Jesus Saves!

Armor of God

This is my last Wednesday night with you

So… this is also our last Wednesday in Ephesians

Have a student wear pads

PLAY VIDEO

Ephesians 6:10–11 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

eph 6:10

Why do goalies wear pads?

For protection!

But goalies don’t hide, they TRY to get hit!

Story: Didn’t hurt

Get a volunteer to wear pads

Lesson: The type of armor you wear is important!

We are going to break down the armor of God and test each piece

REMEMBER: This is so we can make a stand AGAINST the devil!

This is key, watch this...

Ephesians 6:12–13 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

eph 6:12-

There is a spiritual battle going on!

It’s all around you, even now

Do you ever think about that?

If you aren’t engaged in that battle, you might be losing!

Imagine a goalie just sitting there - ignorant to the game

Is he going to be a good goalie? NO!

You have to engage in the battle

The most important spiritual victory has been won

Jesus dropped the atom bomb on the cross

But we still have a role in the fight as well

Satan’s army can still capture you, and he is going to try

So what do we do?

Take up the whole armor of God and prepare to fight!!

Get a volunteer to wear pads

We are going to break down the armor of God and test each piece

Ephesians 6:14 ESV

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

Put on pants/girdle

Belt of Truth

Covered abdomen

What does your belt do?

Have you every forgotten a belt and your pants keep falling?

Belts hold everything together - that’s what truth does

Ever see a fat guy on the couch undo his belt?

They’re not going to be moving any time soon

Truth is what it is, it cannot change

Once you know the truth, you can be confident

If you believe the wrong thing, you’ll caught with your pants down

eph 6:1-

Put on chest protector

Breastplate of Righteousness

Goalies don’t want to use their own chest to block a puck

Inside are our most vital organs

Guy named Nathan Crowell blocked a shot in 2007

He died of cardiac arrest

We need to use something else for our chest...

We don’t use our own flesh and bone, we use a protectot

For righteousness, we don’t use our own - we use Christ’s

Ephesians 6:15 ESV

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

Put on leg pads

Shoes of Readiness Given by the Gospel of Peace

Have you ever walked on something painful without shoes?

You can’t really get around well

Can you imagine fighting a battle on a floor covered in Legos?

You can’t be ready for anything!

When I put on shoes, Betty knows I’m ready to go

What does the gospel make us ready for?

Evangelism, death, anything this life can throw at us

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;

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 6:1

Put on gloves

Shield of Faith

Roman armies used shields that covered their whole body

Shields were used in the most chaotic moments

Flaming arrows were fired from all sides

Put your head down and keep moving

When our lives get chaotic, we have to rely on our faith

Satan wants to confuse you and threaten you

We put our head down and just keep pressing forward

Trusting with faith that we will make it through

Ephesians 6:17 ESV

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

Put on the mask

Helmet of Salvation

A helmet is the most basic form of protection

Bicycling, lacrosse, football, baseball, rock climbing...

Getting chewed out by my coach for not wearing a helmet

You would have to be an idiot to not wear a helmet!

Goalies didn’t wear masks until Jacques Plante

Got a broken nose and stitches

Wore his practice mask or wouldn’t play

Show Plante and mask

Coach asked to go without against Detroit, and they lost

Then mask was back for good

Today it is mandatory

Today we think, you’d have to be an idiot to not wear one!

Paul would say the same about salvation

You wanna go against Satan without salvation?

BAD IDEA!

Being saved is the most basic protection against the enemy

Roman helmets were often customized

Shows the regiment or personal accolades

Goalies customize masks too

Our salvation is also personal

This is where we share our story for the benefit of others

Hand over the stick

Sword of the Spirit

Until now, everything has been for mobility or protection

But this part is offensive

I have never scored a goal

I did have 9 assists in 11 games my Junior year

Some NHL goalies have scored

Ron Hextall scored 3 times

Chris Osgood has 2

Explain 2 ways to score

In 2001 Jose Theodore of the Canadiens won all by himself

He scored and got a shut out

The Word of God is meant to be our best offensive weapon

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

The Word of God provides us with every answer we need

If you want to win battles for God, you have to know His Word

Ephesians 6:10–20 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 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, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

CLOSING

Once you have the armor of God, you can prepare to be tested

God wouldn’t set all this stuff up for you, and have you not use it

We are not God’s decorations… we are His warriors!

And just like the armor of God is to be used, our goalie will be used

Throw stuff at goalie!