Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of his power. Put
on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. For our
struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God,
so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done
everything, to stand firm. Stand
therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the
breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be
able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every
prayer and supplication. To that end
keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when
I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery
of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must
speak. Ephesians
6:10 - 20 (NRSV)
Paul is like the Old Testament
prophets, Moses and Joshua. He tells us
to stand strong, and in the Lord’s power
and might. What kind of advice is
that – and why do we need it? It is good
advice. We need it because the kinds of
enemies we face are not the ones we can see, or engage in physical battle.
Consider how difficult it is to
fight the unseen even in nature:
Here’s to the chigger, the bug
that’s no bigger
Than the end of a very small pin;
But the itch that he raises
simply amazes,
And that’s where the rub comes in.
It’s important to learn to stand
against both big and little things the devil throws in our pathway; God's
people have always had to do so. There
are enough false things out there to trip up anyone who is not strong in the
Lord; everything from cults to Satanists and other assorted lunatics.
Joe Lewis was the heavyweight
boxing champion of the world. He fought,
71 times; he lost only once. During the
fifteen years he held his title, he defended it 25 times. Bill Stern, the voice of American sports on
radio, decided toward the end of the Brown Bomber's career that he would
interview him and find out the technique or the secret that Lewis used in
fighting his opponents and how he could win over people who were at times much
larger than he. His answer was very
simple, I study my opponent, I plan my fight very carefully. The results are always the same -- I’m never
surprised and I stay on the offensive.
That's pretty good counsel for dealing with the devil.
Satan wins many of his attacks
and victories because he surprises us.
We continually live shocked. The
believer has no reason to be shocked, intimidated or surprised by the attack of
the enemy -- none whatsoever. God has given us the armor and the battle plan to
overcome his attacks.
Paul was chained 24 hrs, 7 days a
week to a Roman guard. It is no wonder
God used the imagery of armor and weapons to impress the apostle to warn us how
to be strong in the Lord. We should
never underestimate the enemy! This
morning let’s put on the whole armor of God, beginning with:
the BELT OF TRUTH 14a
Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist
Truth is the one thing that is
the defining mark of the Christian in our society. Whatever else we do or don’t do – whether you
do visiting to care for folks, teach a class, give a tithe or more, truth is
never optional for the believer. We must
always speak the truth in love. And we
must speak it clearly and openly.
Martin Luther said,
If I profess
with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth
of God, except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at
the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be
professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is
proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and
disgrace if he flinches at that point.[1]
When we name the name of Christ,
we must conduct every moment of our lives in truth. This means:
·
truth in
speech
·
truth in
finances (including the IRS stuff)
·
truth in
relationships with others (in and out of the church)
·
truth in
business.
If we will not conduct our lives with truth in these material and
earthly things, how can we claim to have the greater truth within, which is the
One who called Himself THE Truth?
It is either all truth or
all lie – this belt is not divided! The
truth can only exist when you accept Him as your Savior and Lord
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 14b
and put on the breastplate of righteousness.
In His sermon on the Mount of
Olives Jesus said we would be blessed, or happy to hunger and thirst after
righteousness. He said we should seek
the righteousness of the Kingdom of God first, and worry about material things
later. What is this righteous condition?
The word itself comes from a
basic verb which means to show. In a religious sense or application it means
to stand before God with your heart open and on display. There is nothing hidden. God can inspect you. Is that a comfortable idea? David prayed,
Search me O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
Psalms
139.23-24a
Every one of us here today has at
least a few things in our life that if it were known by the rest of the group
in this building, we would die of shame.
How do I know that? I don’t have
a crystal ball, but I do have a human heart.
God knows that the flesh lives inside us all. Most of us know from experience – and the
rest of us could guess from sheer human intuition – that it is not a wonderful
prospect to stand before a righteous and holy God without some super-asbestos
holy shield to protect us from judgment.
The breastplate covers the vitals,
the heart. Having a breastplate of
righteousness can only happen when your heart has been cleansed, when you’ve
been forgiven of sin and made to stand righteous, openly on show for God. When it's like that, beloved, Satan’s darts
are way out of range.
A fellow Christian once accused
me of being uncaring and cold towards him and his family. He then widened it to include the whole
church (and probably the whole of Western civilization!). I told him that I believed he was
misunderstanding me, but that I would pray for God to help me understand. I did go to prayer, and while God affirmed to
my heart that I really did care for and love this brother and his family --
there were some other things in that area that needed my attention. When I shared this with the brother, I could
stand with the breastplate of righteousness.
I had stood honestly before God, and Satan could not use this rift of
understanding to break that church apart.
He tries to do that, you know.
Put on the breastplate; have a clean heart before God.
SANDALS OF PEACE 15
As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim
the gospel of peace.
Correct footwear is one of the
most important items of equipment to a soldier.
A Roman soldier caught with ragged foot gear was liable to severe
punishment. It wasn’t just a fickle,
arbitrary military game. If a soldier
couldn’t march, he couldn’t fight.
