Do not give up — gear up in the armor God gives us, because we're in a spiritual war.
Following Jesus isn't a passive add-on to life — it's a battle with a real enemy who wants to confuse us, wound us, and make us give up. But God has already given us armor to fight and stand firm: truth, righteousness, and the peace of the gospel, so that instead of sitting out the fight miserable, we can live in the victory Jesus has already won.
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's college backpacking trip through Europe, accidentally wearing the same bright yellow jacket as rioters at the Arc de Triomphe
“Do not give up. Gear up”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 1 of 6
We are in a real spiritual battle, and we have a part to play even though salvation is a gift we cannot earn.
Pastor Hunter walks through Ephesians 6:13, noting that while the enemy cannot take away a believer's salvation, he can work to disconnect them from feeling God's love, joy, and peace. Paul writes this charge to gear up while under Roman house arrest, comparing the Christian life to a soldier dressed for conflict every day.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 2 of 6
The belt of truth is foundational because the enemy's primary tactic is lying and deception.
Pastor Hunter explains that a Roman belt let soldiers move freely and held the rest of the armor together, just as truth holds a believer together in battle. He traces the enemy's lying back to Eden with Adam and Eve, into Jesus' words to the Pharisees in John 8:44, and into the whispered lies of worthlessness many of us believe today.
“He was a murderer from the beginning and he has always hated the truth because there's no truth in him”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 3 of 6
To wrap ourselves in truth, we need to be in places committed to speaking it — worship, community, and God's word.
He points to singing worship songs as proclaiming truth rather than just warming up for the sermon, getting into a small group to have lies spoken over with truth, and reading God's word since Jesus calls Himself the way, the truth, and the life in John 8:31-32.
“we think that the righteousness God asks us to practice is a burden rather than a protection”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's childhood story of being hit in the forehead by a golf club after ignoring his father's safety warning
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 4 of 6
The body armor of righteousness protects our heart, and living without it leaves us wounded rather than judged.
Pastor Hunter distinguishes positional righteousness, given the moment we say yes to Jesus, from practical righteousness, the lifelong practice of fighting sin. He tells a personal story of being hit in the forehead with a golf club as a child, and how his father's heartbreak rather than blame mirrors God's response when we're wounded by sin we ran into unprotected.
“To be honest, he's just tired of seeing you wounded because he loves you”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 5 of 6
The shoes of peace let us stand firm because the gospel is genuinely good news and victory.
He unpacks the word translated good news as literally the word for gospel, describing Roman soldiers' nailed sandals that let them dig in and hold ground. He shares a little league memory of an opposing coach fearing his batting to illustrate that the enemy is afraid of what a Christ follower's confidence in the gospel can do.
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's little league baseball story about hearing the opposing team's parents praise his hitting ability
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Point 6 of 6
Standing in the peace of the gospel means being willing to actually talk about it and invite people to Jesus.
Pastor Hunter contrasts how freely people share about diets or essential oils with how anxious they get discussing faith, naming this discomfort as another enemy tactic. He references Jesus' teaching in Matthew about a coming separation of all people and pictures the grief of loved ones asking why we never told them.
Related passage
“If you are a Christ follower in the room, your enemy knows what you can do and he's afraid of what you're about to do”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
“it is so much better to live in the victory that Jesus has given us than just sitting there miserable giving up”
— Pastor Hunter Jones
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's story of sitting miserable on a bench at Six Flags until his mother persuaded him to ride a roller coaster
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI
Take it into your week
Gear up, don't give up — figure out which piece of armor you've left on the ground and put it on this week.
Application
Wrap yourself in truth
Get honest about where you're believing a comfortable lie instead of God's truth, and put yourself in places built to speak truth over you — worship, a small group, and time in God's word.
Put on your righteousness
Name the sin or addiction you've decided is too heavy to fight, and start fighting it, trusting that God isn't angry at your wounds but wants to heal them.
Stand in the peace of the gospel
Let the victory you have in Jesus settle your anxiety about talking about your faith, and stop staying quiet out of fear of what people will think.
Invite someone before Easter
With Easter three weeks away, identify a friend, neighbor, coworker, or family member to personally invite, since most people will come if simply asked.
Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI