What to Wear to the Battle: The Armor of God

Text: Ephesians 6:10-6:14

Theme: The elements of spiritual battle.

Date: 08/18/2020 Name: Armor01.wpd Sermon ID: #13

Since the mid-16th century, Christian theologians have referred to the Body of Christ in two ways: the Church Triumphant, and the Church Militant. The “church triumphant” refers to all those true believers who have died in Christ and are now with him in his heaven. They have triumphed over the world the flesh and the devil, and now live with Christ and will come with him when he returns to this earth. The “church militant” refers to all of those true believers who are engaged in constant warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And make no mistake about it — Christians today are engaged in a war. According to the apostle Paul it’s a war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It is a war from which we cannot, and must not disengage. One of the great hymns of the faith is Onward Christian Soldiers and it speaks of our militancy as we fight the good fight of faith. Its three stanzas encourage us:

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,

with the cross of Jesus going on before.

Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;

forward into battle see his banners go!

At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;

on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!

Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;

brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

Like a mighty army moves the church of God;

brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.

We are not divided, all one body we,

one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

This morning I want us to begin walking you through the spiritual armor that God provides the believer. The title of the series is “What to Wear to the Battle.” You and I are engaged in a spiritual war. It’s a serious battle. The Apostle Paul compares it to “struggle”—quite literally a wrestling match—a contest in which each wrestler endeavors to throw the other. The match is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck. In this spiritual battle we must be properly equipped if we are going to be victorious.

I. A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT – BE STRONG

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10–11, NIV)

1. real Christianity is a fight ... a battle

a. the moment you became a Christian you became part of a spiritual army at war with cosmic forces

1) your soul, your mind, your body, your family, your career, your church are all fields of conflict

b. the moment you became a Christian you allied yourself to a new King and a new Kingdom which immediately made you an enemy of all those who are that King’s enemies

1) until Satan and the fallen angels are throne into the Lake of Fire at the end of the age, our peace with God must be a vigilant peace

2. as Paul winds down his letter, he exhorts us, encourages us, commands us as believers to be strong in the Lord

a. the verb be strong in v. 10 implies a growing strength—a faith that does not waver in unbelief at the staggering promises of God

b. in these two verses, the Apostle Paul communicates four principles about faith:

1) the exhortation to strength

2) the source of this strength

3) the need for this strength

4) the deployment of this strength

A. THE EXHORTATION TO STRENGTH

1. the Apostle finishes his letter to the believers at Ephesus by telling them Finally, be strong ...

2. these words are reminiscent of the encouragement that God gave Joshua on the eve of Israel entering the promised land

a. Moses has died and Joshua is about to lead the Hebrews into the Promised Land – a land flowing with milk and honey

1) the Hebrews have experienced 40 years of wandering ... never having a place to call home

2) the Hebrews have spent 40 years of wondering ... what will they find when they get to Canaan?

3) the Hebrews have undergone 40 years of waiting ... waiting for an entire disobedient generation to pass from the scene

b. God has promised them the land, but it’s an occupied land

1) there are large fortified cities

2) there are mighty armies with well-armed warriors

c. on the eve of their first battle, Joshua has gone outside the camp to think and to pray

d. in the stillness of the night, God meets Joshua and tells him, be strong

1) Joshua 1:6 – “Be strong, and courageous ... I’ve give you the land

2) Joshua 1:7 – “Be strong, and very courageous ... I’ve given you success

3) Joshua 1:9 – “Be strong and courageous, do not tremble ... I am with you

3. the Apostle Paul, like King Henry V encouraging his troops on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, reminds them that the battle is upon them, and they need to summon every ounce of strength and courage for the fight

a. by the way, the Battle of Agincourt was a huge victory for the English

b. out battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil is a winnable battle

c. in fact, our ultimate victory over all our enemies is assured

B. THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH

1. in our battle against the world, the flesh and the devil the Bible teaches us to lean on God and His mighty power

a. the Apostle reminds them that the arm of flesh will fail them—you must not trust it

b. instead he says ... be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5–8, NIV)

a. mark it, underline, circle it, memorize it

b. only by drawing on the power of His Spirit in us, will we be victorious and overcome

“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

3. the means of this strength is the full armor of God which we will examine over the course of the next seven weeks

a. as the Apostle Paul wrote this letter, he was chained to a Roman soldier

1) he had been in the company of soldiers, centurions, and tribunes for years so he knew all about Roman armor

b. their armor was designed to protect the soldier’s body from the enemies weapons

4. Christian armor is designed to protect the soul

a. God does not throw us unprotected into the battle against Satan’s Empire

b. he has provided all that we need for complete protection of mind, heart, soul, spirit, conscience, and will

c. but we must put that armor on piece by piece—deliberately, thoughtfully, and intelligently

C. THE NEED FOR THIS STRENGTH

1. our foe is a vicious supernatural enemy

2. the apostle Paul tells us put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes

a. when the apostle talks about the “devil’s schemes” he introduces the dark figure behind the caution in Ephesians 4:27 “do not give the devil a foothold”

