The Believer's Warfare, Part 1 B

You know when you're vulnerable. When you think you're not what you say I love all the information I've mastered the book of Ephesians. I've even memorized it.

I have all the doctrinal data.

I will write the principles for when you think you can handle Satan. I am glad I got all the necessary business. When you think you can do it have to be a Christian. Evil is present all the time. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Temptation isn't far away, you can show up on the job when you're driving when you're reading when you're watching TV even when you're sitting in the pew on Sunday defending yourself against spiritual attack means putting on what the Bible calls the armor of God and once you have it on never taking it off.

So exactly how you do that how you put on this amazing armor and is the armor hundred percent effective. Consider that today as John MacArthur continues his study on grace to you called the believers armor. John is helping you learn how to defend yourself against Satan's attack effectively, decisively and biblically sought out with today's look at Ephesians chapter 6 here's John we come to a brief kind of introduction the look at the first section, verses 10 through 13, let me read it to finally my brother, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand in first Corinthians. I want you to notice the word of Paul in chapter 10 and verse 12 it says this wherefore let him that think if he stands take heed lest he fall. You know when you're vulnerable. When you think you're not. When you think I'm the information I've mastered the book of Ephesians. I'd even memorized it. I have all the doctrinal data. I will write. I know what to do. I've got the principles for when you think you can handle. Satan I could handle at. I've got all the necessary equipment. The point is this.

When you think you can do it. You can't but on the other hand, when you depend upon God. There is nothing Satan can do to you that needs to cause you to lose the victory.

Look at verse 13. On the other hand, there is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful.

Now notice this whole thing is dependent on the character of God, not just his power but his faithfulness to make that power available. God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above that ye are able, God will never allow Satan any foothold in the life of a believer that is more than that believer can deal with right but will with the temptation also make the way to escape, that you may be able to direct there will never be a time in this warfare when you need to lose. There will never be a time when you cannot overcome in Christ, if you depend on him. In fact, the resources going to be most available to you when you're the weakest in first and second with the install nine Paul says when I am weak, then I'm strong.

His strength is made perfect in my weakness as long as you think you can handle it. You can't when you know you can't depend on him he can't was if your guard on duty. Let's say you're regarding your looking for the approach of an enemy army. All of a sudden the enemy army approach is your forte what you do your run down from the parapet where you been watching and run out there with your little gun and start fighting in not if you're smart, you don't guards don't go and fight the war. They tell the commander and the sooner you learn that the Christian life, the better off when Satan attacks don't fight it, report to the commander as David said to the Philistines. The battle is the Lord's. The battle is the Lord's letter finally knows what he's doing but him be the one who fights the battle so we simply need to face the reality that the power is there. Ephesians 610 tells us we can be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

There's no reason for feeling defeated, there's no reason to think that a believer is so inundated by Satan that he can't get out of it. There's no bondage so great that there's not a way to escape. If he takes the resources available and they are one confidence in the power of God putting on the armor is the other and that must be done as well. So the preparation, the Holy Spirit said to Jehoshaphat one time the battle is not yours.

It's God's will. What a great thing to know because I would want to get into this warfare, which is some I can even see something spiritual, something far beyond me.

I would want to get into that and fight without even being able to see the enemy or know how he operated.

I'm so glad the battle belongs to the Lord and when the temptation comes, Satan sends his confusions. Then I report to the commander-in-chief. I asked him to purge my life and make me as righteous a vessel as can be.

And in that righteousness. I stand fearless protected by him.

From there we moved to the armor because that is the second way we have to deal with the enemy. Verse 11 put on the whole armor of God will stop right there when I get into that in detail, but a believer needs to have the armor. It doesn't do a bitter good unless you put the armor on, you can have people sitting around you calling demons out of you till are blue in the face and will do any good, until he armor is on and if the armor is on you don't yell at people doing it because the dependence upon God's power and obedience to put on the available armor is only resource the believer needs. That's the only way that the Bible never deals with this problem in terms of the individual. The phrase put on by the way is interesting because in the original image put on once and for all. This is it like game uniforms, you know where you just put it on on Saturday when it's game time.

