Sermon Tone Analysis

Text

Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Introduction

We will again turn our attention to a final plea given by the apostle Paul as he closes his letter to the Christians at Ephesus.

Hi whole tone and sentiment seems as though he is leading to a climax of this battle scene.

Illustration: It seems like every great movie or story line involves some sort of battle scene.

In theater it makes for dramatic entertainment and interesting plot lines, in like it is serious business.

In the movies the hero almost always wins the battle, in the Christian life it seems that many do not experience the same level of victory.

Transition

This seemingly widespread defeat does not need to be the norm.

We will not win every encounter with the enemy, at times our flesh will fail us and we will not lean on the power of the Spirit of God and for these moments we have the promise that God offers us forgiveness and mercy.

To live in a constant state of defeat and lack of victory is not what God intended for us.

He has equipped each of us with the armor necessary to win in battle and Paul refers to this victor as STANDING.

So stand we must!

The first piece of armour Paul points to is....

I.

The Armour of Truth

Protection for what we sow....we must sow the truth of Gods Word

What is Truth? - it seems so illusive and is in many respects presented as relative to each individual

We must be saturated with TRUTH!

Satan's primary weapon against us is deception

Christians today are very ignorant when it comes to matters of truth and Bible doctrine

Not for a lack of resources

Maybe a lack of desire?

The armour of Truth but also the armor of....

II.

The Armour of Righteousness

Protection for what we show…the world needs to see the righteousness of Christ and we must reflect it!

vs 14 “....and having on the breastplate of righteousness”

What is Righteousness?

Paul is referring to the righteousness of God - God always does what is right!

The armour of Truth and the armour of righteousness and adding to this....

III.

The Armour of Gospel-Shoes

Protection for where we go…we are of course commanded to take the gospel to every creature

The command is still to GO!!!!

Truth…Righteousness…The Gospel in action....and now....

IV.

The Armour of Faith

Protection for what we do...

“Above all taking the shield of faith,....quench the fiery darts”

Paul knew well the tactics of Roman Armies - large shields that would cover the whole body - could lock together to form a protective barrier

Satan is constantly throwing darts at us - he knows how to do it - he has been at it for thousands of years

lust of the eyes - pride of life - physiological warfare in our minds - lust of the flesh

There is no defense other than the shield of faith!

In other words living a life of faith - living the faith!

What is faith?

Faith is simply trusting God!

Consider what Satan did in the Garden....

A. He questioned the Goodness of God

“yea, hath God said”

What was he saying?

- Why would God be so unkind to you and limit you?

B. He questioned the Government of God

“ye shall not surely die”

Disobeying God is not really that big of a deal - its not like your actually going to die!

C.

He questioned the Goals of God

What a terrible slander against God - Here Satan wants us to believe that God’s boundaries are in some way a restriction because if we really knew better we would understand that God does not want us to become gods ourselves.

this is exactly what Satan wants to do!

Truth…Righteousness…The Gospel in action....Faith in God..next Paul draws our attention to ....

V.

The Armour of Salvation

Protection for what we know - the salvation of our souls must be ever present in the portals of our minds!

“the helmet of salvation”

Why would a soldier wear a helmet?

- because a blow to the head could easily be fatal!

The mind is very powerful and is what sets us apart from the animal kingdom

Satan is always after the mind

Sin has ruined mankind and his ability to reason spiritual matters is completely absent without the gospel and salvation

To the unsaved mind:

Satan’s lies seem plausible and logical

The theory of evolution makes more sense than the creation account in the Bible

A creed demanding works seems more logical than the cross

Humanism is more attractive than holiness

Psychology seems more reasonable than salvation

God’s Protection of our mind involves the helmet of Salvation

Well I am saved - so that's it

No… Its about learning and exploring and meditating on the inexhaustible wonder of redemption

As we put on the helmet of salvation we learn to appreciate its value!!

Every day we should ask ourselves - do I have on my helmet - the protection of Salvation?

The Truth of the Word

The Righteousness of God covering our hearts

The Gospel as our mission

Faith as our shield

Salvation constantly on our minds - may we never forget what God has done for us and how he saved us

Now Paul transitions from defence to offence.....We have the weapon of the Word and the weapon of Prayer

VI.

The Weapon of the Word of God

Provision for success in battle - can you imagine going into battle without an offensive weapon?

“the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

David had a sling

Joshua and the Israelites had trumpets as they marched around Jericho

Our weapon is the Word of God

Illustration: Swords are Essential weapons for Battle - Losing a Rifle during a field problem

Can you imagine a 1st century soldier going into battle without a weapon?

When I was in the Army one thing they taught us was to never go anywhere without your weapon.

In our case that was an M16 Assault rifle.

I remember going to the field once and spending 7-10 days out there and being very ready to go home and take a hot shower.

Some soldier in some other unit miles away from where we were lost his rifle.