The Armor of God

Followers of Jesus, as we learned last week, are in a spiritual battle, in a war.

And we have a very formidable enemy, a very intelligent enemy, an adversary. And one of the devil's schemes is to try to take away the seed of the Word of God. When Jesus told the parable of the sower in Mark chapter 4, He said that as the seed is sown, and that's the Word of God, as the seed is sown, some of it falls onto hard ground. And He says immediately the birds take it away. And He explains to His disciples that the seed is the Word of God, and that the bird is a picture of our enemy who, whenever the seed is sown, tries to take it away.

So remember that. As you hear the Word of God today, our enemy is trying to take that away. Once we come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, our enemy, the devil, tries all he can to divert us. The Word of God, sometimes He appears as a roaring lion. At other times, He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, seeking to ravage, to choose, to divide, to confuse. And at other times the devil appears as an angel of light.

And often when he does that, he seeks to propagate false doctrine. Yet as we learned last week, although he's a formidable enemy, he is a defeated enemy by our Lord Jesus Christ. But the question is, that we're going to answer today, is what are we to do when we're attacked by the enemy and you will be attacked? And Paul draws, writing in the first century to the Christians at Ephesus, he draws on the military world and the athletic world as he answers this question. He tells us first, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Spiritual strength is required. The spiritual life is not for wimps, it's not for passivity, it is for strength.

Strength which does not come from ourselves, but from God who is all powerful. And then he tells us to put on the whole armor of God. And that's our subject today, to put on the whole armor of God. So let's learn about it, Ephesians chapter 6. We're going consecutively through the book of Ephesians.

We've almost come to the end. In fact, next week, Lord willing, will be the last message on Ephesians. So we're looking at Ephesians 6, and we're looking particularly at verses 14 through 17, but for connection I'm going to read from verse 10 of Ephesians 6. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Amen. Put on, says Paul, the whole armor of God. Now what's the armor of God? Well, verse 14 is first, having fastened on the belt of truth.

Isn't that very, very important? The first thing that Paul says as we deal with the attacks of the enemy is truth. The first thing we put on is truth. We are people of truth.

Christians are to be people of truth. Truth in our world is under attack, isn't it? We live in a world of distortion, lies. People talk of fake news, spin deception. Lying and cheating have reached epidemic proportions. I read recently that in our schools and in our universities, it seems that the majority of students are cheating regarding exams, regarding their assignments. Lying, cheating, deception have reached epidemic proportions in our society. It's so bad that when you listen to the news, you try to think who can I believe? It used to be said that seeing is believing.

That's no longer the case. Now, particularly with artificial intelligence, they can generate photos and audios of people that are fake, but they appear to be real. I haven't said it, but apparently there's a fake video of President Biden and former President Trump slinging insults at each other while they play a video game. And if you watch it, you think that's actually what they're doing. No, it's not. It's fake.

It's a distortion. And it's put out there, and as we look on social media, as we listen to the news, as we interact with people, we think, what is really true? What is going on? Is this man, is this politician telling the truth? Is this professor telling the truth? Is my business partner telling the truth?

Can I believe the salesman? Truth. I think all of us would realize, even if we're not followers of Jesus Christ, that truth is very, very important. You say, well how do you determine what is true? Well, for most people, truth is what they personally feel. We're in an age where truth is determined by our feeling. In other words, their psychological well-being is their controlling factor. This is what I believe because I feel it is true.

It's pretty dangerous, isn't it? Preaching the Word of God as the truth of God is increasingly seen as judgmental, intolerant, old-fashioned, inappropriate in our modern world, we're told. Truth is out, it seems, and feelings is in. We're told to follow our heart. It's a pretty dangerous thing, isn't it, to determine truth?

That what I feel must be true? I'm to follow my heart, do what's comfortable, rather than hearing, obeying, and humbly submitting to the Word of God. How important it is in our world then that we who are followers of Jesus put on the belt of truth. The Roman soldier is ready for action when he puts on his belt.

