Ephesians 6:13-18, NIRV (New International Reader's Version)

God’s Armor for Believers

¹³So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing. ¹⁴So remain strong in the faith. Put the belt of truth around your waist. Put the armor of godliness on your chest. ¹⁵Wear on your feet what will prepare you to tell the good news of peace. ¹⁶Also, pick up the shield of faith. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Put on the helmet of salvation. And take the sword of the Holy Spirit. The sword is God’s word.

¹⁸At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers. Be watchful, so that you can pray. Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Prop: Small bicycle that resembles a first bike a child would learn to ride. Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads – the whole suit of armor.

Theme: Put on the whole armor to be able to stand up and withstand anything.

Bike theme: Put on the whole armor to withstand anything that happens on your bike ride.

Message

Last week we gave thanks to God for all things all the time. Now, we are finally ready to climb on the bike and take a ride. WAIT! There is something else that we must do before we can ride. We need to protect our bodies. I have some things here to help protect us. I have elbow pads to put on our arms. I have knee pads to help protect our legs. I also have a bike helmet to wear (which may be a requirement in your state). All these things help provide protection so that we can withstand anything that may happen.

Once we put all this on, it looks like a suit of armor, doesn’t it?

Paul writes in the last chapter of the letter that we need to put on the armor of God. Listen to how he describes the armor of God: “¹³So put on all of God’s armor. Evil days will come. But you will be able to stand up to anything. And after you have done everything you can, you will still be standing. ¹⁴So remain strong in the faith. Put the belt of truth around your waist. Put the armor of godliness on your chest. ¹⁵Wear on your feet what will prepare you to tell the good news of peace. ¹⁶Also, pick up the shield of faith. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Put on the helmet of salvation. And take the sword of the Holy Spirit. The sword is God’s word.

Did you hear some words that we learned as we prepared to ride a bike? Truth. Godliness means be like God. Peace. Shield of faith provides protection. Helmet of salvation. The sword is God’s word, which means that we can read the Bible to always give us the words to say to show others that we want to be like God and love like Jesus.

So now that we have geared up, let’s ride. Remember, it’s a big world out there, and God needs people who are armored up enough to stand up and be ready for anything. How have we learned to be armored up enough to be better followers of Jesus? (Allow children to respond.)

Prayer: Loving and Gracious God: We are all suited up ready for the bike ride of our lives. Always remind us that when we armor up for you, we are ready for anything. We are thankful for Paul and his letter so many years ago that reminds us of your protection and your love. Help us always to be more like you and to love more like your son taught us. Allow us to always enjoy the ride! Amen.