Spiritual Warfare & the Word of God | Voddie Baucham Preaches Ephesians 6 with Power

0:00 If you have your Bibles with you, open to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. Now, initially it it may seem that this is the wrong place to be talking about uh preaching the word as the sword of Christ's warfare. maybe a maybe a text like, you know, we get to Ephesians 4, right? Preach the word, be ready in season, out of season, so on and so forth. Um, but but I we think that I would argue because we haven't rightly understood spiritual warfare as it's presented in

0:46 Ephesians chapter 6. And my goal is to help us understand that there are two errors that we commit when we talk about spiritual warfare. One error is to underestimate spiritual warfare, right? It we we we live like there is no spiritual war going on. We live like there there's no such thing as the devil. That that's just that's a myth. Those are fairy tales for primitive minds. And um there there is no war going on in the spiritual realm. There's a ditch on the other side of the road and that is to overestimate spiritual warfare. Like everything is spiritual warfare, right? Um everything

1:33 is is the devil. Um an example, my family and I were at a church and we're sitting there and our children were are much younger at the time. So, um, we walk in with our little our little ducklings and, um, it's always, you know, when you come in with nine kids, um, it's like the circus is coming to town, right? And you always see people going, right? So, we're there and we sit in the back cuz when you got a circus, you sit in the back, right? Um, plus in case anybody needs to be dealt with or whatever, you just we sit in the back, right? So, we were there in

2:20 the back of this church and and this church were having problems with the sound system. We didn't know about this church. We just kind of had seen it before. We popped in. They're having problem with problems with the sound system. They're trying to fix the sound system. And lo and behold, somebody gets up and they start rebuking the devil um from this sound system. And then Bridget and I kind of look at each other, right? You know, and then the thing got worse and the church, you know, and as it got worse, they had to actually go and get into the thing and work on the thing. And the pastor gets up and he tells the ushers to open the back door. They're going to pray and run the devil

3:06 out of the church. So, they open the back doors. I look at Bridget and I say, "Babe, let's go." And she said, "Where we going?" I said, "We're leaving with the devil. We're here. We're getting out of this place." Right? That's that overestimation of spiritual warfare. Everything is spiritual warfare. Warfare. We don't understand that we deal with the world and the flesh and the devil. Amen. We don't want to be on a ditch on either side of the road. So let's look here at this most comprehensive passage dealing with the issue and question of spiritual warfare.

3:53 We there are two parts of this two sides of this. One is our field and the other is our fight. In our field we see our resources, our adversary and our goal. And then when we get to the second part of this and we look at our fight, we see our uniform, our weapons, our partners, and ultimately our victory. As we look at this, I want you to keep in mind cuz most people when they think about spiritual warfare and they think about Ephesians chapter 6 and we read the passage, we read it as though it is something that's designed to strike fear in us, something that's designed to make us afraid that the devil is out there and that he's trying to get us.

4:40 Let's read the passage and then after reading it, walk through it step by step. Finally, be strong in the Lord. Ephesians chapter 6, beginning verse 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and then 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. 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. And unfortunately, we we we often end there. 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. Name of this conference. Stand therefore, having fastened on the

5:27 belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace, in all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, 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, and also for me, 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

6:12 speak. Those last two verses are everything. But let's go ahead and get there together, shall we? First, our resources. Go to the Ephesians 6:10 and 11. Finally, brothers, 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. Two things, his might, his armor. Those are our resource the resources his might his armor God's strength and God's armor. So often when we talk about spiritual warfare and many of the people who popularize the

6:59 idea of spiritual warfare they actually talk about it as though there is something in us that is going to fight against the evil one. that somehow you are going to learn the right words and the right incantations, that somehow you are going to storm hell with a water pistol and you are going to defeat the devil. That somehow you are going to tread all over that. No, no, no, no, no, no. God's armor and God's might. Here's a news flash. You can't whip the devil. Amen, somebody. Amen. You can't. You absolutely cannot. He's not the same kind of being that you

7:45 are. Amen. You know, when devils, not devils, the devil is a fallen angel, right? When when angels show up in the Bible, the two most common phrases they use are fear not and get up. They're frightening. They're awe inspiring. And not to be trifled with or taken lightly. When we stand in this battle, we stand in the Lord's might and with the Lord's armor. Cuz apart from that, you will be devoured.

