Click here to view listing below for Rom 13:14
I. "PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD."
A. This ties you back to the previous verse which tells us to be strong "in the Lord."
1. Our strength comes from having the whole armor of God.
2. In a spiritual battle we have no defense in and of ourselves.
3. Our only hope is to be fully protected by the armor of God.
B. There is a verse in Proverbs that speaks of four things on the earth that are small but exceeding wise.
1. One of those small wise things is the conie who makes his home in the rock.
2. The conies are a feeble folk, but they make their home in the rock.
a. The conie is as the rabbit defenseless against the predators.
b. But he has enough sense to make his home in the rocks.
c. When he is in his home in the rock, as the fox or wolf try to get to him, they are frustrated because they cannot break the rock. Thus the little conie is safe, for he has the rock for his defense.
3. When we have the whole armor of God upon us, we then have the strength of God as our protection.
a. The enemy may be as a roaring lion trying to get to you, but he cannot penetrate your armor.
C. Note that we are to put on the whole armor of God. You do not want to leave any part of you vulnerable.
D. In
Romans 13 Paul exhorts to put off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.
E. In II Corinthians he speaks of the armour of righteousness.
F. In verse 13 he again tells us to take the whole armour that we may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand.
II. IN THIS VERSE HE IS TELLING THEM THAT THEY ARE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.
A. The devil is very wily.
1. Notice how he came to Eve in the garden of Eden asking a question about God's word. "Hath God said?"
2. He then challenged God's word, "You will not surely die."
3. Then lying about God. "God does not want you to eat of the fruit for He knows that it will make you wise as God."
4. So Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
2CO 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
a. The words beguiled, subtility, match with wiles.
5. Jesus spoke of the false messiahs and the false prophets that would arise showing signs and wonders to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
b. Here the word is seduce that corresponds to the wiles.
6. Again in writing to the Corinthians Paul said,
2CO 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
a. One of our problems however is that we so often are ignorant of his devises.
b. So many times he engages us in a spiritual battle and we think that it is a problem with our flesh.
c. I think that the first key in overcoming the attacks of the enemy is to recognize that this is an attack of the enemy.
d. Until you recognize the spiritual nature of the battle, you cannot resist the devil.
e. The three R's are so important in this spiritual conflict. Recognize the enemy. Resist the devil. Rejoice in the victory that Christ has wrought for us.
7. Paul speaks of the god of this world blinding the minds of those who believe not.
8. Paul told the Corinthians that the weapons of their warfare were not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.
a. Satan often has a strong hold on a persons life.
b. God has given to us the weapons to break that strong hold.
9. Again to the Corinthians Paul wrote,
2CO 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2CO 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2CO 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
10. Peter warns of the false prophets that will come,
2PE 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2PE 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2PE 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
III. NOTE OUR ARMOR OF DEFENSE.
A. Truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, word of God These are all spiritual qualities. These are the traits that mark the child of God. The child of darkness is marked by the opposite traits.
1. The truth is the strongest defense against the lies of Satan.
a. In the bank the other day one of the tellers said to me that they can tell a counterfeit bill the moment they touch it, they do not even have to see it to know that it is counterfeit.
b. They have counted so many genuine bills that they instantly recognize the counterfeit.
c. Our purpose is to so thoroughly ground you in the truth that you instantly recognize the counterfeit.
2. Righteousness. The world is full of unrighteousness. The Bible tells us that we should,
a. Speak the truth. "Lie not one to another."
b. We should be kind one to another.
c. Be tenderhearted forgiving one another.
d. We should love one another. (19 times)
e. We should comfort one another.
f. Edifying one another.
h. Considering one another.
i. Pray one for another.
j. Not to speak evil one of another.
k. Be full of pity.
j. Be courteous.
k. Have compassion one for another.
l. Serving one another.
m. Submitting yourselves one to another.
n. Build up one another.
o. Pray one for another.
3. It speaks of the sinners as;
a. Betraying one another.
b. Hating one another.
c. Lusting one toward another.
d. Biting and devouring one another.
e. Provoking one another.
f. Envying one another.
g. Smiting one another.
h. Oppressing one another.
4. Gospel of peace.
a. The world is marked by strife and war.
b. Man is at war with God, he is rebelling against the righteous commandments of God.
c. Thus man is at war with himself. Fighting against his own conscience.
d. Is it any wonder that he is at war with his neighbor?
5. Faith.
6. Salvation.
7. Word of God.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
