Let's start today by simply reading Ephesians 6:10:
Finally, become strong in the Lord
and in the might of his power.
Paul here begins by signaling the letter is nearing its end. "Finally." And I find myself being sad about that. I've enjoyed this series a lot, and learned a lot, and been challenged.
What we are going to see in today's passage, is that Paul is going to take the entire letter, and explain everything he's taught in terms of spiritual warfare.
God has made one family, one people, one kingdom, who lives in peace with him and with each other. God has done all this through Jesus. Jesus is our peace. And God has done all this at great cost to Satan. God struck the decisive blow against Satan and his kingdom at the cross, and resurrection of Jesus. But the battle rages on. If God's kingdom is growing, winning-- and it is-- it's because Satan's kingdom is losing ground.
The initial question each of us has to answer is this: Do you want to be part of God's kingdom and God's family? Do you want to live in peace with God, and with each other? Do you?
If you want in, if you want to be able to call God "Father," you repent, you submit to Jesus as King, and you get baptized. If you haven't done this, and you want to, please, come talk to me.
Then what? Now that we are part of God's family, God's kingdom, what happens next?
In Ephesians, Paul says the next step looks like this: Now, as God's holy people, we are supposed to walk worthily of our calling, as children of light, out of thankfulness for what God has done. This means walking rightly, at peace, with God and with each other. And it means shining as a light to the world, exposing the darkness.
Every single part of this is related to the spiritual warfare between God and Satan. Every single part of this is related to our battle, in Jesus, with the demonic. And that's what today's passage is about.
Paul begins, in verse 10, by commanding the Ephesians, "Become strong in the Lord." The Ephesians, right now, have not been strong in the Lord. The reason for this is very simple. Let's turn back to 4:17.
Therefore , this I say and I testify in the Lord, no longer walk
just as also the Gentiles/nations walk in the futility of their mind,
being darkened in their understanding,
being alienated from the life of God
because of the lack of knowledge being in them
because of the hardness of their heart,
who, having become calloused , themselves they gave over to self-abandonment
for the pursuit of all uncleanness in greediness.
The Ephesians are weak because they are living as children of darkness. They don't value what Jesus did for them; they don't value being part of God's family. They aren't thankful. If they did value what God has given them in Christ, and were thankful, they wouldn't be living like the Gentiles.
As a result, they are weak. They are vulnerable.
So Paul begins this section with a command: "become strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might."
The solution to their weakness is to become strong. Not by lifting weights. The strength they need is found in Christ. Jesus is strong, and we want to share in the strength of his might. But how? How can we share in Jesus' power?
Verses 11-12:
Put on the full armor of God
so that you are able to stand against the scheming of the devil,
because the struggle for us isn't
against blood and flesh
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the world rulers of this darkness,
against the wicked spiritual ones in the heavenlies.
We become strong in the Lord by putting on the full armor God gave us. This armor protects us against the devil's schemes. Satan is working very hard to figure out how to defeat you as an individual Christian, and you as the church. But we are not defenseless. God has given us armor.
Paul then gives us a point-counterpoint set, to help us understand think about God's armor. Again, the way these sets work is that the first point is less important than the second, but it frames the second and helps us understand these better.
So let's think about the frame first.
"Our struggle is not with blood and flesh."
If we are part of God's holy kingdom, we find ourselves in the middle of a war. But this war is not with people. Our war is not with Russia, or Syria, or Iran, or North Korea, or any of the 100+ countries the U.S. has troops in. That isn't OUR war. People are not our enemies. We aren't supposed to pick up armor, and guns, to fight them. Don't shoot Muslims, or other Christians.
Instead, who is our struggle with?
Put on the full armor of God
so that you are able to stand against the scheming of the devil,
because the struggle for us isn't
against blood and flesh
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the cosmic rulers of this darkness,
against the wicked spiritual ones in the heavenlies.
If our battle isn't with people, who is it with? Our war is with the rulers, authorities, cosmic rules of this darkness, and wicked spiritual ones in the heavenlies. A few weeks ago, I talked about language the OT uses to describe these beings. They are called the "sons of God" in places like Genesis 6 and Job 1. Let's turn to Deuteronomy 32:8-14 (ESV). I SHOULD REALLY GO THROUGH VERSE 17
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders[a] of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.[b]
9 But the LORD's portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.
10 “He found him in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions,
12 the LORD alone guided him,
no foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with honey out of the rock,
and oil out of the flinty rock.
14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
with fat[c] of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
with the very finest[d] of the wheat—
and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
God picked Israel as the special nation he would rule over. The rest of the world God split up on the basis of the number of the sons of God. So each son of God had authority over one particular nation or people group, and they were responsible for wisely ruling over their particular nation. But this didn't work out very well. The sons of God rebelled against God, and didn't do a good job ruling. They didn't rule rightly, or justly (Psalm 82). And they attempted to wipe out God's people. And Israel, for their part, didn't serve God faithfully. Instead, they worshipped the sons of God (Deuteronomy 32:17).
