Our Armor

Good morning

I used to take bullfighting lessons, but I had to cancel them.

They were charging too much.

I want to thank Steve and Karol for cooking breakfast this morning. There is a sign up sheet in the entry way if you would like to sign up to provide breakfast one month.

Today we are going to be in Ephesians 6:13-17.

Last we Paul showed us who are enemy was, who we fight against. It is not flesh and blood, it is not the people who mock us, attack us. It is Lucifer, Satan. He is who we fight. We fight a spiritual battle, and we can not fight this battle with earthly tools. We have to us spiritual tools to fight this spiritual enemy. The devil is the father of lies, he is an accuser and a deceiver. He is good at his lies and accusations. Even though he is defeated, he will not stop fighting. He will battle until the very last second, that moment when Christ returns. He wants to keep us as far from God as he can get us. His goal is that all believers are disobedient and do not walk in the light.

Wednesday we started a new study on Acts 2 about the new church. We learned that there are 4 pillars to a healthy church.

Teaching - All teaching must be based in Scripture

Fellowship - Biblical fellowship is a shared life, deep partnership, and joint participation in Christ. It comes from the Greek word koinonia. It goes far beyond casual socializing or drinking coffee after a service. It is an active, spiritual connection rooted in a shared faith.

Forgiveness - We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven, we are also called to confess our sins to each other so we can practice forgiveness

Prayer - This should be a lifestyle of a true believer. We should do nothing with praying first. When we think we have prayed enough, we need to pray some more.

It is not hard to look at the church in America and see that we are not doing these things. The devil is winning the battle to keep us from being healthy.

In America, we spend 2 hours on Sunday at church and some will spend another 2 hours on Wednesday night. We give God these 4 hours and we think He is lucky to have me on His team. When in reality, if we were being obedient, we would look more like the church in Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42–47 NASB 2020

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all the believers were together and had all things in common; 45 and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

People give 2-4 hours a week to the church and God thinking they are doing well, when the early church was meeting everyday and discussing scripture, fellowshipping, praying together.

The enemy has been allowed into the church and allowed to define what our churches look like. We are to busy to devote time to get together every day. We have to find a way to get back to the church that was pleasing to God, the church that had not forgotten its first love!

We have to fight the spiritual fight that is before us.

Today we are going to see the spiritual tools we have to fight this battle. As Paul was writing this letter, he was chained to a Roman soldier. These examples were staring him in the face day after day. But this is not the only reference that he is drawing from. Paul being a Sadducee of Sadducees, he would have know the Old Testament almost by memory. He surely was thinking also of Isaiah 59:17

Isaiah 59:17 NASB 2020

17 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 cloak.

God is a warrior. He is the one who won the war against evil. We use His armor to defend our ground in the battles we face every day.

Please stand as we prepare to read God’s Word

Ephesians 6:13–17 NASB 2020

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray

Paul uses that word again, therefore. So we have to find out why it is there for. He had just told us that we are fighting a Spiritual battle against the devil, therefore he is telling us to take up the full armor of God. When we do that, we are then able to resist the enemy on the evil day! We don’t go on the offensive against the devil. We are told to stand firm, hold the ground that you are standing on. We don’t need to advance, the war is won. We just have to not run in fear, not retreat. The Bible tells us what happens when we resist the devil. James 4:7

James 4:7 NASB 2020

7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

When we submit to God and take up the full armor of God, we are able to resist the devil and he will flee!

Paul mentions having done everything. Putting on the armor takes action. When we have done those things, we are able to stand firm!

We have to remember that the armor is God’s armor. It is nothing of our own! It is all Him!

Paul list 6 items that make up the armor of God.

The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The sandals of the Gospel of Peace

The Shield of Faith

The Helmet of Salvation

The Sword of the Spirit

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Belt of Truth (6:14a)

Belt of Truth (6:14a)

Truth is important in Ephesians. It is revealed in the gospel (1:13; 4:15), and believers must be truth-speaking people (4:24–25; 5:9). As we buckle on this piece of the Messiah’s armor, we live in His truth and speak His truth, displaying the characteristics of our victorious King. Do not give the Devil a foothold by neglecting to be a person of truth in your language, behavior, and attitude.

