The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 15, 2024

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 15, 2024

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 15, 2024

Ephesians 6:10-18

How’s Your Followership?

Followers of Christ are Armed for the Battle!

 

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV1984)

 

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

 

What is the worst war that has ever taken place?  The answer to that question depends on whom you ask, doesn’t it.  I know a man who joined the Marines as soon as he heard what the Japanese had done at Pearl Harbor.  He was sent to fight in the South Pacific.  Some of the things that happened in that war so troubled his soul that sometimes when I went to his house to bring him Holy Communion he would confess something that he and/or his unit had done in the war.  He wanted the verbal assurance of forgiveness before he received the Lord’s Supper.  For him WWII was the worst war that has ever taken place.

 

I have heard stories about men who fought in the Korean War and in the Vietnam war.  To them that was the worst war that has ever taken place.  If you talk to veterans who fought in Iraq or in Afghanistan, they would probably say that the war they fought in was the worst war that has ever taken place.  Even though I have never been in the military and even though I have never been in combat I get the sense that if you ask someone what is the worst war that has ever taken place they would say that it was the war in which they were personally involved on the field of battle.

 

When we answer the question “What is the worst war that has ever taken place?” from the perspective of the people who were/are involved in that war, one answer to that question becomes very clear, doesn’t it.  Far more horrible than every war that has ever taken place in the history of this world is the war that Satan instigated in the Garden of Eden.  It is a battle that has raged ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against the Lord and decided to follow Satan.  It is a battle that engulfs every single child of God— including us, our children and our grandchildren.

 

Since as followers of Jesus Christ we are engaged in this battle— which is literally a battle for souls!— let’s pay very close attention as our fellow soldier, the apostle Paul, makes it very clear to us that:  Followers of Christ are Armed for the Battle!

 

Paul begins our text for today with what can be called a very powerful “call to arms.”  Look at what he says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”  A more literal translation of this “call to arms” would be, “Finally, be strengthened in the sphere of the Lord and in the sphere of his mighty strength/power.”

 

On our own we do not have what it takes to battle Satan and his evil angels.  On our own we are weak and pitiful— especially on a spiritual level.  On our own we are easy prey for that roaring lion whose only goal is to lure us away from Jesus and drag us into hell with him forever.  But when we are “in the sphere of” the Lord— the King of kings and the Lord of lords, when we are “in the sphere of” His “mighty power” — the power that enabled Him to create the heavens and the earth, the power that enable Him to battle and defeat Satan by means of His innocent suffering and death on the cross and then His victorious resurrection from the dead — now we “are strengthened”Now we are able to “battle” our spiritual enemies!

 

Take a moment to look around you, my friends.  Even on an earthly level people are struggling.  They struggle to make their paychecks go a little farther.  They struggle to get along with their family and friends.  They struggle against depression, cancer, addictions, and guilt.  They struggle to reach a point in their life where they won’t have to struggle anymore.  And while all of those struggles are very real, while all of those struggles are very powerful, in the bigger picture that includes eternity all of these earthly struggles are dwarfed by the spiritual struggle that all people deal with— including us!

 

God the Holy Spirit has the apostle Paul focus our attention on the ultimate struggle, the ultimate battle we face when he says to us, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle (that can be translated “our fight”) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.”

 

We are battling against the most formidable enemies that exist!  While many people today deny the very existence of Satan that only feeds into Satan’s “scheme”!  Satan’s “scheme” is to use all kinds of “tricks” to try and defeat his prey.  Sometimes Satan brings “small arms” into his battle against us— the subtle habits that don’t appear to hurt anyone, but in reality are used as an excuse to sin against God.  When necessary Satan’s “scheme” is to use “heavy artillery” in his battle against us— the “big sins” that do hurt others and do bring pain and punishment into both their lives and ours.  Ultimately, Satan’s “scheme” includes the “nuclear option”— death.  Many people don’t see death coming until it actually strikes— too late for someone to seek shelter in Christ, too late for someone to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus for forgiveness.

