The Greatest Battle (1)
T |
he greatest battle that will ever be fought is not
some historical battle fought on land, in the air, or on the sea. The most
powerful and forceful battle of all is the struggle between good and evil—light
and darkness! This battle began in the Garden of Eden and will continue to rage
until the end of time. [1]
The
battle for this lesson is the one that begins when one is born of God—”born
of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). It is a mistake to believe that when we become Christians,
the devil will leave us alone. In fact, the opposite is true! The devil fights
to regain the ones he has lost. He does not want Christians to grow strong in
the Lord! [2]
Why
should he be so concerned about the ones he already has who are living in sin?
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). However, he knows that those who have obeyed the
gospel, have received “the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16), and God’s gift of eternal life (Romans
6:23). Therefore,
the devil fights his strongest battle when one becomes a Christian. [3]
Just
before Jesus began His powerful ministry, He faced the devil in temptation (Matthew
4:1-11). But when
Jesus finally drove him away, it was only “until an opportune time” (Luke
4:13). Since Jesus needed to deal with the
devil daily, you can be assured that we must do the same. [4]
Therefore,
this powerful battle begins at the beginning of the Christian life, and all who
are born of God, must be born to fight. Paul wanted his son in the faith,
Timothy, to be strong in the Lord. Thus Paul commanded, “Fight the good
fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,...” (1 Timothy 6:12). All faithful Christians are
required to do the same! [5]
There is a question that each
Christians should ask: “How do I fight and win over Satan?” Before answering
this question, we should all know that we cannot win alone. The victory over
Satan comes ONLY with the help of God. The Holy Spirit guided Paul to write to
the Ephesian Christians: [6]
“Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. 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”
(Ephesians 6:10,11,13). [7]
Paul
seems to be implying that without this armor, they will not be able to stand.
Also, you will observe that it must be “the whole armor of God.” Just one part of the armor missing
will bring defeat! Paul did not label any part of the armor as being optional,
because all parts are needed.
Therefore,
Paul mentions each part that makes up the armor of God. Please study carefully
each of these individual parts. [8]
Paul
begins with the waist being girded with truth. If the devil were to compile a
“hate list,” truth would surely be at the top of his list. Why? Because the
devil is a liar and has no truth in him. Jesus sums up this evil one to some
unbelievers in the following words: “You are of your father the devil, and
the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and
the father of it” (John
8:44). [9]
When
Paul visited the Island of Cyprus, he described an evil sorcerer named Elymas,
by saying, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you
enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of
the Lord?” (Acts
13:10). [10]
Therefore,
the only way that Christians can win over Satan is to be girded with truth.
Always remember that truth belongs to God. There is not a single lie associated
with God, for “...it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). Those who follow God must follow
truth. [11]
The Psalmist wrote: “Your
righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth” (Psalms
119:142)
The
Christ whom we follow as Christians, brought truth down from heaven to earth.
John describes Jesus as the Word and wrote: “And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14,17). [12]
Therefore,
Jesus is the truth that all must follow to reach a compatible and forgiven
relationship with the Father. For Jesus taught: “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). [13]
Remember,
only the truth can set us free from the slavery of sin. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
(John 8:32). Those born of God leave from being the “servants of
sin,” to become the
“servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:17). [14]
How
do we fight the devil with truth? By studying and living daily the word of God.
Jesus prayed to His Father in behalf of His disciples: “Sanctify them by
Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). [15]
We
can conclude this part of the armor by saying that truth girded around the
waist is an essential part of the Christian’s armor when fighting Satan! [16]
Righteousness
The second part of the Christian
armor that is needed to fight Satan is “the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). [17]
Righteousness
belongs to God and He wants His children to be totally filled with it. When
Jesus requested baptism from John, He gave His reason for such a request by
saying, [18]
“Permit
it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). [19]
What
is righteousness? It is defined as “the state of him who is as he ought to
be—the condition acceptable to God. Also, the doctrine concerning the way in
which man may attain a state approved of God.” [20]
Thus,
righteousness is of God, and He is the righteous One (Daniel 9:14; Romans
3:22). To be able
to win over Satan, as Christians, we must, “...seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness,” and “...hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 6:33; 5:6). [21]
When
we were born of God—obeyed the gospel—we received “the power of God to
salvation” (Romans 1:16). Why is this true? Paul gives the answer. After recognizing the power of
the gospel, he explained: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith” (Romans
1:17). [22]
So, when we fight the devil with the breastplate of righteousness as a part of God’s armor, we are armed with God and His righteousness. For Jesus brought this righteousness to earth. Paul wrote about Jesus: [23]
“Therefore,
as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in
condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all
men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18). [24]
As a Christian, you have accepted and obeyed God’s way of
righteousness, and now it is essential to live it. [25]
There
is nothing that pleases the devil more than for a Christian to turn from
righteousness to unrighteousness. Paul verifies this truth to the Christians in
Rome: [26]
“And
do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but
present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). [27]
As
we fight the devil in this greatest battle ever fought, make sure that the
breastplate of righteousness is worn. Live the righteous life that is from God,
and remember the words of John, “...He who practices righteousness is
righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7). [28]
In
the next lesson, we will be considering other parts of this important armor.
