Opening:

Good morning Connection Church. I am so glad that you have decided to join us this morning for worship. It is beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Text:

This morning we will be studying the final passage of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This is likely a very familiar passage to all of us. This is one all of us likely grew up learning in Sunday School. But there is much depth for us to learn today. In this passage, Paul warns of the real spiritual war we are a part of, and commands us to be equipped and ready for the fight. With this in mind, I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Text:

Ephesians 6:10-24.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,17 also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,19 as well as on my behalf, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel—20 for which I am an ambassador in chains—so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Behold, the Word of God. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we commit this time in your Word to You. We ask that it would be edifying to us and glorifying to you. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Opening Illustration: Being Armored and ready for the fight.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love stories of brave knights acting in valor and honor. The fiction side of my bookshelf is filled with books like “the Chronicles of Narnia”, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” “The Lord of the Rings”, “Beowulf,” “King Arthur”, and the like. There is something I love about fantastic tales of knights fighting dragons and wicked kings and triumphing due to honor and bravery.

One of the common themes of these fantastical tales is that we see brave knights in shining armor. When we think of men like King Arthur, his sword Excalibur is likely as famous as he is. And the same can be said in many of these stories. A brave knight needs his shining armor.

Well, just as with these brave knights of fiction and history, we are also in a war. And we too are called to be brave. And we need our shining armor. Luckily, God has given us armor. And it is indeed the best armor of all history. Our sword makes Excalibur look like a child’s foam sword.

You see, Paul, in this passage, is giving us the list of not just the combat we are engaged in, but also is giving us the uniform and armor we are to wear as Christians. The goal is for us to read this and take our uniform and armor seriously. We as Christians ought to cultivate, polish, press, and wear this armor proudly. We are soldiers of the King of the Kingdom of God. When we go out, we are representing the Kingdom of Heaven. The questions for all of us are these:

Are we ready for the combat we are engaged in?

Do we take pride in the uniform of heaven?

These are our questions this morning. So let us now dive into the text.

Transition:

Paul opens the text by giving a series of closing commands in verses 10-20. The first command he gives is to be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might.

Command 1. Be Strong in the Lord, and the Strength of His Might.

Explanation:

Let’s look at verse 10. Ephesians 6:10, 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.

Paul starts by saying “Finally.” Paul has given the church multiple commands in this letter. He opened by giving three chapters explaining the beauty of the theology of salvation. His closing three chapters are filled with the practical application of our salvation. Some of these commands are hard and somewhat rough. But this is his final set of commands. Paul is hoping that this word “finally” will prick up the ears of his audience. Here is the final set of commands. “Pay close attention. This is important.”

So what is the first command. Be strong in the Lord, and in the might of His strength. This is such a beautiful command. Paul does not tell us to merely to be strong. He is not commanding us to be strong in our own strength but in the might of God’s strength. Were we required to stand on our own, we would be hopeless to stand. We would crumble like sand. No, we are to be strong in the Lord. The Lord is our strength. Remember, Paul labored for three chapters to help us understand our salvation. This is what it means to be in the Lord, to be saved from His wrath by Christ our redeemer. In this act, we are brought into peace and unity with God. He is our Rock and Salvation. He is the one in whom we trust.

This is what it means to rely on the strength of the Lord. It is not standing alone, but it is trusting in God and in His salvation. Remember, we as believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead raised our souls from the dead and lives within us. Rely on the power of Christ, not on your own strength in the spiritual war we are engaged in.

Transition:

But what is Paul’s next command? Paul commands us to put on the full armor of God.

Command 2. Put on the Full Armor of God.

Verse 11 tells us this, “11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

We will get more into what the armor of God really is later, but Paul is telling us to armor up. Why? We would not be required to wear armor if there was not a real fight we were engaged in. And this is what Paul says. Put on the armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the Devil.

So that you will be able to stand firm against the Schemes of the Devil.

