Put on the Full Armor of God

Ephesians Chapter 6 verses 10-18

In the Bible, Ephesians Chapter 6 verses 10-18, are classic verses about spiritual warfare. These verses apply to the many different struggles and problems that we face. But there is one particular spiritual struggle that every person grapples with. And these verses apply beautifully to that fight. What I’m talking about is the struggle that you have over your eternal destiny and the question of whether you will go to Heaven, or are you headed to Hell and an eternity separated from God?

Ephesians 6:10–18 (NASB 2020)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,

This idea that you are separated from God and headed to Hell is summed up in one word: LOST. And the opposite of that is called SAVED – which is having your sins forgiven and then going to Heaven when you die. But what is SIN? It is living in disobedience to God’s Word.

If you’re not sure if you are lost or saved, or don’t understand what sin is, I’ll explain them briefly in the next section.

The Armor of God is NOT available to you if you are a LOST person. But God has a plan to fix that problem. So, I’m going to tell you what each piece of the Armor means to you, if you are indeed LOST. And we’ll take the command in verse 11 to “Put on the full armor of God,” as license to invite you to be SAVED. And once saved the Armor is yours.

So let’s look at each piece of the Armor.

Put on the Full Armor of God

The Belt of Truth

Please consider these two Biblical Truths about God and apply them to your life.

First of all, God loves you. I'm sure you've heard that before. But have you ever really believed it about yourself?

Many Bible passages talk about God's love. The most famous is probably

John 3:16

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Be honest with yourself. In your mind can you personalize John 3:16 by saying it like this:

"For God so loved me, that He gave His only son, Jesus, that if I would believe in Jesus that I would not perish in Hell but would have eternal life in Heaven."

Some people miss this truth. Maybe they are suspicious of God and His plans. Maybe they have an image of themselves that won’t let them accept the love of God. Maybe their life has been so distant from God that the idea of “God’s Love” is totally foreign to them.

No matter the reason, if you are having problems accepting the love of God, please know that God made the first move to win you. And He did it with only the hope that you would accept Him. Here’s what I mean by that

Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Let’s personalize that verse too:

But God demonstrates His own love toward me, in that while I am still a sinner, Christ died for me.

Personalizing both verses will help you have a different perspective – a different way of looking at and thinking about God.

Personalizing them will also help you with the next Truth, which can be even more difficult for some people to accept.

The Second Truth is this. You have a problem that will keep you out of Heaven. God calls that problem sin. And sin is simply NOT living by God’s rules.

God knows that sin is harmful. It hurts you and your family. It also separates you from God, who is 100% Holy.

Isaiah 59:2
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

This idea that you are separated from God and headed to Hell is summed up in one word: Lost.

And the opposite of that is called Saved - having your sins forgiven and going to Heaven

You might ask: “Who does God consider to be a sinner – to be lost.

Answer: Everyone.

Bible verses include:

Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

That is saying that everyone has sin in their life. And, therefore, no one is holy.

Remember when I said this Truth – that you are a sinner - is difficult for some people to accept. The difficult thing is admitting to being a sinner. Most people want to say about themselves, “I’m basically a good person.”

There’s the difficulty. You can maintain your pride, or you can agree with God, and see yourself the way He sees you, and admit / confess to Him that you are a sinner.

As you think about that, let me make something clear. While your sin does separate you from God. It does NOT cause Him to stop loving you.

You would be confessing to the One who loves you, who has done everything He can to save you from the penalty of your sins.

Still not ready? Then let me point out that God’s standard for getting into Heaven is perfection, or 100% holiness.

God wants you to be Holy like Him so that you can be in Heaven with Him.

1 Peter 1:15-16
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

And Jesus told people who were outwardly good that they were not quite good enough.

Matthew 5:48
48 Therefore, you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The same God who loves you with an everlasting love has set an impossible standard - perfect holiness - as the requirement for going to Heaven. And He has put a set of laws in place to make it clear to you that you are not perfect, that you are a sinner.

Why would He do that?

He set this requirement of “Perfection” for your own good. He did it because He loves you. And He wants you to be with Him in Heaven instead of with Satan in Hell.

God sets the requirement so high and puts His Laws in place because He wants you to see that you can’t save yourself. He wants you to see that you need a savior. You need Jesus.

