Verse 13 “Use every piece of
God's armour to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after
the battle you will still be standing firm.”
Intro.
The church and Satan are on a collision course. Satan is behind many
of the difficulties and problems we face in life. Life is a little like
a battlefield with casualties strewn right across it. The purpose of
today’s message is enable each one of us to stand and not get destroyed
by the things that life and Satan throw at us.
The
soldier analogy – the Roman Soldier. Paul uses the imagery of the
soldier to put the Christian life into the perspective of battle. We are
in a battle and, in essence, the essential elements of the Christian
life are also tools of defence and attack. Paul lists the crucial ones
and the armour of the Roman soldier lends itself perfectly to the points
that Paul wants to make – each one suiting the nature and purpose of the
element that Paul wants to illustrate.
The
need for full armour – Paul is keen to stress the need to “Use every
piece”
Illustration Lacking Full
Armour
British admiral Lord David Beatty commanded a flotilla at the Battle of
Jutland during World War I. As the battle began, British and German
ships engaged each other long-range. A heavy cruiser, the Lion,
was hit by an artillery barrage and quickly sunk. Next the
Indefatigable was hit in its powder magazine and blown to pieces.
Then the Queen Mary was sunk, taking a crew of 1,200 sailors
straight to the bottom.
A
flaw in the design of the British ships was soon recognized. Though
their hulls were heavily armoured, their wooden decks offered almost no
protection against enemy artillery shells dropped from above. Only after
the British began to armour their ships on top as well as on the sides
did they stop losing ships to German long-range artillery.
Effective armour is a crucial element in spiritual warfare too. If
you leave anything unprotected, the enemy will find a way to exploit
that chink in your armour.
Every piece is important – leave no areas exposed and weak if you want
to stand strong.
Don’t let the devil find you defenceless if you want to remain standing
after each trial of life.
‘Time
of evil’ – there are times when you really need this armour, when
it’s absolutely essential. To not be prepared and to not put it all on
at such times is to risk defeat.
The injunction each time is to take up or put on, it’s active
and the onus is on us to do something
The
Romans were an elite fighting force – God has in mind for us to
be an elite spiritual fighting force - in the Lord’s army, trained
and raring to go. Forget your SAS, forget your Navy Seals, we’re talking
Heaven’s Warriors, soldiers for God, soldiers of heaven.
Verse 14a The Belt of Truth
The
belt is the first item that goes on. It’s the item that
physically prepares you for movement (it holds the tunic in place)
and enables to you carry the sword and fix the body armour. Without
it everything is sloppy and falls.
For Paul, the first thing we need to have in place is truth or
truthfulness. We are not talking about The Truth here i.e. the Word
of God, which is mentioned further down as another piece of armour,
rather he is referring to truthfulness. Sincerity of mind and heart as
opposed to deceitfulness – a removal of all hypocrisy. In other words he
is saying that a soldier for God needs to be someone who is willing to
confess and live by the truth, live by what he/she believes.
Live what you believe
Are
you up for the fight? We need to get up for the fight
What is the truth? What should we be living by?
The
truth is that Jesus is the only way for men and women to come to God and
go to heaven. The truth is that there is nothing more important than for
people to hear this. The truth is that there is no more exciting and
noble a task than to live for Jesus and the gospel truth in the whole
world. The truth is life changing both for now and for eternity. That
is what you believe and hold to be true if you are a Christian. Are you
prepared to stand by that and live it? Are you prepared to buckle up
ready for the fight? Are you up for it?
We
need to be done away with half-hearted Christianity – the kind of
Christianity that gives the impression it doesn’t really matter whether
you want it or not, the kind of Christianity that gives the impression
it doesn’t make a great deal of difference whether you live it or not,
the kind that seems to state that it’s not that important.
Are
you standing for anything in life? Does one thing in your life drive the
way you live and make your decisions in life? What are you living for?
Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.
