Put on The Whole Armor of God

Intro: Remember the hymns titled “Fight the Good Fight Brethren?”, or how about “Onward Christian Soldiers?”  It takes a total and fearless commitment to be a good soldier!

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

(2Ti 2:3)  You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

(2Ti 2:4)  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

A loyal soldier is completely committed to serving his country, and loyally following orders and defending his or her comrades to the death! (Hebrews 11 – The Faith Hall of Fame).

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, as well as women and others:

Hebrews 11:36-40

What is absolutely necessary for us to “endure as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” in the army of God?

Can you imagine showing up in formation in the morning before a battle, and everyone is staring at you in shocked disbelief, and they all start laughing at you.  The commander is apoplectic with his face contorted in rage…then you realize your…NAKED!

WHAT CAN YOU PUT ON THAT IS INVISIBLE, YET ALSO PREVENTS YOU FROM BEING NAKED?

SPS: Today we will see what God offers to us in order for us to win our spiritual battles.

Body:

1. We are referred to as soldiers in the New Testament a few times:

(2Ti 2:3)  You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Php 2:25)  Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;

(Phm 1:1)  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer,

(Phm 1:2)  to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

(Phm 1:3)  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Summary of Paul’s sufferings] -

(2Co 11:24)  From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

(2Co 11:25)  Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

(2Co 11:26)  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

(2Co 11:27)  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

(2Co 11:28)  besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

God does not expect us to fight our spiritual battles NAKED and DEFENSELESS!

Paul was in prison for two-years (Acts 28:30-31).  He was placed under house arrest with a Roman soldier on duty to guard him, and Paul observed his captor daily for those two-years.  He was inspired to write four epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon), and an amazing analogy comparing the Roman soldier’s armor, which Paul knew intimately, to what a Christian must have in order to fight their spiritual battles then and now!

What did Paul use to survive all of the tremendous suffering and persecution?

We are instructed by Paul to “Put on the whole armor of God” in Ephesians 6:11.

WHAT DO WE NEED ARMOR FOR ANYWAY?

1. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 We are hard pressed on every side.

ANYBODY HERE WATCH THE “LORD OF THE RINGS” MOVIES?The “Orcs” in the series are these creatures created in Mordor, the heart of darkness and center of evil, and they are absolutely hideous…they hate each other and their own masters, and everything.  They want to do nothing but destroy.

…BUT NOT TO WORRY.(Be strong in the LORD, and in the power of His might! – (Ephesians 6:11-12).

 

1. – Judges 6 tells us about Israel’s oppression by the Midianites, and God’s calling of Gideon to deliver Israel after they called out to God for help.  Israelites were hiding out in the mountains in dens, caves and strongholds of fear of the Midianites (…who were as numerous as locusts and had camels without number [Judges 6:5], and they would enter the land and destroy it!).

1. How are we to survive in our great battle against both physical and demonic forces?

 

2. GOD WANTS US TO DO OUR PART AND PUT ON HIS WHOLE ARMOR – but find courage in the fact that He and the heavenly host of righteous angels lead the charge! (2Kings 6:8-17) Elisha asks God to reveal His angelic horses and chariots of fire to Elisha’s servant.

 

b.1     (Eph 6:11)  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Here we are told WHY we should put on the armor of God.  “THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.”

 

Paul also writes in 1Thessalonians 5:8 that we who are of the day (in other words, those who walk in God’s light and not the evil darkness) should put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation so we are prepared in the day of the LORD – (when we die).

b.2     (Eph 6:13)  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.

(Eph 6:14)  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

In both verses 11, 13 and 14 the word “stand” is used.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Abridged Edition of the New Testament provides a good summary of some of the reasons Paul uses the word “stand.”

“’Stand’is a military term for holding on to one’s position.  The equipment (armor) enables the soldier to ward off the attacks of the enemy and make a stand against him.  The soldier must be protected from head to foot, and his armor is made up of all the various pieces, both defensive and offensive.”

What are we told in Ephesians 6:11 and 13?  “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (v.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.”

TAKING A STAND

(Rom 5:1)  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Rom 5:2)  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

(1Co 15:1)  Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

(1Co 16:13)  Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

(2Co 1:24)  Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.

(Gal 5:1)  Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

It is absolutely critical that we hold our position in our daily battle AGAINST powerful forces!  GOD KNOWS WE CAN DO IT, AND HE OFFERS US WHAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO TAKE OUR STAND!

PAY ATTENTION!  God instructs is to TAKE UP and to PUT ON the WHOLE armor of God!  WHY?

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION!  Let’s look at closely at Ephesians 6:12.

(Eph 6:12)  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.

[Source: www.sonshi.com] – In Sun Tzu’s Art of War Therefore I say, if you know the enemy and know yourself, the victory is not at risk. If you know the Heaven and you know the Ground, the victory is complete.

Observe something in Ephesians 6:12 [read] that is brought to light in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Abridged Edition New Testament:

Before any offensive can be launched, one must first of all maintain his own ground.  The fourfold use of “against” stresses the determined hostility confronting the Christian soldier.  The commander-in-chief of the opposing forces is the devil himself, the sworn enemy of the church. He is a master of ingenious stratagems (the wiles of the devil) and his tactics must not be allowed to catch us unawares.  These stratagems probably reflect his deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ’s body through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (Eph 4:14, Rom 16:17-18, 1Cor 1:10, 1Cor 3:3, Jud 1:19).

It’s obvious that one of the wiles of the devil, big time, is DIVIDE AND CONQUER!

How are we to withstand the evil one and all of his devious stratagems? WE TAKE OUR STAND IN A STRATEGIC LOCATION.

We KNOW the ground!  We know where to take our stand.  We take our stand

1. In grace
2. In the gospel
3. In faith
4. In liberty

Let us not forget

5. In love (Eph 3:17)  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

 

We KNOW what God in heaven wants us to do in order to win our spiritual battles when we are standing our ground!

We are instructed to put on the whole armor of God so that we have the full set of armor.  Missing just one piece can be a fatal mistake!

C.        What Is This Whole Armor of God?

c.1 - (Isa 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. (Our Savior’s armor! – He wants us to wear His armor, the Whole Armor of God).

c.2 - (Eph 6:14)  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth (1), having put on the breastplate of righteousness (2),

NIV - (Eph 6:14)  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

[NKJV] (Eph 6:15)  and having shod your feet (3)with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

(Eph 6:16)  above all, taking the shield of faith (4) with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

(Eph 6:17)  And take the helmet of salvation (5), and the sword of the Spirit (6), which is the word of God;

CONCLUSION:

Why is putting on the whole armor of God so critical?  Will it protect us from persecution, stress, being struck down…No!

(2Co 4:8)  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

(2Co 4:9)  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

Today we have learned that we are Christian SOLDIERS, and we our fighting fierce spiritual battles.

Today we have learned that it is by God’s power and might that we can win our battles.

Today we have learned to know our enemy, Satan, and to know his stratagems of divide and conquer.

Today we have learned to stand our ground; to stand in grace, in the gospel, in faith, in liberty and love.

Today we have learned that we must PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD in order to stand against the wiles of the devil!

ONE LAST SCRIPTURE TODAY:

(2Co 10:3)  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

(2Co 10:4)  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

(2Co 10:5)  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

(2Co 10:6)  and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Would you like to know the title of my sermon?  “Put on the Whole Armor of God – Part I.”  In “Part 2” and “Part 3” we will examine each piece of God’s armor in detail.  Stay tuned!