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good evening to everyone you can turn in your Bibles with me as we start worship to Psalm 20 Psalm 20 this is the word of God to the chief musician the psalm of David may the Lord answer you in the day of trouble may the name of the god of Jacob defend you may he send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen you out of Zion may he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice sa La may he Grant you according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your purpose we will rejoice in your salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners may the Lord fulfill all your petitions now I know that the Lord saves his anointed he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord Our God they have bowed down and Fallen but we have risen and stand upright save Lord May the king answer us when we call amen well let's stand together and sing as a church our first hymn will be Psalm 1 Psalm 1 be as in brao let's Stand [Music] Together where him his who stand mer isit for is tree is his his his are all all we Suess The all will all for [Applause] sest the will be let's go to our god in PR Father Lord's opportunity to gather together in the Name of Christ for the worship of our great god father Son and Holy Spirit we pray once again again Lord God that you would cause us to hallow your most high name we pray that you would be worshiped in this place we pray that we would worship Our God a right in this place in spirit and in truth that you would receive all honor all praise and and all glory for truly Lord God you are worthy of the praise from your creatures we do pray Lord God that as we worship as we engage in these various aspects of worship we thank you that you have gifted Us by your grace with these means uh whereby we come to you in worship the reading of the scriptures the singing of Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs we thank you that we have the preaching ing of the word and that we have this opport opportunity to come to you in prayer and we do pray Lord God that when we when we always gather for these things you would uh cause us with true Christian Hearts to to to lift up our praises to you that you might receive all honor and glory and we do thank you for the Gospel of Jesus Christ Our precious savior as Christians gathered together for worship we reflect with great joy upon the doing and the dying and the rising again of the Son of God incarnate and truly we thank you that you did send forth your son in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law we have that blessed truth as Christians that you did send forth your son to come into this lower World Sinners to save we thank you that you have brought us forth from Darkness to light not by virtue of Deeds of righteousness which we have done but solely according to your mercy your grace and your love through the perfect work of Jesus Christ Our Our Savior bringing us forth by the power of the Holy Spirit and truly salvation is of the Triune God from first to last midst and throughout that precious God who saves without a Helper and we do pray that uh everyone here gathered because it is possible with you that you would save uh Sinners that you would uplift saints that each and every one of us Lord God because it is possible not with men but only with you we would all leave this place singing the Praises of Jesus Christ Our Savior we thank you for that forgiveness of sins we thank you for that righteousness that avails with you not our righteousness but the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to those who believe and Reed by faith alone we do pray that you would cause us to to ever ever and always rejoice in the precious the the precious gems of gospel salvation we pray Lord God that you would be with those unable to join us we pray for those who are sick those who are unwell those who are traveling those who are recovering cing Lord we do just pray that you'd strengthen our Brothers and Sisters in Christ that you would in the outer man lift them up and heal together the the wounds of injury and sickness and disease and Lord God those who are afflicted with such things in the midst of them we pray that you would cause them to rejoice in you our God we pray for those struggling spiritually as we know often those uh those rains and the storms can uh can roll into our spiritual walk our walk with Christ we do pray that you would lift up your Saints from out of those Low Places into the high places of Glorious Gospel Reflection and that you would return unto all your Saints the joy of their salvation we thank Lord God of our persecuted Church our our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world that that are in chains that are persecuted regularly for the cause of God in truth we pray that you would be with them God do be near to them help them in the midst of of opposition Affliction help them against the the tyranny of governments against the the wickedness of their own countrymen it caused them in the waves of these things to find soless in you to find peace and strength in the god of Heaven and Earth and that they would look away from their persecutors and with eyes of Faith Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and find strength and courage in him we do pray Lord God that you'd be with Pastor Butler as he comes up here in a few moments to Proclaim Your Truth we rejoice in that Central aspect of worship the preaching of your holy word and uh we know Lord God that ministers rest not upon strength that that comes from themselves but that strength that comes from outside of themselves namely the strength that the Triune God affords Ministers of the gospel and we do pray that you'd help him in this Pulpit as he opens up his Bible to Proclaim Christ to us we pray that we would uh that you would give him strength and that we in the pews Lord God would have our hearts and Minds prepared well to receive your preached truth we pray that your gathered Saints here would receive it well would be encouraged would be instructed would be equipped to go out into this lower world to shine as lights to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ and that that same preached word tonight would by the Spirit uh uh change the hearts of uh of those outside of Christ in this place now that you would bring forth dead Sinners to Life by The Power of word and spirit and that as we have already prayed that each and every one of us would leave this place uh with joyful t singing the Praises of Father Son and Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus Christ Our Savior amen well let's stand again and sing this time 540 in the hym books Let's stand and sing 540 as a church together etal and in his mighty the strength of Jesus stand his with all streng you the the weakness of the Soul take everyt for to be walking in [Music] youring to pray to soul and and all of you can turn in your Bibles with me to Deuteronomy chapter 23 Deuteronomy 23 is our Old Testament scripture reading this evening and we'll read the entirety of the chapter once again this is the word of the Triune God he who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the Assembly of the Lord one of illegitimate birth shall not enter the Assembly of the Lord even to the 10th Generation none of his descendants shall enter the Assembly of the Lord an ammonite or moabit shall not enter the Assembly of the Lord even to the 10th Generation none of his descendants shall enter the Assembly of the Lord forever because they did not meet with you uh they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt and because they hired against you balum the son of Bor from paor of