Ephesians 6

Get your Gospel Armour On

Phil Campbell, MPC, October 10^th 1999

The other day some old friends of ours dropped in for lunch. They were on their way back to Sydney from. The funny thing was, we hadn’t seen Robert and Anne for about 10 years. Exchanged the odd Christmas card, but that was about all.

And so while I was waiting for Rob and Anne to arrive, all sorts of questions were going through my head. I wonder how much he’s changed. I wonder how much I’VE CHANGED.

But the big thing on my mind as I was waiting for them to turn up was, I WONDER HOW HE’S GOING AS A CHRISTIAN? I wonder if he’s still HANGING IN? Whether they’ve stuck with it. Or drifted off?

Rob and I grew up in Inverell together. We went off to uni together. We did engineering together. We went to church together. But that’s a long time ago. So I was wondering… has he stuck with it? Or has he let go?

Because we see it, don’t we. Keen Christians. Or they seem that way. Who let go. Who somehow lose the plot. Decide other things are more important. Sometimes fairly dramatically.

I heard about another guy I know just the other day. Who used to seem so keen. But a while back he met a girl where he worked. And he decided he loved HER more than he loved his wife. More than he loved his four kids. More than he loved the Lord Jesus. So in one decisive act, he dumped the lot. Dumped his faith. Dumped his family. And he was gone.

It happens, doesn’t it. And I was thinking all that while I was waiting for our friends Rob and Anne to turn up for lunch. To catch up on the last ten years.

Well let me tell you, it was pretty annoying. Rob hasn’t got ANY GREY HAIR AT ALL. More to the point, he’s STILL GOT HAIR. He’s hardly changed at all. But the good news is, he hadn’t changed in his faith, either. Still going strong.

Now I want to ask you to think with me this morning, where are YOU GOING TO BE in ten years time. As a Christian. Even in five years? Where are WE GOING TO BE AS A CHURCH? And what’s it going to be that keeps you KEEPING ON in your faith?

They’re good questions to ask. And they’re issues in Paul’s mind as he’s finishing off his letter to the Ephesians. The passage we just read. Where are THEY going to stand in ten years time… as Christians? How are they going to stand firm in the middle of a city that’s devoted to worshipping the occult. That’s caught up in a sort of new age movement full of incantations and magic spells? Stuff they’d been converted OUT OF. But had such a backwards pull.

THERE’S A WAR ON

If you have a look at the passage you’ll see the big thing Paul wants the Ephesian Christians to know is that there’s a WAR ON.

1. Know Your Enemy

Peacetime and wartime are different. And as Christians, we need to know we’re not at peace. We’re at war. And the first rule is, KNOW YOUR ENEMY.

Have a look there at verse 12. Because he spells it out. And our struggle, it's not a flesh and blood struggle that you can fight with a gun and a hand grenade. It's not against FLESH AND BLOOD, not against people; but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Who you’re up against when you’re struggling to keep going as a Christian, who you’re up against when you’re making the decision to stick with Jesus or go with the world, it’s not just the pull of other people. You’re caught up in a SPIRITUAL WAR. That’s very, very real. When you decide to throw away your wife and your family and your faith in Jesus and run off with Amanda up the road, it’s not just AMANDA that’s pulling you away. It’s the DEVIL HIMSELF. And all his spiritual forces. The forces of evil. That are very, very real.

Jesus called Satan The Prince of THIS WORLD. Who offers you every temptation; who dresses it all up to look SO GOOD. But when you get it, you’ve been sucked in. Because you’ve traded your eternity… for rubbish. Traded your inheritance for some flashy trash.

If you reckon being a Christian is hard, it is. It’s a BATTLE. So rule number 1. Know your enemy.

2. BE PREPARED

Now here’s the second thing you need. And that’s the BE PREPARED. Be ARMED AND READY. And as Paul writes to the Ephesians here, he uses a little illustration. An analogy to help them understand. And tells them they need to be PUTTING ON THEIR ARMOUR.

The Australian Army, you know, they've found out the last few weeks their armour's not quite up to scratch. Had to borrow 4000 bullet proof flack jackets from the US; found their HELMETS didn't have the straps attached right. Getting your gear right's important.

Same with the armour Paul’s talking about. The sort of armour you’d see a Roman soldier wearing.

Let’s track through what he’s saying and then have a think about it. First of all, read from verse 10. Right at the top.

He says, "Finally, BE STRONG IN THE LORD and in HIS MIGHTY POWER. Put on the FULL ARMOUR OF GOD, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." If you want to stand against the devil's schemes, you've got to GET THE GEAR ON.

Verse 13, you'll see it again. The armour of God. He says, "Therefore, put on the FULL ARMOUR OF GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you’ve done everything, to stand.."

