Being built up... (27)

Put on the full Armor of God...

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at our armour. Today, we’re going to look at the first three pieces that describe the armour of God.

Paul used the weapons Roman soldiers wore, to illustrate our spiritual weapons. Each piece is crucial in protecting us against the schemes that satan bombards us with.

Last week, we looked at the source of our strength, our adversary, and what we are called to do as believers in Christ.

Let’s start by reading our Scripture, and then we’ll take some time to explain what it means and how we can apply this to our lives.

Ephesians 6:14–17 NIV

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Over the last week, I have heard two different teachings from two respected ministers. I call this God confirming His word.

Ephesians 6:14 starts with three words:

Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)

14 Stand firm then...

Sunday night, at Adina’s, we were listening to Louie Giglio, “Don’t give the enemy a seat at your table” Part 4

It was called,

The Path to Victory

This week, I was listening to David Jeremiah’s book,

Overcomer

Both made the statement,

We are fighting FROM victory...

Not FOR victory

Giglio used the illustration of the Second World War, when the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, and established

A Beachhead...

Since they had gained victory on the beaches of Normandy, they were able to advance and eventually defeat their enemies.

He went on to say that when Jesus died on the cross, He won the victory. Jesus Christ has already conquered our enemy.

The premise is this. When we fight battles in our lives, when we fight in the strength of His might, the victory is guaranteed.

Romans 8:37 NIV

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV

57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Jesus is our captain and He has already won the victory. Even though we know the outcome, we are called to

Stand firm then...

Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...

As I describe pieces of the armour, I am using some information that I have gleaned from other sources such as Dr. David Jeremiah, and the Life Application Commentary. I want to give them credit for their research.

Let’s start with

The belt of truth...

According to David Jeremiah,

“The soldier’s basic attire was a tunic - a shirt-like garment that draped from shoulder to knee. Over this he wore metal torso and long, protective leather strips that hung from his waste to his lower thighs around his entire body. His belt was a band of wide, thick leather with loops and slots that clamped over these items. From it hung a sword, rope, ration sack, money sack and darts. Everything the soldier needed in hand-to-hand combat was on his belt, right there at his fingertips.

When running, the soldier pulled up his tunic and tucked it in his belt freeing his legs for speed and maneuverability. This was known as”

“girding up one’s loins”

Even though the belt wasn’t an offensive weapon, it held the soldier’s armour in place.

If we are living in truth, this holds our lives together and keeps us ready for the battle. The truth must be based on God’s truth.

We live in a society today where many think you can have your own truth.

It’s like 3 umpires having a discussion about balls and strikes.

The first umpire says, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, ...and I call them the way that they are.”

“No!” says the second ump. “There’s balls and there’s strikes and I call them the way that I see them.”

“That’s no better,” says the third ump....”There’s balls and there’s strikes, and they ain’t nothing till I call them.”

If we compare these three umpires perspectives to truth, the first is

Objective truth

This is independent of our perspective. There is absolute truth.

The second umpire would be like,

Relative truth

This is truth “as each person sees it” according to their interpretation and perspective.

The third is

A Postmodern position.

“Truth” is not to be discovered, it’s for each to create for themselves. (Os Guinness)

We can’t create our own truth. Relative truth is of little value. In fact, it is a tactic of the enemy to deceive us to believe that everybody is ok and everybody is on their own path to God.

Pilate asked Jesus a question.

What is truth?

God has the answer to truth. Since God has created all things, He is truth and all truth comes from Him. Satan is a liar and the father of all lies.

In the book of Exodus, God said to Moses,

“I AM WHO I AM” He didn’t say, “I am whoever you want me to be.”

How do we overcome lies with the truth?

We need to study the truth and to submit to it. We can’t know truth apart from God’s word. Let’s take time to dig in and study God’s word. Read it! Speak it! Apply it!

We need to speak the truth boldly.

Ephesians 4:25 NIV

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Speaking the truth can be hard when it’s somebody we love. Sometimes the truth hurts.

That being said, we need to do more than just speak truth. We need to speak the truth in love.

John 13:35 NKJV

35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We can know the truth, we can speak the truth, but we also need to

Live the truth...

This might mean that we have to take correction. At times it could mean confession. I don’t need to confess to anybody but the Lord.

James 5:16 NIV

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

This doesn’t mean that we confess to just anybody, but we need to find someone that we trust that can hold us accountable.

Let’s never be too proud to repent. Instead, let’s allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and guide us into all truth.

Let’s look at

The Breastplate of righteousness...

Ephesians 6:14 NIV

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

The Roman soldier’s breastplate “was a piece of armor made of hardened, reinforced leather. For an officer, the leather was covered with metal plating for extra protection. The breastplate covered the torso and protected the vital organs - especially his heart.” (David Jeremiah)

The breastplate of righteousness covers our hearts. That is the centre of our being. Righteousness protects us from the outside forces of evil, but there is an evil that is so prevalent that is within that wants to destroy every person that has ever lived.

