What to Wear to War - Ephesians 6:10-14

I have no greater joy than this wrote to hear of my children walking in the truth, the believer who truly understands that life is more holds to the objective truth of God's word and lives it out as an honest man or woman young person. A person who has integrity. A person who wasn't hiding anything. I was hate to read the news because it's one more revelation of some secrets we have left the kingdom of lies along the line is that I am the true try to defeat us and keep us down. Satan has tactics that he wants to use to influence us away from God's agenda toward his own agenda. Is there anything we can do about that. Thankfully, the answer is yes, God gives us tools to stand against the schemes of the double understanding Satan schemes and knowing the tools God's giving you to fight against those schemes will help you live victoriously.

That's what working to look at today. This is wisdom for the heart and our Bible teacher, Stephen Devi is in a series entitled angels, demons and other flying creatures.

The lesson you're about to hear is called what to wear on the one hand, are those that don't seem to understand that Christianity is indeed a conflict that the enemy is alive and roaming about seeking whom he may devour.

Most believers I fear don't seem to convinced of that. They don't seem to assure that while the advancement of the church is a promised victory that the gates of hell are still attempting to prevail against it.

On the other hand are those who come to believe the direct conflict with Satan and demonic forces is at the heart of the Christian life confronting binding rebuking demons is not only the ticket to spiritual growth, but it is in fact of the key to the declaration of the gospel in the world in order to evangelize the city, one must first identify and bind the demon of the city. I read this past week of one church planting pastor that has bought into this instead of canvassing the neighborhoods instead of knocking on peoples doors instead of making phone calls instead of meeting people and inviting them to church simply to got a phone book and when street by street rebuking the controlling neighborhood spirits and asking God spirit to bring those people. The church, forgetting I suppose that not one verse or illustration of the Bible ever informs us that God will bring the world the church.

We have many verses that tell us that the church is to God reach the world go out into all the world and preach the gospel to every or all creation Mark 1650 Jesus Christ said in acts 18 you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

The world is not to go to church but the church is to go to the world charisma magazine, which is a flagship magazine for the, among others, the prosperity movement within the evangelical church which has bought into the charismatic contemporary warfare philosophy hook line and sinker ran an article about a pastor, his church wouldn't grow until he eventually identified the demon of witchcraft to had dominion over his particular geographical area pastor then began naming the streets around the neighborhood and sort of raise the demon had conflict with this demon commanding the demon to release the territory the demon complained throughout this conversation, though invisible, he finally relented and released those streets and since then, the church is grown from 70 to 150 people.

The so-called spiritual warfare advocates claim that it is important to discern the nature the specialty of the ruling demon over the city.

One offer said if you know the demon specializes in and especially if you know his name, then your prayers will be much more effective spiritual experts have identified the ruling demon of Los Angeles, which is the home of the movie industry is the demon of pornography. Ruling demon over New York. Wall Street is located.

The demon agreed and ruling demon over Washington DC as the demon of power. Now that we know that name. We can pray effectively against the demonic power and God's power will be advanced. That may sound novel. It may sound exciting. It may sound like it is involving the believer on the front lines. But what is it imply about the nature of prayer.

What is it imply about the theological truth of the sovereignty of God is God in heaven, as it were, wringing his hands saying I'll release that particular neighborhood to your gospel efforts. If you can only figure out what the demon's name is and if you can. I'm sorry my hands are tied.

The church can't advance there's nothing I can do. Not one verse of Scripture that encourages the believer to teach is the believer that exhorts the believer that directs the believer to discover territorial demons and bind them.