Basic training at Fort Gordon in
August of 1966 was such a joy. We went
on marches in the woods. It was like a
rain forest, hot and steamy. It rained
for two centuries during those 8 weeks of basic. There were two things our Drill Sergeant’s
voice bored into our brains on those long wonderful campouts – salt and socks. Gentlemen, and also you lowlife privates, (he
was so loving), that salt tablet will
keep yo’ insides wet. An’ whut-evah
y’all do, y’ud bett-ah keep them socks dry!
Yes, Drill Sergeant!
Paul points to the Gospel
footgear -- the preparation of peace.
The gospel conquers the inner world.
Every victory in the Christian’s life depends on that peace. The Psalmist said, O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Friend, just like the ancient soldier was going nowhere without his
proper footwear -- no one comes to God without good news -- the Gospel. If you lack peace today, give up whatever
religious activity in which you’ve been dabbling. And let God give you real peace. Good news -- Good shoes!
SHIELD OF FAITH 16
With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able
to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
There is a lot of teaching around
about what constitutes genuine faith.
And, if Paul’s analogy of a shield
holds up, that’s the way it should be.
We all have faith. You and I are
exercising a form of faith right now.
You are sitting in pews; I am standing on a platform. We believe
they will support us.
The point is not whether we will use faith – it is
generally to what or who
we will direct that faith. A man bought
a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he
would perform, he took him out to track a bear.
No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the
trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the
ground, and headed in a new direction.
He had caught the scent of a deer
that had crossed the bear's path. A
few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so, on and on it went until finally the
breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly
down the hole of a field mouse.[2]
Sometimes we as Christians are
like that. We start out with high
resolve, keeping Christ first in our lives.
But soon our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've
strayed far from our original purpose.
At times it is a lack of faith in
God’s Word. Gordon MacDonald shared an
event from his life:
A few years
ago -- a friend asked a strange question. If Satan were to blow you out of the
water, how do you think he would do it? I'm
not sure I know, I answered, but I know there's one way he wouldn't get me --
He'd never get me in the area of my personal relationships. That's one place where I have no doubt that
I'm as strong as you can get.
A few years
after that conversation -- a chain of seemingly innocent choices became
destructive, and it was my fault. Choice
by choice by choice, each easier to make, each becoming gradually darker. And
then my world broke -- in the very area I had predicted I was safe. Oswald Chambers comments on the tendency of
men and women to lose major personal battles not at the points of their
weaknesses but, strangely enough, at the points of their perceived
strengths. He wrote, The Bible
characters never fell on their weak points but on their strong ones; unguarded
strength is double weakness.
Funny! During my earlier years I'd thought we were
most vulnerable at our weakest points -- until I realized from personal experience
that where we perceive ourselves to be the strongest is where we're least
likely to be prepared for a battle that isn't psychological or emotional. It's spiritual![3]
How do you appropriate the shield
of faith? Ask God -- and then act as if
you believe He is listening. When
Alexander the great sailed to conquer Persia, his ships landed at night. As the troops gathered on the cliffs
overlooking the harbor they were amazed to look back and see the torrid blaze
of the entire fleet. They learned that
Alexander himself had ordered the ships burned.
He wanted his men to know that the only direction was ahead. Retreat was out of the question. Satan will tell you there’s a way out -- a
more conservative approach. But not if
you want a shield of faith that works!
HELMET OF SALVATION 17a
Take the helmet of salvation,
In his book, A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football, Paul Zimmerman quotes a
physicist who made a rather startling discovery. When a 240- pound football lineman (capable
of running 100 yards in 11 seconds) collides with a 240-pound running back
(capable of covering the same distance in 10 seconds), the resultant kinetic
energy is enough to move 66,000 pounds (33
tons) one inch. The scientist says
further that in all likelihood, the collision would deliver to the player's
helmet a blow nearly 1,000 times the force of gravity. Obviously, modern
football helmets have to withstand tremendous blows, or no player would survive
long.
The same is true for those of us
engaged in spiritual warfare. Paul knew what he was doing when he commanded us
to take the helmet of salvation. The word take
actually means to accept, and speaks
of our receiving from God's hand something which He has prepared for us. What a great picture, for all we can do in salvation
is accept what God has given us.
SWORD OF SPIRIT 17b
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In December 1986 three masked
burglars broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole the 152-year-old
diamond-encrusted dress sword of the French king, Charles X. A museum spokesman said that the sword, made
in 1824 by French artist Frederic Bapst for Charles' coronation, has such
historical value that one cannot set any
value on it. If there was ever a
truly priceless Sword, it is the Word
of God.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy
2:15
As a Pastor, I rely on the Word
of God more than anything else I’ve learned.
That is especially true in counseling.
When rightly handled, the Word will reveal things to people about
themselves and their problems, about which I could only wonder. There are some counseling techniques that seem to work very well – but upon closer
inspection you will find these so called techniques are really Biblical
principles hidden in Counselese
psycho-babble.
How vital is God’s Word? It is the only offensive part of the
soldier’s outfit. In Christian living,
it is vital for conducting spiritual warfare.
Pick up your sword every day.
