Dress for Success - The Whole Armor of God

Lonnie Brooks

Whole armor of God part 2 • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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Introduction

Last week I began sharing a message with you that I entitled Dressing for Success.

And it wasn’t about dress codes and the like, it was about following the Apostle Paul’s teaching in , concerning the need to wear the whole armor of God each day.

Now I want to take a few minutes to go back and consider a few thoughts we talked about last week as we move into the final portion of this message today.

Remember where this message is taking place, it is the city of Ephesus. Ephesus is a port city that lay on many trade routes. as such, it was a diverse city, many different people groups, nations if you will were represented there as commerce moved into and through the city.

Also, with these other people groups came various lines of thought from political views to religious views. Because of this, Paul was aware of the influence the varying thoughts these different religions would have on the people of this city.

Paul knew with all of these opposing views, the devil would be at work. Pulling and separating families, friends and yes even established groups like those believers in the city.

Now remember where Paul is, he cannot be there with them, he would love to be there, he would love to be there teaching and helping them during this time. But Paul is under house arrest in Rome. He is awaiting His time to plead his case.....

So he writes to them, reminding them, encouraging them to be on the alert

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Now remember what we talked about last week, the battle they faced, the war that was raging around them was a spiritual battle, one that is unseen with the naked eye.

Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Oh but God would open their eyes them and yes even us now we would see the war that rages around us all the time.

Remember Paul is warning them to be careful because of the devil’s schemes. The word scheme… the Greek word there is Methodia, literally speaking to the methods of the Devil, but the word has a dual meaning tied to it, literally the deceptive methods of the devil.

The devil hated those believers and he hated what they were doing, how they were living and the impact they stood to have as they lived for God. So the Devil schemed against them.

Please note the devil has a logical, systematic plan in place to harass, hinder and hurt the children of God if He is able....

And not only did we need to recognize the battle going on around us as a spiritual one, we also must know the only one can run to is the Lord.

Paul’s word is very direct… stand with the Lord, and let Him fight this battle....

Ephesians 6:10 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Now remember what I told you last week… “...Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.....”

What does Paul tell us....

“...Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.....”

What does it mean, We are weak..... in our natural selves, oh we might be able to do this or that, to hang in there in difficult times.... but that type of strength is only superficial. It certainly is not adequate for the real battle, the real tests of the faith.

Consider this.....

We are weak..... in our natural selves, oh we might be able to do this or that, to hang in there in difficult times.... but that type of strength is only superficial. It certainly is not adequate for the real battle, the real tests of the faith.

Simply said… we are not able in our own strength.

What’s the answer?

We are to walk with the Lord and rely on His strength. So how do we walk with the Lord?

Faith....

Faith is the key… By faith we walk with Him and he strengthens us. it is the same strength Paul refers to in

Our strength lies in God, no one else and if we can stand with Him, no one can stand before us. Remember and God used him to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. As they stood with God, He fought the battles and the cities fell, the enemies were defeated and they had victory.

God deserves to give victory in every area of your life, no doubt about it. Stand with Him and watch the hand of the Lord fight for you.

BUT....

We are still required to get dressed.... The dressing in the whole armor of God is a metaphor it means to possess what God has given us to help us stand during the day of trouble.

So what has God given us....

1. The Belt of Truth...

We are to stand with God, having made our stand and the first article of clothing is the Belt of Truth. Verse 14

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The belt was an important feature in the life of a soldier, and honestly it wouldn’t hurt today if a few more boys wore some belts ....lol

But consider the belt, it supported the soldiers back and waits to some degree and it kept their garments compressed a little more tightly so that when they needed to move quickly their garments were not hindering them by moving very freely.

Now consider this phrase though… Paul says have a belt, but he is particular in the type of belt. truth.

The word truth in the Greek has a couple thoughts tied to it…

The first is embracing, holding on to what is true. A soldier in the Lord’s army must know what is true if they are going to stand against the schemes of the Devil. If we fail to know what is true we stand in danger of being deceived.

