The Enemy Described
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached Oct. 23, 1960
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
Is it not madness to spend an entire message devoted to describing the devil? After all, is not Satan merely folklore and myth? Many sophisticated people today would conclude that focus on the spiritual realm at all is a sheer waste of time but Christians cannot shy away from what Scripture teaches. They acknowledge that their authority on spiritual matters is not themselves but the word of God. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds, to talk about these things is the most practical thing a Christian can do because they are looking at the real cause of the present state of the world. The Christian has been given the ability to see the true nature of the conflict. In this message on Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “The Enemy Described,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones dwells on Paul’s description of the devil and makes inner biblical connections to his person and work. By examining the Scriptures on the topic, Dr. Lloyd-Jones equips Christians to understand the devil’s purpose and his kingdom of darkness. He encourages fearful saints to take fresh courage and understand the ancient foe well, knowing they have been given the power and resources by God to stand against the enemy and principalities and powers.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding the nature of the Christian life as one of conflict and struggle. Failure to grasp this leads to disappointment, discouragement and doubt.
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The sermon then moves on to discuss the enemy that Christians face in this struggle - the devil and his forces. The devil is portrayed as a personal being with tremendous power, second only to God. His purpose is to oppose, accuse, tempt and destroy Christians.
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The devil has a vast kingdom and rules over principalities, powers, and world rulers of darkness. These refer to evil spiritual beings under the authority of the devil that govern the world opposed to God.
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The world rulers of darkness keep the world in ignorance of God, themselves, life, death and the afterlife. They express themselves through the sinful and immoral behavior of the world.
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Spiritual wickedness refers to evil spirits, cohorts and battalions under the devil whose nature, purpose and work are utterly wicked. They operate in the spiritual realm, not the earthly.
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Though the enemy is formidable, Christians can be strong in the Lord and His might. They can take up the armor of God, resist the devil and stand firm after each victory. Constant vigilance is required.
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The sermon ends by emphasizing that Christians have no need to fear if they avail themselves of the resources God provides to overcome the enemy.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.