The Armor Of God Part One

Maybe you are emotionally strong. Maybe you can handle a lot of pressure, work for long hours, day after day after day. Maybe you are the one who is the emotional anchor in your family and everyone leans on you for support.

There are many kinds of strength. But the most important one is the strength you need in the Lord. True Christian strength is not of the body. True Christian strength is of the spirit, measured in faithfulness, trust, and perseverance. By Grace we live by Faith.

I believe it was Lincoln that said one time, "In the time of peace, prepare for war."

We are currently at war with the enemy satan. This is a battle that has been going on since the beginning of time as we know it. It was satan who first introduced sin to the world. Sin began when satan wanted to be like God.

2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

verse 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

Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst;

he promises honor and pays with disgrace;

he promises pleasure and pays with pain;

he promises profit and pays with loss;

he promises life and pays with death.

Thomas Brooks.

Dan 10:11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.

Dan 10:12 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.

Dan 10:13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

Jud 1:9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."

A. Being strong in the Lord is the only way to be able to resist the devil.

B. You are not merely fighting frail men with all their physical and mental deficiencies. You are fighting the innumerable host of fallen angels. It is they who are in control of the world of ignorance, sin, and sadness. Therefore, you must be strong in the Lord and fight the battle with spiritual weapons.

C. I want to speak briefly of three men: Solomon, Samson, and David.

i. Solomon was the wisest of all men. He had great wealth and great power.

ii. Samson was the strongest of all men. He killed 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass and he toppled a temple with his own hands.

iii. David was gifted with devotion. He loved the Lord and sought to honor and glorify God. Just look at the Psalms and their beautiful poetry of adoration.

iv. Yet, all three fell. As strong as these men were they were no match for the schemes of the Devil.

a. Satan, in his evil cunning led Solomon to marry many foreign women and through them he fell to the temptation to serve false gods.

b. Samson, as strong as he was, was unable to resist the persistence of a woman. Delilah hounded him into telling the secret of his strength, and through her betrayal of Delilah, he ultimately fell.

c. David fell into the temptation of lust, then adultery, then murder.

As Paul is writing this letter he is in bonds, He would have been bound to a Roman Guard. The Guard would have been wearing this outfit that Paul decides to use as an illustration for a spiritual message.

He identifies six different items of Christian armor that we need in order to survive in the battle

Two were considered offensive weapons: shoes and sword

Three were considered defensive weapons: breastplate, shield, and helmet

One was considered neutral: loin belt (girdle

We are going to look at three of these items today

Belt of Truth

The belt was a very important part of the Roman soldiers uniform. He would have put the belt on first and it would have had many different loops to hold his weapons. 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.