Ephesians 6:13-17 - Armor of God (Part 2)
RECAP: HOSTILE SPIRITS ARE REAL. YOU’RE IN A WAR. DENYING THAT IS DESTRUCTIVE.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” —Ephesians 6:13–17
SHIELD - FAITH (V.16)
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? …So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” —James 2:14, 17–19
How do we move from DEMONIC faith to SAVING faith?
1. Believe historical & theological truth
“these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” —John 20:31
2. Profess & pledge allegiance to King Jesus the Christ
(revisit Undivided #40 for baptism as pledge – 1 Peter 3:21)“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (see 1 Corinthians 15:3–5 for Gospel truth) —Romans 10:9–10
3. Enact allegiance through loyal & obedient ABSTINENCE and ACTION
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (see also Romans 2:6–8) —James 2:24
HELMET - SALVATION (V.17)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” —2 Colossians 3:1–2
Hostile spirits tempt us to forfeit ETERNAL salvation through TEMPORARY …
… PLEASURE (Genesis 3:4-6)
… POWER (Matthew 4:8–9)
… PAIN (Job 1:9–11; 2:4–5)
Will you forfeit eternal salvation because of temporary PLEASURE?
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” —Mark 8:35–36
Will you forfeit eternal salvation because of temporary TRIAL?
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” —2 Corinthians 4:17–18
SWORD - THE WORD OF GOD (V.17)
“And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” —Matthew 4:3–4
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (see also James 1:22–25) –Matthew 7:24–27
How do I give to 1MSO?
The people of One Missoula Church give tangible resources back to God in order to suffocate greed in our own lives and amplify the impact of the Gospel in the lives of others. We’ve removed every barrier and inconvenience to make this sacrificial act as accessible and simple as possible. At present, here are the avenues for this act of devotion:
- Sunday Morning – offering boxes on the communion tables at the back
- Snail Mail – postage-paid envelopes available
- Text “1MSO” to 406-631-3323
- Online at https://onemissoulachurch.com/give
- Via the One Missoula App under the “Giving” tab
