Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
I Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
MEMORY VERSE: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? —I John 5:4-5
CENTRAL THOUGHT: Our daily spiritual warfare as a Christian is a fight of faith and a fight for faith. Faith is both a defensive and offensive weapon; our belief, trust, and reliance in God, our positive profession and testimony and our submission and obedience to Him actively engage and successfully overcome our adversary.
WORD DEFINITIONS
Jude 1:3 “Earnestly contend”: from two Greek words; one of which means focused on, and the other, a contest or struggle (from which we get the English word agonize). “To strive; to use earnest efforts to obtain, or to defend and preserve” (Webster’s).
Ephesians 6:12 “Wrestle”: personal, individual, hand-to-hand combat or struggle for mastery. “Flesh and blood”: mere human power; feeble humanity; human beings like ourselves. “Principalities”: chief, first in rank or position; demons ruling the legions of evil spirits. “Powers”: authorities; the legions of evil spirits. “Rulers of the darkness of this world”: world rulers of this present spiritual darkness; evil spirits. Jesus referred to Satan as the Prince of this world in John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11. “Spiritual wickedness in high places”: the realm of iniquity; the seat of hosts of evil spirits or the domain of Satan’s kingdom.
Ephesians 6:14 “Truth”: sincerity.
Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod”: heavy military sandals studded with hobnails for secure footing.
Ephesians 6:16 “Shield”: from a Greek word meaning door; a full-body shield shaped like a door. “My faith is nothing except for what it puts in front of me, and it is God who is truly my shield; my faith is only called a shield, because it brings me behind the bosses of the Almighty’s buckler, against which no man can run a tilt, or into which no man can strike his lance, nor any devil either” (MacLaren’s Expositions).
Ephesians 6:17 “Helmet”: a combination of two Greek words meaning all-around encircling of the head.
LESSON BACKGROUND
It is important to remember the original definition of the word faith as we discuss the spiritual warfare that is going on. Faith is not something we drum up in and of ourselves. It always involves God speaking and revealing His will to us; persuading us and convicting us. Our part is to receive His revealed Word, believe it, and act upon it. The entire body of our beliefs, as being persuaded by God’s Word, is called “the faith” by Jude; also by Paul in Ephesians 4:13 and by James in James 2:1. Beginning with the conviction of sin and belief unto salvation; to the conviction of our need of the Holy Spirit and complete consecration to God as a vessel to be filled with His fullness; to the everyday walk of faith; to the great spiritual testing of these end-times, “the faith” is contested by the opposing powers of our adversary all the way.
Paul charged both Timothy and the Hebrews to fight and hold fast; he described the spiritual forces with whom we contend and the all-important spiritual armor in his letter to the Ephesians. John wrote of the warfare in Revelation 12, revealing the important weapons by which the early saints gained the mastery: faith in the power of the blood of the Lamb and the clear word of their testimony of that faith. Equally important is the depth of their consecration: they loved God more than physical life and stood by their convictions—their faith—even to the point of losing their lives because of their testimony. John also gives the answer to victory over the world in our memory verse today: faith which is born of God.
—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck
DISCUSSION:
- Battle Plan: List the instructions for spiritual warfare in our lesson today.
- The Opposition: Describe the forces against us.
- Weaponry: Discuss the different pieces of defensive and offensive armor.
- Vital Elements: What three important ways of overcoming are listed Revelation 12:11?
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
The Interpreter in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress showed Christian a scene where the entrance to a palace was guarded by a group of armed men. Many who would enter were turned away by this formidable sight, until one man came, decisively signed up at the applicant’s booth, put on his helmet, drew his sword, and hacked his way through, giving and receiving many wounds, until he secured entrance to the palace.
In the last two lessons, we have discussed the different hindrances and challenges to our faith. Besides those, we face the spiritual force of Satan, who seeks to sift us, tempt us and devour us. As in the palace scene, let us have courage to resist him steadfast in the faith, put on our holy weapons and fight for the mastery! Child of God, fight for your heavenly prize! Fight for your marriage, your children, and for lost souls!
I love the thought of the shield of faith being as big as a door and the helmet of God’s salvation and deliverance completely encircling our minds. Truly, as long as we believe and obey the revealed heavenly vision from God’s Word, are persuaded and convinced by it to the point we would rather die than deny it, firmly hold to our profession and testify boldly in the face of every foe, all “Heaven will crown” our fight of faith!
—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck
REFLECTIONS
In a recent visit, I asked a friend how he was doing, referring to his business. He remarked that a lot was coming in and a lot was going out, and he hoped that when the dust settled they would be on top. I got to thinking of that phrase—“when the dust settles.”
Our spiritual journey is described in the scriptures as a warfare. “Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood.” We are not engaged in a physical warfare but a spiritual one and the same elements exist. Confusion, noise, opposition, weaponry, blood, and death are all found in the spiritual warfare.
It is very difficult to assess when the dust is flying, the enemy is advancing, and the struggle is on. However, if I will hold on to faith and continue to trust in the Lord when I don’t understand what is happening, when I feel that God is not answering, or when I have been misunderstood or mistreated, I believe I will be on top when the dust settles. We may lose some battles and suffer some losses, but that doesn’t mean we have lost the war.
David on one occasion suffered great losses while he was fighting the Lord’s battles and his soldiers felt like stoning him; but it is written that David “encouraged himself in the Lord.” He sought the Lord’s direction, pursued the enemy and recovered his loss.
Our songs have been a great encouragement to me:
“Forward, forward is the battle cry…”
“Onward, upward, Christian soldier, bravely push the battle on;
There’s a great reward before us, Soon the conflict will be won.”
“Press on my brother, sister, and face the deadly foe;
Through Jesus Christ we’ll conquer, while trav’ling here below.”
These songs ignite a flowing energy!
—Bro. Bob Wilson
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