THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

HUGE MEN OF GOD: THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-12 - ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. '

“FINALLY”:  In light of all that God has done for you and continues to do for and with you, there is a battle to fight in the Christian life.

1 Big Requirement for success here:

“Be Strong in the Lord and in the strength (or POWER) of His might”

- 1 Corinthians 16:13 ‘Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.’

- Ephesians 1:19  ‘and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might’

- Philippians 4:13 ‘I can do ALL THINGS through HIM who strengthens me’

- 2 Timothy 2:1 ‘You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,’

WHAT is the COMMON theme here MEN??

YOU DO NOT BECOME STRONG ON YOUR OWN! YOU NEED JESUS TO BE STRONG!!

Lets Break it down here:

Be Watchful: Don’t be SHEEPLE. Know God’s Word, Have discernment, and don’t let your government raise you and your children Stand Firm in the FAITH: This speaks to NEVER WAVERING. You doing this by TRUSTING in GOD. Go back to your 1st LOVE - JESUS! BELIEVE: God’s POWER is so GREAT that we CANNOT MEASURE it….. for whom? For those who BELIEVE!!

Believe in HIM and not in yourself first! Don’t trust in your OWN strength. Trust in HIS strength working THROUGH YOU. When you REALIZE this, ANYTHING - ALL THINGS - ARE POSSIBLE!! Because HE STRENGTHENS YOU. HE SUSTAINS YOU! To really hammer this point HOME, 2 Titus 2 says we must be strengthened by the GRACE of Jesus!

How does GRACE strengthen us? Shame keeps men WEAK - When you fail, and we ALL fail, the devil wants you to live in shame, feeling worthless, tired of fighting, dejected, and always playing defense. Men on the Defense can NEVER be on the OFFENSE! BUT, when you KNOW how all-encompassing God’s GRACE truly is, You can forgive yourself because Christ has already forgiven you. You can have joy and Hope because YOU KNOW you can’t do it alone. You NEED HIM. And He is more than willing to ALWAYS be there for you! Even on your WORST DAY, He is there for you and with you. THAT allows you to BE STRONG IN HIS GRACE!!

Put on the WHOLE armor of GOD….SO THAT - you may STAND against the Schemes of the devil.

Emphasis is on the ENTIRE armor. We are susceptible to the Schemes of the enemy if we are not wearing ALL of the Spiritual Armor When wearing that armor, we can STAND FIRM - Which means we can KEEP OUR FAITH and EYES on JESUS and not succumb to the LIES of the enemy. The Armor of God is not a concept Paul invented. This is an armor which Isaiah describes as God HIMSELF wearing. Through Christ, we now get to wear that same armor because God lives inside each one of us!!

Isiah 59:17 “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

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. '

Paul is stating the FACT that we ARE in Spiritual Warfare right now. He’s not calling us to enter into it. Whether you like it or not, you ARE in a Spiritual Battle every day. The more you recognize that, the more it will make sense when things around you go wrong.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 'For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, '

These are ALL things warriors do in battle. They destroy and take captive. We take the battle to the ENEMY with God’s Power in US. We will have VICTORY over the enemy when we take Captive the LIES the devil feeds us, thus DESTROYING his arguments, and instead we are able to OBEY Christ. When we obey Christ, we are in His will, and when in His will, we find blessing and fullness of JOY. GOD ONLY BLESSES HIS OWN STUFF 100% of the time.

Psalm 16:11 ‘You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.’

The ENEMY is constantly trying to destroy you, but we will do that to HIM first if we are CHRISTIANS on the OFFENSE and not on the DEFENSE!!

John 10:10 “The thief has come to Kill and Steal and Destroy, but I have come that you may have LIFE, and have it more ABUNDANTLY”

RULERS, AUTHORITIES, COSMIC POWERS, & SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL describe demons of different rank and power and authority, all under the headship of Satan while serving in his army. REGARDLESS of the RANK of the demon we are dealing with, we MUST remember that Holy Spirit living inside of us is ALWAYS MUCH stronger than any demonic force we can encounter. WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR WHEN WE TRUST GOD TO FIGHT OUR BATTLES!! ALL demons are CREATED beings. And All things were created THROUGH Christ. Christ literally created these spiritual forces and intended them for GOOD before they chose to side with evil. Just like many humans on this planet TODAY!