This belt probably refers to the leather apron under the armor, which secured the soldier's clothes. The belt of truth then is a defense against the deception of our enemy, who Jesus said is the father of lies. You understand that? The devil never speaks the truth. The devil deceives you. It sounds good.

Other people are doing it. If it's from the devil, it is always a lie. He is a master of deception. But truth for the Christian is foundational.

It holds everything in its place. Without truth in our lives, there is no security, no grounding. Why is it in our society with all of the advances here in the United States, there are so many people who are insecure? Our society is riddled with insecurity. People are insecure themselves and who they are. They're insecure in their marriages. They're insecure at work. They're insecure politically. They're insecure as they look out internationally.

We're a very insecure people. The Christian is to be secure. The Christian is to be grounded in truth. And we grow, Paul has told us in Ephesians 4, verse 15. He said, speaking the truth in love, we grow up in every way into him.

Who is the head into Christ? You will never grow up spiritually without the truth. You'll never be a strong, secure person without truth. Paul has referred in chapter 1, verse 13, to the gospel.

What does he say? Ephesians 1, 13, in him, that is in Christ also, when you heard the word of truth. What's the word of truth? The gospel of your salvation and believed in Him.

You're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. That is that the gospel, the message of the gospel that Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again is truth. It's the word of truth. It's the gospel. It's not just some idea. This is not fantasy. This is not fiction.

This is truth. Paul says in 1 Timothy 3 that the church is to be the pillar and buttress of the truth. When you come to the church, when you come to a service like this, you should be there to hear the truth. Sadly, in many churches, instead of giving the truth, they're copying our society, our pagan society. Isn't it remarkable how we who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ allow the pagan culture to shape what we believe?

And you know whatever is coming out of the media, whatever is coming out of society, the latest trend that sooner or later that is going to infiltrate the church. And before long, you're going to have pastors and ministers saying, well, this is really what we believe. And in that way, thrown away the word of truth. Jesus said to God, your word is truth. God's word is truth. Whether you believe it or not, it stands as truth. That is, we believe that absolute truth is not arrived at through our own feelings. It's not arrived at by getting people together and saying, what do we believe about something? We believe that truth is revealed by God, that God is a God of truth and God speaks to us and has given us His Word, the Word of truth.

This is why we preach the Bible. This is why I ask you, come and open your Bibles so that we are people of truth and that truth produces, please hear this, that truth produces truthfulness, faithfulness and integrity in followers of Jesus Christ. We then put on this belt of truth and as we go out into the world, as you go to work, as you raise your family, as you go to college, wherever you are, you are to be a truthful person. You're to be a person of integrity. You're to be a person who is faithful because the Christian life is not based on your feelings.

It's not based on the latest trend of our society. It is based on truth, as I'm now saying, on Christ who is the truth, the solid rock, I stand. No other ground is sinking sand. So first, put on the belt of truth. Say, verse 14, the breastplate of righteousness. Chapter 6, verse 14, stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth. Have you got it on?

If you do not, here's something else. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. The Roman breastplate of the soldiers, Paul is drawing on these metaphors, extended from the base of the net, as you see it, to the upper part of the thighs. It was a kind of ancient bulletproof vest. No member of a SWAT team goes to arrest an armed man without putting on his bulletproof vest.

We have security officers in this building. Some of them have a bulletproof vest. I find it uncomfortable, so I'm not wearing one, but I am got the breastplate of righteousness on. No Roman soldier would go into battle without his breastplate. Protects the heart and the lungs. No follower of Jesus Christ should go into battle without the breastplate of righteousness.

You say, what on earth is that? Think of it, the breastplate of righteousness. Your own righteousness is inadequate against the attacks of the enemy. Remember, this is the armor of God. It's not your armor.

