we are in a war. Yes we are in a spiritual war this morning's messages entitled Spiritual Warfare. We are in a fight. And when I think about the best fight movies, if you enjoy fight movies uh okay, rom coms are great too. But I love a good fight movie. I my mind goes to the Rocky series. Have you seen the Rocky series? Okay. I'm getting some nodding heads. If you have not seen it, you have a homework assignment. Um But real quick to your neighbor, go ahead and shout out what is the best Rocky movie? Which Rocky movie is the best. Go ahead and turn your neighbor and say which one is the best. Ok. Trick question because it's clearly Rocky four. Alright, Rocky four. No debate, no debate. There it is definitely Rocky four because there's so much at stake. It's it's the americans versus the Russians. It's Rocky versus drago. I will break you right? And it starts out and it's so intense because Rocky was just enjoying his retirement. Things were good. And then his foe turned friend Apollo creed. If you remember the movie was boxing and he thought it was an ex exhibition. But the other fighter, I thought it was war and it helps to know that you're in a fight when you're supposed to be in a fight, doesn't it? And so that ends very poorly for Apollo creed because he thought it was an exhibition and really it was a war and that launched Rocky into revenge the loss of his friend. And then there's that great training sequence. You know in Russia, he's like running through the snow hearts on fire. Okay. Some of you are inspired right now. And uh, and so I know I just think about that fight, but here's the thing Apollo creed lost that opening battle because he didn't realize what he was into. He underestimated his opponent. And my fear for us as christians is that sometimes we don't even realize that we're in a war. It's important to show up to the fight properly dressed and ready to go, isn't it? Like you need to wear what's appropriate for the occasion. I'm not gonna make any commentary on your dress this morning, but maybe your spouse will. Okay, so it's important to dress appropriately for the occasion. I love basketball. I've helped out with basketball camps, basketball teams, basketball tryouts throughout the years. And I remember showing up to help facilitate a tryout when a kid showed up to basketball tryouts in jeans and I was like, mm hmm he's not gonna make it and he got cut. And so it's important you can know right out of the gate sometimes based on how people approach the event if they're dressed appropriately, if they're ready for the fight. Now there's other times you end up in a fight and you and it catches you off guard, you weren't ready for it. Alright. I think about the classic movie Elf, right? And then the kids walking home and he's getting picked on by the bullies, right? And all of a sudden boom, snowball fight, he wasn't ready. But there's good news because in that case he had buddy, the elf ready to go snowball champion of the world, basically right, and just took them down in an Oscar winning performance in the movie Elf. Right? And so, so yes. Amen to that. Okay, I just did I just a man Elf. Okay, sorry, I apologize for that. Um great movie, you've got some homework assignments to go do, right. And so here's the thing is that when we are in a battle, sometimes we find ourselves surrounded and we weren't even ready, but thankfully we have the word of God and we have the person of God and the spirit of God whose right by our side ready to help us win the battle. See, our series is called some blessings and the entire series is actually based off today's message. So you guys came to the right one, Okay, if you came, maybe you missed the beginning, but I'm glad you're here for the end because the entire series through the Book of Ephesians is based off today's message. I think it's interesting that Paul who's in prison is writing to the church in Ephesus and he decides to have the climatic conclusion of his letter, talking about the practical and the personal and the daily battles that we face as christians And it's all connected. It really is. He starts off in Chapter one talking about the blessings we have in God and our identity in him, that we are saints, that we are Children, were redeemed, we're forgiven, we're made alive in him. We are saved by grace through faith. We are God's workmanship, created for good works that God's love is bigger and wider and deeper than anything we can ever ask, think or imagine. And then he moves into the from the theological and to the practical side of it and connects the two and says, therefore we're called to walk. So it starts out by us sitting with jesus and then he moves into walking in our calling and then and then it gets even more practical and says, let me tell you what, walking out your identity looks like. And then last week we talked about marriage, how healthy marriages and relationships make submission, their first mission, submitting to one another out of reverence for christ. Now we didn't have time for it. But then he moves into parenting and the relationship between parent and child. And then he even moves into kind of a tricky one for today's age about masters and slaves. And what's important to understand in that original context, where bond servants that represented 35-40% of the Roman workforce and that most likely that there were masters and slaves sitting in the very same room at the same church. Now, at the heart, at the core of the gospel represents freedom. And so paul later in his letters, advocated for that in his letter, in what we have called Philemon, and