Love First Love: Stand Firm / Ephesians 6:10-20
Welcome and the Journey So Far
Well, if you have your Bibles, and I hope that you do, turn to Ephesians chapter six. We are on the downhill stretch now in our series in Ephesians. If you’re a guest with us, we place a high value on this book and try to spend as much time as we can just page by page, verse by verse, working our way through it. If you found yourself here today and realized you don’t have a Bible, at the iHub at any of our campuses, there are Bibles available. We would love to get one into your hands. Or you can pull it up on your smartphone—just don’t be tweeting about stuff, all right? Leave that alone. No texting your homies. Just open up to Ephesians six.
To the guests who are with us, a very special welcome to you. Even for those joining us via video or in our podcast community, we exist here as a church to help people connect to God and to each other, and we are trying to do that in every neighborhood. We are not real impressive, to be honest with you. If you are looking for a show, you came to the wrong place. We aren’t the kind of church that tries to wow you with shock-and-awe visuals. Typically, what we do is sing and worship the Lord. Some of us sing better than others, but together, hopefully it all balances out. And then we spend time in the Word of God.
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul deals with what God has already done on the inside. He explains that we have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, and that we have been seated with Him. Our identity is Him. He has already filled us, sealed us, and blessed us. That is who we are on the inside.
In chapters four through six, Paul suggests that who we are on the inside ought to change who we are on the outside. Many people try to focus on the outside first. The problem with focusing on the external first—saying, “I’m going to be good, do good, get sober, and quit looking at junk on the internet”—is that it provides short-lived motivation. The only long-term motivation we have is when God renovates our hearts, fills us with His Spirit, and begins to live through us. That is the very nature of the gospel.
Back in chapter two, we saw that what we brought to the table of our salvation was absolutely nothing. There was nothing we did to contribute to it or earn the favor of God. We were brought forth in sin, and the only thing we brought to our salvation was our desperate need for a Savior. However, God, being rich in mercy, made us alive even while we were dead in our transgressions and sins. Then, in chapter four and onward, He challenged us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. That is the journey we have been on.
Battleship, Not a Cruise Ship
As you come to chapter six, verse 10, you get the feeling that Paul is picturing his audience. Having spent three chapters explaining what God has done, and then swinging for the fences about what that looks like expressed in the world, you get the sense that he gets a little nervous. He looks around and wonders, Did they get it? Have the multitudes really responded?
Paul realizes there is a potential Achilles’ heel that could jeopardize the entire movement. There is something that could sink the ship before it even leaves the harbor. If the people miss what he writes in verses 10 and following, everything he has said for six chapters falls apart.
Paul is working from a massive assumption: the church is not about an individual. This message is not singular; it is about a movement. It is about a group of people whose hearts have been transformed by the gospel, locking arms together to be the church—to be the aroma of Christ in our neighborhoods, and to be salt and light in dark places. Paul assumes we are in this together, all of us. This movement is an all-hands-on-deck adventure.
He assumes this is not a cruise ship; it is a battleship. When the battle sirens sound, you don’t stay in your bunk. When the sirens blow, everybody shows up and does their part.
Yet you get the feeling Paul is worried they might miss it—worried that only a small percentage really understand who God has called them to be and are living it out. He is concerned that people have understood cognitively, but have yet to live it out in the world around them. It is as if the multitudes are watching the minority and saying, “Good for you! You go live for Jesus. I’ll see you Sunday. You’re doing great!” It’s like someone standing on the sidelines of a marathon cheering the runners on without ever having run a step in their life.
So Paul begins his conclusion in verse 10.
Ephesians 6:10 (NASB)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
His concluding thought begins with, “Be strong in the Lord.” This is not a command to make yourself strong. In the Greek, it is a passive imperative—a command, but something done to you. Literally, it means “be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Paul is saying, “This final challenge is not about your own power; it is about what God provides. You must be strengthened in the Lord.”
Then in verse 11, he commands us to put on the full armor of God.
Ephesians 6:11 (NASB)
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Here are the commander’s orders: suit up so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. The focal point of putting on the full armor of God is to stand firm. You see that concept again at the end of verse 13: “to stand firm.” You see it at the beginning of verse 14: “Stand firm therefore.” The purpose of suiting up is not to go charging off on an individual offensive, but to hold point, to stand firm, and not be moved.
Understanding the Adversary
What are we standing firm against? Verse 11 calls them the “schemes of the devil.” That word refers to methods, tricks, or military tactics. We have to ask: who is the devil, and what do we know about him?
