The Couture of Christ: a Ten-Week Study on the Armor of God

The Full Armor: Overview

1. Define couture: the production of high-end, custom made clothing

a. Read Ephesians 6:10-20

2. Historical Context

a. Author: the Apostle Paul

Paul was born into a Jewish family in Tarsus of Cilcia (modern-

day Turkey) sometime during the first decade of the first century.

This makes him a Jew of the Diaspora, or “scattering,” which

occurred following the exile of the Jews to Assyria (721 BC) and

Babylon (587 BC). (See 2 Kings 18 and 23-25 for the full story).

The son of tentmakers. The family became moderately wealthy, as

the price to purchase Roman citizenship (which Paul’s family

possessed) was a year and a half’s wages. (It is also possible,

though not probable, that his father was a Roman, his mother a

Jew).

Went to Jerusalem as a child (with his family or not is unknown) to

study under Gamaliel, a highly placed member of the Sanhedrin.

Was a Pharisee.

Present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8.

Read Acts 9:1-19

Paul is converted sometime around 35-38 AD, between two and

five years after the death and resurrection of Christ. (Dates vary

due to the difficulty of precisely dating Jesus’ birth).

He went from being a passionate hater and persecutor of Christians

to becoming the chief evangelist and defender of the faith.

b. Time

Read Acts 28:11-31.

There is some debate as to when and where Paul wrote each of the

Epistles. The best evidence indicates that Ephesians was written

during his first Roman imprisonment, mentioned at the end of Acts

28. This places the date of the letter between 61-62 AD.

c. Occasion for the Composition

Paul spent a total of three years in the city of Ephesus according to

Acts 20:31. Ephesus was famous for housing the Artemision, one of

the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Worship of Artemis was

deeply sensual, involving the ritualistic use of prostitutes. It was here

in Acts 19 that Demetrius the silversmith spearheaded a revolt due to

Paul’s preaching.

It was a dark city, prominent, wealthy, a center of paganism. Paul

wrote to encourage the Ephesian Christians to stay the course in the

midst of this environment. This encouragement was needed.

Read Revelation 2:1-7.

3. Context within the New Testament

a. The letter to the Ephesians was written shortly before the

composition of the Gospel of Mark.

b. The Apostle Paul is traditionally thought to have been killed in 67 or

68 AD. Thus the letter to the Ephesians was written shortly before

the end of his life.

4. Major Themes of the Book of Ephesians

a. Unity

b. Love

c. New Life

d. Walking in the Strength of the Lord

e. The Armor of God

5. Homework:

a. Focus on Ephesians 6:12.

b. Read the following verses:

Matthew 5:44

Acts 7:60

Proverbs 25:21

Romans 12:20

Proverbs 24:17

Leviticus 19:17-18

c. Based on these verses, how would you answer the questions:

Who are your enemies?

How are you to treat those you consider your enemies?

Should a Christian have enemies?

What should you do with your anger against others?

Who is My Enemy?

a. Read Ephesians 6:10-12.

b. Object lesson: boxing gloves

When other people hurt or anger us, whether accidentally or entirely on

purpose, we want to do battle with them. That’s our natural inclination. We

strap on our boxing gloves in the form of nasty words, vicious gossip or shutting

them out entirely. If we don’t do these things, we at least store away the

memory of that hurt – for a convenient moment.

Let’s face it – we’re not naturally very good at forgiveness. Given the

opportunity, we will absolutely (slam) pummel (slam) someone (slam).

c. Read Romans 12:1-8.

Do we have the right to behave this way toward our brothers and sisters in

Christ?

d. Read John 13:35.

What does being loving mean?

Do we ignore things?

e. Read Matthew 18:15-17.

Do we ignore it when we’ve been hurt?

Is it possible to confront in a loving way?

f. But what if the person doesn’t know Christ? How are we supposed to deal with

conflict then?

The truth is, the same principles apply. There isn’t one set of rules for dealing

with a Christian and another set of rules for dealing with someone how doesn’t

know Christ. Difficult as it is, we should probably be far less surprised that

conflict happens as often as it does. For those of us who do know Christ, we are

on a journey. We are having the rough edges smoothed off. Those who don’t

have no particular reason to grow – they are not under the guidance of the

Spirit.

g. Read Galatians 5:22-23.

