Overcoming the Already-Vanquished Opposition
-
Greg Waybright
- Ephesians 6:10-20
- Becoming Who We Are
- 40 mins 23 secs
- Views: 744
Study Guide & Video
Week 11
Fearless in Prayer
Ephesians 6:10-24
Alternative Video site: https://vimeo.com/301523937
Opening: If you participated last week, share with the group how it went to honor another person outside the group.
Then, as a group, take time to honor one another. Take turns as a group saying to each other, “One thing I admire about you is...” Acknowledge people that help you stay on good terms even when you disagree, or help you see beyond yourself to the big picture, or who encourage teamwork, etc. Make sure everyone in the group is affirmed.
(An additional opening question for this session, perhaps for someone doing the study alone, is ‘In what ways do you experience your Christian life as a battle?’)
Examine the Passage: Ephesians 6:10-24
- Where does your strength come from to endure struggles and work through challenges? (vs. 10). What is your goal? (vs. 13) Grab a pen and circle or highlight that to which you are called.
- God has provided a set of armor for us. What are each of the six pieces in verses 13-17? Which one feels most important to you now as you consider a current struggle? And how might you use it?
- In verse 18 we find one more tool. What are the ways prayer can help you as you face challenges and opposition? Circle or highlight that to which you are called.
- Paul, too, asks for prayer to be fearless as he advances the gospel (vs. 19-20). What might you need prayer for in order to be fearless?
Explore the Theme: Prayer. “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray…. Pray for each other…” James 5:13-16
- What do your requests to God reveal about your desires and priorities?
- What helps you remember to pray for others? When you pray for others, have you considered when your agenda is working against God’s kingdom? How can you counter-balance that?
- How are worry and prayer connected?
- How might praying with Scripture for yourself or a loved one lift the burden from your shoulders and place it squarely on God’s?
- Here are some tips for prayer:
- Pray attention when people come to mind. Consider that an opportunity to pray for them.
- Pray consistently as you learn about local and global news.
- What other tips do you have to share about how to use prayer?
- Throughout chapters 4-6 you have been circling or highlighting key words and phrases that are noteworthy for the life we have been called to live now that we have a new identity in Christ. On a note card, write those down. (For reference see Ephesians 4:1-4, 24-32 and Ephesians 5:1, 8-11, 18-21, 22, 25, 33 and Ephesians 6:1-7, 10, 13, 18.) Share with the group, based on this study, what God is calling you to focus on now. What will you do differently because of this study?
Engage Your Life: Practice praying with Scripture. Using Scripture in your prayers is very powerful. This week use Ephesians 3:14-21 to pray for someone during the week. Choose to pray this both for someone you adore and for someone that is a challenge for you. Watch how God works in you as you pray.
Praying Grace and Peace: After having shared prayer requests, provide a couple of minutes of quiet individual prayer time to thank God that we are not alone in battle and have the Spirit and other Christians’ prayers to carry us. Close with corporate prayer for one another and for praying grace and peace with God and with one another across all barriers.
Questions for Reflection
Ephesians 6:10-24
- Where does your strength come from to endure struggles and work through challenges? (vs. 10). What is your goal? (vs. 13)
- God has provided a set of armor for us. What are each of the six pieces in verses 13-17? Which one feels most important to you now as you consider a current struggle? And how might you use it?
- In verse 18, we find one more tool. What are the ways prayer can help you as you face challenges and opposition?
- Paul, too, asks for prayer to be fearless as he advances the gospel (vs. 19-20). What area might you need prayer for in order to be fearless?
- Watch Steve Cunningham, an elected leader in the Adult Ministry Division, share about his passion, which is prayer, in an on-line video. See the Small Group Study for additional questions to further apply this Scripture. Both are available at becoming-small-group-study.
