OceanSide church of Christ

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Putting on the Full Armor of God

Mike Wencel

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints;

 

  1. The Helmet of Salvation                                                                  .

Acts 4:12 - Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Salvation is a component of our spiritual armor. It gives us the hope and strength to resist the temptations of the world, knowing that if we remain faithful we will have salvation in Christ.

 

  A physical helmet is used to protect the head and the brain. As Christians our brains need protection against all of the false and dangerous teachings that are prevalent in the world today. All of the man- made religions, creeds, doctrines, opinions, brainwashing that Hollywood tries to do on us etc. etc. etc. can pose a real danger to immature or naive Christians who are not firmly grounded in the Word.

 

Living in a world that insists on political correctness, on tolerance for every viewpoint and belief no matter how anti-biblical it is, coupled with the fear of offending anyone, and being ostracized or canceled for speaking the truth can cause us to veer off the path of faithfulness pretty easily. 

 

So the helmet is an important protection against assault on our minds, and the salvation that it represents is an eternal protection for our souls.

 

Isaiah 59:17 - For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.

 This may very well be where Paul got the metaphor of the suit of armor. Isaiah here is prophesying about the coming Messiah, predicting his righteousness, his bringing of salvation, his vengeance for the enemies of God, in particular his defeat of Satan, his zeal for completing his mission and obeying God’s will perfectly. 

 

 

  2. Breastplate of Righteousness                                                         .

Righteousness: (Thayer) state of one who is as he ought to be; the condition acceptable to God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting.

(Vine)  the gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by any merit of man's own, or any other condition than that of faith in and obedience to Christ....The man who trusts in Christ becomes 'the righteousness of God in Him,' as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.)

That is to say that man becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all that he could never be in himself.

 

1st Thessalonians 5:8  - But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

▶ It’s interesting that in the Ephesians letter Paul refers to the breastplate of righteousness, but here in 1st Thessalonians he refers to the breastplate of faith and love. If you think about it, faith and love are necessary components of righteousness. You can’t be righteous is God’s eyes without proper faith and love for God and our fellow man. 

 

▶ A physical breastplate protects the heart, and other vital organs. A spiritual breastplate protects our heart from rebellion against God, being polluted by the world, having a heart hardened against God and following the ways of the world. Avoiding all of these traps helps us to be righteous people.

 

 

 3. The Shield of Faith                                                                           .                                                                                                                 

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Faith is a hallmark of our Christianity and should be the driving force in our lives.

 

2nd Samuel 22:31 - As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a

                              shield to all who trust in Him.

Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Proverbs 30:5 -  Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Think about what a shield does for a warrior. It enables him to fend off spears, arrows or in modern times bullets, thus protecting his body from being penetrated by those fatal projectiles. The shield of faith in our God and His Son performs a similar function – it helps us to fend off false teachings, worldliness, immorality, temptation and a host of other darts that Satan hurls at us, not allowing those things to penetrate our minds and hearts.

 

To guard ourselves against backsliding in faith, we must constantly remember what the writer of Hebrews tells us:

 

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

One can surmise that the stronger our faith is, the more diligent we are in doing God’s will, the more pleased God is with us. It should be our lifelong goal to protect our faith at all costs, constantly defending ourselves against Satan’s darts, because in the end, nothing is more important.

 

 

 4. The Belt of Truth                                                                              .      

Proverbs 23:23 - Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

(Bible Illustrator): How is truth bought? In one sense it is free as air, but in seeking and keeping it we make sacrifices. Labor and searching may need to be done. Prejudice, pride of heart, illusions broken. Sins of heart and life forsaken. Esteem of friends and of the world may need to be parted with.

 

(Pulpit Commentaries): Consider truth as a thing of the highest value, and spare no pains, cost, or sacrifice to obtain it, and, when gotten, keep it safe; do not barter it for earthly profit or the pleasures of sense; do not be reasoned out of it, or laughed out of it; "sell it not," do not part with it for any consideration.

 

Psalm 40:11 - Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

 

Psalm 86:11 - Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Liberalism would like us to believe that there is my truth, your truth, this group’s truth, that groups truth, and somehow they can all be OK.  The bible refutes this concept in many places - notice David’s words in this Psalm where he pledges to walk in God’s truth, not in man’s truth. The best yardstick to use to determine if something you hear is the truth, compare it against God’s word. If it agrees with God’s Word it is truth, if it contradicts or adds or subtracts from God’s worth it is not true.      

 

Psalm 119:160 - The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

Many in today’s world do not not believe that everything in the bible is true. They say some things are true but other things are not true, they are just myths, stories or tall tales. If you come across one of these skeptics ask them this question: who makes the final decision regarding which parts of the bible are true and which are not. – It would have to be a man, and what man is qualified to judge God’s Word and deem which parts of his Word are not true.

 

Furthermore of what value would the bible be if some parts of it were not true. It would be useless because everyone could have a different opinion of what is true and what is not. There could be no objective, definitive truth. It would be totally subjective to every man’s whims and opinions. 

 

Malachi 2:6 - The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.

