The Armor - Truth
Ephesians 6:14
Message #5
This is our fifth message on the Spiritual Battle, and today we are getting to the scripture that most people start with. Thank you for your patience as we have repeatedly laid the foundation for the verses we are going to get to today. And though we have belabored the foundation for this series, we’re going to do just a little review again.
Here is the reminder. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, meaning PEOPLE. Our enemy is NOT that person or people. Our true enemy is the spiritual powers that are constantly trying to influence us, often through other people in order to get us to follow Satan’s plan for our lives instead of God’s plan. And far, far too often, we are consumed with fighting our circumstances and fighting with people when our true battle is not even in the realm of circumstances and people, but instead, in the spiritual realm.
Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
The real battle is actually in the spiritual realm. Our true battle is a spiritual one. So, if our true battle is a spiritual one, why are we constantly using fleshly, human weapons to fight it? Because we think we are fighting the real battle when we’re actually only fighting the effects (symptoms) of the real battle. We are consumed with the effects of the spiritual battle, and (for the most part) we are ignoring the true cause. And because we are focused on fighting the effects and not the cause, we continue to do battle in our flesh. And so, we are fighting primarily the effects of the battle. We are primarily using our flesh to fight the effects, and then we wonder why we never seem to be walking in victory in this spiritual battle.
And not only do we often fight from the wrong realm, but we often fight from the wrong position. As we fight the effects of the spiritual battle in the flesh, we tend to see ourselves fighting to achieve victory. But, as we’ve said over and over, in the real battle, (that is, IN the spiritual realm), we are not fighting for victory or to achieve victory. We are fighting FROM a POSITION of victory. Our total and complete victory has already BEEN WON by Jesus on our behalf. We are now only called by God to STAND FIRM in the victory that has already been won for us.
Your spiritual enemy has been disarmed. He doesn’t have any bullets in his gun. But if he can keep you consumed with fighting in this fleshly, temporal, circumstantial world, then he can still beat you by deception and manipulation. He influences your mind, through deception, in order to influence your life, to destruction.
This is WHY this key section in Ephesians 6 starts with:
Ephesians 6:10 (NLT)
10 . . . Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Your victory is already WON in Jesus Christ. All you have to do is to stand in that victory. All you have to do is be strong IN the Lord and in HIS mighty power.
Here’s a little Greek lesson for you. That phrase “be strong” in the Lord is in the PASSIVE sense, meaning it is something DONE TO YOU. The word is translated literally “to be made strong” (to be enabled.) Even the strength to be strong in the Lord is not yours. The only thing that is yours is the choice to either stand in the Lord’s victory or fall to the enemy’s deception.
So how do we stand strong in the Lord and in his mighty power? The answer is in the next verse. (It always is.)
Ephesians 6, verse 11 says that in order to stand strong,
Ephesians 6:11 (NLT)
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
That’s it. We have arrived at the armor. I know we’ve been repeating the background truths. I know we have said a number of these things over and over. But (again) it’s because I really, really want you to GET IT. I really do. I want you to understand why putting on all the spiritual armor determines whether you will stand in the victory of Christ or easily fall to your spiritual enemy.
So, here’s what we know so far.
1). We know there is a spiritual battle in the spiritual realm that affects the physical realm.
2). We know the enemy’s goal is to bring destruction into our lives by influencing our minds and, thereby, our actions.
3). We know that Jesus Christ has already won the total victory on our behalf.
4). We know that to live in that victory, all we have to do is stand strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
5). And now we know that to do that, all we have to do is put on all of God’s armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.
That’s it.
And now that we know all of that background, there are two things left to learn in this series:
What is God’s armor?
How do we put it on?
And that is what we are going to finish the series with:
What is God’s armor?
How do we put it on?
And as we go through each article of the armor, we are going to try to see both what it is and how to put it on.
Ephesians 6:13 (NLT)
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Look closely. Why are we commanded to put on every piece of God’s armor? Why? It’s so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Notice the words in the time of evil. This is most probably a reference to ANY TIME the enemy sets his sights on influencing you toward destruction.
And then, what will happen at the end of the battle? (End of verse 13.) Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
That is what we want, to remain standing firm in the victory that Jesus Christ won for us, right?
As we finally come to the armor, let me just say, the armor is divided into two basic sets of three, separated by the verbs used to describe them. Let’s read through the first three articles of armor, and then I’ll explain.