Sermon Notes
Becoming: Overcoming the Already-Vanquished Opposition
Ephesians 6:10-20
The past week we commemorated Veterans’ Day here in the US. Each year we do, I remember the conversations I used to have with my Dad about his service in World War II. He was in the old Army-Air Corp, flying missions in the European theater. One of the stories that we would talk about was how certain Winston Churchill was that, as soon as the US entered the war effort, the war was as good as done.
Do you know the story? The war had been going poorly for the British Empire and Prime Minister Churchill was deeply concerned about the future. On December 7, 1941 after the invasion of Pearl Harbor, Churchill was at his country estate, Chequers, with a few friends and his family. At dinner he seemed depressed, holding his face in his hands for minutes at a time. Just after dinner, he heard of the attack. Churchill immediately surmised the consequences of the attack for the course of the war. Later, he wrote about it:
“I thought -- So, we had won after all! …We had won the war. England would live; Britain would live… How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at this moment care. . . Hitler’s fate was sealed. Mussolini’s fate was sealed. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force.”
You must remember that, when Churchill thought this, it would still be almost four years before the war would end. Hitler and Mussolini were still fully in power in 1941. But, in Churchill’s mind, with the US entering the battle, the war was already as good as done even though there was formidable opposition still at work. I’m sure my Dad didn’t think that way when he was in London with German bombs being dropped on the city. So, notice again what Churchill said, “All the rest was merely the application of overwhelming force.”
You might wonder what this history lesson has to do with the conclusion of our series in Ephesians and our text, Eph 6:10-24. So, I tell you – a lot! Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus is one that repeatedly tells us of God’s promise of what his church will become when he is finished with his work. At the same time, God’s beautiful promises for what we will become have not yet been completely fulfilled. Indeed, we still are in the midst of a ferocious battle in this world. And that’s what we see as we open God’s Word today. I’m calling my message: “Overcoming the already-vanquished foe.” Let’s begin with God’s promised victory:
#1: The Assured Victory – God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… I pray you may know his incomparably great power for us who believe… Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (1:4,19; 6:10).
Our series has been called, “Becoming.” For this entire fall, we have been considering week after week what God says we will become when he has completed his work in us. Let me show you again some of his words:
God’s promised goal for us as a church:
- Unified in all things under Christ (1:10). It’s promised but not yet complete;
- God’s masterpiece doing good works (2:10) – promised but not yet complete;
- In every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ (3:15) – also, not yet complete.
God’s promised goal for us as individual Jesus-followers:
- Holy and blameless in his sight (1:4),
- Filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (3:19),
- Like God in true righteousness and holiness (3:24) – all promised but not yet complete.
God’s Word repeatedly tells us that these promises are so sure that it’s as if they are already completed! But, we look at ourselves and ask, “How could that possibly be?” We are, right now, individually and as a church, far from all these things God promises. But, basically, God says, like Churchill said, “We’ve won! The battle is as good as over!” Right now, I merely want you to see that if Churchill could be so confident of victory after the US entered World War II and say, “All the rest is merely the proper application of overwhelming force” -- then, we should have even more confidence in God’s ability to complete his work. Look at what Ephesians 1:18-20 says: I pray that… you may know God’s incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…
That is my prayer for you all today too.
#2: The Formidable Opposition -- Stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (6:11b-12).
As your Sr Pastor, I really feel I need to speak with you about why things often seem to be so hard in this world. Do you ever have this feeling that something is impeding your spiritual growth or – that discourages you when you make a commitment to obey God in some way? I’m sure you do.
So, I need to talk to you now about the devil. I need to say a few things about this because, here in SoCal, even though many people believe in spiritual realities, most struggle with the idea that there is a real personal being called the devil and real personal beings like those Paul calls the “spiritual forces of evil”. Do you?
