Ephesians 6:13-18
Intro:
The verses before us speak about spiritual warfare. They remind us that we are
in the fight of our lives. Against a relentless, powerful enemy. We are engaged
in battle with a spiritual being who is intent on our destruction. We are
fighting against an enemy who hates our God, and who hates us too. He wants to
devour our families, destroy our testimonies, devastate our church, and
discredit our God. But, this enemy of whom I speak is not all-powerful. The God
we serve is, 1 John 4:4.
While
Satan is intent on our defeat, the Lord is interested in giving us the victory.
The Bible tells us very clearly that, in the end, God will have the last word,
and Satan will be forever defeated and banished to the Lake of fire, Rev. 20:10-15. In the meantime, God has provided
us with everything we need to “stand”
for Him against everything the enemy can throw at us.
Today,
we will begin to consider the resources the Lord has given to us to help us “stand” for Him, and to enjoy victory in
the spiritual battles of life. Let’s begin to study the pieces that comprise “the whole armor
of God.” Ephesians 6:10 and 13 both tell us to utilize this armor
in our daily warfare with the our enemy. The enemy is identified as Satan in verse 12. This passage teaches us that the
only hope of victory we possess if or us to be adorned in “the whole armor
of God.”
Verse 13 tells us to “take unto you
the whole armor of God.”
This literally means “to take up.”
It is the image of a soldier standing amid the pieces of the armor. He only has
to appropriate what had been proved for him. When the “take it us”, verse 10 says that he is to “put it on.” Armor does no good in the armory,
and armor does no good until it is put on the soldier’s body.
This
armor, if utilized properly, will enable us to do what verses 11, 13, and 14 say we are to do, and that is “stand.” This armor will also make it
possible to “withstand,”
or “resist,” the daily assaults that come our
way from the enemy. Let’s begin today to examine the pieces of “the whole armor
of God.”
I. V. 14a THE BELT OF TRUTH
The
standard garment for the Roman soldier was a loose fitting tunic. It was really
nothing more than a large, square piece of cloth with holes cut for the arms
and head. It was usually worn loose, allowing it to drape over the body. When
it came time for battle, that tunic would prove itself to be very dangerous for
the soldier.
Since
most combat was hand-to-hand in ancient times, giving the enemy such an easy
handhold would mean certain death. Not only that, but the tunic, if left loose,
would hinder the soldier’s freedom of movement. So, before a battle began, the
soldier would carefully gather the tunic around his body and hold it in place
with a heavy leather belt. The phrase “girt about”
literally means to “fasten one’s belt.”
This
practice was common among ordinary citizens as well. The people in that culture
wore long, flowing robes. When he had to move fast, or do some sort of physical
work, the robe would be tightened about the body so movement would be unhindered.
When
the Lord would bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, and gave them His
instructions concerning the Passover, He told them to “eat it; with
your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye
shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover,” Ex. 12:11.
They were to be ready to go.
The
Lord Jesus told His people to be ready to go as well. In Luke 12:35 He said, “Let your loins
be girded about, and your lights burning.”
That is, we are to be ready to go all the time. Our spiritual loins are to be
girded, as we are to be looking for the coming of the Lord.
We
don’t wear robes today, but we are to be “girded”
up as well. Our “girding”
is not physical, it is mental and it is spiritual. Here is how Peter said it: “Wherefore gird
up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is
to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” 1 Pet. 1:13.
The
“belt” we wear in our spiritual battles
is not a belt of leather, it is a belt of “truth.” The word refers to “the content of
that which is true.” If
we are to “stand”
in the “evil day”,
then we must “stand”
in the “truth.”
When
Paul speaks of our being “girt about with truth,”
he is referring to a couple of specific areas of truth. Let me mention them to
you today.
• First, there is the “truth” found in the Word of God. Jesus
said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth,” John 17:17. Without a working knowledge of the
truths of Scripture, the child of God is easy prey for the enemy. Paul has
already told us that there is a great danger if we do not know truth. “That we
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive,”
Eph.
4:14. That is why
the Lord gave us His Word, and that is why He gave us preachers to explain it
to us. He wants us to know His “truth”
so that we might “stand”
in the “evil day.”
Without the truth, the saints of God have no foundation, and they are easily
led astray.
The only way to combat error is with
the “truth.” It is the devil’s desire to
defeat us, to destroy us, and to distract us. He does this by peddling lies.
Like he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, Satan is still seeking to altar the
Word of God. He wants wants us to ignore the “truth” God gives us and embrace his lies
that are designed to lead us away from the Lord.
As I said, the only way to combat
error with “truth.”
The only way to know the “truth”
is to be exposed to it. The Bible is “truth.”
The Bible is reliable. It is accurate. It is to be read, and it is to be
believed. Those who read it and believe it soon discover that, “All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works,” 2 Tim. 3:16–17.
Those who don’t soon find that they
are casualties in the war between God and Satan. “Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils,” 1 Tim. 4:1.
So, the Bible is truth.
-
It teaches
all we need to know about life and death, Heaven and Hell, God and Satan, and
sin and salvation.
-
It reveals
our condition before God, Rom. 3:10-23.
-
It reveals
His solution to our problem, Jesus Christ the Son of God, John 3:16.
-
It reveals
the way of salvation, Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9.
-
It reveals
the final destiny of the saints of God, John 14:1-3.
-
It reveals
the final destiny of the lost, Psa. 9:17.
The Bible is a book to be read,
believed, obeyed, and loved. Those who do will be led into the path of life.