Ephesians 4:4 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

Let me share with you what Paul says in

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

People are deceived because they do not know the truth. There are many doctrines out there, but there is only one truth.... His name is Jesus. Know Him and you know truth. But when we fail to know the truth, well; when this happens the devil has people right where he wants them.... they are easily deceived.

But we are not done, truth also speaks to having an attitude of truthfulness. What does that mean?

Your walk, your talk, yes actions and attitudes should reflect the “truth” that is in you. People cannot see you one way on Sunday and another way Mon thru Sat… that is hypocrisy… mean it is not true, its fake. That my friends cannot be the reflection of our lives.

Let the truth of Jesus Christ be seen in all you do and say.. that defeats the Devil and his lies...

So gird, put on the belt of truth. That is the first portion of standing with the Lord.

Now look at what else verse 14 says...

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The breastplate today we might picture as modern day body armor. Back in the days of Jesus, the 1st century the soldiers wore these metal cover if you will that went from their neck to waist. Sometimes it was front and back, others it was front only.

It was there to protect the vital organs, the heart, the lungs the liver and the bowels, there were the vital organs that must be protected at all costs...

Why?

Consider the heart of man,

It was the heart that contained the mind and will of man, and stomach and bowels were where the seat of our emotions lay.

And friends know today that it is the mind and the emotions that Satan loves to target into todays world, and it does it really well.

Satan tries to cloud our minds, wrong thinking, false doctrines, confusion. He tries to temp us in this sinful environment he has constructed in this world, and he hopes to use our emotions, our desires and all these other components of life against us.

He seeks to lead us astray....

And don’t be mistaken my friends if He can reach our mind or the emotions, He hurts us.

So to protect us, to keep us safe to bless us, the Lord says for us to not only put the belt of truth on, but to place the breastplate of righteousness upon our lives.

But not just the front, righteousness is to be taken and wrapped around our whole body.

But what is this righteousness? Is it our righteousness? No…. our righteousness is filthy, it is like dirty rags… it is no good and not able to do anything for us.

And it cannot be God’s imputed righteousness, that which was given to us at salvation. This work is based solely on God’s love for us, in love He took our sin, He took our punishment and because we confessed our sin, His righteousness was imputed to us, given to us so that we might be acceptable in His sight… so no it is not this one.

So what is it….

The breastplate of righteousness is a practical righteousness.

It is living and holding our lives close to the truth that we must walk daily in obedience of the Word of God. This state of living in a way before the Lord that is holy and pleasing in His sight.

Do not confuse this with works, we are living this way because we are saved.... Not to be saved… there is a difference.

So we do our best to live for Jesus

But mind you, remember what we said, the breastplate covers the heart ( will and mind of man) and the stomach and bowels of a person, the seat of their emotions… So it protects them..

Only if we are living correctly can the breastplate do its job, If we get out of synch with God, if we get out of step with the Lord… we open ourselves up to all the attacks of the devil and we might as well not even say we have it…

Remember , David’s palm of restoration after his Sin with Bathsheba… He let his mind be stolen away, his heart to be enticed, his emotions were vulnerable and left for something that was not his to have…. And after its all said and done…

What He say… restore to me the joy of my salvation…. Let me know you, and walk with you correctly that I might be what you desire for you and your plans.

Daily inspect your heart, mind and emotions and get everything right and squared away before the Lord…then put on the breastplate of righteousness that you might be able to stand before the Lord.

Where is your heart today, where is your mind today? Is it lost in the things of the world or is our mind and heart set on those things that are above?

And then we come to the shoes

3. Shoes of the Gospel....

Shoes are important, they are necessary.... except in our homes. but lets see that Paul says

Ephesians 6:15 ESV

15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

Soldiers early on learned they needed something for their feet, even it is were only heavy sandals, they could do better when their feet were given consideration.

And look at us now... today we have all kinds of shoes… dress shoes, work shoes, athletic shoes, etc…. and the Christian has shoes as well.

And today we have all kinds of shoes… dress shoes, work shoes, athletic shoes, etc…. and the Christian has shoes as well.

And here Paul says, get your shoes on… you’ll need them.