Mesopotamia to curse you nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to balam but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you you shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever you shall not abhor an Edomite for he is your brother you shall not abore an Egyptian because you were an alien in his land the children of the third generation born to them may enter the Assembly of the Lord when the army goes out against your enemies then keep yourself from every Wicked thing if there is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night then he shall go outside inside the camp he shall not come inside the camp but it shall be when evening comes that he shall wash with water and when the sun sets he may come into the camp also you shall have a place outside the camp where you may go out and you shall have an Implement among your equipment and when you sit down outside you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refug for the Lord your God walks in the midst of your Camp to deliver you and give your enemies over to you there Therefore your Camp shall be holy that he may see no unclean thing among you and turn away from you you shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you he may dwell with you in your midst in the place which he chooses within one of your Gates where it seems best to him you shall not oppress him there shall be no ritual Harlot of the daughters of Israel or a perverted one of the sons of Israel you shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog to the house of the Lord your God for any vowed offering for both of these are an Abomination to the Lord your God you shall not charge interest to your brother uh to your brother interest on money or food or anything that is Lent out at interest uh excuse me to a foreigner you may charge interest but to your brother you shall not charge interest that the Lord your God May bless you in all which you set your hand to uh in all which you set your hand in the in the the land which you are entering to possess when you make a vow to the Lord your God you shall not delay to pay it for the Lord your God will surely require it of you and it would be a sin to you but if you abstain from vowing it shall not be sin to you that which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God that you have promised with what you have promised with your mouth when you come into your neighbor's Vineyard you may eat your fill of grape at your pleasure but you shall not put any in your container when you come into your neighbor's standing grain you may pluck the heads with your hand but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor standing grain amen well let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for this the word of God we rejoice in your Revelation to the sons of men we thank you as we read through this particular book not only this book but in this book and in this chapter that it displays your Holiness that it displays your singular uniqueness compared to the the Pagan Nations around your um uh your loved Israel uh and of course as it pertains to the singular uniqueness of the one and only living and true God amongst the the so-called gods of the Nations and we do pray Lord God that we would see in your word your Holiness disclosed that we would see in your in your word our sinlessness exposed and Lord God that we would see in your word that blessed remedy Jesus Christ Our Savior who saves his people from their sins we rejoice in you father Son and Holy Spirit we rejoice in our blessed Christ the savior of men and we do pray as we continue in worship you would be with us and that you would cause us now to be attentive after this last sung hymn to the preaching of the word that you might receive all glory honor and praise we pray in the name of Jesus Christ Our Savior amen our final hymn then before the preaching is 543 let's stand and sing 543 together chrr [Music] joy and [Music] etern eyes and see his face for Christ is the my his Mery [Music] [Applause] CHR and th sh see Christ [Music] is you can turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6 our Focus will be on verses 10-1 17 I'll read from verse 10 to the end of the chapter so Ephesians chapter 6 beginning in verse 10 finally my my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the Ws of the devil for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but 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 Titus 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 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'd 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 two 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 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 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 a of ascended Glory at the right hand of the father if you look back to chapter 1 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 behead 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 un uh 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 11 a secondly the reason for the armor of God in verses 11 B 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 uh 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 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 finally my brethren be strong in the Lord 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 pl 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 chap 1: 6-9 he says be strong and of good courage uh be strong and of good courage for to this people 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 uh 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 you know a walk in the park this isn't just a sort of a 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 going to be fit we're not going to be prepared we're not going to be ready but as we see in Redemptive history moving along look at 1 Corinthians chapter 16 1 Corinthians chapter 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 he it says watch stand fa uh Stand Fast in the faith be brave be strong and the old King James quit ye like men and the nas be be or act like men again it's not so that you ladies can you know bulk up and 19inch biceps and you know 42in 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 chap 2 SIM similar emphasis by the Apostle to his young ministerial Companion 2 Timothy Chapter 2 specifically at verse one you therefore my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus turn back to 1 Timothy chapter 1 specifically at Verse 18 this charge I commit to you son Timothy according to the prophet phes 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 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 realize 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 the the the fuzz or the the the the haze out of our eyes and we're waking up and realizing no this is uh this is a an antagon an antagonistic situation that we find ourselves in so Paul's ad 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 of 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 and fight the good fight no he's 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 Ed said soldiers have an invincible ible 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 60:12 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 to put on the AR to put on 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 I'll wear the helmet of salvation today and then on Thursday I'll well I'll wear the breastplate of righteousness and you know I'll shod my feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace on 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 uh darts may find us as Matthew P 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 after the