May it please Almighty God to
bless us together this evening as we meditate in His Word. Let
us turn to the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter
14, and we'll read verse 8. The first epistle of Paul to
the Corinthians, chapter 14, and we'll read verse 8. For if the trumpet give an uncertain
sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? We should recognize, of course,
that there are two battles that we may have to fight. One is
certain, the other one not quite so certain. The certain one is
a spiritual battle that we shall have to fight. And the other
is a natural battle. And we see natural battles worldwide. And we see natural battles, of
course, occurring today. And of course, in all these things,
there is a need for preparation. And therefore, there's a need
to be warned of the situation which may develop. Well, we can
appreciate that. Can we not, with regard to a
physical situation, how needful it is that nations perhaps, or
tribes perhaps, who are facing a battle have to prepare themselves
properly and equip themselves for that in order to naturally
gain success. Well we don't intend this evening
to go into the natural situation but nonetheless if it does occur
then there needs to be a clear sound as to what should be done
in preparation for that. But if we think of it more in
regards to a spiritual battle because all of the Church of
God will face a spiritual battle. And we can be very sure that
we have a great enemy, an enemy who is always on the outlook
for an opportunity to attack us and an opportunity to defeat
us, and if possible, an opportunity to destroy us. So therefore we
need the Holy Spirit to come and to give us a right understanding
and a warning as the Apostle wrote here to the Corinthians.
I know in this particular situation he was writing about the speaking
of tongues etc. but nonetheless it has a reference
to our spiritual life in whatever that may be and how needful it
is that we are preparing ourselves always for the likely attack
from Satan. Now, we should appreciate that
Satan, he knows much about us. He knows what our weak points
are. He knows what entices us away from the things of God.
And he's very active, always, remember, devil never sleeps
he's always active he's always on the prowl he's always going
around in two ways usually and those two ways are pointed out
either as an angel of light or as a roaring lion so either to
frighten us away from keeping the right way by showing to us
the difficulty of the journey, the hardships that we may be
able, we may have to face. And on the other hand, to direct
us by his cunning as an angel of light, saying, well, we can
do this and there won't be any problem. We can go back to that
very good example, of course, right in the beginning of the
history of the world when Eve was tempted by Satan. He appeared to her really as
an angel of light, telling her what she could do, what would
be attractive to her nature, and therefore she was willingly
taken in by his actions. Now, we should not think, well,
that's just an interesting historical account and it was needful because
it formed the original situation of sin. Well, that's of course
very true. But we should recognize that
the devil hasn't really changed his tactics. He always tries
to deceive. He always tries to direct us
to the goodness of certain things which quite clearly are not.
And therefore he does everything he can. And the reality is that
some things that might appear attractive to you would not appear
attractive to me. And vice versa. Things that would
be attractive to me might not be attractive to you. So we can't
weigh out the situation and look at other people and judge the
position by that. We should realize that the devil
is very wise and very cunning. and his desire is therefore to
deceive us. So the Word of God here tells
us that we should listen to the warnings which are given to us. The picture here is a trumpet
gives an uncertain sound and of course in Old Testament times
natural wars were warned by the sound of a trumpet. The trumpet
sound an alarm. people realised there was a difficulty
and there was a problem and therefore they were able to prepare themselves
for what was to follow. But here we have a situation
here not necessarily an audible trumpet but nonetheless a trumpet
set forth before us through the Word of God itself and through
the preaching of the Gospel And these things are there for us
to listen and to read about and to recognize that there is therefore
a sound to us that we should be very aware of. And with those
warnings and the warnings which are set before us in the Word
of God, we should pray that we may be prepared for an attack,
an attack by Satan and as I said when we began he knows each of
our weaknesses and therefore we should think well that won't
affect me and it may not but it may affect someone else it
may affect perhaps those who may be weaker in the faith and
we should not think therefore that things can be ignored because
the devil is very clever and he's had many years to practice
his skill and he hasn't lost his skill but the great blessing
is that we today have a great and glorious saviour who has
conquered Satan so in reality he is a vanquished foe but in
practice he never gives up He's always hoping he'll be able to
overturn us. He's always hoping he'll be able
to defeat us, and therefore we should always be on our guard. We should always be looking,
as it were, over our shoulder, and not anticipating, oh well,
my life's okay now, I know how the devil attacks me, and therefore
I can deal with that. we have to be very careful that
we don't go in our own strength no, but we have a wonderful secret
and that secret is in the Word of God and the Apostle Paul when
he wrote to the Philippians he said this I can do all things
through Christ that strengtheneth me and that's a wonderful blessing
for us to be able to look to the Saviour to come to the Saviour,
to cry to the Saviour that He may be with us and keep us. Indeed, we read as Peter tells
us, kept by the power of God through grace unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last times. It's the power of God
