sermon-05-30-2010

The Armor of God

05/30/2010

Sermon by Minister Mike Johnson

We live in a reasonably peaceful place. We aren’t separated from the effects of wars occurring globally but we aren’t currently enduring battles in our front yard here in the States. Because we are safe here we don’t often think of putting on armor, do we? I’ve never needed to wear armor before. Probably the closest I’ve been to wearing protective gear was when I played sports as a kid, like baseball or street hockey. My friends and I used to put of various types of “armor.” We would wear shin guards, helmets, gloves, facemasks, and if I was the goalie on the hockey team I would also put on a chest protector. The hope was that no fly ball or spinning hockey puck would penetrate the armor and hurt me. I would put on all the gear before every game because it was sure to guard me from the injuries that might come my way. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have a glove to catch pop fly balls in little league. Or what I might have done without a chest guard when that hockey puck hit me directly in the chest. My Mom had to remind me of a lot of things as a little boy but grabbing my gear before heading out to a game was not one of them! I didn’t want to get hurt! But again, you might ask yourself, sure everyone knows you need protective gear in sports and most certainly in war, but what does armor have to do with everyday situations? Well, just as soldiers and athletes put on armor to protect their physical selves, the Lord tells us to put on the full armor of God to protect our spiritual self.

Ephesians is a diverse letter covering several topics. In chapters 1-3 Ephesians emphasizes the work of the Lord to predestine us to His Kingdom. Eph 1:4 states, “For He chose us in Christ before the creation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in His sight in love.” God communicates to us His divine election in these first three chapters. In chapters 4-6:9 the focus is on holy living. It is filled with exhortations to live righteously and to do away with the fleshly side of ourselves, that is our sin. We are told to seek the Holy Spirit who will fill us with His fruit so that we may be right in our actions. When we get to verses 12-18 of chapter six Paul broadens his perspective. Now it has become a larger spiritual emphasis regarding the attack of the enemy and our defense against him and his forces. It might be easier to put the flow of the letter this way: It starts with Christ’s claim on our lives through His blood, then our response to His claim by rejecting fleshly desires and serving Him and then the focus shifts to a larger spiritual perspective of putting on the full armor of God to combat spiritual forces.

“The full armor of God? What is that?” you might ask. “Why do we need armor and how do we even put it on?” Let’s address the reason we need armor in the first place. The first verse tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Have you ever stopped to think about what that means? We have spent a great deal of time in the past talking about the flesh. We have described the flesh as the human condition. It is sin. It is our earthly desires. But this verse is not referring to flesh as the human condition. The flesh being spoken of here is physical, material flesh and blood. It is meant to let us know that the armor about to be discussed is not for use against other humans. Instead it is spiritual armor. It is against, “the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.” The armor of God is to defend against spiritual beings. They are the forces that wish to destroy the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. They are fighting against the Lord and all who follow Him.

Before explaining each piece of the armor of God, Paul tells his readers to stand firm. In the days of the Roman Empire, centurions were the kind of men you counted on. They did not waiver, but stood their ground in all situations. To think of it in modern terms, picture the guards at Buckingham Palace. They are known for their unique ability to maintain poise and composure, despite many a tourist attempting to get them to laugh or break their stance. They are dedicated to performing their duty without wavering. In a similar way we are to stand our ground when equipped with the armor of God and not run away. How do we stand firm and what are all the pieces that we need? Let’s look at them in detail.

In verse 14 we see that we are equipped with the belt of Truth. Truth is what we proclaim in the name of the Lord. We proclaim the truth of the One Living God. There are no other gods. With truth we shatter the arguments of the enemy and claim the Lord in our lives. Now don’t picture a belt like the ones we wear. No, those are way too small. The belt Paul refers to was used in battle to protect the waist but also the thighs. It’s a really big, thick belt and covers a lot of area.

After the belt, we move up to the breastplate that covers the chest. Paul refers to it as the breastplate of righteousness. To be righteous is to be morally upright or justified. We know that in order to be righteous it must come from God. We cannot establish it our own. It is Christ’s blood that covers us and makes us righteous in His sight. The righteousness of God protects us from the enemy’s attacks. One thing you might not know about the breastplate is that it is so heavy it requires help to put it on. Think about that. The Lord places righteousness on us because it is something that we cannot put on ourselves. Once it is placed on us we are protected from the attacks of the enemy. Do you sometimes find that you are easily irritated or think that you’re not good enough? Check to see that the breastplate of righteousness, which Christ puts on you, is firmly in place. When you acknowledge and proclaim who you are in Christ, then you will be able to withstand those attacks.

Next we are told to fit our feet with readiness that comes from good news of peace. In any and all of our encounters we should proclaim the Good News of Christ. We are not to try to “convince” anyone of the Truth of the Gospel by force. The Gospel message is not one of hate or malice. It is one of peace. There are many people that are not Christians and want to claim us intolerant. They want to “prove” our hatred toward those who do not follow Christ. This is not the case. Ironically, they are being just as intolerant as they claim us to be. Christianity never claims to be easy. It holds us to a standard of Truth. That Truth is announced with peace as we live our lives for the Lord in faith. Being fit with readiness also means being ready to give a reason for the hope that we have, as we are admonished in Hebrews. If someone asks you why you have a smile on your face, do you just shrug it off, do you point to something good that happened that day or do you put it all in the context of the good news of peace?

