Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
View this message at: https://mycrossway.churchcenter.com/episodes/154176
On May 9, 1864, at the Spotsylvania Courthouse in Virginia, General Sedgwick was overseeing the placement of a battery directly to the rear of the entrenched 14th New Jersey. He was having a conversation with his chief-of-staff, General Martin T. McMahon. They were approximately 1,000 yards from the Confederate lines, a distance that was considered relatively safe given the firearms of the day. However, throughout the two men’s conversation, they were interrupted several times by stray bullets fired by Rebel sharpshooters. What happened next left a profound mark on the life of the young General McMahon, and he recorded the events in his log:
"A man who had been separated from his regiment passed directly in front of the general, and at the same moment a sharp shooter’s bullet passed with a long shrill whistle very close, and the soldier, who was then just in front of the general, dodged to the ground. The general touched him gently with his foot, and said, “Why, my man, I am ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” The man rose and saluted and said good-naturedly, “General, I dodged a shell once, and if I hadn’t, it would have taken my head off. I believe in dodging.” The general laughed and replied, “All right, my man, go to your place.” For a third time the same shrill whistle, closing with a dull, heavy stroke, interrupted our talk; as I was about to resume, the general’s face slowly turned toward me, the blood sputtering from his left cheek under the eye in a steady stream. He fell in my direction."
The 56-year-old general died on the scene making him the highest-ranking Union casualty of the Civil War. If General Sedgwick had treated his enemies with more respect, he probably would not have died that day. But he got careless and made assumptions about his enemies. (Credit: Steven Ely, Sermon Central)
Christians, we are in a real war with a real enemy and we must stay alert and on guard. As much time as we spend for personal protection and security in our homes and everywhere, it would do us well to remember where the battle really belongs. It seems that many believers have forgotten or even deny that there is a war taking place in the spiritual realm that is far more perilous than the carnal. We put in place elaborate systems to lock up our car and our valuables but give no thought given to locking down our spirit.
?Besides this, you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. (Romans 13:11–13)
Paul reminds us that in this war and we have a wardrobe given to us by God for this war. Conflict is inevitable as an heir in the Kingdom of God. We live in a world that is hostile that is filled with things in opposition to godliness; the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, the truth of God. Yet, we dress for success at work and hold in low regard our armor in the war that is waging around us. Like General Sedgwick, we are complacent with the enemy and the damage he can cause in our lives.
In fact, I would submit to you that the enemies’ schemes are far more volatile today than ever. For example, the level of and access to pornographic material was not possible in Paul’s day or the ability to watch the level of violence and immoral acts on a 30-foot by 60-foot screen. Satan works in a counterfeit system to deceive us and penetrate the human soul in ways not possible in Paul’s day.
Add to that the explosion of false religions and worship created by Satan to undermine God’s truth. Satan has normalized in our culture the immoral, ungodly, and false forms of Christianity. He wears clerical garb. He runs certain seminaries and colleges that call themselves Christian and call themselves religious. So how much more do we the Church need to be fully dressed in the armor of God? Instead of turning to the Bible, we turn to CNN and Fox News. Instead of kneeling to pray, we sit to be entertained. And we wonder why things are the way they are today. The church is asleep and indifferent in the middle of a war.
?Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:10–18)
Now the last few weeks we’ve talked about putting on the Belt of Truth. That is a conviction in the truth and for the truth. In other words, you must not only have an understanding of the truth, but you must fully embrace the truth with the kind of conviction that you are determined to ardently oppose the enemy’s deceptions. The belt of truth holds the entire uniform in place. This is the starting point of the believer’s warfare.
Next, we talked about the Breastplate of Righteousness. This is a little more obvious that the breastplate covers the vital organs of the body and protects the believer. The righteousness we put on is not our own righteousness that is full of holes and exposure. Instead, it is the righteousness of Christ. That holiness protects us from the perils of sin. In Roman armor, the breastplate was held down by a belt with loops. So if we know the truth, it is going to convict us and strengthen us toward righteousness.
That brings us to the next two pieces of armor for the Christian to wear: The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, and the Shield of Faith. We’ll look at them both today.
Whether you are fighting in a war or competing in games, the shoes are the foundation of your uniform. Armies have been defeated because of the lack of shoes. One of the greatest challenges during the American Revolutionary War was the lack of shoes. The Romans understood that - especially when it comes to the soldier. Roman soldiers wore tough sandals with cleats on the bottom. This protected them from the enemy’s attempts to immobilize them by putting nails or other sharp objects on the ground. It also gave them more traction to stand firm in formation or charge up a hill without slipping.
