The Whole Armor of God
A Sermon on the Whole Armor of God from Ephesians 6:13-15
Scripture
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with …
Sermon Description
How can a Christian be victorious over Satan in spiritual warfare? In this sermon on the whole armor of God from Ephesians 6:13-15, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asserts that it is only in the strength of the Lord and His might. The apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus that they must put on the whole armor of God. The strength that the Lord provides for His people is putting on the armor of God, piece by piece with prayer. We need every piece of armor God provides for us beginning with the integument. We start with a foundation of the revealed truth of God—the girdle. We need the doctrines of the Bible set securely at the base of our protection. Secondly, we put on a righteousness capable of being judged at every angle—the breastplate. The devil aims to fuel our doubts by bringing up past sins and present iniquities. Christians must apply the breastplate of righteousness and protect themselves at every angle by looking to Jesus Christ on the cross. And thirdly, the Christian puts on the preparation of the Gospel of peace—the sandals. As quick as the enemy is, we must be quicker and more agile, prepared in the assurance of our salvation. Will you begin to apply this panoply?
Sermon Breakdown
- Many Christians fail in the Christian life because they do not realize they are in a spiritual warfare.
- The hymn writer understood we are in a spiritual conflict - "Christian, seek not yet repose, cast thy dreams of ease away."
- Many think once converted, the Christian life will be easy. But the Bible says we are in a spiritual conflict.
- The forces of evil are arrayed against the forces of God and his Christ. Their aim is to defeat Christians.
- If Christians do not know about the spiritual conflict, they are already defeated. They are blind to it.
- The conflict is subtle. The devil misleads, trips up, and fools Christians without them realizing.
- The Bible shows the devil is subtle, can appear as an angel of light, quote Scripture, and encourage Christian work to distract from sin.
- But there is victory in the Lord and the power of his might. We can overcome the devil.
- Many fail because they do not know how to avail themselves of God's power and put on the whole armor of God.
- Prayer alone is not enough. We must put on the whole armor of God, which God provides.
- The armor has a belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit.
- The belt of truth refers to believing the revealed truth of God's word. Without it, we cannot stand.
- The truth includes the truth about God, ourselves, sin, salvation, judgment, heaven, and hell. We must believe all of it.
- The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness of Christ, not our own. It protects our heart and vital organs.
- The devil attacks by making us doubt our salvation, reminding us of past sins, showing our failures, and accusing us when we sin. The breastplate protects against this.
- The shoes of peace refer to assurance of salvation and peace with God. Without this peace, we cannot fight the devil. There must be freedom within to fight the enemy outside.
- The shoes represent readiness, quickness, and surefootedness to respond to the devil's subtle attacks. We must have peace to have this readiness.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Spiritual Warfare
What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones identify as a common reason for Christian failure?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that many Christians fail because "they have never yet awakened to the fact that they're involved in a spiritual warfare." He emphasizes that many people mistakenly think that after conversion, the Christian life becomes effortless - "You recline on your bank or bed of roses, and there are no more problems." This ignorance of the spiritual battle makes believers vulnerable to defeat, as "a man who doesn't even know this, a man who isn't aware that he's in a fight, is a man who's defeated."
What does Lloyd-Jones describe as the most effective way to combat the devil?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the most effective way to combat the devil is to "take unto us the whole armor of God" while being "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." He explains that many Christians focus solely on prayer without putting on the armor God provides. The proper approach is a combination: "It isn't praying only. It isn't the armor only. It's putting on the armor with prayer." He quotes a hymn that summarizes this approach: "Put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer."
What is the first piece of spiritual armor mentioned by Lloyd-Jones, and why is it essential?
The first piece of armor Lloyd-Jones discusses is "having your loins girt about with truth." He explains this is foundational because it holds everything else in place - "If this isn't right, says Paul, and if this isn't in position, it's no use putting on the other pieces."
By "truth," he doesn't mean our personal sincerity (though that's important), but rather God's revealed truth - the doctrines of Scripture. He states: "In our battle, in our conflict with the devil, the first thing that is absolutely essential is that I should accept the revealed truth of God, for without it I am already defeated."
What does Lloyd-Jones explain is the "breastplate of righteousness"?
Lloyd-Jones explains that the breastplate of righteousness is not our own ethical behavior or moral righteousness, but "the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ" or "justification by faith only." He argues this is essential because the devil often attacks by making us doubt our salvation, reminding us of past sins, or showing us our failures.
The only adequate protection against these attacks is understanding that "Christ loved me and gave himself for me. He died for my sins, past, present and future. I am in Christ, and I belong to him." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that our salvation depends "entirely and only and solely and utterly" on Christ's righteousness, not our own.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain having your "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"?
Lloyd-Jones explains that having your "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" refers to the quickness, swiftness, and sure-footedness needed to face Satan's subtle attacks. The "gospel of peace" element represents the assurance of salvation and inner peace with God.
He explains: "You will never be quick in your movements and in your ability to deal with this enemy... until you're in a state of absolute peace within with regard to your whole relationship to God and with regard to your salvation." Just as a country fighting external enemies needs internal unity, Christians need inner peace to effectively combat spiritual attacks.
Why does Lloyd-Jones emphasize the "whole" armor of God?
Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that we need the "whole" armor of God because we can't afford to neglect any piece of it. He states, "We need it all. We need every part of it. We can't afford to neglect a single piece." He explains that the armor is God-provided in its entirety - "It isn't something we've produced or manufactured. It is presented to us."
This completeness is necessary because of the severity and focused nature of spiritual warfare. As he says, "The moment you become a Christian, you become a special object of the devil's attack," making it essential to be fully equipped with every defensive and offensive piece God provides.
What does Lloyd-Jones identify as the devil's main characteristic in spiritual warfare?
Lloyd-Jones repeatedly identifies the devil's "subtlety" as his main characteristic in spiritual warfare. He refers to "the terrible subtlety of the conflict, the wiles of the wicked one, the way he misleads us and trips us and fools us and gets us down without our knowing that anything has happened at all."
He explains that Satan has "ingratiating character" and can even "come as angel of light" and "quote scripture." The devil is so subtle he can even "encourage us to do christian work" while keeping us blind to sins in our lives. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "his subtlety, his ingenuity, his malignity are beyond description."
Spiritual Depression
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.