Let us turn to the word of God
again, to Ephesians chapter 6, please.
Ephesians chapter 6.
You will notice that the section that we
have been studying is the section that ends
with an appeal for prayer.
We have been engaging in prayer, and our
prayers only have value and power as we
put on the whole armor of God.
I really believe that.
Our prayers only have value and power as
we put on the whole armor of God.
This armor is our only defense against the
deceit, the cunning wiles of the devil.
True praying is not possible to an armorless
Christian.
Our defense against the devil's wiles is the
truth.
The truth applied in several different ways, as
indicated by each part of the armor.
First, that truth must be applied inwardly, to
the one who is engaged in prayer.
To the one who seeks to stand before
the living God, who knows men's hearts.
Our loins must be girt about with truth.
The truth must then be applied inwardly.
The truth must affect not only the inner
man, but the outward conduct of the believer.
He is to act rightly before God, and
to act rightly before men.
He is to put on the breastplate of
righteousness.
That truth will also provide him with a
firm footing, that he may be effective, reaching
out in the work of God, whether in
the gospel, or in the teaching ministry, whatever
it is.
Whatever our gifts may be, we must have
a firm footing.
Our feet shod with the foundation, or the
preparation as it's translated, of the gospel of
peace.
And then, there must be the shield of
faith.
In all circumstances, in every situation, the believer
must be preserved from the wiles of the
devil, and protected from all his evil ways.
And he is assured of victory in every
situation.
He wears a helmet upon his head, and
he carries in his hand the sword of
the Spirit, which again is the word of
God.
So the truth affects us inwardly, it affects
our conduct, it gives us a firm footing,
it protects us in all circumstances, it gives
us assurance of victory in every situation, and
it gives us ability, by the grace of
God, to rout the enemy.
Now yesterday, before we read in Ephesians 6,
let me say this.
I referred to 2 Corinthians chapter 11, a
passage which refers to false apostles and deceitful
workers.
Let no one think that I'm pinning that
label on any individual or group of individuals
in this audience, or among the assemblies.
I have no notion, no intention of pinning
the thought of anyone here being a false
apostle or a deceitful worker.
Well then, why did I mention that passage?
My intention was to show, and I trust
that this was clear to all, that the
devil works at his best, or his worst,
whichever way you look at it.
But the devil is most effective when he
is using those who have the most obvious
profession of faith in God.
Those who have the reputation, let me put
it that way, the reputation of being servants
of God.
Those are the ones whom the devil likes
to use, most of all, because he is
a liar from the beginning.
And if I want to poison you, I
assure you I don't.
But if I want to poison you, I
take a glass of clear water, and put
in it some colorless poison.
I don't give it any color.
And when you are thirsty, I offer you
the glass of water.
And you drink it because it looks good.
And so Satan wants to use those who
appear to be, who are transformed into angels
of light.
Now following that principle through, what I do
apply to us, and to myself in particular,
is that Satan would like to use us,
and he can do it, if we're not
watchful.
That he can take us like Peter, as
he did in the case of Confronting the
Lord, and say, be it far from you
Lord.
And actually it was Satan that was speaking
through the compassion and the concern of Peter.
A compassion and concern that overlooked the truth.
And what was the truth?
You foolish ones, and slow of heart to
believe, what?
All that the scriptures have spoken.
And what did they say?
How that the Christ must suffer.
And Peter unwittingly became an instrument of the
devil, in that approach to the Lord.
And the Lord recognized it.
It was anti-truth.
But coming through one who was so close
to him.
You see how we need to put the
armor on.
We see how we need to be guided
in everything by the truth, and not by
the amiability of our own nature.
It must be the word of God that
guides us.
We must speak the truth in us, of
course.
But make sure it's the truth that we're
speaking.
And that we're not, in what we say,
violating what God says in his word.
Peter again was caught, not in the matter
of what he said, but in the matter
of what he did.
And we saw that in that passage in
Galatians.
You will remember that there in Galatians, Paul
had to rebuke him.
