Message 2 - Tailor Made - The Battle

Ephesians 6:10-12

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Journal. April fourteenth, five eighty three BC. This has never happened before. And I don't understand. Times are extremely dangerous. I need to make a decision, and every day that goes by without doing so makes things more dangerous. Always before when I prayed, God has answered, I don't get it. Why is he not answering now? He knows how important this is. Not to be cliche, but it seems like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. It's so disturbing that I feel like a dark cloud is hovering over me. It's like the start of the day. I'm already, I'm discouraged. Before I even roll out of bed, I feel I feel like I've lost the race. I feel so far away. I just don't get it. And now this has gone on for weeks. Relax, Daniel. The angel said, Don't be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive an understanding that your prayer was heard. And I set out to come to you, but I was waylaid by the angel, the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And now I'm here to help you understand what will eventually happen to our people. I just read to you part of it was my own thoughts, but then uh as the angel came to Daniel, the struggle he was having, and uh it was very real for he had begun praying uh 21 days before what I just read about took place, always before God had answered his prayers, sometimes in miraculous ways, but this time, for some reason, just didn't seem like God was listening. And it was a hard, very hard time for him. There are certain things in life that uh need to be taken seriously. In fact, so seriously that they require a checklist of sorts. I'm thinking about pilots as they're preparing to take off in a jet full of passengers, and both the pilot and the co-pilot uh have a checklist that they run through together, double-checking each other to make sure that they've covered all their bases. Why? Because to miss something could be costly, dangerous, even deadly. If you've ever worked behind the counter of a drugstore, you know that there are certain protocols in place that uh are there for the to make sure that the drugs don't intermix. Uh and again, if these protocols aren't paid attention to it, they can make someone sick at the very least, even be deadly for them. Uh when I was 13 years old, I worked for a farmer, and this farmer uh decided that uh if I was gonna work for him, he'd like me to kind of know what I was doing. So he paid for and sent me away to this thing called tractor school. Uh and so uh I went to tractor school and it was a course on farming safety and then also tractor safety. And I think in the end, afterwards, our the farmer regretted doing so because uh from that point on until the day I worked for him, every time he did something that I thought was unsafe, I would say, you know, in tractor school, they said, and uh yeah, so he got tired of hearing that. But the reality was uh there were things that we were doing that uh were dangerous, and and uh there were uh protocols that needed to be followed. I can remember one time where we were out and getting ready to go out and shoot ammonia into the ground, and uh we we were testing the tanks and testing the the valves that, and uh just when we turned them on, the wind shifted and blew it towards us, and all of a sudden we couldn't breathe. And uh so there were reasons for these protocols. Uh, we are right now in heading into a list that is very important for you and I uh because the apostle Paul recognizes that we have an enemy, a very powerful enemy, uh, who is bent on our destruction. And but he also recognizes uh under uh the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that we have equipment to fight this enemy. So we're in Ephesians 6. Go ahead and get there on your devices or and your Bibles if you have them with you today, and uh we're gonna continue our study. We we looked at uh a number of titles last week for this enemy. Here in this passage, Paul refers to him as the devil, uh, but he's got a lot of other names as well. Uh, and actually, we're gonna talk about some other individuals that work in hand in hand with him in a few moments. But Ephesians chapter 6, and we're gonna start off where we left off last week, down in verse 10, where we read this. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. So, as we begin, uh something should be clear to all of us by this point. We are in a battle. We have an enemy, uh, he is nothing to be messed with, uh, but at the same time, we are not in this battle alone. Uh, in fact, in this verse, he says, talks to us about who's on our side and says that he, talking about the Lord, that the Lord is strong and has a mighty power. Now, these two words uh sound very similar. Uh, strong, and they are honestly, strong talks about uh just that he is more stronger than anyone else. Uh that his strength, uh not talking as much as about physical strength, but his strength is above all others. But the second word, uh, when it says this mighty power, uh, actually it's very similar. It says that uh he not only is the strongest, uh, it's not even close. A mighty power means he he's the dominant one. Uh he he actually dominates whoever the enemy is, whoever he comes against. Uh he doesn't just beat them, he dominates them. Now, when I uh went to Bible college, uh, my first year of Bible college, I I played on the basketball team as a small Bible college, and uh we heard the term used a lot when we were playing basketball. It was never about our team, but we heard it a lot. That everybody dominated us. Uh, like I say, we're I was a small college, about 200, and we and uh we uh played against a lot bigger schools than we were, and and almost every time somewhere or someone say, Yeah, man, they they dominated you. We got kind of tired of hearing it. Uh, and uh but but that was the it was the reality. Uh in fact, you