ePHESIANS 6:11-17
by Elder Shawn Reynolds
Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil"
This week we will be looking at Ephesians 6: 11-17. This passage is very familiar to the sheep of God. The exhortation that Paul writes to the people of Ephesus is very timely today, as we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12)
The enemies here on earth are great, but in verse eleven we are informed of the main enemy that this armour is intended to protect against, the devil himself, and all of his hords of demons and followers on earth, as well as all his devices of evil. Notice whose armour this is that we, His children, are armed with. It is the armour of God. It is perfect for every need. It is whole, complete, and lacking nothing. This armour, however perfect it is, is useless without being ‘put on’, but before you fret remember that the maker of the armour, is indeed the one who will clothe His children in it. This comforting truth is found in II Corinthians 10:4, where Paul writes; "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds". Note the ‘through God’ here which means by His power and grace He blesses the child of God with these spiritual weapons. These weapons are not carnal or fleshly as the world would believe, but spiritual to fight the spiritual wickedness in high places. The world is constantly overlooking this fact, which it is not of works or within their proud selves to overcome, but by the grace and power of God. Do you wear this armour daily? Has it been applied to you? For the rest of this week, we will look at each piece of armour and what they mean to a child of God.
Ephesians 6: 14a "Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth..."
We would be negligent if we did not stop a moment to notice the beginning of this verse, and the end of verse thirteen. We are exhorted to stand. We are not told to run away from trouble, or hide from the world and the difficulties in it, or even to run from our enemies, but only to stand. Stand ready for battle as a soldier of God, armed with all necessary pieces of armour, and the first of these is the girdle or belt of truth.
What a piece of armour to start with! If anyone in this world tries to imagine that they can withstand the devil with their own thoughts or logic, they could not be further from the truth. Only the truth of God can keep a sheep grounded while all his enemies are around and lurking. David wrote in Psalm 25, "Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation, on thee do I wait all the day. David shows his total dependence on God for the revelation of His truth and to be led there as a sheep is by the shepherd.
One of the most comforting verses on truth are the very words of Christ in John 8:31,32. Jesus here while instructing the Jews that believed, tells them if they continue in His word then they would be His disciples, and that they would know the truth and the truth would make them free. Free from what? By knowing and believing the truth of Jesus Christ we are free from the prejudices of the world, false sinful thoughts about others, and the bondage or burden of sin. It is easy to see why truth is a valuable piece of armour. Are you walking in the truth of Jesus Christ today, or are you still clinging to the world’s logic and ideas? May the Lord’s grace be upon you today, and may His truth be exalted in all the earth, and may His truth set you free.
Ephesians6:14b "... and having on the breastplate of righteousness."
The breastplate is a valuable piece of armour because it protects our heart. Paul here states that we should put on the breastplate of righteousness, and this righteousness should not and can not be our own. In his letter to the Phillippians in chapter three, verse nine, Paul writes "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." The breastplate of righteousness must be Christ’s, because ours is of the law, and it is proud, and it is pharisaical. Only Christ’s righteousness is perfect, which consists of all - His obedience and sufferings for us. Only Christ’s righteousness is perfect enough for God in all of His holiness, to see and accept. This is why we, as His children must be clothed in it.
Jeremiah writes in 17:3, that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Christ said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. With these two verses we see the importance of the heart being protected. It can only be protected by the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are called to put on righteousness and be righteous, but our righteousness is to be wrought in the righteousness of Christ, or it is no righteousness at all (Rom 3:10). I John 2:29 says "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him." Is your righteousness found in Jesus Christ, or is it a righteousness after the law? May God clothe you this day with the only pure righteousness there is, that of His Son Jesus Christ, that we will be acceptable and able to stand in the sight of God.
Ephesians 6:15 "And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace."
Back in the time that Paul was writing, one of the most important aspects of war was swiftness of feet. Most combat was hand to hand, so the footwork was very important. What better to protect a child of God, than the Gospel of peace from all the bad thoughts and spiritual attacks the child of God goes through daily.
