Robert Jeffress - Preparing For War
Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. As Christians, we're engaged in a daily battle against an unseen enemy, but gratefully, God has provided us with spiritual armor to defend ourselves against this formidable foe. Today we'll discover the protective armor described in Ephesians six that God has provided. We'll learn how to identify the war tactics that satan uses and how to deploy the powerful weapons at our disposal. My message is titled "Preparing For War" on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.
General Douglas MacArthur was not only a successful general, he was a brilliant military strategist during the second world war. He wrote an article one time for an army journal entitled "Requisites for military success", and in that article, he mentioned four essentials for victory in battle. Number one, morale must be encouraged. There must be a will to win and a cause worth dying for. This is often referred to as esprit decor. Secondly, strength must be maintained. Any fighting force must be adequately trained and well-equipped. Number three, supply lines must remain open. Every fighting man must have weapons, ammunition, food and water, and those items must continue to flow to the battlefront.
But macArthur saved the bulk of the article for the fourth essential, and that is, the enemy must be understood. MacArthur wrote, "The greater the knowledge of the enemy, the greater the potential for victory". What is true in physical warfare is also true in spiritual warfare. The greater the knowledge of the enemy, the greater potential for victory. And that's the theme of this final message from our study of the book of Ephesians. If you have your Bibles, turn to Ephesians chapter six as we talk about preparing for war.
Now, we've been in Ephesians for such a long time, I know by now you remember the outline of the book. Remember, the first three chapters of Ephesians deal with our wealth, our spiritual wealth from Jesus Christ, all that he has done for us. But then chapter four, it has that pivot in it. "Therefore, as a result of that, walk in a manner worthy of the calling of which you've been called". Paul spends the final three chapters talking about how our spiritual wealth ought to impact our behavior, our walk with God in everyday life. Specifically he says, "When it comes to other Christians, walk in unity. When it comes to your own personal behavior, walk in purity. When it comes to your family, walk in humility," submitting to one another. And now we get to the final application. When it comes to spiritual warfare, the enemy, walk in victory.
Warren Warrensby, the late pastor and Bible teacher said, "Sooner rather than later, every Christian comes to the realization that this world is not a playground, it's a battleground, and we have an enemy who is much more powerful than we are apart from the Lord". Who is this enemy in which we're engaged in a battle with? Jesus called him a murderer in John 8:44, Peter calls him a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8. John, in the Book of Revelation, describes him as a serpent, a dragon. And here in this passage today, Paul calls him the devil. And although the devil, satan is invisible, he's very real and we need to be wary of him.
Now, people tend to go to one of two extremes in talking about spiritual warfare. They fail to acknowledge that such an enemy exists and such a war is a part of our lives every day, or they go to the extreme of being so focused on satan that they forget all of the supernatural blessings God has given to us. There needs to be a balance. Satan would love for us to deny his existence or just become obsessed with his existence, but Paul gives us a balance in this passage. Notice that he begins talking about, first of all, the reality of spiritual warfare. He identifies our enemy.
Look at our enemy's identity beginning in verse 10. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil". Underline that, the devil. Remember, macArthur said if we're going to be successful in spiritual warfare, we've got to know who the enemy is. Well, he's the devil. What do we know about the devil? Well, we find him in the opening chapters of Genesis, Genesis three, in the form of a serpent. We find him in the final chapters of the Book of Revelation.
But just as the Bible doesn't explain the origin of God, in the beginning, God created, it assumes the existence of God, we don't find the origin of satan in the book of Genesis, but we can piece together some Old Testament scriptures and find something of a short biography of satan. Don't ever forget satan is not the opposite of God. God has existed for all times. He wasn't created, but satan was a created being. There was a time in which he didn't exist. He was created along with angels, and we know in Ezekiel chapter 28 that satan was originally named Lucifer. He was the chief of the highest angelic order, the cherubim. He was the chief cherub of all of the angels.
And Isaiah 14 says, though, he became intoxicated with his own beauty, he forgot that he was a creature and he decided he wanted to be like the Creator. And at Isaiah 14, you find those five "I wills", "I will ascend to the holy mountain, I will become like the Most High". You see, up to that point, there had only been one will in the universe, and that was God's will. But suddenly one will gave way to two wills. There was God's will and there was satan's will. And by the way, every sin you and I commit today begins with putting our will above God's will.
That's what happened to Lucifer. And because of that, he was cast from heaven, and a group of angels joined him in the rebellion, and Lucifer became satan, the fallen angels we call demons today, and that leads to our enemy's goal. Did he just give up at that point? No, he was only getting started. Look at verse 11, Paul says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil". The word "Methodia", schemes, refers to a wild animal that carefully stalks its prey and then pounces at just the right time. Satan is stalking you right now, he's watching you. He's looking for the right time to attack. That's not Robert saying it, that's the Word of God.
