Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Yesterday, our pastor Kyle completed preaching through our Sunday sermon series in the Pauline Epistle to the Ephesians, stating that in our fallen in sin world, on this side of eternity we will constantly be enduring temptations and spiritual battles against the God-rejecting rulers, against the secular humanist and atheist authorities, against the demonic powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil of the devil in the heavenly realms. These spiritual attacks manifest themselves in real battles; Battles for the heart, mind and souls of everyone, battles against our children, battles against our grandchildren, our families and our fellow man. But 1 John 4:3-4 tells us, “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
In 1529, the Father of the Protestant Reformation wrote the classic Christian Hymn, which begins “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.” Who can stand against the living God; Creator of all - [Jehovah Sabaoth - "The Lord of Hosts"]?
In 2 Kings 6:17-20, Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Open your spiritual eyes, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, become increasingly aware of the enemy, beware of his strategies and discover where he comes in; do not give the devil a foothold. Do not underestimate the devil. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The enemy is delighted by nominal Christian who profess and call on the name of Jesus Christ, but live worldly lives; happy with material things, but are blind to godly things, therefore practical atheists. In Luke 4:46. the Lord Jesus that they profess asks, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
On this side of glory there are three members of the “unholy trinity”: (1) our fallen flesh which lusts in unrighteousness and wrestles with our indwelling Holy Spirit in our heart. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” (2) the God-rejecting world system, which is at war with their Creator; against His kingdom on earth, His reign and His people. Isaiah 1:4 declares, “Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.” (3) the devil, “the deceiver” tempting and telling lies in order to take as many as he can with him to Hell. 1 Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Watch against Satan’s tactics, arm yourself spiritually and stand firm. Let’s see how from pastor Kyle in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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