The Whole Armor of God
A Sermon on the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:13-15
Originally preached Jan. 14, 1962
Scripture
14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Sermon Description
Followers of Jesus fight a daily battle of spiritual warfare as the enemy tries to steal, kill, and destroy. Since this truth has been revealed in God’s word, how does the Christian take a stand and fight against the devil and his schemes? How do they obtain victory in spiritual battles rather than continually experience defeat? In this sermon on the whole armor of God from Ephesians 6:14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uncovers the only answer to these questions as he digs deep into the true meaning of standing strong in the Lord and putting on the whole armor of God. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains how these two essential factors go hand in hand, equipping the Christian to be victorious over the enemy. He addresses four key points Christians must consider when understanding how to fight spiritual battles. Each of these points sheds light on how Christians are to stand strong in the Lord, and put on the whole armor of God as protection against the enemy. This truth shows that God’s followers have been given the battle plans on how to fight spiritual battles and how to equip themselves with the armor they need to live in victory.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul uses the imagery of a soldier's armor to illustrate the Christian life as a spiritual battle.
- We must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. This is essential for standing against the devil's schemes.
- The armor of God is necessary for protection and defense. Though we have strength in the Lord, we still need protection.
- The armor is called the "armor of God" because it is provided by God, designed for spiritual battle, and can only be used by Christians.
- The armor consists of understanding and applying the Gospel. Only Christians can utilize this armor.
- We must put on the "whole" armor of God. We cannot pick and choose which parts we want to use. Every part is essential.
- The whole armor means taking in the whole doctrine of Scripture and allowing it to influence our whole being - mind, heart, and will.
- Though we consider the armor as a whole, every individual piece is also important. We must consider both the whole and the details.
The Book of Ephesians
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.