The wrong shoes will cause you quite a bit of pain. Shoes protect us from the harshness of the world below our feet and keep us steady to help prevent injuries. Paul states that our ability to have a sure footing or steady footing is found in the gospel of peace! No matter what the enemy throws at us, no matter what the situation, we have the Gospel to stand on as a solid foundation for our life. We have nothing to fear.
When the gospel is lost, changed, or modified. In other words, when the full Gospel is not preached, we forget who we are and who is God. His character, his power, and his promises that are unyielding and unshakeable are what keep the believer standing strong and firm.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (?Psalm 18:2)
It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; 24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; 25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:23–26)
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (Luke 10:19)
During the dark days of England during WWII when the bombs rained down on London, the situation was truly terrifying and desperate. Winston Churchill would come on the radio and speak to the people when their hearts were full of defeat and discouragement. At times they would be almost ready to quit. But Churchill’s voice would ring out over the airwaves to remind them of who they are and the nation would take heart again.
Spiritual warfare means knowing the good news and also sharing the good news. Are you able and ready to do this? Do you know who God is and that it is sin - all sin - that cuts a person off from God? Do you know that the only remedy is the best remedy God could provide - his only son Jesus? Do you know that Jesus is the way and truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except by him? We need to share the Gospel with others and ourselves to stand firm.
That brings us to the fourth piece of the Christian’s armor - The Shield of Faith.
?In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (Ephesians 6:16)
Roman soldiers used several kinds of shields, but two were the most common. The first was a small round shield, perhaps two feet in diameter, that was secured to the arm by two leather straps. Think Captain America. It was relatively lightweight and was used to parry the sword blows of one’s opponent in hand-to-hand fighting.
The second kind was the thureos, to which Paul refers here. This shield was about two and a half feet wide and four and a half feet high, designed to protect the entire body of the soldier—who was considerably smaller than the average man today. The shield was made of a solid piece of wood and was covered with metal or heavily oiled leather. Often times these shields were soaked in water because the enemy would fire arrows doused in pitch and lit on fire.
The soldiers who carried these shields were in the front lines of battle, and normally stood side by side with their shields together, forming a huge phalanx extending as long as a mile or more….Anyone who stood or crouched behind such shields was protected from the barrage of enemy arrows and spears. (MacArthur)
The Christian’s shield is faith. Paul is saying that our faith should do three things: (1) it should cover us so that not a portion is exposed, (2) it should link up with the faith of others to present a solid wall of defense, and (3) because it covers our entire person and links up with the faith of our fellow soldiers, it should be able to strike down whatever fiery arrows the enemy hurls at us.” (Boice)
Further, our shield against Satan’s arrows is the kind of faith that says God can be trusted. It is knowing that when God says that he is able to keep us from falling and present us before his presence with exceeding joy, he means exactly that and will do it. We do not need to fear when we advance into battle. God will go with us and will bring victory. God himself ‘is our shield and it is by faith that we flee to him for refuge. For faith lays hold of the promises of God in times of doubt and depression, and faith lays hold of the power of God in times of temptation.
?Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)
I believe that these fiery darts that this is depicting are symbols of seducing temptation, shafts of impurity, lustfulness, greed, vanity, materialism, pride, anger, impatience, covetousness - all these things. They come at us constantly in this worldly system. The moment we start becoming content or complacent we start looking to other places apart from God for satisfaction, protection, and fulfillment. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden, right? It comes down to the very understanding that if you sin, you’ve traded the truth for a lie. You put your faith in something other than God.
Before we can be ready for the spiritual battle we need to honestly evaluate our own lives by asking ourselves a simple question. Have I put on this armor? Is the Gospel of Peace, my firm foundation? Is my faith in God and God alone the shield of my life?
Now I want to make sure we understand this question:
• The question is not, “Do you believe in Jesus?”
• The question is not, “Are you a member of a church?”
• The question is not even, “Are you saved?”
?“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24–27)
The question is whose life are you standing on and trusting in with your now, your tomorrow, and your eternity? That your sin is and your self-righteousness is repugnant to God. You are a corpse without the new life of Jesus within you. The Gospel does not rely on us, it relies on the powerful and finished work of Jesus. So put your shoes on and hold your shield up! That’s the gospel of peace and when we realize just how much God has done to give us peace with Him, a peace that could only come through the shed blood of His only Son, THEN it will be natural for our lives to be radically different. Will you come to him today?