We are to stand firm in the strength of the Lord, but we are not to do this in blue jeans and a polo shirt. We are to wear the armor of God. This is because without this armor, we would be no match for our enemy. Our enemy is the Devil and Paul warns us that he is a schemer. He is crafty. This reminds us of Peter’s words to the church in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Satan is a crafty enemy. He is prowling around seeking ways to destroy his enemies. And who are his enemies? We are. Without the armor that God has given us, our soft flesh would be vulnerable to his sharp teeth and claws. But our armor is strong and will enable us to stand against this foe.

And Paul now gives us the target of our war. He says we ought to put on the armor of God, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

Verse 12 says, “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

We are not making war against flesh and blood. If we were, physical armor would be enough. But this is not a merely physical war. This is a cosmic war waged in the spiritual places. Yes it clearly has physical ramifications, but we are not waging war against fellow humans. Our war is spiritual in nature.

So, Our struggle is not against flesh and blood...

But against...I. Rulers. II. Powers. III. World forces of this darkness. IV. Spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This is an interesting list. These terms are farm more than we see in English. The terms Paul uses are actually names for different types of spiritual beings. We do not have time to get into all the details, but suffice it to say that these are various orders of fallen angels.

Often we use terms like “demon” or “angel” as just a catch all. But biblically speaking, there are actually various ranks of angelic being. And this is true of angels and demons. So what Paul is saying here is that our war is against all the various classes of demonic beings.

This teaches us that spiritual warfare is real and tangible. The tales of boogie men are not empty children’s tales. We have a real enemy. We have many real spiritual enemies. They hate us. They want to destroy us. We must not view the war we are in as fictional. This is a real war. And for this war, we need the armor of God.

Transition:

And this is exactly what Paul says. He reiterates his second command in verse 13.

Command 2 Reiterated. Take up the full armor of God, and Stand Firm.

Verse 13 says, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Again Paul calls us to put on the armor of God. Only in this will we be able to resist our enemies. But we must also stand firm. It is not enough to merely wear the armor. We must be resolute and firm. We must be brave and strong. The armor is not enough. We must be resolved as soldiers to stand strong. Evil is coming. We must fight. We have the armor, but we must stand strong. We must do everything to stand strong. Only in a stout hearted warrior does armor do it’s full work. So stand firm in Christ, and put on your armor!

Transition:

So now we come to it. The Armor of God.

The Armor of God.

The armor of God is one of the most familiar pictures in Christianity. It is one many Christians know by heart. And if you have spent any time in the church, you have likely heard multiple sermons on it. But still one question we must ask is, what is the armor of God?

What is the Armor of God?

Have you ever wondered this? Often, we can become so familiar with something that we miss what is really being said. We can become so familiar with a picture that you can miss something very obvious and important. So let’s look at the armor of God very carefully in order to catch what is so important about it.

The first thing we notice is that it is allegorical. It is a picture.

Picture of the Armor. (Roman Armor)

Angels do not descend from heaven at the moment someone is saved to give them physical armor. That would be very incredible, but it is not what happens. It is a parable. It is an image of something physical to represent something. So what is it a picture of? Paul is using the pieces of armor of a Roman soldier. This is an image the ancient Ephesians would have instantly recognized. Roman soldiers were everywhere. And Romans soldiers took great pride in their armor. They cleaned it and polished it. It was an incredible sight to see. The Roman armor was so iconic that even to this day, if I were to say, “Picture a Roman soldier,” most of you would have a pretty accurate picture in your mind.

So this is what Paul is using as his illustration. But the illustration of armor in Scripture is not just unique to Paul. It is a common Scriptural picture.

Common Scriptural picture.

In Isaiah 59:17, Isaiah says of God, “He put on righteousness like a breastplate,

And a helmet of salvation on His head;

And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing

And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

Again in Isaiah 11:5, Isaiah says of God, “Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,

And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9, Paul says “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.9 For God has not appointed us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

The author of Hebrews (Paul) says in Hebrews 4:12, “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.”

So we see, that this is a common picture. But the question still remains, what does this picture mean?