We tend to think of the things that are wrong in this world as all being due to natural causes: including greed, dishonesty, racism, violence, etc. Mostly, we attribute those wrongs to bad psychological factors, bad upbringing or education, or bad sociological factors. This is the world view of most of us who have grown up in North America or Western Europe. And, note this carefully: “Natural causes” often do lead to all sorts of atrocities and problems. But, if all problems are only due to natural causes, then we should also be able to find natural solutions to all the problems– e.g., medicine, counseling or some other therapy.
But, we Westerners seem to shy away from the notion that there is supernatural, personal evil. We don’t even like the word “evil”. Using that word means we believe there are moral absolutes. When we speak of evil, we’re accused of making value judgments. So, here in SoCal, we speak of things that most of the world views as evil in medical terms – like “dysfunction” or “pathology”. And, those things are real. But it is getting harder and harder to say that mass shootings, holocausts, childhood slavery are all due to natural causes and that all we need to do to deal with them is have better laws, brighter street lights, and more education.
Have you read Thomas Harris’s Silence of the Lamb? A young woman police officer named Starling goes to a high security prison to meet a cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. After having a horrible conversation with him, she leaves the cell and asks a colleague, 
“What happened to him to make him so twisted and cruel? Lecter heard her and said: “Nothing happened to me, Officer Starling. I happened. You can’t reduce me to a set of influences. You’ve given up good and evil for behaviorism, Officer Starling. You’ve got everybody in moral dignity pants - nothing is ever anybody’s fault. Look at me, Officer Starling. Can you stand to say I’m evil? Am I evil, Officer Starling?”
The Bible clearly teaches us that created beings can become evil, including evil supernatural beings. Note this: The devil and his minions are not God. Evil beings are limited in power and knowledge. Jesus could cast them out by simply speaking a word. But they are real, and they are formidable.
When I talk about this, I’m sometimes told that I’ve become narrow minded. But have I? Or, is it really narrow minded to reject out-of-hand that there might be real evil and real supernatural beings? You see, I am convinced that there is a multi-dimensionality to the evil in the world. There is our human fallenness (i.e., the flesh)– our proclivity to being dishonest and self-centered. There is the world we are in – and its systems and cultural ways often built on generations of wrongful human decisions. And, the Bible says, there is a devil.
Boiling this point down:
* There are spiritual realities in the universe – so be aware.
* God’s people have a formidable enemy – so be on your guard.
* Evil forces are not God – so be aware and be on your guard but do not fear.
So, let’s see how this battle against evil is to be won – for it most certainly will be won!
#3: Our Responsibility and God Resources for the Battle – 1) Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 2) Put on the full armor of God… and stand firm. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions…
In this last passage in Ephesians, I feel that Paul takes on the mantle of a loving pastor on one side wanting his people to be aware of the challenges they would face in the world while, at the same time, assuring them that they can live confidently. So, he speaks of the spiritual realities in this world because if our battle is against spiritual realities, we will need more than just material, intellectual and physical resources to withstand them. But, then he wanted them – and I want you – to know that God is greater than any powers in this world or in the heavenlies. Notice the God-centeredness of each of the Bible’s instructions to us:
First, “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (6:10) -- When I was a boy growing up, I had to face bullies on the path as I walked to school. They did what all bullies try to do, i.e., intimidate, rob you of your joy – and your lunch money, etc. So, my brother – a weight lifter, football player and one of the biggest/strongest kids in school -- always had to go to school early for football meetings. So, I decided I would go early too – with him. When I saw the bullies on the path, I just walked strong – about an inch away from him – and had no fear. God’s Word is saying something like that. It teaches us there is opposition is in this world and that, on our own, we will be undone. But, we are not on our own. Our responsibility is to be strong – strong in the Lord. I want you all to know and to count on the presence of God daily -- and to be strong.
Second, “put on the full armor of God… and stand firm” (6:11,13-14) – The image Paul uses here is of getting ready each day for the realities of this world – of being prepared for the fact that this world is not yet heaven. You don’t put on armor in the midst of the battle but in preparation for it. The armor we have is all a part of God’s gracious gift to us. Paul speaks both of what we wear as well as what we carry as we go into each day of our lives representing the Lord.