Paul issues the challenge: Are you going to buckle up and live what you
say you believe or are you going to be a hypocrite. God can do more with
one person who has the courage of their convictions to live what they
believe than 10 people who care little about the task in hand.
The belt of truth is you and me acknowledging what the truth is and
wearing it – living it.
If
you’re not a Christian I want you to see how exciting it is to live for
God, it’s exciting to be part of something that changes life now but
also makes a difference for eternity. It’s is the one thing on earth
that stands head and shoulders above all others – there is nothing more
important.
If
you’re already a Christian, now is the time to start making a stand.
Now is the time to enlist in the Lord’s army and get buckled up with the
conviction of what you say you believe is the most important
thing in your life. You have got more going for you than you realise.
You have the potential to make a staggering difference in this world.
This is no second rate organisation, this is the top organisation in the
world – more important and more powerful and more dynamic than
Microsoft. Get excited, get consumed, get working, get fighting! Your
life and your soul are just itching for action. Your church needs you!
It doesn’t get more exciting and fulfilling than living for God. So
buckle up and get ready for the ride. Nail your colours to the mast and
begin to do what only you can do.
Verse 14b “the body armour of
God's righteousness.”
Paul
is not referring to the righteous that God gives us in order to make
us right in his sight – that again is far too close to salvation which
he mentions again later. Most commentators are agreed that he is
referring to right living, the way God intends for us to live.
Protect
your conscience
Is
your lifestyle right? Protect your feelings by right living. We touched
on this recently when we looked at the Sermon on the Mount so we’ll deal
with this briefly now.
The opposite of right living is sin and sin leaves us open to the
accusations of the devil – guilt disables and deflates – particularly in
our secret lives. So right at the heart of how we feel we can be
sabotaged by our own behaviour. You and I know full well how we feel
when we sin. You don’t want to do anything do you? You don’t want to go
near God, you don’t want to pray. It has the effect of crippling your
desires and energies for God – it yells at us “Hypocrite” and we can’t
stand being thought of as false.
Sin can also leave us open to criticism from within the church and
outside the church. It can bring dishonour to the name of Christ and
undermines the claims of the gospel. The devil can inspire us to hurt
each other through gossip and slander and before we know it we can be
deeply hurt to the heart.
That is why we need to protect ourselves by living right:
Keep pure – both in action and thought
Be
motivated by love for one another – resolve to do nothing that will hurt
another person, no matter what. Speak ill of no man and seek to love in
all your actions.
Verse 15 For shoes, put on the
peace that comes from the Good News,
Be
prepared and positive
Roman soldiers used to wear shoes like sandals which had nails
inserted into the sole as studs - much like heavy duty running shoes.
The Romans placed a high emphasis on motion and speed, and many armies
were caught unaware and unprepared by the Romans because of their
swiftness of arrival at the battlefield. The shoes were design to cover
long distances in short periods of time, so that they were always ready
for battle ahead of time and ahead of other armies.
Being
prepared and ready to go with a spring in your step is the key in
this verse. If we are to witness for Christ in a world that is anything
but accepting of him we need to be particularly ready for any
opportunity that we may get. How up for it do you feel each day? How
prepared are you and I to give a good testimony for Jesus Christ?
1
Peter 3:15
And if you are asked about your
Christian hope, always be ready to explain it
Looking at the verse as a whole what
it is saying is that we need to be ready with the good news that brings
us peace and will bring others peace. We’ve got to be prepared each day.
If the opportunity or need arises to tell someone the gospel. Our
problem is that sometimes we don’t feel that great and
aren’t in the mood to tell anybody and we know that they
certainly do not want to hear us telling them that they’re sinners
before an angry God. Now that scares you away from living for God in
front of people doesn’t it?
But Paul is saying prepare yourself with Good News to pass on to people
that shows them how they can have peace in life and a right relationship
with a living God. We’ve got good things to tell people and we must
never forget that. In Paul’s day we read that most people loved what
they had to say. The Jews didn’t and the authorities weren’t overly
enamoured, but the majority of people were happy to listen to them – not
all obviously.
