Buckle Up Series

Learn to Drive Series Week 4

Buckle Up

Ephesians 6:11-17

Last week we talked about

working on the habits necessary to grow spiritually

as we learn to drive through this spiritual journey.

Is Everyone working on those good habits?

I told you that it takes 21 days to establish a habit

and 6 months for it to become part of your personality.

So let’s keep working on those good habits!

So far, we’ve picked the type of vehicle

we’re traveling through life in,

we know where we are, and where we’re going.

Tonight, I want us to focus on being prepared.

What’s the first thing you do or should do

when you climb into your car?

Buckle up!

Why do you buckle up?

Over 63% of people killed in accidents

aren’t wearing seat belts.

Seat belts save over 9,500 lives each year.

ILL. Caleb and his friend

were headed back to his house, it was 10:30 at night

and they were traveling 85 in a 25 mph zone

in the 2000 Toyota Celica

that Caleb just bought with his own money

2 months earlier.

They approached a slight curve in the road

and spun out of control,

flew up an embankment,

did 3 end over end flips,

went through a fence and a tree

and landed up-side down

hanging from their seatbelts in a horse field.

Fortunately neither boy was hurt.

A seat belt could be the only thing

that stands between your life and your death

when you venture out onto these dangerous roads.

In New Kent

we have all kinds of obstacles on our roads

from deer, to cows, to teenagers, to women drivers!

Kelli and I were leaving home a while back

and she grabbed my arm and said,

“Neil! There’s a cow in the road!”

Let me give you some advise.

If you ever see a cow in the middle of the road,

DON’T run into it.

A guy named Mark hit a cow at 45 mph,

and the cow came through the windshield,

knocked him out instantly,

and peeled back his roof like a sardine can.

He was lucky to live through the accident

with only some broken facial bones,

a severe concussion, several cuts and bruises,

and a complete loss of vision in his right eye.

He did say that he was wearing his seatbelt

and the airbag blew up.

We don’t know what we’ll encounter on the road

and we can’t predict what will happen to us

when we get behind the wheel.

So we should buckle up!

Life’s the same way.

In order to survive crises in life,

we must take the necessary precautions

to prepare ourselves spiritually.

I don’t know about you, but in life,

I would feel safer with more protection

than just a seat belt!

That’s why God commands us

to put on the WHOLE armor of God,

so we can stand against the evil that will come at us.

Look with me at Ephesians 6:11-17,

Put on all of God’s armor

so that you will be able to stand firm

against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.

For we are not fighting against people

made of flesh and blood,

but against the evil rulers

and authorities of the unseen world,

against those mighty powers of darkness

who rule this world,

and against wicked spirits

in the heavenly realms.

Use every piece of God’s armor

to resist the enemy in the time of evil,

so that after the battle

you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground,

putting on the sturdy belt of truth

and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

For shoes, put on the peace

that comes from the Good News,

so that you will be fully prepared.

In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

Put on salvation as your helmet,

and take the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God.

Most of the time when preachers preach

from this passage of scripture,

they look at the part of the body

each piece of armor is positioned to protect.

Tonight, I want us to look at the armor itself.

Just like seat belts

are not JUST recommended in Virginia,

they are LAW,

so is the armor God commands us to put on.

Have you noticed that

God doesn’t make suggestions?

He gives commands. Commands we are to obey.

The armor we need to put on is

Truth

Righteousness

Peace

Faith

Salvation

Sword of the Spirit

God said we need to have

our “Loins girt about with Truth.”

Why does God feel that truth is so important

to list it as the first piece of protective gear?

Because there is only ONE absolute truth.

Everything that comes into our lives