Matthew 1618 applied says as much, that the gates of hell that is the seed of strategy, the seat of authority the seed of planning, attempts to prevail against it to hinder the church, but Christ is not only guaranteed future victory for the church. He promises in this text present victory, the church, he promises will not be overwhelmed the gates of Hades attempt to prevail against you they will not prevail. And that's a wonderful truth. By the way, not for the wonderful love beyond but for here fact, there will be a day when the church disappears into the air. This is a promise for the church. Nowhere in the Bible does God's word say that we are to command demons to give up territory in order for us to be able to influence that area with the gospel of Christ, the gospel of Christ is the demonstration of power. Nowhere does the Bible teach us that we have to name demons and bind them in order for the gospel to have power to go forward. There is a popular movement today called power evangelism that says we have to accompany the gospel declaration with some signer demonstration of power in order for it to be effective. That is not true. Many people however I believe would rather go about believing in this sort of praying, then enlisting in the rigors and the hardship and the difficulties of evangelism and discipleship, it would be easier to pray for 30 minutes against some neighborhood demon, then it would be to study for several hours to hold out neighborhood Bible time in your backyard.

It would be easier for our are a staff of volunteers to pray for an hour against the demonic forces over the city of Kerry then to study for hours to teach Sunday school class or obedience to the clear command of Christ is to not go and rebuke demons, it is to go and make what disciples which is a much harder thing to another thing to agonize and work day in and day out, week in and week out into the harvest fields of the world where there is a perpetual shortage of workers, but Christ told us not to pray for more angels and less demon.

He told us to pray for more laborers in the harvest field who will invest their lives in this lifelong passion of spiritual reproduction. While were at it. Our eyes are not trying to discern the names and beings of the kingdom of darkness. But her eyes are upon Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith could be since the enemy knows he cannot destroy the church that he seeks to distract the church and how Satan in our generation must be reveling in the attention he is viewed nearly as omniscient and on my present and omnipotent as God and how he must be loving this view of him as something close to God. He wanted his throne. He wanted the worship he wanted the attention confused the story of a couple that he knew it started a Bible study of the Bible study soon filled up the living room with professionals, businessmen and women.

A couple of doctors, lawyer entire families were being impacted the Bible study was flourishing in then they decided to begin studying the occult and they got a hold of a couple of popular authors. Some books I have been have thrown away during my studies distorted Scripture grasp their imagination. They became preoccupied. Follow the steps of others like C. Peter Wagoner, who leads in this movement and believing that demons inhabit inanimate objects. They begin to misapply some of the things I've been warning you of when I during a Bible study.

They dismantled the chandelier in the dining room where they were studying convinced that it was inhabited by demon took individual pieces of that and they took it to different parts of the city buried the height of embarrassment to the name of Christ, Pastor Hughes wrote, was when the children of the host family were seen one evening running down the street shouting, the devil is after us, the devil is after us neighbors gathered and went over to the home wondering what was going on and they found the women in this Bible study in the backyard hacking a rosewood chest with an ax believing it too was possessed me say one more thing. As I finish my introduction living the victorious Christian life is not for a few expert it is. And for those who discovered some key visit, a mystery is left up to us to try and discover some generational demonic force and with some incantation free ourselves from some oppression. The gospel is liberating. Paul says it brought us out of the kingdom of darkness. It brought us into this wonderful light victory is not for the lucky Christians who happen to pick up a book and walk through the seven steps of breaking the bonded bite sound far too simplistic and editing in the so many books.

The book says in James chapter 4 submit to God, and in so doing, you resist the devil and he will live, he will flee from you. You submit to God. Your focus is on God. You draw near to God and in that you are resisting the anime and when he sees you drawing close to God.

He heads out of town now there's some territorial relief. No incantations, no rebukes or binding. Now the word resist is a wonderful Greek word that simply means to take a stand again when you draw near to God as your focus. You are standing against the enemy only represents how in the world than do you in drawing near to God. Take your stand against him.

Do we have any specifics. I'm glad you asked because we do in the book of Ephesians the spirit of God through the apostle Paul tells us how to submit to God and how to standing as the devil. Let's take a look with the Bible says Ephesians 6. Let's look at verse 10.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the Methodius schemes.

