Ephesians- Arming for Battle

Ephesians 6:10-24

Intro: What is something this week that felt like a battle for you?

Some of these things you shared may not look like a battle on the outside. As we will see in our passage the battle we are fighting isn’t against flesh and blood but its against the things we stress about or the problems we are working through or its school or friends or even our Spiritual walk with Christ.

With all of these internal battles that get thrown at us we are to be strong in the Lord and we are to be prepared to stand against the Devil’s schemes and be prepared for them. How we can be prepared is by putting on the armor of God.

As we strive to walk worthy of God’s grace in our lives we face many challenges and none is stronger than the battle we wage against Satan and his evil forces. But we do not have to fight the battle without help. Paul here at the end of Ephesians explains how we can be prepared for battle against Satan.

1. Depend on God’s power (vs. 10)

Read: verse 10 Ask: Why must we depend on the Lord for spiritual strength? He can provide the power to necessary to live a holy life. It is impossible to live for Christ on our own human strength.

Paul wanted his readers to depend on God’s power and not their own. Satan is always trying to tempt us trying to steer us in the wrong direction and if we rely on God we can withstand these attacks. Peter also wrote about Satan’s attacks and wrote how we are to be alert and aware because Satan roams like a lion hunting for his prey.

Ask: When might we tend to let down our guard and forget that our battle against evil is daily?

We need to depend on the Lord for strength we are to be strong in Him. With that we are to be prepared for these attacks and how we can be prepared is by putting on the armor of God.

2. Put on God’s Armor (vs. 11-17)

A. Reasons for the armor (vs. 11-13)

Ask: Why must we put on the whole armor of God?

Any soldier that goes to war is prepared and dressed for the occasion with weapons in hand. In the NT it does not picture the Christian solider in a peaceful nonthreatening surroundings. Instead we see it portrays the believer at war with Satan. Today we are at war with Satan and Satan tries and tries many different ways to tempt us and try to turn us away from God. As Christians we are to be like soldiers who are armed and ready for battle and ready for what lies ahead. We are to be alert at all times.

The word against in verse 12 suggests face to face. It is a personal conflict for every believer. We don’t fight against flesh and blood as the verse says. We don’t fight against Satan in the flesh but in a spiritual sense. We are fighting a spiritual battle and Satan is try to tempt us in many ways to derail us on the path that God has us on.

Since this battle is against supernatural forces we can’t rely on human resources for this sort of battle. We must be trusting in the Lord asking for His strength and putting on His armor that He provides for us. If we stand prepared against these attacks then we can withstand the devils schemes.

B. Pieces of the Armor (vs. 14-17)

1. Belt of truth (vs. 14)

First we have the belt of truth. Back in the time of Paul if a solider were wearing a long garment, he girded his waist, which means he gathered the garment up from between his knees and tucked it in his belt. The tucked in garment allowed the solider to move without getting tripped. Furthermore the belt kept a soldiers breastplate in place and provided a place to attach his sword.

The belt for God’s armor stands for truth. Believers must practice integrity. A believer who who obeys God outwardly but hides his sin in the heart won’t be effective in spiritual battles if you are living in sin. Satan likes to attack when we don’t have the belt of truth on. God’s truth from His Word encourages us and gives us clarity and confidence in battle

Ask: What are some truths must we remember when we are in battle? God is powerful. God is in control. God is true, faithful, loving. God’s power within us is more powerful than Satan.

2. Breastplate of righteousness (vs. 14)

What does a breastplate do for a solider? It protects his body specifically his heart and other vital organs.

For the armor of God the breastplate reminds us of our righteousness. Satan wants us to think we must prove we are good enough to earn God’s acceptance and that God hates and rejects us when we sin. He accuses us of being miserable failures and unworthy for God’s love.

Ask: What happens when a believer gives up and lays down their breastplate? They will continue in sin, become a bad testimony, miss the joy and peace, that comes from fellowship with God.

The truth is that God loved us when we were still sinners and freely gave us Christ’s righteousness when we trusted in Christ for Salvation. It’s based on Christ righteousness not our own. With Christ righteousness we can obey God and reject Satan’s lies.

3. Shoes of peace (vs. 15)

Read: vs. 15

Roman soldiers fought on all kinds of terrain. So they wore leather sandals with metal studs on the soles so they could keep their footing.

The shoes of peace help us stand our ground spiritually. We have peace with God through Christ death on the cross and we have the gospel of peace to take to the world.

4. Shield of faith ( vs. 16)

Read: vs. 16

In the days of the Romans enemy soldiers would be prepared with their shields as hollow arrows filled with flammable liquid and burning wick. Soldiers would use their leather-covered wooden shields to protect them form dangerous fiery arrows. They also used their shields in tandem to form a strong defense against their enemies.