Lesson 27 – Our Armor, Part 1
Read Ephesians 6:10-17 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/eph.6.esv
Verse 13 tells us we can’t pick or choose between our pieces of armor, we must wear it all. In this lesson we’ll look at the first three pieces of armor we need.
Verse 14 gives us the first two – the belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness. The next has our feet protected with readiness.
The belt of truth. The belt for a soldier was several things. It was first a way of carrying many of the supplies he would need – and that is still true for many soldiers today. Supplies and some weapons are attached to the belt to be immediately available when needed. A soldier is so used to his belt his hand automatically goes to the right thing as his mind thinks the thought.
Why is this belt “truth?” Our need for supplies in our Christian walk, our warfare against evil, must be attached to TRUTH. If our weapons aren’t founded on truth, they are useless to us. If our water or food supplies aren’t founded on truth, our belt will soon break and we’ll not have those things we need for our battle. Who is truth? – see John 14:6.
The breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate covers the heart and most of the other major organs of our body, protecting them from harm. So our breastplate protects our heart, which in Scripture is the place of our passions. When our passions are under the cover of righteousness, we need not fear that our passions might lead us astray. Jesus said our passions should be centered on His will and His kingdom and then He would supply all the rest that we need – Matthew 6:33.
Shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of Peace. Shoes protect our ability to move. If we step on a stone and hurt our feet, it’s very difficult for us to move rapidly to either safety or victory.
Note that it is not the Gospel of Peace that is our shoe, it is the readiness. Being prepared is the issue. But just as the soldier’s shoe must be made of the right materials – strong leather and steel – so our shoes must be made of the right material – the Gospel of Peace. This Peace we also find in Scripture in Isaiah 9:6.
Did you notice that all these pieces of armor are things provided for us in and by Jesus Christ? It is not our own truth, our own righteousness, our own gospel – they are all His. They are all found in His word.
Our foundation for our every need (Philippians 4:19), our focus for our passion (Jeremiah 29:13), and our readiness to move as needed (Isaiah 52:7) are all found in Christ when we have His armor correctly in place. Our next lesson will look at the remaining 3 pieces of our armor.
*What are the 3 pieces of armor discussed today?
*Putting these on each day makes us _____ for battle.
*Our foundation, our focus and our readiness are all found in _____