fact there was this guy I remembered his name Bob LaRon 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 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 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 6 so one man at Lincoln says to stand involves standing firm holding one's position resisting not surren surrendering to the opposite position but and this is where I think we need to be encouraged prevailing against it says not just stand and hold your ground it 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 uh 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 that in the middle of verse 11 explains provides the rationale or gives the reason for the previous imperativ 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 Ws of the devil now the devil has a multitude of schemes that he employs in fact go back to chapter 4 in our epistle chapter 4 specifically at verse 26 be angry and do not sin do not not let the sun go down on your wrath nor give place to the devil turn back to the book of second Corinthians second Corinthians the Apostle Paul indicates something here of the the schemes of the devil 2 Corinthians chapter 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 chapter 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 his devices notice not of his device he doesn't just have One Singular thing that he applies 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 chap 8 the parable of the sewer notice specifically in verse 5 a swer went out to sew 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 Ws of the devil now as far as the devil is concerned good sermon by Sam renahan by the way that if you want to go to Sermon Audio Sam renahan preaching through 1 Peter chapter 5 has four sermons three or four on 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 his his uh uh his minations and his attempts to destroy us Revelation 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 another 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 first 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 who may may wh whom he may devour but again in that context you know what the the antidote is resist him not go to a Bob Larson con you know conf 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 on 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 a 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 another realm Christ at the right hand of the father we can't see it we can't touch it we don't you know 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 giv he says for again that's a rationale this is a reason so that you may be able to stand against the Ws of of the devil and then he draws out in more detail what the Ws 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 toand 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 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 Bridge there's all kinds of things that would convince you other that there's a war b a war or 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 in 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 I said could CU 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 of contentedness with his his surroundings his immediate cares are satisfied so that he doesn't concern himself with the W uh the Warfare that is waging uh 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 in you cowardice it's not to produce in you Cur uh uh 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 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 often times 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 Abra I I've 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 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 self 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 your parent 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 don't do not engage in hand toand combat against flesh and blood but against principalities against Powers against the rulers of the dark 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 Second Corinthians specifically in chapter 10 veres 4 and 5 the Apostle underscores the spiritual nature of our Weaponry 2 Corinthians chap 10 specifically at verse 4 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 uh uh 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 often times there's overlap but often times 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 concerned uh consumed with the spirit you know the spirit world in the dark in uh 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 the Glorious reign of our savior again Ephesians 1:1 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 and uh uh in the Lord and to be uh in the and in the power of His might and to put on the whole armor of God we do that because of the Ws 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 illusion to military Customs is all that was intended now Calvin lived before William gernal William gernal wrote a book in 1662 is when it was first published and it's called the Christian incomplete armor that book is 1240 pages so I think celvin is kind of saying don't do that now having said that gernal is a wealth of practical wonderful Puritan puritanical goodness if you can get gnal you're going to be happy and they they have smaller editions three volume sets and in paperback but the big daddy by Banner of Truth 1240 pages I it goes into every jot and tit of every possible meaning that there could ever conceivably be about each parts of these defensive elements so so Calvin's caution is you don't need to go Hog Wild you need to understand the military or the Marshall imagery that is sort of behind the scenes or that is being invoked here and this isn't the only place that Paul PA gets martial or military he does it in Romans 13:12 2 Corinthians 6:7 2 Corinthians 10 3-6 1 Thessalonians 58 we already read 1 Timothy 1:18 and then 2 Timothy Chapter 2 not only the command to be strong but the illustration of the soldier in verses 3 and four why do you think Paul did that because the Romans had quite a robust Army you didn't Main 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 uh uh called upon to carry a 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 a commander a Centura the the Bible does not look dis favorably at military the Bible doesn't condemn military the Bible doesn't commend passivity the Bible commends again governments and 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 so 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: 15 see that that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise Redeeming the time why because the days are evil Matthew P says These are times of Temptation and Satan's greatest rage 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 that's the goal that's the emphasis that's what the Apostle wants we're to watch We're to pray we to fight we're to persevere where to endure where to go forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of His Holy Spirit and then he gets specifically to the defens of 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 11 B and 12 to be real to be a potential difficulty for the life of God's people and 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 want to deal with him didn't want to 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' 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 you know hand toand 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 the the the giring with it's truth if we're going to resist the Ws 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 our our warm fuzzies it is the truth of God's holy word that we need to to G our waste 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 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 