Being the light [part 2]

Being the light [part 2] The full armour of God Ephesians 6:10-20 Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV) 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. At the end of the book of Ephesians Paul suggests that all believers need to put on what he calls God s armour. When I first read this passage as a young Christian, I thought it was a bit of a weird and old fashioned metaphor, but then again may be not for everyone. This is Rod Walker, Australian and International jousting champion 2004 and 2005, he also has a host of other achievements in the world of thumping people with swords, and you can see him and an army of other metal clad competitors at the St Ives medieval fair which started yesterday. What with Game of thrones and all that, perhaps the metaphor of swords and armour is not as weird and old fashioned as I first thought. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 1

The Bible is full of metaphors and parables because firstly, they are memorable and God wants us to remember his word and secondly, metaphors are image rich and images connect with our inner life in an extraordinary way. When I was a kid in New Zealand we had a wonderful tree house in the front of our place. Now at one time there were two ways of getting from the tree house to the ground, one was a slippery dip and the other was a ladder. I say at one time, because my efforts to stack all my friends on the slippery dip kind of broke it. Now the slippery dip is like an image, it fast tracks messages, from your outer life to your inner life, in the same way that the slippery dip fast tracked little people from the tree house to the ground. There is something almost instantaneous about responding to a picture or an image, which is not quite the same when it comes to words, which are more like the ladder moving us steadily one step at a time from out there to in here. When you go to an art gallery you will see paintings and you will see short written statements explaining something about the artist and the work. If you pay close attention and switch backward and forward from the painting to the statement you become aware that the painting and the statement evoke different kinds of awareness in you, you feel differently and you respond differently depending on whether you are engaging with images or with words. This is because words and images connect to different parts of our brains and connect differently to our inner world. This is why we mostly dream in images because the language of our inner life is mostly image. While a whole bunch of well-constructed words can be clearer, one image, while perhaps not as clear, can speak rapidly and powerfully into our souls. Words and images have their own peculiar strengths and weaknesses which is why Jesus, the master communicator, used both. What this means is that in order to gain the most out of Paul s metaphor of the full armour of God we have to both, enter into its meaning and allow the images to connect with our inner life. In this passage Paul is gathering the main spiritual teachings of the Bible, and connecting them with the image of a Roman soldier to create a visual flash card that fast tracks central spiritual principles into our inner life. This is our spiritual equivalent of the bush fire survival plan. When that fire comes roaring over the hill towards your home you need a quick and concise plan to cut through the stress and complexities of the circumstance in order to make good decisions. In the same way when the difficult day arrives for us we will not be in a MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 2

position to think clearly through all the things we have learnt over the years about the Christian life but we can quickly connect to all the spiritual essentials as we visualise the armour of God and access the connections the armour provides us to God s mighty power. So this is how it begins: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10) The implication here is that it is possible for Christians to be week in the Lord and not altogether operating in his mighty power. This is what I think of as the Star Wars principle. In order to destroy the death star Luke Skywalker had to shoot a missile through a tiny aperture about the size of a letter box, the voice in his head continually reminded him; Luke use the force, otherwise he was never going to be able to complete his mission. Paul too, needs to be the voice in our head continually reminding us to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, otherwise we are never going to have what it takes to complete our mission as God s person. Now the Bible is full of these reminders to be strong in the lord, trust in God, seek the Lord but the really exciting bit about this passage is that Paul will explain step by step how you strengthen yourself in God. He begins with a brief explanation: Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:11). Firstly, this is a call to action. It took me years of Christian living to realise that to get this faith thing really humming you actually have to do stuff. You cannot live an effective, overcoming Christian life if you sit on your duff and hope it all works out. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9, the life of faith is like running a race, with tasks like training and skill development being essential if we are to live an effective life of faith (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). In other words there are things we need to do spiritually which require the active involvement of our will and our inner life. Secondly, Paul tells us that this is God s armour, it comes from God and it is all about what God does for us. What the image of the armour does is connect our spirits to certain Godly truths so that those truths can be activated in our lives. Just because we know about something doesn t necessarily mean that we allow that principle to operate in our lives. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 3

In junior footy one of the fundamental defensive principles is the straight line. The defence line needs to move up and back together. If the line becomes uneven then there is far more scope for opponents to step around players and find gaps in the defence. Now this gets drilled into you every practice but when you re playing the game for real, your defence can lose its straightness as much through over enthusiasm as lack of discipline. It s then you hear the coach bellowing from the sideline; Line over and over again until you hear and remember how you are supposed to play the game. This is how the armour of God works reminding us how to live our lives in God. Thirdly, Paul says that putting on God s armour has a purpose so we can take our stand and he repeats this a number of times through the passage. So what does taking our stand mean? The battle strategy in Paul s day when facing a numerically equal or stronger force was to remain tightly bound together and stationary because it was the most stable position from which to withstand an attack. Movement destabilised the formation and created opportunities for the enemy to penetrate the defence. The side which successfully took its stand and withstood the assault of the enemy would win the day. In using this metaphor Paul is clearly thinking that taking our stand is not something we seek to do as individuals but something we do together as a church. The primary offensive tactic of the day was the wedge attack, in which the enemy formation tried to break up the defensive formation and isolate individual soldiers, because isolated soldiers were easy to kill. So avoid thinking about your spiritual life purely in individual terms, this is a recipe for being isolated and overwhelmed. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 4