It's not mine. It's not supplied by Calvary Church. You don't go into the Christian bookstore and say, I want to buy the breastplate of righteousness.

No. This is not something that we supply, but something which God graciously gives us. Your own righteousness, you may be a pretty good person.

You may think, well, on the whole, I'm a truthful person, but don't you admit that in your life there are failures, there are flaws, there are sins? Trusting in your own righteousness will lead you not further and further to God, but further and further away from God. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot have victory in the spiritual battle with your own righteousness. We need a righteousness outside of ourselves.

You say, what's that? This righteousness comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the righteous man. He comes from heaven and He lives a sinless life. Isaiah 59 verse 17, and Paul is surely drawing on the Old Testament. He says here that the Messiah puts on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head. Figurative language that when the Messiah comes, He's going to have a breastplate of righteousness. And when our Lord Jesus Christ comes into time and space almost 2,000 years ago, He is truly God and truly man, and He is 100 percent righteous.

Read the Gospels. Think of how the people try to accuse Him. Think of the religious establishment examining Him to see if they could find some fault, some flaw in His character. They had to conclude, even His enemies had to conclude, this one is different. He's done nothing wrong.

He's the perfect man. Now here's the point. In the miracle of conversion, yes, in the miracle of conversion, many wonderful things happen. This wonderful thing happens. The righteousness of Jesus Christ becomes ours. It is imputed to us. It is credited to us. It is reckoned to us.

It's sometimes called the great exchange. Here we are. This hand represents all my sin. It's a very, very great weight of my sin. And this hand is the righteousness of my Lord Jesus Christ, 100 percent righteousness.

I am unrighteous. He is righteous. He comes into this world and is given the name Jesus, Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Here I am, a sinful person. Here is Christ, the righteous one. And in the miracle of conversion, He takes my sin. All of my sin is placed on Him.

He is my substitute. He bears my sin on the cross. That's the Gospel. Christ died for our sins. He takes the sins of John Monroe then in His own body on the tree, and He pays the price that I deserve for my sin so that my sins, as I trust Christ, as I repent of my sin and trust Him, I am forgiven.

That's a great word, isn't it? To be forgiven of all my sins. Every single sin that is cleansed, that is wiped out, isn't that something?

Ah, but there's more. Not only does my Lord Jesus Christ take my sin, His righteousness is imputed to me. His righteousness is credited to me so that in the eyes of God, as He looks on John Monroe, He sees the righteousness of His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ. My only standing before God is not in my own righteousness, but is in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is my breastplate of righteousness. He takes my sin, I receive His righteousness. The great exchange.

That's the best deal ever, isn't it? And it's all of grace. I don't work for it. I don't deserve it. It is by grace that we're saved. Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. Now our enemy, you've experienced it.

I've experienced it. One of his attacks, and I think we've all experienced it, one of the ways he attacks us is to tell you that you're unworthy. I was teaching a membership class yesterday. We're talking about baptism, and I said I was baptized just before my 17th birthday, and the question was, why didn't I get baptized before? And I thought, why didn't I? I knew I should be baptized. And I said to the class, some of you heard me, that the reason was I felt I was unworthy. I felt, you know, there are these Christians, but in order to be baptized, you've really got to be this higher standing of a Christian. I'm unworthy.

Where does that come from? Does that come from the Word of God? Am I unworthy? Yes, I'm unworthy in my own righteousness, but I have been saved by the grace of God, but the devil comes and says, John, you think about getting baptized?

I mean, come on, I know you. Thought comes to your mind. You feel that God is calling you to do something.

You think I'm unworthy. He causes us to doubt our salvation, doesn't He? Reminding us of our failures, reminding us of our sin. He always wants to go back, doesn't He, and dig up the dirt of the past.

He wants to get you back there to discourage you and to say, there you are, you're singing in the choir. And people thought, well, there she is. She looks very good, but the devil says, yeah, but remember that. What's the answer? But I have the righteousness of Christ. Christ has borne that.

