Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Ready For Battle #3 The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:14 Ready For Battle #3 The Belt of Truth
False intelligence.
A Roman soldier had a belt, and all the rest of his armor was somehow hooked to that belt. It was critical to the rest of the equipment. If it was wintertime, soldiers wore a long robe. The first thing a soldier would do to get ready for battle was "gird up his loins." That's a weird expression—most of us don't gird up our loins when we get dressed in the morning. To a soldier, however, girding up was essential. He would lift up that long robe and tuck it into his belt so that he could move freely. On a march, he could have it down to stay warm. If he was off duty, he could unbuckle his belt. But if he was on duty and it was time for battle, an unbuckled belt and a hanging robe would mean one of two things: being punished by his superiors or having a severe disadvantage to his enemy. Either way, the consequences were grave.
So when the battle cry sounded, a soldier would lift his robe and tuck it into his belt, where his sword would hang and his shield would attach. The belt was central, and a lot depended on its being secure.
Our first piece of armor is a direct defense against the enemy's number one tactic. Do you recall from Genesis 3 what his first attack was? Deception. Satan was the crafty serpent, dressing up his lies to make them appealing and then whispering them into Eve's ear. He deceived her by questioning God's goodness, then by questioning the accuracy of the truth of God's command. "You will not die," he said—a blatant lie. Then he quickly followed up his lie with some appealing truth. "If you eat this, it will give you the knowledge of good and evil." He was right. That was accurate. That's what Satan does; he takes truth and twists it, making sin look appealing.
Satan's first attack was deception, and humanity's first response after sin was hiding, denial, and blame-shifting. That hasn't changed much either, has it? When we see the truth about ourselves, it's painful. It takes a lot of courage to face up to reality. It's easier for us to go into denial or to point a finger at someone else. We are very creative blame-shifters. We attribute our sinful reactions to difficult circumstances, a depressed economy, an unfaithful spouse, or anything or anyone other than ourselves.
The remedy is the belt of truth. Whoever or whatever we blame may actually be at fault to some extent in our situation, but until we get honest with God and with each other, we are playing with deception. Kenneth Wuest writes that the belt of truth is evident in the man or woman whose mind "will practice no deceit and no disguises in our intercourse with God."2 We need to own up to our own faults without excuses and without blaming, bring them to God, and confess them honestly before him. That's the only way to stand firm against deception.
The word truth
Zimmermann,A. (2013). Postmodernism and religious vilification laws. The Western Australian Jurist Vol 4. pp.85-114. p.88 "We have moved away from a culture of free expression of contrary opinions to the acceptance of all opinions. As such, it is morally wrong to claim that there might be only one possible truth.8 The new approach changes the meaning of tolerance from an attitude of permitting the articulation of beliefs that we may not necessarily agree with, to asserting that all beliefs and claims are equally valid." "Thus the new meaning of 'tolerance' implies a psychological attitude that conveys not only a sense of identity or empathy, but also the tacit support or consent with almost every existing value and belief."
Raiter notes that "in today's Western world, film and television are the storytellers, and they define for us good and evil, right and wrong, truth and promise."
Westminster Confession of Faith
1.1. Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable;….
1:4. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God,
1:5 . We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it does abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts,
1:6 The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture:
Westminster Confession of Faith "The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself). the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God)., the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts."
Theologian E.Y.Mullins notes:
"Physical science has tended to narrow the idea of truth to propositions which can be proved in exact mathematical terms. But this narrowing of the conception is due to a confusion of truth itself with a particular form for expressing it. There are many ways of expressing the meaning of reality. The claim to truth cannot be based upon any one way to the exclusion of others. The test of the claim to truth is the test as to the reality with which it deals, at least this is the primary and fundamental test. Spiritual realities will not yield the same formulae for expressing their meaning as those found in the sphere of physics. But they are none the less real and may find interpretation in terms of truth. Again, the appeal of the truths of religion is of the strongest kind. It is an intellectual appeal in the narrower sense of the word. The reason is satisfied because the truths of the Christian religion may be presented in a coherent system which has unity and self-consistency. The moral nature is satisfied because the result is the triumph of the moral nature over sin and self and the world. All the higher personal life is satisfied because in the Christian experience human personality comes to its own. Self-realization, a consciousness of having found the meaning of life and destiny, is bound up in the Christian experience." Mullins, E.Y. (1917). The Christian religion in its doctrinal expression. Philadelphia: Roger Williams Press, V. Theology and Truth.
E J Carnell (2007) speaks of three sorts of truth; ontological truth; truth as propositional correspondence to reality; and truth as personal rectitude. He also conludes that there are three methods of knowing: knowledge by acquaintance; knowledge by inference; and knowledge by moral self-acceptance.
These forms of knowledge are propositional in the sense that they represent "true truth." Of course, this form of knowledge adheres to a correspondence theory of truth 958Carnell, E.J. (2007). Christian commitment. Wipf & Stock Pub. p.29.
may align with a coherence theory of truth, where the actual reality of the world may not be accessible, but that a proposition may be regarded as true because it coheres with other truths that correspond to reality.
There is a Personal nature to truth
The term "truth" had currency in Greek philosophy, Roman thought, and the Hebrew Bible including its many uses in the Old Testament Greek Septuagint (lxx). In Greek philosophy, one of the senses of 'alethia' involved an accurate perspective on reality. Romans similarly spoke of veritas as a factual representation of events. In the Hebrew Scriptures, "truth" ('emeth,' 'emunah') primarily conveyed the notion of God's faithfulness.964 This faithfulness had been revealed throughout the history of Israel and, according to John, found supreme expression in the life, ministry, and substitutionary death of Jesus (John 1:14; 14:6). In John's Gospel, where the importance of "truth" is underscored by 48 instances of the aleth-word group in comparison with a combined total of 10 in the Synoptics, the notion of 'truth' is inextricably related to God, and to Jesus' relationship with God, and the possibility of personal and individual relationship with God. Hence the concept of 'truth' and knowledge conveyed more than propositionally true statements, there is also a relational aspect that spoke of faithfulness and rectitude to the nature of God himself. Keener, John 1.418, notes that ninety percent of the instances of aletheia in the lxx translate the Hebrew ªemeth and concludes that " 'truth' often includes the sense of 'covenant faithfulness' in the Fourth Gospel."
