We are God’s Army
Ephesians 6:10-24
Intro:
– In many families, siblings do not get along, and in some cases don’t even speak to one another. There are even some times when they physically fight with one another. Even if you strongly dislike a sibling (because the only thing that Christians are allowed to hate, is sin!), if you saw them being physically assaulted by someone, would you help them? Whose side would you be on?
– There is a draft system in the military, in certain instances it is implemented as a result of there not being enough soldiers to fight. If there was an enemy that was threatening the lives of people in the world, would you be willing to fight to help them, or save them? What if it were Americans that were being threatened, would you fight? What if it were friends that were being threatened? What if the people being threatened was your own family?
I) We are in a war (10-13)
a. Where do we find strength? (10)
i. 2 Cor. 6:6-7 à in hard times
ii. Isaiah 59:17 à Christ did this
iii. Psalm 18:1-3 à God is our strength
b. What do we do? Stand firm against evil (11)
i. Eph. 5:11-12 à don’t have any part with sin, nor gossip about it
ii. Psalm 4:4-5 à be obedient to God, offer God righteousness
iii. 1 Cor. 15:33-34 à don’t spend time with “Christians” who drag you down
iv. 2 Cor. 7:14-15 à don’t date/marry unbelievers or spiritually immature Christians
v. Luke 11:34 à pure eyes, Psalm 101:3 à pure eyes, Philippians 4:8 à pure heart and mind, 2 Cor. 10:5 à pure mind
c. Who is our enemy? (12)
i. 1 Peter 5:8-9 à satan is a roaring lion
ii. James 4:7-8 à resist satan, submit to God
iii. Col. 2:15 à Jesus defeated them, making a public display of them
iv. 2 Cor. 10:3-5 à our battle is spiritual, God’s spiritual weapons destroy fortresses of evil
v. 1 Jn. 4:4 à greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world
d. Our mission/orders/assignment (13)
i. Jn. 17:13-26 à Jesus’ prayer for us to the Father
ii. Heb. 10:23 à hold fast to Christ
II) We need protection (14-18)
a. Loins girded with truth, breastplate of righteousness (14)
i. Truth – guards your midsection
ii. Righteousness – guards your chest
b. Feet covered with the Gospel of peace (15)
i. Where ever you go, the Gospel goes with you – Rom. 1:16
c. Shield of faith (16)
i. Attacks by the enemy will be fended off, by trusting God and His Word – Jn. 17:17
d. Helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit (17)
i. Helmet of Salvation – guards your head
ii. Word of God – this is what we defend ourselves with, and what will send the enemy fleeing – 2 Tim. 3:16
III) The battle belongs to the Lord (18-20)
a. Pray in the Spirit at all times (18)
i. 1 Thess. 5:17 à don’t ever stop praying, does God know your voice, are you a friend or an acquaintance?
b. Pray for boldness to proclaim the Gospel (19-20)
i. This is the same guy, who spoke Romans 1:16, he needed God’s strength to preach the Gospel with boldness
ii. 2 Cor. 3:12 à we have amazing hope
iii. 2 Cor. 5:20 à just as Paul was an ambassador, so are we today
IV) Encourage others, we are in the same fight (21-24)
a. Tell others what God is doing in your life (21-22)
i. Heb. 10:24-25 à be in church, serve God, encourage each other
b. We are brothers and sisters love each other (23)
i. Serve each other, minister to each other!
c. Will your love for Jesus ever fade away? (24)
i. Just as earthly treasures rust, rot, and burn; will your love for the Lord Jesus Christ end? What cost will be too high?
Conclusion:
– We are children of God, we have trusted Christ as our Savior, that means we are in a war.
– Are you fighting the good fight of faith as a soldier of Christ? Are you even on the battlefield, or are you hiding? If you are not willing to fight, does this mean that you are also unwilling to pray for God to arm others?
– Just because you work in a secular job, does not mean that you are fighting the war, nor does having a large budget for missions. Hiring others to do ministry for you, is not what God commanded in Matthew 28:19-20.
– We are in God’s army, are you fighting or hiding?