It's gone. God's buried in the deepest sea. When I stand before the throne, dressed in beauty, not my own. When I see Thee as Thou art, love Thee with a sinning heart.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know not till then how much I owe. We are dressed in the righteousness of Christ. It's a spiritual bulletproof vest, as it were.

When we sin, I am to quickly to confess that sin, knowing that He's righteous and He cleanses us from all of our sin. So when the devil attacks you, remember, you've got a breastplate of righteousness. But then verse 15, there are these shoes, gospel shoes. In all, sorry, verse 15, and they're shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Gospel shoes provide, first of all, stability.

The Romans, as you know, they built impressive roads all over Europe. And there's a lot of marching if you're a Roman soldier, therefore you needed good footwear. You needed boots for the hundreds and hundreds of miles of marching. No tanks then.

Remember, no cars. You walked. You marched. And they needed sureness and firmness for their feet. The soles of their feet were sort of, you see it there in the picture, reinforced with studs, just as if you play soccer, we have studs or cleats, they call them, to give you stability.

Now here's the point. When the enemy attacks you, it is very, very important that you have stability so that you're not easily knocked over. Some of us are easily knocked over when the enemy attacks us.

Very easy. We just kind of fall. We get discouraged.

We give up. No, we're to stand fast. Notice again, verse 11, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. In order to stand, you need good shoes.

Verse 13, therefore 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. Verse 14, stand therefore. I'm to stand. I'm to be firm. Not to be easily pushed over, as it were. Again, we need this stability. You say, John, but my circumstances are very difficult.

I readily concede that. Some circumstances are very dangerous. Some circumstances are very fearful. What do we need?

What do you and I need when the difficult circumstances come into your life? As they will, sooner or later. In order that we can stand firm. Notice what these shoes are called. Shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Ah, there it is. Peace. The gospel of peace. Paul describes the gospel in many, many ways.

Here's a wonderful description. It is the gospel of peace. I'm to put on these gospel shoes of peace. Now Paul has told us that our Lord Jesus Christ is the great peacemaker. He reconciles Jew and Gentile. He reconciles them. He reconciles us to God through the blood of His cross, that when we receive Christ as our Savior, we receive this peace.

Romans 5, 1, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God. How is one of the ways that the enemy is attacking you? Perhaps one of the most frequent ones.

Have we took a survey? Could I suggest worry, anxiety, fear? That shakes you, doesn't it? That makes you insecure.

It makes you unstable. You look at the future. You look at tomorrow and you're almost blown away by it. You feel I can't handle it. Paul says elsewhere, Philippians 4, that we're to take our anxieties and our fears, we're to commit them to the Lord, and He gives us a peace which passes understanding. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever experienced an indescribable peace? You're in one of the most difficult circumstances of your life. You feel, as a word, you're going to be blown over, that you'll not be able to put one foot in front of another, that you're, the ground is shaking around you.

What's the answer? The gospel of peace. Isn't that a marvelous thing? To go to bed, put your head on a pillow as we all do, and to be at peace. To be at peace with God. Knowing I'm ready to meet God, that gives me peace. I can't imagine going to sleep if it wasn't right with God. People die in their sleep.

What's going to happen in the next day? But to have peace. But also, experientially, to have peace. You say, well, John, my circumstances are hard. Well, I've had hard circumstances. You say, I've got disappointments. Who hasn't received disappointments?

Unexpected situations. I'm going to, I have to stand firm, and I can testify that in these times, what keeps us secure is the gospel of peace. Jesus says, my peace I give to you, not as the world. When our son died, someone gave us a beautiful embroidery on our kitchen table, and it is my peace I give to you, not as the world.

That's an incredible gift, isn't it? That's what you want in your heart. That's what I want, to live at peace. We're living in a difficult world, and to be at peace, yes, in the midst of the storm. You say, I want God to remove the storm. He may remove the storm. He's able to remove the storm. But in many cases, He doesn't remove the storm, but He gives us the peace so that we can go through the storm.

