Armor of God

Just as a superhero relies on their special suit for protection and strength, the 'Armor of God' is our supernatural gear for facing the spiritual battles and daily struggles that come our way. It's like having your own superhero outfit!

Ephesians 6:10–24 ESV

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. 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, 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. So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

The armor of God is to be the Christian’s lifelong companion.

John F. MacArthur

What Type of Battle are we Fighting?

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

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.

Pieces of Armor

Ephesians 6:13–17 ESV

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,

The Belt of Truth

Breastplate of Righteousness

Shoes of Readiness

Shield of Faith

Helmet of Salvation

Sword of the Spirit

Belt of Truth

The Belt held the soldiers armor together. It allowed the weight of the rest of the armor to rest on the hips so the soldier could be agile. If the soldier didn’t have the belt he wouldn’t have been able to fight.

In the same way, we wouldn’t be able to fight without knowing God’s truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate was likely the most important piece of armor because it protected all the soldier’s most vital organs. This gave the soldier confidence to fight… he knew he would be okay even if he got hit with an arrow in the chest while wearing his breastplate. However, the breastplate was also the heaviest piece of armor that the soldier had. Without his belt, he wouldn’t have been able to carry the breastplate.

In the same way, we can have the confidence to fight… knowing that we are safe because of the righteousness that has been imputed to us by Christ. However, we can only “wear” the righteousness if we are “wearing” the belt of truth. If we try to fight from a position of our own righteousness (lacking the belt of truth) we will be weighed down and unable to fight! Fighting from a position of Christ’s perfect righteousness instead not only protects us, it removes the weight, or burden that we would be carrying.

Shoes of Readiness

The Shoes enabled a soldier to move. They were living in hot deserts that made it impossible to go anywhere without wearing shoes on their feet. If you tried to go anywhere without shoes your feet would be badly burned!

In the same way, it would be impossible for us to move in any real way without first being Ready with the Gospel, we will simply remain stuck until we are aware of the Gospel that brings us reconciliation with God. We must be aware of our identity with Christ as Children of God. If we aren’t aware of our identity with Christ, knowing we are made right and at peace with Him, we aren’t able to step into His plans for our lives. The Gospel enables us to step out of being stuck in the desert and step into the new creation that we are. It enables us to change and repent.

Shield of Faith

The shield was not a handheld circular shield as many of you may be thinking… It was a full body shield that was over 6 feet tall. The purpose of the shield was to protect the soldier when an onslaught of arrows would come their way. They would take refuge under the shield when the arrows were falling. The other army would often shoot burning arrows so when they would get stuck in the shield they would cause panic and the soldier would throw down their shield thinking that they were on fire when they felt the heat and saw the fire and then would be hit with the next arrows or the spears coming their way.

In the same way, the enemy (Satan) fires flaming arrows (lies) at us all the time. The goal of these arrows isn’t to kill us, but to get us to throw down our shield (faith) when we see the fire and feel the heat. This is the reason that the Bible tells us to walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” ) We are called to remain in the refuge of our faith even when everything around us is on fire. If we throw our shield (faith) away when it gets hot we become vulnerable to being hit with the arrows and spears.

Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protected the head of the soldier

In the same way, salvation guards our minds. It protects our hope. It is impossible to operate in a state of hope if we don’t keep salvation at the forefront of our minds, guarding our head like a helmet. We are called to remind ourselves of our salvation anytime hopelessness begins to enter our minds.

Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God)

There were three different types of swords in Rome. Two were large swords that were used as a primary weapon. The word used here (machaira) is the third type which was a small dagger. This type of sword was not used as a primary weapon, but was used as a tool to save the soldier’s life if an arrow got past the shield and struck them. The soldier would use the machaira to dig the arrow out. This was of course incredibly painful, however it would save the soldier’s life.

In the same way, the only hope we have in combating the burning arrows of the enemy (lies) is to use our machaira. If a lie gets past our faith and hits us, our only chance to save ourselves is to dig the lie out with the truth of the Word of God. It can be painful, however it will save our lives. If we let the lies and the resulting false identity linger, we will die from the infection. Our identities must be restored through the truth of the Word!