which we need and the power of God to keep us. And therefore
we have this trumpet which warns us of situations which may indeed
develop and come upon us. So what a wonderful favour it
is that we have the Word of God which sounds the trumpet loud
and clear. And yet so often we fail to heed
the gracious words and instruction it contains, and of course it
really contains warnings right through the Word of God. And
it's a blessing if you and I, by the grace of God, are able
to familiarise ourselves with the Word of God and the many
gracious exhortations that it contains to enable us to resist
the devil, that he may flee from us as we have in those verses
that we read together in the Ephesians. That sixth chapter
of the Ephesians is very instructive and it's good and very wonderful
that the Lord should bless us with such a very full statement
as to what is described as the whole armour of God. My friends,
this is... granted to the Church of God,
and what a blessing it is if you and I are able to lay hold
of it and to put it on. And the Apostle, as he comes
down to the end of his letter to the Ephesians, he says, finally,
my brethren. He's given much advice, many
good things, and he comes down and says, finally, my brethren. This is what I'm coming to. This
is vitally important. Finally, my brethren. And he
goes on, very familiar, very similar words rather, to that
which we quoted from the Philippians, which occurs in the fourth chapter
and the 13th verse. But here, in the 10th verse of
the sixth chapter, he says this, finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord and in the power of his might. Now, it should
be very encouraging for us to realize that we have a God who
is all powerful. all-powerful. He can do everything. We should not think that we are
strong in ourselves. We should not think that we have
the ability to tackle the devil on any situation, but we should
be thankful to know that we have a great and glorious Saviour
who has gone before and who has conquered sin, death, hell and
the grave. And the devil cannot argue against
that which the Lord has wonderfully and graciously done. And so the
apostle addresses the Ephesians and addresses us tonight by these
words therefore, put on the whole armour of God. Now the Lord has
given us an armour, we are not to leave it stacked up in a corner
and never refer to it and never put it on the gracious words
of God to us are here put on the whole armour of God because
of course this word is so very apt is it not that we are to
prepare ourselves for the battle and therefore with this battle,
this spiritual battle the Lord has provided a great and wonderful
armour. And we're not therefore to think,
well, I can fight the devil without any armour. I'm able, I know
the Bible pretty well and I know lots of the texts which are very
apt and what are we doing? We're relying on our own strength. We're relying on our own ability. You know, we need to constantly
need the help Almighty God we need the strength of Almighty
God we need the wisdom of Almighty God to be able to observe when
we are being attacked you see that Satan is very subtle and
sometimes he might as we might describe it this way he lays
a snare for our feet that we may trip up and we may fall over
the snare that Satan lays for us. Well, he does. And he lays
these constantly. He lays these all around. And
we should not forget that Satan is a very able enemy. And so here he tells us, put
on the whole, the Lord says, put on the whole armor of God. that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. Again, I think it's important
to realise here that the law refers to this position, to stand. We're not to lie down. We're
not even to sit down. We are to stand. Now, when you're
standing, you can't really doze off to sleep, can you? When you're
standing you really have to be alert with regards to what is
happening. And so the Lord graciously gives
us a word like this to encourage us that we may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. That really means then, does
it not, that we are to be alert. We're never to take our eye off
the enemy, realising that he's always trying to deceive us. And the Lord tells us then, for
we wrestle, that means it's a fight, we wrestle, not against flesh
and blood, not against something which is very tangible to our
view, nothing we can physically grasp and grip. No, but he tells
we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places. Now clearly that
was something which was evident in the days of the Apostle when
he wrote to the Ephesians But surely it's far more evident
today in the day and age in which we live. Indeed, how many things
there are around us, you know, which are very subtle. With all
the power of the technology nowadays, so many things can be brought
into our lives without us really recognising it, without us really
realising it. And we have to believe that the
devil can use everything that he is able to touch. And many
things he is able to touch. You know, you can think of television,
you can think how that was designed, how it was a wonderful invention,
and how good it is if it's used in a right way. But of course
the devil knows, ah, this is something I can use. And we see,
don't we, how he's used that very ably. And many people have
been taken in. Many people have used the phrase,
well, there's no harm in this, there's no harm in that. Well,
be very sure when anybody says there's no harm in it, you can
guarantee there is harm in it. Otherwise they wouldn't say it. run on from there can't we? We
can think of the internet and all the implications that that
has and how subtle is the devil to use it for his aims to achieve
what he wants to achieve and we know of course it is a wonderful
invention and it is very useful and no doubt we all use it more
or less But nonetheless we should recognise that we have here a
statement, we wrestle against the evil that such things bring
into our lives. And again it's important, isn't
it, to just recognise we have a statement like this, wrestle.
