Putting on the Armor

I’m excited for one more night together and what I want to do tonight is really do all that I can to make sure that you are prepared for the Christian life that is ahead of you. Christianity is a marathon and not a sprint. Jesus says it is he that endures to the end that will be saved and I hate it when you go to a Christian camp, and I’ve been to quite a few of them, where they give you the Gospel but don’t tell you what to do with it or what to expect. So I made a decision a long time ago that if I ever was asked to teach at a camp that I would do everything that I could to prepare you for the next step. You guys can probably tell that the moment that you become a Christian, you don’t immediately get transported to Heaven. As we have talked about God being our fortress and our refuge, we have talked about how this needs to be something that is ongoing. You and I every day need a renewal of grace because we are simply not as strong as we think we are. We are going to stumble, we are going to fall short, and we need to strive with a holy boldness to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. There needs to be an effort on our part but there also needs to be a realization that you cannot do the Christian life on your own. I’ve heard it said that the Christian life is not hard, it’s impossible. That’s why we need Christ, that’s why we need the Holy Spirit. We need to be renewed day by day because we have work to do but also because there is a war that is raging against us. As a Christian, you better believe that the devil has his eye on you. Satan could care less about what you did before you came to Christ because you were serving sin and Satan anyway. Now that you have been ransomed from his kingdom and brought into the kingdom of Christ, don’t you think that would cause the devil to rage? So you better believe that Satan is going to bark and snarl at you to the best of his ability and this is why we need to know about spiritual warfare. Our lives from the cross to the grave takes place on a battlefield and we need to make sure that we are prepared for the battle. Last month at my church, we have this event known as YC Week, it is basically VBS for teenagers, and we spent 5 nights looking at a very important, very applicable section of Scripture in Ephesians 6. We spent 5 nights looking at what the Apostle Paul calls the Armor of God and that is what we are going to look at tonight. What does Paul say about the Armor of God? What is it and how are we supposed to put it into our lives? Who are we fighting and how do we do it? Let’s pray and then we will read Ephesians 6:10-18:

“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. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 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.”

Who is Our Battle Against as Christians?

One of the first things that we have to recognize as Christians is that we are caught in the middle of a great spiritual war. We as believers have been snatched out of the kingdom of darkness and have been brought into the kingdom of light. This is something that has not gone unnoticed in the war room of Hell. We need to know that the devil is alive and well and that he is going to do all he can to cause the people of God to stumble. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The devil doesn’t walk around like a little goat man with a pitch fork hoping to poke you every now and again to annoy you. No, he wants to destroy you. He wants to devour you and that is why we must be ready. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “The ultimate truth is that it is God and the Lord Jesus Christ who are engaged in this battle. It is a cosmic battle…This is the great battle of the ages- God and the Devil, Heaven and hell. That is the real conflict, and the Apostle is emphasizing that the extent to which we realize that we are involved in this great fight of God against the devil is the measure of the extent to which we shall be strong.” As we live the Christian life, we are not living in times of peace. The peace will surely come but as for now the battle will continue. You may look at your life right now and feel differently but you probably know that in war, not every single day is an all out assault. There are moments in the battle where everything seems calm, maybe there is a moment where both sides are waiting to see what the other side will do, whatever it is, the battle still rages on. Just because you may not feel spiritual bullets zipping by you right now does not mean that the war is over. One thing that I want to emphasize to you all is that your spiritual war is between you and the forces of hell. Notice in Ephesians 6:12 that Paul says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Do you notice who Paul says the battle is not between? Me and you. Your battle is not against other Christians and your battle is not even against unbelievers. Unbelievers may persecute you, they may even kill you, but your war is not against them. The lost are our friends to win, not foes to fight. What this means is that your responsibility as a Christian is to love and share the Gospel with whomever without fear of what they may do to you. The Christian I believe is in the midst of a far greater battle, a far bloodier battle, than any war that has ever been seen in history. Think about it, in every war, it is always flesh against flesh, man against man, but here in these verses, Paul points to something otherworldly. He that was cast out of heaven, he that rebelled against God first, he that tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, he that tempted Christ in the wilderness, he that has nothing but death in his eyes, he is the one that we are to fight against. Paul says that we are at war with the spiritual forces of wickedness. Knowing that we battle against the devil, we have to recognize that the traditional methods of warfare will not do us any good! We cannot fight the devil in the way that an army fights an opposing army. Paul himself says in 2 Corinthians 10:3–4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” Our battle against the devil cannot be fought in traditional ways but our battle is won by supernatural help. So, where does our help come from? Who is it that we must be strong in in order to overcome this great enemy of ours?

Where Does Our Help Come From?

