First Consideration, The Call to hold the line:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” Eph. 6:10

  1. Courage required

Return of the King Film: Aragorn's Speech from the Black Gate

Aragorn: “Hold your ground! Hold your Ground!.... My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand.....!”

1. Fear immobilizes, However, remember our strength comes from God it is through His performance that the battles are won, not on our strength or skill. 23

2. Be Strong...to do his will (not make a name for your self). Josh 1:7

a. Fearful are those who march toward hell. Rev 21:8

b. Valiant take heaven by force Matt11:12

“Do not claim that you are begotten of God and have His royal blood running in your veins unless you can prove your lineage by this heroic spirit: to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils.” Williams Gurnall

c. Know God's Truth. Know what you hope for, or whom you hope in.

d. Fix your heart on these principles or else they will be hang loose and no use to you in the heat of battle as an ill-strung bow.

3. Don't surrender yourselves to your appetites as Israel out of hunger or Orpah who lasted a short time at the crossroad of suffering Ruth 1:14.

4. Prayer is the only direct line to God-on your knees spiritually is not defeat but is the seed of success.

a. Petition God for Determination & Bravery you will need ahead.

b. God is Almighty, but is moved by the assertions of the weakest child in prayer.

  1. Directives Issued-Call to Service.

1. Renounce your bosom sins. Do not be the soldier who conquered on the filed but defeated later by the secret conquests of the heart. 30

2.Be transformed not conformed. It is a great honor when the unsaved say 'He will not do as we do'

3.Do not be a stumbling block to other Christians soldiers. Maintain your integrity.

4. In God we Trust. 32

a. In a withdrawing God. 'no light..trust in Him' Isa 50:10;'If I perish, I perish' Est.4:16

b. In a killing God. 'Though He slay me, yet will I Trust Him' Job 13:15;'the dogs eat the crumbs' she caught the bullets of Christ then sent them back in prayer Matt 15:22-28

5. Stay the course. Your work, walk and your life must go off the stage together. Persevere!

  1. Exposition of 'Be Strong, In the Lord' Eph. 6:10

1. He is the Source. 'the Strength of Israel' I Sam 15:29, 'my strength, which teacheth my hands to war..' Ps 144:1.

  1. “Some wonder whether a sin is ever committed without Satan...But if the question were whether any holy action is ever performed without ….God, that is settled: 'Without me you can do nothing' Jn 15:5,...'Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God' II Cor. 3:5. We saints have a reservoir of grace, yet it lies like water at the bottom of a well and will not ascend with all our pumping. First God must prime it with His awakening grace. Then it will gush forth.”
  2. 'It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure' Phil 2:13...God is at the bottom of the ladder, and at the top also, the Author and Finisher, assisting the soul at every rung in its ascent to any holy action...how long will we stick to it? Only as long as we are held up by the same hand that empowered us at first.” 34

2. Is the opposite true 'Be weak, In the flesh'? Jesus knew we would need help when he prayed 'Father, keep...those whom thou hast given me' Jn. 17:11. “It is as if He had said, 'They must not be left alone...they will lose the grace I have given them and wander into temptation; therefore, Father, keep them.'”

3. God's Strength displayed in us-The Saint's Conscience.

a. God's strength is seen in man's conscience sustained by Him as it can be defined as a divine influence at work in man to restrain from sin. It can not be a product of our heart since it is wicked. Jer. 17:9 37

b. This 'weapon' of conscience is available to all so that none can plead ignorance Rom I.

c. A work of art, when completed, no longer needs the artist, nor a house the carpenter when the last nail is in place. But God's works on behalf of both the outer and the inner man are never off His hands.

d. God is our help in this time. He knows our needs and that our conscience is in continual battle over right and wrong. He tucks a provision in our empty hands and stocks our cupboards and leaves His sweet fragrance behind. A cracked pitcher filled to the brim will loose it's contents in time, so He places us under a continual fountain of Hope. We must remember that strength comes from Him not us. We must remain humble. 39

  1. The Power of His Might-How much power is there?

1. The All-Mighty is stronger than many-mighties.

2. Believe that His might is engaged for you. Lean on His mighty arm for every trial.

a. God makes no empty promises. God's council to Moses after doubts. 'Is the Lord's hand waxed short?' Num 11:23

b. Your enemy is at the door. Send faith for help at God's door, even a small faith will not stop faith from reaching God's ear. But if you deny God can save, pardon or rescue then this shoots faith through the heart and your soul will fall at Satan's feet, too disheartened to keep the door shut any longer.

c. Outnumbered-no problem. Sometimes opposing forces are used to magnify God's resolve toward us i.e. Red Sea. We are kept by His power I Pet. 1:5, carried as a lost lamb Luke 15:5, & lifted up on eagles wings Ex. 19:4.

