Daily Apply the Whole Armor of God - Ephesians 6:13-18a

Ephesians 6:10-12 For the christian to successfully live this life by faith they must also daily apply/use the whole armor of God. INTRO I am going to start off this morning naming a list of places that all have something in common. Go ahead and voice what you think it is as I’m sharing them….you can interrupt me in doing so. What do the following places have in common? Saratoga, New York Tripoli which is the capital city of the North African Nation of Lybia Palo Alto, Texas Sharpsburg, Maryland Manila Bay, Philippines How about Normandy, France or Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? Hue, Vietnam and Takur Ghar, Afghanistan Not yet? OR Bull’s eye! Famous places where battles were fought. Battles named by their location. The Battle of Saratoga, The Battle of Palo Alto The Battle of Normandy or Gettysburg….and so forth. Great Battles in history fought and then named. And this isn’t anything new for we see famous Battles in Biblical times also named. Take for instance the famous Battle at the Valley of Elah. Any takers as to what was fought there? The Battle between David and Goliath. Nailed it! This was commonplace in Old Testament times to give a name to a location where significant things took place…great Battles being one of them…for instance, in…(Numbers 21:1-3) “When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.” And the LORD heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. Sooo,…the name of the place was called Hormah..”(which means - destruction). There ya go. If I said the word ‘Megiddo’, your thoughts likely go towards the location of the final battle on earth….at the end of time….also known in Hebrew as ‘Armageddon’ (Revelations 16:16). Synonymous with the end of the world - Armageddon - Megiddo in the Greek - is a real location on earth where famous battles where fought which we read about in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles……and also the location of the FINAL battle at the end of this world and the beginning of the new…where it… ‘this final battle’, will be fought. I say all this to remind us that, as christians, we are engaged in a spiritual warfare. The moment God saves you He enlists you in His army to fight against satan, sin and the flesh. We have a real enemy - determined to wreck our efforts in God’s strength to successfully live this life by faith. For us to be able to stand against our enemy we must ‘put on’ (enduo) ‘put on’ What?… ‘the whole armor of God' which signifies our confidence being in God and not in ourselves. If we stand with confidence in God and not ourselves we will successfully live this life by faith….claiming victories in the battles we fight against satan, sin and the flesh that we already have the victory won - by our risen King Jesus. So,….. as we concluded last Sunday…We must “put on” (Enduo) “put on” ‘the whole armor of God’ signifying our confidence in God and not in ourselves. We put it on,…How then do we put it to use? Part 2…PART 2 of how the Christian is to successfully live this life by faith. Part 1, covered last Sunday, was - For the christian to successfully live this life by faith they must continually have their confidence placed in God and not themselves. That was Part 1….And now PART 2 (the concluding second half of verses 10— 18a) For the christian to successfully live this life by faith they must also daily apply/use the whole armor of God. This is our focus this morning, picking up from where we left off last week starting in (verse 13 and ending in the first part of verse 18a). And drawing from our opening consideration of famous battlefields being given a name. It is imperative for the soldier of God to recognize that they are indeed in a spiritual battle every day and therefore need to be suited up for it. I see this as our First point to place before us in daily applying the whole armor of God to successfully live this life by faith. And that is to know your Battlefields. BODY 1) FIRST POINT - (Ephesians 6:13). Know your Battlefields Our first point, Know your Battlefields - drawn from (Verse 13). Right on the heels of Paul saying We must “put on” (Enduo) “put on” ‘the whole armor of God’ signifying our confidence in God and not in ourselves. And making clear to us - the christian - making clear whom we wrestle against….He then moves right into putting it to use. Having ‘put on the whole armor of God’…knowing we are not wrestling against flesh and blood we “Therefore..- Let’s read verse 13…. - read What was the end scene of that most famous battle between David and Goliath? It was none other than David standing in the valley Elah where he defeated Goliath holding Goliath’s sword which he used to cut off the giant’s head. Goliath lay slain in the battlefield,…whereas David stood firm, victorious,..who charged the battlefield with Confidence in God and not himself. Don’t take my word for it…..take David’s in (1 Samuel 17) speaking to Saul in (verse 17). David says… “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”…and then speaking to Goliath himself moments before running towards him onto the battlefield…(verses 45-48) “….David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand.” With confidence in God and not in himself, we can picture a scene with David standing firm over the defeated Philistine. In that evil day, on that battlefield, having done all, as