Sermon Text: Ephesians 6: 10-17
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Morning Message:
Today I will finish up three weeks of preaching from the book of Ephesians. Paul gives us so much wisdom for healthy, Christian living that we could probably spend months trying to grasp everything he is teaching. I never pretend to be a Bible scholar; I know that I have a lot to learn from scripture. So, I study, and depend many times on what I read and take away from those who have come before me, and put in much time and research. A lot of what you will hear today comes straight out of my Dr. David Jeremiah study Bible. I tell you that so that proper credit is given where it is due. Spiritual warfare is a fact of Christian life. If you are not a Christian, you will never face this battle. If you are a Christian, that battle rages all around you, whether you chose to acknowledge it or not. The harder you try to live out your faith the more you will notice the battle. Maybe we should start there. Do you feel the battle? Are you engaged with the enemy?
People often think of war as glamorous—until they or someone they know becomes a casualty. The same is true in the spiritual arena. Spiritual warfare seems to be a popular subject for movies, lectures, books, and preaching, but many believers are casualties of Satan’s schemes. Make no mistake: whether they are aware of it or not, all Christians are engaged in a very real spiritual battle between two opposing kingdoms. And those least in the know are often the first casualties. Here is the problem that we face today in the church and as followers of Jesus. Too many Christians fall into the category of those least in the know. Honestly, sometimes I think that this group of Christians (those least in the know) make up the majority of the body of Christ. Too many Christians accept and know Jesus and that’s it. They have no idea that there is a spiritual battle, and they don’t realize that they are casualties of war. They don’t notice how weak their faith has become; they don’t see that they are living more for the world than for Jesus. The world has so influenced them that they look and sound nothing like followers of Jesus. I wonder who all of these least in the know are.
Thankfully, Paul provides believers with a self-defense course in Ephesians 6, and Jesus equips us with all six dimensions of our spiritual armor. Using the armor of a Roman soldier as a model, the apostle Paul describes how the Christian can stand strong in the midst of this ever-present, but unseen, spiritual battle.
The belt of truth. The soldier’s belt served as the foundation of his armor, holding his sword and his breastplate. Because Satan is “the father of lies”, he cannot stand against the truth. Jesus said, “I am the … truth”. Victory in spiritual warfare starts with truth. Satan can take any small lie that a Christian tells and use it to undermine their faith.
The breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate guarded the heart—the source of the soldier’s life. In a similar way, righteousness protects the spiritual life of the Christian. Our righteousness comes not from ourselves but from Christ. We are made righteous and acceptable to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we remain righteous when we walk closely with Him.
Feet fitted with …the gospel of peace. The soldier’s heavy, armored sandals gave him traction and security in the heat of battle. So our peace with God through Jesus Christ gives us security in the face of Satan’s accusations. You have the guarantee of peace with God through Jesus, but when you are not walking with him you don’t feel that, and you are less comfortable going to God for the strength and help that you need.
The shield of faith. The soldier’s leather covered shield could be soaked in water to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy. Faith in God’s promises deflects and extinguishes the lies of Satan. The devil will lie to you and try to deceive you. He will try to convince you that God will not take care of you. If we are not walking with God, these lies become easier to believe, but all we need to do is read all of the promises God made to us in his Word and trust in the one who saved us.
The helmet of salvation. The armored helmet protected the soldier’s brain. Since the primary battlefield in spiritual warfare is the Christian’s mind, assurance of salvation defeats the doubts Satan uses to attack us. In the garden Satan said to Eve, “did God really say”. We must protect our minds and renew them daily.
The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Paul noted only one offensive weapon, the soldier’s sword. For the Christian, the sword is the Word of God. Reading and knowing God’s Word is the answer to all of our problems with the devil. Christians have such a strong weapon at their disposal and seldom use it.
Thankfully our spiritual armor is to be used in a war that has already been won. It is said of Napoleon Bonaparte that as he attempted to conquer all the kingdoms of the known world, he spread out a map on a table, pointed to a specific place, and said to his lieutenants, “If it weren’t for that red spot, I could conquer the world.” The spot to which he pointed was the British Isles, the very nation that defeated him at Waterloo.
There is no doubt that when Satan talks with his minions about conquering the world, he says the same thing about the red hilltop of Calvary where Christ’s blood was spilled: “If not for that red spot, I could rule the world!”
But that red spot is what makes all the difference in our spiritual battle. We do not have to live in fear of the devil. We need enter only the spiritual battle to which we have been called, aware of its reality and its subtlety, and armed with the truth that the ultimate victory against Satan has already been achieved. Therefore, right now at this moment, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We must live our Christian lives aware of the spiritual battle that rages all around us and be ready and willing to do our part. Don’t be fooled, there is spiritual warfare.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
Views: 10