3. The Five bonds that holds us to God's Power

a. Kinship. Even a silly hen gathers her chicks when troubled, even so as His Child will stir up His whole strength to defend you.

b. His Love. Since He spent His Son's blood to purchase you He will use His own power to keep you. The road ahead be that war or peace, will not be at your own expense.

c. His Promise to us to never leave nor forsake-as one feeds the sparrows. He allows you to claim as yours whatever He has. Our God has ALL the strength to give, but NONE to deny.

d. He is Obligated. Since He demands our trust, He is obligated to prove it.

e. We are not Forgotten. Jesus as our intercessor keeps us from being 'forgotten'. Every Christian is accounted for, every battle cheered after, every victory celebrated and every soul comforted with the Holy Spirit.

Four reasons why God's Power Hidden: 55

  1. Overlooked. You expected him at the front door but He is behind you having taken the back door. You expected sudden deliverance instead He gave you strength to pray.
  2. Delayed. The waiting makes you stronger.
  3. You. A heart set in wrong direction will not get help from above.
  4. You are called to persevere despite men and devils. Job was not delivered until the very last are your trails greater than his? Comfort yourself strength will come because those who wait shall renew their strength. Is. 40:31.
  1. First Consideration: The Saint's Armour

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand

against the wiles of the devil.” Eph. 6:11

The Armed Saint-His Divine Provisions. Two parts: What to do 'put on the whole armour & why we should do it'...to stand against the wiles of the devil.

  1. Christ as Armour. 'Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ' Rom. 13:14 we are not to put on temperance in place of drunkenness, or for adultery to put on chastity but Christ.
  2. “...The graces of Christ as Armour. The 'girdle of truth' and so forth. We are to 'put on the new man' Eph. 4:24, who is made up of all the graces...To be without Christ and His graces is to be without armour.”

The Unarmed Sinner. They are in a graceless state and is naked unable to defend themselves. Satan find them naked and make them slaves and the whole cortege of deadly sins without ever drawing a sword until God, comes to reclaim each penitent soul.

  1. Alienation from God. 'Ye were without Christ, being aliens...'Eph. 2:12. Not a citizen of heaven you are alone and need to plead your own case. Without God even the strongest sinner becomes powerless.
  2. Ignorance. “To make matters worse, if he fights...he must fight in the dark...'Ye were sometimes darkness, but not are ye light in the Lord' Eph. 5:8.”
  3. Impotency. 'When we were yet without strength, I due time Christ died for the ungodly' Rom. 5:6. What can an unarmed soul do to shake off the yoke of Satan? “What the Spirit of God does in a saint, Satan in a diabolical sense does in a sinner. The Spirit fills the heart with love, joy, holy desires; Satan fills the sinner's heart with pride, lust, lying...the sinner filled with Satan is not his own man, but an impotent slave.”
  4. Friendship with Sin and Satan. A soul refusing to put on Christ is a rebel and makes themselves an enemy of God and God's enemy must be Satan's friend.” 63

The Armour-Its Creator. Christian, take special care not to trust the armour of God, but in the God of the armour. All your weapons are only 'mighy through God' II Cor. 10:4. Satan trembles to see a saint diligently using his graces, i.e. patience, temperance etc. But when the creature trusts them more than the Lord, he is on shaky ground. Look at the tag. Counterfeit armour says church attendance, good works or penance.

The Armour in exploded view: 69

  1. Properly worn the Armour protects the whole Christian-soul and body.
  2. The apostle called sin and enemy that surrounds us Heb 12:1. Satan deploys squadrons to attack front and back simultaneously if need be. The armour must be 'on the right hand and on the left' II Cor. 6:7.
  3. Each piece of Armour has a specific purpose. The helmet can not adequately protect he heart for example.
  4. Peter urged Christians to increase the whole body of grace. Faith is the grace which leads the procession. If you have faith, then add virtue..2 Pet. 1:5. You are not safe unless you add to your virtue knowledge. “Knowledge is to faith as sunshine is to the farmer. Without it, faith cannot see to do her work. Nor can the work, once finished, be adequately inspected in the dim light of half-truths. If you do not ground yourself in the truth of the gospel, Satan will play upon your ignorance to thwart your spiritual growth.” Temperance is that spiritual gauge of your heart and sounds a warning when your heart grows too warm in its temporal affections or too cold toward Christ. You might escape the allurements of the world but fall flat on your face when trouble strikes unless you persevere or add to temperance patience. 1:6. Godliness encompasses the whole of worship of God....If you worship Him..but not according to Scripture, you are an idolater. If according to rule but not according to the spirit...your are a hypocrite.” Brotherly Kindness v7. It is one of our Lords Great Commandments. If we are at odds in the Church this hurts all. Charity. This grace empowers you to do good to the worst of men. Find compassion for the lost.

