Standing Firm in the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Scripture Reading

You may be seated. When you meet me in your Bibles, in the book of Ephesians chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 6, Ephesians chapter 6, you can find that on page 1041 if you're using the Pew Bibles. Ephesians chapter 6, and we'll read this morning verses 10 through 20. Ephesians chapter 6 beginning at verse 10. This is God's word. Pay careful attention.

Final Point

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand within the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you are able, or you will be able, to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may be able to open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Thus ends this portion of the reading of God's Word. Brethren and sisters, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever.

Paul is writing these words as he is literally in chains. Paul is writing these words as he is in Rome somewhere around 60 to 62 AD. And as he feels those cold iron shackles upon his wrists, he's possibly even shackled to a Roman centurion. And as Paul lifts up his eyes and he looks next to him, who does he see?

But his prison guard. A Roman centurion. A Roman wearing a helmet. A Roman with a belt around his waist. A Roman with shining metal armor to protect him. A Roman with a shield with the marking of the legion he belongs to. A Roman with sandals upon his feet. This is the picture that he sees when he opens his eyes, and as he sits down to pin this letter to his beloved in Ephesus, he tells us there's a different armor we wear than the Romans.

There's a different armor that God has equipped you with, and it's his own armor. And so, brothers and sisters, our call this morning is to stand firm, is to stand firm in the armor of God, stand firm in the armor of God. Notice first that this is what he says right away in verse 13, therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil day and having done all to stand, verse 14, stand therefore Stand, Christian, stand. Christian, stand. Christian, Paul is rooting you on. The Holy Spirit is telling you you can do this. The God of the universe is telling you, I am the one who saved you by my mighty right hand and I will sustain you.

But maybe for some of you, you say, I can't stand. I've tried to stand. I've tried to go forward, and I just get pummeled down. I try. I try, but I don't know how. I've tried to look within myself, and I've tried to muster up the strength, and every time I do, it seems like Satan gets me away I didn't expect, or depression hits me, or I'm just beat down.

How am I supposed to stand? We don't stand by our own strength. Last week we spent the whole, all message looking at what does it mean to stand in the Lord. Our strength comes not from within ourselves, but is the same as what Joshua told the people on that other side of the Jordan when he told them to have courage and to not be afraid. Why? Because the Lord would go with them. You were not meant to do this battle by yourself.

If you walk away this morning If you walk away this morning and you think, I am equipped and I can stand and I can do this, but your eyes are not lifted up unto God, you'll have missed this entire point of the sermon. You'll have missed the entire point of what the book of Ephesians has been getting us to, is that the only place, the only reason why we have any strength is because we are in Christ. Christ is our victor. Do you remember what we read in Isaiah chapter 59?

Who put on the armor? Who was it who put on the breastplate of righteousness? Who was it who had the shield or the helmet of salvation? It was God himself. We put on God's armor. We put on the Lord himself's armor. He gives us a strength that he equips us with his own tool. So how do we stand firm in the Lord? We go to where the Lord equips us. And that first is we gird up our loins by the truth. We put on the belt of truth.

Normally back in those days, when somebody would be at home, they would have these long tunics. And those long tunics were almost kind of like robes, free-flowing and you were able to get around and things like that. But when you were ready to go out and to actually do work, you would pull up the ends of your tunic so that way your feet wouldn't get tripped up as you ran. You would pull it up and you would put on your belt to make sure that your feet were ready to run. that you would be confident where each step would be taken, that you wouldn't get tripped up, and you are called, Christian, to put on the belt of truth, to know what God says, to know the veracity of the gospel, to know that it is Jesus Christ who loves us and gave his life for us, and as we have confidence in the truth of the gospel, that we are in Christ, and if we are in Christ, then no one else can stand against us, and as we gird ourselves with that truth, We can know with certainty that we're able to run.

So the first thing we must do, Christian, is to put on or gird your loins with that belt of truth. The first piece of your armor is to put on that belt of truth. Okay. So some of you are like, okay, yeah, I got that, I got that. I know what you're saying, I'm on board with you, but there's something else a little bit heavier to put on. You have to put on the breastplate of righteousness. This is what verse 14 tells us. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

This breastplate, don't think of just a front shield, but this was a leather jacket almost that you would put one arm in and another arm in and you would bring it in and you would tie it in the front and over your shoulders and over your back and down the front of you, there would actually be metal protecting your whole torso, front and back.

But we're not concerned about physical weapons here. We're concerned about spiritual weapons. So we need something outside ourselves. See, if we just put on our own righteousness, we're putting on a righteousness of cloth that's easily going to get shot through.