There is a subjectivity about truth. Truth demands our whole commitment.
1 True-hearted, whole-hearted, faithful and loyal,
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be;
Under the standard exalted and royal,
Strong in Thy strength we will battle for Thee.
Refrain:
Peal out the watchword! silence it never!
Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free;
Peal out the watchword! loyal forever,
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be.
2 True-hearted, whole-hearted, fullest allegiance
Yielding henceforth to our glorious King;
Valiant endeavor and loving obedience,
Freely and joyously now would we bring. (Refrain)
3 True-hearted, whole-hearted, Saviour all-glorious!
Take Thy great power and reign there alone,
Over our wills and affections victorious,
Freely surrendered and wholly Thine own. (Refrain)
Jesus certainly applied himself to learning the scriptures and pursued the Word of God.
(1) Jesus KNEW the Bible.
When Satan attacked him, Jesus had the scriptures committed to memory so he could immediately give a counter attack with his spiritual sword the Word of God...Jesus answered Satan and said "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Mt.4:4) Deuteronomy 8:3
Jesus had the Word of God hidden in his heart. It dominated his mind. He was so familiar with the Word that when Satan tempted him he didn't even have to hesitate, think, or evaluate. He instantly discerned what Satan was up to (the scriptures give you great discernment) and he instantly knew how to respond. IT was the Word in his heart and mind that gave him victory in temptation.
(2)Jesus BELIEVED the Bible was God's word.
Jesus believed in the divine inspiration of scripture.
Jesus believed that "Every word .....proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Mt.4:4)
Jesus affirmed the Bible is God's word when he called it such in Mark 7:13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."
(3) Jesus believed the Bible was INERRANT.
This means that Jesus believed the Bible was absolutely true without any mixture of error.
In John 17:17 Jesus prayed to the Heavenly Father and said, "...Your word is truth." Not just that "your word contains the truth." But that you word IS the truth!!"
(4) Jesus believed the Bible was INFALLIBLE.
He believed that the scripture will never fail. That every promise will be fulfilled. It is reliable and eternal. Jesus believed every promise is reliable and every prophecy will come to pass.
Matt 5:17-18 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (NIV)
(5) Jesus believed the Bible is the HIGHEST AUTHORITY.
By saying "It is written..." Jesus was appealing to scripture as the ultimate authority.
The scripture is the final word on everything
(6) Jesus believed the Bible was HISTORICALLY ACCURATE.
Do you know Jesus believed in the Genesis account of creation.... Read Matthew 19:4 where He quotes from Genesis and declares that God's original marriage plan of one man with one woman for a life time was still in affect. Did you know Jesus believed in the Genesis account of a global flood in Noah's day. .. Read it in Matthew 24:37-39. In fact Jesus compared the period of Noah's day to the period when He will return to earth again.
Did you know Jesus believed in the Bible's account of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. ....Read it in Matthew 12:38-40. He compared that historical event to his own resurrection from the dead.
Oh yes Christ definitely believed in the historical accuracy of the Bible.
It is for this reason that you cannot possibly claim Christ to be Lord and at the same time doubt the or question the historical veracity and accuracy of the Bible......You see either ...
The Bible is absolutely accurate and completely true and Jesus confirmed it to be or
The Bible contains myths and mistakes and Jesus did not know it (thus He could not be divine) or
The Bible contains myths and mistakes and Jesus did know it but did not tell us and was dishonest.
(7) Jesus believed the Bible was INVINCIBLE.
Jesus believed the Word of God was an invincible spiritual weapon.
When Jesus said "IT is written..." He knew Satan could not overpower that.
The Word of God is like an atom bomb against Satan's puny arsenal.Tthe Word of God is essential to your spiritual well being. (Ferguson)
Guard Your Heart with the Breastplate of Righteousness
EPHESIANS 6:14 THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
How To Guard Your Heart
14 Stand therefore,… having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Imputed righteousness produces imparted righteousness.
A Roman breastplate was usually made of bronze, or, if you were a more affluent soldier, chain mail. It covered the midsection, from just below the neck to the thighs. And they called it a heart protector—for obvious reasons. It guarded the vital organ that keeps us alive.
This 'breastplate' generally extended from the base of the neck to the upper part of the thighs, so it covered what we would now call the thorax and abdomen. That is actually the term that is used here in the Greek θώρακα —the 'thorax'. But it also covered the abdomen. So here Paul is talking about the portion of the armour that is to be put over the front part of us, the trunk.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness because this conflict, this wrestling that we are engaged in with the world, and the flesh, and the devil, there should be no part we should be more careful to protect than that where the feelings and the affections and the desires and the will, the control panel, of your life.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Yep don't follow your heart. It only reflects your inner desires. And those desires may not be good. Trust your heart? No way!
We have been given a new heart!
Ezeliel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
In 1 Corinthians 15 there is a recognition of the difference between the soul and the spirit, as there is in 1 Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
The heart corresponds to the soul. Born again and not born again in this case have a heart. We as believers have a new heart, guided by the Spirit of God. But our heart is still related to the soulish part of us, that which is was unregenerate, and therefore is always the place that Satan attacks first.
In Bunyan's Holy War, he talks of the various factors that influence the town of Mansoul.
