Full Defense

Day of evil

Oppressive government

Culture hostile to Christianity

Rampant immorality celebrated

Evil seems to be winning

The church sits in the middle of it all

Welcome to Ephesus

Day of evil then; day of evil now

Ephesians 6 - Armor of God, written then, to a people needing it. Still applies today.

ARMOR OF GOD

Be strong, in GOD’s strength, not yours

You need God-strength - so He allows you to use HIS Armor

Why?

Stand firm against the schemes (cleverness, craftiness) of the devil

To resist in the evil day - because the battle, the spiritual battle which is personal and real, is here.

Build a life that reflects Christ, and then prepare to have it attacked

Or, skip the Christ part, and then let the world have its way with you

1) Be prepared - Get ready

Belt of truth, gird up loins (gather up tunic, free up your legs to move, agility)

TRUTH - none of this makes ANY sense if truth is not

Bible is God’s Word

Good vs evil - both real

Kids need to learn, adults need to remember and stand firm

God and Satan - real - Satan has tried to undo what God has said is good

Creation - not evolution - literally 6 days

2 Sexes (not gender) - male and female

Marriage - man and woman

Pre-born babies are people

Flood real, science supports youth earth

Languages from tower of Babel

If you doubt or reject the basics, how will you never truly trust Jesus

2) Be righteous

Jesus is the example

Living the surrendered life, making decisions that please HIM - protects you from sin

Breastplate protects the heart, the vital organs

Takes practice

Takes a willing spirit to do the right thing

Takes a soul who is born again, led by the Spirit

Be righteous - not perfect, but live as though you follow Christ

3) Bear Good news - Use your feet

The good news is peace - peace with God

Your feet, believer, carry you, and you carry good news

Messengers ran to bring news

Feet were “shod” - “tied underneath”

Modern day - shoes protect feet

There is no better news than the Gospel - THE CURE for this world

4) Protect your faith

Assuming you have faith

The enemy wants you to doubt it

The enemy will challenge your faith

Shield of faith

Flaming arrows, nasty weapons of war

You walked onto the battle field, knowing what the enemy was capable of, there are no “rules”

Flaming arrows bring fire

Fire distracts you

Can’t fight a fire and an enemy combatant at the same time

Faith allows you to focus

Lots of distractions

False teachers, poor Bible teaching

Emotional pulls

Focus on the truth

5) Protect your head

Your brain, your mind

Helmet was last piece of armor to put on

If your head is damaged, not much you can do

HEADS ARE DAMAGED TODAY

People do not know the Bible

People cannot think logically and critically

2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB95

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Too many have grown up “in church” but not “in the Bible” - hard to defend faith

EXAMPLE - 4 Killer Questions (Marriage example)

What do you mean by?

One man, one woman

How do you know it’s true! (Authority)

God’s Word is the ultimate authority

What if you are wrong?

Then any number of people can marry any number of other people, animals, etc.

What difference does it make?

God’s has blessed us with family and social order; the alternative is chaos

Careful of the memes, the videos, etc. on social media

So many are provoking emotions, “sound” good, but are not Biblically accurate

There are people against us who know this

We come across as untaught and manipulative

The answer? Know the truth and defend it BIBLICALLY

6) Go on the offense

While still defending

The Sword

Defensive - protective

Offensive - This is what pierces the heart - See Hebrews 4:12 example

Judges your heart - John 12:48 example

Regarding the Armor of God

This, God’s Word, IS your primary weapon in the middle of the spiritual war that rages on

Take it, know it, use it!

The Armor is Laid out for You

YOU MUST PUT IT ON

IF protecting your faith is important to you

If not, then don’t complain about the culture, the demise of the family, and how your kids grow up

TRAIN WITH IT

The soldier trained in the armor

Each piece is linked to a specific practice - all geared to protecting you, in this case spiritually

7) And Last....PRAY

“Put on the Gospel Armor, each piece put on with prayer.”

Look at the messed up world, what can I do? I’m one person

Prayer is what we can do

Prayer is what YOU can do

Prayer keeps you focused on God

Prayer keeps you alert

The armor is there, God’s armor, there for you

Up to you to trust Him, follow Him, surrender to Him, and put it on

Then prepare for the attacks

Unbelievers are not attacked, they are merely kept secure in their sin by the enemy and themselves

For many, the surrendered life for Christ is too hard, too time-consuming, not a priority

YOU DECIDE

The Gospel - trust Jesus, or don’t

Put on God’s Armor, or don’t

The spiritual results in your life will follow your choice.