Don’t bring a rubber knife to a gunfight (Eph.6:10-18)
Illustration: My life fell apart in the summer of ‘68. One minute I was the happiest man in the world then wham! It was all over. My countenance changed from a look of total contentment into one filled with agony and anguish. Here I was living in total rapture, married to the woman of my dreams. It’s hard to believe that a thing as simple as a letter in a mailbox could shatter my world. Here I was on top of my world, and then I get this letter saying “Greetings from Uncle Sam“.
A few days later I join a motley crew of depressed youth, headed for Basic Training at Fort Campbell, Ky.
I’ll never forget the first words we heard upon arrival, “welcome to the U.S. Army “. It was here that we were whipped into shape and taught the art of war. We were taught about survival and how to overcome the enemy.
After Basic Training we proceeded to Advanced Infantry Training, where we learned more about killing and how to survive in a hostile environment.
All of my training and all of the Comic Books that I’d read , like Sgt. Rock and easy Co. ;Sgt. Fury; The Haunted Tank; and even my favorite TV show Combat; didn’t prepare me for the horrors of WAR.
The blood of America’s youth soaked the ground of Vietnam. Fear became a tangible thing that you could smell. The smell of fear filled the air of Camp Evans as 8 Battalions of NVA were sighted heading our way. Our destruction was a hand, but the mercy of God intervened.
Today there is still a war raging, the enemy is more diabolic than any communist threat we have ever encountered, more evil that Hitler or Stalin of ww2, more crazy than Sadam Husain.
We are facing the most deadly enemy in the universe. You could drop a million atomic bombs on him and he would feel no effect of it. This enemy is not flesh and blood, so physical weapon don’t harm him. His name is Satan and to defeat him we must use the Spiritual weapons in God’s Arsenal.
To attempt to fight in our own strength would be like attacking a forest fire with a squirt gun. It would be like attempting to slay a lion with a fly swatter. To attempt to defeat the devil in our own strength is like attempting to catch an elephant with a
Butterfly net.
Spiritual warfare needs spiritual weapons. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses.” We must fight spiritual forces with spiritual weapons. We must put on the armor of God and use the weapons of the Spirit. By understanding how to use this armor and weaponry, we will be able to be protected from the attack of the enemy and enabled to deal a deathblow to his advance.
Text: Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
Eph 6:12 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.
Eph 6:13 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.
Eph 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Eph 6:15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Eph 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph 6:18 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.
It is essential for us to see the importance of this armor. We are required to put on this armor and understand how to use it. The alternative is that we go down to defeat. Without this armor we are in danger. With this armor we emerge victorious.
1. The Belt of Truth
(1)A Roman soldier found his belt to be an essential part of his armor. His belt gathered his armor together and secured his sword to his side. The belt also served to secure long garments so that they would not interfere with fighting. The belt tied it all together.
(2)We are exhorted to stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth. It is truth which ties together the believer's armor. In our warfare against Satan and his demonic followers, a warfare in which deception and deceit are
commonplace, it is truth which illuminates our way and enables us to be ready to fight.
The emphasis is on living the truth in our daily lives.
The belt of truth means that we live honestly, in integrity, and without hypocrisy.
Truth must not only be possessed, it must be applied to our lives.
The Roman soldier's belt did him no good until it was tightly drawn round his waist.
So our belt of truth is tightly fastened when we live honestly.
When we walk in integrity in all of our relationships we are using the belt of truth
Without it, the other armor will not stay in place.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
1.the breastplate protected the vital organs
. The heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, and other organs
wre covered by this vital piece of armor. The point which Paul is making is that the breastplate of righteousness is
Essential for the Christian to avoid a mortal wound. It is righteousness which protects us in those vital areas of our
Relationship with God so that the life of Christ within us is not severed.
2..When you receive Christ, you receive His righteousness
3. We no longer walk in our own righteousness, but we now walk in His righteousness.
4.If we do not put on the breastplate of righteousness, then we will be susceptible to every temptation Satan brings
Along.
5., the breastplate of righteousness protects against the enemy.
3. The Boots of Peace
1. We must put on the boots of peace.
Part of your being equipped for battle is having shod your feet with the Preparation of the gospel of peace.
It is the gospel of peace which enables us to stand firm. We can stand secure Knowing that we have peace.
2. There are two qualities of peace that we experience.
a. The first is peace with God.
. The first is peace with God.
Because of the good news of the Gospel, we can now experience harmony and peace with God.
Our struggle with Him is over. We have surrendered.
Now We enjoy fellowship with God. We are secure in knowing that our eternal destiny is certain.
b. The second aspect of this peace is the peace of God.
We also experience the peace of God.
Peace with God means that our struggle with Him is over.
The peace of God means That we experience His peace even in the most trying circumstances.
It is the peace of God which causes us to have that
Calm assured confidence that enables us to handle the situation.
Knowing Jesus gives us something to hold on to.
And the peace of God keeps us from becoming hysterical in the first
Place. It helps us to get a grip.
