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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. Our focus 
will be on verses 10 to 17. I'll read from verse 10 to the 
end of the chapter. So Ephesians chapter 6 beginning 
in verse 10. For we do not wrestle against 
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual 
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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. Stand therefore, having 
girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate 
of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation 
of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield 
of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery 
darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. praying 
always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful 
to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the 
saints, and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may 
open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak 
boldly as I ought to speak. but that you also may know my 
affairs and how I am doing. Tychicus, a beloved brother and 
faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to 
you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you 
may know our affairs and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace 
to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love 
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you again for this time 
to gather for corporate worship. We thank you for the scripture, 
for the emphasis here on strength in the Lord and in the power 
of His might. And we pray that we would know this experientially, 
that we would be faithful, that we would be persevering that 
we would be dependent upon you. And we trust in the power and 
the presence of the Holy Spirit. We thank you, God, that what 
our Redeemer secured for us on the cross with his life, his 
death, his resurrection, he provides now the Holy Spirit to his people. 
We have been blessed with another comforter. We're not alone in 
this present evil age. So God, we pray that you would 
pour him out upon us as we look to the Word of God, help us in 
our daily battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
and help us to be mindful of this whole armor of God. And 
may we seek, by your grace, to put it on, to be faithful to 
you, and to stand in the evil day. We ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, as we come to this 
particular section of Holy Scripture, the Apostle Paul basically tells 
us that we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power 
of His might. And this is a fitting way to 
sort of end this epistle. Remember, he begins in chapters 
1 and 2 with the doctrine of God's saving grace. He goes back 
to eternity past, to highlight what we call in theology the 
covenant of redemption. God chose us in Christ before 
the foundation of the world. In Christ we have redemption 
through his blood. We have been given the spirit 
as a seal and guarantee of our final inheritance. And then he 
moves in chapter 2 to show the outworking of that in history. He says, for by grace you have 
been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is 
the gift of God. So he moves from the doctrine 
of our salvation to a bit of a transition chapter in chapter 
3 and then the practical section in chapters 4 to 6. Remember 
the emphasis in chapters 4 and 5 specifically is that we are 
to walk in a manner that is consistent with our high calling in the 
gospel of our salvation. And so, as I said, this is a 
fitting capstone for all that has preceded. You've been saved 
by grace through faith. He has called you to live in 
a particular manner, and he wants you to do so in a way that expresses 
courage and faith and confidence in the risen Lord who is on your 
side. And this is not a unique situation 
in terms of the cosmic things going on in this epistle. Specifically notice in verse 
12, he says, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but 
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of 
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 
in the heavenly places. He reminds us that there's more 
to life than just the physicality, just the material things that 
we witness around us. He reminds us that there is a 
spiritual dimension, There is a spiritual world. And with reference 
to that particular reminder, this is the dark influence, but 
we have been reminded previously of Christ and His place of ascended 
glory at the right hand of the Father. If you look back to chapter 
one, specifically in verse 19, The apostle wants us to know 
what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe 
according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked 
in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him 
at His right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all principality 
and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And 
he put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over 
all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of 
him who fills all in all." Christ has won decisively the war. There is, however, battles that 
the believing people of God need to face and need to deal with 
in this present evil age. We've already entered into that 
blessed state of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, 
but it's not yet been fully consummated or realized. So life in this 
present age for the believer is one of warfare. It is one 
of combat. It is one of fighting. But as 
well, notice in chapter 2, specifically at verse 6, God raised us up 
together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus. We might wonder how that can 
be the case. Well, again, positionally, we 
are in union with the Lord Jesus. We have been saved. But life 
in this present age means combat, warfare, difficulty, hardship, 
and affliction. And so the apostle provides for 
us a strategy on how we're to deal with that. So I want to 
look first at the necessity of the armor of God in verses 10 
and 11a, secondly the reason for the armor of God in verses 
11b and 12, and then finally the description of the armor 
of God in verses 13 to 20. I realize that's a unit, but 
I wanted to stop at verse 17 because the next time I want 
to look at his request to them in terms of prayer. There's two 
sort of elements involved in this armor of God. You've got 
the defensive elements and then you've got offensive elements. 
And the defensive elements we'll look at tonight, perhaps getting 
to that first offensive element, which is the word of God, the 
sword of the spirit. But then that second offensive 
element is to pray. And I think Paul's teaching here 
relative to prayer is very instructive. So I don't want to kind of just 
tack it on at the end. But let's look first at the necessity 
of the armor of God. He gives them this command to 
be strong. Now the whole section is riddled 
with imperatives or commands. You see, be strong in verse 10, 
put on in verse 11, take up in verse 13, stand according to 
verse 14. So we're not called to a passive 
sort of inactivity in our Christian faith. We are called to warfare. One man says that Paul draws 
from the imagery of Isaiah, which depicts Yahweh and his Messiah 
as the divine warrior who is clothed with armor as he prepares 
for battle to defend and vindicate his people. There's a few passages 
or references in the prophet Isaiah that I think are behind 
Paul's admonition or exhortation here when he gets to the description 
of the armor. So look again with me at verse 
10. Now this is not something unique 
or confined to Ephesians chapter 6. You can turn back to the book 
of Joshua. After Deuteronomy, we find the 
book of Joshua. And essentially what you have 
is Joshua is the successor to Moses. Moses brought the children 
of Israel out of Egypt. He brought them to the plains 
of Moab. And essentially, Deuteronomy is a series of exhortations God 
gave through Moses to the children of Israel to prepare them to 
enter into the promised land. So once Moses dies and Joshua 
takes his place, Joshua, the book, takes up the conquest. 
