November 20, 2011

Well the pre-election battles have surely begun. A few days ago I read that the expectation is that this election will be far more brutal than previous elections. It doesn’t take long before we grow weary of the constant criticizing, name calling, low blows and cheap shots. In a battle there is only one winner. The winner is the one who defeats his opponent.

As Christians, we are in a battle with an opponent who never sleeps. The devil is our enemy. In Eph.6 Paul instructs believers on how to fight the battle. He tells us that God has provided all that is needed to win the good fight of faith.

 

I. THE CHRISTIANS’S ENEMY IS POWERFUL. Eph.6:10-12

At the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 3 we are introduced to the serpent who tempts Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Who is this serpent? Well, we don’t read about this serpent again until Rev.12:9. There it says, “The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” The Hebrew noun, “satan,” refers to one who opposes; one who is an adversary. When the noun is used as a name, it refers to this being who opposes God and his people. The word, “devil” comes from a Greek word which means, “slanderer; accuser.”

It is not fashionable in our day for educated people to believe in an actual being called Satan. But we can quickly see from the Gospels that Jesus considered Satan, or the devil, to be an actual being. After Jesus was baptized we read that he went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We read the conversation that Jesus had with the devil. Finally Jesus says, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ’Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Again, in Rev.20:10 it says, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever"

So it is important that we recognized the reality of the devil. Paul tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. In other words, while there are people and governments who are hostile to Christ and Christians, we must understand that these people and governments are fed and driven by a very powerful enemy. That enemy is the devil.

Notice the words that Paul uses in v.12 to describe our enemy. He speaks about multiple rulers and authorities. He writes about the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil. So we are not just talking about one being. We are talking about numerous spiritual beings. Paul is describing the demonic world. While we don’t know how this world is organized, it does appear that there is some kind of organization because of the words, “rulers” and “authorities.” We see that they are evil. They are powerful and they use strategies or schemes. What is more, these spiritual forces of evil are opposed to Christ, to the church and to each and every follower of Christ.

So when we look at the book of Ephesians, we see the work that God is doing. In chapter 2 Paul tells us that Christ is reconciling the peoples of the earth into his body, the Church. He is creating and building a new entity. Well, you can be sure that these spiritual forces of evil are doing all they can to oppose the church throughout the entire world. In chapters 3-5 we read about how we as believers are to live and conduct ourselves in the church, in our marriages, in our families and at work. You can be sure that these spiritual forces of evil are doing all they can to oppose us as we seek to live for Christ.

How does Satan do his work? Well he is the father of lies and so we know he is deceitful. In 2Cor.11:14 Paul writes, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. In his commentary on Ephesians, Klyne Snodgrass points out that through the town commandments and the other ethical teachings found in the Bible, God marks out boundaries, values, and behaviors that are right and wrong. He writes, “Evil entices us to change the boundaries so that God does not receive the allegiance we owe and so that property life, and the dignity of others is redefined in our favor. Evil has its roots at the center of our being in our attempt to obtain the best for ourselves. This is why evil is a trap; it always looks like something good for us, but does not ask about God or other people, and it does not ask about long term effects.” Then he writes, “The spiritual forces of evil in Ephesians are trap setters, seeking to delude us into shifting the boundaries.”

I think this is helpful. Satan is always out to encourage and entice us to shift the boundaries, maybe just a little; but slowly over time we move further away from Christ. You say, “How do I know if I’m being tempted by these spiritual forces of evil.” We don’t have to figure that out. We can just assume that wherever and whenever we are tempted to sin, the spiritual forces of evil are involved in some way. In 2Cor.11:15, after saying that Satan masquerades as angel of light Paul adds, “It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. In other words, Satan can use people and governments to move us away from Christ.

Now these spiritual forces of evil are powerful, but they have already been defeated by Christ. They are powerful but their authority has been greatly diminished by Christ. Their end is certain. What is more, we need not live in fear of these spiritual forces of evil. In Christ we are victorious over them. That is not to say that we should take their power lightly. We are in a battle and these forces of evil are more powerful than we are. In and of ourselves we are powerless in their grip. This is why we must focus on Christ. Many Christians, especially in areas where spiritual darkness is strong, have experienced the spiritual power of evil, and it is menacing. But many Christians have cried out to Christ for help and have been delivered. We are not alone in this battle.