could in we'd start playing in about five minutes in the game. We would realize, everybody realized we're gonna get blown away. And so that's what's going on there. He says, You you have on your side this this strong Lord, this strong God that is so strong that he dominates. So that's good that's good to know going into this discussion because uh the enemy's pretty scary too, but to know that that's the God we have uh and that he is on our side, that's really good to know. But what we do find out in in this discussion, as Paul's talking about it, uh he allows us to stay in the battle. He could go like this, and the battle would be over. In fact, a day will come, scripture's clear, where and he won't even do this. He will say a word and the battle will be over. But for a period of time, uh God, in his sovereign wisdom, is allowing the battle to go on, and allowing it to go on with us in the middle of it, uh, but with not not but not helpless. Uh and he's given us uh equipment to fight this battle, and this is what we're gonna be walking through in the weeks ahead. And so we read this put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes. Uh couple things that I want us to make sure we note in that statement in verse 11. Uh I want you to grab on to them uh as we dig into the armor we're gonna look at later on. Uh first of all, and I don't know if you if you write in your Bible, I do. Uh I have several Bibles I've worked my way through numbers of times, and and I got things written all over the place uh in my Bible because that's just I I see it there and I want to remember it, so I write it down or I underline. So if you do that, I'd encourage you to think about in this verse 10 or in verse 11 uh underlining the the word fool. Uh because as he talks to us about this armor, he says uh right up front, uh we need to put the full, the entire army on. Uh we we shouldn't leave anything off if we're going to win this battle. We need to have the full army uh, our full armor on. We don't pick and choose. It's kind of kind of like when I was a kid, I shared with you this before. You know, on Saturday night, one of the rules in our house, uh, you know, we take our Saturday bath. I can't remember if we took any others or not, but we took one definitely on Saturday night. And then after that, we would all we'd go to our rooms and mom would go with us and we'd lay out our clothing for Sunday morning because four kids, that's a lot to get done if you wait to the last minute. So we'd lay it all out, and uh she'd let us pick our clothes, and then she'd examine and tell us what we could, what would work and what would not. And uh, and then when I got married, uh, no, I was gonna say she got handed over to my wife, but it didn't. I did that on my own, so she doesn't get to take credit or take uh uh responsibility on some Sundays. Uh but anyway, so but it's not like that. It's not like he's saying, you know, it's not like with this armor we're gonna be talking about that you kind of can pick and choose what, you know. Today I'm gonna I'm gonna take the sword with me. And uh and maybe tomorrow we'll I'll I'll bring the uh the shield. No, it's not like that. He says uh very clearly, he says you need no, the entire armor needs to be put on, as we're gonna see uh daily. And and uh so I think that is a good thing to mark there, just as a reminder, uh as we work down through the the armor, that it is a day, all these things we need on a daily basis. And and then he goes on, and I know this is a little bit redundant, but he he reminds us that we are up against the devil, uh, and and uh especially this that the devil has schemes. In uh Greek dictionary, it it kind of broadened this word out, and it said here's what that word means it's cunning acts of deceit and trickery. That's who we're up against. Uh, I mentioned uh a few weeks ago, or maybe last week, uh, that uh Book of Revelation said his main power is deceit. Uh he's very deceitful. Uh I've heard Christians, and why I'm har uh harboring, uh harbor, what's the word I'm looking for? Why I'm stuck here for I guess for a minute, is uh I've heard Christians before say something like this. Uh well, you know, I grew up in a family that uh had uh problems with addictions. And uh and so I know that if Satan attacks me, he's gonna attack on the from the direction of addiction. So I'm really careful about that. That's good. I think that's good. But be careful about thinking. In fact, I'm gonna say, don't think that's all he's gonna try. He doesn't work that way. You you if you think you figured him out, and maybe you have figured out one approach he'll might use in your life, he he'll just switch it up. He just tries, he goes, he goes at us from another direction. I knew a man a man years ago, uh no one around here is uh back in our ministry out in Maryland, that he was uh before we knew Christ, he was kind of the party guy of the town. You know, he would the uh he he uh he was a heavy, heavy drinker, but not an alcoholic. And he wasn't laying any gutters, but everybody, you could he got invited to all the parties because he just was a blast. And the drunker he got, the more fun he was. And and then he came to Christ, and the moment, and and the moment he came to Christ, he stopped that, just like that. Never drank another drop, stopped the whole party life and everything, and he would share that with you. Uh the problem was he went from that to looking at other people and thinking, I stopped. Why don't you? What's your problem? How come you're not? And and so his uh addiction, his problem with drinking when it stopped by the power of God, but then he became very judgmental. Anybody else that's could that it didn't go away like that, that it took a while, uh, or the or they battled it for their whole life, it's just like, well, you're doing something wrong. And so there, so that's what he does. He, you know, you think you got to figure it out, uh, and