The Full Armor of God for Christians
Ephesians 6:10-6:18
by: Rodney A. Fry – Pastor of New Hope Baptist Church
INTRODUCTION
It was the first day of soccer practice and the coach handed a ball to each player. “Boys,” he said, “I want you to practice shooting on the goal from the spots you might expect to be in during the game.” One of the boys who was pretty much there as a substitute, in fact he was player twelve, immediately sat down on the bench and began shooting the ball toward the goal.
You might say that boy didn’t expect to play much. And I suppose he was just trying to get a laugh out of his teammates. But, there are some people who sit the bench, because that’s where they’ve gotten used to being. They never strive to be much more than that, because they don’t believe in themselves enough to put in the extra effort and practice to change their status. And because of that they’re always going to sit on the bench.
The same can be said for Christianity, it seems we have made it into a spectator sport as well. We just sit in the church building, listen to the songs, listen to the sermons and never really get involved in the game. Christians today need to realize that, like it or not, they are in the game. A battle is being fought and you are on the front lines. If you are not up and ready for battle then you are in danger of being overcome. We need to put our faith into action and get involved in the spiritual battle that is taking place around us.
I. The Ultimate Christian Battle (vs. 10–12)
a. Our battle isn’t against anything natural, it is against something far
more powerful, it is against the super–natural.
1. Satan is our adversary. vs. 11
2. The rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world and the
spiritual forces of evil. vs. 12
b. Satan is a worthy opponent, he even used his powers to tempt Jesus. (Luke 4)
1. If Satan thought he could “get” Jesus, where does that leave us?
2. Satan is very real and we need to be prepared to fight him.
II. The Ultimate Christian Defense (vs. 13)
a. Our only defense against Satan comes from God. vs 13.
1. God supplies the armor and the weapons.
2. We are the ones who must decide to get off the bench and put it on.
b. The only way to battle Satan and win is with The Full Armor of God. Leaving off
any part leaves us with a hole in our defenses.
III. The Full Christian Armor (vs. 14–18)
a. The Belt of Truth vs. 14
1. The warrior used the belt to keep the uniform and armor together and in
the right place.
2. Truth and honesty when dealing with oneself and with God helps keep
the whole package together.
3. Any weakness must not be denied or covered up, but dealt with openly and truthfully.
b. The Breastplate of Righteousness. vs. 14
1. The breastplate was used to protect the warrior’s vital organs from being
pierce with an arrow or other object.
2. Righteousness is doing right in the sight of God or doing God’s will. “Dear
children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is
righteous, just as he is righteous.”1 John 3:7
3. By putting on the breastplate of righteousness, man protects himself from
a “deathblow” by Satan.
c. Feet Fitted with Readiness vs. 15
1. The warrior wore shoes or sandals that ensured a proper footing and
protection since he must be able to stand sure footed while engaging in
battle
2. An unsure footing would cause him to fall easily.
3. Our sure footing comes from the gospel of peace.
d. The Shield of Faith vs. 16
1. The shield was used to defend against arrows and other thrown objects.
2. The shield of faith is more than a simple belief in Jesus, it is active. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
e. The Helmet of Salvation vs. 17
1. The helmet of the warrior protected his head so that he could hold his
head up and face the enemy in order to see which direction he was
coming from.
2. Putting on the helmet of salvation means that the Christian can hold his
head high with confidence and face Satan without fear.
f. The Sword of the Spirit vs. 17
1. The sword was the soldiers only offensive weapon.
2. The spirit gave us the sword (the word).
3. It is both the wisdom and the power of God.
4. To any assault by the devil it is the only, yet all sufficient weapon.
g. Pray in the Spirit vs. 18
1. No amount of Armor or weapons can make a man into a good soldier, it
takes courage and strength.
2. We have no strength ourselves; the Christian can only succeed in his
battle with Satan with help from God. “I can do everything through him
who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13
CONCLUSION
It takes the FULL ARMOR OF GOD to battle with Satan. We must be active in this battle and pursue the way God has provided to defend ourselves.
Do you remember the hymn, ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS?
It goes like this…
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go!
At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
Like a mighty army moves the church of God; brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.
One thing is for sure: We are SOLDIERS in the Army of Jesus Christ.
The ENEMY? Well, there’s a 3-fold assault going on against us.
• The WORLD, the FLESH, and the DEVIL.
• We have our own FLESH wanting our old life back.
• We have the WORLD trying to drag us back.
• And we have the DEVIL making sure it all goes according to plan
Christians need to realize that it’s a BATTLE not a Playground
In Fuzzy Memories written by Jack Handey writes:
"There used to be this bully who would demand my lunch money every day. Since I was smaller, I would give it to him.
Then I decided to fight back. I started taking karate lessons, but the instructor wanted $5 a lesson. That was a lot of money. I found that it was cheaper to pay the bully, so I gave up karate."
Too many Christians believe it’s easier to pay the bully than learn how to defeat him.
Might I add that many Christians, don’t realize they are living on a BATTLEFIELD and not a PLAYGROUND
It takes the FULL ARMOR OF GOD to battle with Satan. We must be active in this battle and pursue the way God has provided to defend ourselves.
