EQUIPPED FOR BATTLE
LESSON 1 | THE BRIEFING
Ephesians 6:10 - 18
MAIN IDEA: GOD REQUIRES EVERY CHRISTIAN TO BE PROPERLY PREPARED FOR THE INEVITABLE ATTACKS
THAT WILL COME TO EACH OF US.
Introduction:
“Finally my brethren...” Like a bookend that holds up a set of books, Paul gives his last
admonition to the Ephesian church; Remember, a bookend keeps something standing up and in
order. This last set of instructions is designed to keep the doctrines that have been taught in
this book... standing tall and in order in the Christians life. Paul wants these Christians to live a
life of victory!
Paul is well aware that once he is gone, the false teachers he warned them about are going to
come swooping in and the enemy of the Christian, Satan himself, will do everything he can to
take the Christian down. 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
With that in mind, Paul opens this passage with a stern warning and a clear set of instructions:
I. PAUL BEGINS WITH A COMMAND FOR THE VULNERABLE CHRISTIAN,
Verse 10...
a. Eph. 6:10 “be strong” means “to empower”—enable, (increase in) strength, be (or make) strong.
b. That strength must not be something that the Christian tries to muster up from within himself. The
power it will take to stand against our arch enemy can only come from the Lord.
c. Turn to chapter 1:19, 20 – Paul is clear that this prayer was not for the Christian to become self-
sufficient and eventually become independent of God’s sustaining power. No, to the contrary, God
wants the Christian to operate and to function in His power alone!
d. When Christ was raised from the dead, he demonstrated and proved that he had gained the victory
over three enemies.
i. First, He gained victory over the grave. And as the Christian is in Christ, we too will one day
gain victory over the grave; 1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?
ii. Second, He gained victory over sin. It was our sin that Christ died for. It was our sin that He
nailed to the cross. It was our sin that sent Christ to the grave. But Christ rose victorious over
sin! Amen.
iii. Third, Christ gained victory over Satan. Satan hates the Christian. He once enjoyed the highest
position in heaven next to God Himself, but he fell to this sin cursed earth where he is the
avowed enemy of humanity. But when Christ rose from the grave, Christ demonstrated that
He had power over our greatest enemy.
e. It is this power... resurrection power... that Christ commands us to function with. It is the only
power that will properly equip us when fighting the enemy of our soul. We would do well then, to
give the best of our energies to attain it.
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II. PAUL THEN GIVES A SECOND COMMAND THAT ENABLES US TO ATTAIN THAT POWER,
Verse 11...
a. Like the first command, this one is not a suggestion nor is it just one of many ways that the
Christian can overcome the enemy. It is the only way!
b. It was an all-inclusive command. He wanted the Christian to face the enemy in their full battle gear.
c. The purpose was so the Christian could successfully face and even completely negate, annihilate,
neuter, disarm, counter and ward off the enemy’s attacks. Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
d. Notice our attack comes in the form of what God calls... the wiles of the devil.
i. The Greek word for "wiles" is methodeia, from which we get our word "method". It means :
1) properly, that which is traced out with "method;" 2) that which is "methodized;" and 3)
that which is well laid-art, still, cunning. The only other place in scripture where we find it is in
Eph. 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
in wait to deceive;
ii. Take the wording... “whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” That is Satan’s method. One of, if
not the most diabolical tool of Satan is deceit.
iii. Most people can see the danger of something if it comes at them visibly in its attack mode.
So, Satan patiently watches and waits for the most opportune time to attack us subtly.
iv. Satan knows us probably better than we know ourselves. He has had thousands of years to
watch human behavior. He can read our expressions and watch our actions. He reads our
eyes and senses our attitude and spirit.
v. Satan knew when to lure David to the roof of his house and when to have Bathsheba bathing.
It was done with craftiness. He knew when to have Peter accused of being a follower of Jesus
as he warmed himself by the enemy’s fire. He knew Peter well enough that the right moment
had come to get him to deny Christ, not once, but three separate times!
vi. Christian, let’s be sure of this today... Satan knows what it takes to deceive you and to get you
to fall spiritually. He uses patient craftiness and develops just the right method to take us
down. None of us are invulnerable.
III. PAUL THEN EXPLAINS THAT THE CHRISTIAN’S WARFARE GOES FAR BEYOND OUR FLESH
Verses 12, 13
a. He is not saying that there aren’t those who oppose us and persecute us in the flesh. Millions of
Christian martyrs testify to that.
i. He’s simply saying, that the powers behind all the enemies of the Christian are from the spirit
world: (against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.)
ii. Devils and demons are Satan’s emissaries. They all have levels of authority and power. World
rulers are no doubt assigned high ranking spirits with greater power and authority to sway
and deceive them. Where do we think that evil men like Adolph Hitler, responsible for the
murder of six million Jews, got his motivation?
iii. We are told in 2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
b. Paul knew all too well what the evil day was about (Vs. 13). This was the day that comes to every
Christian without warning for the most part.
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i. It’s the day when the trap is sprung on us. It’s the day Satan unleashes his wisest attack on us
at our most vulnerable moment. It’s the day when we are most apt to fall... to give in to some
wicked temptation... to yield to our flesh. It’s the day when the glitter of the temptation puts
us in the gutter.
c. Fellow Christian, it’s the whole armor of God that prevents defeat and guarantees victory in that
evil day!
d. So, once the Christian assimilates or appropriates (puts on) each piece of armor each day, then and
only then can we take a stand for God! “...and having done all, to stand.”
Discuss:
1. What is Paul’s initial desire at the outset of these verses?
2. Why is it so critical to obtain this?
3. What is the major concern Paul is dealing with in this set of verses?
4. How does Paul instruct the Christian to deal with this problem?
5. What is a major misconception of Christians that Paul deals with about this fight?
6. In your own words, how would you describe “the evil day” Paul spoke about in verse 13?
7. If this set of instructions is followed, what will it enable the Christian to do?
