19 Aug Aug. 23, 2026 Ephesians 6:10-20 “Weathering the War!”
Aug. 23, 2026 Ephesians 6:10-20 “Weathering the War!”
Have you ever taken a real good look at the things going on in our society? We might be to the place where we have more bad things happening than good. Of course one of the big things about a statement like this is that only the bad things get reported. There are also many bad things that we just see. For instance, does beer make you happier and sexier? Will you find great happiness in a new car? I think that much advertising is run by the devil as he tries to hammer away at our weaknesses. The bad part of this is that we don’t even notice it or we deny its happening. These types of attacks are everywhere. They have all but ruined our government, our schools and even our churches. That slimy devil is every place we look. Today, we are going to look at a very familiar passage as Paul tells us to armor up for these kinds of attacks. Let’s see if we can remind ourselves just how dangerous the enemy can be and that Jesus is always there to protect us. He is always the answer!
Most of you know that I was raised in northwestern Minnesota. When I was in my teens, there were far more moose in the area than deer. So this is one animal that I know a few things about although not that much. One of the things that you don’t want to do is mess with a moose in the early fall. This is their breeding time and they will take on anything that moves. Fortunately for the local deer hunters, the moose has very poor eyesight. A moose can stand 20 yards away from you and if you don’t move, he won’t know where you are. He will snort and dig up dirt but he won’t see you. This saved my dad’s bacon a couple of times. So remember, don’t mess with the moose. There is a book written about moose called “Antlers in the Treetops” by Who Goosed the Moose. Anyway, in the fall the bull moose will fight each other. All they have for weapons is their antlers which they shed every year. If a bull breaks his antlers during these fights, he loses. Therefore, the moose with the strongest antlers will keep the species going. Earlier in the year, the moose will grow new antlers. The moose that gets the best nutrition will be the moose that is better prepared and wins the mating rites. So the moose whose diet which is French fries and chocolate will be the moose that never wins. However, he might be one loose moose.
Seriously, Paul starts out by talking about the enemy. It was easy in those days to talk about such things because people believed in all sorts of things. There were many religions and they weren’t like what we find today in that we don’t usually sacrifice people. I guess I shouldn’t say that because we do have religions today that believe in anything and everything. I had someone tell me once that all we have is because of space aliens coming to earth.
Anyway, Paul is talking about the devil in his opening. He is telling his people that they are in a war. We are in a war. They are not in a war against a country or one to overthrow their government or one against poverty or one against an enemy like Islam where there are no moral rules. This war is far worse because it is spiritual warfare. Paul is telling them that the only way to defeat the enemy Satan is to get on your knees to God.
This is true for us today also. We are not in a flesh and blood war. Even when we fight this terrible infection of Islam we are fighting the devil. When our own government goes against the ways of the Bible, we have to fight that too. We have to stand up to anything that the devil supports.
I would like to spend just a moment on this because it is so important. There are many today who profess to be Christian who don’t believe Satan exists. They feel that a loving God would never let the devil exist in the first place. That is the biggest bunch of baloney that I have ever heard!! This is said by people who don’t understand. They haven’t read their Bibles. They only want their own way in things. I would guess that for most of these people, if you pressed them a little, you would find they don’t even believe in God. They seem to believe in something that they can make up and control in their own minds.
I want everyone here today to know that Satan exists. Paul tells us here and in many other places that the only thing we have to fear and beware of is Satan. Other writers tell us the same thing. Don’t believe those crackpot theologians who tell you different. God is as real as I am standing here today and so is Satan. You may not realize the relief I see when we cast the evil one out every worship service. It was very evident during our revival meetings. We can defeat this foul creature and Paul gives us some ideas.
To begin we have to realize that we are in a war. Now the enemy wants us to think that we are not. He wants us to think that all things are ok. When we begin to think like this, then we are hurting all the people around us. The goal of life is to get to heaven. If you are doing everything against the will of God, then you will not get there. Paul wants all of us to get there even if it’s 2000 years later.
We are to begin by putting on the full armor of God. The people of Paul’s days knew exactly what this meant. They wouldn’t think of going up against a Roman soldier with a stick. These soldiers were brutal and mean. If you were going into battle against them, you wanted full armor because if you did not, they would find the holes in your defense and you would die. This is easy for them to understand. Like the moose that eats right, they would want to be ready.
But it gets a little harder for us to understand. We live in a world that is so-called civilized! We hire soldiers to do our dirty work. When I was a kid, they would send the young men off to war. Now it’s a little different. But it’s still war and you need protection if you are going to enter it. You need a helmet, a weapon, proper footwear. I remember many people who came back from Vietnam with jungle rot, a foot disease you do not hear much of any more. We just didn’t have foot gear at the time to prevent this tropical disease. The point is that we need the full armor even today.
Then Paul tells us to stand firm with the belt of truth. Obviously they had a problem with truth in those days also. Maybe the assistant to the Caesar was hiding state secrets on some secret rock slates hidden in a secret store room. Of course I’m referring to some of the goofy things that are done today. We have gotten to the point where many things we see and say and do are lies. It’s almost like we don’t know how to tell the truth. And that is not the worst of it. We tell so many lies that we begin to believe that it’s the truth. For years I thought that our foreign policies we good for everyone until I talked with someone who lost everything in Africa because our government kicked them and their neighbors out of the country where they were born. They were given no compensation and left with one suitcase. I found out that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
But the worst part of this is that deep down we deny the truth. We lie to ourselves and I think that this is mainly what Paul is talking about although he also means all truth. So many people think they know God but they only know Him as long as they agree with Him. People, we have no right to disagree with anything that God says. Oh, we can voice our displeasure to Him in prayer and that is good as long as we are obedient. The truth is always, always the best case scenario for anything.