8:32 Those are our resources. Not your cunning, not your intellect, not anything in or about you. The Lord's armor and the Lord's might. Those are our resources. Why? What about our adversary? And this is often times where we end up getting afraid. 6:12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. H how many young people have gone to bed frightened because of the idea of these spiritual forces in the heavenly places that are out to get

9:18 them as though somehow that's the intention of this verse. Is it? Is it the intention of this verse to say be afraid, be very afraid? I I don't think so. And I say that because of the rest of the book. Remember in the book of Ephesians, it's divided very nicely into two halves. In we heard the ending of the first half where you have a doxology and an amen. And the beginning of the second half in chapter 4 starts with a therefore. Now in the first half um we have h our calling we have right thinking we lay the theological foundation in the

10:04 last half we go from our calling to our conduct in the last half we go from right believing to right behaving in the last half we go from indicatives to imperatives and indicative this is a podium and indicative says what something is first half of Ephesians, we're told to do nothing. We're told who we are as a result of the person and work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. And the second half, we're told how we ought to live in light of and as a direct result of the person and work of Christ on our behalf. In the first half, we have those indicatives. An imperative tells you

10:50 something to do. Indicative, this is a podium. Imperative, stand behind the podium. In the second half, we're told what to do. By the way, in the first half, we have no imperatives. All indicatives. In the second half, we have indicatives and imperatives. So, if the first half we only have indicatives, and in the second half we have indicatives, what's more important? The indicatives. The indicatives. Because we cannot achieve or accomplish the imperatives apart from the indicatives. We cannot obey apart from who we are in Christ. We cannot achieve apart from the power of Christ and us. Now with that in mind and again this is

11:39 it's important to understand this if you're going to understand the way Ephesians works. So here we have this statement in the second half. We're not wrestling against flesh and blood. We're wrestling against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers, this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Have we heard about heavenly places before in Ephesians was mentioned earlier? Chapter 1:3. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Wait a minute. These evil forces are in the heavenly places. Earlier we learned that the heavenly places are where we have been blessed

12:24 in Christ with every spiritual blessing. How about this? Look at chapter 2:es 4-7. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. So now I've been told the heavenly places is where I've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Now, I'm told that the heavenly places is

13:10 where I'm seated to show off God's grace. How about this? Look at chapter 3:es 8-2. Chapter 3:es 8-12. To me, sorry. Sorry, just the downside of technology.

13:58 To me, though I am the very very least of the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unarchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. So that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known, watch this, to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. I'm blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I'm seated with Christ in the heavenly places. And then through the church, the wisdom

14:44 of God is being made known to those same rulers and those same authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Boldness and access where? in the heavenly places. So when Paul mentions this again in chapter 6, we have to understand it in light of what we've been told in the first half of the letter. Paul doesn't mention this so that we will quake in fear. Paul mentions this so that essentially

15:30 he's saying this war that is very real is going on in the place where God rules and reigns. You need not feed her as long as your resources are his might and his armor. What's our goal? What's our goal? Verse 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. That's our goal. Stand firm.

16:16 That's your job. Stand right there. Don't move. That's it. Stand where you are. Not charge hell with a water pistol. Not go defeat. No, no, no, no, no. You just hold your post. You just stand your ground. Chapter 4:es 13 and 14. until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves

17:04 and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. Stand firm. That's our goal and our job. What about our uniform? I love this. It's a wonderful picture. And what Paul does here in in this uniform is he takes the most fearsome and the most well-dressed fighting man of his age and he walks through this person's uniform so that everybody understands. is exactly what he's doing. Verse 14, verses 14- 16.

17:54 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth. Have we heard that before? Chapter 4:es 15 and 16. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped. when each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Yeah, we've heard that before. And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Have we heard that before? Yep. Or also heard that in chapter 4. Put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. be renewed in the spirit of

18:40 your mind and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. What's the righteousness that referred to here? It's the righteousness of Christ. And as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Christ is our peace. By the way, if you put all these together, belt of truth, Christ is our truth, breastplate of righteousness, Christ is our righteousness. And the gospel of peace is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our uniform is really simple at the end of the day. Put on Christ.

