of-battle speech.

In the Old Testament, God’s prophets, or special messengers, presented an eve-of-battle speech to Israel’s army before they went out for battle. 

The following is a list of a few of these eve-of-battle speeches: Deuteronomy 20:2–4; Judges 7:15–18; 2 Chronicles 20:13–20; 2 Chronicles 32:6–8; Nehemiah 4:14, 19, 20.

In these eve-of-battle speeches, the prophets told the Israelites that their success in battle didn’t depend on weapons or the size of their army. Instead, Israel’s success in battle depended on the presence of God and His power.

In other words, Israel’s success was not found in their strategies, their size, or their power. Their success was found in their trust in God. Whenever they put their complete trust in God, they were always victorious. 

Paul uses this theme from the Old Testament to help us understand four important ideas:

(1) God gave the church a mission; the church has work to do.

(2) Though we cannot see him, Satan, our enemy, works hard to destroy our work and our lives.

(3) God, however, gives us everything we need to win this war against Satan.

(4) As the church, we must work together, striving for unity and collaborating with fellow believers.

Paul warns us that our fight is not against flesh and blood; we are in a fight against the invisible forces of evil. Such a battle, at times, may even seem hopeless. 

 What is our only hope in winning this battle? Read Paul’s address on Preparing for war in Ephesians 6:10-20 again, then continue to Part 3: Finding Strength in Christ

Ephesians

(Lesson 12)

The Call to Stand

Part 3: Finding Strength in Christ

In Ephesians 6:10, Paul tells us where we get our strength, saying: “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10, NKJV).

Where do we get our strength?

Our strength comes from the Lord. The following scriptures confirm that the Lord is Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 2:21, Ephesians 4:1 and 17, and Ephesians 6:1 and 21.

The point is: “The Church gets her strength from the Lord Jesus who rose from the dead. Now He is the Captain who leads His church in the battle against evil.”—G. G. Findlay, The Epistle to the Ephesians (New York: Ray Long and Richard R. Smith, 1931), page 398, adapted.

In other words, the church’s strength doesn’t come from its members or its size. The church’s strength comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another important truth arises from Paul’s letter: God shares His strength with His followers. Paul expresses this truth in Ephesians 1:19–22; Ephesians 2:4–6; and Ephesians 3:16 and 17.

The thing is our strength for every conflict, every fight, every battle, now and in the future, comes only from our connection to our resurrected Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

But Jesus isn’t the only One who gives us strength. All Three Members of the Godhead are engaged in providing the strength we need to prepare us for battle.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit help fight this war against evil. God the Father gives us His own weapons. He gives us His battle suit, which Paul calls the armor of  God.

This we see from what Paul says in Ephesians 6:11 and 13:

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11,13) 

Isaiah speaks of this same body armor in Isaiah 59:17, saying:

17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)

In a previous video, we learned that the Holy Spirit makes us strong. This is why Paul in Ephesians 3:16 advises that we pray that God will send His Holy Spirit that we might “be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16, ESV).

Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the Spirit gives us “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

In Ephesians 6:18, we are reminded to “pray in the Spirit at all times” (ERV).

 It is Paul’s aim to help us understand that the Three-in-One God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) works together to equip us for battle against Satan and his powers of evil.

 Why does Paul use the imagery of war to help us understand the mission ahead of us? Find out in Part 4: The Great Controversy in Paul’s Letters 

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Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church

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