In other words, they are poised at the plains of Moab about to 
enter into the promised land. And when they go into that promised 
land, they're supposed to vanquish their enemies. They're supposed 
to destroy their enemies. They're supposed to dispossess 
the land of all the Canaanites so that they may rightly inherit 
what God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Notice specifically 
the command by God to Joshua in chapter one, verses six to 
nine. He says, be strong and of good 
courage. Be strong and of good courage, 
for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the 
land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong 
and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to 
all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from 
it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever 
you go. This book of the law shall not 
depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and 
night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written 
in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then 
you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be 
strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, 
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." And when 
we look at that, we consider General Joshua and his campaign 
against the Canaanites, we say, well, that makes perfect sense. 
Of course he's got to be strong. Of course he has to have courage. 
Of course he's got to be able to go into that land and dispossess 
the land of the Canaanites by killing them and by breaking 
things. Well, when we come to that New 
Testament situation in Ephesians chapter 6 and the admonition 
to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, we 
mustn't forget the battle. That's why Paul does what he 
does in verse 12. He wants to remind us that this 
isn't Disneyland. This isn't a walk in the park. 
This isn't just a sort of a parade that we find ourselves in. There 
is active opposition against us, the world, the flesh, and 
the devil. And if we are not in that mindset, 
if we have not adopted that sort of wartime mentality, then we're 
not gonna be fit. We're not gonna be prepared. 
We're not gonna be ready. But as we see in redemptive history 
moving along, look at 1 Corinthians 16. 1 Corinthians 16, something 
of a parallel to our passage when the apostle ends this first 
epistle to the church at Corinth. He tells them essentially, men 
and women, to act like men. He doesn't want women to actually 
become men. He doesn't want them to get rid 
of their pronouns, but he wants them to act like men. He wants 
them to be strong. He wants them to be courageous. 
I think it's the NASB that translates it this way. It says, watch, 
stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. In the old King James, 
quit ye like men. In the NASB, act like men. Again, it's not so that you ladies 
can, you know, bulk up and 19-inch biceps and, you know, 42-inch 
chests and all that sort of thing, but to be strong, to be masculine 
in terms of the warfare that is before us. Turn over to 2 
Timothy 2, similar emphasis by the apostle to his young ministerial 
companion. 2 Timothy 2, specifically at 
verse 1. You, therefore, my son, be strong 
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Turn back to 1 Timothy 
1, specifically at verse 18. This charge I commit to you, 
son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning 
you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. So for the 
apostle Paul, he is not dealing with a walk in the park sort 
of a Christianity. He is mindful and he writes in 
2 Timothy 3.12, that all who desire to live godly in Christ 
Jesus will suffer persecution. He's mindful of our Lord's discourse 
in the upper room. Jesus says, if the world hated 
me, they're going to hate you. And when the world hates you, 
they're going to attack you. They're going to oppose you. 
They're going to persecute you. There's going to be these heartaches 
and hardships. I think in this first world situation, 
we haven't always fully realized the warfare that rages around 
us. I think it's increasing. I think we're starting to finally 
realize. We're sort of rubbing the fuzz or the haze out of our 
eyes, and we're waking up and realizing, no, this is... This 
is an antagonistic situation that we find ourselves in. So 
Paul's admonition or exhortation here is perfectly appropriate. 
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and then notice, 
and in the power of his might. The strength is a strength which 
is in the Lord. It's not according to our own 
resources, it's not according to our own fitness, it's not 
according to our own training or our own savvy, but it is to 
be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Back 
to 119, we see that our blessed God is equipped with absolute, 
comprehensive, omnipotent power. And what is the exceeding greatness 
of His power toward us who believe? So Paul's not calling upon us 
to do something that we cannot do. Paul is not calling upon 
us to just, you know, buck up, lift, pull up our bootstraps 
and fight the good fight. No, he is telling us to be in 
dependence upon the Lord God Most High. He is telling us to 
walk by the Spirit. He is telling us that in this 
warfare, we have infinite resources at our disposal. John Eady said, 
soldiers have an invincible courage when they have confidence in 
the skill and bravery of their leader. That's the emphasis, 
be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The psalmist 
says in Psalm 60 verse 12, he says, through God we will do 
valiantly, for it is He that will tread down our enemies. 
That's the mindset in which the apostle is addressing this particular 
command. Then notice, under the necessity 
of the armor of God, he then states to put on that armor of 
God in 11a. It says, put on the whole armor 
of God. We just sang that panoply. It 
means all arms, not some arms, but all arms. Put on the whole 
armor of God. In other words, you don't just 
pick and choose. Well, I think I'll wear the helmet of salvation 
today, and then on Thursday I'll wear the breastplate of righteousness, 
and I'll shod my feet with the preparation of the gospel of 
peace on Saturday. No, we're to put on the whole 
armor of God, realizing that if we are exposed at even the 
smallest point, The devil's darts may find us. As Matthew Poole 
says, get yourselves furnished with every grace that none may 
be wanting in you, no part naked or exposed to your enemies. That's 
the emphasis of our brother. Put on the whole armor of God. The text calls us to both the 
defensive and the offensive elements of the armor. Can't say, well, 
you know, I'm going to defend myself, but I'm going to leave 
the offense to others. No, the same defensive elements 
that every Christian is to put on also entails the same offensive 
elements that every Christian is to put on. The text necessitates 
responsibility and engagement, not retreat, not cowardice, not 
hiding, not making or letting everybody else fight your battles 
or fight your fights. The specific purpose for the 
armor of God, the passage is not calling us to consider the 
intricacies of spiritual warfare. I mentioned to a few of the brethren 
yesterday at our Saturday morning study, after the fact, there 
was this guy, I remembered his name, Bob Larson, some of you 
older folk may have heard of him before. He had this ministry, 
it was on the radio and it was on DVDs or cassettes or whatever 
was in vogue at that time, and he was about casting out demons 
that had inhabited Christians. Well, first of all, that's a 
faulty premise. No demon can inhabit a Christian. Greater 
is he that is in you than he that is in the world. You're 
not going to have a demon in the spirit residing in the same heart. But 
this particular fellow would put on conferences, and at these 
conferences, he wouldn't get big guns like Jim Renahan and 
Richard Barcelos to wax eloquent on chapter one of the Holy Scriptures. 