Those who don’t will spend eternity in death. If you own a Bible, you should
praise the Lord for it, and you should soak in the “truth” it contains daily. Let it shape
your life, feed your soul, guide your steps, and lead you to Jesus Christ. It
is “truth,” and in its pages are life
everlasting. Make the Bible your foundation and stand on it!
• Second, not only does “truth” refer to “the content of
that which is true,” it
also refers to “the very attitude of truthfulness.” This thought seems to get to the heart of what Paul
is teaching us here. So, in this context, it speaks of an attitude of
commitment and preparedness. It is the primary characteristic of a true
believer, of one who serves God out of sincerity and not out of hypocrisy. For
this believer shabby service is not tolerated, but they gather up the loose
clothing of their lives, and bind it with total commitment to the will of the
Lord. Thus, they are enabled to “stand.”
Far too many in our day allow the
loose folds of their lives to blow around them, hindering their walk with the
Lord. Like the ancient soldier who’s loose tunic would allow the enemy to
easily them and pull them down in battle, many believers allow the cares of
this world to enfold their lives. Their habits, cares, and interests entangle
them prevent them from faithfully serving the Lord as they should. Half-hearted
commitment is not true commitment at all!
That is not to be the way believers
live their lives. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier,” 2 Tim. 2:4. Those who are “girt about with
truth,” those who are
true, committed believers, prepare themselves for the battle they are in, and
they “stand” for His glory.
When we are girded with “truth,” it means that we are walking with
the Lord in total commitment and discipline. The committed Christian is
prepared in the day of battle, because he has set his heart on the Lord in
total commitment. He is true in his profession and he is disciplined in his
walk. Thus, the enemy cannot easily trap him, or defeat him in the day of
battle.
Athletes demonstrate this kind of
commitment and discipline. In Paul’s day they would train their bodies and
sacrifice everything to win a small laurel wreath that would with away and
perish in no time at all. They train, they work, they endure, pain, suffering
and deprivation, all for the hope of winning the praise of men. For an athlete,
there is no guarantee that they will be successful. They must compete against
every other athlete in the contest for the victory.
Christians are fighting for
something far greater than a perishable crown. We are fighting for the very
glory of God. We are to “stand”
for Him in the day of battle, because it is His will for our lives. Those who
know Him will be committed to honoring Him with the lives they live and the
battle they wage. At the end of the way, when the battle ends, and the noise of
warfare is lost in the anthems of His praises, the faithful, “true” believer will receive a crown that
will never fade away. “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all
things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible,” 1 Cor. 9:25. Every saint of God can have this
crown, not just one. It is guaranteed to the faithful saint.
If an athlete can give everything
just for the hope of possibly winning a perishable crown, how much more should
we, the redeemed saints of God sacrifice everything to stand for Him? How much
more should we be faithful, committed, and true?
To be “girt about with
truth” is to be renewed
in the mind and it is to be absolutely committed to God’s will for our lives.
It is to be the faithful, true disciple Jesus mentioned when He said, “If any man will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” Matt. 16:24.
It is to be the “living
sacrifice” Paul wrote
about in Rom.
12:2. “And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” Rom. 12:2. Thus, it makes the “truth” of God visible, by allowing others
to see that “truth”
in shoeleather.
To be “girt about with
truth” means that we
embrace the “truth”
as it is reveled in the Word of God, then it means that we live out that “truth” in our lives day by day. It means
that we are real.
• The belt around a Roman soldier’s
midsection did more than just bind his clothes close to his body. The belt
provided him with stability for his back and abdomen. It helped him to “stand” in the day of battle. When we
embrace the objective “truth”
of God’s Word, and when that “truth”
becomes subjective by being lived out in our daily lives, we will be a hard
target for the enemy to bring down.
By the way, if a soldier failed to
protect his loins, he would not be able to produce offspring when he returned
home from the battle. If the church does not stand on the truth, guard the
truth, and wear the truth as a belt, we will not have a credible witness before
those lost in sin.
Conc:
When our “loins”
are “girt
about with truth,” we
will have taken up the first essential piece of the “whole armor of
God.” It will mean that
we will be “true” in
our profession of Jesus Christ as our Savior and as our Lord. We will be
enabled to live for the Lord day by day.
In
some ways, living for the Lord is harder than dying for Him. Many millions have
given everything for the Lord. They were burned alive. They were fed to wild beasts.
They were brutally slain in the name of religion and entertainment. Thank God
that they remained faithful unto death! If you give your life for the Lord, the
pain of death will last but a short time, and you will be in the presence of
the Lord. However, if you live for Him, the battle against sin, evil, Satan,
and the struggle to walk in obedience, and to render faithful service endure
day after day. Living for the Lord can be painful in a world that hates Him and
His “truth.”
I’m
not taking anything away from the faithful martyrs who have given their lives
for the Lord over the centuries. I am saying that a faithful life, lived in
obedience, over many long years is a wonder to behold. A life of “truth” that bears faithful witness to the
life changing power of the Gospel, brings great glory to the name of God.
That’s
why many of God’s precious saints, people who were not known outside their
church and local community, will hear Him say “well done” at the end of the way. They were
faithful to live their lives for Him. They walked in “truth,” and God will honor them for it
some day.
• Are your “loins girt
about with truth?”
• Are you a faithful, true servant of
the Lord?
• Does your daily walk bring glory and
honor to Him?
• If you have never embraced the “truth” of the Gospel and you need to be
saved, come to Him and He will implant “truth”
in your soul and change your life.
•
If you are
saved, come ask Him to help you “take up the whole armor of God, that you might be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
By Pastor Alan Carr
Pastor Rolando Ramos