The methods of the devil for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this dark against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, stand firm. Would you notice the beginning of this text in verse 10, he doesn't say. Finally, be strong in your own sense of confidence. You know when you really get it together and and you learn the words and the language and that you talk a few secrets into your backpack up spiritual weaponry, then you'll be strong no is telling us that we are to be strong in the Lord. How easy it is for us to think well okay I got up early this morning and a devotions I'm gonna handle anything that or I memorized the chapter on the Bible or I've mastered the basics of Christianity. I'm ready for just about anything for strengthens 1012 for let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall away to second so many might say that that sounds confusing to me in Ephesians, Paul tells us to stand, but in first Corinthians 10 were told that when we stand where in trouble. What's the difference. The difference is this the believer in first Corinthians is standing in his own pride and self-sufficiency. The believer and Ephesians is standing in the sufficiency of Christ. One man in first Corinthians is proud of his own standing his own accomplishments his own spiritual strength. The other one in Ephesians here is humbled by his dependence upon the Savior's strength and power. The difference between these two who are standing is remarkable. One man believes that Christ's strength is needed in his life in a partial way. The other one believes he needs Christ's strength in a total way.

This one believes that he needs Christ temporarily. Every once in a while this one. Ephesians believes that he needs Christ's power all the time that you live where I need your strength every minute of the day. God said to his prophet Jeremiah. Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, but not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches. By the way those of the three things that create a sense of self-sufficiency intellectual acumen physical health and money. You have all those three the same time you're on dangerous ground right, he said, but let him who boasts boast in this that he knows me you want to brag about something brag about the fact that you know God is so good now back in Ephesians 6, verse 12 were informed of the arena of our struggle for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. What Paul does. Here is absolutely stunning. He informs the Ephesians that every day that they attempt to obey the will of God.

Every time they resist a temptation. They are actually engaged in much more than they can say or ever know it's more than a temptation.

It's more than one Dane trials in life or difficulties. The believer is involved in advancing victoriously at those moments, against the powers and the personalities of how we see Paul here raises the Christian experience to an entirely new level one off the road and I agree. Have you resisted temptation to be rude for the collie. Have you turned away from a magazine that might have drawn you in the loss.

You fought off the desire to react with anger against someone who cut you off on the freeway. Have you restrained your lips from uttering profanity. In doing so, you have actually struck a blow against the fallen angels in this constant daily battle. In other words, what Paul says is I want you to think this way.

I want you to have the mentality that though you are dealing with these mundane things though you are dealing with temptation, though you are dealing with trials behind it all is the kingdom of God and the kingdom of hell and frankly, unless you live with this mentality. I think unless you live with the sense of war you miss the drama of life.

There's a war going on and you and you relate the things in your life to it.

If you haven't gotten to the point where you think of your life as one divine appointment after another, whether it is fixing that flat tire that happened at that moment, or cleaning a sink full of dishes or taking a course or having a conversation with an unbeliever that all goes things have been divinely appointed for your day no matter what they are, you've missed the taste of victory. The Christian experience holders on in verse 13 to command the Christian therefore take up the full armor of God literally put it on the 10th of that verb indicates that your to put it on once and for all. In other words, it is in the softball uniform you don't put it on, go play, come home, take it off. It is in your tennis outfit. It is in a hockey uniform. Well you play that athletic contest and then you take off your uniform. Not this uniform. Paul says put it on and leave it on permanently.

There is never a moment you can be without it you are in desperate need of every piece of it. Now Paul will get very specific about the pieces of armor we have time for the first one the first thing Paul tells the believer to strap on is the belt of truth that you need to change your thinking. Perhaps in your mind of some picture you might have seen of a Roman soldier wearing some belt a lot like I have on or might you might be wearing maybe a sash of some sort. This belt was actually a leather apron that he slipped over his body and it went down to just below the thighs strapped to the waist. It was the foundational piece of armor the breast plate attached to it. The sword hung from it. This was the key central piece and we have already discovered that we not that the battleground of the enemy relates to the issues of the truth. This is a battle for the mind and heart.

Satan is called the father of lies and Johnny 44 Paul refers you remember to the doctrines of demons in first Timothy Satan counterfeits the truth with his own teaching. In Revelation 2 were actually told of the synagogue of Satan.

