The Armor of God
Part One
Introduction:
Paul was a
prisoner in Rome when he wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus. He
spent much of his time in the presence of Roman guards. He used the
image of Roman soldier’s armor to describe the Christians’ armament.
Text:
Ephesians 6:10-20
Body:
I.
The Christian’s Battle
(Verses
10-13)
Verse 10
A Christian must be strong to “fight the good fight of faith.”
This spiritual strength is found in the Lord. This is the theme
in Ephesians. We can’t be strong outside of Christ. “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians
4:13)
Greek: “in Christ” (Psalm
18:39a)
“For You have armed me with strength for the battle;”
A Christian must decide to be strong, though. God doesn’t force him to
be. We have a personal responsibility to grow in spiritual strength. (II
Peter 1:3-11)
Christian graces are found here. We are to feed on the Word. (Hebrews
5:12-14)
Verse 11 Paul instructs Christians to put on the whole
armor of God. Whole armor comes from the Greek word from
which we get panoply. We must dress ourselves. The
purpose is to withstand the wiles of Satan. He is cunning and sly.
Recall
II Corinthians 2:11. He lays snares in
which to trap us. He wants to take us with him to hell. He’s our
greatest adversary. Verse 12 This warfare, this battle, is
not a physical one with physical weapons, but rather spiritual. (II
Corinthians 10:3-5) The enemies are
spiritual in nature. Satan is behind them all. The list includes evil
rulers throughout the world, wicked people who have great influence,
ungodly causes and philosophies such as atheism, secular humanism,
modernism, denominationalism, and religious error of any kind. Verse
13 This verse repeats the necessity of putting on the whole
armor of God. We must sincerely want to do this. The entire armament
is to be taken. Wearing only part of the armor will leave us
unprotected and vulnerable. The whole armor is needed to withstand in
the “evil day.” The evil day is any occasion due to trial, temptation,
or trouble, where we are in danger. The image described is one of a
soldier having withstood assaults of the enemy and at the end of the
battled, he is still standing. We need the courage and conviction of
David when he faced the giant Goliath. (I
Samuel 17:26)
We must always remember the words of
I John 4:4.
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who
is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” NKJV
II.
The Christian’s Armor (Verses
14-17)
Verse 14 If the Christian is going to stand, he must be
arrayed in the armor of God. Roman soldiers in the 1st
Century wore a girdle or belt which held his armor in place as well as
securing the sheath for his sword. The spiritual soldier has a belt of
truth around him to hold in place all the other pieces of his
armor. Without the truth [Word of God –
John
17:17],
the armor could do no good.
“The entirety of Your word is truth.” (Psalm
119:160a)
It guides us and protects us. Without it, we could not be saved and
could not live in heaven with the Father. “Breastplate of
righteousness” The breastplate protected the vital organs [of chest and
abdomen]. The Christian’s breastplate is righteousness, the doing of
God’s will [that which is right].
“All Your commandments are righteousness.”
(Psalm
119:172)
Notice how the Lord is described in
Isaiah 59:17.
We are not to wear the breastplate of our own devising, though.
(Romans
10:1-3)
This breastplate helps protect our vital spiritual organs. It makes it
harder for unjust criticism to would us; for malice from others to hurt
us; for betrayal from friends to pierce our heart. Doing the will of
the Father keeps us going forward and keeps us standing. Verse 15
The Roman soldier wore a sandal-like boot which helped him walk on all
kinds of ground and helped him maintain a good foothold. A spiritual
soldier is not ready for battle [prepared] without the gospel. It gives
him a strong foothold in his battles. It prepares him to meet the enemy
and survive the trials of life. It is called the “gospel of peace”
because when received, it brings peace between God and man. (Romans
10:15)
Invitation:
That peace can be yours this
very day. The gospel is for all. Believe it and obey it today.
Bobby Stafford
September 7, 2014
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