Ephesians 6:10 (8/9/27)

Well, it is good to be back with you again. It's

been about three years since I was here last

so Number of faces have changed some of some

of them are familiar some of them are new but

it's good to be with you all again and to have

the opportunity to come and Bring God's Word

as I said to Ken earlier. I think it's the If

my list is complete, I think it's the 50th time

I've preached here since 1998, so it was much

more frequent earlier on, but it is always good

to come back and see what God is doing here in

Annapolis among you all. So our text this morning

is from Ephesians chapter 6. I'm going to read

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

the passage from verse 10 through verse 20. It's

a familiar passage to many of you, I'm sure.

Our text for the sermon is only going to be verse

10. We're not going to try and deal with the

whole passage, but want to read it all to give

us the context that verse 10 introduces. So here

now the word of the Lord. Finally, my brethren,

be strong in the Lord and in the power of his

might. Put on the whole armor of God that you

may be able to stand against the wiles of the

devil For we do not wrestle against flesh and

blood but against principalities Against powers

against the rulers of the darkness of this age

against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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 Stand therefore,

having girded your waist with truth, having put

on the breastplate of righteousness, and having

shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel

of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith

with which you will be able to quench all the

fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet

of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which

is the Word of God. Praying always with all prayer

and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful

to this end with all perseverance and supplication

for all the saints and for me that utterance

may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly

to make known the mystery of the gospel for which

I am an ambassador in chains that in it I may

speak boldly as I ought to speak father bless

your word as we study it together today cause

it to take root deeply in our hearts and to strengthen

us that we might serve you and glorify you in

all that we do we ask this in Jesus name amen

so I've always appreciated the writings of the

Puritans their perspective on the Christian life

their focus on doctrine and practice dedicated

to the glory of God. One of the Puritan classics

is a little book just under 1 ,200 pages long

by William Gernal called The Christian in Complete

Armor. Grinnell devoted this book to the exposition

and application of the passage that we just read,

Ephesians 6, 10 through 20. Spurgeon said about

that book that he called it the best thought

breeder in all our library. It was a source of

inspiration and thoughts that encouraged him

in his preaching. and gave him much to work with.

In typical Puritan fashion, if you're familiar

with Puritan books, they never have a title like

The Christian Incomplete Armor without having

a subtitle that essentially provides an outline

of the contents of the whole book. So this is

the subtitle for for the Christian incomplete

armor a treatise of the Saints war against the

devil wherein a discovery is made of that grand

enemy of God and his people in his policies power

seat of Empire wickedness and chief design he

hath against the Saints a magazine opened a Mac

not a magazine like this but a magazine like

an arsenal kind of magazine, a magazine opened

from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual

arms for the battle, helped on with his armor

and taught the use of his weapon together with

the happy issue of the whole war. That's the

subtitle. Now we're not going to cover all of

that because it took him 1200 pages to do it

and I preached a version of this sermon Many

years ago is the introduction to a series on

that passage. I think it was, you know, 36 years

ago or something like that. It was around 1990.

Can't remember exactly. In it, I depended a lot

on Gernel for much of the structure and content

of the series, though I didn't quote from him

frequently, because most people these days have

difficulty with Puritan style and vocabulary.

So, I sifted and synthesized and adapted, but

most of the essential ideas come from Gernel

in one way or another. I'm in his debt for that

and I cheerfully acknowledge that debt and consider

it a reminder that we modern day Christians have

not sprung up into maturity as the Church of

Jesus Christ by ourselves. But we've built on

the labors of faithful ministers of the Word

throughout the history of the Church. So while

a lot of the essential ideas and some of the

structure comes from Gernel, I have updated his

vocabulary and shortened his sentences a lot

since reading that. Our text this morning is

the first verse in the passage. Finally, be strong

in the Lord and the power of His might. From

this encouraging introduction to the Christian

spiritual warfare come four propositions that

I want us to consider this morning. First of

all, you need courage and resolution to live

as a Christian. Number two, your strength is

in the Lord. Number three, you must labor to

strengthen your faith based on the mighty power

of God and number four you must sincerely believe

that God's power is at work for your defense

and help so let's examine each of these propositions

this morning as they apply to our lives first

all you need courage resolution, resolve, determination,

whatever you want to call it, to live as a Christian.

The differences between Christianity and its

imitations are sometimes missed today. Christianity

involves a total transformation of the person.

