Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-17, for the 21st Sunday after Trinity (1 Yr Lectionary), "Your Spiritual Battle"
In the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Every day we are engaged in a spiritual
battle. We may or may not be conscious of it. But Bible passages like Ephesians
are meant to wake Christians up, to be alert and engaged in the spiritual
battle. You can guess how well the spiritual battle will go for us if we are
sleepwalking, unarmed and unprepared, vs. being watchful and alert, armed and
ready. To this end, Ephesians 6 tells us what the lay of the battlefield is,
who our true enemies are, and what armor God equips us with.
Last week at my drill with the National
Guard, I talked in my sermon about how soldiers are issued a uniform, and
expected to report for duty or ceremonies dressed in their uniform. Just like
the wedding guest in last week’s parable did not wear the garment that would
have been issued by the host. I also made a stop by the supply room, where they
took my sizes to issue me a helmet, vest, and other gear. I neither make my own
uniform and gear, nor do I supply it. So it is with God’s spiritual armor. It’s
not earthly clothing, it’s not a sweater you can pull out of your drawer, or a
physical shield that you can strap on your arm. It’s spiritual gear, spiritual
armor that God has fashioned and supplied to us. Keep that truth in the front
of your mind, that this is the armor of
God, and that He is the One who equips us for this battle. This keeps us
from trying to take credit for ourselves, or to try to “go rogue” or be a lone
ranger. Always remember it’s God’s battle we are fighting. We have been
enlisted into this battle, but God arms, equips, and fights for us and guarantees
the victory. Christ is our Commander. Be
strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put
on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of
the devil. When God calls us to stand, we can be confident
that we are able to do so. The devil is powerful and threatening and dangerous.
But not more powerful than God. So when God calls us to stand we don’t cower in
fear or give ground to the roaring of the devil. We stand against his schemes. Standing can be a passive thing, like leaning
against a wall—or it can be a positive, active thing—like standing up for
something, or standing against an enemy. We stand proactively against the
schemes of the devil. We know he is a deceiver, a liar, and up to no good. He
has Christians marked and targeted in his sights, to work mischief, harm, and
mayhem. He will use any tactic to sow doubt and distrust of God in our hearts,
and to “divide and conquer” by turning us against each other. It takes a united
stance of attack and resistance to guard against his schemes. We expose his
schemes to the light of the truth, and we defeat them in Christ’s name, and by
loving one another as Christ has loved us.
For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Here we get to properly identify our enemies. Sometimes we make enemies of our
fellow humans: enemies of “flesh and blood.” But God is telling us not to
wrestle against our fellow man (instead, rescue them from the powers of
darkness by bringing them to the Truth of Jesus!). Our real battle is against all
rule and authority that stands opposed to God and His Truth. Human actors may
come into play, the spiritual truth is that they are enslaved or deceived by
Satan’s lies and deception. The devil can infiltrate into all forms of
authority—in the family, in the business world, in the government, and yes even
in the church!! Wherever evil is done, under any name, it all traces back to
its origin with the devil and the spiritual forces of darkness. When Jesus
proclaimed that whoever sins is a slave to sin, but that if the Son sets you
free, you are free indeed—He shows that humans ensnared in sin can be and are
rescued by Him. Jesus leads His people out of slavery and darkness and lies,
into freedom, light, and truth.
This is no small reason for why Jesus
emphatically rejected using violence in this battle—because it’s not a battle
against flesh and blood. Jesus told Peter to put down his sword, and that all
who live by the sword will die by the sword. The disciples once asked to call
down fire from heaven against a village that refused the message of the Gospel,
and Jesus rebuked them. He told them to shake the dust off your feet and move
on, if someone didn’t want to hear the Gospel. Jesus Himself submitted to
hatred, abuse and death on the cross, rather than responding with violence
against the evil poured against Him. But He powerfully spoke the truth,
declaring to Pontius Pilate and the chief priests their guilt and their error,
but submitting to their injustice, that the power of injustice would be broken
by the purity of His innocent life.
Jesus’ rejection of violence or coercion
for Himself and His followers doesn’t make Christians into pacifists, or to say
that there is never a situation where we can defend ourselves—but He’s
specifically talking about the Church and the movement of the Gospel. The
Gospel wages a non-violent, spiritual war, by God’s Word and Truth. Jesus and
the apostles elsewhere approve of the proper use of legitimate authority by the
government or soldiers to use the physical sword against evil, and to protect
citizens, etc. We also have a duty by the 5th commandment to protect
the physical body and life of our neighbors, which may include standing up for
them against violence or hate or harm. Police and other authorities may have to
use force to protect people from harm. But in all this, the Church has a
differently defined role—believers carry God’s Word and prayer to fight against
the spiritual forces of evil.
Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand firm. God equips us
with a complete set of spiritual battle gear—and like a living suit of
armor—better than Iron Man wears in the movies—God’s armor actually makes us
ready to stand against evil. Without the whole armor, we have gaps in our
armor, chinks through which the devil will press his crafty attack. We
withstand in the evil day. When is
that? Any day or opportunity where the devil is at work. Any day that ends in
‘y’. When the devil failed in tempting Jesus, it says he sought an opportune time to tempt Him. Likewise,
the devil is always looking for opportunities. There’s no shortage of “evil
days” in our present struggle. Be watchful and equipped in the whole armor of
God every day.
Stand
therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the
readiness given by the gospel of peace. Without the truth, we
cannot oppose the lie. Without Christ’s righteousness covering us, we are
nothing but guilty sinners, subject to the devil’s accusations. But the truth is
a powerful antidote to the lie. With Christ’s righteousness, we can confidently
stand against the devil’s accusations, saying, “I have died to sin, and now
live to righteousness! The cross of Jesus paid for all my sins!” Ready with the
gospel of peace, we run to proclaim the message of freedom, peace, and liberty
to the captives.
In
all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The
devil shoots flaming arrows at us in this spiritual war. In ancient combat
soldiers would dip arrows in pitch, and set them on fire. Roman soldiers would
soak their large, wooden and leather shields in water before battle. We are
drenched in the waters of baptism, and hold up the shield of faith to keep the
devil’s fiery darts from striking home. Faith is trust in God, a total
dependency on Him. The devil tries to push us off that foundation, fires arrows
searching for their mark in some weakness in us. But we keep the shield of
faith up when we rely completely on God, look to Him for our strength, and call
on Him whenever our faith is weak or struggling. The helmet of salvation
reminds us that God’s crowning gift to us is our total rescue from the power of
sin, death, and the devil. Be faithful,
even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life, God says in
Revelation 2:10.
That last piece of battle gear, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God is the offensive weapon. In a similar passage in 2 Corinthians 10, Paul
talks about the weapons of our warfare
are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy
arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take
every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience,
when your obedience is complete. Again, it’s not physical weapons or even
coercion or force that give the kingdom of Christ victory, but the powerful
Word of God, by the Holy Spirit, using Truth to demolish strongholds and false
arguments and presumption against God. God has given us our intelligence and
His Word, to see through and defeat any lies. Our spiritual enemies may boast
and level arguments against God and His Word—but His Word gives us the answers
and the power to defeat them.
This is God’s armor, His battle gear
issued to you, to protect you against the attacks of the devil. You know the
battlefield and the lines are drawn, between good and evil. You know better that
fellow humans, even if they are deeply misled and employed by the spiritual
forces of darkness, are not our real enemies. Rather the devil and all his
cosmic powers over this present darkness, are waging a concerted, persistent
war against believers, and he will stoop to any level, employ any tactic to sow
doubt, distrust, or to divide and conquer. But he is also going down in defeat.
Satan’s fate is sealed, his destiny is written, and Christ has judged him and
cast him out. Jesus triumphed over the spiritual forces of darkness by His
cross and empty tomb. That doesn’t mean the danger is over—the war is won, but
the battle is still on. At least until this old sinful nature dies and returns
to the grave. But even in death, we have Christ’s victory, secured when He rose
from the dead. So be watchful, alert, and joyful! For Christ is our victory,
and armed with His armor, we can stand against evil and win! In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Sermon Talking
Points
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- Read Ephesians 6:10-17.
This passage describes our life as a spiritual battle. Where is the battle
line drawn, and who are our enemies? Who are not our enemies? What are the
weapons of our warfare? 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.
- What are the
schemes of the devil? What does he aim to do? How are we equipped to stand
against him? 4:14; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 5:8-9.
- As “ground for
the assault”, the devil not only makes use of our own sinful flesh, but
also the sinful flesh of every other human. Why should this keep us humble
and compassionate, but also determined to face the right enemy, and not
engage in “friendly fire?”
- How do we bear
the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Galatians 3:27. How do we run with
shoes that are “the gospel of peace?” How are we to be “peace makers?” Matthew
5:9
- What sort of
“flaming darts” does the evil one (the devil) constantly fire at us? How
are they extinguished? Where does all our guilt and condemnation lay?
Colossians 2:14. What is our “offensive weapon” against the devil and
evil? Ephesians 6:17. Since this is a “non-physical” weapon, or not an
earthly weapon, what kind(s) of attacks are ruled out for believers? Luke
22:49-51; Matthew 26:52; Ephesians 4:15; Matthew 5:22; Romans 12:17-21.
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