Sermon republished here by kind permission of Pastor JJ Lim of Pilgrim Covenant Church, Singapore.
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STAND & WITHSTAND
Introduction to The Christian Armor or The Full Armor of God
Christian in Complete Armour
Text: Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Introduction
We have come to the concluding words of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. But this is not going to be our last sermon on this letter. If you are familiar with Paul’s letters, you will realise that his concluding words are often packed with fresh instructions that will take time to study and provide much material for meditation.
So when Paul says finally, don’t assume that he means to say ‘last and the least’, but rather ‘lastly, and building upon all that we have said, consider…’
Paul has been speaking about Christ and his church throughout this letter. He began with theology—how we are united to Christ, both in eternity and in time. Then he sought to teach us how we must live in view of our union with Christ and our calling to be the disciples of Christ. “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” he pleads (Eph 4:1).
He teaches us how we must walk in unity with the rest of the church, as individual believers and as families.
He teaches us our roles in the family as Christian husbands, wives, parents, children, servants and masters.
But Paul is no arm-chair theologian. He knows the struggles that every believer will face in their Christian walk. In fact, he knows that the struggles will be very very intense.… so intense that it may be described as a warfare.
A cosmic war had begun after Adam and Eve fell into sin. The LORD had declared to Serpent:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise [or crush] thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15).
At the Cross of Calvary, Christ crushed the head of the ancient serpent. Victory is secured. The serpent suffered a mortal wound, and will die. However, the serpent, is still thrashing about, like as serpents do after their head is crushed. And he is trying to sweep as many in hell with him as he possibly can. For this reason, though the war is won, there are still battles to fight.
Every Christian is enrolled into the army of Christ and will join the war and fight the battles. They will have to battle against sin and Satan. They have to fight the remnant of corrupt in themselves, and they have to defend themselves against Satan and the world under the control of Satan.
This war is obviously not a conventional one. The enemies of this war are invisible. The weapons of this war are totally unconventional. They are largely not fleshly and material. They are spiritual, or are at least used spiritually. It is a spiritual warfare. No one in the world is going to teach us about this war. Only Christ, the Captain of our Salvation, the LORD of Host, the King of kings and Lord of lords is qualified to do so.
For this reason, Paul writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of Christ, would before, he conclude this letter, give us a briefing on the battle and on the weapons available to us. Paul will, as it were, bring us into the armoury where we will be able to study and draw out the equipment and weapons that we need in the battles that we have to engage in.
But before we enter into the armoury, the apostle Paul, our quartermaster has some words of introduction and encouragement. This, essentially is what our text for this morning is. This is what the Spirit says, Ephesians 6:10-20—
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.What is the Lord saying through Paul? We may summarise what he is saying into 5 points:
- First, Arm yourself with courage in the Lord. We need to courageous to fight this battle; ‘Be strong in the Lord’ says Paul.
- Secondly, Rely wholly on the Lord to Supply all you need. We need to understand that the battle will be very intense, and so we will need the strength and equipment that only the Lord your King can supply: “be strong… in the power of his might” says Paul.
- Thirdly, Make no mistake: unseen does not mean unreal. We must understand that it is a spiritual warfare that we have to fight.
- Fourthly, Occupy and Hold your Ground. We must understand that the war we have to fight is a defensive war, and therefore we must fight by occupying and holding our ground.
- Fifthly, Receive your armour and use it! We can only fight this war effectively if we put on the whole armour of God.
1. Arm Yourself with Courage in the Lord.
Beloved brethren, youth and children, if you bear the name of the Lord, you have been enlisted in the army of Christ the King. There is a battle already raging. You must join your captain at the frontline. And please know that this battle is not for the faint hearted.
Too many have enlisted to fight this war. But they have gone AWOL or MIA.
Many of them entered the fight full of vigour; but you know what they lack? They lack courage! For when they saw the Goliath of the army of Satan, their heart grew faint. They hid behind the rocks and bushes. They begin to murmur about having to leave Egypt. They miss the leeks and cucumber. Life in the army is too tough for them. They are tempted to part ways like Orpah did to Naomi. And many do.
But when they do, they do so at what tremendous cost, for only those in active service in the Lord’s army can drink from the fountain of the water of life. Those who depart have to drink stagnant water from the broken cisterns that the enemy supplies.
Beloved brethren and children, you need to be strong to remain in the battle. ‘Be strong in the Lord’ says Paul. Arm yourself with courage from the Lord.
