May 31st Sermon

Supporting Texts: Psalm 119:160; Isaiah 11:5, 52:7, 59:17; John 1:14, 17, 8:32, 36, 14:6; 17:17; Romans 1:17, 18, 25, 4:3-5, 10:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 4:12, 11:1, 3, 6; 1 Peter 1:23-25.

In our sermon last Sunday from Ephesians 6:10-13, we discovered that there is a great supernatural warfare raging throughout the universe between God and His angels and the forces of Satan and his demons. Because Christians belong to God, that is, since Jesus has rescued “us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to His kingdom” (Colossians 1:13), we have all been drawn into this universal spiritual conflict as well. This means we are targets of the schemes of the devil. Now God’s enemy has become our enemy. Satan’s attacks are relentless and vicious. We are often wounded by his onslaughts, and often we blame others for our great difficulties. Few realize that the source of their agonizing struggles are often the unseen forces of wickedness.

Our adversary and his evil minions rebelled against God by refusing to remain as God created them but desired God’s position and authority. This supernatural rebellion unfolded in the heavenly realms but it did not stay there. Satan assaulted Eve and Adam, and through deception, lured them away from innocence to sin and rebellion in the Garden of Eden. Since that moment, Satan has continuously attacked human beings with ferocious cruelty and tried to destroy every one of them. He assaulted Israel, God’s chosen people. He especially targeted the Lord Jesus Christ, and tried to stop His birth, tried to corrupt His ministry, and invalidate His resurrection. Satan is the enemy of unparalleled wickedness who seeks to obstruct the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and He opposes the Lord and all who believe in Him with desperate and unprecedented fierceness and will continue to do so until the Lord Jesus comes to slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by the appearance of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

Since the Christian’s warfare is not against flesh and blood, believers cannot fight this battle in their own human strength. It is God’s battle and can be fought only in God’s power and only with God’s armor. Satan’s opposition of the believer is in many ways. Some are direct and obvious while others are indirect and devious. It is for this reason that Christians, all of those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, must recognize that they are in an ongoing battle and they must also learn God’s armor and how to use it.

The verses that are our subject matter today, Ephesians 6:14-18, speak of seven aspects of God’s armor provided for the born-again believer in Christ. They are: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. We begin with verse fourteen and truth.

TRUTH. Ephesians 6:14a

Objective Truth. These verses begin with the command to “stand firm.” I am sure you have noticed that Paul gave this command in verses eleven and thirteen. Here, once more, he tells us that our purpose in this spiritual battle is to stand upon God’s truth. We are commanded neither to advance nor retreat, but simply to stand firm where God has placed us. The truth, pictured as a belt, is spoken of here as having both objective and subjective components. Objectively, truth is the content of Scripture – the truth of God, Christian doctrine and revelation found in the Bible. For example, the Christian, in order to be a Christian, has accepted the truth of revelation and is now indwelt by the risen Lord who is Himself the truth. Without this knowledge of objective biblical truth, the Christian would be “carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). The Lord Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).

Jesus clearly designated that He Himself was “the truth,” by telling His disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Our Lord pointed to the Bible as the truth when He said, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). In the first chapter of John’s gospel we read, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). While we could quote dozens of Bible passages that reveal the objective nature of God’s truth, we will look at only one more, “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psalm 119:160).

Subjective Truthfulness. God’s truth is also subjective, which means that because Jesus is truth, the disciple of Jesus is also truthful. The Christian puts this doctrine into practice by being a person of honesty, integrity, and sincerity. Integrity and honesty begin with the knowledge of God (who is truth), and a knowledge of the truth of God found in the Bible, and these lead to a life transformed and that is consistent with God’s truthful character. The false schemes of Satan can be successfully resisted only by knowing and living God’s truth. Since God is truth, we should be truthful, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).

RIGHTEOUSNESS. Ephesians 6:14b

Objective Righteousness. Like truth, righteousness has both an objective and subjective component. The Apostle Paul pictures righteousness as the breastplate or the body armor of an ancient soldier. Isaiah 59:17 tells us that God “put on righteousness like a breastplate.” Objectively, the righteousness of God is been imputed or applied to the account of every Christian the moment he or she believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Romans four explains objective righteousness this way, “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:3-5). This righteousness of God that is credited to the believer is done so permanently. When a person receives Christ, they are clothed in His righteousness for eternity. Since this is God’s action, nothing the believer does can change it.

Another verse that speaks of this component of righteousness is Second Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This amazing verse tells us that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice so that He could place within us the righteousness of God. Every believer already has God’s full and complete righteousness within and each one stands righteous before God.

Subjective Righteousness. Since we have been made righteous, we must now live righteously. We call this subjective righteousness sanctification or holiness. This righteousness is the uprightness and holiness of character that comes from allowing the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. The Christian’s protection is not to be sought in any works of his or her own but only in what Christ has done for him or her. We find this in Second Corinthians 7:1, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,” and First Thessalonians 4:3-4, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,” or as the Apostle Peter put it, “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “you shall be holy, for i am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

READINESS. Ephesians 6:15

The Sound Footing of the Gospel Message. The Gospel of Peace refers to the good news that, through Christ, believers are at peace with God. The unsaved person is helpless, ungodly, sinful, and an enemy of God. But by believing the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ, the saved person is reconciled to God and eternally justified. Scripture teaches us, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The Gospel of Peace is the marvelous truth that in Christ we are now at peace with God and are one with Him. Therefore, when our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we stand in confidence of God’s love for us, His union with us, and His commitment to fight for us.