Because he was not acting in accordance with
the truth.
In accordance with the gospel.
He was violating, by his conduct, the things
he professed with his mouth.
The armor had slipped.
And I say it, remembering who Peter is,
and the wonderful work God used him to
do.
But those things are in God's word, showing
us that those who are real godly leaders,
those who have experienced the fullness of the
Holy Spirit, can be instruments of the devil,
if their lives are not being guided, their
words, their actions are not being guided by
the truth.
Well I trust that's enough on that.
Let's go on to Ephesians chapter 6 and
read the word of God for ourselves again
this morning, from verse 10.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of his might.
Put on the full armor of God that
you may be able to stand firm against
the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness, against
the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places.
Therefore take up the full armor of God,
that you may be able to resist in
the evil day, and having done everything, to
stand firm.
Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with
truth.
And now we come to the breastplate of
righteousness.
Let me say that I believe that the
righteousness in view here is not to be
confused with what we may call judicial righteousness.
The righteousness we have because we know and
believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are made the righteousness of God in
him.
He who was made sin for us, he
who knew no sin.
It was in order that we might be
made and treated as the righteousness of God
in him.
That is something we all have.
There is no responsibility in that, except to
receive the Lord Jesus of course.
But as believers we have no responsibility in
regard to that, except to believe it, to
be thankful for it, to live in the
light of it.
But that is something that is unassailable, something
that we cannot lose, something that is ours
because we are his, and he is made
unto us.
Wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, redemption.
Praise God for that.
So it's not to be confused with that
kind of righteousness, for this is something we
are exhorted to take up, something we are
exhorted to put on.
And it is the practical righteousness of the
believer.
Not our judicial righteousness, but a conduct consistent
with any God-given role.
You see, every situation into which God brings
us demands certain conduct.
Am I a child in a family?
Then a certain kind of righteousness is required.
What kind of righteousness?
Children obey your parents.
There is a righteousness that belongs to that
role which is mine as a child.
Am I a servant?
There is a certain kind of righteousness that
I should manifest.
It's not really looking here only, though it
would include that, it's not looking here only
I would suggest at moral qualities, being right
and being free from lustful thoughts and so
on, but adopting conduct which is consistent with
the role or the position that God has
given to me.
Have I come into an assembly?
Then certain conduct is required of me, to
recognize, for example, the elders in that assembly.
And I can only be right in that
assembly if I recognize what God has already
done in that place, and I am to
be submissive to God's work in that place.
And that's what righteousness demands of me.
Now the example of this, perfect example of
course, is our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who
had no lustful thoughts to discharge from his
mind.
His combat was not in the area of
the flesh.
He is impeccable, our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he spoke about the need to fulfill
righteousness.
You remember, he came to John the Baptist,
and John the Baptist said, I have need
to be baptized by you, and you are
coming to me?
Suffer it to be so now, said our
Lord.
For so it is fitting for us to
fulfill all righteousness.
Our Lord had come to fulfill a role
of Savior, and that involved him in going
into death for our sakes.
And in image here, he takes that position,
and he goes into the waters of death,
in figure, at the beginning of his ministry.
And this was the fulfillment of all that
was right for him, it was necessary for
him, it was appropriate for him, as the
Savior of the world, to take that position.
So it is the truth regulating my conduct,
so that I follow Paul's example.
I always exercise myself to maintain a conscience,
blameless conscience, before God and before men.
When we are wearing that breastplate, that is
basic to effective praise.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,
you have the breastplate on.
There are no arrows coming in.
The enemy cannot accuse you.
It is not that you are faultless, but
we should be blameless.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,
we have what?
Confidence before God.
Whatever we ask, we receive of him, because
we keep his commandments, and do what is
pleasing in his sight.
That gives me power in prayer.
It also gives me power in dealing with
men and women.
Whether we are thinking those who are lost,
believers who have strayed, those who may need
rebuke, there needs to be spiritual courage in
order not only to stand before God, but
to stand before men.