There will be many temptations and afflictions along the way. There will be things that will distract you from fighting the battles. The cares of the world, poor health, relationship problems, covetousness, materialism, laziness and doubt are among the obstacles or the weapons of Satan that you can expect to encounter.
Unless you are strong, you will fall. And you may be tempted to switch sides in the battle, for such as fall out of the army of Christ are usually captured by Satan and made his slaves. Or you may be tempted to be despondent or depressed so that you find your self too weak to fight on, when you see the army marching on.
Beloved brethren and children, do not be surprised by tribulation and temptations and even injuries. Be strong. Be strong for service, strong for suffering, strong for fighting. Arm yourself with Courage in the Lord.
This battle that you have enlisted in to fight is very intense, for the enemy is very strong and well-equip. You can be sure that if you rely on your own strength, you are not going to make it. You will be overwhelmed.
But thank God that He does not leave us to fight alone. The battle is not yours. It is the Lord’s battle. Christ the King is leading the battle himself as the captain of our salvation.
You must draw strength from him. Some of the most successful soldiers of Christ understood this very well. Moses taught the people to sing…
• “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation” (Ex 15:2).
David likewise teaches us to sing:
• “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Ps 18:2).
• “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Ps 144:1).
But what is it to be strong in the Lord or to arm yourself with the courage and strength of the Lord?
Well, let me briefly note three things:
First, it is to be in Christ. Now, this ought to be very obvious, but I am afraid, it is not so obvious to many. Many have enlisted in the Lord’s army but are not in Christ. How can they expect to fight the Lord’s Battle when they are not in Christ, “for without me ye can do nothing” says the Lord (Jn 15:5). So he who would be strong in the Lord must be born again. “Ye must be born again,” says the Lord.
Secondly, to be strong in the Lord is to recognise your own inability and so to constantly seek grace from the Lord. The apostle Paul says: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (2 Cor 3:5). You must seek His help in all things, whether you are praying or reading God’s Word or seeking to do good works in his name. You must depend on Him.
Thirdly, to be strong Lord or to arm yourself with the Lord’s courage is to look to the Lord for inspiration and direction.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).
You must study His Word; you must hear his voice through the preaching of His Word; you must seek to follow His example and His instructions; and most of all you must live and fight the battles for His sake. The Lord your captain laid down His life for you. Let a grateful heart strengthen your resolve to serve Him. To that end arm yourself with his courage.
But now secondly, Paul would have us understand that as the battle will be very intense, we will need more than courage. We will need the strength and equipment that only the Lord our King can supply: “be strong… in the power of his might” says Paul, i.e.…
2. Rely Wholly on the Lord to Supply Your Need.
Understand that the Lord does not leave you alone to fight in the war. He who calls you to the battle is almighty and that mighty power is engage in your defence and to enable you to fight the battles.
The apostle Paul says: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19).
He who has called you to battle has his storehouse filled with the spiritual food, equipment, weapons and ammunition that you need for the battle. You must avail yourself to the supplies.
Remember that as long as you are fighting the Lord’s battles, You will never run out of supplies. For Paul also says: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13).
Now, notice what he is saying: It is Christ who strengthens. It is Christ who will personally supply all you need for the battles.
He not a king who sends his troops out without adequate supplies. He has a great storehouse of supplies. And his supplies are not locked-up unused because there is no re-supply plan. Neither does He require you to carry any unnecessary burden with you.
No, no; Christ your king is also the captain of your salvation. He does not send you into the battle field alone. He goes ahead of you. And not only so, but He brings the supplies that you need day by day. In fact, He would actually carry the burdens that you bring into the battle field.
By His Spirit and providence, He strengthens you with His mighty power day by day; and by His Spirit and providence, He carries the burdens that you may have.
Only be strong and continue to fight the battle. Rely confidently and wholly on the Lord’s Supply. Do not give up, do not be discourage.
When you feel weak and weary, do not allow yourself to slip into despondency; all you need to do is to cast your burdens on the Lord and stretch out your hands and call unto the Lord and he will fill you with what you need for the battle.
The apostle Peter, referring to this same war that we have to fight, encourages us:
“6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet 5:6-7).
One day we shall have no more burdens to carry. But today as we fight that spiritual warfare, we will have many burdens because of sin and the cares of this present world. We must learn to humble ourselves and to cast our anxieties upon Him.
