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Fighting from Our Knees

August 25, 2019

Scripture: Ephesians 6:17-20

I. You need the armor of the helmet of salvation for fighting Satan.

A. This instruction from Paul for Christians comes in Ephesians 6:17: “take the helmet of salvation.” Our salvation from God’s judgment, which is symbolized by this helmet, is not earned by our own hard work and effort (see Ephesians 2:8-9). The fact that salvation from God’s judgment is a gift of God is also brought out in Isaiah 59:17: “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”

B. Who is the original owner of the helmet of salvation? God. And who then gives us in the church this helmet to wear in battle? God does. This helmet, this salvation, is a gift from God. When did our salvation from God’s judgment take place? If you look again at Ephesians 2:8 you read, “For by grace you HAVE BEEN saved.” Our salvation then took place in the past when we put our faith in Christ. As long as your faith is in Jesus and not in yourself, you can have complete confidence that you will be saved. And if you are confident that in the end you will be saved by God, that helmet of salvation will give you great confidence as you fight Satan.

II. You need the sword of the Spirit for fighting Satan.

A. This is the second command of Eph. 6:17: “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” How powerful is the Bible in our fight against Satan? Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Bible has the power to slice up the human spirit like a hot knife through butter.

B. And the Bible has the same slicing power against your spiritual enemy the devil. We see that power at work against Satan in 1 John 2:14: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” We overcome the evil one as the word of God, the Bible, abides in us. Jesus has given you this weapon of His Word that He has used in battle (Isaiah 11:4). Now you need to use it as well.

III. You need praying in the Spirit for fighting Satan.

A. The importance of prayer for the battle against Satan is mentioned in vs. 18: praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. This verse teaches us that the Christian soldier fights from a strange position. We fight from our knees. We are dependent on Almighty God for victory in this battle. We need to pray at all times in the Spirit. What does it mean to pray in the Holy Spirit? It means to pray for what the Holy Spirit wants and wills rather than for what we want and will. Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” If your heart delights in God more and more, more and more you are going to pray for the things that God wants and God wills. And guess what? God will start to answer more and more of your prayers when you pray for what He wants. One of the things that God wants is that proclaim the Gospel with boldness and clarity (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Application:
Pray in the Spirit at all times for all the saints so that God’s will might be fulfilled. 

Sources:
The letter to the Ephesians
Commentaries on Ephesians by Peter O’Brien, Bryan Chapell, Richard Coekin and R. Kent Hughes