1. The first key to readiness is standing resolute before the enemy (6:14a)
2. The second key to readiness is standing righteous before the enemy (6:14b)
3. The third key to readiness is standing reconciled before the enemy (6:15)
EPHESIANS 6:14-15
I read in the news that Russia tested some new missiles this week. For several years, America has been testing a new missile defense system. It has passed enough tests that plans are being made to deploy parts of the system to Europe soon. As a matter of fact, we are planning on sending systems to Poland and the Czech Republic. As you know, those are now NATO nations, but they used to be part of the Soviet Union. Apparently all of that missile defense activity has made the Russians unhappy. On Tuesday, they had a news conference about their missile tests. Of all the claims they made about their successful missile tests, one stood out. Vladimir Putin said, “As of today, Russia has new tactical and strategic complexes that are capable of overcoming any existing or future missile defense systems.” Wow, that’s a blast from the past, isn’t it? If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I was reading news from 20 or 25 years ago. Missile shields and ICBMs were common newsmakers during the Cold War, but who would have expected that we would be talking about them again? I pray that those days don’t come back. Those are some “good old days” I can do without. You remember those days—the world was divided into two camps—NATO headed by America and the Warsaw Pact headed by the Soviet Union. We were in a huge arms race including a nuclear arms race. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, large portions of the public lived in fear of “the bomb.” But that fear was turned to preparation. People built bomb shelters out of fear of nuclear war. They stocked up and stored food and supplies. Nuclear bomb drills were more common in schools than fire drills. The government’s official policy was containment, but the military’s official policy was readiness. Of course, nobody wanted nuclear war to happen. The potential for destruction was unimaginable. But the key was for everyone to be ready in case it did. Drills in school were designed to make the children ready for an attack. Bomb shelters in public buildings and even homes were designed to make the public ready for an attack. Constant drills and exercises were designed to make the military ready for an attack. The key to America being able to stand against an enemy as evil and powerful as the Soviet Union was our readiness. Readiness for their attack. As Christians we have an enemy that is far more powerful than the Soviet Union ever was. He is far more powerful than any weapon man can build. As Christians, he can’t have our soul, but he can destroy us. He can devour us. He can destroy our testimony. He can destroy our purpose. He can destroy our effectiveness for the kingdom. He can even destroy our physical lives. His mission is to turn people away from God. And you, Christian, are what God has chosen to stand in his way. When you have true spiritual wisdom by being filled with the Holy Spirit. When you walk worthy of your calling and show evidence by your praise, your thankfulness and your humble submission. When you are that kind of Christian, you are Satan’s biggest enemy. And he comes against his enemies. As Christians, we are to be continually ready for battle with our enemy. After giving the command to take up the whole armor of God, Paul begins to list and describe each piece. He did that so the Ephesian Christians would be able to stand ready for anything the devil would throw at them. That’s what I want for us this morning. I want each of us to stand ready before our enemy. In order to do that we’re going to look at the first three pieces of armor Paul describes. The pieces permanently worn as a matter of preparation and readiness. Those pieces will show us three keys to standing ready before our enemy. The first key to readiness is standing resolute before the enemy. Look with me in the first part of verse 14:
EPHESIANS 6:14a
Stand resolute before the enemy. Stand with a spirit of resolved determination. Unyielding, never giving an inch. To illustrate his points, Paul uses the very familiar picture of a Roman soldier’s battle dress. When we think of armor, a lot of times we think of the armor of medieval knights. We think of Camelot and the knights of the round table. But that wasn’t the kind of armor that Roman soldiers wore. They didn’t have chain-mail and suits of full-body armor like the knights of 1000 years later. The Roman soldier’s armor contained some metal, but was mostly thick leather. But the foundation to all of his armor was one simple leather item. It was his belt. His belt was the key foundation, because the breastplate and the rest of the body armor tied into it. It was even used to hold the sword and helmet when not in use. But its most important functions was to tie up the loose ends of the soldier’s tunic. In those days, the basic article of Roman clothing was a tunic. The typical tunic was made from two rectangular pieces of cloth. They were sewn together with a hole for the neck and holes for the arms. If you think about it, it was like a sleeveless t-shirt. But instead of being tight-fitting like a sleeveless t-shirt, it fit so loosely that the shoulder corners went to their elbows. And the bottom of it hung down to their knees. So, imagine yourself wearing an XXXXX-large sleeveless t-shirt. One that was so baggy, it hung to your knees and the shoulders hung to your elbows. Now imagine trying to do some type of physical activity in it. It wouldn’t work. Every time you moved, you’d get tangled up. That’s why they had to wear a belt. Average Romans wore some type of a cord or rope for a belt. That way they could move around without getting tied up in knots. But even with the rope belts, the tunic was still very loose and flowing. Now, I want you to think about a Roman soldier. What