THE CHRISTIAN ARSENAL (1)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Why is it important to protect yourself with the "Full Armor of God"?
a) Christians today are taking the ideas and practices of our culture and forming their Christian beliefs around them. We are being taught by society to be "tolerant" of anti-Bible actions and practices. We must hold firm to Christ's teachings and commandments. Be sure your "Belt of Truth" if firmly buckled around your waist. Read in the book of Colossians how easy it is for the culture of the day to infiltrate the Churches teaching and water down the truth. In this day of moral and philosophical relativism, when many people hold to the idea that "what's true for you may not be true for me", we need to remember that there is only One Truth. The Word of God is our only standard for the Truth. Take your stand on The Truth!
b) See the purpose of each part of the armor below:
Ephesians 6:10-17 New International Version (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
c) When Paul was writing this particular passage he was thinking of a Roman soldier dressed in armor. If anyone had first hand knowledge of Roman weaponry it was Paul because of his frequent imprisonments. He had viewed many Roman soldiers fully equipped from head to toe. For those persons who lived in that time, they would understand the image of that soldier preparing for battle. The rise of the Roman Empire was due to the well-equipped Roman Soldier who was trained in strategy, weaponry, defense, and understanding the enemy. Using the Roman Soldier's armor as a visual example, the Apostle Paul describes the Armor of God in the Book of Ephesians as both a defense and an offensive weapon.
d) He describes six pieces of armor (combat gear):
i) Two were considered offensive weapons: shoes and sword.
ii) Three were considered defensive weapons: breastplate, shield, and helmet.
iii) One was considered neutral: loin belt (girdle).
2. Belt of Truth
a) Practical Military Purpose
i) This was a very important piece to the Roman Soldier's armor. The Roman soldier put around his waist a very wide belt which was the holder for a lot of equipment. There was a loop, for example, for the different swords. Other loops held ropes and a rations sack. When the legions conquered a city, the soldiers would empty out the ration sack to make room for gold, jewelry, and other loot they picked up. There were loops on the belt for darts. The belt was tied in several places to stay in place, so that no matter how the soldier moved about, fell down, climbed hills, etc., the belt was always in place with weapons at the ready. If the belt were not on straight, then everything would be out of place for the soldier. This would cut down his efficiency in battle and may even cost him his life.
b) Spiritual Warfare Application
i) Just as the soldier had his loin belt to put on every day to keep his armor together, we must apply the Word of God to our lives on a daily basis or we will not be able to maintain our defenses. The belt was the first thing that the soldier put on. Just as this is the first thing a Christian must put on. Much of the weaponry and protection depended on the belt being in place properly. If we do not use the word of God as our belt of truth, we have no foundation on which to base our warfare with the enemy. The belt held things in place where they needed to be. The truth of God's word does the same for us.
The End ...
1. Why is it important to protect yourself with the "Full Armor of God"?a) Christians today are taking the ideas and practices of our culture and forming their Christian beliefs around them. We are being taught by society to be "tolerant" of anti-Bible actions and practices. We must hold firm to Christ's teachings and commandments. Be sure your "Belt of Truth" if firmly buckled around your waist. Read in the book of Colossians how easy it is for the culture of the day to infiltrate the Churches teaching and water down the truth. In this day of moral and philosophical relativism, when many people hold to the idea that "what's true for you may not be true for me", we need to remember that there is only One Truth. The Word of God is our only standard for the Truth. Take your stand on The Truth!
b) See the purpose of each part of the armor below:
Ephesians 6:10-17 New International Version (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
c) When Paul was writing this particular passage he was thinking of a Roman soldier dressed in armor. If anyone had first hand knowledge of Roman weaponry it was Paul because of his frequent imprisonments. He had viewed many Roman soldiers fully equipped from head to toe. For those persons who lived in that time, they would understand the image of that soldier preparing for battle. The rise of the Roman Empire was due to the well-equipped Roman Soldier who was trained in strategy, weaponry, defense, and understanding the enemy. Using the Roman Soldier's armor as a visual example, the Apostle Paul describes the Armor of God in the Book of Ephesians as both a defense and an offensive weapon.
d) He describes six pieces of armor (combat gear):
i) Two were considered offensive weapons: shoes and sword.
ii) Three were considered defensive weapons: breastplate, shield, and helmet.
iii) One was considered neutral: loin belt (girdle).
2. Belt of Truth
a) Practical Military Purpose
i) This was a very important piece to the Roman Soldier's armor. The Roman soldier put around his waist a very wide belt which was the holder for a lot of equipment. There was a loop, for example, for the different swords. Other loops held ropes and a rations sack. When the legions conquered a city, the soldiers would empty out the ration sack to make room for gold, jewelry, and other loot they picked up. There were loops on the belt for darts. The belt was tied in several places to stay in place, so that no matter how the soldier moved about, fell down, climbed hills, etc., the belt was always in place with weapons at the ready. If the belt were not on straight, then everything would be out of place for the soldier. This would cut down his efficiency in battle and may even cost him his life.
b) Spiritual Warfare Application
i) Just as the soldier had his loin belt to put on every day to keep his armor together, we must apply the Word of God to our lives on a daily basis or we will not be able to maintain our defenses. The belt was the first thing that the soldier put on. Just as this is the first thing a Christian must put on. Much of the weaponry and protection depended on the belt being in place properly. If we do not use the word of God as our belt of truth, we have no foundation on which to base our warfare with the enemy. The belt held things in place where they needed to be. The truth of God's word does the same for us.
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