Exploring Ephesians #17 - The Chrisian's Armor
Text: Ephesians 6:10-17
Thesis: To look at the spiritual battle in which we are engaged and to emphasize God’s plan for victory.
Introduction:
(1) Sitting in a Roman prison, Paul daily saw Roman soldiers coming and going.
(2) With this image in his mind, he concludes this letter with a reminder of the battle in which Christians are engaged and an exhortation to wear the armor that God provides for victory.
Discussion:
I. The Exhortation to Wear the Christian’s Armor (vv. 10-13)
A. We need strength (v. 10).
1. “Be strong” is best understood in terms of “be made strong.”
a. God alone is the source of strength.
b. His strength will empower us to overcome all obstacles.
(1) Matt. 19.26 – With God, all things are possible
(2) Phil. 4.13 – I can do all things through Christ
(3) Rom. 8.37 – We are more than conquerors through him
2. We gain this strength when we put on the “armor of God” (v. 11a.)
a. This is best understood in terms of the armor that God supplies.
b. We must equip ourselves with the “full” armor of God.
(1) The expression “full armor” refers to “a complete set of instruments used in defensive or offensive warfare.”
(2) The emphasis upon the “full” is made in order to highlight the danger and seriousness of the threat facing us and to emphasize the importance of total dependence on God'’ strength.
B. We are in a battle (vv. 11b. – 13).
1. We need God’s strength/armor because Satan is coming to battle us (v. 11b.).
a. Satan will “attempt by his ‘insidious wiles’ to turn believers aside from pursuing the cause of Christ and achieving this goal.
b. One wrote, “Mention of the ‘schemes’ of the devil reminds us of the trickery and subterfuge by which evil and temptation present themselves in our lives. Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.”
(1) Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11.14).
(2) There are some deceiving pleasures in sin (cf. Heb. 11.25).
2. The battle is a spiritual one (v. 12).
a. Jesus affirmed this in John 18.36 – My kingdom is not of this world
b. Further, Paul noted this in 2 Cor. 10.3-5:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”
c. The word “struggle” suggests “that the battle being described here is one in which close-quarter struggling is involved.”
(1) “In this close struggle, hand-to-hand combat is in view, not the firing of computer-guided missiles from a distance!”
(2) As one wrote, “Only the power of God can defend and deliver us from the might, the evil and the craft of the devil.”
3. The battle may be won (v. 13).
a. This is possible when we put on God’s armor.
b. We will be able to resist “in the evil day.”
(1) “Evil day” does not refer to:
(a) “Day of Judgment” – That day will be a day of rejoicing for Christians
(b) “Battle of Armageddon” – Pre-Millennialism is false
(2) It does refer to:
(a) “Critical times in believers’ lives when demonic hostility is at its worst.”
(b) Synonymous with the “evil days” in Eph. 5.16 – referring to the whole of the present age between the ascension of Jesus and His Second-Coming
c. With God, we will be able to stand/overcome.
(1) Rom. 8.31 – If God is for us, who can be against us?
(2) God has never lost a battle and never will lose a battle.
(3) We must not retreat nor surrender, instead we must continually battle/stand against the devil.
(4) We may temporarily lost battles when we fail to utilize fully God’s armor, but, if we stay with God, in the end, we will win the war!
II. The Description of the Christian’s Armor (vv. 14-17)
A. The armor is comprised of:
1. The Belt of Truth –
a. “For a Roman soldier this belt probably refers to the leather apron which hung under the armour and protected the thighs.”
(1) “The idea of fastening clothing securely around one’s waist signifies preparation for vigorous activity, in this case, readiness for battle.”
(2) The belt held everything together.
b. For the Christian, this belt is “truth.”
(1) This refers to God’s revelation (cf. John 17.17).
(2) This is the foundation for the Christian.
(a) Psa. 119.11 – Thy word have I laid up in my heart
(b) Prov. 23.23 – Buy the truth and sell it not
(c) John 8:32 – The truth will set you free
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness –
a. “The soldier’s breastplate was to protect primarily the human heart.”
(1) It was “a piece of armor covering the chest to protect it against blows and arrows.”
(2) “This defensive armor was made in hoops or bands that literally wrapped around the soldiers body.”
(3) Some have argued that this protection was only provided for the front of the soldier, not his back; thus, this protection was only given when the soldier was fighting, not fleeing.
b. For the Christian, this breastplate is “righteousness.”
(1) This refers to “God’s justifying, forensic righteousness which results in a right standing before him (cf. Rom. 3:21-26).”
(2) “God’s sovereign verdict of acquittal through Christ’s death provides the basis for believers standing firm in their spiritual struggle.”
(3) Phil. 3:9 – Righteousness through faith in Christ that comes from God and is by faith
(4) “By putting on God’s righteousness believers are committed to being imitators of him and acting righteously in all their dealings.”
3. The Footwear of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace –
a. “The Roman soldier frequently wore caliga, a half-boot, which was not strictly a weapon but part of his equipment that was used especially in long marches.”
b. For the Christian, this refers to a “readiness to announce the Good News of peace.”
(1) We must always be ready to “go” (Matt. 28.19).
(2) As Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the gospel of peace” (Rom. 10.15; cf. Isa. 52.7).
(3) “Those who have appropriated that peace for themselves have their feet fitted with this ‘readiness’, a preparedness to announce the gospel of peace.”
4. The Shield of Faith –
a. This shield was “approximately 2 ½ feet by 4 feet in size.”
(1) “It was usually made of wood and covered with canvas and calf skin; it was reinforced with metal at the top and bottom.”
(2) “It was large enough to offer protection for the soldier’s entire body.”
b. For the Christian, this shied is “faith.”
(1) This refers to one’s own personal faith in God’s revelation (cf. Rom. 10.17).
(2) “To take the shield of faith, then, is to appropriate the promises of God on our behalf, confident that he will protect us in the midst of the battle.”
(3) This shield will protect us from the “flaming missiles.”
(a) In a physical battle, these “missiles” were “particularly arrows that were dipped in pitch and lit before being fired.”
(b) In our spiritual battle, they refer to “every kind of attack launched by the devil and his hosts against the people of God.”
5. The Helmet of Salvation –
a. “The helmet used by the Roman soldier was made of bronze and had cheek pieces so as to give protection to the head.”
b. For the Christian, this helmet is “salvation.”
(1) In 1 Thess. 5.8, Paul calls this the “hope of salvation.”
(2) We look forward in eager anticipation of Heaven and God’s promises of eternal salvation.
6. The Sword of the Spirit –
a. For the soldier, this was “the short-handled sword, which was an important offensive weapon in close combat.”
b. For the Christian, this sword is the Word of God.
(1) “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4.12).
(2) It is God’s power unto salvation (cf. Rom. 1.16).
(3) This weapon would be used both offensively and defensively.
Conclusion:
(1) Are you in the Lord’s army?
(2) If not, why not enlist in His army today and be assured of the victory?