11-03-2024 The Growing Christian and Their Battle with the Enemy-Part I

Text: Ephesians 6:10-18

                    From the moment we make the decision to follow Christ and become a Christian, God works in us so that we continually grow in our faith.  But at the same time our life becomes one of constant conflict because the truth is, we’re locked in a battle with the world and with Satan.  There’s a spiritual battle raging in every believer’s life and it is caused by Satan.  It’s a fact that because we’re Christians, we have to constantly fight against demonic powers.  This can be discouraging to some because after accepting Christ, they may have thought they would move on to Heaven with ease.

                   But rather than be discouraged, we should trust Jesus and realize that our battle with Satan can be one of victory after victory.  Our text comes from Ephesians 6:10-18 where Paul teaches about spiritual warfare when he wrote:  “(10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (12) For we wrestle not against the flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (14) Stand therefore, having  your loins girt about with Truth, and having on the breastplate of Righteousness; (15) and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace; (16) above all, taking on the shield of Faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17) And take on the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints.”  Paul is showing us that when we put our faith in the victory of Christ on the Cross we have everything we need to win all of our battles against Satan.

                   Our path to victory begins when we wrap ourselves in the Truth of the Cross of Jesus Christ including His resurrection.  What does that mean?  John tells us in 8:44 that Satan is called the father of lies.  But we can use Jesus’ victory over Satan at the Cross every time he tries to attack us.  Success against Satan also requires us to be truthful with ourselves when dealing with our sins.  John teaches this in I John 1:7-9 that says:  “(7) But if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us.  (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

                   When we decide to become a Christian, we can’t continue the same life we had before.  Instead, we take on the character of Jesus as we do our best to live as He did while on earth.  To do otherwise makes us dishonest.  It’s this kind of dishonesty will trip us up and make us prime targets of Satan.  Yes, there will be times when we slip and fall but we must always do the best we can to live a Christian life.  And when we do fall, immediately ask forgiveness.  Sin makes us unclean before God.  Psalm 51:9 tells us that our unforgiven sin stares in the face of God and it can only be changed with proper confession and repentance and with the blood of Jesus applied to the sin through our faith.  This is what blots out our sin before God and justifies us to Him.  And, when we’re covered in the Truth of Jesus Christ, we will have the courage and strength to be truthful with others at all times.

                   We aren’t saved because we are righteous.  We’re saved when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  When we make that decision, it then becomes God’s purpose to produce His righteousness in us.  This is the righteousness of Jesus shown in the Bible and that comes to us because of our faith.  We need to have the righteousness of Jesus in us so we can let others see His righteousness through us.  This is both positional and practical.  It's positional, because when we do right in God’s sight, right things will always follow.  And its practical because we can’t expect spiritual victories against Satan if we purposefully continue to things that are wrong in the eyes God.

                   What is the preparation of the Gospel of Peace found in verse 15 of today’s text?  It’s being able to share the Gospel, which is the good news of salvation through Jesus, with others.  Romans 5:1 tells us we’re now justified by our faith.  We now have peace with God because what Jesus did on the Cross to take away our sin.  Now that we have the Gospel of Peace, we are to share it with others so that they too can share what we have been given.  The Gospel of Peace is the best defense against Satan.  When we experience personal victories our faith grows stronger, and we enjoy God’s peace in our life.  Then we can share our experiences with others so they too will want to have the Gospel of Peace through Jesus Christ. 

                   We all need to ask ourselves what part truth, righteousness and soul winning play in our Christian life.  Have you accepted Jesus in faith, are you working to live righteously like He did while on earth?  Do you make it a point to share Him and God’s love with others?  Only when we have our priorities in order, we are fully equipped to defeat Satan every time he attacks us.

                   The Christian life was never meant to be easy.  Satan is a powerful enemy.  His goal is to take as many people as possible with him when he ultimately loses the war between good and evil that he himself created.  He was once one of God’s angels in Heaven until he thought he could out do God. 

                   The Christian life is a process of constant growth that begins the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior and continues until the point we leave our earthly life to go to the next.  That will be when all of us will be judged on how well we lived our faith and fought the battle against Satan and after that we will be rewarded accordingly.  We can’t do it without using the armor described in today’s text.  When we take on that armor that includes God’s Truth, the Righteousness of Jesus, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Holy Spirit showing us the Word of God which is the story of Jesus Christ and the purpose of the Cross.  When we are fully prepared, then we are assured of victory in this life and in the next.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.