If you look at the whole of Scripture, we learn from Isaiah 14 that he was a created angel. He was created in the presence of God as the chief of angels, until pride was found in him. He didn’t want to play second fiddle; he wanted to be God. According to Ezekiel 28, he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven, taking a third of the angelic realm with him, whom Scripture calls demons.
Ezekiel 28:14-17 (NASB)
’You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you [there]. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. ’You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. ’By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. ’Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.
Every New Testament writer speaks of the devil; he is mentioned in nineteen different New Testament books. We know that Satan speaks, tempts, plans, and accuses. In 1 Peter, the apostle gives us this vivid imagery:
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)
Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Satan is like a roaring lion prowling, stalking, and hunting for a weak spot. Biblically speaking, Satan is not omniscient; he does not know all things. He is not omnipresent; he is not everywhere at once. However, he has a third of the fallen angelic realm operating with him, and Scripture calls him the prince of the power of the air. This world is currently under his domain.
When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4, Satan showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said, “I will give you all these things if you fall down and worship me.” Jesus never said, “Those aren’t yours to give,” because in this present fallen world, they sit under Satan’s domain.
Matthew 4:8-9 (NASB)
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.’
We have a King who is far greater, and our King will return. In Revelation 19, we see Jesus returning. The King who died to satisfy the wrath of God against our sin rose from the dead, ascended to the Father, and promised to return. When He comes, a sharp sword—a rhomphaia, a massive six-foot sword—comes from His mouth. His robe is dipped in blood, and He comes to tread the winepress of the fierce wrath of God.
Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB)
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it [is] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes [are] a flame of fire, and on His head [are] many diadems; and He has a name written [on Him] which no one knows except Himself. [He is] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white [and] clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
The armies of heaven follow Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. That is us. But notice: we are unarmed. We carry no weapons. The armor of Ephesians 6 has nothing to do with that final battle. In the final battle, we are spectators. The battle belongs to Christ alone.
Revelation 20 tells us Satan will be bound and thrown into the abyss for a thousand years while Jesus reigns in Jerusalem. At the end of the thousand years, Satan is released, attempts one final rebellion, and Jesus casts him straight into the lake of fire. There is no contest between Satan and Jesus. At every turn, Jesus handles him effortlessly.
Revelation 20:10 (NASB)
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
In the meantime, between right now and the return of Jesus Christ, a battle is raging. It is a battle for us. If you are Satan, an adversary of God, and humanity is the crown of God’s creation—the only beings made in the image of God—who are you going to attack? You tried going after God directly and got thrown out. So you target His people. Satan is coming after us with calculated tactics. He never tires, he never sleeps, and he will never quit.
Paul explains the nature of this conflict in verse 12.
Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is not fundamentally about your neighbor leaving his trash cans out too long. It is not about the petty squabbles between you and your spouse. The schemes of the devil are spiritual tactics operating through rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of darkness in the heavenly places. To stand firm against those tactics, we must put on the full armor of God.
The Full Armor of God
Paul describes this armor using imagery that believers living in the Roman world would have understood immediately.
Ephesians 6:13-17 (NASB)
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil [one]. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Paul lists the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Roman soldiers were a daily sight. The belt was foundational; everything else connected to it, including the breastplate and the scabbard for the sword. Paul says to put on truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness to guard your vital organs. Put on the shoes of the gospel—Roman soldiers wore sandals with heavy studs on the soles, like cleats, enabling them to plant their feet and hold ground against any attacker.
Take up the shield of faith. A Roman shield (scutum) was about four feet tall, made of thick wood covered in leather and metal, weighing upwards of twenty-five pounds. How long could you hold a twenty-five-pound shield in your left hand while wielding a sword in your right? Paul says that shield extinguishes the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Notice the language regarding the helmet of salvation in verse 17: “Take” the helmet of salvation. It is received, given to you by God. And finally, take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God—our primary offensive and defensive weapon in the truth.
Then Paul concludes with a call to prayer.
Ephesians 6:18-20 (NASB)
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in [proclaiming] it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Like a seasoned commander, Paul tells them to stay alert, pray in the Spirit at all times, and pray for him. He isn’t leading from an ivory tower; he is writing from a prison cell in Rome as an ambassador in chains. He asks for prayer that he might boldly declare the gospel, standing firm right alongside them.
