The Schemes Of The Devil (Ephesians 6:10-12)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:05.240 If you're able to remain standing, please do and and let's give our attention 2 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:16.390 to Ephesians chapter six. I'm here we come to the last of Paulse of 3 00:00:17.309 --> 00:00:25.260 the longer exhortations in the book of Ephesians, very important section, I'm when 4 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:32.420 which he helps us understand greatly, or more and in greater ways. I'm 5 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:38.530 who we are in Christ, as we have on life in him. This 6 00:00:38.689 --> 00:00:47.929 is Ephesians chapter six, versus ten through thirteen. I'll read. Finally, 7 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:54.679 be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on 8 00:00:54.759 --> 00:00:58.320 the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes 9 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:03.119 of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but 10 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:07.150 against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present 11 00:01:07.310 --> 00:01:15.269 darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, 12 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:19.500 take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in 13 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:26.579 the evil day and, having done all to stand firm, I'm in you 14 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:36.170 may be seated well here, as we come to this final and in some 15 00:01:36.250 --> 00:01:42.930 ways concluding exhortation in Paul's a letter, we have a very important passage and 16 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:47.049 one that we've already been considering, as you, I'm sure, are well 17 00:01:47.049 --> 00:01:52.120 aware of now, in our hymns and text and various things we've been considering 18 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:56.799 this evening. I want to begin by reading to the hymn that will sing 19 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:01.109 after the conclusion of the sermon. A mighty fortresses are God. This is, 20 00:02:01.150 --> 00:02:04.950 of course, a famous hymn, one of the most famous, written 21 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:08.990 by Martin Luther, but based on Psalm Forty six, which we read this 22 00:02:09.189 --> 00:02:15.590 morning. And this is a good reminder, as I read this, how 23 00:02:15.629 --> 00:02:20.259 important it is when we sing to pay attention to I'm not just the words, 24 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:24.460 but also the punctuation. There are little things and phrases that help you 25 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:30.650 by paying attention to those tiny little dots that help you to understand the meaning. 26 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:38.449 So mighty fortresses are God. This is two hundred forty four. A 27 00:02:38.490 --> 00:02:45.039 Mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing, our helper, he 28 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:51.599 amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing for still our ancient foe. Right, 29 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:55.120 who is a talking about? There? was talking about Satan, our ancient 30 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:02.870 foe doth seek to work US woe his that's the opposite of blessing his craft 31 00:03:04.110 --> 00:03:09.469 and power are great. Right. Remind remember how Paul Talks about cosmic powers. 32 00:03:09.669 --> 00:03:14.340 Over this present darkness. His craft and power, great and armed with 33 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:20.460 cruel hate. On Earth is not his equal right. So here in this 34 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:23.979 verse, verse, we are reminded that we have a very powerful and strong 35 00:03:24.020 --> 00:03:29.969 enemy. But of course, at the beginning we remember that a mighty fortress 36 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:36.889 is our God. Now that leads to the second verse. Point two. 37 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:43.000 Did we, in our own strength confide, if we did this, if 38 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:49.439 we rested in our own strength, are striving, would be losing. This 39 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:52.080 is a war. In other words, you do not want to fight in 40 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.030 your own strength, as Paul says. As Paul says in verse ten, 41 00:03:55.150 --> 00:04:00.430 finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 42 00:04:00.189 --> 00:04:03.710 So did we, in our own strength, confide our striving would be losing. 