Last week we began with verses 10-12 - looking at the basic struggles in life that we all face. For all the centuries of human history - leaders of nations - peoples - have asked, “Why can’t we solve the basic problems of human kind? Why can’t we change human nature? Why is it that each generation seems to struggle - to fight - the battles of the previous generation?”

In verses 10 to 12, the Apostle Paul answers these questions by focusing on the deep issues of the spiritual struggle that we’re all involved in. Satan and his forces - arrayed against us - seeking to lead us away from God and to our destruction.

We also saw that - in the midst of this struggle - God gives us a choice. We can try to imitate God’s strength - trying to live the Christian life - struggling along trying to work all of this out on our own. Or we can choose to put our lives into God’s hands - to trust in His strength and protection.

Which brings us to Ephesians 6:13. Paul writes - Ephesians 6:13 - “Therefore, take up the full armor of God - God’s strength - so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

That’s our focus this morning: Standing Firm In God’s Strength. Imagine a football team - backed up on their own goal line. The defense lines up and simply stands - refusing to be intimidated - refusing to be moved - refusing to give even an inch to the opposition. That’s the idea here - a goal line stand. Only the game is a war - a struggle - that involves our eternal destiny and the character and quality of our lives today. Standing firm means a dogged determination - in the face of everything that’s against us - to be unmoved - unshaken - in our faith.

How do we do that? How do we stand firm in God’s Strength? There are two crucial truths here in verse 13 that we need to understand.

First, standing firm means choosing “to resist in the evil day.”

That involves our choice to prepare “to resist in the evil day.”

Do you remember the story of Eric Liddell - the Olympic athlete and missionary to China? Probably because of the movie Chariots of Fire when most people think about Eric Liddell what they remember is not how fast he ran or what medals he won - what people seem to remember is the choice he made. In the 1924 Olympic Games Eric chose not to run on Sunday even though he was favored to win the gold medal. He chose not to run because he believed that it would be disobedient to God. He choose to stand firm in his faith. That choice was made long before Eric ever got to the start line.

When Henry Ford and his wife were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary one of the guests asked Mr. Ford to what he attributed their 50 years of happy marriage. Henry Ford replied, “The formula is the same one I’ve used in making cars - just stick to one model.”

When we say, “I do” - the choice is made. We’ve made a commitment. “I’ll stay faithful to you alone.” Later on we don’t have to stop and think, “Okay, its Saturday night, who can I ask out on a date?” We’ve already made the choice. So that when a woman - other than our wife - makes a move for us - there’s not even a question in our minds - the answer’s “no” and we’re already getting as far away as possible.

Not every day is evil. Praise God for that. Not every day are we under the type of pressure and attack from Satan that Paul describes in verse 12. But there are days when circumstances and ongoing events in our lives stagger us - threaten to knock us off our feet. We’re discouraged - doubtful - weak. Days when it takes everything just to hope in God and stand where we are - to maintain the simplest faith.

We need to make a choice - a choice to resist before we come to the day of evil. That means making choices - to leave some people behind - to say no to their companionship - to stop being like them. We have to choose to go in a different direction - to stand for different things. To choose what to have in our lives - what to involve ourselves with - what to allow into our minds. To make choices that confirm our first choice. To prepare us for when our faith is challenged.

Choosing to resist also involves a promise - “we will be able to resist in the evil day.” In God’s strength it can be done. James explains the promise this way in James 4, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7b)

Have many of you have seen a melodrama? A melodrama is a play set in the old west. The plot is pretty simple. The story is always basically the same. No matter what happens the ending is always the same. There’s a hero and a villain. And the heroin - a beautiful young girl that the hero has fallen madly in love with. The villain kidnaps the young girl and ties her to a railroad track or some life threatening circumstance. The train’s coming and she’s about to die. At the last minute the hero comes - defeats the evil villain and saves the heroin. The villain always says something like, “Drat! Foiled again!” When we choose to resist Satan, we can almost hear him saying, “Drat! Foiled again!”

Imagine this. Satan appeals to our emotions. He works through fear - anxiety - depression - anger - our urges and desires - our pride and ego - the things we feel deep inside - things we’re aware of and things we’re not aware of. Satan is clever - cunning - malicious. Opposing the work of God - destroying - darkening - diluting - deceiving. For centuries Satan has plagued mankind with evil - defeating even the best among us. And yet James writes, if we resist Satan, he will flee.

We have this privilege. We have this reassurance that Satan is defeated and when - in the name of Jesus - in Christ’s strength - we resist - choosing to stand firm - Satan must flee. He’s defeated again and again.

How do we stand firm in God’s Strength?

First, standing firm means choosing to resist in the evil day.

Second, standing firm means choosing to occupy the territory won for us by Jesus.

The Apostles, Thaddaeus and Bartholomew - between 35 and 60 AD - gave their lives bringing the Gospel to Armenia. Before the conversion of the Armenian people to Christianity - there were persecutions, by Armenians, of Christians - in 110 AD under King Artashes - in 230 AD under King Khosrov - from 287 to 301 AD under King Dirtad III - and yet, the believers standing firm in their faith became the foundation of Christian Armenia.

