“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13
Paul is instructing believers to put on the whole armor of God so that we might walk in the joy and liberty as children of God, and be useful in the kingdom as we engage the dark forces.
1. “Finally” (give attention to this, be on high level alert because the following information holds all the preceding truth together)
2. “Be strong in the Lord” (self reliance in our walk with the Lord is deadly)
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Colossians 1:9-12
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
3. “Put on” (intentionality)
“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12
“And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:10
“Stand firm” (This is used four times in this passage)
4. Stand in His strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
Stand up for Jesus, 3rd stanza
5. Understand the devil’s “schemes”
“One must face the fact that all the talk about his love for men, and his service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of himself-... We want cattle who can finally become food; he wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, he wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; he is full and flows over.” C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, Letter Eight
6. “Wrestle”
7. The enemy: “rulers, authority, cosmic powers over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”
8 “Evil day”
“The apostle is not only speaking of this present time between the two comings of Jesus, but it’s also alerting believers to the dangers of the devil’s schemes on critical occasions in this present evil age. There may appear to be times of reprieve for Christians, but they must hold, they must not be lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that the battle is over or that it is not especially difficult. They must always be prepared and put on the full armor of God, for the devil will attack them when least expected.” Peter O’Brien, Ephesians, Pillar Commentary, pg. 471- 472
APPLICATIONS:
1. Why is the whole armor of God necessary in addressing: the destruction of the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles (finding our identity primarily in the glory of the cross and not our ethnicity), putting away falsehood and speaking the truth in love, not giving in to coarse living or jesting but rather being known as people of thanksgiving (worship), putting away idols because the wrath of God is coming, carefully living from day to day, relationally embracing our roles as husbands, wives, children, employees…?
2. What does this statement mean, “Lord, help me begin to begin”? (George Whitefield)
3. Why is self-reliance deadly in our walk with Christ? Are the devil’s schemes exhaustively listed in the Bible? When does the “evil day” come?
4. What do we mean when we say that the devil’s schemes are constantly repeated or of incalculable variety? Where are you most likely to be attacked by the devil schemes?
“When we turn back to Colossians 2:8, we see that Paul believes all non-Christian philosophies and false teaching that divert people’s focus away from the sufficiency of Jesus Christ are 'according to' or 'based upon' these 'elemental spirits of the world.' There is undeniably, then, a demonic component behind all anit-Christian, cultic, worldly philosophies that deny the truth of the gospel of God as revealed in the person and work of Christ. Thus, when we encounter such false teaching, such deceptive doctrine, we must treat it as far more insidious and dangerous than merely another harmless worldview or perspective on the nature of God and reality. All such belief systems are, as Paul elsewhere says, doctrines or 'teachings of demons' (1 Tim. 4:1).” Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Warfare, pg. 135
Bonus: Listen to “Completely Known, Completely Loved” by Boswell and Papa