Equipped to Stand: Put on the Whole Armor of God (Part 2)

INTRODUCTION

We’ve been talking about being BATTLE READY! Last week we continued with our study of Ephesians Chapter 6 and talked about what it means to stand against the wiles of the devil. We said that in order to be EQUIPPED TO STAND, we must PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD. Last week, we focused on how to stand and we didn’t have time to complete that message. So this week, we are going to continue with PART 2 of that message and we are going to focus on what it means to PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.

MESSAGE

David and Goliath

David is a great example of what it means to PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD. The armies of the Philistines had encamped against the armies of Israel. King Saul and his army were prepared for battle. But everyday, one of the Philistines, the giant Goliath, would taunt Israel and curse the God of Israel. He issued a challenge for Israel to send out one of their mighty men to fight one-on-one against him. If the Israelites won, the Philistines would be their servants. If Goliath won, Israel would be their servants. This went on for 40 days and no one from the army of Israel responded to the challenge.

But then came along a young, ruddy little shepherd boy by the name of David. He had come to bring food and provisions for his brothers and the captains of the army of Israel. But David heard the taunts of Goliath and how he defied and cursed the God of Israel. Saul and his army were afraid of Goliath and were shaking in their armor. They told David how King Saul had promised great riches, his daughter’s hand in marriage, and exemption from paying taxes to the man who could defeat Goliath.

Goliath was a giant of a man and a great fighter. Look at what the Bible says about the armor and weapons that Goliath carried:

1 Samuel 17:4–7 KJV 1900

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

THE ENEMY HAS ARMOR AND WEAPONS TOO!

David said, “I’ll go.” They tried to talk him out of it, but ultimately King Saul said, “ok you can go, but you must put on my armor.”

1 Samuel 17:38–39 KJV 1900

38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

David tried on Saul’s armor, but it didn’t fit. Little David could barely move and walk around in it. Finally David said, “I can’t use this armor. I haven’t proven it.” And David took it off.

THE ARMOR OF SAUL REPRESENTS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IT IN THE FLESH

David went out to battle the great Goliath with a shepherd’s staff, a sling, and five smooth stones he picked up along the way. David told Goliath, “You’ve come to me with a sword, and a spear, and a javelin. But I have come in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied.”

DAVID PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

David put on armor that was not visible to the physical eye. David put on spiritual armor. David put on the whole armor of God. You know the story well, David said:

1 Samuel 17:46–47 KJV 1900

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls 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 all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S

David took one of the smooth stones, loaded up his sling, and gave it a fling. The stone sunk into Goliath’s forehead and killed him. David then took Goliath’s own sword and cut off his head. When the armies of the Philistines saw what happened, they turned and ran away.

DAVID WON THE BATTLE WITH THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.

WE TOO CAN BE VICTORIOUS IN OUR BATTLES WHEN WE PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.

The Whole Armor of God

When our military sends a soldier into battle, they give them certain gear. They give them a helmet. They give them a bullet-proof vest. They give them footwear. They give them a uniform. They give them a weapon. They give them all the equipment that they need to be successful in battle.

Just like our military provides our soldiers with all the physical equipment they need to face the enemy, God provides us with all the spiritual equipment we need to be successful against our enemy: the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, the spiritual wickedness in high places.

And Paul outlines that equipment in Ephesians 6 in terms of the battle equipment of his day. So it is armor and helmets and shields and so on. But each one of the items of armor that Paul talks about has a spiritual significance. What Paul presents here in these verses is the key to spiritual victory against the wiles of the devil. So what is the armor of God? Let’s take a look.

Belt of Truth (The Believer’s Integrity)

Ephesians 6:14 (KJV)

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth...

The belt was extremely important to a Roman solider in Paul’s day. Their garments were loose fitting. This would slow them down in battle and gave the enemy something to grab onto in close combat. They would “gird up their loins” by gathering up the loose areas of their garments and tightening them around their waist with a belt. It wasn’t just used to tighten their garments, but it was also used to support the armor and to hold the weapon (sword). In a sense, the belt was the foundation of the soldier’s equipment.

Paul describes the belt as truth. The first thing that we have to be prepared to stand against are the lies of the enemy. The Bible describes Satan as the father of lies. Satan and demons are liars. They spread their lies primarily by distorting the truth.