Presenting the Gospel Message. This also means that we should always be prepared to share the gospel of peace with anyone who asks us. What would you say to someone who asked you how to be saved? Do you know how to lead someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? This is what I think lies at the heart of Paul’s requirement here. We should be ready to explain the gospel to a family member, a neighbor, or a friend who asks us how to be saved.

Jesus told us that with the power of the Holy Spirit we are His witnesses to a lost and dying world. Once a man asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” And he answered simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). Paul explained the gospel as follows: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The Bible tells us, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” (Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7). We have seen the first three parts of our armor: truth, righteousness, and preparation to proclaim the gospel. The fourth piece of armor is faith.

FAITH. Ephesians 6:16

Faith is the Victory. Paul pictured faith as a shield that the Christian would hold in battle. Its design was to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. In ancient combat, arrows would be dipped in pitch and just before shooting them, they were lit on fire. If a soldier was struck, the flaming material would cause a serious burn. The shield was made of material that would extinguish the flame and protect the soldier. The faith spoken of is the believer’s absolute faith in the Lord Jesus. We must trust Him for salvation and also trust Him to sustain us in this brutal warfare with Satan. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” and “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:1, 6). Faith is the confidence that God can be trusted and will keep you from falling, “He is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24).

Faith in Jesus. This shield of faith is also about the object of our faith – the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Later, in that same context, John the Baptist said, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). A Christian’s resolute faith in the Lord can stop and extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Satan intentionally shoots “fiery arrows” at our hearts and minds: lies, blasphemous thoughts, hateful thoughts about others, lust, and doubts. Our faith in Jesus protects us from serious injury. The shield God has provided not only stops the fiery arrows, but extinguishes them, making them useless. This is why we are called to fight with God’s armor rather than our own strength. Without His armor, we are defenseless.

SALVATION. Ephesians 6:17a

The Assault of the Christian’s Mind. The helmet is the piece of armor that protects the mind, the place of our thoughts and emotions. The Bible tells us that our chief battle is over what we think. The Apostle Paul reminded us that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Satan desires to attack our minds, in the same way he defeated Eve, through deception. The helmet refers to the mind controlled by God. What we think in reality plays a vital role in our Christian growth, service, and victory. When God controls the mind, Satan cannot lead the believer astray. The Christian who studies his Bible and learns the meaning of Bible doctrines is not going to be led astray too easily. We are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Wherever Paul ministered, he taught the new converts the truths of the Word of God, and this helmet protected them from Satan’s lies.

Salvation in Christ Alone. The helmet of salvation speaks to the security the believer has in Jesus Christ. In the tenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). No power in the universe is strong enough to remove a believer in Christ from the Father’s hand. And I remind you, that salvation is only by grace: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

THE WORD OF GOD. Ephesians 6:17b

The Sword of the Spirit. Finally, when dressed in his armor, the Roman soldier would take his sword in hand and, in our case, it is our only offensive weapon. Paul calls it the “sword of the Spirit,” which refers to the source or origin, and therefore it is “the sword given by the Holy Spirit.” The sword of the Spirit is designated as the Word of God. “Word,” in this case is the Greek word “rhema” not “logos.” Rhema refers to the preached Word or an utterance of God occasioned by the Holy Spirit in the heart. The Lord Jesus showed how to use the Word of God in this way. In Matthew 4, Satan attacked Him three times. Each time, the Lord used a verse from the Bible to defend Himself. Three times Jesus said, “It is written” and then quoted Scripture. He used Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:6, and 6:13. 

God’s Word is Living. To use the sword of the Spirit, we must memorize verses from the Bible and meditate on them. The psalmist wrote, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” Psalm 119:11. About itself the Bible says that it is living and active. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is always powerful enough to protect the believer from Satan’s assaults.

PRAYER. Ephesians 6:18

The Power of Prayer. Prayer is the energy and power that empowers the Christian to use God’s armor, fight the fight and stand firm. We cannot fight in this supernatural warfare in our own power, no matter how strong or talented we may think we are. We need God’s strength and we must fight in His strength. We are to pray with all prayer and petition which means we must use adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Prayer is a great weapon for defeating Satan.

Pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Holy Spirit means that only in the Spirit’s power can we pray in the will of God. The Apostle Paul explains this in Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” We must remain on the alert. Satan is always on the attack, and we must “pray without ceasing” if we are to be ready to stand firm against him.

These, brothers and sisters in Christ, are the elements of your supernatural armor given to you by God’s grace: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. With these a Christian marriage will remain strong, a Christian family will stand firm against the assaults of the evil one. With these a Christian will grow strong in character and integrity and be used as God chooses in His or her family, church, and community. Christian, put your armor on and learn how to use it. Turn, face the battle and stand firm.