“Put on the full armor of God.” (Ephesians 6:13)
You hear me talking about this often from the pulpit and from Sunday School and from Bible Study because it is absolutely true. But I don’t think we believe it most of the time.
As you look back over our day, do we even see or hear the “hit and run” attacks or the little incursions that seek to erode our assurance our faith in the One who has saved us. Do we even notice what it was that set us off in our anger? Do we understand what led us to make that bad decision…that no one knows about yet? Do we even understand our own sin let alone the sin of those around us? These little battles (along with the big ones on other days) are with us every day or Paul wouldn’t spend so much time reminding us of the battle we are fighting…EVERY DAY.
I want to be very clear here, we are at war against the world, the flesh(ourselves), and the devil. Indeed, when we awake from our sleep each morning, we rise to continue the combat we were engaged in the day before. With this being true then have we stopped to ask ourselves, Why do we get caught by surprise when the “sneak attacks” occur? Is life “so good” that we just cannot believe that we have an adversary as the Scripture says…that we ourselves can be our and others worst nightmare some days…that the world in which we live is only evil all the time as John reminds us in his letters? Think about that and then meditate on the truth!
Once we realize what is going on the question becomes, what weapons have we been given to use in order to secure our victory? In the sixth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul describes a number of weapons of war that we are to have at the ready for our fight. Eph. 6:10-18 -“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 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…”
1. The belt of truth will deflect Satan’s lies with God’s Word to support us in our battle; (do you find it interesting that there is at least 2 references to the Word of God and it importance in the battle…)
2. The breastplate of righteousness is the body armor that protects our hearts;
3. Supernatural shoes equip us to stand firm as we preach the good news of the Gospel; (the Greek speaks of the combat, heavy duty, footwear that the Roman soldiers wore into battle)
4. The shield of faith extinguishes Satan’s fiery arrows of temptations;
5. The helmet of salvation keeps renewing our minds to the truths of the Gospel;
6. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God which sustains and strengthens us for the battle; (Paul had in mind the BEST weapon the Romans carried, the Roman gladius, a sword of approximately two feet in length, which was sharpened on both sides to a razor’s edge. This short sword could be easily maneuvered to parry the thrusts of an attacker and also allowed the solider to close with his enemy and attack)
7. The Prayer of the faithful avails much towards our and our brothers and sisters ability to persevere in the battles that surely come every day.
Another fact concerning the gladius and why Paul chose this image is to remind the church of the type of “close quarter” fighting we will be called to fight is this; in the time when Jesus walked the earth, Roman soldiers had used the gladius to conquer a vast domain and subdue it to the rule of Rome. The disciple of Christ should use the sword of the Spirit to take the glorious Gospel of the amazing grace of God into every arena where he or she steps foot. We are to use the truth of God’s Word as the greatest weapon we have in our fight against all the enemies of God, whether we are defending our faith or going on offense to expand the kingdom of Christ… and by using the imagery of this weapon…he is telling us that we cannot remain on the sidelines of this fight FOR the Gospel and this fight AGAINST enemies to the Gospel. When Jesus was under attack by Satan during His wilderness experience, what weapon did He use? The sword of the Spirit. He simply quoted Scripture to parry all three of Satan’s temptations and in the end, it was Satan who retreated and our Lord who stood firm.
As this week is coming to an end we need to really be aware that the battle is always before us and by the grace of God alone, through Christ alone we must, Press on, Stand Firm, Do Not Be Discouraged, Do Not Fear! Be Alert/pay attention for the big battles and the “little incursions”… the sneak attacks. He tells us they are coming so look for them and you won’t be surprised by them and know, that the Lord your God has promised to be with you wherever you go, Joshua 1:9- “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (By the way, if you always wanted a life verse…this is it…no ambiguity here!) Remember He can command this of us because He has fully equipped us to stand firm in your faith and advance and grow through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
God Bless y’all this week.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