He would give you all these steps about identifying the demon that 
is in you, calling out that demon from you, and then negotiating 
terms of peace with that demon or extrication. That's not what 
Paul is talking about here. In fact, when you survey the 
New Testament, dealing with the devil is actually quite simple. Resist him and he will flee from 
you. Well, how do we resist him? With 
the defensive and offensive elements that Paul stipulates here in 
Ephesians chapter six. So one man, A.T. Lincoln, says 
to stand involves standing firm, holding one's position, resisting, 
not surrendering to the opposition, but, and this is where I think 
we need to be encouraged, prevailing against it. So it's not just 
stand and hold your ground, it's stand, hold your ground, and 
advance. In fact, Charles Hodge says the 
believer has not only to defend himself, but also to attack his 
spiritual enemies, and the latter is as necessary to his safety 
as the former. In other words, if we defend 
ourselves, but we don't deal out blows in return, then we're 
going to be compromised, or we're going to be weakened. Both these 
elements, the defensive and the offensive, need to be employed 
for the Christian to stand, for the Christian to be strong in 
the might, or in the Lord, and in the power of his might. And 
then drop down next to the reason for the armor of God. Notice 
in verses 11b and 12, he says, that, here's why you're supposed 
to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Here's 
why you need to put on the whole armor of God. That, in the middle 
of verse 11, explains, provides the rationale or gives the reason 
for the previous imperatives. So be strong in the Lord, and 
in the power of His might, put on the whole armor of God. That, 
why do we do this, Paul? That you may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the devil. Now, the devil has a multitude 
of schemes that he employs. In fact, go back to chapter four 
in our epistle. Chapter four, specifically at 
verse 26, be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down 
on your wrath, nor, give place to the devil. Turn back to the 
book of 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul 
indicates something here of the schemes of the devil. 2 Corinthians 
2 specifically at verse 11. He says, lest Satan, this is 
in the context of forgiving a sinning member. Some suggest that it's 
the guy in 1 Corinthians 5 who had relations with his father's 
wife. Well, they excommunicated that particular fellow. He then 
repented and sought forgiveness. Perhaps some in the church at 
Corinth weren't willing to give that forgiveness. Paul says, 
no, give that forgiveness. Forgive even as God in Christ 
has forgiven you. Because if you don't exercise 
forgiveness toward this man, then you may be caught up in 
the devil's devices. Notice in verse 11, lest Satan 
should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his 
devices. Notice, not of his device, he 
doesn't just have one singular thing that he plies or employs, 
but he has devices. There is a multitude of things 
that the devil employs to try to get at the people of God. 
Turn back to the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke chapter 8. 
Luke chapter 8, the parable of the sower. Notice specifically 
in verse 5, a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, 
some fell by the wayside, and it was trampled down, and the 
birds of the air devoured it. He continues with the other types 
of soil, and then he gives the explanation in verse 11. Now, 
the parable is this. The seed is the word of God. 
Those by the wayside are the ones who hear. Then the devil 
comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they 
should believe and be saved. So in other words, the devil 
is active when the gospel is preached. In that case, Luke 
8, specifically to prevent a sinner from coming to Jesus Christ as 
Lord and Savior. But in these other texts, it 
seems to be the case that the devil tries to molest the people 
of God. And in light of that, the apostle tells us to be strong 
in the Lord and in the power of His might, to put on the whole 
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles 
of the devil. Now, as far as the devil is concerned, 
good sermon by Sam Renahan, by the way, if you want to go to 
Sermon Audio, Sam Renahan preaching through 1 Peter 5, has four sermons, 
three or four, on Satan. Not a happy subject, to be sure, 
but a necessary subject. The way he leads into that is 
to say, we need to know our enemy. That doesn't mean we need to 
know our enemy to the depths and details that we know our 
God, but we need to know something about the devil in terms of his 
machinations and his attempts to destroy us. Revelation chapter 
20 tells us cosmically that the devil is bound in this present 
New Covenant era. The reason he's bound is so that 
the nations are no longer kept in the dark. In other words, 
at the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, the devil was bound 
in the sense that now the gospel goes forth to all nations. to 
every tribe, tongue, people, and nation for salvation of a 
great multitude that no man can number. But 1 Peter 5.8 tells 
us that the devil is our adversary and that he roams about like 
a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And as Pastor Renahan 
points out, adversary there isn't neutral. Adversary isn't, you 
know, kind of not a real good friend. Adversary is somebody 
who's about destruction, your destruction. Adversary is about 
one that wants to hurt you, one that wants to take from you, 
one who wants to destroy you, one who wants to decimate you. 
So the devil roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom 
he may devour. But again, in that context, you 
know what the antidote is? Resist him. Not go to a Bob Larson, 
you know, almost said concert. Go to a Bob Larson conference 
and buy his DVD set and learn how to identify, you know, those 
nasty pesky demons that reside in you. Call them out, dialogue 
with them, try to ask them. That's not it. You resist him 
and he will flee from you. Well, how do you resist Him? 
By putting on the whole armor of God, by being strong in the 
Lord and in the power of His might, by walking in dependence 
upon our Lord Jesus Christ, by invoking the presence and the 
power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. So the adversary 
roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And 
as Pastor Renahan rightly reminds us, the lion of the tribe of 
Judah is perfectly equipped and able to destroy him. and perfectly 
equipped and able to rebuff him. So our union with the Lord Jesus 
Christ is the vantage point upon which we resist the devil and 
his schemes to try to disrupt us. And then that brings us, 
in terms of the reason for the armor of God, this presence of 
spiritual warfare. Notice in verse 12, some passages 
in the New Testament are a bit difficult to wrap our minds around. 
