The Believer's Armor, Part 3: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Now he says the Christian needs to have choose to you and get out there you know you have your waist all cinched up Boyer committed and you have your breastplate on you living a godly and righteous life. But I must stand on your feet.

The enemy attacked at an unexpected time or charge from a surprising direction or had weapons that nobody knew about will think about that in terms of the spiritual warfare you face. Understanding how your enemy fights is crucial if you're going to win and other than the best military textbook. The Bible gives you clear descriptions of how Satan attacks and the powerful tools of battle that God is given you, you'll see that today is John MacArthur continues his compelling study of the believers armor and with the lesson. Here's John.

There was a time in the life of Martin Luther when his conflict was Satan became so very real that almost took on a physical manifestation with the result that in anger over Satan. Martin Luther picked up his ink well and threw it at the devil. It broke and splattering all over his wall and the stain remained for many years, reminding many people about vivid the conflict was in his own life is no less real in our lives.

Though we may not have the spiritual intensity of a Martin Luther to see it as such, the believer and Satan RNA Mortal Kombat versus 12 of Ephesians 6 says we wrestle and the verb is a term describing a life death hand-to-hand combat. You go back to the point in time in which you see Jesus into the world and Satan does everything he can to have Jesus Christ murdered by Herod.

He does everything he can during the very life of Christ to have them killed pushed off a cliff crucified Jesus conquers those efforts, you find that in the book of acts as the church begins to carry the message of Jesus Christ the devil resist them all along the way, Paul begins his missionary journeys to extend the gospel to the world any runs in the magicians and sorcerers and demon possessed people trying to thwart the effort. Peter on the day of Pentecost runs in the hostility and from thereon. Persecution breaks out of that church. The Sanhedrin are called to question these people and tell them to be silent in all the way through the New Testament. The gospel is withstood as it were, by state funding. When the church is born in terms of its roots and has a foundation begins to march into the centuries of of time that we know as the year of our Lord first three centuries are fraught with persecutions of the church, the death of Christians, the martyrdom of those who love the Lord and then we enter into the terror of the dark ages in which the whole testimony of the gospel becomes almost blotted out, except for a few flickers of faithful groups who believe the truth all through that time. Finally, in the time of the Reformation, the light dawns again and we hear the gospel ringing loud and clear as the birth of the Protestant church takes place and then there's a war at that level between Romanism and the Protestant church finally come to our own day in Protestantism is fairly well entrenched in the gospel is known, and incomes the encroachment of modernism and liberalism and of neo-orthodoxy and psychology in all of these other things, to say nothing of the attacks of communism in humanism, materialism and hedonism in all of these others so that we see from the very beginning all the way through a terrible battle between Satan and the gospel of Christ, and it isn't just a battle of movements isn't just a battle of ideologies. It's a battle in the life of every individual is Satan assaults the work of God which he attempts to accomplish in the life of his children, so there's a war and that is why Paul closes Ephesians the way he does surely have resources in the first three chapters surely know where to walk a worthy walk in the next chapters, but there's going to be resistance. And that's why closes the way to Satan opposes everything God. For example, Jesus reveals the truth.

John 117 says he is full of grace and truth, and Satan conceals in John 844 it says he's a liar and the father of lies. So Jesus is revealing the truth and Satan is concealing on the other hand, the Bible tells us in John 524 that Jesus gives life.

He says the father is given life to him and he gives life to whomsoever very well and Satan. John 844 is called a murderer he takes life and in Hebrews 214. It says of him that he has the power of death, and so Jesus gives life and Satan takes life.

Jesus reveals truth and Satan conceals it.

Jesus produces spiritual fruit, according to Galatians 522 Jesus produces in our lives, love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control, and Satan produces fleshly fruit and it's listed also in Galatians 5 the fruit of the flesh is this fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, wrath, factions, seditions, heresies and beatings, murders, drunkenness, wild parties, etc. Jesus, the Bible says tests us that we might be mature. James one says the trying of our faith makes us perfect whereas Satan tempts us to destroy us.