The Power of the Phalanx
Roman soldiers were elite—disciplined, ruthless, and exceptionally well trained. But what made a Roman legion so formidable was not just individual skill. What made them nearly invincible was when they operated together.
Roman soldiers locked their shields together, side by side, creating a formation known as a phalanx. You may have seen this depicted in historical films. The front rank held their shields forward, spears braced. Behind them stood a second rank, pressing their shields into the backs of the front rank. Behind them stood a third rank, bracing the second.
When attackers slammed into the line, the formation held point because three rows of men were braced together. When a soldier in the front rank grew fatigued, he would signal, slip back through the line, and the soldier behind him would immediately step up to take his place. The strength of the Roman army was in their unity and coordination. Every man was only as secure as the man standing next to him.
This brings us to the crucial grammatical point in verse 11: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm.”
In the original Greek, that “you” is plural. It does not mean you in isolation. It means you, and you, and you, and you. As we say in the South, it means all y’all.
Paul understands that he has laid out glorious theology in chapters one through three, and practical exhortations in chapters four through six. But if all of us don’t embrace it together, it falls apart. I cannot stand firm without you, and you cannot stand firm without the person next to you. When we raise our shields of faith together, the entire line is protected from the enemy’s flaming arrows. But if you fail to suit up, or you refuse to show up, a gap opens in the line. When the arrows fly, the person next to you is left vulnerable.
This movement cannot survive if it is carried solely by a small minority of spiritual super-saints while everyone else sits back as spectators. We must suit up, show up, and stand firm together.
There will come a day in your spiritual life when you are weary and fatigued. When that day comes, you give the signal, and a brother or sister steps into the front rank while you recover. There will be times when someone in front of you is weary, and you will step forward to take the blow. You might be in the second row, bracing your shield against your friend’s back, letting them know: I am here. You are not alone. You can stand firm. But if an enemy charges and there is no one standing behind you, you cannot hold the line alone.
My great concern for the church today is the exact same concern Paul had for Ephesus: that a faithful few will suit up and try to hold the line, only to be overwhelmed because they are outnumbered and unsupported. Not for lack of heart or training, but simply because the rest of the body stayed in the bleachers.
The Scheme of Selfishness
The movement of Christianity is plural; it has never been singular. Yet our culture tells us that life is entirely about me, myself, and I. That mindset is a scheme of the devil.
It is the oldest tactic in his playbook. In Ezekiel 28, Satan fell because of pride: “I want to be God.” In Genesis 3, he tempted Eve with the exact same lie: “God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.” The root of all sin is the selfish desire to sit on the throne of our own lives—to do what we want instead of what God commands.
Genesis 3:4-5 (NASB)
The serpent said to the woman, ’You surely will not die! ‘For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
If I were the enemy, I would double down on that tactic. I would keep Christians busy and distracted. I would convince you that your workplace is merely a job rather than a mission field. I would get you so irritated with your neighbors that you don’t even learn their names. I would keep you so consumed with shuttling kids to activities that you haven’t shared Jesus with anyone in years. I would attack your marriage by whispering, “You deserve to be happy, and the grass is greener somewhere else.” I would get every single believer completely obsessed with self.
Suit Up, Show Up, Stand Firm
If you want to be part of the movement of God, it is not enough to show up on Sunday, listen to a message, and leave. It requires suiting up, showing up, and standing firm together.
Some of you have walked with the Lord for years, but you haven’t suited up for the battle in a very long time. It is time. We cannot reach our neighborhoods and our city without you. You might say, “What can I do? I don’t feel talented enough.” You don’t have to rely on your own talent. The text says to be strengthened in the Lord with the power He provides. Maybe your role right now is simply bracing your shield against someone else’s back so they know they are not alone.
There is strength in numbers. When all of us—all y’all—suit up and take our place in the line, we will be the church. People will be reached with the gospel, lives will be rescued, and our city will be transformed because the body of Christ showed up.
Closing Prayer
Father, as we read these words, we are reminded that we are in a spiritual battle, and that You have called us to a high purpose. We pray that each of us, relying entirely on the strength You supply, would suit up in the full armor of God.
Help us recognize the enemy’s schemes that try to make our lives about ourselves. Forgive us for our selfishness and distraction. Remind us that we cannot stand alone—we need each other. Use us to encourage, support, protect, and challenge one another so that Your name is glorified.
Give us the courage to take our place in the line, to hold point, and to stand firm together for Your glory. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.