You must not fight on as if you are able and self-sufficient. No, no, you must rely on the supply and support of your captain. You must fight humbly. You must not fight like a gung-ho soldier who is too proud to rely on his captain to re-supply his needs or to carry his burdens.
No, no; you must rely on your captain. Cast your burdens upon Him; and draw the strength and supply you need from Him. Go to him for wisdom, He has the words of everlasting life. Go to Him for protection, at His word, His angels will surround you like a wall of fire. Go to Him for Christian graces to strengthen your heart for the battle—like patience, perseverance, longsuffering humility, charity, faithfulness, etc, etc.
The Lord will hear and supply your request. He will strengthen you by the power of His might.
Oh what a blessing to fight with our captain and king. Only Rely upon him wholly to supply all you need for the battle.
But thirdly, …
3. Make No Mistake, Unseen does not mean Unreal
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.The Roman soldier battle against flesh and blood. They see their enemies. They see them coming. They know precisely what the enemy is doing and how many enemies they kill.
They have a far easier job than we. We do not see our enemy. We don’t hear them. They can sneak up against us without our knowing. We may not even know when they launch an offensive until the damage is done.
But the battle is for real. The enemy soldiers comprise of spiritual beings making use of people and things around us and taking advantage of the circumstance we are in life. Things do not simply happen at random in our lives. We have real enemies, and we are fight a real battle against the army of Satan.
And although the captain of our enemy, is called the Lord of the flies—Baalzebub, we must not imagine that they are disorganised like flies or mosquitoes. No, no; they have a definite structure. They are organised. They too have a plan of attack.
Paul speaks of principalities and powers and rulers. I do not think he is detailing the structure of the demonic army as we may speak about division, brigade, company, platoon and section. But he is telling us that the army of the devil is structured and determined to fight against the army of Christ.
And they are wicked; they are opposed to anything righteous. They are rulers of darkness. One of their aims is to darken the understanding of those they capture.
Beloved brethren and children, let us not be ignorant of this army that is encamped against us. They are like the Al Qaeda, a terrorist army.
But they do not plant bombs nor fly aeroplanes into buildings. They do worst. They make those who plant bombs and aeroplanes into building think that they are doing a good deed; and they make others think the same way.
Also, they seek to prevent anyone from joining the army of Christ. They seek to make those outside mock Christ and they seek to make the soldiers of Christ bring dishonour to Him. They do not have the power to do miracles unless they are given special permission by the Lord. But they have the power of suggestion.… especially over the unbelieving world.
Oh beloved brethren and children, do not fall under the devices of this spiritual Al Qaeda! Be aware of its existence. Be prepared to fight it. Make no mistake, unseen does not mean unreal.
But how do we fight the battle? What strategy should we use? What are your orders? Here it is…
4. Occupy & Hold Your Ground!
Paul says,
“…take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (v. 13).
That is to say: We must first fight a defensive battle.
Christians are not called to attack Satan or his army. There are some charismatic groups who think that they have the authority to rebuke the devil and his demons, whereas both the apostle Peter and Jude condemns those who in their pride “despise dominion and speak evil of dignities” (Jude 8), “Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord” (2 Pet 2:11).
No; no, we are not called to directly attack Satan or his army whether verbally or otherwise.
Yes, we are more than conquerors through Christ who love us. But the fact is that Christ our King has already conquered. He conquered at the Cross of Calvary. We are more than conquerors in Him. He conquered in order that we might occupy.
What remains as our duty is to stand our ground. We must defend the territories Christ has conquered. I am speaking figuratively, you must understand. I am speaking about our heart and our life. By His victory at the Cross, Christ conquered our heart and life. Our heart and life belongs to him that He might transform us by the renewing of our minds.
But Satan will want to regain lost territory. Paul speaks about the ‘wiles of the devil.’ The word translated ‘wiles’ come from the Greek word ‘meqodeiva’ from which we get the English word ‘method.’ Satan has his cunning and deceitful method of trying to regain lost ground. He will resort to trickery and temptation.
We must be aware of his methods. We must take heed lest we fall. We must be watchful. We must be sober and vigilant, for as Peter reminds us, our adversary the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion waiting to devour whom he may (1 Pet 5:8).
You know how lions hunt don’t you? They do not run after their prey like cheetahs. They wait. They wait for their prey to be inattentive or to be trapped in the mud hole. They wait quite patiently. Sometimes they even wait for days and weeks.