So the end result of all of this is chaos, and total rebellion. Open warfare raged between God and the sons of God for centuries. What Ephesians adds to this is that God struck the decisive blow against the sons of God through Jesus. Jesus' death and resurrection disarmed them (Colossians 2:13-15). God will win. The sons of God will lose.
But just because they will lose, doesn't mean they've surrendered. They will fight to the bitter end, and they are fighting you.
So when Paul talks about the cosmic rulers and wicked spiritual ones in the heavens in Ephesians 6, Paul is talking about the sons of God that God put in positions of authority over the nations. But they took that authority, and rebelled against God.
How can we possibly defend ourselves a spiritual enemy we can't see, that can rule over nations?
Verse 13:
For this reason take up the full armor of God,
in order that you may be able to resist on the evil day
and, everything having accomplished, to stand.
Paul says again, take up God's full armor. This is your protection. You take this up for two reasons:
in order that you can resist on the evil day,
and everything having accomplished, to stand.
I'm sure I've never seen that last line before. Our job isn't simply to resist, and stand. We have a job to do. There's something we are supposed to accomplish. What is this? Paul doesn't yet say. Maybe we have to keep reading... But our job here isn't to grimly hang on, until Jesus returns. There's something we are supposed to do.
Verse 14
Therefore, stand,
girding yourself with the truth,
and putting on yourself the breastplate of righteousness,
and tying your feet with the readiness for the gospel of peace,
in everything taking up the shield of faith,
with which you are able all of the flaming arrows of the evil one to quench.
Okay. So many of you have heard these verses before. Paul uses powerful imagery here, and most pastors at some point will find themselves itching to teach this. The question I have for you, at the outset, is how far should we push this imagery? Does it matter that the truth is a belt? Or that salvation is the helmet? Do I need to teach you about the different types of armor, and how they worked? Is that helpful? I'm not sure that it is. My fear in reading these verses, is that we will focus so much on Paul's imagery that we actually miss the point.
And the point is this: you, as a church, and as individuals, are part of a larger war with Satan. He is scheming against you, probing for weaknesses. How can you defend yourself, and accomplish whatever it is that God wants you to do (Ephesians 2:10)?
So I'm not going to talk about Roman armor, at all. Instead, I'm going to talk about truth, and righteousness, and the gospel of peace, and faith. These are the things that protect you-- and help you accomplish God's purpose for you.
Truth.
How does truth protect you from Satan? Let's turn back again to Ephesians 4:20:
Now you did not in this way learn Christ--
if indeed him you heard (about),
and in him you were taught,
just as is truth in Jesus,
that you take off the old person being ruined by deceitful desires-- the one in accordance with the
prior way of life;
now, to being renewed in your spiritual mind,
and you put on the new person -- the one in accordance with God being created in/with/by
righteousness and holiness from the truth.
God is making one HOLY family. And when you place your allegiance in Jesus, you take off the old person, the one being ruined by the lie, and put on the new one whose starting point is the truth. What is the lie? The lie is that sins are good-- that they will make you happy, that they are good for you, that there are no consequences.
What is the truth? The truth is that God is making a HOLY family, and we need to live as HOLY people. So when Satan tests you, probing you for weaknesses, do you remember this truth? Do you understand why God saved you? Do you live out of this truth? Truth protects you. Put on the truth.
The second piece of armor is righteousness. Righteousness is essentially a relational word. If we give someone what they are owed, given our relationship to them, we are living rightly with them. I made a vow to my wife, and when I am faithful to her and love her, and give myself for her, I live rightly with her. We read in Ephesians 6:1 that when children obey their parents, this is "righteous." This is what it means for children to live rightly.
If we look at Ephesians as a whole, we have an obligation to live a certain way toward God, toward each other in this church, toward our family, and toward the people we work with. Paul has covered everything. So when we walk worthily of our calling, as children of the light, we are walking in righteousness toward God.
That righteousness protects us from Satan. When we live in peace with each other, in humility and meekness, rushing to be reconciled when we fail, we live rightly with each other. That righteousness protects us from Satan. When wives submit to their husbands, they are acting rightly toward them. Their righteousness protects them from Satan. When husbands love their wives and give themselves for them, they are acting rightly. Righteously. Their righteousness protects them.
If you instead live selfishly, demanding your rights, refusing to forgive, your armor has a huge gaping hole. You are ridiculously vulnerable. So put on the breastplate of righteousness. Live rightly with God, and live rightly with each other. That righteous living is part of your protection against Satan. He will test you at work, and at home, and at play-- but if you live rightly, you aren't vulnerable.
The third piece of armor is a readiness to share the good news about what God has done in Jesus.
Maybe, this is a major part of what we are supposed to accomplish. If there's one thing I hope you've learned from this series, it's what the good news about Jesus really is. Jesus has made it possible for us to live in peace with God and each other. Jesus has struck the decisive blow against Satan. And if you hear this as good news, and want to be part of God's family, you will repent, place your allegiance in Jesus, and be baptized. And then... you will be ready to share this good news with others. You are ready to do so. You go through life ready to tell people the good news about Jesus, and God's plan.
The next piece of armor is the shield of faith:
in everything taking up the shield of faith,
with which you are able all of the flaming arrows of the evil one to quench.