Prayer

Prayer is our ONLY weapon against the enemy. We are told to pray ceaselessly (1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing,”.) We are told to pray with confidence and boldness throughout scripture (Ephesians 3:12 “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”) Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God can do immeasurably more than we ask or can even imagine (“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” ) Our calling is to pray boldly. We are to pray in a way that is scary… we are to pray prayers that are absolutely impossible to come through without God’s divine intervention. These prayers may be scary, however they strip us of all control and bring us to the foot of the cross in utmost submission to Christ and bring Him all the glory! This is a beautiful thing! This is what it looks like to have real faith!

How Does This Apply to Me?

In your everyday life at home, the 'Armor of God' can help you combat feelings of anxiety and worry. When you feel overwhelmed, put on the belt of truth by reminding yourself of God's promises. Put on the breastplate of righteousness by living a life that reflects Christ. Take up the shield of faith by trusting that God is in control. Wear the helmet of salvation by resting in the assurance of your salvation. Lastly, wield the sword of the Spirit by praying and seeking God's guidance.

At work, the 'Armor of God' can help you deal with conflicts and challenges. Put on the shoes of peace by being a peacemaker and maintaining harmony with your colleagues. Put on the breastplate of righteousness by acting with integrity and righteousness in all your dealings. Take up the shield of faith by trusting God for wisdom and guidance in difficult situations. Wear the helmet of salvation by remembering your identity in Christ. Lastly, wield the sword of the Spirit by speaking truth and grace in all your conversations.

How Can We Handle Satan’s Attacks?

Satan will attack us whenever and however he can. He will frequently attack us in our weakest points. One of the most common attacks he will wage on believers is telling us that we don’t deserve Christ’s love and that we are horrible sinners and that we can never be deserving of forgiveness or love. He will remind us of every sin we have committed. He will read the impossibly long list line by line. He will point out the worst things you have ever done and tell you that because of that you aren’t worthy of God’s grace and mercy. He wants to remind you of how bad your flesh is. He wants you to feel the full weight of your sins. He wants you to know that your flesh is deserving of nothing but death.

Guess what… Most of what he tells us is completely right…

We don’t deserve Christ’s love or forgiveness and we never can deserve it

We did commit every sin he reminds us of and every one of those sins is deserving of death.

We aren’t worthy of God’s grace or mercy

Our flesh is completely depraved. We may not be as bad as we possibly could be, however sin covers us completely. There is no part of who we are that is untainted by sin.

We deserve death. Period

There is something he doesn’t mention though…

He doesn’t mention where he got the list he is reading from… or what else that list says…

Colossians 2:13–14 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

That list that Satan is reading from is nailed to the same cross that Jesus Christ is nailed to and it reads, “Paid in Full!”

In John 19:30 the Bible tells us that Jesus said that “It is finished,” this comes from the Greek word “tetelestai (τετέλεσται)” and it can also be translated as “paid in full.”

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

We were dead in our trespasses for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ), but by God’s great mercy and grace we have been saved and our debt has been settled!

God doesn’t love us because we are good, he loves us because He is good!

… Satan attacks the church by attacking marriage and the family.

John F. MacArthur

If Satan can get you to believe a lie, then he can begin to work in your life to lead you into sin. This is why he attacks the mind, and this is why we must protect our minds from the attacks of the wicked one.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Altar Call/Time to Respond

For those that know Jesus, let’s take some time to respond by thanking God for his goodness in a time of prayer. For those that may not know him, but think that you want to start your relationship with Him today you can ask him to enter your heart right now! You can come up to the altar or approach one of the elders and ask one of us to pray with you!

What is the significance and purpose of the 'Armor of God' as described in the sermon?

Explain the role of each piece of armor (Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes of Readiness, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of the Spirit) in the spiritual battle according to the sermon.

What do the flaming arrows symbolize, and how does the sermon suggest believers should respond to them?

According to the sermon, why is prayer emphasized as the believer's only weapon against the enemy? How does this reflect the theological view of spiritual warfare?

Why is it emphasized in the sermon that believers should trust in God's control while wearing the Shield of Faith?

Which piece of the armor do you feel like is your weakness?