Exactly the same; if you're going to stand your ground, if you're going to stick with it, PUT ON THE ARMOUR OF GOD.

And then on he goes. With this passage that for the last two thousand years has been standard SUNDAY SCHOOL STUFF. Where you make your shield and sword out of cardboard with tin foil over it and you stick FAITH on it with a texta, and you get your dads big leather belt and you put TRUTH on it; all the stuff you can read in verse 14 to 16. And you look like a real dag, but the lesson sinks home.

Except I want to have a closer look at it with you this morning. Because you’ll see something interesting.

The funny thing about it, when I did this stuff back in Sunday School as a kid, I was told it was all about the stuff I HAD TO DO. To be able to fight off the devil.

So verse 14: have a look. It says, Stand firm then, with the belt of TRUTH buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place.

And the teacher would say, the thing you’ve got to do is BE TRUTHFUL. And not tell lies. Or the devil's gonna get you. Be RIGHTEOUS. Be GOOD. Or you’re a gonner.

Now let me say to you, as Christians, it’s important we’re people of integrity. That we’re people who live by a different standard to the standards of the world.

You know, people don’t even EXPECT politicians to tell the truth any more. Bill Clinton was in trouble because he lied under oath and encouraged someone else to, and sixty percent of Americans said SO WHAT. And the expectations are about the same with CHURCH LEADERS - after that terrible court case involving a catholic priest the last couple of weeks; lies given in evidence to PROTECT THE GUILTY.

As Christians, HONESTY IS FUNDAMENTALLY IMPORTANT. But that's not what Paul’s talking about when he says "put on the BELT OF TRUTH". And BEING GOOD is not what he means when he’s talking about the breastplate of righteousness. It might have been what the SUNDAY SCHOOL lessons said. But it's not the point of the passage.

Because will you notice from verse 10 that Paul wants us to be strong in GOD’S POWER. Not our own. That Paul’s telling us to put on THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD. Not the full armour of your MORALITY. And he says it twice, so he must mean it. Verse 11. Put on the full ARMOUR OF GOD. Same words in verse 13. Therefore, put on the full ARMOUR OF GOD.

If you’ve got your bible open, have a look back to chapter 4. Chapter 4 verse 21. Because when Paul’s says to put on the belt of truth, he’s talking about a PARTICULAR TRUTH.

Have a look at it. It’s on your sheet as well if you haven’t got your bible.

When he's talking about the BELT OF TRUTH he’s talking about THE GOSPEL. The message of salvation.

Same back in chapter 1 verse 13 if you can find it fast. Listen to this…

If you want to stand against the devil, PUT THAT BELT ON. PUT ON THE GOSPEL. The gospel given by GOD. God’s strength. Not ours.

Same with RIGHTEOUSNESS. When Paul says put on the breastplate of righteousness, he’s not saying TRY TO BE GOOD. He’s not saying PUT ON YOUR OWN FEEBLE ARMOUR. He’s saying, use the armour of GOD.

And the fact is, the gospel is ALL ABOUT God’s righteousness. That he GIVES US.

Now I really HATE bible flipping type sermons, so I’ve got these verses on your sheet as well. From Romans 3 verse 21 to 23. They’re worth looking at. Because if you don’t want to get dazzled by the devil, this is the sort of stuff you need to be armed with. Here it is. RIGHTEOUSNESS. Not from us. From God.

Can you see that? All of us have sinned. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. And yet we’re COUNTED RIGHTEOUS - by JESUS. We're COUNTED RIGHTEOUS - through FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. And that’s our SHIELD. Our only shield. Which is what he says back in verse 16 in our passage. In addition to all this take up THE SHIELD OF FAITH with which you can extinguish all the arrows of the evil one.

Can you see what he’s saying? He’s saying if you want to stand firm, if you want to stick with it as a Christian, what you’ve got to do is stay dressed up in the BASICS. The gospel armour. The righteousness from God that comes from faith in Christ Jesus.

Because if you stop relying on that, let me tell you, you’re standing naked on a battlefield with flaming arrows flying everywhere. And it’s no wonder if you get hit.

The armour Paul wants us to put on is GOSPEL ARMOUR. Which is what you’ll see if you read verse 15 as well. And have a look what’s on your feet. Your Army Boots. Steel capped. Your feet fitted with the READINESS THAT COMES FROM THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. Ready for anything. Because you’re wearing the gospel.

You can wear factor 15 sunscreen to protect you from the sun on the beach. You can wear cancer council sunglasses to protect you from the glare in your eyes. You can wear your yellow raincoat when you go out in the rain. You can wear your Kevlar Flak Jacket and your army helmet when you're marching around East Timor. But the only way to stay protected from the devil is in GOD’S ARMOUR. Which is the gospel.

