Arise!!! (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Arise!!!(Ephesians 6:10-20)

“Wage the Good Warfare”

(1 Timothy 1:18) This charge I

commit to you, son Timothy,

according to the prophecies

previously made concerning you, that by them you

may wage the good warfare,

(NKJV)

“Wage the Good Warfare”

(2 Timothy 2:3) You therefore must endure hardship as a

good soldier of Jesus Christ.

(NKJV)

“Stand”

(Ephesians 6:11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the

devil. (NKJV)

(Ephesians 6:13-14) 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. Stand therefore,

having girded your waist with truth, having put on

the breastplate of righteousness, (NKJV)

The Girdle of Truth

“In a culture where the people wore long loose-fitting robes, garments were tied close to the

body when quick action was required. Here, the believer is summoned to stand, therefore,

literally, ‘having girded (perizooennymi) your loins in truth’” (New International Biblical

Commentary, Hendrickson Publishers).

The Girdle of Truth

(Isaiah 11:5) Righteousness

shall be the belt of His loins, And

faithfulness the belt of His waist. (NKJV)

The Girdle of Truth

(John 17:17) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. (NKJV)

The Breastplate of Righteousness

(Isaiah 59:17) For He put on

righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of

vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a

cloak. (NKJV)

The Breastplate of Righteousness

(Psalms 119:11) Your word I have

hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!

(NKJV)

Feet Shod With the Gospel of Peace

“But most important of all were his heavy boots (caligae), or rather sandals, which

were in many ways more serviceable than modern army boots. Their soles, made of

several layers of leather and heavily studded with hollow-headed nails, varied considerably in thickness; perhaps three-

quarters of an inch was about the average. Strips of cloth or fur were sometimes

placed inside the sandals, and they were fastened to the foot by ankle thongs.”

(Michael Grant, The Army of the Caesars, p. xx).

“The military successes both of Alexander the Great and of Julius

Caesar were due in large measure to their armies’ being

well shod and thus able to undertake long marches at incredible speed over rough

terrain.” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary).



(Romans 10:15) And how shall they

preach unless they are sent? As it is

written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel

of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

(NKJV)


(Isaiah 52:7) How beautiful upon the mountains Are the

feet of him who brings good news,

Who proclaims peace, Who brings

glad tidings of good things, Who

proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion,

"Your God reigns!" (NKJV)

Taking the Shield of Faith

“The word Paul uses is not that for the comparatively

small round shield; it is that for the great oblong shield which the heavily armed warrior wore. One of the most dangerous

weapons in ancient warfare was the fiery

dart. It was a dart tipped with tow dipped in pitch. The pitch-soaked tow was

set alight and the dart was thrown. The great

oblong shield…

Taking the Shield of Faith … was made of two sections

of wood, glued together. When the shield was

presented to the dart, the dart sank into the wood and the flame was put

out. Faith can deal with the darts of temptation. With Paul, faith is always complete trust in Christ. When we walk close with Christ, we are safe from temptation.” (William

Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians,

p. 183).

Taking the Shield of Faith “Early legionary shields were

oval in shape but in the 1st century they became

rectangular, although curved to fit the body. A legionary

shield (scutum) was made of thin sheets of wood glued together and bound round

the edges with wrought iron or bronze. The center was hollowed out for the hand

grip which was protected by a metal boss. The outer

surface of the shield was covered with leather on

which were fastened decorative bronze plates.”

(Leslie and Roy Adkins, Introduction to the Romans,

p. 39).


“Lastly, a word must be said about the testudo,

which could be used either in advance or

retreat against a violent attack of hostile

weapons. The soldiers of the front rank, closely

linked together, protected themselves by holding up their shields

in front of them as screens, while the rear

ranks raised their shields above their

heads, and in this way produced…

The “Tortoise Formation as Used by the Roman Army


…an artificial roof, against which javelins and spears

might strike with impunity. The success of this formation depended upon the men keeping close together, so as to avoid any gaps in the

barrier of shields. Such a disposition might be

employed instead of the orbis in a retreat under

fire, but it was most commonly used by

detachments advancing to the siege of a town or a

camp.” (H.M.D. Parker, The Roman Legions).

The “Tortoise Formation as Used by the Roman Army

Taking the Shield of Faith (Hebrews 11:32-38) And what

more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of

Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also

of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked

righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the

mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out

of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the

armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were…

Taking the Shield of Faith tortured, not accepting

deliverance, that they might obtain a better

resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of

chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were

tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and

goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- of whom the world was not

worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in

dens and caves of the earth. (NKJV)

The Helmet of Salvation

(Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace you have been saved

through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)

The Sword of the SpiritThe sword (gladius) was a double-

edged weapon about 2 ft. long and 2 in. wide. Carried in a

scabbard attached to a belt on the right-hand side of the body, it was a stabbing rather than a slashing weapon and designed for use in close fighting. The

scabbard was usually made of wood and leather held together by bronze. On the left-hand side of the body there was a dagger

(pugio) in a bronze or iron scabbard suspended from

another belt. Daggers seem to have been withdrawn from the legionary armory by the end of

the 1st century.” (Leslie and Roy Adkins, Introduction to the

Romans, p. 39).

The Sword of the Spirit“Weapon training was most important. The intelligent use

of the sword is mentioned particularly in a surviving

Roman training manual. The method taught was to thrust,

rather than to slash at an opponent; for a slash-cut rarely kills, but a thrust makes a deep penetration of the vital organs.

The Roman short sword was clearly designed for stabbing, with its sharp angled point,

though it could be, and certainly was on occasion, used

to effect cutting strokes.” (Michael Simkins, Warriors Of

Rome, p. 28).

The Sword of the Spirit

(Hebrews 4:12) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints

and marrow, and is a discerner of the

thoughts and intents of the heart. (NKJV)

Our Armor Must be Put on Properly

(Ephesians 6:18) praying always with all prayer

and supplication in the Spirit,

being watchful to this end with all

perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

(NKJV)

Our Armor Must be Put on Properly

(Acts 4:29-31) "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and

grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may

speak Your word, "by stretching out Your hand to

heal, and that signs and wonders may be done

through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And

when they had prayed, the place where they were

assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,

and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (NKJV)

The Importance of Combat Training

“Every soldier is every day exercised, and that with great diligence, as if it were in time of war, which is the reason why they bear the fatigues

of battle so easily.” (Josephus, The Jewish

War, Book III, Chap. 5).


(Acts 17:11) These were more fair-

minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the

Scriptures daily to find out whether

these things were so. (NKJV)


(Jude 3) Beloved, while I was very diligent to write

to you concerning our common

salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was

once for all delivered to the saints. (NKJV)


(2 Corinthians 10:3-5) For though we walk in the

flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For

the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in

God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high

thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of

God, bringing every thought into captivity to the

obedience of Christ, (NKJV)

Learning to Recognize the Enemy

(Matthew 12:30) "He who is not with Me is against Me,

and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. (NKJV)

Learning to Recognize the Enemy

(2 Corinthians 11:14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of

light. (NKJV)

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Arise!!! (Ephesians 6:10-20)