Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Those men. To have worn that Armor, to be lifted up on that steed, to go into battle with all of the flags blowing in the wind. But the greatest frustration of the haul of Armor were the little signs that were posted everywhere. Do not touch. And so it was simply look. And so I went for years and looked and looked, and never once touched. And then I became a Christian. And I thought that becoming a Christian, having my sins forgiven, knowing that Christ had prepared a place for me in heaven, knowing that I was part of his family, that was surely enough. And then I read that I was to be clothed in the Armor of God.

And the first time I read that there, in fact, was an outfit that God had by his hand-shaped Armor that he asked me to put on to walk each day since I had been in Christ. That he, in fact, was telling me that this Armor that I have fashioned for you are currently wearing. And I had the mistaken idea that the Armor of God was going out each day. And perhaps today I will pick up the helmet and go and do battle. And tomorrow perhaps I’ll take my sword, but I’ll leave my helmet behind, as though I could pick and choose from this Armory. And yet the Lord tells us that we are to put on the whole Armor of God.

And that’s what I want to talk with you about today, the suit of Armor that you are wearing simply because you are a Christian. In the scripture, we find that there are two pictures that are presented that are wonderful pictures of the church, one we speak often about, and that is the church as the family of God. And the hymn says, you’ll notice we call each other brother and sister around here. It’s because we’re a family. And each one is so dear. And so the church is seen as a family that is concerned for one another and sees one another as, in fact, brothers and sisters, because of what Christ has done. And that has probably been well taught in most churches, the family of the church, the brotherhood, that we enjoy.

But there is a second instruction in the New Testament that is to give us a picture of what the church is. And this is the picture of the church as an army. Now, we in the sixties went through a period where the army was not very popular. And so seldom did you ever hear anyone talk about the militant side of the church as an army, that men and women are commissioned as soldiers of the cross of Jesus. Christ. But today we look not at being the family, but we focus on being part of the army of God. One of the greatest hymns, onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus leading on.

Before that, we are called to remember that there is a family that we have been adopted into, but also that there is a world into which we are to march as soldiers of the cross of Christ. And in the book of Ephesians, Paul tells us in chapter six that we, in fact, are involved in a spiritual warfare. And he says, for we wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places. And if anything that Paul was aware of, it was the person of the adversary, the devil. Devil, who we hear very little of today, but for whom Paul saw as the adversary, the enemy. He said, we are, in fact, each day of our lives involved in a spiritual warfare. And who is our enemy?

It is none other than Beelzebub, Apollon, Satan, the devil. But one thing we must remember as we look at our enemy is that he is Like a dog that is seated under a table. And you’ve been invited to the master’s home. And there sits the master with a wonderful smile and word of welcome as you come into his home. And he says, be seated here. And you look under the table, and there you see the snarl of this wicked dog whose eyes are red and furious, who lifts that lip and shows his fang. And you know that he would leap upon you immediately. And all that is between his leaping upon you and his remaining still is the fact that the leash around his neck is in the master’s hand. And that, in fact, is the picture that the scriptures present of Satan.

He is an adversary. He is our enemy. But Jesus Christ, the master has him tethered that around his neck is a leash, and he dares not go where the master will forbid him from going. And so, yes, we have an enemy, the devil, but he is not free to do whatever he likes. And so, as in the story of Job, it is the devil who comes to God and makes request. And it is God who would allow Satan to do his work. But we have the wonderful promise that Satan himself ultimately will be crushed under the foot of Jesus Christ. But know this, there is an enemy, his name Satan. And he seeks to maim and to devour all who would bear the name of Christian. We are called upon to be soldiers of the cross of Jesus Christ.

We are called upon as soldiers to stand. And the instruction of scripture is that we are to stand, and as Christians, we stand for Christ. But one says, I’m tired. I have stood so long. And our master says, stand. Another says, but I’m weary. And Christ says, stand. Another says, but so many have deserted, and they are no longer in the ranks. And Christ says, stand. For we are called as Christians to stand for the things of Christ, that his name might be honoured, and that people would know, you and me, because we stand for Christ. The Armory of God’s utensils for his people is presented for us in the book of Ephesians, chapter six. And the arsenal that is presented for us is a very full armament.

And I would remind you that these are not things that you might have someday, but in fact, this is the very Armor that you are equipped with today. And that Jesus Christ, who knows you better than you even know yourself, knows your exact size. He knows and has fashioned this suit of Armor to uniquely fit you as you are in Christ. The first part of the Armor that we are called upon to wear is found in verse 14. We are told that we are to gird our loins with truth. Now, the roman soldier wore a belt around his waist, and fastened to that belt, unseen by the eye, was a type of girdle, a loose fitting garment that as he would walk about the market, he would loosen.

