But Ephesians chapter 6 please, reading tonight at verse 10. Paul says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye 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 rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore having all your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs and that he might comfort your hearts. Peace be to you, brethren, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. We started out on our studies in this book of Ephesians. I seem to remember that we split it into two sections. We split it into the first section of chapters 1 to chapter 3. And there we found the doctrine, the teaching, that God would have us to understand the very intricate doctrines concerning himself and the Lord Jesus Christ. And then from chapters 4 to 6, a more practical section, teaching us about our duty. So teaching then in the first section and then in the second section, application of that teaching. And when we come to these last verses of the epistle in chapter 6 from 10 down to 24, it seems that we come up against a brick wall. As it were, we need a third section. To this point, we have surely marveled, haven't we? It's been exciting going through this lovely epistle together. It's been displaying to us the secrets of grace, the mystery of election, the wonder of salvation, the wonder of spiritual resurrection, the divine power that is available for us in our lives, the heavenly position we occupy, the peace that we have with God and through God, the unity that we have, the giftedness, living spirit-filled lives in light, submission as it affects husbands and wives, parents and children, servants and masters. Exalted meditations, surely, aren't they? And exalted realizations that all these things are available to those who love God. And then we come to verse 10 here in chapter 6. And it's like a huge slap in the face, for we're brought into the realization that we are in a war. The ugly grime of war with the devil. We could think of that first section in 1-3 of being the wealth. The wealth that we have in and through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. And then we're talking in the second section of walking in Christ, with Christ. And now suddenly we're presented with warfare. Paul writes that if we are believers and we're going to live to the full in Christ, for those two words permeate the whole of this epistle, don't they? It's all directed to us understanding that we are, as followers of the Lord, we are in Christ. He wants us to understand that if we're going to live in Christ to the full in our Christian lives, then spiritual warfare with the devil is inevitable. We cannot avoid it. Now, we need to note that it is possible, of course, that although accepting this premise, and I guess we all do this evening, we accept that we're going to be in a spiritual battle in this world in which we live. It is, of course, possible for the believer's life to show no evidence of that warfare whatsoever. One commentator put it this way. He called it unconscious disbelief. We adhere to the principle, but we don't live it out in our lives. And Paul is concerned about that. And he brings to us in these closing passages, these closing scriptures of the Ephesian epistle, he brings to us the antidote to that particular problem. Now we also need to be careful, very careful, not to move from practical belief in Satan. I'm sure we all believe in Satan. God does, so why wouldn't we? And his demons. and we understand that we could be preoccupied with them unnecessarily, to the point where we attribute every problem that comes into our lives as being from Satan and from his demons. We often speak of gremlins, do we not? We might be driving our car and the engine emits a strange noise and we say there are gremlins in this engine. There are demons in the engine. All these things we would attribute to the devil and to Satan. But, having got that into perspective, we need to be sure in our minds that we are in a battle. A battle in which there's no quarter to be given and certainly no truce to be made with Satan and with his cohorts. So first of all, in verse 12, we find Paul's perspective for the battle. And then in verses 10 and 11, so we hop back to 10 and 11, we find the commands. First of all, we're going to look at verse 12 in respect of getting a good look at the adversary and the battle we're involved in. Verse 12 says, 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. I was reminded as I looked at this verse recently to think again back into the Old Testament and what a lovely example there is of facing up to the problems that we have with our spiritual warfare in our Christian lives. And I thought about Joshua. There he is, and he's probably at his wits' end. He's been ordered to take the city of Jericho. And he's been given the instructions of how that might be done. But before he's given the instructions of it, by God, as he walks there out in the countryside around Jericho, we find him facing up to the problem, looking at the problem. There it is, Jericho, in front of him. And it's important for us, I believe, to face up to the adversary that we have to do with in Satan himself. And it's important for us to size up that problem and to recognize certain attributes of Satan. And then we need to recognize the tremendous power at our disposal the resources that we have in and through God and through the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's have a look at this verse 12. Let's have a look at this struggle and against who it is to be waged. First of all, it's a supernatural struggle. It's supra-flesh and blood. It's beyond our natural experience, our natural environment. Secondly, it's personal. We wrestle, it says. And the word wrestle there means that it's a hand-to-hand fight. It means that it's swaying back and forth, locked in a mortal battle. The word in the original means that it's sweat against sweat. It's breath against breath. It's hand-to-hand fighting that we're involved in. It's not just modern warfare, as we might think of it, where one would press a button and a missile is dispatched to deal with the enemy. We're here, locked. Locked, it says, in a mortal battle. Calvin put it this way. He said, he means, that's Paul means, that our difficulties are far greater than if we had to fight against men. Where we resist human strength, sword is opposed to sword. Man contends with man. Force is met by force, and skill by skill. But here, the case is very different, for our enemies are