AUGUST 17 / AUGUST 24, 2014
PAUL’S MARTIAL SPEECH
INTRODUCTION:
1. The apostle concludes his letter to the Ephesians with what William Gurnall calls his Martial Speech.
2. Who better to instruct them in preparing for war than this mighty warrior, whose present circumstances, i.e. his imprisonment, speaks for his enemy-awareness?
3. Being reminded again of the theme of this practical portion of the letter, to walk worthy of the Christian calling mean, in addition to what we have before considered, to fight the good fight of faith.
a) Salvation, however gratuitous, is obtained by a violent faith. (Matt. 11:12)
b) The church below is the church militant.
c) In this martial speech Paul reminds us that the conflict is real, arduous, and dangerous. True believers are often grievously wounded, and many professed believers become casualties of war.
4. Thus, the apostle having like a great general arranged the rank and file, concludes his letter with his Martial Speech.
I. A CALL TO ARMS. (VERSES 10-13)
A. HE CALLS THEM TO STRENGTH AND COURAGE. (VERSE 10)
1. He sees the awful struggle ahead.
a) The conquest of Canaan pictures the Christian’s warfare. See God’s words to Joshua in preparing him for conflict. (Josh. 1:6-9)
b) It takes great courage to obey God (Josh. 1:7); to face giants (Josh. 1:9). It takes strength to press on when others fall. (II Sam. 2:2ff)
c) It takes strength and courage to wrestle against the powers of darkness, (Verse 12); to slay the giants of sin (Col. 3:5).
2. The nature of the conflict determines how we must prepare for it. “Be strong in the Lord.”
a) Natural resources cannot compete against supernatural forces. (II Cor. 10:4)
b) These higher powers of the universe are waging war, and our very salvation depends on the outcome.
c) Essential to success in this war is a strength not found in us, but in Christ. (I Sam. 17:37)
B. HE CALLS THEM TO PUT ON PROPER ARMAMENTS FOR THE BATTLE. (VERSE 11)
1. As strength for the battle is in the Lord, so also armour for the battle is of the Lord. “…the armour of God.”
2. It is vital that we have the complete outfit. “…the whole armour…”
a) Some pieces are offensive, while other pieces are defensive, but whatever their purpose, we need them all.
b) This phrase is one word in the original (panoplia). We need every piece because it works as a unit.
3. What is the armour of God?
a) First, it is Christ Himself. (Rom. 13:14) Christ is our panaplia. A Christless soul is completely without armour.
b) Second, it is the graces of Christ. (Eph. 4:24)
c) “It is not man’s morality and philosophical virtue that will repel a temptation sent with full charge from Satan’s cannon. It is the man in Christ, clothed in the armour of His grace.” –William Gurnall
4. It is necessary that we put on this armour. “Put on the whole armour of God.”
a) To put on is to keep in exercise. It’s not enough to have grace, but it must be constantly put to work. (Luke 12:35)
b) We must hold fast every piece to the end. (I Pet. 1:13) One day when the church is the church victorious, we can lay down our weapons for good.
C. HE CALLS THEM TO ARM THEMSELVES SO TO MAINTAIN A STAND AGAINST A MIGHTY AND CUNNING ENEMY. (VERSE 11b)
1. These armaments are necessary because of who the enemy is. “The devil” (Satan, the dragon).
2. These armaments are necessary because of the enemy’s tactics. “…the wiles of the devil.” Remember he is “that old serpent,” more subtle than any creature.
D. HE CALLS THEM IN ORDER TO AWAKEN THEM TO THE FACT OF THE ENEMY’S SUPERNATURAL POWER. (VERSES 12, 13)
1. Only armed with the Person and graces of Christ can we hope for success against an enemy who is not flesh and blood. (Verse 12)
2. Properly armed, Christians can face days filled with evil assaults. “…that ye may stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
II. A CALL TO PUT ON COMPLETE ARMOUR. (VERSES 14-17) We have seen that by putting on Christ we put on the whole panaplia, but to emphasize the fact that to put on is to exercise, i.e. to put the armour to work, we have the various pieces to the armour itemized.