19:26 That's your uniform. Put on Christ. That's all that we need in this. Remember, it's the Lord's might and the Lord's armor. The battle is taking place in the Lord's territory. Our goal is to stand firm and to be clothed in Christ. What about our weapons? In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith. faith in what or in whom? Christ with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Now, this is really important and it's it's

20:13 foreshadowing. I'm going to prove this point in a moment, but this lets us know what kind of shield is being referred to. The kind of shield that's being referred to is not the little, you know, the shield that I'm wearing while I'm I'm I'm I'm fighting my single opponent here, right? The kind of shield that's being referred to here is the kind of shield that I can hide behind. Not just that, it's the kind of shield that I can hide behind that is most effective when I'm hiding with my fellow soldiers. If there's an onslaught of fiery arrows, you do not. No, we get together Leonitis style and

21:00 everybody hides behind our individual shields that now becomes one shield. Here's the other thing you need to know about spiritual warfare from Ephesians 6. It's corporate and not individual. You see why I wanted to do this after the last message? The way we normally talk about spiritual warfare, those who promote it the most, it's you being built up as an individual so that you can go and fight the devil in this spiritual battle. That's not what this text is about. Now again, I I I I'm I'm making that argument and you're saying, "Yeah, well, whatever you say that, but

21:47 look at the next part. Take up the helmet of salvation again, who saves us, Christ, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Again, it's the only offensive weapon that we have. This is not the first time you've heard that, but we're going somewhere with that. There's another piece of weaponry that we often miss. praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. I'm going to make this argument. We've heard over and over and over again that the word of God is the only offensive weapon in our arsenal. I'm going to argue that it's not. Prayer is an offensive weapon.

22:42 It is an offensive weapon. So we have faith, salvation, the word and prayer. Listen to this. 2 Corinthians chapter 10:es 3-6. This is the other major spiritual warfare passage. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Don't miss this. When he says destroy strongholds, fortresses is what he's talking about. He's saying this in a time and in an era

23:30 where where they don't have nuclear weapons or bunker busting bombs. He's saying this during time when the only thing an army could do against a stronghold is siege warfare. You wait them out. you starve them out because there were no weapons known to man that could overcome a stronghold or a fortress. Paul says, "Spiritually speaking, we have weapons that are more powerful than anything the human mind can conceive of." That's what he means by this. That's why I said earlier, it's not

24:15 about you fighting the devil. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. Now, we look at our partners. Remember, I said this is corporate and not individual. the end of verse 18. I I don't know about you, I've missed this so many times. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Why is that in the passage about spiritual warfare? Because spiritual warfare is corporate

25:02 and not individual. Ephesians chapter 6 is not about how you fight the devil in and of yourself. Ephesians chapter 6 is about how God defeats our adversary through us corporately as the church. What about our victory? This is the best of the news, our victory. Again, when we think about spiritual warfare, we usually think about it individually and not corporately. We usually think about it in fear and in trembling. We usually

25:47 hear about it in terms of uh certain people being these, you know, superch Christians and you having to put become this superch Christian so that you can engage in spiritual warfare. And only those superch Christians who know all the right incantations, only those superch Christians who have all of the right, you know what, only those people can engage in spiritual warfare. And it's definitely not talked about in terms of our victory. Look at what he says again, the end of 18. So we're making supplication for all the saints and also for me.

26:33 What are our weapons? Right? We have faith, salvation, word of God, prayer. These are the weapons of our warfare. Now, prayer is the way that we're accessing prayer is the way that we're activating this weaponry. Amen. as we activate this weaponry, we activate this weaponry on behalf of all the saints cuz it's a corporate war. But Paul says, "And also for me or specifically for me." Okay, Paul, we're engaging in warfare through utilizing these weapons. The last of these weapons is what

27:19 activates our weaponry and warfare. and you want us to activate our weaponry on your behalf. But to what end? 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. News flash. The greatest activity of spiritual warfare that the world has ever known is not incantations against the gospel or or against the the the devil. It's not binding Satan,

28:05 which always amazes me, right? Like, you know, Satan, we bind you. Where? No, no, no. Satan is not omnipresent. Satan, we bind you. If you bind Satan, do you call all the rest of the churches in the world and say, "We got him this week." And if you bind him, why do you have to keep doing it over and over again? Is there a timer on your binding? It's ridiculous. The greatest act of spiritual warfare is the proclamation of the gospel.

28:51 That's the greatest act of spiritual warfare. Think about it. Listen to this. Go back to Ephesians 2:es 1-3. And think about this in terms of spiritual warfare. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air. There we are again. The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. There he is. There's our adversary. You served him. You loved him. You yearned for him. You belonged to him. It

29:36 was all you knew. You were a dead man walking. You were dead to the things of God. All you wanted was the world, the flesh, and the devil. That was it. Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. What comes next? But God being rich in mercy. But God what?

