Dressed Up to Kneel Down - Ephesians 6:14-18

Imagine a soldier gets all dressed up in his armor gets out on the battlefield and what is he do, he kneels down and prays why pray will first of all because were getting all dressed up to fight some things we cannot see buyer so second all really all dressed up to fight things we cannot defeat by ourselves. Paul says it's possible to be a believer not have the full armor. He begins the paragraph by saying that, and this is if he says okay on your mind gets you last six sessions, Angels and Demons we've seen what Angels do. What kind of power they have and how God uses them to interact with us as human beings.

We've also learned about the schemes of Satan in some of the tools God has given us to fight against Satan.

But today Stephen Davey has one final yet critical lesson for us were taking a close look at some of the additional ways God equips us as his children to stand against the schemes and tactics of Satan, the most important tactic of all is to simply get on our knees and pray Stevens calling the lesson you're about to hear dressed up to kneel down if you're somewhere where you can grab your Bible, go ahead and do that as we get started right now on the face of this pulpit are the Latin words Sola script Torah. This was the battle cry of the 16th century reformers like Calvin and Luther and Zwingli were attempting to reform the corrupted Roman church Sola script Torah, which simply means the Scriptures alone came to refer to that which said we will adhere to the Scriptures as our primary leadership. It will be the Scriptures alone that will determine our doctrine and our lifestyle, not church councils or church fathers or church liturgies or church customs.

It is the God he inspired word alone that leads us and I happen to have one of those positions as a herald that does not come up with a message. It is not original. All I can do it best is simply repeat what God has already said it is the word of God which is alive and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, that Paul goes on in verse 14 of Ephesians 6 to tell the believer to put on the breastplate of righteousness. That's cooked to the belt from beneath now. This righteousness is first of all a gift of God through Christ. We call that the imputed righteousness of Christ, he takes from his his account the righteousness of Christ and he clothes us in our bankrupted state. The Roman soldiers had a breastplate covered them from the base of their neck to their upper thighs.

It was made of heavy strips of linen they would attach to these strips pieces of bone or metal. The wealthier higher ranking Roman soldiers would have a breastplate made of molded metal which is the picture were most familiar with it are mine. In addition to other vital organs. The breastplate obviously covered and protected. The heart the believers hard. Then is covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our hearts, though deceitful and desperately wicked is covered by this imputed righteousness of Christ or we are bathed in his blood and cleansed by him now if that were all it was, why would we be told that the put it on because not only is this righteousness that perfected righteousness of Christ is also a practical righteousness by our obedience to Jesus Christ, perfected righteousness covers are hard to Christ. Practical righteousness comes through obedience to Christ, which then thus protects our heart as well. In other words, as one man wrote this spiritual warfare is literally an inner struggle of the hearts for personal holiness. Solomon said, in effect, the same thing when he said the guard your heart. For out of it are the issues of life. That is the practical righteous living protects you from the enemy who seeks is John Bunyan wrote as the enemy comes against man soul man soul has those five gates. The enemy constantly comes at one of those gates and those of the five senses man's soul cannot be lost cannot be defeated cannot be distorted nor diluted and less man soul open one of the gates and let cement you want to know a true spiritual warfare is is inviting a demon is resisting temptation that is the battle when Jesus Christ began his ministry he went out into the wilderness and he did not bind the territorial demon of Jerusalem.

He went out there without any rebuking as he went out there and did what he resisted temptation and every time he was tempted, he uttered those wonderful words that everyone of us can say it is written, and he quoted Deuteronomy and I gotta admit, if it were up to my knowledge of Deuteronomy to withstand temptation to be in trouble. But the point is the use Scripture and he resisted temptation, how you defend yourself and in this spiritual truth. Spiritual warfare, how do you protect yourself not by identifying and rebuking some unseen spirit being. It is by shunning evil. It is by refusing to justify sin.

It is by refusing to explain away the littlest of sins in our lives. That is the battle for those of you who will pursue holy living, which is in fact the true battle. Paul goes on in verse 15 to tell us we need a good pair of shoes and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace was a mean the preparation of that always confused me as we must see literally means the readiness, the firmness in other words, have your feet laced up with the firm's solid truth of the gospel. The Romans course horseshoes and their battle boots were very important. They were considered as you see here in this text.

Part of the armor they were necessary for at least two things. First of all, they were necessary for balance for providing a solid footing, so also it is the truth of the gospel that spiritually balances also upon the foundation of truth someone sent me a wonderfully perceptive question. He said this since were supposed to test the spirits and since Satan is a deceiving angel of light. How will we tell a false teacher off or false spirit if they look and sound like the truth, the great question the truth of the matter is eventually with any doctrine of demons with any false teacher of eventually. Ultimately, somewhere they spray from the gospel.

