What does First B Jackson teach about armor of god?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First Baptist Jackson, the teaching on the armor of God begins with a reframe that most people in the pew have never quite heard: every command in Ephesians 6 is plural. Pastor Ray has pressed on this repeatedly across these messages, pointing out that every 'you' in the passage is a 'y'all.' This is not a personal checklist to work through alone. It is a communal calling, and it only makes sense inside the larger argument of Ephesians, which is that the church, gathered and unified, is how God makes his wisdom known to the spiritual powers of this world. That is the assignment, and there is no plan B.
The passage turns on one line that Pastor Ray keeps returning to: our struggle is not against flesh and blood. He has been direct about what that means in practice. The people who argue with you, oppose you, or make you furious are people Jesus died for. Going after them as though they are the enemy is wrong and gets in the way of what God wants to do. As he put it, 'Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Those are people that Jesus wants to save.' The actual opposition is described in the Greek as kosmokratoras, a term used only in that one verse, pointing to cosmic forces operating within a designated jurisdiction and no further. And the victory, he says, is already settled: 'The victory has already been won, but we're living in the midst of a day where a defeated foe is still making all kinds of racket.'
Working through each piece of the armor, the teaching keeps circling back to what each one defends against and what it requires of the believer. The belt of truth stands against lies and misinformation and demands deliberate attention to Scripture. The breastplate of righteousness protects the heart and means walking in a victory that has already been given, not performing goodness for an audience. Pastor Ray has been clear that this righteousness is not something we earn or keep by effort: 'I couldn't be good enough to keep it. I couldn't be good enough to get it in the first place.' The shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit each carry the believer through real spiritual opposition, but none of it works apart from the prayer section in verses 18 through 20, which is why Ray has insisted on reading the passage all the way through. The armor and the connection to God belong together.
Taught from Ephesians 6:10-20 · Ephesians 3:8-10 · Ephesians 2:1-10 · Ephesians 4:1-3 · Hebrews 11:1
The passage taught · Ephesians 2:1-10
1 You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;
3 among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- June 21, 2026 The Full Armor of God and the Comms Check Pastor Ray works through Ephesians 6, showing that the armor of God is a collective calling, not an individual one, and that our fight is never against other people.
- June 14, 2026 Strong in the Lord and the Strength of His Might Ephesians 6 sermon on the armor of God, spiritual warfare, communion, and what it means to stand firm not by your own strength but in the Lord's.
Mentioned along the way
- September 11, 2024 Women's Bible Study - September 11th, 2024 - Overcoming Temptation Through God’s Strength Natalie Yates teaches on Matthew 4, tracing how Jesus faced the lust of the flesh, pride of life, and lust of the eyes, and how we can follow His example.
- March 25, 2015 Pick Up the Armor and Claim It A women's Bible study closes its Ephesians series by walking through the armor of God, showing how truth, righteousness, peace, faith and Scripture guard against spiritual attack.