Spiritual DNA: The Church At War
Written by John Maulella
Sunday, 06 September 2009 09:00
Sermon Passage: Ephesians 6:10-19
The Armor of God
(10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (12) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (13) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (14) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15) and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
(19) Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
Spiritual War
Who are we fighting?
- Ultimately, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the devil’s schemes, against the demonic forces (rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world...)
Why do we have to fight at all?
God wants to use us. Being involved with God means being involved with what God is involved in.
Aren’t these powers defeated already?
- Jesus defeated sin and demonic powers at the cross.
- Our enemy is down and his time is short. But we still have to be cautious, because he isn’t out yet.
What weapons do we use?
- Paul says to be strong in the Lord.
- Power grows out of relationship and dependency upon God.
- Paul closes with the last weapon: prayer.