Ephesians 6:13-18 '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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, '

STAND THEREFORE! - A Command! We CAN do it by the Grace of God and with HIS power and Authority!

Belt of Truth: John 8:32 “for you will know the truth and the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE!” Free from Sin, Shame, and the LIES of the enemy.

The Belt of Truth is unique because it in itself is not armor, but it ENABLES the armor to work well. The belt literally is REQUIRED to be able to “Gird up your loins”. It was used to gather all long robes and clothing below the waist together, and fasted tightly, which would UNENCUMBER the wearer to be FREE, and be ABLE to SWIFTLY fight. He was not bogged down. He could now FREELY MOVE. Likewise, TRUTH of God’s Word will allow you to live FREELY and prepare you to do battle!

Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS: The breastplate provides essential protection for a fighter’s most VITAL ORGANS. A soldier fighting without a breastplate is like a police officer or soldier going into a gunfight without a bulletproof vest on!

This Righteousness is the RIGHT-STANDING be have before God. It is a GIFT from God, not something we’ve earned. Only through what Christ did can we be made right before the creator of the universe. “Thank God for experiences, but do not rely on them. You do not put on the ‘breastplate of experiences’, you put on the breastplate of ‘righteousness.’ ” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) KNOWING where you stand with God helps you to FIGHT with CONFIDENCE!!

Shoes / Sandals of READINESS / Preparation given by the Gospel of PEACE: This is talking about having a FIRM FOUNDATION of your FAITH!!

The GOSPEL (Good News) provides the FOUNDATION for everything we do! You cannot STAND or FIGHT if your Feet, your Foundation, is wounded! The idea of preparation is really readiness. We must be mobile, flexible, and ready with the truth. This is a place to have in the Christian life, to live in constant readiness and flexibility. Paul had Isaiah 52:7 in mind when he referred to having shod your feet: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

ABOVE ALL: These next 3 parts of the armor are of utmost importance! These are armor pieces that we must take with is and use at the right time!

Shield of Faith: The shield Paul speaks of invokes imagery of a very large shield. The type that would be used in a shield wall and be effective against an onslaught of fiery arrows!

Thoughts, feelings, imaginations, fears, and lies, all can be hurled at us by Satan as fiery darts. FAITH Turns them back! FAITH IN GOD prevents the lies of the enemy from taking hold! Never forget that Jesus also said that if you have the Faith of a MUSTARD SEED, you would be able to MOVE MOUNTAINS! FAITH IS POWERFUL!! If FAITH is powerful, then FAITH is not only a DEFENSIVE Shield, but it is ALSO an OFFENSIVE Weapon! IF Faith Moves MOUNTAINS, then that MOUNTAIN of a battle you are fighting can easily be REMOVED and THROWN INTO THE SEA when you have FAITH in GOD to help you do it.

Helmet of Salvation: A HELMET protects the most important organ of all - your brain! Without this CRUCIAL piece of armor, going into battle would be suicide!

Think about it. If you didn’t know WHERE you would go after death, you’d be VERY AFRAID to die, and probably very ineffective in battle 1 Thessalonians 5:8 speaks of the helmet of salvation in connection to the hope of salvation. The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will always be VICTORIOUS.

Sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of God: Holy Spirit provides a SWORD for us, and that SWORD is the WORD OF GOD

It is 1 of 2 truly offense piece of armor in we carry. JD Greer Uses this analogy: Holy Spirit Ammunition = the WORD. When you go to BATTLE, that Word is truly like bullets in a gun.

A majestic Longsword that will slice the enemy’s sword in half and make him flee! If we KNOW our bible, then we are equipped to GO to BATTLE Holy Spirit will bring up ALL that we need to know in the moment we need it!

How to use the Armor of God: PRAYER!!! Ephesians 6:18-20 'praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. '

Give a DEMONSTRATION of the Armor of God prayer!!

Think of a time in your life when you relied on your own strength to get you through it, instead of God’s. How did it go?

Describe a time in your life when God’s power clearly worked on your behalf.

What does it mean to you to be a Christian on the OFFENSE, and not only the DEFENSE?

Which Pieces of Armor are you already wearing in daily life? Which pieces of Armor do you need to pick up and put on to be effective??

How is your PRAYER life? How can the men next to you help you to hone that weapon!?