Sermon
Notes, September 23, 2018
Rev. Garry
McGlinchy
Pastor Garry concluded his sermon
series on Ephesians. The first three
chapters of Ephesians are about Unity with Christ. The last three chapters are about unity with
others. This week’s sermon was titled “Equipment
for Unity,” and was based on Ephesians 6:10-18.
We need to be united with God, with
others (including our family), and with the church. Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians by admonishing
us to be strong in the Lord and in his power, put on the FULL armor of God. (Verses 10 & 11) We’re fighting against the spiritual forces
of evil, and we need to be able to stand our ground. (Verses 12 & 13)
First is the Belt of Truth. It holds everything together. Without it all the armor will fall apart and
be useless. This Belt has two sides: one
side helps us find the truth, or determine the “fake news;” the other helps us
speak the truth.
Next is the Breast Plate, or body
armor, of Righteousness. It protects the
Heart. The concept of a pure heart is hard
for some people. The heart is a unique
organ. It reflects our identity and
integrity to the world.
Verse 15 talks about having our feet
fitted with the readiness to spread the good news, the gospel of peace. The Shoes of the Gospel, where we carry out
God’s mission to the world: the Good News.
The Shield of Faith is our mobile
defense. It’s strapped to your arm, and
you can put it up to protect yourself and others against attacks from the
devil. (Verse 16) His weapons against us
are Fear and Doubt. Shields usually have
a coat of arms; our coat of arms is the cross.
This is what the enemy sees first, and it strikes fear into him. It reflects our identity in Christ.
The Helmet of Salvation protects the
whole head. Salvation covers all. It protects our minds from listening to
lies. It helps us remember who God is.
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of
God, is our offensive weapon (v. 17). It
is our devotion to Christ. Reading the
Word gives us direction. We find
scriptures that give us strength in crises, such as 2 Corinthians 10:5 that
talks about taking every thought captive, or Romans 12:2 that talks about
renewing your mind.
Pastor Garry challenged us to put on
the armor of God every day this week.
Make Ephesians 6 your prayer.
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