an example to you and I, David was able to stand firm. David didn’t run away from this battle in the valley of Elah, he charged forward, he fought His enemy and stood firm in the victory that belongs to God. The valley of Elah,..now forever known as the place where this battle was fought and won. Prior to going to battle on this valley, we see Saul put His armor on David to be equipped to fight…good intention but in vain, for “David said to Saul ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David put them off”. …but then he what? “…he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.” The point being made here is that David knew there was a battle before him that he was not going to back down from it but rather stand firm and fight….and with confidence in God, he took what he was accustomed to fight battles with as a shepherd against lions and bears and he approached his enemy on that evil day. We likewise, in these days that are evil (Ephesians 5:16)…there is not one day lived on this earth prior to Christ returning that is not considered an evil day no matter how wonderful of a day it was and praise God for those days…it is right and good to rejoice in God for them…but nevertheless, we,…who are “to make the best use of our time for the days are evil.”…..Have spiritual battles we fight every evil day we live and therefore need to daily “take up the whole armor of God” that we may be able to stand firm same as David did against his enemy on the evil day he fought in the battle at Elah. And for this reason…..It is imperative for the soldier of God (the christian, you and I) It’s imperative for us to recognize that we are indeed in a battle every day and therefore need to be suited up for it. It is useless to have the whole armor of God placed on a Mannequin as it were. As if it’s only for storage or display. No, it does you no good to not take it up. To not be suited for battle. A favorite scene of mine in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is found in The Two Towers movie. It is when Legolas..is at the point of despair, (do remember that scene?)…knowing a battle is close at hand of which they are greatly outnumbered against and even of the number they do have to fight….none are soldiers and many are either quite old OR…quite young… “having seen too many winters or too few.” As stated in that scene. In despair, Legolas says to Aragon “They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!” to which Aragon replies with zeal “Then I shall die as one of them!” I love that response…A rebuke to Legolas’s despair….For the battle is inevitable. It was going to happen. Shortly after, when Legolas is restored by that rebuke,……he goes to Aragon to assure him of his trust in Aragon’s leadership and that he was sorry for despairing….the scene meets that moment with Aragon taking up a soldiers armor and putting it on… Willing to die…HE is suiting up for the battle that is inevitable….Legolas handing him his sword the moment before he speaks words of affirmation. It’s a great scene and a helpful visual I believe for the inevitable fact that we are fighting battles every day and that we must take up all that God has equipped us with to fight them that we may be able to stand in the victory that belongs to Him. So, my question to you to close out this point and move on to the next is this. What is or what are your battlefields? There may only be one but there may likely be multiple. What are they? Battlefields you aim to daily stand firm in the victory made available to you in Christ. Spiritual battles in the home, in your marriage, in your workplace, internally (within your own psyche, a plentiful number of battles can take place just within your own mind and heart),…. What is or what are your battlefields? Health afflictions may be…not are…but may be another one. Consider the woman healed by Jesus in (Luke 13) “And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.” Church….For eighteen years she was, handicapped,….bent over and could not fully straighten herself. More than half our congregation is made up of those who haven’t lived for eighteen years. She lived for eighteen years with this disabling spirit…of which JESUS said this about in (verse 15 & 16) of that chapter….in his rebuke to the ruler of the synagogue who was furious with him for healing her on the Sabbath. Listen to what JESUS said…. “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom (now listen carefully) whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Satan bound for eighteen years….an example of demonic oppression…not possession…Jesus was not casting a demon out of her, but she was bound by satan with this disabling spirit. A type of oppression brought about by the effects of an evil spirit. Health afflictions can be.…everyone is not…but they can be,…as we see plainly here from scripture…a type of spiritual battle. Wasn’t it Paul who was given a thorn in the flesh..by who? By satan. (2 Corinthians 12:7) Maybe your spiritual battle is your fight against the evil forces of darkness working against you in your efforts to persistently seek the Lord with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your mind…primarily achieved through the means of spending time with Him in His Word and in Prayer. Maybe for you the spiritual battle is against yielding to lust,…or it’s killing your crave for power and control…..or worldly possessions. Do you see where I am going here? There are many battles we christians fight over the course of our lives. Theyare-inevitable.