These are hard truths.

They are so hard that many people never really face them. They do all they can to avoid the topic. They aren’t honest with themselves. But this piece of the Armor is Truth. Be truthful with yourself and you’ll be amazed as what God will do for you.

Let’s keep going and I’ll do my best to help you.

Next Section…

Put on the Full Armor of God

Breasplate of Righteousness

Righteousness is doing the right things. It is the opposite of being sinful.

I really don’t think there are very many people who would call themselves Holy or Perfect. But I do hear many people say that they are good. They look at their life and say, “I may not be perfect, but I’m a good person.”

Most people have the idea that when God judges them, He will balance their good deeds against their bad deeds (their righteousness against their sinfulness). And if the good outweighs the bad, they think God will let them into Heaven.

What they may not know or think about is the absolute holiness of God. And more, they have no idea of what God thinks about their good deeds. So here is that cold, hard fact:

Your sin has stained everything in your life, even the things that seem good to you.

Isaiah 64:6
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Why does God see even your good deeds as being like a filthy garment?

Why? Because everything about us is tainted with our sin. We don't have anything pure, holy, or perfect. God didn’t say just be good. He said be Holy.

That is how Lost you really are. God is rejecting even your good deeds because of the sin that's in your life.

So, it seems like a big problem – and it is. On one hand God loves you. On the other, God is Holy and will only accept holy people. But we’re not holy. Our sin has contaminated everything in our life – even our good deeds.

And to go a step further, God is our Judge. And He gives only Perfect Justice. As our Judge, He must uphold His own law and, therefore, must punish sin.

Please listen: If you force God to judge you based on your personal righteousness, then you are doomed already.

God knows this. And God has provided the solution, a way for you to be judged based on the Righteousness of Jesus Christ instead of your own personal righteousness. You can put on His Breastplate of Righteousness.

How? How can you exchange your sin-stained righteousness for the Holiness of Jesus Christ?

To answer that, I need you to understand the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – in the next section...

Put on the Full Armor of God

Shoes of the Gospel

Let me define the Gospel. The word itself simply means good news. But in the Bible, it is the good news of what has been accomplished for you by the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Here it is defined in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (emphasis & underlines are mine)
1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The actual Good News - the primary accomplishment – is mentioned in verses 1 and 2. Both are talking about salvation, which is having your sins forgiven, being made holy in God’s eyes, and going to Heaven instead of Hell.

Verse 1 talks about “standing” in the gospel. That is talking about the daily connection you have with God – no longer separated.

Verse 2 talks about being saved by the gospel. That is from the moment you were saved until the time you step into Heaven and then forever after.

But how does any of that apply to you? What does the death of Jesus on the Cross have to do with you?

Let’s go back to our two verses that we personalized:

John 3:16

"For God so loved me, that He gave His only son, Jesus, that if I would believe in Jesus that I would not perish in Hell but would have eternal life in Heaven."

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward me, in that while I am still a sinner, Christ died for me.

God allows that you can exchange your life with Jesus. That means that you would be credited with His sinless life, and He would be charged with all your sins AND would pay the penalty for those sins.

What is that penalty?

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The penalty is Death. The thing that you earn from sin is eternal death – Hell.

What is happening at the Cross is that Jesus is paying for – dying for – your lifetime of sin.

This is very important for you to understand. While it is true that God loves the whole world, and that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, it is also true that the whole world is not going to Heaven. To help you with this fact, I asked you to personalize a couple of verses to draw your attention to what really matters at this moment. Because the focus is on you, just you. So here it is. The best understanding of the Cross is to see it as if that cross was made for you – for your punishment. And Jesus was dying on your cross, for your sins, literally taking your place. That’s how personal it is.

But there is more.

In the Armor of God, the shoes are called not just The Gospel, but The Gospel of Peace.

What’s the Peace?

You’ll recall that your sin created a separation between you and God. Not only does your sin separate you and God, ultimately landing you in Hell while He is in Heaven, but it is as if you have by your behavior declared war against God.

I’m sure you didn’t really intend to pick a fight with The Almighty. But you have chosen daily to be on the opposite side. Your sins are an outrage to Him, and an insult to His Son, Jesus, the One who died in your place.

But God is loving and has patiently suffered your insults, waiting for you to come to Him, perhaps waiting for you to come to this very moment in time.

