THE ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:10-17

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1 THE ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:10-17 This morning I'd like you to imagine a scene. Picture tens of thousands of people crammed into a stadium. Visualize millions of homes tuned in to watch their televisions. Envision advertisers spending multitudes of dollars for commercial time, venders collecting huge sums for refreshments and people throughout the land wagering on the outcome. The Goodyear blimp hovers nearby. The announcers tout pre-game statistics. Yes, my friends, the Super Bowl is about to begin -- that one-of-a-kind, singular effort that gathers the hearts and minds and pocketbooks of America on the first Sunday in February. But then it happens. Unexpectedly, only one team walks onto the field -- only one group of players steps up to begin the game. A deep, uncertain silence is felt at first. Then moans and groans overtake the crowd. "What's going on? And then a man slowly and sheepishly meanders over the microphone and announces. "Ladies and gentlemen. The Seattle Seahawks will not be playing today. They've decided last year s Super Bowl loss was too humiliating. And so, not wishing to risk undue injury or further embarrassment, they accept defeat and forfeit to the New England Patriots. The Patriots, however, while -- what shall we say? - deflated over this turn of events -- for your entertainment pleasure, have graciously agreed to run pass plays up and down the field. We hope you enjoy this dazzling spectacle." Can you imagine the uproar? Can you visualize the commotion caused by such an announcement? After all, what kind of contest is it if only one team plays the game? What kind of battle is it without tackles and strategy and fumbles and fouls? One thing's for sure: it's not football. And what respectable team that's fought for its position week after week -- would give up just because of past records and failed championships? No. It just would never happen. And yet, my friends, while we would never expect such cowardly activity from such a trite thing as a football team, how many people out there expect such surrender, such mindless

2 submission from the Father of Evil -- from Satan, the Opponent of the Christian Church and the deceiver of the world. "The Devil made me do it," a comedian was once fond of saying, and everyone would laugh hilariously as the image of a little impish fellow in a red suit with a pitchfork danced through their minds. Relatively few people believe in the devil any more. After all, we live in a society that believes the world came into existence through a big bang, in a society that hardly has any time for a God, let alone a devil. And even to many who believe in God, the devil is only an imaginary personification of the evil forces at work in the world, not a real being. Our text for today, however, depicts the devil and his forces as very real -- as an adversary that never gives up. Listen, again to the strong words of our text: 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Yes, my friends, the Bible is quite clear. There is not only a Tempter, but a whole host of Evil Ones surrounding the Tempter, trying to get us in his grasp -actively working toward our demise. And they are hardly little red imps. They are called "rulers, authorities, powers, forces." "Well," you say, "maybe so. I've heard of those Satan worshipers and the occult. I know about Ouija Boards, and Tarot Cards and other such fare. I ve seen The Exorcist. But what does all that have to do with me? I'm not interested in such things. But be warned, we learn here. The Evil One is a threat to all of us. Oh, indeed, we may not be hanging around the woods chanting rituals and sacrificing animals, we may not own a Ouija Board, or seek answers to the future with séances and card readings. But, if you live in the world and are subject to temptation -which, of course, every human being is -- then the challenge is very, very real. You see, the Scriptures not only depict The Enemy as a powerful opponent -but also as crafty, clever, subtle and knowledgeable. He doesn't always tempt people in obvious ways. In fact, he is probably more likely to work through the commercials on TV, the peers who influence us, the literature we read, the philosophies of our society, than he is to lure us through an Occult

