R404 The Believer’s Equipment

Having the right to choose the right equipment is important for all of us today. The believers equipment is the message from Dr. Don Wilton as we open God's Word together know them are open to talk and pray with you tewonline.org G and 866-899-WORD tewonline.org G and 86699. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6 in verse 10, reads like a copy of your Bibles this morning and from there with me. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10). At this juncture, pull if he were standing in this pulpit today. I'm convinced this is what he would say forward site. Now, dear friends, given your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you making absolutely certain that you are carrying with you and making available to you all the means and the equipment designed by God and through his church to help you overcome and be victorious in your life now look at what Paul says in chapter 6 in verse 10. Finally, I want you to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, my friends, you listening this morning. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand.

Are you listening stand for the how with the belt of truth buckled around your waist with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted Sean with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace you listening now. In addition to all of this, there are a few more things. Paul would have us to pay attention to take up the shield of faith, my friends, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and and by the way, are you listening pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

And with this in mind, be alert and and always keep on praying for all the signs.

Pray also for me, says pull that whenever I open my mouth the words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should talk to Chris, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord will tell you everything so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I'm sending him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage you.

Peace to the brothers, and love and faith, from God the father of the Lord Jesus Christ grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love by the Lord righties word upon our hearts this morning's letter that a wonderful passage of Scripture just filled with the riches of God's grace. It seems to me that Paul at this point is saying to believers. I really believe in my heart that you ready to go now pull here in Ephesians chapter 6 he takes the word of God and he says to us. Listen I want I want you to know something very special there is a point at which you are not necessarily ready to go but it which God lets you go and when you do go, you can be ready. You can face whatever there is, you can handle all the circumstances of life. You can be an over, you can have the victory that chapters 1 through three of Paul's letter, Paul explains the relationship and the position of a person who is saved by grace we've looked at that. He tells us four things. Number one that we become members of Christ's body. Number two that we received Christ's resurrection power. Number three that we are seated with him and number four that nothing can alter our position in Christ. I love that four point see that doesn't matter what's happening where we are what we doing or how we doing it or what circumstance we find ourselves in the Bible says to us, my friends, when we are members of Christ's body. When we have received God's resurrection power when we are seated with him.

We are secured in him we are held by him, but in chapter 4 through six. The latter part of this letter to the Ephesians. There is a shifting of gears and pulled out tells us how we can quote unquote/out our positional truths in the daily exercise of our lives and our lifestyle. Paul tells us how we can work out our salvation how we can conduct ourselves in the slack now. Why does he say that it's necessary for us to know how to flesh out our lives.

There's a simple reason because of our human appetites. All of us struggle with their all of us are bound by our human predicaments and by our human appetites are not human and earthly desires and the apostle Paul climaxes in chapter 6 by saying to us, listen, dear friends, when you accept Jesus Christ.

You become a part of a new family.

You must put off the old self, you must stop participating in evil.

You must be careful how you walk and guess what, you must carry with you the right equipment. When you do so that I wrote down a bunch of heiresses here. Chapter 1 verse 40 tells us we been selected in chapter 1 verse 70 tells us we been saying in chapter 1 verse 13 and four verse 30 tells us we been seen I like adventure. We been sealed up up up up to know what God says God says wait a minute. I want you to know that when you belong to me. I see you with the deposit of the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing your delivery unto the day of salvation. And when I see you I see you and I Invite all fragrance and the riches of God's grace in you. That's what I do not happens in life folks everybody wants to buy a little bit of your Snickers bar everybody everything every circumstance is going to be trying to pop open your ceiling your vacuum packing like I did try the devil is going to do everything he can. But God says listen not only have you been selected inside but you been. See you then you been seated you been secured, and this morning. Chapter 3 in verse 16. You have been strengthened and how does Paul try to drive this point home.

He takes an analogy from his own, but I imagine he gives us the picture of a Roman soldier to write a Roman soldier. Paul knew about Roman soldiers in his time and Paul tells us what it means to be a Roman soldier and Paul draws the analogy of a Roman soldier and how a Roman soldier has to dress and equip himself and prepared to do what what he has to do in order to honor his commitment and he looks at the Roman soldier and he takes the preciousness of the word of God and he begins to give to the Roman soldier the same specifics that he gives to the believer and he says I'm day to give you specific pieces of armor in order to prevent per trip in order to protect specific areas of your life from specific tax by the devil is very specific. He looks at this man and he says I have a Roman soldier in front of me. Not unlike the believer you see, the believer says, Lord Jesus, I'm not part of your army. You saved me you are my commanding general, and I met you.

