The Armor of God

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:09.710 Maybe seated. If you turn with me in your bibles to Ephesians chapter six, 2 00:00:09.789 --> 00:00:15.310 or passage for this evening is Ephesians chapter six, on the ending words 3 00:00:15.349 --> 00:00:24.100 of this letter, probably a well known passage beginning in verse ten, listen, 4 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:31.500 for this is the word of the Lord. Finally, be strong in 5 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:36.289 the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor 6 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:40.369 of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, 7 00:00:41.289 --> 00:00:46.090 for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, 8 00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:52.039 against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against 9 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:58.240 the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the 10 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:03.000 whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day 11 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:07.269 and, having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on 12 00:01:07.469 --> 00:01:12.829 the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and, as 13 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:17.950 shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of 14 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:23.379 peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you 15 00:01:23.420 --> 00:01:26.420 can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet 16 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:32.140 of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, 17 00:01:33.409 --> 00:01:37.129 praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication. 18 00:01:38.450 --> 00:01:42.129 To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the 19 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:47.129 Saints and also for me, that words may be given to me, and 20 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:52.040 opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel for which I am 21 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:56.760 an ambassador, in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought 22 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.959 to speak. That's why the reading of God's word, may He bless it 23 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:12.590 to us. Why is it that bad or poor theology seems to stick in 24 00:02:12.750 --> 00:02:20.219 our brains with such greater ease and with greater longevity than then good theology? 25 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:28.300 Whenever I read this famous and beloved passage, I can't get a certain idea 26 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:30.930 out of my mind. It must have been twenty years ago that I first 27 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:36.129 saw this, but I was I was browsing through a Christian book catalog. 28 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:43.849 I saw that you can order an armor of God action play set for your 29 00:02:43.889 --> 00:02:50.759 children. They could dress up as a Roman soldier with plastic shield armor, 30 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:58.590 Right Sword Helmet, and then I us act out what Paul's describing here. 31 00:03:00.270 --> 00:03:02.150 I don't get me wrong, it's not as bad as the Noah's Ark play 32 00:03:02.189 --> 00:03:08.830 sets that you can buy and if you've bought maybe in armor of God costume. 33 00:03:09.550 --> 00:03:14.340 I'm not here to make you feel bad for your poor financial decisions. 34 00:03:15.699 --> 00:03:21.300 No, for me it demonstrates something, and that is the dangers maybe of 35 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:27.650 a good illustration. Through Paul, our Lord gives an amazing, a compelling 36 00:03:27.810 --> 00:03:31.330 illustration in our passage. But you see what an illustration is too good. 37 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:37.370 We have a problem where we remember simply the illustration. We focus on the 38 00:03:37.449 --> 00:03:44.840 illustration rather than on the deeper truth that is being taught. So this evening 39 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.919 I want to get at some of the what is really going on in this 40 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:53.439 passage. As we turn to Ephesian six, we hear some of Apostle Paul's 41 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:59.830 final words to the Church at Ephesus, and we should realize that the apostle 42 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:03.469 Paul wrote this letter to be read all at once. And with that in 43 00:04:03.550 --> 00:04:09.110 mind, if Hesians is a rather short letter, we could read it aloud 44 00:04:09.110 --> 00:04:13.539 together. It would take us about thirty minutes, and the fact that it's 45 00:04:13.539 --> 00:04:16.579 a short letter does not make it insignificant. Rather, the shortness, the 46 00:04:16.699 --> 00:04:23.740 brevity of this letter increases its impact. If we were to read this letter 47 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.290 at all at once. We would see that it packs a punch. He 48 00:04:27.410 --> 00:04:31.449 writes quickly here, but he's also writes deeply and he writes with urgency and 49 00:04:31.569 --> 00:04:36.689 with with purpose, and that urgency has seen most clearly and how he concludes 50 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:42.079 this letter. You see, it's in this urgent conclusion that we get a 51 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:47.720 sense of why the Apostle Paul is even writing to this church. Throughout this 52 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:53.389 letter, Paul tells