Strong Armor for Weak Sheep, Part 2

Seasons of adversity is tempting to slip into victim.

After all, it seems so unfair to lose a job severed through illness will even while muddling our way through unexpected hardship.

God has equipped every believer with protective gear and donning the spiritual armor we are no longer weak and defenseless sheep but rather much more like roaring lions today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll teaches from Ephesians chapter 6 in this passage Paul describes how to get ready for the battles ahead.

Chuck titled today's message strong armor.

We rebelled together for a few moments quietness stillness together.

We are reminded our father of the truth of the psalmist who wrote be still and know that I am God. We are not only strangers to one another more often than not are strangers to silence our lives are so busy we hate missing one panel of a revolving door are to do list is always more than we can accomplish our responsibilities or greater then we are adequate to fulfill them. And so our father we confess to you that it is easy to live our lives frustrated preoccupied with what hasn't gotten done too busy to noisy and therefore we worship our work and we play in our worship we got this all backwards. There's nothing like a Sunday marked by rain and clouds and an opportunity to come inside out of the weather to be reminded that what still pleases you is stillness in quietness and confidence. The prophet wrote you will find strength and therefore I pray as a shepherdess of this flock you will teach us how to be still have to rest even in a busy day.

How to know what it is to have a rest of sold and a piece of mind.

Even in the accomplishments of the hour.

Teach us the value of moment by moment stillness and restless in a few moments at Lord, we will participate in a time of offering and it'll be an occasion for us to be joyful in our hearts as we reflect on the blessings that have been hours in abundance how rich we are. How well cared for over nourished overfed overindulged living in abundance. It's good for us to be quiet and to go back to the things that matter and to remember when we had little and you were all we had. And all we need you.

Maybe in these moments, be still discovering in our great God is in Christ, we ask this to downloaded searching the Scriptures study insight world.or/studies. And now, let's resume the message titled strong armor for week sheep. We can't fight we don't run very fast.

We can't lower until we have on his armor and they had planned this rule because we are going in the strength of his might. Were not adequate get any credit for the win. He doesn't our victory. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. That's why when you turn to Ephesians 6 and you get the verse can.

He says what is be strong in the Lord and in the strength of your own lamb like legs will that is not what it says in the strength of his might. Verse 11 on your own will know that's not what it says put on the full armor of God so that you be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil what our struggle is not against flesh and blood you'd never see the enemy. So not only are we lambs who were defenseless, can't even roar.

Not only do we strengthen ourselves we can even see the so it stands to reason that when he mentions armor it's armor that can't be seen right. That's what's there, see, we are so enamored of physical appearance, image, strength that when we get to a warfare subject if we're not careful we will think only in terms of physical strength. This isn't about physical strength. This is the inverted picture.

It's the strength within all of us lambs it's armor that is with in and he happens to use a soldier in Rome as a model for his word picture, but it's only word pictures these are allegories.

These are analogies that illustrate the invisible show you why uses an armor or a Roman soldier is an example of the art. Look at verse 20 end of the chapter. Ephesians 6 and verse 20. I am an ambassador in chains, you know what he really was the apostle Paul according to the last few verses of the book of acts spent two years counting two years under house arrest with a Roman soldier chained or locked to him we would call Hancock we would say today for two years. He had a chance to look at this soldier part of the crack troops of Caesar's best right there in the heart of Rome standing guard over Paul during this arrest, he saw his helmet. Besides breastplate. He studied his belt. He saw the leggings he saw the boots he saw the shield over there, he saw the sword that was never that far away from a Roman soldier and these became perfect word pictures for an invisible battle don't get so caught up in the image that you miss the representation of the verse 13 for example, take up the full armor of God. This is not Rome armor. This is not a soldier's armor logos are the word pictures take up the full armor of God. Quiet so you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything else stand that's what she did stand shout till you're blue in the face and you will never impact the demon swing a sword all across the room or whatever territory herein, and the weather is day or night and you will never sliced the demon you will never touch a demon with the shield a little shield or be protected from a demon with a literal helmet.

These are all images that represent things that make the demon back off call seeking to stand off. Look at the passage it has to do with truth, righteousness versus port verse 14 piece 15 phase 16 salvation 17. The word of God. 17. That is what is important and it isn't even the printed word of God is saying.

