Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
June 17, 2012
At the beginning of world war II, France believed they had a solution to a potential German invasion. They built what was called the Maginot line. The Maginot line was a defensive line built in the 1930’s that stretched for over 200 miles on the NE border of France. You can see on the map, the strongest fortifications were along the German border, with weaker fortifications along Luxembourg and Belgium.
Automatic advanceIt was state-of-the-art, built of thick concrete with living quarters, heavy guns, store houses and underground rail lines. There were 45 main underground forts, 97 smaller underground forts, 352 large guns that could rise out of the ground. They were connected by an underground railroad system and underground corridors. French soldiers enjoyed state-of-the-art living conditions: air-conditioning, dining facilities, and a power plant.
It was designed to hold off a German attack. However, the Germans defeated the French by simply going around it through Belgium and through the Ardennes forest, which the French considered impenetrable. The French were not prepared for the manner in which the Germans overcame this defensive line, simply by avoiding it. In the end, the Maginot line was useless and France surrendered.
France fell because they underestimated their enemy and relied on the wrong weapons. They didn’t anticipate the attack their enemy used. They thought they were protected, but weren’t. We too are in a war. It’s not a war against one another, it’s a war against satan and his legions of demons. We must be careful to not make these same mistakes. In order to defeat the attacks of our enemy, we must be armed with the right weapons.
We must not underestimate our enemy’s cleverness. And, we must not rely on our own weapons and armor. As we’ve talked for the past few weeks, we need to rely on the armor and strength of God in order to defeat the attacks of satan.
Today, we’re going to look at the final 3 items we are to put on and use.
First, let’s look at what Paul tells us ~
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
11 Put on the FULL armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the FULL armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Remember, this is not a typical battle, it’s a spiritual battle and we must use spiritual weapons which God has placed at our disposal. It’s a call to utilize God’s strength and mighty power.
Putting on the whole armor of God must become a natural act. As we get dressed everyday, we should put on Christ’s love and put on our spiritual armor so we can withstand satans attacks.
Last week we took a look at the first 3 items we are to put on to defend ourselves ~
The belt of truth
The breastplate of righteousness, and
the shoes of the gospel of peace.
So, let’s look at the rest of our protection —
The Shield of Faith
The shield for a Roman soldier was vital. Their normal battle shield was approximately 2 ½ feet wide by 4 ½ feet high. It was a solid piece of wood, covered with metal, then a final layer of leather, soaked in water.
The only real long range weapon in those days were arrows and often times the enemy would set the tips of the arrows on fire and these flaming missiles could kill or seriously wound unprotected troops. However, when the arrows would strike the wet leather, they would be extinguished.
The shields were also made to interlock with the shields of other soldiers. The shields formed a portable wall for the protection of the whole army. When the soldiers stood side by side, this not only made a wall of protection for all the soldiers, but would put fear into the enemy as the soldiers continued marching.
When satan shoots his flaming arrows at us, what do we use to deflect them away? And what kind of arrows does he shoot at us? He shoots arrows of temptation, doubt, pain, discouragement, depression, fear, hopelessness, guilt, shame, stubbornness, trustlessness, greed, lust, envy, bitterness, pride, ego, unforgiving hearts, gracelessness, judgment along with a multitude of other flaming arrows.
When do we have the most trouble extinguishing the flaming arrows of the enemy? When our faith is lacking, when we’re in the midst of doubt about God. It is our faith which sustains us so that we can repel the arrows of the enemy with our shield of faith. This shield protects us!
When we say we have faith in someone, we’re really saying we believe in them and we trust them. The same is true about our relationship with God. The shield of faith is a shield of trust, belief, confidence and faith in God. We’re told to walk by faith, putting our trust in the Lord. Believing in God to take care of our every need. The writer of Hebrews put it this way ~ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (11:1)
We have faith that no matter what happens to us, God will be there. He does not abandon us, but He promises to be with us through any storm of life. By using the shield of faith, we are able to extinguish the flaming arrows of Satan.
We need to -
* Trust in God. We walk by faith, not by sight.
* We are saved by faith - we also live our lives by this faith.
* This shield must be deliberately taken up and used, stand behind the strength of your faith.
