Equip Online | Armor of God : Part 2

What's going on, family?

Welcome back for part two of our Armor of God series that we're doing in this equip presentation for Equip on Demand.

If you didn't get a chance to check out part one, I think it will be very helpful for you to do it because I provide a little bit more context and details into kind of like spiritual warfare and ultimately the background story.

How do we get to a place where spiritual warfare is really even a thing?

Now that we're getting into the actual breakdown of what Paul was instructing us to do, now that we're aware of spiritual warfare, but I do want to provide this to you by way of a recap.

Spiritual warfare is real.

There are demonic spirits that that have a variety of different responsibilities and things that they do in order to suppress and oppress people.

Sometimes it functions through sickness, sometimes it functions through government structures.

Have you ever, for a moment, let's let's do this for a second.

Have you ever looked at a country or a region or a part of the world and began to ask yourself, why does it seem like this is very prominent in this area?

Maybe it's poverty, maybe it's a level of sickness, something of some sort.

Well, what we believe is that that's the influence of demonic spirits, principalities that have been given responsibility over regions or certain areas of the country or over the world that are meant to suppress.

And sometimes we see poverty really strong.

We see we see sickness really strong.

We see these other things.

And so what Paul is helping us to understand is that while we see the practical expression of these things, there's a spirit behind all of it.

And so, yes, we want to do some practical things that it can help to mitigate that, but we also have to do the spiritual things because that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit, and that as followers of Christ, that we have been enlisted into the army of God, so to speak, and we have a responsibility and a response to make sure that we're warring the right way, that we're utilizing the right weapon.

So Paul says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, these other demonic spirits, and we have an opportunity to not only take ground for the kingdom, but to ensure that people are experiencing victory.

So Paul begins to use this military language, and I really believe it's the influence of the fact that he wrote this letter in Ephesians while he's in jail.

Many believe while he's in jail in Rome, here's why that's so significant.

Not only was Paul a Roman citizen, he's well traveled, he has a lot of experience.

But Paul is literally in prison or being confined and being watched by Roman soldiers the entire time that he's there.

So he's getting a chance to see, really up close and personal, what is the process, procedure, and equipment of a Roman soldier.

It becomes almost like a message illustration for him.

Of course, he's able to pull back from scriptures because he has a vast knowledge of scripture where Isaiah the prophet utilizes some of these exact same components in order to describe the people of God and our response to the attacks that they were experiencing.

You can look at Isaiah chapter 11, verses 4 and 5, Isaiah chapter 52, verse 7, Isaiah 59, uh, verses 15 through 17.

Isaiah 11:4 Isaiah 52:7

That Paul is pulling from, because Isaiah literally is referring to some of these same components, but what Paul does is he brings it all together as expressed through his context of knowing that he's speaking to a group of people that fully understands it.

He says to put on the whole armor of God.

Let's talk about this for a moment.

What Paul understands is that in order for a soldier to be effective in any battle that they are about to be involved in is that they gotta have their equipment on.

No one would ever want to go to war and not have the appropriate equipment.

But I think his his focus on the whole armor is really important because even if you have some of the other components, if you do not have all of it, and because of the way that they work together, the shields work together with the people next to them, their their swords, they had a strategy that if one person doesn't have something that is vital, not only does it bring harm to them, but it brings harm to their entire community around them.

I think it's very fitting for us to look at a little bit of Greek mythology here, and some of us are maybe familiar with the story of Achilles.

And Achilles is supposed to be this soldier who was dipped into the river sticks, and he was supposed to have this immortality, but there was this one part of his body that wasn't fully submerged.

And as a result of that, that was the one part that he was vulnerable to, and that was the one part that ultimately led to his demise, even though he was invulnerable in every other area of his life.

I believe as we pull this kind of metaphor into this, what Paul is ultimately saying is that we're only as strong as our weakest parts.

So he's saying, put on the whole armor of God, that as a follower of Christ, don't just be strong in one area, but let's bring it all together so that we can thrive and be successful.

The first thing that he mentions is the belt of truth.

Now, back then a belt would have been more like a girdle, but you guys are getting the image that I'm talking about here.

What he's saying is that a soldier would have had this belt, this thing around his waist that would have served like a tunic and it would have given him the ability to move, but it also would have been a place that he's able to uh put his sword there.

There have been some other components there.

In other words, this tunic brought everything together from the top to the bottom.

It kind of like brought both pieces together.

I mean, many of us probably know what it feels like to go outside of your home and to forget your belt.

I know for me personally, whenever I travel, I try to travel with my comfy clothes on.

Megan's not a big fan of it, but I love to wear my sweatpants.

And whenever I travel, if there's anything that I ever forget, it typically is the belt because I'm not wearing it on my way out, and if I'm not intentional, I'll forget it.

So it doesn't matter how nice my shirt is, it doesn't matter how nice my pants are, if I don't have the belt to hold it all together, what ends up happening is I have to end up holding it together in my own strength.

What Paul is telling the people of God is for them to understand that, hey, you need to make sure that truth is holding everything you do together.

