In the bloody hand-to-hand combat of the Roman world, you had to keep your feet in battle. You had to stand. If you go down... You're dead. Right?
You're a goner.
So standing firm in the heat of the battle amidst the onslaught. was vital, life or death. And in that kind of a combat, every piece of armor you were wearing mattered you. Welcome to Living Hope with Pastor Philip Miller. I'm Pastor Larry McCarthy.
We're glad you're with us today. We're talking about armor and battles and all the symbolism with putting on the whole armor, but Pastor Philip. The enemy is real, isn't he? This isn't symbolic. That's right.
Yeah, the devil, Satan. He's a real created, fallen angel who's rebelled against God. And he and his minions, the demons, are personally invested in destroying everything that God holds dear. And they're on the prowl. They're attacking.
And so Paul's going to take this imagery of a Roman soldier clad in all this armor. And he's going to say that's kind of a metaphor. Like we're in a spiritual battle. And we've got to stand firm. We've got to stand strong in Christ and all that He's provided for us, this Christ-like identity and life that He's called us to.
We've got to stand in it, resolute, and not back down. And the key to all of that is these. Pieces of armor that he's going to talk about, which are all aspects of the character of Christ that we've been clad in and protected by. And that's what he's going to talk about today. He's going to walk through those pieces of armor and how we need every single aspect of the character of Christ to protect us so we can stand firm in this life, in this battle that we're in.
Let's go now to the pulpit of the Moody Church where we'll discover why every piece of armor is important. This is part two of the sermon, Standing Firm. Our text is Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 24.
Now, let's talk about the function of the armor, the function of the armor, how it works. Verse 13: Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. In the bloody hand-to-hand combat of the Roman world, you had to keep your feet. in battle. You had to stand.
If you go down... You're dead. Right? You're a goner.
So standing firm in the heat of the battle amidst the onslaught. was vital, life or death. And in that kind of a combat, every piece of armor you were wearing mattered.
Now remember, Paul's under house arrest. And so he's under arrest. There's Roman guards everywhere. And so he sees their armor up close and in person. And it reminds them of all the spiritual protections that God has furnished.
for his children that are ours in Christ Jesus. And so he's going to walk through piece by piece six pieces of armor. in total. Let's look at them. Verse 14a.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt, of truth.
Now this this belt was Not like a belt that you use to hold your pants up. This is not a thin leather strap, it is a leather sheaf. A sheath that covers the midriff and the thighs, a big piece of leather that is wrapped around the core of your being. It is the base layer of protection that is foundational to all the other pieces of armor that are strapped on top. He says that that that truth is the base layer of protection.
that you have against the lies of the evil one. Truth is your base layer protection. Remember the truth of the gospel, friends. That you are far more sinful than you ever dared realize. And yet, in Jesus Christ, you are far more loved than you ever dared hope.
Amen? Do you realize that that gospel truth gives you humility and confidence at once. Because we're humble because we know we're sinners. And yet we're confident because we know we're loved. And that base layer of humble confidence.
is precisely what we need to ward off the attacks of Satan's lies. When Satan tries to over-inflate us. to stroke our pride. He says, you know, you're a good person. You're better than most people.
You don't need a savior like those people. No, you're pretty good on your own. I bet God's impressed. with who you are. The truth of the gospel comes in.
It says, no, no, no, you're far more sinful. than you ever dared realize. It humbles you down. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our righteousness is but filthy rags before the holiness.
God and our only hope is salvation by grace through faith. in Christ. Right? So then when Satan comes in and tries to deflate you, And stoke your fears and say, You're a bad person, you're beyond forgiveness, you gotta run and hide. God would never love you.
The truth of the gospel comes in and reminds us: no, no, no, in Jesus Christ, you're far more loved. Than you ever Dared hope? Because this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And don't you see the truth of the gospel is a base layer of humble courage and identity that is foundational to the protection against Satan's lies. When the devil says you're special and entitled, And above the law, the truth says: no, I'm a humble sinner whose only hope lies in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
And when the devil says you're nobody. You're worthless and a failure. The truth says you're loved and accepted and treasured by the one person whose opinion matters in the end of the universe. That is the belt of truth. It is the base layer Of your gospel protection.
You see that? How about the breastplate of righteousness? 14b. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate was there to protect your vital organs.
the core of your being. And Paul is saying, at your core, you are covered by the righteousness of Christ. At your core, you are covered by the righteousness of Christ. When the devil says, you're better off than most people, you're more moral, more upstanding, you deserve some credit. Surely that'll impress God.
A little self-righteousness doesn't hurt anybody. True righteousness says there's only one. who is righteous. Jesus Christ. And I am covered by the righteousness that only His grace can provide.
And when the devil says, When the devil says you're a dirty rotten sinner Surely God won't forgive you now. Righteousness says, God made him. Who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And I stand in Christ and Christ alone. That's the breastplate of righteousness.
At the core, we are protected and covered by the righteousness. of Christ. Verse 15, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace. What are these shoes?
These are spiked cleats. For grip and nimbleness in battle. Remember, if you go down, you're dead. Gotta keep your feet, your stance.
