Put on the Whole Armour

Put on the Whole Armor of God

There is a truth you need to know, if you want to live well: You are in a lifelong, daily battle. Every single morning, from the time you first open your eyes in the morning, still under the blankets, head on the pillow …. Until the moment you close those eyes in sleep, back in bed at night – from very beginning of day until its end – from the moment you become a Christian, until you close your eyes for the last time, in death - - you are on a journey, through battle after battle, that will last your whole life long.

You wake and immediately – you have to make a decision - - “is this going to be a day of holy joy, no matter what’s in store? OR, am I going to just hang on through the hours of this day and try to survive?”

You get out of bed - - another decision: “am I going to grab my phone and check what’s going on in the news or on social media? … Or am I going to stop – because of my hunger to meet with God – I’m going to spend time with Him first?”

You travel to work - - there is traffic everywhere, the driver in front of you is clueless - - - another skirmish - - - “Will you curse the traffic in your way that is there with no good reason? - - Or will you trust that even in senseless traffic – God is working out His good plan for your life?”

You get to work or school - - and again – there’s another battle: you know the way the game is played … the rules that the people around you play to climb the career ladder or the ladder of popularity within the social circles. The relentless, naked – self-advancement and ambition … is that how you are going to play today – by the world’s rules? Or, are you going to see yourself, this day, first and foremost – as an ambassador of Jesus Christ? That’s another battle.

You get home after work or school - and don’t get the greeting you were waiting for . . . the greeting you deserve. Are you going to grab that hurt and put it in your memory chest – to bring out another day, as ammunition in a fight? Or are you going to pour yourself out in love, no matter the response that comes the other direction.

Do you see what I mean?

Moment by moment - - situation after situation, Every day in a thousand different ways, from Sunday to Saturday, you are engaged in hand to hand combat. Your spiritual enemy – the Devil – that fallen angel and archenemy of God – he is on the attack … He can’t control you – so he does the next best thing – he’s tempting you. At the root of every temptation the devil has one goal: He wants to see you blind to the glory of Jesus Christ.

The psalmist says, ‘The Joy of the Lord is my Strength’ - - your enemy wants you to say, ‘That strength is not sufficient for me. There is no JOY in the Lord for me.’

John Piper: “He hates to see Christ honored. And Christ is mightily honored when the sight of his glory gives rise to the kind of gladness that cuts the nerve of sin and causes radical sacrifice in the cause of the Gospel.”

Isn’t that so true? The devil HATES to see Christ honored. And there is no GREATER place where Christ IS honored – than in the holy, contended joy of His people. - - when you are so satisfied in Him – that sin to you, loses its appeal – you see it as it is – worthless. Dung.’

The devil hates that – so he seeks to blind you to the glory of Christ …

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (, NIV)

That is where spiritual warfare comes in - - - the fight against Satan’s temptation to sin is not, ultimately, a fight against pride or lust, or gossip, or gluttony – or any other specific sin that you might fall into. At its root - the fight first and foremost, is a fight to see and enjoy Jesus Christ.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve focused our attention on the person of our enemy and his strategy against us. Last week: his strategy against us boils down to a two-pronged attack - - to TEMPT us to sin and then to TROUBLE us for the sins we commit.

This morning I want to take an overview of the protection that God has given us in this warfare. And, oh you need to hear that there IS PROTECTION for you – God-given protection - - - because I know that through the doors this morning, some of you have come, carrying a heavy burden on your backs. Some of you have come in here, weighed down by anxiety, weighed down by guilt about your past, weighed down with a heavy heart and battling depression and hopelessness ….

You are just NOT SEEING the glory of the Lord and you know you are a sitting duck for the enemy’s strategies. You NEED to know that God has made PROVISION for you – that He has PROTECTION for you. That’s the armour of God.

We are, over the next several weeks, going to look piece by piece at the armor of God, described in . But before we get into the trees, I want to look first at the forest.

1. THE COMMAND: GET DRESSED

v. 10, Paul tells us to “be strong in the Lord”. Stop right there. That makes sense. Every Christian would agree, “That’s my calling” – He is saying be strong in your fight against temptation. “Be strong in the Lord.” James puts it like this in , “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” That makes sense – when you are in a fight you need to be strong and resist, and here – in the Bible, God promises that if you do – you will win the battle and know joy.

So why does Paul go on and say, in v. 11: “Put on the whole ARMOR of God?

“The Armor of God”. Many of us have heard the term so many times – we don’t even give it a second thought. It’s meaningless to us.

