Abundant Grace Fellowship
The Christian’s Armor Pt. 1
Pastor J.D. Link
Abundant
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are commonly known as the “Prison Epistles”. They are supposed to have been written while the apostle Paul was under house arrest in
In verse 10, Paul reminds us to be strong “in the Lord”. Truly it is Christ that strengthens us (Phi 4:13), and not we ourselves. The Bible says not by (man’s) might, nor by (man’s) power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord (Zec 4:6). When we are weak, God is strong (2Cor 12:9-10) in and through us. This does not mean we should roll over and play dead; rather, it means that we should live our life knowing that The greater One is living through us, and that will give us strength (1Jn 4:4).
In Eph 6:11, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God, so that we can stand against the tricks of the devil. First, notice that it is God’s armor. It is a gift God has given to us as Believers. Second, notice that you have to put it on. While this armor is a gift, God’s not going to put it on for you. You must get into His Word and find out what He has done for you, then apply those truths to your life. You can’t girt your loins with truth, if you don’t even know what the truth is. You can’t put on the helmet of salvation, if you don’t even know what salvation is. Do you understand what I’m saying? The Roman army may have issued the soldiers their armor, but I doubt they put it on for them!
Third, notice that it is the wiles, or tricks, of the devil that we stand against. Jesus Christ has overcome the devil, and stripped him of his authority (Mt 28:18,
In verse 13, Paul points out that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. Often times we complain about corrupt government officials; but complaining won’t change anything. We must understand that there are spiritual forces of wickedness operating behind the scenes, and it is our responsibility as Christians to pray against these things. I believe it is our duty as Christian Americans to vote for righteous people, and make our voices heard; but we must pray for all those in authority, for the true battle is in the spiritual realm (1Tim 2:1-4).
If we are to stand in this evil day (Gal 1:4, Eph 5:16), we must know what our armor is, and how to use it. We must girt our loins with truth; we must have on the breastplate of righteousness; we must shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; we must raise the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and pull out the sword of the Spirit. We also must always pray. We will talk about the specific pieces of armor next week, Lord willing. May God bless and keep you, and until next time, rejoice in the Lord! (Phip 4:4)
The Christian’s Armor Part 2
By Pastor J.D. Link
Abundant
Two weeks ago we started to talk about the Christian’s armor from Ephesians 6:10-18. We saw that our strength comes from The Lord, and not ourselves. We also saw that this armor is spiritual, and that we must put it on: no one can do it for us. We looked at the fact that we stand against the tricks of the devil, for deception is his game; and that our war is not against flesh and blood, but is spiritual in nature. Finally, we learned from The Scriptures that we are indeed in “evil days”. Before we get into the specific pieces of armor, I would like us to look at a present day conflict to which this study very much relates: The war on the family.
For the last forty-plus years, the American family has been under an attack. Christian values that were once common place in our society, have become more and more rare. In fact, the Christian values that this great nation were founded upon have actually become despised by many people. Many law makers, revisionist historians, the entertainment industry, national media, and supposed “civil liberty“ groups, have been doing their best to remove Christianity from every aspect of our lives. In many ways, they have been successful. Many people, including Christians, are having their world view shaped by secular opinion, instead of the Word of God. Ps 11:3 says “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
As Believers, we must stand firm on the foundation of God’s Word. The Bible says that the nation whose God is The Lord is blessed and happy (Ps 33:12, 144:15). The Church is to be salt and light; but Jesus said if salt loses it saltiness, what’s it good for? Nothing (Mt 5:13-16). I know there are many good churches out there proclaiming The Word of God; but there are a lot of churches out there that have taken on the attitudes of the world, and are teaching those attitudes to the people: and it hurts the family. That’s why you have Christians that actually think abortion is a “woman’s choice” issue, in stead of what it really is, which is murder (Prov 6:16-17, Ex 1:15-20, Lev 20:2-5). It is part of the attack on the family, and over forty million babies have been sacrificed to the god of convenience in our nation. I wish not to condemn anyone who has bought into this lie and had an abortion, for there is forgiveness and mercy in the Blood of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, God says it is an abomination to Him, so don’t get mad at me for telling you the truth (Gal 4:16).
