Topic: The Armour of God
Text: Ephesians 6:10-18
Introduction: To live in this world of evil, sin, and temptation you need all the protection and help you can get. The Bible says that we need the whole armor of God because the spiritual warfare that we face day in and day out can wear down your defenses. Therefore, spiritual strength and courage are needed for our spiritual warfare and suffering.
The armour of God is made to be worn daily in all life’s situations. There is no need in putting on the armour of God until we have planned our warfare and finished our course. We must put it on daily.
You need to understand that we are at war. And I’m not only talking about the physical war but also a spiritual war. We are at war with an enemy that is stronger than us. God has equipped us with everything we need to battle Satan With the whole armour of God. He has given us the armour, but it’s now up to us to put it on.
We must know that Satan is the strongest enemy a Christian will ever face, even as strong as he is, he can still be defeated. So, in order to defeat him, you need all of your armour. Every piece is important and if you leave out just one piece, you have created a weak spot, where you are vulnerable to his attacks.
How To Use The Armour Of God
The Bible tells us we are in a war and our adversary which is Satan the devil is bent on destroying us. The apostle Paul warns us to be careful of Satan’s devices and tactics (2 Corinthians 2:11).
The apostle Paul addressed this in Ephesians 6:10-20, where he talks about putting on the whole armour of God. The book of Ephesians was one of Paul’s letters written from prison. During his time in prison, he obviously became well acquainted with the armour worn and carried by his captors in the Roman army. Apostle Paul drew a powerful comparison between the soldier’s armour and the spiritual armour of God.
Paul wrote (verse 10) that “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
You see, we don’t have to be discouraged by Satan’s devices or by his power and stealth. We aren’t in this battle alone. We have access to the greatest power in the universe!
Verse 11 continues that you should “Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
This is a comprehensive defense strategy and we have to pay attention to all the parts that this armour God offers. By doing so, we will be able to withstand Satan’s attacks.
God provides all the six aspects of the Christian life, including prayer (in verse 18), to strengthen and protect us and ultimately help us to triumph in our spiritual battles. Each piece is essential, and the Bible tells us how to put them on and use them effectively.
1. The belt of Truth – the Truth is knowledge of the truth of God’s word. For instance, an ancient Roman soldier, his loins were girt with a leather belt that held all the other pieces of his armour in place. His belt was the foundation of his protection. Just like the word of God is the foundation of our protection
2. The breastplate of Righteousness – the breastplate protected the soldier’s heart from injury. The breastplate represents holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” produces a Godly life. We protect our hearts by obedience to the truth of God’s word. It’s not by accident that the pieces of armor were listed in the order they are. Each piece relies on another piece before it works.
3. Your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace – which means an eagerness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. The Roman soldier will put on his shoes in order to be able to advance against the enemy, meaning that without shoes he could not get traction and he would continue slipping and falling down. We can’t keep our traction and we will continue to fall down without our spiritual shoes. By putting our shoes on and laced it up, we can take the fight to the Devil instead of letting him knock us down.
4. The Shield of Faith – The shield of faith means faith in what God has promised us. If we believe what God’s word says we can withstand all the attacks of Satan. How does Satan attack? He causes us to doubt God’s promises and with a shield made of our faith in God’s promises, we can weather his attacks.
5. The helmet of Salvation – this is not talking about getting saved or staying saved – Paul wrote this to his Christian brothers (Ephesians 2:8)
1 Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as the hope of salvation or the certainty of salvation. If you are not sure of your salvation, then you are a sitting duck for the Devil. If Satan can make you doubt your salvation, he’s got you.
6. The sword of the Spirit – the sword is the Word of God, your weapon against Satan. But in order to use your weapon, you have to practice with it. A soldier never goes into battle with a weapon he is not familiar with. When you are in the Army, they will issue you a weapon and make you clean it, oil it, walk with it, practice with it, and fire it. They want you to get very good with it, so if you go to the battle you would be able to trust it to save your life. The same goes for your Bible. But if you notice, you will observe that all the armor that was discussed above; there is no armor for your back, because there are no cowards in the army of God. We cannot run, we can’t surrender, and we must stand and fight against the