You put the armor on once and leave it on the rest of your life, you never lay your armor down until you meet the Lord. You put your armor on. Keep it on and if you don't have it on you become vulnerable at any point. So Paul probably chained to a Roman soldier as he wrote this sees the whole of the Roman soldier's uniform and all the armor that went with it is a perfect illustration of how the believer is to be prepared to fight the enemy. Verse 14 he speaks of this armor, loins are girt about with truthfulness, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

This is the basic necessity for the believer depend on the Lord and put the armor on, and leave it on, and that's why I'm saying people know we are so gullible sometimes because we think that because we have facts were all right. We need to have the armor, your armor goes beyond the facts to the response of righteous living see that you want to win the Christian life. Get the armor on, get your life right because it's going to be a battle till the day you die and brings us thoroughly to the enemy. Verse 11 that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. In other words, we know we have the power of the Lord and his might. We put on the whole armor, we are ready obedient with our armor depending on divine power and are able to stand against the wiles of the devil always the believer is to stand because Satan will attack him.

You don't need to go find the devil you know I always worry about people who rush in the situation to start calling on demons and calling out demons and talking to demons because you're really delving into an area where you have no information you just hang around long enough they'll be there and you really don't need to get involved with them you deal with the power of God and you deal with the armor that you have in God through that will take care of the enemy you stand firm now were never told in the Bible to attack the devil either were just told to resist him and he will flee stand for Holger Grant and that's what he says here and who is the enemy easy to seek the death, the death people say there's no devil.

But I was just a Halloween costume on detailing little horns and all that pitchfork that's not what the Bible says. The Bible tells us there's a real devil, but this is nothing but Lucifer, the greatest Angel read Isaiah 14 Ezekiel 28 talks about this Angel the anointed cherub, the one who sparkled with all the jewels of heaven, the highest being, God ever made this anointed angelic being wanted to be like God and in the sin of pride, he was thrown out of heaven in Revelation 12 says like a great dragon he fell in with his tail. He swept 1/3 of the angels with so Lucifer this fallen Angel, the highest of the Angels leads a host of one third of all the angels got ever created, and there are literally millions of, and these then become the demonic enemy. This is the devil Jesus believed in him. He talked with him.

In Matthew four. He talked about them. In John 14 John 16 and elsewhere.

The apostles believed that if Paul talked about a Peter talked about in James talked about it. If you look at history, you know there's a devil. He tempted Eve in Genesis 3. Tempted Christ in Matthew four he preferred God's word in Matthew Forney oppose God's work in Zechariah 3 he hindered God's servant in first Thessalonians 2 and he hinders the gospel in second Corinthians 4 he snares the wicked in first Timothy three he desires the nations in Revelation 16 is an angel of light in second Corinthians 11. He fights with Michael and Jude. He brought sin into the world. In Genesis 3.

He now has the whole world lying in his lap and first John five he's been all through history. Yes, personal titles, the Bible calls them in Ezekiel 28 the anointed cherub in John 16. The prince of this world. In Ephesians 2, the prince of the power of the air in second Corinthians chapter 4 he's called the god of this age and in Luke 1115 the prince of demons, 52 times is called Satan, which means adversary, that is his most common title 35 times he's called Devil Diablo loss, which means slanderer is called the old serpent, the great Dragon, the roaring lion, the evil one.

Abbott Don, a polygon temperature accuser. The spirit now working in the sons of disobedience is described by our Lord in John 844 is a murderer and as a liar. He works overtly and covertly with flat out doctrines of devils and was seducing spirits. He is a sinner in first John 38. He is an imitator in second Corinthians 1113 to 15. He is some formidable enemy, Lucifer fallen from heaven, the ruler of a vast host of demon beings who have been around for centuries and thousands of years since first they fell in first. They were created they been here a long time. They are wily. They are clever they are subtle, they are cunning. They are invisible. They are superhuman and they are our enemy and it says in verse 11 that they operate on the basis of the wiles of the devil Methodius methods and the word is used in Ephesians 414 and translated cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive us about what like children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, the emphasis is that the wiles of the devil are lies. Doctrine false religion false teaching is a liar and the father of it. He is a deceiver's test. This whole system deceive subtly supernaturally cleverly powerfully he has deceived mankind the world over with false religious systems.

It's incredible how sophisticated they come. Can you believe that in the Old Testament Satan deceived Israel into worshiping idols and turning their back on the true God. Can you remember that in the New Testament.

Satan deceived Israel in the murdering their own Messiah.