Other attacks on the family include making women feel like they’re less of a woman if they stay home and raise a family. Like they’re being “robbed” of a career, and not doing something “important”. The Bible doesn’t say a woman can’t have a career, and neither am I: but don’t think for a moment there is anything more important than raising your children. Motherhood is one of the most honorable careers you can have. Thank God Mary didn’t say “Sorry Gabriel; tell your Boss I’m too busy with my assistant carpenter career to have The Son of God.”
Another attack on the family is the glorification of homosexuality as an “alternative lifestyle”. Even preachers are “coming out of the closet” more and more; but instead of stepping down from the ministry and getting help, they stay in the pulpit and say it’s o.k. One minister recently had a sex change operation, and then stood in the pulpit and said “I AM”. That is a title of God (Ex 3:14, Jn 8:58). Where is the fear of God? Homosexuality is an abomination to God (Lev 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:27, Jude 1:7). If you are caught up in this way of life, please know there is deliverance and healing in the Blood of Jesus (
Jesus told us to be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves. We are to love people and meet them where they are. But we must also stand for the truth of God’s Word, and be aware of the deception that is rampant today. As Christians, God ‘s Word is to be our standard; not the world’s opinion of what is right. Put on the whole armor of God! Stand for what is right! Until next time, rejoice in the Lord!
The Christian’s Armor, Part 3
By Pastor J.D. Link
Abundant
The Last couple of weeks we have been talking about the Christian’s armor, which the apostle Paul discussed in Ephesians 6:10-18. This armor is not physical in nature, but spiritual. In both Ephesians 6 and 2Cor 10:3-5, Paul makes it clear that we are in a spiritual battle against the kingdom of darkness, and that our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God (Who is a Spirit, Jn 4:24) for the pulling down of strongholds. As Christians, we must know what this armor is; and we must “put it on” through meditating on the truths of Scripture, and walking out those truths in our lives. Let’s look at what these pieces of armor are.
The first piece is the “belt of truth”. During Bible times, when men wore robes, they would girt their loins when they were going to be running or fighting. It was how they prepared for battle. They would cinch their robe up tight and tuck it in their belt; essentially making a pair of shorts out of their garment. The loins (hip and thigh region) is also where you have the most strength. When we girt our loins with The Truth of God’s Word, that gives us strength to overcome our adversary. A Christian who doesn’t spend time in The Word is weak, because they don’t know The Truth. They will be carried away with every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14); and will be easily overcome by the enemy.
The second piece of armor is the “breastplate of righteousness”. The breastplate protected the most vital organs; specifically the heart. Prov. 4:23 tells us to keep (guard) our hearts with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. To stand against the enemy, the Christian must know they are the righteousness of God in Christ (2Cor 5:21). They must know their re-created spirit is truly righteous (Eph 4:24); that Jesus is their righteousness (1Cor 1:30); and that righteousness is a gift (Rom 5:17) that cannot be earned, only received by faith (Rom 3:20-22). Why is this piece of armor important? Because if you don’t know your right standing with God through Jesus, your heart is unprotected against the darts of condemnation and guilt the enemy hurls at you.
The next piece is the “helmet of salvation” (I know these are out of order, but I will cover all of them). The helmet protected another vital organ, the brain. Salvation comes from the Greek word soteria, which means: rescue, safety, deliverance, preservation, defense, and health. It is truly salvation to the uttermost (Heb 7:25). If a Christian does not put on the helmet of salvation, and does not understand the completeness of it; the enemy will take aim at their head with darts of doubt and despair, rendering them weak and ineffective. The Bible is written so that we may know that we have eternal life (1Jn 5:13). God wants us to have blessed assurance and confidence that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 10:9-10). This confidence will enable us to stand strong against the lies of the enemy.
