[Sunday, August 31, 2025] The Spiritual Warfare of the Saints | Ephesians 6:10-24
Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch)
2025. 8. 31. 주일예배 설교- 에베소서 강해 23
본문: 에베소서 6:10-24
제목: 성도의 영적 전쟁
설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)
Today is the last session of Ephesians. We started on March 9, and today we conclude with the 23rd message. From next Sunday, we will share the Word through the Gospel of John.
The passage we read today is the last part of Ephesians, and today’s QT content. What came before this? It was about human relationships—husband/wife, parents/children, masters/servants.
Then suddenly Paul begins to talk about spiritual warfare and tells us to put on the full armor of God. Why is that? It is because our spiritual warfare happens within relationships. In our families, schools, workplaces, and churches, spiritual warfare happens in the midst of human relationships. This kind of spiritual warfare especially takes place in the lives of the saints. Why is that?
I have told you that humanity is divided into two groups: those who belong to God and those who belong to the devil. Since man is born in sin, from the moment of birth he belongs to the evil spirit who rules the air and is running toward hell. But God, through His people, spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ so that people may believe in Jesus and gain zoe—spiritual life—so that instead of going to hell, they may go to heaven, instead of destruction, they may receive life and salvation, and live as children of God instead of children of wrath.
What about from the devil’s perspective? His “children” have been taken away. The Bible calls them “children of wrath.” But in fact, they are not really his children. The Creator of mankind is God. Ownership was transferred because of sin, but the devil never created man. The moment we believe in Jesus, the devil’s ownership loses its effect. God has restored what was originally His. But the devil thinks he has been robbed. So what does he do? He tries to take them back. This is spiritual warfare.
What, then, is the devil’s goal in this spiritual warfare? Is it to take us back again? No. The devil also knows that he cannot take away God’s children who have been saved by believing in Jesus. Why not? Because the Lord is holding them.
[John 10:28] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
The devil’s goal in spiritual warfare is not to take back God’s children, but to keep them from focusing on God and to hinder them from doing God’s work. In the end, he makes them waste their time.
[Ephesians 5:16] making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
What does it mean that the days are evil? It means the devil is raging. It means evil spirits are at work. Why? To keep us from focusing on God, to set our minds on the world, and to prevent us from achieving holiness by becoming like Jesus.
We are in this spiritual warfare, and today, I want us to share the Lord’s teachings revealed in this passage.
1. Do not confuse the enemy and the ally.
One time, I saw children playing soccer. A boy was running hard after the ball, and finally, after a long time, the ball came to him. But suddenly, he started dribbling toward his own team’s goal and scored an own goal. He shouted “Goal!” with joy, but when his teammates came and scolded him, he realized what he had done wrong and hit his head with his fists.
In war, this would be a disaster. What if you mistake your allies for the enemy and start shooting at them? That would be foolish and dangerous. But such things happen often. Where? In our homes, in our churches, in our workplaces, and in our daily lives.
Who is our real enemy? Is it my family member next to me? Is it my brother or sister in the church community? Is it my colleague at work?
[Verse 12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Who is our enemy in spiritual warfare? Not flesh and blood. What does that mean? The devil has no flesh and blood. Flesh and blood means human beings, and our enemy is not people. Repeat after me: “People are not the enemy in spiritual warfare.” (Turn to the person next to you and say:) “You are not my enemy.”
Then who is the enemy? The rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Do not misunderstand. The rulers and authorities here do not mean political leaders. They mean evil spiritual powers. They are not people, they are demons. They are our true enemies.
But notice the interesting expression here. It says our struggle. It describes spiritual warfare as a wrestling match. What does that mean? Wrestling is one-on-one, holding and grappling with each other. That is what spiritual warfare is like. The devil works in reality, engaging one-on-one with each person.
[Application] With whom am I fighting? Is there someone I hate, resent, treat as an enemy, or avoid? (Repent and reconcile.)
2. Put on the full armor of God.
We said that our enemy is not people but the evil spirits working behind them. When the devil attacks us, when he works in us, what should we do?
In church, when teaching or giving tests, a common true/false question is asked: “When the devil tempts us, we should run away from him.” Is this true or false? What do you think? Many would answer “true,” but the correct answer is X—false. Why? What does the Bible say?
[James 4:7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
We do not flee from the devil; the devil flees from us. Remember that saints are God’s soldiers who resist and defeat the devil.
But can we simply shout “Go away!” without preparation? Will the devil flee? No. To fight the enemy, preparation is required. To resist the devil, we must first be armed. In today’s passage, it says to put on the full armor of God.
[Verse 11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
[Verse 13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…
What is the full armor? It was the Roman soldier’s battle gear. In verses 14–17:
[Verse 14-17] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
It includes: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. (AI-generated illustration)
The first and central piece is the belt. If the belt is not fastened, you cannot move quickly. I once forgot my belt when coming to Sunday service, and my pants kept falling… It was so uncomfortable to move that day.