But we put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul says in Philippians chapter 3. Verses 8 and 9 says, Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Key part here. not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Brothers and sisters, we do not put on the breastplate of righteousness, of our own righteousness, but we put on the impenetrable, perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is because we are in Christ that He gives us His armor, He gives us His righteousness, and we wear His own righteousness. It is Jesus's righteousness that we wear. Again, this is God himself who said this in Isaiah 59 verse 17. And without this righteousness, we are naked and exposed. All of our vital organs show. Any shot of the devil can pierce our liver at any point.

If we start moving away from trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and instead trusting in how good I am, brothers and sisters, you are trading an armor of metal for armor of silk. Do not lean on your own understanding or trust in your own righteousness, but brothers and sisters, if you wear the righteousness of Jesus Christ, then even though the devil might give you a blow, He will not pierce you vitally. Put on that breastplate of righteousness of Jesus Christ. But there's more than that. We also must shod our feet with the Gospel of Peace. Look with me again at v.

15. And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

These shoes that Romans would wear at this time were meant to be, they were made out of a thick leather strap at the bottom and they had almost like, have you seen the old football or running cleats that look like death traps? They have like those huge long spikes on the bottom. And you think, man, if you get hit with one of those, you are toast. Well, these are similar to those, not as long, more stubby, and lots of leather straps that would go around.

See, because the problem is, if you were a Roman soldier, you weren't just expected that you could wield your sword well, or that you could hold your place as you held out your shield, but that as you were fighting, you could move swiftly. that Romans would train for alacrity of foot, of being swift and brisk, to be able to move with agility, to be able to fight in hand-to-hand combat. See, we live in a day and age where modern warfare is fought from feet away. But even Marines still today have to practice hand-on-hand combat, and they have to run miles and miles to make sure that they're swift of foot and agile and able to attack. And there's a reason why one of the first things that happens when you go to boot camp, whether you're going to the Army or the Marines, is the first thing they do is they make you stand on a little machine and it measures exactly what type of shoe you should be wearing. And then you get exactly fitted for your running shoes and for your boots. Because if your feet aren't shod correctly, you won't be able to fight properly.

So what are the shoes in which we are supposed to wear? The shoes in which we wear are the gospel of the peace of Jesus Christ himself. In the book of Isaiah, it says, blessed are the feet of those who bring good news. Blessed are those who bring the gospel. We have to be fit for marching and fighting. We have to be comfortable with the constant wear of the gospel. And as we get familiar with the gospel, and as we live the gospel, as we steep ourselves in the gospel, as we remind ourselves of the gospel, as we encourage one another in the gospel, we train and we train and we train that we might be ready that we could give that gospel of peace. It is the gospel, it is the confidence that we have in the gospel that we can move swiftly. So the question is, what is the gospel? What is that good news?

What is it that would make you actually want to tell someone? Is it a list of rules? I'm guessing none of you have ever made a disciple for Jesus by saying, here's a law book, here's exactly how you should live your life. I'm guessing it's never happened. If it has, you were talking to some funky people I haven't met.

But the gospel of peace is telling people we were once at enmity with God, and yet God, when yet we were still sinners, displayed his own love for us by sending his own son to die for us. But there is peace with the God of the universe. There is hope for eternity. You're right, there's something wrong in this world, but I have a message to tell you that it doesn't all have to be wrong. It doesn't all have to be gloom. It doesn't have to be you die and nothing else you think happens. No, there is eternity after death.

And it is when we are confident in the gospel of Jesus Christ that he shed his blood for sinners like me and sinners like you, then we can go with swiftness and with confidence into the battle. we must major on the gospel. It is the foundation upon which we stand.

But if we continue on, this is not just where it stops, it's not just that our feet are shod with the gospel, it's not just that you wear the breastplate of righteousness, it's not just that you have the belt of truth, but it is absolutely essential that when you come to stand, that you stand by taking up the shield of faith.

Take up the shield of faith. Look with me at verse 16. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. These shields were not small little shields, but the shields that Paul would have seen, that Roman guard next to him, were shields almost the size of a small door. three pieces of wood bound together, then covered over with leather and with a piece of brass at the top and at the bottom to bind them all, curved in nature so that way, as the soldier stood there with the shield, the shield would surround him on both sides and in front, and before they went to battle, they would dip these shields into water so that the way the leather would soak up the water. And on the front of the shields would be painted the insignia of the legion that that that that soldier or centurion was a part of. Brothers and sisters, we wield that shield of faith against the fiery missiles of the devil. As he puts his fiery arrows and he aims them at your vital organs, it is the shield of faith in Jesus Christ that will quench the arrows.

Now those arrows come in crafty ways. Remember what we looked at in verses 12 and 13. Satan has schemes. Satan has wiles. He has different ways. Sometimes they're frontal assaults, but sometimes the attacks are in so subtle ways that we're surprised by them.