3. the Christian’s principal protagonist is Satan himself, and the spiritual principalities of darkness that are under his control

a. the evil one has many names in Scripture, the most common being devil and Satan

1) as the devil, he is the accuser — the one who constantly assails us before God

2) as Satan, he is the adversary — the one who opposes God and constantly seeks to prevent us from entering into our birthright as children of God

4. the good news is that the evil one is a defeated foe, as the apostle Paul emphasized in his letter to the Colossians

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15, NIV)

a. as believers, we stand, in Christ, on the victory side of the cross

b. the evil one may rage and roar, but he is powerless before a child of God who is arrayed in the armor of God, filled with the spirit of God, and strong in the power of God’s might

5. the bad news is that because we are fallen creatures we are predisposed to listen to Satan’s lies

a. Eve was deceived; Adam was disobedient, and Satan is unremitting in his effort to take full advantage of those two beachheads he has established within humanity

6. this is why we need God’s strength and his mighty power

D. THE DEPLOYMENT OF THIS STRENGTH

1. the apostle Paul tells us put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes

2. we put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the evil one and his schemes

a. the verb stand occurs in several places in this passage

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13, NIV)

1) the idea is that we are to stand firm or stand our ground

2) in the ancient form of hand-to-hand combat described in this passage, the first duty of a line of soldiers is to stand side-by-side against attackers, to close ranks, and to prevent an incursion against the enemy’s ultimate target

3) in Christian warfare, Christ and his kingdom are the ultimate target

b. in essence, Christian warfare is about resisting the attempts of Satan to retake territory no longer his

c. any time you decide to take a stand for Jesus you can expect an all-out assault upon your life!

1) spiritual battle goes with the territory

3. but consider this, spiritual warfare and spiritual attacks are signs that you are on the right track!

a. if you are a sideline Christian—not really interested in spiritual things—then you are right where Satan wants you

1) the Devil won’t hassle the lukewarm or backslidden Christians—he doesn’t have to

ILLUS. One hundred years ago, an Anglican bishop, J.C. Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool, wrote these words, “There are thousands of men and women who go to chapels and churches every Sunday and call themselves Christians. Their names are in the baptismal register. They are reckoned Christians while they live. They are married with a Christian marriage service. They mean to be buried as Christians when they die. But you never see any “fight” about their religion! Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring they know literally nothing at all.”

Let us consider these propositions ... The saddest symptom about many so-called Christian is the utter absence of anything like conflict or fight. They eat, they drink, they dress, they work, they amuse themselves, they get money, they spend money, they to through a scanty round of formal religious services once or even twice a week, but the great spiritual warfare ... its watching ans strugglings, its agonies and anxieties, its battles and contests ... of all this they appear to know nothing at all.”

“Do your feel anything of war in your inward man? Well, let us thank God for it! It is a good sign. It is strongly probable evidence of the great work of sanctification. All true saints are soldiers. A real Christian can be known as much by his inward warfare as by his inward peace.”

4. but once you take a strong stand to obey, then he'll unleash the hounds of hell upon your life

"For our struggle is not against a human opponent, but against rulers, against authorities, against cos help mic powers in the darkness around us, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm." (Ephesians 6:12, ISV)

a. and so, Paul says, stand strong in the power of His might!

5. The Apostle Paul Not Only Gives a Word of Encouragement but ...

II. A WORD OF ENABLEMENT – BE COVERED

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11, NIV)

1. any good soldier will tell you that it's essential to have the right battle gear, the right commanding officer, and the right plan of engagement if you’re going to win the battle

a. if any one of those three elements are missing, victory may be in question

2. the Apostle Paul tells us that not only is our strength from the Lord, but so also must our strategies come from the Lord

a. we cannot engage in spiritual battle against rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of ...darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places, if we do it in our own strength, or our authority, or our own methods

A. THE RIGHT BATTLE GEAR

1. whatever battle you're in, whatever temptation you face, God will give you the ability to withstand and overcome it

a. may I be frank with you this morning?

1) when it comes to temptation, I hear too many Christians whining, “But I can’t help myself. This temptation is just to strong.”

2) if you’ve ever said that or thought that, you’ve just made God a liar!

