THE ARMOUR OF THE LORD

Photo taken in B Smith's patio

     356-THE ARMOUR OF THE LORD #2

     July 20,1977

     PASTOR HENRY F KULP

Ephesians 6: 10 – 17 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

We do have a great enemy that we need to know and understand so that we can combat him. He never takes a vacation. He never takes a day off…nor his henchmen.

1/  Vs. 11 We are to put on the whole armor of God and this is a command, it is an order, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, and the word, wiles is the word, strategy—trickery. Actually, the Greek says the word, “against,” is face-to-face—eyeball to eyeball.

2/  Last week we showed you the limitations of Satan. He is not nearly as powerful, or as worldly-wise as most people believe. It is true, he is a genius, but he has limitations.   

(1)  He is not OMNIPRESENT

(2)   He is not OMNISCIENT. He doesn’t know you thoughts. He does not know

          everything. He cannot tell the future.

(3)  He is not OMNIPOTENT. He is not all powerful. He has only so much power.

3/  Let us look at his strategy with the unbeliever. It is to blind the unbeliever with religion.

4/  SATAN’S STRATEGY TOWARD THE BELIEVER.

(1)  Persuade him to ignore the Word of God. Not to go to church.

(2)  Have distractions with the details of his life.

(3)  Discouragement.

5/   But now the biggest one is the one that every believer needs to understand. If he fails to understand Satan, his person and his work, he is in big trouble. I think I am safe in saying that most believers do not understand Satan.

6/  To begin with Satan before he fell had a home on this earth. He was in complete control of this earth under God. He was the ruler of this earth. And it was his position to maintain righteousness in the earth. We are not going to take a lot of time to prove this, we have done this many times before. But then, he fell when he attempted to be God. He was cast down and there was a great space war. The earth was judged. It became empty. Darkness was upon the face of the deep. His home was judged, and he was in the heavenlies.

7/  Then he saw God reconstruct the earth bringing order out of chaos and placed Adam in the earth. This dispossessed One heard Adam installed as absolute monarch over every part of the earth—that once was his very own, and he refused to accept his fall. He still acts and behaves as if he were in control of this earth. You remember, when we studied, Matthew 4 when he told Jesus Christ to fall down and worship me and all the kingdoms of this world I’ll give to You. The only way he is in control of this earth now is through the fall of man, and man being at enmity with God, man being separated by his sin from God, and Satan is now the god of this age.

8/  Now the important point to see—Satan doesn’t accept his fall and he still believes his program of maintaining righteousness in the earth.

9/  Job 1: 6 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.”

Now let’s get a few examples to show what we mean. Here we read that the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. The sons of God are beyond any serious question, angels. Men are never called sons of God in the Old Testament—but Satan, being a son of God comes with them, and the Lord addresses, without naming him—“Whence comest thou?” The Lord’s questions are never for His own enlightenment—He knows very well where He came from. Why then ask? So that we might understand. And so Satan replies, “from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it.” He is literally saying, “Where should I have come from?” Am I not put on the earth and it is under my care and its government—and am I not to maintain strict righteousness in it? So, you see, he still claims to be the cherub that was anointed, who has supervision over the earth. Just in case you think that maybe I am stretching a point, read

 

II Corinthians 11: 13 – 15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan, himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Notice, his ministers are called “ministers of righteousness,” and he claims to be an angel of light, and so when the Lord needs him, he assumes, as he ever does, “I have been seeking to maintain righteousness on the earth.” And then the Lord says, “Hast thou considered one righteous man—My servant, Job? Who feareth God and escheweth evil?”

10/  Job 29: 11 – 17 “When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. Put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.”

Notice, Satan had done a good job, he had done a preliminary work on Job already. Listen to the poor afflicted man hugging to his heart the memory of his many charities. Satan had been working with him, puffing him up. Flattering him—telling Job, you are indeed a righteous man, look at all the wonderful things you have done. Look how all these people owe so much to you.