How are these characteristics developed?

h. Back to Ephesians 6:10-12.

Who is really the enemy?

Homework:

John 14:16

John 1:14

2 Timothy 2:15

Ephesians 4:15

Based on these verses, how would you define truth?

Belt of Truth

a. Read Ephesians 6:14a.

b. Object lesson: wear every belt I own.

There is never a time in which we aren’t aware of a belt. We either don’t have

one and the slipping of our pants reminds us that we need one, or we do have

one and it’s too tight, creating the dreaded “muffin top,” or we wear one and it

does its job admirably. Which option is the best? Obviously, to wear the belt

that fits! We don’t want to be uncomfortable and we also don’t want to expose

intimate places to the world at large.

That is the function of a belt: to hold things together. Thus, the belt of truth

may be seen as the locking mechanism which holds the entire concept of the

Armor of God together.

c. John 18:38

What question did Pilate ask Jesus?

d. John 18:37

What did Jesus say that prompted Pilate to ask such a question?

e. Please share your definition of truth.

Truth is what corresponds to reality.

f. John 14:16

What does Jesus call Himself?

g. John 3:16-17

If truth is what corresponds to reality, what is the reality behind these verses?

h. If we trust Jesus for our salvation, then we believe that He is God. The Biblical

writers and prophets claimed to be transmitting the very word of God to their

hearers/readers. While not a minutely exhaustive book, the Bible does contain

divinely inspired and protected history, poetry, narrative and information that

God wants us to know.

i. Hosea 4:6

What does God say through the prophet?

j. Joshua 1:1-9

What is an important element of Joshua’s success?

k. The truth, then, is what God has to say about life, us and Himself. To know the

truth we must know both Jesus and the Bible intimately. We must then go a

step farther and conform our lives to that truth on a daily basis. Maybe Bible

study sounds totally overwhelming – that’s okay. He made each of us

differently and ensures that His word speaks to each of us in ways that we can

understand.

Homework:

Psalm 23

Isaiah 32:17

Isaiah 64:6

2 Corinthians 5:21

Philippians 3:9

What, in your opinion, is righteousness? Do we possess it? Does your life

reflect God’s righteousness?

Breastplate of Righteousness

a. Ephesians 6:14b.

b. Object lesson: puffy best.

A breastplate most obviously sits over the breast, thus protecting the

heart. We understand the heart to be where love and all other

emotions spring from, also knowing that the heart is a muscle which

pumps vital blood to our bodies. If our hearts are broken in a

figurative sense, we lose some of our capacity to love. If they are

broken in a literal sense, we bleed out and die.

Protecting the heart, then, is a truly important aspect of our lives. It

is, however, also very tricky. Protecting our hearts doesn’t mean

that we never let anyone in. It doesn’t mean that we never trust. The

righteousness that this passage speaks of provides us with important

insight on how to both protect and use our God-given hearts.

c. 1 Timothy 6:11

What are we supposed to aim for/pursue?

d. Romans 5:1

What enables us to pursue it?

e. Proverbs 21:3

What does God like better than anything else?

f. Righteousness is not something that we possess on our own. Being

declared righteous is a direct result of placing saving faith in Christ.

Without accepting His atonement for us, we cannot be in right

relationship with God. There is literally no other way for us to get to

Him. This is an obstacle even for those of us who have a relationship

with Christ, because we want so much to earn the right to be with Him.

g. Romans 4:18

Why was Abraham right before God?

Once we have been made righteous by accepting what Jesus did

for us, God does expect us to learn to live as He would have us

live. This is referred to as sanctification, or the chipping away of

the rough, sinful stuff in exchange for the peace and love of God. It

is a life-long process, but it is worth it.

h. Proverbs 28:1

What is the effect of possessing the righteousness of Christ?

j. Philippians 4:6-7

How can we be bold like that?

k. Psalm 51:10

What does David ask God to create in him?

A new, clean heart and right standing before God. This is

what is given to us on the day of our salvation. It is our job to

protect this precious treasure by immersing ourselves in the truth,

as we discussed last week. Knowing the truth and applying leads

directly to righteous living.

