250 likes | 863 Views
I’m in the Lord’s Army. Ephesians 6:10-17. All of us are in a serious fight. Satan is on the warpath. “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (1 Tim 1:18).
E N D
I’m in the Lord’s Army Ephesians 6:10-17
All of us are in a serious fight. • Satan is on the warpath. • “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightestwar a good warfare” (1 Tim 1:18). • “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim 6:12). • You live that truth every day.
What if you had a way to fortify your faith in the midst of this battle?
You CANNOT win on your own! • We’ve often emphasized the “Christian’s armor.” • That is the wrong emphasis. • “Put on the whole armourof God.” • The emphasis is on the power God supplies.
We cannot go against Satan on our own. • Peter tried. • “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee” (Matt 26:35). • Throughout Scripture, we have the promise of divine power. • Paul prayed that the Colossians might be “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Col 1:11). • “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” (Eph 3:20).
The armor of God. • Loins girt about with truth. • Breastplate of righteousness. • Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. • Shield of faith. • In the midst of the battle, we trust God. • Unbelief leads to sin (Heb 3:12-13). • Helmet of salvation. • Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. • Ps 119:11. • Jesus’ temptation by the devil (Matt 4:1-11).
How do we grow strong in the Lord? • We spend time with God. • “When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered” (Matt 4:2). • Fasting wasn’t really about going without food. • Fasting was about going without food in order to spend more time with God! • We need to put on this armor. • Yes, it’s God’s armor, not the Christian’s armor. • But, we must put it on!
You CANNOT win on your own! • In this text, we find the idea that we all fight together. • “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). • We’re praying to help one another. • “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:1). • Do you need help with your burdens this morning?