1 Peter 5:8, Peter said, "Be of sober spirit. Be on the alert for your adversary. The devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". That's his goal, to destroy you. And notice his resolve, verse 12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood". That word struggle, "Polly" in Greek, refers to a wrestling match. If you're going to be successful, if you have a prayer of a chance of success, you have to be prepared, and you have to understand the weapons God has provided for you. Fortunately, he gives us a description of those weapons beginning in verse 13, "Notice the believer's armor against satan".
Now remember, when Paul wrote these words, the letter to the church at Ephesus, he was under house arrest in an apartment he had rented in Rome, and in that apartment, he was chained to a different Roman guard every eight hours. And so one day, as Paul was looking at that soldier and noticing the armor that he wore, he thought, you know, that armor is really a good picture of the spiritual armor God has given to us. And so he identifies six pieces of the Roman armory that are available to every Christian today. Five of these six pieces are defensive pieces of armor. One is an offensive piece of armor.
Notice the pieces that he talks about. First of all, the belt of truth, look at verse 14. "Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth". Now what does that mean, gird your loins? What is he talking about? Well, the basic piece of clothing for a Roman soldier or a citizen for that matter was the free-flowing tunic. It was a free-flowing garment, but if you were going to go into battle, you could trip over your own tunic or the enemy could grab a piece of it and gain an unfair advantage. So a soldier would always tuck in that tunic into the leather belt which Paul calls the belt of truth.
Now, the picture is clear here. In our lives we are flooded every day with all kind of thoughts, some of them loose thoughts, some of them potentially harmful thoughts, a lack of a proper, God-given self-image, bitterness over an offense towards somebody, lust about a particular desire outside the will of God. We have all of these thoughts that, if they're not seized, the enemy can grab hold and take advantage of. So what do we do when we find these wrong thoughts coming into our minds? Well, 1 Peter 1:13 says, "Gird your minds for actions". In other words, be straight in your thinking.
When you face loose thoughts, confront them with the truth, the truth of God's word. I call this strategy, recognize wrong thoughts and replace them with right thoughts. That is the belt of truth. Secondly, the breastplate of righteousness, verse 14 again, "And having put on the breastplate of righteousness". Now, this was a metal shell that the soldier would put on that would cover the torso and therefore some of the vital organs of the body. Now he says the metal shell we have to protect us is the breastplate of righteousness. What does he mean by righteousness? You know, there are three ways the Bible uses the term righteousness, sometimes self-righteousness.
Now, this is a worthless kind of righteousness. It's what we try to conjure up to make ourselves worthy before God. In Philippians 3:19, Paul said, "My prayer is that I might not be found having a righteousness of my own," which Isaiah said is like a filthy rag to God. No, he's not talking about self-righteousness. He could be talking about imputed righteousness. This is the righteousness we receive when we trust in Christ as our Savior.
Paul goes on to say in verse 9 of Philippians 3, "I don't want have my own righteousness, but I want to be found in him, having that righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith in Christ". So he could be talking about the righteousness, the right standing with God that becomes ours when we trust in Christ, but there's a third kind of righteousness in the Bible, and that's practiced righteousness. A synonym would be obedience to God. Once we become a Christian, our obedience is very important, and I think what Paul is saying is both imputed righteousness, a right standing with God, but also practical righteousness, obeying God, are essential to protect ourselves against the enemy.
Why is that, think about that armor. If the enemy sees a chink in your spiritual armor, one vulnerable spot, that's where he's going to attack. You know, this may be no surprise to you, but I face temptations just like you do. In fact, you know what the greatest temptation is I'm wrestling with right now, do you want to know? It's none of your business, but I know what it is, and more importantly, satan knows what it is, not because he's omniscient, but he watches me, he knows my weak points, and that's where he strikes, and that's why one of the best things we can do to protect ourselves from the enemy is to be sure there is no area of our life that is displeasing to God, no area of our life where we say, "My will instead of your will".
Whether it's a possession, a relationship, a habit, an addiction, that's where satan is going to attack you. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Third, he talks about having put on the gospel of peace, verse 15, "And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace". What is that, shod your feet? Well, he's talking about the most foundational piece of armor that a soldier had, and that was the boots he wore. The boots, and they gave him traction when being attacked or trying to move forward.
In my book Courageous, I describe the importance of the Roman boot. I said, "Well-made shoes were an essential part of a Roman soldier's armor. They wore sturdy sandals with thick soles and wide leather straps that covered their toes and the upper part of the foot. They were more like boots than modern sandals. The metal studs on the bottom of their shoes gave them increased traction in battle like an athlete's cleats".
Now, these boots refer to the gospel, but they don't mean that we can survive the spiritual attacks of satan by just receiving the gospel. Nobody ever won a war by standing still. The soldier has to advance and move forward. The point is one way to protect yourself against satan's attacks is to remember your purpose. God left you here to share the gospel, and before you succumb to satan's temptations and attacks, think about the effect that would have upon your life purpose.
