Take a stand 대적하라.

[신명근]

Take a Stand!

Passage : Ephesians 6 : 10 - 11

Preacher : Rev. Shin Myung Gun

   Some people reject the military side of the Christian life. I appreciate those who want to see peace on earth; however, as long as sin exists in this world, the battle between Satan's forces and God's people will rage on. Anyone who chooses to be on the side of the Lord Jesus Christ will face severe opposition from Satan and followers. And those who refuse to fight will fall in the heat of the battle.

  The Bible frequently uses the images of war to depict the Christian life. Paul exhorted Timothy to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ(2Tim2:3). In fact, the first picture our Lord gave of the Church was military one. He told the disciples that the gates of hell would not prevail against the onslaughts(돌격) of the Church(Matt 16:18). In ancient times a common military tactic used by armies was to break down the gate of an enemy's fortress with a battering ram. Once inside, they could then destroy the opposing army. Likewise, Jesus told us that Satan and his forces are not able to withstand, or prevent, the onward march of Christianity. The Church will win the war.

The soldier's Readiness.

 The Christian life is not a playground - it's a battleground. And whether we like it or not, every Christian is called to be a soldier and to "fight the good fight"(1Tim6:12). No good soldier enters a battle without being fully prepared and protected. Likewise, God does not expect us to go to war unarmed. He has given us the armor and weapons we need for the fight, and He expects us to use them. Ephesians 6:10-13 tells us, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your 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. 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(Ephesians6:10-13)

  What is the armor of God that we are to wear? Paul went on to list the different parts of the armor that we are to put on by faith - the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit(Ephesians 6 : 14-17).

 While putting on this armor is important, our posture in battle is even more vital. Notice the emphasis Paul placed on the word "stand" in this passage. We are told to "stand firm then"(V14), fully clothed in God's armor, so that we "can take your stand against the devil's schemes."(V11) and to "withstand in the evil day"(v13). Having done all this, we will then be able to stand(v13).

 Why this emphasis on standing? Many people misunderstand the purpose of the Christian's armor. The purpose of the armor is to help us stand so we don't lose the ground that Jesus has won for us. In fact, the entire book of Ephesians talks about our posture as Christians. The first three chapters describe the wealth that we have inherited through faith in Christ. Because of His grace, we have the privilege of being seated with Christ in the heavenlies and sharing in His riches.

 In chapter 4 Paul moved from talking about our wealth in Christ to our walk in Christ: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."(Ephesians4:1) Because today we have the privilege of sitting with Christ on His throne, we are to walk in the will of God and according to the calling He has given us. This means that we are to "do no longer live as the Gentiles do."(v17) But instead should "live a life of love"(Ephesians5:2) "as children of light"(v8), being careful to "walk circumspectly"(v15).

 Anyone who is seated with christ on His throne and is walking with Him, revealing Him to an evil world, is going to be attacked by the Enemy. Spiritual warfare goes hand in hand with our wealth and our walk. The privilege of partaking in 속 riches of christ's grace and glory as part of His Body is not without its responsibilities. We should not expect to sit and walk with Him unless we are willing to stand for Him in the battle against Satan. He has already won the war for us - it's our responsibility to hold on to His victory.

 It's important to remember that the purpose of our Christian armor is not for use in gaining new territory. Of course, we are involved in a conquest. When Jesus said, "the gates of Hades will not overcome it."(Matthew16:18), He was talking about the movement of His army, the Church, in gaining territory and claiming the spoil. But even as we are conquering, we must remember that we do not fight for victory but from victory. Christ has already won the victory for us, and we have already entered into our spiritual inheritance in Him. So our role in the battle with the Devil is that of claiming and holding on to the territory and inheritance won for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We find a beautiful illustration of this truth in the Book of Joshua. The children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land - their inheritance. God told Joshua, "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them - to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."(Joshua1:2-3). In other words, God was saying, "Start walking. You already have the inheritance; now claim it by faith." While the Israelites had to fight the inhabitants of the land, they did not do it to conquer new territory but merely to claim the inheritance that God had already given them.

 However, knowing the land was theirs and claiming it by faith was not enough. The Children of Israel also needed to have strength and courage. Three times in Joshua 1 we find the Lord telling Joshua to "be strong and of a good courage." In telling the people about God's command's, Joshua gave them the same exhortation(V18). Likewise, Paul gave us the same instructions for our spiritual warfare: "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power."(Ephesians6:10)

  Having strength and courage is important not only for the battles but also for the so-called times of peace. It is at these times, when we have let down our defenses, that Satan attacks the hardest and gains the most victories. This is what happened to the Israelites. Under Joshua's leadership, they conquered the land and claimed their inheritance. But a new generation came along that didn't appreciate their inheritance and didn't know the Lord as they should. Their strength and courage waned. As a result, they could not stand against their enemies, and they lost their inheritance.

