In
the same way, someone would not go into battle without equipment or play
football without a helmet and pads, Christians must put on the armor God has
given us to withstand evil temptations that come our way. Over the course of
six weeks, this series will explain and apply each article in the armor of God—as
described by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18.
Week 1: The Belt of Truth | Ephesians
6:14a; John 8:31-36 (1/4/17)
In a world filled with a lot of
wrong ideas about who or what will save you, having the truth of Jesus will set
you free. When you know the truth that Jesus is the only one who can save and
change you, the other approaches the world offers (be a nice a person, make
your own god, etc.) start to look ridiculous. We know that in order to get
healthy and lose weight, we have to eat right and exercise. We cannot simply
close our eyes while we eat chocolate cake, expecting the calories to disappear.
You cannot just eat foods that start with the letter “H” (for healthy) or eat
cake in the shape of a banana. There is only one way. A belt in ancient times did
not exist to hold your pants up. A soldier would belt up his skirt so he could
easily run and fight without tripping on it. The belt allowed you to be ready
for action. The truth about Jesus makes you ready for action. Putting on a belt
in ancient times was like putting your hair in a ponytail before the soccer
game or rolling up your sleeves before a fight. All of us are tempted to create
“truths” about life that will make us comfortable. For example, some people
believe “the only way I can deal with my anger is to let it all out and explode
around the people I love.” We will remain trapped in our lies until we know the
truth of Jesus.
Week 2: The Breastplate of Righteousness|
Ephesians 6:14 (1/10/17)
We
will be protected from making bad decisions by trusting in God’s righteousness,
and working towards living a righteous life ourselves. Have you ever touched a hot
stove even after someone told you not to? Have you ever been bit by a dog
because you were trying to play with it after someone already warned you? You
would have been protected from that pain if you had trusted the person warning you.
If you live your life by always asking, “What does the Bible say about that?”
before making a decision, you will know God’s will in your life. “What does the
Bible say about how I treat my parents?” “What does the Bible say about how I
should act around people who don’t go to church?” The more you do this, the
more it will become natural for you to do the right thing. Practice makes
perfect. Living a righteous life is not just
about protecting ourselves, though. Living a righteous life allows us to
worship God through our actions, and help others know him better.
Week 3: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace | Ephesians 6:15 (1/17/17)
What Jesus did on the cross for us
is a message of good news that will change the rest of our lives. Jesus’
resurrection is not simply an event we celebrate at Easter. It should be a
mindset we celebrate every single day of the year. When we sing worship songs, we
are singing because we are grateful that Jesus saved our lives. The gospel acts
as “shoes” in the armor of God because it motivates us to go into the world to
tell others about Jesus. He saved our lives and he can do the same for everyone
at your school, so why not tell them about him? The Bible talks about a “cup of
wrath” (Jeremiah 25:15-17, Matthew 20:22) that Jesus drank in our place But
Jesus comes and drinks the cup for us.
Week 4: The Shield of Faith | Ephesians 6:16; Hebrews 11:4-7 (1/24/17)
You cannot genuinely follow God
without putting your trust in him and his promises.
There are two definitions of
“believe” that Christians get confused. It is not enough to believe that God
exists. You must also believe in God, that is, trust Him. Do you trust God? If
God asked you to do something, would you trust that it was a good thing to do?
All of the pieces of the armor of God are connected. Knowing that God is
righteous will help you trust Him more. You only have to trust someone when it
is something you do not already know. No one has to tell you “2+2=4…Trust me.”
Trusting God means walking into the unknown, still confident that God is going
to take care of it. The enemy will try to destroy your faith by causing you to
trust your own self, rather than God.
Week 5: The Helmet of Salvation | Ephesians 6:17a; 2:8-9
(1/31/17)
Salvation is offered to us, not
because of anything we did to deserve it, but as a gift because of God’s love
for us. Jesus is better than Santa Claus because Santa only gives gifts to
those he thinks are good enough, but Jesus gives the gift of salvation to
anyone and everyone. You do not have to be good enough to receive it because
you cannot be good enough.
Week 6: The Sword of the Spirit | Ephesians 6:17b; Hebrews 4:12 (2/7/17)
Big Idea of the Message:
Making the Word of God a part of our daily routine will cut away the aspects of
our lives that keep us from becoming more like Christ. The word of God is your
only offensive weapon against the enemy. This is how you fight back against the
temptation and troubles in your life.