when you look at major civil rights movements, most of the push to equal rights, equal freedom comes from a true understanding of the Gospel, but in that particular context, in this particular letter, he's not trying to overthrow the roman government because in fact he is in prison, but rather what he's trying to say is, hey, a lot of you work this way, let me address your workplace. And so it's interesting because he says, walk out your calling, and then he says, here's what it is to walk out. You're calling in your marriage, here's what it is to walk out, you're calling in your home, and here's what it is to walk out your faith in the workplace. And then isn't it interesting that he moves from that into directly talking about the fact that we're at war, This means that what we battle, it's a daily hands on fight, that we have to fight for our marriage, we have to fight for our families, that we have to fight in the workplace for our faith. It's important for us to understand that we're not just sitting here on earth waiting for heaven someday, but instead we are praying God, your kingdom, come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And so we want to bring heaven down and we want to bring heaven into our relationships and so really the main point of this morning's message and really the main point of this entire series is this blessings are found in your battles, so it's time to stand and fight blessings are found in the battles, so it's time to stand and fight. So the letter starts with us sitting with jesus and then it moves to us walking with him and then it ends and says now that we've grown and we're mature, it's time to stand and fight, I love that right, Hearts on fire, okay, sorry, now you know growing up, I love playing video games and I love the original Mario And I remember getting that game on a Christmas morning and and and playing Super Mario and I didn't realize that you could jump at first, so like the 1st 10 turns with my brother, I just ran straight into that little character character in the first round of the game, like I said, I'm like man, this is what game is this, right? I just like, I was like oh you can jump and then like went through and if you remember those games at the very end of every level, there is a staircase and then you could jump off and get onto the flag, you remember that game, okay, so some of us, I feel like we're like we are living for that jump off end of the level. Meanwhile we're stuck in the middle and we're like I just wish I was done. But the truth is is that there is blessing, blessing, there is joy, there is possibility and opportunity right in the middle of the level right now, some of you are thinking man, if I only got this job, if I only got this house, if I only got this promotion, if I only had this relationship then I would be happy, then I would have joy and I'm here to tell you today that the blessings you're searching for are not absent of your battles, but they're found right in the middle of now to give you an idea here theologically where this stands commentators and the theologians and scholars talk about really three phases in the christian life and it helps to understand it. Now these sound really churchy, agree up front and tell you, but hopefully I wanna give you a little bit understanding of where we are. So there's three phases here that we're walking through the first one, it's called justification, justification is really when we are declared justified and that is when we are saved from the penalty of sin. So the moment you pray to receive jesus christ as your Lord and savior, you are justified, you are declared positional e in jesus christ, in other words, you are saved, it's not about saying a prayer or checking a box, it's about believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that jesus is Lord and that he rose again from the third day and that he is the only way to heaven. So it's Lord and savior that comes directly out of romans tent. And so when you are justified, you are saved from the penalty of sin. Therefore, even though you still sin, even though we all fall short, we are not destined to hell because we are saved from the penalty of sin. That's what it means to be justified. But then you have this current section where we live as christians where there's this process called sanctification and sanctification is when we are saved from the power of sin. This is where justification is that you're declared right? Sanctification is where your maid right? And so we don't have the penalty of sin, but we still struggle with sin as christians. We still sin every single day. Have you ever thought to yourself man? I wish I was further along like I've read my bible, I've prayed, I've done all these things and then I go out and I say that or I do that or I don't do what I'm supposed to ah well it's because sin is still there but sin doesn't have its power. It says in colossians same writer of our letter of Ephesians paul it says there that when christ died on the cross, he disarmed, satan, he took the gun away from satan and so he can scare you, he's the boogeyman, okay. And he can still do a lot of things. We're gonna jump into that today, but he no longer has the power that he once did it, because we are being made righteous. And so justification over here is to be saved from the penalty of sin. Then you have sanctification saved from the power of sin. And then someday at the end, when you get to the Book of Revelation, at the end, we have what's called glorification and that's where we are saved from the very presence of sin. That's when