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Ephesians Lesson 8

PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
(Spiritual warfare)

Ephesians 6:10-24
Key Verse: 6:13

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Through the study of Ephesians, we learned that although we were dead spiritually due to our transgressions and sins, we are made alive through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 2:1-9) Now, no one who believes in Christ can say, “Oh, I am so poor” because we who are in Christ Jesus have great spiritual wealth both now and forever, such as the grace of forgiveness of sins, God’s wonderful mission, everlasting life, a huge mansion in heaven, unspeakable joy and peace, unchanging love of Christ, fruits of the Holy Spirit, wonderful coworkers and friends in Christ, etc. (1:3-14) We also learned that although we are different from one anther, we are the members of same family and the same temple and the same kingdom of God because we share the same blood of Christ and inherit the same Holy Spirit. (2:11-22) Our relationship in Christ is inseparable. The mystery of Christ is that Gentile believers and Jewish believers have an equal share in all the riches of God’s inheritance. (3:1-13) Therefore, Saint Paul strongly encouraged that we should make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (4:3) We are called to live a life of faith in Christ, not all alone, but with other believers in unity, purity and maturity. In the previous passage, we learn that we now have new relationships in the Lord by submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (5:21-6:9)

Now, we should not have any problem among ourselves. But the spiritual reality of this world is quite different from our wishes. It’s surprising to see that there are so many good-intentioned Christians who are deeply wounded and feel defeated in spite of their strenuous effort to have good relationships with others. Many say in their hearts, “I am tired of struggling with these people. I would be happy if I could live all by myself in Christ.” In theory, we are supposed to have victory in Christ. What went wrong with them? Well, it’s hard to pinpoint what their problems are. But it’s most likely that many of them are manipulated by the devil’s conspiracy. In today’s passage, Saint Paul gives his final instructions how to live a life worthy of God’s calling. In short, we should be involved in spiritual warfare not with people but with the devil. Let’s see how we can enjoy the victory in Christ Jesus in our daily walk.

First, be strong in the Lord (10-11)

Look at verses 10 and 11. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Here, we learn that the world we live in is not a playground in which we can enjoy fun and comfort endlessly, but a fierce spiritual battle ground. Our common enemy is not Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden or Kim Jung Ill, but the devil. The devil, which means “the accuser” is also called “Satan,” which means “the enemy.” The devil sneakily approached a weak woman in the garden and asked her in such a friendly tone of voice, “Oh, my dear! Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” After talking with the devil, the woman was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit and also gave some to her husband. Some people think, “Well, that’s an old story. Who believes in the devil?”

The Bible teaches that the devil is real. The devil a fallen angel, who left his position and rebelled against God. The devil is our old enemy who never gets old or sick. The devil had conspired against God and his plan. Throughout history, he had been manipulating and lying. He has been so successful that most people nowadays does not believe that the devil exists. Some of us are very smart. But the devil is ten times smarter than any of us because he has seven heads and ten horns, while we have only one head and no horn. Therefore, we should never underestimate our enemy, the devil. Our enemy the devil is powerful, wicked and cunning, like a serpent. But we don’t need to be paranoid about the devil either. Why not? It’s because our God is far superior to the devil in each and every way. In fact, through his death and resurrection, Jesus overcame the power of the devil. Therefore, we have victory in Jesus over the devil’s power and conspiracy.
But we cannot enjoy the victory of Jesus unless we have right attitude.
Apostle Paul urges us that we should be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Some of us fall into the devil’s schemes because we are overly confident in our own ability and do not rely on the power and wisdom of God. On the other hand, some of us are so distrustful of ourselves that we remain weak in ourselves. But no matter who we may be, we can be truly strong when we are strengthened by the power of God. To be strong in the Lord does not mean to become mean and offensive. It means to be stable, resilient and unshakable in any tough situation. Paul picked young Timothy out of his many disciples to assume leadership over the Ephesian Church. He said to Timothy, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 2:1) From time to time, we feel weak and helpless when we are surrounded by many difficult problems. But we can be truly strong when we are filled with the grace of Jesus by being united with Christ Jesus. Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 12:10, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God knows that we are weak. But he does not want us to remain weak. He wants us to be strong in him and in his mighty power.