A. THE GIRDLE OF TRUTH. (VERSE 14a)
1. With loins gird about, Christians are to stand therefore, i.e. be watchful and ready for combat. The word “stand,” in this instance means to keep rank, not to be distracted; do your duty. (II Tim.2:3, 4)
2. He begins with armour for the loins, the seat of strength.
a) The military girdle was for both ornament and strength. Truth provides a Christian with both beauty and strength.
b) The apostle here speaks of truth subjectively, not to be understood objectively as it is seen in the next verse as our sword.
3. The ancient girdle served a practical function. It bound the loose garments so that the soldier was not hindered by this own clothing. Plus, it covered vital organs and gave strength to the body. The girdle of truth keeps Christian soldiers from being hindered by entanglements of this life. (II Tim. 2:3, 4) Truth protects vulnerable areas exposed by life itself. Our love of truth and our commitment to it must prevail over natural affections, personal initiatives, and instinctive self-preservation.
B. THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. (VERSE 14b)
1. This piece of armour covered the body from the neck to the thighs, front and back.
2. This is not our own righteousness, integrity, uprightness, purity of heart and mind, but rather, the infinitely perfect righteousness that consists in the obedience and sufferings of the Son of God. (Rom. 8:33, 34; Phil. 3:8, 9)
3. The Branch out of Jesse shall wear righteousness as the girdle of His waist, and faithfulness (truth) as the girdle of His loins. (Isa. 11:5)
C. FOOTWEAR OF THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL. (VERSE 15)
1. In ancient warfare, footwear was a very important part of the soldier’s equipment. The greaves that covered the feet and legs were needful because of rough terrain, briars, and thorns, etc. But, it seems that the point here is not so much to be shod for protection, as it is for swiftness.
2. Some see the Gospel itself as the footwear, as we stand on the firm ground of the Gospel.
3. Others better understand it that we are to put shoes of swiftness on our feet.
a) The word preparation means readiness.
b) As the Gospel is good news, we are to be swift to announce the glad tidings to those who are perishing.
D. THE SHIELD OF FAITH. (VERSE 16)
1. “Above all,” or better, “withal, taking the shield of faith.”
2. This faith is that by which we are justified and reconciled to God. (Rom. 5:1; II Cor. 5:18, 19) It is that faith of which Christ is the object. It is also that faith of which we have so many examples in Hebrews 11.
3. This shield shall effectually quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Verse 16b)
a) Satan’s darts are rightly described as fiery. If not quenched, they can set the soul on fire of hell.
b) He, by his fiery darts would kindle in us lusts, passion, proud ambitions, etc.
c) Let us never lower our shield so as to expose our mind and heart to these flaming darts.
E. THE HELMET OF SALVATION. (VERSE 17a)
1. Salvation, which is “the hope of salvation” (I Thess. 5:8) is that which adorns the head, enabling the Christian to hold up his head with confidence. The hope of salvation gives us courage and determination in the heat to the battle. Whatever Satan may do to hurt and hinder us, he cannot crush our head as our Champion did to him. He cannot deal the death blow. Many have been martyred, but no true believer has ever lost his life. Satan may destroy the body, but not the soul.
2. Our Lord when He went into battle put the helmet of salvation upon His head. (Isa. 59:17) He returned from the battle bloody, but nonetheless alive and victorious. (Isa. 63:1-4) When He died, He committed His life to the Father, until He would take it again. (Luke 23:46; John 10:17, 18) The martyr Steven imitated his Lord when he was killed for sake of the Gospel. (Acts 7:59)
F. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. (VERSE 17b)
1. The sword of the Spirit is the Word which the Spirit gave. (II Pet. 1:21; II Tim. 3:16, 17)
2. The sword of the Spirit is our only offensive piece of armour.
3. The Word of God is that which God has spoken – GOD’S WORD; THE BIBLE.
4. See Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16; 2:16; 19:15.
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