What you put on to wear as you prepare for each day:
- Garment of Truth (6:14a) – Scholars disagree about this piece of armor is – but I believe it is not a belt but the foundational piece of clothing that went underneath all the rest of the armor. If so, all the rest of the armor begins with this, i.e. truth. That means that you prepare for each day of life with 1) making sure that you go into each day as one whose faith is in Jesus who is the truth. And it means that you will be committed to living a life of truth, i.e., as a trustworthy person of character. This leads to…
- Breastplate of Righteousness (6:14b) – If you live a life of truth that represents Jesus well, then you will have nothing you have to hide – from your family, spouse, friends, etc. This breastplate protected vital organs, especially the heart. What this calls you to do each morning is to ask God to search your heart, your inner being. After you do, then confess whatever is wicked in your thoughts and attitudes and receive his forgiveness. Clothe yourself with Christ’s righteousness. And, hear the Lord say to you, “That sin you just confessed, I will remember no more. But, you -- go and sin no more!” You see, when you have nothing to hide, the evil one has nothing to accuse you of. Then, you are ready to put on…
- Sandals of the Gospel of Peace (6:15) – With truth as your foundation and integrity in your life, you’re ready to go out and run the race in the midst of an opposition-filled world. You see, when you have your shoes on, you’re ready to move on – to carry Christ’s message of peace with God and to show his love to those who need compassion and an advocate.
What you carry into each day:
- Shield of faith (6:16): The shield fends off destructive things – like fiery darts that you can expect enemies will throw at you, e.g., untrue accusations, unfair gossip. These darts can rob you of your inner peace and make you anxious and vengeful. But, at such times, remember your faith is in Someone who will never betray you – and in his love that can never be taken away from you. Trust him!
- Helmut of salvation (6:17a) – This, of course, protects your head. The Apostle Paul used the word “salvation” for what this series of messages in Ephesians is all about, i.e., becoming everything that God has promised you will become. So, when your battles are tough, remember God will never give up on you. This remembrance will always – always give you hope to go on.
- Sword of Spirit (6:17b) – As all Christians have recognized, this is the only offensive weapon. He says it is “the Word of God!” It’s what Jesus used against the devil when he was tempted. So, keep learning more and more of the Word. In the midst of the battle God’s Spirit will bring it back to your mind and it will guide you – just as it did Jesus.
Third, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of requests… for all the Lord’s people (6:18).
When this armor is put on, then the culmination is that you are ready to enter each day in prayer, i.e., “prayer in the Spirit” (6:18-20). The means that you should enter into your day in prayer. And, as you pray, pray in communion with the Spirit, with acknowledgement of the presence that the Spirit will be with you wherever you go, and will be more than sufficient for each day’s battles. And, when you pray, pray for others too. That’s what Paul asked for as he was in prison (5:19).
Pray for the global church, including brothers and sisters who are in prison as Paul was. Pray for your friends and family who are in distress. Pray about the injustices and evils that fill our world. The reason that you should pray for those things is that the Spirit with whom you pray is the Spirit of the living God, the God of the universe. So, when you pray for people anywhere in the universe, for the Spirit of God in you is also where they are – and is sufficient for their struggles too. Because of that, your prayers matter.
My final pastoral words based on Paul’s final pastoral words:
With this, our messages in Ephesians come to an end. Paul’s call to his church were that they should be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power – and that’s what I want to say to you as well.
- Be confident about your church family today -- because God’s eternal plan has been to bring together a church just like ours that, through its unity in the Spirit and its witness to Christ will bring glory to God. Satan will try to attack our unity and undermine God’s glory and our witness – but we must make every effort to live out this unity confident in the presence and power of God’s Spirit who dwells here.
- Do not be surprised when you leave church today and face opposition – even struggles that are really hard. God has declared that victory is sure – but the battle is not yet fully over.