Ephesians 6:14–15 (NLT)
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and (which implies – putting on) the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
The first verb that sets out the first half of the armor is (basically) the verb “put on.”
Put on truth. Verse 14. Put on righteousness. Verse 14. Put on peace. Verse 15. These first three articles of the armor have to do with how we are clothed, and what we are to put on in our lives.
I want you to hear up front, and very clearly, each of the pieces of armor ARE Jesus Christ. Jesus is our truth. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is our peace. ALL six articles of the armor ARE the person of Jesus Christ. The first three are characteristics of Jesus Christ that we are to be immersed in. We are to be so IMMERSED in Jesus Christ as our truth, as our righteousness, as our peace, that we are clothed in these characteristics of his. We must so put on Jesus in these areas that our lives are actually being transformed more and more INTO his image in these particular areas.
The concept of “putting on” Christ, being “clothed” in Christ, is a familiar one in the New Testament. Here’s just one example:
Romans 13:14 (ESV)
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh . . .
This is saying, in general, the exact same thing Ephesians Chapter 6 is saying. And that is, the only thing we have that’s victorious over our spiritual enemy is the life of Jesus Christ in us. So, we must clothe ourselves with these character traits of Jesus Christ.
I’m not too big on using the Roman soldier illustration because if I do, you’ll think too much about dressing like a Roman soldier and not enough about putting on Jesus Christ. But Paul is using a Roman soldier as an illustration (probably because he is chained to one), so I will use it a little.
Alright, armor article number one – because it is the foundation of all the other armor: The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:14 (NLT)
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth . . .
Here’s why TRUTH is referred to as a belt. The belt was the fundamental piece of the armor. Everything else (in some way) relied on the belt, and so it is in our battle – TRUTH is the fundamental piece of our armor, and all the rest of our armor will somehow rely on our BELT OF TRUTH. And right here, at our first and most fundamental piece of armor, we have a huge problem!
Let me try to explain how Christians get taken out so easily in this first and most crucial area of the armor. What spiritual power presently rules the world system we live in? (Satan.) And what has the world system in our culture been convincing us of for the past 40-plus years? The world system (in our culture) is more and more convincing us that there is: No ABSOLUTE TRUTH, No OBJECTIVE TRUTH, No INDEPENDENT TRUTH. But instead, we are influenced to buy into the lie that: Truth is SUBJECTIVE, Truth is PERSONAL, and Truth is INDIVIDUAL.
We Christians, right here in this Bible-believing church, believe that the truth is NOT independent of what we think or feel. Instead, we are convinced that truth can be based on what WE think and on what WE feel. And the biggest problem is that we DON’T see this as a spiritual battle. If the enemy can deceive us into turning from God’s TRUE truth, then he has got us defeated before we even begin. We can’t even take the rest of the armor off the shelf because we don’t have anything to hang it on. All of the armor for our spiritual battle HANGS on the belt of truth in our lives.
And why do we love having our own truth so much? Because it feeds our sin nature of self-focus, my way, my truth, my “self.” Individual / personal truth fits our sin nature so well, and it’s an obvious first target for the enemy. If he can take out our belt of truth, then we have nothing to hang our spiritual armor on. THAT is how important the Belt of Truth is in battle.
The devil is a liar. The Bible says in John 8:
John 8:44 (NLT)
44 . . . [the devil] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Your enemy hates the truth, and he works very hard to influence you with his own lies. He is the father of all non-truth. But he is subtle… so subtle. The devil was subtle when he influenced Eve and Adam in the garden, and when he influenced Judas to betray Christ, and he will be subtle when he tries to influence you. He will feed you relative truth, which means truth that is true to you, whether it is truly true or not. If he can feed you “relative truth,” then he can easily begin to influence your mind to get you to follow his will instead of God’s will.
How many times have you and I, as Bible-believing Christians, been influenced to believe our own truth, even when it is contrary to what God’s truth clearly says? Then, Christians, convinced of their own truth, even when it is clearly contrary to God’s truth… they leave their marriage, they abandon their kids, they turn to drugs, or alcohol, or porn or other addictions because they’ve “worked out” their own truth, in their own mind, and in their own mind their actions are okay. They are clueless – even to the idea – that they are getting decimated in the spiritual battle.
I see Christians all the time come up with their own truth – even if it’s contrary to the Bible – and then fully expect God to continue blessing them and even get angry at him if he doesn’t.
