SM20200308 Battler Plans Part II Fighting the Battles

“Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles SM20200308 • Pray for those effected by the tornado’s in Tennessee. WELCOME MESSAGE TITLE SLIDE Last week we started our two-part series called “Battle Plans.” • Today is part 2 in our series entitled “Fighting the Battles.” • Now last week we learned about all the different kinds of Battles we’ll face in life as Believers. • And we backed all of these up with a myriad of scriptures. (Elaborate) • Now this morning we need to focus on how we can be equipped to fight the Battles that we as Believers are going to face in our lives. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 1 • The Apostle Paul talked about many of his own Battles in his epistles. • In fact, the book of Ephesians was written from prison in Rome. And that was most definitely a Battle in Paul’s life. • Fast forward to today, and we see that there are many Believers who have become dull in serving the Lord because they’ve suffered spiritual defeats. • Thank goodness that Paul on inspiration of the Holy Spirit talked about the spiritual Battles we face and how to survive and enjoy daily victory in Jesus Christ. • So, this morning we’re going talk about 3 points from what Paul tells us about Battles in Ephesians 6:10-17. • Here are the points we’ll cover this morning. POINTS SLIDE 1. The EXHORTATION—6:10. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 2 2. 3. The ENEMY—6:11-12. The EQUIPMENT—6:13-17. So, let’s talk about our first point, “The Exhortation” from Ephesians 6:10. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Paul says, “Be Strong.” • The Greek Word en-duna-moo here means “To be continually strengthened; to clothe with strength as you would clothe yourself with a garment.” • Listen, we’re exhorted to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. • Why? • Because our Battles can and will increase in intensity at times. • But we’ll also find that our Battles can become easier as we grow in our obedience to the Lord. (Elaborate) SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 3 • The reality is that as we grow stronger in the Lord, Satan’s attacks will become more intense. POINT 1: THE EXORTATION SLIDE Why? Because Satan doesn’t like to lose. • And what he’ll do is attack in other areas of our lives probing for weaknesses. • Something for us to remember is that it’s not the amount of strength we have that’s important, it’s the source of our strength, which is the Lord. (Elaborate) • Listen, our strength isn’t in our muscles, finances, popularity, scheming, intelligence, deception, or reasoning. • We’re to be strong in the Lord. • You see, our strength comes through God’s grace, prayer, knowledge and obedience to His Word. • It also comes through our Faith in the principals of God’s Word. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 4 Now unfortunately there are some Believers that’ll say, “Hey, I’m saved and don’t have any Battle.” • To them my response is, “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” • You see, a Christian who doesn’t have any conflict of Battles in their lives is a Christian who’s retreated from the front lines of service! (Elaborate) • We’re God’s sons and daughters. • We’re his servants and soldiers. • And Satan will do all that he can to keep us from becoming effective soldiers for Christ. (Elaborate) • Did you know that Satan wants you to be man centered and self-centered as well? And this brings us to our 2nd point this morning, “The Enemy.” • Let’s read Verses Ephesians 6:11. VERSE SLIDE SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 5 Ephesians 6:11 (HCSB) 11 Put on the full Armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. So, how do we stand against the tactics of the Devil? • We put on the “FULL” Armor of God that’s been provided to us. So, let’s break down Verse 11 and look at some of the key words. PUT ON SLIDE 1. Put On = (Enduo) = It means “To envelope or hide in.” IOW, we’re to be hidden in God’s Armor. Now the tense of the Greek Word “Endue” indicates that we’re to put the Armor on once and for all, permanently. IOW we’re not to put it on in Battle and take it off when the Battles seems to be over. No, we leave it on because our Armor is to be a lifelong companion. (Elaborate) SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 6 FULL ARMOR SLIDE 2. Full Armor = (Panoplia) = It means “All the weapons, not just some of them.” God’s given us Armor to stand against the Devils tactics. And we don’t just wear some of the Armor, but all of it! (Elaborate) YOU CAN SLIDE 3. You Can = (Dunamai) = This Word forms the English Word “Dynamite.” And it means “To be powerful.” We’re to be powerful in order to stand for the Lord! (Elaborate) STAND SLIDE 4. Stand = (Histemi) = It means “To stand firm.” So, when this Word was used in a military sense, it had the idea of holding a critical position while under attack. And we’re to endure holding the critical position for a lifetime. (Elaborate) SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 7 TACTICS OF THE DEVIL SLIDE 5. Tactics of the Devil = (Methodia) = It means “The schemes or methods of the Devil” This phrase carries the idea of craftiness, cunning, and deception. And it’s a term used of a wild animal who cunningly stalked and then unexpectedly pounced upon its prey. (Elaborate) Listen, Satan’s schemes are built around stealth and deception. SATANS SCHEMES SLIDE 1. He opposes God’s Work… Zechariah 3:1 2. He perverts God’s Word… Matthew 4:6 3. He Hinders God’s Workers… 1 Thessalonians 2:18 4. He appears as a Wonder, an angel of light… 2 Corinthians 11:14 SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 8 5. He snares the Wicked… 1 Timothy 3:7 Fifty-two times in the KJV the evil one is called Satan which means “Adversary.” • Thirty-five times he’s referred to as the Devil which means “Slanderer or deceiver.” • And he is most definitely a deceiver. (Elaborate) • So, if this is true, which it is, then who are we doing Battle with? • Well, that’s what Ephesians 6:12 tells us. