The Battle is the Lord
Our Arsenal – Part 1
Intro: A reporter interviewed a man on his 100th birthday. “What are you most proud of?” The man said, “I don’t have an enemy in the world.” “What a beautiful thought! How inspirational! Tell me how you have achieved such a feat?” The man said, “To be honest, I outlived every last one of them.”
Trans: Be assured, if you have no other enemies, the devil and his demons are all the enemies you’ll ever need. You can’t outlive them or outwit them but in Christ, you can outlast them if you stand firm in your faith and resist them.
Trans: As we continue our study on the reality of spiritual war, I want to move from our awareness and adversary to our arsenal in this great battle.
Truth: Paul tells us that we are fighting in a hand-to-hand struggle to the death and the only way we can overcome is through Christ and his spiritual armor.
Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
Word: Wrestle – a contest b/w two opposing forces where each endeavors to throw the other to gain supremacy by holding down his opponent by the neck.
Insert: Having wrestled all the way through Jr. High and High School, I can truly appreciate this concept – there are few experiences in life more challenging than grappling hand-to-hand w/ someone who is wanting to defeat you.
Insert: Greek and Roman culture – a fight to the death. So too in the spiritual.
Trans: When it comes to wrestling, Satan is an Olympic champion who wants our external enemy (the world) and our internal enemy (the flesh) to defeat and destroy us. Thus, he is constantly looking for an unguarded area in our lives where he might establish a beachhead.
Trans: But God tells us that we don’t have to be defeated and destroyed, but that we can stand our ground and overcome by employing the armor of God and understanding the rules of engagement.
Trans: Recently I came across a list of combat rules from Glenn Weekley at FBC:
1 If the enemy is in range, so are you.
2 Don’t look conspicuous, it only draws fire.
3 The easy way is always mined.
4 Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo.
5 Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy someone else to shoot at
6 If your attack is going well, you’ve walked into an ambush.
7 Don’t draw fire it only irritates the people around you.
8 The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
9 When the pin is pulled, “Mr. Grenade” is not our friend.
10 If it is dumb but works, then it isn’t dumb.
11 When in doubt, empty the magazine.
12 Anything you do can get you shot – including doing nothing.
13 Make it too tough for the enemy to get in and you can’t get out.
14 Mines are equal opportunity weapons.
15 A Purple Heart just proves that you were smart enough to think of a plan, dumb enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.
16 Don’t ever be the first, don’t ever be the last, and don’t ever volunteer for anything.
17 The Quartermaster has only 2 sizes: Too large and too small.
18 Five second fuses only last three seconds.
19 It is inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.
20 The enemy invariably attacks in one of two ways:
a. When you are ready for them.
b. When you are not ready for them.
Trans: The Bible’s rules for combat are much more serious and helpful than these, yet before we delve into these six pieces of armor and weaponry, I think it would help us to understand exactly what they are.
Note: The armor of God is not something you put on everyday like a pair of jeans. They are not items you put on only before you prepare for battle, like a football player putting on his equipment before a game.
Truth: Each piece of the armor is a characteristic and quality that is reflected in one’s daily life. They’re lifestyle characteristics of a sincere and significant faith. They are not articles of Christian clothing to be leisurely put on and worn, but convictions and beliefs that are to be lived and maintained as a regular pattern of our lives.
I The Belt of Truth
Note: Roman soldiers wore wide, thick leather belts that held their swords and equipment. It was used to cinch up his tunic (outer garment) and allowed him freedom of movement – when he girded up his belt he was able to fight
Idea: In much the same way, truth (aletheia) is the essential centerpiece of the Christian life. It is on truth that all our beliefs and conviction rest.
Word: aletheia – the content of that which is true.
Idea: The content of God’s truth is absolutely essential for the believer in his battle against the devil’s schemes. I must build my life on God’s truth.
Fact: Satan is a liar who is constantly attacking the truth in an attempt to make it appear to be relative.
Word: aletheia – also refers to the attitude of truthfulness. It represents the accuracy of specific truth and the quality of its truthfulness.
Idea: To be girded w/ truth is to possess an attitude of readiness and eagerness to remain committed and convinced of the truth. It is the mark of the sincere Christian who is able to forsake hypocrisy and sham and live in the truth.
A Truth is IMPERATIVE
Idea: Truth is essential to the well-being of life and civilization. W/out truth we have no moral or directional compass. Absolute truth is our true north – it is that guiding presence that gives us hope and purpose. It is what enables us to have peace and conviction of character.
Idea: At the core of truth is integrity – a man of integrity has a clear conscience and can face the enemy w/out fear.
Insert: Just yesterday I was talking w/ Mike Peasall about General Stonewall Jackson. It was said that in battle, he never ran for cover or dismounted for fear of his life. When asked why, he simply said, if you believe in a supreme and sovereign God of truth as I do, then you have nothing to fear.
Axiom: When one’s visible behavior contradicts one’s stated character it creates insecurity, but when one’s visible behavior compliments one’s stated character it cultivates integrity.
Idea: Integrity is the reality of wholeness in character – it is an undivided-ness of action and attitude. Insecurity is having a divide-ness b/w one’s words and actions. By attacking one’s idea of truth, Satan tries to destroy our character.
Note: If we’re going to stand our ground, then our commitment to verifiable truth must be essential.