This whole idea of another realm, Christ at the right hand of the 
Father. We can't see it, we can't touch it, we don't experience 
it the way we do this material world, but it's nevertheless 
true. And the same thing with these forces of darkness and 
evil. Notice the description that he 
gives. He says four, again, that's a rationale, this is a reason. So that you may be able to withstand 
against the wiles of the devil. And then he draws out in more 
detail what the wiles of the devil look like. For we do not 
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against 
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against 
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Now this 
word translated wrestle means wrestle. It also means struggle. And the particular idea is hand-to-hand 
combat. So again, this isn't sitting 
on your couch hoping that everything just sort of passes you by. You're 
a passive spectator at the warfare going on. It's kind of like when 
you watch a news clip about war going on in another country. 
It's hard to believe it because you're not there. Your house 
is intact. Your water is running. You've 
got meatloaf in the fridge. There's all kinds of things that 
would convince you other that there's a war battle raging on. And again, I think that's the 
case with the Christian church at times. Everything's pretty 
good here in the first world. Everything's pretty nice. Meatloaf 
is good. Running water is delightful. 
Food and Costco and Walmart, all those things seem to mitigate 
in our minds the presence of this warfare. And if you think 
about it, that could be a tactic of the devil. I said could, because 
I'm not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but lull your enemy 
into sleep. Lull your enemy into a false 
sense of security. Lull your enemy into that place 
of contentedness with his surroundings, his immediate cares are satisfied, 
so that he doesn't concern himself with the warfare that is being 
waged. So notice, with reference to 
this idea, I want to just encourage us, the instruction is given 
to promote combat, not fear. When Paul says what Paul says 
in verse 12, it's not to produce a new cowardice. It's not to 
produce a new retreat. He's already said the opposite. 
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on 
the whole armor of God. Be odd if he gives you verse 
12 to scare you out of the fight, No, what verse 12 does is that 
it calls us to engage the enemy. The instruction is given to promote 
combat and not fear. John Calvin says he describes 
our enemy as formidable, not to overwhelm us with fear, but 
to quicken our diligence and earnestness. By speaking of the 
power of the enemy, Paul labors to keep us more alert. That's 
why he's doing what he's doing. I would suggest, secondly, under 
verse 12, the instruction is given in order to help us understand 
the enemy. He's not flesh and blood, according 
to verse 12. However, He oftentimes utilizes 
flesh and blood to carry out his particular devices or schemes. Think Jesus in the Gospel of 
John in John chapter 8. Those religious leaders, those 
unbelieving Jews, they wanted to kill our Lord Jesus Christ. And so the Lord Jesus Christ 
says, but I'm Abraham, I'm descended from Abraham. And they say, well, 
we're Abraham's sons. And what is Jesus' logic? Well, 
if you were Abraham's sons, you wouldn't want to kill me. And 
then Jesus moves from Abraham, Father Abraham, to Father God. 
And he mentions, or Jesus says, that he's from God. And then 
they mock him, we were not born of fornication, we're of God. And it's on the heels of that 
that Jesus says, you're of your father, the devil, and the desires 
of your father you want to do. He was a murderer and a liar 
from the beginning. So what does that indicate? The 
power behind those unbelieving Jews is the devil himself. When 
they engage in this attempt to murder our Lord Jesus, when they 
engage in their deception and their lies, what's happening 
there? Yes, the devil is behind the 
scenes, but these men of flesh and blood are carrying out his 
devices. So again, I'm not suggesting 
every possible person out there is animated by the devil and 
is only there to get you. But brethren, there is the reality 
that the devil is out there and he is trying to get us. Just 
because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out trying to 
get you. Never forget that, brethren. There is a warfare raging on 
and Paul the Apostle wants us to be mindful of that. I would 
suggest, thirdly, the instruction is given to underscore the spiritual 
nature of the enemy. Again, verse 12, for we do not 
wrestle, we do not struggle against, we do not engage in hand-to-hand 
combat against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against 
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against 
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. If he 
indicates that the primary emphasis in terms of our enemy is spiritual 
in nature, then it necessarily follows that the means by which 
we deal, the means by which we undergo combat, the means by 
which we engage in warfare is spiritual as well. Now again, 
this is the church. This doesn't mitigate against 
armies. This doesn't mitigate against national defense. This 
doesn't mitigate against arms being taken up against foreign 
invaders. But in terms of the church, our 
calling is not to take up arms, physical arms, to advance the 
crown of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when you look at 2 Corinthians, 
specifically in chapter 10, verses four and five, the apostle underscores 
the spiritual nature of our weaponry. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, specifically 
at verse four. For the weapons of our warfare 
are not carnal, means they're not guns, they're not tanks, 
they're not helicopters, they're not, you know, rockets. Again, brethren, Paul's not arguing 
for no defense in a nation. We do this, right? We read passages 
like this. Well, the government shouldn't 
rebuff those foreign invaders. Yes, they should. They've been 
given the sword, according to Romans 13. There's stuff for 
the government, and then there's stuff for the church, and then 
there's stuff for the family, and then there's stuff for the 
individual. Oftentimes there's overlap, but oftentimes there's 
distinction in terms of calling under the lordship of our blessed 
Savior. So the church's prerogative is 
not to take up arms to advance the crown. we are rather to engage 
in the weapons that are consistent with our high calling in the 
gospel. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 
in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every 
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, 
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and 
being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 
So back to our text, the fourth observation I want to make from 
verse 12 is that the description given should cause the reader 
to consider the power of his Lord. In other words, when you 