that's what this word means. He he, in fact, not only the definition, but even the tense of it, he he will he's always switching it up. That's why, this is that's why as we walk down through this, this is not uh one-day thing, you know, put the armor on one day, we fight the battle, and it's over. It's not over. It's not over. Uh, and it's not, okay, I figured you out here, Satan. You're attacking me this way. Uh, so it he's not gonna say, oh, geez, you got me. Uh, you figured me out. I give up. It doesn't happen. That's what that word means is he just he just figured out a new way and he goes right back at you. So we're getting a perspective of the battle we're ending in involved in and why this armor is so very important. All right, let's move on. Verse 12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood. We've already talked about that, talked about that last week. It's not, you know, uh, it's not uh, you know, the the folks on the nightly news uh the that are shouting, you know, and that are anti-God, or it's not, you know, the people that are confused about uh their sexuality. They're not the enemy. It's not on flesh and blood, it's not the people we're around. Uh this struggle that we have that he's talking about here, and then he goes on and defines them. He says, but it's against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Uh again, first let me, before we jump down, uh, just this word struggle uh actually refers, he's gonna use all the way down through this section, a wrestling analogy. Uh and and he has in mind, uh, we know the the Roman uh part of their games and things, they would have these wrestling matches. And there's a little difference in their wrestling matches. Uh we they didn't have like the circle that you get and push, you can push them out and get points or different moves that were get points. There was really only one way you scored, and they would have three rounds, but the the only way you scored is you got your other, you threw your other opponent, your opponent, onto the ground. And if they went to the ground, you got a point. Uh, and you had three rounds, and and whoever had or managed to get their opponent off their feet and onto the ground the most won the match. And that's what he's talking about. So you're gonna hear that because he's gonna a little bit later talk, he's gonna say, about us standing. So he's saying, uh uh, what we're trying to do is get to the point where we see that the enemy doesn't be isn't able to knock us to the ground because that's what he wants to do, and and all kinds of things are involved with that. Uh so use this analogy. I had a friend when uh I have a friend back east uh that uh was uh in high school, he was a really good wrestler, uh, very good. And then when he uh graduated, he went on, got his degree in teaching. But at the school, as he taught, he also coached the wrestling. Uh and so we were talking one time, and and my game was basketball, uh, and we were kind of doing this little thing, and and he said to me, he says, Paul, uh, not that I have anything against basketball, but I'm telling you, wrestling is the toughest sport in the world. And I said, Oh, I said, How come? And he says, Well, in wrestling, you have one against one, and it's constant. You're you both both individuals are put are putting their muscles against each other, and it's a constant match. There isn't a point where you next play, so we get a rest for a moment, or where you get to throw the hand off the ball, and so the pressure goes the other guy. It's it's you against your opponent, and it is constant. And uh until the only time the pressure is off is when the match is over. Uh, he says, so I think it's a just much more uh demanding. Uh so I don't know, you can argue you can't argue with him because he's not around, but uh but uh but that's but so but that's this picture we have here is that that we're in this wrestling match with with the enemy, and uh and it's us against well, we know it's uh God in us against them, but but the opponent is after us, uh, and we can't hand it off. It's our battle. We all have our battle to to fight with this enemy. Then he goes into this whole list. Remember, you might have heard a little bit of this when I read from uh Daniel where where he the the angel came to him and he says, you know, here the prince of uh Persia, I've been trying to come to you, but this prince of Persia has been keeping me from getting to you. Uh well that there's a demon. Uh and and in this list here, we have what we find out is uh there's a hierarchy in in the dark world, in Satan, in the Satan's world. There's a hierarchy. We don't we don't know exactly. I I read this week, just kind of studying this, and there's some there's some ideas as as we work our way down this list that you actually see a little bit of the hierarchy. We've already talked about the devil, uh, and we know we know that uh with demons where they came from. Uh actually, Christoph talked about it last Sunday in the class, in his class, that uh there's you know that time where Satan rebelled against God, but also a third of the angels followed him. Uh and and so all of those, Satan and those fallen angels, uh were thrown down to earth here, where where we are. Uh and so uh so here's this, and then they've set up a hierarchy uh down here on earth in the way that they do do battle. There are principalities, which uh one one uh uh uh scholar I looked at said are kind of the territorial rulers uh that that cover a whole territory, and and then under them you have these uh uh demonic powers that uh uh maybe that's like the the city, uh the Persia, the the demon uh or angel Persia that came against Daniel, and uh and then you have under them uh another uh uh battle of angels, these authorities that are maybe in smaller units, and or maybe they're over a specific thing like going after marriages or destroying ministries or corrupting