He goes about, says Peter as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. So on the one hand you have Jesus revealing truth. Satan concealing it. Jesus producing life. Satan taking life Jesus producing spiritual fruit Satan producing violent evil fleshly fruit Jesus testing us to make us mature and Satan devouring us to destroy you have in John eight. The statement that if you know the sun. The sun shall make you free Gavin second Timothy 226. The fact that Satan makes you a slave in first John 21.

Jesus defends the believer if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. But in Revelation 1210 the devil accuses us. So you have this tremendous conflict going on all the time between God and Satan in the life of a believer.

Now how we can win another victory how we get beyond our doubts, rise above our our sins. How do we supersede our indifferences how we attain the level of spiritual life that God calls us to finally walk worthy of a high calling a heavenly calling, I do we defeat Satan how to get the victory.

While the Bible gives us solution effect. The New Testament gives us several key answers and I want to run these biases a little mini theology of how a believer deals with Satan. By the way, this is what the Bible teaches is the way you deal with Satan in your own life, and this is as far as it goes. There are people today why advocate exorcisms in certain rituals and they have certain formulas for dealing with Satan, but this is what the Scripture said regularly about five or six principles were to run right through me give you little secret number one first in order to know victory over Satan, we must recognize that Christ has already dealt a defeating blow to Satan realize that Christ has already defeated him in first John 38 it says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. In Hebrews 214.

It says he came to destroy him who had the power of death, whom we were all our lifetime subject to bondage.

So know this beloved, that the Lord has already dealt a defeating blow second thing the New Testament says recognize that the power that dealt that blow resides in you the power that defeated Satan is dwelling in you in first John four it says in verse four. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world when a believer is saved, you received the Spirit of God implanted him is the power that defeated Satan the resource, the reservoir is there third thing first Peter five verses eight and nine say this, be sober. That means know your priorities be committed, be vigilant watch because your adversary the devil like a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour whom resist steadfast in faith and not principle number one recognize that Christ is already dealt a death defeating blow to Satan civil number two. Recognize that that Satan defeating power indwells you by the spirit of God, that's your resource number three resist season resist it, and you can because you have that available power I say will John. How do you resist it. As Peter says, as well as look at Ephesians 427 that will give us another concept. Ephesians 427 tells us how we resist Satan expressing his power in our lives.

Ephesians 427 simply says that neither give a place to the devil just don't ever give them a place is pretty simple. Don't give them a place now the application of the verses if he has a place it because you gave it to them right so that your will is the key now not just go back again, start out by recognizing that the death blow is already been dealt. Then move on. Secondly to the fact that the death dealing power is resident in you, be alert them to resist his efforts. What is that mean it means give no place to Satan in your life say all right how I keep from doing that how I keep from giving no place to him how I keep from second Corinthians 211 says, giving him an advantage. The answer is this second Corinthians 211 be not ignorant of his devices already want not give no place than being aware of where he's coming from bar the door close the window.

Both the locks.

Make sure you are not ignorant of his devices using water's device first. John says that for all that's right the word all all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of God but is of the world how to Satan come to you lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of that's his device so if you're not there you bar the door at the lust of the eyes, you bar the door at the lust of the flesh to bar the door at the pride of life, you will give no place to Satan, having given no place to Satan you will resist his entry into your life is another. If you're not going to give a place to the devil that means you have to be aware of his device, ignorant, and secondly, when you see them come and flee.

Second Timothy 222 says, flee youthful lusts for the temptation and follow after righteousness.

It said that's pretty simple formula. We say again so you get it. Realize the death dealing blow has already been dealt by the power of Christ realize that power resides in your life, therefore, resist the devil, which means give no place in your life to him you do that number one by not being ignorant of his devices and to when they come by fleeing from them. They will, John. How do you get yourself oriented.

To do this that second Corinthians 10 three second Corinthians 10 34.

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flex what Paul is saying is we are human beings, but our battle is not a human battle.

We are physical creatures, but our battle is not a physical battle verse four of second Corinthians 10 for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly though were not fighting a human battle. Men are not really the enemy. The battle is not really on a human level of fleshly level. Our weapons are not simply fleshly but are mighty through God. In other words, we have a spiritual warfare demanding spiritual weapons know how to use these weapons.

