Put on the whole armor of God!  Ephesians 6:1018

Background: In Ephesians, Paul began by discussing what it means to be a believer and take hold of the many blessings every believer should have in Jesus. Paul knew that our faith is lived out in the real world. In that world, there is an enemy, and that enemy is at war with Christians.

The whole universe is a battleground between God and Satan, between God’s holy angels and the demonic world, between those who belong to Him and have thus been made holy and those who still belong to the evil one. God’s victory is certain, but the battles go on and every believer is involved.

By way of review, in the opening chapter of Ephesians Paul described who we are and what we have in Jesus. When a Christian is seeking to live the life provided by Jesus, he automatically puts himself in conflict with Satan. The Christian who seeks to live the faithful life can be sure he will face the spiritual warfare described in 6:10-20. That is why we need to put on the armor of God.  

Paul used the imagery of a war to describe the challenges we will face as Christians. Paul often used military concepts to describe the Christian life. See I These. 5:8, II Timothy 2:3, I Timothy 6:12, 4:7, II Corinthians 10:4, and Philemon 2.  

The message of Ephesians 6 is that there will be warfare for the believer. It is inevitable. Paul’s call is not to war but to preparation for the battles that will inevitably come. As the Lord gives mastery over one area of temptations, Satan will attack elsewhere. We are in conflict with a real enemy. Since we cannot see the enemy, cannot touch him, cannot outwit him, and are not strong enough in ourselves to take him on, we must seek help. We need God’s wisdom, God’s power, and God’s strength. That is what Ephesians 6:10-18 is all about.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 that we will be involved in a struggle. The Christian life is never presented as a passive existence but serious work to the point Paul could call it a struggle. Just before leaving Ephesus after his ministry there Paul met with the elders and declared they would face persecution. Read Acts 20:29-30. Numerous verses urge us to be active for the Lord against Satan. Read II Corinthians 10:35.  

Before looking at the specific pieces of the armor God has provided for us, there are several things to keep in mind. The war is not about our salvation. Jesus totally cared for that on the Cross. That critical battle has been won and applied to us via our faith in Jesus. If you are a believer, the battle for your soul and eternal destiny is over. 

What is the battle all about? The battle is for our spiritual growth. There are those who claim that once you become a Christian all your struggles are over. We know that is not true. The deeper one goes the harder the attacks will become. Look at Job. Never was there a more faithful man yet never was a man attacked more. Should we think that it is different for us?

Christians can allow themselves to be influenced and even controlled by the demonic world. There are so many challenges and warnings about resisting Satan that there seems to be little doubt that if a man so chooses, he can, even as a Christian, allow Satan to run his life and even work through him. Christians who willingly place themselves where sin is evident, often under the guise of “I’m just here with friends and will not be involved myself” are playing with evil. Christians who dabble in the occult or horoscopes, usually saying things like, “It’s just interesting and fun” are dabbling in areas that Satan controls and, therefore, are placing themselves in a dangerous position. 

Christians are challenged to both protect themselves and take the offense against Satan. The armor of God is designed for both protection and attack. That we need help in protecting ourselves is too evident to be seriously doubted and it is the role of the church in attacking the strongholds of Satan that is too often missed by the church. It is too easy to cluster together in church and pretend we are neither being attacked or have no responsibility to attack the sin strongholds of Satan.

Paul began his comments on the armor of God with a command. Paul wrote “Put On.” That is an order for the soldier who would do battle. The command to “put on” is in the aorist imperative tense, which carries the weight of a military command. Military commands demand immediate and unquestioned obedience. 

The background to this command is found in the situation Paul found himself in when he wrote this letter. Ephesians, written by Paul from prison where he was probably chained to a Roman soldier. As he looked at those battle-ready men, he must have considered the fact that we, as believers, are in battle and we need to have on our armor. Paul knew that to live the Christian life successfully, we had to be as prepared for spiritual warfare as the Roman soldiers where for military battles. 

Paul wrote in verse 13 that we are to take, not make, the armor. It has been fully prepared for us. If we lose the battle, it is not God’s fault but ours. God has provided the armor and His armor is sufficient. We desperately need protection and God has provided all that is necessary. It is His armor that gives victory, not our own strength or ability while we have a responsibility to not only wear it but to develop the skills needed to use it. 

To be successful in the spiritual battles we will inevitably face we must put on the whole armor. We must have it all, not just what we feel we want to wear. The importance of each item will become clear as we examine the details of each piece. Imagine a Roman soldier heading off to battle and saying, “I am not going to wear a helmet today, it’s just too heavy.” 