The solution for this is, once again, Jesus and the Cross.

Look at these verses:

Colossians 1:19-22

19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Jesus),

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

21 And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,

22 yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him (the Father) holy and blameless and beyond reproach

Reconcile - means to settle disagreements and restore relationships.

Why would the Father and Jesus do this? Look at that last line.

“to present you before Him (the Father) holy and blameless and beyond reproach”

Want to see it stated just a bit differently? I’ve already given you Romans 5:8, just keep reading through verse 11.

Romans 5:8-11

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

The Gospel of Peace remembers the Death of Christ –

His agony, His suffering, and torturous death on the Cross because of your sin.

The Gospel of Peace remembers the Burial of Christ –

The finality of it. Once and for all, the debt of your sin is paid in full.

The Gospel of Peace remembers the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! –

His Complete and Total Victory over death and the grave
His Complete and Total Victory over Satan and Hell
His Complete and Total Victory over sin

The Gospel of Peace Acknowledges His Complete and Total Victory reconciling you with God and presenting you holy and blameless and beyond reproach!!

That’s the “Good” in the Good News.

In the previous section we talked about Good Deeds or Righteousness. And how lost you really are. He knows all that and has provided a way for you to be judged based on the Righteousness of Jesus Christ instead of your own personal righteousness. You can put on His Breastplate of Righteousness, which is the one and only Pure and Acceptable Righteousness.

In this section we’ve seen that through Jesus and the Cross you can be presented to God the Father as holy and blameless and beyond reproach!

Now, we’ve come to the point where we can answer the questions.

How do I get this?”

What is the cost?”

How do I get to use His Righteousness instead of my own?

The next section has that answer.

Put on the Full Armor of God

Shield of Faith

What is faith? Many would say it is believing in something. And that is part of it. But to understand Bible Faith, you must include “Trust.” Specifically, it is Believing and Trusting Jesus and the Gospel.

Bible Faith is the centerpiece of God’s plan for your salvation. This verse puts the pieces together.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB 2020)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Salvation is:

By Grace – God’s generosity, kindness, blessings, and love.

Through Faith – As you hear the Gospel, The Holy Spirit of God will whisper in your heart that God’s word is true and ask you to accept it. He will even give you the initial faith in your heart so that you CAN accept it. But He will not force you. Ultimately the choice is yours. But it is in that choice that you either accept or reject your own salvation.

Not of Yourselves – Your only part in salvation is to accept or reject what God has provided.

The Gift of God – You can not buy it. You don’t deserve it. He offers it FREE of Charge

Not of Works – He excludes (rejects and ignores) your good deeds.

No One May Boast – He leaves you with nothing of your own to boast about. Having sacrificed Jesus on the cross as payment for your sin, God wants all recognition to go to Him. But, as we have seen, most people believe that while they aren’t perfect, they think and believe that they are basically good. And they hope (believe) they’ll go to Heaven because of that goodness. In fact, they are counting on it, trusting it. And that is their boast. God rejects that boast because they are saying that their goodness is just as good as that of Jesus and they think God should accept it. But God says No.

Rather than just living your life and hoping it all works out, I’m trying to show you that you need Jesus. Back at the start I gave you two truths to consider. The first was that God loves you. The second is that you are a sinner in need of a savior. I said the second one is the hardest for most people to accept. But we’re coming to that point where you’ll have to make a choice. You can maintain your pride and remain lost or you can confess your sin and live.

So let me give you a few verses dealing with confession:

Psalm 32:5 (NASB 2020)

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And I did not hide my guilt;

I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

1 John 1:9 (NASB 2020)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 4:5 (NASB 2020) – (with my added comment about “work”)

5 But to the one who does not work (who does not rely on his own good deeds), but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

In Romans 4:5 look at that phrase “Him who justifies the ungodly”. That is another way to say “Him who saves the ungodly”. Are you willing to put yourself in that category of people that God is willing to save – the ungodly? Are you prepared to admit / confess to God that you are a sinner.

I told you this is the hard part.

Be careful how you answer. If you insist that you are “good” and won’t confess your sin, then you tie God’s hands and give Him no choice but to let you face judgement by yourself, using your own sin-soaked righteousness as your only defense. Please don’t do that.