But as he would go into battle, as he would ride upon a horse, he would take those undergarments, and like a girdle, he would tighten them and fasten them about this belt, and he would be girded. And we are told in scripture that we, too, like a soldier, are to be girded. But that which would hold us together, which would prepare us to go into battle, is a girdle of truth. Now, sometimes we think that all truth is the same. How many times have you heard someone say, why, that’s your truth. And this is my truth. That’s your opinion. That’s my opinion. But let me ask you, what is God’s opinion? Does God look upon man and simply say, for as many men there are, as many opinions, and that is fine with me?

Or is God the same yesterday, today, and forever, and his truth never changes? Well, we are called upon as Christians not to have any truth which we dash about our loins and run off into battle, but we are called upon to be girded and strengthened with the truth of God’s word. And apart from that truth, there is no truth. And if man does not know the truth of God’s word, then man by nature, will create his own truth. And so we find all around us many assortments and varieties of so called truth. But there is true truth, and there is false truth. And we must be very discerning as Christians what it is that we gird ourselves with, because, in fact, there are several types of truth. There is an objective truth, and that is, for the Christian, the word of God, the Bible.

And you can read it, and it is God’s word, and it is truth, but it is an objective truth. There is a second type of truth, and that is subjective truth. That means that it becomes personal for me. And the Christian is called upon not to have simply a knowledge of the objective truth, but we are called upon to know the truth of God and to apply it to ourselves and to take those truths and to live them out. This is what William Gornall, who is a puritan minister, had in mind when he said, some by truth mean a truth of doctrine. Others will have it to mean a truth of heart, sincerity. But one will not do without the other. Secondly, Paul wants us to know that we have been equipped with a piece of Armor, and that is the breastplate of righteousness.

Now, Paul was chained for many years to a roman guard, and he saw within feet of him, day after day, the Armor that soldier would wear. And we usually think of a breastplate as being something small about the upper chest that would be protective. But actually the roman guard, as he would wear his breastplate, you’d find that breastplate went from his neck down to his knees. And it was a breastplate that protected all of his vital organs. And so his heart was protected by this breastplate, and all of those internal organs protected by this large external breastplate. Well, for the Christian, we are to know that we are protected. We are protected with a breastplate of righteousness. Now, here again, there are two types of righteousness. There is one righteousness that makes us righteous because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

And any man who will stand before God can only stand before him if he is clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. But the scripture also teaches that when you become a Christian, God then calls you to do righteous deeds, to do good works, that in the eyes of God are righteous. And so we find that there is the righteousness of Christ, that complete righteousness, by his obedience of death on the cross and his resurrection. And it is that righteousness that will save any who would turn to Christ. But also there is a consequential righteousness that comes because you’re a Christian and you have experienced the righteousness of Christ. And so we are called upon to be holy, as God is holy. And the breastplate of righteousness, I believe in scripture, would tell us that it is actually a mesh.

It is a mesh of the righteousness of Christ intertwined with your righteousness. For if you only live by the righteousness of Christ, and yourself are unrighteous, why, those to whom you go to share the gospel will it in a minute, and they will not be taken by the righteousness of Christ, for they see in you unrighteousness. And that is why it is so important as Christians that we know that our righteousness is in Christ. Who then calls us to a life of righteousness? And does it matter whether you break the Ten Commandments as a Christian? It certainly does. It makes all the difference in the world. For if we do not be righteous, then unknown to us, Satan has reached out from the bush and torn off a limb. Satan has opened his mouth and has devoured a leg.

And you will hobble through life. The Lord calls us to righteousness, and he tells us that we are clothed in that righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Also we are told that there is another piece of Armor, and that is found in verse 16, that we are to have about our feet. The gospel of peace. Now we live in a day of cheap shoes. And you can go and for $3 buy a very nice pair of plastic shoes, which will be good for about 20 minutes. And then you will start to notice blisters. And you will say, I’d rather go barefoot. When the roman soldier put upon his foot a roman boot, it was made of sturdy leather. Its sole was thick. Why, it was even studded so that as he would step, he would firmly place his foot and be always sure footed.

And that boot of the roman soldier would extend close to the knee. And we are told that our feet are to be shod with the gospel of peace, that Jesus Christ is our sure footed foundation. But he also tells us that there is another piece of equipment, and that is a shield of the shield of faith is not some piece of round plastic that we hold up like a garbage can, hoping to keep away these fiery darts that we are told Satan is continually flinging at us. But rather this shield, as the roman soldier knew, was rather something that would reach above their head and go down to their feet. And as a roman soldier would go into war, there were those in the front lines who would take those shields and march forward.

And at moments, then the arrows would fly and the spears. But those soldiers were protected behind this shield. We are told that we are to have a shield of faith. And he tells us also that we are to have a helmet that he calls the helmet of salvation. Now, the helmet that the roman soldier wore was made of a combination of bronze and iron. And about the only thing that could dent it was the blow from an axe of an enemy. But that helmet could bear most any stress. And so the soldiers who would go into war would take their that helmet and place it upon his head, knowing that he would be protected. And we find that there is, in fact, a helmet that the Christian is to wear. It is the helmet of salvation.

