The full armor of God

Bible: Ephensian 6:10~20 FEB 12 2017 Sunday afternoon service

Title: The full armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12For 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.

13Therefore 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.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And 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.

19Pray 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,

20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Historically, the army that conquered the largest area was the soldiers of Chinggis Khan from Mongolia. Considering geographical situation or military situation, Mongolia could not conquer such large area. But how could Chinggis Khan of Mongolia conquer the largest area in world history?

The area Chinggis Khan conquered was 7. 7 million square kilometers and this area was larger than combining the area King Alexander, Hitler of German, Napoleon of France conquered.

What was the reason that Mongolian soldiers could conquer the large area? There are few reasons.

The western at that time used bows similar to archery players nowadays. The size was big, and hard to carry, and driving distance was 50m less. But the Mongolian soldiers had bows size of half existing bow that are specially made, and the effective range is almost 200m.

The driving distance of Mongolian bow is 4 times more than other country’s distance, so it was high-tech weaponry. And also, Mongolians could win the war because of the superior mobility. Mongolians had superior endurance and native horse species ‘Mongolian Pony’ that could endure any cold. Mongolian Pony had better mobility and endurance than other horses and a high reproduction rate, so they were the optimum horses for war.

Not only that, Mongolian soldiers were used to war because of their lifestyle. The large grassland they live, was full of wolves’boar and bears, so they had to hunt those animals to protect domestic animals.

Hunting wolves’ weren’t so easy. But to Mongolians, hunting a wolf was a daily life. It was part of their life. When one steer a wolf, the others from left, right, or back side and were fully aware of missions and they had their own manual.

Hunting a wolf is very difficult and careful thing. Wolves are sensitive, notice small sounds, and smell well so the hunters must move consistently.

So when targeting some area, these strategies were used naturally.

They were well trained, and the daily life was applied to war. To Mongolians, war was actually simpler than when hunting a wolf. Hallelujah.

The believers leading a religious life can have victory inno big different. Bible says, that leading a religious life is a spiritual war and the believers such as you and me are spiritual soldiers.

The text we read today writes how the believers should lead a religious life in living the end. The believers mustbe armed to live as a spiritual soldier, then how should we be

13Therefore 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.

armed? Let us read verse 13.

Amen.

He told us to put on the full armor. Soldiers put on helmet, military uniform, military boots, belt, gun and a bag. The full armor that believers will put on is God’s full armor. Let’s put on God’s full armor.

On verse 17, It says to take the helmet of salvation. All the body is important, but what is the most important part? The head. The head is important because brain is inside head. So, while working in industrial site, climb cliff, riding bike, riding motorcycle, or having a car race, they wear helmet because head is important.

The believers that has become spiritual soldier must wear helmet of salvation on verse 17. Helmet is a helmet, but he said, the helmet of salvation. Then what does helmet of salvation mean?

4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Let’s read Ephesians 1: 4~6.

Amen.

The helmet of salvation means believing the ““absolute sovereignty of God””. We are assuring that we are people who are saved. The selective salvation thought is inside the thought of absolute sovereignty of God. This selective salvation thought means ““Our salvation has started from God””.

On verse 5, ‘in accordance with his pleasure and will’, The believer’s salvation went along with Gods pleasure and will. It’s a sovereign choice of God. The meaning of God’s sovereignty is that only God can choose.

The text of God’s absolute sovereignty is written in Genesis 3:3~5. Let us read.

3but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

4"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

5"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Amen.

The devil descripted as a snake lies to Eve, the wife of Adam that if she eats fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, she will not die. And on verse 5, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

How cunning the devil is. The devil uses human to eat the fruit and tries to destroy the God’s creation purpose. The human becomes equal with God.

Can human be same with God? No he can’t. If you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge, you will become like God and punish the good and evil. But that’s a temptation of Devil with lies.

Even if human eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge, he cannot become like God. The judge of good and evil is the only God. If he can, the devil condemns people. He make people not to lead a religious life. He attacks morally. He finds weaknesses and backstab.

He shows up as a judge. But the one who will judge is the only one. Only God can save us. When God predetermined to save us, the predestinate will never change. It cannot change. The devil tries to standardize good and evil, morality, consciousness not to make believers to be saved.

The first armor of believers living the end is ‘helmet of salvation’. I am a saved believer. God chose me and made me go to heaven. Hallelujah.

Repeat after me. We are wrong. We are wrong. We are wrong to go to hell. When God chooses us once, he will not abandon. I want you to make this clear.