Look back at what Paul says in Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Now why is this verse so important? Because it makes sure that our priorities are straight. It does not say be strong in yourself and in the strength of your might. It says that we are to be strong in the Lord. We don’t find strength in our abilities, we don’t find strength in our knowledge, we don’t base our strength on our past rewards and titles, our strength must be founded in God. The All-powerful, the Alpha and the Omega, the sovereign Lord of all creation must be the one that our strength is in. The only way that we can win this battle is if we are fighting it through God’s strength and in His ways. This is God’s battle. He is the One that wins the battle on the cross, He is the one that wins the battle with the empty tomb, and He is the One that ultimately wins finally and fully at the second coming. If God has already won the battle, why would we want to find strength for the battle from any other source? Now if we are strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, does that mean that all we have to do is sit back and do nothing? No, we need to fight! How do we know this? Verse 11 says that we put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Verse 13 says that we wrestle and have you ever seen a wrestling match where the fighter does nothing? Everything in the Christian life implies action.

Putting on the Armor

I mentioned to you earlier that when I went through this section of Scripture with my students that it took us days to cover all the pieces of armor but obviously we don’t have time for that but I want to give you the highlights and then I strongly encourage you to take the time to study this on your own because it is just so important for your life and my life. Let’s run through these verses pretty quickly. To give you a bit of a reference point, Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus and Ephesus was a part of the great Roman empire of the 1st century. As Paul is describing these pieces of armor, he is describing something that the Ephesian church was very familiar with. They knew what a Roman soldier look like so Paul did not have to include a picture for them as a reference guide. Another thing that is important for us to know is that Paul is writing the book of Ephesians to people that are already Christian. Why is it important for us to know this? Because of 2 reasons: 1. Unbelievers cannot put on the armor of God and 2. there are things that Paul says as he describes the armor as something that sounds like he might be describing that initial coming to faith in Jesus moment in a person’s life but he can’t be doing this because like I said, these people are already Christians. What’s the first element of the armor that Paul mentions? He says in verse 14 that Christians are to fasten on the belt of truth. Now if you were describing a soldier, it may be weird to start with the belt. Why not start with something that seems a bit more armor like? Well if you were a 1st century soldier, you would wear a large tunic, something that is sort of like a poncho and if you have ever worn a poncho before, it’s important if it’s raining but it is not as practical if you are trying to play a game of football. How come? Because all the extra material gets in the way. What a Roman soldier would do is he would take his tunic and tuck it into his belt so that he could move more freely, so he would not trip over anything as he was in the middle of this great battle and what Paul is saying is that there needs to be a firm commitment to truth if we want to stand firm. Not just any truth will do, not just any preference will do, the truth that we must stand and place our security in is the truth of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not one of those things where we say, “It’s true for me but I understand if it is not true for you.” No it is absolutely true and important for you because God is the source of all that is true. He is the only truth that is absolute! What Paul is saying here is that we must cling to the truth if we want to be able to stand firm. The next thing that Paul mentions is putting on the breastplate of righteousness. For a Roman soldier, the breastplate was a piece of armor that would cover the torso and it was designed to protect the vital organs. You guys know that if I kick you in the shin it might hurt but it won’t kill you. However, if I stab you in the heart, that is a totally different issue. What is Paul talking about then? Some people think that he is talking about that initial moment of saving faith. They say that Paul is pointing the reader to the justification that they receive through Christ but I think that is a stretch because we need to remember that Paul is already writing to Christians. A non-Christian, as we have said, cannot put on the armor of God. What righteousness is Paul talking about? It is the righteousness that comes from living a God-fearing, Christ-centered, sanctified life. Steven Lawson said that putting on the breastplate of righteousness is the putting into action and the living out of what happens when we put on the belt of truth. Putting on the belt of truth is holding onto the truth of God in our hearts and then putting on the breastplate of righteousness is living that truth out. If you have been saved, you have been set apart. Set apart for what? You have been set apart to live a holy and righteous life that can only happen when you are in a relationship with Christ. The next piece of armor is mentioned in Ephesians 6:15 “and, as shoes for your feet having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Now to many of us, shoes might seem like another part of armor that does not seem that important to a soldier. If anything it doesn’t seem like it is as important as something like the breastplate or the helmet but if you were a 1st century Roman soldier, the shoes that you wear in battle were super important. What were the shoes used for? Well during the 1st century, Roman soldiers would have shoes that had nails that stuck out the bottom of the shoes and this was to help them with mobility, it helped them with speed, and they helped you from falling. Think of them almost like the cleats that people wear in sports. What Paul wants us to understand is that there needs to be a readiness and firm footing in the spread of the Gospel. We as Christians must always be prepared to testify to that which has saved us because we know that the Gospel is the only way that we can have peace with God. Paul is referencing a verse in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 