Remember,
each part is essential to be spiritually protected from the evil one who wants
to destroy our souls forever. [29]
However,
with the complete armor in place, God will help us win! [30]
Review Questions For Lesson 3
(Circle the Most Correct Answer: A, B, or C)
1. That which the devil does NOT want
Christians to do [2]
(a) Die
(b) Grow (c) Fall From
Grace
2. The wages of sin (Rom. 6:23)
(a) Evil
(b) Life (c) Death
3. That which Jesus completely fulfilled
(Mt. 3:15)
(a) Righteousness
(b) Hades (c)
Unrighteousness
4. The battle begins when one is “---- of water and of
the Spirit” (John
3:5)
(a) Afraid
(b) Bathed (c) Born
5. “Fight the good fight of -----” (1 Tim. 6:12)
(a) Life
(b) Faith (c) Hope
6. One of the results that comes from truth (John 8:32)
(a) Freedom (b) Justice (c) Equality
7. What Jesus called the devil (John 8:44)
(a) Snake (b) Demon
(c) Liar
8. Something of God that must be put on (Eph. 6:10,11,13).
(a) Coat
(b) Armor (c) Creation
9. Jesus came to earth filled with “-----
and truth” (John
1:14,17)
(a) Grace (b) Death
(c) Scripture
10.
Something precious that the devil wants to destroy [29]
(a) Souls
(b) Gold (c) Families
11.
A word describing eternal life (Rom. 1:16)
(a) Light
(b) Fields (c) Salvation
12.
The greatest battle ever fought is a struggle between light and -------- [1]
(a) Love
(b) Darkness (c) Faith
13.
The way Jesus faced the devil [4]
(a) In Fear
(b) In Anger (c) In
Temptation
14.
The place where the world’s greatest battle began [1]
(a) Canaan
(b) Eden (c) Tigris
River
15.
That which Christians must not allow the members of their body to do (Rom.
6:13)
(a) Sin
(b) Fail (c) Neglect
16.
That which is “the power of God to salvation” (Rom. 1:16)
(a) Doctrines of men
(b) Earthly Wisdom (c) The Gospel
17.
An evil sorcerer encountered on the Island of Cyprus [10]
(a) Simon (b)
Elymas (c) Diana
18.
A word that relates to something complete [7]
(a) Whole (b)
Two (c) Capable
19.
The part of the Christian armor involving the waist [9]
(a) Faith
(b) Truth (c) Righteousness
TRUE OR FALSE: (Circle “T” for true; “F”
for false)
T F 1.
“He has delivered us
from the power of --------” (Colossians 1:13) Darkness
T F 2. Something passed upon all men (Rom.
5:12) Burdens
T F 3. The name of God’s garden (Ezekiel 28:13) Eden
T F 4. All must have this to please God. (Heb.
11:6) Faith
T F 5. That which comes from truth (John 8:32) Heartaches
T F 6. Something that is spiritual. (Rom.
1:11) A Gift
T F 7. That which will bring vengeance from
the Lord if not obeyed. (2 Thes. 1:8) Gospel
T F 8. This
came from God to bring salvation. (Rom. 1:16) An
Angel
T F 9.
Something to be done in grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18) Grow
T F 10. Something associated with
righteousness (Mt. 6:33) Kingdom
T F 11. That which John calls those who
do not keep His commandments (1 John 2:4) Murderer
T F 12. A special kind of baby food. (1
Pet. 2:2) Pure Milk of the Word
T F 13. Paul joins this word with death.