….and to successfully live this life by faith it is imperative for us to recognize that we indeed fight battles every day and therefore need to be suited up for it. Need to take it “the whole armor of God” take it up…put it to use… that we may be able to stand firm against our real enemy who is not flesh and blood. What are your current battlefields? Name them…call them out to yourself by name, share what they are with other trusted christians, so you may clearly know them and “Preparing your minds for action…” (1 Peter 1:13) suit up each day in all the armor of God that you may be able to stand firm on each battlefield….holding the line in God’s strength to fight in the victory that belong’s to the Lord. Know your Battlefields. With this now clearly identified and the imperativeness for us to daily take up the whole armor of God, it’s time to learn how to apply or put it to use. Which is our Second point. 2) SECOND POINT (Ephesians 6:14-17) - Know how to use the whole armor of God And that is to Know how to use the whole armor of God Remember that earlier scene with David (1 Samuel 17), the one where Saul put’s his own armor on young David for the battle he is about to fight. Do you remember what David said as to why “he put them off.”? Put off Saul’s armor. He told Saul “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” No doubt they also probably did not fit David very well,…for he was a youth, in all likelihood an adolescent teenager,…and moreover - SAUL, as we know from scripture,…stood well above all his kinsmen….meaning, he was a BIG man. But that is not the reason David said that he “cannot go with these…”…rather, …the reason being is that he hadn’t tested them….in other words…he wasn’t trained in the use of them. WELL, in similar form, every christian would do well to know how to use the whole armor of God to successfully live this life by faith in fighting our daily battles against satan, sin and the flesh. Even a well trained soldier who is not presently engaged in battle still trains with weapons of warfare to keep sharp and ready for battle. And truth be told….even when it seems we are not under spiritual attack, our enemy is just as active using the tactic of quietness in an effort to deceive us into thinking all is well and that we’ve got things covered,… which leads to our guard coming down,…our confidence shifting to self and away from God making us a prime easy target for the devil to attack and devour. This is true so we must remain vigilant at all times in knowing how to use the whole armor of God. (Verses 14 thru 17) provide us with what our armor is. Would you join me in reading through this wonderful passage. - read How shall we approach this? Let’s try and get into Paul’s head. Paul was accustomed to spiritual battle fields, was he not? His current imprisonment under house arrest from where he is penning this letter,…being one of them…would you agree? (Acts 2:23) It was the evil forces at work through the hands of lawless men that had our Lord Jesus crucified and it is the same evil forces at work through the hands of lawless men to imprison Paul for preaching and teaching about Jesus. More than just flesh and blood at work here. Spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places that were instrumental in bringing about the circumstances and suffering Paul experienced as a direct result of his efforts to plant churches and to preach Christ crucified. So, Paul is in a spiritual battlefield here…and he is very accustomed to them and therefore understands what we, the christian, what we encounter on them. It’s a battlefield like no other…they are altogether different. They are a field on which spiritual battles are fought against that which is not flesh and blood. Therefore, that which we encounter is that which is involved in spiritual warfare. Paul, who is very mindful of this, wants to help christians (you and I) wants to help us fight with success on these spiritual battlefields we step onto each and every evil day of our lives waging war against our enemy who is not flesh and blood….. With this topic heavy on his heart and the desire for the church to take hold of the reality of it,….He goes to an image he is also very acquainted with,. in all his imprisonments and that is of an armored soldier…. Providing christians imagery to these warfare objects a soldier puts on and relates them to the armor of God which we are to put on and put to use that we may be able to stand firm in the victory we have in Christ. Stand firm against what we will encounter on each of them…on the spiritual battlefields within our home, within ourselves… in any and all areas where the battle - is fought. For starters…the battlefield will be flooded and the air densely fogged with lies and deceit. Our enemy, not of flesh and blood, who is a liar from the beginning and is the father of lies, advances his forces against us with every kind of falsehood. “The schemes of the devil”…are ‘loaded’ with them. Therefore, the supreme importance to have a firm foundation of Truth to stand on. PAUL identifies the crucial need to have a firm foundation of Truth to stand on in every battle fought…battles, as the pattern since the beginning has shown, that will be flooded and fogged with lies. As the “Pillar and buttress