NORTHSIDE CHURCH OF CHRIST
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
Our Strength - Our Equipment - Our Responsibility 3/11/07
There's an enemy in the world that has a tremendous influence. We're going to examine the enemy and how we have the strength to stand up against it. Also, we'll examine the equipment needed. Then we'll examine how to continue in that strength.
a) Where Do We Get Our Strength As Christians?. Ephesians 6: 10
1. "power" - to be strong (Ischuo), robust, in good health, the strength to overcome, Galatians 5: 6ff
a. what contributes to this power? a) FAITH - "a firm conviction, a confident trust" (Hebrew 11: 1, 6 ,
b) WORKS - a dynamic faith that works the will of God (Philippians 2: 12 - 13, 4:13,
Ephesians 3: 16, 20)
c) LOVE - love that gives us the desire to obey and serve (Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, 23)
2. "strength" - 2 Corinthians 12: 9
3. "might" - power
4. We should never be weak for the Lord is always strong.
b) Who Is the Enemy? - vs. 11 - 12
1. Satan - can attack from all sides. It's both open warfare and can the devil can lie in ambush.
a. example - French - Indian War, French not used to "ambush" style of warfare.
2. "wrestling" - suggested by the word "stand" - a wrestler stands strong and throws the opponent
3. against principalities, against powers - 2 Peter 2: 4; Jude 6 - servants of Satan - only place
mentioned as a specific opponent in the Christian life. Others - 1 John 5: 4 - 5 (the world)
4. world rulers - Luke 4: 6
5. spiritual hosts of wickedness, 2: 1 - 2; I Peter 5: 8; Job 1: 7 - a "roaring lion" walking the earth
6. Devil - head of the evil spirits, Evil One (Matthew 13; 19), Enemy (Matthew 13: 39), Prince of Devils
(Mark 3: 22), Strong One (Luke 11: 21), Murderer (John 8: 44), Liar (8:44), Father of Lies (8:44),
Prince of This World (12:31), Satan (Acts 5: 3), God of This World (2 Corinthians 4: 4), Belial (6:15)
Serpent (11: 13), Spirit of Evil (Ephesians 2: 2), Tempter (I Thessalonians 3: 5),
Adverdary (I Peter 5: 8), Angel of the Abyss (Revelation 9: 11), also in Revelation as the Great Red
Dragon, Deceiver, Deceiver of the Whole World, and Accuser, etc.
7 .Our desire to be strong combined with the Lord's Strength is an unbeatable force.
(Philipians 2: 12 - 13)
8. Remember, the whole context here is PREPAREDNESS, NOT CONQUEST OR PROGRESS, although
there are numerous passges that emphasize those things.
c) What Is the Equipment? 13 - 17
1. First the equipment is for the whole body, not just a partial outfit. It covers every area of our lives.
2. Roman soldiers were well equipped to fight - Everyone citizen saw them daily and knew what
they wore. A soldier in battle wore the full armor. - vs 13
3. Remember, much of the equipment was designed to protect from attacks from many angles.
4. Much emphasis is placed on the uniform of the soldier, and why were certain spiritual ideas
associated with certain uniform parts?
5. Uniform parts were the girdle (14), breastplate(14), shod feet(15), shield(16), helmet(17) and sword(17)
d) What Do the Individual Pieces Stand For?
1) Girdle -"having girded your loins with truth" (NASB)
a. wearing flowing robes that needed to be girt. the girdle would have brass or silver plates
1. bind hindering garments
2.support to the loins
3.help protect the heart, etc.
b. Christians are unhindered because they have the Truth, this gives great confidence in conflict
Ephesians 4: 14 - 15; 2 John 1 - 2;
c. No deceit is practiced as aliens do, but everything is open and true
2) Breastplate of Righteousness -a coat of mail or armour from the neck to the thighs, ofter like
rings or scales (see below)( I Samuel 17: 5) Protected vital parts (lungs, heart, etc.) Goliath's weighed
around 160 lbs.(5,000 shekels)