You know, I think about that all the time. When I'm tempted at any area, I think, "What would this sin, if I committed it, what would it do not only to my family, but to my witness for Christ"? It would completely discourage and discredit the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that's not just true for those of us who are preachers, it's true for every one of us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, "We are ambassadors for Christ". That's our mission as though God were speaking through us, be reconciled to God. And when you realize your life purpose, it's a great antidote to the virus of sin in your life. Make sure you've put on the gospel of peace, you understand your purpose.
Now, those three pieces we just talked about, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of the gospel, those are things we should have on at all times. Having put these on, it's already on. But the next three pieces are things that we take up when we're in the heat of battle. Look at verse 16, the shield of faith. "In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith, with which which you are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one".
The Roman shield was a piece of wood about four and a half feet by two feet, and it was covered in leather that had been soaked in water. Why, because when the enemy would send a flaming missile, an arrow that had been dipped in pitch and set on fire, when he would send that arrow toward the Roman soldier, all the Roman soldier had to do would be to lift up his shield. And when that flaming arrow hit that leather and water-soaked piece of leather, it would extinguish it immediately. What he's saying is, when satan starts sending arrows in your life, and he sends 'em every day and usually he sends more than one at a time, all you have to do is direct that shield of faith.
What is faith? It's not some positive thinking mumbo-jumbo that, "Oh, everything's going to be okay. Que se rah, se rah, whatever will be will be". No, faith in the Bible is believing that God will do what he's promised to do and acting accordingly, think about job. He got three major flaming arrows in the course of a single day. He lost his children in a freak windstorm and he lost all of his livestock. He even lost his health, but it didn't move job. Job worshiped God. He said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord".
How did he respond that way? He didn't feel like he was victorious, but he worshiped like he was. The key is in job 42, verse 2, job said, "I know God, you can do anything and nobody can thwart your purpose". Job was saying, "I have faith in you, God. Even though I don't understand what you're doing, I trust that you have a plan you're working out in my life". That's the kind of faith that extinguishes the attacks of satan. Fifth, he says, "Take on the helmet of salvation".
We all know what a helmet is. In Paul's day, the helmet protected the head against the Roman broadsword, those big longswords that they would flail while they were on a horseback. The helmet was essential for protecting your brain. He talks about the helmet of salvation. Why does he mention salvation? Weren't these Ephesians already saved? How could they put on something they already had? Remember, salvation has three tenses to it, past, present, and future. When I trust in Christ as Savior, I was saved from the penalty of sin. One day in the future, I'll be saved from the presence of sin, but right now, as Christians, we are saved from the power of sin. The helmet of salvation is the reminder that sin has no more power over our life than we choose to allow it to have. Satan would love to make us think we're still his prisoners.
Paul said, "Put on that helmet, that reminder of salvation, then you have everything you need to defeat the attacks of the evil one". And then finally, the one offensive weapon that he mentions, "And take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God". The sword here is not the Roman longsword, it's the macara a dagger-like that a soldier would use in hand-to-hand combat. And the idea of the Roman dagger is that you have to be up close to the enemy and you have to use it skillfully. You have to know exactly where to strike for it to do its work. The Bible says we as Christians have a macara, a sword of the spirit, it's called the Word of God. The Bible will help us defeat satan's attacks against us.
You see that so clearly in Matthew four. Remember, Jesus was in the wilderness, tempted by satan for 40 days, and satan came with three temptations, to put his physical need over his spiritual needs, to try to have a kingdom without a cross and go immediately to the crown, to put God to the test, to make him prove himself. How did Jesus respond to each of those attacks? Not by bopping satan over the head with a Bible. No, he quoted precise scripture. All three times, he quoted from the same book of the Old Testament, the book of Deuteronomy. He knew exactly the verse to use in Deuteronomy.
My old professor Howard Hendricks used to say to us, "Men, if your spiritual survival depended on how well you knew the book of Deuteronomy, how successful would you be? Maybe that's why you're not being successful," he said. Now, what is the power of the Word of God? I studied this for years without getting this point. The power of the Word of God is not what it does to satan. We had this idea that if we'll just say the right scripture verse, satan will run away covering his little demon ears saying, "Oh no, the Word of God, I can't stand it"!
Satan's not afraid of the Word of God. He knows the Word of God. He quoted it back to Jesus, twisted it a little bit, but he knows the Word of God. He's not afraid of the Word of God. The power of the Word of God is not what it does to satan, it's what it does for us. God's word cuts through that fog of deception that satan sends to our life and allows us to see clearly what the truth is. And that's why David said in Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against God". If you don't hear another word, if you don't remember anything I said today, remember this, whether you know it or not, God has provided to each one of us the spiritual weapons we need to resist the devil, and against those spiritual weapons, satan doesn't have a prayer.