- Do not be anxious or afraid in the face of the struggle -- and even in times of momentary loss or failure. The God who is with you and in you is greater than anyone and anything that stands against,
- Start each day equipped with the armor of God and praying in the Spirit -- Prayer is the gift that God has given us – prayer to carry one another’s burdens; indeed, prayer that all of us, through our lives and words may “fearlessly make known the gospel of Jesus Christ (6:20).”
The victory has been declared. God himself proclaims that the battle against evil has already been won. Satan’s fate is sealed. All the rest is merely the proper application of overwhelming force.”
That force is the mighty power of God. It is all -- to God’s glory alone.
Our closing benediction read together based on Ephesians 6:23-24:
May the peace of Christ and the love with faith from God go with all the brothers and sisters who have worshipped here today.
And, may the assurance of God’s presence and grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Chinese Study Notes
成為: 勝過潰敗之敵
以弗所書 6:10-20
上周美國紀念了老兵節。我們每年都會紀念。我還記得與父親的對話，他是二戰老兵，作為航空兵，參加過著名的“歐洲戲院”空戰（放他的照片）。我們談到的一個話題就是溫斯頓.邱吉爾說的話：只要美國一參戰，戰事就好得就像已經結束了一樣。
你知道這個故事嗎？戰爭對英國皇室和邱吉爾來說曾經非常嚴峻，以致他們深深憂慮英國的命運。1941年12月7日珍珠港被襲擊時，邱吉爾正與一些朋友家人在首相別墅聚會。晚餐開始時他顯得沮喪，長時間用手托著頭；但晚餐剛結束，他就聽到了珍珠港事件，立即猜到了這次偷襲對戰爭的決定性後果。後來他寫道：“我想---我們已經贏了！…我們已經贏得了戰爭，英國活了，不列顛活了…雖然戰爭何時或以何種形式結束還是未知，我此時也不關心那個…但希特勒完了，墨索里尼完了。接下來不過是好好地顯示壓倒性力量。”
你要知道，當邱吉爾這樣想的時候，距離戰爭結束還有4年。1941年的時候，還是希特勒和墨索里尼的全盛期。不過在邱吉爾看來，儘管敵人還是氣勢洶洶，但因為美軍的參戰，戰事已經好得就像結束了一樣。我確知當父親在倫敦躲避德軍轟炸時沒這麼想，邱吉爾確實了不起，他能說出：“接下來不過是好好地顯示壓倒性力量”。
你可能會想，這段歷史與我們以弗所書的系列6：10-24的結論有何關係？我告訴你，關係大了！保羅給以弗所教會的信不斷告訴我們神的應許，就是當神的工作結束後，教會將成為什麼樣；同時也告訴我們，我們將要成為的樣式尚未完全實現；事實上，我們仍在世上嚴峻的屬靈戰爭中。這就是我們今天打開神話語所看到的。我今天的講題是“勝過潰敗之敵”，讓我們從神所應許的勝利開始。
#1: 確保的勝利 –他從創世以前，在基督裡揀選了我們，使我們在他面前成為聖潔、毫無瑕疵…我求神讓你們知道在我們這些相信之人的身上，照著他力量的權能作為，他能力的無限偉大到底是什麼…你們要在主裡藉著他力量的權能得以剛強 (弗1:4,19; 6:10).