It means that it's very difficult not to be involved. it's very
difficult not to be taken in and it is therefore a battle
a real battle not something that you and I can just brush off
as irrelevant no, it is that which we wrestle against and
so the Apostle here warns the Ephesians the Lord warns us today
that we wrestle against principalities powers the rulers of darkness
this world you see the devil loves darkness he doesn't love
light he loves darkness and against the rulers of the darkness of
this world against spiritual wickedness in high places and
there we are we're faced with this situation and he says wherefore
or therefore Take unto you the whole armour of God. He said
previously, put on the whole armour of God. He now tells us
to take unto ourselves the whole armour of God. And he says that
you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done
all to stand. Again, not to be found lying
down, not to be found sitting down, but to be standing. And of course it's interesting,
isn't it, that if you ponder this sensibly, you know, you
can't put armour on, physical armour, if you're lying down
or sitting down, can you? We need to be standing. And so
it is with a spiritual armour. We need to be alert. We don't
want to be taken off guard. We want to realise the relevance
of such a statement. And so he says, wherefore, because
of this situation, because of the opposition from the devil
in all his cunningness, we are to take the whole armour of God
that we may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done
all to stand. So in that standing posture,
we are to then withstand the opposition of the devil. Verse 14 tells us, stand therefore
having your loins girt about with truth and having on the
breastplate of righteousness. Well, what an important thing
it is to have this blessing of the truth of God's Word. And
we are to have our loins girt about with truth. You know, when
the Word of God was written, of course, there were the clothing
that they wore was generally dresses, there weren't any trousers
about, apart from the priests who went up to do the sacrifice. It was always wearing tunics,
as it were, and they had to have these tunics pulled up so they
could run. And so it says, having your loins
girt about with truth. You see, if you and I are established
in the truth of God, and what is the truth of God? Well, Jesus
tells us in the 17th of John when he wrote, when he prayed
to his father and he said this, thy word is truth. You see, the more we have of
the word of God in our heart, the greater knowledge we have
of the truth of God's law. And to be able then to find that
we are clothed with it, girt about, having your loins girt
about with truth. It's interesting, this is the
very first item that the Apostle draws the Ephesians' attention
to. Truth. God's Word. And surely
that is so apt, isn't it? Because the Word of God is so
comprehensive, isn't it? Comprehensive to us. It tells
us everything that we need. It tells us all about sin. It tells us all about the glorious
plan of salvation. It tells us all about what the
Saviour did when He was on the earth and His great sacrifice
that He made in order to redeem our souls. you see the glory
of the truth of God's word and so this statement is so very
necessary stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth
and having on the breastplate of righteousness well naturally speaking when people
are in a battle they dare not turn their back upon the enemy
they can't see what's happening they can't see how they're going
to be attacked and so therefore the enemy has to be faced and
if the enemy is faced what is the first item which is observed?
