Armor of Defense (Eph 6:14-16)

Introduction

We saw the last time we were together that in order to stand in the midst of conflict, we must first obey the commands given to us by our commanding officer through His orders, the Word of God. These commands as we saw were first, “to be strong in the Lord”, which means our strength is not within us, but comes from Him. Then secondly, we were commanded to “put on the whole armor of God”, which, by its very description is supernatural and not of this world.

But why do we need the Armor of God? We saw that it is because of our enemy Satan who is supernatural, seeking to destroy us at every turn of our lives, and that in order to stand, we must have a supernatural armor given to us by the one one who can destroy to power of Satan. As a result, we have the assurance that we will be able to stand and win the battle!

Now this morning we want to look at some of the details of this supernatural armor, in particular, the armor of defense.

Text: Ephesians 6:14-16

Ephesians 6:14–16 ESV

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

1. Armor to Stand (14)

Stand (histemi [aorist, active, imperative]) - to face and withstand with courage.

A. Belt of Truth

having fastened on (perizonnymi [aorist, middle, participle ]) - to be girded (state) – to be or become fastened with a belt (or similar device) for securing one’s clothing; usually in preparation for strenuous activity or labor.

the belt of truth - (lit.: the truth belt) - truth is what holds all this armor together, but what truth?

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 17:17 ESV

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

B. Breastplate of Righteousness

having put on (endysamenoi [aorist, middle, participle]) - to be dressed – to be or become clothed in apparel; put clothes on oneself.

breastplate (armor plate that protects the chest and all vital organs) of righteousness - where does this righteousness come from?

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 4:24 ESV

24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Note that both truth and righteousness point solely to the Lord Jesus Christ. So, in other words, these defensive pieces of armor are a result of being in Christ!

So, are greatest defense against evil is to live out who we are in Christ, bound by His truth, and actively living out His righteousness.

However, we are not called just to be in defensive mode, but are to progress forward with the...

2. Armor to Move (15)

this forward movement is enabled by...

A. Shoes for your feet

Greaves - Protective piece of armor worn over the shank of the leg (1 Sm 17:6), made of bronze in order to protect against the sharp sticks put in place in a field of battle to impede the advancing army.

having put on (hypode - tie underneath; put on [aorist, middle, participle]) the readiness (hetoimasia - the state of being ready or prepared for use or action [prepositional object]) given by the...

B. Gospel of peace

The Gospel of Peace is actually what covers are feet to keep us moving forward.

This illustrates the importance of the Gospel of Peace in two ways.

An announcement of good news given by a running herald

Isaiah 52:7 ESV

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

The unstoppable advancement of the Gospel

Matthew 24:14 ESV

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Ok, so far we’ve seen that as a result of being in Christ, His truth holds us together, and His righteousness causes us to live holy lives, all the time moving forward for the Kingdom of God by proclaiming the unstoppable Gospel of Peace. But what keeps us motivated and focused...what protects us on our way…it is the...

3. Armor to Protect (16)

A. Shield of Faith

shield - a semi-circular shield large enough to hide a person behind; it was made of wood, covered with hide, and bound with iron at the top and bottom.

of faith - to put trust in; only as effective as the object of that trust.

In the context, we are to trust in all that it means to be in Christ, and what He has commanded, knowing it cannot be prevented or stopped…this is the ultimate motivation!

B. Extinguishes Fiery Darts

Flaming arrows that not only pierced but sought to destroy what they pierced. When the shield was dipped in water before a battle, it could extinguish fire arrows that had been dipped in pitch and set ablaze.

Notice that that shield of faith is able to extinguish ALL the fire arrows of the evil one.