For you to begin the spiritual battle, there must be ABSOLUTE truth in your life. Not an opinion. Not an idea. But an absolute Belt of Truth.
John 14:6 (NLT)
6 Jesus [said], “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .
Guys, please hear me. If we are going to stand firm in the victory we have in Christ, we are going to need an immovable standard of truth on which to hang our armor for the battle. And, can I just tell you, please, your opinion, your ideas, your truth is NOT the immovable standard of truth.
God is the ONLY immovable standard of truth, in the life of Jesus Christ, in the truth of God’s written Word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And if we would actually put on (clothe ourselves) with God’s immovable standard of truth in our lives… if we would truly receive God’s truth without adjusting it to suit our own personal “truth tastes”… then we would begin to be victorious in so many of our spiritual battles, just from the first foundational piece of the armor.
Let me close with this: It’s not just the negative truths, meaning don’t do this and don’t do that. But it is the positive truths as well, meaning – this is what God says about me, this is who God says I am, this is what God has done for me. Because the devil began his spiritual battle with mankind by making Adam and Eve believe that God had not done enough for them. Think about it; the enemy got Adam and Eve to doubt God’s blessings in their lives. He got them to doubt God’s promises. He got them to doubt that God was 100% good to them. And your enemy is still getting you to doubt God’s promises and to doubt that God is good to you.
There are over 3,000 promises from God in the Bible, and your enemy is constantly trying to get you to doubt those promises.
But 2 Corinthians says:
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT)
20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
The truth is – that in Christ – all of God’s promises have been and are being fulfilled. If we will put on that belt of truth in our lives, then we will start giving the enemy a run for his money.
Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)
3 . . . [God] has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
The promises and blessings of God are absolute truths we must hold on to when the enemy starts sending in doubts and questions and self-truth and relative truth. We need to learn to STAND FIRM in the immovable standard of TRUTH of God… in BOTH who God says we ARE and how God calls us to LIVE.
STAND FIRM – in God’s Belt of Truth.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
The weapons of your warfare are NOT of the flesh. They have Divine power to DESTROY strongholds – of the MIND. In Christ, you can destroy every argument that is raised against the knowledge of God by taking EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE to the obedience of Christ.
Next week we’ll start by talking about HOW we can do this.
Here is the reminder. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, meaning PEOPLE. Our enemy is NOT that person or people. Our true enemy is the spiritual powers that are constantly trying to influence us, often through other people in order to get us to follow Satan’s plan for our lives instead of God’s plan. And far, far too often, we are consumed with fighting our circumstances and fighting with people when our true battle is not even in the realm of circumstances and people, but instead, in the spiritual realm.
Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
The real battle is actually in the spiritual realm. Our true battle is a spiritual one. So, if our true battle is a spiritual one, why are we constantly using fleshly, human weapons to fight it? Because we think we are fighting the real battle when we’re actually only fighting the effects (symptoms) of the real battle. We are consumed with the effects of the spiritual battle, and (for the most part) we are ignoring the true cause. And because we are focused on fighting the effects and not the cause, we continue to do battle in our flesh. And so, we are fighting primarily the effects of the battle. We are primarily using our flesh to fight the effects, and then we wonder why we never seem to be walking in victory in this spiritual battle.
And not only do we often fight from the wrong realm, but we often fight from the wrong position. As we fight the effects of the spiritual battle in the flesh, we tend to see ourselves fighting to achieve victory. But, as we’ve said over and over, in the real battle, (that is, IN the spiritual realm), we are not fighting for victory or to achieve victory. We are fighting FROM a POSITION of victory. Our total and complete victory has already BEEN WON by Jesus on our behalf. We are now only called by God to STAND FIRM in the victory that has already been won for us.
Your spiritual enemy has been disarmed. He doesn’t have any bullets in his gun. But if he can keep you consumed with fighting in this fleshly, temporal, circumstantial world, then he can still beat you by deception and manipulation. He influences your mind, through deception, in order to influence your life, to destruction.
This is WHY this key section in Ephesians 6 starts with:
Ephesians 6:10 (NLT)
10 . . . Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Your victory is already WON in Jesus Christ. All you have to do is to stand in that victory. All you have to do is be strong IN the Lord and in HIS mighty power.
