INTRODUCTION
• Last week we started to look at the spiritual battles we all seem to deal with on a daily basis. We are all in the midst of some kind of war with the enemy. Some of us do not even realize the magnitude of the battle.
• One of the first things we must know if we are going to be successful in our campaign is we must know our opponent.
• We need to know where to aim our weapons and from whom and what to defend ourselves from.
• We have troops who are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan who are in the line of fire. They are all trained in how to defend themselves and how to subdue the enemy.
• Each of the soldiers went to basic training before they were sent on to the battle field.
• During basic training the soldiers were taught discipline and how to unconditionally follow orders along with how to work as a team. These things are very important for the successful completion of the mission on which they were sent to do along with their very survival.
• Today in the first of two messages we are going to look at the equipment we have to fight with and to defend our selves with.
• Soldiers are taught what equipment is available for them to use and they are taught how to use the equipment to in maximum potential.
• Today we are going to learn about the equipment God gives to us so that we can be successful in our fight against the enemy.
• Let’s open up our bibles to Ephesians 6:13-15 and read together.
SERMON
I. WHY WE NEED TO BE DRESSED AND PREPARED FOR BATTLE (13-14A)
• Last week we learned that we are called to be strong in the Lord. We are to receive our strength for the battle from the Lord. If we receive our strength from the Lord, then why do we need to be dressed and prepared to do battle?
• In verse 11 last week we were told we are to put on the full armor of God so that we could stand firm against the schemes of the devil. This week we will see just how the armor helps us to fight him off.
• Look at verse 13 with me. We are called to take up the full armor of God so that we will be able to resist the devil in the evil day.
• We are literally told, “Do not let the enemy find you defenseless, take up your armor, do it now without hesitation!” This is a very urgent command!
• Myron Kelly and Eugene Kelly of the Osceola, Arkansas, Police Department were more than brothers in blue, they were brothers in life. That’s why they made a solemn vow to each other that they would -- quote -- "be together until the end." And it’s why Eugene Kelly went along with his brother to serve warrants to a suspect, even though he was off-duty. As they entered the bedroom, the suspect, who was hidden in a closet, fired upon the officers. They were both hit. Eugene Kelly was wearing body armor -- Myron Kelly wasn’t. Eugene Kelly lived -- Myron Kelly didn’t. Today, Eugene continues the fight undaunted -- and I hope he knows that even without his brother, he is never alone. SermonCentral PRO BROTHERS IN BLUE SOURCE: Remarks by Vice President Al Gore, National Peace Officers Memorial Service, Friday, May 15, 1998. http://clinton3.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OVP/speeches/policeme.html
• One of the officers was not prepared for the worst and it cost him his life. The same thing can happen to us if we are not prepared to fight the enemy at all times.
• We are told we are to resist in the evil day. This is a phrase that most likely means in the critical moments in life when we are assaulted by the devil. We know this is going to happen, so we always need to be ready. Officer Kelly was not ready for what happened to him.
• JAMES 4:7 reminds us, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
• USE THE BULLY ILLUSTRATION OF DARRELL REESE.
• Notice in verse 13 we are told we have apart to play in winning the battle with the enemy. To “stand firm” does not mean for us to sit back and wait to be attacked, it is a military term meaning “to carry out all that your duty requires of you to have victory”.
• To stand implies that we are to rush into battle both defending and attacking. Without the full armor of God, we will not be successful at this endeavor!
• Verse 13 says “AND HAVING DONE EVERYTHING, TO STAND FIRM.”
• We are to do our duty and God will do His part. We are not to lie on the couch and watch the battle; we are to take an active role in the fight! We are to take it to the enemy and we do this by learning how to use the full armor of God!
• We have several examples in the bible of people standing firm. David, Peter and John, Daniel, Gideon. All these people stood their ground and gained ground in the face of evil.
• Let’s look at what God has given to us to fight the battle.
II. WE HAVE SOMETHING TO HOLD OUR ARMOR ALL TOGETHER (14)
• Verse 14 says, “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,..”
• Many translations say, fasten the belt of truth around your waist. That is what girding your loins with truth more or less means.
• In the days of Jesus, soldiers wore an outer tunic which was basically a large piece of cloth with holes in it for arms and head. This garment would be long and would have to be tucked in so that a person could run or fight. In Jared’s country they wear something along the same lines. For the kids in VBS last year he showed us one.
• The belt gathered in the tunic so the soldier could mover better, this was important since most all battles were hand to hand.
• The belt tied tightly around the soldiers waist indicated that he was prepared for action.
• The belt or girdle also held the breastplate (which we will look at) in place and it also held the sheath which held the sword.
• When the soldier was off-duty he would loosen the belt to indicate he was off-duty.