(Rom. 8:2) Hope
T F 14. Pilate asked Jesus for the
definition of this word. (John 18:38) Truth
—BBBristow
The Greatest Battle (2)
I |
n part one, we began
looking at the armor needed by the Christian soldier to fight the greatest
battle. Based on the armor of the Roman soldier, Paul named the various parts
that made up his armor and compared them to Christians. In the previous lesson,
we considered the first two—the waist girded with truth, and the breastplate of
righteousness. Both of these are very important, but remember, Paul wrote: “Put
on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). [1]
Therefore,
let us study the next two important parts of the armor for Christians. Paul
continued, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:15,16). [2]
The Roman soldier depended on his
hobnailed sandals to protect his feet and to make it possible to march, run,
and move about as needed when fighting each battle. In fact, without his
sandals, the other parts of the armor would have been ineffective. [3]
The
same is true with this part of the Christian’s armor. For without the gospel,
the other parts of the armor become inadequate to perform. Thus, all hope of
victory and salvation are gone without the gospel. [4]
This
leads us to ask, “What is so important about the Gospel?” It is the good news
that Jesus came to earth, died for the sins of the world, was buried in a tomb,
and arose from the dead on the third day. This was the gospel message that Paul
preached wherever he traveled (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Paul further summed up
the essentiality of the gospel in these words: “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). [5]
Therefore, the feet shod “with the preparation of
the gospel of peace,” affected all the other parts of the armor. In fact, without the gospel,
one cannot become a Christian soldier! Before Jesus ascended to His Father, He
gave His apostles the assignment of taking the message of the saving gospel to
all the world, and to every creature. “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. “He who believes and is baptized
will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15,16; cf. Matthew
28:19,20). God has not provided any other saving message! [6]
When this gospel is obeyed and lived, it is the foundation of the Christian armor. Should the devil successfully remove the sandals of the gospel from our feet, we would become defeated. However, with the gospel in place, there will be a deathblow and defeat to the devil! [7]
The
gospel is also important because it reveals the identity of Jesus. Only the Son
of God could come from God and then be offered as “The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!” (John1:29). On a special occasion, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who
do men say that I the Son of Man am?” After they mentioned various ones, Jesus asked further, “But
who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” How did Peter know? Jesus answers
this question: “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father
who is in heaven” (Matthew
16:13-17). [8]
Thus,
the feet of the Christian shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace is
essential to be able to successfully fight against the wiles of the devil! [9]
The Shield of Faith
With the feet of the soldier
properly shod, Paul is now ready to move to another essential part of the
armor, the shield of faith. In fact, Paul placed special emphasis on this part
of the armor when he wrote: “above all, taking the shield of faith with
which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). [10]
There were two types of shields used by the soldiers of
Paul’s day. There was a small round shield that afforded only a small amount of
protection. Then there was the large, oblong shield that provided a maximum
amount of coverage. It was constructed of wood and overlaid with leather. The arrows were dipped in pitch
and set afire just before
shooting them. When the
fiery darts or arrows stuck into the leather of the shield, they were
extinguished and the soldier was protected. The shield also protected all the
other parts of the armor. [11]
By mentioning
this type of shield, Paul wanted the same success for spiritual soldiers, and
assured his readers that with faith, they could quench ALL the fiery darts of the
evil one. The devil continues to make his attacks against Christians, and the
only way to be protected is with the shield of faith. [12]
The
fiery darts come in various ways, but some of the most dangerous ones would be:
sins of the tongue, uncontrolled anger, impure thoughts, and disappointments in
life. The fiery arrows of the devil would certainly include the influences of
the world. The apostle John sums these up with these words: “For all that is
in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). [13]
Then
there are evil darts aimed at destroying our faith in God. There are those we
may associate with who scoff at God. Such people were present in the first century.
[14]
Peter
warns: “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days,
walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His
coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3,4). [15]
There
are those who are working daily to remove God from our government, our schools,
and our nation as a whole. These are evil, fiery darts from the devil, and we
must stop them with our shield of faith! [16]
Perhaps some of the most destructive fiery darts of the
devil are classified by Paul as the “works of the flesh” These will be studied
in lessons six, seven, and eight, but only a casual glance at them will show
their power to destroy, if we allow the devil to destroy our faith. [17]
“Now
the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,
outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I
also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). [18]
How
do we avoid these? By keeping our shield of faith in place at all times. This
is done by faithfully studying the word of God. “So then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). As Christians, we have a line open to God
twenty-four hours each day. We need His help and His wisdom to meet daily
temptations. Will He help faithful Christians?
