THE ARMOR OF GOD

THE ARMOR OF GOD

Ephesians 6:10-18.

BE STRONG IN THE LORD

Paul is writing, to the Christians at Ephesus, and the usual study on the armor of God deals with the various portion of a suit of armor and how that each part has an application to being prepared to “fight the good fight”. But it seems to me that there is another way of looking at it, and I am writing for all people, whether they are believers or not.

Those were difficult days, and Paul was admonishing the Christians to never lose faith. The Lord was then, is now, and always will be, the redeemer, no matter what happens.

Every Christian, or would-be-Christian, is going into battle, not with guns, bombs, or what ever, though those are not excluded, but more importantly, they will be also involved in a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. The Islam world is right about that. It is a battle firmly embedded in religious backgrounds; a holy war.

We all either are or long to be a part of the eternal Kingdom of God. Many do not understand that we enter by the narrow gate into the Kingdom here or earth, but that it extends beyond the grave, where we shed these earthly bodies, to be a part of that kingdom for ever. Jesus said to Nicodemus, who was a Jew, not a Christian, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” John 3:5. He also said, on another occasion, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

There are only two armies; the Lord’s or Satan’s. At the end of the battle, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the dead and the false prophets are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:10, and at the end of that chapter, ”And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15. The battle is raging even now. We are involved on one side or the other. We know how it ends.

1. PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.

Our first instruction is, ‘Put on the whole armor of God.” Ephesians 6:11. Without the armor, we are helpless. Our attacker is Satan himself at the head of most of the world’s nations and religions. Our text tells very graphically what each part of our armor is, what it represents, and how it protects us.

This is the call to would-be-Christians to take a stand now. Take it from someone who is much nearer to the end than the beginning. Time is not in our favor, make a decision now and take up the armor. The battle rages. The Apostles were in the opening skirmishes, but we are still fighting much later.

2. THAT WHEN THE DAY OF EVIL COMES YOU MAY BE ABLE TO STAND YOUR GROUND.

“Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.“ Ephesians 6:13.
Paul makes it very clear. The day of evil is coming, and after making your preparations, stand firm! After you give your heart to the Lord, stand firm!

3. AND PRAY IN THE SPIRIT.

.And how do we stand firm in the faith?

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in your Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Ephesians 6:18.

And Paul adds, almost as an afterthought, “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 an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.” The battle rages on.

An illustration from2 Kings 6:13-23. Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram was fighting against Israel, and he became aware that Elisha was keeping the king of Samaria of every tactic that he tried. In fury he surrounded the city where Elisha was, intending to destroy him. However, Elisha’s servant rose early and seeing the surrounding armies, rushed to Elisha in great fear. Elisha calmly went to the Lord in prayer saying, “O Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” The servant looked again, and behold, he saw “the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Read the conclusion for yourself, but the message is clear for us, God has surrounded us with His myriads of angels who will fight the battle for us. And, they shall prevail in the end.