When I was a boy, I used to
read much the Knights of the Round Table.
I don't remember which knight it was, and
I don't know whether he could even say
it with truth.
But there was one phrase that gripped my
heart almost as though it was the very
word of scripture when I was a boy.
And one of Arthur's knights said very nobly,
my strength is the strength of ten, because
my heart is pure.
That attracted me, and I found myself inwardly
desiring that which was expressed in that statement.
Or that we might be having the strength
of ten, because our life, our conduct is
what God would want it to be.
Therefore, having received such ministry, as we have
received mercy, we faint not.
Now what follows?
We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty
or shame.
We are not walking in craftiness, nor handling
the word of God deceitfully.
But by manifestation, not only preaching, but by
manifestation in the life, you know what manner
of men we were among you for your
sake.
You became followers of us, and of the
Lord.
What a life, what a ministry.
We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty.
That gives us power, men and women, here
today.
If we want power with God, we must
walk before him blamelessly.
If we want power with men, we must
be true men, true to God's word, true
inwardly, true in conduct.
We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty.
We are not walking in craftiness, nor handling
the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation
of the truth.
Listen, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in
the sight of God.
The man may believe, or he may not,
but his conscience has been reached.
Why?
Because the one who stands before him is
manifesting the truth.
His life exhibits what he teaches.
All for a life like that.
God wants us to have it.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Our feet shod with the preparation of the
gospel of peace.
Now, putting on armour is inconsistent with running
as a herald.
If you're going to run a race, if
you're going to carry a message and be
a herald, you'd strip yourself of weight, and
you'd run.
That's gospel ministry.
When it says the preparation of the gospel
of peace, I know that so often it's
taken to mean, and I beg that you
just allow me to take a different slant,
it's so often taken to mean that we
are to be prepared to preach the gospel.
But let me quote W.E. Vine here,
who points out that the meaning of the
word preparation may also be firm footing.
A firm footing supplied by the gospel of
peace.
Not the gospel of peace to be carried
to others, but the gospel of peace known
in my own life, in my own experience.
In the Septuagint of Psalm 89 and 4,
these words appear.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation, same word,
of your throne.
So it is a firm footing, a firm
foundation.
How firm a foundation he's made for the
Lord.
He's laid for your faith in his excellent
word.
That, I take it, is meant by the
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace.
I cannot reach out to others in this
troubled world unless I'm at peace.
One of the things I pray for in
dealing with troubled people, and I don't want
to sound as though I'm a very important
person, when you start talking about your own
ministry, I fear sometimes that we try to
make ourselves out to be more strategic and
important in God's work than we really are.
But nevertheless, we do, my wife and I,
have a lot to do with counselling.
And we've had a lot of troubled people
come to us, people with all sorts of
difficulties.
We've seen some terrible failures in our counselling
ministry, and some joyous and happy successes as
well.
But what I've learned is that if I'm
not at peace myself, I can't help anybody
else.
If something's troubling me, it may not be
at all the same thing that's troubling the
person who's coming to me, but I have
to be secure in my own soul.
My feet have to be shod firmly.
I am founded and grounded in the peace
that God grants to us as his people.
I must have a secure footing if I'm
to reach to a man who is slipping
in the mud.
I must be able to help him, and
I take it that that's what is in
view here.
Satan will do his utmost to disturb you
when you're going to serve God.
And that's when you need to have your
firm footing.
Have you ever noticed when you're just going
to get up to the platform, you're suddenly
reminded of something that you did or said
or thought?
Often it's something you've already confessed and put
right with the Lord, but the enemy whispers,
how can you stand up before people when
you did that or thought that?
He brings such things to mind.
As I say, even though they may have
been confessed, he tries to trouble the Christian.
I well remember when Satan had me for
about a year when I went to Emmaus
Bible School.
You would think that when you go to
Bible School, you would be just living in
heaven.
Well, it was almost a hell for me,
and that was not the fault of Emmaus
Bible School.
