Wednesday Night Bible Study 13 January 2021
/THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES PART III
First, let me apologize for not posting a lesson last week. The current events were overwhelming. I wanted us to focus and devote our time to prayer. It still amazes me how God prepares us even before we know what is going to happen. We have been studying Spiritual Warfare and the Fight of our Lives. Over the past two weeks we have talked about OUR ENEMY IN THE FIGHT AND OUR ENERGY IN THE FIGHT.
The week we will look at OUR EQUIPMENT IN THIS FIGHT.
Ephesians 6:13-18
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye 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 the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take 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 saints;
OUR EQUIPMENT IN THIS FIGHT
It has been said that a soldier is no better than his equipment. Paul has told us about our enemy and about our energy. Now, he takes the time to speak concerning our equipment. He lets us know that we know all about our enemy. We are blessed with boundless energy and we have the best equipment that any army in history has known.
A. V. 11a; 13-17a Equipment That Is Designed To Defend - The image that is given here would have been familiar to every person in the Ephesian church. Paul is describing the armor of the average Roman soldier. Note: This was not the armor of the super-soldier, but the common, run of the mill, every day soldier. For these soldiers to be effective in battle, they need to be protected on the battlefield. Paul uses the image of their armor to teach us about how we need to dress up for the day of battle.
1. V. 14a The Girdle Of Truth - This girdle encircled the waist and served to stabilize the body, protect the mid-section and provide the soldier with a place to restrain his garments so that his movements in the heat of battle would be unhindered.
For the believer, this refers to knowing the "truth" of the Bible. Jesus promised us that the truth had the power to make us free, John 8:32. Knowing the truth will stabilize us, protect us and prevent us from being tripped up in the battles of life. This reminds us that we are to walk in the truth!
2. V. 14b The Breastplate Of Righteousness -This refers to the leather body armor that was worn to protect the vital, tender areas of the body. Specifically, the heart is in mind here.
For the believer, this refers to righteousness of life. We are declared righteous when we trust Jesus as Savior, 2 Cor. 5:21, 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. but we are commanded to practice righteousness as a habit of life, 1 Pet. 1:16. 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. When we live holy, consecrated lives before the Lord, we are less prone to attacks from the devil. Our hearts are guarded and protected from his slings and arrows. This reminds us that we are to live in righteousness!)
3. V. 15 The Shoes Of The Gospel - Roman soldiers wore sandals that had nails driven through the bottoms to provide the soldier with the surest of footing on the battlefield. He did not have to worry about his feet slipping in the heat of the battle, for he was always well-grounded.
For the believer this reminds us that we are to be well grounded in the things of God. We are to be sure of our own conversion and of the fundamentals of the faith. We need to now what we believe and why so that we will be on a sound foundation when the battle comes against us. Such a sure-footed stand would serve to give us peace in the battles of life. This also pictures the soldier being ready to march into battle. His feet were shod in preparation for service. So too, the child of God must be ready to march forward at the Commander's order, 2 Pet. 3:15.)
4. V. 16 The Shield Of Faith - This is not the little round shield, but it refers to the large, rectangular shield behind which a soldier could be safe from the fiery darts of the enemy. Often, Roman soldiers would soak these leather shields in water before battle. This enabled the shields to be more effective in quenching the flaming missiles of the enemy.
The believer is reminded that when he goes into battle, he must have in his possession the shield. Our shield is not leather, but our shield is faith. It is a shield that is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. It is a shield that is well soaked in the water of the Word, Rom. 10:17. 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is a shield that will never fail nor expose the carrier! Why? Because faith allows us to stand in the battle and receive the victory regardless of the odds we face, Heb. 11:1-2!) 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Note its importance: We are told that we are to have this article "above all". Without faith we cannot serve God, nor can we please Him. Even when some of the other articles of our armor are missing or damaged, let us be sure that faith is always at hand!
