Got the Armor Put it On!

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

We’re examining Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 6 regarding the spiritual armor and the battle that makes it necessary. Yesterday we looked at the source of the strength to use that armor. We talked about David and how he realized that his cause was a worthy one and that his strength came from the LORD. 

Something that happened in the process of preparing for the battle with Goliath, which is kind of funny if you think about it, was the following. Saul, being the great king that he was, sat around a lot. I don’t know if you have noticed. In this account, he was on a battlefront and he was in his tent sitting there worrying. When David told him that he was willing to fight the giant, Saul didn’t want to send him but he eventually relented and offered David his armor to use as protection. David, a shepherd boy not a soldier, tried on the bulky armor but it didn't fit. David realized that the armor would be more of a hindrance than a help and so he left it in favor of a sling and five smooth stones. He knew how to use those weapons.

Paul, on the other hand, realized that our spiritual battle is a severe and constant one and that we would need to use God’s armor in that fight. Unlike Saul’s bulky armor the armor of God’s spirit fits perfectly. When used as intended it will protect us in our fight against the unseen enemies that surround us daily. 

Look at what verse eleven says. We are to put on the full armor of God

Peter tells us in his second epistle that we have everything that we need to live godly lives. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his glory and goodness.”

How do we put this armor on? We will see that it has to go on one piece at a time. We need all of it and we must know that it is a perfect fit for its purpose because it comes from God.

Have you ever seen the movie, Ironman? If so you will remember that Tony Stark made a suit so cool that it puts itself on rather miraculously. He walks down a runway and that thing starts to materialize out of seemingly nowhere. When all is said and done, Tony has become the Ironman. He can fly, punch, shoot rockets and withstand a tremendous beating from the Hulk. Amazing. And all imaginary. There is no Ironman. There are no superheroes. HOWEVER, we have something equally amazing in our possession, the armor of God. 

Going back to the story we used yesterday, about the battle between David and Goliath. You will remember that Saul’s armor was too big for David. In that same account, the author goes into some of the details of the other guy’s armor. Goliath had armor. He was protected in 99% of his body parts. Look at the list: “A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield-bearer went ahead of him.”

Who would have bet against this guy? He was Huge and armed to the teeth. One thing that was left off the list above was that Goliath also had a sword. That would be later used to separate his dented head from his huge frame. 

Goliath had all of the right equipment to be a winning soldier. At least in a one-on-one battle. But he lost. Why? He trusted in the wrong things. He trusted in his size, his armor and skills, and his gods. David’s trust was in God. David had all of the tools that he needed in a little bag and a sling. Those would be helpful, however, his real trust was in the fact that the battle was the Lord’s. In 1 Samuel 17:47 David states the reason that he would win the fight, he said, “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

David trusted in God because God is worthy of trust. The battle wasn’t just with one puny giant, it was against a personal attack on God. God’s strength and plan were in the balance. 

When we look at Paul’s injunction and instructions in Ephesians 6 with this same thought in mind, it will change our perspective from that of self-protection to that of protecting the integrity of God’s plan and power. Thus we must put on the armor of God. The whole armor.