read verse 12, I think it's commonplace as well, at least in some branches 
of Christianity, to be overly concerned with the devil. To 
be overly consumed with the spirit world and the dark forces that 
are at war with us. And to be consumed with that 
in a way that's not godly. In a way that sort of lowers 
the glorious reign of our Savior. Again, Ephesians 1, 19-23, Christ 
has a name that is above every name. over all principality, 
over all power, over all spiritual forces, our blessed Savior has 
primacy. And so what we are called upon 
here to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might 
and to put on the whole armor of God, we do that because of 
the wiles of the devil. We do that because of these unseen 
forces. And then that brings us thirdly 
to the description of the armor. John Calvin makes this note, 
he says, Now follows a description of the arms which they were enjoined 
to wear. We must not, however, inquire 
very minutely into the meaning of each word, for an allusion 
to military customs is all that was intended. Now Calvin lived 
before William Gurnall. William Gurnall wrote a book 
in 1662, when it was first published, and it's called The Christian 
Incomplete Armor. That book is 1240 pages. So I think Calvin is kind of 
saying, don't do that. Now, having said that, gurnol 
is a wealth of practical, wonderful, puritanical goodness. If you can get gurnol, you're 
going to be happy. And they have smaller editions, three volume 
sets in paperback. But the Big Daddy, by banner 
of truth, 1,240 pages. It goes into every jot and tittle 
of every possible meaning that there could ever conceivably 
be about each parts of these defensive elements. So Calvin's 
caution is you don't need to go hog wild. You need to understand 
the military or the martial imagery that is sort of behind the scenes 
or that is being invoked here. And this isn't the only place 
that Paul gets martial or military. He does it in Romans 13, 12, 
2 Corinthians 6, 7, 2 Corinthians 10, 3-6, 1 Thessalonians 
5-8, we already read 1 Timothy 1-18, and then 2 Timothy 2, not 
only the command to be strong, but the illustration of the soldier 
in verses 3 and 4. Why do you think Paul did that? 
Because the Romans had quite a robust army. You didn't maintain 
the Pax Romana by just asking everybody not to mess with you. 
You maintain the Pax Romana with a heavy hand, with an iron fist, 
with lots of weapons. So it was quite common to see 
Roman soldiers. In fact, Jesus invokes that example 
when he speaks in the Sermon on the Mount. If you're sort 
of called upon to carry a soldier's load for a mile, go ahead and 
carry it for two miles. So this was a reality. John the 
Baptist in his preaching there in the wilderness of Judea addressed 
soldiers. Cornelius was a soldier, a commander, 
a centurion. The Bible does not look disfavorably 
at military. The Bible doesn't condemn military. The Bible doesn't commend passivity. The Bible commends, again, governments 
and body politics having militaries to defend from invasion. In terms 
of the church, he uses the analogy to show what we're up against 
so that we'll take it seriously and that we will not just lay 
back passively and watch the world go by. No, we need to stand. We need to advance. We need to 
persevere. We need to engage in martial 
combat with our spiritual enemies. So notice then, specifically 
in verses 13 and following, he reiterates the command. He gives 
it in verses 10 and 11a, gives the rationale or justification 
or reason in 11b and 12. And then notice in verse 13, 
therefore, take up the whole armor of God. So because we have 
this reason in 11b and 12, we have the first exhortation, and 
then he returns to that exhortation, why? Because it's so essential, 
because it's so important, because it is monumental for your health 
and your strength and your ability to conduct yourself in this present 
evil age. Notice the timing, take up the 
whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil 
day. Remember in chapter 5, verse 
15, see that, that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming 
the time. Why? Because the days are evil. Matthew Poole says these are 
times of temptation and Satan's greatest rage. In other words, 
be prepared and be ready. It's always good to be prepared, 
isn't it? This isn't a shout out to the 
Boy Scouts, but it is good to be prepared. You don't wait till 
you're under attack to try to find your armor. You don't wait 
till the bullets are whizzing by your head to say, you know, 
I should probably fetch that helmet out of my closet and put 
it on my noggin. No, it's better to be prepared. 
That's what the apostle is saying. Not every single day in the Christian 
life is constant, earnest, fiery warfare. You probably had a nap 
today. That's not warfare. That's fun. That's good. That's relaxing. 
The Lord is good. He gives us the Sabbath to rest. We rest spiritually. Sometimes 
we get a bit of a physical nap as well, and it's quite a blessing 
that our God gives us. But if we're not prepared, if 
we're not ready, if we're not standing, then we're going to 
be mowed down when the bullets start flying around us. And then 
he stipulates once again the purpose, that you may be able 
to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. That's the goal, that's the emphasis, 
that's what the apostle wants. We're to watch, we're to pray, 
we're to fight, we're to persevere, we're to endure, we're to go 
forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of His Holy 
Spirit. And then he gets specifically to the defensive elements in 
verses 14 to 17a. But again, verse 14, it's almost 
like he's obsessed with this theme. Stand, therefore. He must view that threat in verses 
11b and 12 to be real, to be a potential difficulty for the 
life of God's people in God's church. He must envisage in terms 
of history that these forces of darkness are moving men in 
such a way that there will be times of serious opposition and 
serious persecution against the church of the Lord Jesus. What 
do you think might feed into that? Well, it could be perhaps 
he's sitting in a Roman jail. He's in prison because unbelieving 
Jews turned him over to the civil state and the civil state essentially 
didn't wanna deal with him, didn't wanna release him, but they then 
put him away. So from AD 60 to 62, Paul's sitting 
in a jail. So the concept and the reality 
and the idea that persecution and opposition are real, was 
very real to the apostle Paul. Hence the emphasis to his readership 
that they need to stand, that they need to be strong. They 
need to put on that whole armor of God. They need to be ready. They need to defend. They need 
to be able to engage in an offensive. And then the specifics. Notice 
first, having girded your waist with truth. Stand therefore having 
girded your waist with truth. Over the last, I don't know, 
decade, two decades, three decades, anybody that's worked out in 
gyms knows that there's been this strong emphasis on the core. 