The challenge begins with “be strong” but one cannot be strong if he is not seeking to put on the whole armor. The Greek verb form of the verb be strong is present-imperative, that is, it is a command to “be strong.” As a present tense verb, it implies an ongoing process, “keep on being strong.” The command is to “be continually strengthened” or in the context of the passage, “Allow God to strengthen us as we put on His armor.”

God instructed us 3 times, in verses 11, 13 and 14, to stand. Satan is seeking to knock us off our feet. No soldier that is lying on the ground can do battle.  Because the whole passage is filled with military symbols, the phrase used here carried the idea of holding a critical position when one was under attack. Soldiers do not retreat at the first sign of a battle but take up an appropriate position, fully prepared and determined to hold it. This command means to stand firm and true to the faith, doctrines, and the life we are expected to live. Stand firm and do not move a bit. 

We are called upon to stand firm against, “The schemes of the Devil.” We wrestle against a real enemy. The choice of the word “schemes” is intended to communicate the way Satan seeks to do battle. The word carries the idea of craftiness, cunning, and deception. The term was used to describe a wild animal who cunningly stalked and then unexpectedly pounced on its prey. Satan’s evil schemes are built around stealth and deception.

He is cunning and deceptive. He presents himself as an angel of light (II Cor. 11:3, 1314). If his devices are to be frustrated, then we need heavenly power and protection. Read I Peter 5:8. 

Our enemy is Satan. He is the temporary ruler of this world and totally determined to frustrate God and God’s people. He hates God’s people and will do anything he can to keep them from growing spiritually or advancing the cause of Jesus. As Christians we are called upon to be God’s soldiers doing battle with Him, not by ourselves. Therefore, be equipped with the armor God has provided. Put on the WHOLE armor of God.

How do angels relate to mankind?

The angels have an interesting response to God’s loving provision for the redemption for sinful man. Apparently, there was no provision for the redemption of the angels who rebelled against God. They were cast out of heaven and sentenced to the Lake of Fire. Read I Corinthians 4:9 and I Peter 1:12. Peter wrote that good angels look with wonder upon the salvation that is offered to us and never provided for the angels who joined Satan in his rebellion. 

In I Peter 1 we see some of the things that good angels marvel at. I Peter 1:2 notes being “sprinkled with His blood.” The angels who rebelled have not seen the potential for the cleansing of sin, 

Read I Peter 1:3. Fallen angels have never been offered the new life available to us because of the provision of Jesus for our redemption. Angels marvel that God would love mankind so much that He would enter our world so He could redeem us.

Read I Peter 1:4 and 1:8. The angels marvel at all God has for believers. Angels marvel at the wonder of our redemption while too often we take it for granted, forgetting what it was like before we made that commitment to Jesus.

Although angels do not grasp God’s redemptive provision for mankind, they have been assigned the responsibility of helping with the task of evangelism. In Acts 8:26 we read that an angel led Philip to the Ethiopian treasurer. In Acts 10:1-8 we find that an angel led Cornelius to Peter. In addition, angels will help in the reaping of the fruits of evangelism at the end of time. Read Matthew 13:39 and Luke 15:10. When God rejoices the angels join Him. Do we rejoice over the things that cause God to rejoice?

The Bible notes some of the specific things that God has assigned to angels to do for us. It is tremendously important to remember that any blessings angels provide to us are because of the love of God. Angels always minister at His direction. As noted last week, angels are never to be worshipped nor are we ever to direct prayer requests to them for assistance. Praise for what they do is always directed to God from whom the blessings always flow. The primary reason for noting that angels serve us is to give us another reason to praise God for His care and provision. 

Angelic activity can be divided into two categories, general activity in the world and specific activity on behalf of us as individuals. By way of general activity, it was via the angels that God gave us major parts of the Bible. Read Hebrews 2:2.How the Holy Spirit used angels to communicate God’s Word to the writers of Scripture or the extent to which He used them is not known. We must marvel, however, at the fact that angels, who know so much about God because they are in His presence, were used by God to reveal some of that knowledge to us.

Angels are also used to restrain evil activity. Scripture has various examples. Genesis 18 and 19 record the angelic activity in restraining evil men from doing harm to Lot and in leading Lot and his family away from Sodom. Read II Kings 6:8-17.  

