Giants and Grasshoppers - Part Seven

Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Today we will look at our waist being girded with truth.

The full text of this message can be found on our website, as well as supplementary questions.

Transcript

Sunday May 30th 2021
Giants and Grasshoppers
Part Seven

1).  Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The Book of Ephesians, as we had seen last time, is a Book that deals with the Kingdom of the Heavens past, present and future in relation to
Christ and Christians, and Satan and his angels. And from Ephesians 6:12 we see that at the present time it is Satan and his angels, the original rulers, who rule over the earth from the heavenly places. The fact that they occupy this position was acknowledged by the Lord at His first advent – Joh 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

And confirmed again by the Apostle Paul – 2 Co 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe,

And although Satan and his angels, rule within God’s universal authority, they remain rebel rulers.
a).  However, we also know from Hebrews that - Heb 2:5 ¶ For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels.

The inhabited world to come refers to the earth during the 1000 years that will follow the completion of Man’s Day, during the Millennial Kingdom.
b).  And the inhabited world during the 1000 years which will follow Man’s Day will not be in subjection to angels.  In that coming Day there will be a new order of rulers occupying the heavenly places from which rulership over the earth will be exercised - Eph 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.

c).  And in anticipation of this change in rulership we have read this in - 
Eph 1:19b… according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

We see in these verses that Christ has been raised from the dead and is seated at God’s right hand, denoting the place of power and authority, far above the principalities and powers, the spiritual hosts of wickedness who rule now, awaiting the establishment of His Kingdom.
d).  Christ is at present then, seated with the Father in the ‘farthest recesses of the north’, the location that Paul described as the third heaven, the place from which God’s universal rule takes place. And Christians are positionally seated with Christ in this same place, also looking to that coming Day - Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

At the present time this is a spiritually discerned position rather than a literal one, but does of itself look to that Day when faithful Christians will sit with Christ on His throne in the New Jerusalem and because of this it provides the focus for where our attention is to be set – Heb 12:2 looking [from this world] unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 2:6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 ¶ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Although that coming Day of rulership is guaranteed for Christ’s joint heirs, we do not yet see all things put under those joint heirs. Rulership is not yet. And so, in the meantime, until all things are in subjection to Christ and His joint heirs, we wait, maintaining our spiritual position in heavenly places, looking forward to the dispensation of the fullness of the times in the same way as those of David’s day left their homes to be with David at the cave of Adullam, awaiting the time when God would place David on the throne instead of Saul.

2).  And this change of rulership in the heavenly places has been God’s ‘eternal purpose’ from before the foundation of the world - Eph 3:3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel….

1Co 2:6 ¶ However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

And the physical existence of the Church, those called out of this world to rule in the next, declares to the principalities, and powers the certain fulfillment of God’s ‘eternal purpose’ in Christ Jesus - Eph 3:10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord….

We have also read in - Eph 2:7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Not only will faithful Christians sit with Christ on His throne in the New Jerusalem in the heavenly places in positions of rulership over the earth during the Millennial Kingdom, but also, in the endless ages that follow it, they will sit with Christ on the throne of God and of the Lamb, located on the new earth, where rulership will extend out into the universe, the very area that Satan and his angels sought to move into at the beginning of their rebellion - Isa 14:13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;

Hence the intensity of the warfare that ensues as Satan seeks to counter that which God has set in place.

3).  And we would do well to note that this is not an indiscriminate warfare, but a deliberate and systematic campaign designed to overthrow Christians from the goal of their calling. 
a). In Chapter 4 of Ephesians, we read - Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers….

Pastor-teachers have been given to the church for a revealed reason 
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive…. [KJV]

The predatory nature of what we see recorded here is self-evident –
“in order that we no longer may be immature ones, tossed to and from and carried around in circles by every wind of teaching in the cunning adroitness of men, in craftiness which furthers the scheming deceitful art of error,” [Wuest]
We cannot help but see then, that our growth to spiritual maturity, which is to come through receiving the proclamation of the Word of the Kingdom, is to ensure that we have victory over our enemy who lies in wait to devour us through the deceitful art of error.
a).  And we should keep in mind that spiritual maturity is defined by our understanding of God’s purpose for our redemption and our calling.
b).  Spiritual maturity, with a view to victory over our enemy, does not come through the length of time we have been a Christian, nor does it come through reading our Bible per se. Rather, it comes through having an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of that which God has laid out in the Scriptures from the beginning to the end, that which we have dealt with in numerous verses today already, concerning the 7th Day and Christ’s Kingdom. And in conjunction with this, giving the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away, something that had begun to happen to the recipients of Hebrews - Heb 5:10 ¶ called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. [meat]

And in connection with that which we have read in Ephesians 4 we also saw this in Ephesians 6 - Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The word ‘finally’ underscores the fact that no spiritually immature Christian can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, nor would they be able to put on the whole armor of God. But those who are spiritually mature, who realize where their strength and power are to be found will be able to put on the whole armor of God that they may be able to stand against the wiles – the deliberate and systematic plans of the devil to bring about their downfall.
c).  We will realize then that if we didn’t need the whole armor of God, it wouldn’t have been provided for us and having it in place is essential if we are going to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, because without it we most certainly won’t be able to resist his systematic scheming - Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,

Having outlined the nature of our enemy and his tactics the first part of the armor that is identified is the belt of truth.
d).  The armor of the Roman soldier is used as a metaphor for our spiritual armor, and it was the Roman soldier’s belt that held everything else in place.  If the Roman soldier had not put his belt on properly, he would be at mortal risk, as the integrity of the rest of his armor would be compromised.
e).  And so, with us, the belt of truth must be properly fixed or else our ability to put on the rest of the armor will be severely compromised.
f).  Now the truth with which our waist is to be girded is not a reference to having a mature understanding of the Word of the Kingdom. As we have already seen, those who are able put on the armor are already in possession of spiritual maturity. Having spiritual maturity with respect to the Word of the Kingdom so as to be a doer of the Word is what we find in Ephesians 6:17 in reference to the sword of the Spirit. Nor is it a reference to us always being truthful. Never a bad idea, but this is not it.
g).  To understand the belt of truth correctly, we need to go back to the OT types.