The city named as Mansoul has been regarded as perfect under the rule of Shaddai for a long time. One day, three esteemed men, Lord Willbewill, Understanding, and Conscience, welcome Diabolus into the city. Diabolus with his charisma, eventually convinces Mansoul's citizens to overthrow Shaddai and name him as the ruler of Mansoul. While Understanding and Conscience regretting their actions, Lord Willbewill shifts his allegiance to Diabolus instead. Having concerns over his former citizens, Shaddai sends his son, Emmanuel, to Mansoul as an attempt to reclaim his rule over Mansoul.
Main Characters:[4]
Carnal-Security: An entrapping Diabolian, who convinces Mansoul to break their fellowship with Emmanuel after He saved the city
Conscience: The Recorder of Mansoul, who forgets Shaddai's law due to sin, at times, and other times laments the sin of the city
Forget-Good: The recorder who works for Diabolus and despises the laws of Shaddai
Ill-Pause: A servant of Diabolus who slays Lord Innocency with foulness
Incredulity: Friend of Diabolus and one of the two mayors during his rule. Incredulity escapes execution after the recapture of Mansoul and leads the army of Doubters against it.
Lord Wilbewill: Servant of Shaddai at first but shifts allegiances to Diabolus when the city is captured
Lusting: A Diabolian Mayor during the rule of Diabolus
The Secretary: A Mansoul resident after Emmanuel's conquest
Understanding: Mayor of Mansoul who is unable to see the light because of treachery to Shaddai
The devil "Diabolous" creates 'inordinate desires', he inflames the desires. Through these desires the will is affected. Thus it is of high importance for us to see that that part of our life, that part of our personality where these vital forces and factors are centred, should be adequately protected.
So how do we protect our hearts? How do we put on the breastplate of righteousness in order to protect our heart? How can we Guard Our Hearts?
1. Guard Your Heart With the Gospel of Grace
Because we can never attain to God's standard of righteousness, God sent His only Son into this world, in order that He might be able to give us His righteousness. He came, the spotless, sinless Son of God, and He rendered a perfect obedience to God's law, obeyed Him in every jot and title of the law. He lived a perfectly righteous life. But more than that; He made Himself responsible for our sins, He bore them in His own body and was crucified for them. 'God laid on him the iniquity of us all.' And at the Cross God smote His dear Son as our sinbearer. And in raising Christ again on the resurrection day God has proclaimed to us that Christ's death was more than sufficient to satisfy His righteous demands.
Guard Your Heart With The Imputed Righteousness of Christ
Imputed righteousness is defined in 2 Corinthians 5:21: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
NASB He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
God took our sins and 'imputed' them to His Son, put them on Him, put them to His account. That is the meaning of 'imputation'—that you take something that belongs to one person and you put it to the account of another. A man owes a debt; someone else pays it. You have 'imputed' the debt to another. That is what God has done with our sins. He has imputed our sins to His Son, and He has punished them in Him.
Well, my sins are taken away; but that is not enough. Before I can stand in the presence of God I must be positively holy, I must be positively righteous. God is righteous, and just and holy. 'God is light, and in him is no darkness at all'. To stand in His presences I need to be positively righteous. As I believe on God's Son and His work for me, He 'imputes' His righteousness, His perfect observance of the law, to me. I have not kept the law; Christ has kept it perfectly and He is righteous before the law. God puts to my account, imputes to me, the righteousness of His own Son. He clothes me with it. So, as I stand in the presence of God, God does not see me, He sees the righteousness of His Son covering me, clothing me completely. That is what I now rejoice in.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith" (Philippians 3:7,8, 9).
Salvation by 'imputed righteousness', means that Christ's perfect righteousness is put to my account, imputed to me, put upon me by God. And, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, God pronounces me to be a just man, a righteous man; and the law cannot touch me. 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus' (Romans 8:1). The law has nothing to say against me because I am covered by this perfect, spotless righteousness of the Son of God Himself, and have on 'the breastplate of righteousness'.
Now Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. (Rev. 12:10). When we fall into sin, the Holy Spirit will convict us and draw us through repentance and forgiveness back into fellowship with the Father. But Satan will counterfeit the conviction with accusations. The whisperer who laughs, "You call yourself a Christian?" is not the voice of the Holy Spirit. That's demonic, and it is designed to drive you into false comforts to ease your guilt. Rather than flee to Christ for our righteousness, imputed righteousness, we flee to religious works to make us feel better about ourselves. There are so many religious people who base their salvation on what they do for "the church." Their position in the church in their minds, is tied to their salvation! No wonder they fight like anything to retain their seat at a table! And it is the devil that gets to their hearts so that they accept a false comfort based on their works, instead of the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Satan is the accuser. Satan accuses us by encouraging us to accuse ourselves. Some Christians have a problem with perpetual introspection. This constant self-examination is dangerous because it often leads to self-accusation. The Devil knows that if he can get you to accuse yourself—to dwell on the memories of past sins — then he has won the battle.
Remember: "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12:11).
Now that is Satan's first attack for which we need the breastplate of the Imputed Righteousness of Christ.
2. Guard Your Heart With Godliness of Lifestyle
We call this the Imparted Righteousness of Christ.
Guard Your Heart with the Imparted righteousness of Christ.
There is also what the Puritans called 'imparted' righteousness. We need to lay hold on this too!
God does not stop at only imputing to me the righteousness of Christ, He now works within me to make me more righteous. He now begins to work in me the righteousness of His own Son. He 'imparts' it to me, He makes it a part of me, He puts it into me. This is what happens at the rebirth, regeneration, the new life. The new heart!
Imputed righteousness is justification—that which God gives us by faith.
Imparted righteousness is sanctification—that which we live out in our daily lives.
Phil 2:12,13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
We need to work down into us what God has worked in us, the principle of grace. God's gracious work in us is like His gracious work for us. His gracious work for us is to account us as righteous because of the Lord Jesus Christ. His gracious work in us is to make us righteous, changing our hearts from within. God's gracious principle at work in us is to impart to us righteousness, making us become what we has already accounted us as being.