43 00:04:04.110 --> 00:04:09.389 We're not the right man on our side, the man of God's own 44 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:14.060 choosing. Who is it? Or I'm sorry, Dost ask who that may 45 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:20.379 be. Christ Jesus. It is he lord Sabbath Oath his name. Now 46 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:26.089 that doesn't mean Sabbath. Those are two different words. This is a Hebrew 47 00:04:26.209 --> 00:04:30.970 through transliteration, meaning Lord of hosts, and the idea is when it says 48 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:35.050 hosts, it means angels. Right. So this is and not just angels, 49 00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:39.839 like you know, little a Jesus with naked bottoms, right, lord 50 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:45.879 of hosts, like the mighty angelic army that stands ready to do his bidding, 51 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:51.279 this fiery, flaming servants of his. We sang earlier, holy, 52 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:57.230 Holy, holy chair of them, and Sarahim right. We're talking about that 53 00:04:57.430 --> 00:05:02.310 heavenly throne room described and places like revelation and Isaiah, where we have this 54 00:05:02.509 --> 00:05:11.420 picture of God mighty and ruling on his throne, surrounded by these amazing and 55 00:05:11.459 --> 00:05:15.699 powerful mighty creatures. That's what it means. They're Lord Sabbath, oath his 56 00:05:15.740 --> 00:05:20.019 name. He's the Lord of armies, the Lord of hosts, from age 57 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:25.529 to age the same, and he must win the battle. Then we come 58 00:05:25.569 --> 00:05:30.490 back to Satan, verse three, and though this world with Devil's filled should 59 00:05:30.649 --> 00:05:36.519 threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God Hath Willed his 60 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:45.439 truth to triumph, triumph through us, the Prince of darkness, grim we 61 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:50.670 tremble, not for him his rage, we can endure for low. In 62 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:55.709 other words, are here's why his doom is sure. Were that's why we're 63 00:05:55.709 --> 00:06:00.350 not scared. One little word shall fell him. That's all it takes. 64 00:06:00.550 --> 00:06:05.699 So Martin Luther accurately describes, using various phrases from the word of God, 65 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:11.300 Satan and his powers, with all their strength and all their might, write 66 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:15.379 the world is filled with devils. He is armed with cruel freight, with 67 00:06:15.699 --> 00:06:23.050 hate. His craft and power are great, and yet one little word shall 68 00:06:23.209 --> 00:06:30.529 fell him. Now here's where the well so verse, for it describes that 69 00:06:30.689 --> 00:06:35.639 word in the last verse. That word knows the capital w. There above 70 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:41.759 all earthly powers, no thanks to them. Those are the fun commas. 71 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:45.800 I was like there that word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them. 72 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:49.509 Abideth. The word abideth. The word is strong, not because of 73 00:06:49.949 --> 00:06:58.550 governments or powers in this world. The word abideth despite them. The spirit 74 00:06:58.790 --> 00:07:06.379 and the gifts are ours. How answer through him who with US sideth. 75 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:15.410 So, conclusion, let goods and kindred go, even or this mortal life 76 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:23.129 also, even our lives. Let it go, the body. They may 77 00:07:23.250 --> 00:07:31.199 kill. God's truth abide is, abideth still. His Kingdom is forever a 78 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:38.160 mighty fortress. Is Our God right. This is is, as Martin Luther 79 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:41.759 summarizes these things, based out of Psalm Forty six and you we could pick 80 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:47.470 other psalms and texts as well, like we've read and heard tonight. Teaches 81 00:07:47.629 --> 00:07:55.750 us, for the word of God teaches us that our God is strong and 82 00:07:55.990 --> 00:08:01.259 we need not fear. Now I remember that the Ephesians, who are first 83 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:07.300 receiving this letter, are not people who might occasionally think about spiritual powers. 84 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:16.689 Right in most of the history of the world, spiritual forces or very present 85 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:22.009 reality in people's minds. It's a fairly modern and new thing that we don't 86 00:08:22.009 --> 00:08:28.240 think about this very much. Not so for the Ephesians, who walked around 87 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:33.600 with amulets, who had magic books, who regularly were concerned about this cosmic 88 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:37.840 powers that were all around them, what they were doing, how they were 89 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:43.669 acting, and in this they were not wrong. According to scripture, we 90 00:08:43.870 --> 00:08:48.389 do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, 91 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:54.230 against the cosmic powers over this present darkness. We wrestle against the spiritual 92 00:08:54.309 --> 00:09:00.779 forces of evil. In the heavenly places there is darkness, which Paul tells 93 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:05.580 and he doesn't tell the Ephesians, Hey, you stop all that superstitious stuff. 