It's not a mere profession. Not empty words not

simply a set of rituals It's a new creation in

Christ Jesus Jesus said you must be born again

The Christian life begins with God giving you

a new heart so that you may believe the promises

in his word and be justified by faith through

the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior Your old

man was crucified with him that the body of sin

might be done away with so that you should no

longer be slaves to sin. You now present yourselves

to God as being alive from the dead and your

members as instruments of righteousness, Paul

says in Romans 6. Before you offered yourself

in service to sin. Now you offer yourself as

a living sacrifice to God, says Paul in Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12. It takes courage and determination

to live like that, to live as a Christian in

a world filled with enemies. As Matthew Henry

observed, is not our life a warfare? It is so.

for we struggle with the common calamities of

human life is not our religion much more a warfare

it is so for we struggle with the opposition

of the powers of darkness and with many enemies

who would keep us from God and heaven we have

enemies to fight against a captain to fight for

a banner to fight under and certain rules of

war by which we are to govern ourselves. Fighting

against yourself, your old self, and the spiritual

forces of wickedness is hard work. Old habits

die hard. Just when you think you've finished

them off, they revive to ensnare you again. You're

working diligently to control your tongue, and

you're making progress with the Spirit's help,

but just when you least expect it someone says

something that sets you off and you blast away

at them or you've made great progress in controlling

your thought life when seemingly from nowhere

evil imaginations flood your mind you're tempted

to give up the fight but you cannot for the new

life within you will not die You must have courage

and determination to return to Christ for forgiveness

and new strength to press on in the battle. You

must have courage and determination to live as

a Christian because that means being different

from the world. Being set apart for Christ. You

are not your own. You've been bought with the

price with the precious blood of Jesus Christ

says Peter in 1st Peter 1. You cannot live as

the rest of the world lives, for you are in the

world but not of it. Your citizenship is in heaven

and you serve a different kingdom. For some,

your old friends may mock your new lifestyle

or seek to draw you back into your old ways,

but by the grace of God you must not turn back.

For no one who puts his hand to the plow and

looks back is fit for service. in the kingdom

of God said Jesus in Luke chapter 9 verse 62

Luke 9:62

to have this kind of courage and determination

you must know for whom and for what you fight

unless you truly know Christ in a living and

powerful way you you can't have the strength

necessary unless you grasp the glory and the

righteousness of God the majesty of his kingdom

you will not have the kind of courage you need

Your aim must be to serve Christ and him alone

with the courage and determination of an Abraham

Heading up the mountain prepared to sacrifice

his only son to the glory of God To Christ you

must go for courage to live as a Christian for

you can do all things through Christ who strengthens

you but apart from him you can do nothing this

brings us to our second proposition your strength

is in the Lord the truth of this proposition

is revealed clearly in God's work of creation

and redemption in God We live and move and have

our being. In Christ all things hold together.

Should he withdraw his provision of sun or rain,

we would all perish. Should he alter his normal

controls of the forces of nature, everything

would fly apart. Without his providential care,

we could not even exist. In God's program of

redemption, He creates us anew by His Spirit

because Christ has purchased us for Himself.

Once He has given this life to us, He must sustain

it within us. We are no more able to keep ourselves

alive spiritually than we are physically. We

cannot live the Christian life on our own. Jesus

says in John 15, 5, I am the vine, you are the

branches. He who abides in me, and I in him,

bears much fruit. For without me, you can do

nothing. Our spiritual nature needs spiritual

strength, which can only come from the Lord.

It's not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,

says the Lord. I mean Zechariah chapter 4 verse

Zechariah 4:6

6. The weakness of the saints in the face of

indwelling sin and Satan's assaults underlines

the fact that our strength must come from the

Lord. Paul says in Romans chapter 7 verses 18

Romans 7:18–25

through 25, For I know that in me, that is, in

my flesh nothing good dwells. For to will is

present with me. But how to perform what is good,

I do not find. For the good that I will to do,

I do not do. But the evil I will not to do, that

I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do,

it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells

in me. I find then a law that evil is present

with me, the one who wills to do good. For I

delight in the law of God according to the inward

man. But I see another law in my members, warring

against the law of my mind and bringing me into

captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me

from this body of death? I thank God through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul was a believer. Paul

was an apostle. But even he could not depend

on his own strength to deliver him Our hope is

in the name of the Lord God has not made you

self -sufficient and Left you alone to live out

the life. He gave you But he taught you to pray

give us this day our daily bread He's determined

to meet our daily needs by personally supplying

them as we come near to him and seek him in prayer

God has chosen to make us dependent on his strength

That he may demonstrate his love by his personal

care for us and by making us dependent on A strength

that is clearly not our own He's revealed his

power and brought glory to himself You cannot

say, God made me a Christian, but I've made myself

strong. You must depend on him for power even

to will and to act according to his good purpose.