我們的系列叫作：“成為”。今年秋天，我們一週一周地學習到當神在我們身上的工作完成後，他要我們成為的樣式。讓我再次告訴你們一些要點：
上帝應許我們教會的目標:
- 天上和地上的萬有，都包含在基督裡(1:10). 應許了尚未實現;
- 我們是神的創作，是為了美善的工作在基督耶穌裡被造成的(2:10) – 應許了尚未實現;
- 在一切事上向著他長進；他就是頭，是基督(3:15) – 應許了尚未實現。
上帝應許我們基督徒個體的目標:
- 在他面前成為聖潔、毫無瑕疵 (1:4),
- 達到神一切的豐盛完美 (3:19),
- 像神在真理的公義和聖潔(4:24) – 所有的應許尚未實現。
神的話不斷告訴我們，這些應許都非常真實，就好像已經完全實現了！但當我們看自己的時候會問：“這怎麼可能？” 的確，我們今天不管從個體還是教會來說，與神的應許相距甚遠。但是神已經說了，就如邱吉爾所說：“我們已經贏了，戰爭已經好得就像結束了一樣！” 現在，我只想讓你們知道，如果說邱吉爾在美軍參戰後對戰爭都有如此的信心，能說出“接下來不過是好好地顯示壓倒性力量”，那麼若憑神的能力做他的工，我們當有怎樣大的信心呢？看以弗所書1:18-20 說的: 我禱告… 使你們知道：在我們這些相信之人的身上，照著他力量的權能作為，他能力的無限偉大到底是什麼。神曾將這能力運作在基督的身上，使基督從死人中復活…
這也是我今天為你們大家的禱告。
#2: 強大之敵 -- 得以站立，對付魔鬼的騙局，因為我們不是與血肉之體搏鬥，而是與那些統治的、掌權的、管轄這黑暗世界的，以及天上邪惡的屬靈勢力搏鬥(6:11b-12)
作為你的主任牧師，我實在感到應該告訴你們，為什麼這個世界上許多事是如此艱難。你有沒有感到有東西在阻攔你的屬靈成長？或當你要在某方面向神委身時有什麼會使你灰心喪氣？我想你一定經歷過。
我現在應該和你們談談邪靈。我需要談是因為在南加州，儘管不少人相信屬靈的存在，但會懷疑是否有一個稱為“邪靈”的真實存在，是否有保羅說的那些“邪惡的屬靈勢力”。你會懷疑嗎？
對世上的壞事，我們傾向歸咎于一些自然原因，包括人性的貪婪、不誠實、種族歧視、暴力等等；我們通常會說，這可能是負面心理因素、幼兒期錯誤的教導和教育，或一些壞的社會因素造成的。這是大多數在北美和西歐生活的人常見的世界觀。特別注意這種說法：“自然原因”常常導致各種問題和暴行。不過，若一切問題只是歸咎于自然原因，那我們只需找到自然的解決方法，比如藥物、心理諮詢或某種治療就好了。
你讀過湯瑪斯.哈裡斯的“沉默的羔羊”麼？故事說的是，一個年輕的女警官斯達玲去一個戒備森嚴的監獄調查一個食人肉的連環殺手萊克特。經過與他可怕的對話後，斯達玲離開牢房問她的一個同事：“究竟是什麼使他如此殘忍和變態？” 萊克特聽到了就回應說：“什麼也沒有，警官。我就是如此，你不能把我的行為說成是由於什麼影響的。你已經從行為學的角度否認了善與惡，你想把道德標準套在每個人的身上---誰也沒有錯！看著我，警官，你能說我是邪靈麼？我是麼？警官！”
我們西方人不太情願持有超自然和邪靈的觀念，我們甚至不喜歡“邪靈”這個詞。使用這詞意味著我們相信有絕對的倫理標準。當我們說邪靈時，我們會被指責在做價值判斷。在南加州，當我們談到那些邪惡事的時候，我們會照大多數人的世界觀用類似“功能喪失”、“生理問題”這些醫藥詞彙來解釋，我不否認存在這些原因，只是越來越困難去解釋諸如槍擊案、大屠殺、兒童奴隸只是出於自然原因，好像我們只要制定更好的法律、有更亮的街燈和更多的教育就可以解決。