us why he's writing. He has much to say about 53 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:58.029 our Christian identity in the Lord. In fact, I can chapter one. 54 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:02.709 His opening prayer for the church is having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that 55 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:09.339 you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. He 56 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:13.860 tells us about the nature of the new creation. He's pressing us to know 57 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:17.740 the hope to which we've been called, reminding us then of the spiritual blessings 58 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:24.209 that we've been given by Christ and later in chapter four, calling us to 59 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:30.250 walk in a manner worthy of our heavenly calling. He then addresses husbands and 60 00:05:30.689 --> 00:05:35.279 wives, parents and children, Masters and servants, constantly pointing us to the 61 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:42.279 heavenly identity of the church. That's certainly true, and what we just read 62 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:47.399 from Ephesians six as well, for here we're directed to the significance of why 63 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:51.750 the Paul is writing this letter. Here we are shown why he's writing with 64 00:05:51.790 --> 00:05:58.069 such urgency. Why are we supposed to know our identity in the Lord? 65 00:05:58.389 --> 00:06:02.470 Why should we know who we are as the church? Is it to sustain 66 00:06:02.629 --> 00:06:11.620 some idle curiosity? It's just merely an intellectual pursuit. No, knowledge of 67 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:18.250 your identity in Christ is necessary because we are in danger, he says, 68 00:06:18.290 --> 00:06:23.769 be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. And Paul's 69 00:06:23.810 --> 00:06:27.449 here calling us to be strong, and not just any kind of strength, 70 00:06:29.089 --> 00:06:33.319 he's calling us to be strong in divine strength, be strong in the Lord, 71 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:42.199 in the strength of his might. For you see why such heavenly strength 72 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:46.230 would be required. Because such is the danger that we are in, as 73 00:06:46.269 --> 00:06:48.629 he says, but on the whole armor of God, that you may be 74 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:55.670 able to stand against the schemes of the devil. So, then, the 75 00:06:55.750 --> 00:06:59.069 reason that we are to know our identity, the reason we should know our 76 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:03.019 hope, the reason we should walk in a manner according to our heavenly calling 77 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:09.939 as because we are at war. He's using the imagery, then, of 78 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:15.170 a battle, and this battle imagery only increases as the description unfolds. For 79 00:07:15.329 --> 00:07:19.810 we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against 80 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:25.850 the authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces 81 00:07:25.889 --> 00:07:30.759 of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of 82 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:34.079 God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having 83 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:41.240 done all, to stand firm. And so Paul is calling you, that 84 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:46.509 church, to see that we are under attack. We have an enemy. 85 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:50.509 The enemy is at the gates, and Paul is not only calling us to 86 00:07:50.629 --> 00:07:57.230 prepare for battle, but to see that the battle has already begun. You 87 00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:01.939 See, the urgency we hear in Paul's words is real, for the enemy 88 00:08:01.019 --> 00:08:07.980 that Paul is describing is not flesh and blood like us. You can't see 89 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:16.610 him, and that's not some strange comfort, thinking what a relief wouldn't want 90 00:08:16.610 --> 00:08:20.689 to see Satan. Paul says. He's not flesh and blood like us, 91 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:28.959 but that's what makes this enemy worse than any foe we could imagine. It 92 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:37.039 means he's more deadly than any human enemy. Means the enemy is much more 93 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:43.149 powerful than we are. Knows who our battle is against. Rulers, authorities, 94 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:48.389 cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual armies of wickedness from 95 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:54.820 heavenly realms. This bizarre imagery is telling us the wet that we are enormously 96 00:08:54.940 --> 00:09:01.740 outmatched for this battle. Satan, our great enemy, is described in scripture 97 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:09.019 as a great dragon and he has a fearful army of demons. We are 98 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:13.690 but humans made of dust, and we're facing an army that is not of 99 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:18.090 this world, as this dragon, who leads this army desires to devour more 100 00:09:18.169 --> 00:09:26.399 than our body. He devas out desires your soul. He would desire to 101 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:30.679 lead you to believe false doctrines, he would desire to lead you to curse 102 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:37.879 God and die. And he is not a flesh and blood enemy. Therefore, 103 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:39.750 the cost of losing this battle is not measured in flesh and blood. 