But these are not ordinary shoes, no these are the Shoes of the Gospel of peace…

What are they?

Well lets look back at the text for a minute….

15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

In this passage there are two thoughts to pay attention too.

The first is readiness and the second is feet shod or show or shoes of the gospel of peace placed upon your feet/

The word readiness or preparation is just that, the call to be ready. In Paul exhorts the Christian …Us … to be ready for every good deed. We are called to go, to serve to extend ourselves for the sake of the gospel call.

And if we are to be ready, then the shoes or boots we put on must serve us well.

And secondly, the phrase feet shod or made ready with the gospel of peace. The gospel gives peace, in contrast to a raging world, the gospel gives peace to all who hear.

And secondly, the phrase feet shod or made ready with the gospel of peace.

Luke 1:79 ESV

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

You are to be ready, to go to give to share the joy, the peace and the victory that is inside of you with the world that is around us

And then we come to verse 16

4. The Shield of Faith....

Listen to what Paul says here....

Ephesians 6:16 ESV

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

Eph 6:16

And as we have seen in verse 14, we are called to stand not travel or go anything were as we fight this spiritual battle.

Paul says we cannot go into battle without the shield of Faith....

Why? Because he faithfully conveyed the truth hat we cannot go or live without the shield of faith.

But what does he mean? The Greek word here for shield is Thureos, it is a large shield. It is about 2.5 feet wide and about 4.5 wide., and it was wooden of course, but had metal attached to the outer side to make it even stronger.

It was a shield that a soldier could get behind, he could hid himself from the arrows of the enemies archers that they tried to hurt the men.

The arrows, the attacks of the enemy, they would just bounce off, the shield did its job and protected the men.

Now here is an interesting thought… Paul says our shield is not wood or metal, instead it is a shield of faith

It was about 2.5 feet wide and about 4.5 feet tall; it was made of wood and then overlain in metal. And a soldier could stay completely protected behind it in the battle if need be… often as the soldiers marched into battle they would line 10 or 12 wide in a road and place their shields side by side so that nothing could be shot and thrown through to hurt anyone behind them.

Faith here refers to not to a body of beliefs, but is genuinely the basic trust we have in God, and more particularly in Christ as our Savior.

It is continued trust we have in Him as the one who strengthens us, blesses us and keeps us and yes has saved us through His death on the cross.

It is that faith that Oliver Wendell Homes said “It is the faith in something that makes life worth living.’

We exist and have our being in Him; because of that we trust Christ, we have placed our faith in Him.

the best example is a story i shared with you in the past of John Patton, a Scottish pastor.

John Paton went to the South Sea Islands as a missionary. And while there trying to translate the Bible into their language he discovered that they had not word in their language for faith or trust.

One day a native man came running to see Dr. Paton and while there he was tired and just flopped down in a chair to rest. He said “It’s good to rest my whole weight on this chair.” That’s it said Paton, I will translate faith as “resting one’s whole weight on God.”

So every day we rest the weight of our lives both physical and spiritual upon the one who died for me, The Lord Jesus Christ.

And with this shield (faith) we are to protect ourselves…. Look again at verse 16

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.

Now lets go again back to Roman culture, they would often wrap the tips of arrows in a tar/ pitch cloth that would be lit and fired against the Romans soldiers, when hitting conventional shield it would splatter on contact, perhaps catching the shield on fire, the splatter of burning tar and pitch would burn the feet of soldiers and even set their garment in fire.

The solution was for them to take up the lager shields, these being overlaid in metal would deflect the arrows and protect all that lay behind the shields.

But still caution had to be used, for even the slightest gap, one miss-placed shield could allow the enemy to hurt them.

Satan loves firing flaming arrows at us…

Satan will do anything.... in hopes of shaking your faith or trust in God. Literally to cause you to distrust God like Adam and eve did in the garden of eden

Satan He wants you to doubt God’s love, His plan for your life, His care and watchcare over you and so much more… Satan wants you to distrust God

He wants you to doubt His love, He wants you to doubt His care, He wants you to doubt His help, He wants you to doubt His presence in your life, Satan wants you to doubt….