In Kenya during the 50’s the Mau Mau, who were Kenyan freedom fighters rebelling against the British, were all set to attack the Kijabe mission station and slaughter the missionaries and the children who were there. When they saw angels ringing the compound they wisely decided not to attack it. I have talked to Kenyan men who were there, and they have verified that fact. God’s angels were there at His direction to protect His children.

We have no idea how ugly sin would be were it not for the restraining activity of angels at the direction of God. Sin left unrestrained would result in activity that would make events such as the Holocaust seem like child’s play. But God has set limits on sin. Satan is not all powerful and is still accountable to God. 

We have no way of knowing the extent to which God uses angels to protect us. Perhaps when we get to heaven we will understand how often God sent His angels to protect and care for us. There are times when we get a hint that He is protecting us like when we have a near miss of a car accident. I am sure we will discover when we are with Him that He has protected us a lot more than we can ever imagine.

In a more personal way, there is the question of “guardian angels.”  Do each of us, as a Christian, have a guardian angel? Before I answer that let me note that nowhere in Scripture is there any indication that everyone has an angel watching over them. Hebrews 1:14 talks of ministering spirits or angels that watch over the heirs of salvation, which is a description of a Christian. Read Psalm 91:11. Then read Psalm 91:14 to discover to whom that promise is made. Read Psalm 34:7, That is not to say that God does not send His angels to care for non-Christians, especially in response to the prayers of Christians, but it is not automatic. God said He sends the rain on the just and the unjust and He can send His angels to care for the unjust also. 

Do we as Christians have a guardian angel? Historically the church has been divided on that. Some of the early church leaders talked of a guardian angel only for Christians. Some said every soul that is born has one while others did not believe anyone has a guardian angel. 

There are 2 verses that are used to show that Christians have a guardian angel. Read Matthew 18:10. In that passage the angels could be in heaven not on earth, depending on how the Greek is translated. If they are in heaven, then they hardly qualify as a guardian angel here on earth.

In Acts 12:1-15 Peter was released from prison by an angel and went to the house where Christians were praying for him. A servant girl answered the door but instead of letting him in she rushed to tell the others that Peter was there. Read Acts 12:15. In that passage it was a confused household who declared it was his angel, but in reality, it was Peter himself. We are not told there that he had an angel, only that some thought so. 

Elsewhere, whenever there is talk of angels looking over us, it is always in the plural indicating that God has charged many with our care. Angels are available continually at God’s command, but God is the one who cares for us, not angels.

The idea of our having a personal guardian angel is very appealing. It is great to think that I have with me an angel whose sole responsibility is me. If you think you have one, you must be extremely careful how we respond to that belief. We need to guard against giving glory, directly or indirectly, to the angel and not to God. Dr. David Jeremiah wrote, “Angels are sent, but the messenger is never more important than the sender.” 

The second danger is that it is too easy to assume that if we have an angel always with us, we are safer than we really are and therefore forget our constant dependence upon God who is always with us. God is our strength and the One who cares for us. He has not, however, promised to protect us from our stupidity.

Finally, an angel will escort our souls to heaven when the time comes for us to die. We will not be alone. Read Luke 16:19-31. Note that in verse 22 there is no mention of an angel in relationship to the death of the rich man. It is the Christian who will be ushered from this life into the presence of God. 

Angels are God’s servants and because He loves us He directs the angels, who were created to serve Him, to care for us on His behalf. What a marvelous God we have!

Angels

Anyone who accepts the Bible cannot question that angels exist. Angels are mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament and over 160 times in the New Testament. We need to remember that the Bible is not primarily concerned with angels so there is far less on angels than we might wish.  

A Christian, looking at angels, must avoid the danger of getting into the cultic aspect of angels. In recent years there has been widespread interest in angels, especially by those into transcendental meditation. There are books telling us how to contact angels, communicate with them, and get guidance from them. Some books purport to tell one how to draw upon angel power to achieve anything in life by aligning one’s energy field with that of the angels. None of that is Christian. 

Elevating angels to the place where one worships them is forbidden by the 1^st of the 10 Commandments. Read Colossians 2:18 and Revelation 22:8, 9

We are forbidden to worship angels and we do not go through them to get to God in prayer. Read I Timothy 2:5-6. One can buy an angel to mount in a car that says, “Protect me, my passengers, and all who I pass by with a steady hand and a watchful eye.” A prayer like that to an angel is against the teachings of Scripture.