it's the breastplate it's in the forefront and it's there
to withstand all the attacks naturally of the enemy and so
it is here having on the breastplate of righteousness it doesn't mean
our righteousness because all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags and it's very easy to rely on our ability and our righteousness
and here the Lord speaks here very wonderfully and having on
the breastplate of righteousness well we know of course Christ's
righteousness is a robe but also we recognise that it is the breastplate
of righteousness. What a mercy it is therefore
to have this and to have it on us, not left to one side. Christ's righteousness is a great
and glorious truth and how we need to be established in these
great blessings to know that Christ kept the law a hundred
percent no failure he was righteous and we are to be therefore be
found looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our
faith the breastplate of righteousness and then our feet we won't make
any progress unless our feet are suitably shod. So he says,
in your feet shod with a preparation of the gospel of peace. The hymn writer tells us, peace
by his cross has Jesus made. The gospel of peace. Yes, what
a great and wonderful truth that is. You see, we progress in a
spiritual way as we are assured with the gospel of peace, the
preparation of the gospel of peace, to be found walking in
the gospel way. Again, you see, we're standing
and now we're walking, or perhaps we may even be running. in the
Gospel way. That's a great blessing if we
are. But it's good, isn't it, if we
are shod with this glorious preparation of the Gospel of peace. There is peace in what Christ
has done. There's not only peace in what
you and I have done naturally, but there is peace as we look
to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he tells us,
above all, above all, above everything else, above
all, taking the shield of faith. We must have faith. Without faith,
we have no spiritual life. But God gives faith. God gives
faith. and how necessary it is that
we do possess this wonderful blessing of faith as the Apostle
of course speaks in a previous verse in the second chapter a
verse which I often refer to which is so wonderful for by
grace are you saved through faith living faith and that none of
yourselves, it is the gift of God. So how important it is that
you and I possess this gift, this gift of faith, because we're
told above all, taking the shield. And what does this shield of
faith do? When with ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Now my friends, the
devil, he will ever be throwing fiery darts at us. And how painful
they can be if they find a place in our body. And that's why we're
given this shield of faith to take hold of. What a blessing
it is. What it means is very simply
to believe the great and glorious truth of God. He gives faith
to believe. And what a strength that is.
when you and I do possess living faith, not a dead faith, living
faith to believe what the Lord has done and what the Lord has
said. And how far it reaches, isn't
it? Because faith believes. all that
the Saviour has said. Faith believes what the Lord
Jesus Christ has done. Faith believes that the Lord
has gone to prepare a place in glory for us. You see how needful
and necessary it is to be blessed, which it is to be blessed with
this shield of faith. Without it, we are, in one sense,
defenceless. What a blessing then if we take
by the grace of God and it is the grace as we've just read
in the eighth verse. For by grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God and it's
that way around. So you and I can't claim any
merit or virtue ourselves. We are so thankful that almighty
God nonetheless has given us this living faith to believe
the grand and glorious truth of God, and to praise Him for
it. And so he says, above all, taking
the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able. You see, it's
not any doubt about it. The Word of God is always very
sure and positive. And as we journey on in the Christian
life, remember it's a constant battle. And here we have this
encouraging statement, above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked. That means that no dart thrown
by the devil will be able to penetrate if we have this great
and glorious shield of faith. Well, may God give it to us and
may we rejoice in it. And then he says, and take the
helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation. The
helmet of course covers the head, doesn't it? The helmet. And the
helmet of salvation really directs us to the great and glorious
plan of God to save our souls. And what a mercy it is if therefore
our spiritual mind is covered with this helmet of salvation.
so that we can rejoice in it. The devil will try and dislodge
us from our faith in what Christ has done, that spiritual knowledge
which he has given to us. and take therefore the helmet
of salvation, that which is spoken of in the Word of God, the great
act of God, the great mercy of God, and the favour of God, and
take the helmet of salvation, and then the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God. Well, how essential it is that
we use the sword of the spirit. Whenever I think of the sword
of the spirit I often think of that account in the Pilgrim's
Progress when Christian was on a journey and Satan was before
him and he slipped he slipped and he lost his sword and the
devil said, here will I spill thy soul but Christian was able
to stretch out his arm and gradually got hold of his sword again and
to thrust at the devil so that he fled. And of course, the picture
is there that if we're not careful, we can easily lose the sword
of the spirit, the word of God. We can easily put it on the shelf
and not read it as we should. And therefore we are defenseless. We've lost the sword of the Spirit.
And we need, therefore, to be able to once again stretch out
our arm and take hold of it, that we may have this great and
wonderful and necessary weapon to resist the devil so that he
would indeed flee from us. And so the Lord says, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Oh, what a blessing
it is that you and I today have the Bible in our own language,
never underestimate the blessing it is. And we're able to read
it. What a blessing that is as well.