The word righteousness in Ephesians 6:14 also means "uprightness, right living, integrity in one's lifestyle and character." It is a matter of conforming our will to God's will.
How are you to guard your heart by becoming conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.(NKJV)
(ESV) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
The Lord's Goal for you is to be righteous, righteous just like His Son!
Ephesians 5: 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
"Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
How are you going to do this?
Guard Your Heart With the Governance of God's Word
Prov 4: 4 he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
Prov 4: 20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (NASB Watch over NET Guard)
Your Words Prov 4:24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
Your Watchings 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
Your Ways 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
Your Walk 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Eph 6v14 Guard Your Heart
EPHESIANS 6:14 THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
How To Guard Your Heart
14 Stand therefore,… having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Imputed righteousness produces imparted righteousness.
The conquest of Canadian Quebec was accomplished, in one sense, at the Battle of Quebec in 1759 when General Wolfe beat General Montcalm; and yet we know from history that it took many decades to possess that portion of North America. There was one decisive battle, the Battle of Quebec, and from that moment Canada became British; but there were still pockets of resistance which had to be dealt with, and it took until the 'thirties' of the nineteenth century before it could be said that the British Crown really had taken and possessed that great piece of territory. It is much the same here. We start by putting on the 'whole truth'—our acceptance and our understanding of the whole way of salvation. But having put that on, we are taught by Paul that it is equally important for us to be clear about the particular aspects and applications.
A Roman breastplate was usually made of bronze, or, if you were a more affluent soldier, chain mail. It covered the midsection, from just below the neck to the thighs. And they called it a heart protector—for obvious reasons. It guarded the vital organ that keeps us alive.
This 'breastplate' generally extended from the base of the neck to the upper part of the things, so it covered what we would now call the thorax and abdomen. That is actually the term that is used here in the Greek—the 'thorax'. But it also covered the abdomen, the abdominal cavity. So here Paul is talking about the portion of the armour that is to be put over the whole of what you may call in general 'the trunk'
So the Apostle, here, when he tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness, is concerned that in this conflict, this wrestling that we are engaged in with the world, and the flesh, and the devil, there should be no part we should be more careful about in regard to protection than that where the feelings and the affections are controlled. And not only the feelings and the affections, but the conscience also, and the desires and the will.
Now the important aspect here is the heart, where the desires are.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Yep don't follow your heart. It only reflects your inner desires. And those desires may not be good. Trust your heart? No way!
There is nothing wrong with the desires as such. It is God who has given us our desires. The desires may be good or bad; they are a part of life, a part of our human nature and constitution. But what the devil does is to come and to create 'inordinate desires', he inflames the desires. Through these desires the will is affected. Thus it is of high importance for us to see that that part of our life, that part of our personality where these vital forces and factors are centred, should be adequately protected.
Prov 4: 4 he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Because we can never attain to God's standard of righteousness, God sent His only Son into this world, in order that He might be able to give us His righteousness. He came, the spotless, sinless Son of God, and He rendered a perfect obedience to God's law, obeyed Him in every jot and title of the law. He lived a perfectly righteous life. But more than that; He made Himself responsible for our sins, He bore them in His own body and was crucified for them. 'God laid on him the iniquity of us all.' And at the Cross God smote His dear Son as our sinbearer. And in raising Christ again on the resurrection day God has proclaimed to us that Christ's death was more than sufficient to satisfy His righteous demands.
Imputed righteousness is defined in 2 Corinthians 5:21: 'God hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin'. In other words, God took our sins and 'imputed' them to His Son, put them on Him, put them to His account. That is the meaning of 'imputation'—that you take something that belongs to one person and you put it to the account of another. A man owes a debt; you take it out of his page in your ledger and you put it into the page of another man in the ledger. You have 'imputed' the debt to another. That is what God has done with our sins. He has imputed our sins to His Son, and He has punished them in Him.
But that has not exhausted the meaning of the term. That leaves me, as it were, with my sins taken away; but that is not enough. Before I can stand in the presence of God I must be positively holy, I must be positively righteous. God is righteous, and just and holy. 'God is light, and in him is no darkness at all'. To stand in His presences I need to be positively righteous. And this is how it happens. As I believe on God's Son and His work for me, He 'imputes' His righteousness, His perfect observance of the law, to me. I have not kept the law; Christ has kept it perfectly and He is righteous before the law. God puts to my account, imputes to me, the righteousness of His own Son. He clothes me with it. So, as I stand in the presence of God, God does not see me, He sees the righteousness of His Son covering me, clothing me completely. That is what I now rejoice in, says the Apostle. 'I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith' (Philippians 3:8, 9).
Salvation by 'imputed righteousness', means that Christ's perfect righteousness is put to my account, imputed to me, put upon me by God. And, looking at me, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, God pronounces me to be a just man, a righteous man; and the law cannot touch me. 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus' (Romans 8:1). The law has nothing to say against me because I am covered by this perfect, spotless righteousness of the Son of God Himself, and have on 'the breastplate of righteousness'.
That is part of righteousness, but it is not the whole. There is also what the Puritans called 'imparted' righteousness, and it is equally important for us to lay hold on that also. The difference between 'imputed' and 'imparted' righteousness is, that if we stop at imputed righteousness, I am left where I was before. I have no righteousness inherent in me at all, although I am clothed and covered by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the beginning; that is what makes me a Christian; that is the foundation. But God does not stop at that, He now begins to work in me the righteousness of His own Son. He 'imparts' it to me, He makes it a part of me, He puts it into me. This happens of necessity as the result of the rebirth, regeneration, the new file. There is a new seed of life 'implanted' in me.
