Title: Armed to the Hilt with Christian Virtues (The Whole Armor of God)
Text: Ephesians 6:10-18
Thesis: The mighty power of God at work in us and through us empowers us against evil.
Introduction
In July I traveled to Winterset, Iowa to attend the annual Newton Family Reunion. As I traveled east on Interstate 80 I began to notice military convoys traveling west. I had a little flash-back to my childhood days when every summer we would see military convoys traveling north to Camp Ripley in Minnesota or south to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for summer training exercises.
It occurred to me that perhaps I should stop and call the Counter Jade Helm Conspiracy Theorists in Texas and warn them that the feds were about to impose martial law, confiscate everyone’s guns and that mysteriously unoccupied Walmart stores would be used for concentration camps and that the Blue Bell Ice Cream refrigerated trucks traveling in the area would be used as mobile morgues.
Things like that always remind me of Walt Kelly’s comic strip, Pogo. Pogo was set in the Okefenoke Swamp which straddles the Florida/Georgia border. The cast in the comic strip is made up of anthropomorphic animals who act like human beings. There is Albert the Alligator and Howland the Owl and Porky Pine and Remus the Mush Rat as well as many others. The main character of the comic strip is Pogo the Possum. Pogo deals with all the drama of swamp life which is a parody of how humans live and relate. Pogo is amiable and reasonable. He is patient and thoughtful… and Pogo is credited with the famous line, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
There is a new grassroots movement called the Coffee Party whose goal is to restore public and representative democracy, civility and economic security. Their call to arms is: Incite Civility and Reason! Their website recently posted a John Steinbeck quote, “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
As if there is not sufficient conflict in the world our text today speaks to how we, as Christians, may identify the real enemy in the world and how to live out our faith in the context of spiritual warfare.
Our text begins with a final word… the Apostle Paul wanted to leave to the church of Jesus Christ on how to live in a hostile world.
I. Be strong, 6:10-12
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:l10-12
We need to be strong because life is a spiritual battle… Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “You know the Caledonian Railway Station in Edinburgh? One cold, east windy morning, I met Satan there.” (Wm. Barclay, Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, P. 216) Perhaps you can relate.
That is why we are told to be strong in God’s mighty power.
A. God’s mighty power, 6:10
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power… Ephesians 6:10
The intent of this word is to be strengthened or to have added strength. It means “wax-strong.” To wax-strong is to defeat decisively as in an athletic contest. It means we are to enter the arena of life fully prepared to deal with whatever comes our way.
And here is why we need to be waxing strong-strong…. We live in a world of evil powers.
B. Evil powers, 6:12
Put on the whole armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty power in the dark world, and against spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12
This is not the first time Paul spoke of the mighty powers of this dark world and evil spirits in heavenly places. At the conclusion of Romans 8 he wrote:
“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow, not even the powers of hell can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:38-39
The people to whom Paul wrote were living in times that were terrifying to them. The lived in a world where the air was filled with demons and devils and evil spirits. We may or may not see the world as they saw it but there is no doubt that there is an active power of evil at work in the world today.
There are spiritual forces at work in the world that are not working for the good of mankind… for peace and harmony. There are forces at work in our country fueling the fires of bigotry and hatred. There are forces at work in our country that are loving the widening gap between the rich and the poor. There are forces at work that are tearing our country apart politically. There are spiritual forces at work in the world that do not want you to live a Christ-like life. There are forces in the world that do not want you to reflect God’s love for others… that want you to think anything and everything other than understanding, compassion, mercy and grace. There are forces at work that want you to be hateful. There are forces at work that do not want our church to be a place where people an belong to a loving faith community or come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and most certainly do not want this to be a church where everyone is becoming more and more like Jesus.
Application:
1. Be Aware - What you and I see happening in the world, our country, our church and in our lives is only a symptom of what is going on. The real enemy is the Satan and his minions who are all about wreaking havoc in an attempt to defeat God and all that is good.
2. Be Prepared – This week we learned that 1st Lt. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest are the first women to graduate from the rigorous Army Ranger School. Graduates of the Army Ranger School have been tested and are fully prepared to be in the elite army that is the Rangers. Our text teaches us that if we are to be prepared to do spiritual warfare we need to put on the armor of God.