a. Righteousness - Greek DIKAIOSUNE - quality of being right or just
1. conformed to revealed law - Matthew 5: 6, 10
2. doing whatever God requires to be obedient to Him - Matthew 3: 15; 21: 32
3. what we seek - Matthew 6: 33 - the sum total of what we are as Christians
4. One conforms to Divine law, is holy and just, pure and good.
5. Yields supreme honor to God
6. obeys law in respect to our fellow Christians and countrymen Romans 13: 8, John 15: 12
7. IN ALL AREAS BEING RIGHT AND JUST
b. Therefore, a good life is an impregnable defense. There is no condemnation of the conscience
I John 3: 20 - 21; Revelation 12: 10 - protects against the words of Satan
3) Feet Shod - "and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace"
a. sandals that would protect the feet with spikes and greaves
b. ready to move, prepared to go, to travel through every hardship, to spread the Gospel John 16: 33
4) Shield of Faith -"taking up the shield of faith, in which you will be able to quench the fierydarts
of the evil one"
a. the shield used was not a small one as we normally think of shields, but very large (see pictures)
because the enemy would take darts or arrows and dip the tip in pitch and set it on fire. The reason
for that is when the arrow or dart would hit the opponent the pain would be excruciating and the
chance of a debilitating infection would set in if death did not initially take place.
b. Comparison? - there are fiery darts thrown at us in the forms of lust, pride, revenge, etc. They can
come quickly, silently, and massively.
c. the material used in this "spiritual" shield is faith. It's the highest quality. Genesis 15: 1;
2 Samuel 22: 3; Psa 84: 9, 11; 5: 12
d. Faith in the Unchangeable nature of Divinity (Hebrews 13: 8) that the Promise will be kept
(I Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18) and that the Lord will be with us and hear us ( Hebrews 9: 14 - 15)
5) Helmet of Salvation - "and take the helmet of salvation" (see above)
a. a helmet defends the head - it keeps one aware of the hope of salvation I Thessalonians 5: 8
b. salvation in the future, yet it also rests in the assurance now Hebrews 11: 6; 1 Peter 2: 6
c. God through His Son is the source of the hope 2 Thessalonians 2: 16; Colossians 1: 27
d. RESULT - We stay hopeful, encouraged and strong under temptation and suffering
Romans 8: 31; 2 Tim 4: 6 - 8; 2 Thessalonians 2: 16
6) Sword of the Spirit - " and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God"
a. the Sword is both offensive AND defensive - think about a sword in battle
1. it's a light, lamp, heart melter, fire, etc.
b. Word of God - Hebrews 1: 1 - 2
c. Product of the Spirit - 2 Timothy 3: 16
d. the instrument of conversion - Romans 1: 16; James 1: 18
e. the Sword is used to study, in defense, for our use instead of our own reasoning 2 Timothy 2: 15
7) Stay Strong In Prayer! 18 - 20
a. stay alert
b. be persistent
c. that the gospel will continue to be proclaimed
Conclusion
There's an enemy in the world that has a tremendous influence. We're going to examine the enemy and how we have the strength to stand up against it. Also, we'll examine the equipment needed. Then we'll examine how to continue in that strength.
a) Where Do We Get Our Strength As Christians?. Ephesians 6: 10
1. "power" - to be strong (Ischuo), robust, in good health, the strength to overcome, Galatians 5: 6ff
a. what contributes to this power? a) FAITH - "a firm conviction, a confident trust" (Hebrew 11: 1, 6 ,
b) WORKS - a dynamic faith that works the will of God (Philippians 2: 12 - 13, 4:13,
Ephesians 3: 16, 20)
c) LOVE - love that gives us the desire to obey and serve (Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, 23)
2. "strength" - 2 Corinthians 12: 9
3. "might" - power
4. We should never be weak for the Lord is always strong.
b) Who Is the Enemy? - vs. 11 - 12
1. Satan - can attack from all sides. It's both open warfare and can the devil can lie in ambush.
a. example - French - Indian War, French not used to "ambush" style of warfare.
2. "wrestling" - suggested by the word "stand" - a wrestler stands strong and throws the opponent
3. against principalities, against powers - 2 Peter 2: 4; Jude 6 - servants of Satan - only place
mentioned as a specific opponent in the Christian life. Others - 1 John 5: 4 - 5 (the world)
4. world rulers - Luke 4: 6
5. spiritual hosts of wickedness, 2: 1 - 2; I Peter 5: 8; Job 1: 7 - a "roaring lion" walking the earth
6. Devil - head of the evil spirits, Evil One (Matthew 13; 19), Enemy (Matthew 13: 39), Prince of Devils
(Mark 3: 22), Strong One (Luke 11: 21), Murderer (John 8: 44), Liar (8:44), Father of Lies (8:44),
Prince of This World (12:31), Satan (Acts 5: 3), God of This World (2 Corinthians 4: 4), Belial (6:15)
Serpent (11: 13), Spirit of Evil (Ephesians 2: 2), Tempter (I Thessalonians 3: 5),
Adverdary (I Peter 5: 8), Angel of the Abyss (Revelation 9: 11), also in Revelation as the Great Red
Dragon, Deceiver, Deceiver of the Whole World, and Accuser, etc.