such as no human power can withstand. So we're involved then in a superhuman battle in which conventional tactics and armor and all the rest of it will avail nothing. Before we get into this battle, we need to be convinced of these things, if we ever hope to succeed in the battle. Not just giving lip service to our belief in God and our faith in God. We've just sung that lovely hymn together, which reminds us that we rest on God, our shield and our defender. Not just lip service, but it has to be a very deep, heartfelt, soul-deep conviction. That's what's required. Just look at what we're up against. We've read that verse 12. It's a fearsome enemy that we have to contend with. This fearsome enemy that inhabits the heavenly places, it tells us, the celestial sphere. We need to make the distinction here between celestial places and the highest heaven. Of course, Satan is not there. He's being cast out from highest heaven, the place where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and where believers are seated with Christ. Both of those verses are found for us in this epistle. But these satanic forces do move freely around in the rest of creation. Modern translations of the Bible use the words cosmic powers, the word cosmocrats, high-ranking fallen angels, a great demonic army with a well-defined and disciplined chain of command. Starts to put it in perspective somewhat, doesn't it, of what we are engaged with when we come to this battle. It's a foe very different from the malevolent Satan of folklore, one who commands a gang of winged cherubs. We see them in paintings and drawings. So what's the implication of this then? Really, the bottom of it is this, that Satan is immensely powerful. Not as powerful as God, but allowed by God to dominate and drive this world in this present age. Satan can only be in one place at one given time, but his myriads of demons enable him to imitate God, God's omnipresence and God's omnipotence. Scripture presents the world again and again as a cosmos diabolicus. 1 John 5, 19. Let me just read those verses to you. And we know that we are of God, John writes. And then he goes on to say, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Ephesians 2, verse 2 that we studied earlier in our sessions in this lovely book. Ephesians 2 verse 2 says, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. This is where Satan dwells, where Satan operates, where his demons operate. This is the world. Why else? Why else would Satan say to the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm going to offer you all the kingdoms of the world if your worship may. He had that ability to do that, to offer the Lord Jesus Christ that, because he is allowed by God to rule in this world in which we live. And this, of course, is the world that we live in, a world which is full of calling good evil and evil good. You'll know how that in recent days, recent years perhaps now, the word wicked has been translated into being used as a word for something that is good. The world has stood wickedness, if you like, on its head. We need to be certain in our minds, understand in our minds that Satan has no conscience. He certainly has no compassion, no remorse, no morals. He feeds on pain and anguish and filth. Satan's evil empire is worldwide, showing itself so often in oppression, in debauchery, and in glorifying what you and I would say was not even the unsayable but the unthinkable. And so this is the enemy that we are involved with. And these are the people that we have to do with. And yet as we read that verse in chapter 2 and verse 2, wherein in time past ye walked. Verse three says, among whom we also had our conversation in times past. Paul is telling us that this wicked world, that was the sort of people that we were, the way in which we lived before Christ entered into our lives. Now, it doesn't mean, of course, that we are as bad as we could have been. I think we dealt with the subject somewhere earlier in the epistle, saying how that each and every one of us, though perhaps we haven't sunk to the levels of depravity and debauchery and all the rest of it that others have, we still can't hold ourselves up as being anything other than sinful mankind, sinful beings. There's room, as I think we said, for deprovement. We can get worse. We all have the propensity to be the very worst of people, but for the grace of God. But every part of our old nature is tainted with sin. And then we come to verse 11, and he says in the end of that verse, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. That we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Satan, he's saying here, the apostle, is supremely cunning. He masquerades as an agent of God. He wants to be God. He wants to occupy the position of God. And in masquerading as this good person, if you like, in the face of all the evil that he promotes, he's constantly twisting the truth. That's one of his specialities. If you like, he dresses himself up to deceive. And people are deceived by that, even, to some extent, sometimes believers. Souls have been sold to accommodate slidden morality. Minds have been caused to doubt the very goodness of God to each and every one of his children. Satan is about deluding us. He acts covertly in ways that are perfectly suited to each and every individual. He won't come to you and his demons won't come to you in the same way that he'll come to me. He knows our weaknesses and he'll go for that weak spot when he's warring against us. He's immensely powerful. evil beyond human comprehension, without conscience, and without principle. He hates God, and he hates the Church, and he's after you, and he's after me, constantly. This is the devil. Martin Luther wrote a little verse, and he wrote this, For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe, His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate on earth is not his equal. That just about sums it up, doesn't it? This foe that we have to do with is without equal in this world in which we live. And I say it again, he's after you and he's after me. But, but, verse 11, put on the whole armor of On earth Satan has no equal, but in heavenly places he is far exceeded by the triune God. Our enemy is infinitely inferior to our God. Satan's power is overwhelmed by that of God. Firstly, because of the entire spiritual realm of which Christ is the head, including that of Satan, it was created by God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1. I'll read those verses to you. Colossians 1, verse 