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Sermon Notes

God’s Winning Strategy For Spiritual Warfare
8/12/26

Ephesians 6: 10-17 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

There are 2 key things in these passages—a spiritual attack, and a winning strategy!

First, let’s look at:

I. The attack

We note first that Paul mentions what he calls “the day of evil,” which is that moment when Satan unleashes “the wiles of the devil.”

“Wiles” is from a Greek word meaning organized evil-doing, scheme, well-crafted trickery.

It means that Satan’s attack has been well thought out and delivered at the opportune moment for maximum effect.

ILLUS: I think of Pearl Harbor and how the Japanese unleashed a well thought out strategy to take out the American Navy and gain a strategic advantage.

The skies were blue that day, the weather was beautiful, and music played in the background while the soldiers enjoyed a quiet Sunday of rest.

No one suspected a thing—when out of nowhere the enemy struck.

In a blink, the beautiful day became the infamous day of evil, an hour of attack where 2,404 U.S. military personnel and civilians were tragically killed.

This is the kind of thing Paul is pointing to!

The day of spiritual attack is often sudden, unexpected, and comes just when everything is humming along fine!
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Then next, Paul goes on to reveal the winning strategy for every Christian under attack!

He gives the OBJECTIVE first; it is:

II. To Stand

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to STAND…take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to WITHSTAND….and having done all, to STAND….STAND therefore!”

So the OBJECTIVE for every believer is that, when under spiritual attack, we take a:

firm stance at the start,
remain standing in the heat of battle,
and are still standing when the battle is over!

We’re to STAND, WITHSTAND, and keep on STANDING!

God doesn’t want you going down in defeat,
drowning in confusion,
or crying in hopeless despair!
No, FOUR times he says “Take your stand and keep on standing!”
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Then next, Paul uses his famous ARMOR OF GOD metaphor to illustrate what we might call our,

III. Battlefield war clothes!

A football coach will give his team a pep talk, then say “Suit up!” We’re about to step onto the battlefield!

So in verse 11, coach Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the evil schemes of the devil.”

In verse 13 “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.”

Both times he says “that you may be able”–able to STAND, and able to WITHSTAND.

STAND means to hold your ground.

WITHSTAND means to push back.

If you DON’T put on the WHOLE ARMOR, you won’t be able to win!
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We note that 5 of the 6 pieces are DEFENSIVE and PROTECTIVE, while only one of them is an actual weapon.

So the first 5 pieces GUARD something important!

The first piece is:

A.) The belt

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.”

• The belt of truth guards your CONSCIENCE.

Notice that Paul uses the word HAVING.—“Having girded your waist with the belt of truth…”

The idea is that this Christian is preemptively ready BEFORE the attack comes.

He’s already wearing the truth belt!
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In Bible times, the most important piece of a soldiers armor was the BELT, for all the rest of the armor was attached to it!

What we’re going to see is that all of the pieces of armor are not just something we recite out loud like some religious mantra, but they represent Biblical Truth we must DAILY WALK IN.

With the belt of truth, Paul is not just telling us to stay up on reading God’s word, but also to live out the truth we read in the Bible—live what we read, walk our talk.

The apostle James urges believers to live out God’s Word rather than merely listen to it.

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”–1:22

The phrase “hearers only” refers to those who attend church, listen to sermons, or read Scripture, but do not apply its teachings to their lives.
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Then the SECOND piece is:

B.) The Breastplate

“Having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

• The breastplate of righteousness guards your HEART.

Again, Paul is not just talking about the righteousness of Christ we receive when we are saved, but also LIVING OUT a life of righteous obedience!

Keeping your conscience clear and integrity intact!

So the belt and the breastplate go hand in hand regarding living out God’s truth!
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Then the third piece of armor is:

C.) The gospel Sandals

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared” (6:15 NLT).

Many Christians think this part of the armor is about witnessing, but it’s not.

• The gospel sandals guard your PEACE.

It’s not about taking the gospel of peace to others, it’s about walking in the peace that the gospel of Jesus Christ brought to you!

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him” (Ro. 15:13 NLT).
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The fourth piece of armor is:

D.) The Shield

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will quench all of Satan’s fiery arrows.”

• The shield of faith guards your CONFIDENCE in the battle.

Notice the stress Paul places on this piece: “ABOVE ALL…”

It is necessary, ABOVE ALL, in the day of attack,
see it through the confident lens of faith,

trusting in God’s providence,
His love,
His power, and
His promises!

Faith echoes what Elisha told his terrified servant, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is bigger than the one against us!”–2 Kings 6:16

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The fifth piece is:

E.) The Helmet

“And take the helmet of salvation…”

The helmet goes over the brain and the helmet of salvation illustrates how it protects your THOUGHT LIFE in the heat of battle.

Paul is saying “NEVER FORGET the reality of your salvation, that you have been
redeemed,
delivered,
sealed,
washed from your sins,
saved by His shed blood,
that you are a child of God!
Don’t let Satan rip that helmet of confidence off of your head!

Don’t let him make you doubt your salvation, or your ability to win the fight!

The certainty of your salvation, which also reminds you of who you are in Christ, will GUARD your thought life in the day of attack!

In another place Paul writes, “But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”–1 Thes 5:8
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So the the 5 defensive pieces of armor are:

the BELT,
the BREASTPLATE,
the SANDALS,
the SHIELD,
and the HELMET.

Only one piece remains, and it’s the offensive weapon of:

F.) The SWORD

“And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The sword of the Spirit means:

• the sword the Spirit has given you by providing the Word of God!

No one used the sword of the Spirit better in warfare than Jesus,
who exclusively armed himself with God’s Word in his great battle with Satan in the wilderness!

Reading God’s word,
Quoting God’s word,
Calling to mind God’s word, and
Answering Satan’s lies with God’s word is the one thing the devil truly fears!

After Jesus used it against him we’re told, “the devil left him.”
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So there you have it!

The BELT guards your CONSCIENCE
The BREASTPLATE guards your HEART
The SHOES guard your PEACE
The SHIELD guards your CONFIDENCE
The HELMET guards your THOUGHTS
And the SWORD drives Satan away!

Are you walking in, living out what the armor represents?

LET’S PRAY