Satan will always seek to attack, if the battle seems quite… he is just reloading, he will come again with some problem, hurt, distraction, something to pull you down.

Jesus was hungry, but he didn’t need to satisfy his hunger by making bread, by relying on himself or anything other than the one true God. He could and would depend on His Heavenly Father, the Almighty….

What did Jesus say to Satan…. It is written “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Jesus didn’t have to trust in himself, He only needed to trust God.

Keep your faith up and ready for His glory and your good.

The same is true for us

Understand my friends the purpose of these arrows, these weapons of Satan warfare is meant to cause you to distrust God, for forsake your faith in Him. To drive a wedge between the Savior and the saved.

says “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”

Do not doubt, but trust…

So what do we do, how do we manage this problem, how can you have victory??

Take up the shield of faith, act in faith to the Lord and His ways as opposed to your ways.

You know the Bible says that there is a way that seems right to man, but the end therein is death..

says "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

says “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”

Take the shield of faith and take refuge behind it, For He is broad and wide and able to shield you.

Take up the Shield…

Now what else are we to have.... oh yes, the helmet of Salvation.

5. The Helmet of Salvation...

.The 5th element of our warfare is the helmet of Salvation….

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

The helmet is important….

A Roman soldier would not go into battle without a helmet. These were either made of leather with metal plates attached to it, or it was a solid piece of metal beaten out and formed into a helmet to fit a person, wearing it.

And the helmet had just one purpose, to protect the head of the soldier.

And we know the purpose of the helmet, to keep the head safe. To help keep a mortal wound from being inflicted upon a soldier.

But what of us....

3-4 feet in length that were swung down toward the heads of the foot soldiers. So the helmets offered a lot of protection in the heat of the battle.

Paul tells us to put on the helmet of our salvation….

My friends I think that this is one of the most important pieces of our armor, for it relates directly to our security and assurance in Christ Jesus.

In Jesus there is nothing more important than knowing who you are in Christ and whose you are in Christ.

So here is a thought for you, just as the heart of man is a target of Satan, so is the head of man. Why?

Discouragement and Doubt are good reasons my friends.

A. Discouragement...

Have you ever been discouraged? Do you ever feel like satan got a hold of that and exploited that in your life?

I think it happens far to often, and more than we want to admit.

Do you remember Elijah? In , he has just called down fire from heaven. The prophets had Baal had been made a fool of, and Elijah had proclaimed that there was only one God in Israel.

How quickly can we feel safe, like all things are wonderful and then have one bad event, one bad day and soon we are running for the hills in discouragement.

Consider the prophet Elijah, he has just called down fire from heaven in , The prophets had Baal had been made a fool of, and Elijah had proclaimed that there was only one God in Israel.

Needless to say, the 450 prophets of Baal were all put to death.. And what happened, Jezebel, threatened his life and he ran, He even asked God while resting under a tree to take His life, He was left all alone, that he couldn’t win the battle. He couldn’t do anything…

Do you see how fast discouragement works…. From the mountain top to the lowest valley very quickly..

But after traveling 40 days and nights the Lord reminded him in that the Lord had 7000 men, who had not worshiped Baal…

Put on the helmet of Salvation and remember who owns the mountain top and the lowest valley my friends.

B. And what about doubt

I think this is worse than discouragement, doubt leaves us paralyzed, hurting and afraid… For if Satan could make a believer consider that they could or have lost their salvation, He has won the battle….

There is nothing more important than realzing who you are in Christ and because of salvation, I am His child. He owns me, protects me, loves me, watching over me and has promised me a blesseded hope.

The hope we have in Christ points toward tomorrow and gives us peace for today.. to take that away is devastating to say the least.

This is what Jesus emphasized peace so much at He got closer and closer to the cross..

The gospel of John is a good place to see this truth…

1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Don’t let doubt ruin your life, remember who and whose you are in Christ Jesus

Put on the helmet of Salvation, realize who you are in Christ, you are a saved and sealed child of the King.... now act like it!

Put your helmet on.... and remember .... Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world….

Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world….

and thent he

And then the last piece of Armor

6. The Sword of the Spirit....

This weapon of our faith is found in the last half of verse 17

Ephesians 6:17 ESV

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

This last weapon of our warfare is a defensive weapon, while the rest are meant to protect us, help us advance forward and the like.

F. We Need the Sword of the Spirit… which is the Word of God.

This last weapon of our warfare is a defensive weapon, while the rest are meant to protect us, help us advance forward and the like.

This weapon is meant to fight, to be used to not only defend, but my friends attack as well.

The word sword here is the Greek word Machaira ( ma cha eera ) and it was a small sword, that was about 18 inches long, it was the weapon of choice for close quarter combat.

The word sword here is the Greek word Machaira ( ma cha eera ) and it was a small sword, that was about 18 inches long commonly, it was the weapon of choice for close quarter combat.

It could be used in a multitude of ways as the soldier defended his position and sought to advance through the enemy lines and win the battle.

Now lets unpack a little bit of truth here for us to see a little bit more of what Jesus is saying here.

First off it is the sword of the Spirit, referring to the Holy Spirit, the spirit that Jesus said would lead us into all truth.

What is truth, it is not some independent thought of the world held by men, no truth refers to whom the Sprit teaches, and the Spirit teaches us about God.

And the phrase Word of God is important as well, the Word here is not logos as in , but is Rhema, the words of God, the word that is active and alive for it is the written revelation of God to us..

So the Word is important, the Sword of the Spirit, seeks to take the truth of God’s word to defeat the lies and half-truths of Satan and instead bring us to or into what is truth, right and gives life.

It gives life in that it defeats darkness… only the Spirit and bring light to a dark soul as it calls them with the Word of God. says Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Think about the day your life was changed…The word of God liberated you under the power of the Holy Spirit

And the more some friends took me to church the more I heard the Word… and you know what. They were not there witnessing to me, trying to tell me this or that… I wasn’t open it that… but they just kept taking me, and I went because I saw something real in their life.

And the more the word of God impacted you the more it ( with the Holy Spirit’s help) pushed back the darkness and revealed the light....

The Sword liberates and frees, blesses and helps, because at the heart of it all is the author of its pages, the Almighty.

Do you know the Word of God? If you don’t how do you except to defend yourself properly, who do you plan to help yourself..

Know the Word of God…. It is a weapon for our warfare..

The only thing left for us to do is to be on the alert...

Remember the devil is always out, looking waiting trying to get to us....

So out job is to be on the alert and pray!

Eph 6;18 says

Ephesians 6:18 ESV

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Let me ask you a simple question… do you pray enough.

Thats a given, we never pray enough. There is always room for us to pray more....

Some of you remember Jody Payne, her brother was a plotter for Special ops in Afghanistan.

John MacArthur says that “Prayer is the spiritual air that the soldier of Christ breathes…”

He is the one who plans their journey, selects their weapons and is their eyes and hears while the whole time as they hit the ground, do the mission and come home.

I told you last we our a friend of ours who is a plotter for the special ops in Afghanistan. He is the one who plans their journey, selects their weapons and is their eyes and hears while the whole time as they hit the ground, do the mission and come home.

What makes it all essential is the truth that they must stay incontact with Him, he is their lifeline back to safety.

In Christ, prayer is our lifeline.

Soldiers do not go into battle without ways to communicate, and most certainly we shouldn’t either when we have prayer at our disposal.

we must be a praying people all the time, for each other and on the alert taking everything to the throne of God

Be on the alert, always praying...

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

This is how we have success, that is where all this message started last week. I desire for us, each of us to have success.

Suit up, its a battle field out there, why would you walk around unprepared?

we cannot afford too.

lets pray

But the truth remains we are called to watch and pray, always ready like a watch man on the wall as we wait for the Lord’s return.

So we are to have feet that are ready, and in their readiness we are taking up the gospel of peace.

And now this brings me to those last few items that I didn’t get covered last week.

So lets begin with the next weapon of our warefare….

Ephesians 6:15 ESV

15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

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