Sermon Tone Analysis

Call to Battle

Just before Easter, we wrapped up our journey through the book of chapters long and it took us 13 weeks.

We are the recipients of unbelievably bountiful blessings from God!

But the very blessings from God’s hand can go rancid and become poison to us, dumbing down our minds, fogging up our vision, and leaving us stumbling in a deadly stupor.

This is a truth we need to grasp as we begin a new school year this week.

There is an idea, common in North American Christian circles today – that God has done the work of salvation for us – there is nothing left to do to be saved – only believe.

That’s true.

But the error comes when that thought goes on – because God has done it all, because He has saved us – the rest of life ought to be a pleasure cruise!

EXAMPLES

The Puritans, my heroes in the Christian faith, had more wisdom and more joy than is common in our day.

They had two images for describing the Christian life in this world: 1) A Pilgrimage 2) A Warfare.

Two different images – but really – they fit together like a hand in a glove.

We are pilgrims on the way to Glory – on the way . . .

but from beginning to end of the pathway, there are enemies who lie in wait, looking to trip us up and put an end to our journey.

The only way to finish the pilgrimage is to do battle with our enemies.

This morning we begin a new series from on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God.

The series will take us into November likely, and I have chosen to begin the new school year studying this subject, because

Just before Easter, we wrapped up our journey through the book of chapters long and it took us 13 weeks.

Now we are switching gears, as well as Testaments.

We are moving into Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.

But there aren’t 42 chapters here - there’s only 6.

And - we’re not even going through the whole letter.

We are going to make our way through Chapter 6, verses 10-20.

And we are going to spend probably 12 weeks in this passage.

11 verses - 12 weeks.

What?

Sometimes we fly above and look at the forest.

Sometimes we get down on the ground and walk among the trees.

Both types of study are important.

So I think it’s good that we change things up from a ‘big picture’ study to a ‘detail’ study.

And if you think that 12 sermons is a lot for such a small passage - let me tell you - that’s nothing.

One of the Puritans, William Gurnall wrote probably THE classic book on this passage, titled, “The Christian in Complete Armour” - John Newton, the author of the hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’ said that if he could only read one book beside the Bible, it would be this one.

Charles Spurgeon said that it’s peerless and priceless.

I would highly recommend it to you - but it is 1200 pages!.

Don’t worry though.

If that’s too much for you to read, the Banner of Truth published a shorter, ‘abridged’ version of the book, and managed to squeeze the massive book down into a more manageable ONE THOUSAND pages.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones - expounded this passage with 2 whole volumes of his 8 volume set os sermons on Ephesians - - 52 sermons in these 11 verses.

At the beginning of his study on this passage, Lloyd-Jones said that this is the most important text in the Bible ...... “There is nothing that is more urgently important for all who claim the name of Christian, than to grasp and understand the teaching of this particular section of Scripture.

..... no theme that is more urgently important to all Christians at the present time than this ....”.

Now, like any good preacher, he said that about pretty much every passage he preached, WHEN he was preaching it.

But I do think he’s right about this one.

Let me just spend a few minutes explaining WHY THIS PASSAGE?

WHY NOW?

This section of Ephesians follows naturally after the lessons learned from Job.

What did JOB teach us?: Life is NOT easy for the Christian.

You may be living for the Lord - oh, you’re far from perfect … you fail, you stumble, you fall … oh how you fall.

But you want to honor the Lord with your life.

So you follow Him, you trust Him, you your world falls apart.

So how do you hold onto the Lord when your world falls apart?

Well, it has to start before the storm hits.

And it has to start with a right perspective that leads to the right preparations.

JC Ryle, Holiness: “There are 2 marks of the Christian life: Inner peace and inner conflict”.

There’s a peace that passes all understanding - comes from the gospel.

But there’s also a conflict: “The good that I would, I don’t do .... the evil that I hate ...”

But there is also a conflict on the outside.

There is a spiritual warfare - -

READ TEXT:

READ TEXT

Verse 12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

There is nothing more important to your joy in Christ – than recognizing that you are in a battle and knowing how to fight.

This morning I want to introduce our subject.

I want to point you to the Fact of the Battle, the Nature of the Battle and the Goal of the Battle.

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1 The Fact of the Battle

As you probably noticed, our text comes at the end of the book.

Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Ephesians.

This is a magnificent letter, he has painted the canvas with as much of the beauty of the glory of Jesus Christ as human words can convey.

tells us that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

That in Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Chapter 2 reminds us that we were born in trouble with God - we are by nature children of wrath, under the judgement of God and headed for hell.

BUT GOD - , “BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great loved with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED - (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

And, just in case you thought you had to bring something to the table to get that kind of love - v. 8, “… by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is NOT your own doing, it is the gift of GOd, (9) not a result of works, so that NO ONE MAY BOAST.”

We are the recipients of unfathomably great blessings from God!

He makes that point clear: v. 10, “Be strong in the Lord.”

V. 11, “Put on the whole armor of God.”

You don’t put armor on when you go to the beach.

You don’t put armor on when you step onto a cruise ship.

You put armor on to protect yourself when you are under attack.

We are the recipients of unbelievably bountiful blessings from God!

.....

But the very blessings from God’s hand can go rancid and become poison to us, dumbing down our minds, fogging up our vision, and leaving us stumbling in a deadly stupor.

Now, as he finishes, he says, “I want you to be strong in the Lord.”

“I want you to understand that to live the Christian life is to live constantly on the battlefield.”

Every minute of every day that you live on this earth – you are at war.

He makes that point clear: v. 10, “Be strong in the Lord.”

V. 11, “Put on the whole armor of God.”

You don’t put armor on when you go to the beach.

You don’t put armor on when you step onto a cruise ship.

You put armor on to protect yourself when you are under attack.

There is an idea, common in North American Christian circles today – that God has done the work of salvation for us – there is nothing left to do to be saved – only believe.

That’s true.

There is an idea, common in North American Christian circles today – that God has done the work of salvation for us – there is nothing left to do to be saved – only believe.

That’s true.

But the error comes when that thought goes on – because God has done it all, because He has saved us – the rest of life ought to be a pleasure cruise!

J.C. Ryle, bishop of Liverpool (maybe not when he wrote this, but he was eventually the bishop of Liverpool), wrote these words: “Let me talk to you about true Christianity.

There’s a vast quantity of religion current in the world that is not true, genuine Christianity.

It passes muster, it satisfies sleepy consciences; but it is not good money.

It is not the real thing which was called Christianity 1800 years ago.”

He continues, “There are thousands of men and women who go to chapels and churches every Sunday and call themselves Christians.

Their names are in the baptismal register.

They are reckoned Christians while they live.