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 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 First Time The Gospel of John has been accused of anti-Semitism this is a l 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 G our wayt 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 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 t uh 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 the waist 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 Gil in an illusion 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 Thessalon Ians 58 though faith has another place in the Christian armor afterwards mentioned wherefore it seems best to understand where do you think Gil's going to go we talk about the breastplate of righteousness you think John Gil 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 Gil goes wherefore it seems best to understand this of the right 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 you've got the waste gir with Tru uh with truth then we've got this breastplate of righteousness and then notice the feet uh with the preparation of the gospel of peace think I read before where one of the big issues in the Vietnam War for you US soldiers was jungle rot you go transing 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 costos there hasn't always been amazon.ca honey I I need some new socks well you can go to Costco and you know buy the the buy them by the pile where you can you know 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 going to 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 solder having seen them in his day-to-day life seeing what they wore in terms of their you you know uh a constant emphasis on the the Peace of Rome and on the vanquishment of their enemies he saw them he witnessed this he understood this so 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 feet notice having Shaw your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace remember what is the primary emphasis in terms the imperatives in the in the SE we're to stand we're to stand where're 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 Ws of the devil 11b and those myriad forces according to verse 12 you've got to make sure the waste 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 suggested 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 walk down the road that they built that lasted even till our own day uh that Roman soldier didn't have part of his arm and r 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 I'm sure it was a little bit more robust than I'm suggesting here but these ready or these soldiers were ready to go and so notice that they have this sheep 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 so 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 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 a brand new invention the Romans did that you dip the arrow in in Fire and 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 or that that Shield you've got to be able to cover your vitals the necessity of faith in Christ and faith and and the promises of God are most essential listen to Hajj 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 burned your body I think Haj is right they were doubly dangerous they serve 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 it's like where did that come from like does everybody's looking at me puzzled maybe I'm I'm outing myself here does anybody else ever have that you no you don't need to raise your hand but but there are those times where things come into your head it's like where did that come from that's what Haj is speaking to he says they stick like burning arrows and fill the 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 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 gernal I think that's a great endeavor all 1200 pages but you're going to 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 Shaw with the preparation of the Gospel a piece and make sure you got that Shield because when you go into combat you don't want to be there without that Shield because those D darts are flaming those darts are fiery those darts are coming for you and if you don't look unto the Lord Jesus Christ 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 the defense is the helmet of salvation the helmet of salvation again you wouldn't go into battle without a helmet on it it's just not it's Unthinkable you know in military settings they usually you know uh inspect troops before they they go on duty and what do you think they're inspecting the troops for do you have your helmet do you have your you know breastplate do you have your your your shoes they 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 be because without our heads we are going to succumb do do you notice a constant emphasis and refrain and and and specific uh uh uh 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 chap 12 we'll take up the offensive elements next time so we're just about finished look at look at Romans chapter 12 verse one this is where Paul gets practical in Ephesians we've got Doctrine Ephesians 1 and 2 transition chapter 3 practical 4-6 Romans you've got Doctrine from chapters 1 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 you know what the Bible doesn't make the distinction that we do it doesn't say the the head knowledge and the Heart knowledge are two different things head and heart are all part of the immaterial head and heart are often times used synonymously in scripture the Apostle says do not be conformed Med 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 I shouldn't go to that place I shouldn't go there I shouldn't do this yeah that that might follow but the first order of business is the renewal of your mind so you spent 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 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 doct 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 will 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 strong 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 ask and you shall receive seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you that's the promise of God most high in the lukan account the Lord Jesus argues from that to say if you then being even Vil love to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give the 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 as esoteric it's not Bob Larsson ISM where you got to figure out who the demon is you got to identify the demon you got to name the demon got call the demon out and then try to you know negotiate terms with the 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 it 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 corrupt ition 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 in 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 First Peter chapter 2 First Peter chapter 2 notice how Peter frames his admonition to avoid sexual immorality first Peter chapter 2 he sees it in the real world he sees it in the light of all that is true 1 Peter 211 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 a devil the devil's going to try to disrupt Christians uh 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 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 veres 1 to6 Endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of Peace God abominates according to Proverbs 6 that one who SWS 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 the 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 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 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 minations 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 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