Our Graces-Why we must perfect them. 'Be ye...perfect, even as your Father is in heaven is perfect' Matt. 5:48.

  1. Graces can be injured. In one temptation you might have your helmet of hope beaten off your head or your charity trampled upon. You need an armorer's shop near to repair, for Satan is most likely to attack you when you are least prepared. 'Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to..sift you,' Luke 22:31.
  2. Satan is still perfecting His Wrath and Skill. He is called 'the old serpent,' for a reason;subtle by nature and considering he has little time he is all the more enraged.
  3. We fulfill God's purpose when we grow in Grace.

The Armour-It's Proper use.

  1. The Armour must be put on. “It is one thing to have armour in the house, and another thing to have it buckled on- to have grace in principle, and grace in action.”
  2. The Armour must be kept on. Once put on stays on until it is exchanged with your heavenly robe. Your flesh and the armour must come off at the same time...Every duty of the Christian demands this constant effort. Pray..'without ceasing', Rejoice...'evermore', give thanks...'In everything' I Thes. 5:16-18.

Satan as tempter to Sin. 82 Because God's armour is specific in it's purpose Satan will often exploit certain areas to cause a deeper wound.

  1. Satan chooses when to tempt as in newly converted, tired, affliction or even performing call of God.
  2. Satan chooses how to tempt. Angel of light, a fellow Christian is one way to offest the christian to believe a lie he might also employ the old 'hath God said' approach.
  3. Satan chooses what or whom to use in temptation. If you are a person of prominence, power, holiness or influence of the same you are a target. Jeroboam set up idolatry and all Israel in a snare. David numbered the people and brought plague on all I Chron 21.

Satan as Accuser of Sin. If you don't like his box of temptations perhaps you like his sack of accusations. Just at the Holy Spirit sanctifies then comforts so to this old dragon tempts then troubles.

  1. He injects a thought into your head and leaves before you consider it your own. While you may not be able to keep the bird from soiling your head you can keep it from nesting by
  2. He exaggerates your Sin. Such as Job's friends. If he can not remove your righteousness, he will deprive you of your joy.

Remember, your victory of sin is largely what to put on (the armour) so that you may stand. That standing may be a fighting posture as in here Eph. 6:14. or one of conquering posture as in Job 19:25. There are two reason a saint may seem outnumbered but be so unconquerable II Cor 12:9; Jam. 5:11.

  1. God cursed Satan to eat dust not the saints who march atop him. At best he can cause you to limp but never cause you to loose eternal life.
  2. God limits Satan so that he is nothing more than a pawn to achieve His will.

Satan's intention / God's intervention
Much discomfort, doubt. / Presence of sin to provoke watchfulness
Failure in sin to stop cold the saints march and never rise again. / The sin that beset us is analyzed and overcame never to be repeated. Peter's Denial.
Discourage confession, live as hypocrite / Use sin to confess all. David overcome by one sin renewed repentance for all Ps. 51.

Second Consideration: Nature of the War

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Eph. 6:12.

The four theaters of combat:125

  1. Singleness. We wrestle that means one-on-one there is no team. There is no time to get your breath the enemy is always active. So, no one else can go in the ring with Satan for you but you could say the match is already won for you. Satan may whisper in your ear accusations and temptations God calls out louder the love, pardon and care he has for you.
  2. Closeness. Satan comes close as wrestling to take hold of your very flesh and corrupt nature and intends to shake you and bring you at his feet.
  3. Universality. We fight one-on-one in the ring but all saints must resist there is no such thing as one contingent fighting while another at the barracks singing combya.
  4. Duration. The length of the man's combat is the same as his life. In fact it intensifies after salvation.

We wrestle implies a struggle of uncertain duration. We are not conquerers in the since we make short work of the trails ahead of us. We are called to wrestle. We may wonder why the struggle is long as did Gideon 'if the Lord be with us, why is all this befallen us?' Jug 6:13. We should celebrate that at least our struggles confirm our two natures We may conquer one only to have another crop up so we continually wrestle until God strikes the final blow to sin upon our death. 133

The Faces of the enemy.

The minor leagues:

  1. Flesh and Blood-our inner corruptions cannot comprehend the things of God. It's appetites are against the Spirit. Satan comes to battle as an ally of the flesh to launch a massive attack. Sin is the engine, and Satan, the engineer.
  2. The Human Equation-we wrestle against flesh and blood. We wrestle against:

▪Our own bodies. God uses the word flesh to emphasize the powerlessness of a creature. 'They are men, their horses are flesh' (Isa. 31:3). or 'Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty' II Cor 10:4. But God knows are frame that we are but dust Ps. 103:14.