94 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:09.169 Of course they're a superstitious stuff, which they should stop and did stop. 95 00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:16.289 But there is also a recognition that this world is not just electrons pulsing 96 00:09:16.330 --> 00:09:26.080 or computers or cars or flesh and blood. There is more to God's creation. 97 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:31.360 When he created heaven and earth, He created that which is invisible and 98 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:39.230 that which is visible. He created spiritual, immaterial things and he created material 99 00:09:39.590 --> 00:09:43.269 things that we can see and touch. They are both just as real. 100 00:09:45.669 --> 00:09:50.190 One is not less real than the other, even though they are different. 101 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:56.220 But over all of them, whether they are invisible or invisible, whether they 102 00:09:56.259 --> 00:10:01.779 are high and powerful or low and weak, God is ruler of them all. 103 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:07.529 He is the one who created the heavens and the earth, all of 104 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:13.450 it. And so when Jesus comes we have this great psalm or hymnic passage 105 00:10:13.490 --> 00:10:18.850 or poem, however you want to put it, in Colossians, which already 106 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:24.399 too now Colossians one, verse fifteen, about Jesus. He is the image 107 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:30.399 of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for by him all 108 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:37.230 things were created in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones 109 00:10:37.269 --> 00:10:41.029 or dominions, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and 110 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:46.710 for him this means that Satan and his cosmic powers of spiritual darkness are not. 111 00:10:48.070 --> 00:10:50.460 Jesus is rivals right. This is not a sort of God's in the 112 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:56.100 Pantheon kind of Duking it out among one another. Now Jesus reigned supreme over 113 00:10:56.580 --> 00:11:03.580 all, no matter how great forces in the world that we can see or 114 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:09.210 in the spiritual word that we cannot, doesn't matter. Jesus is strong over 115 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:13.850 it all. For Seventeen and he has before all things, and in him 116 00:11:13.850 --> 00:11:16.210 all things hold together. He is the head of the body the church. 117 00:11:16.250 --> 00:11:20.159 He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in everything he might 118 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:24.840 be pre eminent, for in him well, the fullness of God was pleased 119 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:30.919 to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth 120 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:37.590 or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. That's how 121 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:41.629 this one is going to conquer. That's how all things, both visible and 122 00:11:41.750 --> 00:11:45.789 invisible, in heaven and earth, are going to be reconciled. Is through 123 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:50.100 him and through, not through and through, first and foremost his work on 124 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:56.179 the cross. It's important to read on just a few more verses here in 125 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:01.649 Colossians one. I'm in Verse Twenty One now, and you who were once 126 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:07.490 alienated and hostile and mind doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in the 127 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:11.450 body of his flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and 128 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:16.840 blameless and above reproach before him. If you've been following along and effusions, 129 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:20.879 hopefully that reminds you of effusions five, in the language of the bride of 130 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:24.960 Christ, and how he is washed US clean and presented us before him. 131 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:31.429 Twenty three, if you indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, 132 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:35.149 not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard, which have 133 00:12:35.230 --> 00:12:39.190 been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became 134 00:12:39.230 --> 00:12:46.580 a minister. In and before this passage, in verse thirteen, we are 135 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:52.940 reminded that Jesus has delivered us from the domain of darkness. He has transferred 136 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:56.299 us to the Kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, 137 00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:01.370 the forgiveness of sins. And we could go on reading from Colossians and other 138 00:13:01.409 --> 00:13:07.210 other letters as well. But back to Ephesians. We have then, here 139 00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:11.570 