104 00:09:41.269 --> 00:09:46.549 If it's a spiritual battle, then spiritual death and eternal death is on the 105 00:09:46.629 --> 00:09:56.580 line. And so questions that arise from this idea. Doesn't Satan know that 106 00:09:56.740 --> 00:10:03.899 God is sovereign? Isn't God more powerful than Satan? Doesn't Satan know that 107 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:09.649 God will win? Well, sure her, he does know, though he 108 00:10:09.730 --> 00:10:13.570 will be consumed in the effort he will do whatever he can to bruise the 109 00:10:13.649 --> 00:10:16.809 heel of the son of God. For, you see, his hatred for 110 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:24.840 Christ, his hatred for Christ's church, is a more powerful motive than anything 111 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:30.480 else. He doesn't care if he loses. It's his hatred for God that 112 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:35.710 keeps him fighting, not some hope of victory. He hates God absolutely, 113 00:10:37.269 --> 00:10:43.750 and that means this is a pure evil we are dealing with here. So 114 00:10:43.870 --> 00:10:50.379 do you since Paul's urgency? He warns us in Chapter Five that the days 115 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:54.340 are evil. Look carefully at how you walk, not as unwise but as 116 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:56.500 wise making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 117 00:10:56.580 --> 00:11:01.779 In chapter five or sixteen, now Paul is calling us to take up our 118 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:07.409 armor that we might be able to stand in the evil day. The enemy 119 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:11.250 is already on the attack. He's already firing shots in that great battle. 120 00:11:11.250 --> 00:11:16.049 The days are already evil and they will continue to be evil up until that 121 00:11:16.210 --> 00:11:22.480 final day. It will be no peace treaties until that final day. Satan 122 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:26.600 is a roaring lion seeking to devour. That is who he is and he 123 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:33.909 will not stop until the Lord brings him to an utter end. Do you 124 00:11:33.350 --> 00:11:39.990 see, then, that this battle Paul is describing for us is impossible. 125 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:50.860 You cannot win against an enemy like this. You cannot win. And so 126 00:11:50.980 --> 00:12:00.019 what advice does Paul give? What does Paul say here? Be Strong in 127 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:05.889 the Lord, in the strength of his might, as Paul shows you a 128 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:11.370 battle in which you are completely outmatched. He also comforts you that in the 129 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:18.159 Lord, and only in the Lord, you have the strength to stand against 130 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:24.159 Satan. For, you see, only the Lord's strength is sufficient for this 131 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:31.309 battle, not yours. You cannot fight this. Only in the Lord will 132 00:12:31.309 --> 00:12:35.230 you overcome. Only in the power of the resurrected Christ will you survive this 133 00:12:35.389 --> 00:12:41.870 battle. And Paul has already spoken of this victory, all the way back 134 00:12:41.870 --> 00:12:48.980 in chapter one. He describes the greatness of God's strength and God's power in 135 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:54.179 Ephesians one, verse nineteen. According to the working of his great might that 136 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:58.929 he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him 137 00:12:58.929 --> 00:13:03.970 in his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority 138 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:07.129 and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only 139 00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:11.049 in this age but also in the one to come, and he put all 140 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:16.759 things under his feet and gave him as head over all things, to the 141 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:18.960 church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in 142 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:26.789 all. So there's a reason we can be strong in the Lord. To 143 00:13:26.870 --> 00:13:33.149 be strong in the Lord is to stand firm, then, in Christ pree 144 00:13:33.230 --> 00:13:37.389 see, for us this battle is impossible, but for Christ the battle's already 145 00:13:37.389 --> 00:13:43.620 been won. Paul tells us. He he's already far above all rule and 146 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:52.659 authority, Power Dominion, above every name that is named. And if the 147 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:56.769 urgency remains right, we're still being attacked, we're still being fired upon. 148 00:13:56.970 --> 00:14:00.649 And so Paul tells us what it means to be strong in the Lord, 149 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:05.250 and here's where he uses this incredible imagery describing the whole armor of God. 150 00:14:07.409 --> 00:14:11.360 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the 151 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:15.320 breastplate of righteousness and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the 152 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:18.840 readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the 153 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:22.320 shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the 154 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:28.070 evil one, and take the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, 155 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:31.750 which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit, 156 00:14:31.830 --> 00:14:37.269 with all prayer and supplication all the Times, the way I heard this 157 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:43.580 described to me the way you'll find in catalogs, is that, as Paul 158 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:48.899 was a prisoner and since he was in prison when he wrote this, he 159 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:56.730 was probably looking at a Roman soldier wearing armor as he wrote this description of 160 00:14:56.769 --> 00:15:01.690 the armor of God, as if Paul were just inventing this imagery from the 161 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:07.440 world he observed around him, saying your arms kind of like that guy over 162 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:11.960 there. But I want you to know that's not Paul's immediate context here. 163 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:18.879 Rather, scripture points us in a different direction. Paul's point is not to 164 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:22.830 say, look at these human soldiers that and what they're wearing, and isn't 165 00:15:24.830 --> 00:15:31.230 our spiritual armor lot like their's? Rather, he's drawing this language from scripture 166 00:15:31.230 --> 00:15:37.100 itself, for if we look to the scriptures, we see that the armor 167 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:46.100 of God is the armor that God himself wears when he, the divine warrior, 168 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:52.090 steps onto the battlefield on behalf of his people. Listen to the language 169 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:58.009 of Isaiah. Forty two, verse thirteen. The Lord goes out like a 170 00:15:58.090 --> 00:16:02.129 mighty man, like a man of war. He stirs up his zeal, 171 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:06.879 he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes. 172 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:11.639 And Its speaking of this divine warrior, Isaiah says, and Isaiah fifty 173 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:19.990 nine, verse Seventeen, he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet 174 00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:25.230 of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and 175 00:16:25.590 --> 00:16:29.509 wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak according to their deeds. So he will 176 00:16:29.590 --> 00:16:33.419 repay wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies, to the coast lance 177 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:41.059 he will render repayment. And in Isaih Eleven, Verse Five, Righteousness shall 178 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:51.330 be the belt of his waste, faithfulness the belts of his loins. Think 179 00:16:51.370 --> 00:16:56.610 about this imagery that Paul is using, then we should see that, for 180 00:16:56.690 --> 00:17:02.279 this battle in which we find ourselves, the language that Paul is using is 181 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:08.240 causing us to see that God himself has already stepped onto the battlefield on your 182 00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:15.789 behalf, and by being called to put on his armor, if the armor 183 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:22.750 of God. After all, we're being called to identify with him. The 184 00:17:22.910 --> 00:17:26.630 man of war has entered this battle on behalf of his people, and so 185 00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:30.299 we're called to identify with him by faith. In putting on his armor, 186 00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:37.579 we're putting our faith and our trust in him, and putting on his armor. 187 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:44.809 We're calling upon him to save, to deliver. Don't you see? 188 00:17:44.809 --> 00:17:49.490 It's his righteousness that we need, it's his truth that overcomes the lies of 189 00:17:49.529 --> 00:17:56.849 the enemy, it's his salvation which guards our thoughts, it's his peace that's 190 00:17:56.890 --> 00:18:03.640 declared by the Gospel. Earlier in this Epistle, Paul calls us to put 191 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:10.960 off the old man with its filthy rags of sin and guilt. In Chapter 192 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.990 Four, Verse Twenty Two. Put off your old self, which belongs to 193 00:18:14.029 --> 00:18:18.950 your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be 194 00:18:18.029 --> 00:18:22.549 renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, 195 00:18:22.750 --> 00:18:30.700 created after the likeness of God, in True Righteousness and holiness. Don't 196 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:33.099 you see that in putting on the new man, we are putting on Christ, 197 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:41.380 and we are covered in his armor from our head to our toes. 198 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:47.250 We are completely covered. Even our feet are covered with the reconciliation of peace, 199 00:18:47.329 --> 00:18:52.609 Paul says, for Christ himself is the Prince of peace and, as 200 00:18:52.650 --> 00:18:56.240 Isaiah reminds us in Isaiah fifty two, how beautiful upon the mountains are the 201 00:18:56.359 --> 00:19:00.680 feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good 202 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:06.720 news of happiness, who publishes salvation? Who Says to Zion, your God 203 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:15.710 