Everybody needs a strong core. I mean, back in the day, we just 
lifted weights, didn't think much about the core. We thought, 
didn't even know about the core. Figured squats would take care 
of that, deadlifts would help out, that'd be great. There's 
been this emphasis on the core. Why is that? Because you need 
to be sturdy, you need to be stable, you need to be strong. 
When you're in hand-to-hand combat with somebody else, if you're 
easy to be rocked, you're easy to be knocked, you're easy to 
be shaken, you're not going to be able to stand. And what is 
it that is the girding with? It's truth. If we're going to 
resist the wiles of the devil, it's not going to be our experience, 
it's not going to be our feelings, it's not going to be our emotions, 
it's not going to be our warm fuzzies. It is the truth of God's 
holy word that we need to gird our waist with in order to withstand 
in the evil day. In order to combat the liar himself 
and all of his minions that work by deception, what is the church 
to employ to rebuff that, to resist that, and to withstand 
that? It's the truth. We saw that this morning. I am 
the way, the truth, and the life. There are certain emphases that 
we need to bring home when it comes to that statement and this 
one. The church is not to compromise 
the truth in an otherwise weakened ecclesiastical state. In other 
words, when the time comes that men will not endure sound doctrine, 
but men rather want to gather up teachers that'll scratch their 
itching ears, what's the faithful church to do? Preach the word. We're not to compromise the word 
of truth when a godless world wants to come and attack. Oh, 
we're going to invoke Bill 367. As I understand, those kinds 
of privately entered bills don't always get the traction that 
they perhaps otherwise would. But that there are, you know, 
government officials out there wanting to restrict our ability 
to preach the gospel of John. Brethren, this wouldn't be the 
first time the Gospel of John has been accused of anti-Semitism. 
This is a long-held charge. When Jesus condemns the Jews, 
how do you think the Jews respond to that? Well, he's an anti-Semite. That's particularly what this 
legislation is calculated against. So what do we do? Do we not preach 
John? Do we avoid John chapter 8? Do we say, no, we can't deal 
with that text because it's kind of provocative and it might make 
our overlords upset? No, that's not the response. 
We gird our ways with truth. We stand fast on the one who 
identifies himself as the way, the truth, and the life. We need 
to be faithful relative to the truth of God's Holy Word. Notice, 
secondly, we've got the core taken care of. Now notice, having 
put on the breastplate of righteousness. Where do you think the arrows 
of the devil are going to go? Center mass. If you've ever been 
taught to shoot, you shoot for center mass. That's just part 
of the instruction. You shoot or aim for center mass. Why? Because you want to stop 
that individual. This isn't unique to the good 
guys. The bad guys know this rule as 
well. And so, of course, when the devil 
launches arrows, where do you think he's going? He's going 
for center mass. He's going to try and kill you. 
He's going to try and destroy you. So notice what he says. 
We've got the waste girded with truth. Now we put on the breastplate 
of righteousness. What does that mean? Does that 
mean our goodness, our rightness, our lawfulness, our merit, our 
obedience? Listen to John Gill. In an allusion 
to Isaiah 59, 17, Meaning, not works of righteousness 
done by men, though these are offense when rightly used against 
the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel, 
1 Samuel 12, 3, but rather the graces of faith and love, 1 Thessalonians 
5, 8. Though faith has another place 
in the Christian armor afterwards mentioned, wherefore it seems 
best to understand, where do you think Gil's gonna go? We 
talk about the breastplate of righteousness. You think John 
Gill is going to say, that's your goodness, that's your obedience, 
that's your uprightness by which you'll rebuff the darts of the 
devil. That's not where Gill goes. Wherefore, 
it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, 
which, being imputed by God and received by faith, is a guard 
against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is 
a security from all wrath and condemnation." So we've got the 
waste dirt with truth, then we've got this breastplate of righteousness, 
and then notice the feet with the preparation of the gospel 
of peace. I read before where one of the big issues in the 
Vietnam War for US soldiers was jungle rot. You go trancing around 
jungles and you don't have good footwear and good socks. See, 
this is something we just really take for granted, don't we? We 
can get good shoes, good, good socks. But that's not always 
been the way life is. There hasn't always been Costcos. There hasn't always been Amazon.ca. Honey, I need some new socks. Well, you can go to Costco and 
buy them by the pile. Or you can just log on to Amazon 
and get them that afternoon. Footwear is very important. Footwear 
in combat, very important. Jungle rot, no bueno. You're 
not gonna go out and fight Charlie when your feet are bleeding, 
when your feet are deteriorating, and when you are in agony. And 
so the apostle, again, knowing the Roman soldier, having seen 
them in his day-to-day life, seeing what they wore in terms 
of their constant emphasis on the peace of Rome and on the 
vanquishment of their enemies, he saw them. He witnessed this, 
he understood this. He draws the analogy from physical 
military life and brings it into the spiritual world. So with 
reference to the gospel, or rather with reference to the feat, notice, 
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of 
peace. Remember, what is the primary 
emphasis in terms of the imperatives in the section? We're to stand. were to stand, were to stand. You're not going to stand if 
your feet are not standable. And if you do not take that gospel 
of peace, which is the power of God most high, you're not 
going to be any good when it comes to dealing with the threat 
posed by the wiles of the devil, 11b, and those myriad of forces 
according to verse 12. You've got to make sure the waist 
has truth. You've got to make sure that 
breastplate of righteousness is in place. You've got to make 
sure those feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel 
of peace. Then, fourthly, notice the shield 
of faith. Above all, some commentators 