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Romans 7:21–25 NIV

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

If we look at the human heart, it can seem so hopeless. But God...

God did in Christ what we cannot humanly do.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

In Christ, 2 things happen...

When Jesus died on the cross, Jesus took our place. He became the atoning sacrifice for our sin. He became sin. He identified with our sin. Even though Jesus had never sinned, when we come to the cross, when we believe that Jesus died for our sins, He takes our punishment, and we are forgiven. There is more than that. Jesus gives us His righteousness.

David Jeremiah says,

“Having received the righteousness of Christ by faith, we can now put on His righteousness in practice.”

Psalm 119:37 NIV

37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

The AMP puts it this way,

“Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine], And restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways.” AMP

How do we practically put on the Breastplate of Righteousness?

Paul gives us graphic pictures with these pieces of armour but what does that look like today? We aren’t going to put on a protective shield to cover our heart and vital organs, how do we make sense of it?

Here’s an example:

Have you ever wanted to get even with somebody? Another word for that is

Revenge...

Do you know how Christians get even?

By doing good...

Romans 12:17–21 NIV

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

One huge temptation is to take things into our own hands. The devil wants us to believe that if we won’t fight back, the person, you can fill in the blank of who that might be, will get away with what they have done to you. This can lead to resentment, bitterness, hatred, and the list can go on and on.

Nobody gets off of God’s hook, but if God has forgiven somebody, there is no need for us to hold anything against them. If somebody has taken advantage of you, God has the ability to bring healing and to prosper you.

God also calls us to

Stand up for what is right...

Proverbs 14:34 NKJV

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

It may cost you to stand up for what is right. You may lose friends. You may lose popularity. People may avoid you, but regardless of the cost, no matter how inconvenient it is, we need to do what is right.

Hebrews 12:14 NKJV

14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

Let’s not go out of our way to look for a fight, but let’s do what is right.

I’m not sure that Elijah enjoyed the fight, but he did what was right.

Listen to King Ahab’s view of Elijah.

1 Kings 18:17 NIV

17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

I believe that as we stand up for what is right, at times we will be seen as the enemy, just as Elijah was considered the enemy of Israel.

We are called to

Love our enemies...

Matthew 5:43–45 NIV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Even while we were enemies of God, He demonstrated His love for us by dying for us, and He calls us to love those who hate us.

Romans 12:21 NIV

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In God’s power and might, we can overcome evil with good. Let’s never forget, Jesus has already conquered our foe, and we are fighting from a place of victory, we do not hope for victory, but victory is ours in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 6:9 NIV

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The third piece of armour is

Shoes of Peace

Ephesians 6:15 NLT

15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

According to David Jeremiah, the shoes the Roman soldier wore were “open-toed leather boots…Made with nail-studded soles designed to grip the ground. They resembled our modern football cleats.” Their purpose was to give the soldier stability in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.

We are to

Put on peace that comes from the Good News...

How do we have peace in this world? When we face grief, when life is hard, when we don’t know how things are going to turn out,

How can we have peace instead of anxiety?

Long time missionary in Portugal leading up to World War II and during,

Eric Barker

sent his wife, and eight children as well as his sister and three kids home to England from Portugal. It was too dangerous for them to stay. His plan was to join them after he had completed some Missionary business.

One Sunday morning, he received a telegram shortly before the service was to begin. This is what he shared, “I’ve just received word that all of my family have arrived safely home.” The congregation breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn’t mean that they had safely returned to England. Their boat had been torpedoed by a German U boat. There were no survivors. He knew where they were. They were safe with the Lord. (Jeremiah, Overcomer)

Priscilla J. Owens wrote the words to this powerful hymn:

We have an anchor

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life? When the clouds unfold their wings of strife. When the strong winds lift and the cables strain.

Will you anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul, Steadfast and sure while the billows roll. Fastened to the Rock which cannot move. Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

How can we have peace when everything around us is urging us to worry and fret?

Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

At times we are tempted to hold our worries so close, and God seems so far away. It’s like holding a pebble close to our eye that we can’t see the mountain be the pebble seems so close.

When our problems seem so big, it’s hard to see the power and majesty of God. God is bigger than your problem. He is bigger than your sickness. He is bigger than those things that cause us to worry. Let’s worship Him in spite of our problems. Let’s bring our sins and inadequacies to God. Let’s ask for forgiveness for those times of unbelief, and give Him thanks for what He has done. And let’s ask Him to move again.

Philippians 4:7 NIV

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So many times, Satan wants to get us to be anxious about things that we can’t change from our past and worry about what might happen tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34 NIV

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In the wilderness the Israelites were only to gather enough Manna for each day.

In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus prayed

Matthew 6:11 NIV

11 Give us today our daily bread.

God has promised to meet our needs. He will not fail. He cannot fail, and He is faithful to His promises.

In this we have peace.

John 16:33 NIV

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Let’s pray!