The verses below are some of the clearest concerning how to be saved. And we’re going to step through each phrase.

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB 2020)

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Look at verse 9 and that phrase “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord.” This deals with admitting your sin – putting yourself in the group that Romans 4:5 calls the ungodly. And it includes turning away from those old sin habits and turning to Jesus in trust and obedience (called repentance). It includes letting Jesus redirect your life, which many Christians would describe as “making Jesus Lord of your life.” But honestly, you don’t make Him Lord of your life. He’s already the One and Only Lord. He is Lord of All. The question is whether you are prepared to accept that. And live by it.

The second half of verse 9 is looking at Jesus and the Cross. He wants you to believe and trust – personally. Look at that phrase “believe in your heart” – believe what - in the Gospel - Yes. But specifically, the miraculous part the Gospel, which is the Resurrection. The Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The miracle is in the Resurrection.

This is where you transfer your trust from trusting your own personal righteousness to trusting –the Gospel – as being for you personally.

In other words, He died for your sins, was then buried, and 3 days later came back to life and rose again.

It is your trusting belief in that Gospel that counts. In verse 10 He explains it

“with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness.”

That’s it!

That kind of Trusting Belief in the Gospel results in the very thing that you don’t have – Righteousness! The thing that sin destroyed in your life is given to you, fresh and new!!

And simultaneously in verse 10 He says this:

“and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Confessing your sin, allows God to forgive you… to SAVE you!

Just think of it. New Righteousness and all your sins forgiven. He says that results in Salvation – going to Heaven.

The Book of Philippians puts it this way

Philippians 3:8b–9 (NASB 2020)

8b …so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

And being Saved (sins forgiven, going to Heaven) is just the beginning.

Look at this verse:

Romans 5:1-2 (NASB 2020)

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.

Did you see it? Salvation is just our introduction to the Grace of God. And we will begin to Celebrate in the Hope (or Anticipation) of what comes next – The Glory of God!

Next Section….

Put on the Full Armor of God

Helmet of Salvation

How do we know that we’re really saved?

God definitely wants you to know that you are saved:

1 John 5:13 (NASB 2020)

13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Salvation and Heaven, etc. are spiritual matters. And even though there are behavioral markers that new Christians can find in themselves, it is still difficult to see the changes that take place. So, to help you understand what happens the Bible often puts it in physical terms and illustrates it with physical examples that anyone can understand.

For example, to help you better understand Salvation, God talks about it in terms of being “born.” Phrases like “born again” (literally born from above) and “born of God” are used to describe what happens the moment you place your trust / your faith in Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:1a (NASB 2020)

1a Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,

In John 3 Jesus is talking to an educated and religious man named Nicodemus about going to Heaven. And Jesus uses the idea of being born again as an illustration of salvation.

John 3:3 (NASB 2020)

3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is

born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5-7 (NASB 2020)

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and theSpirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Jesus used two terms (Water and Spirit) to describe this new birth. The Water is a symbolic reference to God’s Word. And Spirit is a reference to the Spirit of God.

The moment you place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God and the Word of God come together, and God works a miracle in your heart, and you are born again as a new Spiritual You.

The new Spiritual You – the Saved You – is different from the old. The new You has a new nature given by the Spirit of God; you have God living in your heart. That spark of God’s Holy Spirit in you is how God will lead, guide and direct your new life.

How does being Born Again assure us that we’re really Saved?

Your physical birth is something you can say very definitely – happened. For example, when you fill out a form and it asks for your DOB, you put your birthdate. You would never say, “I hope I’m born”, or “I’m still working on that.” Spiritual birth is just as real, but it happens in the spiritual realm.

Physical birth is a once-and-done event. You don’t have to be born every morning. Your spiritual birth is the same. Once you’re born, you’re born.

And this new birth is very real. The best evidence of that New Birth is that you receive the Holy Spirit into your life, guiding you and teaching you.

Romans 8:14 (NASB 2020)

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.

He actually gives you a new nature, a new way of living, a new to look at sin (verse 15 below).