聖經清楚地教導我們，被造物可以變得邪惡，包括成為超自然的邪靈。注意，邪靈及其隨從不是神，它們權柄和認知都有限。耶穌簡單一句話就可以把它們趕走。但他們是真實和強大的。
當我談論這個時，有時會被人說是思維狹隘，我狹隘麼？還是說真正的狹隘是簡單拒絕真實的邪靈和超自然的存在？我被告知是多元化導致了世上的邪惡，或是因為人類的肉體的墮落，比如不誠實、自我中心的傾向，或是世上各種系統、文化導致人類錯誤決定。。。但聖經說，真是有邪靈。
對此，我摘要如下：
* 宇宙間有屬靈的存在 – 必須小心；
* 神的子民有強大之敵 – 必須警醒；
* 邪惡的力量勝不過神– 所以要小心、警醒但不要害怕。
讓我們看這場與魔鬼的爭戰是如何得勝的----因為我們已經得勝了！
#3：我們的責任與爭戰中神的資源—1）你 們 要 靠 著 主 ， 倚 賴 他 的 大 能 大 力 作 剛 強 的 人 。2）穿戴神所賜全副軍裝。。。站立得住。凡事隨時在靈裡禱告。。。
以弗所書的這一段讓我覺得保羅作為一個慈愛的牧師，一定想要會眾清楚他們在這個世界的挑戰，同時又確知他們可以滿懷信心地生活。他因此講到這個世界的屬靈現實，因為如果我們的戰爭是針對屬靈現實，我們就需要有超越物質、心智、身體的資源來面對。然而，他期待他們—也是我對你們的期待—確知上帝比一切天上地下的能力更大。請注意聖經中所有的誡命都是以上帝為中心的：
第一，你 們 要 靠 著 主 ， 倚 賴 他 的 大 能 大 力 作 剛 強 的 人（6：10） 。我小時候去上學的路上經常會面對霸淩者的欺負。他們會使用各種欺負人的手段，比如恐嚇你，奪去你的喜樂，奪去你的飯錢等等。那時我哥—一位舉重運動員和橄欖球員，並且是全校最高大健壯的人之一—總是早早到校訓練，所以我決定自己也要和他一起起早去學校。一看到路邊的那個霸淩孩子，我便昂首挺胸地從他身邊擦肩而過，毫無懼怕。神的話也像這樣告訴了我們：這個世界會和我們作對，靠自己我們只會束手無策。但我們並非孤軍作戰。我們的責任是要剛強壯膽—靠主剛強。我盼望你們都明白並能依賴上帝每天的同在而剛強。
第二，“穿上神所賜全副軍裝。。。站立得住”（6：11，13-14）--保羅在這裡描述的是做好準備迎接世界的挑戰—準備面對這個世界還不是天國這一事實。你不會在戰鬥打響時才穿軍裝的。每一件裝備都是上帝給我們的恩賜。保羅在這裡提到在每天見證主的生活中當預備的穿戴和裝備。
你每天要準備披戴什麼？
- 真理的腰帶 (6:14a) –有學者不同意腰帶算是軍裝，但我認為它不是腰帶，而是系牢所有軍裝的根本，所有的軍裝都與此聯繫，因為什麼都是始於真理的。意味著當你準備每天的生活時，要1）確保你出你入是把信心放在耶穌身上，他就是真理；也意味著你要2）委身過一個充滿真理的生活，作一個值得信賴的人。接下來我們看。。。
- 公義的護胸甲 (6:14b) – 如果你為榮耀主去過一個充滿真理的生命，那麼你沒有什麼會隱藏，不管是對家人、配偶，還是同事、朋友。護胸甲保護最重要的器官，特別是心臟。這提醒你每天早晨要求神洞察你的心和肺腑，然後向神承認你不好的心思意念，接受他的赦免，並以基督的公義為衣，聽主對你說：“我不會記起你剛才認的罪；而你，可以平安地去，不要再犯了！” 看，當你沒有隱藏的時候，魔鬼也不能控告你。然後，你要穿上。。。