That was the fault of this man here.
I didn't know how to put the armor
on.
Now, the sooner I got to Bible School,
I'd come over from England purposely to go
to Bible School.
I was penniless, more or less, but that
was all right.
We were seeking to trust the Lord.
But the sooner I got there, because I
really didn't know the wiles of the devil,
and things were not working out well for
me.
You know, a lot of people say, well,
we know this must have been the will
of the Lord because, you know, we were
able to sell our house for twice as
much as we paid for it.
And we know that was the hand of
the Lord.
Wonderful.
That hasn't always been my experience.
We know that the Lord was in it
because he smoothed our way.
Wonderful.
But that's not very comforting to a brother
who's finding the very opposite.
Sometimes in the work of God, you find
that the wind blows against you, and everything
goes wrong when you're being most right.
Our circumstances are no proof at all that
we are in the will of God, as
I judge.
But what Satan did was, he suggested to
me that I was out of the will
of God.
And that really troubled me because I was
wanting to do the will of God.
And sometimes the more earnest we are in
the things of God, the more trouble we
get into.
And I was so earnest I was in
deep trouble.
Oh God, I've messed up my life.
Here I am at Bible School and I
shouldn't be here.
And I struggled with that.
Because things weren't working out.
I wasn't able even to buy the books
at the school that I needed for my
study.
I had to borrow them from the library.
I didn't want to tell anybody.
And that wasn't the only problem.
Just when I wanted to pay attention to
the ministry that was going to be given
to us on the Christian life by Mr.
Harold Harper, I got an attack of the
mumps.
And in those days they isolated you for
it.
They don't do it now, but they used
to in those days.
So for a whole month during his ministry
at the school, I think I heard about
one lecture.
The rest of the time I spent in
a room when I had about three books
to read, plus my Bible, and a very
troubled conscience.
Can you imagine going through a month of
that?
It was like being in a cell.
I was utterly destroyed at the end of
it all.
I got down on my knees, I said,
Oh God, I've broken my life to pieces.
I know I'm out of your will, but
please take up the pieces and use them
for your glory.
And God in his mercy brought a thought
into my mind.
Who told you you were out of the
will of God?
And I learned something that day.
Never accept any suggestion of your being guilty
of anything unless it is in the light
of the word of God properly interpreted.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace.
You must have a firm footing.
We must move on.
In addition to all, verse sixteen, shield, helmet,
and sword were not attached to the soldier,
you see, all the time.
They were taken up when needed for a
specific skirmish or battle.
But he wore the first parts of the
armor constantly.
But these were things that were to be
taken up in view of the evil day.
We're to put on the whole armor of
God.
It includes the shield of faith.
Now this is not, I would suggest, the
gift of faith as spoken of.
The gift of faith to undertake, say, some
Christian project.
Thank God for those people who are raised
up by him at certain times in the
church's history who have a discernment and the
faith to carry through a vision given to
them by God.
Thank God for those people.
But I don't believe that that's what's in
view here.
This is for every Christian.
It is the faith to maintain in a
practical way, and in our generation, the unchanging
truth of God as climaxed here in Ephesians.
We are to contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the
saints.
Now, let me talk about Christian projects for
a little while.
I want to say some things that might
be a little provocative on this, but they're
said in love.
Some Christian projects undertaken in faith are not
God's will at all.
At least if we use those words in
faith in the way that some people use
them.
Statements like this.
We went ahead with this project in faith
that God would supply our needs, and we're
counting on you for a thousand dollars this
month.
My dear brother, where are you?
Is that faith?
I'm frankly, I don't understand it.
That to me just doesn't add up.
If I am doing something in faith that
is God's will, what is the principle in
God's word that guides me to do that?
And if I'm just doing it because it's
my vision, my idea, my plan, and you
know, I feel that something should be done,
so I'm going to go ahead in faith,
and then I expect other people to come
in and support my faith.
We must be very careful what we undertake
in the name of the Lord.
