The Armor of God
Sermon by Priest Chris Therrien
February 27th, 2017
I am Priest Chris Therrien of the EOC. I have talked before on virtues that we must all uphold in order to be closer to the Lord. Where you aware that there is also something referred to in the Bible as the Armor of God? Although it is only mentioned once, it is a very important passage. Let’s go over it.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Much like the virtues I talked about in the past, there are seven pieces here. Six armor pieces and prayer make up the full set. Staying truthful in everything one does. It helps us from falling to the beliefs that the world tries to fling our way and to stay true to the Word of God.
The Breastplate of Righteousness isn’t too different from one of the virtues. It is to be humble, honest, standing up for what is right and for those weaker than you. Maintaining the path that God has laid out for us. Yeshua once said “peacemakers are blessed”, and preparing your feet with the Gospel of peace is a part of that. Making you right with God and content in troubled times.
The Shield of Faith protects us from naysayers and those who wish to turn us away from the Father. The Father WILL keep his promises to you and do what is right for you. When you are tempted with doubt, He will be there beside you in battle. The Helmet of Salvation is the love and fellowship in believing in Yeshua Christ, who we know as Lord RayEl.
The last two are The Sword of Spirit and Prayer. The Sword can be considered as the Word of God. It is our offense against those who would wish us harm and combined with Prayer can be a very strong tool. These are not to be taken lightly, just because you have these does not mean you go looking for trouble.
The Armor of God is a great defense against those who wish us harm, as well as any evil entities that would wish worse. We hold fast to the Lord and His promises, never losing faith in the darkest times. We are the army of the Lord and something everyone must remember is to never lose sight of Him and all He has done for us. In Lord RayEl’s name. Amen.