The early Christians gossiped the gospel because they knew it was
good stuff they had to pass around. Our main emphasis should always be
positive. Yes, to some extent, we should be motivated by people’s need
and the consequences of not knowing Christ, but if we get up each day
feeling that we have grave news to warn people about we will be
completely scared and deflated.
No Paul is saying get yourself ready each day, prepare by reminding
yourself that to live the Christian life is great, to be part of a
church family is great, to know God through life is great and to have an
eternal perspective on life is a great hope. What we have to tell people
is good news and we should prepare ourselves each day to be positive in
our witness for Christ. You won’t please all the people all the time,
but many will still like you, particularly the one’s that are worth
still knowing. The moment you begin to feel that you have nothing
positive to say then you’ve lost sight of the overwhelming fact that the
gospel of Jesus Christ is wonderful!
Remind yourself before you leave the house, as you put on your shoes,
as you do up the laces, prepare and be positive to go with good news.
Verse 16 The Shield of Faith
Defend yourself with faith
The
Roman shield was made from double or triple plywood and edged with
copper. They were curved and usually oval or rectangular. Shields were
carried in the soldier’s left hands.
The
devil throws all sorts of darts and arrows against us in life.
Fear
Persecution
Suffering
Doubt
Accusation and guilt
How do we shield ourselves with faith?
Faith is what is needed to cling to the promises of God that we read in
the Word. Because God is invisible and the spiritual realm is invisible
we need faith to lay hold of these. With each question and attack
that is thrown at our minds comes a very basic question “Does God really
say that?” The evil always makes us question God and our belief in what
he has said – like with Eve in the garden of Eden. Faith
extinguishes these flaming darts by clinging to the truth of what God
has said. God is good and you have proved how good it is – don’t believe
the lies.
Even when we get physical urges and temptation we need to keep cling to
our belief in God and his ways.
1 John 5 (NIV)
4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Faith is essential, and faith will help you and I overcome anything.
There is nothing that God is unable to get you through providing you
continue to trust him through faith. “The life I life, I live by faith
in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
We can help each other out in this department
The
soldiers learned to lock their shields together to make a formation
called a tortoise. This made a protective barrier against the enemies'
arrows and stones.
In
the Christian life we can help protect other’s whose faith is flagging
with our own faith and strength, so when one is down the other is there
to protect, comfort and encourage.
Illustration -We Were Soldiers
Based on a true story of an army commander in Vietnam, We Were
Soldiers tells of Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) leading his troops
into one of the bloodiest battles in American history. Moore is a
Christian, a great leader, and an American hero (recently he was
honoured at West Point for his service to America).
At
the beginning of the movie Moore gives a stirring speech to his troops,
promising his absolute commitment to them and his dedication to
sacrificial leadership. With sternness he says:
Let
us understand the situation. We are going into battle against a tough
and determined enemy. I can't promise you that I'll bring you all home
alive. But this I swear before you and before Almighty God: that when we
go into battle I will be the first to set foot on the field and the last
to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all
come home together, so help me God.
Not
long after Moore is on the battlefield, Army headquarters realizes
they've made a mistake by attacking an enemy that's far too strong for
them. As intensifying enemy fire eliminates air support, the officers
back at the base decide to send in one last helicopter to evacuate
Moore, leaving his men behind to be overrun by the enemy.
When headquarters radios the orders for Moore to take this last
helicopter back from the front line, he is outraged. He grabs the radio
and barks into it, "I am in a fight! I object to this order! I will not
leave my men!" and then he slams down the radio and returns to the
battle.
Moore ends the firefight by taking his remaining men on a daring charge
deeper into enemy territory that turns the tide of the battle and leads
to a dramatic victory.
We
are all in this together and we need to constantly be on the look out to
protect others with our faith and to go forward as a team together.
