Stand Firm With the Armor of God

Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus.

Acts 20, records his farewell address.

He was leaving them, but he knew life wasn’t going to be easy for them.

Acts 20:29-31 says, “

“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”

Tough times were coming.

False teachers were going to attack the church.

They needed to be on their guard.

“Therefore be alert.”

As Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians, he addresses the coming fight.

Ephesians 6:10-13

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

Because a fight was coming.

They needed to be ready for this fight.

What do you expect in life?

For some people it’s the easy life.

But life is never going to be easy.

It’s going to be hard.

When things get hard, what do you do?

Many people just run away.

They run away from friendships.

They run away from family.

They run away from conflict.

They run away from conversations.

We see this in our marriages and we see this in friendships.

It surprises me how easily friends can turn on each other.

We see this in churches.

Someone places membership in a church.

I’m sure you’ve seen this.

A person joins the church, and joins your family.

But then all of a sudden, like a lightswitch, things go cold.

Something happens to that relationship and things are changed.

The person just disappears.

It’s rare for someone to stay at a church their whole life.

It’s more common for people to bounce around.

They’ve got no fight in them.

Other people it’s a peaceful life of just blending in with the world around you.

It’s not uncommon to find Christians who are just like the world around them.

The letters to the 7 churches at the beginning of Revelation, describe Christians who are exactly like the world.

They’ve forgotten their first love.

They are sexually immoral.

They embrace pagan ideas.

They compromise, and accommodate every worldly practice.

They’ve got no fight in them.

God has not left us defenseless in this fight.

Look at how God has prepared us for this fight.

Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God.

A familiar passage.

But notice why God has given us the armor of God, so that we would be in the fight.

In this passage, we see 3 reasons to put on the armor of God.

The first reason for the armor of God is that it Gives You Strength

I enjoy riding bikes.

When I ride bikes, I have special equipment.

I wear spandex so that my clothes don’t flap in the wind.

It keeps me cool in the heat.

I wear special shoes.

They clip into the pedals so that I become connected to the bike itself.

They are extra stiff, so that they don’t bend or flex when I pedal.

That creates extra power and you go faster.

It’s important to have the right equipment for the job.

Life is going to be hard, and God provides us with the equipment that we need for the job.

The armor of God is that equipment.

You see the armor of God listed in verses 14-17.

The belt of truth.

The breastplate of righteousness.

Boots of peace.

Shield of faith.

The Helmet of Salvation.

The Sword of the Spirit.

You see these listed.

They are the equipment that God gives you for the battle.

I couldn’t imagine riding my bike without my special shoes.

And I couldn’t imagine living this life, doing hard things, without truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation or the Word of God.

Paul says they make you strong.

So put them on.

They make you strong.

We used to take our students to a place called, Rock N Water.

A week of backpacking and rock climbing.

One of our guides, told us about a marathon that he ran in.

He never trained.

He just did it.

He ended up shin splints and damage to his body.

You cannot just jump into the fight.

You need the armor that God has given you.

It gives you the strength for the battle.

The armor of God not only makes you strong, but it Equips you for the Fight

Notice that there is a fight.

Paul says that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Verse 12 says “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.”

This tells us there is a fight, and there is a fight to be fought.

A lot of Christians run from a fight.

Or they are ignorant of any fight.

The equipment forces you to prepare for a fight.

When a police officer gets dressed in his uniform, he’s aware of his equipment.

His belt weighs about 20 pounds.

And on that belt is his weapon, a gun.

And he is well aware of that weapon and therefore must be aware of the people who are around him.

The equipment that we have prepares us for a fight.

You put it on and it puts you in the fight.

The fight is real.

You need this equipment if you are going to fight.

You need the equipment so that you can “stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Without this equipment you will not stand firm.

I’m surprised how many Christians think they can engage in the fight, be a Christian, and know so little of God’s Word.

It’s the sword of the Spirit.

I’m surprised how many Christians think they can stand, but refuse truth, and have little to no real faith.

They have their opinions, but they don’t know how to engage.

There are battles all around us.

Think of the different issues facing us:

Fires

Climate change

Sexual immorality

Government intrusion

Freedom of religion

Race

Racial tension

Economic struggles

You are facing these issues.

Whether or not you want to, you are in the battle.

You have opinions on these subjects.

Are you engaging these things with the equipment God has given you?

Do you have passages in the Bible that inform you on your conclusion?

You need to consult God’s word so that you know how to be involved in this fight.

The armor of God equips you for this battle.

Notice what this fight is like.

Paul describes the schemes of the devil

The Bible describes Satan as:

The Father of lies.

A slanderer.

The adversary.

He twists words.

He tricks.

He is often subtle in his attacks.

He deceives.

He seduces.

How does he do this?

By foolish ideas.

By false teachers.

By empty philosophies.

We see this in our culture today.

Whether it’s the sexual revolution.

The attack on liberty.

An attack on what is good.

Your defense against these schemes is the armor of God.

The Word of God.

Being grounded in truth.

Having the work of Christ on your head, as a shield.

Therefore, be in God’s Word.

Father’s train your children.

Church study God’s Word.

As a kid I remember Sword Drills.

Quizzing each other on memory verses, and proof texts from the Bible.

Lastly, the armor of God Gives you endurance to withstand the fight.

Look at verse 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.”

The battle is real.

History has shown the battle against the Lord’s church.

History records the death Christians.

Throughout the world, even now, there are Christians who are suffering for their faith.

Within the Western World, we have been spared this conflict.

This year, we are starting to see glimpses of it.

It’s not quite here yet.

Each morning, before the sun rises, it makes its presence known by changing the color of the sky before it creeps up beyond the horizon.

It’s just over the edge, but the sky welcomes the presence of the sun.

The church is losing its welcome in our culture.

The color is changing as the evil day approaches.

There was a time, when an evil action prompted people to flood the churches.

This wasn’t even that long ago.

Friday was September 11.

I remember 19 years ago, on that first Sunday after 9/11, churches were filled.

I preached my very first sermon here at Southwest on that Sunday.

This time around, churches are banned, and the doors are locked.

There is a virus.

There is violence in the streets.

People are scared.

Culture isn’t turning to the Lord, in fact, we are discouraged from doing that.

The battle is coming.

It will be evil.

But God does not intend for you to cave to the fight.

Rather he gives us victory.

The armor of God allows us to stand firm in that evil day.

God has guaranteed the victory.

WIth that guaranteed victory what do we do?

Two things.

You withstand the evil day.

You resist it.

You oppose it.

You never join in with the flow and direction of the world around us.

Second, you stand firm.

You remain in the fight.

And you stand firm resting in the revealed Word of God.

Do you remember as a kid, in Sunday school, when asked why don’t you lie, we would say, “Because the Bible tells me so.”

We used to say, “The Bible tells me so.” And that was a statement we could say with pride.

Something has happened.

Many people think that they cannot say, “The Bible tells me so.”

And instead they need Wikipedia articles or scientific studies.

Church, stand firm.

Stand firm relying on the Word of God.

Church, we cannot let anyone refuse the mission God has commissioned us to do.

There is a need for Sunday School teachers.

There is a need for servants.

There is a need for people use their gifts.

World War II was a great time.

There were fantastic battles.

And some of the men involved, thought they were born for that time.

General Patton thought that he was born for those battles.

Churchill found a thrill in battle.

Those men found greatness in their victories.

They found joy in doing what they did.

God has given you His armor so that you can stand in the victory.

And find joy in the battle before you, which is for His glory.

So stand firm.

Take up the armor of God.

And stand firm.