Then Paul tells us to put on the breast plate of righteousness. I’m going to go through these rather quickly because of our time element. But remember that they are all important. We need to remember to stay anchored in Jesus Christ. We can be great people but if we aren’t anchored in Jesus Christ, then we are working for the enemy. How many times this week were you working for the enemy? I would guess that it is more than you think. Being righteous is merely being anchored in Christ at all times. I have said this many times before that if you are just doing something to help out or to look good or any other reason, then you are indeed working for the devil. Try to make sure that all you do is in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then our feet have to be equipped the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Our feet are one of the most important areas to protect. This comes from knowing the Gospel message. This comes from daily reading of the Bible. This comes from Bible study that many of you feel you do not need. I’ve tried many times to get studies going and several times, no one comes. Paul is telling us that we need this if we are to keep the enemy away.
For protection, Paul tells us to pick up the shield of faith which will extinguish anything the enemy can fire at us. This would be like a super weapon for the ancients and it should be for us also. It is about time that we pick up this shield that is provided for us by the most powerful person in the universe. God can do anything. God can make anything. God sees into our very minds and knows our thoughts. The enemy cannot do anything like this and yet we insist that we bow down before the enemy because he too is very strong.
Well he is strong but God is even stronger. All you have to do is say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Satan get away from me!” Or you can have him get out of this building or you can command him to silence. Whatever command you give to Satan when you truly mean in the name of Jesus, he has to obey because he is only a fallen angel. I will warn you that Satan hates it when you do this. He hates that I’m telling you right now but he is not here because we cast him out before we started. Anyone can do this as long as they have faith in Jesus Christ. That does not mean just on Sunday morning. It means all the time. I hope you are noticing how all of these fit together.
I said that this shield is a weapon because I think that anytime you can protect yourself from this vicious enemy, you are using a weapon, in this case a defensive weapon. We need one more thing before we get offensive. We need the helmet of salvation. I would imagine that there are some who get tired of me asking, “Do you know Jesus?’’ If you don’t know Him, then confess your sins to Him and ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life. Make Jesus Christ your God. It’s the only way to a good life and it’s the only way this armor will work. If you don’t believe, then you don’t need this armor because you already have the enemy in you. But all it takes to get rid of him is to ask Jesus into your life and instantly Satan has to flee. Now if that is not some kind of Good News, I don’t know what is.
Then you get to pick of the sword of the Spirit. Finally we get a little offense as this sword is none other than the Word of God. People, the Word of God is the most powerful weapon you have. You can defeat the enemy every time if you just stick with the Bible. I have noticed when people try to engage me in an argument about God, they almost always withdraw when I start to quote the Bible. Satan does not have a chance if we use our weapon, the Bible, wisely.
Finally, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit. He tells us to pray about everything. It doesn’t matter if it is something big or something small. It doesn’t matter if you think that it’s impossible. Pray! With God all things are possible. Remember what we talked about last week. Pray God’s will be done in all situations. There is nothing in this world that is about you. Nothing! It is all about Jesus Christ and what He will do for you to further the kingdom. There is absolutely no way I would have come up with the ideas to write my sermons on my own. Jesus nudged me to action. He does this to us all the time. Listen for that soft gentle voice. You only learn to listen if you go to prayer at all times. I’m just finished a book by Scott Daniels called The Rest That Works. He talks about getting the most out of your prayer life and I recommend it to all.
I know that we have some prayer warriors in our midst today and I also know that some of you need a little work. I appreciate the prayers you have for this ministry, for Sharon and me. We couldn’t do this without your prayers. This is what Paul asks in the end; prayers for him and for me. Pray that we may fearlessly put forth the Word of God in such a way that people will not be able to live without it. Pray that I can move forward, preaching the Word of God where ever I go. I need these prayers because I’m just as broken as you are. We are all broken. We are a broken people living in a broken world. We all need prayers.
I know of a man who was healed in a Revival meeting many years ago. His eyesight was restored. He was going blind and suddenly it was gone and he could see. The question becomes why did God heal him and not someone else. I don’t know the answer. God does what God does and it is all good. Anyway, this man has been on fire for Jesus Christ ever since. He has many God fearing family members who know the meaning of love because love only comes from Jesus. He knows about the armor of God and he wears it. He gets attacked and he is safe in the truth, in the justice, in the love of Jesus Christ. He has weathered many an attack by the evil one and he will someday be at home in glory with Jesus Christ as his guide and best friend.
That’s what we all want. That’s what Jesus wants. This stuff isn’t hard. It’s easy. Just follow Jesus the best you can and when you fail, you confess and go back to Him. Much of this world is evil but Jesus is the way out. He loves each of you with a ferocity that you cannot imagine. Go to Him and go to Him often. Life does not get any better than being in Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for first loving us. Let’s pray.
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