families, violence. Uh but but you have all these levels of uh demonic activity, and they're organized and and they're coming against us. Now, I don't know about all those things that I read there. Uh uh it's pretty interesting, uh, and I do see I think I believe they're right, especially about the idea that there's a hierarchy, uh, but I don't know how it's all divided up and defined, other than we got these titles here. But here's what I'm sure of. And I do know they are all of them, every single one of them, how to get you. And out to get me. Period. That's what they're about. And and I'm sure of that by every things we see in scripture, all over we were talking. I heard somebody mention uh in class again in the second class. Well, I really want to encourage you if you haven't gotten involved in that. We are really doing a cool study right now, Dr. Softly and this through in Genesis, but I heard someone saying, you know, that they had heard that uh Jesus talked more about hell uh than than heaven, and and that's true. Uh this is this is this is a real thing. And it's to our jeopardy to not understand how big of a deal it is. So I'm sure the thing I am sure of is that they are out to get us, they are against us, they want to destroy us, they want to destroy you, and they want to destroy me. So so what do I do? Put on the armor. And again, therefore put on the full armor of God. So that the day in the day of evil, when the day of evil comes. And actually he's pointing to the thing, not right now. He's saying, You think it's bad? You think it's bad now? It's going to get worse. It's going to get worse. In fact, there is going to be this day where you can mark it as the culmination of evil. And it's coming. So he said, you know, don't wait around and think, well, I'll put the armor on that day. No, you're in it now. You're in the battle. It's going to get worse, but put on the full armor so that when the day of evil comes, you may stand. There's that word, stand. See, we're in a wrestling match. You may stand your ground, and after everything you have done, and after you have done everything, when the battle's over, you're standing. When the smoke clears, you're standing, standing. We're in a battle. That much we know. No doubt about it. If we are going to win the battle, uh, if we're going to stay on our feet as a believer against this enemy who is uh very serious about what he's doing, and it's not just one, there's a bunch of them that are after us. If we're gonna stand through the battle, then we're gonna have to take seriously what we're gonna be looking through. The armor of God, the armor that God has given us to fight the battle. And next week, Lord willing, we'll actually get into the armor that I've been talking about weeks. But let's go back to Daniel. I want to end with uh just the conversation after 22 days of, you know, you ever been in that those periods where you're just like, where's God? I'm talking to him, and I just don't feel like he's there. I just my prayers just don't seem to be going anywhere. And and uh, you know, and usually our our normal tendency is to say, is there's something in my life, which I don't think is a bad idea. Am I doing something that has put me at odds with you? I think we should check our heart, check our lives. David uh once in one of the Psalms he wrote, Lord, search my heart. So I think it's a good place to start, but sometimes it has nothing to do with that. Sometimes it has to do with a spiritual warfare that's going on around us, which is what happened with Daniel for 22, 21 days. He's been praying, and finally an angel comes to him, and this is what he says. Then he continued, the angel, do not be afraid, Daniel, since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. Listen to this. But the prince of the Persian kingdom, that's a demon, resisted me 21 days. Then Michael, that's another angel, one of the chief priests princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future. For the vision concerns a time that is yet to come. And while he was saying this to me, I bowed my face toward the ground and was speechless. And then the one who looked like a man touched my lips and opened my mouth and began to speak. And I said to the one standing before me, I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my Lord, and I'm helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my Lord? My strength is gone. I can hardly breathe. Again, the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed, he said, peace. Be strong now. Be strong. You're in a battle. Enemy strong. He's out to get you. He's out to get me. But you have what you need. You have what you need, first of all, because you have God who is the mighty and dominant one, and he's on your side. But he has specifically said, I've given you an armor. This should be a part of your daily routine so that you can stand against the enemy. We'll start looking into that, Lord willing, next week. Let's pray. Father, thanks. Uh and I'm kind of anxious, I'm sure, with everyone else. Well, let's get into the armor. Let's talk about what it is we need. But Lord, I think that the uh the the grounds that you laid out for us even today as we prepare to study that list, uh, very important checklist. Uh it's important us to talk more about who our enemy is, what we're up against, to so we can take this seriously, Lord, uh, so that we can understand that uh He is powerful, but we don't need to be afraid because you're on our side. And Lord, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to talk through what you've equipped us with in the days ahead. And now, Lord, as we end this time together, I pray that uh our hearts have been encouraged by seeing and knowing more about you. And as we move out into that dark world where our enemy, it seems like, is having a heyday, that we do uh a really good job of pointing people to you. And I just pray these things in your son's name, amen.