Sermon - Ephesians 6:10-24 -Littleby Baptist Church - December 2, 2018

Last week we looked at 3 different relationships and saw how they all pointed to our relationship with Jesus. Wives submit to their husbands as we all are to submit to Jesus. Husbands are to give of themselves to their wives as Christ gave to us. Children are to obey their parents as we are to obey our Lord. Fathers are to point their children to Jesus as we are to disciple the next generation of believers. Slaves demonstrate for us what it means to serve Christ without questions. Masters treating their servants well shows us that we are all equal in the eyes of our Lord and we need to do the same.

All of it points to Loving People. The world should see Jesus in how we treat others.

This brings us to our final message in Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:10-13

“¹⁰ Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. ¹³ For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”

Be strengthened by the Lord… put on the full armor of God so that you can stand…take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist.

We cannot do it on our own. We are in a battle that we cannot win on our own strength. We need help.

For example, I am going to make this pen stand on my Bible. ‘while holding the pen in place’ See, I am doing it. Yes, I am holding the pen so it does not fall. Pens are not designed to stand on their own.

We are like the pen. We are not meant to stand on our own when we are being attacked by ‘rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.’ We cannot succeed without our Lord strengthening and equipping us.

James 4:7

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will free from you.”

We need to submit to God to have the strength to resist the devil. We do not have the strength to avoid the temptations he puts in our path. We do not have the wisdom to avoid the traps before us.

We cannot take on the devil all on our own. That would be like trying to put out a house fire with a water gun. We need to stand in God’s power, we need His strength, and His armor, to resist the devil.

Ephesians 6:14-18

“¹⁴ Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, ¹⁵ and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”

If we are to stand against the devil, we need to equip ourselves with the Armor of God. This is not something that happens by accident or coincidence, it takes a series of deliberate actions for us to be equipped correctly.

Belt of Truth – Truth is the foundation of your armor. As a follower of Jesus, we need to be living our lives according to what we say we believe. If we say we follow Jesus, we need to submit to His lordship. We need to let the Holy Spirit guide us. We need to practice what we preach. If we do not live the truth we proclaim, we will not be able to stand against the attacks of the devil. Make the choice to live a life worthy of the calling God has placed on you. Live with integrity, honesty, and truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness – This is the primary piece of armor that protects your heart. It is true that we have been made righteous and holy through the blood of Jesus, but that is only part of it. When you choose to put on your Breastplate of Righteousness you are choosing to embrace the new creation you became as a Child of God.

Romans 6:12-14

“¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. ¹³ And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.”

When you put on the breastplate of righteousness you are choosing to turn from your old ways and letting the Holy Spirit mold you and shape you. When we are walking with God, imitating our Lord, we are equipped to resist the devil’s attacks.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – These are shoes that provide traction that help us to hold our footing in battle. As a follower of Jesus, we need a solid grasp on the Gospel to hold our ground. When the devil attacks, it is through our understanding of God’s Word and what the meaning behind Christ’s sacrifice that gives us peace.

Romans 5:1

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The more time we spend studying our Bible’s and understanding what it means for our lives, the more likely we are to have peace regardless of what is going on around us. If we have Peace we are more likely to hold our ground and not let the devil push us backward to our old lives.

Shield of Faith – Our shield protects us from the attacks of the devil. Living our faith is truly a defensive weapon that prevents the devil’s attacks from sticking. The romans would soak their shields in water to quench the flame from fiery arrows. If we are walking in faith, living according to our calling our shield is able to extinguish the devil’s fiery darts.

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”

As we trust in God, believe what His Word tells us, and live our lives accordingly the devil’s attacks will not stick and catch fire. The Roman shields were roughly 2 feet by 4 feet and designed to interlock with each other to form a wall. If our shields are designed to interlock with other Followers of Christ, it is a reminder that we are not in this alone. Each of us are to stand our ground, but it is through all of us living together as members in the Body of Christ, as a family, that we can be triumphant over the devil’s attacks. If one of us is struggling or feeling over powered, the rest of us are there to help.

Helmet of Salvation – Helmets provide a sense of security. Wearing our Helmet of Salvation reminds us that we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus and what He did for us. It is not something we have earned, and it is not something that can be taken away from us.

John 10:28

“I gave them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

There is nothing the devil can do that will cause Jesus to turn His back on us. Through the gift of grace and our faith in Jesus our salvation is secure.

Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God, the only offensive weapon we have. Jesus modeled this for us when He was in the wilderness and tempted by the devil. In Matthew chapter 4, we see three times the devil attempted to temp Jesus and three times Jesus quoted scripture to rebuke the devil. We are to use our Sword to remind us of the truth as given by God’s Word, to help us ward off the attacks of the devil and in turn drive him away. One thing to note is we need to remember who we are fighting. We are not to use our sword to swipe at each other but to defend ourselves from the attacks of the devil.

Prayer – Often not included in the armor of God, but it is a critical part of our protection. You could say it is like calling in for an air strike during battle. It is part of being a follower of Christ, it should be part of our daily walk in righteousness. Prayer is what allows us to wear the armor and without it we are standing on our own with no strength to hold our own or to even wear the armor. Prayer is not to be done only on Sunday’s at church or before dinner. It needs to be a way of life. Something we take time out of our busy schedule to do. We need to be praying that God helps us through the struggles we are dealing with, those who we are trying to reach, and for all the saints. In other words, we need to be praying for each other. We are in this together as the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 6:19-22

“¹⁹ Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. ²⁰ For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should. ²¹ Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. ²² I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.”

Paul was asking specifically for the church to pray for him so that when the time came he would be able to stand before Caesar and say what needed to be said. As bold as Paul has been it can be hard to imagine that he needed prayer for boldness, but it serves as a reminder that we all need people praying for us. We are in a battle, but we are not in it alone. We stand together as followers of Jesus, encouraging and praying for one another.

Ephesians 6:23-24

“²³ Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A great way to end this letter.

Peace to each one of you.
May your love continue to spread from here to the ends of the earth.
May your faith in God continue to be seen in how you live your life.
May God’s grace be with you as you follow Jesus.

Choose to put on the armor of God… choosing to live your life in truth, choosing to embrace the new creation you have become, choosing to dig into God’s Word, choosing to walk in faith, remembering that you are a child of God and there is nothing the devil can do about it, using God’s Word to fight back, and to do devout yourself to prayer.

Wear the Armor, submit to God, and resist the devil.

God Bless,

Robert