Paul answers: “No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to
be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). [19]
In addition to Bible study and
prayer, we must also put our faith into action. The moving target is more
difficult for the enemy to hit, but the sitting target is easy! It is easier
for Christians who are at work for the Lord to keep their faith strong. James
must have had this in mind when he wrote: “Thus also faith by itself, if it
does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). [20]
Therefore,
just as the soldier must be actively using his shield, Christians must
continually have “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). [21]
Finally, Paul gives the
assurance that the shield of faith is capable of sustaining us against these
fiery darts—there will be victory! Surely these two parts of the Christian
armor, the gospel and faith, are very essential in fighting and winning against
the devil. [22]
Review Questions For Lesson 4
(Circle the Most Correct Answer: A, B, or C)
1. The part of a building that
illustrates the gospel [7]
(a) Door (b)
Corner (c) Foundation
2. The first one of the works of the
flesh listed by Paul (Gal. 5:19-21)
(a) Adultery
(b) Uncleanness (c)
Fornication
3. A word used twice by John to describe
the world (1 John 2:16)
(a) Sin
(b) Pride (c) Lust
4. Some evil ones who would come in the
last days (2 Pet. 3:3,4)
(a) Infidels (b) Scoffers (c) False Prophets
5. A description of faith without works (Jas.
2:17)
(a) Dead (b) Weak (c)
Useless
6.
The
word gospel is associated with this word (Eph. 6:15,16)
(a) Hope (b) Life (c)
Peace
7.
A
description of the darts or arrows of the evil one [11]
(a) Poisonous (b) Fiery (c) Sharp
8.
The
one who revealed to Peter the identity of Jesus (Mt. 16:17)
(a) Father (b) Scripture
(c) An Angel
9.
“You
are the ------, the Son of God” (Mt. 16:16)
(a) Jesus (b) Christ (c) Messiah
10.
That which God
promises for Christians when tempted (1 Cor. 10:13)
(a) Strength (b) Forgiveness (c) Escape
11.
The place where Jesus sent His apostles to preach the gospel (Mk. 16:15,16)
(a) Judea (b) Samaria (c)
World
12.
One of two things is gone without the gospel [4]
(a) Victory
(b) Preaching (c) Death
13.
Something of God
that must be heard to have faith (Rom. 10:17)
(a) Prophecy (b) Word (c)
Love
14.
The part of the
armor representing faith (Eph. 6:16)
(a) Sword (b)
Breastplate (c) Shield
15.
The kind of soldier
used by Paul to illustrate the Christian armor [1]
(a) Roman (b)
Enlisted (c) Fighting
16.
Something of the
devil that must be fought against [9]
(a) Power (b)
Wiles (c) Darkness
17.
Paul said of the
gospel, “it is the ----- of God to salvation” (Rom. 1:16)
(a) Way (b) Light (c)
Power
18.
“the ------ has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14)
(a) Spirit (b) Father (c) Angel
TRUE OR FALSE: (Circle “T” for true; “F” for false)
T F 1.
A feeling that Paul did NOT feel toward the gospel (Rom. 1:16) Shame
T F 2. Jesus
taught, “He who believes and is ------- shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16) Baptized
T F 3. “Flesh and ---------- has not
revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven” (Mt. 16:13-17) Bone
T F 4. A promise of Jesus that concerned the
Scoffers (2 Pet. 3:3,4) His Coming
T F 5. The second
type of lust mentioned by John (1 John 2:16) Flesh
T F 6. Paul says, “God
is ---------” (1
Cor. 10:13) Great
T F 7. Something of
God that cannot be entered with the “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21) Kingdom
T F 8. The part of
the armor applied to faith (Eph. 6:16) Sword of the Spirit
—BBBristow
After you have
completed these two Lessons, you may want to click on The Grading Key to determine your scores. To finalize Your
Score, Take From 100, 5 Points For Each One Missed In Each Lesson.
Score for Lesson 3 = Score
for Lesson 4 =