The gospel of peace. They provide stability. They also provide mobility.

Jews, they give us stability, also mobility. Haven't you noticed how fashions and footwear have changed? Incredible, isn't it? When I was a young man, going to work wearing sneakers would have been unthinkable.

It's amazing what people would have worked on wearing on their feet, isn't it? Even some of you are saying, you're really convicted by this. Listen, this is just my view. This is not the Word of God. If you want to wear flip-flops going to work, go ahead.

I'm not going to do that. But I just thought, if you go into the shoe store, which I do very, very occasionally, it's amazing all the kinds of sneakers and everything. There's something for running. There's something for tennis. There's something for something.

I mean, it's got all of this marketing. You've got a wide range of shoes, and people are very concerned about their shoes. Fashions have changed tremendously in the footwear industry. But we all agree, whatever kind of shoes you're wearing today — and I'm not here to judge you, I may in my heart, but I'm not going to say to you, go ahead — wearing the right shoes at the right occasion is important. When I play soccer, I'm not going to put on flip-flops. No, I'm going to put on soccer boots. I'm going to check the studs.

I'm going to check the fit. I want them secure, and they are designed to kick a ball. If you're running, you get a particular style of shoes.

We know this. Here are the shoes that we wear. I'm wearing, you're wearing the gospel of peace.

These soldiers, as well as needing stability, needed shoes for mobility. And God wants us to have beautiful feet. Listen to Isaiah. Isaiah 52, verse 7, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns. The gospel of peace, beautiful feet. Do you go about work? Do you travel with the beautiful feet, beautiful shoes of the gospel?

Don't leave home about them, without them. Do you think the people around you are at peace? Do you think that we are in a society of peace?

Do you know people who are really struggling? Here we are as followers of Christ, to be able to present them with Jesus Christ, who is the peace. Our broken world, our unpeaceful world, our world of conflict and division and vitriol, how we need Christians not to go around shouting slogans, but Christians who are characterized by people of peace.

You say, well, you've already said we've got to stand firm. I understand that, but we are to do it in a gracious way. The gospel is a gospel of hope. The gospel is not a gospel of shouting at people and telling them they're wrong and coming across as a Pharisee. I understand we've to communicate truth, but we're to do it with grace, and ultimately, the gospel message is one of hope.

It's one of transformation. It's one that whoever you are, that the power of the gospel is so strong that they can take the worst person and transform them, cleanse them in the blood of Jesus Christ, and fit them with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And our message, and I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in an age of vitriol, in an age of division, and Christians getting caught up on it, let us who follow Jesus Christ be characterized by men and women. Yes, of conviction, but also men and women who bring peace. That in your work, in your relationships, in your home, you're the voice of peace.

Now there's another article. There is the shield of faith, verse 16. In all circumstances, pick up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the fire, all the flaming darts of the evil one.

Oh I like this, the shield of faith. The Bible says without faith you never please God. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. This saving faith is an abandonment of our own efforts, the reliance on ourselves. This faith looks not to ourselves, not to our achievements, but looks to Christ.

It looks to what God in His great love has done in Jesus Christ. Faith is the empty hand, the open hand receiving the gift of salvation. That's faith. You're not saved by faith. Faith is the means by which you are saved.

Faith is placing our whole trust in Christ in the very heart of faith. The old hymn got it right. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. Naked, come to thee for dress. Helpless, look to thee for grace. Foul, I to the fountain fly. Watch me, Savior, or I die.

That's it. You bring nothing but the empty hand, and God in His grace pours His salvation to us. This is how we begin the Christian life, by personally receiving Christ by faith, and now I'm changed. And faith then, the shield of faith, is a wonderful defense against the attacks of the enemy. The Roman shield was shaped like a door, measuring about four feet by two and a half feet, usually made of wood, covered with substances such as calf skin, reinforced with metal. The Roman soldiers sometimes soaked their shields in water because the enemy would sometimes fire missiles at them, dipped in probably some kind of pitch and lit, so you've got these fiery arrows coming at the Romans, and they put up the shields to extinguish the arrows.