Second, put on the full armor of God (12-17)

Look at verse 12. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 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.” Here, we must remember that our battle is not against human beings but against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly realms. If we keep on fighting against people, we are only wasting our time and energy. Even if we win humanly, we gain nothing and lose spiritually. Christians are spiritual fighters, not physical fighters. Our enemy the devil is powerful, deceitful and wicked. Before September 11th, no one dared to imagine that the pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Twin Tower in New York would be attacked by terrorists. In fact, Christians and Christian fellowships are the main targets of the devil’s attack. He enjoys to make Christians to hate and get angry at each other. The real enemy is not people but the devil. Saint Peter said that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But we don’t see a roaring lion with our own eyes. But we should not forget that there is a devil’s conspiracy. The devil attacks us mainly through our worldly desires and old sinful nature.

Look at verse 13. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” We can fight against Al Qaeda and terrorists and protect ourselves from them with high-tech military weapons. But we need to put on the full armor of God and take spiritual weapons to protect ourselves from the devil. How can we put on the full armor of God?

Read verses 14-17. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Paul details the six main pieces of a soldier’s equipment, such as the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The first piece of equipment is the belt of truth. The belt is used to keep our pants from falling down. But these days some people don’t wear a belt. But if we don’t wear a belt, someone can pull our pants and we cannot run well. The belt can also hold the sword. As we buckle a belt around our waist, it gives us a sense of strength and confidence. The Christian soldier’s belt is truth. Why is it important for us to buckle the belt of truth? It’s because the devil, who is a liar, cannot defeat the believers whose life is controlled by the truth. A Christian should be a man of integrity and a clear conscience. Once a lie gets into the life of a believer, everything begins to fall apart. Therefore, Christians should be honest and truthful. How can we be truthful? It’s only through sincere repentance. 1 John 1:8 and 9 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us all unrighteousness.”

The second item of a Christian’s equipment is the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate was made of metal plates, covering the upper body from the neck to the waist, both front and back. A while ago, a New York police officer was shot three times on the chest in the subway station. But he was not harmed because he was wearing a bulletproof jacket. The devil is the accuser. He constantly accuses the believers. “Aren’t you a hypocrite? How can you teach the Bible and deliver the message?” It’s easy for us to fall into self-pity and self-condemnation saying, “Yeah, I am no good. I don’t deserve to be a leader.” But such accusation may sound reasonable, we don’t have to listen to the devil’s accusation, because Jesus Christ is our defense lawyer and our advocate. We are called righteous not because of what we have done but because of what he has done for us through Jesus Christ. Romans 8:33 and 34 says, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:1 also says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

The word “stand” is repeated four times in this passage. “Stand against the devil’s schemes.” (11b) “You may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then.”(13,14a) We as Christian soldiers must stand firm in any circumstance by depending on righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the devil cannot accuse the believer who is living a righteous life by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The third piece of a Christian soldier is the boots of the gospel of peace. Look at verse 15. “And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” The soldiers cannot fight the battle barefooted. The Roman soldiers wore sandals with hobnails, metal hooks, in the soles to give him better footing for the battle. If we are going to stand firm in the spiritual battle ground, then we need the boots of the gospel of peace. It means that we cannot defeat the devil unless we have peace in our hearts. Peace in our heart is very important. I used to be overly sensitive about everything. But when I learned to trust in the Lord, I could experience God’s peace in all circumstances. When our hearts are disturbed by small things, we cannot do anything. That’s why Jesus said to his disciples in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” He also said to his disciples in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The readiness of our feet comes from the gospel of peace.

But the boots have another meaning. We must be prepared to share the gospel of peace with those who are lost in this world. Many women want to have beautiful feet. But if we share the gospel by wearing the boots of the gospel of peace, then we can have the beautiful feet. Romans 10:15 says, “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

The fourth piece of equipment is the shield of faith. Look at verse 16. “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” The shield that Paul mentioned here is a large one, usually about four feet by two feet, made of wood, and covered with tough leather. As the soldier held it before him, it protected him from swords, spears and arrows. In those days, arrows, dipped in some inflammable substance and ignited, were shot at the enemy. Likewise, the devil constantly shoots flaming arrows at us, such as lies, impure thoughts, doubt, fear and hateful thoughts about others. If we don’t block these flaming arrows with the shield of faith, they will light a big fire within us and we will be severely burned spiritually. We never know when the devil will shoot an arrow at us, so we must always take up the shield of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Mostly, we are deeply hurt by the thoughtless words of our loved ones. It’s easy to blame them and become wounded. But we should have the shield of faith and block all the flaming arrows.

