067 Ephesians 6:10-20 - Living in Victory - a podcast by Dr David Petts - Pentecostal preacher, former AoG Bible College Principal

Ephesians 6:10-20

 

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12 For 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.

13 Therefore put on the full armour 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.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And 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.

19 Pray 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,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

Secrets of Victory

• Know your enemy
• Know the battlefield
• Know that ultimate victory is guaranteed

 

Know your enemy

11 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes

12 For 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.

 

Our enemy is:

Spiritual…    Not against flesh and blood

Evil…   The spiritual forces of evil...

Numerous…   Rulers.  Authorities.  Powers

Cunning…   The devil’s schemes

Organised…   Schemes Gk methodeias

Deadly (flaming missiles - v 16)

 

 

Know the battlefield

12 For 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.

 

The battlefield is what Paul calls the heavenly realms     (Literally: ‘the heavenlies’)

What does this mean?

 

A  The heavenly realms are not heaven

12 For 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.

 

B  We have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing

Ephesians 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

 

C  Christ is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms

Ephesians 1

20 …he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

 

D  We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms

Ephesians 2

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

 

E  It is God’s intention to use his church to demonstrate his wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms

Ephesians 3:10

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms

 

 

 

 

 

Know that victory is guaranteed

Our assurance of ultimate victory is rooted in Jesus’ relation to the enemy - ‘rulers and authorities’

 

A  He is already far above them Ephesians 1:21

He is…

far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come

 

B  They are already in submission to him 1 Peter 3:21-22

Jesus Christ…has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand – with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him

 

C  He is already Head over them                           Colossians 2:10

You have been given fulness in Christ who is the Head over every power and authority

 

So Jesus is seated at God’s right hand, with the enemy under his feet

Why?

Firstly, because he created them                Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

 

Finally, because  he conquered them at Calvary Colossians 2:15

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross

 

Colossians 2:15

In using the word triumph Paul was deliberately calling to the mind of his readers the picture of a great military victory. In the Roman world a triumph was rather like a modern military decoration which someone is awarded either for bravery or for great achievements on the battlefield. To help understand this further, let us imagine that Caesar, the Roman Emperor, has learned that in a certain distant corner of the empire one of the tribes has rebelled against his authority. So he calls his most senior general and gives him instructions to take a legion of soldiers in order to suppress the rebellion. Accordingly the general goes and conquers the rebellious tribe, taking many prisoners and begins to lead them back to Rome.

Before reaching Rome, however, he sends a herald in advance to inform the emperor of his victory. On hearing the news, the emperor decides to award the general a triumph. He proclaims a public holiday so that all the citizens of Rome can welcome the general on his return. Then, on the appointed day, the people line the streets of the city awaiting the return of the general. As he arrives in his chariot at the head of his legion, the people cheer and applaud, they almost worship the general because of his great victory.

But behind the general and his legion come the captives. They have been stripped of their weapons. Their hands are tied, their feet are shackled. They are totally subjugated and are forced to walk with head bowed low beneath a symbolic ‘yoke’ created for this purpose. They have truly become a public spectacle. This is the picture that Paul calls to mind when he tells us that by the cross Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities and triumphed over them making a public spectacle of them. As citizens of heaven we have nothing to fear from such an enemy. Rather, we stand back in awe and marvel at the mighty victory our general has won for us, and we worship him

 

So ultimate victory is guaranteed. But what about now?

That will be the subject of our final talk.

 

 

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