In the concluding exhortations of Ephesians, Paul tells us to be empowered by God to stand against the schemes of the devil. We show that Satan’s attacks are always against the gospel and our standing firmly in the faith. By attacking the sufficiency of Christ Satan seeks to accuse believers and take away our solid hope. In the sermon, we discuss words Paul uses from the Greek for “power” and how they were also used in Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesians 1. God is omnipotent and promises to be our strength to stand against the devil’s attacks.

Paul prays in chapter 1 that God will open our eyes to the reality of God’s power and then exhorts in chapter 6 of Ephesians that we would be empowered by the Lord to stand. The word “stand” is important and is often used in Paul’s epistles for our status in Christ. We stand by believing God’s promises in Christ and not through directly addressing Satan and evil spirits. The armor of God is the full array of weapons that we need to “stand” in the gospel. There are no secret names of spirits to be learned not incantations to be uttered.

We stand solidly in our faith in the finished work of Christ. Satan is our accuser and it is because of our faith in Christ’s work of grace through the gospel that his accusations are silenced. Satan seduces people into thinking they need secret information. He has been telling the same lie since the garden of Eden. The truth is the gospel and the lie of Satan that makes him a murderer. We end the sermon showing this from John 8:44.