52:7 says, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” So, how do these two verses connect? You guys might know that the Greek word for Gospel, evangelion, means good news. And that is what the Gospel is! It’s very good news because the Gospel is the news of what Christ has done and how man can have peace with God. We see this connection in Isaiah and we see this connection in Ephesians that it is a beautiful sight to see the feet of those that bring with them the message of the Gospel and proclaim peace, happiness, and salvation through the Lord. But this isn’t the first time that Paul references Isaiah 52 in regards to our sharing the Gospel. In Romans 10:15 Paul says, “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”” There is nothing more beautiful or needed for this lost world than for messengers of the Gospel to go out with the message of truth! Next Paul moves to the shield of faith and it is here where we get a clear explanation as to what the shield of faith’s purpose is. It is to extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. The shield that Paul is referring to is not like a small frisbee or Captain America looking shield but was one that was like a small door that would be carried into battle that covered practically the entire body of the soldier. Archers would sometimes dip their arrows in pitch and then light them on fire to shoot at the soldiers but they would prepare for this by treating their shields with water or a certain type of oil so that even if the fire hit the shield, it wouldn’t do any damage to them. What does Paul mean when he talks about the shield of faith? Again, he’s writing to Christians so while saving faith may be implied, that is not the main thing being referenced. Paul is talking about absolute trust and assurance in the Lord. What Paul and all of Scripture points to is that if we want to be able to withstand the assault of the devil, the only way that we can do that is through the strength of the Lord our God. The only thing that can truly combat the lies and temptations of the devil is absolute trust and faith in the God that never changes. That is how we extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one! Our faith in God must be a full body faith. The faith that we are to put on as the devil throws his fiery darts at us is the trust that God is who He says He is and He will keep the promises that He has given to us. It is because we know that God is good, because we know that He has kept every promise and will deliver on every promise that we can trust Him to deliver us from what the devil tries to use against us. This is the faith that reminds us that ultimately all sad things will become untrue. It is faith and trust that reminds us that God predestined and saved us in the past, is saving us now in the presence, and will completely save us from all sin and death in the future. What Paul is emphasizing to us is that there should not be a single portion of our lives that is not covered in unwavering trust, assurance, and faith in the Lord. The next piece of the armor that Paul references is the helmet of salvation. What Paul is saying is that just as the breastplate of righteousness is to protect our hearts, we need the helmet of salvation to protect our minds. The problem is that we are so highly emotional people that Satan will put a greater emphasis on what we are feeling than what we actually know. We know that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. We know, or hopefully know, exactly who God is and what the end of the story looks like. We need to stop resting on what we feel about God and start resting on what we know to be true about God! Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Believers are destined to be absolutely perfect, free from sin, free from all vestiges of evil, ‘without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’ We shall be glorified, we shall be like Christ, we shall see Him as He is and be like Him; our bodies shall be changed, we shall be completely glorified- saved entirely, body, soul, and spirit; with nothing lacking. That is the hope! And putting on the helmet of salvation means realizing that that is coming.” Then finally we get to the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. It is here where Paul switches from us playing defense to us playing offense. You know that in any war that if all you do is defend without making any effort to defeat the enemy that chances are slim that you will win the war. You can have a great defensive football team but unless your offense scores, you probably won’t score all that much. Paul says that there is an offensive weapon at our disposal. It isn’t bombs or bullets, it is something far more powerful: The Word of God. It is the perfect Word of God and the faithful using of it which causes the devil to flee from us. It should not be lost on us that when Christ was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4 that Jesus didn’t punch the devil in the face to combat the temptations; He quoted Scripture. Hebrews 4:12–13 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” We need our Bibles. You cannot expect to survive the onslaught of the devil without this book. Finally in verse 18 Paul emphasizes the need for prayer. John Piper said, “Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief.” How then should we pray? Well based off of what Paul says here in these verses, we to pray at all times. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we are to “pray without ceasing.” And while we may not be able to always be praying, we can always be carrying out an attitude of prayer and strive to have open lines with our Heavenly Father. Not only should we pray without ceasing, our prayers need to be in the Spirit. Our prayers should be focused on the will of God and not our own will. Even Jesus Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane prays, “Not my will but yours be done.” That is the prayers that we should be praying. So, how do we combat the devil? How do you go out into this world and stand firm for the Gospel? By being strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might and putting on the whole armor of God. You can’t put on just part of it, it’s all or nothing. If there is any way that we can help you to feel more confident putting this on, please let me know or someone here on staff know. We want you to know that the Christian life doesn’t happen solely within these walls or within the walls of your church. You are in the battle 24/7. The Christian life isn’t hard, it’s impossible but God is the God of the impossible. Let’s pray.