this reminder, as we've been having throughout Ephesians and throughout the rest of scripture, 140 00:13:11.850 --> 00:13:16.879 that in Christ we have this victory, this reconciliation that happens where we 141 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:24.279 are no longer enslave to the dominion of darkness, this Present Evil Age, 142 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:28.269 these powers, your father, the devil, as it is also put, 143 00:13:28.990 --> 00:13:31.990 remember how Paul puts it earlier, in effusions, by nature, you were 144 00:13:31.350 --> 00:13:39.870 children of Wrath. No more. Now we are citizens so the Kingdom of 145 00:13:39.990 --> 00:13:46.379 God. Now we belong to Christ, and he rules over us, and 146 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:48.980 that's why, in light of all of this and light of this work, 147 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.779 God has done, a work that began from before the beginning. He then 148 00:13:52.820 --> 00:14:00.450 says Effusian six. Finally, then, be strong in the Lord Right, 149 00:14:00.570 --> 00:14:03.409 be stable, be steadfast, like Paul says in Colossians, and in the 150 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:07.370 strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you 151 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:13.320 may be able to stand right, stand against the schemes of the devil, 152 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:18.960 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. This is a reminder to 153 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:24.669 us, beloved, that without the Lord we are powerless, without standing in 154 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:31.389 his armor, in his strength, we are exposed. We are captives of 155 00:14:31.549 --> 00:14:35.870 the enemy. I wonder if you've ever been in a situation where you felt 156 00:14:37.590 --> 00:14:41.500 weak and helpless, unable to do something that was important. Maybe your life 157 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:46.419 wasn't at risk, or maybe it was. Maybe it was a situation at 158 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:48.700 work, maybe it was a situation in a relationship. We are all from 159 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:52.330 some time. At some time or another, we find ourselves in these places, 160 00:14:52.490 --> 00:15:00.370 really can't do anything, we really need to, and then someone steps 161 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:09.039 in and advocates for us. A nurse, lawyer, friend, they stand 162 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:13.279 in and we say now I've got someone fighting for me, I'm going to 163 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.679 be okay. Right, that's what's going on here. What he's saying is 164 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:22.309 that when we are what what this passage reminds us of, is that without 165 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:26.990 him, we are fighting against an extremely powerful enemy and we will fall. 166 00:15:28.029 --> 00:15:35.429 We have fallen. We already were fallen before we were saved. But when 167 00:15:35.470 --> 00:15:41.980 Jesus fights for us, when we stand in his strength, the game changes. 168 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:46.019 It's not a game, the war, the battle, the place in 169 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:50.009 which we stand, the one in which we stand changes. In fact, 170 00:15:50.210 --> 00:15:56.769 no longer are we weak and exposed, but, as those who were formally 171 00:15:56.850 --> 00:16:02.009 members of the dominion of darkness, we weren't just sort of their pitiless, 172 00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:07.000 sort of or pitiful saying help me right, we were there warring against God. 173 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.679 Right, we were there warring against him and all the things that are 174 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:18.830 lovely and true. We were on the wrong side, not just captives, 175 00:16:19.110 --> 00:16:25.590 we were enslaved by nature to our sin, and Jesus rescued from us from 176 00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:30.350 that. So that's why Paul says be strong in the Lord. With the 177 00:16:30.629 --> 00:16:34.500 Lord we are as strong as he is when we put on the armor he 178 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:40.220 wears. This is the right time for me to remind you about Isaiah fifty 179 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:45.620 nine. Isaia Fifty Nine, sixteen through twenty seven, talks about this divine 180 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:51.330 warrior who's going to come into the world and rescue God's people. And this 181 00:16:51.450 --> 00:16:56.570 passage again Isaia fifty nine, we read not sixteen through two seven, sixteen 182 00:16:56.610 --> 00:17:02.840 through seventeen. We read another sort of armor of God passage, but here 183 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:07.720 we recognize that the armor of God is the one that God himself is wearing. 