This leads to the next piece of the armor, which is the shield of faith. The shield is used primarily as a defensive tool. It is used to block attacks from enemy weapons. Our faith is a gift from the Lord. He gives it to us to stand firm in Him and to defend against attack. Without faith we will stumble and fall. Without faith our defenses are weakened. Without faith wicked words and attacks from the enemy can pierce our minds and invade our thoughts. It is true that we are covered with protection from the efforts of the enemy by the righteousness placed on us by Christ. Remember the breastplate? While righteousness protects us from being taken captive by the enemy and our identity in Christ stolen, our faith gives us strength to stand firm when the enemy attacks our mind and tries to cause us to doubt our Savior. Romans 1:17 states, “For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘the righteous by faith will live.’” So, we must put up the shield of faith that will block all the arrows of the evil one. Just as the shield of faith protects us from all attacks so also does the helmet of salvation guarantee our place with Christ.

The helmet of salvation gives us both hope in the present and for the future. In the present it gives us hope because we know we have been set apart from the world. The Lord chose us as his children. We know we have a Savior who cares for us and will never let us go. Just as we know we have protection now we also know that we have hope everlasting in Heaven. We have in place on our heads the helmet of salvation because it has been established as our security that we will not face eternal death.

The final piece of the armor of God is the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. This is interesting because it proposes that Scripture is a weapon. Many would not think of Scripture in this way. We must keep in mind the Spiritual significance of what is being said in this verse. Scripture is a weapon against the attacks of the enemy. Think of Jesus in the desert. How did He defeat the devil who was trying to tempt him? Jesus used Scripture. He wielded Scripture in such a way that the devil could not repel the attack. Finally, Jesus was able to command the devil to leave His presence because the devil cannot defy Scripture. Jesus did not wield Scripture in a passive way or in a way that was feeble. It wasn’t as though he was taking stabs and hoping one might land. He used Scripture with faith knowing it would defeat the devil. In the same way we too can repel the devil using Scripture. The Bible is more than just pages full of Words. They are alive and powerful because it is the inspired Word of God. In the same way that Jesus used Scripture against the devil we can also in the same way. When you are in despair you can claim the strength of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19 states, “You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed—not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ.” When we are attacked we can claim this from Psalm 61:3, “You are my shelter, a strong tower that protects me from the enemy.” These can be spoken out loud. Why hide the Word of the Lord? Why only say it in your mind? Say it out loud and with conviction. Pray with it that the enemy would flee. The Lord is our strong tower and we have been ransomed by the blood of Christ. Claim this with truth and faith and the enemy will have no choice but to run.

The final verse is an exhortation to pray at all times in the Spirit. Prayer is not linked to any piece of armor. One prays before battle, while in battle, and gives thanks after battle. In the same way we are to pray at all times. We are to pray in every situation and always give thanks to the Lord. Not only must we pray, but we are to pray in the Spirit. We must pray at all times. This means that no matter what the situation we must pray. This is because the armor that we are talking about is not something we put on our own. We must pray that our Savior prepares us to wear it and to use it. Just as we are to pray for ourselves we are also called to pray for all the saints. This means our brothers and sisters who are in working for the Lord both nationally here in the United States, but also for those who are abroad. All those who are in the Lord need prayer and we are called to lift up all those doing the work of the Lord. Pray for all those in Christ to be fitted with the armor of the Lord.

So what does this mean for us today? Many of us don’t experience battle so to say in our everyday lives. Does this mean we don’t need to be prepared? No, battles come in large and small scales. The enemy can attack at any time. You might think of a friend who is enduring hardship in the form of illness. You might think of someone you know doing missions work to spread the Gospel message. You might even be the one experiencing an attack on your spirit. I see attacks of the enemy in the form of depression and anxiety. I see it in the form of fear and doubt. We have become a largely scientific society that tries to do away with the spiritual. I work with people with a wide array of mental illness. We are quick to medicate and offer coping skills. What if what is really necessary is for prayer? Whatever the situation we are all susceptible to attack, but with the full armor of God we can defend but also go on the offensive and fight back. He equips us and we have the power to stand against the enemy. So stand firm with the armor of God. Do not be afraid of the flaming arrows that are shot at us. Use the full armor of the Lord to battle the enemy. I want to make it clear that we have the advantage. We have the glory and majesty of the Lord on our side. We cannot afford to be passive. We cannot afford to sit idly by hoping someone else will do the work. The Lord has called us all into his army. He has given us truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, peace and his Word. Keep these things next to you and use them in your everyday situations. We are fully equipped because He has given us everything we need to accomplish his good, pleasing and perfect will.