Remember, a soldier outfitted in every perfect way, but without his
sword, is only prepared to stand there and take a beating!
PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT 18-20
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in
supplication for all the saints. Pray
also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known
with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in
chains. Pray that I may declare it
boldly, as I must speak.
Prayer is a matter of unending
communion with our Lord. In his book, Purpose in Prayer, E. M. Bounds quotes
these words from former college professor and Confederate soldier, General
Thomas Stonewall Jackson:
I have so
fixed the habit of prayer in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my
lips without asking God's blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word
of prayer under the seal, never take a letter from the post without a brief
sending of my thoughts heavenward, never change my classes in the lecture-room
without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come
in.
Early African converts to
Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in
the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became
well worn. As a result, if one of these
believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They
would kindly remind the negligent one, Brother,
the grass grows on your path.[4]
If you are like me, the one thing
that troubles you every time the subject of prayer arises is:
How in the world can I develop a
prayer-life?
I’ve got a zillion things to do
-- The kids won’t be quiet
The dog barks, the pot boils
over, my boss hates me
My business and finances are in
shambles
And April 15th is almost here
Preacher -- it’s not that the
wolf is at the door!
That wolf has moved in and had
pups under my kitchen table.
And YOU want me to pray?
My experience has been that we do
not pray because we have not grasped the importance of prayer. Chuck Swindoll tells in one of his books
about a group of amateur climbers were
scaling part of the Matterhorn mountain near Zermatt, Switzerland. As they came
to a narrow, hazardous passage, about to make a turn, a gust of wind swept down
on them. The experienced guide, knowing the danger this posed for the group,
quickly shouted, Get down on your knees!
You are safe only on your knees![5]
My dear Christian brother -- you will never have enough time to do all
you have to do, until you take the time with Jesus in prayer.
what’s left?
When a soldier has been properly
outfitted, trained and pointed in the right direction, there is only one sensible
thing left to do – Join the fight I don’t
know what that means for you tomorrow, or even this afternoon; God is the one
who defines and directs the strategy. I
suggest you keep an attitude of prayer, and an open heart. He will bring you into the battle where
you’re needed, and at the right time.
Good commanders know their troops.
In the days of the Roman Emperor
Nero, there lived and served him a band of soldiers known as the
"Emperor's Wrestlers." Fine,
stalwart men they were, picked from the best and the bravest of the land,
recruited from the great athletes of the Roman amphitheater.
In the great amphitheater they
upheld the arms of the emperor against all challengers. Before each contest they stood before the
emperor's throne. Then through the
courts of Rome rang the cry: We, the
wrestlers, wrestling for thee, O Emperor, to win for thee the victory and from
thee, the victor's crown.
When the great Roman army was
sent to fight in Gaul, no soldiers were braver or more loyal than this band of
wrestlers led by their centurion Vespasian.
But news reached Nero that many Roman soldiers had accepted the
Christian faith. Therefore, this decree
was dispatched to the centurion Vespasian; If
there be any among your soldiers who cling to the faith of the Christian, they
must die!
The decree was received in the
dead of winter. The soldiers were camped
on the shore of a frozen inland lake. It
was with sinking heart that Vespasian, the centurion, read the emperor's
message. Vespasian called the soldiers together and asked: Are there any among you who cling to the faith of the Christian? If so, let him step forward! Forty wrestlers instantly stepped forward
two paces, respectfully saluted, and stood at attention. Vespasian paused. He had not expected so many, nor such select
ones. Until sundown I shall await your answer, said Vespasian. Sundown came.
Again the question was asked.
Again the forty wrestlers stepped forward.
Vespasian pleaded with them long
and earnestly without prevailing upon a single man to deny his Lord. Finally he said, The decree of the emperor must be obeyed, but I am not willing that
your comrades should shed your blood. I
order you to march out upon the lake of ice, and I shall leave you there to the
mercy of the elements.
The forty wrestlers were stripped
and then, falling into columns of four, marched toward the center of the lake
of ice. As they marched they broke into
the chant of the arena: Forty wrestlers,
wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from Thee, the
victor's crown! Through the night
Vespasian stood by his campfire and watched.
As he waited through the long night, there came to him fainter and
fainter the wrestlers' song. As morning drew near one figure, overcome by
exposure, crept quietly toward the fire; in the extremity of his suffering he
had renounced his Lord. Faintly but
clearly from the darkness came the song: Thirty-nine
wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from
Thee, the victor's crown!
Vespasian looked at the figure
drawing close to the fire. Perhaps he
saw eternal light shining there toward the center of the lake. Who can
say? But off came his helmet and clothing,
and he sprang upon the ice, crying, Forty
wrestlers, wrestling for Thee, O Christ, to win for Thee the victory and from
Thee, the victor's crown!
My friend, it makes little difference
where you live, or what epoch in history; the battle is the Lord’s. Someday the battle will be in front of
you. The question to settle right now,
right here, so that you will be ready on that day --
Will there be 39 or 40 when Christ calls?
That is the
decision Christ invites you to make for Him.
An
invitation -- Come and die, Christian -- Come and die!