All components are see Jesus Christ is not just our Savior. He's our Lord. He is the chief he is the commanding officer.

He's the one who instructs and he's the one who sends us out and says if you going to serve me in my Army I'm going to give you the right equipment so he looks at him and he says to him, believer, soldier, I want you to do a number of things. First of all I want you to put on the belt of truth. You can see it right there in verse 14 he says, stand firm them with the belt of truth. Why would he begin with a built why would he begin with the belt of truth.

Now there's some very interesting things about what Paul tells us in verse 14. The verb tense is within itself significant because the verb tense weeks of a completed action. He has already given us the instruction to put on the whole armor of God. Now he says having girded your self with the belt of truth I want you to begin your journey. Why does he talk about something that has already been spoken. All Paul is saying something it rather interesting to know the Romans wall the built around their military uniform for different reasons. They were three kinds of new the first time the belt was a breach black leather belt, somewhat like we see here this morning that was designed to protect the lower abdomen.

There was a second kind of boat, which was I sold built that the Roman soldiers put on that was designed to to take the sword that they would use to find work and the third one was it as special built all right ice sash if you please, that carried with it the this soldier's office and it spoke of the authority that he carried with him when someone saw a Roman soldier coming toward them.

They looked at his belt and his belt carried with it the authority that the Roman soldier carried he carried the authority of the entire Roman empire, not the least of which Caesar Augustus or the reigning emperor seems to me very interesting friends that Paul would begin with the belt of truth. Why begin well because it holds the scabbard over sword it it keeps his tunic in place.

It secures the breastplate which is going to follow but I'm going to submit to you that the belt of truth, my friends, is an essential and foundational aspect of the very essence of who the soldier is you see truth set you free set you free your listing to Dr. Don Wilton our teacher here on The Encouraging Word. And every day he puts truth in my email box and will do the same for you. If you sign up for the daily Encouraging Word devotional Dr. Don Wilton on a website it's TE W online.org that's TW online.org, click the icon to sign up for the daily Encouraging Word and you'll receive that blessing.

About 6 o'clock Eastern every day with application of God's word that can help change your life. Let's let the truth set us free. Now diving back in its Dr. Don Wilton on the believer's equipment.

Today's message on The Encouraging Word and I believe that what God is saying is that when you cling to the belt of truth.

You carry with you the very essence of everything that Jesus Christ is Jesus himself said many, many years later, he said I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life and before you do anything in this world you need to buckle the belt of truth around you and Julie to carry me everywhere you go. One inestimable perhaps if Paul was here today he would say, ladies and gentlemen, fostering he wouldn't even consider this, he would say Farson truth will but then there was a second thing that he spoke of, and he instructed us to put on the breastplate of righteousness look at it in verse 14 there are two are kind of juxtaposed together, he says, stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around her waist and also with the breastplate of righteousness in place, the breastplate of righteousness, a remarkable instrument of war. I don't have to remind us this morning that during Paul's time. They didn't have high explosive antitank missile. They didn't shoot bazookas at one another and have landmines and all those kinds of things they used to use stabbing spears and and what what the Roman soldier have to do more than anything else was to protect his vital this was just one of those steps. Paul was saying, wait a minute dear soldier you need to be protected and what you need to be protected from most of all your heart, see their friends when Satan wants to get us down. He goes for 1/2, the heart is the seat of emotion gets hold about half the Bible says from the heart.

Everything else becomes a will spring that the heart is the essence of what mankind really is and pull looking to the born-again believers is finally. If you are going to be strong in the Lord. I want you to go fully equipped not just with the belt of truth, but with the breastplate of righteousness. Why, because it is God's righteousness that will protect your heart. Why, because all the attributes of God ought to be contained in the holiness of God in the righteousness of God. Paul says you not only received the righteousness of God. But you are called to live the righteousness of God. The call that we had to lead a holy life and a life that is well pleasing in God's sight, and then perhaps in understanding what God is saying. Paul looks at the believer using the analogy of the Roman soldier and he says, before I forget, soldier. I want you to put on the shoes of the soldier. Now the word here in the original language which probably would've made a lot more sense back in Paul's time.

Paul said I want you to shard SH ODU shoes.

He said put them on Farson name on Farson them on property put them on.

I don't want these things coming off put them on property.

That's it. Good job time on try them on that word, Sade means that you put them on with a vice grip that they are glued onto the very essence of everything that you why would pull play such an emphasis upon our shoes.

