THE WORD

---

THE WORD

Al

The Preaching Ministry of Ashley River Baptist Church

i ve

THE INVISIBLE WAR Ephesians 6:10-13 (NASB) 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. In the concluding portion of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reveals the Christian life to be a difficult and dangerous superhuman conflict waged against a superhuman foe—Satan. We “struggle” (verse 12). In such a conflict, only a sufficient source of strength and an adequate supply of protection can make us victorious. To prevail, we must identify and adequately prepare for the enemy.

I. Properly Identify the Enemy A. Who the enemy is not: “flesh and blood” (verse 12)—not mere human in their limited physical, intellectual and spiritual state. B. Who the enemy is: “rulers...powers...forces of darkness ...spiritual forces of wickedness…”—An organized, supernatural tyrannical, dark demonic world. C. The evil is: 1. Active—actively seeking to bind man in darkness. 2. Personal—against “rulers” or beings 3. Spiritual—”in the heavenly places” 4. Cunning— “schemes of the devil” (verse 11) To deny the power and presence of Satan is to fail to properly identify the enemy and thereby address life’s struggle on the human level. Human efforts are doomed. Only the sufficient source of strength in Jesus Christ guarantees victory. Therefore, we must:

II. Adequately prepare for the enemy: The only way to stand your ground is to employ the weapons of God. Verse 11— “so that you will be able to stand firm against…” The “evil day” will come against you (verse 13). Paul says “stand firm” and gives two commands to accomplish this: A. “Be strong in the Lord” (Verse 10). From the word “dynamite”, it means “keep on being strong” in the only true source of your preparation—the Lord instead of man. B. “Take up the full armor of God” (Verse 13). A sense or urgency and need for complete protection like that of the invincible Roman legionnaire decked out in complete armor. It is God’s spiritual armor for spiritual warfare. Without it, we stand vulnerable to the “flaming arrows of the evil one” (Verse 16). Conclusion: Satan desires nothing less than to bring ruination and destruction to our lives and will attack us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually on a daily basis through life’s circumstances. You must identify the enemy and prepare yourself in defense through the power of Jesus Christ. Paul promises that having done this, you will stand.