So the gospel of peace helps us keep our grip. and keep moving forward. The gospel of peace helps us keep our grip and keep moving forward. When the devil says peace is circumstantial. Happiness means getting your own way.
Just look how hard the way of Jesus is. Don't you want to follow your heart and find a little peace and happiness on your own terms in this life? The Gospel of Peace says no. The Prince of Peace denied himself. And picked up his cross and in love gave himself up so that I might have peace with God.
So I will take up my cross and I will follow him. I will follow my prince of peace into the peace that passes all understanding. For in my darkest moments, his presence is mine. And when the devil says, you've blown it again. God will never forgive you.
You've forfeited peace for the last time. The Gospel of Peace says There is now no condemnation. For those who are in Christ Jesus. And if we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Gospel of Peace reminds us that Jesus paid it all and that our sins are covered past, present, and future.
They are as far as the East is from the West, so far have they been removed from us. And He Himself. is our peace.
Now and forever. You see, the gospel of peace helps us keep our grip and keep moving forward. Verse 16, in all circumstances take up the shield of faith. With which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.
So, this shield, you've seen the Roman shields, the big ones with the curved surfaces that they locked together in tortoise formations and all that stuff. That's the shield here. It was wood covered with leather, stretched over the surface. They soaked it in water because enemies would fire flaming arrows and darts at them, and it would extinguish. The water would extinguish those.
Flaming missiles. And so as the evil one sends his flaming lies at us. A fire with the blaze of hell that The shield of faith blocks and extinguishes. Those lies. It is faith.
So when the devil says, be your own person. You're enough. You do you. Faith says, My only hope lies in Christ alone. My faith is in the faithful one.
And he alone is enough. And when the devil says your faith is weak, You don't really believe you're a fraud. A fake. Faith says it's not the amount of faith. that matters, but the object of faith that counts.
Jesus saves not because I'm trusting him completely, but because he is completely trustworthy. He is faithful. when I am faithless. It is the shield of faith, blocking and extinguishing Satan's fiery and far-flung lies. 17a, and take up the helmet of salvation.
Helmets protect the head and the face. Paul's saying it is Christ's salvation. that will enable you to keep your head. It is Christ's salvation that will enable you to keep your head. When the devil says, save yourself.
Salvation says, Christ alone is my saving grace. When the devil says you're beyond saving. Salvation says, Christ alone is my saving. Grace. It is the helmet of salvation.
It enables you to keep your head. 17b, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. This is not the long sword, but the short-handled double sword, double-sided sword that they used in close combat, tucked in the tunic. It is the sword of the Spirit.
The sword or the spirit.
So, the first thing we know about the sword is that it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second thing he says is the sword of the Spirit is the... Word of God, the Word of God.
So, the spiritual sword, the spirit-empowered sword is the word of God.
So, we have word and spirit. And then we have prayer. Also, prayer. Look at how this sentence flows into verse 18. Just if you think past the parenthesis.
When he says, which is the word of God? Just take that out for a second. Take up the sword of the spirit, praying at all times in the spirit. with our prayer and supplication.
So the sword of the Spirit is spirit-empowered.
So you put all this together. The sword is essentially spirit-empowered praying of the Word of God. Spirit-empowered praying. Of the Word of God, the Word of God on your lips, in your heart, being offered in prayer, so that you come to believe it and you know that it is true.
So, when the devil lies and says, you know, he attacks you, you're to parry those blows, those jabs by spirit-empowered prayers of the promises and truths of the word. Of God. Because the word of God, friends, tells you who you are in Christ. And the Spirit of God is reminding you. Who you are in Christ.
And in prayer, you're confessing out loud. Who you are. In Christ.
So when Satan's lies stab in your direction, Over-inflating you or deflating you. It is the spirit-empowered prayers of the Word of God who answer with the truths of who we are. That although we are far more sinful than we ever dared realize in Jesus Christ, we are far more loved than we ever dared hope. Humble and courage at once, buried in the dust and yet raised to the skies. Friends, don't you see we are armored with a gospel identity?
We are armored with a gospel identity. That's what all of these pieces of armor are about. That's what all these pieces of armor are all about. We are in Christ. utterly and completely.
He is our truth. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is the faithful one in whom our faith is placed. He is our salvation.
He has sealed us with his spirit. He has given us his word and promises. He invites us to pray in his name. We are armored with a gospel identity of being in Christ. That is the function of the armor, you see.
It's how it works. You are in. Christ. This is Living Hope with Pastor Philip Miller. I'm Pastor Larry McCarthy, and we're glad you're with us today.
Pastor Philip, it's good to be with you as always. We're talking today about being armored in the gospel. But Do I just wake up and it's on, or do I have to actually do this? And is it optional? Those are commands.
That's a good question. Yeah.
So, I mean, the reality is we're under spiritual attack all the time. Right, whether we are aware of it or not. And so, and those attacks can come in lots of different ways, right? It can come through discouragement, or frustration, or anger, or traffic, or broken relationships, or setbacks in life. There's all kinds of things that inherently are just life.
but they become opportunities for Satan to get a little wedge. In our life, for those little lies of the devil, those flaming darts to come in and just sort of pierce through the gap in the armor, if you will. And they hurt, right?