there's no more mourning. No more death, no more betrayal, no more lies, no more sickness, no more struggle. Because jesus finally gets to that point says enough is enough, I want my people. And so here we find ourselves in the middle stuck between justification and sanctification because justification is based on what happened in the past, what Jesus did on the cross and glorification is based on the return of jesus and ultimately being resurrected, their face to face with him in eternity forever. And so here we find ourselves in the middle and that's where we battle. This is where we fight. But see here's the difference for christians, we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory. It reminds me a lot of my college days playing basketball and here's what I mean, I only got in the game if we were up 20 points, it's about five minutes to go. I was one of those players can't hide talent and and uh, you know, apparently just not being bad at things isn't good enough to get you in the starting lineup. Um, and so, but it is good enough to get you a jersey. And so so I would go in the game at the end when the game had already been decided, but when I got in the game, I was still nervous, right? Because there's still a battle going on, I'm still catching the ball, I'm still shooting, I'm playing defense, there is a matchup going on and so I'm still battling on the court but our team was gonna win the game right? And so as christians, we have to remember that no matter how fierce our battle is, I've read the end, we win, you win, christ wins. That if you are not dead crisis, not done and that no matter how bleak themes things look for you in the moment, we don't fight for victory, we fight from victory. That means that they're in this battle in the sanctification process that there are blessings to be found that as we fight for our marriage and our family and our faith in the workplace, there are blessings to be found, this is not seen as some separate study and we're gonna study today, what's called the armor of God. And I just remember as a child at one point in church getting they actually gave out this plastic armor, it's like called the armor of God said it's one of the few things um, as conservative baptist could wear at Halloween, you know, I'm talking about like bible characters and so like I wish I could find the armor, it was great, I loved playing it had like a little silver plate and with a red cross on it and it was awesome, but if I tried to put it on now it would be like the bib of God because it would just go to like here and um anyway, and so the problem though is that when we think of the armor of God, some of us while we want to have child like faith, we end up with childish faith and we never grow up maybe think about the bible stories like flannel graph, right? The felt boards with the giant characters maybe think of veggietales or you think of patch the pirate are salty the songbook that the big blue book, it was like the christian version of the kool aid man, you know what I mean? And he's saying and some of you are not because you know, and some of you are like, wow christians are weird. Yes, we are, yes, we are. And so I remember thinking the armor of God, it's these cartoon characters fighting each other and then the reality is that you grow up and you struggle, you struggle in your thought life, you struggle with worry and anxiety and depression and you feel attacked spiritually and you feel disconnect between close relationships and you'll feel a disconnect between what you read on the page and what you experience in life or what you're saying about on a sunday versus what you walk into on monday and we are in a battle and some of us have to realize that being a christian does not mean life is easy, but rather life is eternal and that we're playing the long game, we're playing the long game and it starts now, so we have to move from sitting with christ to walk in with him just standing and fighting against the schemes of the devil. one of the greatest things Satan can do is to get us to believe that he's not real. He was a created being, he is a fallen angel. He's described as a prowling lion. In first Peter five, he's described as a serpent in Genesis three, It's called Lucifer. In Isaiah 14, The word devil means accuser, he speaks lies, lies are his natural tongue, satan means adversary. And so we see these things and he is at work and while he is not equal with God, it is his mission to separate God from what he loves, which is his people. And so he's going to do everything he can to work in your life and it gets you to doubt who God is. So this is why paul, I think in prison, interestingly enough, standing right next to a roman soldier, you're gonna see why that's important in just a moment, whether it was chained to his arm or outside of his house on house arrest. He's got a working illustration for what we're about to read and he's talked about everything. You are a saint. You are loved, you are alive, God loves you. I am the worst of saints, God loves you. Do you get it? God loves you? So walk in that love, fight for your marriage, Fight for your home, fight for your faith in the workplace, because it is a battle. And so we pick it up here in Ephesians chapter six verse 10 and he says, this finally be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God, that you might be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. See you don't wrestle things from afar, right? It's hand to hand combat. It is sibling rivalry that happens right when you're hanging like kids, stop it, stop it. That