Spiritual Warfare Part 5

Introduction

Video

Leaving home without your armor makes about as much sense as leaving a plane without a parachute…if you survive it will be a miracle.

Paul wrote this letter while chained to a Roman soldier. He could see the armor such a soldier would wear and it made for a good illustration.

He teaches us to take up our armor in preparation for the day of evil which would certainly come. There will be temptations, demonic attack and other difficulties in our life with Christ. We are made ready as we stand in our armor.

We must take up that armor. This means we must have faith to appropriate or receive the work of Christ on our behalf. Christ has saved us and made us a new person…we must by faith live as that new person.

This is is all done by the grace of God at work in us. But without faith the work of grace is never received and enjoyed.

We have already made note of the belt. This would protect vital parts of the soldiers anatomy and ultimately his life. Paul uses this to illustrate the importance of truth, integrity and character in the life of a believer.

If the enemy can tempt us away from truth and into a life of hypocrisy he will find an opening to wreck our witness and devastate our life.

We walk in truth when we have the faith to enjoy the work of grace which makes it possible for us to do so.

We are honest because of the strength of God at work in us to make us consistently so. We believe the truth of God and walk in what is true. Lies, innuendos, half truths and deceptions are not a part of who we are anymore.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 Faith is the key to actually living the Christian life. Galatians 2:20

Hebrews 11:6 CSB

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We must have faith and live by that faith. God has made us a new man or a new woman…take up the armor…put on that new man…have faith in the work of Christ on your behalf, believe He has made you new and walk by faith as that new person.

Breastplate of Righteousness

God has made the saved person righteous. This is what salvation is. It is not the covering up our guilt but the elimination of it. It is not a free pass to sin but the power and grace to sin no more. Romans 1:16-17

Romans 1:16–17 CSB

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Let’s spend a few minutes this morning on what it means to be “saved.”

Four years after the "Titanic" went down, a young Scotchman rose in a meet­ing in Hamilton, Can., and said, "I am a survivor of the `Titanic.' When I was drifting alone on a spar on that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper, of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. `Man,' he said, `are you saved?' 'No,' I said, `I am not.' He replied, 'Be­lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' The waves bore him away; but, strange to say, they brought him back a little nearer, and he said, 'Are you saved now?' `No,' I said, 'I cannot honestly say that I am.' He said again, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' Shortly after­wards, he went down, and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper's last convert."

Some have a wrong idea…they believe “saved” means to be rescued from eternity in the flames of hell. We certainly have been “saved” from such a fate but there is a lot more to our salvation.

The word “salvation” used in Romans 1:16 means, “to rescue from danger and to restore to a former state of safety and well being.”

Salvation — God restored us to our former state of well-being before sin entered the picture

We have been restored to a state of righteousness!

Righteousness — “to cause someone to be in a proper or right relation with someone else.”

We have been made righteous before God. We are in right standing with Him. We are in right relation with God because all sin has been atoned for in he sacrifice of Jesus on the cross

Righteousness in Romans 1:17 — “to cause someone to be in a proper or right relation with someone else.”

In the Gospel we see the method by which God makes us right…faith in the work of Jesus to pay for our sins and restore us to the state of being we had prior to the fall in the Garden.

We have been made in right standing with God again. We are restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus.

Now we look at the word translated “righteousness” in Ephesians 6:14 — Here it means, “the act of doing what God requires.”

So let’s put the puzzle pieces together and understand what Paul is teaching us in our passage today…

We can now be righteous because we are righteous. We can obey God and act the way He wants us to act.

Unless we believe and trust what Jesus did at the cross to make us new people we will never be saved nor able to act rightly and follow God’s way of doing things.

So take up the breastplate of righteousness! Believe God has made you in right relationship with Him. Believe in Christ you can obey and live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Shoes

Boy some people really love their shoes! You plan your outfit with your shoes selected first. You own the same pair of shoes but in multiple colors. When you travel, you need an extra suitcase or bag for your shoes. Each month or paycheck, the first thing you buy is a pair of shoes. You regularly hear “another pair of shoes – don’t you have enough” from people that know you well. It is a great day when someone compliments your shoes. You do a happy dance when there is a clearance sale for shoes in your size.

For much of the world simply having A PAIR of shoes is a luxury…even today. And in most cases, a pair of shoes is utilitarian in nature. There is a type of shoes for a type of job to be done. For instance, in roofing roofers will often wear “cougar claws” to help them grip the shingles as they walk and work.

Paul looked at the particular shoe of the Roman soldier and saw a sandal with soles thickly studded with hobnails (a short heavy-headed nail used to reinforce the soles of boots.)

These sandals protected the feet and gave the soldier the ability to move quickly and securely. In ancient warfare quickness of movement was essential and could be the difference in the battle.

“Preparation of the Gospel of Peace” — “Preparation” is the sense of a readiness to serve God. It means to be at the ready to go where and when God sends. We are quick on our feet to obey.

“Gospel of Peace” — Our readiness to serve God come from the Gospel. It brings us peace of heart which makes us ready for combat. “To have a consciousness of peace with God and to live in tranquil communion with Him enables one to fling himself into the battle with strong determination and calm assurance.” Vaughan, C. (2002). Ephesians (p. 129). Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press.

So by faith we put on the Gospel of peace which makes us ready for war. We are at the ready, waiting for the command of our God to find our place in the spiritual fight for the souls and lives of man.

Conclusion

Jesus is Lord! We can follow and obey Him because of who He has created us to be, His power at work in us by faith and the peace our relationship with Him brings.

We can overcome temptation, obey Him and be a part of His plans for our life…living life His way, in His time and in the places He has prepared for us.

Our part is to take up, by faith, the life He has given us. Take up, by faith, the person He has created us to be.

What do you believe this morning? Are you righteous? Are you living as a righteous person?

The enemy is overjoyed to make you believe that you are less than you really are…that you are a broken mess. The enemy wants you to believe you are nothing more than a pig that God put a little lipstick on and saved from some future home in hell.

But the reality is we are the children of God…joint heirs with Jesus…princes and princesses of God most High. We are saved from who we were and been recreated into a new person in right relationship with the King.

We are righteous…now take up your identity by faith and be righteous.

Are you living for what God wants, where He wants you to be and when?

God has given us peace with Him so that we might live for Him. Our life is tranquil and at the ready to be useful for Him if we are wearing the Gospel of peace upon our feet!

Commit this morning to...

Believe you are righteous and be righteous

Submit the plans you have for your life to God and be at the ready to live His plans for your life.