reigns? Likewise, what do we find God declaring about this shield? In 204 00:19:15.829 --> 00:19:19.509 Genesis Fifteen, it's God who says, Fear Not Abram, I am your 205 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:26.539 shield. Your reward shall be very great. And in Second Samuel Twenty two, 206 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:30.339 he said the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 207 00:19:30.180 --> 00:19:33.779 my God, my rock and whom I take refuge, my shield, the 208 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:38.369 Horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior, you 209 00:19:38.569 --> 00:19:45.369 saved me from violence, the shield of faith. And is that shield that 210 00:19:45.529 --> 00:19:48.690 comes by faith. For you see, faith is so very important to this 211 00:19:48.809 --> 00:19:56.079 battle. It's by faith that we are united to our divine warrior. Therefore, 212 00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:00.920 it's by faith that we extinguish the flaming darts of the enemy. Without 213 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:06.079 faith, those darts would take you out. You put on the whole armor 214 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.150 of God. You put on the Lord by faith, and you put on 215 00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:15.630 the Lord's Strength, the Lord's Righteousness, his truth, his salvation. You 216 00:20:15.750 --> 00:20:21.539 put it all on by faith alone, for if your confidence is found in 217 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:27.420 anyone or in anything else, you will not stand. The only way to 218 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:33.099 be found standing at the end of this evil day is if you're standing by 219 00:20:33.180 --> 00:20:41.009 faith in the Lord and the power of his might. And so did you 220 00:20:41.089 --> 00:20:48.930 notice what the one weapon in this battle is? We've seen many defensive armor 221 00:20:48.130 --> 00:20:56.319 being described. What's the one offensive weapon we're given? It's the sword of 222 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.720 the word of God. This sword of the Lord also finds its own imagery 223 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:06.269 in the Old Testament, Isaiah twenty one, or sorry, and Isaiah Twenty 224 00:21:06.349 --> 00:21:11.789 seven, verse one. In that day, the Lord, with his hard 225 00:21:11.029 --> 00:21:18.470 and great and strong sword, will punish Leviath in the fleeing serpent, Leviathan, 226 00:21:18.549 --> 00:21:22.019 the twisting serpent. He will slay the dragon that is in the sea. 227 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:27.900 And so Satan's end is sure, for in that Evil Day the Lord 228 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:33.650 will utterly slay the Dragon and by means of Christ coming into the world, 229 00:21:34.009 --> 00:21:38.490 through his death and through his resurrection, he's already struck Satan that fatal wound. 230 00:21:38.529 --> 00:21:44.250 And so that in the book of revelation, when the son of man 231 00:21:44.490 --> 00:21:51.200 is shown with a sharp, two edged sword, where is it described as 232 00:21:51.200 --> 00:22:00.119 being in his mouth, as the word of God. So we're called to 233 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.950 take up this sword. It means we're called to take up Christ for even 234 00:22:03.069 --> 00:22:08.470 Christ, while he was on earth, locked in deadly battle with Satan in 235 00:22:08.549 --> 00:22:15.150 the wilderness. What was his weapon? That was the word of God. 236 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:19.059 When he was being attacked by the fiery darts and temptations of Satan, he 237 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:23.500 took up the word of God, he stood upon that word and was victorious. 238 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:33.450 The only offensive weapon we're given is the word of God. And if 239 00:22:33.450 --> 00:22:37.250 we're depressed by that, if we think it looks too weak, too ordinary 240 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:45.200 here, not strong enough, I remember what Hebrews for tells us the word 241 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:51.160 of God is living, an active sharper than any two edged sword, piercing 242 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:53.880 to the division of Soul, of spirit, of joints and of marrow, 243 00:22:55.480 --> 00:23:03.630 discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And so as we read this 244 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:08.990 description of God's armor that we are called to stand firm and that we are 245 00:23:10.069 --> 00:23:15.539 called to be protected by, we see another layer of imagery being used as 246 00:23:15.700 --> 00:23:21.940 well, for it wasn't just the warriors, it wasn't just the soldiers that 247 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:26.099 wore something like this armor in the Old Testament. Not only do we have 248 00:23:26.210 --> 00:23:33.529 this description of divine and heavenly armor, excess, Twenty eight also tells us 249 00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:40.490 about the priestly garments that would be worn in the temple and the Tabernacle Excess 250 00:23:40.490 --> 00:23:41.960 Twenty eight, verse four. These are the garments that they shall make. 251 00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:48.079 A breast peace and ethod, a robe, a code of Chequer work, 252 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:51.640 a turban and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Erin, your 253 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:56.910 brother and his sons to serve me as priests. So Aaron shall bear the 254 00:23:56.950 --> 00:24:02.829 names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when 255 00:24:02.829 --> 00:24:07.869 he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. 