The fifth piece of armor on the list is the helmet of salvation. Look at verse 17. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Roman soldier’s helmet was usually made of a tough-metal like bronze or iron in order to protect his head from an ax or hammer. The head of a soldier is the most important part of the body. If his hand is cut off, he can still survive. But if his head is injured, he cannot survive. Satan definitely wants to attack Christian’s head to control their minds. So we should protect our minds with the helmet of salvation. When our minds cannot be protected by an iron helmet. It can be protected by the Spirit of God. Romans 8:6 says, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Likewise, when our minds are controlled by the Spirit of God, the devil cannot find a foothold in us. But when our minds are controlled by human emotion and human thinking, the army of the devil invades our minds and hearts. Therefore, we should not entertain any ungodly and sinful thoughts.

Recently, one lady got a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. She had to pay $ 70. But if a Christian soldier forgets to put on the helmet of salvation by neglecting Bible study, God does not give us a ticket. But we become very vulnerable and feel low spiritually. Many people say that they are too busy to study the Bible. But they entertain all kinds of sinful thoughts. It’s no wonder that they are so many defeated Christians who are under the influence of the devil. The devil is very cunning so that unless we carefully examine our minds and hearts and nurture them every day by studying the word of God, we can easily be misled by the devil. Are we taking the helmet of salvation every day? Don’t leave home without a helmet of salvation, the word of God.

The sixth weapon Paul mentions here is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The word of God not only protects us and feeds us, and it also can be used as an offensive weapon to defeat the devil. When we use the sword against the devil, we can cripple the devil and keep him from hindering the work of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” For example, when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, he used the sword of the Spirit and defeated the devil. Three times he said, “It is written.” (Lk 4:1-13) But the problem is that the devil can also quote the Bible. Therefore, we need to know the word of God much better than the devil.

Third, prayer is the most potent weapon. (18-20)

In verse 18-20, Paul adds prayer. Look at verse 18. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Even though a soldier is fully armed, if he falls asleep, his enemy can come anytime and cut his head off. Therefore, a Christian soldier should be spiritually alert by being watchful and prayerful all the time. That’s why Jesus said to his disciples to pray, saying “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Why did Jesus say to watch and pray. It’s because even though the disciples wanted to pray, their eyes were heavy and fell asleep and began to snore. We are to pray not just before we have a meal, but all the time, both regularly and constantly. Paul said that we should pray in the Spirit. It means that we should pray according to the will of God, like Jesus who prayed, “Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

We should pray on all occasions. When people ask Mother Barry for spiritual advice, she listens to them very carefully. Then she mostly says to them, “Okay, let’s pray about it.” Paul said that we should pray on all occasions. What does it mean? Does it mean that we should be always saying prayers even when we study Physics? No. It means that we should always be in communion with God in prayer. There is more than one kind of praying; prayer, petition, intercession and thanksgiving. We should pray for all the saints, not just some saints, whom we like.

In verses 19-20, Paul requests Ephesian Christians to pray for him, not that he may be released from prison, but that he may fearlessly speak the mystery of Christ even when he was in prison. Paul was very honest, admitting that from time to time he was also fearful in prison, not knowing what would happen to him. But his primary concern was not himself but the mystery of the gospel. Indeed, he was a good Christian soldier. Although he was weak and helpless in his own situation, he was strong in the Lord. He was equipped with the full armor of God, Jesus Christ.

In one sense, the full armor of God is the picture of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6), the righteousness from God (Ro 1:17; 2 Cor 5:21), Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6; Eph 2:14), the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2), the source of our salvation (Lk 2:30) and the Word of God (Jn 1:14). Therefore, when we clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, we are fully armored. No matter how experienced or mature Christians we may be, we should never be without the full armor of God. When Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus, there were many who were like wild beasts. But he never fought with people. His struggle was a high level one. He was fully engaged in spiritual warfare to the last minute of his life. When he did so, he could enjoy victory in his daily walk. He was not bitter or sad even in a cold prison cell. He could live a life worthy of God’s calling in unity with other Christians, purity and maturity in Christ Jesus. May the Lord enable us to be strong in his grace and engage in spiritual warfare, putting on the full armor of God.