ARMED AND DANGEROUS

by Kenneth R. Jenkins
(Savannah, GA)

Ephesians 6:10-18
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
Put On All the Armor That God Supplies
10 Finally, receive your power from the Lord and from his mighty strength. 11 Put on all the armor that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil’s strategies. 12 This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. 13 For this reason, take up all the armor that God supplies. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days.a Once you have overcome all obstacles, you will be able to stand your ground.
14 So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. 15 Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. 16 In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Also take salvation as your helmet and the word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies.
18 Pray in the Spiritb in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.


INTRODUCTION

By the help of the Holy Spirit, I would like to leave with you this subject from our text as a challenge to you in your walk as either as a new Born Again believer or as a seasoned saint or as a someone who just didn't make up in their minds yet but still searching to be “ARMED AND DANGEROUS”.

Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church gives them instructions on how to defend themselves from the vices of which the devil may place in their pathway.

We see here that first of all Paul is showing the Ephesians that the church is not a building but people who love and obey Jesus. You and you and me are the actual church that simply loves and obey Jesus. This building is a dwelling place to come to so that we can come together to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, can I get a witness?

Think of it like as a boxer getting ready for a boxing match. They have to train to get in the ring everyday. And during that training they have the right equipment to use before they get into the ring.


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Like in the natural, we are in the ring with the Devil everyday battling him and if you don't watch it, the devil can sneak up and sucker punch you.

And so, this is where Paul instructs us first of all:
a) To be strong in the Lord and his mighty power.(verse 10).Paul's scope in Ephesians has been cosmic. From the beginning he has drawn attention to the unseen and now he describes the spiritual battle that takes place against evil “in the heavenly realms”. Strong...power, implies that our human effort is inadequate but God's is invincible.

b) Suit up with armor that cannot be destroyed. Paul was telling us that because we are at “war” with the Spiritual things of life, that we are to put on not just armor but the WHOLE armor of God for we ought to stand against the tricks,trickery, cunning, craftiness, deception fraud and ploys that the devil will try(and yes he will try) against you; these are the things to look out for while in this spiritual battle “in the heavenly realms”.

c) Paul reminds us this very battle is NOT against flesh and blood but mostly spiritual. There is a caution against lashing out against human opponents as though they were the real enemy and also against assuming that the battle can be fought using merely human resources rulers or forces.


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d) Paul further encourages us to put on the whole armor of God. It is this whole armor of God and not just a part or some parts of it that we need for the spiritual warfare. And to take up the whole armor, the Body of Christ is needed; individual believers are not sufficient for this.

e) We are to stand firm! Stand with the belt of TRUTH buckled around your waist and the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place. With these two scrapped around you brothers and sisters,the Devil may try to get to your heart but you got TRUTH on your side; and you got RIGHTEOUSNESS on your side the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD on your side being in right standing with God.”In other words,to do righteousness and justice.

f) After you put on TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS then you get your FEET FITTED WITH THE READINESS. That readiness is to proclaim the GOSPEL OF PEACE. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body” Col.3:15.

g) Don't forget to pick up your SHIELD OF FAITH. It is this FAITH is what you need in this fight to shield you from the darts that will be targeting you. Those darts of unbelief, doubt, disbelief aiming at you. But if you raise that SHEILD OF FAITH and look that Devil in the eye and tell him that MY faith is Christ that strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).


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h) Lastly, taking the HELMET OF SALVATION and SWORD OF THE SPIRIT which is THE WORD OF GOD. During time of war, a solider uses helmets to protect their head. The instant word spoken at the moment by the Spirit is and shall be always is the Word of God. It's the Word of God that will keep you. It's the Word of God that will protect you from whatever the Devil those at you. It's the Word, the Word of God that put running in feet, a new song in your heart and peace among the people.

CONCLUSION
Again, let me encourage you in this journey of life to get ready, get ready and get armed. There's going to be a time when these trials of life will confront you and sometimes seem to crush you but be encouraged my sister, be encouraged my brother because God had it all in control.

Put on your armor for you are in for the fight of life if you are the Lord's side. I stopped by today to let you know that God is with us in every trial you may go through—God is there!

Now let me talk to the ones who didn't make up their minds yet. The Holy Spirit is convicting your hearts; tugging on your heart strings saying to you and whispering to you that you need to choose this day the salvation of the Lord. Choose life---Jesus is life the choice to come to Him. No matter what you did or how bad you think you might have been or good you may think, it is never to late to come to Him.

Let us pray...Amen.