doesn't happen from afar. It's up close. So, we are in a battle, we are in a wrestling match from the birthplace of wrestling there in Greece and roman cultures and so this was very real for this culture and he says, 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. It says therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. Having done all to stand firm. And so we see this process of being strong of putting on the whole armor of God. That means it goes together and then it says to stand firm, It says it three times in there. See Satan is real and Satan wants to take you down and he's not going to do so overtly. See John 1010 says this, that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy and I came that they may have life and life abundantly. And the Lord's prayer, it talks about us, but it also talks about the fight we have against the devil. It says in in our prayers and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. No, don't get me wrong when we sin, that's our responsibility. That's like when you hear of a bank robbery and you hear, oh it was an inside job. Someone from with inside the organization was responsible for the wrongdoing anytime you sin is an inside job, that means you self sabotaged, sabotaged yourself, that you are responsible for your own choices that comes directly out of James one, but there's also that direct connection, it says deliver us from evil, but thankfully our weapons are not physical, that they are so much more than that paul writes in second Corinthians 10 verses three and four it says 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. What you have available to. You can break through any stronghold that Satan tries to have over you. Any addiction. Any battle with anxiety and doubt and worry. If you ever had that thought that came into your head, you're like, whoa, where did that come from? Questions like am I enough? How can God love me? How could God use me? If they only knew the real me, they would leave. I was hurt, I'll get hurt again, I was betrayed. Everyone's going to leave me. Where do you think those thoughts come from? Where do you think those issues come from? We're at war. And so he says, we have to put on the armor of God. And what is the armor of God? We're gonna notice seven things here and we're gonna read this together here, stand. Therefore, having fashioned the belt of truth. Now, it's not a belt like we think of today. He's not wearing pants, Okay? But based on the outfit, The belt held the sword, the belt held the tunic held the clothing up so that soldiers could run. And so the belt is central to the movement of the soldier in the same way if satan speaks nothing but lies, then it makes sense that we start with truth. And so we have the belt of truth and then having put on the breastplate of righteousness again, we talked about this. Right justified means to be declared. Right sanctified means to be made right? So we are being made right? We have the breastplate of christ righteousness, this is his armor. It's no longer like the armor of Saul and the old testament when Saul put the armor on David. So here go fight, Goliath. Just know if I don't need that. Instead we have the armor of God, the armor of christ in here. This will work. He can't touch you with this. And so we have the belt of truth. We have the breastplate of righteousness, and then it says, as for shoes, for your feet having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of Peace. I was talking with Wendi Mackay and in Grove gals that have been studying all semester, the armor of God. And they said they were talking about as a group how the first three items are actually the outfit that you wear that you gotta put on every single day. This means that the fact that he says to put on that you have to consciously choose truth, Righteousness and peace every single day as a christian. This is the outfit, The first three are the outfit, the next four what you actually take into battle. But notice here that says the shoes are the Gospel of peace, many of you know, I had a boot on my foot for almost two months as I tore my planner fascist tendon of doing the crazy thing of jumping apparently that's the age I'm at now and uh I'm playing with my kids and so you know, lesson learned, right, don't play with your kids. And uh and and so when I finally got out of the boot last week, I was excited. And so the doctor recommended that you get special souls for your arches. And so I went in and I got custom measured for souls to put in my shoes. I didn't know before this that there were custom things that help how you walk. Maybe some of you knew that I did not. And so I went in and I got custom measured for souls that go in the shoes so that I can walk properly now think about that for us as a church, every single one of you has custom souls put in your life, so you are a soul O. U L. Okay, And that means that the Gospel of Peace or the shoes you're called to put on every single day that it's not just some prayer, you prayed when you were a kid, but that you need it right now. And so I start every day putting on that belt of truth the breastplate of Righteousness in the shoes of the Gospel of peace because then he goes on and says here in all circumstances take up the shield of Faith With which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Now this is awesome because in the Roman soldier days this shield was massive, it was about 4 4.5 ft tall and 2.5 ft wide. And in fact they had a roman formation and the last word to studio which is latin for tortoise. And have you ever seen movies where