Ephesians 6:10 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
"Finally", although this is one small word it says more than one can understand fully. It brings to a conclusion all the spiritual blessings that Paul has spent the last 6 chapters telling us of. It tells us that what Paul has saved for the last is of the utmost importance and rounds off this epistle of heavenly inheritance. His final instruction given to the "brethren" at Ephesus and us as well, is to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Just as a general in an army would rally the troops before a battle and encourage them to the fight, Paul has rallied his brethren and reminds them that they are going to need strength. Not ordinary human strength that requires an iron will and a stomach full of brass, but unusual spiritual strength that requires a submitted will and a heart full of faith. Paul, one of our great New Testament Generals in the Lord's army, stands and commands that we "Be strong." Strength isn't something that we often associate with choice. We often think a man is strong not by his own choice but by some heavenly virtue given to him by God, but the Bible is clear "Be Strong." This is a call to action, this is a command, this is something to be done. People may say "I can't be strong because I'm not strong." This is why he added the clause "in the Lord." A man that isn't strong cannot be strong, when he goes to strengthen himself He finds that there is little courage, little strength, and little will to even try. When a Christian is commanded to be strong in the Lord we are commanded to pull from his supply and not ours. David illustrates this instruction well in 1 Samuel Chapter 30 when "Encouraged himself in the Lord." David had lost everything to the hands of the enemy and even his friends had turned their back on him and in the face of certain defeat, physically and mentally he was able to pull encouragement from a well that was not his own. David had nothing encouraging happening around him, but He dropped his pale in another well and pulled buckets full of strength to run to the fight.
Paul has been telling us now for chapters about the unsearchable riches that are in Christ, that is the storehouse we are to pull from. Has there ever been one stronger, more resolute, more valiant, or more victorious than him? No not one! Dear reader, "be strong in the Lord." Your strength may be little but His is infinite, your will may be weak but His is stronger than steel, Your heart may fail you but His arm never will. He has made available to us a vast armory of His own supply, the fact that he commands us to be strong in the Lord implies that this is not only possible but expected of his soldiers. If he has commanded you to be strong, then with that commandment He has opened up the armament of strength where you can find all the supply of strength you may ever need.
No country calls a man to war and leaves him to supply his own arms, they feed the man, they issue him a rifle. If they require him to use heavy artillery then they provide him with the artillery and ammunition to be the soldier they require him to be. God has placed us in a war, yes a war. William Gurnall said about this war "So bloody a one, that the cruelest whichever was fought by men will be found but sport and mere child's play to this." This is a war that's casualties are spiritual and not carnal, the effects of this warfare won't be felt for centuries or millenniums but eternity. A war in which we are engaged with powers beyond our own and therefore we require power beyond our own. The enemy we fight is indeed much stronger than we but the supplier of our spiritual armament is much stronger than the one we fight, and He has been known for coming and fighting on the behalf of His People, nay, always fights for His people. So when the Captian of our salvation calls us to war and says "Be strong in the Lord" you can rest assured that he has supplied everything you need to do just that.
The problem is we never appropriate the power made available to us. We run to the battle with the little pea-shooter of our strength and we run back with our tails tucked between our legs because the enemy has outgunned us. Dear friend, throw down the weak artillery of your strength and take up His strength, before long it will be the enemy on the run instead of you.
This call to strength is similar to the command given to Joshua and the children of Israel before they were to enter into Cannan Land:
Joshua 1:6
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. (KJV)
God had promised them land but inhabiting this land was going to require warfare. They had to make war with giants and take the land from the grip of the wicked Canaanites. Imagine a group of unskilled people going to fight against a nation of warriors and giants. God instructs them to be strong because he has promised to divide the land to them. They couldn't run to the battle with years of experience, or skill but they could run into the battle with a heart full of faith in the promises of God. You and I may not be able to face the battle with years of experience or much strength of our own but I can face the battle with a heart full of faith in the promises of God. Promises are the heavenly ammunition we fire back at the enemy with, Jesus was our supreme example in this warfare. The devil fired at him with his three fiery darts and Jesus loaded His artillery with the ammunition of God's word. Jesus fired the shot "It is written", three times in rapid succession and this was enough to put satan on the run.
God has commanded us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He has provided the warehouses of strength we can draw from. Now let us run to the battle with our guns loaded, our hearts full of faith, and our eyes set on the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ. It is His strength that wins the battle, it is His strength that has won the war. It is His power that can put the enemy on the run. So make good use of it, don't let the heavenly ammunition sit in the warehouse of the Scripture gathering dust, pull it out, load it in the chamber and fire the shot. Believe God and take a shot. Christian soldiers, appropriate the tools God has made available to you. Leave your strength at home, it won't be needed, He'll supply you with His own, and you can fight an enemy beyond your power with strength beyond your power.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
According to the Riches of His Grace!
Amen, halluyah! I'm a soldier, and will keep on fighting.
Thank you very much pastor.