The seed has been put into me, and that seed grows and develops. This is what is meant by the idea of 'imparting' righteousness. Another term that has sometimes been used states that the righteousness is now 'infused' into me. It is not only put upon me as a cloak and a covering, but also 'infused' into me. It is comparable to a blood transfusion where the blood from one person is put into the circulation and the blood from one person is put into the circulation and the blood of another. It can be 'transfused' or 'infused', 'injected', 'imparted'—these are all terms which stand for the same operation.
Imputed righteousness is justification—that which God gives us by faith.
Imparted righteousness is sanctification—that which we live out in our daily lives.
This is how the Apostle expresses the truth to the Philippians: 'Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure' (2:12, 13). We are to 'grow in grace', and in the knowledge of the Lord. These are different ways of expressing 'imparted righteousness'.
The word righteousness in Ephesians 6:14 means "uprightness, right living, integrity in one's lifestyle and character." It is a matter of conforming our will to God's will. It is rooted in the objective righteousness that we already possess in our standing before God through Christ's work. That righteousness cannot be taken away. It is complete because we are in Christ and he is in us. But while the righteousness of this verse flows out of that objective reality, this is really the practical application of truth to our lives. In other words, the righteousness referred to here is submitting to the lordship of Christ. Put simply, it's putting into practice what you know is right.
Protecting Your Heart Against Satanic Assaults
Satan is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). When we fall into sin, the Holy Spirit will convict us and draw us through repentance and forgiveness back into fellowship with the Father. But Satan will counterfeit the conviction with accusations. The whisperer who laughs, "You call yourself a Christian?" is not the voice of the Holy Spirit. That's demonic, and it is designed to drive you into false comforts to ease your guilt. For example, buying seventy-five pairs of shoes because when it's too painful to face the truth and you feel condemned, shopping will give you an adrenaline rush to take care of it—for a while. Or stuffing yourself in order to drown your pain in pleasure—and then throwing it all up as you kick yourself for being so addicted to food. Or becoming the dispenser of personal information in your congregation because you need to feel significant.
Remember: 'they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony' (Revelation 12:11).
- Guard Your Heart With the Gospel of Grace
Each day we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness by faith and reaffirm our position in Jesus Christ. We must depend on the righteousness of Christ rather than our own good deeds.
Why do we need this righteousness? Because Satan is the accuser. He is continually denouncing God's people. We desperately need this breastplate, because apart from the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot stand against the Evil One.
- Guard Your Heart With the Governance of God's Word
- Guard Your Heart With the Grace of the Holy Spirit
Job 4: 17 'Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?
Friday, August 18, 2023
Preaching tips
Wednesday, August 09, 2023
Preparation for Eph 6 v13
Bible readings for Sunday August 13
Call To Worship Psalm 27
Law/Grace Joshua 1:1-9
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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.9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Bible reading Ephesians 6:10-20 Ready For Battle #2 vs 13 STAND!
Benediction: 1 Corinthians 16: 13,14,23
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.14 Let all that you do be done in love. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Ephesians 6:10-20 Ready For Battle 2 Appropriating God's Armour vs 13 STAND!
Resisting the powers of darkness by Appropriating the Armour of God.
Clinton Arnold.
The Christian Life is hard. Powerful beings strategise and attack.
The Lord makes His power and resources available to you.
The Need for God's grace
The Range of Spiritual weapons
The Absolute dependence upon Prayer and the Holy Spirit. (18, 11 INCLUSIO BOOKENDS).
Aorist.. vs 14 STAND!!
Pray in the Spirit, Strong in the Lord, armour of God. Trinitarian.
13 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 firm.
1. When to Stand… the evil day.
13 that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,
Paul urged his readers to "make the most of the time because the days are evil" (5:16). Consistent with his apocalyptic Jewish heritage, Paul is convinced that believers live in the present evil age (Gal 1:4; Eph 2:2)—an era characterized by demonic activity and filled with various forms of evil. The difficulties of the present age will only intensify as the coming of the Lord draws close (see 2 Thess 2:1–12; Mark 13:8; Matt 24:8). The final resolution will come only when God intervenes and all of the rebellious powers are brought under the headship of Jesus (1:10). Until that time, Satan and his forces will plot and strategize on how they can oppose God's redemptive plan, assail the church, and torment the lives of believers.
An "evil day" experience comes at various intervals throughout the lives of God's people when the powers of darkness execute their strategies (
Preparation for the battle does not take place once it begins, but well in advance. With the temporal participle "once you have prepared" (
What are these schemes? I think here of the work of William Gurnall, the Puritan divine who wrote more on these eleven verses than anybody else in any language. In his 1,200-page study of The Christian in Complete Armour, Gurnall exposes Satan's craft in knowing both when and how to make his approaches. Satan attacks:
When the Christian is newly converted.
The early days of our Christian lives are glorious. Before our conversion we were dead in transgressions and sins. Now we are alive. Before, our minds were darkened by the evil spirit of this world. Now we see spiritual things clearly. Before, we did not desire fellowship with God. Now we do. Before, we were discouraged. Now we are filled with optimism and great joy. Ah, but that is when Satan comes—when, like Eve, we are not yet confirmed in any strong path of obedience. He trips us up. Then he says, "I see by your sin that you are not a Christian after all. Your 'conversion' was temporary. You have fallen away. You might as well settle down now and follow me."
When the Christian is afflicted.
When things go well the devil frequently leaves us alone. But when we go through times of affliction, as most of God's children do from time to time, the devil is often quickly there to suggest that God has abandoned us or that we are not really his children. "If God loved you, he wouldn't let you suffer like this," Satan argues. "If God is good, he obviously doesn't care about you. And if he isn't good, well, what's the difference? You might as well curse him for his wickedness and sin as you please."