 

God the Holy Spirit has Paul add even more seriousness to the battle that we are waging when he warns us that our spiritual enemies are not only very well organized, but they also have allies that willingly join in the battle against us! The “axis of evil” that we are battling against, the “axis of evil” that is trying to destroy us for all of eternity includes:  “rulers…authorities…powers of this dark world…spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

 

While we cannot see these enemies with our physical eyes, Satan and his demonic army are far bigger and far more powerful than we might want to admit.  Do you remember the man who was possessed by an evil spirit that enabled him to break the chains that people used to try and subdue him?  When Jesus asked this evil spirit, “What is your name? the evil spirit replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mark 5:9).  A Roman legion was made up of 6,000 soldiers!  Paul’s description of Satan’s army having “rulers” and “authorities” gives the impression that there are attacking powers and ruling powers and powers that are focused on working together with the “powers of this dark world.”  Could this include the people who are trying to use the court system to silence and/or sideline Christians who are standing up for Jesus and for the truth of His holy Word?  Could this include the people who are pushing the “COEXIST” mentality along with their intolerant demands for tolerance?  Could this include the people whose definition of “misinformation” and “hate speech” includes anything that goes against their “agenda”?  While I’m not sure if Paul had things like that cross his mind when he wrote this part of our text, God the Holy Spirt knew exactly how relevant these words would be for you and for me!

 

Praise God that by His grace we are no longer slaves to Satan or his legions of demons.  That does not mean, however, that Satan and his demons are going to simply leave us alone.  That’s why as followers of Christ we need to always be armed for the battle!  That’s why Paul says to us, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after your have done everything, to stand.”

 

The picture that Paul paints here is quite sobering.  We do not know exactly when “the day of evil” will come— but we know that it will surely come!  We do not know exactly when the “battle” will rage against us— but we do know that it will indeed rage!  Satan is so “wily,” so “crafty,” so evil that he can take a seemingly innocent event and use it to try and trap us.  A new friend might at first bring a burst of joy and happiness into your life— until they encourage you to experiment with drugs or dabble in pornography.  A new promotion at work might at first thrill you with new responsibilities, new challenges and the new paycheck that it brings— until it becomes clear that the new promotion also means more hours at work and less time for both your family and your Lord.  Yes, my friends, the “day of evil” can come quite unexpectedly.  The “day of evil” might be both designed and timed to coincide with a weakness that we have— such as selfishness or greed.

 

Because the “day of evil” can come quite quickly and quite unexpectedly we need to make sure that each and every day we “put on,” that we “take up” the “full armor of God.”  The “armor” that God gives to us is what enables us to “stand our ground” against the assaults of our spiritual enemies.  The “armor” that God gives to us enables us to “stand” victorious after we have “done everything,” after we have “overcome/conquered” whatever Satan brings against us on the “day of evil.”

 

After telling us twice to “put on the full armor of God,” God the Holy Spirit now has Paul describe exactly what that armor includes.  When we stop to remember that Paul was now a prisoner who was being guarded by at least one Roman soldier, the description of the “armor” that God has given to us is quite easy to picture in our mind.

 

The Holy Spirit has Paul begin with “the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”  This was not a “belt” that held up a soldier’s trousers.  This was a wide thick girdle that protected one of the most vulnerable parts of the soldier’s body— his midsection— from the thrust of a sword.  This “belt,” this “girdle” also helped to keep the soldier’s armor in place including his own sword.

 

The ”belt” that God has given to us, the “belt” which protects our “vulnerable parts” is “the belt of truth.”  This is a reference to the objective unchanging truth that is embodied in Christ— the One who is “the way, the truth and the life.”  This is the truth that is recorded for us on the pages of God’s holy Word.  No matter how many lies the “father of lies” (John 8:44) whispers into our ears, no matter how many lies the “powers of this dark world” promote and protect, the “belt of truth” that He (Pointing to the cross) has given to us protects and preserves us.

