Pastor Terry Cheek Th.D.

www.theinspiringword.org

Thanks for returning to read another publication of “The Blue Ridge Christian News” and our article “The Inspiring Word”.

April finds the Christian anxiously awaiting the celebration of Jesus resurrection. The world may celebrate Easter but the saint of God celebrates the resurrection. Yes, I realize the words are used synonymously in our culture, and I am not being critical of the children and their time of treats, fun and games. I only wish to remind the church of our redeemer and His victory over death and the grave. As we consider the Lords victory we must also consider the battles we are called upon to fight as the body of Christ.

We know from Gods word the church will be faced with struggle against a common foe, the devil and his army, a.k.a. demons and their vessels. For this reason, we are told to put on the whole armor of God. I feel all of us have heard or preached many messages about the armor of God. For this article and the benefit of setting our heart toward the resurrection I would like you to consider three things with me about the armor of God. Consider with me the armor’s purpose, pieces and presentation in your life.

This month open your Bible first to Romans 13 and follow along. Beginning with verse 11 Paul tells the Christian it’s time to wake up and realize our positon with Jesus. Verse 12 is where I want to focus for a while. Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” The position we have is one of sharing Jesus with those around us. We read in John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” He is the light of His children and we are equipped (armor) to share that light. Therefore, one purpose of Gods armor is the equipping of His saints to spread the light of His gospel.

Now let’s move over to Ephesians 6:13 where we read “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-20 describes in detail the armor of God. I recommend you read the entire passage for clarity. Writing to the Ephesians Paul has in mind their weakness to resist temptation. Verse 12 talks specifically about principalities, powers, rulers and spiritual wickedness. Now verse 13 begins with “wherefore” which means because of this. Because we face such a foe we must take advantage of God’s provision, His armor. Here we find another purpose of Gods armor. It prepares us for the coming attacks of Satan and his demons.

Now that we have established a twofold purpose for the armor of God let’s briefly look at the pieces of Gods armor. First, we see truth. Truth does something very important, it serves as a girt, or a belt. The Roman soldier wore a leather belt which supported the other pieces of his armor. Truth is the belt which supports the remaining pieces of armor in our life. Truth as it is used here refers to the truth of scripture. God’s word. It is inerrant and inspired. We cannot lose that. Without that affirmation of the truth of Gods word in our life everything else falls to the ground. Second, we see the breastplate of righteousness, or the character and moral conduct that truth produces in our life. God’s word will change our character and conduct. God uses the phrase “born again” for a reason. Third, we read about the gospel of peace. This is illustrated by a pair of shoes. These are not any ordinary pair of shoes. The Roman soldier wore shoes called caligae and these shoes allowed advancement against his enemy. They were a soldier’s all-wheel drive for advancing in combat. The Christian must have a sense of eagerness or willingness to advance the gospel against the Devil and fight his resistance. The gospel is what and how we advance. Forth, we find a shield of faith. We take God at His word, we believe His promises, we trust His work, will and wisdom in our lives. Faith will protect us from the doubt and distraction we are promised to face from Satan. Fifth, we find the helmet of salvation. Paul is writing to the Christians. They are saved but Christians need the assurance of hope that comes only through the daily reflection of salvation. Hope is not wishing for victory, it is expecting victory. Hope expects victory on Gods terms and in Gods time. The helmet of salvation protects the assurance placed in our minds and heart. Sixth, we are issued the sword of the spirit, the word of God. The “word” used here is not logos but rhema which refers to the written word of God. There are passages from Gods word which encourage us, strengthen us and prepare us. There is also a responsibility. We must read the word to understand how to properly use it.