Job was tempted like this, although the tempting words were channeled through his "friends" and wife. God had permitted Satan to destroy Job's wealth and family and then to afflict him with boils—to show that Job loved God for what God was in himself and not for what he gave Job materially. But when Job lost all these things—possessions, children, and good health—Satan was there to say that it was because of some deep, hidden sin in Job's life. "Job, you just think you're a righteous man," said his friends. "You can't be. This is a moral universe. Bad things don't happen to good people. So if bad things are happening to you, it is because you have done something terrible, whether you know it or not. God is punishing you." His wife was even more outspoken. She said, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9).
When the Christian has achieved some notable success.
This was Peter's experience. Jesus had asked the disciples who they thought he was, and Peter had responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). This was a great insight, so great, in fact, that Jesus immediately explained its source, saying, "This was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven" (v. 17). Jesus then went on to speak about his coming death and resurrection. But Peter, riding high on his good performance, tried to persuade Jesus that his death was unnecessary and occasioned his stinging rebuke: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (v. 23).
When the Christian is idle.
"Idle hands are the devil's hands," says a proverb. "If the devil finds a man inactive, he will soon find some work for him to do," says another. We remember David. The great sin in David's life was his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. It is significant that David's failure began in a time of inactivity. It was the spring of the year when the armies went out to battle, but David (now in his fifties) stayed home from battle, leaving the conduct of the war to his trusted friend Joab. It was as he was idle in Jerusalem, lounging on the roof of his palace, that David saw Bathsheba and called her to him.
When the Christian is isolated from others who share his faith.
So long as we are with other Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are with those who can encourage, help, and, if necessary, call us to account. Generally, if we are in such company, Satan recognizes that his time can be better spent elsewhere. But get off by ourselves away from other Christians or, worse yet, get in close, intimate contact with non-Christians—and the devil comes. "I see you are finally away from those hypocrites who have been stopping you from having any fun," he observes. "Well, now you can do what you want to do, and they won't even know about it. Didn't God give you all these [evil] things to enjoy? So enjoy! And even if they are wrong, your doing them is certainly not going to hurt anybody."
When the Christian is dying.
Death is a time of physical weakness, at least if it does not come abruptly, and Satan uses physical weaknesses to afflict us. "At the hour of death, when the saint is down and prostrate in his bodily strength, now this coward falls upon him," writes Gurnall. "As they say of the natural serpent, he never is seen at his length till dying; so this mystical serpent never strains his wit and wiles more, than when his time is thus short. The saint is even stepping into eternity, and now he treads upon his heel, which if he cannot trip up so as to hinder his arrival in heaven, yet at least to bruise it, that he may go with more pain thither."
2. How to Stand
Stand Completely Armoured 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
At the heart of this letter is the message that believers possess an entirely new identity by virtue of their relationship to Jesus Christ. This new identity is the basis for living in a manner that pleases God. Paul is clear that good behavior and the display of Christian virtue are not the basis for acceptance with God; rather, they flow out of the inner transformation that God has already accomplished in the life of every believer. Thus, Paul's appeal in this letter can be summed up as discover all that you are in Christ Jesus and live your lives on the basis of this new identity.
Paul can aptly summarize this new identity as having been "made … alive with Christ" (2:5). All who put their faith in Jesus Christ effectively participate with him in his resurrection and exaltation (2:6; see above). This participation with Christ in the key salvation events results in a present, vital, and ongoing relationship with him that Paul describes as being "in Christ" (see above). This expression, which Paul uses thirty-four times in Ephesians in its various forms, is Paul's definition of what it truly means to be a Christian.
They are no longer estranged from God, dead in sin, darkened in their understanding, and objects of God's wrath, but they are…
• alive with Christ (2:5)
• saved (2:5, 8; 5:23)
• a new creation (2:10; 4:24)
• brought near to God (2:13)
• given access to God (2:18; 3:12)
• profoundly loved (3:17–19; 5:2)
• God's possession (1:14)
• sealed as God's property (1:13; 4:30)
• God's inheritance (1:18)
• God's heirs (1:14; 3:6; 5:5)
• adopted by God (1:5)
• beloved children (5:1)
• members of God's kingdom (5:5)
• chosen by God (1:4, 11)
• predestined by God (1:5, 11)
• called by God (1:18; 4:1)
• redeemed (1:7)
• forgiven (1:7; 4:32)
• sanctified (5:26)
• cleansed (5:26)
• saints (1:1, 15, 18; 2:19; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18)
• part of the corporate body of Christ (2:15–16; 4:12, 13, 16, 25; 3:6; 5:30)
• members of the household of God (2:19)
• part of the new holy temple that God is building (2:22)
• possessors of the Holy Spirit (1:13–14)
• a dwelling place for Christ (3:17)
• a workmanship of God (2:10)
• light (5:8)
• servants of Christ (6:6)
These blessings are all facets of the new identity believers now possess by virtue of their union and solidarity with Christ. These elements of the new identity are not a form of literary hyperbole to enhance one's self-concept by positive thinking. They are reality and grounded in the objective work of Christ on our behalf.
"Put on" (
As we consider the nature of the "armor" that believers are to appropriate and use—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer—we can conclude that there is a significant correspondence between 4:24 and 6:10–17. As O'Brien has said, "Essentially, then, to 'put on the new self' is the same as donning the armour of God."8 In other words, knowing the truth of who we are in union with Christ, cultivating the virtues of this new identity, and using the resources available through this new relationship are at the heart of what it means to put on the armor of God. The aorist tense of the imperative should not be misconstrued to mean that it is a onetime action. The context suggests that arming should occur on a regular basis.
Stand Fighting.
and having done all, to stand firm.
3. Where To Stand
Stand Firm and having done all, to stand firm.
Sunday, August 06, 2023
Not what my hands have done
Not what my hands have done
can save my guilty soul,
not what my toiling flesh has borne
can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
can give me peace with God,
not all my prayers and sighs and tears
can bear my awful load.