Next is the “Gospel shoes”. Shoes were important to the soldier in marching, and in having firm footing in battle. If a soldier couldn’t march, he couldn’t get to the battle; and if he didn’t have firm footing, he would soon be on the ground. The ground is a bad place to be in a battle. Christian’s feet need to be shoed with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. We need to be prepared to carry the Gospel of peace wherever we go (Rom 10:14-15); and we need to stand firm on that Gospel in the midst of the battle. All Believers have been given the ministry of reconciliation (peace made between enemies {2Cor 5:18-20}). A Christian who does not know the Gospel of peace will be knocked down by the darts of works-righteousness, and will be ineffective in sharing the hope of salvation with others.
I am out of space for now, but Lord willing we will finish this up next week. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord! (Phip 4:4)
The Christian’s Armor, Part 4
By Pastor J.D. Link
Abundant
This week I would like to finish up this series of teachings on the Christian’s armor based on Ephesians 6:10-18. The apostle Paul made several references in his epistles to the fact that we are in a spiritual battle (1Cor 9:7, 26, 2Cor 10:3-5, 1Tim 1:18, 6:12, 2Tim 2:3-4, 4:7), whether you realize it or not. When you were born again, you not only became a child of God (Rom 8:14-17); but you also signed up for permanent enlistment as a soldier in the Army of The Lord. Just as a person who signs up in the military receives their uniforms, gear, and weapons from the government; in the same way Christians receive their armor from the One on Whom the government rests upon His shoulder, Jesus Christ (Isa 9:6-7).
Last week we started talking about the specific pieces of armor; and covered these four: The belt of Truth; the breastplate of righteousness; the helmet of salvation; and the Gospel shoes. This week we will start with the next piece of armor, the “shield of faith”.
Paul says in Eph 6:16 “above all, taking the shield of faith…”. Above all doesn’t necessarily mean of the most importance; but rather “over all”. Most commentators believe this shield is not referring to the buckler, which is the smaller round shield; but instead it is referring to the big, door-like shield that covered the whole body. This would make sense, seeing that faith covers all of the other pieces of armor. Actually, without faith, their would be no other pieces of armor. They all must be received by faith. God, and specifically our faith in God, is our shield (Gen 15:1, Ps 28:7, 84:11, Prov 30:5). Only through faith in God and His Word, will you be able to quench the fiery darts of lies, deception, fear, doubt, despair, and hopelessness that the adversary hurls at you. Concerning this, Jesus said four little words that Christians must live by: Have faith in God (Mk 11:22). Spiritually speaking, if you exercise no faith, you’re like a soldier that has nothing on but a pair of shorts, and a bull’s eye painted on his chest. Only believe! (Mk 5:36)
The final piece of armor is our offensive weapon, the “Sword of the Spirit”. There’s no guessing what the sword of the Spirit represents, since in verse 17 Paul tells us it is The Word of God. God’s Word is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword (Heb 4:12). The sword of the Spirit is what will drive the enemy away. How do you use it? You must meditate on The Scriptures, establish your heart in them, and then speak it out of your mouth. Speaking God’s Word is of the utmost importance. Paul said “we believe, therefore we speak” (2Cor 4:13). If you just simply know the Word, but don’t speak it; you’re like a soldier who knows how to use his weapon, but keeps it strapped by his side during the battle: it will do him no good! We must speak faith! We must speak victory! We must speak His Word! Jesus said “whosoever shall say unto this mountain…” (Mk 11:23). God said let there be…and there was (Gen 1).
Some commentators include prayer as a weapon because of verse 18, although it is not compared to a particular piece of armor. I do believe prayer is very important; unfortunately, space does not allow me to cover such a broad subject at this time. I will say this: prayer changes things. Never underestimate the power of prayer. It is not a waste of breath, and it does not fall on deaf ears. God’s ears are open to the prayers of the righteous (1Pt 3:12), and it avails much (Jam 5:16). Pray in faith. Pray expecting. Call on God, and see what He can do (Jer 33:3).
I pray you have been blessed by this teaching, and that it has strengthened and motivated you to put on the whole armor of God. You have the victory in Christ! Until next time, rejoice in The Lord! (Phip 4:4)