256 00:24:10.539 --> 00:24:15.019 This piece of armor in the Old Testament is also worn by a priest, 257 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:19.980 one commissioned by God to intercede. It's the armored then, of the 258 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:25.769 high priest who bore the name of names of God's people on himself as he 259 00:24:25.930 --> 00:24:30.289 goes in to minister before the Lord. He's the one identified with God's people. 260 00:24:33.049 --> 00:24:37.250 And so only as you are identified with the true high priest, only 261 00:24:37.329 --> 00:24:41.680 as you were found in him, are you able to stand before the enemies 262 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:47.799 of this present evil age. For our mighty warrior God, you see, 263 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:56.829 is also our faithful high priest, and as a priest, he's already dealt 264 00:24:56.069 --> 00:25:03.549 the enemy a fatal wound and even now he represents our cause before God's throne 265 00:25:03.589 --> 00:25:08.299 in heaven, for he knows our weaknesses, he knows our battle. He 266 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:15.339 faithfully intercedes for his people so that we might continue to overcome. He will 267 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:18.779 never let us slip out of his hands, because he has covered you with 268 00:25:18.900 --> 00:25:26.089 himself, his own righteousness, his own salvation. He is your refuge, 269 00:25:26.490 --> 00:25:33.210 your protection, your defense. He is your mighty fortress and you are united 270 00:25:33.289 --> 00:25:38.680 to him. And isn't that why we pray then? Because we know we 271 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:45.079 are helpless, because we know we have no power, we pray. We 272 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:52.910 pray not because our prayers are so powerful, but we pray because he is 273 00:25:52.069 --> 00:25:57.990 powerful. Praying itself will not save you. God will save you, which 274 00:25:57.990 --> 00:26:06.059 is why we pray to him. As as Christ is the fulfillment of these 275 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:11.019 warrior passages, he is the high priest, then, who declares peace to 276 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:15.539 us, his people, as we're called to put on the armor of God. 277 00:26:18.730 --> 00:26:23.170 In Christ, we are already more than conquerors, and in Him Satan 278 00:26:23.250 --> 00:26:27.450 cannot destroy you, as Paul reminds us in Romans Eight. What shall we 279 00:26:27.529 --> 00:26:30.609 say of these things? If God is for us, who can be against 280 00:26:30.650 --> 00:26:34.359 us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up 281 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:37.599 for us all. How will he not also, with him, graciously give 282 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:42.319 us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect it is God 283 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:47.750 who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ? Jesus, is the one 284 00:26:47.789 --> 00:26:49.509 who died, more than that, who is raised, who is at the 285 00:26:49.589 --> 00:26:56.390 right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us? WHO shall separate 286 00:26:56.509 --> 00:27:03.460 us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, persecution or famine, 287 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:08.940 or nakedness, or danger or sword, as Paul describes the comfort that 288 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:15.650 we have? He describes terrible trials. How can that be if we have 289 00:27:15.849 --> 00:27:22.970 the armor of God protecting US and defending us? As what Paul describes her 290 00:27:23.009 --> 00:27:27.369 sound like victory as it is written. For Your Sake, we are being 291 00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:30.920 killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 292 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:41.319 Is that victory, Paul goes on? In all these things, we are 293 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:47.269 more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither 294 00:27:47.390 --> 00:27:49.630 death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor 295 00:27:49.710 --> 00:27:53.309 things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else 296 00:27:53.349 --> 00:27:56.950 in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God. 297 00:27:57.579 --> 00:28:03.700 In Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Isn't it fascinating that the apostle who 298 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:11.619 wrote about standing firm in the Lord is doing so in prison, suffering the 299 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:18.049 trials, suffering the persecution of this world, talking about God's protection. God 300 00:28:18.210 --> 00:28:22.450 has his shield, God has his strength and his defender. Well, at 301 00:28:22.490 --> 00:28:30.400 the same time suffering, don't you see? It's this armor of God that 302 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:41.000 allows you to suffer as Christ did. You're free to suffer as he suffered, 303 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:47.509 knowing that he is your true protection. Nothing that this world can throw 304 00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:53.710 at you, even the most devastating of circumstances, will undo you, because 305 00:28:53.750 --> 00:29:00.579 you have a warrior priest who is now protecting, interceding for you, and 306 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:08.019 he will present you unharmed, perfect, spotless before the father, the cardless 307 00:29:08.059 --> 00:29:12.289 of what this world can do to you. Amen. Let's pray.