You got the picture? What does Paul say? The shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. What the shield wants to the Roman soldier, faith is to the Christian. In the Old Testament, shield is often used as a metaphor for God's protection. I read one from Psalm 18 as we began the service. This God, His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord proves true. He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Do you ever feel you need to be shielded?

I do. The devil is throwing his fiery darts. You say, what are the fiery darts? Discouragement, doubt, guilt, fear, bitterness, lust, anger, unforgiveness, self-pity.

A host of them, isn't it? You know what it is. The devil puts his fiery darts on you. Without the shield of faith, we'll fail. We hold up faith. Our faith is in God.

You say, what does that mean? There must be a conscious and deliberate trust in God for His strength. There must be a claiming of the promises of God. God, you have said your peace you're giving to me. Pour that peace in me, I'm troubled. You promised to strengthen me.

You've said if I ask for wisdom, you'll give me that wisdom. What am I doing? I'm exercising faith in God who's true to His promises, who will never fail me. And through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, when that formidable enemy, who's sometimes relentless, isn't He?

Arrow after arrow after arrow. You feel you can't go on, hold up the shield of faith. It will extinguish all the fiery darts.

Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Very quickly, the helmet of salvation. Verse 17, take the helmet of salvation. The helmet, we could say, which is salvation. In hand-to-hand combat, a soldier without a helmet wouldn't survive. The Roman helmet, as we see, was usually made of bronze metal with cheek pieces to keep the Roman soldier's head safe. It was fitted over an iron skullcap lined with leather or cloth. The helmet was essential for protection.

Imagine going into hand-in-hand combat without your helmet. The helmet of salvation isn't a problem in our minds. Without come into our mind.

The Bible says we're not to be conformed to the world, but we're to be renewed in our minds. The devil comes and says, are you really saved? In a little book I wrote, Eternal Security, which you can get in the word room, I talk about that experience as a young man.

Doubts. Was I really saved? Was I really right with God? Oh, I wrestled with that.

That was a difficult time. You say, what brought you through the Word of God? The promises of God. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10, 13. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

There it is. I claim the promise that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Lord, I have believed.

I've trusted You. And then that wonderful assurance of salvation which comes from the Word of God. Not just my feelings, but from the Word of God. This is the testimony John says that God gave us eternal life and this life is in His Son.

Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Don't allow the devil to keep attacking you with these doubts. Put on the helmet of salvation. And this helmet of salvation, of course, protects us also from the power of sin.

We're to take every thought captive to obey Christ. The devil wants you to focus on your failures. Say they're all forgiven.

Don't go back. Claim the wonder of the power of God that saved your soul. Put on the helmet of salvation.

And here's a wonderful thing, that this helmet of salvation also anticipates the future. One day we will be saved from the presence of sin when we see Christ face to face. Paul says, He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. I am saved. I'm being saved. Daily is a bit on the helmet of salvation, but my salvation is not yet complete. There is a day when I am going to receive glorification, as it were, when I see Christ. The race that we're running is not a race to lose but to win.

I'm on the winning side. The armor of light, says Paul, put it on, Romans 13, knowing that your salvation is nearer now than it was when you first believed. Paul says, whom God justifies, He glorifies. And soon, perhaps sooner than we think, soon we will enter that day, that day of salvation. That day has no sunset.

John says, the Lord God will be the light. Do you ever feel you're being pulled into the darkness? Do you ever feel you've been pulled into a dark hole of despair, of depression, discouragement? You ever felt that? Pulled into the darkness?

