July 23, 2001

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August 26 Lesson

Spiritual weapons needed to win spiritual battles ___Ephesians 6:10-20 ___10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. ___19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

___By Terry Cosby
___Satan's greatest ally in the battle for the hearts and souls of men is to convince God's children the following words are true: "It doesn't really matter ..." "I can't, I really can't ..." or "Later, later. I've still got time ..."
___The jump Paul makes from God's will in relationships to power and armor seems rather odd at first glance. Yet Paul knew the Christian seeking to grow in unity and maturing in Christ-like character would face many obstacles. These obstacles to the believer's knowing and doing God's will show up especially in the area of relationships.
___An unhappy marriage does not usually help win spiritual battles. A Christian home or church divided keeps the battle among Christians instead of taking the battle for the lost to the lost or those wounded by injustice in the world. Christian bosses that are petty, cheap and only profit oriented wound their witness to the lost in their company. Employees who display little or no regard for ethics and purity in their lives cannot attest to the amazing salvation and abundant life it brings.
___Yet the continued good news is that God has provided ways to face the internal battles of the old nature and the external pressures the enemy uses to thwart the pilgrim's progress.
___Paul encourages Christians to find their strength in the Lord, in his mighty power (6:10). The words are the same stacking of synonyms used in 1:19. The power for living and fighting spiritual battles is not found in the believer's own power but in the believer's life connected to Christ's.
___The New English Bible renders the verse "Find your strength in the Lord, in his mighty power." The implication is that the power is supplied by the Lord rather than having its source in the believer.
___How is this mighty power put to use? It is used like a soldier uses armor in battle. The word picture Paul is painting is of a soldier ready for battle. The prepared soldier avails himself of every weapon useful to his cause. The word for "full" in verse 11 is the word from which the English word for panoply comes.
___An interesting question arises as to whether Paul means to "put on the armor God supplies" or "put on the armor God himself uses," referring to the weapons God uses against the enemy. Either is possible linguistically and in practical terms will mean the same for the Christian.
___The armor is needed because the church is engaged in a struggle, literally a "wrestling." This conflict is different. Verse 12 tells us it is not against "flesh and blood." It is not the typical battle against the bodies of man. There is a cosmic struggle to grow in the unity and maturity of the Christian faith.
___Paul uses four words to describe the enemy--rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces. It is a diverse demonic group with real but limited power to tempt, divide, slander and generally blunt the effect the church is to have in the world.
___These demonic powers manifest themselves in the antics of madmen like Hitler, in the evil of oppressive institutions like slavery, in the selfishness of materialism, in the divisive and deadly hatred of racism, and in dozens of other social, political and historical structures.
___Interestingly, the word for powers is "kosmokrator" in the Greek. It means one who aspires to world control. (Our modern character Kosmo Kramer from the Seinfield show comes from this word.)
___As fearsome as that may sound, Paul reminds his readers again to "clothe" themselves in God's full armor in verse 13. The picture is of a Roman legion fully equipped and enabled to hold their ground even in the heat of the battle. The stand believers take is in unity, maturity and in doing the will of God. When the church holds those ranks, the forces of darkness can make no progress.
___Paul now describes further the weapons at the disposal of the Christian from verses 14 to 18.
___The belt of truth speaks of the leather belt used to secure a soldier's sword and keep other articles of clothing from impeding his progress. It speaks to the believer's inner integrity and sincerity.
___The breastplate was a major piece of armor protecting vital organs. Righteousness is the right standing the Christian now has through Jesus. His heart is now "right" toward God and from such a heart can flow God's grace.
___The footgear is foundational for taking the necessary stand, but here the idea of readiness is introduced. The soldier had to be ready to go at a moment's notice. With God's peace, the Christian is ready to share that peace at the Spirit's prompting.
___The shield was oblong with alternating layers of wood and leather. It would extinguish pitch-soaked arrows meant to cause panic as much as death. Faith acts as a shield against certain tests, persecutions, temptations and doubts that arise in our battles.
___The learned apostle has no doubt observed a well-fitted soldier and thinks the comparison for the Christian standing firm for his faith in a marriage, family and business is apropos.
___Two more terms are employed to give courage and confidence to the Christian soldier.
___The helmet was a heavy metal headgear, although some earlier models were leather. Unlike the helmets in the movie "Gladiator," the average soldiers' helmet made no fashion statement but did the job of protecting the head. Without the ability to think, see and breath, all of which could be lost with a well-aimed blow to the head, a soldier was useless in battle. Salvation provides the protection of the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:1-2) and the ability to see spiritual matters (1 Corinthians 2:14).
___Last, the sword of the Spirit is employed. This is the word of God. The word used for "sword" here is the short, jabbing kind of weapon. It is decidedly offensive. The sword used in the heart of believers under the direction of the Spirit moves effectively against the enemies' weapons.
___Paul may be finished detailing the equipment of the Christian soldier, but he has several more requests from and encouragements to the church in verses 18-20.
___He encourages the church to pray. Prayers are to be offered "in the Spirit." This conveys the idea of the power of the Spirit or in fellowship with the Spirit. Every type of prayer is to be used, whether it is general (prayers, v. 18) or specific (requests) supplications. The mindset of prayer is alertness, the time frame is continuous and the subject of the prayer is for other believers.
___The ambassador in chains winds down now. He asks for prayer himself. He asks for boldness and courage in sharing the gospel--requests today's Christians would do well to make.
___He commends Tychicus, a faithful servant who probably delivered at least three and possibly four of Paul's letters. Without his faithfulness, would we possess Paul's great epistles of encouragement, correction and faith? In typical Pauline style, and despite his chains, he closes by mentioning in his remaining words the pillars of the Christian gospel: peace, love, faith and grace--all of these given by the Lord Jesus Christ.
___May all our words be so seasoned and all our works point in that same direction--to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
___Paul watched from his window as far as he could. Tychicus' feet kicked up little clouds of dust as he moved on. He was moving at a good clip. Paul was proud of him and knew the letter was in good hands. But Paul was worried. "Had I written too much? Had I written too little? Did I go too deep? Did I explain the beauty, the mystery and the truth of Jesus and his grace? If only I could lose these chains and go myself. Maybe I could explain things better face to face." The Spirit gave comfort to Paul during the evening. Still he wondered--would the Ephesians understand? Would the letter make a difference in the church or the kingdom? Would the truth he tried to put in the letter help even one Christian or would it have the same life as those little clouds of dust stirred up by Tychicus' feet?

For thought and discussion
___ Answer Paul's questions above about the affect of Ephesians on the kingdom.
___ Are there any "chinks" in the churches' armor today? If we have forgotten to put on a piece or two of armor, which ones are missing?
___ Name some areas in our cultural situations that need the church and
___Christians to stand in full battle array.
___ If spiritual warfare is not against flesh and blood and the weapons are different, what might a typical "spiritual battle" look like? Describe the battlefield, the combatants, the blows given and taken, and the outcome.

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