Homework:

Psalm 34:14

Psalm 119:165

Isaiah 26:3

Isaiah 48:18

John 14:27

Describe peace.

Feet Fitted with the Readiness of the Gospel

a. Ephesians 6:15

b. Object lesson: bare feet.

Normally when we think of feet fitted with something, we think of

shoes. Boots, flip-flops, kitten heels, stilettos, wedgies, Converse,

ballet flats. All sorts of prints, from leopard to stripes to shiny

pleather. When we go somewhere, we put on shoes.

Here’s the thing, though. Shoes leave a mark. We won’t stomp on a

bug unless we have thick-soled shoes on. We don’t play games

without the right kind of sport shoe. When it snows, our little heels

leave pockmarks. Anyone whose hand has ever been stepped on

knows for sure that shoes can hurt.

c. John 14:27

What has Jesus given to us?

d. Romans 5:1

What do we have because of Jesus?

e. Romans 8:6

What do we get if we set our minds on fleshly things? On

Heavenly things?

f. This passage talks about our feet being fitted with readiness because of the

Gospel of peace. This leads to two questions:

Are we ready?

Are we peaceful?

g. 1 Peter 3:15

Let’s break this down.

What are we supposed to do in our hearts?

If we understand that Christ is Lord, what should we be ready for?

How are we to go about this?

h. John 16:5-11

What is the job of the Holy Spirit?

We can then conclude that it is the Holy Spirit who is to make

tracks on a person’s life, not us. We have not been fitted and given

opportunities in order that we might squash someone or mold them

into our image. No. Our job is to simply tell people about Christ.

i. Colossians 3:15

What is supposed to rule our hearts?

j. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

What does God give us by being with us?

Homework:

Hebrews 11 (all of it)

Mark 11:22

What does it mean to have faith?

Shield of Faith

a. Ephesians 6:16

b. Object lesson: purse

Most of us carry either a purse or bag with us at all times. Whether it stays

in the car or remains strapped to our sides, our purses carry vital items.

Drivers licenses, debit cards, keys, pictures, Kleenex, 17 tubs of lip gloss

(none of which we like), bills that need to be paid…. The list is endless.

But what about faith? How many of think of faith as being something that

we need to carry with us at all times? Doesn’t faith often get relegated to

the back-burner, only coming out during the hard times?

c. Define faith: Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or

trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing

d. Deuteronomy 31:8

What does God promise? What do we not need to do/be because of this

promise?

e. Psalm 9:9-10

What does the psalmist compare the Lord to?

f. Proverbs 29:25

What happens when we fear others? What happens when we trust God?

Faith, then, must begin with believing that God Himself is trustworthy.

We cannot accept what someone says as truth if we don’t first trust the

character of the person. Doubt, then, is ultimately a lack of belief that God

is who He says He is – loyal, steadfast, caring, holy, involved, etc.

This belief is something more than fire insurance or something to whip out

when the going gets tough. This belief is something that we must carry out

in front of us wherever we go each and every moment of every single day.

In the good times, is it God who provides, or is it us? Is it God who has the

answers, or is it us?

Basically, we need to ask ourselves: is our faith only active in the dark?

g. From Beth’s Moore’s “Believing God” –

1. God is who He says he is

2. God can do what He says he can do

3. I am who God says I am

4. I can do all things through Christ

5. God's Word is alive and active in me

h. Psalm 145:18-19

What does God promise?

i. Isaiah 40:28-31

How is God described in these verses?

j. Jeremiah 29:13

What does God promise?

k. Matthew 11:28-31

What does God promise?

l. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

What does God promise?

God’s character is the thing upon which our faith either stands or falls. We

either trust Him or we don’t. Our confidence in the character of God to

love, guide, save and protect us is the only thing that saves us from the

darts of doubt, worry, fear, pride, self-pity, etc. that the Enemy flings at us.

Homework:

John 1:12

John 3:16-17

Acts 13:38-39

Romans 1:16

Romans 6:23

Think back to the time when you first turned to Christ for salvation. How

has that changed your life?