Verse 17 The Helmet of
Salvation
Know that you’re going to win
The helmet protects a crucial and vulnerable part of the body. That
is why Paul calls it a helmet of salvation. We are vulnerable in
life. Everything can suddenly disappear from us. Our own lives
are vulnerable and we don’t know when our time will be up. Salvation is
the only thing that ultimately protects us. If you have salvation then
you ultimately know that you are protected. You know that no matter what
happens to you in life no-one can take away the fact that you are saved
and that you are heading for heaven.
Romans 8
Nothing and no-one can take that away from you. Ultimately you are safe
and secure. It is the ultimate protection and safety plan. If you are
saved then you are unbeatable and impossible to destroy. If you cling to
that by faith you overcome in anything.
Illustration – The thought of
losing my family and the thought of where they would be
Samurai saying – “The man who is
prepared to die is ready to live”
Are
you ready to die? Do you know that you will ultimately win?
Recap the picture so far
Verse 17b The Sword of the
Spirit
Speak the truth
The Roman sword was a double-edged sword and was used both for
defence and attack.
The
word of God is the weapon that Paul mentions here. It is referred to as
the sword of the spirit probably because it is the Holy Spirit who
first of all inspired the word.
2
Timothy 3:16
16All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2
Peter 1:21
21For prophecy never
had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke
from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit.
But
it is also true that it is the Holy Spirit of God who works through
the Word of God. He takes it and applies it to people’s hearts. He
is the one who transforms these words from being words only to being
powerful, moving, transforming, life-changing words.
Heb
4:12-13
12For the word of God
is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing
in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is
uncovered and laid bare before the
eyes of him to whom we must give account.
In defence
In
the famous passage of Jesus’ temptation after spending 40 days in the
desert and being weak and frail he resisted the devils’ offers by
quoting verses from the bible back. Temptation and lies which we talked
about last week are the chief ways in which the devil seeks to snare us
and destroy us. The battle is won and lost in the mind. If he can
convince us that what he is telling us is true then he has us.
What are the sorts of things that go through our minds?
-
“Go on, do it,
you know how satisfied you’ll be when you do it. And why shouldn’t
you enjoy yourself.” And how often do we fall for that one having
said to ourselves 1000 times “Why do I keep doing it, I really don’t
want to, and I know it’s ruining my relationships and circumstances,
and it’s preventing me from growing as a person?” How do we defend
ourselves against such attacks.
-
“You can’t do
that, there’s no way you could do it. People will talk about you and
laugh at you”
-
“You can’t talk
to that person or go there, nobody really wants you or wants to
spend time with you”
-
“Your life is a
sham, what on earth are you doing, what is the point in your life,
you can’t do anything”
Deep down most of you know the answers to the questions and the more you
get to know the bible the more you’ll get the right answers. You can
start to defend yourselves and fight back by affirming what you know is
true deep down. You need to speak to yourself and say “No, I’m not
having that, that is not true, and I am not letting those lies and fear
stop me from living the way I want to live.” And then you tell yourself
what is true and you fight the unhelpful thoughts and you deny the
unhelpful feelings by asking God to help you through.
In attack
We’re not being encouraged here to attack in order to destroy but in
order to win. The word of God has the potential to accomplish great
things. It has the ability to reveal people’s need of God by showing
them their sin. It has the ability to move people to faith in Jesus and
the dispel doubt. It has the power to assure people of the hope that
they have and the joy that is theirs. It can help us through any dark
situation giving us peace and rest. You can speak the truth to people
and it can have a deep rooted effect on their life.
Romans 1:16
16For I am not ashamed
of this Good News about Christ. It is the
power of God at work, saving
everyone who believes
It may be that the Spirit is even speaking now. When he speaks it’s
wise to respond with action - you won’t get better advice that can make
such a difference in your life. If God is speaking to you about becoming
a Christian, first of all be encouraged that he’s dealing with you,
secondly, speak back. Say “God, I want you to save me and make me sure
of heaven. I want to live for you the way you intended me to live”
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