Romans 8:15–17 (NASB 2020)

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery (to sin) leading to fear again (fearing that you aren't saved), but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Being Born Again means being born into the family of God. But in verse 15 He also relates it to Adoption, which is really cool. Because an adopted child has more legal rights than a born child. So, you can now legitimately by birth and by law call God your Father. But even better (verse 15) you can call Him Abba (Daddy). And still further, the Spirit of God whispers into your heart (verse 16) that you are a child of God and also (verse 17) a joint heir with Jesus. So cool!!

But, even with your new nature, you won’t be perfect. You can – and will – sin again. Does that make you Lost again. No, it doesn’t. Once you are born into God’s family, it is eternal. And God knows that you will sin and He provides this:

1 John 2:1 (NASB 2020)

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

Let’s look at this from the aspect of being born. You aren’t born as a grown, mature person. You are born as a baby; you learn how to behave over time. It is a life-long process.

Being a baby Christian is just like that. There is even a word for that process. It is called Sanctification. And in that process, you don’t get kicked out of the family because you sinned again. You just go back to Jesus and ask His forgiveness.

If you are still intentionally running towards sin, if sin is still your goal, if you can sin without feeling guilt, then you need to evaluate yourself. You are probably not saved. Lost people can sin without guilt. But Saved people hear the Holy Spirit leading them.

Are you hearing that voice leading you away from sin? That tells you that you are Saved.

Another way we know that we’re Saved is that the Holy Spirit gives us a new nature. And that includes having a new love for other Christians and the Church.

1 John 3:14 (NASB 2020)

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.

John 13:35 (NASB 2020)

35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

How do you feel about Christians and the Church? Do you ridicule and mock them? How do feel about your lost friends? Do you want to do the things they do, or do you want to tell them about Jesus and see them get saved too? If you are still opposing God, the Church, and Christians? You should re-evaluate yourself. You may not be saved.

Can you become lost again and still go to Hell?

The short answer is, NO. If you are genuinely born again, you are saved eternally, forever.

Fortunately, your new life does not depend on you in that way. Remember, you had almost nothing to do with getting yourself saved. It was God’s Gift. Similarly, it is also God who keeps you saved. He is so sure that he can keep you saved that He calls that new life “Eternal.”

Let’s look at a few of His wonderful promises:

John 3:16 (NASB 2020)

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

John 5:24 (NASB 2020)

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

John 6:47 (NASB 2020)

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life.

1 John 5:11–12 (NASB 2020)

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

And there are many other verses.

So, can we be lost again?

The first part of the answer is: No, this is not temporary life; it is eternal life.

But secondly, the authority of God guarantees your salvation. Let’s look at that:

Romans 8:1–2 (NASB 2020)

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

God says being saved (which He also calls being “in Christ’) is guaranteed by His Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. And it is that law that sets you free from the Law of Sin and Death.

Romans 8:33–34 (NASB 2020)

33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

At some point Satan – the devil will try to convince you that you are not saved. But God says that He (God) is the One who has Justified you (saved you) on the basis of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. And the resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of the sufficiency of the sacrifice.

Romans 1:4 (NASB 2020)

4 who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

That means that if Jesus was not a sinless person, God would not have raised Him. But He was sinless and God did raise Him. And He sits at the place of honor – God’s right hand.

God is telling you – there is nothing that can change what Jesus has done for you. It is finished.

Romans 8:35 and 38–39 (NASB 2020)

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How do we know that we’re Saved Forever

Because by His Own Authority, Almighty God who loves us unconditionally says so.

Next section…

Put on the Full Armor of God

Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

Let’s think for a minute about who Jesus is. Many people will say that He is the Son of God. And that is true. The little baby of Christmas is indeed the Son of God. But for some people that term Son of God seems to separate Him from the “real” God. Over here you have God and there you have the Son of God. Different, right? Before you answer, let’s add one more character to the discussion and His name is the Holy Spirit. Who are these “people?”

I wish I could explain it. Thousands upon thousands of pages have been written to try to explain what is called the Holy Trinity. The problem, however, is that there is nothing else like it. We can’t point to anything and say the Trinity is like “this or that.” But if I’m pressed for a comparison, I’d mention “water.” It can be a solid (ice), liquid, or vapor (steam). I might talk about “time.” It is past, present and future. But these comparisons do not capture the essence of the Trinity. The best example we have is the one the Bible gives us. Since we are made in the image of God, we are Body, Soul and Spirit. We are not the same as the Trinity, but just a representation of what God is like, just an image, an icon for the real thing.