3. This is precisely what having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace will do for you
a. It will help you stand firm
b. It will give you traction in life.
4. The Shield of Faith
1. The shield for a Roman soldier was a valuable piece of equipment
The kind of shield which is spoken of here was a large Shield approximately two and one-half feet wide and four and one-half feet high.
It was made of a solid piece of wood and Covered with metal or leather.
The soldiers used these shields to stand behind. Often they would stand side-by-side with their shields together, forming a long protective wall against the barrage of enemy arrows.
Many of these arrows were wrapped in pieces of cloth and soaked in pitch. The tips would be set ablaze and the arrow Shot at the enemy.
Such flaming missiles could inflict serious damage on unprotected troops.
Well equipped troops, However, with leather-coated shields soaked in water, had a good defense.
When the arrows would strike such shields, the
Wet leather would extinguish them.
2. Our shield is a shield of faith
a. It is by faith that we enter the Christian life.
b. . By faith we are enabled to see the unseen
c. This faith acts as a shield enabling us to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one
d. This shield must be deliberately taken up.
We must intentionally stand behind what we believe, if what we believe is able To act as a shield.
If we truly believe God, then the flaming arrows of the evil one will be smothered
5. The Helmet of Salvation
1. No Roman soldier would consider going into battle without his helmet
A blow to the head could easily be fatal.
With his Helmet, however, the Roman solider could fight with a certain amount of confidence.
And this is what the helmet does for Us. It gives us confidence.
2. It is the helmet of salvation
. When it speaks of salvation, there are several aspects of salvation in view. Salvation
Includes justification, sanctification, and glorification.
We are justified by faith in the finished work of Christ.This means We are forgiven and made right with God.
We are sanctified or set apart for God's purposes by the ongoing work of the Spirit. This work continues for our entire Christian life.
We are glorified when Jesus returns to receive us to Himself.
3. Our enemy seeks to strike us with the double-edged sword
Discouragement and doubt.
He points out all of our failures And faults, and anything else which seems negative.
He wants us to doubt our salvation,
to doubt God's goodness,
to doubt God's Word, and to be just generally depressed.
Throughout history almost all of God's choice servants have suffered
Times of discouragement and depression.
Often, this discouragement will come after great success. We see Elijah winning the battle against Baal on Mt. Carmel and Immediately thereafter running for his life from Queen Jezebel. He wanted to die, but God would not let him die.
And there May be a time in your life when you feel like that. It is then that you need the helmet of salvation.
Satan will try by every Means at his disposal to discourage and defeat us.
But it will be the helmet of salvation which will give us our assurance
in Christ.
Jesus died on the Cross in order to give us this helmet of salvation.
5. The helmet of salvation gives you the confidence you need
6. The Sword of the Spirit
1. The Roman soldier carried a short sword
The Roman soldier carried a short sword strapped to his side. It was the most common weapon used in hand-to-hand
combat. It was used both offensively and defensively.
2.Our sword is of the Spirit.
It is a spiritual sword which can be used to defend ourselves against the blows of the enemy and to strike a blow ourselves.
This sword of the Spirit is our Bible, the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 describes the Scriptures this way: “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.” It is abundantly clear that the Word of God is “divinely powerful to the pulling down
of strongholds.” It is a spiritual weapon. We must learn to use it effectively to defeat the enemy.
Jesus used this spiritual weapon against Satan in the wilderness.
3. A sword stored away in a closet does you no good
A sword stored away in a closet does you no good when you are under attack.
In order to use this sword, it must be Available to you. It becomes available when you begin to become familiar with it. Only as you read, study, and meditate upon the Word of God, will you ever keep this sword in hand.
By 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. The word of God is a powerful sword indeed.
Faith, salvation, and the Word go together. They speak of our trust in God. Together with truth, righteousness, and
peace, they make up the essential basic armor for the Christian.
Closing: War is indeed Hell and no one wants to think about it or be involved in it. However, , we are in a war. We are not at peace. Sadly, many have fallen wounded and remain on the sidelines because their fellow soldiers are AWOL or on perpetual R&R and will not or cannot help.
Many will fall and condemn their Commander-In-Chief because they do not believe they are in a war. They think it is over and they should be running through flowered fields dancing with butterflies.
They do not understand the cries of the wounded Christians and the dying lost. Yea, often they do not hear them at all.
They are like mad men walking in the midst of the battle singing and gathering up shrapnel thinking they are gathering flowers for their dinner table.
In the heat of the spiritual battle we must remember who are our real enemies
Many times we attack people and reject people instead of attacking the spirit behind the actions of that person and rejecting the lies that come from that evil spirit that is deceiving that person.
The person is just being used as a carnal weapon to throw us off our objective and divert us from our main target.
Let's keep our sights on the main objective and ignore the diversionary tactics of the devil.
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The believer's armor is all about our relationship with Christ. Each piece of armor stems from knowing Christ.
Knowing Christ is always the key. Our relationship with Him is at the center of all we do.
So, in order to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the boots of peace, we must focus our
attention on our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ. He will equip us for war.
