Being built up... (28)

Put on the Whole Armor of God... Part 2

This morning, we’re going to look at the last three pieces that Paul describes as the armour of God.

We have looked at the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and having our shoes fitted with peace. This morning, we will look at the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit.

As we get started, I want to say that I will be using some information out of David Jeremiah’s book, “Overcomer.”

Let’s start by reading our Scripture,

Ephesians 6:10–17 NIV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 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.

You will notice that Paul instructed us to put on the whole armour of God. We need to actively get dressed for battle.

Whether we get dressed for battle or not, we are in a battle and the enemy is hurling his flaming arrows. God has given us these powerful weapons and we need to choose to buckle the belt of truth around our waste. We need to put the breastplate of righteousness in place. We need to put on the shoes of peace, that come from the gospel.

In addition to all this,

Take up the shield of faith...

According to David Jeremiah, “These shields were four feet tall and two-and-a-half feet wide. Made with leather stretched over wood, they were reinforced with metal at the top and the bottom.”

In ancient times the enemy would dip the tips of the arrow with lethal poison and if a soldier was even nicked, they would die a quick and painful death, from their wound. They also would dip their arrows in pitch and ignite them and shoot the flaming arrows into the enemy camp. (Overcomer)

This would have given the Ephesian believers a clear description as to what faith could look like as a shield.

But...

What is faith?

Lots of times when we try to describe faith, we say that it’s belief. Faith is more than belief.

James 2:19 NLT

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

Ken Hughes - Faith… is belief plus trust. It is resting in the person of God and His Word to us. (Overcomer)

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

This is how David Jeremiah describes faith, “Faith is an active practice built on belief. Faith is not ambiguous, it’s not unsure. It’s a concrete conviction. It’s a present-day confidence of a future reality. Faith is solid, unshakable confidence in God built upon the assurance that He is faithful to His promises.” (Overcomer)

For Christians, lack of faith is based on fear more than unbelief.

Marla Runyan

At nine years old, Marla Runyan was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease known as Stargardt Disease. This left her legally blind. Basically, she could only see a little bit with her peripheral vision.

As she got older, she attended San Diego State University, and achieved two Master’s Degrees. While there she took up track. She specialized in the 1500 meter race. She won several gold medals in the Paralympics. She could only see a little bit as she would stay in her lane and as she came to the corners. Quite an accomplishment indeed.

Yet she qualified for the Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. She finished eighth. In 2006, she won her second national championship in the 20K.

One reporter was astounded and wondered how she could run when she couldn’t see the finish line. Here was her response, “I can’t see it, but I know it’s there.”(Overcomer)

Faith is not being able to see, but still knowing that God is there.

How can we grow in faith?

It’s great to hear about faith. It’s great that we can know that it exists, but how does our faith grow?

We need to hear the word of God...

Romans 10:17 NKJV

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We come to church to hear God’s word. We can be encouraged at church, and then as we are encouraged, we can dig in and study God’s word at home.

Our faith can grow

in Trials...

As trees grow, the wind blows, and as it blows, the trees become strong. We don’t like trials, we don’t want to go through adversity, but it is often in our trials that we grow. We learn to trust and depend upon God. When a problem is too big, it causes us to trust in God instead of our own understanding.

One person said, “I always knew, in principle that Jesus was all I need to get through. But you really don’t know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all that you have.” (Tim Keller)

If we want to grow in faith...

We need each other...

The shields of the Roman soldiers were far more effective when they were interlocked.

In Mark 2, we have the story of the paralytic that had four friends. They picked him up on his bed and carried him to the house where Jesus was. The house was packed. There was no way that they could get into the house, so they carried the man up on top of the roof and began to tear the roof a part so they could lower Him down to Jesus.

This is what verse 5 says,

Mark 2:5 NIV

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus said this before He healed Him, but knew the hearts of the religious leaders.

We need people around us and also need to be there for people to carry them to Jesus.

To grow in faith,

We need to have perspective...

Luke 17:5–6 NKJV

5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

It’s not how big your faith is that will make the difference, It is how big your God is.

I don’t want to encourage you to have small faith, I want to encourage you to believe that God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think according to His power.

It is not faith that moves mountains, it is God who moves mountains.

Psalm 56:4 NIV

4 In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Let’s look at our next piece of armour.

Take up the Helmet of Salvation...

What did a soldier’s helmet look like?

According to David Jeremiah

“...helmets of the common soldier were made of hardened leather. Officers’ helmets could be augmented with metal. Senior officers’ helmets were topped with plumed crests.”