the shoulders walk with their shields and then they get in formation and they stop and side by side the shields lock and then the shoulders behind put the shields up top and so they form this complete show like a tortoise, like a turtle. Here's what's interesting about that your shield of faith is not just for you and that this shield of faith doesn't work unless we have a community of people holding up the shield for each other because there are times where you cannot hold up your shield and that is where your loved ones and your church and your community say I've got you because we don't walk by sight do we what do we walk by walk by faith and we are not saved by works, we are saved by grace, through what through faith. So it makes sense that your greatest defensive weapon is the shield. And then it says take on the helmet of Salvation and the sword, the helmet of Salvation. And so this idea this battle for your mind is to remember in your mind the renewal of your mind that you are in fact saved if you believe in christ as Lord and Savior, the first battle that you have to win each and every day is up here. And that's why it's so important that we need that reinforced steel message to block things out to understand that we are saved. And then he goes in and all those things are defensive weapons, Right? And then you go, well what do we have to go on offense, he says, and the sword of the Spirit, which is what which is the word of God. What did jesus used to defeat satan in the wilderness when he was tempted. It's the word of God. Yeah. Right scripture is your friend and your best weapon when you're battling when you can say not today. And you start reciting promise after promise after promise. And you start to believe it. And I said seven weapons And we just list are seven pieces and we just listed six of them. Well, I think it actually includes The 7th last in this way here's what he says prayer. Prayer is a weapon of the armor of God. It says praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication and keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and he continues on he says. And also for me that words may be given to me in the opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel for which I'm an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak, blessings are found in your battles, so it's time to stand and fight. I don't know what battles you're facing right now, but I can tell you that God is present and God has given us the battle plan, the strategy and the armor to face the schemes of the devil that if you're facing battles of identity and self worth christ is there. If you're struggling with trust and betrayal, christ is there, if you're trying to find purpose and meaning christ is there, I don't think paul started with this battle plan because because it might have scared some people off instead he finishes it because he starts off saying, no, you have been justified, you have been saved through the power of jesus christ, who conquered death, who makes us alive, then we can walk in this power that we can walk in this calling in this love and in our marriages in our workplace and our families, that then now that whatever you are facing each and every day, I am writing this right now with the roman guard outside my window awaiting my death and my prayer is not just to escape the battle, but to preach boldly and to preach from victory in this battle. Do you remember the game the card game as a kid war Like I declare war right? Real simple like that right? You flip the card over whoever has a higher card takes it. I want to encourage you that whatever card Satan flips down, here's the advantage you get to look at your cards. He lays out the cards, he gives you the cards, he gives you the armor. And so whatever cards satan lays down, You just play the bigger one. He plays the victim card. You play the victory card. He plays the sinful unworthy card. You play that I'm forgiven card. He plays the loss and broken world card. You say no I am a son or daughter of God. He plays the betrayal. Mhm You play the redeemed, he plays the darkness, you play the light, he plays the lie. You play the truth, He plays the death card. You play the life. It doesn't matter what scheme, what plan satan has against you. What I'm here to tell you is that we don't fight for victory. We fight from victory and whatever battle you're facing right now you can win it. Why? Because christ can win it and because christ love conquers all that there is hope for your relationship, there is hope for your freedom that it breaks strongholds that it reconciles relationships that identifies purpose, that it gives you meaning and joy and that our relationship our faith is not for one day to sit on a cloud and play a harp that we can live in purpose and meaning and joy right now in this moment because we are not praying for our kingdom. Up in heaven, we are praying for God's kingdom here on earth and it starts today, it starts with you and it starts with me. Amen there are blessings in your battle. So it's time stan dear heavenly father God I pray right now for those who are fighting for those who are struggling God I pray that they can embrace who you are. That they can be strong not an army but in yours that we can put on the full armor of God that we can stand firm. Mm hmm. God I ask that you break strongholds today. I asked that we could experience freedom today and forgiveness and redemption today. And so God we love you because you first loved us help us to live in that love. Thank you for giving us victory and your son's name. We pray Amen