When the Armor Doesn't Fit
Ephesians: A Letter to All the Saints • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 59:38
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Introduction
Introduction
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
What we mean when we speak about armor. Modern day vs. Biblical time.
Nowadays we might think of
Knight’s armor
Body armor (Kevlar is amazing)
In biblical writing we could refer to a number of things
In general, the clothing worn to protect a person in battle
A type of material (IE Scale or plate armor)
An armor bearer
An armory, which would include the offensive tools
Regardless of the picture we have in our mind, the apostle calls to mind a specific type of armor, that of the soldiers he sees every day while under roman captivity.
The armor of God is a description of the tools that are at our disposal to stand firm resist the temptation of the flesh.
The armor is something that must be put on daily.
There is another passage I encountered this week that deals with armor, though not exactly in the way we have been speaking
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
Exposition of 1 Sam 17:38-40
Exposition of 1 Sam 17:38-40
We see pieces of armor that we might recognize from Eph 6.
The helmet - When Pastor Austin returns from Nigeria he will finish the armor of God beginning with this vital piece of armor.
A coat of mail - This phrase may very well include the idea of the breastplate as well as the belt that cinches everything closed/together
The sword - A weapon common to this battlefield. Another part of the armor that we haven’t fully discussed yet.
A few other things we should notice:
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,
Do you remember why Saul was chosen as king?
2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
You know, we are in the fullness of election season, and say what you will about our political system, at least we progressed beyond “tallest to smallest” for our power structure.
FIRST detail to notice: Saul’s armor would not be a good fit for David, and not for the vast majority of the members of his army.
SECOND detail to notice: David cannot move freely because he has not tested this armor.
Think about a new pair of shoes compared to how those same shoes feel once you’ve broken them in.
THIRD detail to notice: the equipment he does choose are far more fitted to a shepherd than to a soldier. A staff and sling are not the tools of a battlefield but the tools of the sheep’s field.
Application of the Armor that Doesn’t Fit
Application of the Armor that Doesn’t Fit
Two reasons in this text that the armor doesn’t fit David
Armor that’s never worn, never fits
Armor that’s never worn, never fits
Have you ever had pants where the button just didn’t quite seem to easily reach and come together like you remember? That doesn’t tend to happen with the clothing you wear every day. But the weather cools off and your wardrobe changes slightly. Then the holidays come around and you enjoy celebration and feasting with friends and family. Eventually, you get that old clothing out and have a moment of, “I don’t remember this being so tight...”
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
The sons of Sceva tried to put on Paul’s armor, and it didn’t work!
This is why it can be so dangerous to “enforce” moral behavior.
23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Obviously we don’t tell our children, “go do what you want,” and skip pass the training that a parent is called to do. But our evangelism isn’t saying, “Do you want to be saved?” Then go to church. Stop lying. Stop stealing. Stop lusting. Stop indulging. If that were our message, no one would be saved!
Do you see the difference between coercing the law and championing the law?
There are men and women who think they can never live up to fitting into the righteous armor of God, and they ignore the Gospel call to their own detriment. But we:
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Too many in this world are seeking righteousness and being “just good enough” for their salvation. Seek salvation first, and let God do the rest.
Armor meant to fit someone else won’t fit you
Armor meant to fit someone else won’t fit you
Do you remember being a child and putting on your parent’s clothes?
Let me show you a picture.
You see, clothing that doesn’t fit you can look good in a picture, but what do you think happens when you try to really move?
The same is true of those areas in our faith that are going to be expressed in different ways due to culture or circumstance. This is what I mean when I refer to conviction.
An example of what I mean by conviction
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
And
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
And conviction doesn’t just refer to what you abstain from. It is also the driver of what we do with our faith.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
We cannot say act as if because a brother or sister isn’t involved in the same ministry we are tied into that they are wrong or sinful.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
The only path to proficiency is practice
The only path to proficiency is practice
I remember the first times I put on a suit and tie. Even when it fit right, it felt awkward. Every movement was unfamiliar, and it felt like all the extra clothing got in the way.
The awkwardness and the feeling of being an impostor only go away with time and practice.
Hear me: We are called to Christ not because of our righteousness, but while we are in the very depth of our sins. When we receive our first suit of armor, it doesn’t feel real.
Can you imagine a life-long thief becoming a police officer? The first day that uniform is on, that former thief would say, “the uniform shirt and pants are restricting, the hat is heavy, and this gear belongs to somebody else. Could you imagine the thief looking in the mirror and his heart rate shooting up at the sight of a cop?
That’s not a strong enough image, because in this analogy, the thief is caught, and then the chief of police says, “I’m going to give my perfect record to you (that’s imputation) and make you an officer.”
Though it’s an imperfect analogy, how does the thief feel after a few months of on-the-job training? How does he feel after making a few arrests? How does he feel after helping citizens recover stolen goods instead of stealing them himself? Well I imagine he’d feel like an officer because he’s living out the life of an officer. He’s putting the uniform on every day.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
We’re given a pathway here. Pathways are not like following a map once and knowing where to go, pathways only happen after repeated use.
Imagine a field of tall grass you have to walk through? Once doesn’t make a path. Twice doesn’t. What about every day you walk through the field and then come back home? After a month you’ll notice the grass is a little thinner and flatter where you walk. After three months you might see the semblance of a pathway. After a year there isn’t a single blade of grass on your path and it has gone from being a hard path, to something that is smooth and easy.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
If you don’t build pathways through these qualities, you are ineffective, blind, and will have no memory of being cleansed in salvation. No memory because it probably never happened.
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Practice the righteous works of God every day, not because they save you, because you have been saved.
Conclusion
Conclusion
My call to you this morning is the call to daily devotion to the God who created you. The God who loves you. The God who saves you.
The call is to trust God more than yourself. To follow after Him with everything.
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
This is your God who will equip you to stand firm against the temptations of the flesh and the machinations of the enemy.
If this morning you recognize that this armor of God doesn’t fit because you’ve never been a soldier of Christ, or maybe you’ve only ever been wearing the costume armor of a good image:
Cry out to the Lord and confess your sins and need of Him
Commit to following Him in baptism and church membership
Maybe you recognize that the armor you’ve been given never fits quite right:
repent of the bulky clothing of sin you’re insisting on carrying into the new life. That’s like wearing a costume of a soldier bought at walmart: the cloth is too baggy, the boots are nothing more than little flaps that cover your shoes, and it’s covered with moulded plastic grenades. Then we seem surprised when a custom tailored tuxedo doesn’t fit over all the fakery? That’s like That’s the old self and you can let it go. You’ll be happy you did.
Let go of that sin and pour yourself into the scriptures
Into real prayer on a dependable schedule with determination to speak with your God
Let go of the flesh and dedicate yourself fully to the work of the Church.
And maybe you’re out of practice:
The call to the church in Ephesus:
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Return to the zeal you had when you were first saved. Open your scripture because you know they are the words by which your salvation is made plain. They are the words that tell of the Savior’s love for you, love poured out on a cross.
Work to build your relationships with the church body. Do you have a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy in your life? Who do you go to for mentoring and instruction. Who is your peer who supports you? Who are you discipling and pouring your own life into? You ought to have all three!
Perhaps your ministry has faltered. Set aside the distractions and focus on what matters most: Knowing our great and glorious God, and helping others follow Him too.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”