“Armor of God” – we picture a Roman soldier in a shiny helmet and a skirt with a belt tied around to keep him from tripping on it when in battle – and think, “I don’t wear a helmet, I don’t wear a skirt – and my belt is to keep up my pants – not for warfare …. This is Irrelevant”. That has NOTHING TO DO WITH MY LIFE TODAY.

Well, it does. And I want us to stop this morning and consider what it is and why it is important for us to put on this armour – and why it’s not just helmets and belts.

Paul tells us what the armor of God consists of: v. 14, “The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness . . . v. 15, shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace . . . v. 16, the shield of faith . . . v. 17, the helmet of salvation . . . and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

Six pieces of armor, which cover a soldier from head (helmet) to toe (shoes). There are defensive weapons, like shield, breastplate and helmet. There is also an offensive weapon – the sword of the Spirit. So, in other words, not only are we called to STAND FIRM – to resist … that’s a defensive posture; BUT, we are also called to advance - - The SWORD – that’s an offensive weapon – to advance into enemy territory.

Now, I wonder if you’ve noticed something missing in the armor? It’s what Christian realized in Pilgrim’s Progress. He is on his journey to the Celestial City, which is heaven. He has just come out of a great time of fellowship with other believers, but now he has to continue on towards his goal, and the next part of his journey, he has to walk alone.

He finds himself, all by himself,

… in the Valley of Humiliation. He sees a monster coming toward him – it is Apollyon, who is the devil: The monster is hideous and threatening – a mouth like a lion, protective scales all over him and massive, muscular body … This is far too much for Christian to handle on his own. Christian’s first instinct is to turn around and make a run for it. Can you identify? “I’m not up for this”

But all of a sudden, Christian realizes, “I have no armor for my back. So if I turn and try to go back where I came from, I’ll give Apollyon a greater advantage – a much easier target to hit with his flaming darts.

In the armor of God - there is nothing for a soldier’s back. There is no protection for those who turn and run away. There is, in spiritual warfare, no place for turning and running away. There is no place for retreat.

And some of you need to hear that. Sometimes we find ourselves, at certain places in our lives, where you look back, over course of life, and look at pivotal decisions made in the past - - - and you are tempted to think, “If only I had made a different decision … THERE …

“You look at the trouble you are in now – and you trace your problems, your struggle - - back to that decision that you can’t undo …. And you think, ‘If only I had chosen differently … then.”

But I made my choices … I made my own decisions and maybe they were sinful choices …. Now you find yourself in misery and the temptation is to obsess – to think ….

“I need to go back and UNDO that bad choice …. I need to go in a different direction … and that will fix THIS …. Whatever suffering you are enduring.”

God’s word says that there is NO turning back for a Christian … that wherever you find yourself right now, friend … is exactly Where God has allowed you to be …. Even if the choices that led you to be here were NOT good choices … rebellion even … BUT STILL … you didn’t catch God off guard. You didn’t take your life to a place where He cannot bless, cannot redeem your very rebellions …. To work out His good plan for you. Right here.

You are here, because God has brought you HERE. Is there a sin that needs to be repented of? Then you repent of the sin. Is there something in your life that needs to be made right – then you make it right. But you can’t walk backwards.

Now, what does the armour of God mean? Surely it’s more than breastplates and belts and shoes. Let’s just look at some passages that help us understand what this armour is all about.

1. First item – the belt of truth. - “I AM the way, the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus says, not just, “I speak the truth, but I AM the TRUTH”.

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness. – “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” … in Him – that is Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God. So Jesus IS the RIGHTEOUS ONE … You will find true righteousness nowhere else on this earth but in HIM.

3. The shoes of the gospel of peace. – “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” Paul is talking about Christ again – and he says, “Jesus Christ IS our PEACE”

4. The shield of faith. , “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It is because of the faithfulness of Christ – He is the faithful One …” His faithfulness makes possible my faith.

5. The helmet of salvation. – Old Simeon, in the temple - “My eyes have seen Your Salvation” … Jesus Christ is salvation for humanity.

6. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. , . “In the beginning was the Word and the word Was God …”. V. 14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus Christ IS the Word of God and the Bible is the Word of God because God’s Spirit inspired these human authors to write in their own words the very Words of God – and every single page of every single book – Old Testament and New – they ALL point to Jesus Christ.

Do you see what that means? It means you cannot pick and choose because, in one sense, the “whole armor of God” is a picture of Jesus Christ.