The purpose of the helmet was to protect the soldier’s skull and brain from blows from the enemy.

When we are talking about the armour, we need to make it very clear that non-Christians don’t have the armour of God.

So…when we are talking about the Helmet of salvation, we are not talking about coming to faith in Christ, we are talking about

Assurance of Salvation...

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV

8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

We can know that we are saved. We don’t have to wait until we enter the presence of God to know if we are children of God, we are kept by God’s power.

Hebrews 10:35–39 NIV

35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Satan wants to attack our minds, and attack our confidence in the fact that God is able to keep us. If we try to win this battle in our own strength, we will not win.

Philippians 3:8–9 NIV

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

God is calling us to be found in Christ. As Christians who are found in Christ, we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:15–16 NIV

15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

What needs to happen to us for us to have the mind of Christ?

Our thoughts need align with His thoughts. We need to submit to Christ for this to happen. We need to put on Christ which means we allow Him to live in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 2:20 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 13:11–14 NIV

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

God gives us everything we need for life and for godliness, but we have to make the choice to put on Christ.

To be overcomers, we need

Wisdom

We can have a lot of knowledge. That’s information, but knowledge has very little value if we don’t know how to apply it. Wisdom is being able to apply what we know.

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

If we have proud hearts, we will never gain wisdom.

Have you ever heard the words...

I know...

I know might work until we don’t know. In this path we call life, we all need to learn from others that have already walked the path.

To gain wisdom requires

Humility

If we are proud, we won’t seek help.

Where does our help come from?

Psalm 121:1–2 NIV

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

God alone is wise and He knows each solution for every area of your life. He can provide the people and the tools that you need to overcome.

James 1:5 NIV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Are you satisfied or

Are you eager to gain more wisdom?

If we are at the Lord’s table, we will desire more from the Lord. If we are eating at the table of the world, we lose our appetite for the things of God. Let’s seek God with our whole heart.

Do we want to hear God’s voice?

So often, it can be tempting to do all the talking and not a lot of listening. When we pray, when we read God’s word, let’s take time wait upon the Lord and listen to His voice.

This what Solomon asked the Lord for:

1 Kings 3:9 NLT

9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

It is also known as a

Hearing heart...

We can realize that we need God. We can have a desire for the things of God. We can hear from God. These are all good, but

Do we obey?

We need to ask for a heart that will obey.

We don’t know the whole picture. We know where we are today. We know that we have been promised eternity, but we have to step out in faith every day and be obedient to the Lord.

“When we walk with the Lord in the light of His word. What a glory He sheds on our way. While we do His good will. He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.”

It’s one step at a time. Trust and obey.

Ephesians 6:17 NIV

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Sword of the Spirit...

The sword of a Roman soldier was about 8 to 18 inches long. It was a dagger. It wasn’t a sword that you would swing aimlessly hoping to do damage. It was precise. (MacArthur)

Each piece of the armour that we have looked at is defensive. This is our offensive weapon.

When we look at the Word of God = Rhema Theou

We often think of Logos. The Bible is the Word of God, but

Rhema means Sayings of God

We need to know what is in our Bibles so that when the tempter comes that we can stand on the Word of God.

Jesus did this in Matthew 4:1-11. He was tempted with the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the eyes, and the Pride of Life, and in each case, He said,

It is written...

What will you say when you are tempted? Satan is going to try to make you believe that you are the only one naive enough to fall to his temptations, and yet

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The Bible is full of swords.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We need to hide God’s word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against God. I’m speaking to myself this morning. Pick a translation and read it. If you want to memorize Scripture read it over and over again. Then begin to memorize it.

Pastor I can’t memorize. It’s too hard. Do you know your phone number? Do you know your Social Insurance Number? Do you know the names of your children and Grandchildren.

We can memorize a lot of things, a lot of useless facts, and yet we find it hard to learn our Scripture.

Jesus didn’t go to His concordance when He was tempted, He quoted Scripture.

Of course, He was God!

Philippians 2:6 NIV

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

He became like you and me. This isn’t a competition. I want to encourage you to start with a verse or two, and grow from there. Pick a favourite passage. You may surprise yourself.

Let’s read God’s word. Let’s meditate on God’s word. Let’s memorize God’s word, and let’s live out God’s word.

Ephesians 6:10–11 NKJV

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Only as we follow Christ we will be victorious because He has already overcome.

Let’s pray!