Helmet of Salvation

a. Ephesians 6:17a.

b. Object lesson: hat

For our purposes, a hat has taken the place of helmet. Here in North Idaho, hats

serve both as fashion and function, particularly as the weather turns colder. We

recognize the need, especially for children, to keep their heads warm and dry.

When Paul was writing this letter to the Ephesian believers, however, he was

making a parallel between the clothing of a Roman solider, a common sight

among the varied communities of the Mediterranean, and how God outfits us for

spiritual battle

The helmet of a Roman soldier was carefully designed for protection in battle.

Not only did it protect the head, as our own berets or beanies do, but a piece of

curved metal also swung out over the back of the neck. Two pieces of metal

extended over the cheeks and halfway down the front of the neck. By the time the

soldier had the rest of his armor in place, the head and neck area were virtually

impenetrable.

Define salvation: the state of being saved or preserved from harm; redemption

What we believe about salvation, whether or not we need and how it comes about,

marks us out as Christians. This right here is our defining point as a belief system.

c. Genesis 3 (recap)

What did Adam and Eve do? What was the result?

d. Romans 5:12

What was the lasting consequence?

e. Romans 5:6-8

What is the answer?

f. Romans 5:18-19

Compare the act of Adam with the act of Christ.

g. Romans 10:9

How are we saved?

Break it down:

To confess: agree with the will and word of God, to agree that God is correct in

what He says

Believe that Jesus is the God-Man, wholly God and wholly human

This necessitates belief in the Trinity (Gen. 1:26)

He lived a perfect, sinless life

He died and rose again

Not only did He take our place, He became sin itself (2. Cor. 5:21)

Recognize that we cannot save ourselves, that the Holy God has the right to judge

Repent of our sins and ask Jesus to save us

The Holy Spirit enters into our hearts/minds/lives

He is now the one with the authority

Spend the rest of our lives learning how to be what God wants us to be, how to

live as He commands

h. Acts 4:12

Is there any other way to be saved?

i. John 14:15

What does Jesus say we will do if we love Him?

Salvation, then, protects our minds in that it changes the way we think about

everything. While God never tells us to engage in self-flagellation or that we need

to possess a low self-esteem, acknowledging our sin and our lack of righteousness

means that we have a proper perspective on life. He is the Lord and King. He is

the one who sits on the throne.

This means that we learn to act how Jesus acted. We don’t go around calling

people names, gossiping, seeking vengeance, cheating, lying, stealing, or any

other of a host of sins. By His grace, we can get back up again when we do fall.

The point is simply that the Christian life is one of progression, of always moving

forward, learning to hate sin and love God more.

Homework:

John 8:32

2 Timothy 2:15

Psalm 119:160

Proverbs 3:3

Proverbs 12:19

What is your attitude toward reading and studying the Bible?

Sword of the Sprit (Bible)

a. Ephesians 6:17b.

b. Object lesson: every Bible I own.

We have a problem here in America. We take the Bible for granted. We can go into

almost any bookstore and choose from a variety of translations. NKJV, NIV, NLT,

MSG, CEB, HCSB, etc. We even have multiple copies and multiple versions in our

own homes.

What we may not realize is that there are people around the world who are killed just

for possessing a portion of one Gospel. There are people around the world who share

Bibles with several other believers, committing large chunks of it to memory. Here in

America, we wine and moan about getting up a few minutes earlier just to glance at a

few verses. I know I do.

c. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

What is: Teaching?

Rebuking?

Correcting?

Training?

d. Hebrews 4:12

What else does God’s word do?

e. Ephesians 4:14 (context of passage is unity of Christian life and becoming mature;

Bible study is not specifically mentioned, but it absolutely plays a role in our growth)

What will not happen to us if we are growing in the knowledge of God?

f. Psalm 119:33-40

Can we keep God’s law if we don’t know what it is?

The point of this is not to make anyone feel bad. The Bible can definitely be an

intimidating book. What we each need to do is just dive in wherever we are. For

some, that will mean Greek and Hebrew word studies and spending hours digging

into the history of the Jewish nation. For others that will mean picking a Gospel

and learning more about Jesus. Some might want to read a few verses in Proverbs

or a Psalm each day. Perhaps others might want to listen to the Bible.