Krikor Lousavorich - imprisoned for 14 years - stood firm in his faith - and 1700 years ago the Armenian nation turned to Jesus. Vartan and his 66,000 poorly equipped soldiers - outnumbered 5 to 1 - against the pagan Persian army - martyred - stood firm in their faith - and Armenia remained Christian.

Our Armenian Evangelical forefathers clung to their belief in a repentant - personal - saving relationship with Jesus Christ - in the authority of the Bible - in piety and prayer - and they were anathematized by their church and rejected by their families and nation. And yet - as they stood firm in their faith - thousands came to know Jesus as their Savior.

Between 1850 and 1909 close to 400,000 Christian Armenians were massacred by the Muslim Ottoman Turks. Between 1915 and 1918 - the Muslim Ottoman Turkish government massacred 1,500,000 Christian Armenians. And still our forefathers did not turn from following Jesus. We’re here today - in this church - as Christian Armenians - as a testimony to their choice to stand firm in their faith.

In the last century there were close to 100 million Christian martyrs - more Christian martyrs than in the previous 19 centuries combined. Today - in the Sudan and Indonesia - in west Africa - and many other places around the world - Christians are sold into slavery - starved - murdered - burned - tortured. Yet, they stand firm in their faith. Where Christians are dying for their faith the church remains and is even growing.

We often hear this phrase, “The best defense is a good offense.” Which is true. But, its not what Paul has in mind when he writes, “having done everything - that is - choosing to resist - stand firm.”

If a castle is under attack - the battle is won not by the army charging out of the castle and overwhelming and defeating the enemy. Instead, they wage a defensive battle to hang onto what’s already theirs. If the castle can’t be taken the only thing left for the enemy is to leave. Victory comes when the inhabitants of the castle withstand the siege - stand firm.

Ray Stedman, teaching on this passage, Ray Stedman writes this, “In the Christian battle the offensive work was done over 1900 years ago at the cross and the resurrection. The Lord Jesus is the only one who has the power and strength to take the offensive in this great battle with the prince of darkness. But he has already done that. All that we possess as believers is already given to us. We do not fight for it. We do not battle to be saved, or fight to be justified, or forgiven, or accepted into the family of God. All these things are given to us.”

Paul writes in Colossians 2 that Jesus Christ on the cross has taken all that is against us and “nailed it to the cross, disarming it, making a mockery of it, triumphing over it.” (Colossian 2:13-15)

Our calling is not to go out and beat people over the head with Bible and force them to believe what we believe - to brand people and attack them as pagans and sinners. Jude writes that we’re to “earnestly defend the faith which once and for all God has given to His people.” (Jude 1:3) That means standing firm on what we believe - standing firm in what Jesus has already done for us and all that He has given to us - not giving an inch. The battle is won when the character of Christ - the life of Christ - His victory in us - is revealed to the world.

We’ve seen so many pastors and Christian leaders falter - brothers and sisters in Christ who stumble and fall away from their faith. Christians who become ineffective for the Kingdom of God because they compromise with the world - accommodating sin - trying to live with one foot in the world and one foot in God’s Kingdom. We get distracted by the accumulation of wealth - or what people think about us - or what kind of name we’re making for ourselves. Satan loves to get us to compromise - to weaken our commitment - to be distracted by our priorities - priorities other than Jesus and living faithfully for Him.

Paul is urging us - don’t do it. Renew your commitment. Hold onto your faith. Pray for each other. Hold each other accountable. Encourage each other. Even if it costs you everything - stand firm.

How do we stand firm in God’s Strength? First, standing firm means choosing to resist in the evil day. Second, standing firm means choosing to occupy the territory won for us by Jesus.

Thinking about how this applies to us this morning - we have a choice. Where will we stand?

In Luke 11 we read that a man was brought to Jesus - a man who was possessed by a demon and this demon had caused the man to be blind and mute. Jesus cast out the demon and the man was able to see and speak. The crowd was amazed by this. But, the religious leaders accused Jesus of being demon possessed. They said, “The only reason He’s able to do this is because He’s connected with Satan. He’s doing this by Satan’s authority and power.”

Jesus answered with an illustration. Jesus said, “When a strong man, with all of his weapons ready, guards his own house, all his belongings are safe. But, when a stronger man attacks him and defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and divides up what he stole.”

The point being that Satan is powerless against Jesus. Jesus is always victorious over Satan and anything that Satan schemes to do.

Then Jesus said - Luke 11:23: “He who is not with Me is against Me” You’re either with Me - standing in My strength - or you’re against Me. There is no neutral ground. You see My authority - My strength - My victory. Where will you stand? (Luke 11:14-23)

These are very difficult and uncertain days. We’re reminded of that every time we pick up a newspaper or turn the television. Every day our faith is challenged. How will we live our lives? Where will you stand? Stand firm in Jesus Christ in His victory and strength. Choose to not be moved.