Sometimes those attacks might come from within you. Christians are often attacked by thoughts Blasphemies, things that are so outside their normal realm of thinking or doubting that they're like missiles lodged in our hearts that cause fire in our bones and we don't know why we're struggling with this depression or we don't know why we're struggling with this loss and we don't know why we're so given over to greed at this time or why we have such an anger towards that other person. Brothers and sisters, these are darts that have come in from behind because we have not held out our shield of faith. We must hold out our shield of faith. Sometimes the methods and the wiles of the devil are to so bombard you with arrows from the outside, so bombard you with flaming darts from the outside, that he makes you forget that there's a flank coming from the side as well. This is why we need one another. See, there was something that Roman soldiers did that made them almost invincible in war.

It's not just me. carrying a shield. It's not just you carrying a shield. It's not just you carrying a shield. It's not any one individual carrying a shield, but what would happen is you would get into what was called a phalanx. Each person would stand shoulder to shoulder, and as we held out our shield, and it made this semi-circle around us, our friend would come next to us, our compatriot would come next to us, and they would hold their shield, and it would interlock just behind our shield, and then you would have an entire wall of shields, and the people behind you would put up their shields and they would hang it over so that way it would cover the top of the person in the rank in front of them. So that no matter where the enemy might shoot their flaming arrows, your friend next to you was also able to help you and to guard you.

Brothers and sisters, this is one of the most dangerous things that's going on in our current culture. The coronavirus is real. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. There are people who get sick. And yet, there's a real danger to what's happening right now. Churches being ripped apart. Wear a mask, not wear a mask. Meet, not meet. There are Christian churches that are falling apart right now because of failings. Because they've taken their eyes off of their Savior. They've forgotten that it's the name of Jesus Christ that's painted on the front of their shield.

Brothers and sisters, we must stand united together. We need to be with one another. This is why God tells us in Hebrews chapter 10, do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Because why? We need to encourage one another towards love and good deeds. And so much the more as the day draws near. We need one another. Christianity is not me in a bubble, but it's us together with our shields of faith.

Because remember, Your shield didn't always have the name of Jesus Christ on it. You once carried a different shield. Remember what Ephesians chapter two verses three through five told us, that we were once those who carried the shields of Satan himself. That the principality of the air once held claim over us. And God has transferred us out of that kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of his marvelous light. And now painted upon that shield is Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, do not forget Jesus Christ. Fix your eyes upon Jesus Christ. Look to Jesus Christ for protection. Look to Jesus Christ when the wiles of the devil catch you by surprise and back up your fellow Christians. Stand with them, support them, call them, pray for them. We're at the end of the month, but at the beginning of December, there will be a new monthly prayer list that I'll hand out to you. I encourage you to pray with and for one another as we talked about in our catechism question this morning. Pick up your shield of faith, but even more than that, look with me at verse 17.

And take the helmet of salvation. This bronze helmet that would sit upon your head, that would have pieces like sideburns coming down to protect your jaws and your mouth and sometimes behind or underneath your neck and even behind your head. This helmet of salvation was protecting the Roman soldiers and your salvation protects you. Satan can't hurt you. Satan might want to strike you, Satan might want to cause you harm, but the reality is with a helmet of salvation on, no matter what arrow he shoots, it is going to bing off the brass and fall off target. cling to that helmet of salvation, grasp that helmet of salvation, strap it firmly underneath your chin, never leave your house without it. It is yours. Jesus Christ has given you that helmet of salvation.

Wear it with pride, that you might walk knowing that whoever looks you in the eye knows that you are one of God's saved people. gird your loins with the belt of truth, shod your feet with the gospel, put on the breastplate of righteousness, carry your shield of faith, wear proudly your helmet of salvation, but brothers and sisters, you also have an offensive weapon. Wield well the sword of the Spirit. Look with me at verse 17 again. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God's Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joint and marrow, and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

It is with God's Word that we go toe-to-toe with Satan. It is with God's Word that we are able to fend off the attacks of Satan. It is with God's Word that we must fight We don't fight from our own reason. We don't fight from our own speculation. We have no good weapon on our hands if we just want to go at it with whatever schemes we might engage in. But no, it is God's Word that is inspired.

It is God's Word that is profitable for correction, for reproof, for doctrine, for training in righteousness that you might be equipped to accomplish every good work. We must wield well the Word of God. So I must ask you, are you a novice in God's Word? I must ask you, have you been training for God's Word?

It's always one of these interesting things when I meet people who like to talk about carrying concealed weapons. And when they talk about carrying concealed weapons, I'm always somewhat excited as somebody who likes weapons, but it's one of these things where I talk with them and I find out really quickly who I really want around me with concealed weapon and who I don't really want around me with a concealed weapon.

Because there are people who think, oh, I can just strap this to my side and go about and do whatever I want, and when the day comes, I'll just, bam, bam, bam, you know, and everything's going to be great, but they never practice. They never go to the range, they never do dry drawing, they never actually think about scenarios of how would I do this and how would I do it effectively. Brothers and sisters, are we those who say that we wield God's word well, but yet we never lay it up in our hearts, we don't practice in our lives, we don't train with it daily? Do we go to God's word and do we wield it well?