- 平安福音的鞋 (6:15) –有真理作你的根基並統籌你的生命，你可以準備好出去在充滿敵對力量的世界競跑。你穿好鞋子，就可以行動了，帶著基督平安的好消息，把神的愛彰顯給需要憐憫和需要幫助的人。
你每天要拿起什麼？
- 信心的盾牌 (6:16): 盾牌是用來抵擋破壞性東西的—比如敵人投來的燃燒彈，就是虛假的控告、不公平的謠言等。這些東西可以破環你裡面的平安並使你焦慮，急於報復。但這時你要記得你的信心是在永不會背叛你的那一位身上—他的愛絕不會從你身上被奪去。相信他！
- 救恩的頭盔 (6:17a) –這是保護你頭部的。使徒保羅使用救恩一詞，正是以弗所書系列所談論的：成為神應許你要成為的那樣！當戰爭艱難時，請記得神絕不會放棄你，記住這一點總會給你帶來前行的盼望。
- 聖靈的寶劍 (6:17b) –正如所有基督徒都認識到的，這是唯一的作戰兵器，就是神的道！這是耶穌在抵擋魔鬼試探時所使用的武器。因此我們要不斷在神的話語上下功夫，在爭戰中，神的靈會將神的道帶進你的頭腦，指引你—如同對耶穌那樣。
第三， “你們要以各樣的禱告和祈求，藉著聖靈時刻祈禱；而且為此警醒，以極大的忍耐，為所有聖徒祈求” (6:18).
穿上這一軍裝的終極結果就是你要不住禱告，即“隨時多方禱告“（6：18-20）。並且，你禱告時要與聖靈聯合，經驗聖靈隨時的同在，好應對每日的爭戰。你禱告的時候也要為他人禱告，就像保羅在獄中那樣的禱告（5：19）。
你也要為全球的教會禱告，包括像保羅那樣被囚禁的弟兄姐妹禱告；為你在沮喪中的親朋好友禱告；為充滿不公和邪惡的世界上的人禱告。你為這些事禱告，是因為與你同在的靈是永生神、宇宙主宰的靈。所以當你為任何地方的人禱告時，在你的裡面的聖靈也會與他們同在，使他們得以勝過苦難。正因為如此，你的禱告很重要。
我最後的話是基於保羅最後的教牧勸勉:
這將是我們以弗所書系列的結束。保羅呼籲教會要在主裡、在神的大能裡站立得穩---這也是我要對你們說的。
- 要對你今天的教會大家庭有信心--因為神的永恆計畫把我們帶在一起，進入我們這樣的教會。透過在聖靈裡的合一與見證基督，我們可以歸榮耀給神。撒旦一直妄想破壞我們的合一，損害神的榮耀和我們的見證---我們必須全力活出合一的見證，學習依靠在我們中間的神的靈的能力。
- 今天你離開教會後若遭遇到敵對，請不要感到奇怪--儘管掙扎依舊真實，戰爭還沒有完結，但神已經宣告了勝利是確實的。
- 在困境中不要焦慮恐懼---即使在遭受損失和失敗的時候！神與你同在，住在你裡面，比一切與你為敵的都大！
- 每天都要披戴神的全副軍裝並在聖靈裡禱告--禱告是神給我們的禮物；禱告可以分擔彼此的重擔；要為我們每一個人禱告，好用我們的生命和見證 “照著應該說的，放膽傳道”(6:20)。
那最後的勝利已經被宣告了，是神自己宣告了對邪靈戰鬥的得勝！撒旦完了！接下來不過是好好地顯示壓倒性力量。
這力量來自全能的神，並單單為著神的榮耀。
讓我們一起讀以弗所書 6:23-24作為最後的祝福:
願平安以及隨著信仰的愛，從父神和主耶穌基督臨到弟兄們！
願恩典與所有愛我們主耶穌基督的人同在——直到永遠
榮耀歸給神！
Greg Waybright 博士
主任牧師