Thy work alone, O Christ,
can ease this weight of sin,
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God,
not mine, O Lord, to thee,
can rid me of this dark unrest
and set my spirit free.
I bless the Christ of God,
I rest on love divine,
and with unfalt'ring lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in His tomb
each thought of unbelief and fear,
each ling'ring shade of gloom.
I praise the God of grace,
I trust His truth and might.
He calls me His, I call Him mine,
my God, my joy, my light.
My Lord has saved my life,
and freely pardon gives;
I love because He first loved me,
I live because He lives.
Horatius Bonar
Saturday, August 05, 2023
Ephesians 6:10-13 Ready For Battle - Enlisted.
Ephesians 6:10-13 Ready For Battle - Enlisted.
The Christian life is not a playground—it's a battleground. And whether we like it or not, every Christian is called to be a soldier and to " fight the good fight" (I Tim. 6:12). No good soldier enters a battle without being fully prepared and protected.
Likewise, God does not expect us to go to war unarmed. He has given us the armor and weapons we need for the fight, and He expects us to use them. Ephesians 6 tells us, " Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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" (vv. 10-13).
The entire book of Ephesians talks about our posture as Christians.
Watchman Nee was a famous Chinese evangelist during the time of Mao. He wrote some great books, one was called "Sit Walk Stand!" It was a summary of the book of Ephesians. The first three chapters describe the wealth that we have inherited through faith in Christ. Because of His grace, we have the privilege of being seated with Christ in the heavenlies (see 2:6) and of sharing in His riches.
In chapter 4 Paul moved from talking about our wealth in Christ to our walk in Christ: " I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (v. 1). Because today we have the privilege of sitting with Christ on His throne, we are to walk in the will of God and according to the calling He has given us. This means that we are to "walk not as other Gentiles walk" (v. 17) but instead should "walk in love" (5:2) " as children of light" (v. 8), being careful to "walk circumspectly" (v. 15).
Anyone who is seated with Christ on His throne and is walking with Him, revealing Him to an evil world, is going to be attacked by the Enemy. Spiritual warfare goes hand in hand with our wealth and our walk. The privilege of partaking in the riches of Christ's grace and glory as part of His Body is not without its responsibilities. We should not expect to sit and walk with Him unless we are also willing to stand for Him in the battle against Satan. He has already won the war for us—it's our responsibility to hold on to His victory.
You ARE Soldiers!
Self Identity has become the catch cry of our secular age.
We can self identify as anything.. We ran into some interesting people on a train a few years ago. This girl identified as a cat. A very large cat. She was in a cat costume and believed she could not be held responsible for doing anything as a human anymore, after all she was really a cat.
I hope she is still eating her catfood and sleeping in her cat box!
When she came near one old guy he started barking like a dog!
But at least there is a recognition that as we identify ourselves in some ways, we will live in those ways.
We are reminded in God's Word that we are soldiers in a battle.
Isaac Watts wrote a hymn
Am I a soldier of the cross, A follow'r of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies On flow'ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas?
Notice the emphasis Paul placed on the word " stand" in this passage. We are told to " stand therefore" (v. 14), fully clothed in God's armor, so that we "may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (v. 11) and to "withstand in the evil day" (v. 13). Having done all this, we will then be able to stand (see v. 13). Why this emphasis on standing?
As soldiers of Christ, we not only need to be ready for our ongoing battle with Satan, but we also have several responsibilities that we must fulfill if we are going to hold on to our inheritance and fight from victory—not for victory. Our responsibilities are threefold: (1) We must know our enemies; (2) we must use the equipment; and (3) we must depend on the energy that God provides.
Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight if I would reign; Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word.
You Are Soldiers in an Enemy's Country
Who is the Enemy? Ephesians 6:11 tells us, " Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Paul then went on to describe the Enemy we are fighting: " 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" (v. 12).
Satan is not merely a flesh-and-blood human or a concept of evil; he is a living, personal, literal being with the power to control people and to perform many evil deeds.
It is important to note that the phrase " in high places" in verse 12 may also be translated " in the heavenlies."
Of recent days there has been a bit of an emphasis on podcasts etc about the "heavenly counsel found in Job 1 and 2 where Satan comes into God's throne room. He tries to incite God against Job. But God knows His purposes and He knows His man Job.
God knows us and He knows our opponent, Satan. And God knows what He is about in this spiritual battle that every Christian will experience.
He says "don't underestimate your enemy!" England underestimated Hitler in 1933-1939. Look at the disaster that unfolded into the Second World War!
Don't underestimate Satan.
It is extremely important that we know our enemy. And, of course, our enemy has always wanted to deceive us concerning himself. It has always been the purpose of our enemy to pull the veil of darkness across his kingdom, and his cleverest ruse is to make people believe that he does not exist at all. And there are many people today, including one theology professor that I had when I was in college, who did not even believe in an actual, literal, personal devil. He said that the devil was the personification of evil, or some sort of a figure of speech, or simile, or whatever, but there was no such thing as a real devil. Well, of course, the devil's behind that business, because if people don't believe in the devil, they're not going to make any preparation for defense, and therefore they're going to go by default.
But there is a devil, and I want you to notice how the Apostle Paul described our enemy.
A. He Is Subtle
First of all, he's subtle. Notice in verse 11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11) Underscore the word wiles, Greek "Methods" He is Wily. "Wile E Coyote" in the Road Runner cartoons was pretty smart. He used all sorts of technology etc. Satan is smarter. He has deceit. Satan is devious. The devil is a very subtle person. He is clever. He uses devices;; he uses all kinds of trickery. As I've already said, one form of trickery is to make men believe that he doesn't exist.