Simply stated there is only One God, and He simultaneously expresses Himself in three distinct persons, whom He describes as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The best way for me to understand the Trinity is to see in the Bible what each one of them has done.

We’re going to look primarily at the Son of God (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I want you to understand that they are not some lesser forms of God. They are each equally God. And we’re going to start with two verses. The first one is the very first verse of the Bible. And the second is the first verse in the Book of John. They both take us back to the moment of Creation. Here they are together:

Genesis 1:1 (NASB 2020)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1 (NASB 2020)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

You may be familiar with the verse from Genesis. But what is John talking about? Actually, he’s talking about Jesus. Jesus has many titles and one of them is “The Word of God,” or “The Living Word.” So now let’s look at some of John’s next few verses and you’ll begin to see that he really is talking about Jesus, but he’s using one of His titles, "Word," instead of his name.

John 1:2 – 4 and 10 (NASB 2020)

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him.

Are you seeing this? John just told you that Jesus is the Creator from Genesis 1:1.

Bonus: He also mentions another title of Jesus, the Light of mankind – meaning Savior!

But let’s keep going. Because John has more to say about Jesus as The Word.

John 1:14 (NASB 2020)

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Who was The Father’s only son? Jesus (remember John 3:16)!!

Let's keep going...

John 1:16–17 (NASB 2020)

16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

Wow!! Jesus is the Creator, the Savior, the Christ. I’d bet you never thought of Jesus as the Creator. There are other verses that speak of Jesus as Creator:

1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2&10; Rev. 3:14

And this is just one instance where we see that Jesus is fully God. There are other amazing verses and passages like this. I’m not going to take the time to explore them now. I just wanted you to see is that Jesus is called the Word of God and that He is fully God.

What about the Holy Spirit. Is He equally God? Absolutely. And He was also there at Creation. We’ll find Him in verse 2.

Genesis 1:2 (NASB 2020)

2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

That’s Him. The Spirit of God.

One of the Holy Spirit’s “jobs” is to tell you about Jesus by speaking to your heart as you hear from the Bible.

Romans 10:17 (NASB 2020)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:3b (NASB 2020)

3b and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Here’s what happens. The Bible is the written word of God, and it is a complete revelation of Jesus Christ. And, therefore, Jesus is called the Living Word of God.

That written word has a Greek name called the Logos. And, as you hear the Logos, the Holy Spirit takes a portion of it and speaks to your heart about it. That portion of the Logos is called a Rhema (pronounced Ray-ma).

So, the Holy Spirit takes a Rhema and tells you things like: this is truth, it applies to you, believe it, do it.

Once the Holy Spirit has put that truth in your heart, you don’t really wonder about it anymore. You know it’s true. But just knowing the truth is not the same as trusting that truth. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit provides the ability for you to believe it and trust it (Bible Faith). So, you can trust the truth – if you want to.

1 Thessalonians 1:5a (NASB 2020)

5a for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;

What does this have to do with the Armor?

We’re talking about the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Literally it is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Rhema of God.

In other words, your sword is the Rhema of God that the Holy Spirit has made real in your heart and in which you have trusted.

What does that have to do with your salvation?

To answer that I need to remind you of something from the section on the Shield of Faith:

_____

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB 2020)

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 or with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

_____

Look at that phrase “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord.” What does it mean that He is Lord?

Lord is an expression recognizing His sovereignty and authority, and your submission to Him. It also recognizes His sacrificial love for you as your Messiah, Savior. And it is a term of worship and adoration for all that He has done for you and continues to do.

As Lord of your life, nothing and no one comes before Him. He is always first. The King James version of the Bible uses the word preeminence. I like that.

Colossians 1:18b (KJV)

18b ….that in all things he might have the preeminence.

His sovereign authority has no limit.

Colossians 2:9 (NASB 2020)

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Matthew 28:18 (NASB 2020)

18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

He is absolutely sovereign over this whole universe, which He himself created. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

As I said before, you don’t make Him Lord. He is already Lord. And God the Father is quite serious about this:

Philippians 2:8–11 (NASB 2020)

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He (Jesus) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.