Would you believe that in the future he will deceive Israel into thinking the Antichrist is Christ he is a deceiver. He is subtle is area is lies, heresies, and false doctrine. He will lie about everything, whether simple or sophisticated and if I sometimes get upset about false doctrines and false cults and false teaching. The reason is because I believe all that stuff. Whether it's a denial of the truth of the word of God, or whether it's Zoroastrianism, whether it's the new liberation that denies God's order for the family, whether it's homosexuality, the new morality, whether it's the Colson-isms and Shiism's and spasms and the rest of that stuff, or whether it's old-line religions of the world. If I get excited about.

That is because those things should be blasted with a fierceness equal to their hellish origins because they are from Satan. They are the wiles of the devil and he is clever he moves into the world and prevents the word from reaching the hearts of men. He snatches the word locate says he twists and perverts if he has men stand in pulpits who deny the authority of Scripture deny the deity of Christ denies salvation by grace deny the second coming denied judgment denies sin deny everything he teaches a lifestyle that dams he involves himself in politics and governments and nations as well as individual lives to Christians he comes and creates doubt in their minds as we did do even did throughout the history of God's people. He creates persecutions against them.

He hinders their service. He infiltrates the church with his tears he tempts us to self-reliance, to doubt, to lies to immorality to worldliness to pride to discouragement and on and on and on.

This is subtle really so people might think the longer your Christian and the more mature you become, the easier it gets no because the more you know the more subtle the temptations become so this is this is a formidable enemy, but is just the devil. Look at verse 12 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Keep in mind people. Our enemy is not the system. The world as we see you know they may persecute and someday they may do to us what they did to Jesus. John John 15, so don't be surprised if they persecute you and kill you and hate you, they hated me they persecuted me, they killed me. You wouldn't expect them to treat the servants any different than they treated their Lord. So don't be surprised. But the real enemy is not flesh and blood. The real weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but principalities and powers rulers of the darkness of this world. Spiritual wickedness in the heavenly those are all terms to describe demons is a demon Empire that is the real enemy, and we wrestle in the word wrestle is not talking about a simple athletic game in the Roman times when the wrestlers went into the ring to wrestle the idea was to get to hands around the neck of the man in the stranglehold and press not only his shoulders but his head to the ground and if his head was on the ground for a certain time he died, if only his shoulders touched and you didn't get his head down. He lived to fight again and Satan wrestles with us through his demons and we with them and it is a life and death matter. They read the Bible. They know the way it started to come out they know there's a bottomless pit. They knows that they know they know there's an eternal place created for them and they will do everything they can to get a stranglehold on the things of God to change that. And so it is a warfare on a level on human and it is anything but a sport. In fact, humans are just duped into a supernatural war there just duped the fight Satan's costs and so our enemy is a subtle enemy. You know, whenever I begin to think about how clever he is and then you see people you know who want to delve into this demon stuff boy you don't know what you're getting into.

You can handle John Weldon a friend of mine was done so much research on the cults is probably the most prolific cult researcher around today sent me a report and in it he discusses something of this issue and this is what he says God did not make us in such a way that we can function either safely or effectively in a demon environment, even if it's neutral, which it clearly is. Who knows what demons can do in their own environment and what interrelationships exist, or can be manufactured between their world and ours. We weren't made to fly around in astral room granted the existence of the demonic one is playing in astral pigpen filled with evil and hostility. We were not made with the intellectual capacities to separate the good from the evil, the true from the false. In the coat room, for example, the prophet Daniel was a brilliant and godly young man. However, even he had to be given additional wisdom from God in a special way to be able to have discernment in all cult matters. Thus, involvement in such will always produce faulty conclusions because man as a fallen creature does not have the necessary equipment or ability to sort out demonic matters is right.

Report to the commander is all you need to do get the armor don't miss with the dominion but you can't even comprehend and so this is a look at the enemy, for whom we need the armor for whom we need the preparation and to understand the battle is important, people listen to be easy for you to live the Christian life isn't easy for me but I'll tell you one thing.

The only things that matter in life. The only things it tastes sweet in life are the things you work hard to get right the things where you see real victory.

The greatest joy day today is to know that I've overcome Satan listen. Satan is around his demons are all over the place. They know me, I told you about that. I walked in a room one time where a person was. Full of demons, and the demon started screaming at me get them out here. They know who I am. They know me but you know some that's the only time I ever got in the conversation without even fool you know why because the Bible doesn't tell me to do that. I don't know what they're doing on what kind of games they play. That's a domain I don't get it. I don't talk with them.

