We are at war, be prepared! A series on Ephesians Part 13 (Ephesians 6:10-20)




 Read Ephesians 6:10-20

Paul wrote to the Ephesians with many instructions on how we, as Christians, are to live our lives. He comes to the close of the letter addressing how we will be able to live the way he has instructed. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God, being strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Why? Because we are in the midst of a war! We are fighting spiritual warfare against darkness and the spiritual forces of evil, both here on earth and in the heavenly realms. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, "For though we walk in the flesh we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." How can we, simple and sinful beings, possibly hope to fight the things we can not even see? Paul tells us to stand firm, to "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Some believe that Paul had Isaiah 59:17 in mind, as it says there, "He put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak." Only with truth, righteousness, faith, and the gospel of peace and salvation can we hope to fight the devil’s schemes. God gives us all we need to fight the good fight. 2 Corinthians 6:7 speaks about how we are to have endurance through hardships because we have "weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left."

Paul goes on to tell us what the armor of God is. First, there is the belt of truth buckled around your waist. Just as a belt surrounds you and holds your clothes in place, so too, we must surround ourselves with truth. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), but if we have the truth of the gospel, he will not deceive us! We are also sanctified by the truth; God's Word is the truth (John 17:17). How do we hold on to this truth? Study God's Word and memorize passages so they're always at the ready. Pray with God's Word; use it as a guideline for your prayers and your life

Another thing to note how important the truth is is the fact that all the other armor is held and connected to the belt. Without the truth of God's Word, all will fall apart.

Next comes the breastplate of righteousness. Just as a breastplate protects a soldiers heart in battle, so too, righteousness protects our hearts for God. In Christ we are made righteous before God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that "God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." God demands perfect righteousness, and only through Christ can we have thus righteousness. Revelations 19:8 says that to prepare for the wedding of the lamb, Christ's bride was given fine linen to wear. "Fine linen stands for the  righteous acts of God's holy people." We need the righteousness of Christ before God, but also, the continuing righteousness that comes from the Spirit working in us. 

The third piece we are told about is our feet. They are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. If we are prepared and have the peace of the gospel, we won't stumble or fall but will be ready to withstand whatever Satan tries to tempt us with. Philippians 4:7 says, "and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." When we have the peace of the gospel, we will be content in our situation and ready to fight against temptation. 

Next we are told to take up the shield of faith. The shield of faith can extinguish all "the flaming arrows of the evil one." Its helpful to note that the large Roman shields were covered in leather that could be soaked with water and used to put out flaming arrows. Just as a shield protected the soldier, so, too, faith protects us and prevents the evil one from harming us. If you read the Word of God faithfully and believe, it will protect you from the devil's attacks. If you're strong in faith, you will see heresy and lies for what they are. 

Our fifth piece of armor is the helmet of salvation.  1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, "But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation". We need salvation. If we did not have the hope of salvation, our lives would be very bleak. Satan can not tear us down, we know that Christ will triumph. Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Our hope does not disappoint us, as it says in Romans 5:5, "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." What an amazing God we have! Despite all we have done, we can trust God's promise of salvation.

Next, Paul says we are to put on the sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts of the heart." The sword of the Spirit, as our text says, is the Word of God. This can also be seen in John's description of Christ in Revelations 1:16 where he says, "in His right hand He held seven stars and  coming out of His mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword." God's Word, like a double-edged sword, can cut you in two ways. It can cut sin from your life and redeem you through the gospel of salvation, or it can condemn you for disobedience and living a life of sinful selfishness. By calling it the sword of the Spirit, we are again reminded that we are fighting spiritual warfare. We must pray in the Spirit and depend on God and the power of His Word. Thus, prayer is actually our seventh piece of armor. We must pray constantly and be alert; praying in the Spirit because He will bring our prayers before God in ways we can not. Romans 8:26-27 says, "Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints, according to the will of God." 

There is so much we can learn from God's Word. We must use the Word of God, and as 2 Timothy 2:3 says, "share in suffering as a good solider of Christ Jesus." We are here to fight a war. Be prepared with God's Word in your heart and mind. Put on the armor of Christ that you may stand firm and resist the temptations of the devil.

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