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 9 Listen, you and I are not spectators in the Battles of life. • We’re involved in them whether we like it or not. • Verse 12 says we wrestle. • And the Word “Wrestle” was a Word used to describe hand to hand combat. • In fact, in some sporting events in biblical times it was a matter of life for the winner and death for the loser. • And in some of the Greek games the Greeks would gouge out the eyes of the loser. • How terrible these Battles were. (Elaborate) Listen, the Battles you and I will face against the principalities and powers of this dark age are going to be an everyday matter. • And so, were told in Verse 11 to put on the “Full Armor” of God. • Well, what is that? SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 10 • This brings us to our last point, “The Equipment.” VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:13 (NLT2) 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s Armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the Battle you will still be standing firm. Let me read you a quote from historian Edward Gibbon about God’s Armor. GODS ARMOR SLIDE QUOTE: "The relaxation of discipline and lack of exercise rendered soldiers less willing and less able to handle the fatigue and strain of service. Soldiers would complain of the weight of the Armor and obtained permission to lay aside their Armor.” END QUOTE Now let me read you what Dr. Matoon says about the Armor of God. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 11 DR. MATOON QUOTE QUOTE: Christians low on discipline and lack of spiritual exercise can't handle the fatigue, stress, and strain of service and the weight of their Armor. They are putting their Armor down and being spiritually defeated. Roman soldiers made a living from the bounty of the Battle. Half of the bounty was given at a time and the rest was put into a savings bank and managed by a special officer. This was paid to the soldier when he was discharged. If a man deserted, he forfeited his accumulations. Christians are losing their rewards and blessings too when they retreat from the service of the Lord. END QUOTE (Elaborate) Listen to what John says about our Rewards in 2 John 1:8. VERSE SLIDE SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 12 2 John 1:8 (NLT2) 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. (Elaborate) Now listen to what the Apostle Paul had to say about disciplining our body and being disqualified in 1 Corinthians 9:27. VERSE SLIDE 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT2) 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. Paul didn’t want to be a castaway. • He didn’t want to be disqualified in his service to the Lord. • Do we? (Elaborate) • So, what do we do? • How do we not become disqualified? SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 13 • How do we stand against the enemy’s attacks and deception in our lives? (Wait) • Well, back in Ephesians 6:13 Paul said this. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:13 (NLT2) 13 Therefore, PUT ON every piece of God’s Armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the Battle you will still be standing firm. We’re to “Put on” every piece of God’s Armor. • The Greek Word for “Put on” is “Analambano.” • And it means to “Take up in order to use.” • And the tense of the verb indicates a command given with military snap. • Let me show you a clip about what military snap is. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 14 SHOW SEARGEANT CARTER CLIP (Elaborate) VERSE 13 SLIDE Listen, even though this is a humorous clip, the command given with military snap to put on the Armor of God shows us that Paul meant business. • And as we learned earlier the words “Put on” the Armor of God from Verse 11 meant to put it on and keep it on! • So, let’s read Verse 14 and see what we’re to do with the Armor of God. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:14 (ESV) 14 Stand therefore, having FASTENED on the BELT of TRUTH, and having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, Now, in any Battle it’s essential for us to know our enemy and his tactics. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 15 • So, we need to know how Satan oppose us. SATAN’S TACTICS SLIDE 1. He gets us to doubt and distrust God. 2. He generates trouble and makes life difficult for us. 3. He uses fear, criticism, and the desire for acceptance to lead us to compromise. 4. He uses doctrinal confusion. So, Christians that are ignorant in the Word become easy prey to the wrong ideas about the things of God. 5. The Devil uses division to destroy us. These are just a few of the ways that Satan can and will attack the Believer. • So, what do we do? • We Fasten the Belt of Truth. • And it’s God’s truth that prepares us for the Battles of life! SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 16 • His truth is our Belt, our security, our shield. • But if we as Christians are content with mediocrity, apathy or indifference, then we’ve failed to be armed with the belt of God’s truth. • And it’s his truth that holds all the Armor together on our body! (Elaborate) Paul also spoke about the Breastplate of Righteousness. • Let me read to you about the Roman Breastplate. ROMAN BREASTPLATE QUOTE SLIDE QUOTE: The Roman breastplate was a tough, sleeveless piece of Armor, leather, or heavy cloth. It had overlapping slices of animal hooves, horn, or metal pieces, and it wrapped around the entire body. And this breastplate protected the heart. And in Jewish thought, the heart represented the mind, emotions, and will. And Satan SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 17 attacks us in our mind and emotions? Our wrong thoughts and emotions lead to anger, jealousy, hate, bitterness and sensuality. So, putting on the breastplate of righteousness is that practical righteousness from God which allows us to live our lives in obedience to God’s Word. END QUOTE (Elaborate) Now let’s talk about the shoes from the Armor of God from Verse 15. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:15 (ESV) 15 and, as SHOES for your feet, having put on the READINESS given by the GOSPEL OF PEACE. So, a soldier’s shoes were very important. • Let’s read about the Roman Soldiers shoes. SOLDIERS SHOES SLIDE SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 18 QUOTE: A soldier’s shoes were very important. If his feet were blistered, cut, or swollen, he could not fight well or stand. He would be unable to advance rapidly or retreat. Roman soldier's shoes were impregnated with bits metal or nails to give traction for climbing or fighting. The victories of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were due to the army making long marches rapidly over rough terrain. If the loins, breastplate, or feet were not prepared, the soldier would stumble, fall, and be defeated. END QUOTE VERSE 15 SLIDE So, do we have a firm footing in Christ? • Are we wearing the shoes of the Gospel of Peace? (Elaborate) • Next in have the shield of Faith from Verse 16. VERSE SLIDE SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 19 Ephesians 6:16 (NLT2) 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of Faith to stop the fiery arrows of the Devil. Now let me read you some history about the shield. SHIELD QUOTE SLIDE QUOTE: Roman soldiers used several shields. They used a small round shield which was about two feet in diameter and secured to the arm by two leather straps. It deflected swords. They also used a large shield called a "thureos." This Word comes from "thyra" which means "a door." This is the shield that Paul is referring to here. It was about 21/2 feet wide and 41/2 feet high. It would protect the entire body. It was made of solid wood covered with metal or heavily oiled leather. At the Siege of Dyrachium, Seeva counted 220 arrows in his shield. The soldiers had these big shields on the SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 20 front lines of the Battle. They stood side by side, forming a huge wall because the shields were grooved on the edges giving them the ability to lock together. They could form a wall a mile long. What a reminder to us that God’s people are to be united together as we Battle Satan on the front lines. END QUOTE VERSE 16 SLIDE Are we standing united with our shields independently and united? (Elaborate) • Next we have the fiery arrows or darts that our shield is to protect us from. • So, again, let me read you some history about arrows. ARROWS QUOTE SLIDE QUOTE: In Paul's time, the tips of Roman arrows were wrapped in pieces of cloth and soaked in pitch. They were enflamed before they were shot. They would splatter flames when they hit a target SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 21 causing serious burns. Some arrows were hollowed and filled with flammable liquids that would explode when they struck a target. One thing about these arrows, you could see them coming at you. We too see the missies of Satan’s temptations. Satan’s fiery darts work well on our pride, selfishness, rebellion, bitterness, and sensuality. God help us to turn the flames of temptation into a torch for Jesus Christ. END QUOTE VERSE 16 SLIDE So are we using our shield against the fiery Darts of Satan? (Elaborate) • Next we have the Helmet of Salvation & the Sword of the Spirit from Verse 17. VERSE SLIDE Ephesians 6:17 (NLT2) 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 22 Now I’ll read you the history of the Helmet and the Sword. HELMET QUOTE SLIDE QUOTE: The helmet was made of thick leather covered with metal plates or beaten metal. Cheek pieces protected the face. It helped protect the head from broad swords, not small ones. The double edge rhomphaia measured 3-4 feet long. It was carried by the calvary. It would split skulls or decapitate. The helmet related to salvation indicates Satan’s blows are directed at the Believer's security and assurance in Christ. The blade of doubt and discouragement is deadly. Satan tempts us to give up when we cannot see the results from our service to the Lord. The Word "take" means "to accept from the hand of another as a free gift." Salvation is a free gift from God. END QUOTE VERSE 17 SLIDE (Elaborate) Now let’s read about the sword. SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 23 SWORD QUOTE SLIDE QUOTE: The sword was the machaira which was 6-18 inches long. It was the common sword of the Roman soldier and main weapon of hand to hand combat. Our spiritual sword is the Word of God. The Word is the Greek Word rhema, not logos. Rhema means "particular or specific words." Specific scriptural truths counter specific Satanic lies. God gives specifics on restoring broken relationships, overcoming hurt, immorality, addictions, financial problems, etc. We are to study the Word of God. It is our weapon. Thomas Guthrie said, "The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth, a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound. Rob us of our Bible and our sky has lost its sun." Spend time in the Word of God each day and fight the fight of Faith. END QUOTE VERSE 17 SLIDE (Elaborate) SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 24 MESSAGE TITLE SLIDE CLOSE WITH WHAT GOD GIVES ME SM20200308 “Battle Plans Part II” Fighting the Battles 25