Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Day 1: Loving God
Reflect:
Satan, our enemy aims to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). He is “the deceiver of the whole world” and “the accuser of our brothers” (Rev. 12:9-10), and we are in the middle of a wrestling match, hand-to-hand combat, with him and his minions (Eph. 6:12), and our own strength fails us. That is why, verses 10-11 say, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The word “be able” in verse 11, especially when it is used in contexts of combat and warfare, refers not simply to an ability, but to strengthening power (e.g. Rev. 13:4; cf. LXX 1 Sam. 17:33). It’s a verbal cognate of the word that is translated in verse 10 as “be strong.” So if we translate that more literally to reflect the repetition of the same concept, verses 10-11 would read, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be [strengthened] to stand against the schemes of the devil.” There is an intentional repetition of power words here, “be strong,” “strength,” “might,” “be strengthened,” because Paul wants to assure us that the strength we need is available to us. The language is reminiscent of the Israelite Conquest, when God repeatedly said to Joshua, “Be strong” (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9; cf. Deut. 31:6-7).
And where does this strength come from? It’s not from us. It’s not from our internal fortitude and determination, it’s from God! “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be [strengthened i.e. by God] to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The very strength of God is available to us for this cosmic battle!
In the Greek, the verb, “be strong” and the verb “put on” look and sound very similar, and the two words are in parallel construction. The way we can “be strong in the LORD” is by “putt[ing] on the whole armor of God.” We would be delusional to think that we could stand against the spiritual forces of evil in our own strength, but with the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, with God’s armor, we can stand against them. The “belt of truth” is an allusion to the Messiah’s “belt” of “righteousness” and “faithfulness” in Isaiah 11:5. The “breastplate of righteousness” and the “helmet of salvation” are allusions to YHWH the Divine Warrior’s “breastplate” of “righteousness” and “helmet of salvation” in Isaiah 59:17. The “shoes for .. feet” of “gospel of peace” is an allusion to Isaiah 52:7, where the Messianic messenger who “brings good news” and “publishes peace … [and] salvation“ is described as having “beautiful … feet.” The “shield of faith” recalls the numerous occasions throughout the Old Testament when God is described as “the shield” of His people. For example, 2 Samuel 22:31 says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30; cf. Gen. 15:2; Pss. 5:12; 18:2; 28:7; 33:20; Deut. 33:29).
And finally, the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” the one offensive weapon in this armory, alludes back to Isaiah 11:4, the same passage where the expression “belt of truth” came from. It says that the coming Messiah “shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” The expression “rod of his mouth” is a figurative way of referring to the “word of his mouth,” which is why the Ancient Greek version of the Old Testament translates it as “Word of his mouth.” And the word “breath” is the same word that also means “Spirit.” So then, the Isaiah verse says that the Messiah “shall strike the earth with the [word] of his mouth, and with the [Spirit] of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” There is only one sword that can stand against the real spiritual forces of evil, and that’s “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (cf. Heb. 4:12). So by telling us to “Put on the whole armor of God,” Paul is telling us to put on God’s armor, to identify with Him and be united with Him. So then, the exhortation to “put on the whole armor of God” is akin to Paul’s command earlier in 4:22-24 “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” To “put on the whole armor of God” is to be united with Christ in His death, resurrection, ascension, and reign through faith, to put on His truth, His righteousness, His salvation, His peace, His Word, through faith.
Recommended Song: “O Church Arise” by Keith and Kristyn Getty (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray:
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Confess the ways in which you have given into the devil’s schemes and believed in his lies and accusations.
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By faith, put on Christ’s truth, Christ’s righteousness, Christ’s salvation, Christ’s peace. Thank God specifically for various aspects of the gift of salvation that you have received from the riches of His grace.
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Pray that God would make you aware of “the schemes of the devil” and strengthen you to “stand against” them.
Day 2: Loving One Another
Reflect:
We cannot afford to have a chink in the armor in this warfare for eternity. But the question remains, we agree that we must put on the whole armor of God, but how exactly do we put on whole the armor of God? Paul tells us in verse 18, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” The phrase “praying at all times in the Spirit” is still describing the main exhortation from verse 14, “Stand therefore,” so “praying at all times in the Spirit” is a way in which we could “stand” against the devil’s schemes, so it’s in parallel construction with the rest of the armor of God. However, Paul also distinguishes prayer by not using the metaphor of the armor to describe it, and he repeats the word “all” four times for emphasis: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Prayer is not a seventh weapon in the Christian’s armory, but that which enables us to put on the whole armor of God.