5. V. 17a The Helmet Of Salvation - The helmet was given to the Roman soldier to protect his brain. Regardless of how well the rest of him was protected, a blow to the brain rendered the entire soldier ineffective.
If we are to be effective in the battle for the glory of God, then we must first be saved. Salvation provides the helmet that is necessary to protect our minds from the attacks of the enemy. When we are saved, we are transformed! It is this transformation that allows us to think right thoughts and wage holy war. The mind must be protected! As we fight the battles, we must never forget what the Lord did for us and in us when He saved us by His grace. The fact of our conversion will be like a helmet protecting the mind from the devil!)
B. V. 17b-18 Equipment That Is Designed To Defeat - Not all the armor was designed to protect the soldier. Sometimes, the soldier was required to take the battle to the enemy. Therefore, the soldier possessed two offensive weapons that allowed him to strike back when he was attacked.)
1. V. 17a The Sword Of The Spirit - This refers to the short, straight sword carried by every Roman soldier. It was very effective in hand to hand combat and was essential to the survival of the soldier.
Of course, we are told that our sword is the Word of God. It is the Bible that we are to use to attack the enemy and see him fall. It is the Word of God that enables us to conquer him in every battle we face. It is essential for the Christian soldier to be proficient in the use of this weapon. How? By study! By hard work! By putting it to use!
The primary Greek word for the Word is "logos". This refers to the totality of the Word of God. However, the word used here is the word "rhema". While "logos" refers to the entire armory of the Bible, "rhema" refers to just the right sword for that battle. This is seen in the life of Jesus, Matt. 4:1-11. When He faced the devil on the Mount of Temptation. Jesus strolled into the armory of the Word and entered the weapon room labeled Deuteronomy. From that room, he selected three weapons to use on the devil and He defeated him!
So it is with us, when we go into battle with the enemy, there will be just the right sword for that particular battle. Let us become so familiar with the armory that we can select the precise weapon to use in each battle we face. As the Word of God is used as the sword of the Spirit, we will see the enemy sliced to shreds in every battle we fight!)
2. V. 18 The Briefing Room Of The Spirit - Another advantage we have is that have the ability to be in direct communication with our commanding officer at all times. This has always been a problem on battlefields. However, in the spiritual realm, this problem has been forever solved. The greatest offensive weapon we have is the ability to call on the Lord our God when we are in the thick of the battle. He is able to communicate His orders to us on the spot and we can implement them immediately. I am convinced that it gives us a decided advantage over the devil!
Never be guilty of neglecting the awesome power of prayer! Prayer brings you into the presence of God and it allows the Lord to work through you in a remarkable way. Prayer unleashes the power of God in the life of the believer!
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are engaged in spiritual warfare with unseen wicked forces. To overcome our enemy in the power of the Holy Spirit, we must remain resolute in our confidence in God and determine never to accept defeat.
A story from the Korean war illustrates this attitude. As enemy forces advanced, Baker Company was cut off from the rest of their unit. For several hours no word was heard, even though headquarters repeatedly tried to communicate with the missing troops. Finally, a faint signal was received. Straining to hear, the corpsman asked, "Baker Company, do you read me?"
"This is Baker Company," came the reply.
"What is your situation?" asked the corpsman.
"The enemy is to the east of us, the enemy is to the north of us, the enemy is to the west of us, the enemy is to the south of us." Then after a brief pause, the sergeant from Baker Company said with determination, "The enemy is not going to get away from us now!"
Although surrounded and outnumbered, he was thinking of victory, not defeat. My friends, we are not fighting for victory this evening. We are fighting from victory! That makes all the difference in the world! Our Commander-in-chief has already won all the victory for us. All we have to do is get up, dress up in the armor, stand up and line up awaiting our marching orders. He will lead us to victory. Therefore, let us avail ourselves of the tools we have been given and let us learn to stand. We are in the fight of our lives, but the victory belongs to us.
1 Cor. 15:57 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.