How many there are who sit within the sound of the voice of the church of Jesus Christ, who do not for themselves have an assurance of their salvation, who do not know that if they were to die that they would immediately go to be with Christ and that he would welcome them because they had put their faith in him. How many sit within the church? And when asked, do you know that you would go to heaven? Would say, I hope so. Why? I’m trying the best I can. That is not what the scripture teaches for those who would bear the name Christian, but rather these things have been written that you might know that you have eternal life. And one of the wonderful marks of being a Christian is the assurance of salvation. That about your head is the helmet of salvation.

And that if there is anything that you know in this life, it is this. That if you were to die, that because of Christ and the faith that you have placed in him and the gift of grace, that he is freely extended to you, that you will be with him in heaven. And that is part of the knowledge of that helmet of salvation. All of the parts of the Armor of God that I have mentioned so far are defensive. That is that they are intended to protect us from the coming enemy. And there is but one piece of this armament that is offensive, and that is the sword. The sword of the spirit, which we are told is the word of God. There is only two positions that a Christian can find himself in.

One, standing firm, but not moving ahead, but standing, or he can find himself not only standing, but moving ahead in the things of Christ. And how do we move ahead? We are told that there is a sword of the spirit which is to be used to separate falsehood from truth. And that is the word of God. It’s interesting in the Greek to notice that the word logos, which simply means the word the Bible as we know it, the written letters, the logos, that is not the word that is used this scripture, but rather the word of God, which we have been given as a sword. The word that he uses here is the word rhema, which means a saying.

In other words, that when you are attacked by Satan, do you think to yourself, those portions of scriptures, those sayings from God’s word, do you use those to counter the attack of Satan? Is your mind so dwelling upon the things of God’s word that as the attacks and fiery arrows of Satan come at you, that you offensively move ahead with the sword of God’s spirit, which is the word of God? Remembering those verses and portions of scripture that are wonderful promises to you, so that when Satan would come and say, Christ is going to leave you, Christ will not be there at the moment you need him, that you can say, he will never leave me nor forsake me. Or when Satan says to you’ve begun well, but you’ll never finish. Being a Christian is too difficult for you. You’ll never complete the course.

And you say, he who is within me is greater than he who is within the world, for you are to see, he who began a good work in me will bring it to completion to the day of the coming of Christ Jesus. Or when Satan says to you have sinned too many times and you will never be forgiven again, that wonderful promise that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins? Is that the way you go into battle, marching forward, remembering those sayings of Christ, those wonderful promises? Or are you clothed like Don Quixote, in Armor made by your own hands? It doesn’t fit exactly like it should. And for you wear a breastplate of supposed respectability, hoping that everyone will think that you look so fine.

And about your head is a helmet of wishful thinking, hoping everything will work out. Have you built for yourself protective boot of your own good deeds, thinking that somehow by the construction of these deeds that you will save yourself? Then you have upon your feet plastic boots. Have you for yourself constructed a sword which you are hoping to do battle with? But your sword is splintered and broken. For your sword is good works that you hope above. Hope is going to bring you the passing grade. I would remind you that there are many today who have built for themselves a suit of Armor made by their own hands, and it will not protect them. But rather there is a suit of Armor that God has made through Jesus Christ, and that Armor is his truth.

The truth of Christ, which is to gird our loins. That Armor is his righteousness which will protect us. It is Christ’s salvation which is our helmet. It is Christ’s peace which protects our feet. It is Christ’s faith that is a shield to defend us. And it is, in fact, Christ’s word that is a sword. We sing, stand up. Stand up for Jesus. The strife will not be long this day, the noise of battle the next, the victor’s song. To him who overcomes a crown of life shall be he with the king of glory shall reign eternally. Are you a soldier of Jesus Christ, covered in his Armor, marching unto war? Or are you awol, watching others go off into the dust? Jesus Christ says, be clothed with my Armor. Put on the whole Armor of God, that in that day you might stand.

Let us pray. Our God and our father, we come before you as soldiers, men and women who have been bought with the great price of the blood of Jesus Christ. Christ himself, who came as a conqueror, a victor. Christ, who led hosts of angels. Christ, who came and himself gave his life on the battlefield, but also that same Jesus who rose from that battlefield victorious over death itself. And he has commissioned us to go and to be so. Soldiers of the cross of Christ and Father, we ask that you would help us to see the Armor which you have given us to go into the world, not only that we would be defended, but also that we would move ahead offensively. Help us by your word, by your spirit, to go in our going that we would always stand for.  We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to Affirm Foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries, Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you, and Doctor Smith looks forward to hearing from you.