The Armour of
God
Ephesians 6:11-17
Introduction: Some Christians do not even know that they are to be on guard of Satan and his demons. They do not know that they need to be ready of an attack and be able to defend themselves. Satan is a very powerful being. We alone cannot protect ourselves from Satan. Without Christ we are going to be easy prey for Satan. Remember I Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" The devil is not any kind of a wimp as some people say, which helps me answer the first question:
I. Why do we need the armor of God?
A. Verse 11 "that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." This refers to the craftiness and the wickedness of the devil.
B. Verse 12 "against spiritual wickedness in high places."
1. Demonic activities.
2. Evil people against God. Madeline Murray O'Hare
C. God wants us to be ready for a fight, a spiritual fight.
II. What is the armor of God?
A. Loins of Truth - it protects our vital areas. Truth holds our life together. John 14: 6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
B. Breastplate of Righteousness - it protects our heart and other areas that may cause death if wounded. Doing right will protect our heart from evil.
C. Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace - it protects our stand in our beliefs.
D. Shield of Faith - our faith in God will help protect us from the evil
E. Helmet of Salvation - it protects our lives from the devil because it is one thing that we can NEVER lose.
F. Sword of the Spirit - it helps us attack those that tempt us and to cut to the hearts of those that hear the Word of God.
III. Why are there more defensive materials than there are offensive material?
A. Devil is quick and powerful. He is a lion seeking whom he may devour.
B. You may not even know you are being attacked because fiery darts can be shot at you from quite a distance. You need to always have your spiritual guard up.
Conclusion: God gives all of the Armor and we are to have them on and be holding them. It is our responsibility to have the armour of God on and to be ready to be attacked. If we have all these on then we are ready for the attack of the devil, his demons, and those fiery darts. We may not all know how to attack with the Sword of the Spirit, that is why we have the rest of the armour. If we are not ready to properly use the Sword Of the Spirit, then we need to, according to II Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." When we have all of these parts of the armour then we are, as said in Eph. 6:10, "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."