I don't pay any attention to. I just get my armor on.

I report to the commander and God is continue to bless the ministry here and we have paid any attention to that lesson they know were here, but I don't care how many of them attacked me thousand 10,000 hundred thousand million. I guess they all gang up on care.

Satan stands against me himself.

You know something greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world and I have a resource in Christ to deal with that domain. Listen, I'm convinced that they would try to stop what God is doing here but they cannot succeed they cannot succeed as long as we face to put the strength where belongs in God's ability to know we have no strength in our own and to keep the armor on to live a righteous life. I don't care what all hail the masses against us.

It is important even if we had but a little strength, as the church in Philadelphia and so the story ends with victory verse 13 from the preparation to the armor to the enemy to the battle to the victory wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stay what I love. There is, you may be able to stand you can stand there is victory if the armor is on the confidences in the Lord, don't get caught with your armor off sale one is the evil day 101 evil day is today. Yesterday tomorrow any day evil day is the day when evil rains in the world and that's as long as Satan is the prince of the power of the year report to the commander victory.

Jurors resist the devil, he will flee from you. The hymn writer said Amaya soldier of the cross, but that was the wrong question. Yes, we are all soldiers of the cross. The question is, soldier in my joy when do I lose the reason know anything but victory and with victory comes joy, happiness and contentment and peace.

That's the way God intended. That's what he wants it for you, but spring oh God, may we be dependent on your strengths.

Wearing the armor, knowing it's a warfare, but knowing that even though warfare is joyous because victory is our every day, every moment as we count on you. May we know that the enemy can do nothing to us as long as our strength is in you are armor is on helpless to see what this means practical and to be equipped for the battle we been in all along but maybe getting even hotter now in these days in which we live as we approach the coming of Christ. Christ you been listening to John MacArthur, Pastor Gensler of the Masters University in seminary and the Bible teacher here on grace to you. John's current study from Ephesians chapter 6 is titled the believers armor. It's a series that showing you how to stand strong against Satan's attacks.

John today you painted a vivid picture of just how real the battle is and how clever Satan is in his attempts to attack us and derail us.

We are up against a formidable enemy, but what you said that caught my year and it's encouraging is that Satan will flee if you know what to do if you resist him, so talk about that gala. But the Bible can be more explicit. Resist the devil, he will flee from you. So the question is how do you resist it. Look, if you just take that one statement. Resist the devil, he will flee from you. The immediate question should be okay. How do I resist right yelling. I want the devil to flee Luther through an ink pot item. Yeah, I don't think that was very effective but so if if the Bible says, resist the devil, he will flee from you.

I want to know how to resist the devil and the answer to that is the believers armor. That's how you resist the devil you you are armed to resist.

And that's what we're learning in this incredibly foundational and essential series on the believers armor and I just remind you that we have produced a study guide that goes with this lengthy series. If you don't have a copy of the believers armor study guide's reasonably priced.

It's a 200 page paperback book that goes along with every day's radio broadcast, so your following an outline and it's consistent with what you're hearing it will enrich your learning experience that we used to do this, way back in the 80s and were re-launching the study guides. We would love to get you started in using them because they really intensify your learning experience. You could of course know you can order one from Grace to you. Yes you can, and friend the armor, God provides is foundational to living a life that glorifies our Lord overcome sin and fights off discouragement. So I encourage you to get this study guide and take a deep look at each piece of the armor and find out how that can equip you to deal with any spiritual attack to pick up our new believers armor study guide.

Contact us today. You can place your order@ourwebsitetty.org or call us at 855 grace the believers armor study guide costs $11 and shipping is free is a great resource for personal devotions and group studies again to get a copy for yourself or for a friend call 855 grace or go to TTY.also if you're benefiting from these lessons. No, that's what's happening across the globe. People are growing spiritually because men and women like you support us financially are able to reach Pastor Sunday school teachers, business people stay at home moms college students and many others. You help make that ministry possible. When you give to make a tax-deductible donation. Write to us at Grace to you.

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Thanks for making this broadcast part of your day be here tomorrow when John looks at how you can stand strong, even against the worst of Satan's attacks. Join us for the next 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time. Grace to you