* Satan will try to drive wedges (flaming missiles) between believers, to disrupt unity and harmony - fellowship.
In order to prevent those arrows from driving us apart we need to remember what Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:4-5, We are one! As the church we are called to be unified, not separated, not fighting with one another, not being petty with one another. Because that is exactly what satan wants!!
The Romans soldiers would hook their shields together so no arrows could come between them. They would help one another, protect one another, watch out for one another. In the same way we are called to link arms in unity to prevent satan from destroying what God has started.
Helmet of Salvation
The helmet was designed like our bicycle helmets. There was protective padding on the inside to shield the soldier from a blow to the head. Most helmets looked like the one on the screen, those fancy helmets with feathers on them were reserved for the commanders or centurions. Some which were taller, did help the soldiers to appear taller, and more imposing to the enemy.
How does the helmet of salvation protect us?
Your knowledge of who you are in Christ should protect your mind from lies, corruption, doubt and deception. Satan’s greatest weapons are his lies. He’s the architect of lies. He will attempt to fill your mind with rationalizations of why you can sin and why you can engage in acts that are obviously contrary to the Bible.
He loves to point out our failures and faults and anything else that seems negative. He wants us to doubt our salvation, to doubt God’s goodness, to doubt God’s word, to be just generally depressed. satan will try by every means at his disposal to discourage and defeat us.
When the enemy is trying to fill your head with lies concerning God’s love for you and for the salvation we have received, we need to believe and trust in our salvation as a fact.
The helmet of salvation gives us confidence in Christ. We have been saved by what Christ did for us on the cross. No one can take that away. The helmet of salvation protects our minds from the attacks of our enemy.
Ephesians 3:10 tells us to declare our salvation in the heavenly realms – speak out in the time of attack the fact that you are saved, born again and free from ways of the devil. Remember who you are in Christ when you wear that helmet, because at the time this scripture was written, only Kings and nobles were issued helmets to wear. In God’s eyes, you are royalty.
When marching, the helmet was not worn. Putting on the helmet marked the beginning of battle.
The final piece of equipment is the Sword of the Spirit
This is the only offensive weapon we are given. This sword was not the long type seen in the days of the knights. This sword was about 20" long. It was the same type of sword Peter used to cut off the ear of the high priests servant when Jesus was being arrested.
All the other armor was for our protection. The sword is also, but with the sword we can attack the enemy also! The sword was important to the survival of the soldier because it how you would fend off the enemy combatant. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God.
Paul told Timothy ~ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) How many of us can accurately handle the Word of God? If you’re going to be victorious, you need to know the Word of God. If you wanted to survive the battle, then you had to know how to handle your sword. You knew how to care for it and how to use it to defeat your enemy.
The Word of God is powerful! The writer of Hebrews tells us ~ For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (4:12)
The word of God is living and active. It’s not some old archaic, dusty out of date book. That Word which was written thousands of years ago, is still alive and active! It’s so sharp it can penetrate into the deepest parts of our being.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul reminds us All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
When Jesus was in the desert and being tempted by satan, what weapon did Jesus use? Were they philosophical arguments? Did Jesus punch him? NO! Each time satan attempted to deliver a blow, Jesus blocked the attack by quoting scripture. In every encounter He went on the offensive, speaking the word of God. Jesus used the sword of the Word! If that was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for me.
Using a sword is something that takes time and practice. A soldier must practice using his sword, practice the defensive and offensive moves to defeat his enemy. In order to use our sword, we also must practice and use it. That means being in the word every day. Memorizing God’s word. Knowing and understanding the Bible. Becoming familiar with the Word of God, you are storing away spiritual weapons for the Spirit to use. He will bring to your mind those passages which apply to the situation you are facing. Your mind will be trained to think like God thinks. You will be able to pierce through the lies and deceptions of the enemy. Jesus knew the word of God and was able to defend and attack the devil, using the scriptures to attack and drive His enemy away.
Finally, and I don’t think much needs to be said about this, Paul reminds us of the need to pray in the Spirit at all times. Dear friends, are you protecting yourself against the schemes of satan? Don’t think you’re immune, you’re not. Put on the whole armor, and experience the protection of the mighty One, Jesus the Christ, our Savior, our Lord.