In Romans, Paul put it like this, Romans chapter 10 in verse 15 he said how beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things and when talking about the shoes of the soldier was pointing to three things number one protection number two endurance and number three in Han's capability, Paul looks at us and he says as you go into the world. Your shoes need to be Farson down and you need to wear the shoes of the soldier why so that God can take you anywhere and everywhere.

God wants you to be. Then he goes on from then he says to the soldier and the believe I want you to take the shield of faith, verse 16 he says, in addition to all of this take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Why did he talk about the shield of faith, you see friendly didn't just call this machine needn't just talk about the fact that that this shield is going to be the means by which you are not going to be able to to to to evade all the docs and extinguish the darts of the evil one, but he called us what the shield of faith. What is our faith.

Faith is the essence of our belief. I'm going to give you guaranteed today if the cults want to get you.

You know when I got I am the darts at your faith they gonna try and break down your faith they gonna be coming in a porcine white, a manager, so give me this thing to me this thing to me this thing. That's what's gonna happen. They gonna try and take it away from you. Hold on to your shield of faith. That's what God's will to say God's word assigned my friends that your faith is going to be in direct proportion to your life, what you believe is going to determine the way in which you live and your faith is going to protect you from room from fear from down from anxiety from attacks from from sickness and it is with the shield of faith that you going to be able to counteract every attack from the enemy. Then he says I want you to put on the helmet of salvation in verse 17, why would he talk about the helmet of salvation. Perhaps my friends because Paul realized that if you receive a blow to the head. It will be a fatal blow. He's talking about the seat of our understanding he's talking about the assurance of our salvation when he says put on the helmet of salvation he's putting on this three aspects of our salvation.

Number one justification parsed tents what God has already done for me in Christ Jesus. He's putting on number two sanctification which is presentations what God is doing for me because I'm not only was cited and being sign and number three glorification the future tense of my salvation. What I am going to become God's word says that my salvation is my assurance in him. Then he says finally but not conclusively.

I want you to take the sword of the Spirit in verse 17 word of God. I want you to take that sort. I want you to take something that will enable you to go on the offensive.

I don't want you to be apathetic in your Christian faith. I want you to be a true disciple friend. What is a disciple Jesus said if any man will come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Discipleship is an action thing. It is not a passive thing.

Discipleship is being and doing everything that Jesus Christ is called me to be and to do and the Lord says to us if we are going to be able to overcome.

We must carry with us the sword of the spirit so that when the enemy attacks the truth of God's word, we put on the belt of truth when the enemy leads you into Sentinel reminds you of parson you put on the breastplate of righteousness, so that when the enemy begins to bring disharmony between you and others you put on the shoes of peace so that when the enemy causes fear to grip your heart, you take up the shield of faith, so that when the enemy brings doubt and fear into your salvation until I put on the helmet of salvation and when you just simply feel like going down, take up the sword of God's spirit, you know friends when Paul wrote, I believe, under God's inspiration he had you and me and mine. He had the businessman in mind. The man who goes out into the world every day and who carries with him all the concerns and all the decisions and all the planning and all the strategizing needed to be a businessman in today's world. I don't think that Paul was just simply looking at a Roman soldier and using him for an analogy stand firm manner. Stand firm be ready for back. I believe that what the apostle Paul was talking about was not just the businessman but he was talking about the businesswomen working in business with all the juggling act in the things that need to be done going to work in the morning and being concerned at the same time about keeping your home together and preparing meals and and perhaps the children and those who are looking off to Damon and having to juggle all the things that that woman in the workplace have to juggle perhaps for pole was thinking about was you and me. He thought about the women the ladies who work at home are precious mothers who work at home. I called in child development specialist are ladies wives are mothers with their running around all over the place glorified taxi services going to ball games and PTO meetings juggling calendars picking up dirty socks talking to the washing machine.

Preparing this in fact in the next thing, organizing, strategizing, and doing everything else and making it possible for you and for me to be where we are. I think Paul wasn't just thinking about a Roman soldier I think he was thinking about our senior adults so precious, many of whom have said I'm retired I would try coming to a new understanding of this word retirement. I'm coming to a brand-new understanding of it.

I retired, yet God is taken, our senior adults and he is used in an he's multiplying his joy through their lives in an he's saying to our senior adults. So ma'am put on the whole armor of God. Perhaps he had in mind a single adult who doesn't have a whole lot of people to go home to every nine. How would we live in this world if we didn't do what God told us to.

Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now.

Dear God, I know that Arneson and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my in Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. If you just prayed along with Dr. Don Wilton moments ago.

Welcome to the family got a welcome home, dedicate your life. Either way, Dr. Wilton has wonderful resources he want you to have absolutely free.

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