Making sure that in everything that you do, that you do it in the spirit of truth.

That if you're not holding it together with truth, then in your own strength, you're not going to be able to be successful in whatever it is that you're endeavoring.

Paul is telling us that as followers of God to make sure that we're uncompromising in the truth.

Now, and being uncompromising in the truth doesn't mean that we're offensive with the truth.

Let's be reminded that Jesus was full of grace and truth.

We don't compromise with truth, but we're very sensitive on how we deliver it, with timing, the way that we go about doing it, knowing that we also need to be encouraged with truth.

We don't compromise truth, but we make sure that we utilize the grace of God as we are engaging in the truth, knowing that truth is the one component that holds it all together.

He then gets into the breastplate of righteousness.

What a cool statement.

The breastplate of righteousness.

And this was a piece of armor that went over the chest and back area.

And what it was really meant to do was it was meant to protect against the varying attacks of the enemy.

That if the enemy gets close enough or if they shot an arrow from afar, that you had something that was going to protect you.

And as you can see, the area that it was targeting was the vital organs area.

Because even though it's very ancient, the warriors back then they had strategies.

They knew.

They knew how to aim, they knew how to attack.

So they wanted to make sure they hit areas that it could be a fatal blow.

So the breastplate was something that was meant to really, really reinforce support for the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, those areas that are so vital to every single one of us.

What's important for us to understand is that when scripture tells us to guard our hearts, it is ultimately pulling back this idea of ensuring that as we go out into the world to make sure that our hearts are protected, that our vital organs are protected, that we're not allowing corruption and things to work themselves in.

Here's a couple of other ideas I want us to keep in mind.

That not only is this breastplate meant to protect our vital organs, but when Paul is pulling this language of the armor of God altogether, he's saying that our passions are redeemed and redirected, the heart, making sure that we still have passions, but we allow it to be redirected because we're now in Christ and we're empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In addition to that, because we're protected, that now means that death has lost its sting.

Outside of the breastplate, what would happen is soldiers were dying at a cataclysmic rate.

But as the moment that they began to wear these chest plates, these breastplates that covered their vital organs, death had become less of a thing when someone was injured in battle.

That meant that even if I was hit, it wouldn't kill me.

How encouraging is that for us as followers of Christ to know that when we guard ourselves the appropriate way, when we allow ourselves to recognize and have ourselves redirected into Christ, functioning the way that God wants us to function, with our hearts protected by the word of God, by the community of God, recognizing the strength that comes from that, that even if we take a hit, it doesn't kill us.

That's God's ever-present grace that surrounds us at all times.

He then goes on to talk about the sandals of the gospel of peace.

That's a strong phrase, and depending for some of our friends who may be joining us from outside of Florida, sandals may be something that you never even wear.

But but here in Florida, that's that's fairly common.

But the image that Paul is talking about is this idea of these sandals that gave them flexibility, but they were incredibly durable.

It's it's amazing how that same soldier could walk on gravel, they could walk up mountains, they could walk on grass.

In fact, what I often heard it said is that that was the area that the designers put the most amount of detail on because they knew that as long as the soldiers' feet were protected, that they would be able to go wherever they were assigned to go.

Imagine for a moment, knowing that as they were putting together this idea of armor, that making sure that wherever their feet were, that that was an environment that they felt protected, that it was durable, that it was flexible, but it also had the ability to sustain the varying terrains that they had.

Paul, when he's breaking this down, he says that the sandals are a representation of peace.

Meaning that even though we're soldiers, and even though we're set for the defense of the gospel, that everywhere we place our feet, we're rooted in peace.

That means that even while we're taking ground, that we're doing it with the posture of peace, that we're doing it with the heart of peace at mind, that we can climb on mountains and we're doing it in peace, that we can be in the middle of war, but we have a peace that's on the inside of us, that Paul is helping us to understand that because of the Holy Spirit, when we're engaged in spiritual warfare, that it should always be accompanied with a level of peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

My question for us right now is where has God called you to plant your feet and are you experiencing peace?

Because we shouldn't be devoid of peace if we're where God has sent us to be.

The next thing that Paul mentions here is the shield of faith.

This is one of the most dangerous and most important components that we need to make sure we have in place.

Because one of the most dangerous attacks that the enemy would use back then is that they would have a fiery arrow, a fiery dart, that they would literally dip it into the appropriate accelerant, light it on fire, and then shoot it in hopes that if it hit against a shield that was just made of wood, it would catch on fire.

The soldier would have to then drop the shield, and now he's completely vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

So what a Roman soldier would do is that they had these special shields that not only covered them from head to two toe, they were incredibly heavy, but they also had like almost like this wax filter that was on it, so that when the fiery darts hit, even though it penetrated, it did not spontaneously combust.

Paul is pulling this imagery and this idea of making sure that yes, when you are standing behind the faith, you are gonna take some hits.

It's gonna sometimes be heavy, but recognize that as long as I'm behind this armor of faith, that even though the attacks may come, I will not be consumed by them.