How are we going to know we can be aware of his devices and that we can flee his temptations and we can resist his onslaughts and we can be sure to give no place to him in our life power than appropriate the power the end of verse five simply says bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Jealous. That's the final note in our little brief theology. In order for us to know Christ has dealt a death blow to Satan in order for us to know that that same power resides in us in order for us to resist Satan to give no place to his entry to not be ignored of his devices to flee his temptations. We must have every thought brought into captivity to Christ and other we must have our mind controlled by the word of God through the power of the spirit of God. There are no shortcuts. 11 to effective victorious Christian living. If you're going to live a victorious Christian life. It means you must have a mind given over to the word of God so that your thinking and your feeling is controlled by that very true. Now that's the New Testament formula in a theological framework just taken from various passages. Let me go another step.

All of that is beautifully and wonderfully summarized in one pass. It's right in front of units Ephesians chapter 6 verses 13 to 17. All of those principles that I've just given you in one way or another are latent in this passage. They're all here are all available and beautifully put together in this one masterpiece on how a believer wins the war against the forces of hell. Remember beloved.

There's a real war and there's a real victory available on a day to day basis. I want you to see the feet shod with the gospel of peace.

This is tremendous. All what a great marvelous transit. This verse 50 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace that I comes to the soldiers shoes shoes to become a major part of our culture. Originally shoes were used to protect feet now they become a fashion item. Frankly will need that much protection for our feet. Our cars are carpeted our streets have nice pavement and our churches are carpeted and are offices are carpeted and places that are carpeted have fairly clean floors for the most part we aren't wandering over rough stone and what wading through mud and tramping in the duster trying to scroll across thorny bushes and so forth. We have pretty well paved and carpeted our world and shoes become primarily a fashion item so we might not necessarily get the picture as clearly as we should. Unless we understand health terrible.

The terrain was how piercing the thorns and items lying on the ground could be how hard it would be to walk over cobbles in the rocks and pebbles and everything else in those parts of the world. Maybe we can get a little idea because we see today is a special need for shoes if were hiking work tramping across the desert or walking on a hot pavement or whatever.

And this is the reason. In those days for shoe today.

Also we have shoes for every conceivable kind of sport and it's always amazing to me how everyone serves the function. If you're participating on a sport on concrete have a certain kind of shoe. If you're going to be on dirt. It's another kind of shoe I notice it, but even for tennis.

Depending upon whatever kind of surface you're playing on some grass courts.

It at Wimbledon. Some clay-court, some concrete parts of those rubberized ones always have different soul and the got certain kind of shoes for wood floors another, shoes for other floors and what time in college or playing football and rippling over in the Rose Bowl and it rained for a couple of weeks before the game. It was really pretty bad and and of course when the field gets a lot of plays toward the end of the season. The grass is primarily gone and it rains and it just becomes problematic.

What they do is a little cart across painted green. So it looks brassy, but the really and much grass and look pretty good to us and we didn't really know how to be so I had to parachute some football on the long spikes for bad turf and what was short ones, and I figure to be all right long ones were kind of heavy uniting like that so I took model short ones and they were wrong and I had inadequate shoes, and I really didn't discover it until the kickoff and I was back deep on the 4 yard line to take the opening kickoff and return it and the ball came down out of the air and I gathered it in and took about two steps and landed on my southern hemisphere for the whole world and sat there with the ball gently cradled in my lap while 21 people stared down at me, none of whom it even touched me so all alone and sat there on the 6 yard line while we started together as a team from deep in our own territory and I realized I should have my other shoes and I even try to the sidelines to get somebody didn't play as frequently as I did the swap but I couldn't get any takers, so I slipped and slid all over the field. We have reasons for the things that we have shoes provide a certain function in this is especially true in war if it would be important in athletics. You can imagine how important it would be if you're fighting for your life, and a Roman soldier wouldn't get out of the battle, which is the normal leather shoe with a slick bottom slipping and sliding all over. Every place he be trying to climb a rock to fight a guy to be slipping down the rock and so they had to have a special shoe and it was very important because in battle. This would save your life very possibly also we had to have the kind of a shoe that would last for long marches because they would cover tremendous amounts of terrain. You remember reading about the Roman army remember reading about seizures long marches and many wars have been lost because soldiers in that adequate shoes you've even read about times in the American Revolutionary war.

