The Whole Armour of God.

Ephesians 6:10-24

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

                                     ..............................................................................................

Up to this point, the Apostle Paul has been reminding us of our position in Christ. He tells us of all the spiritual blessing we have in Christ.
He goes on to point out how we should live in the light of who we are and what we have in Christ. How we are to overcome the flesh and the temptations that come our way because of our flesh.

We have had brought to our attention how we should have love and respect, being in submission, in our marriages, in the church, in our relationships between parents and children and servants and masters.
We have seen how everything should be done as unto the Lord.

In this last passage of scripture, Paul is dealing with a different battle, a battle that is not in the flesh but a spiritual warfare, which is made clear in

verse 12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Satan has been around a very long time. Created in eternity past, he made his appearance in the garden in Genesis chapter 3.
We are told in scripture: Ezekiel 28:16, that Satan (Lucifer) rebelled against God, he persuaded a third of the angels to follow him.

In Genesis 3, we find him appearing not as Satan but as a creature, a serpent. He tempted Eve and in turn Adam through Eve, which led to Adam’s downfall and in turn the rest of mankind.

Besides being the tempter of men into sin, Satan is a supernatural opponent of men and has many guises.
The scripture tells us that the devil is the god of this world and also the prince of the power of the air.
It is in this power that the Apostle Paul is warning us of. principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

We cannot fight these powers with sticks and stones, with guns and bombs, for this is not a physical war but a spiritual war in the heavenlies.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

You can put the best armour on a soldier but if the soldier is weak, his armour will not equip him for the task.
First he must be strong. He must be trained, He gains his strength from his training.
We are not equipped for spiritual warfare in our own strength. We must be strong in the Lord. He is our strength.
 

Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

Our first priority is being strong in the power of His might. Then,
 
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

The problem we sometimes have, is seeing our struggles in non spiritual terms and so we tend to look for physical answers to them.
Mans physical state was a result of a spiritual attack in the form of deceit.
Adam’s spiritual state was attacked by the devil and the result was physical sickness and death, as well as spiritual death.

The spiritual world is connected to the physical by a fight between what is seen and what is unseen.
The Apostle Paul has just spent 5 chapters, explaining our state in Christ and what is available to us in Christ.
It is as though he has been preparing us for chapter 6.
He wants us to have spiritual vision as well as physical vision.
The armour that Paul is referring to in chapter 6 is spiritual armour for a spiritual battle.
 

13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The whole armour. Not just the sword or the shield but it all.
 

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

Some say this is six pieces of armour.

1.Truth: We need the Truth, if we are to counteract Satan’s lies.

2. Righteousness: Not our own righteousness but that of Christ. We must preach the truth in righteousness, a conformity to God’s moral law. This conformity should then be exemplified in moral behaviour.

3. The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: Prepared in knowledge of the Gospel. The word “gospel” means “good news,” referring to the sacrifice Jesus made for us so that we can be saved. ... Having our shoes fitted with the gospel of peace allows us to do this successfully. 

4. The Shield of faith: Without faith it impossible to please Him.

5. The Helmet of Salvation: When a soldier of the Apostle Paul’s day suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of the armament to be put in place. In fact, without the helmet, a soldier would be so vulnerable that the rest of the armour would be of little use. A helmet protects a soldier against damaging and deadly blows to the head. Spiritually speaking, the helmet of salvation provides hope and protects the mind against anything that would disorient or destroy the Christian, such as discouragement or deceit.

6. The Sword of the Spirit: Usually a short sword made for close combat. The sword of the Spirit is also the Word of God.
Knowledge of the scriptures are imperative when we are spiritually attacked.

The Devil’s very first attack was to question the word of God. Genesis 1 “hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The second was to twist God’s word. Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die”: 
The only way to counteract lies, is with the truth.
This is what Jesus did in the wilderness, when tempted by the devil.
He quoted scripture.

However, there is one more, a seventh piece, a very vital weapon in our fight against the wiles of the devil.

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 

7. Prayer: Whether we are about evangelism or fighting spiritual battles, we need the power of God that comes from prayer. Most importantly prayer for each other, the strong for the weak and the weak for the strong.

Paul recognises the need for prayer and goes on to include himself in this request. That even in his chains, God would continue to give him the strength and boldness in the gospel.

19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul finishes his letter:

21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

Tychicus was an associate of Paul’s mentioned in other letters (Acts 20:4, Colossians 4:7, 2 Timothy 4:12, Titus 3:12). Tychicus seems to have been often used by Paul as a messenger to bring news. Paul wanted Tychicus to comfort the Ephesians, and everyone else who read the letter about Paul’s condition during his imprisonment in Rome.

Paul’s final benediction: He adds to his greeting of grace and peace, both love and faith.

23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

This is a reminder to each of us, that everything we have, comes from God.

There is no peace, unless it is the peace of God, which is only in Christ.

Peace:
John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

Love:
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Faith:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Grace:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

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