THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL (9 OF 9)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-24
This content is part of a series.
The Heart of the Gospel (9 of 9)
Series: Identity Theft
Craig Smith
Ephesians 6:10-24
Big idea: The Gospel is our salvation and our security.
Introduction
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the story of Israel's battle with the Midianites in the seventh chapter of Judges. I won't go into all the details, but in short, an Israelite named Gideon was given 300 soldiers to take on an army of tens of thousands. And what God led him to do was to sneak into the enemy camp at night and then, at a pre-arranged signal, start yelling and smashing things. The result was that the Midianite army freaked out and, in their panic, started attacking each other. All Gideon and his men had to do was clean up the remnant.
And the most important lesson I've learned from that story is this: an army that loses track of who it is supposed to be fighting has already lost.
As we close out our journey through the book of Ephesians today, we come to Paul's final words which are, in essence, a warning to remember who we're fighting against so that we don't turn on each other.
Main Body
Final Instruction
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
The word ''finally'' here signals Paul's last instruction in the book of Ephesus. At the very end of chapter six, he'll say a few personal things as he closes up, but this is his last big idea for the book of Ephesians: it's ''be strong'' and ''immerse yourself in God's strength'' because you're at war.
Prepare to stand
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
The poi ...
Series: Identity Theft
Craig Smith
Ephesians 6:10-24
Big idea: The Gospel is our salvation and our security.
Introduction
One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is the story of Israel's battle with the Midianites in the seventh chapter of Judges. I won't go into all the details, but in short, an Israelite named Gideon was given 300 soldiers to take on an army of tens of thousands. And what God led him to do was to sneak into the enemy camp at night and then, at a pre-arranged signal, start yelling and smashing things. The result was that the Midianite army freaked out and, in their panic, started attacking each other. All Gideon and his men had to do was clean up the remnant.
And the most important lesson I've learned from that story is this: an army that loses track of who it is supposed to be fighting has already lost.
As we close out our journey through the book of Ephesians today, we come to Paul's final words which are, in essence, a warning to remember who we're fighting against so that we don't turn on each other.
Main Body
Final Instruction
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
The word ''finally'' here signals Paul's last instruction in the book of Ephesus. At the very end of chapter six, he'll say a few personal things as he closes up, but this is his last big idea for the book of Ephesians: it's ''be strong'' and ''immerse yourself in God's strength'' because you're at war.
Prepare to stand
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
The poi ...
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