Ephesians 6:10-20

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Ephesians 6:10-20
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: The Christian's Armor and Spiritual Warfare

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

I. Review of Ephesians: God's Purposes for the Church

A. The study of Ephesians began in spring 2023, covering chapters 1–6:9

B. Spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4)

1. A cascade of what God did for us before the foundation of the world
2. Paul's prayer for the spirit of wisdom, revelation, and enlightened hearts

C. The church's identity and origin (Ephesians 2)

1. All were dead in trespasses and sins
2. "But God, rich in mercy" — made alive together with Christ
3. Christ killed the hostility between Jew and Gentile through the cross (Ephesians 2:16)

D. The mystery revealed: one body from Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 3)

1. Through the church, the manifold wisdom of God is made known to rulers and authorities in heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10)
2. Even angels watch this unfold across history

E. Practical exhortations in chapters 4–5

1. Unity with humility, gentleness, and patience (Ephesians 4:1)
2. Diversity of gifts for equipping and building up the church
3. Turn from pre-conversion immorality; walk worthy of the calling
4. Harmony in the household: husbands, wives, children, masters, servants

F. Household harmony precedes the call to warfare — if there is no peace at home, engaging the world's battles is all the harder

II. Introduction to the Passage: The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

A. Paul now warns that the devil and his forces will oppose God's purposes for the church

B. The devil is previously mentioned in Ephesians 2:2 and Ephesians 4:27; now Paul names the full array of enemies

1. Rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of darkness, spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)
2. Paul does not provide a biography of the devil — he simply warns of the danger

C. John Stott's summary: as God plans a new society, the devil will do his utmost to destroy it; where Christ tears down dividing walls, the devil strives to rebuild them

III. The Nature of the Struggle

A. The word "wrestle" (Ephesians 6:12) implies close, hand-to-hand, life-or-death combat — not passive resistance

B. A false view in parts of the visible church: Christianity is an exit from warfare, not an entrance into it

1. This view expects smooth sailing, healing of every sickness, and removal of every difficulty

C. Watchman Nee's framework from his book Sit, Walk, Stand

1. Sit — resting in Christ's achievement (Ephesians 2:6)
2. Walk — living worthily (Ephesians 4:1)
3. Stand — holding ground against the enemy (referenced four times in Ephesians 6:10-20)

D. James Montgomery Boyce (pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia) noted that treating this passage as unimportant is a serious mistake — the warfare is critically important for the Christian life

E. Balance between offensive and defensive posture

1. Defensive armor: helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith
2. Offensive weapon: sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)
3. Nothing in these verses is passive — "be strong," "put on," "take your stand" are all active commands

IV. William Gurnall and The Christian in Complete Armour

A. William Gurnall was a Puritan pastor in Lavenham, Suffolk, England in the 1600s

B. He wrote The Christian in Complete Armour — over 1,200 pages — as a treatise on this passage for his own congregation

C. Notable endorsements

1. Charles Spurgeon called it "beyond all others a preacher's book" and "a thought breeder," saying he resorted to it when his own fire burned low
2. John Newton said if he could read only one book besides the Bible, he would choose it

D. Gurnall's dedication described the subject: a war between the Christian and Satan, more bloody than any war fought by men — a spiritual war not of past history but presently being fought, in every person's soul, with no neutrals

V. David and Goliath as an Illustration of Spiritual Warfare

A. 1 Samuel 17 provides the clearest biblical portrait of what Paul describes

B. Goliath's physical might

1. Approximately 9 feet 9 inches tall
2. Coat of mail weighed 125 pounds (5,000 shekels at two-fifths of an ounce per shekel)
3. Spearhead weighed approximately 15 pounds (600 shekels)

C. David's response to Goliath's defiance of the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17:26)

1. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
2. David recounted God's past deliverance from lion and bear as grounds for confidence
3. Saul's armor did not fit — David refused it and went forward with his sling and five smooth stones

D. David's declaration to Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45-46)

1. "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts"
2. The purpose: "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel"

E. Application: the Christian fights not in human strength or borrowed armor, but in the name and power of the Lord

VI. The Meaning of "Finally" and the Scope of the Conflict

A. The word "finally" (or "henceforth" in some manuscripts) signals that everything in Ephesians has been building to this point

B. The interadvental period — from Christ's first coming to his return — is characterized by continuous conflict with no truce and no ceasefire

C. The peace that God has given the church through Christ is only experienced in the midst of relentless struggle with evil

D. The conflict ends only at the return of Christ and the final restoration of peace