Transition:

Paul in this passage, actually clears that up for us. He gives us the clearest explanation of these things. This is a picture of Spiritual realities.

Spiritual Realities.

If we look at each piece of armor, and we will, we see that each one represents a spiritual reality. Righteousness is not something physical. It is metaphysical. You cannot reach out and touch righteousness. You cannot run a blood test and find truth in a person’s veins. But they are real. Righteousness, truth, peace, faith, are all real. They are very real. They fall into a category of metaphysical realities along with things like the laws of logic. These things are not flesh and blood. However, they are not fake. Righteousness is a real thing. Truth is a real thing. They are very real and have real affects.

Transition:

And this is the other thing we notice about these pieces of armor. They represent spiritual realities, but each of these spiritual realities affect the physical world. They all have a physical expression.

Physical Expression.

What do I mean? Each of these spiritual things affect who we are and how we live in the real world. These spiritual truths are not lost in the ether somewhere. Just because we cannot touch them does not mean they do not affect reality. Truth is real and can either be acknowledged or suppressed. It can be confessed to our blessing or rejected to our damnation. These spiritual truths affect the physical. They each have a physical expression.

Transition:

Finally all these things are fully realized in Christ.

All of these are realized fully in Christ.

What do I mean? Each piece of armor teaches us something about Christ and our relationship with Christ. We see the truth of each piece only in Christ.

Transition:

We will look at these four aspects of each piece of the armor of God. The picture Paul uses, the spiritual reality, the physical expression, and how they are realized in Christ. So let’s dive in and look at these holy armaments. Let’s read verses 14-17 again.

Ephesians 6:14-17, “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,17 also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,"

1. The Belt of Truth.

The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. So what was the belt for? What is the picture Paul uses.

Picture of the Armor: Belt.

A belt was a pivotal piece of armor to the Roman soldier. It wrapped around your middle and protected your genitals and legs. It also bound up your cloak. The soldier would pull up his tunic so that he was free to run, and then would bind his protective belt that hung to the knees around everything. It enabled movement and mobility, two vital things in battle.

Transition:

So what is the spiritual reality that is represented by the belt? Truth.

Spiritual Reality: Truth.

Truth is a real thing and we are to metaphorically bind it around our waist. We are to gird our loins with truth. For the spiritual life of the believer, few things are as central as the truth.

Transition:

The belt of truth is expressed in our lives through things like honesty.

Physical Expression: Honesty.

To bind the belt of truth around our waste is to live an honest life. It is to refrain from lies. Every word you say ought to be true. Remember how in Matthew’s gospel, Christ said every idle or empty word will be judged? The Christian ought to stop and think about every word he or she says. Is this true? Do not lie. Lies corrupt and warp you. Do not consent to lies. Do not be somewhere where lies are spoken, accepted, or taught. Live your life in the truth. Speak only the truth. Determine each day, “I will be honest and speak only what is true.”

Transition:

And obviously Christ displays the truth for us most clearly.

Realized in Christ: Certainty in the Truthfulness of God’s Word.

First and foremost, in John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus is the truth. He is THE truth. Outside of Him there is no truth. Because of this, we as Christians can have certainty in the truthfulness of Christ and His Word.

Transition:

The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness.

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness.

So what is the picture Paul uses?

Picture of the Armor: Breastplate.

A breastplate is the physical center of the armor. It guards the heart and vital organs. Without a strong breastplate, you will not last long in a battle.

Transition:

And Paul uses this picture to show the spiritual reality of righteousness.

Spiritual Reality: Righteousness.

Righteousness is obedience to God. To be righteous is to live a life in accord with what God commands. It is to do and be what God desires. It is morality and holiness. This is the spiritual breastplate we wear. Every Christian ought to determine every day to wear this piece of armor.

Transition:

So how is righteousness expressed physically?

Physical Expression: Holy Living.

The physical fruit of the spiritual reality of righteousness is holy living. A righteous person will act righteously. A person wearing the breastplate of righteousness will live righteously. They will hate sin in their lives and love obedience to God. They will love God and love their neighbor. They will not desire to sin but live good lives. Righteous men will love their wives. Righteous women will submit to their husbands. They will obey God. Set out, each day to obey God and you will be putting on the breastplate of righteousness.

