Wednesday Night Bible Study 15 December 2020
/THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES PART 1
Ephesians 6:10-12
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
What are we to do during the attack of the enemy?
The following story is told by Leroy Eims about the time when he was serving in the Marines in the South Pacific during World War II:
"Shortly after we hit the beach, our armored amphibious tank took two artillery shells broadside. We immediately evacuated our disabled vehicle and darted from hole to hole toward the enemy airstrip, which we were to take.
"The sergeant began to check on us to make sure that we were OK. He crawled over to me and asked, `You all right, Eims?'
"I answered, `Yeah, I'm OK, Sarge.'
"He looked at me and asked, `Eims, where is your helmet?'
"I felt the top of my head and answered, `Must be in the tank, Sarge.'
"`Where's your duty belt?' Our duty belts carried ammunition for our rifles, a canteen of water, and a bayonet.
"`Must be in the tank, Sarge.'
"`As a matter of fact, Eims, where's your rifle?' He looked at me with disgust and pity. Because of our hasty departure from the amphibious tank, I was dressed about the same way that I would be dressed for a game of volleyball. And there I was, hopping from hole to hole, from tree to tree!
This story reveals the truth about the modern church. Most Christians have forgotten that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield. As a result, very few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and ready to wage spiritual battle. Whether we ever believe it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to be successful in our work for the Lord Jesus, then we must be prepared for that battle and be ready to go to war.
In this passage, we are given insight into the battle we are engaged in and into the weapons with which we are to fight this battle. My friends, we are in the fight of our lives! If we are to do what the Scriptures say and "stand", v. 11, 13, 14, then we must know how to prepare ourselves for this battle. Here, Paul reveals some aspects of the battle in which we find ourselves this evening. I just want to remind you tonight that we are involved in The Fight Of Our Lives and we must know how we are to prepare to ourselves to be effective in that fight. Allow me to share with you the aspects of this fight that are revealed in this passage.
I. v. 10-12 OUR ENEMY IN THIS FIGHT
A. v. 11 Our Enemy's Name - This name is the Devil! This is a word that means "slanderer, accuser." We get our word diabolical from it. His name reveals his character. Since he made his first appearance upon the pages of the Bible, the devil has been in the business of lying, slandering and accusing the people of God
Gen. 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Job 2:1, 2.
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
B. V. 11-12 Our Enemy's Nature - These two verses tell us two things we need to keep in mind concerning this enemy.
1. V. 11 He Is A Shrewd Enemy - The word "wiles" in verse 11 is the same word from which we get our English word "method". It refers to craftiness and trickery. In Ephesians 4:14, it is translated "lie in wait." It gives the image of a hunter disguising himself in order to capture his prey. What a perfect picture of the devil! Remember what the Bible tells us about him, 1 Pet. 5:8 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:; 2 Cor. 11:14. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.Satan will pull out all the stops to trip you up!
2. V. 12 He Is A Spiritual Enemy - Too often, we are guilty of fighting the wrong foe! We will get at odds with our fellow believers, when the real enemy is the devil! He is a master at sowing discord among the brethren. We need to remember that our fight this evening is a spiritual battle.
(Ill. The devil might work through people at times to get to us and cause us to stumble, but the real battle is fought on a spiritual level. We must never attack other people! Our battle is with an unseen army of spiritual enemies lead by the devil himself.)
(Ill. Since our enemy is a spiritual enemy, some might wonder how we go about knowing how to fight him. This story from WWII concerning General George C. Patton will help us see it a little more clearly. Patton's troops and tanks were engaged in a successful counterattack of German forces under General Erwin Rommel. Patton is reported to have shouted in the thick of the battle, "I read your book, Rommel! I read your book!" And that he did. In Rommel's book Infantry Attacks, the famed "Desert Fox" carefully detailed his military strategy. And Patton, having read it and knowing what to expect, planned his moves accordingly.
Satan has authored no book, but God has fully exposed our enemy's tactics in His Holy Word. Study it and plan your defense. The key to defeating the devil is understanding how he works. And the secret to that is reading about him in the Word of God, 2 Tim. 2:15.) 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We are all susceptible to spiritual warfare.
Whether we recognize it or not, we have an enemy that seeks to kill, steal and destroy the plan that God has for us.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
And not just the plan for us, but for our families as well.
As a family we have to be intentional if we want to stay tight knit.
So what can we do to remain close and keep the enemy at bay?
To come up with a plan to fight for your family, you have to understand the battle.
Let’s look at the 3 truth’s about the battle we’re in:
The war is already won
Jesus defeated the enemy when He died on the cross. We now fight from victory and not for victory.
(Colossians 2:15) 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
We are not alone.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.
(John 16:13) 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
We are prepared.
We have a full suit of armor that we can put on to win the battle against the enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
We have everything we need to win the battle for our families.
One of the key weapons in our arsenal is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
I try to start every day by speaking God’s Word over my family. There is nothing more powerful than declaring God’s Word.
For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest part of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 AMP
When our words line up with God’s Word, anything is possible.