9 For this reason also God (the Father) highly exalted Him (Jesus), and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The prophet Isaiah said:

Isaiah 9:6 (NASB 2020)

6 For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Look at it, especially Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Just think. The Creator of the universe, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father (God in the flesh) is Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord who died on a cross for your sins and now offers you Peace with God, your sins forgiven, and eternal life with Him in Heaven. And guarantees it by the Authority of His Word, which is complete and absolute.

Will you accept His promise and take Him at His word?

Everything that can be done for you has already been done. Even the faith that you need is provided.

Hebrews 12:2 (NASB 2020)

2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is the originator and perfecter of Bible Faith. You might think, that your faith is too small and weak. Fortunately, God isn’t looking at the strength of your faith. He’s looking at the object of your faith. And if the object of your faith is Jesus, then your faith is perfect - because He is perfect.

Look at this verse again where it says “…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…”

What joy is He talking about?

You. He’s talking about saving you. Just like John 3:16 (personalized), For God so loved YOU. Jesus loves you. And for the joy of saving you He endured the cross.

If you are having a change of heart. If you are recognizing your need for Jesus, don’t reject it. That change is coming from God. His Holy Spirit has taken a Rhema from the Word of God and applied it to your heart. He is drawing you to Himself, asking you to choose Him.

The Holy Spirit is telling your heart that God’s Word is true.

You have a choice to make.

Won’t you Come to Jesus?

How is that done?

Next Section….

Put on the Full Armor of God

Pray

How do we reach out our hand of faith to receive this Gift of God? We just ask Him. Prayer is just talking to God. He already wants to save you. He’s just waiting for you to ask.

What would I say?

Thank Him for loving you. Admit you're a sinner. Tell Him you're sorry. Tell Him you believe He died for you, and He rose from the dead. Ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior and Lord. Ask him to help you turn from your sins and live for Jesus. Thank Him for saving you.

There are no magic words. It’s what’s in your heart that counts. You can put it in your own words or use this prayer below:

Dear God, thank You for loving me even though I’m a sinner. I admit it. I am a sinner. But I’m sorry for what I’ve done and how I’ve lived. I know I can’t save myself. But Jesus, You died to save me, and You promised to save me, if I would only trust You. I do trust You, Lord Jesus.

Tell Him that:

I do trust You. I believe You’re the Son of God. I believe You died for my sin on that cross. I believe that God raised You from the dead. I believe it. And now, by faith and trust, I receive You as my Lord and my Savior. Right now, I receive You. I open my heart, I turn from my sin, I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart. Forgive me. Save me, Lord Jesus.

Would you pray that prayer from your heart?

Save me, Lord Jesus.

And if you prayed that prayer, I want you to thank Him for saving you. By an act of sheer faith, just pray:

Lord, thank You. I don’t look for a sign. I don’t ask for a feeling. I stand on Your Word. You cannot lie. Thank You for saving me. I turn away from my sin, and I turn to You, my Savior and my Lord.

And Lord Jesus, because You died for me, because You have forgiven me, because You’ve made me Your child, because You have the glory of Heaven waiting for me, help me to live for You. Help me to be what You want me to be. Help me live as You want me to live.

And it is in Your Name, the Name above all names, that I pray. Amen.

Put on the Full Armor of God

Summary and Final Thought

Summary

1. Belt of Truth

Consider two truths: God loves you. And God sees you as a sinner in need of a Savior. Do you believe these two truths about yourself?

2. Breastplate of Righteousness

The hard fact is that you don't have any personal righteousness. So, your good deeds will never outweigh your bad.

3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

For God so loved you that He gave His only son, Jesus, to die for your sin. Because of this you can be saved from Hell.

4. Shield of Faith

Believe, Trust that Jesus died and rose again for you.

5. Helmet of Salvation.

Trust Jesus as your Savior, and your salvation is guaranteed by God!

6. Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

All the Authority of God rests in Jesus. He is Lord of all.

7. Pray - Thank Him for loving you. Admit you're a sinner. Tell Him you're sorry. Tell Him you believe He died for you and He rose from the dead. Ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior and Lord. Ask him to help you turn from your sins. Thank Him for saving you.

Final Thought

Jesus is the Armor of God: Jesus is Truth and our Righteousness. His Death, Burial, and Resurrection is the Gospel. We put our Faith in Him, making Him our Savior. He is the Lord, the Living Word of God.