  Judges2:10 tells us, "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel"(Judges2:10). Have you ever wondered how the people could forget the Lord and what He had done for them so quickly? It may be that the older generation had not kept the Lord's command to teach their children the Law given to them in the wilderness and to relate to them how He had brought them out of Egypt(Deut6:6-25). Likewise, our responsibility as parents today is to teach the Word of God to our children so they might teach it to our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.

  It is also possible that the older generation taught the younger one but that the new generation didn't want to listen. They were content in the land and didn't think they needed God anymore. As a result, the Lord permitted them to be conquered by various nations - the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Canaanites and the Midianites(Judges3:8, 12, 13, 31; 4:2; 6:1).

 Time after time the Children of Israel would sin by rejecting God, and He would allow the surrounding nations to invade and take over their inheritance. Each time the Israelites were unable to stand against them: "And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed"(Judges2:14-15).

  Why couldn't they take a stand against their enemies? Because they were bowing down to idols : "And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them"(Judges2:17)

 Each time they were enslaved by other nations, they would cry out to God, and He would eventually send a judge to deliver them. But as soon as they had their land back, they would return to idol worship and other sins. They never learned their lesson and worshiped only the Lord.

 Like the Israelites, we have a tremendous inheritance in Christ. How do we translate that wealth into a daily walk with Him? By bowing. When we bow down before the Lord in worship and pray to Him, then we are practicing our position in Jesus Christ. Even though positionally we are seated with Him in the heavenlies, practically we're still here on earth. The only way to translate that position into practice is by bowing before the continually, remembering our inheritance in Him. When Paul considered everything Christ had done for him, he stated, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"(Judges3:14). When we try to walk without first bowing before God, we will walk out of His paths and will lose ground. Asa result, we will not be able to stand against the Enemy.

  Before we can stand against Satan and His army, we must first bow before the Lord in prayer and worship and then put on the whole armor He has given us. We wear this armor, not to gain new territory but to prevent the Devil from robbing us of our inheritance. Satan wants to spoil and pillage our wealth and enslave us. But when we stand in the strength and power of the Lord, we will be victorious in our fight

The soldier's Responsibilities

As soldiers of Christ, we not only need to be ready for our ongoing battle with Satan, but we also have several responsibilities that we must fulfill if we are going to hold on to our inheritance and fight from victory - not for victory. Our responsibilities are threefold: (1) We must know our enemies; (2) we must use the equipment; and (3) we must depend on the energy that God provides.

  Who is the Enemy? Ephesians 6 : 11 tells us, "Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Paul then went on to describe the Enemy we are fighting: "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."(Ephesians6:12). Satan is not merely a flesh-and blood human or a concept of evil; he is a living, personal, literal being with the power to control people and to perform many evil deeds

  It is important to note that the prase "in high places" in verse 12 may also be translated "in the heavenlies." As we have already noted, because of Christ's grace, those who accept Him are seated with Him in the heavenlies. God has blessed us with every spiritual resource and blessing because of our position in Christ.  Yet here we learn that Satan also has access to the same heavenlies. How? By his wiles, devices, strategies and craftiness. He attacks believers, trying to get us to doubt God's Word and to devide our allegiance to Him. Satan knows that if he can cause us to become fearful, then he can rob us of all the riches we have inherited. Knowing that we are seated on Christ's throne is worthless if we are afraid of the Enemy. Our fear enables the Devil to rob us of the enjoyment. Our fear enables the Devil to rob us of the enjoyment of our blessed position in Jesus Christ.

  We have three spiritual enemies - the world, the flesh and the Devil. Paul made it clear in Ephesians 6:12 that our problem is not people: " We wrestle not against flesh and blood." When strife and problems exist, our trouble is not with the person but with Satan, who is working in and through that person. Satan can even use a believer. He used Peter When the apostle was trying to divert Jesus from His plan for mankind, Jesus said to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan"(Matt16:23) The Devil used Ananias and Sapphira, filling them with greed and lies(Acts5:1-11) The enemy loves to control us, causing us to do and say things we shouldn't

  Satan is not an abstraction. He is a real person, and he uses people, including people in the Church. Ephesians 6 was not written to idol worshipers and unbelievers; it was written to people in the church at Ephesus. Satan wants to work in the church, using it for his evil purposes. He is strong and powerful. In the Bible he is described as a lion, a dragon and a destroyer(1Pet5:8; Rev20:1; 1Cor10:10; Ps17:4; Jer4:7). His strategies and wiles are subtle and deadly. He is well organized; he has a whole army of demonic forces at his command. Therefore, we must know our Enemy, use the armor we have been given and depend on the energy and strength that God alone can provide if we are to win our war with Satan.

Let's pray…