In verse 18 alone, Paul teaches us no less than five things about prayer. He teaches us when to pray, how to pray, what to pray, why to pray, and for whom to pray.
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First, when to pray, Paul says we must pray “at all times.” That can also be translated as “at every opportunity.” Paul’s saying that prayer should be constant. Donald Whitney, in his bookSpiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, compares praying at all times to being on two phones at one time. There are times you switch over to another line to attend to one thing or another, but you maintain awareness that you’re still on the line, and at the earliest opportunity you return to the other line to resume your ongoing communication with God.
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Second, how to pray, Paul specifies that we must pray “in the Spirit.” Our prayers must be guided and helped by the Spirit of God, who alone “comprehends the thoughts of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).
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Third, what to pray, Paul says, “with all prayer and supplication.” Paul is trying to be inclusive here of all types of prayers. Our prayers should be characterized not merely by supplications but by all prayer, including adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and listening. We must pray for everything.
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Fourth, why to pray, Paul says, “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance.” The end for which we must pray is that we should stand against the schemes of the devil by puttig on the whole armor of God. In his book, Desiring God, John Piper writes that “prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.” The purpose of prayer is to equip us for warfare! Prayer is the means of communication with our commander, prayer is how we get his directives and warnings, prayer is how we access the insights and powers of our Almighty General. Only He sees the whole picture, only He knows the master strategy, only He has all the resources, so we must communicate with Him.
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Fifth, for whom to pray, Paul says, “for all the saints.” We ought to pray for the whole church of God, but given our limitations, and considering that Paul is addressing the Ephesian church in particular, I believe there is an application here to pray for all the members of our local church as a representation of the universal church. We shouldn’t just pray for a few of our favorite people. We shouldn’t just pray for the people who asked us to pray for them. We shouldn’t just pray for the people who are in crisis. Pray for all the saints! If we truly loved one another, we would be driven to our knees for one another.
Recommended Song: “Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickham (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray:
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Pray that our church would grow in desperate prayer, “keep[ing] alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
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Go through our Church Membership Directory (https://trinitycamb.churchcenter.com/my/groups/trinity-cambridge-members/members) and pray for each member by name, that they would put on the whole armor of God and be strengthened to stand against the devil.
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Pray for our elders, Shawn Woo, Matt Huckins, Paul Buckley, and our pastoral intern Ed Kang, that they would be united, and that they would be faithful in the ministry of the Word and in prayers.
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Pray for our deacons, Jon So, Jen Cook, and Lauren Miller, that God would grow them in wisdom and discernment as they minister to the temporal needs of our members.
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Pray that our church’s ministry leaders would use the gifts that God has given them and the strength that He supplies to build up our church.
Day 3: Loving Our Neighbors
Reflect:
Remember that “the sword of the Spirit,” the one offensive weapon in the Christian’s armory, “is the word of God.” At the conclusion of this section, Paul specifically asks the Ephesians believers to pray that he might wield this weapon boldly and declare the Word of God—“that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” The church is the instrument with which God storms “the gates of Hades” (Matt. 16:18) to bring people from death to life (Eph. 2:5). Christians are not in a state of perpetual defense, we do not hide behind the security of our own salvation without ever going on offense. We proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Jeremiah 20:9 says,“If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Recommended Song: “Facing A Task Unfinished” by Keith and Kristyn Getty (Find it on our church’s Spotify playlist, “Trinity Hymnal,” at http://bit.do/trinityhymnal)
Pray
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Pray for boldness for all of our church members, that we might share the gospel with unbelievers, so that 2023 becomes a year when we, as a church, sow more gospel seeds and reap more of the harvest than ever before.
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Pray for our Bridge Course and for unbelievers who have been attending it, that they would hear the good news of Jesus and entrust themselves to Him.
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Ask God for a literal physical building for our church in East Cambridge, which can be a permanent, stable location for worship and prayer.
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Pray for specific unbelieving family members, friends, and neighbors, that they would come to Jesus and believe in Him for salvation.
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Pray that God would raise up teams of full-time missionaries from our church who would go to the unreached people groups to proclaim the gospel.