11/  Romans 12: 1 – 3 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

What is being spiritual? What happens when one gives his body a living sacrifice to God? He does not think of himself more highly than he ought to think. Satan is trying to get everyone to think very highly of themselves, especially believers, so that they are not subject to the grace of God, but rather are self-sufficient and self-righteous.

12/  He does this with the unbeliever. This is how II Corinthians 4: 3, 4 becomes a reality. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

 

They think they are good, self-righteous, they don’t need to believer on Jesus Christ. They don’t need the righteousness of Christ as a gift.

13/  But there is another side to the work of Satan. Those who are believers and walk in the Spirit, Satan accuses them before God, for he tells God no, these are not mine, they Yours, and look at them, how they behave, how they act.

14/  Zechariah 3: 1 – 4 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. ² And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? ³ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. ⁴ And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment”.

And we have a scene—Joshua the high priest now not just a priest, but a high priest, the most important man in the nation who represented the nation before God once a year. He represents the whole nation of Israel, and here Joshua stands clothed before God, clothed in filthy garments. He was represented in his natural state—just as Israel is without God. Now the word, “filthy”, in the Hebrew is the strongest expression that we can find, and so now the devil accuses Joshua or the nation before God. Just look at those filthy garments. What a dark picture. So, Satan dwells on the sins of the people. He wants God to cast them away forever. This is what they deserve.

15/  Vs. 4. “And He answered and He said, Take away the filthy garments from him and He said unto him, behold I have caused they iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment.” This again is the grace of God, and the grace of God is that which Satan hates. THE ONE THING SATAN HATES ABOVE ALL ELSE IS THE GRACE OF GOD.

16/  Let us consider Israel. Israel was of its father, the devil. John 8: 44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it”. And then we read that Israel’s great sin was in establishing personal righteousness. 

Romans 10: 1-4 “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. or Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.”

 

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Not trusting in the law, not trusting in human works.

17/  When we put on the whole armour of God we do so through the grace of God and we meet an enemy who would puff us up, flatter us, and cause us to try to live by law.

18/  As you know, we have three enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil. Just very briefly, let us look at the world. The word, “world,” is the present system of things, morally, politically and as far as religion is concerned. The Scripture exhorts us not to fight, not to flee from, but literally not to be conformed to the image of this world. Romans 12: 2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

 

Then we are told in I John 2: 15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 

Then in James 4: 4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

 

We are not to have friendship with the world. Notice, all of these are negatives. 

19/  Then the flesh, and this is very clear. Galatians 5: 16 “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” 

20/  But now we are really interested in this third enemy—this one who poses as an angel of light and his ministers of righteousness. We must put on the whole armour of God to stand and be victorious against him.

21/  I Kings 19: 10 “And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” Here we have an example of how Satan influenced a servant of God, Elijah. He started to brag and say all the things he had done, and, of course, he became very discouraged when his eyes happened to be upon self.

22/  Matthew 26: 31 – 35 “Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That, this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise, also said all the disciples.”

 

Here Peter and the twelve, I am sure under the influence of Satan, became very cocky, very self-confident—though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet shall I never be offended. Then the 31^st vs. “Likewise also said all the disciples.” Satan fills with self.

23/  We have something very important in the life of Paul. Acts 26: 15 – 18 “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

 

Here Paul before King Agrippa talks of his salvation, and he tells him that God told him he would open their eyes, the Gentile’s eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins. Not self-righteousness, but receive the forgiveness of sins.

24/  An important thing to see is that Satan constantly fights the program of God. 

 

Acts 5: 1 – 4 “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” 

 

Why did Ananias lie to God? It was Satan who filled his heart to lie to the Holy Ghost—the Scripture is very clear. It was Satan’s fault that Ananias lied, and what did he do to Ananias? Why Ananias, you need part of this—you’ve got to keep some of this for your own good. He filled his eyes with self.

25/  Ananias was disrupting the program of God.

26/  Then we know that Satan hates the mystery program. He fights it on every side. He doesn’t want people to see it at all.

AMEN

Ref: 07/20/1977/ 356-THE ARMOUR OF THE LORD #2 / 2020