184 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:12.559 So we read this. He saw that there was no man and wondered 185 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:18.390 that there was no one to intercede. Then his own arm brought him salvation 186 00:17:18.829 --> 00:17:27.349 and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate and as 187 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:33.460 a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for 188 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:38.740 clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. If I could put it 189 00:17:38.779 --> 00:17:44.970 in very colloquial that's all right. Would say that even the terms is not 190 00:17:45.210 --> 00:17:49.609 someone you want to mess with. Right. These pictures are meant to terrify 191 00:17:51.450 --> 00:17:56.410 the Lord's enemies, right, someone this, this Lord, that God himself, 192 00:17:56.930 --> 00:18:02.640 wrapping himself in zeal as a cloak. or read any of the passages 193 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:07.480 of judgment or like the passage we read in in a psalm seven earlier, 194 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:11.869 when the Lord Pictures Himself and tells us who he is in his judgment, 195 00:18:12.710 --> 00:18:18.789 his arrows being fiery shafts, never missing and all their rest. It is 196 00:18:18.910 --> 00:18:25.509 meant to terrify the dominion of darkness, Those Who are not upright, those 197 00:18:25.549 --> 00:18:30.220 who are evil. The Lord promises that in the Messiah He will come as 198 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:40.859 this divine warrior, and he does, but he accomplishes that great battle on 199 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:47.809 the Cross. This paradox of paradoxes. Write. This one who is infinitely 200 00:18:48.009 --> 00:18:55.569 strong, who comes to defeat death itself, conquerson forever, is hanging on 201 00:18:55.720 --> 00:19:00.680 a cross, is suffering and dying at the hands of the government, at 202 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:07.960 the hands of religious leaders and rulers and authorities. It would seem as though 203 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:11.589 always lost. I won't take you there now, but if you go back 204 00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:17.869 to Colossians, you'll read that it was on the cross that he put them 205 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:26.460 all to open shame. The Lord did not lose, he won, because 206 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:30.779 he did not die for himself. He was not sort of the great divine 207 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:36.819 warrior who failed in his task. He was the great divine warrior who is 208 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:44.369 also a sacrifice for our sin so that he could save us all. That's 209 00:19:44.369 --> 00:19:48.569 why, in Romans thirteen eleven through fourteen, Paul talks about putting on the 210 00:19:48.809 --> 00:19:53.759 armor of light, or, to put it another way, putting on Christ 211 00:19:55.000 --> 00:20:00.480 himself. I'll read Romans thirteen eleven. Besides this, you know the time 212 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:06.400 that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep, for salvation is 213 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:10.390 nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, 214 00:20:10.470 --> 00:20:12.269 the day is at hand, Paul says to the Roman church, there 215 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:17.789 to us as well. So then, let us cast off the works of 216 00:20:17.869 --> 00:20:23.140 darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in 217 00:20:23.180 --> 00:20:30.019 the daytime, not an orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, 218 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:34.420 not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and 219 00:20:36.369 --> 00:20:44.569 make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. He's talking about the 220 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:48.490 same thing here. To put on armor of God, then, is to 221 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:53.240 put on Jesus Christ himself. It's to stand, as he says, in 222 00:20:53.440 --> 00:21:00.559 his strength, in him as the divine warrior who has himself put on righteousness. 223 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:06.029 It's not your righteousness that is going to counteract the flaming darts of the 224 00:21:06.150 --> 00:21:15.589 evil one, it's his. It's his. will spend some more time in 225 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:19.420 the coming weeks looking at various aspects of this armor, and what you'll find 226 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:26.180 out is it's not merely a defensive armor, but it has offensive, in 227 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:32.380 the words attacking, elements as well. And as we go through that as 228 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:36.529 well, I'm you will also come to see that there's this great reminder that 229 00:21:36.569 --> 00:21:42.650 as we stand in Christ as citizens of this Kingdom of light, this heavenly 230 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:48.920 kingdom, those wearing the armor of light is we stand in the grace of 231 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:52.839 God. As we put on Jesus Christ, we stand in a salvation that 232 00:21:53.000 --> 00:22:00.509 is complete. There's no sort of Achilles heel, something that the Ephesians right 233 