Now, how does he do that? Well, he has gotten out the idea that the devil is a little guy with horns and a suit of red underwear and a pitchfork. And so, there are people who say, "Well, I don't believe in that; therefore, I don't believe in the devil." But you never find that description of the devil in the Word of God. That's come from folklore and medieval literature, but not from the Word of God. Jesus called the devil "the god of this age," (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he is a clever counterfeiter. And he always appears not in a red suit with horns, but he appears in camouflage. He appears by counterfeit; he appears in disguise.
And he's in religion up to his ears. The Bible speaks of an unholy trinity in Revelation chapter 16 and verse 13: of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet. (Revelation 16:13) Just as there's a Holy Trinity, there is an unholy trinity. Why, the devil even has his churches. The Bible describes them in Revelation 2, verse 9, as "synagogues of Satan." (Revelation 2:9) Many people today would call them churches. Satan has his ministers. Satan has supplied many a pulpit.
B. He Is Spiritual Satan is spiritual. Notice in verse 12—he is spiritual: "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"—"against spiritual wickedness"—"in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Now, so many people don't understand that the devil is a spiritual person. They think if a thing is "spiritual," that's good. They say, concerning a man, "He's a very spiritual person"—and that means that he's a good person. Not necessarily! It could mean that he's a very wicked person. Some of the most wicked people I know are very spiritual people. You see, there are all kinds of spirits. The Bible says, "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." (1 John 4:1) Satan is a spiritual person; that is, we're not wrestling against flesh and blood. Satan likes it when we rwrestle against one another. He gets a fight going and stands over in the corner and enjoys it when someone feels they are so right they must condemn everyone else.
He works through people.. remember Peter? He went from Hero to zero in just a moment. One moment the Holy Spirit guided him to say Jesus was the Christ!
Matt 16: 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
The Devil used Ananias and Sapphira, filling them with greed and lies (see Acts 5:1-11) and pride. The Enemy loves to control us, causing us to do and say things we shouldn't.
Satan is not an abstraction. He is a real person, and he uses people, including people in the Church. Ephesians 6 was not written to idol worshipers and unbelievers; it was written to people in the church at Ephesus. Satan wants to work in the Church, using it for his evil purposes.
He Is Strong He is strong and powerful. Devil; diabolous.. In the Bible he is described as a lion, a dragon and a destroyer (see I Pet. 5:8; Rev. 20:2; I Cor. 10:10; Ps. 17:4; Jer. 4:7). His strategies and wiles are subtle and deadly. He is well organized; he has a whole army of demonic forces at his command. but against principalities, against powers."
(Ephesians 6:12) Notice those words: principalities, powers, and then rulers.. Satan has authority; he has great authority. Now, don't make light of the devil. I hear people make slighting remarks and jokes about the devil. Michael the archangel that he "dared not bring a railing accusation against the devil,"—I'm talking about a mighty archangel— "but he said, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan.'" (Jude 1:9)
For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate On earth is not his equal
He Is Sinister He is subtle. He is spiritual. He is strong. And then, he is sinister. How wicked is Satan! Notice how the Bible describes him as "the rulers of the darkness of this world …spiritual wickedness" —"wickedness." (Ephesians 6:12) Satan hates you. Do you know why he hates you? Because God has set His affection on you. Satan's war is not really with you; Satan's war is with God. The only reason Satan wishes to harm you is to get at the heart of God. Do you know people have known for a long time that when there's someone, and you cannot hurt that one, the best way to get to them is to hurt someone they love? Like their daughter! Someone who doesn't know how to defend themselves! Therefore, we must know our Enemy, use the armor we have been given and depend on the energy and strength that God alone can provide if we are to win our war with Satan.
You Are Soldiers Under Your General
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
He promises you the strength to stand and withstand to wrestle and to win! There is a greater power than the power of Satan, and Satan's back has already been broken at the cross. "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:"—that is, the powers of darkness—"because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Who is "he that is in you"? The Lord Jesus Christ, if you've been born again. Who is "he that is in the world"? The prince of darkness, the devil. And the Lord Jesus Christ is greater, far greater. "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them" (Colossians 2:15). And remember the Bible says we wrestle against principalities and powers, in verse 12; but Colossians 2, verse 15, tells us that Jesus has spoiled those principalities and powers. This word spoiled means that He has "rendered them inoperative," that He has "stripped them." Satan's power was broken at the cross. When Jesus Christ prepared to go to that cross, in anticipation, Jesus said, "Now [is] the prince of this world cast out" (John 12:31). Satan has already been defeated—not will be defeated. Oh, we as Christians need to learn that the devil hopes that you never learn that, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." The devil hopes that you'll never learn that his power has been stripped from him, and that Jesus said, "I give you authority over all of the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).
Did we in our own strength confide Our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side The man of God's own choosing
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he
The Lord of hosts, His name From age to age the same And He must win the battle
2Thess 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Strength to withstand the evil flesh and blood, wicked and evil men!
Strength to withstand the evil one himself!
I hope you never have to face Satan himself. I think we more often fight principalities and power of the invisible world. Demonic angels. Satan has his hierarchy of demons serving his purposes. But should you ever have to face the most evil one, God promises He will strengthen and protect you against the evil one.
1 Peter 5: 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
You Are Soldiers Who Wrestle to Win
It is Essential to Wrestle Because Satan is Real
It is Essential to Wrestle Because Sin and evil are Real
It is Essential to Wrestle Because Salvation is Real
It is Essential to Wrestle Because World History is Real
It is Essential to Wrestle Because Victory is Real
Eph 6:13 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 firm
He intends us to withstand and to stand!
We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Rom 8:37
Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. 1John 4:4
(Verse 3) And though this world, with devils filled Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us
The Prince of Darkness grim We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure For lo, his doom is sure One little word shall fell him
(Verse 4) That word above all earthly powers, No thanks to them, abideth
The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through him who with us sideth
Let goods and kindred go This mortal life also
The body they may kill God's truth abideth still His kingdom is forever