This is how our enemy operates too. He is waiting for his opportunity to attack us. He is waiting for us to drop our guard or to become entangled in some cares of the world or disappointment or disillusionment.
Therefore beloved brethren, let us ever be vigilant. Let us bear in mind that the war of ages will affect every aspect of our lives. Do not allow, for example, the demands of work, or of the education system trap you or rob you of your spiritual alertness.
I am quite convinced, for example, that the public education system in Singapore can become a mud hole in which we may get trapped and become easy prey for the wicked one. Let us open our eyes and be alert.
If we let our guard down, Satan will sure attack us. He will rob is of the spiritual blessings that God has given us (Eph 1:3). He will make us doubt and make us joyless. He will make us bring dishonour and shame to the name of our Lord.
We must therefore stand our ground and fight on manfully. Beloved army of the Lord, Occupy what Christ has conquered and hold your ground.
But in order to do so, we must put on the whole armour of God! So fifthly,…
5. Receive & Put on the Armour of God
Now the words ‘whole armour’ translates a single Greek word, panopliva, from which we get the English word panoply. In the army, we have what is know as SBO—skeleton battle order; and FBO—full battle order. When we put on the SBO—we do not carry all the equipment that we need. We can only go for short term missions. But when we put on the FBO with a full-pack and all the food and the ammunition that we need, we can go on for days.
Paul, as it were, wants us to put on the full battle order. He wants us to put on every piece of equipment that we need for the battle. We must not miss out any piece.
Now, we will look at the individual parts of the armours in the following weeks. But for now, let us understand what it means to put on the armour of God.
Well, in the first place, let us understand that Paul is not telling us to go through a ritual of putting the armour on piece by piece. I know a friend who was in the Charismatic church who was taught to do so literally. So every morning, he would very religiously do it as an exercise. He would put on the spiritual helmet, the spiritual breastplate, the spiritual belt etc etc.
What then is it to put on the whole armour of God? I believe Paul is referring to (1) OBTAINING, (2) USING, and (3) CULTIVATING the Christian graces that are available to us for repelling the temptations and strategies of Satan.
How to OBTAIN these graces? Well, in the first place, as soon as we enrol into the army of Christ, Christ our Captain and King has the entire panoply prepared for us. That is to say: To make sure that we have the equipment we need for the warfare, we must make sure that we are personally enrolled in the army. The king is not interested in pretenders. You will get no equipment if you are merely pretending to be a soldier of Christ when your heart is really with the army of the Enemy.
Also the King has allowed membership by proxy for our covenant children. But, children, you cannot remain a member of the army by proxy. You must make sure that you personally believe in the Lord if you are to be enrolled personally. Only if you are personally enrolled in the army by faith can you be assured of the panoply for you to fight the battle.
Now once you have obtained the panoply, you can be sure that every part of it is ready for your use. They do not need any alteration nor will you be required to change any part of it as we often have to in the army.
However, you must be aware that you have the equipment and you must USE it.
It will be a great shame if Christ has prepared a panoply for you, but you lay it aside and would not use it.… especially when Satan comes to attack you. We will talk about how each part of the panoply must be used in the subsequent weeks. But consider for example, how sad it would be if Satan tries to hit your head, and you fail to put on the helmet of salvation but allow yourself to seek deeper and deeper into hopelessness.
Putting on the whole armour of God means making use of the whole armour to repel Satan’s devices.
But finally, putting on the armour also mean that you must take good care of it. If you do not maintain your equipment they will become stiff and rusty and uncomfortable to use. It can even be dangerous to use them. I have a pair of combat boots in my cupboard which I have no worn for about 15 years. It has become very stiff. I doubt I can walk with it, not to mention go into battle with it!
So you must maintain and cultivate the panoply. You must CULTIVATE it by prayer and by the use of the means of grace.
Conclusion
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, beloved brethren. Stand and withstand, as a faithful soldier of Christ:
• Arm yourself with courage in the Lord.
• Rely wholly on the Lord to Supply all you need.
• Make no mistake: unseen does not mean unreal.
• Occupy and Hold your Ground.
• Receive your armour and use it!
You can be more than conquerors through him who love you and laid His life for you. Amen.
Sermon by Pastor JJ Lim of Pilgrim Covenant Church, Singapore.
Sermon republished here by kind permission of Pastor JJ Lim of Pilgrim Covenant Church, Singapore.
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