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:03.829 would have been very aware of, homer being just the language of the day, 234 00:22:04.670 --> 00:22:11.230 something that was very they're very sensitive to this language of battles and war 235 00:22:11.549 --> 00:22:17.859 and this armor of God. There's no missing peace, there's no weak point, 236 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:23.779 because it's Jesus who died on the cross, accomplishing a perfect sacrifice of 237 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:32.609 sins forever, and then rose from the dead. God has not forgotten anything, 238 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:34.329 and the promise, then, is, though, that the death though 239 00:22:34.369 --> 00:22:40.329 the devil may be cunning and crafty, he is an opponent that can and 240 00:22:40.769 --> 00:22:47.319 has been beaten. You need not fear him, though this world, with 241 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:51.680 Devil's fear old should threaten to undo us. We will not fear, for 242 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:56.720 God has willed his truth to triumph. Try Why can't I say it? 243 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:10.509 Truth to triumph through us, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 244 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:14.619 but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this 245 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:22.819 present darkness, against the spiritual forces in the heavenly places. Take on the 246 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:30.410 whole armor of God, he says in verse the Thirteen, and you may 247 00:23:30.490 --> 00:23:37.049 be able, will be able to withstand in the evil day. We stand 248 00:23:37.289 --> 00:23:41.319 firm in God, despite hat to the struggle against the powers that God speaks 249 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:48.599 of, because one there's nowhere else to stand too. He's offered himself to 250 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:52.640 us in this way. And three, the battle is intense, and I'll 251 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:57.990 finish with this point. Notice that, Paul, the word he uses in 252 00:23:59.109 --> 00:24:03.430 verse twelve is wrestle. That's a good translation. There on, some translates 253 00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:07.990 and translations. It's translated struggle, not a bad word, but he does 254 00:24:08.109 --> 00:24:14.980 mean in particular of wrestle, which is perhaps an odd thing. You know, 255 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:18.180 if you imagine wrestling with armor, it would be sort of difficult to 256 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:26.450 do, and talk to Aaron more about that. I guess they're various reasons 257 00:24:26.289 --> 00:24:30.369 why I think he puts it that way. M I won't get into all 258 00:24:30.410 --> 00:24:33.369 of them now, but I do want to point out that he uses this 259 00:24:33.490 --> 00:24:40.640 very specific word, a word that indicates close hand to hand combat. Right. 260 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:45.559 This is not, you know, sort of lobbying of those things called 261 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:51.799 catapults and rocks or shooting arrows at a distance. This is grappling, right 262 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.750 wrestling, touching, writhing, and that's where all this language, I think 263 00:24:56.789 --> 00:25:03.829 it happens three different times, of standing, firm takes comes up here. 264 00:25:03.869 --> 00:25:10.460 Right the the goal in wrestling is not to be pinned right too, but 265 00:25:10.579 --> 00:25:18.819 to remain strong and even upright, ideally to be strong against the powers that 266 00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:26.809 happen or the powers that are this battle that we face with these cosmic powers 267 00:25:26.849 --> 00:25:33.049 in this present darkness is not any easy one. It's not an easy one. 268 00:25:34.089 --> 00:25:37.160 We are warned of this. We are told to be aware of this 269 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:44.480 fact. Peter Says Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking some to devour. 270 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:47.640 You can't take passages like that and say well, you want them. 271 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:52.390 These are warnings. Right, be aware of them, but don't be scared, 272 00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:59.390 be strong. Ignoring the reality of this battle, to ignore the the 273 00:26:00.269 --> 00:26:03.109 closeness of it, is to ignore a warning and to put yourself in danger. 274 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:08.059 But to ignore the reality of the Cross and the victory that Christ is 275 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:12.420 one is also to put yourself in grave danger, because that is the only 276 00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:21.569 hope in which we stand. We stand firm, we stand strong in the 277 00:26:21.690 --> 00:26:26.369 strength of the Lord, in the strength of his might. So get to 278 00:26:26.529 --> 00:26:32.769 know him, put your faith in him, put on the whole armor of 279 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:36.640 God and you will be saved. Let's pray