This means that when we trusted Christ, we received the armor. Paul told the Romans what to do with the armor - - -: wake up (), cast off sin, and “put on the armor of light” (). We do this by putting “on the Lord Jesus Christ” (). By faith, put on the armor and trust God for the victory. Once and for all, we have put on the armor at the moment of salvation. Whatever else the armour of God means, it means, first of all – that we must PUT ON Jesus Christ.

But there’s more. In – Paul says ‘Put on the whole armour of God …” And the verb in Greek is in the imperfect – means ongoing. In other words, “Don’t think you can put on the armour once – and then go to sleep confident … “I’m protected now!” NO – “Put on the Armour of God and put it on again and go on putting it on every day that you walk through the battlefield that is this life!”

Remember King David – the mighty warrior. When was he in most danger? When running from Saul? Fighting Goliath? Battling Philistine armies? No – he was GREAT in battle. David was not so great – he was at his weakest, when he took off his armor and lounged around his palace. When he got lazy … sloppy. That’s when he was most at risk. We are never out of reach of Satan’s devices, so we must never be without the whole armor of God.

2. Why We Need It?

The next question I want to look at with you is “Why?” “Why do I need the armor of God? Isn’t it enough to be strong in the Lord? Isn’t it enough just to be reminded - - ‘suck it up – don’t give into temptation’”.

Some of us are tempted to think that way. Some of us are tempted to think: “I was raised in a Christian home. I have read the Bible cover to cover. I have been a Christian for 35 years and have served Christ’s church in many different ways. If I use the knowledge I’ve gained . . . if I use my will-power when I am tempted, I can overcome the enemy.” “IF I can just get a burst of strength from the Holy Spirit ….” - - An experience of Holy Spirit power and I’ll be great.

No you won’t. v. 10 says, “take up the whole armor of God” v. 11 repeats and adds even more emphasis in v. 13. God does not waste words. So, for Him to tell us not once, not twice, but three times to “put on the armor” means that we can NOT fight with our own resources and win the battle for joy in the Lord.

Let me give you just one example: How many of you share in the tendency to worry. If you’re like me, you know what it is to wake up in the middle of the night, your mind racing, your heart pounding through your chest. There is a crisis in your life, a situation that terrifies you and you are trying to figure out a way to deal with it – but it’s overwhelming.

Now, you know - “Be anxious about nothing . . . but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” You know all that …

But the enemy attacks. You are bombarded by thoughts of, “what if”? “What if the test comes back positive?” “What if this financial bind will be permanent?” “What if my life never changes and I am stuck in this miserable situation of brokenness forever?” “What if this is as good as it’s going to get for the rest of my life?!” “WHAT IF?!”

Or you are assaulted with barrage after barrage of thoughts about your past: “You say you are a Christian – but remember - - what you used to be. That is what you really still are.”

How often does the devil attack with that very tactic? If he can get you absorbed with yourself – the “what ifs” of your fears and anxieties about what might happen or what you’ve done – then he has succeeded in sucking you into, what Martyn Lloyd-Jones once called, “a vortex in which we go round and round, and become defeated and utterly useless as Christians.”

And no matter where you look, you can’t see that Christ is the great treasure hidden in the field, that is worth selling everything else WILLINGLY - -- because He is everything you need for absolute joy!

WORRY Illustration

There are those who say, “Be anxious about nothing”. Just do it. Worrying does you know good. “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its troubles; it only empties today of its strengths” (Corrie Ten Boom). You know that already.

You already know that worrying doesn’t add a single hour to your life. Even now, you can say, “That’s true, this is ridiculous.”

In fact, when someone else is struggling, you give them the very same advice - - - “STOP WORRYING”. But when you are weakest – at the very moment the advice applies to you most directly, all the best human wisdom is useless.

Or use willpower. “I won’t worry. I won’t worry. I won’t worry.”

You try that, and you will see immediately that the Devil will always defeat you, the spiritual forces of darkness will always defeat you, because the demons are of an angelical order of being. They are inferior only to the Holy Trinity. If you try to face your problems with nothing more than your own common sense, with willpower, with anything but the armor of God … YOU. WILL. LOSE. Put on the Whole Armour of God.

Jesus Christ is the Captain. Nobody has ever had a captain like him. They say that Trajan, the great Roman captain, when he was on the field of battle, would take his own armor off and put it on his wounded men. He’d tear his own garments up and use them as bandages. But that’s nothing compared to Jesus, because Jesus Christ tore himself to deal with your wounds. He took the spear that was meant for us into his own heart so all of our debts could be paid. Put on the full armor of God. Because Jesus Christ made himself vulnerable for you, you can become protected in him.