3 Leader or Satan worshipper. He is probably more likely to subtly lead us, little by little, into worse and worse sins, than he is to jump in and tempt us right away with the big sins like murder or robbery or adultery. He works slowly, carefully -- and He uses every clever device He can think of to walk us into his traps. It s actually much like football. Most touchdowns come not primarily from glitzy 86 yard runs from one end of the field to the other. But rather as the opposing team works its way gradually down the field, using play after play of crafty maneuvers and strategic plans to get to the end zone. That's exactly the way The Tempter and His forces work with us. Play by play, thought by thought: "Go ahead...its ok to cheat just a little on this test or that business practice..after all, everybody does it." "Go ahead...a little white lie won't hurt anyone." "Go ahead... flirting is exactly adultery." "Go ahead...getting tipsy or using some harmless drugs will be fun. It's not like you do it all the time." "Go ahead... gossiping us just a little sin." "Go ahead, get revenge -- that person can't expect to get away with that!" And the next thing you know, you are cheating more often, or telling bigger lies, or finding yourself in an inappropriate relationship, or getting drunk with some frequency, or becoming the go-to gossip monger. You see what I'm saying? Satan is a tough opponent. He looks for your weak points. He subtly mixes truth with lies, he makes God's will look ridiculous, and he tempts you when you're most vulnerable. He is that clever. And living the Christian life, my friends, is no simple bed of roses when you realize that he s out there. It's a battle, every day -- a battle against these rulers, authorities, powers and forces. A battle against our own tendency to fall prey to temptation. The Good News is that you don't have to lose the battle. In fact, you can be sure -- absolutely sure of victory. The words of our text give us that assurance -- and they do so in a rather interesting way. Our text compares the sinful human being to a warrior -- a soldier. The warrior, if he goes into battle without armor, is sure to be killed. He stands naked against forces with weapons too powerful for him. They will slice him to bits in a matter of seconds.

4 That's how we are, you and me. Without God's power to help us in the battle, we are like football players without equipment. The Tempter will gobble us up and swallow us into the pit of destruction. The warrior, however, who goes into battle covered with armor and wielding a skillful sword, need not fear. For he is protected, and he may even win the battle. That's how our text describes the Christian in his war with Satan. He has a powerful armor -- an invincible armor. An armor that will never give way, no matter how weak or tired the warrior becomes. Our text uses vivid battle terminology and pictures to describe the makeup of this armor, and I could probably spend an hour delving into the imagery and nuances of each one. But allow me, instead, to break them down into two simple categories. 1) The defensive elements of the armor -- that is, the major armor pieces which ward off the attacks of Satan. 2) The offensive elements of the armor -- that is, those armor pieces which allow us to attack and weaken the enemy. In the first category -- the defensive parts, are included the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet fitted with readiness by the Gospel, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. I believe all these five images are intended to describe vividly the things God has done for us. You know well what they are years ago, He sent His Son Jesus to destroy the forces of evil. As the true and perfect Son of God, He suffered, in our place, the punishment we ought have suffered. And, by doing so, He made righteous what was evil. At our baptism, God gave us faith in these things, and now, as we live in Him we are assured always of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Yes, you know well what truth and righteousness and faith and salvation refer to. But have you ever thought of them as your mighty tools to ward off Satan and his temptations?

5 Well they are. For when Satan comes to you with his lying, deceitful tongue and says, "Come on my way. You got to come my way. I've got power over you and I can make you do what you know is wrong. I can lead you to despair, unbelief, shame." You can say, in return, with certainty and conviction, "No. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and His blood is like a blanket around me. I don't have to follow you, and I don't have to listen to you. I am protected. Maybe I've failed before, and maybe I'll fail again, but those failures are forgiven and now Jesus gives me power not to fail. Get away from me Tempter. Your way leads to death and destruction, but faith in Jesus leads to eternal life." And there you have it -- a victory. A victory much like that of Jesus Himself when He faced the Tempter. But you know what? There's even more. For, you see, God doesn't just give us armor to defend ourselves against Satan. He also gives us armor to take the offensive and wage our own battle against Him. The two offensive elements of the armor as listed in our text are "the sword of the Spirit," that is, the Word of God, and prayer in the Spirit. These two things are actually weapons that God provides for us, as His people, to diminish Satan's power in the midst of our world. What we need to do is get acquainted with the Word of God, know its promises and spread them. The more people that are acquainted with our Lord Jesus and nourished by His message, the less people Satan will be able to deceive. With prayer it is much the same. For God has promised to answer prayer -- and the more we pray for others to know Jesus, and the more we pray for God to exert His Holy power over evil, the more we are actually bound to see it happen. Isn't it a shame that so few Christians are actually making full use of these weapons. I really pray that all of you would consider getting involved in some group to study the Bible, and are also using the gift of prayer. Let's wage our war against Satan with the tools God's give us. He deserves it.

6 Satan. A very real force. Satan. A very clever force. Satan, a very powerful force. But Satan: a very defeated force. Defeated by God as He formed His mighty armor, and defeated by us as we use that powerful armor defensively and offensively to the glory of His name. Amen.