The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
January 19, 2020
When you think about it, it’s amazing to think about all of the ways in which we try to protect ourselves. We try to protect ourselves - physically, emotionally and financially. We make sure that as best as we can, nothing will harm us or our family.
We plan and we prepare - - we get things like
Homeowners Insurance Life Insurance Auto Insurance New wipers
Goggles at work Wills Oil Changes car seats
Coats in winter seat belts Mouth pieces Safety gloves
Cribs Training wheels bicycle helmets annual physicals
washing hands flu / pneumonia / shingles shots Immunizations
With all of that in mind, how many of us are actively protecting ourselves spiritually?
Most of the time, we don’t think about spiritual protection, we just assume we have God on our side. In Romans 8:31, Paul asked –
31 If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31
That’s a great question, because Paul was certain that nothing could ever separate us from God’s love in Christ. And Paul was and is 100% correct. But we need to utilize God’s power and strength, and if we don’t, then we’re on our own and we’re in trouble. That’s why Paul added these words -
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You see, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. What Paul really wants us to grasp is the fact that Jesus isn’t going to abandon you. He’s not going to bail out and run from us.
Paul asks what will separate us from the love of Christ?
NOTHING!! Life and death won’t separate you, spiritual warfare won’t separate you, nobody will separate you. Paul tells us NOTHING IN ALL CREATION WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST!
That’s great news! It’s powerful news that we need to hold onto and trust! Our enemy wants us to disbelieve that statement from Paul. Because when we don’t think we’re worthy or believe that God is for us, then we have a defeatist attitude and we go into our daily lives at a disadvantage in whatever we do.
Last week I spoke about Revelation 12, and the fact that we’re in a spiritual war. Like it or not, our battle is against satan. As we battle satan, we need to be equipped for the war which faces us. Just like that long list of ways we protect ourselves, we need spiritual protection. And that protection only comes from God. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul commands what we’re supposed to do in order to combat satan.
As Paul is coming to the close of his letter to the church, he tells us --
10 Finally, be STRONG in the Lord and in His mighty power.
The word strong literally means to be growing in strength. We are increasing in strength. It’s from the Greek word DUNAMOS - which is our word (dynamite)
God’s mighty power is really just that. It’s God’s power which is unstoppable. It is God’s complete and perfect exerted power! Then Paul adds --
11 Put on the FULL armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
A compound word which simply means FULL or WHOLE ARMOR
To STAND - STANDING READY AND PREPARED
HOLDING YOUR GROUND!
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.
It’s a reminder our battle is not against one another, that’s what satan wants us to believe, but in reality it’s a spiritual battle.
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.
Put on the FULL or WHOLE ARMOR
Stand your ground - refusing to be moved; strongly resisting an opponent.
STAND - STANDING READY AND PREPARED
HOLDING YOUR GROUND!
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
STAND FIRM - STANDING READY AND PREPARED
HOLDING YOUR GROUND!
As we move forward think about how many times Paul has commanded us to stand firm! 4 times he tells us! It’s so important to stand firm, not to back up or give ground. And we can only do that in the strength of the Lord. Paul continues,
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. - Ephesians 6:10-18
Great words of wisdom from Paul; and this week and next week, we’re going to unpack what Paul was getting at in this command. It’s clear Paul wants us to put on the whole armor of God. Not few pieces that feel more comfortable than others
Imagine going out on the football field and deciding it was too hot outside, so you weren’t going to wear a helmet. That wouldn’t be too smart. Or you decide you’re not going to protect your car with oil changes . . . ever. They’re a waste of money! It’s the old “you can pay me now, or pay me later.”
Remember in Greek mythology, the Greek god Achilles. Achilles was the bravest, handsomest, and greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War. Achilles was supposed to be invulnerable, except for his heel. And he died because of a small wound on his heel, the only unprotected part of his body. We can’t do the same, and leave ourselves unprotected. We must remember to put on the FULL armor of God.
If we don’t put on one piece of armor it can be a disaster. We can’t pick and choose, because missing one piece will leave a weak spot in our defense. And satan will pick on that and attack us where we are weakest.
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 is not a battle of our strength, otherwise we would all be in the gym, but our strength comes from God, as He sends His Holy Spirit to empower us. Remember verse 10 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in His MIGHTY POWER. It’s not our power, it’s God’s!
Our battles will come from places we least expected. That’s satan at work. Remember, Christ-followers can be his tools to destroy other Christians and churches. That’s what satan lives for. That’s why it’s vital to put on the whole armor of God . . . everyday.
Putting on the whole armor of God must be a natural act. As we get dressed everyday, not only should we follow Colossians 3:12-15 and put on love, but we should also put on our spiritual armor so we can withstand his attacks. Isn’t it better to be prepared than to realize after the fact that you’ve been attacked and now you run for cover and before you know it, you’ve bought into satan’s lies and you lay there wounded.
So, let’s look at our protection —
We are to gird our waists by putting on the BELT of TRUTH. Why was a belt so important? It served 2 purposes, the belt held the soldier’s robe or tunic together. They didn’t wear pants, real men wore dresses, and these dresses or tunics, needed to be tied in the front with a belt.
The belt also ensured that as you ran into battle, you didn’t trip or fall. The sheath which held the sword was also attached to the belt. The belt also held the breastplate in place. The belt was a simple but essential part of the armor.
Without the belt, the tunic would get in the way, the breastplate wouldn’t stay where it needed to be and the sword wouldn’t be very easy to handle. Also notice that there are strands running down from the belt. These were for extra protection and to make sounds as the soldiers ran into battle, which hopefully caused their opponents to become more fearful.