So we're under spiritual attack constantly. The armor of God Christ has provided for us, it's already ours. But Paul says, I want you to put on that armor. Right? That's a command.
In other words, It doesn't, it's ours. It's fully available. All the resources of the Christ-like identity that can protect us, this gospel identity, it's there. But there's something we need to do to actually put it on. And I think this is where Paul is pointing out that if we will step in.
to the truth of the gospel. in such a way that we really begin to believe it. It's not just an abstract concept on the shelf. it becomes the living, breathing narrative. of our lives, that we we really wake up and believe That in Christ we are righteous, we are saved by His grace.
Let that grace become our living, breathing, habituated. Mental and emotional and spiritual disposition, right?
So that we're starting to live into it, so that we really believe it's true. What that What that truth will do is protect us from those lies. We'll recognize them when they come. And when Satan lies and he accuses and he tempts us and he's trying to make us act like our, like not like ourselves, not like our Christ-like identity. He's on the approwl, he's attacking.
But if I have if I'm armored with the truth, then I will recognize those lies when they come. And that they'll deflect in a way, that they won't go all the way in. You know what I mean? They'll bounce off in a way, because I have truth that's armoring me against. Those lies.
And so I think that's Paul's vision here: let the gospel become so real, preach it to yourself so often, so deeply that it becomes the you're convinced and you are centered in the truth of the gospel in a way that's protective. Boy, that's so good.
So, not only is it a matter of something we do ahead of time, but it's something you can do while you're in the battle. When the disruptive moment comes, this is the reflex. I got to armor up here, I'm in a spiritual battle. Yeah, now you list all these different pieces of it, but there's only one piece of the armor that you mentioned that seems offensive here. I don't want to just take in hits, I want to dish out some punishment, but I only got one weapon here.
Yeah, the sword of the spirit, right? And it's really interesting because the sentence is: it's the sword of the spirit.
So it's the spirit. Which is the word of God.
So you got spirit, you got word, and then he says, praying always in the spirit. Those are all Clustered together.
So you got to break it down. You got prayer, you got scripture, and you've got the spirit. And they all go together. That's what this weapon is. And I think it's really important for us to realize that the spiritual weapon we have is the word of God as we pray it out.
And if you look at Jesus when he's tempted in the wilderness, That's what Jesus is doing. He's using scripture. Yeah.
Weapon against Satan's temptations. And he's full of the Spirit. We know this, right? He's been fasting. He's praying.
He's full of the Spirit. Spirit led him into the wilderness, right? And he's doing it prayerfully before God, trustingly opening his heart and soul before the Lord, calling on God for strength, right? And so. That's our pattern.
And so when Satan lies, when he tempts, when he distorts, when he accuses, what we need to do is run to the Word of God and trust in the Word of God and preach it to ourselves and pray it back and say, God, help me believe this. Help me trust it. Spirit, bear witness with my spirit that this is indeed true, that I am your child and that you love me. And then, so when Satan is trying to inflate me and give me pride and say I don't need God, I counter and I say, No, no, man doesn't live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, I am dependent on God. I need you, God.
I can't live without you, God. When he tries to flatten you down and he's trying to destroy you, make you feel unworthy and like you're no good and God would never have a thought of you, you remind yourself, like, You know, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Be encouraged, beloved, were forgiven and loved and accepted because of Him.
So, it's a war of prayer, it's a war that the Spirit enables and strengthens us in, and it's a war where we have scripture and we fight with the Word of God because the Word of God is what ultimately is going to help us remember who we are and remember whose we are so that we can actually act like ourselves in the world. And so, what's amazing, Pastor Larry, is that God has given us. everything we need. In this fight, right? We've been covered by the blood of Christ.
Yes. We're indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The prayer channels are open wide to heaven itself. Jesus is praying for us as well, right? And we have the scriptures, God's Holy Word.
What a treasure. What an armament. We've got so many resources, but we got to use them. We got to use them. And so that means deliberate prayer, scripture reading.
Centering on Christ, inviting the Spirit to lead and guide us every single day. That's the Christian life that Paul is calling us to. And when we follow him in that way, we can stand firm. Oh, so practical and so good. That battle cry, you got to spend time in the word.
You've got to spend time in God's Word for yourself. And the intentionality, we have to put on the armor. It's a command. Pastor Philip, thank you so much. This has been a wonderful discussion regarding spiritual warfare.
Now, beloved, we all face spiritual conflict day to day, challenging our faith in God. That's why we're offering a resource to strengthen you. It's Pastor Lutzer's book, Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers? And here he shares how God's power is made perfect in weakness. This book will help you endure when God's answer is delayed or disguised.
protecting your faith by digging into His hidden purposes.
Now these are the last few days we're offering. Why doesn't God answer my prayers for a donation of any amount? To request your copy, simply go to livinghopeoffer.com or call us at 1-800-215-5001. That's LivingHopeOffer.com, 1-800-215-5001. Thanks for joining us for Living Hope, where you'll always find gospel truth for the journey of a lifetime.
Living Hope is a production of Moody Church Media and is sponsored by the Moody Church.