Malachi prophesies that the Messiah would be a man of truth. So all of what He taught directly and through his inspired apostles and writers is Truth. Jesus himself stated that God’s word is true in John 17:17 - Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

 

 

  5. The Sword of the Spirit                                                                  .                                                                                 

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is so powerful that it can cut a person’s heart:

 

Act 2:37 - Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

God’s word has the power to cut through all of the untruth we have been told about God, all of the doubts we have, all of the indecision and lethargy we battle in deciding to follow God. It is the only thing that can enlighten us in our understanding of the will and the mind of God.

A preacher can’t do it on his own – he can only teach what God has already written the preacher does not have the power - the power is in the Word of God. The preacher’s responsibility is to present that Word exactly as God has revealed it – without addition or subtraction and to let that Word penetrate people’s hearts. 

 

Revelation 1:16 -  He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Armed with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, we can use it to cut away peoples doubt and unbelief, if we wield it correctly. We must always remember it’s not about the messenger, it’s about the “Message”. The least skilled orator preaching the truth is infinitely better that a slick polished preacher preaching falsehoods.

 

 

 6. Feet Shod With With Gospel Of Peace                                            .                                                                            Romans 10:15 - How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!

In this verse Paul is paraphrasing Isaiah 52:7 - How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

As we try to evangelize in this community, we need to keep in mind how God views our efforts to spread the gospel… he considers us beautiful. Read the verse again slowly considering each phrase. These are the very things we should be expressing when we engage in bible study with others. 

 

Psalm 40:2  - He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

Anyone who has ever been at a VBS has probably sung the sing “The wise man builds his house upon the rock”. That is the sentiment David is expressing here. The horrible pit that God brought us out of was the pit of sin, that we had been mired in. After our obedience to the Gospel our feet were placed on a solid foundation, the rock of truth, and our feet we established in a better path, the godly path instead of the worldly path. 

 

Psalm 119:101 - I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word.

Once we obeyed the gospel and our feet were planted on a better path, it was (and is) our responsibility to restrain our feet from wandering off that path. Not doing that can lead us into backsliding.

 

Solomon gives us the same advice in Proverbs 4:26 - Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

 

 

  7. The Armor of Light                                                                          .

Paul also used the Armor of Light phrase in  Romans 13:12 - The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

 

So what exactly is the light? John clearly tells us in his first letter and in his gospel:

1st John 1:5 - This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

 

And Jesus himself explains what the light is:

John 8:12 - Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

God is light, Christ is light, and as baptized Christians we are children of the light, not walking in the darkness and hopelessness of sin, but in the light of hope and righteousness through Jesus Christ.

 

Paul summarizes this succinctly in Ephesians 5:8  - For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

We have to decide every day whether we will walk as children of light or children of darkness. This choice is ours alone, no one can make it for us, although Satan and his angels will certainly try to influence our decisions and do everything in their power to pull us back into the darkness.

 

So one of our main life goals needs to be exactly what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The benefit of being a child of the light is not only for our own souls, but for the benefit of other souls too. Hopefully when people see our behavior, our demeanor, our gentleness and our godliness  they will be curious about it and want to learn more about it, at which point we have  the opportunity to teach them the gospel of salvation.

 

 

  8. The Power of Prayer                                                                        .       

The last weapon in our arsenal is Prayer. It can be used in any place, at any time, in any situation. The bible has a lot to say about prayer, we will just have time to cover a few key verses today.

 

Matthew 21:22 - And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

The key word in this verse is “believing”.  James 1:6 tells us the same thing: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

 

We are told not to pray once a week, or once a month but continually:

Acts 6:4 - but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Colossians 4:2 - Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

1st Thessalonians 5:17  - pray without ceasing,

This takes real effort, and it is something we all could probably use improvement in. Physical therapists tell us that we should take a stretch or movement break several times a day if sitting at a computer.  How about making it a daily practice to take frequent short prayer breaks throughout the day? Set an alarm on your phone, use a post-it note, whatever it takes to remind you to stop and pray throughout the day.  

 

As Christians we have a responsibility to love one another, and one way we can do that is to pray for each other.

 

Romans 12:10  - Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

There is a whole lot to unpack in that single verse, but it contains a wonderful picture of what the Christian’s life should look like in relation to his brothers and sisters in Christ.

James expresses the same sentiment in James 5:16 - Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Fervant comes from the Latin word fervens meaning to be hot, to boil, to glow.

God does not want trite, namby-pamby, lukewarm prayer, he wants hot, passionate prayer, that reveals our zeal for God and his Word.  We should all take time to examine ourselves and see what our personal prayer quality reveals about our overall faith. Recall Jesus’ prayers in the garden of Gethsemane (sweat like drops of blood), or the prophet Jeremiah’s weeping prayers for his people. That is what fervent prayer looks like. 

 

As we pray, it is vital that we know and believe that God hears our prayers.

Proverbs 15:29 - The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

 

And finally, Paul teaches us what our mindset should be when we pray, and what our prayers should contain.

Philippians 4:6 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;