suggest that above all may not be the best translation. It's 
not like this is the primary one. As I said before, it's a 
unit. The Roman soldier walking down the road that they built 
that lasted even till our own day, that Roman soldier didn't 
have part of his armament on. That Roman soldier was ready 
to go. I mean, again, it wasn't like, you know, life now, where 
we have early warning systems, we have radar, we got all kinds 
of things to detect enemy invasion. That wasn't the way it always 
was. I'm sure it was a little bit more robust than I'm suggesting 
here, but these soldiers were ready to go. And so notice that 
they have this shield of faith, verse 16. Above all, taking the 
shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the 
fiery darts of the wicked one. See, I mentioned earlier, stand 
but progress. The devil isn't just standing. He's not just maintaining. He's 
not content with you just where you're at. He wants to mow you 
over. There's repetitive darts coming 
your way. And these are the darts that 
are flaming. You know, the modern flamethrower, it's a horrific 
thing to throw flames at an enemy. Can you imagine that? Throwing 
flames at another human being. Well, this wasn't a brand new 
invention. The Romans did that. You dip 
the arrow in fire and throw flame at your enemy. So the apostle 
tells us that that's what the devil is going to do. You better 
make sure you've got that armor or that shield. You've gotta 
be able to cover your vitals. The necessity of faith in Christ 
and faith in the promises of God are most essential. Listen 
to Hodge. This is a bit of a longer quote, 
but I think he gets at it. He says, as burning arrows not 
only pierced, but set on fire what they pierced, they were 
doubly dangerous. Think about that. It's bad enough 
to get hit by an arrow, I would imagine, but a flaming arrow, 
so that once it enters into your body, it then burns your body. I think Hodge is right. They 
were doubly dangerous. They serve here, therefore, as 
the symbol of the fierce onslaughts of Satan. He showers arrows of 
fire on the soul of the believer, who, if unprotected by the shield 
of faith, would soon perish. It is a common experience of 
the people of God that at times horrible thoughts, unholy, blasphemous, 
skeptical, malignant, crowd upon the mind, which cannot be accounted 
for on any ordinary law of mental action, and which cannot be dislodged. I mean, brethren, it's in our 
wheelhouse to have some pretty wicked thoughts. Well, I shouldn't 
project. It's in my wheelhouse to have 
some pretty wicked thoughts. But once in a while, a thought 
comes along and it's like, where did that come from? Like, everybody's 
looking at me puzzled. Maybe I'm outing myself here. 
Does anybody else ever have that? You don't need to raise your 
hand. But there are those times where things come into your head. 
It's like, where did that come from? That's what Hodge is speaking 
to. He says, they stick like burning 
arrows and fill the soul with agony. They can be quenched only 
by faith, by calling on Christ for help. Again, it's not the 
strength of your faith, it's the object of your faith. That 
shield of faith is the connection you have, the union to our blessed 
Savior and Lord. He says, these, however, are 
not the only kind of fiery darts, nor are they the most dangerous. 
There are others which enkindle passion, inflame ambition, excite 
cupidity, pride, discontent, or vanity, producing a flame 
which our deceitful heart is not so prompt to extinguish, 
and which is often allowed to burn until it produces great 
injury or even destruction. Against these most dangerous 
weapons of the evil one, the only protection is faith. It 
is only by looking to Christ and earnestly invoking His interposition 
on our behalf that we can resist these assaults, which inflame 
evil without the warning of pain. It's a great reminder, brethren, 
and again, you can read Guernal. I think that's a great endeavor, 
all 1,200 pages. But you're gonna have to come 
to grips with what Paul is saying here in a very simple way, is 
make sure you've got truth on your waist, righteousness on 
your chest, make sure that your feet are shod with the preparation 
of the gospel of peace, and make sure you've got that shield. 
Because when you go into combat, you don't want to be there without 
that shield. Because those darts are flaming, those darts are 
firing, those darts are coming for you. And if you don't look 
unto the Lord Jesus Christ with faith, if you're not invoking 
His power in your life, then you're going to be mowed over 
in the day of evil. And then the last element in 
terms of defense is the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation. Again, you wouldn't go into battle 
without a helmet on. It's just not, it's unthinkable. In military settings, they usually 
inspect troops before they go on duty. And what do you think 
they're inspecting the troops for? Do you have your helmet? 
Do you have your breastplate? Do you have your shoes? They're 
looking at you. They're giving you the once over. 
They're making sure that you're ready so that when they send 
you out there, you're fit and prepared and ready to stand. But this helmet of salvation 
is absolutely crucial. Why? Because without our heads, 
we are going to succumb. Do you notice a constant emphasis 
and refrain and specific amplification of truth, faith, understanding, 
knowing Jesus as the source of our strength? We need that helmet 
to protect our heads so that we are not mowed down in battle. Turn to Romans chapter 12. We'll 
take up the offensive elements next time. So we're just about 
finished. Look at Romans chapter 12. Verse one, this is where Paul 
gets practical. In Ephesians, we've got doctrine, 
Ephesians one and two, transition chapter three, practical four 
to six. Romans, you've got doctrine from 
chapters one to 11, and then from chapters 12 to 16, you've 
got practical application. Paul has a pattern, Paul has 
a way about him. And notice in chapter 12 at verse 
one, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God 
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable 
to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed 
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So I think at times we sacrifice 
the mind in our Christianity for the heart. But you know what? 
The Bible doesn't make the distinction that we do. It doesn't say the 
head knowledge and the heart knowledge are two different things. 