Some people can't read. Years ago, they couldn't read.
But blessed be to God that you and I can read the wonderful
Word of God. And then he tells us, praying
always, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints. What a great blessing is prayer. What relief there is to be able
to come and to pour out our heart unto our God. He knows all about
us. And yet he's told us, I will
be inquired of by the house of Israel to do these things for
them. So he tells us here and praying
always when he wrote to the Thessalonians, the apostle said to pray without
ceasing. Well, it's a great blessing for
us today, isn't it? If we are able, therefore, to
pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and
watching thereunto with all perseverance. A battle is one that requires
perseverance. We should never let up. We should
always be on our watch. We should always be concerned
that we have taken and we've put on this whole armour of God. We haven't put it to one side.
We haven't made an assumption that we can do without it. No,
we need it. And what a blessing it is, therefore,
to receive it. Well, we have this wonderful
little account in this sixth chapter of the Ephesians, the
whole armour of God. You can go home, can't you? And
you can read it yourself. You can go through it yourself.
And you can ask the Lord. He will give you a great understanding
of it. wonderful understanding of all
that it contains. It was necessary for the Ephesians,
it's necessary for the Church of God, it's necessary for you
and me today. It's not something which grows
old. Don't you know the This trumpet
which sounds, for if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who
shall prepare himself to the battle? There will be that day
when that trumpet shall sound, and when that trumpet sounds,
time shall be no more and again the Apostle speaks about that
in the 15th chapter of this same letter and the 51st and 2nd verses
he says behold I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we
shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at
the last trump For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The trumpet will sound, whether
you and I will hear it, whether we shall still be on the earth
when that comes or pass, we don't know. But nonetheless, there
will be a sound, and how important it is, therefore, that we are
prepared. for that great day when that
trumpet shall be sound. Everybody will hear it. It'll
be so loud, emanation of almighty God, and it will sound. Well, what a blessing if you
and I are prepared for the battle, prepared for that time when we
should indeed, by God's grace, go to meet the Lord in the air,
and thus shall we be forever with the Lord. It's a wonderful
thought, isn't it? I hope it's a wonderful thought. I hope it's not something which
is fearful to us and we turn away from, but what a blessing
if it is in accordance with what the Apostle wrote to the Thessalonians
in the first epistle and in the fourth chapter, the fifth chapter
rather, the fourth verse, but ye brethren are not in darkness
that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the
children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the
night nor of darkness. And so he tells us further on,
let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate
of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. There's
more instruction with regard to the blessings of this armour
that we are to put on. My friends, we are to be found
then in this condition, looking unto Jesus. That's the secret. What a great blessing it is.
Well, I'm sure you're familiar with those words that the Apostle
wrote in the twelfth chapter to the Hebrews about looking
unto Jesus. It's a very wonderful statement
in the second verse. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and the finisher of our faith. How will we then be prepared? Like this, looking unto Jesus,
the one who's begun, begun that work of grace, that author of
our faith, that one who will complete it, the finisher of
our faith. and to just read on what the
Apostle says, who for the joy that was set before him, and
I think this is a wonderful statement, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him
that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest
ye be wearied and faint in your minds. As you and I journey on,
perhaps ready to faint, looking under Jesus, there's our strength,
there's our support, there's our happiness, there's our confidence. So my friends, as we journey
on with this battle of life, which it is, as the devil continues
to attack us. And remember, he never gives
up this side of the grave. But bless God, we have this wonderful
encouragement that we should prepare ourselves to the battle. You won't be able to do it yourself.
Remember the quote I made earlier. I can do all things, as the Apostle
said, he knew it very well, through Christ that strengthens me. What a wonderful blessing it
is to have such a saviour, such a great and gracious God, who
doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve, but because of his love
to our soul, because he's gone to a place for us, he will one
day come. and receive us unto himself that
where he is we shall be also. Well that's a wonderful prospect
and may we truly praise and bless God for it and even tonight recognise
the relevance of such a word as this which has been a word
to the Church of God down through the ages and will be to the end
of time. and may it be to us even tonight. For if the trumpet give an uncertain
sound, who shall prepare himself for the battle? May the trumpet
give a certain sound in our life and prove to be a wonderful blessing. Amen.