Somewhere along the line if you just listen carefully. They either add something to it or they take something away from it or they manipulated in some way, they can't stick to it so you don't have to wonder about whether you had a seminary degree, or how how much of the scripture you have memorized, you just listen to them. You know the gospel eventually they will air their religions in the world today that want to keep Christ on the cross for you always see him or some religions want to keep them a little baby in Mary's lab. There are some that would consider him equal to the profit to come before him, and after Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers I make known to you brother in the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received in which also you stand the gospel. Ladies and gentlemen is that Jesus Christ is no longer on the cross is no longer a little baby. He is ascended magnificently seated at the right hand of the father shoes are not only needed for balance, but for progress. The Romans had embedded in their souls, metal studs, which acted a lot like cleats, they could charge a hill they could advance against an enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The soldiers obviously don't need cleats of their retreating or is there sitting down a soldier needed cleats because he would be climbing. He would be advancing any needed the traction like a football player out on the gridiron cleats help him move the ball down the field against opposing forces. I have seen some fans and I've seen them with painted faces. I've seen them wearing football helmets. I've seen them wearing kneepads in the parent's and I have seen them wearing shoulder pads, but I have never seen a fan, no matter how fanatical ever wearing cleats you don't need them. If you're sitting in the stands.

The players on the field where there that's where the action is, which is then implied in this a challenge to us. Do we need cleats.

Are we moving forward for the stands were not advancing the gospel for the believer in the battle gospel shoes are in imperative.

I happen to believe that the majority of Christians today are barefoot up all next draws our attention to one of the most fascinating pieces of armor to me. He refers to the shield of faith in verse 16. Look, there, in addition to all this taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. Now right away you get the clear teaching that Satan is an aggressor. The enemy is firing flaming arrows you can render it blazing missiles fiery darts of Paul is referring here to a common practice in his his day. When the Army came against the city in the ancient days they would tip their arrows in pitch and they would like them and fire them over the city wall and when it would hit the rooftop of some building the pitch when splatter and it would start all of these little fires or they would fire them at advancing armies knowing the pitch with splattering and start fires all over the clothing of the of the soldiers there were two kinds of shields and this is important to understand. One was a small round shield that they wore on their arm for hand-to-hand combat and when you see a picture in Sunday's goal of a Roman soldier you typically see that there was another kind of shield. The Greek word is fury's is not a nickname. It was called the wall. It was 4 feet high 2 feet wide. That's the word Paul used here.

This shield was not for hand-to-hand combat.

It was a shield of the Roman soldier used for three different things to give them to you.

First of all, she'll protected the soldiers entire body see when they were advancing there would be times when the arrows would be coming in so thick and fast that they would literally plant this shield into the ground and they would get down behind it in high I'm so glad that's there because there are times in my life as well as in yours. When that's exactly what you do you take the shield planet and you hide poker that out every once in a while see what's happening and you go back in. That's when you exercise faith in God's person is Providence's protections provision. There are times when we exercise our faith in him. God completely so completely we hide behind that faith in him. Secondly, the shield mentally protected the soldier with United. The soldiers shield would literally unite the Army Roman army had this interesting concept and one of the reason they were so victorious as they design the shield along its edges to be beveled and notched and they could literally hook it to the soldiers shield beside them and you could actually have a row of soldiers with their shields locked together, and you would have literally a moving wall of metal advancing against the Army you imagine that site.

Obviously the implication there is frost of the car shields next those around us.

Third Nelly protects and unites, it also reflected the sun. This theory also was made basically out of a large plank of wood they would overlay with strips of leather and they would soak the leather so that when the arrows that were flaming would hit it. These soaked weather would extinguish the flame in center of the shield.

However, before going to battle the soldiers would attach a round piece of brass they would polish it so that it shown with the brilliance of a mirror and they would lock their shields and they would march toward their enemy and they would tilt their shields in such a way that reflected the light of the sun into the eyes of their first 17 tells us to take the helmet of salvation. Now this doesn't refer to being saved entirely. Paul is saying that you put on your shoes after you put on your bill that you put on your breast plate nugget saved this what he started on thinking of the armor.

If you are say you would need me in the Army as a soldier if you weren't saved. Think of what I helmet does it protect swatted protects the head protects the mind protects the thought. Salvation then is that propositional truth that we believe there are three parts to our salvation.

There is the past salvation that is that is a past work. We call that justification Paul in Romans 51 says were justified, and by that through Christ we have peace with God when you invited Jesus Christ into your life. You gave them your heart to repent of your sin, you did a turnabout and you said I will follow you when you became a Christian, you experience this past tense salvation. There is a present work of salvation. We call that sanctification that's continual that's one of the battlegrounds of the enemy.

God is really not at work in your life. It is the truth of Scripture that he is at work continually conforming you into the image of his son.

Then there is future salvation at his glorification, and that is guaranteed you put this truth onto protect your thoughts in your mind against the enemy. Finally, Paul says in this text to take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, texture tells us we have an offensive weapon. It is not our cleverness, it is not our method. It is not some incantation that is not our bindings. It is not our power. It is the word of God.

Jesus Christ said it is written, when he encountered the enemy of the Roman sword was 2 feet long. It was sharpened on both sides and pointed at the end, the writer of Hebrews, you know, refers to this when he says the word of God is is sharper than any two-edged sword, he was in his mind, thinking of the most strategic weapon of the Roman army. He was thinking of the atom bomb of his world. This was the most impressive piece. He said that the Bible is the most effective tool in engaging the enemy.