7 .Our desire to be strong combined with the Lord's Strength is an unbeatable force.
(Philipians 2: 12 - 13)
8. Remember, the whole context here is PREPAREDNESS, NOT CONQUEST OR PROGRESS, although
there are numerous passges that emphasize those things.
c) What Is the Equipment? 13 - 17
1. First the equipment is for the whole body, not just a partial outfit. It covers every area of our lives.
2. Roman soldiers were well equipped to fight - Everyone citizen saw them daily and knew what
they wore. A soldier in battle wore the full armor. - vs 13
3. Remember, much of the equipment was designed to protect from attacks from many angles.
4. Much emphasis is placed on the uniform of the soldier, and why were certain spiritual ideas
associated with certain uniform parts?
5. Uniform parts were the girdle (14), breastplate(14), shod feet(15), shield(16), helmet(17) and sword(17)
d) What Do the Individual Pieces Stand For?
1) Girdle -"having girded your loins with truth" (NASB)
a. wearing flowing robes that needed to be girt. the girdle would have brass or silver plates
1. bind hindering garments
2.support to the loins
3.help protect the heart, etc.
b. Christians are unhindered because they have the Truth, this gives great confidence in conflict
Ephesians 4: 14 - 15; 2 John 1 - 2;
c. No deceit is practiced as aliens do, but everything is open and true
2) Breastplate of Righteousness -a coat of mail or armour from the neck to the thighs, ofter like
rings or scales (see below)( I Samuel 17: 5) Protected vital parts (lungs, heart, etc.) Goliath's weighed
around 160 lbs.(5,000 shekels)
a. Righteousness - Greek DIKAIOSUNE - quality of being right or just
1. conformed to revealed law - Matthew 5: 6, 10
2. doing whatever God requires to be obedient to Him - Matthew 3: 15; 21: 32
3. what we seek - Matthew 6: 33 - the sum total of what we are as Christians
4. One conforms to Divine law, is holy and just, pure and good.
5. Yields supreme honor to God
6. obeys law in respect to our fellow Christians and countrymen Romans 13: 8, John 15: 12
7. IN ALL AREAS BEING RIGHT AND JUST
b. Therefore, a good life is an impregnable defense. There is no condemnation of the conscience
I John 3: 20 - 21; Revelation 12: 10 - protects against the words of Satan
3) Feet Shod - "and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace"
a. sandals that would protect the feet with spikes and greaves
b. ready to move, prepared to go, to travel through every hardship, to spread the Gospel John 16: 33
4) Shield of Faith -"taking up the shield of faith, in which you will be able to quench the fierydarts
of the evil one"
a. the shield used was not a small one as we normally think of shields, but very large (see pictures)
because the enemy would take darts or arrows and dip the tip in pitch and set it on fire. The reason
for that is when the arrow or dart would hit the opponent the pain would be excruciating and the
chance of a debilitating infection would set in if death did not initially take place.
b. Comparison? - there are fiery darts thrown at us in the forms of lust, pride, revenge, etc. They can
come quickly, silently, and massively.
c. the material used in this "spiritual" shield is faith. It's the highest quality. Genesis 15: 1;
2 Samuel 22: 3; Psa 84: 9, 11; 5: 12
d. Faith in the Unchangeable nature of Divinity (Hebrews 13: 8) that the Promise will be kept
(I Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18) and that the Lord will be with us and hear us ( Hebrews 9: 14 - 15)
5) Helmet of Salvation - "and take the helmet of salvation" (see above)
a. a helmet defends the head - it keeps one aware of the hope of salvation I Thessalonians 5: 8
b. salvation in the future, yet it also rests in the assurance now Hebrews 11: 6; 1 Peter 2: 6
c. God through His Son is the source of the hope 2 Thessalonians 2: 16; Colossians 1: 27
d. RESULT - We stay hopeful, encouraged and strong under temptation and suffering
Romans 8: 31; 2 Tim 4: 6 - 8; 2 Thessalonians 2: 16
6) Sword of the Spirit - " and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God"
a. the Sword is both offensive AND defensive - think about a sword in battle
1. it's a light, lamp, heart melter, fire, etc.
b. Word of God - Hebrews 1: 1 - 2
c. Product of the Spirit - 2 Timothy 3: 16
d. the instrument of conversion - Romans 1: 16; James 1: 18
e. the Sword is used to study, in defense, for our use instead of our own reasoning 2 Timothy 2: 15
7) Stay Strong In Prayer! 18 - 20
a. stay alert
b. be persistent
c. that the gospel will continue to be proclaimed
Conclusion