Wednesday Night Bible Study 23 December 2020
/THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES PART II
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?
In our lesson last week, verses 10-12, we talked about OUR ENEMY IN THIS FIGHT. This week we will look at the energy in this fight.
II. V. 10 OUR ENERGY IN THIS FIGHT
(Ill. The Bible makes it clear in these verses that our goal as Christian soldiers is that of standing. This word refers to something that is firmly fixed. It speaks of people who do not waiver. If we are to stand in this the day of battle, then we must not only know our enemy, but we must possess energy for the battle. Verse 10, gives some much needed insight into this matter of our spiritual energy.)
A. The Source Of Our Energy - We are told here that the source of our energy is not within ourselves. That is good to know, because there are times when my energy runs low. We are told, however, that we are to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." This means that we draw our strength from the "power of His might." This sounds redundant on the surface, but when you understand that the word "might" means "force, strength and ability", and that the word "power" refers to God's "dominion and sovereign ability to exercise His power." Then it is easy to see how the Lord can strengthen and energize those who place their trust in Him.
B. The Scope Of Our Energy - When a believer's faith is in God, then the Lord's power becomes the power of that believer! If the church could ever grasp the truth that we are as strong as that in which we trust, it would revolutionize the world!
(Ill. Let me illustrate. I cannot fly, but when I put myself in an airplane and yield to its power, suddenly, I have the ability to soar into the air. I cannot run 65 miles per hour, but when I get into my car and yield to its power, I suddenly have the ability to achieve speeds that I could never achieve on my own. Those are poor illustrations, but when my faith is in God and in His power, then His strength becomes my strength. His power becomes my power. That is why the Bible says what it does to those who live by faith:
Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"
Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
C. The Strength Of Our Energy - Ill. It enables us to stand, 1 Cor. 15:58. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
So that when the battles are all over and we go home to be with the Lord in His heaven, we can leave this world like Paul did, 2 Tim. 4:7. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
God's power will be our power and we will be able to stand for Him in the day of battle! We all know that too many aren't standing, they are falling by the wayside! I don't want to fall, I want to stand!
(Ill. "During the War Between the States," writes Gary Redding, "a Union solder from Ohio was shot in the arm during of the battle of Shiloh. His captain saw he was wounded and barked an order: 'Gimme your gun, private, and get to the rear!'
"The private handed over his rifle and ran toward the north, seeking safety. But after covering two or three hundred yards, he came upon another skirmish. Then he ran to the east and into another part of the battle. Then he ran west but encountered more fighting there.
"Finally, he ran back to the front lines, shouting: 'Gimme back my gun, cap'n. There ain't no rear to this battle!"
When it comes to spiritual warfare, "there ain't no rear "!
Friends, there is no where to r un to! The battle rages all around us.
The best we can do is place our faith in the awesome power of God and stand!
Ill. Shammah - 2 Sam. 23:11-12!) 11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.
If we really want to arm our children for the fight of their lives, we need to constantly be reminding them of the reason for the battle — and that reason is Jesus Christ.
We battle for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
We battle against the greatest enemy of the earth.
We battle with the Armor of God, which He has given us so that we may stand.