As Paul says in Philippians 2 .13. It is he who

began this good work in you that must carry it

on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1 .6. So if then you must have courage

and determination to live as a Christian and

your strength is in the Lord Then you must labor

to strengthen your faith based on the mighty

power of God You can't strengthen your faith

by force of will You know, it's not like you

need to go back in a corner somewhere and sit

and clench your teeth and tighten up your muscles

and say I will, I will, I will, I will, I will

have more faith. It's not the way it works. Faith

is a gift of God and can only be strengthened

by the means he's chosen to use to increase your

faith. When Paul says be strong in the Lord and

in the power of his might, He's pointing us to

God's almighty power as the basis for greater

faith. It's as if he were saying, remember the

mighty displays of God's power that you've heard

about in the Word. Remember creation. Remember

the flood. Remember the ten plagues and the Red

Sea. Remember the walls of Jericho and the sun

standing still over Gibeon. Remember David and

Goliath. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Remember Daniel in the lion's den. Remember the

incarnation. Remember the Gadarene demoniac set

free. Remember the raising of Lazarus. Remember

the empty tomb. And remember the testimonies.

Who is this king of glory? The Lord. Strong.

Mighty Psalm 24 yet their Redeemer is strong

the Lord Almighty is his name Jeremiah 50 34

God has also given us the sacrament of the Lord's

Supper that will celebrate together shortly as

a means of increasing our strength as we feed

upon our Lord Jesus Christ through faith and

Remember the grace given to us in his death resurrection.

It's no easy task to strengthen your faith when

you're confronted with temptation, yet this is

when it's most necessary. It's then that you

need the assurance that the almighty power of

God is able to deliver you from any foe, whether

within or without. It's then that you must lean

upon the mighty power of God to give new vitality

To your faith and bring the victory over temptation

Then you must lay hold of the exceeding greatness

of his power toward us who believe according

to the working of his mighty power which he worked

in Christ when he raised him from the dead and

Seated him at his right hand in the heavenly

places far above all principality power and might

and dominion and every name that is named not

only in this age but also in that which is to

come Ephesians 1 19 to 21 Paul makes this point

and as Paul prayed for the Ephesian Church that

he would grant you according to the riches of

his glory to be strengthened with might through

his spirit in the inner man so we pray for ourselves,

for the church today. If we lose sight of his

power, defeat may seem inevitable and surrender

desirable. But if our hearts are certain of his

almighty power to dispel all his and our enemies,

we will press the battle against the enemy. Finally,

Fourth point, you must sincerely believe that

God's power is at work for your defense and your

help. You are kept by the power of God unto salvation.

You are God's child if you are in Christ. Will

your heavenly father allow his child to be destroyed

by sin and Satan? God has loved you with an everlasting

love so much so that He sent His Son to die in

your place. Will He not now love you enough to

exert His mighty power on your behalf? God's

covenant promise declares that He will be your

God and will deliver you. Will He now violate

His own covenant promises by failing? to demonstrate

His power on your behalf. Christ now intercedes

for you in heaven, seated at the right hand of

the Father as your great high priest. Will the

Father no longer listen to the prayers of His

beloved Son? If God be for us, Paul says in Romans

8 .31, who can be against us? Can you say with

Paul, for I am persuaded? that neither death

nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers

nor things present nor things to come nor height

nor depth nor any other created thing shall be

able to separate us from the love of God which

is in Christ Jesus our Lord God's power is at

work for your defense and help You must believe

it and act upon it. You must not say you believe

in God's power and then give up the fight and

surrender to Satan and sin. You must, as the

gospel song says, trust and obey. For there's

no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust

and obey. If you doubt God's power or willingness,

you will not trust and obey. And when you stop

trusting, you lose your comfort in Christ. Brothers

and sisters, we must lean on God's almighty power

to deliver us from our sins even when our conscience

troubles us about the magnitude of our sins.

You must lean on God's almighty power when you're

struggling to overcome indwelling sin and temptations.

You must lean on the almighty power of God when

you're struggling with duties that far exceed

your abilities to complete them. So this morning

the good news is our strength is in the Lord.

But what of those who are without Christ? If

we who are born of the Spirit are so in need

of His power, what of those who do not have the

Spirit of Christ? They have no strength, no power

to save themselves, no power to come to God on

their own, no power to defeat Satan. They need

Christ. Brothers and sisters, pray that God would

save those you know who are in this condition.

For apart from Christ, they're without hope.

My friend, if you're here today without Christ,

humble yourself. Cry out to Christ. to save you

finally my brothers be strong in the Lord and

in the power of his might remember that you need

courage and resolution to live as Christian remember

your strength is in the Lord remember you must

labor to strengthen your faith based on the mighty

power of God and remember that you must sincerely

believe that God's power is at work for your

defense and help. Psalmist says, God is our refuge

and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Our strength is in the Lord. Let's pray. Father,

give us grace. Give us grace to believe these

great and precious promises. Give us grace to

look to you when we feel weak, when we feel tempted,

when we feel despondent. Teach us to remember

that our strength is in the Lord. Teach us to

be strong in the Lord. and in the power of his

might. Enable us to do this by your Holy Spirit

as you dwell in us and empower us and as you

continue that good work that you've begun in

us until the day of Christ Jesus. We pray it

in his name. Amen.