It is the Gospel that brings great peace and comfort to the sheep of God. It is in the mind of a sheep to stray, to dwell upon thoughts of death or tribulation in this world, but it is the sweet sound of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that makes the sheep to lie down and rest in the peace of their Shepherd. It is this peace that causes us to be still just as Christ commanded the waters ‘Peace be still’ and they obeyed. We do not swaty back and forth when this peace which passeth all understanding is given. Please take the time to reflect on these words from Isaiah 52:7
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth
good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith
unto Zion, Thy God reigneth."
These words are so precious to the elect. To see the good tidings of peace and salvation and knowing that our God reigns over all things. May God grant your feet to walk in the peace of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ today.
Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
The shield is a valuable piece of armour, because it can protect your whole body. In Paul’s time, it was essential for combat because the shield at that time was like a door, large and oblong, and it would protect against many objects that were hurled in the direction of the soldier. He could in fact hide his whole body behind this shield. This shield of faith for the child of God has a specific purpose, and that it is to quench all the fiery darts from the wicked one(s).
The faith I am talking about here is the faith mentioned in Hebrews 11. The faith that in verse 6, says is needed to please God. It is the faith which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It is the victory which overcomes the world. Faith is wrought in Jesus Christ, in whom we are told in Hebrews 12:2 to look away to because He is the author and finisher of our faith. Faith indeed protects us from the world and its trappings. Praise be to God that He supplies it for His children.
The fiery darts here mentioned can take on many different meanings. They can be thoughts thrown in your direction to shake your very foundation. Fears, torments, false thoughts of the brethren, all of these things are fiery darts from Satan. Once again, we have no reason to fret, the Word of God says that the shield of faith shall quench the fiery darts. There is no reason to fear, faith overcomes. Today, I will leave you with the words of John to ponder, and may the Lord in His grace and mercy increase your faith in Him. I John 4 says "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
Ephesians 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation ..."
The main purpose of the helmet is to protect the head. Spiritually speaking, it is only the salvation of Jesus Christ that protects the mind from all the terrorizing thoughts and fiery darts that we discussed yesterday. It is this helmet of salvation that enables the elect to hold their heads up high with great confidence, joy and strength in their Saviour Jesus Christ.
In Romans 8:1, Paul writes "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This is one of the verses that makes up the helmet of salvation. To know that there is no condemnation for a child of God through the salvation of Jesus Christ is to know that your mind is protected from even condemning yourself for your many sins and shortcomings. It is knowing that salvation is of the Lord and not of yourselves. David states this in Psalm 3:8 when he said, "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah."
The helmet of salvation is a protector of the mind. Isaiah 26:3 states "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Here we see the protection of the mind by being stayed on Jesus Christ and His salvation, but it must be noted it is by trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The hope of salvation for a child of God is a very real and powerful thing, without it the child of God is not stable. In I Thessalonians 5:8, Paul refers to the helmet again here, but by calling it the hope of salvation. This hope however, is not a dead, worldly, waiting for something to happen hope. It is the powerful assurance of Christ given to His children to patiently and earnestly wait upon Him. Do you have this hope of salvation today? Is your mind stayed upon Him? May the Lord bless you with the putting on of His armour today.
Ephesians 6:17b .... and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The final piece of armour that we will look at this week is the only one that is an offensive weapon. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, means that the weapon that the Holy Spirit blesses us with is the word of God itself, or the Holy Scriptures.
Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. What does this mean? The word of God is powerful. It cuts through the lies of satan, the deceitfulness of the flesh, and the burdens inflicted by the law. What a weapon to wield! No adversary can resist this weapon. When feeding on the word of God, doubts dissipate, fears subside, lies go by the wayside, and the Holy Spirit ministers peace, grace, wisdom, and direction to the child of God.
The Church or body of Christ benefits greatly from this weapon also. When used properly and relied upon totally by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Church will continue to defeat its foes. When logic or reasoning or relying on man’s wisdom comes in, then the Church will be at the mercy of the adversary, so you see it is also important for the true Church of God to wield the Holy Scriptures as its weapon, and that it is not only for individual believers.
I will leave you this week to reflect on II Timothy 3: 15-17. Take notice of what the Holy Scriptures do for the child of God. Also see what they are for, and lastly look to see what they produce. May God bless your reading in His word, the wonderful gift and weapon to wield against all the foes that beset us. May God equip you with this mighty and most powerful weapon as you walk in this world of trials and tribulations, and may He dress you as a soldier of God in His armour.