Transition:

Again, this is clearly displayed for us in Christ.

Realized in Christ: Christ’s Righteousness Imputed to Us.

Christ is our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own. It must be given to us. We must be taught by Christ to live righteous lives. Our righteousness is as filthy rags to Him. But He gives us His righteousness. At the cross, our sin was placed upon Him as if it were His own, and His righteousness was placed upon us as if it were our own.

Transition:

Third, we have the shoes of the gospel of peace.

3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace.

Picture of the Armor: Shoes.

The picture Paul uses is that of shoes. I seldom think of the importance of shoes. But shoes are vital and important, especially in war. Stepping on a sharp rock could end your fight and cost you your life. Good boots are a must for any challenging environment, especially war. One thinks of the soldiers in WW2 who had terrible boots in the winter. Poor quality boots literally turned the tide of some battles in that war.

Transition:

So what is the spiritual reality presented?

Spiritual Reality: Gospel of Peace.

Our spiritual boots are the gospel. It is what gives us peace with God. And it is to be bound around our feet. We are to always have the gospel everywhere we walk.

One instantly thinks of the words of Isaiah 52:7, “7 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!”” And this should tell us exactly what the physical expression of this is to be.

Physical Expression: Evangelism.

The physical expression of the gospel being bound on our feet is evangelism. We are to be messengers of the good news. We are to bring the good news everywhere we go. A person who understands the gospel will take it everywhere they go.

Realized in Christ: Christ Brings us Peace With God.

It should also be obvious how Christ is the full realization of this. Christ is our peace with God. He is the good news of peace. Through Him we have peace. This should fill us with joy and excitement to share this hope everywhere our feet go.

Transition:

Fourth is the shield of faith.

4. Shield of Faith.

Picture of the Armor: Shield.

The picture Paul uses is that of a shield. This was a Roman shield. It was not a small shield. They stood nearly as large as a man. Roman soldiers would use these shields in their famous tactic of a shield wall. Roman soldiers would link their shields and form a wall nothing could break. As they approached a castle wall or battlement, they would lift their shields over their heads to protect from arrows. These shields were strategic and strong. So also must a Christian’s faith be strategic and strong.

Spiritual Reality: Faith.

Paul is using this picture of a shield to represent faith. Faith is our shield against the attacks of the enemy. Faith is a spiritual reality. It is not merely an emotion, but is a real thing. Faith is a stalwart trust in Christ. When the attacks, the fiery darts of the enemy are raining down on us, faith is what protects us. Faith is weighted trust. This is why a shield is such a good picture of faith. When the attacks are pouring in, we hold up the truth of Christ, and we place the weight of our lives on that. It is our shield.

And this is why the physical expression of this is stalwart faithfulness.

Physical Expression: Stalwart Faithfulness.

Have you ever met someone who is truly faithful? They are the kind who will not abandon you in a fight. They have your back. They believe you and trust you. They lift you up. They strengthen you. This is faithfulness. Faithfulness can be challenged but it stands strong. This is the physical expression of this spiritual reality. Our faith is often challenged, but it must stand strong. I think of those faithful older saints. You know those people who are old, near the end, but they stand firm. They have run the race. They have been proven faithful. Their shields held firm in the midst of attack.

Realized in Christ: Christ Gives us Faith and Is Our Shield.

And this is realized in Christ, when we understand that Christ gives us faith. Earlier in this very letter Paul says faith is a gift from God. And that if any lack faith, they should ask of Him who gives it. Christ gives us faith, and He guards us like a shield.

Transition:

Fifth, is the helmet of salvation.

5. Helmet of Salvation.

Picture of the Armor: Helmet.

The picture Paul gives is that of a helmet. Perhaps the most important piece of armor. The helmet protects the head.