What does the Bible teach us about angels?  First, angels were all created by God prior to the creation of man, although we have no idea when. We know that angels were created by God because we are told that everything that is came from His creative hand. God and God alone is eternal! He, and He alone, has neither beginning nor end. Everything else has been created by Him.

We have no idea how many angels God created. Read Revelation 5:11, 12  The word “angel” carries the idea of “messenger” and that gives us some insight into how both the Jews and early church viewed their ministry. 

Second, angels are spiritual beings. They dwell in the world of the spirits, not in a material world such as we live in. It is not accurate to say they have no bodies, but their bodies are very different from ours. Because they have some form of body, they are limited to one place at a time and are, therefore, are subject to that restraint. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15 of different types of bodies including spiritual bodies that we will one day have. Occasionally angels have been given material properties so that they can be seen but for the most part they are invisible to mankind. Read II Kings 6:8-17. 

In addition to good angels, there are fallen angels. The demonic world is made up of those angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God. The Bible classifies angels as either “holy” or “evil” with the “evil” ones being grouped with “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) and “the dragon and his angels” (Revelation 12:7) 

All angels, both good and evil, are created beings and therefore limited. They are limited by space. We must never assume that since they are spirit beings they can be in more than one place at once. Only God is omnipresent. All the rest of creation is limited by space. 

They have limited knowledge. They certainly know things we do not know, especially about the nature of God, but they do not have all knowledge and in fact cannot fully understand redemption. God alone is omniscient. 

They have limited power. Not only do they not have all power, they are responsible to God for their power. God alone is omnipotent. Demonic angels are more powerful than mankind so having on the armor of God is important, as is depending on God to help us in times of temptation.

Angels do not procreate. There are no “baby” angels.  From all we can tell all the angels, however many that may be, have already been created. Their number does not increase or decrease.

All angels, both good and evil, continue in what theology calls a “nonviolable” condition. That is their current condition will never change. Angels were apparently created with the freedom to choose between good and evil, to choose between God and an alternative, which in time Lucifer, presented to them. Having made that choice in history before time, their fate has been forever sealed. Those who are good will always be good, apparently with no additional freedom to choose wrong. Those who rebelled are lost forever with no apparent opportunity to be redeemed. Satan and all who joined him in rebellion are ultimately consigned forever to the Lake of Fire. 

Classification of Angels: God has organized His angels into groups for His purposes. See Ephesians 6:21. We would expect that from a God of design and order. A common title for a group of angels is “host.” Read I Kings 22:19 and Luke 2:13.

Cherubim seem to be the highest order of angels. They are first mentioned in Genesis 3:24 where they are given the responsibility of guarding the Garden of Eden so that sinful man could not re-enter it. They stood there as a reminder that sinful man cannot be in paradise. They appear in the tabernacle as golden images on the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17-22), again as a reminder that God is holy. 

Seraphim or as the NIV calls them Seraphs are mentioned only in Isaiah by name although Revelation 4:6-8 seems to be referring to them where they are called “living creatures.” They are worshipping angels who are also charged with protecting the throne of God from any invasion of ungodliness. 

Only 2 good angels are given specific names in the Bible. One name is Michael, who is designated in Jude 9 as the archangel and is also mentioned in Revelation 12:7. His name means “Who is like God.” Read I Thessalonians 4:16. 

A second named angel is Gabriel, meaning “mighty one.” Read Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 and Luke 1:19 and 1:26. His primary function is to deliver messages from God.  

The Bible gives us a few pictures of the role of angels in reference to God. The first and most obvious function of angels is that of worshipping God. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. 

Angels were also created to serve God and a major part of that service became apparent when  God created our world and man. Angels were present at creation (Job 38:7) and at the giving of the Law (Acts 7:35). They reveal God’s will to individuals (Daniel 10:10-15) and God’s plan (Luke 1:11-38). They are going to be very active in the last days according to Revelation.

Angels are often God’s agents in judgment. Read Matthew 13:41, 42.  On occasion angels announced the coming of judgment and on other occasions carried it out.

What can we learn from angels that is important to us today? First, we need to remember the importance of defending the holiness or glory of God. That we do by being obedient to Him, by being very careful not to take His name in vain, and by taking a stand against sin in our society.

Second, we need to remember it is important to worship the Lord, not just on Sunday but daily in our devotional time and throughout the day as we praise Him for who He is and all He does for us.

Third, angels remind us that we were created not only to have fellowship with God and worship Him but to serve Him. We are called upon as His hands, His feet, and His mouth so as to  display God’s love in a hurting world.