30:23 But God had the audacity to go behind enemy lines, to identify one who belonged to the adversary, who loved the adversary, who only knew the adversary, who was part of the adversar's ranks, to make him alive together with Christ. Remove the scales from his eyes, snatch him from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the kingdom of light, and show him off in the heavenlies as a trophy of grace.

31:12 You tell me a greater act of spiritual warfare. I didn't kill your man. No, no, no, no, no. Here we are lined up to battle and you have your men on that side and I have my men on this side. I did not kill your men, but by the thousands they take off your uniform and walk from your side over to my side and put on my uniform. That's how we fight. There is no greater act of spiritual warfare.

31:57 There could be no greater act of spiritual warfare. Now, whenever I say this, I know what you're thinking cuz people ask me all the time and they go, "Yeah, okay. I get that." And I see that that's what the text is saying. By the way, that ought to be enough. Amen. But I digress. I I see that. Okay. But but what about demon possession? What about demonic oppression? What about familiar spirits? What about generational curses? What about what about what about what about? In other words, I get you,

32:44 but I don't believe you and I don't believe the Bible. Because when I think about spiritual warfare, what I mean is this. And because I mean this, God hasn't answered my question. So, can you First of all, that's completely backwards. Second of all, allow me if you will. This is Matthew 12 43-4 because again we we think the the greater act of spiritual warfare is to go find people who are demonpossessed and say come out.

33:29 [Music] Jesus says, "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself. And they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. Let's say you are powerful enough to cast out demons.

34:18 Jesus says they'll come back. But guess where they can't come? They came back to this house because it was empty. But if the gospel is preached and repentance and faith occur and a soul is saved, then it is indwelt by the spirit of almighty God. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead. So now that spirit that is gone comes back with his seven friends and says we are here to

35:06 repossess. Oh my bad. Come on. So I reiterate the greatest act of spiritual warfare is the proclamation of the gospel with one addendum. Perhaps an even greater act of spiritual warfare is planting a church in a place where there was none so that it can continually preach the gospel in territory that was once unclaimed. And we're going to hear about that coming up. You You see why I moved this

35:51 one to this spot? It's the greatest act of spiritual warfare. Well, but that still doesn't deal with the whole generational curses thing. I'll close with this. Get your Bibles out because I want you to see this and we're going to do this cuz I hear this all the time. We're not going to be able to read the whole chapter. Turn your Bibles to Ezekiel 18. Christians come to me all the time talking about generational curses. And

36:37 there are Bible teachers out there who are talking about generational curses. Uh if you've ever been in the adoption world, there are people who cautioned us when we started moving into the adoption world. And the reason that they cautioned us is because there's a lot of teachers out there in the Christian world who caution people against adoption because you may bring a child into your home who has generational curses. To which I respond, if I believed in those, I wouldn't have had kids at all cuz I know my family. Amen. Forget people whose family I don't know. I know my family.

37:27 Ezekiel 18. Let's just And the reason I love this is because it's in the Old Testament. This is not even in the New Testament. This is in the Old Testament. The word of the Lord came to me. What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel? The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge. Generational curses. Children are punished because of the fathers. As I live, declares the Lord God. This proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine. The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine. The soul who sins shall die. Verse five. If a man is

38:13 righteous and does what is just and right, if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman in her time of uh menstrual impurity, does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry, and covers the naked with a garment. does not lead or does not lend at interest or take any profit. Withholds his hand from injustice, executes truth, justice between man and man, walks in my statutes, keeps my rules by acting faithfully. He is righteous. He shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

38:59 The father's a son who is violent. And he goes on to talk about all of these things that the son does. Verse 18. As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbing his brother, did what is not good among his people. Behold, he shall die for his iniquity. Verse 19. Yet you say, why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father? When the Son has done what is just and right and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The Son

39:47 shall not suffer. For the iniquity of the Father, nor the Father, for the iniquity of the Son, the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. This whole chapter says there are no generational curses. None. And that's in Ezekiel. There are no generational curses. Period. Do we learn bad behaviors from our family? Yes, we do. But that's not a curse. The gospel is sufficient.

40:34 It's sufficient. So I say again, the greatest act of spiritual warfare is the proclamation of the gospel. The greatest victory in spiritual warfare is a soul being brought from darkness into his marvelous light. Hallelujah. The greatest trophies from spiritual warfare are those of us who can say

41:20 with Newton. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a rich like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. Grace does that through the proclamation of the gospel. And in the spiritual realm, that is the most powerful thing the world has ever seen or will ever see. This is the sword of the Lord for warfare. Amen.

42:06 [Applause]