B Truth is IMMUTABLE
Idea: Contrary to popular belief – truth is not relative – it is absolute. Truth does not change over time or at the whims of political correctness. What is moral, right and true today, was moral, right, and true yesterday, and will be moral, right, and true according to the standard set by God tomorrow.
Truth is not subjective – you don’t get to weigh in on the truth – Truth is established and set by God (only God is truth).
Many people want to make truth subjective to their own ideas and convictions to ease their conscience and enable them to live w/out guilt– but it doesn’t work that way – if something is true it is true – no one has the ability or authority to manipulate truth.
C Truth is INCORRIGIABLE
Idea: Incorrigible means “cannot be improved upon or perfected.” Truth is what it is – truth. You can’t add to it or take away from it – either something is truthful or it is not the truth.
D Truth is INFLUENCING
Idea: Truth works. Have you ever tried to live a lie – it is hard work usually requiring that one lie lead to the next in order to keep up the façade – but when you live by the truth – you don’t have to worry about keeping up the game – you just live. Nothing is easier in life than living by the truth.
Quote: I believe that being girded w/ truth primarily has to do w/ self-discipline of total commitment to living according to truth. Just as an athlete dedicates and disciplines him self to possibly win a race and receive a perishable crown, how much more do believers in Christ dedicate and discipline themselves to absolutely win in their struggle against Satan to receive a crown that does not perish.
Note: It is upon the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we build our lives.
Verse: Clearly, Christ’s love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. 2 Cr. 5:14
II The Breastplate of Righteousness
Note: A piece of armor made from metal plates or thick leather that protects the vital organs from one’s neck to their waist – in particular it guards the heart.
Idea: In our struggle w/ Satan, he has determined to try to pierce our hearts w/ his flaming arrows of accusations. Just as he attempts to sabotage the truth w/ his lies, so too does he attack our hearts w/ his accusations.
Trans: But God calls us to protect our hearts – Pr. 4:23 states – Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.
Truth: There is but one thing that protects our hearts against the devil’s accusations – righteousness.
Not: Self-righteousness – It is not in keeping a list of legalistic do and don’ts. It is not in being a pharisaical religious zealot – remember all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags… we cannot manufacture righteousness.
Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law but is of faith from first to last – Ph. 3:9 – Satan deceives us into thinking that we can be righteous before God by our acts of humanity. It is not possible.
Not: Imputed Righteousness – When a person is born again, God removes his past, present, and future sin – it is brought under the blood of Christ once for all – giving or imputing perfect righteousness in one’s state w/ God. But while this reality is true, the breastplate of righteousness is not about imputed righteousness – it is about imparted righteousness.
Trans: It is about a day-to-day practical righteousness that is lived out in one’s standing w/ God. It is about living responsibly under God’s influence so that as the devil attacks and accuses, you are able to stand firm and fast in your faith – not just b/c what God has done, but also b/c what He is doing.
It is a righteousness that is empowered by obedience to the command and leading of God’s Word and Spirit. This is what Peter was talking about in 1 Pt. 1 – be holy in all you do, be holy as I am holy.
Truth: Putting on the breastplate of righteousness is to live each day in moment by moment obedience to the Father.
In obeying God’s Spirit, one will experience His joy, bearing fruit in all things reflecting the glory and character of God – but in not practicing righteousness – the devil will swoop in and:
• Steal your joy.
• Render you impotent and fruitless in your God-given ministry.
• Steal your heavenly reward.
• Destroy your witness and influence.
Story: Little boy fishing w/ red worms that were really baby rattlesnakes – one by one they bit him until he was overcome by their venom and died. Similarly, by one accusation after another, Satan strives to destroy our hearts.
Note: Satan is an accuser – but he cannot accuse the believer who is living a godly life under the influence of God’s Spirit and in accordance w/ God’s Word.
III The Shoes of Peace
Note: Roman soldiers wore sandals w/ hobnails in the soles to give better footing.
A Standing Peace
Trans: The shoes of the Gospel bring a peace that enables us to stand under the intense scrutiny of doubt and fear w/in and discord w/out.
One of Satan’s favorite tactics is to load us w/ guilt and fear that leads us to doubt the omnipotence and goodness of God.
He whispers in our ears that there is a sin too big that God won’t forgive us. There are things we’ve done that God is incapable of changing or overcoming – he relentlessly strives to convince us that God is limited and that he is not.
Note: W/out he longs to destroy our family’s and church family’s w/ discord and discontent. He wants us to take our eyes off of God’s mission and mandate to focus on our own wants and needs. He tells us to think only of ourselves and to hurry past and not be inconvenienced by Great Commission, Great Commandment ministry. And if we bite – he steals our peace.
Trans: But to the Christian who understands and receives God’s sufficient grace and work on the cross – God gives His amazing peace:
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• A peace that passes all understanding.
• A peace that knows that forgiveness and forgetfulness go hand-in-hand.
• A peace that knows that God can take bad and make it good.
• A peace that understands that there is nothing too big or bad for God.
Truth: God’s peace is a powerful force. There is nothing that compares to having a conviction of peace that you belong to God and that you are in a right relationship w/ Him. It is upon that peace that we can stand our ground.
B Sharing Peace
Idea: It is an absolute impossibility for a person to possess His amazing peace and not share it w/ others.
Truth: In a real sense, Jesus is our truth. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. Thus, to put on the armor of God is to put on Christ. We do this by trusting in Christ for salvation and then by walking w/ His Spirit in accordance w/ His Word each and every day – moment by moment in service to Him.