God wants us to be confident and fearless as we live in the world.
II. Fear no evil, 6:13-17
Therefore, put on every piece of god’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Ephesians 6:13
When the Apostle Paul wrote this letter he was chained to a Roman soldier… and as he wrote he saw the armor of the soldier and a light went off in his mind and he saw a way to explain the nature of how Christians need to be prepared for spiritual warfare.
The text says, “Put on all of God’s armor,” “All of” is called a panoply. A panoply is a collection of things… an array or regalia. The word panoply is a Greek word used to describe the complete arms and armor of a soldier. Medieval knights. Roman legionnaires. Body armor. Our text says that Christians need a complete set of arms and armor to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.
We typically think of body armor as protecting us from “flesh and blood” enemies but the armor of God is designed to protect us in spiritual battles.
We typically think of warfare as being “offensive.” But our text suggests that for the Christian our greatest offense is a good “defense.” Unfortunately Christians have assumed an offensive posture in dealing with the world. The trend in the world is to assert one’s rights and go to court and sue and protest and belittle and attack any and every opponent. But the Scripture teaches that the armor of God does not make for an offensive church, but for authentic and winsome Christians and Churches.
Interestingly… the pieces of armor cited in the text are linked with a spiritual virtue.
Put on…
A. The Belt – Truth, 6:14 (Live truthfully)
The belt is not there to simply keep the soldier’s pants up. It is something of a tool-belt but its primary function is to protect the underbelly or the abdomen. When we are not wearing the belt of truth our lies and our lives are exposed and we see the tragic story Josh Duggar. The effect of being eviscerated is that it all comes out… including the secret Facebook page and being exposed as a user of the Ashley Madison website.
Live so we have no secrets. Be an honest person of impeccable integrity.
B. The Breastplate – Righteousness, 6:14 (Godly people doing good works)
The breastplate is intended to be impregnable. Words are not our defense… a good life is. When the Christian is faced with any accusation Plato taught, “Well then, we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.”
While many Christians today are distracted from being Christ-like in the world, Jimmy Carter has risen from his post-presidency days to become a man who is respected for his humanitarian projects and his moral and spiritual courage. His life is lived so as to expose whomever might try to take a stab at his breastplate for having taken a cheap shot.
C. The Shoes – Peace, 6:15 (Ready to go where God sends)
When I was a kid I was so proud when I got my first pair of combat boots… they were pretty clunky. Times have changed and combat boots have evolved into coveted footwear.
One of my Pinterest Boards is for Cool Stuff and one of the cool things I have there is a boot from a site that is exclusively for Military and Government. The military has a boot for every climate and condition. They are all designed for grip and ankle support as well as protection. There are boots for wearing in the jungle as well as desert ops boots. There are rough terrain and mountainous boots. There are tanker and jumper boots. Cold weather boots and under armor boots.
The implication here is that we need to be spiritually prepared to go or serve when God opens an opportunity. Be ready to go bringing peace into every situation.
D. The Shield – Faith, 6:16 (Trusting God… living by faith)
One is small for hand-to-hand combat shield and the other is larger, 2’X4’ and for the advancing army to form an impenetrable wall. The shield protects against anything thrown our way.
As we go into the world and as we experience the fiery arrows of spiritual warfare attacking us and those we love, intent on destruction, we find our protection is trusting God through it all.
E. The Helmet – Salvation, 6:17 (Be assured of who you are in Christ… a Child of God)
We understand the need to protect the head in military conflict. We understand the need to protect the head in contact sports. And we need to understand the need to protect our heads in spiritual warfare. One of the most vulnerable places in the human body is the mind. Our emotions can run high and our minds get carried away so that we fall into despair and doubt or depression… all of which weaken our faith and resolve.
The helmet of salvation reminds in the thick of things that “nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.”