The Truth of God’s Word

The Attitude of Truth

If you don’t begin with the truth, you’ll never defeat the enemy.

Breastplate of Righteousness (The Believer’s Purity)

Ephesians 6:14 (KJV)

14 ...and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

The breastplate for the Roman solider was either a piece of leather or a piece of metal that was shaped to fit around the chest and abdomen. It was used to protect the vital organs: the heart, the lungs, etc.

Paul describes the breastplate as righteousness. Righteousness can be thought of in two ways:

Imputed Righteousness

Practical Righteousness

Both of these are needed in the life of a believer in order to stand. First, we must depend on the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through faith.

Philippians 3:8–9 NKJV

8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

But there is also a need for personal, practical righteousness. In other words, how we live matters. We can’t just claim to have on the righteousness of Christ and live like the devil. Once you put on the righteousness of Christ, sanctification takes over. And sanctification leads to personal holiness. And personal holiness means we learn and live by the commandments of God that are written in His Word.

Without imputed and practical righteousness, we are open prey for the enemy.

Boots of the Gospel of Peace (The Believer’s Tranquility)

Ephesians 6:15 (KJV)

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The footwear for a solider was very important. One of the things the Romans developed was a type of shoe that had nails or pieces of metal on the bottom to give them traction. It is similar to cleats that athletes use today to get better traction. This gave the Roman soldiers a huge advantage over their enemies.

Paul described the footwear as the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Peace in Greek means oneness of wholeness. The Gospel is the good news that faith in Jesus Christ makes us at peace with God. Before we were saved, we were the enemies of God and the wrath of God was abiding on us. But after God saved us, we became the friends of God and the wrath of God was lifted off of us.

Our standing with God gives us the firm footing, the peace, to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Because of this, we should always be eager to share the good news of the Gospel with others.

Shield of Faith (The Believer’s Certainty)

Ephesians 6:16 (KJV)

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The shield was used by the Roman solider to protect against sword attacks at close range and from incoming arrows from long range. Their shields were often covered in thick leather. Before a battle, they would dip their shields in water so that it would extinguish the fiery arrows of the enemy.

Paul described the shield as faith. And we know that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Therefore, we need for our faith to be regularly dipped in the water of God’s Word in order for it to be refreshed and fully functional.

If your faith is weak, ask God to strengthen it.

But in battle, the soldiers did not just protect themselves individually. They could come close together and put their shields side by side in order to help protect each other and advance even when under attack by the enemy.

That’s why church is so important.

Helmet of Salvation (The Believer’s Sanity)

Ephesians 6:17 (KJV)

17 And take the helmet of salvation...

The helmet for a Roman solider protected the head.

Paul described the helmet in spiritual warfare as our salvation. We are saved as soon as we put our faith in Jesus. However, our salvation is also worked out through the rest of our life through the process of sanctification.

The most dangerous spiritual battlefield is the battlefield of the mind. Salvation and sanctification work to free us from impure and unhealthy thoughts. However, our enemy is constantly sending counter attacks to try to get our minds and our thoughts off of God and on everything else.

Don’t conform. Be transformed.

Sword of the Spirit (The Believer’s Authority)

Ephesians 6:17 (KJV)

17 ...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

For a Roman solider, the sword was the main offensive weapon. But a sword was also used as a defensive weapon to deflect the attacks of the enemy.

Paul describes the sword in spiritual warfare as the Word of God. The Word of God can be both an offensive and a defensive weapon.

Jesus used the word of God as a defensive weapon while he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. But the Word of God is not just a defensive weapon, but it can be an offensive weapon that we can use to destroy the enemy’s strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 NKJV

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Hide the Word of God in your heart.

Spirit-Empowered Prayer (The Believer’s Spirituality)

Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

I’m not sure if Roman soldiers prayed before they entered into battle. But if they did, they prayed to false gods.

We often end our discussion of the whole armor of God with verse 17, but Paul continues his description of how to be equipped for spiritual warfare by describing prayer. Prayer is another vital component to our spiritual armor. Just like the sword of the Spirit, prayer can be both a defensive and an offensive weapon.

In the Bible we are encouraged to pray:

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17);

The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5);

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7);

If any two of you should agree, it shall be done (Matthew 18:19-20);

We should always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1);

If you believe, you will receive, what you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22);

CLOSING