16. For by him, that's the Lord Jesus Christ, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by him and for him. And then in chapter 2 of the same epistle and verse 10. and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. What is Paul saying here? Paul is saying here that the Lord Jesus Christ created all things and therefore he has all power over all things. My mind went back to that Old Testament illustration. You remember how that Aaron and Moses coming up before the Pharaoh to endeavor to get them to let the children of Israel leave Egypt and go back to the Promised Land. And Aaron has a rod in his hand, and he throws it on the ground, and it turns into a snake. And then the magicians do the same thing. They throw their rods on the ground, and they turn into snakes. And they're rather smug, and they're thinking, well, we're as powerful as you. Our gods are as powerful as your god. But then Aaron's snake devours all the magician's snakes. And then when Aaron picks up his snake, it turns back into a rod again, demonstrating without contradiction whatsoever that Aaron's god is more powerful than the magician's god. And so Aaron demonstrates God's power. Satan has power. We cannot dispute that. But God's power is far superior. Aaron picks up his stick and it becomes a staff. I wonder how he felt on that occasion. Tremendous confidence in his God, I'm sure. You know, if we exercise our belief in the power of God and we see God acting through us, and supporting us and encouraging us in a way that others cannot experience, then we're going to feel very confident in our God. We have to put it to the test. So firstly, it's because the Lord Jesus Christ created everything that he has the power over everything. And then secondly, it's because, of course, of the cross. Back into Colossians again, chapter 2 and verse 15. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he, the Lord Jesus, made a show of them openly, triumphing over them. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ disarmed the rulers and the authorities of this world vested in Satan and his cohorts, and he put them to open shame. In other words, he was triumphing over them. He led a victory parade, is the thought behind the original text. However, in this present age, they still exercise control over those who are not in Christ. John Stott says this, he says that the demonic powers and Satan were defeated at the cross and are now under Christ's feet and ours. That's a sobering thought, isn't it? That we, through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living through us, have that sort of power at our disposal to carry out this warfare. The invisible world in which these demons attack us and we defend ourselves in is the very world over which the Lord Jesus Christ reigns and we reign with him. It should encourage us, shouldn't it, to carry out this battle, to go into this warfare knowing the power that we have available to us. But we need to remind ourselves that if we neglect the resources found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, if we give our enemies room, we place ourselves in harm's way. It's a sobering thought, isn't it, that if we do not fully avail ourselves of the power of God and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living within us, if we don't avail ourselves of that power in this battle, then we are likely to be harmed. We put ourselves in harm's way. If we are fully, we use the two words again, if we are fully in Christ, we always have the victory. We read that little verse, didn't we, that Martin Luther wrote? For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great. And armed with cruel hate, on earth is not our equal. But Luther didn't leave it there. He then went on to write, the prince of darkness grim. We tremble not for him. His rage we can endure. For lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him. That was Luther's testimony of the power of God in his life. So a word from Christ is all it takes, all that is needed. Go back to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5 and 6, and we see there a storm beyond these experienced fishermen's control, beyond their experience. We see a man as they come to land, a man who is overtaken by demons. One who could not be cured. One who had no hope at all. We see a woman following on from the story with Legion. We see a woman who's had this terrible disease for many years. And then we find Jairus with a daughter who has died. But the Lord Jesus Christ is in their lives. The storm is calmed. The demons cast out. The woman is healed. Jairus' daughter is raised from the dead. And how? By word. The Lord Jesus commanded, and these people were relieved. So how to avail ourselves then of this mighty power? Surely we desire it. Surely it's what we need in our lives. Verse 10 tells us, be strong in the Lord. Verse 11 says, put on the whole armor. of God. Be strong in the Lord. Find our strength in Him. We can't fight Satan by ourselves. All our doing will be in vain. Rather, we have to avail ourselves of the Lord's strength. Admit our weaknesses and invite His power to live within us and through us. Divest ourselves of our natural strength and put on God's power. Again, go back to the Old Testament. Lovely illustration there with Gideon, how he comes with an army 32,000 strong, God says, too many. He reduces it to 10,000 in God's appointed way. God says, too big. He reduces it to 300. And God says, okay, off you go. Leave your swords behind. Take trumpets, lanterns, and I'll give you the victory. And he did. So again, divest ourselves of our natural strength and put on God's power. That's how we can be victorious in this battle against Satan. And then secondly, put on God's armour. Truth. Righteousness. The Gospel of Peace. We read it there in the verses 13 down to 18. Faith. Salvation. The Word of God. Prayer. And these things we shall look at, God willing, in our future studies. These tremendous things that are at our available, this armor that's available to us to stand against this evil one. So just finally, breathe out our dependence on ourselves and breathe in God's mighty power. then we shall be victorious over Satan and his demons. Amen. 712, please. 712. Fight the good fight with all thy might. Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right. Lay hold on life and it shall be thy joy and crown eternally. Faint not nor fear, his arms are near. He changes not and thou art dear. Only believe and thou shalt see that Christ is all in all.