#145 - Kyle Thompson // WE WERE BORN FOR BATTLE: Ephesians 6:10-20

We explore Ephesians 6:10-20, which reveals that Christian men are born for battle against spiritual forces rather than physical enemies. God equips believers with spiritual armor necessary to stand against evil forces, requiring us to put on each piece while relying completely on His strength rather than our own.

• The battle isn't against people but against spiritual forces of evil
• The belt of truth holds everything together from our core
• The breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts and vital organs
• Shoes of the gospel of peace provide stability and readiness
• The shield of faith extinguishes Satan's flaming darts of doubt and accusation
• The helmet of salvation protects our minds with assurance
• The sword of the Spirit (God's Word) is our only offensive weapon
• God provides everything needed—we just need to put it on

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Daily Blade.
The Word of God is described asthe sword of the Spirit, the
primary spiritual weapon in theChristian's armor against the
forces of evil.
Your hosts are Joby Martin andKyle Thompson, and they stand
ready to equip men for the fight.
Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
All right, welcome back.
This week we're looking atdifferent passages of Scripture
that reveal to us, and remind us, christian men, that we were
born for battle.
So today we're going to look atwhat should be a very familiar
passage to everyone, and that'sEphesians 6, verses 10 through
20.
I'll read it now Finally, bestrong in the Lord and in the
strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of Godthat you may be able to stand

(00:41):
against the schemes of the devil.
Put on the whole armor of Godthat you may be able to stand
against the schemes of the devil, for we do not wrestle against
flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities
, against the cosmic powers overthis present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil inthe heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the wholearmor of God that you may be
able to withstand in the evilday and, having done all to
stand firm.
Stand, therefore, havingfastened on the belt of truth,

(01:06):
having put on the breastplate ofrighteousness and as shoes for
your feet, having put on thereadiness given by the gospel of
peace In all circumstances,take up the shield of faith with
which you can extinguish allthe flaming darts of the evil
one, and take the helmet ofsalvation and the sword of the
spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the
spirit, with all prayer andsupplication To that.
So, similar to 1 Corinthians 16, 13 that we talked about

(01:26):
yesterday, this exhortation bythe apostle Paul is towards the

(01:47):
end of his exhortation to thechurch in Ephesus.
So in a lot of ways, this isthe climax of Paul's letter.
So this is where he's basicallytelling the reader look,
there's a war going on.
You've got to be ready.
You were born for battle.
God will give you the tools towin.
Rely on him and not yourself.
So let's go ahead and break itdown.
Verse 10, finally, be strong inthe Lord and in the strength of

(02:09):
his might.
So you might be strong, and alot of you guys are, but you'll
never be as strong as the LordBecause, duh, you are not the
source of the strength neededfor this battle, god is.
Verse 11, put on the whole armorof God that you may be able to
stand against the schemes of thedevil.
So the armor isn't ours.
Okay, we didn't make it.
We couldn't make it even if wewanted to.

(02:31):
But it is our job to put it onand not just some of it, all of
it, or the whole armor.
Right, you know, that's what weneed to put on.
And each part of the armorcoincides with a part of the
gospel Verse 12,.
For we do not wrestle againstflesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of evil in

(02:52):
the heavenly places.
Okay, so this is giving us thenature of the battle.
So most of us in modernity havenever seen real battle.
And to those listening rightnow that have served my country
and any country in that way, Iam forever in your debt.
But that's not the kind ofbattle Paul's talking about.
This battle isn't against arival country or people group,
or really any people group forthat matter.

(03:13):
It's against spiritual forcesof evil and darkness Verse 13,.
Therefore, take up the wholearmor of God that you may be
able to withstand in the evilday, and having done all to
stand firm standing, therefore,having fastened on the belt of
truth.
So what does a belt do?
It holds everything together,and it does so from the center,
from the core.
What is the truth discussedhere?

(03:34):
That's the objective truth ofthe gospel of Jesus Christ.
And having put on thebreastplate of righteousness.
What does a breastplate do?
It protects your heart and yourmost vital organs, and without
it we're supremely vulnerable.
And what is the righteousnessdiscussed here?
This is our right standingbefore God, which is imputed to

(03:55):
us by God.
We can't earn it Verse 15,.
And as shoes for your feet,having put on the readiness
given by the gospel of peace.
So what do shoes do?
They protect our feet and theyallow us to be stable and ready.
And so what is the peacediscussed here?
It's a peace that comes fromknowing that we have been
forgiven by God through Christ.
Verse 16,.
In all circumstances, take upthe shield of faith with which

(04:18):
you can extinguish all theflaming darts or arrows of the
evil one.
So what does a shield do?
It keeps you safe from theenemy's attack.
What are the flaming darts ofthe evil one discussed here?
It's Satan's favorite attacksof temptation and doubt and
unworthiness and accusation.
Verse 17,.
And take the helmet ofsalvation.

(04:38):
So what does a helmet do?
It protects our heads and ourminds, right?
How does this helmet affect oursalvation?
It reminds us that we have theassurance of salvation because
we can be sure of our God andthe sword of the spirit, which
is the word of God.
So if you're a Daily Bladelistener, you already know this.
What is the sword good for?
It is a primarily offensiveweapon, and it is the only

(05:03):
offensive weapon described here.
And how can the Word of God bean offensive asset?
Because it is God-breathed, itis authoritative, it is today
and forever relevant and it issufficient for all things.
So God already gives us what weneed.
We just need to put it on andready ourselves for battle.

(05:23):
See you back here tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Thank you for listening to today's episode
Before you go.
If you want to help equip othermen for the fight, share this
podcast around and leave us afive-star rating and review.
Stay sharp.