We'll get to that in a moment to look at the six picture pen handy. I want you to mark your Bible want you to circle the word truth.

Verse 14.

Your loins girded with truth circle that circle the last word in the verse righteousness put that on circle the last word of verse 15 piece mark that faith. Verse 16 circle that salvation. 17 and the word 1817 the end of her 70 true righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the word week defenseless she roar when they were this kind of armor because the strength is coming from the Lord. We go in the strength of his might. We stand against the enemy in the equipment God has provided. Truth is first.

I like that the belt of truth, stand firm. Verse 14 having wrapped herself around with the belt of truth pause and let you picture it in your mind the Roman soldier didn't wear a decorative bill.

Most of us wear belts that week, take or leave. They're not that significant for the soldier. It was often a belt of male was wrapped around and kept his the flowing garment that went over his undergarment. It kept it from flying all around and getting caught here were snagged there in the bill wrapped it all around and held it all close kept in enough fighting readiness. This is truth. Forget belt now, forget the belt except it's what wraps itself around the believer, and it's not the truth little technical insight here.

The definite article isn't here or in the original it's truth, truthfulness. It's living truth telling truth representing truth.

It's the absence of duplicity, hypocrisy. It speaks of an authentic life and lifestyle. Nothing is hidden, that is shameful when you are girded with truth. If you are going to do battle with the enemy on enemy ground and in enemy terms you are going to have to be a person who lives in and models truth. Unfortunately you will not have many models around you to follow how many of us have gone through the disheartening experience of having the feet of clay of our models fall and appear before them. If not, during, after their death, and the skeletons rattled out of the closet because they live lives of duplicity. They were saying one thing, but they were really living. Another this is the opposite. This is girding yourself with truthfulness. Truth is hard to find even in high places may say it, especially in high places. We got to where we gone through it because that's the way we are that know what we get around about saying no one's perfect. It isn't about perfection. It is about authenticity.

It isn't about being perfect. No one expects anyone to be perfect.

We simply expect them to say I have lied if they live. We expect them to say I'm not what you think I am. There are some things you need to know, that's fine.

We need to know the reliving of the day when words are no longer meaningful. Someone is put it this way, we have institutionalized DC is not a good way to put it. I saw this the other day. Taxes are no longer taxes.

They are revenue assessment enhancements. Truth says there taxes moral perversion is now okay great English word has been soiled by perversion so that you don't say homosexual, you certainly don't say sodomize her you say J and in doing so we don't face the truth. Murder of the unborn is now freedom of choice never murdered word were not even sure if it's a being is not yet born Marxism in the church's liberation theology.

This keeps us from living in truth, men and women.

The Nazis never called it a death camp or an extermination center. It was it was always the final solution.

The ultimate solution know you murder people in gas chambers. That's what idiots see what I got to lose men when you're my age, you can say it is high power in my 30s, I probably would increase like this, but I left that about Ford three decades ago. Listen to me teacher children truth teaching truth stay with truth. Stay with truth. The letterhead on truth and you will equip them to handle the enemy, but if you take the edge off truth you will before you know it begin to think politically correct, you begin to think tactfully little more cautiously were dealing with the mind. Men and women were dealing with where the enemy comes in and makes his inroad and sex in his butt. Teach your children truth and teach yourself. If you have left its walls come back to you will never regret it and you will where the belt you will gird your loins with it.

When the enemy comes with his subtle rewording of information you will see it is what it really is called it the belt is followed with the breastplate by the breastplate, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, breastplate have never seen the first century breastplate. I've seen a Bible dictionary's picture of a first century breastplate, and I think the author did his research and probably is a good example, but never seen one I've seen ancient breastplates museums were arrived began inducing them as best I can rebuild the breastplate it it covered the upper torso was either strapped in the front or in the back and it did in fact cover the back tires to teach this passage and said there's no armor for the back which I can recall those tapes because there is armor for the back. The breastplate reached around and included the back. The soldier sometimes had to turn in the enemy sometime took a shot with his arrow or sphere from the from the person's backside. You gotta have protection in the chest area in the upper torso. That's for the vital organs are anyone who hunts his thoughts. You just behind the shoulder of the animal because that's where the heart is that's where the vital organs are the loan and you bring down the animal at that point, the human is the same. It is in the chest were finished. This is the core of our emotion called the heart in the Scriptures, and we were told that we are righteous, put on the breastplate of righteousness. This is a full on coverage of the righteousness of Christ.