4).  And in going back we will begin with the first generation of Israel to come out of Egypt. We will remember that they were redeemed for a specific purpose – De 6:23 'Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.

They were redeemed from the land of their birth to enter the land of their calling at the head of the nations, to receive their inheritance in that land and rule with God in their midst within a Theocracy.
a).  We have also been redeemed from the land of our birth and we have a heavenly calling and a promised inheritance within that heavenly land - Eph 1:11a In Him also we have obtained an inheritance,

The process began for Israel with a rudimentary understanding of God’s provision of a substitutionary death on their behalf, the Passover lambs, just as we began by putting faith in the death and shed blood of our substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ.
b).  Israel was then led, by the Spirit, on a journey which had both direction and purpose. With the destination of the land before them and their inheritance in view, God, during their journey, revealed to them all they needed to know about His plans and purposes for them in that land.
c).  We are also on a 3 days’ journey and the Spirit of God is leading us in only one direction, to the land of our calling.  And on this journey, we are also being taught all we need to know about God’s purpose for us within this land.  
d).  Israel had been led from a ‘gnosis’, to an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of God’s plans and purposes.  And it was with this mature knowledge that they arrived at Kadesh Barnea with the land before them.
e). As we have seen in previous studies, it is so important for us to realize that they were not in ignorance.  They knew exactly why they had been redeemed, they knew why they were at the border of the land, and they knew what God had promised them.
f). And it was only after they had arrived at this point, having defeated Amalek along the way, that they would then be able to engage the occupants of the land in battle to overthrow them.
g).  As Israel stood at Kadesh Barnea it remained only for them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, to enter the land and defeat their enemies as God would fight the battle for them. For them to then receive their inheritance and establish the Theocratic Kingdom in accord with God’s promises.
h).  They had sent spies into the land who testified of its goodness, and they even tasted its fruit for themselves.
i).  That their enemies were bigger, stronger, and more numerous than they were, was true – Deu 7:1 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
 
But what may have been true was to be of no consequence whatsoever, for God had spoken.  They were to view this situation from the vantage point of God’s promise not what seemed to be right in their own eyes.
j).  Likewise, we also find ourselves at our own figurative Kadesh Barnea with the heavenly land before us.  There are those who have spied out the land and brought a report of it to us and we have even tasted its fruit – 1 Co 2:9 But as it is written:“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Heb 6:5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

And it is true that our enemies are spirit beings of enormous strength and power and number, but this is to be of no consequence for God has spoken. And we must view this only with the eyes of faith - 2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

5).  However, Israel, as a nation was deceived by what they saw with their natural eyes and consequently refused to enter the conflict believing that they would perish at the hands of their enemies.  All that is, except for Joshua and Caleb - Nu 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."

And here is where we see what the belt of truth is – it is the earnest, sincere and determined decision to enter the battle, in the full knowledge that it is in the Lord that we have strength and power. It is being steadfast in our faith, believing that which God has said and then being a doer of the Word, determined to be victorious – Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
 
It is to have a bold and courageous determination to do whatever it takes to see God’s plans and purposes fulfilled in us and through us, without compromise.
a). This is the same determination we have seen in Ruth -  
Ru 1:16 But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

The same determination that we have seen in Rebekah - Ge 24:58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."

And the same determination that we see in the Apostle Paul – 
Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Php 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

It is a determination that doesn’t wane over time, but remains strong, steadfast, and immovable.  Just as Caleb’s was - Jos 14:10 "And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11 "As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12 "Now therefore, give me this mountain……

Without the determination to enter this conflict in this way, and without the determination to see victory, without the absolute, resolute determination to be faithfully obedient to the Lord’s instructions, there is no point in trying to put on the rest of the armor.  In fact, it would not be possible to do so.
b).  In fact, without the type of resolution seen in Joshua and Caleb and our other examples we will already be defeated, as Israel was, and we will already be looking back to Egypt.
c).  We should also note that the kind of determination and resolve shown by Caleb and Joshua did not come out of nothing. It came because of the way they conducted their lives each and every day.
d).  Look at what is recorded of Caleb - Jos 14:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

Caleb wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. He was not half-hearted in what he did to this end. And what Caleb wholly followed was that which the Lord had revealed about the land and the inheritance. If we put this into Christian terminology, we would say he was seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. 
e).  And what about Joshua? - Ex 33:11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

Even as a young man we see that he did not depart from the tabernacle. He had determined at an early age that he would wholly follow the Lord God of Israel to the land He had promised.
f).  The Word of God they received telling of His purpose for them was not just one of many things that occupied them.  No – every aspect of their lives was governed by it, in order to bring about the fulfillment of what God had promised them. There was no compartmentalization, just an unwavering faith as they worked out their own salvation with fear and trembling – Col 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

6).  As we stand figuratively once again at our Kadesh Barnea this morning, let me ask the question – ‘Are we a Joshua or a Caleb or do we want to go back to Egypt and eat cucumbers?’
a). The answer to that question will determine whether we can put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil. And the answer will be given, not by what we might say about it but by how we choose to govern our lives in the present, as we look to a glorious future.

More next time – if we remain and the Lord is willing.