Terrible experience, isn't it? What's the answer? This is the helmet of salvation. It's the helmet of light. It's to remind myself that I'm saved. It's to remind myself that my life is in the hands of Jesus Christ, and that soon I'm going to be with Him, and soon I'll be in a place where there is no darkness, there is no night, there is no sorrow, there's no dying, there's no pain. Then my salvation, as it were, will be complete. But meantime, day by day, as I go out, I am consciously to put on the helmet of salvation. Finally, verse 17, the sword of the Spirit. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is — don't you love this one? It's the Word of God.

How can you fight the devil without the Word of God? The sword of the Spirit is a defensive weapon. The Roman soldiers had various kinds of swords, including a broadsword.

I've got one upstairs that I use when we have pastors' meetings. It's a long broadsword. It's like the one William Wallace used. But that's not the word used here. The word here, sword, refers to a short-handled, two-edged iron sword, more like a dagger that the soldiers would have on their belt for hand-to-hand combat. When your opponent is close to you, a big broadsword isn't much use. No, you need a smaller dagger to strike a death blow into your enemy.

Think of it. What the sword was to the Roman soldier, the Word of God, is the follower of Jesus in the struggles against the rulers and authorities. It is our perfect defense, yes, perfect defense against satanic attack. Hebrews 4, 12, the Word of God is what? Living, powerful. Have you ever experienced the power of God through the Word of God in your life? You're in this darkness, you're in this temptation, you're in this terrible situation, and you experience the power of God through the Word of God.

It's living. It's powerful. It is sharper than a two-edged sword.

It's piercing, says the writer. That's the sword that we have. Remember, it is the sword of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. He inspired the Scriptures.

It's the Holy Spirit's sword. He gives us conviction, illumination, doesn't He? He sets us free. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. When Jesus is tempted by the devil, what does He do?

What's His defense? Over and over again it is written. It is written. It is written. The sinless Son of God tempted by the devil.

What does He do? He quotes the Word of God. You need to know the Word of God. I've said to you beginning January 1, a message when some of you were still recovering from a night of revelry, but you say, why does He say that? I said it. OK, it's true. So for those of you that weren't there, I said, read your Bibles at least 15 minutes a day. I mean, is that too much?

Fifteen minutes? It's been very encouraging for so many of you have said, John, we're doing that. You started, you missed a week, get back into it. Every day you need to be in this book. Every day I need to be in this book. Not to prepare a message, but more important than that, to deal with attacks of the enemy. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns as King of Kings and Lords of Lords, it says in Revelation 19, verse 13, the name by which He's called is the Word of God. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. How is our Lord Jesus Christ going to get the victory over the enemy through His Word? The Word of God. He speaks the Word. He spoke the words and He spoke the heaven and the earth into being.

God said, let there be light, and there was light. The power of the Word of God is the greatest power in the universe, and why are we so slow then, not only to spend time in the Word of God, but to memorize it, to meditate on it, and when the devil comes, as he does, to say as our Lord Jesus said, it is written. It is written that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from His mouth. Today I'm asking you to put on the whole armor of God, I plead with you, to stand fast against the devil, to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, gospel shoes for your feet, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

That's the perfect armor. God gives you everything that we need to defeat our enemy. Some of you don't have that peace which only Christ can give, because you've never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ.

Can I ask you to do that even as you sit? The Holy Spirit is convicting you, and to look to Christ. We sang of God's love, that God loved us while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Turn from your sin and trust Christ.

He'll save you, He'll transform you, and you with us will be able to go into this world with truth, with peace, with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Father, help us to stand fast. Sometimes we're weak, sometimes we're discouraged, sometimes we're full of self-pity. Help us to be strong and courageous, but help us also to be gracious as we speak to people. Think of all of the harsh rhetoric in our world. May we speak peace, the peace of the gospel, so that many people will come to saving faith. For those here as we humble ourselves, Father, may we turn to Christ, rise up and put on the whole armor of God in Christ's name. Amen.