Paul summarizes the source of truth in 4:21: “The truth is in Jesus.”

John 14:6 NASB 2020

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Belt of Truth (6:14a)

Coming to Jesus, believing in Jesus, resting in Jesus is coming to the truth. Put the truth of Christ on every day. Preach the truth of the gospel to yourself, and live in that truth throughout the day.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Breastplate of Righteousness (6:14b)

Breastplate of Righteousness (6:14b)

For the Roman soldier the breastplate covered the chest to protect it against assaults and arrows. Paul draws this language from

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Gospel Shoes (6:15)

Gospel Shoes (6:15)

Paul says, “As shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (6:15 ESV). Soldiers must have the right kind of footwear. Shoes are important. Go to a shoe store today, and you might find Crocs, boots, biking shoes, hiking shoes, tennis shoes, basketball shoes, running shoes, baseball cleats, football cleats, sandals, flip-flops, and Manolo Blahniks. The message conveyed is, “Shoes are really important, and you need different types for different activities.”

Paul actually does not refer to shoes specifically (though it is implied). His words are translated in different ways:

And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (NIV)

And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (NASB)

And your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

Without diving into all the interpretive issues, Paul is basically saying believers should always be ready to share the gospel. Be ready to herald the good news of Christ (cf.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Shield of Faith (6:16)

Shield of Faith (6:16)

The word Paul uses for “shield” is not the small one, the size of a Frisbee, that left the body exposed, but the big one, the size of a door, that covered the whole body. Biblical writers often refer to God as a shield (

Psalm 18:30 NASB 2020

30 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Shield of Faith (6:16)

We have a shield to protect us from the darts of the enemy when we put on Christ, believing the promises of God. As we believe what He says about us, what He says is ours.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Helmet of Salvation (6:17a)

Helmet of Salvation (6:17a)

Roman helmets were made of tough iron or bronze with cheek guards and with an inside lining of sponge that made the weight bearable (O’Brien, Ephesians, 480–81). Some of us do not have the neck muscles to hold them up. Nothing short of an ax could penetrate these helmets.

Here again the language from

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Sword of the Spirit (6:17b)

Sword of the Spirit (6:17b)

The final piece of equipment is an offensive weapon. The believer must take up the sword and engage the enemy. The term refers to a short sword or dagger used in personal combat. It is the sword “of the Spirit,” meaning the Spirit makes the sword powerful and effective. Paul identifies it with “God’s word,” a term Paul often uses for the gospel. However, Paul normally uses logos, but here he uses rhema, which usually refers to the spoken word. If that is the case here, then he is referring to speaking the gospel, which is powerful and effective by the Spirit of God (O’Brien, Ephesians, 482).

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians Sword of the Spirit (6:17b)

I always enjoy visiting places that have old weapons, especially swords. Sometimes you can see the really big swords in the museums. Some of them weigh more than I do. What many think, as they hold or look on these massive swords, is that they are interesting but practically useless for modern warfare. No one would recommend them to be issued to troops today. How similar this is to their opinion of the Bible. Many people admire the Bible and may put the Bible on display in their homes somewhere (normally a huge Bible), but some of these same people never use the Bible. Why? They deem it like an ancient sword, useless for modern warfare.

This should not surprise us. In the garden the evil one raised doubt and suspicion about God’s word. But do not be deceived. You can trust God’s Word. You need God’s Word. Do not go into battle without a sword. Read it. Meditate on it. Pray it. Proclaim it.

What about the soldier’s back? Paul mentions no equipment for the backside. I find it interesting that in Pilgrim’s Progress Bunyan says because Christian had no armor for his back, the best option was to stand his ground. Let us hold our ground against the evil one, with our armor on, as we advance the gospel into the world.

I want to encourage you to every morning pray this list of armor before you get out of bed. Pray that you put on the truth of Jesus Christ. Pray that you walk in the righteousness of Christ in the newness that you were created in on the day of your salvation. Pray that you have the courage to tell someone about the Gospel of Good News this day. Pray that you remember that God is your shield when the devil attacks. Pray that today you remember that your hope is in Christ and the salvation that He provides. Finally pray that you will use God Word to fend off the enemy.

I want to challenge everyone here to do this for a month and then lets have a day of praise for what God is doing.

Let’s pray