do soldiers do? They fight. And back then, the fighting was all very close-up. Most of it was hand-to-hand. What do you think happens to loose, baggy clothing in a hand-to-hand fight? It does two things. It gets in the way—you can get tangled in it. And it gives the enemy something to grab hold of. That takes us back to the most important function of the Roman soldier’s belt. Yes, the belt was a place to attach the breastplate. Yes, it was a place to hang the sword and helmet when they weren’t being used. But it’s most important function was to tuck in and secure all the loose ends of the tunic. It was to tie back and secure all the things that could get in the way. All the things that could tangle up and hinder the soldier. And all the things that could be easily grabbed by the enemy. When Paul talks about girding your loins with truth, this belt is the picture that he’s using. He’s telling us the first thing we need to do to be ready for the coming attack. We need to tie all the loose things in our lives down with God’s truth. If we are to stand resolute before the enemy, we cannot give him an inch in the area of absolute truth. A survey conducted shortly after the September 11th attacks, showed that only 22% of Americans believe that truth is absolute. The amazing thing is that the number had actually dropped from 38% the year before the attacks. Only one in five Americans believe in absolute truth, yet 80% claim to be Christians. Something doesn’t jibe. In John 18, Jesus told Pilate, “To this end I was born and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.” Pilate would have fit right in with our culture today. That’s why he asked Jesus, “What is truth.” Notice that he didn’t ask the question looking for an answer. He’d already made up his mind. Just like most of the world has. But as Christians, we can’t fall for the enemy’s lies. The absolute truth of the Word—the absolute truth of right and wrong—truth that is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ Himself—truth is the only thing that will keep us from getting tangled up in our own doubts. Truth is the only thing that will keep us from getting tangled up in our own insecurities. Truth is the only thing that will keep us from getting tangled up in our own weaknesses. All we have to do is tuck those doubts, insecurities and weaknesses down into God’s belt of truth. When we tuck them in and cinch up that belt, two things happen. We don’t get tangled up in them. And the enemy can’t grab onto them. As a Christian, you will always be tempted by doubts. You will always be tempted by fears. You will always be tempted by insecurities. If you let them hang loose, you will get tangled up. Satan will grab hold of them and drag you down. But if you tuck them in and secure them behind the truth of God’s Word, you will be ready to stand. You will be ready to stand resolute before the enemy and never give an inch to his lies. The first key to readiness is standing resolute before the enemy. The second key is standing righteous before the enemy. Look at the second part of verse 14:
EPHESIANS 6:14b
Stand righteous before the enemy. The breastplate of the average Roman soldier was either made of thick leather or bronze. It was made of one piece and covered his full torso. Sometimes, leather breastplates would have pieces of metal or bone attached for added protection. It was secured to the belt and worn for one thing and one thing only. To protect the soldier’s vital organs—his heart, lungs, intestines, etc. The parts of his body that if damaged would cause certain death. Either immediate in the case of the heart and lungs. Or extremely painfully in the case of the other internal organs. Whether it was made of bronze or leather, all breastplates had one thing in common. They were each custom molded to form-fit each individual soldier. They were not mass-produced. Needless to say, each soldier treasured his breastplate because of its function and its fit. It was his. Built for him personally by a skilled craftsman. The soldier knew that he was just a soldier. He knew that he couldn’t make armor. He had to trust the skills of the craftsman to make it for him. And he did. The craftsman carefully and skillfully made it for him and placed it on him. And it fit him and protected him fully. That’s why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use the breastplate as a picture of righteousness. Just like the breastplate belonged to the soldier, righteousness belongs to the Christian. But the soldier didn’t have anything to do with making the breastplate. By the same token, we don’t make our righteousness. When we are saved, the Bible says that we are covered in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary, He was fashioning your breastplate. He knew your exact measurements. He knew your heart. And He molded His righteousness into a piece of armor that would cover and protect you. And when you trust Him as your Lord and Savior, He places that breastplate on you. He clothes you in His righteousness. But even though the craftsman custom built and form-fitted a wonderful piece of armor—even though he carefully and skillfully placed it on the soldier—even though all of the protection was provided by the craftsman—the soldier still had to wear it. He was still responsible for wearing it every day. In the same way, Christ gives us His righteousness—clothes us with it. All the righteousness ever needed is credited to our account. Once He clothes us with it, all we have to do is wear it. Wear it by letting the righteousness He has given us shine through our lives in the way that we live. There is a beautiful picture of this relationship in one of Zechariah’s prophesies. Turn with me to Zechariah 3. In Zechariah 3, God is giving the picture of Israel’s high priest Joshua standing in a court setting. God is the judge and Satan is the accuser—the prosecuting attorney. But not only is God the judge, He is also the advocate—the defense attorney.