 

The next piece of “armor” is “the breastplate of righteousness.”  This is the “righteousness” that comes from God.  (Romans 3:21, 22)  This is the “righteousness” which is ours through faith.  (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-8)  This is the “righteousness” that Jesus secured for us on the cross of Calvary’s hill.  (2 Corinthians 5:21)  The “breastplate of righteousness” is what protects our heart from the accusations that Satan brings against us.  This is the “breastplate of righteousness” that protects us from the fear and the guilt and the despair that our own sins bring against us.

 

The third item of miliary gear that we have been given to wear is “the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  Every Roman soldier was given “war sandals” to wear.  These sandals gave the soldier a firm footing on the battlefield.  The “war sandals” that God has given to us, the “war sandals” that give us firm footing as followers of Jesus Christ is— “the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  No matter what we encounter on our journey through this world the Gospel of Jesus Christ guarantees that we are “at peace” with the one and only true God.  No matter who we meet on our journey through this world and no matter what they have done, the Gospel of Jesus Christ enable us to be “ready” to assure them that through faith in Jesus and what Jesus has done for them (Pointing to the cross) they too can be “at peace” with God.

 

That truth ties in well with the next piece of armor that Paul describes— “the shield of faith.”  Paul is here referring to the Roman shield that was four feet high and two and one-half feet wide.  When a soldier was in their battle stance this shield protected his entire body.  Our faith in Christ is what protects us from what Paul describes as “the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  Satan can shoot his “flaming arrows” at us and our faith— the faith which was given to us purely by the grace of God alone (Ephesians 2:8), the faith that assures us that all of our sins are completely forgiven (Ephesians 1:10), the faith that gives us unlimited access to God’s eternal throne of grace (Ephesians 3:12)— this “shield of faith” protects us from whatever Satan uses to attack us!

 

Now obviously a soldier cannot continually hide behind their shield.  They need to lift up their head so that they can see and face their enemy.  For this reason every soldier was provided with a helmet.  As followers of Christ we have been given a helmet that has the word “Salvation” written across it.  The “helmet of salvation” protects us and enables us to hold up our head in joy and confidence as we journey through this world.

 

That brings us to the one offense weapon we have been given— the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  The “sword of the Spirit” is the most powerful weapon we could ever imagine!  The writer to the Hebrews describes it in this way, “For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).  Just as it would be foolish for any soldier to go into battle without their weapon, so also it would be foolish for any follower of Christ to leave “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” sitting on a shelf gathering dust!  We need to be in God’s Word on a regular basis!  We need to be studying God’s Word both here at church and at home!  We need to memorize God’s Word so that we have it readily available to us at all times!

 

That only leaves one final question:  How do we get the “full armor of God”?  What do we have to do to make it ours?  The answer is:  You already have it and you didn’t have to do anything to make it your own!  Through the powerful message of the Gospel as it comes to us through God’s holy Word and through the holy Sacraments of Baptism and Communion God has freely given to us the “full armor of God.”  It is already our personal possession!  Now we need to put it on.  Now we need to use it.  Now we need to recognize that as followers of Christ we are armed for the battle!

 

To help us remember that we are all engaged in a spiritual battle for souls, to help us remember that God Himself has already armed each and every one of us for this battle, Paul concludes our text with this encouragement:  “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  In Paul’s day soldiers very often had a “battle-cry” to shout as they enter into combat.  As Christian soldiers our “battle-cry” is prayer.  So let there be prayers on our personal battle fields— all kinds of prayers!  Pray for your fellow soldiers.  Pray for yourself.  Pray to the One who has already won the war against Satan and all of our spiritual enemies!  Pray so that every single day as you “Put on the full armor of God” you will always remember that as a follower of Christ you are armed for the battle!

 

To God be the glory!

 

Amen