The Lord supports his own work, not mine.
And just because the thing is good, doesn't
mean it's always of God.
There are some good things that God may
be wants done by somebody else, not by
me.
I must be very sure when I say
that I'm doing something in faith.
I'm thinking of an example my wife told
me about, a man she knew who bought
a huge castle.
He was going to have it as a
convention center for Christians, sounded like a good
scheme.
He went into very serious debt and dishonored
the name of the Lord in that regard.
You see, we've got to be careful when
we say we go ahead in faith.
Sometimes people are ready to label anything that
looks, what shall I say, legitimate, acceptable, right.
That's the will of God for them, and
they expect everybody else to go along with
it.
That's not fair, it's not right.
You must be sure of what you're doing.
First Timothy, or rather 1 Corinthians 16 10
says this, if Timothy comes, see that he
be among you without fear.
For he works the work of the Lord,
even as I also do.
Now that's a very simple statement, but it's
profound.
Let me just change the preposition and see
if it sounds as good, and if it's
as acceptable to you.
Now watch it.
If Timothy comes to you, see that he
be with you without fear.
For he does the work for the Lord,
as I also do.
Do you see the change, subtle change?
Is it as truly God's will that I
should do a work for God, as that
I should do the work of God?
What's the difference?
Supposing I say to my son, son I'm
going away for an hour or two, and
I'm going to come back, and I want
you to mow the lawn.
And my son says thanks dad, and he
starts off, he starts off mowing the lawn,
and boy, he says to himself, I wish
dad had bought a power mower.
It's true, our lawn is kind of even,
but pushing this thing is just a lot
of hard work.
So he stops for a moment, and he
looks at the hedge.
Boy, dad needs that hedge clipped.
And you know, he's just bought some new
hedge clippers.
Wouldn't it please dad if I trim the
hedge?
So he gets the hedge clippers out, and
he spends the hour trimming the hedge.
And you know, people passing by say, look
at that boy, you know, he's just a
youngster, but he's trimming the hedge, isn't that
great?
He's doing a real work for his dad.
And when I come home, I'm thoroughly displeased
with my boy.
Why?
He was doing a work for me, but
he wasn't doing my work.
You see, it's possible to do a work
for the Lord without doing the work of
the Lord.
Doing the work of the Lord is being
submissive to his will.
And doing things, notice in that text, the
way Paul did them.
He says, he works the work of the
Lord as I also do.
So the pattern of working the work of
the Lord is working after the pattern of
the apostles.
As we have it in the book of
Acts.
Now, we're not talking about practices in detail
now, we're talking about principles.
We know that Paul, for example, never had
an aeroplane.
But there's nothing inconsistent, I hope, because I
used one just recently.
Nothing inconsistent in traveling by air from here
to there, but Paul never had an aeroplane.
But we have the principle of Paul traveling
from place to place as needed.
That's covered in scripture.
So there's nothing against the work of God
or the will of God in traveling by
a different method than the apostle could ever
have known or experienced.
We're talking not about such things as that.
We're not talking about the actual method of
doing things.
The method, though, must never violate the principle.
The principles by the great goals to which
Paul was working.
There's room for all kinds of methods to
be used, brethren.
Believe it.
Don't be too swift to jump on people
who come up with a new method.
At first it won't be acceptable because, you
know, we've followed the traditional way.
Let's not jump on people because they've got
a new method.
But let us be careful that the method
does not violate the principles that are given
to us in the word of God.
That's the thing.
So we have to take up the shield
of faith.
Now, Satan will threaten us if we do.
He certainly will.
Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 8.
If you try to take up the shield
of faith and do the work of God
and seek to serve God as he wants
you to, you will certainly need that shield.
Verse 8 of 2 Corinthians chapter 4.
We're afflicted in every way, but not crushed.
Perplexed, but not despairing.
Dear servant of God here today, have you
known affliction?
Well, let me assure you, you will not
be crushed, for the Lord is with you.
Have you known what it is to be
perplexed?