ZECHARIAH 3:1-7
The Lord clothes Joshua in new, clean garments—a picture of what happens in our salvation. When we are saved, Jesus clothes us in His righteousness. He places that breastplate of righteousness on your chest that He fashioned for you on Calvary. But when He does, He demands that you wear it. Just as the Lord commanded Joshua to walk in His ways and keep His charge. In order for you to be able to stand ready before the enemy, Jesus has given you a custom fit breastplate of His righteousness. All you have to do is wear it. Wear it by walking in His ways and keeping His charge. Then you’ll be ready to stand. You’ll be ready to stand righteous before the enemy. The second key to readiness is standing righteous before the enemy. The third key is standing reconciled before the enemy. Look with me in verse 15:
EPHESIANS 6:15
Stand reconciled before the enemy. What kind of shoes do you have on? Are they built for comfort or for function or for looks? I have several kinds of shoes at home. I’ve got every thing from Sunday shoes like I have on this morning to my grungy old work boots that I’ll have on tomorrow. Each type of shoes that I have serves some sort of purpose. The Roman soldier’s shoes served a purpose too. Most of the time when we think of New Testament times, all we think they wore on their feet were sandals. That was true for average people. But not for Roman soldiers. Actually, they wore a kind of half-boot called a caliga. And those caligae were one of the things that made them superior to their enemies. As a matter of fact, those shoes were such an important part of the Roman soldier’s success, they came to be known for them. The foot-soldiers were often called caligati. They were known for their shoes. Their shoes made them successful in standing before the enemy. How did their shoes give them success? What made the caligae unique was that they had spikes driven down through the soles. Basically, the Roman army had learned to use cleats. Now, why was that important? Well, think about the nature of the battlefield back then. Combat was all done hand-to-hand. It was very bloody. And the longer the battle raged, the more blood was spilled. And the more blood that covered the ground, the slipperier it became. In hand-to-hand combat, slipping and falling meant almost sure defeat. So inevitably, the combatant with the most sure footing won the battle. The Roman soldier’s spiked half-boots gave him the best footing possible. No matter how thick the battle became. No matter what the conditions. In the rain and muck and mud and blood, his footing held secure. He was able to stand his ground and fight. But what does that mean to us? Why did the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to use the idea of cleats to talk to us about the gospel? I’ve heard people use this verse to talk about spreading the Gospel. Of course we all know how important it is to spread the Gospel and how our feet are supposed to carry us to do that. Scripture is very clear in commanding us to do that. But not here. Here, Paul is getting across another equally important point. How did he finish verse 13? Stand. How did he start off verse 14? Stand. Back in verse 11 he talked about standing against the wiles of the devil. In verse 13 he said that we need to take up the whole armor of God so we can withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Sounds like he’s trying to make a point, doesn’t it? And then he tells us about the shoes we’re supposed to stand in. Cleats that will give us the traction to be able to stand our ground in any condition or circumstance. And he calls those cleats the gospel of peace. Prepare yourself by putting on gospel of peace cleats. We know what the gospel is—it means good news. But what is the gospel of peace? Good news of peace with whom? We’re talking about being ready for battle with our enemy Satan. Now he’s talking about peace? The gospel of peace is the fact that, if you are a Christian, you are no longer at war with God. You are at peace with Him. God poured His wrath out on His Son, so that you can live in peace with Him—so that you can be reconciled to Him. When you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you accept the fact that He paid the price for you to live in peace with God. 1 John 2:1-2 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus took God’s wrath for your sins so that you could be reconciled to Him. So that you can live in peace with Him. That is the gospel of peace. And when you wear that as cleats on your feet, you can stand in the face of the enemy. You can stand strong when Satan tells you you’re no good. You can stand when Satan throws past sins in your face. You can stand when Satan accuses you of things Jesus has forgiven you for. When you prepare yourself by putting on the cleats of the gospel of peace, you will stand. The more the enemy throws at you, the more your cleats will declare that you stand reconciled in perfect relationship with the King. But let me ask you—are you reconciled to God this morning? Have you accepted the relationship with God that Jesus died to provide? If not, you’re not standing against the wiles of the devil, you’re standing squarely with him. And your enemy is God. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” There is no armor that will protect you from Him. The only thing that will satisfy His wrath is blood. Yours or His Son’s. It’s your choice. God provided the blood of His only begotten Son so He wouldn’t have to take yours. Have you accepted Him? Have you accepted His sacrifice? Have you accepted His peace? If you have accepted His peace are you securely wearing it? Have you staked your ground in the fact that you are saved? That you are at peace with the creator of the universe? Are you not only wearing Christ’s righteousness, but are you living it? Are you practicing righteousness as well? Are you tucking all your doubts and insecurities into the truth of God’s Word? Is His truth real to you? To you use it to fight off the lies of the enemy? Attacks are inevitable. They will come—they are coming—they are here. Are you ready? Have you got your armor on? Will you stand?