Head and heart are all part of the immaterial. Head and heart 
are oftentimes used synonymously in scripture. The apostle says, 
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing 
of your mind. When you hear that, it sounds 
a bit paradoxical. Well, I don't want to be conformed 
to this world, so I shouldn't go to that place. I shouldn't 
go there. I shouldn't do this. Yeah, that might follow, but 
the first order of business is the renewal of your mind. Let's 
say you were converted at 25. You spent 25 years, until the 
day you were converted, thinking worldly things, thinking godless 
thoughts. being oriented only to this world. 
So what happens when you're converted? All things are new, you're a 
new creature in Christ Jesus, but that doesn't immediately 
mean your intellect has been radically transformed. You have 
a different perspective, a different orientation, you have a different 
view on things, but what do you got to do? You got to kind of 
get out that old stuff and put in new stuff. It's kind of like 
when Israel goes into the promised land. You've got to get rid of 
those Canaanites and then you take the land. That's what God says 
through his apostle. And so this helmet of salvation 
is absolutely crucial. We need doctrine. We need understanding. 
We need the truth so that we are protected at those vital 
elements of our lives. And so those are the defensive 
elements. God willing, next time we'll 
look at the two offensive elements, the Word of God and the necessity 
of prayer. Just want to close by saying 
there is a necessity to stand in this passage. The believer 
must stand in the Lord. That, I think, is settled. The 
believer must stand in the Lord with the Lord's provision. Be strong in the Lord and in 
the power of His might. And then that power of His might 
is then conveyed to us via these particular means. Truth, righteousness, 
gospel, all those things. Faith are absolutely crucial. That's what it means to stand 
in the power of his might. It is to take the armor of God 
that he gives to his children and employ those for his glory. The believer must realize that 
the Lord will give. I mean, this is another great 
thing in terms of the provision. He gives and promises to give 
to all those who ask. Isn't that Jesus' point in the 
Sermon on the Mount? and you shall receive. Seek, 
and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened 
to you." That's the promise of God Most High. In the Lucan account, 
the Lord Jesus argues from that to say, if you then, being evil, 
love to give good gifts to your children, how much more will 
your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? Remember that condemnation from 
James? He says, you have not because you ask not. Maybe we're 
getting our clocks cleaned in the spiritual battle because 
we're lazy, and we're apathetic, and we're not employing the whole 
armor of God, and we're not invoking his presence, and we're not expressing 
our faith and dependence upon him. See, again, it's not magic, 
it's not esoteric, it's not Bob Larson-ism, where you gotta figure 
out who the demon is, you gotta identify the demon, you gotta 
name the demon, call the demon out, and then try to negotiate 
terms. It's none of that. Resist him. How do you resist 
him? by putting on the whole armor of God. The reality of 
spiritual warfare attacks us at every level. The temptation 
to love the world is a spiritual battle. Romans 12, do not be 
conformed to this world. Why do you think Paul issues 
that command? because there is that remaining corruption, because 
there is that desire to gravitate back to those things. The temptation 
to love money is a spiritual battle. Matthew chapter 6, can't 
love or serve God and mammoth. It's not saying don't ever have 
money. It's the love of money. That's the root of all evil. 
That can be a spiritual battle. The temptation to engage in sexual 
immorality is a spiritual battle. One text here, look at 1 Peter 
chapter 2. 1 Peter 2, notice how Peter frames his admonition 
to avoid sexual immorality. 1 Peter 2, he sees it in the 
real world. He sees it in the light of all 
that is true. 1 Peter 2.11, beloved, I beg 
you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which 
war against the soul. Fleshly lusts war against the 
soul. Fleshly lusts have a spiritual 
element. Fleshly lusts destroy. They're 
fiery darts that are not calculated to help you, to promote good 
in you, and to cause you to be healthy and well-balanced. No, 
it's simply there like a burning arrow to penetrate your flesh 
and then to turn on the heat. So there are these battles in 
the love of world, love of money, sexual immorality. Notice as 
well where Paul locates this admonition. Now, it does cap 
off the entirety of the epistle, but it comes right after household 
code. In other words, do you think 
the devil's going to try to disrupt a Christian marriage? Do you 
think the devil's going to try to disrupt Christians' parents 
and their children? Yes! He roams about like a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour. And if you're not girded up, 
if you're not fully armored, if you're not ready to fight 
and ready to battle, you're going to be easy prey when it comes 
to these particular things. And then as well, the temptation 
to destroy church relationships is a spiritual battle also. Remember 
chapter 4, verses 1 to 6, endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit 
in the bond of peace. God abominates, according to 
Proverbs 6, that one who sows discord among the brethren. So there's all these places or 
all these sort of arenas or theaters where there can be this spiritual 
battle. And so the marching orders from the apostle is to put on 
that whole armor, to be ready to withstand in the evil day, 
to be ready to defend, to be ready to give an offense in terms 
of the scriptures and in terms of prayer. And then the use of 
the means, the truth of God's Word, the righteousness of Christ, 
the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, 
the sword of the Spirit, and the necessity of prayer. You 
put those things on, I'm not going to say it's going to be 
easy, I'm not going to say all your troubles are going to go 
away, but you're going to be able, by God's grace, to withstand 
in the evil day. Well, may God take these things 
and may He impress them upon our hearts that we may faithfully 
go forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the 
Spirit. And if you're not a believer here tonight, the way to receive 
this armor is to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. Without 
faith in Him, you are open to all of the machinations and all 
of the evil and all of the fiery darts of the devil himself. So believe on Jesus and you will 
be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this comprehensive 
look at a soldier of Christ. Help us, God, to take these things 
seriously. Help us, God, to put on that 
whole armor of God, to stand and to withstand in the evil 
day. I pray that you would look with favor upon each of the families, 
each of the individuals, and this church as a whole. Grant 
us grace in this present generation to shine as lights and give us 
boldness to hold forth that word of truth. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.