If you are an Olympic fencer, and you gave me a fencing sword, I'd be done in half a second. I don't know what I'm doing with the thing. Brothers and sisters, Satan knows the Scriptures. Oh, he tried to use them against Jesus Christ himself. He knows how to wield that sword in deceptive and dangerous ways. This is where our first parents failed. Will we wield God's word well. This is hard though, right?

I mean, again, sometimes I say this stuff and maybe it's just me and that's fine, but I don't always feel like reading God's word. There are days when other things are more attractive. There are other days when I would rather just get on YouTube and go mindless for a while. There are other days where the children are driving me crazy and life is nuts and I'm just like, look, they've been up since 4.45, how am I supposed to have a quiet moment to even get into God's Word?

The question is, are we devoted to it? Do we take seriously that when we give in like that, it becomes a pattern? We've been working out recently at the Mastner's gym, and oh boy, I gotta tell you, COVID has made me a sore guy after going and looking like a chump at the gym.

And when COVID first started, I thought, well, I'll just, it's okay if I don't run today. Well, guess what happened the next day? Well, the road's a little bit muddy, so I'm not gonna run today. Well, guess what happened, you know, nine months later? Well, I didn't have a baby, but I almost gained enough weight for it.

That's what happens when we say, well, I just don't feel like reading God's Word today. But then it turns into the next day, and then into the next day, and then into the next day. Could you imagine somebody, a Roman centurion, with a big old beer belly trying to fit on that breastplate of righteousness and trying to wield his sword around? Getting out of breath every 10 steps. No, we don't wanna be that, right? But again, this isn't about law. I'm not laying upon you the law. I'm telling you that this is the way in which God has graciously made you. This is me trying to be your coach and trying to say, you got this. Okay, maybe you haven't been in shape for a while. Maybe you haven't had your hand on the sword. Maybe you haven't been practicing. Maybe you haven't been memorizing. Maybe you haven't been reading. Maybe God's word has just been away from you. Brothers and sisters, if you want me to text you every single morning, I will. If you want to come and study with me every single day, you can do it online.

If you want to have encouragement in God's Word, let me know, and I will bend over backwards, and people in the church will bend over backwards, because we together as a church, this is one of our stated goals, that we might know God's Word and wield it well. At the beginning of the year, you're going to have a whole sermon on just reading God's Word, and there are still four plans on the back wall. There will be a whole bunch more plans back there at the beginning of the year. Do we wield God's Word well? But there's more than just that, isn't there?

Look with me at verses 18 through 20. There's a power here that we must not ignore. Look with me at verses 18 through 20. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and for me that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly and make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

There is a power in prayer. Yes, we must wear that breastplate of righteousness, but we need other people praying for us that we might not forget whose righteousness it is. Yes, we need to gird our loins with a belt of truth, but we need others to pray for us that we would actually put it on each morning. Yes, we might have that helmet of salvation in our closet and want to put it on, but we need brothers and sisters who will remind us of that helmet by prayer. We need to pray for one another.

And I'm not gonna spend too much time on this, because we're gonna take all next week to look at these three verses. But brothers and sisters, the armor of God is of no use if it is not emboldened and empowered by a spirit of prayer. Did you know every religious awakening that has happened in our country has been preceded by a big and vast and powerful movement for prayer? Every big time in which, in our country and in other countries, people become saved and are on fire for the gospel, do you know what comes with it?

Prayer. Prayer. Because people learn about their God, and they want to talk to their God, and they know that their God loves them because He is a heavenly Father who they can lovingly approach, and that they can pray with and for others. Brothers and sisters, armor is put on in a spirit of prayer and is sustained by a movement of prayer, we must be praying for one another if this armor is to be effective.

So are you ready to stand? Brothers and sisters, stand in the gospel Brother, put on that helmet of salvation and stand. Sister, put on that breastplate of righteousness and stand. Brother, put on that belt of truth and with confidence stand against the schemes of the devil. Sister, pick up that shield of faith and stand against the fiery arrows of the devil. Brother, shod your feet in the gospel of peace and stand with confidence in Christ.

Closing Prayer

You can do this in Christ, because he's in you. And if he is for you, who could possibly be against you? Let's stand, or let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for this day. Thank you for the power of your gospel and for the hope of the peace we have in Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that these words would not just fall upon our deaf ears, but you would bury them deep down upon our souls. Lord, that we would know you and that we would have such a dynamic union with you that we would be able to stand against any assault of the devil. Lord, that we would actually have your Holy Spirit and see you transform our lives, that we might be the strong warriors you have called us to be. In Jesus's name, amen.