• The belt was a simple but essential part of the armor; it is what held everything together. Without the belt, the tunic would get in the way, the breastplate would not stay where in needed to be and the sword would not be very easy to handle.
• Why did Paul compare this simple yet essential piece of the armor to truth?
• The truth is what holds us together. A person of clear conscience who is a person of integrity will be able to face the enemy without fear. Once lies start to creep into our lives, everything starts to fall apart.
• John MacArthur Jr suggests this verse deals with being commitment needed as a soldier of Jesus.
• Many people are willing to talk a good game, but few are ready to get in and mix it up.
• Only the committed athlete is successful. They take the time to train and prepare for what they are doing and as a result they are successful. Only the committed soldier will win the battle.
• The media told us how fierce the dreaded Republican Guard of Saddam was. Saddam talked a good fight, but when push came to shove, his troops were not committed to his cause to the point of death, whereas our soldiers are. I believe free men will defeat those who are enslaved because for the free man there is more on the line. (JOHN WAYNE SHOOTIST ILLUSTRATION?)
• In the context of this chapter the belt of truth deals with the quality of truthfulness. In other words that we have our facts straight. And we are to have an attitude of total truthfulness.
• If we are not grounded in truth, we will be tossed about by every teaching that comes along.
• EPH 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
• We fight the schemes of the enemy with truth, truthfulness, and integrity of character.
• If we are a person who does not stand on the truth and is not a truthful person, the devil will pick us a part.
• There is another piece of the armor described in verse 14.
III. WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR VITAL ORGANS (14)
• “and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”
• The breastplate covered the soldier from the neck to the thighs, therefore protecting the upper torso that contains all the vital organs. It was also know as a heart protector. The breastplate was made of leather, bronze or for the wealthy, chain mail.
• Righteousness is uprightness of character or integrity of character. It is a live lived in obedience to God’s word.
• Many of the problems we have in life are a result of a lack of personal holiness. This causes us to be fruitless because we are riddled with guilt about how we are not living for Jesus or we are so far off base we do not even think about living for Jesus.
• When we are not giving God our best as far as trying to live by His standards, we bring reproach on His glory. When we are guzzling the beer down with the boys, they laugh at us inside and laugh at God.
• We are not perfect people, but we are to do all we can to live a life of obedience to God’s word.
• The devil will find the weakness in our character and attack it. Alcohol is something I never struggled with so the devil does not hit me with that, but he knows where I am weak and that is where he attacks me.
• A soldier would not go out to do battle without his breastplate because given the brutality of the battles; he would not last long without it. All his vital organs would be open to attack without the breastplate.
• If we try to fight the battle without the breastplate of righteousness, we will be opening ourselves up to serious injury.
• Work on being a person who lives what we profess!
IV. A SOLDIER IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS SHOES (15)
• The army has known for sometime that a foot-soldier is no good if his feet are in bad shape. If you have to engage the enemy and your feet are swollen and blustered, it makes it hard to fight.
• The last piece of the armor we will look at today is found in verse 15. READ
• What this verse means is that we are to be perpetually or be in a habitual state of readiness in walking in the way prescribed in the gospel.
• We are to be firmly planted in the gospel of Jesus. The gospel is where we get our traction to fight and defend.
• In Matthew 7, Jesus speaks 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.
• When I played football, we would have various sizes of cleats to put on our shoes depending on the weather conditions. If you could not get traction, you could not open holes for the running backs or make cuts to defend against the pass.
• If our feet are not walking in the gospel of peace, we will have no traction as we fight the enemy.
• Firm footing and a firm foundation in the gospel makes us ready for war. You can take larger person down if you have better footing and a solid base to work from. This is how I was able to succeed against larger guys when I played football. I was only 175 lbs when I played, but I had a firm base so I was hard to knock over.
• ISA 52:7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
• The “gospel of peace” is the footwear for the Christian soldier. While the firm foundation of the gospel is implied here, Paul’s expression “fitted with the readiness” puts most of the emphasis on the preparedness or preparation of the soldier. Without the sandal/boots he is relaxing; with them he is ready for combat. Paul’s irony should not be overlooked: the gospel of peace makes us ready for war. (College Press Commentary, Galatians and Ephesians)
• Are you prepared for the battle?
CONCLUSION
• Next week we will look at the rest of the full armor of God. How would you like to be a soldier who was being sent to fight in Iraq and not know how to use the equipment you have been given to fight and defend with?
• There are many of us who are trying to fight the enemy without the some or all the armor and equipment God has provide us with.
• Do you want to have victory over sin and temptation in your life? Are you losing that battle right now? Are you tired of losing? Today is the day we start on the path of victory in Jesus!
• Let’s all run to the battle!