What does the belt of truth mean? There are a couple of meanings. The first and what must always be the starting point is that the truth we believe in is God’s truth. It’s believing without a doubt Jesus is Lord and Savior.
In John 14:6, Jesus said - 6 I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
It’s believing in the truth of who Jesus said He is; that God has the power to save you eternally. It’s believing that Jesus really is the Son of God. It’s being able to recite the Apostles Creed and believe it. It’s believing in the miracles that Jesus performed, the virgin birth, the resurrection, the ascension.
The 2nd point behind the belt of truth is that we must live truthful lives. The belt kept the person covered and dignified. In the same way, lies will expose you and strip away your dignity, and there is no dignity in sin. The belt of truth means we live honestly, with integrity and without hypocrisy. When we walk in integrity, we’re utilizing the belt of truth. When we quit playing games, and walk consistently, whether people see us or not, then we are using the belt of truth.
satan will use every possible lie to try to defeat us. Peter tells us satan is the father of lies. He’s out to do everything to defeat you. All around us we see people twisting the truth to their advantage. Dishonesty is prevalent in our society, we twist the truth and make truth what we want it to be. So when we take off that belt of truth, the other armor won’t stay in place and we become vulnerable to attack and defeat. We must always have the belt of truth on!
Next comes the Breastplate of Righteousness
For the Roman soldier, the breastplate covered their front and back. It protected the vital organs ~ the heart, lungs, kidneys, and stomach. The breastplate was normally made of strong leather covered with metal. No arrow or dart could pierce a breastplate that was properly worn.
The breastplate of righteousness is essential for the Christian to avoid a mortal wound.
What is righteousness? Righteousness is being moral and just, pure in heart. Our righteousness wasn’t sufficient to save us, and never will be sufficient. Isaiah 64:6 likens our righteousness to “filthy / dirty rags.” On our own we could never become righteous in God’s sight. This is why we need Jesus.
Paul tells us, 21 God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
You see, Christ is the true and only righteous One. God imputes His righteousness upon us. This means that Jesus’ death made us righteous in God’s sight. We’re not righteous on our own, but we’re viewed as righteous because of what Jesus did for us. Because of the cross, we can now receive His righteousness. He died for us, in our place and now He gives us His righteousness in exchange for ours.
It comes from another theological term called FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION. It’s our legal standing before God. It’s our standing on the promise that we are forgiven because of what Jesus did for us. We will not have to face the judgment of God on that day, because we have salvation in Christ. I’ll give you a verse next week when we look at the helmet of salvation.
If we wear the breastplate of righteousness, it means our relationship with God is solid - it will be trusting and dependent, we will recognize that God is God, and we are not.
In 1934, King Alexander of Yugoslavia landed in France for an official visit. Before he left his warship, he dressed in the full uniform of an admiral of the navy. However, he didn’t wear his bulletproof vest. After leaving his ship, he entered a special automobile which met him at the dock and 5 minutes after stepping on French soil, he was assassinated by an assassins bullet. This didn’t have to happen, had he worn his bulletproof vest.
Without Jesus Christ and His breastplate, there is a greater likelihood that we will be become injured and not be able to recover. We will die eternally without Christ and will be susceptible to every temptation from Satan.
Lastly for today, comes the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
The Roman soldier wore an open-toed spiked shoe which laced up past his ankles. We are all well aware of the importance of shoes for a variety of different purposes. Dress shoes, work shoes, athletic shoes, and more. These different types of shoes serve different purposes. The Roman soldier's war boot was an important piece of equipment. It was similar to a football player’s spiked shoes. They gave you traction. They helped the soldier stand his ground and advance. He needed traction since most combat was hand-to-hand. A soldier couldn’t afford to be pushed backwards or slip and fall on the battle field. They had to stand firm!
We are also called to stand firm. We are to be firmly planted in the good news of Jesus. The gospel is where we get our traction to fight and defend. In Matthew 7, Jesus spoke of building a house on sand or on the rock of Jesus. We are to build our lives on the rock of Jesus. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
Part of our being equipped for battle is having our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. It is the gospel of peace which enables us to stand firm. We can stand secure knowing we have peace.
There are two qualities of peace we experience. The first is peace with God.
In Romans 5:1, Paul said, Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because of the good news of the Gospel, we can now experience peace with God. We are not enemies with God, God is not against us, He is 100% for us. We now enjoy fellowship with Him.
The second aspect is experiencing the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, a peace which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
. Not only do we have peace with God, but we also experience the peace of God. This means we experience His peace even in the most trying circumstances. The peace of God enables us to have that calm, assured confidence that enables us to handle any situation.
When trying circumstances come, it isn’t unusual for people to begin to fall apart. Sometimes people even get hysterical. You might say to such a person, “Get a grip!” Well, how can someone get a grip if they have nothing to grab on to. Knowing Jesus gives us something to hold on to. And the peace of God helps us to get a grip. How many of you have experienced the power of His peace?
Without the boot on, the soldier is relaxing; with them on, he’s ready for combat. Paul’s irony should not be overlooked: the gospel of peace makes us ready for war.
Well, we’re only ½ dressed for battle, and next week, on Father’s Day, we’ll finish talking about getting dressed in God’s armor; and defending ourselves from satan.
For now, make sure you have the
belt of truth
breastplate of righteousness, and
shoes of the gospel of peace . . . on!