When you see of the soldiers under Gen. Washington with their feet being wrapped because they could no longer have shoes there were so worn out there been other points in human history were battles of been lost because they couldn't protect the feet of the soldiers from being frozen or injured or wounded.

Also in the time of the Roman wars, there was a common custom today we have minefields to trap approaching armies in those days, knowing that an army was coming behind certain Army they would plant in the grounds sticks sharpened razor point to a razor point facing toward the Army, hoping to pierce the feet of the advancing soldier and so in order to protect themselves. The Roman soldiers would wear a boot that had a heavy soul so that could be pierced because of their feet were peers. They couldn't walk and that could debilitate the entire soldier and he could be the best soldier there was.

He could have the greatest strength and all that but if his feet were hurt the bottom of his feet.

He's finished.

It's amazing you can hurt your arm, your hands or elbows or shoulders and still you can keep moving in function.

You hurt your feet and your really debilitate and so they would try to pierce their feet. Also in the battle. You may be the strongest man alive. You may have the greatest sword.

There is, but if you can't stand up. You're in real trouble so there was such an importance of footwear years with the use use that thick sold hobnailed semi boot that came around like this on their foot and then had scratch the tide in all direction so that was tremendously tight and adhering to their foot on the bottom. They had hobnailed little pieces of metal that protruded from the bottom like a footballer attracts you are a baseball shoe to give them a grip on the soil. This gave them firmness of footing so they could stand in the battle and that's what Paul sees. He sees this Roman soldier standing is fear firm and is able to hold his ground to make quick moves and keep his feet doesn't slip and he doesn't sliding he doesn't fall. Now he says the Christian needs to have shoes to get out there you know you have your waist all singed up for your committed and you have your breastplate on and you have living a godly and righteous life as the Lord wishes, but unless you can stand on your feet, you gonna fall over, so you must have a solid base. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary's current study on grace to you is looking at Ephesians chapter 6 and the believer's armor note John your member. I'm sure that a couple of decades ago. It was very popular to have these novels about spiritual warfare that planted a lot of worn ideas in people's minds about what the weapons are that we should use against the devil and how to wage spiritual warfare. There are lots of wrong ideas still floating around about that.

It's important to understand what Scripture says about how to face the enemy. Those were those ubiquitous books on the darkness embracing the darkness and it had Christians engaging directly with demons and I think we ought to know that that's not what Christians are to do you remember the Sons of Steve a try to deal directly with demons in the book of acts and the demons that Jesus went on falling over.

Who are you guys we we understand apostolic authority and we understand that the authority, the son of God, but who you think you are, you have no power to command us that, but that was extremely popular to think you could literally command demons be because you are a Christian weathers nothing in the Scripture that indicates that nor do you want to assume that that's how you deal with Satan in your own life by chasing demons, spiritual warfare, I think is most carefully defined in second Corinthians 10, where it's described as using the truth to smash any ungodly idea spiritual warfare is really a battle for the mind to to bring the truths to people who are in bondage to lies in the process of bringing that truth are going to have to fight some battles with temptation along the way as Satan has infested the world with lots of things to tempt us that and other elements of spiritual warfare are contained in a book that I've written called standing strong. This is a book that digs down a little bit into this unseen battle that every believer is engaged in. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the rulers of darkness because they operate in the world system of which we are apart so you need to know how Satan operates and how he comes at you and what your responsibility is and what your defenses are how you can be triumphant. This is a very important book standing strong is the title you refer to it again and again. You'll find it useful in a Bible study or daily devotions. If you've never contacted our ministry before will send you a copy of standing strong free, as our get acquainted gift. Contact us today. Yes, this book shows you from Scripture what Satan can and cannot do and how you can resist him to get a copy of standing strong free if it's your first time contacting us. Get in touch with us today our number is 855 grace or go to GT Y.org the title again to ask for standing strong will send you a free copy of this helpful full-length book.

If you've never contacted us before just call 855 grace or go to GT Y.and if you're benefiting from the teaching you hear on grace to you. Let me encourage you to contact the staff of this radio station and let them know will make a point of asking you to do that from time to time.

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