Here’s a little Greek lesson for you. That phrase “be strong” in the Lord is in the PASSIVE sense, meaning it is something DONE TO YOU. The word is translated literally “to be made strong” (to be enabled.) Even the strength to be strong in the Lord is not yours. The only thing that is yours is the choice to either stand in the Lord’s victory or fall to the enemy’s deception.
So how do we stand strong in the Lord and in his mighty power? The answer is in the next verse. (It always is.)
Ephesians 6, verse 11 says that in order to stand strong,
Ephesians 6:11 (NLT)
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
That’s it. We have arrived at the armor. I know we’ve been repeating the background truths. I know we have said a number of these things over and over. But (again) it’s because I really, really want you to GET IT. I really do. I want you to understand why putting on all the spiritual armor determines whether you will stand in the victory of Christ or easily fall to your spiritual enemy.
So, here’s what we know so far.
1). We know there is a spiritual battle in the spiritual realm that affects the physical realm.
2). We know the enemy’s goal is to bring destruction into our lives by influencing our minds and, thereby, our actions.
3). We know that Jesus Christ has already won the total victory on our behalf.
4). We know that to live in that victory, all we have to do is stand strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
5). And now we know that to do that, all we have to do is put on all of God’s armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.
That’s it.
And now that we know all of that background, there are two things left to learn in this series:
What is God’s armor?
How do we put it on?
And that is what we are going to finish the series with:
What is God’s armor?
How do we put it on?
And as we go through each article of the armor, we are going to try to see both what it is and how to put it on.
Ephesians 6:13 (NLT)
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Look closely. Why are we commanded to put on every piece of God’s armor? Why? It’s so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Notice the words in the time of evil. This is most probably a reference to ANY TIME the enemy sets his sights on influencing you toward destruction.
And then, what will happen at the end of the battle? (End of verse 13.) Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
That is what we want, to remain standing firm in the victory that Jesus Christ won for us, right?
As we finally come to the armor, let me just say, the armor is divided into two basic sets of three, separated by the verbs used to describe them. Let’s read through the first three articles of armor, and then I’ll explain.
Ephesians 6:14–15 (NLT)
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and (which implies – putting on) the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
The first verb that sets out the first half of the armor is (basically) the verb “put on.”
Put on truth. Verse 14. Put on righteousness. Verse 14. Put on peace. Verse 15. These first three articles of the armor have to do with how we are clothed, and what we are to put on in our lives.
I want you to hear up front, and very clearly, each of the pieces of armor ARE Jesus Christ. Jesus is our truth. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is our peace. ALL six articles of the armor ARE the person of Jesus Christ. The first three are characteristics of Jesus Christ that we are to be immersed in. We are to be so IMMERSED in Jesus Christ as our truth, as our righteousness, as our peace, that we are clothed in these characteristics of his. We must so put on Jesus in these areas that our lives are actually being transformed more and more INTO his image in these particular areas.
The concept of “putting on” Christ, being “clothed” in Christ, is a familiar one in the New Testament. Here’s just one example:
Romans 13:14 (ESV)
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh . . .
This is saying, in general, the exact same thing Ephesians Chapter 6 is saying. And that is, the only thing we have that’s victorious over our spiritual enemy is the life of Jesus Christ in us. So, we must clothe ourselves with these character traits of Jesus Christ.
I’m not too big on using the Roman soldier illustration because if I do, you’ll think too much about dressing like a Roman soldier and not enough about putting on Jesus Christ. But Paul is using a Roman soldier as an illustration (probably because he is chained to one), so I will use it a little.
Alright, armor article number one – because it is the foundation of all the other armor: The Belt of Truth
Ephesians 6:14 (NLT)
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth . . .
Here’s why TRUTH is referred to as a belt. The belt was the fundamental piece of the armor. Everything else (in some way) relied on the belt, and so it is in our battle – TRUTH is the fundamental piece of our armor, and all the rest of our armor will somehow rely on our BELT OF TRUTH. And right here, at our first and most fundamental piece of armor, we have a huge problem!
Let me try to explain how Christians get taken out so easily in this first and most crucial area of the armor. What spiritual power presently rules the world system we live in? (Satan.) And what has the world system in our culture been convincing us of for the past 40-plus years? The world system (in our culture) is more and more convincing us that there is: No ABSOLUTE TRUTH, No OBJECTIVE TRUTH, No INDEPENDENT TRUTH. But instead, we are influenced to buy into the lie that: Truth is SUBJECTIVE, Truth is PERSONAL, and Truth is INDIVIDUAL.