Well, don't despair, for the Lord is with
you.
Do you know what it is to be
persecuted?
Well, don't worry about it, for you will
never be abandoned by the Lord.
Do you know what it is to be
struck down?
Well, you will not be destroyed or completely
handed over to the enemy.
But you will know something of always carrying
about in the body the dying of Jesus,
that the life of Jesus also may be
manifested in our body.
This is part of the lot of the
true servant of God.
How do you approve yourself as a servant
of God with such things?
Isn't that remarkable?
That's how we learn to bear the stigmata
of the Lord Jesus.
We have such things, persecution, suffering.
For we are constantly, we who live, are
constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus'
sake.
The servant constantly being reduced by the pressure
that the enemy brings to bear upon him.
It looks as though he's going to be
utterly crushed.
His work is going to be terminated, and
his life is going to be ended prematurely.
Satan threatens.
And what does God do?
Death is at work in us.
That's the principle which we're facing constantly.
Well, what's the glorious result?
Life in you.
If we want to be fruitful, this type
of thing will come to us.
I know we're living in a land where
we don't suffer persecution.
But we're going to know strong opposition and
great difficulty if life is to work in
others.
If life is to be produced in others,
then there must be the principle of death
at work in us.
Satan will threaten, and God will use those
very things that are threatening to us for
his own glory.
Now, of course, when you do that, Satan
will also deride.
When you're down, he loves to kick you.
If you were really faithful to God, he
will say, you will see more evidence of
God's approval upon your life.
He'll serve that one to you when you're
really at the end of your tether, and
suggest to you at that time that if
God really approved of you, he wouldn't allow
you to be in a position like this.
After all, in a rotten Roman jail, what
are you doing there?
And Joseph, if God really gave you those
dreams, what are you doing down here in
jail in Egypt?
That's God at work, in spite of what
Joseph and what Paul were going through.
It was death to them, but it was
life for others.
We have to learn, as it tells us.
Please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 11,
and I'm going to close with this thought,
although I haven't covered all the other parts
of armor except in a very sketchy way
in my introduction to you, but time forbids
me to go through it all too rapidly,
otherwise if I, rather, if I go through
it too rapidly, then I won't give you
anything worthwhile.
But look at verse 33 of Hebrews chapter
11.
Who by faith conquered kingdoms?
Oh, I want to do that.
Performed acts of righteousness?
Yes, I want to do that.
Obtained promises?
Yes, I want to do that.
Shut the mouth of lions?
Glorious.
Quench the power of fire?
Yes, I want to be Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego.
Escape the edge of the sword?
Isn't that a wonderful deliverance from the Lord?
That's all a mark of the work of
God, isn't it?
Well, how about 35?
Others were tortured, not accepting their release in
order that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Others experienced mockings, scourgings, chains, imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were sawn in two,
they were tempted, they were put to death
with a sword, they went about in sheepskins,
in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, men
of whom the world is not worthy.
Now, which class are you in?
Which class am I in?
Do I want to be in the first
class who, by faith, did these wonderful things?
Well, God may not choose me to be
in that class.
He may choose me to be in the
other class, to be stoned, sawn asunder.
Or the equivalent of that in our society
today.
People don't usually chop you up to death,
but they may give you a very rough
time, and God may choose to put you
in that place.
He may not choose to allow you to
see the glorious, to experience the wonderful deliverance
of God.
Some servants of God, He may do that
for them.
Thank God for them.
By faith, they do those things.
But you, by faith, may be called to
suffer.
Be prepared for that.
God is sovereign.
Lord, what shall this man do?
What is that to thee?
Follow thou me.
We need the whole armor of God, don't
we?
We're engaged in battle, brethren.
There's a war on.
And the enemy is very subtle.
Let us be sure that we're clad in
the armor of truth.
I wonder if we could sing together, hymn
number 333.
If our song leader would please come, Jim,
and lead us in that hymn, if you
don't mind, in closing.
A mighty fortress is our God.