Faith is not about believing in Jesus, like you'd believe in Santa Claus. Faith is about loyalty, allegiance, and faithfulness. Your ongoing loyalty to Jesus protects you against Satan's attacks. It is a shield for you.
Next on the list is the helmet of salvation. Paul says, "receive this."
In Ephesians, when Paul talks about salvation, it's about something we've already received. How can we receive what we already have? God has given us salvation. But it's another thing to grab hold of that salvation, and claim the benefits and promises, and responsibilities. Salvation isn't something you look at and admire. Salvation is something you wear.
Next on the list is the sword of the Spirit.
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God's speech/gospel ,
When we hear that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, we instinctively say that Paul is talking about the Bible. We think about how Jesus resisted Satan in the wilderness by quoting Deuteronomy. This isn't the worst thing in the world to think, but it's not quite right.
The word we translate as "word" here is rhema. It's not the normal word "logos." And this is how rhema is used in Romans 10:8-10:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
The rhema of God-- the word of God-- is the good news about Jesus (so also 1 Peter 1:25). It's the mystery Paul has the privilege of sharing with the nations. It's not the Bible. It's the good news about Jesus.
So what is Paul teaching here in Ephesians 6? In our war against Satan, God has given us a weapon to take the fight to Satan. That weapon is the gospel. God has a kingdom, and Satan has a kingdom. God's kingdom grows, and wins, through the gospel. That's how we bring the fight to Satan. That's how God continues winning, pushing against Satan's kingdom. It is the gospel that's the Holy Spirit's sword. It's through the gospel that the Holy Spirit cuts through people's hard-heartedness, through their rebellion against God. It's through the gospel that the Holy Spirit fights Satan.
So how important is it that you share the good news about Jesus? The gospel is your weapon. Proclaiming the gospel is the job God expects you to accomplish. Share the good news.
Usually, when people teach on the armor of God, they stop right here. But in the Greek, we aren't to the end of the sentence. And if we cut this off here, we will almost certainly hear this entire section wrong.
Next on the list of God's armor is praying in the Spirit.
with all prayer and petition praying at every time in the Spirit,
Prayer helps protect us from Satan. We know we are vulnerable; we know we need God, and can't do anything apart from him and his Spirit. And so we pray for help, constantly. "God, help us resist Satan. Help us walk as children of the light."
Paul then transitions to talking about to talking about prayer for each other, and for himself. This is still part of the same sentence. Don't read this as if it's separate.
and for this being alert,
with all perseverance and petition for all of the holy ones and for me,
in order that to me a word may be given at the opening of my mouth,
with boldness to make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains,
in order that in them I may speak boldly as it is necessary for me to speak.
We don't just pray for ourselves. We pray for each other. We pray for missionaries, in particular, who are on the frontlines of this battle.
Paul here is modeling what it looks like to be God's soldier. Paul is ready to share the gospel. He has the shoes on that are the readiness for the gospel. Paul needs prayer, that he would be bold, in making known the mystery of the gospel. This is his weapon for bringing the fight to Satan.
Every time you share the gospel with someone, you are engaging in spiritual warfare. And the gospel is how the Holy Spirit attacks. The gospel is the sword of the Spirit. Paul knows he must speak the gospel. It's necessary that he speaks boldly.
So the basics of spiritual warfare are straightforward. Satan is probing you as individuals, and you as a church, for weaknesses. He knows he's going to lose, but he's determined to hang on to his kingdom as long as he can. He's going to down fighting.
You defend yourselves against Satan by living rightly, by walking worthily of your calling, out of thankfulness for what God has done for you in Jesus. You walk worthily at home, with your spouse, with your kids, with your parents. You walk worthily at work, with your co-workers, with your boss, with your customers. You walk worthily with your friends.
And as you walk worthily, going through life, you bring the fight to Satan, working as God's soldiers, by sharing the good news. You are ready to share the gospel, and you are praying for boldness in sharing it. Your job is to make known the mystery of what God has done for people in Jesus. And if you accomplish this, the Holy Spirit will work powerfully through your faithfulness.
Live rightly. Share the gospel.
Translation:
Ephesians 6:10ff.
Finally, become strong in the Lord
and in the might of his power.
Put on the full armor of God
so that you are able to stand against the scheming of the devil,
because the struggle for us isn't
against blood and flesh
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the cosmic rulers of this darkness,
against the wicked spiritual ones in the heavenlies.
For this reason take up the full armor of God,
in order that you may be able to resist on the evil day
and, everything having accomplished, to stand.
Therefore, stand,
girding yourself with the truth,
and putting on yourself the breastplate of righteousness,
and tying your feet with the readiness for the gospel of peace,
in everything taking up the shield of faith,
with which you are able all of the flaming arrows of the evil one to quench,
and the helmet of salvation receive,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God's gospel,
with all prayer and petition praying at every time in the Spirit,
and for this being alert,
with all perseverance and petition for all of the holy ones and for me,
in order that to me a word may be given at the opening of my mouth,
with boldness to make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains,
in order that in them I may speak boldly as it is necessary for me to speak.