Satan has his own ministers. Did you know that there were many who got up today behind lecterns and pulpits and delivered a false gospel because his own other gospel. Paul calls it all the way back in the garden of Eden. Satan whispered his gospel and to the year of even said if you eat that fruit you will become like one of the God she bought it she believe the lie that battle continues and it's no surprise to me that Paul would say the central piece of armor is the truth in a generation where the truth is set aside for whatever you want to believe in the church were doctrine has been set aside for somebody's recent stories of experience. How important is the truth of God's word. Jesus Christ prayed.

It was father John 1717. He said father sanctify them in the truth that I word is truth. Listen to the apostle John as he wrote his second letter. The elder to the chosen lady and her children is writing to a woman and her kids whom I love and truth. Not only I but also all know the truth for the sake of the truth that we done one sentence and three times a reference to the truth for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the father and Jesus Christ. In truth and love. Second John 11 to 3 now know many biblical scholars believe in dissecting Ephesians 6 the Paul is not only talking about objective truth, the word of God, but subjective truth that is living out the truth that you learn and read. I would agree isn't enough to simply tuck it in your mind or heart, you must live it out. The soldier is on the battlefield. He is wearing this central piece called truth. It is just something he knows it's it's the way he lives. He is living a truthful life. He is living an honest life. He is not a living a life of deceit is in hiding anything by friends in our church.

They give me articles from newspapers.

I so appreciated I want to make sure that I those reasons and my sermons, so keep it coming. Wall Street articles and several in the last batch I got were nothing more than stories of people and how they are lying and deceiving and cheating. One article was Amanda who every day to work and back from work went through the tollbooth without paying back and forth and he justified it by saying wow I don't say that because they designed it wrong totaled one restaurant that had such trouble because everybody was stealing stuff and evidently this was is a predominant problem out there several restaurant owners work were interviewed people just taking the things the silverware.

Even the Lampson one waiter saw a woman walking out the restaurant and water was dripping from her purse and he went up to her and he said man may I look in your purse, and she very meekly opened her purse and there was the flower arrangement from the ladies restroom vase water the whole thing. He said man. Maybe you'll go back and powder your nose and she went back and walked out. She'd emptied her person dripping out the rest recent poll was taken 80% of the people polled admitted to some form of dishonest form of cheating some form of fudging on expense reports on form of why John writes in the second letter. I was so glad to find some of your children walking in truth again in his third letter, John wrote, for I was very glad when brethren came in bore witness to your truth that is how you are walking in truth, I have no greater joy than this.

He wrote to hear of my children walking in the truth see the believer who truly understands that life is more and the enemy is alive holds to the objective truth of God's word and the lives it out as an honest man or woman young person. A person who has integrity.

A person who is hiding anything. I was hate to read the news because it's one more revelation of some the seeds some secrets we have left.

Ladies and gentlemen, the kingdom of lies and the father of lies. We belong to the one is that I am the way, the truth, we are like him when we also walk truth. That word has come down to us having been translated into our English language as sincere as a synonym for honesty. That is the synonym of the Christian. The one who sees life as war sees life as that that should advance the kingdom of God sees every event in the life as part of the sovereign God's design and we we embrace it and we fulfill it and we we endurance need. There is no excuse. Ladies and gentlemen for a believer to be lie is no such thing as a white lie. That's a lie. It's a lie believer should be known for honesty. If you're not honest, you're missing the central piece of your armor, you're a casualty of the victor and in this community. Ladies and gentlemen, and on your campus. You want to be known as a person who tells the truth.

And if you do not do us all a favor, don't tell anybody where you go to church so today make sure you strap on the truth of the and live it out in truthfulness, honesty and sincerity.

This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey is the pastor of colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina and the president of shepherd's theological seminary also located here in Cary. If you missed a portion of today's broadcast or if you'd like to go back and listen again. We've posted it to our website which you'll find@wisdomonline.org in addition to the audio and printed manuscript of the lesson, you'll find the complete archive of all Stephen's teaching posted there. So go there anytime you can listen to each days broadcasts from our app so if you ever miss a lesson and want to keep caught up. You can download the wisdom for the heart app to your smart phone and take this ministry with you wherever you go. Wisdom for the heart is made possible because of the generous contributions of our listeners.

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