Suit Up – Part 1
Ephesians 6:10-18
Introduction: We have discussed the fact that every believer is called to be engaged as we are confronted with the spiritual war that is being waged about us. No soldier would be foolish enough to go into battle without making sure that he was properly prepared for battle and had all his equipment ready and his armor on. God has provided us with the necessary weaponry and armor to successfully engage the enemy. Ephesians 6 gives us our equipment checklist. It is time to suit up
I. Put on the Belt of Truth – verse 14
A. The belt which ancient soldiers wore was a wide piece of thick leather. It protected his lower abdomen and prevented him from being disemboweled. We should not think of it as a mere belt. It was more like a leather apron and it was absolutely vital because every other part of his armor depended on it for security and usefulness. Belts were used in Bible times to secure loose garments so that a person could run and/or fight effectively.
• 1 Kings 18:46 “Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”
The belts also provided a place to attach weapons.
• Deuteronomy 1:41 - "Then you answered and said to me, ’We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when every one of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.
When one is engaged in a battle and under attack he or she must be able to have the ability to move quickly with access to his/her weapons.
B. The Christian Soldier is told to put on the Belt of Truth.
• The belt of truth enables us to move quickly and confidently without tripping into lies or losing our weapons.
• John 8:31-32 "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free"
C. Truth is foundational and holds the whole of what salvation and the Christian life is all about. The foundation of the Church’s existence is truth.
D. Ephesians 1:13 “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
E. John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth...”
F. In the survey taken in early 1991, interviewees were asked, "Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with the following statement: There is no such thing as absolute truth; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct." Only 28% of the respondents expressed strong belief in "absolute truth," and more surprisingly, only 23 percent of born-again or evangelical Christians accepted this idea! What a telling revelation! If more than 75 percent of the followers of Christ say nothing can be known for certain, does this indicate, as it seems, that they are not convinced that Jesus existed, that He is who He claimed to be, that His Word in authentic, that God created the heavens and earth, or that eternal life awaits the believer? That’s what the findings appear to mean. If there is no absolute truth, then by definition nothing can be said to be absolutely true. To the majority, apparently, it’s all relative. Nothing is certain. Might be. Might not be. Who knows for sure? Take your guess and hope for the best! - James Dobson quoting George Barna, What Americans Believe.
G. If we do not believe the truth how can we gird ourselves with the truth?
H. John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
I. If we do not have ourselves girded with truth, then there is no way for us to win the battle
II. Don the Breastplate of Righteousness – verse 14
A. The Roman soldier was given a plate, made sometimes of brass, sometimes of hard wood or animal hooves, covered with the tough hide of an animal, as a covering for his breast. They never gave him any back plate. They considered that if he should turn his back upon the enemy, he was unworthy of Roman protection. The breastplate protected the soldier’s heart.
B. Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”
C. According to biblical metaphor our heart is the control centre for willing, feeling, and discerning. Integrity or righteousness protects our personal control centre. Not the integrity of self-made moral achievement; the integrity, rather, which comes through having Jesus Christ, the righteous one, ruling within us. -copied
D. Philippians 3:9 “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
E. As believers faithfully live in obedience to and communion with Jesus Christ, His own righteousness produces in them the practical, daily righteousness that becomes the spiritual breastplate. Lack of holiness, on the other hand, leaves them vulnerable to the great enemy of their souls – MacArthur Study Bible
III. Cover your feet with the shoes of the Gospel of Peace – verse 15
A. Shoes provide protection, support, traction, performance, and comfort.
B. The legendary Roman soldier wore heavy-soled military shoes or sandals called caliga. They were constructed from leather and laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. Additionally, iron hobnails were hammered into the sole, serving three purposes:
• to reinforce the shoe
• to allow the shoe to be used as a weapon allowing the soldier to inflict damage by stomping on a downed foe
• to provide the soldier with better traction allowing soldiers to dig in and make a stand in combat
C. You have been given the shoes of the Gospel of Peace to wear into battle.
D. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.”
E. Because we have received the Gospel, we have peace with God and we can stand in his strength, not our own.
F. The shoes, which the Christian wears, are "the gospel of peace". This is a two-fold peace. It is peace with God and it is shalom, the peace of the kingdom of God, God’s ultimate conquest of evil. We can stand firm knowing that the battle has been won and we fight in victory.
G. 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
H. Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!"
IV. Shield of Faith – verse 16
A. The Roman shield was made of three different parts: wood, bronze, and animal leather. The worker would make a shield out of wood first, then brace its edge with bronze, then overlay it with animal leather. It was used to fend off the aerial assault of the enemy’s darts.
B. The believer has at his or her disposal the shield of faith. The word for Faith is Pistis meaning conviction of the truth; trust; holy fervor.
C. In Genesis 15:1, God is Abram’s shield and in Psalm 91:4 David declares that God’s “faithfulness is a shield.” The faithfulness of God will protect the church if it trusts with holy fervor and marches on the offensive, while battle is waged against the powers.
D. Mark 9:23 “Jesus said... all things are possible to him who believes."
E. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the devil. It is said that one day some enemies of Rome dipped arrows in pitch, set the pitch on fire, and then shot the flaming arrows at Roman soldiers who were still more than a football field’s length away. If the arrow struck the breastplate it would not penetrate but the ignited pitch would splatter on the soldier and set him ablaze. The shields should protect him. However, the arrows stuck fast in the wood and leather shield the soldiers carried, and ignited them. As soon as a soldier would drop his burning shield, the next volley of arrows killed him. The solution was simple. Soak the shield in water before the battle. The flaming arrows hissed out as they were quenched, and the Roman line advanced.
F. Every soldier carried his shield on his left arm. It protected 2/3 of his body, plus 1/3 of the body of the fellow on his left. In other words, every soldier was responsible for affording a measure of protection to his colleague.
G. Ephesians 4:13 “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
H. As believers we can stand unified as the body of Christ trusting the faithfulness of Him who called us into His body to shield us and to give us the victory. When we fail to trust Him we become like vulnerable to the attack of our enemies.
Disclaimer: In addition to prayer and Bible study, source material for this sermon has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources whenever possible. Please feel free to use this message as God’s Holy Spirit directs your heart.