And the clincher. Top it all off with the helmet of salvation, verse 17; which Paul’s already spelled out to the Ephesians back in chapter 2… The helmet of SALVATION. How are we saved? Chapter 2 verse 8. It is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works – so that no-one can boast. Put THAT ON. Like your helmet.

And finally, the sword of the Spirit. The WORD OF GOD. Which from what he’s saying, is the only weapon you need. God’s word. The Bible.

Funny, isn’t it, what a lot of people think of as SPIRITUAL. Or NOT SO SPIRITUAL. A mate of mine did an internet search the other day looking for references to SPIRITUALITY. What it means to be SPIRITUAL. And there were heaps of references to internet sites about all different sorts of spirituality. And you’ve probably met up with some of them yourself.

There’s one particularly ugly sort of spirituality, and let me tell you it’s got nothing to do with the HOLY SPIRIT. It’s an idea that says, FORGET ABOUT THE BIBLE… and just listen to the SPIRIT IN YOUR HEART.

And I’ve actually been told I’m UNSPIRITUAL. You might have been too. If you’re just a plain old Bible trusting Christian.

Let me tell you, the WORD and the SPIRIT go hand in hand. Because the BIBLE IS INSPIRED BY GOD’S SPIRIT. And is the SWORD of GOD’S SPIRIT.

Hang on to it. And he says, PRAY. Keep on praying. Pray along with the Holy Spirit with all kinds of prayers and all kinds of requests. Stay alert, he says, and be praying for ONE ANOTHER. For ALL THE SAINTS – your fellow Christians. Struggling in the battle as well.

So can you see what he’s been saying? What he’s saying is, when you come under attack from the devil, when you’re tempted to let go, when you’re feeling the tug of the world, GET BACK TO THE GOSPEL BASICS. That salvation comes by FAITH. Putting your whole confidence in Jesus. Who died on the cross to trade HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS for your unrighteousness. Who’s made you ARMOUR PLATED against the devil; he’s given you a breastplate that stands up to anything the forces of darkness can dish out. Because he’s taken your judgement on himself. Already.

STAND YOUR GROUND

Paul says we’re in a war zone. He says, know your enemy. You're up against the DEVIL. He says, BE PREPARED. Keep your armour on.

And the result is, the result Paul wants to see… it’s not that he’s expecting to see a bunch of spiritual Arnie Schwarzenegger type super soldiers. There are no new hills that need to be taken. All he wants you to do is STAND YOUR GROUND.

Can I ask you this morning, are you DOING THAT? Where do you reckon you’re going to be… five years down the track. Ten years? Are you going to stand your ground? Or gradually be pushed backwards? More committed to your job; less committed to Jesus? More committed to your MORTGAGE; less committed to Jesus? More committed to your GARDEN; less committed to Jesus?

Just last Sunday at another church not far from here, I heard about a mum there who came over to one of her friends to say goodbye. She said, "We won't be seeing you here at church for the next six months or so - we've signed the kids up with Nippers on a Sunday morning." More committed to SURFING. Less committed to Jesus.

Verse 13; there’s the goal. He says put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, when the TEMPTATIONS ROLL IN… YOU MAY BE ABLE TO STAND YOUR GROUND. And after you’ve done everything, to stand. So STAND FIRM THEN, he says in verse 14. With all the armour on.

Paul says, the ARMOUR IS THE GOSPEL. The basics. That God counts you RIGHTEOUS when you trust in Jesus. That he wants you to hold on TO HIS WORD… as if your life depended on it.

It’s tough, isn’t it, to STAY COMMITTED – because I guess there are some of you who are saying, what’s the point. Bible Study group. Done that before. Church. Dull. Sharing the gospel with people – never works. Ho hum.

You hear about the Nuclear accident in Japan last week? Same old safety precautions. Pretty dull. So if you're an Ambulance guy, just go right on in. Don’t bother with the safety suits. Which is exactly what happened. They didn't bother with the protective clothing. And now they're being treated too - radiation sickness.

Can I urge you this morning – in spite of the fact you might get tired of it; in spite of the fact there are people who’ll offer you all sorts of other flavours they’ll tell you are a better sort of Christianity; stay in your armour. The simple salvation that comes through FAITH IN JESUS. The simple RIGHTEOUSNESS that isn’t yours. But comes by GOD’S GRACE. The simple belt and shoes; the gospel of Truth. The message of peace with God. The simple, unglamorous commitment to the word of God. And prayer. Week after week. Year after year.

And make sure you’re working to keep our CHURCH committed to that… in a time when it’s so easy to go chasing other stuff. So that Paul’s prayer will be our prayer – the prayer you can see in verse 19 and 20… He says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly… as I should."