Ready To Rumble
Ephesians 6:10-18
MGM recently released the latest movie in the “Rocky” franchise with Sylvester Stallone reprising the role of the boxing legend Rocky Balboa, also the name of the latest film. Once again the “Italian Stallion” plays the role of underdog in a film series that won Stallone’s film an Oscar in 1977 for Best Picture.
Back in my Bethany days, the guy’s dorm spent each night watching the “Rocky” series. After the series had ended, the testosterone levels were through the roof, so we had our own little series of boxing matches. Since this was a Christian school, we put on hockey helmets and hockey gloves. Nobody wanted to get hurt.
People would be matched against their opponents according to their size. The funniest “fight” was between two guys who were thin as broomsticks. Their boxing technique, if you could call it that, was turning away from the other, and swatting at the other guy. The fad quickly died off, but it was fun while it lasted.
Those “battles” fail in comparison to the wars we hear about around the world. Often we hear reports of little children being snatched away from their parent’s homes, and forced to work for a militia. The images of battle are on the screen every night and many men and women have lost their life in the conflicts around the world.
Our troops in Afghanistan have received a lot of press over the past year, especially as we hear the saddening tales of our servicemen giving their life for Afghani freedom. They have been trained for years, and have been asked to put that training into use. It doesn’t matter where you stand ideologically when it comes to this conflict, but our hearts and prayers go out to these men and women. As we send over troops, and others come home, we are constantly reminded by the news coverage that a war is going on.
While we may not be part of military strike force fighting the Taliban, you and I are in a battle as well. Paul, in some of his closing remarks to the Ephesian church, reminds the people that a war is still going on. Our war may not be against people; it is a very real battle nonetheless. This battle we fight will not end until we see Jesus, be it through death or His return.
(Read Ephesians 6:10-18)
With such a spiritual battle take place, our church has a role to play in this war. Just like the pictures of Uncle Sam pointing his fingers of would-be members of the U.S. armed forces, the Lord has called you for battle. We need to be ready.
While preparing for such a fight, what should we do?
1. Be Strong in the Lord (6:10)
To do anything apart from the power of our Almighty God is to approach life in a spiritually anaemic state. Jesus Himself testifies of this when He said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (JOHN 15:5)
The phrase "be strong" in the Greek is in the passive form which "indicates that this empowering is something done to Christians, not something they do themselves; its present tense shows that the empowering is continual. This is not an instruction for a quick fix, but for [an abiding] life spent [continually] drawing strength from Christ. To be strong in the Lord means to know His strength and to draw closer to Him. It’s an exhortation to act on what is known." (Klyne Snodgrass)
What are we to be strong in? The NIV puts it, "in his mighty power", referring to the power of the Lord. When our Lord encourages us to seek His power it is the same power which raised Christ from the dead. It is the same power that spoke this universe into existence. It is the same power that turns the hearts of kings and rolls back the waters of the Red Sea.
It is no small thing to live in the power of God that He makes available to all of His children in Christ. And though this is a power that He gives to us we are still to seek after it, which means we have a part in the way God works in and through us. And so we have "divine grace and human responsibility combined in this closing section." (William Hendriksen)
By the way, this phrase "His mighty power" in verse 10 of our text is the exact same phrase found in Eph.1:19 which the NIV puts as "his incomparably great power...". Or as the NAS puts it, "the surpassing greatness of His power..."
What an awesome God we serve whom avails Himself to us as He extends grace in His power for works of service to His glory. . It is impossible to be strong in our own strength. But God has provided the armour we need to fight against the deceiving trickery of Satan.
2. Recognize the Enemy (6:11, 12)
A reporter was interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of?" he asked. "Well, " said the man, "I don’t have an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought! How inspirational!" said the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them."
Greek philosopher Antisthenes once said, “Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.”
Paul had reminded these people that they were members in the body of Christ. The war they waged was not to be against each other. “For 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.” (Ephesians 6:12) We fight a battle against the adversary, the Devil, for the truth of Christ to come out. We need to stand for Christ.
The church in Ephesus had a problem with in-fighting and back bighting. Paul warned the people to stop the conflicts within, and focus on the real forces behind it all.
I believe that churches split because Satan is allowed to work his way into the hearts and minds of the congregation. Earlier in this letter, Paul warned the people about giving “the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27).
Our enemy in this war is not the person sitting beside you. You may disagree with something he or she may do. Their style of music may not mix with yours, but that is the wonderful diversity found within the body of Christ. We can’t all be hands, or fingers or belly buttons. We all have a different role to play, and with that comes differences of opinions and techniques. We are not to condemn, but celebrate such differences.
Satan is quick to catch up on the weakness, and is willing to exploit that to the utmost. We need to realise what this battle is truly all about.
3. Be prepared to Fight (6:13-18)
By the armour that God provides for us we can resist these forces. In another Epistle Paul says "The weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). Every city has hundreds of Christians who still believe in God, but many of them unfortunately have been disarmed and become useless for spiritual warfare.
Our basic defence is truth (pictured as the wide leather belt that protected the soldier’s stomach, liver and spleen). We need the certainty that we are honest (not hypocrites), speak the truth with other Christians (see 4:25), and have the truth to proclaim (2 Corinthians 6:7-“…in truthful speech and in the power of God…”).
We are hopelessly vulnerable if we are living a lie, and need lies (the devil’s own weapon) to protect us. We also need dikaiosune (the breastplate that covered the heart and lungs). This is not a legal imputed righteousness, but the uprightness (a genuine, reliable character, but without any pretence of sinless perfection) that gives us confidence before God and in the company of others.
A soldier’s boots should give him the confidence to run over sharp rocks and jump through thorn bushes. We have many reasons that make us afraid of proclaiming "the Gospel of peace." So we need the assurance that God will be with us wherever we have to go with the good news (Isaiah 52:7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!")
The "flaming arrows" were dipped in tar and set on fire to terrify those who were besieging a city. Satan has no physical power to harm us (except by permission, Job 1:12). But he can use others to tell lies to divert us away from our task. As each lie comes flying towards us, we hold up our faith shield to quench it. "I know God is my Father, and he loves me. I know the Son of God has come and died and defeated death. I know the Holy Spirit can empower me for every eventuality." As we declare our faith, Satan’s arrows of doubt are extinguished.
The soldier’s helmet protected his head from danger. But the insignia (in the form of an eagle) also gave him the confidence that he belonged to a famous legion, and his fellow soldiers were with him in this battle. We need the sense that the church is the Lord’s own regiment, and "he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25). There will be casualties, but we are not alone in the battle, and the final victory is certain. The final item of armour is the Word of God, which is the sword that the Holy Spirit wields powerfully in every battle. "Is not my Word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces" (Jeremiah 23:29). "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12).
The Roman soldier did not have rockets that could reach beyond the enemy lines, or bombers that could fly over to destroy his supplies and command centres. But this is what prayer can do for us. We can call in air support at any time. But this is not prayer as a formality but prayer in the Spirit. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26). That suggests we do not know where the air support is needed at this point in the battle, but we can trust the Spirit to guide us to pray "according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27). For effective artillery and air support there have to be those who will observe and direct the fire, and in prayer it is important to watch and see what the Lord is doing as we pray. In the heat of the battle Jesus said "Keep awake and pray" (Mark 14:38).
Conclusion:
The National Geographic ran an article about the Alaskan Bull Moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon is broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk. There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now--before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they’re needed.