What is the belt? Verse 14 says the belt of truth. Truth centers our spiritual life. What is the truth?
[John 14:6] Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The truth is Jesus.
Second is the breastplate of righteousness. How does the devil attack? With our past. “Look at yourself. Are you worthy of salvation? Think of the evil you have done. How can you be God’s child?” In the praise song, “Jesus, God’s Righteousness.” Yes, Jesus Himself is “the righteousness of God.”
What blocks this attack? The breastplate of righteousness. We have all sinned and do not deserve to be God’s children, but Jesus Christ bore all our sins on the cross. When we believe in Him, God’s righteousness is imparted to us. When the devil accuses us, Jesus defends: “Yes, but I paid for that on the cross.”
Third, the shoes: put on readiness from the gospel of peace. Shoes are for going out. Go out and proclaim the gospel. The gospel brings true peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples: “Peace be with you.”
Fourth, the shield of faith to extinguish flaming arrows. In war, enemies shot fire-tipped arrows. Soldiers formed a shield wall, soaked in water, to extinguish the fire. The devil shoots arrows to discourage, provoke doubt, arouse jealousy and anger, and tempt us so that we cannot achieve sanctification. We are to use the shield of faith to extinguish them. Often, however, people run into the arrows without a shield and suffer trials unnecessarily. We must hold the shield of faith and form a protective barrier with fellow believers.
[Application] How do you shield yourself from flaming arrows of offense? Are you running into them without the shield of faith?
Fifth, the helmet of salvation. Be confident in your salvation. Where does this confidence come from? From the truth of God’s Word.
[John 1:12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Be sure you are God’s child. The moment you doubt your salvation, the devil attacks with arrows of doubt.
Sixth, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The Word of God defeats the devil. In the wilderness, Jesus fasted 40 days and was tempted by the devil. He defeated the devil with God’s Word.
[Matthew 4:4] Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Even afterward, Jesus continued to say, “It is written,” and with the written Word He defeated the devil. The written Word of God must be within us. A sword must be kept in its sheath. But if one carries an empty sheath without a sword, he cannot defeat the devil. And even if he has a sword, if it is rusted and dull so that it cannot even cut a watermelon, how could he possibly overcome the devil with it? That is why memorizing the Word is so important. Memorize Scripture so that at any time you may draw the sharp sword of the Word and pierce the devil.
What are we told to do with the full armor of God? We are told to put it on and to take it up. It has already been prepared; we are commanded to put it on and take it up.
When a fire breaks out, firefighters rush to the scene in fire trucks. But before they reach the burning site, what must they do? They must put on their protective fire suits. Those suits are already prepared. But who must wear them? The firefighters themselves must do it.
In the same way, we must put on the full armor of God. You yourselves must put it on. You must take it up.
But there is one thing we must remember: the devil is not a fool. He is much more clever than we are. So when he attacks us, where will he strike? He strikes at our weak points. Has the belt of truth been broken? Has the helmet of salvation been pierced with holes? Are the shoes of the gospel worn out and tattered?
[Application] Have you put on the full armor of God? Which part is your weakest point?
3. Be alert and pray in the Spirit.
In spiritual warfare, the real fighting is in prayer. Defeating the enemy with the sword of the Spirit also requires prayer. Victory cannot be achieved without prayer.
[Verse 18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
There is something the church must earnestly strive for: to stay awake and pray in the Spirit. In verse 18, there is a challenging word. In fact, it appears twice. What is it? “Always.” What are we commanded to do always? To always pray in the Spirit. To always be alert and persevere in prayer.
What is the Word that God is giving to our church this year?
[Philippians 4:6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
The same word appears here as well. When are we to pray? In all circumstances, always. Prayer must be continual, in every situation, without ceasing. Why? To gain victory in the spiritual battle. If we fail, what happens? We fall into the schemes of the “grievance devil,” become ensnared in trials, and waste time in emotional struggles.
For whom are we to pray? For many fellow believers. We are to pray for our brothers and sisters in faith. For what purpose? To be a shield of faith through prayer so that they do not fall into trials.
[James 5:16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
We must pray for one another, trusting that God works faithfully through those prayers.
[Verse 19] Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.
We are also instructed to pray for the leaders of the church, especially that they may boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
[Application] Am I praying for the saints and leaders of my church? Am I asking for prayer support?
Beloved saints, we must clearly distinguish ally from enemy. Remember, people are not our enemies. Our true enemies are the evil spirits. To stand against them, put on the full armor of God, that is, clothe yourselves with Christ. Always remain alert in the Spirit with prayer and the Word, and by winning in spiritual warfare, may all members of Hope of Heaven Baptist Church bring glory to God. I bless you in the name of the Lord.
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.