Paul wants us to be reminded that as we're engaged in spiritual warfare, there will be some attacks from the enemy.

That this shield that the adversary is going to come after us with is meant to protect us, but it's gonna also ensure that we're not consumed by the enemy's attacks.

We we don't need to overly be consumed with the attacks of the adversary when we know that we have the proper equipment to keep us protected.

Paul then goes on to talk about the helmet of salvation.

He he's pulling together this idea of the helmet that is found in Isaiah chapter 59, verse 17.

Isaiah 59:17

And ultimately what he's saying is to have our minds protected.

We see in a lot of Paul's writings these ideas about protecting our thought life, having our minds renewed.

But ultimately, the helmet of salvation was meant to reinforce and to remind us that we are in Christ Jesus.

That a lot of times the strategy of the enemy is to make us feel that we're not sufficient, to make us feel that we're not saved, to make us feel that we're disqualified.

But he says that when we go out and we're engaged in spiritual warfare, then not only do we have to guard our hearts, not only do we have to make sure that we're moving with peace, but we got to make sure that we're protecting our mind, that we're reminding ourselves that we are truly beloved by God and that even though we struggle, that we are still a part of the family.

Salvation then is not only the forgiveness of past sins, but it also is reminding us that we have the strength to overcome our present and future sins as well.

Wearing this incredible helmet, we have confidence and knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Paul then goes on to conclude this idea with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

The Word of God is so vital.

It's such a crucial component, and it's the only offensive weapon that Paul mentions.

I want us to be reminded that when we look at the story of Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew chapter 4, that he responds with the word of God.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

I believe that that is an image of what spiritual warfare looks like.

It's the idea of an enemy coming in, tempting us, suggesting us, trying to get us off track.

And each time Jesus responded with God's word.

See, when we engage the word of God, the word of God engages us.

It begins to remind us of how God sees us, what we've overcome, the future hope that is also with us.

But there's also another aspect of God's word that Paul is referring to.

He's not just referring to the logos, the written, inspired word of God, but he's also referring to the Rhema word of God.

That's in my tradition would be a right now word.

That means this that God understands the power of community, and he through Paul is telling us that yes, you will be inspired by God's written word, but it also will be other words that can show up.

That means you go to a church service and you hear a message that seems to be tailored just to you.

Someone reaches out to you, sends you a text message.

It's learning to be encouraged with that.

Ultimately, what Paul is trying to remind us of is that we have God's word that serves as the foundation, but then we have these other things that God uses to reinforce his word, and all of it is meant to help to fight off the strategies of the enemy.

Maybe right now you you are looking at God's word and you don't have the clarity that you wish you had.

That you're looking at God's word and you're wrestling with confusion.

But maybe you have a friend of yours that's been speaking words of encouragement for you.

Stand on that.

Maybe you've gone to a church service and you've heard something that a pastor has said that has really encouraged you.

Maybe you've gone through Instagram and you've seen one of those one-minute reels and you heard a message that seemed to really speak to you.

That's a raiment word.

Use that word to be inspired.

This is God's way of delivering a special message just for you.

Paul puts together this idea of this armor that is meant to equip us so that when we go into spiritual warfare, we are ready.

When we engage principalities, we engage it using the word of God.

We use our shield of faith.

We remind ourselves that we are truly saved and that we are beloved by God.

We make sure our hearts are protected and keeping us safe from bitterness and unforgiveness, that we move with the posture of peace, that when we use all of these things with every environment that God calls us to go into, whether we're dealing with strong demonic strongholds in front of us in a moment, dealing with systemic things that we need to work through, it allows us to move at a pace in the grace that God has commissioned us to have.

My encouragement for you, friends, is this Are you wearing your armor?

Paul tells us all throughout the course of Ephesians to make sure that we put off the old man and put on the new thing, put on the righteousness of God.

But what I want to challenge us to do is make sure that you don't take a single step every day without putting on the full armor of God.

So that when you're dealing with spiritual warfare in your workplace, when you're dealing with spiritual warfare in your emotions, when you're dealing with spiritual warfare in your marriage, wherever you're dealing with the oppressive works of the adversary, that you can make sure that my mind is protected, my heart is protected, my hands are protected, I'm standing behind my faith, I'm standing in peace on God's word, and I have God's word to help me fight off the attacks of the adversary.

God bless you, friends, and I want to pray for you.

And we have one more session after this that I believe is going to tie this all together.

Let me pray.

God, I thank you so much, Lord, for the instructions of the armor of God that you've commissioned us and that you've given us so that we can go into the environment you've called us to go into with our minds protected, with our hearts protected, God, with us standing behind our faith, God, moving with a posture of peace, but also using your word, your sword, God, to strengthen us, but also to fight off the attacks of the adversary, God.

I pray that we put on the whole armor so that we can be rightfully equipped for the environment you're calling us to go into.

I pray a blessing over your people in Jesus' name.

God bless you, friends.

I cannot wait to close this all out and our last session in a couple of weeks.