3. THE SOURCE OF THE ARMOUR IS GOD

A few weeks ago, we glanced at something I want to make sure you don’t miss: the source of this armor. IT’s made very clear for us in V. 10, “Put on the Armor of God”; v. 11, “Armor of God”; v. 13, “Armor of God.”

That means not only does the Armor belong to God –

IT also means that it is effective - - - it must be effective. The God who is All-Knowing, who knows every tactic of the devil ahead of time – he has to because Satan is his creature … ,

"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." (, NIV)

The psalmist is saying this about himself – but it’s equally true of Satan – because he is every bit as much a creature of God as you are. Have you ever thought of that?

God, who knows the enemy’s every attempt to destroy your joy before it even forms in the devil’s own mind - - He has provided this armor because this is exactly what He knows you need.

GOING CAMPING PREPARED - - When you go to summer camp and your mom makes sure you pack all the equipment she thinks you’ll need – toothbrush, toothpaste, socks and underwear for every day of camp – TIMES TWO – just in case you fall into the lake …

… Come back from camp and turns out you didn’t need any of that stuff. One pair of underwear was just fine, didn’t change your socks ... and brush your teeth?! Ha!

The armour of God is NOT like your mom’s packing for camp. It is more like if you had a chance to go on a survival trip with Bear Grylls to trek deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle – If Bear Grylls tells you – bring a campknife, a pair of solid hiking boots a rainproof jacket and an eyedropper … you bring it all – even the eyedropper. You may not know why you will need it – but if that expert says bring it – your very life probably depends on it.

That’s the armour of God for you, Christian. This is a matter of life and death.

God has promised it for our good. The God who is All-Powerful – Satan is His prisoner – in God’s chains. This all-powerful God says, “Put this on, and in the day of evil, you will stand.”

" His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (, NIV)

So, here is the armour of God, in a nutshell: It is Jesus Christ and His protection for our joy, to fight the enemy who would seek to suck our energy right away.

The implications of this are huge - - the God who has instructed you to put on this whole armour, has given it to you because HE. LOVES. YOU. He knows your resources are not enough. He knows that your ability to be strong – or get through life by an EXPERIENCE of power … it’s not enough.

God has not left you to your own resources. He has not given you some tips to live by, to help you get yourself through tough times - - he has not given you 7 steps to happiness ….. He has given you every protection you need for your joy in Christ.

"However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." (, NIV)

Truth you need to know, if you want to live well: You are in a lifelong, daily battle. Every single morning, from the time you first open your eyes in the morning, still under the blankets, head on the pillow …. Until the moment you close those eyes in sleep, back in bed at night – from very beginning of day until its end – from the moment you become a Christian, until you close your eyes for the last time, in death - - you are on a journey, through battle after battle, that will last your whole life long.

You wake and immediately – you have to make a decision - - “is this going to be a day of holy joy, no matter what’s in store? OR, am I going to just hang on through the hours of this day and try to survive?”

You get out of bed - - another decision: “am I going to grab my phone and check what’s going on in the news or on social media? … Or am I going to stop – because of my hunger to meet with God – I’m going to spend time with Him first?”

You travel to work - - there is traffic everywhere, the driver in front of you is clueless - - - another skirmish - - - “Will you curse the traffic in your way that is there with no good reason? - - Or will you trust that even in senseless traffic – God is working out His good plan for your life?”

You get to work or school - - and again – there’s another battle: you know the way the game is played … the rules that the people around you play to climb the career ladder or the ladder of popularity within the social circles. The relentless, naked – self-advancement and ambition … is that how you are going to play today – by the world’s rules? Or, are you going to see yourself, this day, first and foremost – as an ambassador of Jesus Christ? That’s another battle.

You get home after work or school - and don’t get the greeting you were waiting for . . . the greeting you deserve. Are you going to grab that hurt and put it in your memory chest – to bring out another day, as ammunition in a fight? Or are you going to pour yourself out in love, no matter the response that comes the other direction.

Do you see what I mean?

Moment by moment - - situation after situation, Every day in a thousand ways, from Sunday to Saturday, you are engaged in hand to hand combat. Your spiritual enemy – the Devil – that fallen angel and archenemy of God – he is tempting you. At the root of every temptation the devil has one goal: He wants to see you blind to the glory of Jesus Christ.

The psalmist can say, ‘The Joy of the Lord is my Strength’ - - your enemy wants you to say, ‘That strength is not sufficient for me. There is no JOY in the Lord for me.’