We Christians, right here in this Bible-believing church, believe that the truth is NOT independent of what we think or feel. Instead, we are convinced that truth can be based on what WE think and on what WE feel. And the biggest problem is that we DON’T see this as a spiritual battle. If the enemy can deceive us into turning from God’s TRUE truth, then he has got us defeated before we even begin. We can’t even take the rest of the armor off the shelf because we don’t have anything to hang it on. All of the armor for our spiritual battle HANGS on the belt of truth in our lives.
And why do we love having our own truth so much? Because it feeds our sin nature of self-focus, my way, my truth, my “self.” Individual / personal truth fits our sin nature so well, and it’s an obvious first target for the enemy. If he can take out our belt of truth, then we have nothing to hang our spiritual armor on. THAT is how important the Belt of Truth is in battle.
The devil is a liar. The Bible says in John 8:
John 8:44 (NLT)
44 . . . [the devil] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Your enemy hates the truth, and he works very hard to influence you with his own lies. He is the father of all non-truth. But he is subtle… so subtle. The devil was subtle when he influenced Eve and Adam in the garden, and when he influenced Judas to betray Christ, and he will be subtle when he tries to influence you. He will feed you relative truth, which means truth that is true to you, whether it is truly true or not. If he can feed you “relative truth,” then he can easily begin to influence your mind to get you to follow his will instead of God’s will.
How many times have you and I, as Bible-believing Christians, been influenced to believe our own truth, even when it is contrary to what God’s truth clearly says? Then, Christians, convinced of their own truth, even when it is clearly contrary to God’s truth… they leave their marriage, they abandon their kids, they turn to drugs, or alcohol, or porn or other addictions because they’ve “worked out” their own truth, in their own mind, and in their own mind their actions are okay. They are clueless – even to the idea – that they are getting decimated in the spiritual battle.
I see Christians all the time come up with their own truth – even if it’s contrary to the Bible – and then fully expect God to continue blessing them and even get angry at him if he doesn’t.
For you to begin the spiritual battle, there must be ABSOLUTE truth in your life. Not an opinion. Not an idea. But an absolute Belt of Truth.
John 14:6 (NLT)
6 Jesus [said], “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .
Guys, please hear me. If we are going to stand firm in the victory we have in Christ, we are going to need an immovable standard of truth on which to hang our armor for the battle. And, can I just tell you, please, your opinion, your ideas, your truth is NOT the immovable standard of truth.
God is the ONLY immovable standard of truth, in the life of Jesus Christ, in the truth of God’s written Word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And if we would actually put on (clothe ourselves) with God’s immovable standard of truth in our lives… if we would truly receive God’s truth without adjusting it to suit our own personal “truth tastes”… then we would begin to be victorious in so many of our spiritual battles, just from the first foundational piece of the armor.
Let me close with this: It’s not just the negative truths, meaning don’t do this and don’t do that. But it is the positive truths as well, meaning – this is what God says about me, this is who God says I am, this is what God has done for me. Because the devil began his spiritual battle with mankind by making Adam and Eve believe that God had not done enough for them. Think about it; the enemy got Adam and Eve to doubt God’s blessings in their lives. He got them to doubt God’s promises. He got them to doubt that God was 100% good to them. And your enemy is still getting you to doubt God’s promises and to doubt that God is good to you.
There are over 3,000 promises from God in the Bible, and your enemy is constantly trying to get you to doubt those promises.
But 2 Corinthians says:
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT)
20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
The truth is – that in Christ – all of God’s promises have been and are being fulfilled. If we will put on that belt of truth in our lives, then we will start giving the enemy a run for his money.
Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)
3 . . . [God] has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
The promises and blessings of God are absolute truths we must hold on to when the enemy starts sending in doubts and questions and self-truth and relative truth. We need to learn to STAND FIRM in the immovable standard of TRUTH of God… in BOTH who God says we ARE and how God calls us to LIVE.
STAND FIRM – in God’s Belt of Truth.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
The weapons of your warfare are NOT of the flesh. They have Divine power to DESTROY strongholds – of the MIND. In Christ, you can destroy every argument that is raised against the knowledge of God by taking EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE to the obedience of Christ.
Next week we’ll start by talking about HOW we can do this.