If we are going to prevail in life s battles we have to think like an army, we have to think church. When the enemy attacks your bit of the formation you need to depend on the people on your left and right to protect you. Ring your friends and ask them to pray for you, meet for coffee as you encourage each other. Bring your struggle into the life group, the youth group, the worship time as your comrade s battle with you against the schemes of the enemy. Fourthly, Paul identifies that humanity has an enemy and that enemy is a schemer, and this is really important thing to know about and to act on. It makes a great deal of difference to the outcome of any battle whether your enemy s commander is stupid or a clever schemer. A schemer is someone who attacks with a secret and devious plan, a plan that is developed in the light of a full understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. It is because our enemy is a schemer that great leaders, evangelists and followers of God have been brought down by their greatest weakness be they, greed, fame, sex, addictions the list is as long as is our vulnerability to sin. Take very careful note of Paul here and do not under-estimate the capacity of the devil and his minions to take you down and your corresponding need to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:12, 13) Rulers, authorities, powers, spiritual forces Paul s use of these terms emphasises the organisation and scope of the enemy. It also emphasises the many levels at which the enemy operates both in the political and the personal realms. What Paul could see coming up for the believers in Ephesus was a well organised campaign by evil powers to breed hate, intolerance and persecution against followers of Christ. On the other hand Paul could also see the powers of darkness working with the highly sexualised and greedy culture of the Ephesians to assault the marriages and morals of believers. In other words the enemy was going to come at them from all sides, therefore they needed to put on the armour of God in order to stand their ground. And we need to put on the armour of God in order to stand our Ground. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 5

(The section in blue was not presented during the sermon but available here) Belt of truth Jesus is Lord Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. (Ephesians 6:14a). The Roman balteus had a number of uses; it stopped your tunic flapping around, it was the place to carry weapons, it had a little downward flap to give some protection to your more sensitive bits and it supported the muscles of your core, something like a weight lifters belt. Core support was essential in this kind of combat because more often than not the battle was a heavy wrestling match where everything depended on your cores ability to withstand the stress brought to bear by your attackers. When Paul speaks about truth being a belt he is talking about Jesus being the way, truth and life (John 14:6) that holds our very life together and is our core. We lose the strength of our core and we lose the battle. Breastplate of righteousness Purity with the breastplate of righteousness in place (Ephesians 6:14b) The bronze breastplate was the equipment of officers and protected the vital organs particularly the heart and lungs. God s righteousness is just that, his righteousness, protecting us from the stains and strains of our own heart (1 John 1:9). Though our sins be as obvious as scarlet God makes us white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Though we have wounded people and have been wounded, God makes our heart clean. Even though we have done things that fill us with shame and regret the breastplate of God s righteousness renews and protects our heart. With God s righteousness protecting our heart the enemy cannot break our heart. Shoes of peace Victory and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15) Roman shoes or Caligae were sturdy lace up sandals with iron hobnails driven into the soles to give a good traction. These shoes were hard wearing which was particularly important if you were a messenger travelling distances and the only messenger who came with a message of peace was the one announcing that the enemy had been defeated and the fight was over. This is always the message of the gospel that death has been defeated, there is no sting in death anymore, Jesus is victorious (Romans 10:15, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57). No more do we need to be fearful or worried, the battle is over, and we are free to move forward. Shield of faith Trust In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16) That we take up the shield of faith speaks to the variability of our walk in faith. Sometimes our faith is back in our room and we are simply not dealing with life as if we trust God at all. Other times we remember that The Lord is my strength and my shield (Psalm 28:7) and in remembering our faith rises up like a shield. In Paul s day fire arrows were extremely serious, setting fire to clothing and adding burns to the damage of an arrow. In the same way our enemy loves to scar us with such things as MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 6

accusations, self-doubts and guilt which can be avoided as we keep our faith in God s love and forgiveness ever before us. Helmet of salvation Assurance Take the helmet of salvation. (Ephesians 6:17a) Helmets are designed to protect our heads and the brains that slosh around in them and what mostly messes up our heads is negative thoughts and doubts, one of the Devils big weapons. The helmet of salvation is our assurance of the saving grace of Jesus, in which God s spirit connects with our spirit and declares that we are sons and daughters of the living God (Romans 8:15-17). Many thoughts will come to us over the length of our lives that we are failures, disappointments or just bad people and it is the shelter of God s salvation which helps us remember who we truly are; God s, sons and daughters. Sword of the Spirit God s word and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17b) There have been times in my life when I have felt beaten by life, done, alone and abandoned and what has helped me fight back is the power of God s word brought to mind and spoken into my spirit, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20) I am with you always, to the very end of the age I am with you always, to the very end of the age As I let the word of God take centre stage in my life, slice take that feelings of hopelessness, stab feelings of abandonment. I am with you always, to the very end of the age There have been millions of people whose lives have balanced on a knife edge and have been brought back into life by the power of the word of God coming alive in their hearts. Pray For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18) In all of this says Paul, stay connected and stay alert in prayer. In prayer we receive clarity about where our life is at, we are reminded about who are supposed to be, we connect with power and love and it flows over and through everything. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 7

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:14-18) Conclusion So this is how it works, it doesn t matter what the trial is, the armour of God connects us with all that we need for all that we are going through. This is one way you can access what God has for you. When you re feeling a little out of control, stressed, anxious, just stop, close your eyes and imagine yourself putting on the armour. Let the images do their thing engaging your spirit with the things of God. Put on the belt of truth acknowledge Jesus is your Lord Strap on the breastplate of righteousness allow the purifying power of Jesus to protect your heart Slip your feet into the readiness to speak the gospel of peace know that Jesus is victorious and you are free to move forward Take up the shield of faith God is totally trustworthy and nothing can snatch you out of his hand (John 10:28) Place the helmet of salvation on your head let God s complete assurance protect your mind from doubts and confusion. Take up the sword of the spirit and let the word of God be active in your heart and in your mind Pray build your connection to God and his power and love The armour of God connects us with all that we need for all that we are going through. MISSED A SERMON? SEE OUR PODCASTS AT PITTWATERCHURCH.ORG 8