of the Truth” (1 Timothy 3:15)…The church and each individual member of the church need to be securely fastened to Truth as our solid ground to stand on… and likewise have the spirit of truth to clear the skies that we may see things rightly. A soldier of God having fastened on the belt of Truth will stand firmly above the flood of lies and clearly see through the dense fog of deceit on every spiritual battlefield they step foot on. The next thing we will encounter on our spiritual battlefields is accusations. The devil is “the accuser of the brethren.” (Revelations 12:9-11). A victory for satan is to make a christian who is “striving after holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1) and practicing repentance when having godly sorrow over sin…a victory for satan is to make them still feel condemned. Hear me clearly…I am not speaking of one who falsely speaks peace to themselves while still practicing sin…that person does not need satan to deceive them for they are self deceived and condemned already. NO, I’m speaking of one who sincerely is of a broken and contrite spirit and confesses their sin to God who through Jesus Christ “is faithful and just to forgive their sins and cleanse them of all unrighteousness”,(1 John 1:9)…for this child of God to still feel condemned,…they are not standing firm in the victory they have in Christ. VICTORY, in the face of all the painful accusations made against you…seeking to torment your soul and paralyze your joy and rest in the Lord,…standing firm in Christ’s victory with the Breastplate of Righteousness…. is Holding dear to your heart that you have a new heart that has been cleansed of all unrighteousness. (Hebrews 10:19-22) “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us (opened..it’s been done) that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God (Jesus Christ our Lord), let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” A soldier of God having put on the Breastplate of Righteousness will meet everyone of those accusations against them on the battlefield with impenetrable fortitude. A soldier in God’s army is also always ready to share the gospel of peace. Another thing we will encounter on the spiritual battlefields. Opportunities to bear witness to Christ. Opportunities to share the gospel. Which is such an awesome punch to the gut towards our enemy. A soldier of God is always ready to do so. Just like I feel ready for a run when I lace up my running shoes or Grace is jazzed and prepared to ride Emmy when her boots are slipped on or Matthew pumped and set to slay the mountain with his snowboard when he secures his snowboard boots to his feet…so also every christian soldier, every day, metaphorically speaking, puts on as shoes - the readiness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in any and all circumstances God would provide opportunity to do so. I give one example, though there are many. Who did Paul witness to when he was imprisoned in Philippi? The jailer. What happened? The jailer believed as did shortly later his whole household…all converted to Christ and perhaps largely persuaded to be so as they watched the jailer,….the head of the household clean and care for the wounds on Paul that the jailer himself likely inflicted upon him. PAUL, very much in a spiritual battlefield there did not shrink back from declaring the gospel to the very one beating him and keeping guard over his imprisonment. We too are to put on such shoes every day. Readiness to share the gospel of peace in each and every God given opportunity encountered on these battlefields. Battlefields that will be met with assaults from every direction. This will also be encountered. Flaming darts of the evil one intent for mass destruction…carnage to the greatest measure possible even if they don’t hit you… They don’t need to impale you to cause harm…no, they can hit a comrade close to you or even various aspects of your support network that have direct impact upon you for harm. These flaming darts can set them ablaze to inflict pain on you…that which is around you…in proximity…your spouse..your family…your church. This also will be encountered in spiritual warfare. We need to take up the shield of faith which can extinguish all the flaming darts hurled your way by our enemy. Do you remember last week when I referenced that chilling passage in (Luke 22:31-32) where Jesus tells “Simon, Peter, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.” Listen to what Jesus shared with Peter as to how he is praying for him..“Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail..” “Your faith may not fail.” Active, unwavering, believing faith is powerful and destroys every and all onslaughts satan would send your way. Against active faith he does so in vain. (Matthew 17:20) “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” It’s not the size of faith that matters it’s whether it’s present or not. Refresh yourselves once again with (Hebrews 11). A long list of very flawed men and women who did impossible things by…..faith. On spiritual battlefields we will encounter from every direction, assaults on us and everything in proximity that have the intent for mass carnage. But all of them can be extinguished and come to nothing by us taking up the shield of faith. Putting keeping faith. Spiritual battlefields can also be very cold, dark and lonely. Full of gloom and despair. We know this all too well. Therefore, the final warfare objects uses as imagery for the soldier of God to daily take up to successfully live this life by faith is “…..the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” Take up the helmet of salvation….Protecting what we know to be true. Reminding ourselves…this is not the end…we have a living hope to which we have been called to. A home that is not a part of this world…not here on earth but is “….an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (you and I), who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. A comforting and strengthening promise of God’s found in (1 Peter 1:4-5). Our heavenly abode kept secure for us by the power of God that will be revealed at the 2nd coming of JESUS. We are to take up also that which we have preserved for us and held in God’s highest esteem. His own very Word. (Psalm 138:2) “I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Heaven and earth may pass away but God’s Word will remain. (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33) God mightily equips the Christian soldier with the Word of God… “….which is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). We take our place on these spiritual battlefields with the sword of the Spirit drawn….ready to fight and defend the Truth we stand on. These weapons of spiritual warfare must be taken up daily that we may be able to stand firm against our enemy in the victory Christ won for us. There is one more thing that is absolutely essential for us to stand in the victory won for us by Christ if we are to successfully live our lives by faith. CONCLUSION 3) THIRD POINT (Ephesians 6:18a) - Know you are never alone For our third and final concluding point in today’s sermon…I recall your attention to the imagery perhaps you had in your mind of David standing on the battlefield with Goliath’s sword drawn, bloodied after using it to cut off the giant’s head. Perhaps he even has a foot placed on the back of the slain enemy of God. That portrays a victory for David the man of God doesn’t it? Sure it does. That would be the typical scene we picture and that which we often see in movies or in books we read. The triumphal moment the hero stands victorious on the battlefield. What picture do you think rightly depicts standing firm in the victory we have in Christ? Something like Luke Skywalker with light saber raised high with his comrades near his side…….OR is it of a Saint weeping, crying out to God and holding,..not a light saber…but strong faith as they submit to the Father’s will and endure unjust suffering while doing good. (1 Peter 4:19). Isn’t this the picture we have of our Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane? Crying out to the Father in anguish.…. The hero of our souls…“saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And in that dark, despairing, lonely moment what happened? (Luke 22:43) tells us “….there appeared to him an angel from heaven,……..strengthening him.” Though his disciples didn’t remain awake with him to watch and pray for his support………… He was not alone. An angel, sent by the Father, comes to strengthen him to submit to the Father’s will, to suffer the coming shame and ridicule and ultimately…the excruciating death of crucifixion. In other words…to entrust his soul to God’s will and continue to fight firm to the end…thereby obtaining the victory on behalf of you and I, His bride the church. We get another powerful scene of this with eyes being opened for the servant of Elisha who is despairing over the great Syrian army that surrounded their city and was ready to strike. Elisha the prophet in (2 Kings 6) responds to his despairing servant saying “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” Elisha says in (verse 16) “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of he young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” God opened the despair young man’s eyes to see the host of an angelic army surrounding he and Elisha…to strengthen the servant of God in the battle. Notice…for both accounts…fellow servant of God - Notice that Prayer is what preceded this. Prayer aligns your heart and mind to have the proper perspective on the battle scene. Prayer appeals to the Father who promises to never leave you or forsake you. We are never alone on the battlefield. You can entrust yourselves to the Creator God when suffering unjustly same as our Lord Jesus did himself. Strengthened in the garden of Gethsemane to endure the unjust cruelty of torture and death by the cross which won the victory over satan, sin and death. We his followers are to follow the same pattern leading to the victory guaranteed for us by Christ in every spiritual battle fought. OUR CLOSING VERSE (verse 18a) assures us of our final truth to receive from our Father this morning as we conclude and that is to Know you are never alone. Fully armored, the soldier of God, takes their stand on every spiritual battlefield with God who will “never leave them or forsake them” - read with me the first half of (verse 18a) - read Prayer yields our heart toward God to change our perspective when our physical eyes only see despair. Know that you are never alone. - PRAY * Know Battlefields * gentle, composed - met with cattle prod of disrespect, disdain and obstinance. * Weariness * Loneliness * Confusion * Know how to use. * Know you are not alone COMMUNION Benediction (Psalm 56?)