It is sharper than any two-edged sword.

It then becomes, by the way, the only piece of armor that in effect makes contact with the enemy and remember that it's the only thing capable of advancing us against the enemy. The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God is the word of God that advances remember several years ago my boys around six at the time we were at the airport during the Gulf conflict and that we are picking up my mother-in-law's gonna spend the holidays with us in getting off that plane were soldiers. I mean it was it was quite an impressive sight. They were dressed in full gear fatigues boots. It guns strapped to their sides. I mean it was it was one of those things.

We were standing there waiting for mom. I know here come all of these bodyguards these soldiers off the plane and we were standing there just watching sort of awestruck at the soldier.

Each of them about 10 feet tall.

One of my boys looked up it means Danny is of those army men, one of those guys stopped down to my son said boy were not army were Marines said I don't know this kid, this is I want to find your parents on me. These men, they were dressed for battle. Imagine trying to fight a war, they got the best tanks. They had the best planes in the Armed Forces.

They've got the finest weapons. Only one thing.

Imagine this nothing is loaded just gonna look good you look tough to maintain a defensive posture on no, we have an offensive strategy, as do our soldiers. We have an offensive weapon. What is it, it is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God having covered all this ground with a believer.

Paul says, in effect, we are all dressed up for war.

Everything is loaded to but now what do we do says in verse 18 is what you do next with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the other soldiers for all the other saints. Can you imagine a soldier gets all dressed up in his armor gets out on the battlefield and what is he go you kneels down and prays why pray will first of all because were getting all dressed up to fight some things we cannot see by ourselves. Second of all, were getting all dressed up to fight things we cannot defeat by ourselves. Paul says it's possible to be a believer not have the full armor.

He begins the paragraph by saying that he says in effect, take it all up and put it all on and this is if he says okay on your mind did say that Neil what did Randy get sad paren I want to say something that is true in my own personal life and it is true in yours.

The battle is one were lost in private before it is ever for public fact, it's possible to look like your winning in public, having already lost in private. No Christian is exempt from the danger of missing that ingredient that makes the armor work Gary Richman.

I have all of his books, three of them now is a singles pastor in California and he also worked for the Los Angeles zoo is a great combination. He tells a story. One of his books about a young zookeeper named Julie of the zoo had purchased a little baby raccoon and it was among her duties to care for this raccoon. It was playful.

It was cut allele is almost puppy like in and it one Julie's heart and everybody else in the division.

Julie could be seen. Richman said, walking around doing her chores and that little raccoon.

She named band that would be perched on her shoulder. Gary was experienced enough to warn Julie told her that raccoons go through a glandular change should about 24 month after that they will often unexplainable. He viciously attacked their owner a 30 pound raccoon. He writes can do as much damage as a large dog over and over again. Gary warned her and her answer was always the same. It will be different for me, it will be different for me.

Three months after Richman's last warning.

Julie underwent plastic surgery for severe facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon unexplainable. He unprovoked attack for no apparent reason Richman made this application, he said, sin often comes dressed in adorable guys and as we play with it.

How easy it is to say, it will be different for me will be different for me.

When the Lord taught his disciples how to pray and we have learned how to pray from that prayer. That prayer included the phrase, deliver us from the evil one, nobody's different all pray Lord keep us from evil. In other words, Lord, I can handle anything but temptation and today I'm going to admit that I'm getting get into trouble left up to myself, I'm going to adopt some sin in an ominous, it really won't hurt me to justify compromise my integrity and I want to say well it's okay for me. It's not that big of a deal. Lord, I'm admitting that I cannot take care of myself.

Please protect me from temptation. The church ladies and gentlemen at large has gone off on a journey in the warfare that lacks biblical justification. I cannot believe the people involved in writing about rebuking and laying hold of and sending to the abyssal sort of demonic beings and they in fact are revealing their own lack of understanding.

According to Jude 10 and second Peter two says that men who lack understanding revile angelic majesties you think about it. Then with all of the attention, ask yourself this question.

What's the church like today. The church today after having supposedly learned all of these secrets is as immoral as ever. It is as doctrinally confused as ever. It is as distracted from its commission as ever the enemy would win if we evaluated to carefully the state of the church ladies and gentlemen through spiritual warfare is a daily battle to wake up to it tomorrow morning.

You don't have to identify some being it will be a battle for your purity for your integrity it will be a battle to be compassionate and holy and to allow God to develop spiritual fruit and character and love you cannot find it every day. Sometimes every hour of some days that is spiritual warfare. So, get dressed and kneel down and pray for God's spirit to so dominate your thinking and acting. Pray that his word will so fill you in flow through you see that's living with your armor.

The only way to live for the glory of God and I believe that's what James had when he said draw near to God. Resist the devil, he will sleep strap on your arm and don't forget to pray God gives us armor to stand against and God gives us access to himself in prayer. With that we conclude our current series called angels, demons and other flying creatures here on wisdom for the heart.

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