Class Outline:

Sunday July 17,2022

Title: Ephesians 6:10-17; Summary of the armor of God.

 

God has allowed war to enter His universe. He has designed it so that mankind would be in the conflict, not aside it as spectators only. Most people, and I would venture, most Christians, are only faintly aware of this war.

 

It must never be forgotten that no person has ever been able to defeat the devil besides Jesus Christ.

 

EPH 6:10-12

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Satan is a real being and personality as a fallen angel.

 

Satan’s chief wile is his scheme of error, false doctrines and lies that sometimes appear very close to the truth, and which are designed specifically with deception in mind.

 

“The manifold combinations of error, the various arts of seduction and temptation, the ten thousand forms of the deceit of unrighteousness constitute the wiles of the devil.” [G. G. Findlay, The Epistle to the Ephesians]

 

Satan has a massive organization of fallen angels covering the earth and the atmosphere that are of wickedness and darkness. And while the first advent of Christ seems to have brought these demons to the surface, upon His departure they much more so operate obscurely, as well as being much reduced in power due to Christ, the “strong man,” took away his armor and plunder (LUK 11:22). Still, they are very real. To deny them is to lie.

 

Our foe’s main goal is to take the life of heaven from us.

 

Give the church all the power, influence, political influence, wealth, property, but take from her the delights of righteousness and holiness.

 

If we let heaven fade like a childhood dream; if we let Christ go back to His grave - then we are utterly undone.

 

Stand is the main theme of this passage.

 

We must stand firm on our foundation, not heeding an inch of ground.

 

“For hearth and home” was a motto for many families in the British Isles. Our hearth and home are God’s word, God’s kingdom to come that lives in our hearts, the true church, and all that is rightly called divine amongst mankind. For this we are patriots who put on our armor and draw our swords to manfully repel the invader. The good soldier of Christ contends for the heavenly life and household of faith, though it causes him to suffer. “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2TI 2:3).

 

From the Book of Isaiah we know that this armor is Christ’s very armor.

 

EPH 6:13-14

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,

 

Girding around (peri prefix) is getting ready by securing around yourself the truth.

 

The good soldier daily gets himself ready with the truth.

 

Truth demands a great accumulation of knowledge. Paul is always writing to new churches, the oldest only being a few years old, and he constantly implores them to increase knowledge.

 

Still, as God tells through Paul and all writers, that without application of knowledge to life we really will not know it. The more we learn and the more we apply what we learn, the more stable will be our strength (belts stabilize), and the more free will be our ability (belts give freedom of movement).

 

EPH 6:14

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

 

Righteous living is the great defense of the inner self.

 

Like truth, righteousness is a gift from God. Unlike truth, righteousness is imputed to every believer at the moment of salvation. We are made righteous through the finished work of Christ.

 

As righteous ones we are to live righteous lives.

 

We are righteous in standing and are to be righteous in character. A righteous life gives a clean conscience and power. Peter writes, “keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong” (1PE 3:16-17).

 

The good soldier daily walks in the righteousness of Christ, knowing that it is his main inner defense.

 

As new creatures we are made for righteousness.

 

EPH 6:15

and having shod your feet with the preparation [readiness] of the gospel of peace;

 

The good soldier is always ready to save others or encourage others with the gospel.

 

The main attack of the enemy is against the gospel.

 

The soldier of Christ is always ready to bring the one and only gospel to wherever he is called. He is ready to refute false gospels with the truth of faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world who took away the sins of the world.

 

We spread our faith. We are always being watched. We are the light of the world, the city on a hill, the lamp in the house.

 

EPH 6:16

in addition to all [“in everything”], taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

 

The Roman shield was four feet by two and a half and when placed side by side formed a wall.

 

By faith we know that the word of God is true and the promises of God are yes and amen.

 

God’s unconditional covenants are certain and eternal. The flaming missiles have the same purpose as the schemes, and so perhaps they are equivalent, to take our heavenly lives from us.

 

The good soldier knows that he depends upon God’s word and Spirit and power day by day. He or she will not see God today, but he will believe in the truth and the promises.

 

EPH 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

Take can also mean “receive.” This helps us to remember that God’s hand has extended His own armor to us and we take it and wear it.

 

The helmet of salvation is worn by the Lord Himself in ISA 59:17. God is the provider of salvation, so upon Him the helmet is a sign of victory.

 

On the believer the helmet becomes a sign of protection by God. How does a person in possession of eternal life walk in this life?

 

We cannot lose our salvation. Still, here the helmet should fit with the rest of the armor as in real time application of every one of these truths.

 

How does a saved person think and live? How does a person in possession of eternal life walk in this life?

 

PSA 140:7

O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,

Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

 

The good soldier walks with courage and confidence throughout today, knowing his or her security and divine protection.

 

EPH 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

The command to take or receive also applies to the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

The word of God teams up with the ministry of the Holy Spirit inside every believer and the believer has a weapon of both offensive (witnessing of the gospel and the truth) and defensive (defending self and others against lies and temptations) ability.