F. The Sword of the Spirit – God’s Word to you, 6:17 (Be sensitive to God’s voice)
At first reading it would appear that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, i.e., Scripture. It is true that we are to take with us and meditate on the Word of God that we may know and do everything written therein. Joshua 1:8
However there is something more at work here when we think of Sword of the Spirit as being the word of God. The word of God here is not the general Word or logos meaning the whole Bible. It is God speaking to us in a specific situation.
In Ephesians 5:15-18 we are instructed to be careful how we live. We are not to live like fools, but as those who are wise. We are not to act thoughtlessly but to understand what the Lord wants us to do.
Then to illustrate what that means the Word of God continues, “Do not be drunk with wine but rather be filled with the Spirit.” The key to understanding this is to see that the reference to not a verse about prohibition. It is about understanding that we are to be under the influence or under the control of God’s Spirit just as a drunken person is under the influence or control of alcohol.
And so we are diligent about listening to the promptings of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.
If you catch yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t say this” then don’t say it!
If you catch yourself thinking, “I should say something” then do say it!
If you catch yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t do this” then don’t do it!
If you catch yourself thinking, “I should do something” then do something!
If you catch yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t go there” then don’t go there!
If you catch yourself thinking, “I should go there” then go there!” (Illustration: Keep your mouth shut.)
As we are in the midst of spiritual warfare in our personal relationships, in our homes, at our places of employment, in the classroom, on the playing field, in a Church Council meeting or Church Business meeting, in the arena of political discussions, in the marketplace, in the neighborhood… listen for the prompting of God’s Holy Spirit and obey God’s direction.
It is imperative that we be people of God in the foray of spiritual warfare and here is why: D.L. Moody once said, “Of 100 people, one will read the Bible: the other 99 will read the Christian.”
When Christians do not listen to the Spirit of God we think, say and do things that ultimately result in our losing the battle so to speak.
Currently in the news are two Michigan State Representatives described in the Denver Post and other media as fellow Tea Party representatives, who ran for office and were elected because of their family values, had an affair. They are currently under investigation for having misused public resources to hide their relationship. The man in this scenario has said that his actions show him to be a hypocrite but his actions should not reflect poorly on God. (Mich. Lawmakers says on Facebook that his indecent actions shouldn’t reflect poorly on God, AP, The Denver Post, 4A News, August 16, 2015)
That is why we are instructed to be careful how we live because our thoughts, words and actions do in deed reflect on God in good ways or in bad ways. We are after all children of God.
Application:
1. Do not be sidetracked by the symbolism. Some say the temptation is to get fixated on the armor and what means what and how to wear it and what is defensive in nature and what is offensive in nature… how to attack the evil in the world.
2. Focus on living into the virtues. When we wear the full armor of God we go into battle, so to speak, we are wearing truth, righteousness, peace, faith, assurance and spiritual sensitivity to God’s marching orders.
Conclusion
The nuclear submarine Thresher had heavy steel bulkheads and heavy steel armor, so it could dive deep and withstand the pressure of the ocean. Unfortunately, on a test run in 1963, the Thresher's nuclear engine quit, and it could not get back to the surface. It sank deeper and deeper into the ocean. The pressure became immense. The heavy steel bulkheads buckled; the Thresher was crushed with 129 people inside.
The Navy searched for the Thresher with a research craft that was much stronger than submarines. It was shaped like a steel ball and was lowered into the ocean on a cable. They finally located the Thresher at a depth of 8,400 feet: one and a half miles down. It was crushed like an egg shell. That was not a surprise, for the pressure at that depth is tremendous—3,600 pounds per square inch.
What was surprising to the searchers was that they saw fish at that great depth. And these fish did not have inches of steel to protect them. They appeared to have normal skin, a fraction of an inch thick. How can these fish survive under all that pressure? How come they are not crushed by the weight of the water? They have a secret. Their secret is that they have the same pressure inside themselves as they have on the outside.
God has given us the necessary spiritual virtues and the spiritual ability to live with the pressures of life and to overcome the forces of evil that would crush us like an egg.
John assures us, "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." I John 4:4
We will be victorious in the battle against Satan because Jesus poured his Spirit into our hearts. "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Genesis (Eerdmans, 2007), pp. 492-493)