There are all sorts of ways to study the Bible. The most common method is

inductive, which simply means that you progress from specific facts to a general

conclusion. We do this all this time as we progress through life. (Hand out sheet).

g. Hosea 4:6

What happens when we don’t know what God has to say?

The concept of the sword of the Sprit is directly linked to the shield of faith for a

reason. When the devil is flinging his lies at us, we need to hold up our

confidence in God, but we also need to come back at him with the truth. For

example, he says you’re ugly? You come back and say that you’re fearfully and

wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

h. Joshua 1:8

What does God tell Joshua to do?

There are tons of great Bible studies and devotional books available. Might have

to try a few until you find an author with whom you really click, and that’s okay.

The bottom line: we who live in this country have no reason not to study the

Bible.

Homework:

1 Chronicles 16:11

Psalm 5:3

Psalm 37:7

Luke 6:12

Colossians 4:2

What is your attitude toward prayer? What do you think of Jesus’ example of

praying all night long?

Prayer

a. Ephesians 6:18-20.

b. Object lesson: prayer time.

Prayer is powerful. Whether or not we believe that is linked to our confidence in

God’s promise to be intimately involved in our lives. How we approach prayer is also

determined by our understanding of God’s right to respond with “yes,” “no” or

“wait.” He sees the whole picture. We don’t.

c. James 4:3

What happens when we pray with the wrong motives? What are the wrong

motives?

d. 1 John 5:14-15

What is the key in this verse? What does it mean to pray God’s will?

e. 2 Chronicles 7:14

What must we turn from?

Growing to be more like Christ means that we will make His business our

business; His will is going to become our own will, what we want. We learn to set

aside our selfish desires and, in many ways, simply say, as Jesus did, “your will,

Father.”

Prayer is more than asking for things, though praying for healing, reconciliation,

guidance, etc. is extremely important. More than this, however, prayer is keeping

open the lines of communication between ourselves and God. It is turning to Jesus

and chatting with Him just as we would any other best friend.

f. Psalm 145:18

Where is God when people call on Him?

We have this as a solid promise, because of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

God always wants to hear from us. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, what kind

of mess we’re in, how boring we might think our lives are, or how stupid we

believe our prayers to be. God doesn’t think they’re stupid. He’s not expecting

anything other than sincerity.

g. Matthew 6:5-12

What is the key principle of these verses?

h. Luke 18:1

Should we ever give up?

This means we pray for things like healing and reconciliation continually,

knowing that God is the author of life and wholeness.

i. Romans 8:26

How does the Spirit help us?

j. Philippians 4:6

What are we to take to God in prayer? How are we to take it to Him?

Prayer is what battles anxiety.

k. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How often do we pray?

God knows that praying once about a tough situation or a broken relationship is

not enough for we weak human beings with spiritual ADD. So He tells us to pray

over and over again.

l. Hebrews 4:6

How can we approach God, thanks to what Christ has done?

Homework:

2 Timothy 4:1-8

2 Chronicles 20:17

Psalm 20:7-8

Mark 13:13

Luke 21:19

How do we stand firm?

Bring for next week:

Belt

Vest

Shoes

Purse

Hat

Bible

Stand Firm: Conclusion

a. Ephesians 6:10

How are we made strong?

b. 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

What role does our weakness play in being strong?

c. Psalm 46:1

How does the psalmist describe God?

d. Isaiah 40:29

What does God do for the weak?

Here’s the point: we’re all weak. None of us can navigate through this life without

total dependence upon God. We can try and deny this all we want, but it doesn’t

change the reality.

e. 1 Peter 5:7

What are we do to with the things that weigh us down? Are we supposed to pick

them up again?

f. Philippians 4:13

How can we do all things?

g. Isaiah 41:10

What does God do for us?

h. 1 Corinthians 5:25-31

Why did God specifically choose us?

i. Psalm 62:1-2

Who is our refuge?

j. Psalm 40:1-2

Where does God set us?

Ultimately, it is God alone who enables us to stand firm. He is truth, salvation,

peace and salvation. He gives us the faith that we cannot produce on our own and

provides us with His Word.

k. Ephesians 6:10-20

As I read these verses, let us all put on our armor.