Put it remembering taking again live in the truth of it in our emotional world where everything is touchy-feely.

We don't sometimes feel very righteous. We don't sometimes look very righteous, were to put on the righteousness that is ours.

You know when it started. It started at salvation.

The definition of justification is the sovereign act of God whereby he declares righteous the believing sinner while we are still in ascending state say again the sovereign act of God whereby he declares righteous the believing sinner while were still in ascending state.

Every believer, hearing my voice at this moment is justified. You have been declared righteous, put it on.

Put it on. You don't have to somehow plead for an opportunity to to be accepted by God as his child. You were his. You have his righteousness because you have Christ Lewis Sperry chafer put it in these words near were still mirrored near. I cannot be for the person of his son. I am is near as he to paraphrase righteous, still righteous righteous I cannot be. But in the person of his son.

I am is righteous is he that's what salvation is essential. Men and women, you can't be protected. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ it's impossible for you to put on any of this number because part of it is righteousness. And when you stand in the righteousness of Christ. The enemy knows he is defeated he cannot get and if he knows that you're emotionally stable, standing in the righteousness of Christ and the breastplate will equip you with that with that assurance. The righteousness of Christ. Third is verse 15.

Having shot yourself your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Before we get to the preparation of the gospel of peace. Look at the look at the feet wouldn't it be funny to see a picture of a warrior with shield helmet breastplate belt sword barefoot that a funny thought you know immediately he's not going into battle. That's how important the boots are the warrior has to march across rough and rugged terrain.

You must climb jagged sharp rocks. You must wade through upon sand and streams where the where the stones are slippery. He is to walk through Florence and perhaps climb not only mountainsides but sometime between to get a vantage point, often going over walls. The boots are so important and these are these are like they are.

They are boots that are the preparation of the gospel of peace.

They prepare you for battle with the gospel of peace. The gospel means good news and I take it that this is the peace we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ is peace in the heart that makes us ready to fight Christ our peace gives us the courage to face the enemy in the bed. I don't lack peace. I have peace and I walk in it. That's the whole point of this were halfway through the armor. It's a good time to take stock of the first three pieces be be be built, breastplate, booze, how you doing you walk in and truth you where in the breastplate he got on the boots the right boots when you're ready for some of the things that sometime in late aside some time or worn first as a shield. It's maybe a silly way to remember it, but BBB SSS. That's the armor belt breastplate boots shield faith, the shield of faith, salvation, the Scriptures, SSS face shield of faith.

There are two kinds of shield that the that the soldier carried one was first for close combat. It was usually around about 2 feet across, in diameter. This shield was strapped to the arm with leather straps and whatever arm you carried the sword the other arm care of the little shield using ward off the attack close combat. The other was a sizable shield about 2 1/2 feet wide by about four and a happy Paul heavy made of wood, covered with either leather or thin coating of metal or a little bit of both nonflammable.

For this reason because it would shield you from the flaming arrows of the enemy. See back in those days when they thought it was in the bullets.

It was with arrows and spears and often the enemy would dip the tip of that era were spear into something flammable, set it on fire and then launch it in the air toward you and the shield would would deflect the arrows or the sphere Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Ephesians chapter 6 spiritual warfare you're listening to Insight for living and we are in the final stretch of an exhaustive verse by verse study through Paul's letter to the Ephesians that will conclude next Tuesday, Chuck titled the signature series becoming a people of grace. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org. Let me give you a sneak preview of the study that follows.

Ephesians soon.

Chuck will begin a comprehensive study through the gospel according to Matthew. This first book in the New Testament tells the story of our King from his arrival in Bethlehem to the call for his great commission and it's a brand-new study.

Never before presented on Insight for living in order to make the most of this new series, you may want to secure Swindoll's living inside commentary for Matthew a comes into hardbound volumes and it's written in a style that's easy to understand. The format is simple to navigate. These are excellent reference books that belong in the library of anyone who is a student of the Bible.

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