God called us to save us. Theologically, this is called the way of salvation. It could be categorized into 8 stages based on bible.

The calling- -change of heart –

Calling makes people born again, repent. And I get to be forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ and become God’s child. And live more holy life.

Sometimes fall down, but God holds us till the end. And let’s us in to Heaven. Hallelujah. Let us repeat. Read verse 1

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Amen.

With the belt of truth buckled around your waist. The most important part of the body is waist. When waist hurts, you cannot move. So waist is important. Waist is center of the body. Let’s think in perspective of spiritual soldier. It says with the belt of truth buckled. The truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus centered, God centered, Spirit centered.

In different way, it means God’s word centered. Read verse 11

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

To take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Schemes is Medodeiah, and it means deception, trick.

Devil tricks and decepts, but how? Look and john 8:44~45

44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

45Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!

Amen.

The trait of devil is that there are no truth inside it. Truth is God’s word. Devil tries to make us not live the way God says. But devil tricking means, he tricks truth into lies.

On genesis 2:14, God told Adam, that if you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge that is in the center of the garden, you will die. But the devil says, you will not die if you eat the fruit on Genesis 3:4. What devil is against, is the true word of God. What is sin? Sin is not believing the word of God.

But the one not letting us believe God’s word, interrupting, and tricking us is devil. So, to stand against the trick of devil, you must buckle belt of the truth.

That is why we must buckle belt of the truth with God’s word. The standard of our life should be God’s word. We must stand still on God’s word.

Hallelujah! Verse 14 says with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Let us read.

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

With the breastplate of righteousness in place. This is like a nametag. What does it mean? The God’s full armored soldiers should have a sign, that I am a Christian, I am the one who believes in Jesus. Look at Matthew 5:13~16.

13"You are the salt of the earth. But ifthe salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Amen. The breastplate of righteousness in place is to live life as a light and a salt. It you look at verse 16, ““they may see your good deeds””Amen. Through believer’s life, they attribute the glory to God.

Let’s look at verse 15.

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Amen.

What is Gospel? Repeat after me. Gospel is not a burden. Gospel is not a pressure. Gospel has no forcing. Gospel is happiness. Gospel is peace. Gospel is joy.

Gospel is devotion. Gospel is oneself finding Lord. The believer’s growth of faith is fully because of God’s grace. God has to give grace. God has to come and make you to decide.

But when God does not give you grace, but keeps encouraging, forcing, inverse reaction comes out. You have to devote yourself. Not because someone encourage you to devote, but you have to volunteer. It has to be done voluntary. Someone encouraging is usually not because of theh lead of spirit. Look at verse 16. Let us read.

16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Believer’s life must be connected with faith. Talking by faith, thinking by faith, and acting by faith.

The most interrupter is the devil. Devil puts in evil thoughts to the believer’s mind. Like the time devil went into Iscariot Judas.

So, when believers talk, they have to do it faithfully. We talk everyday about many things. Among the talks, sometimes I talk with mine. Mine is not truth.

When I talk faithful, faithful reaction comes out. If I act faithfully, fruit of faith comes out. Among spiritual fruit, enduring is important as other spiritual fruits. Not reacting but enduring is what God does.

Evil shoots flaming arrows to stop believers, live faithful life. The believer has to react as faith because if we get him by flaming arrows, we will extinct.

““Yes, that is what I am””, ““Yes, it’s still under construction””. Don’t try to understand, admit it and leave it to God.

Hallelujah!

Let’s get to conclusion with verse 17. Let us all read.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Amen.

If you see the God’s full armor, they are all necessary. But they are usually for defend. But the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon.

The powerful weapon that could stand against devil is the sword of the Spirit, and that is the word of God. God’s word is a powerful weapon that devil is scared of.

Reading bible, listening and learning, studying, having Quiet time, and teaching God’s word is a powerful weapon. So it is important to keep God’s word in mind.

There are tricks of devil approaching to our life. When believers try to live faithfully, devil repetitively interrupts. And the best way to stop is God’s word

When we are touched by God’s word, we can win the situation of the environment.

The amazing thing, is that Jesus would be with us until the end of the world.

It must be believed. I hope you believe that Lord would be with you till the end of the world. Jesus is always with us, and if devil can stop that, he would do anything such as challenging with situations and circumstances. Keep God’s word in mind and think of Lord. I hope you have the spiritual enlightenment.