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

b. the power of God in Christ is infinitely superior to that of Satan and his allies

2. God provides exactly the right battle gear you and I need in our spiritual warfare

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13–17, NIV)

3. did you catch the weapons of our warfare?

a. three of them are defensive weapons

1) the belt of truth - because the devil will attack you with error

2) the breastplate of righteousness - because the devil will attack you with temptation

3) the helmet of salvation - because the devil will attack you with condemnation

b. three of them are offensive weapons

1) the shield of faith - because the devil will attack you with doubt

2) the shoes of the gospel of peace - because the devil will attack you with doubt

3) the sword of the Spirit - because the devil will attack you with worldliness

4. God has given us supernatural weaponry from his own Heavenly ‘Skunk Works’

a. God has won the cosmic spiritual arms race

1) neither the world, the flesh or the devil can develop a weapon that can out-gun God’s arsenal

b. all these weapons are foolishness to the lost, but to the faithful they are the power of God

c. God has given us supernatural weaponry, but the believer must make the conscious decision to arm himself each day

5. the Apostle Paul’s word of enablement is “be covered” and in the weeks ahead we will carefully examine our spiritual weaponry

III. A WORD OF ENLIGHTENMENT – BE AWARE

1. we must be aware who the real enemy is

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

2. some of you, I hope not many, but some of you may be thinking “Pastor, do you mean to tell me you actually believe in a literal Devil? No one past a 6th grade education believes the devil is real, do they?”

a. let me simply respond with Unless you do believe in a literal devil, and understand his strategies and the wiles you’re the one who is naive

b. the devil is subtle, he is strong, and he is sinister, and we need to know the enemy

A. BE AWARE OF THE TRUE ENEMY

1. the Apostle Paul reminds us that our spiritual combat is not against flesh and blood

a. our fight is not an ordinary battle

b. our enemies are not people

1) Satan may use people to persecute us, lie to us, cheat us, hurt us or even kill us

2) but our real enemy lurks in the shadows of the unseen world, moving people as pawns on the chessboard world affairs

2. our real fight, therefore, is against Satan, his demonic forces, and the spiritually darkened world-system that he influences

b. certainly people are involved, but they are not the real problem

3. God initially created the devil as one of his most glorious and intelligent of angels and named him Lucifer

a. but pride welled up in him, and Lucifer fell and was cast out of heaven

1) in Luke 10:18 Jesus tells his disciples I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven

b. having been cast out of heaven, the devil is filled with fury and envy

1) his animosity is directed against God and against God’s people

2) his purpose is to oppose the Godhead, and to bring spiritual defeat to the people of God

c. when he fell, the heavenly hosts divided—a third of the angels followed Lucifer and were also cast our of heaven

1) Satan is now their Lord and directs their nefarious plans to influence human society to disavow and disobey the one eternal true God

d. this is where the real battle lies

4. as a pastor, I’ve discovered that there are two prevailing thoughts about the devil

a. most will underestimate him

ILLUS. The western world ignores spiritual realities. Western culture believes we only wrestle with “flesh and blood.” All of a society’s problems are merely flesh and blood problems. Which is why, for most people in western culture, especially in government, all you need to do to fix flesh and blood problems are a few more government programs and a lot of money. They don’t realize that behind most flesh and blood problems are spiritual battles that programs and money cannot address.

1) they don’t think he's all that powerful or evil and they frequently fall right into his traps and snares

2) he knows men’s spiritual soft spots and that’s were he zeros in

3) this is why the Apostle Peter writes . . .

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8–9, NIV)

b. many will overestimate him

1) even though Satan is powerful, he is not all-powerful

2) event though Satan is cunning, he is not all-knowing

3) Satan is no match or equal to Jesus Christ!

ILLUS. One of my favorite Christian anthems is A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, by

Martin Luther. In the third stanza he writes:

And tho’ this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph thro’ us:

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure,

One little world shall fell him.

4) that word is Jesus

5. our fight, the Apostle tells us, is against Satan and a well-organized and systematic hoard of demons

a. their objective is to keep the lost in bondage to sin and self, by encouraging lust, greed, hate, fear, selfishness and pride

b. their objective is to promote spiritual failure in the believer’s life by encouraging disobedience to God

B. BE AWARE THAT THE VICTORY IS YOURS

1. as believer's in Christ, we do not fight for victory, we fight from victory

a. in Christ’s power we are invincible

Romans 8:31-39

ILLUS. How many of you remember “Baghdad Bob”? His real name was Mohammed al-Sahhaf, and he was Iraq's Minister of Information during the Second Gulf War. As Operation Iraqi Freedom raged, he would go on Baghdad radio and TV and refute every clear piece of evidence that Iraq was losing the war. After coalition forces had seized Baghdad's Saddam Airport, renamed it Baghdad International Airport, started flying planes in, and ventured into Baghdad itself, al-Sahhaf was reporting, "We [have] butchered the forces present at the airport." When U.S. troops actually penetrated central Baghdad and stormed Saddam's Republican Palace, Mr. Sahhaf told Iraqi citizens, "There is no presence of the American columns in the city of Baghdad at all. We besieged them, and we killed most of them." Referred to as “Baghdad Bob” by the media, his efforts to explain away coalition forces and their victories as illusions were comical.

2. in the same way, our spiritual enemy is already defeated at the cross of Christ, yet he continues to hurl out lies, insults, and condemnation at the saints

a. we fight a very real battle against a very real enemy, but we need to know without a doubt that our victory over him is assured

b. we do not fight for victory, we fight from victory

SO BE STRONG – BE COVERED – BE AWARE and you will experience Victory in Jesus.