Spiritual Reality: Salvation:

And what is our principle armor, salvation. This is the spiritual reality. Salvation is real. We have been saved by a real savior, from a real hell, to a real heaven, to do real good works. Our principle armor is the salvation from our sins that we have been given. Never ever forget this. Bind it on your mind. Wrap your mind always in the knowledge that you are saved.

Physical Expression: Know Your Salvation.

And this is the physical expression. Know your salvation. Bind it always on your mind. Ponder it, marvel at it, learn about it, study it. Always, day in and day out be in awe at the fact that Christ has saved you.

Realized in Christ: Christ Has Saved Us, He is Our Salvation.

And this is how it is realized in Christ. He has saved us. He is our salvation. He is the one who saved us. Salvation is nothing we earn. It is nothing we do. It is all of Christ. He is our salvation.

Transition:

Sixth and finally is the Sword of the Spirit.

6. Sword of the Spirit.

Picture of the Armor: Sword.

The Picture Paul uses is that of a sword. It is the only offensive weapon. It alone is the tool of offensive combat. Swords are to be sharp and well trained in. A soldier trains for thousands of hours with his weapon until it is an extension of him. He knows every inch of it. He knows every nick in the blade and he sharpens it until it can shave.

Spiritual Reality: The Word of God.

This is the picture Paul uses for the Word of God. Our only offensive weapon is the Word of God. And this is the Spiritual reality. We do not fight with physical weapons. We fight with the word of God. It is our weapon. We make war against evil with the Word of God.

Physical Expression: Sacred Scripture.

And there should be a very obvious physical expression. We have the Word of God bound up for us to read. God has blessed us by giving us His Word. Now the real question is this, do we know the Scriptures like a soldier knows his sword? Are we well trained or are we a novice who will likely cut his own leg off? We must train day in and day out in the Scriptures. We must know them in and out. It is a shame on the current state of the church that our swords are all so neglected. They are in poor condition and we are ill trained in them. This ought not be. We are at war! Know your weapon and know how to use it!

Realized in Christ: Christ is the Word Revealed to Us in Scripture.

And yes, this too is fully realized in Christ. In John 1, John calls Christ the Word. Jesus is the divine Logos. He is the Word become flesh. Therefore, we ought to use the Word that the Word has Given us to be our Sword.

Transition:

These are the spiritual, physical, and Christological truths of our armor. There is so much in these pieces of armor. And there is clearly so much for us to apply.

Application:

Stand Firm in the Strength of the Lord.

First, Stand firm in the strength of the Lord. Do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous. Do not stand in your own strength. Stand in Him.

Recognize that we are at war.

We have a real enemy. Know this. We are at war. But Christ is King, and He has already won the war. Our enemy is in his death throws. The snake has been beheaded, he is merely writhing around.

But most importantly this morning:

Daily Put on the Armor of God.

Do not neglect your uniform. We are at war people. Take pride in the care of your armor. Cultivate this armor. Live as soldiers at war. Armor up.

Live a Life Where your Loins are Bound up in Truth.

Do not live by lies. Live an honest and truthful life. Speak nothing you do not believe to be true. Be nowhere lies are propped up or taught. Love the truth.

Live a Life Where your chest is bound up in righteousness.

C.S. Lewis described the problem of our day as being men without chests. He meant a lot by this statement, but primarily it is that men have become hollow and empty. May the church be filled with men with righteousness bound round their chests.

Live a life where your feet carry the gospel everywhere you go.

Everywhere you go, take the gospel with you. The fruit of the gospel ought to grow in your footprints.

Live a life where you shield yourself and family with faith.

Be faithful. Be strong and stalwart. Be faithful to the God who is ever faithful to you.

Live a life where your heads is filled by your salvation.

Study your salvation. Know it, love it, learn it. Be protected by it.

Live a life where you are well trained in wielding the Scriptures.

Be well trained in the Word. Know it inside and out. Train in it every day. Treat it like your lifeline, because it is.

Closing:

We are at war. I pray that we would not be unprepared. Be ready for the fight by taking up your armor. Let’s pray.

Prayer: