The Armor of God
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
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Lacy
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Dawn saved
Douglas
David - unsaved
Donald - Methodist
Dianne
Sue
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1. Take A Stand
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Prayer
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Why: So we can stand
choose what spiritual clothing we
How we dress spiritually will affect our attitudes, moods, and effectiveness. How well we
dress our spirits will impact others. We need to choose to put on clothes that are washed in His
forgiveness and freshly pressed by His mercy and throw out those old rags of self-righteousness.
Ties a daily activity, since we can't get dressed once and for all. And if we get dirtied during
the day, or start out in the wrong outfit, we can always choose to change into fresh clothes any
time.
Living with holiness, purity, love, peace, and humility is always fashionable. And
there's no better power suit than one tailored with faithfulness, righteousness, and compas-
sion. Before you go out, check yourself in the mirror one more time. Are you dressed like the
Vindalid
très chic or a candidate for the spiritually worst-dressed list?
tour verses.
What does it mean to stand? To take a stand is a frame of mind, a position, and an act of
commitment. These three are tightly interrelated.
A FRAME OF MIND: ALERT AND KNOWLEDGEABLE
Throughout our lives, we are called upon to take a stand for one thing or against another.
on social issues. And we do so based on how we think about these things. And what we think is
based upon what we know. The more we know about something, the more informed our think-
ing is, and the more solid our stand will be.
What are some of the big news events currently grabbing headlines nationally? In your
state? In the town where you live?
upon the Word of God, I must be familiar with the Scriptures. To fight successfully against my
enemy, I must understand who the Enemy is and the tactics and strategies my enemy relies on.
In the King James Version, 1 Peter 1:13
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
" To be effective
are downcast and burdened. ur in
focus our eyes down and keep our heads lowered. Our shoulders stoop. Our whole demeanor is
listless. The energy and joy is sapped from our lives. When we are in this state, it's difficult
enough getting dressed in the clothes from our closet, let alone trying to put on our spiritual
Iocus our eyes down and keep our neads Iowered. Wur showders stoop. vur Whole demeanor is
listless. The energy and joy is sapped from our lives. When we are in this state, it's difficult
enough getting dressed in the clothes from our closet, let alone trying to put on our spiritual
armor!
Camnlete the hlanks in this verse and change the incorrect words using the
firm forever.
Finally, taking a stand means making a commitment not to move. It means resolving to
be firm even when doing so may seem irrational to the natural mind. So often we're confronted
with an attack of the Enemy that seems impossible to overcome. We panic and run! Or, the
attack comes directly against our character. We flail out in anger!
In our flesh, when we are confronted, we tend to want to do something. We'll defend our-
selves, justify our behavior, explain ourselves, push back, accuse someone else, cast blame, and
on and on. We are compelled to take some sort of defensive action. Often, the most effective
defensive action is the one that never comes to mind because it makes absolutely no sense to
our fleshly minds: stand still. Wait on the Lord.
And this is exactly what God calls us to time after time. When we stand still, or stand firm
in the Lord, control of the outcome of a situation is taken completely out of our hands and
placed in God's hands. It means fully trusting in Him to deliver us from the storm no matter
how loud or how hard the storm rages. Before we can stand firm in the Lord we have to know
Him and be convinced in our minds of who He is--and you need to be standing upright before
Him.
The results of standing firm in the Lord-_just standing-_-will be dramatic. First, it will be
readily evident to you and to everyone else that the results came from God's efforts on your
behalf, not from your own efforts. Second, it will defeat the Enemy because he has no answer to
God's doings.
Think about this a minute. When a situation becomes chaotic and confusing, and you are
getting upset and loud with someone, yet they remain cool, calm, and collected in the midst of
your turmoil, how does that make you feel? It makes you crazy! "How can you just stand there
and not react?" you yell.
When Satan comes against us he wants us to react. He wants us to get worked up so we'll
get worn down. He wants us to take the litle things he's tripped us with and explode them into
major, soul-killing offenses. He pushes our buttons, hoping we Will self-destruct And he will
use others to push those buttons, confuse our Words, misinterpret our actions, and remind us
of our failings.
Can you think of situations where you "got crazy"? List them:
How should we respond? By confessing our sin, accepting God's forgiveness, and stand-
ing firm in the reality that we are hidden in Christ. When the storm passes, Satan and his
wicked agents will be swept away, and we will still be standing.
Describe and discuss a recent situation where, instead of standing, you reacted and made
the situation worse. Then, think and pray quietly, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you an
54
Preparing for Battle
world dressing for success is about more than the clothes we wear but also involves the attitude
we project through our actions, words, and demeanor, all of which enhance our success, so to
in the spiritual realm
God's desire is to make us into His bride, clothed in robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
"a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless"
(Ephesians 5:27
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
).
But first, we need to put on the armor and do some battle!