 

 

II. THE CHRISTIAN’S ARMOR IS INDESPENSIBLE. Eph.6:13-20

We see right off the bat that the Christian’s disposition in the face of evil is to stand. We are to stand our ground. We don’t want to give any ground to the devil. Paul encourages us in the good fight of faith by describing a roman soldier in full armor. The armor of the soldier enabled him to stand firm. The armor of God will enable us to stand firm.

This is not the only place where we read about armor. In Is.59:17 we read, “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” Here the armor is worn by God himself. In 1Thess.5:8 Paul writes, “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. Interestingly enough, this armor metaphor is found in a letter from the early church father, Ignatius, who was bishop of Antioch, written to Polycarp, another church father who was bishop of Smyrna. Both had heard the Apostle John teach. Ignatius writes, “Please Him under whom you fight, and from whom you shall receive your wages. Let none of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism endure as your arms; your faith as your helmet; your love as your spear; your patience as a complete panoply. Let your works be the charge assigned to you, that you may obtain for them a most worthy recompense.”

What does it mean to put on the armor of God? As I understand this, putting on the armor of God is the same thing as putting on Christ. Colossians 2:6-7 spells it out nicely. Paul writes, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” The pieces of armor that Paul spells out, define or describe our life in Christ. If you are rooted and being built up in Christ, you are clothed in the armor of God. So let’s look at the various pieces of armor.

First is the belt of truth buckled around the waist. This belt would have been part of the undergarment of the armor. The belt held the soldier’s tunic and sword. Belts give support. Some say that the belt of truth refers to the truth of Scripture, doctrine. When Jesus faced temptation, he quoted Scripture. The truth of Scripture helps to clarify our response to situations in life. It behooves us to know the word of God. Others suggest that “truth,” here refers to being truthful; having integrity. Satan deals in deceit. He won’t get very far with the believer who walks in truthfulness and integrity of heart. Both ideas are crucial for spiritual warfare. We stand in and with the truth. The truth of Scripture encourages truthfulness in living.

Next comes the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate covered the vital organs of the soldier in both the front and the back. It was a primary piece of armor. And again there is both an objective and subjective way of looking at righteousness. On the one hand there is the righteousness that is ours by virtue of being justified in Christ. When we embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we are declared righteous in the sight of God. All our sins are forgiven. “When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see Him there, who made an end of all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; For God the Just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me.”

One of Satan’s chief ways getting at believers is to remind them of what sinners they are. But in Christ we are declared righteous in the sight of God. My son recently shared this quote with me. “When the enemy tries to remind us of our past, we must remind him of his future!” We are justified in Christ and we can stand firm knowing all is well with us and God.

But then there is also subjective or moral righteousness. I’m referring to living a righteous life. What better way to resist the evil one than by being proactive in righteousness? If we don’t care about living a righteous life, then we call into question our justification. No believer is sinless. We all struggle with various sins, but if I have no interest in resisting temptation, and if my sin doesn’t bother me, then something’s not quite right. As we walk in righteousness we are fortified in resistance of the devil.

Then we read about the shoes of the gospel. If we are going to stand firm, our shoes are critical. The shoes of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ gives us a non-slip sole in our battle against the evil one. But the idea here seems to be more along the lines of readiness. The shoes of the gospel give our feet a readiness to take the gospel everywhere. It is because of the gospel that we stand firm for Christ in this world. Our whole life is meant to be a gospel witness. It is what Jesus told us to do, to be his witnesses. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church while wearing the shoes of the gospel.

The shield of faith refers to a roman shield that was almost four feet high and about two and a half feet wide. It pretty much covered the body. It was made of wood and covered with leather in order to extinguish burning arrows. What are the burning arrows of the evil one? They are doubt, fear, past guilt, malice, and lust. The evil one sows these seeds in our minds. Be we seek to take every thought captive to Christ by faith. We are trusting in God and his word. We walk by faith and not by sight. Sometimes the fiery darts of satan are so intense that we must cry out in faith until the fire is snuffed out.

It is suggested that the helmet of salvation has to do with the assurance of sins forgiven and eternal life in Christ. We rest in the word that tells that he who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. We rest in the word that tells us that those he justified will be glorified.

And finally we have the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “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.” When we have the word of God in our hearts and minds we are able to be fortified with the truth. We live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The word of God helps us in fighting temptation. The word of God helps us to discern what is right and good. It is a weapon of offense for those who have it in their hearts and minds.

Lastly, Paul points to the importance of prayer. As we are dressed daily in the armor of God, prayer keeps us in direct communication with the captain of our faith. Our battle is spiritual and prayer connects us with the power of God through the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers. Prayer is especially important in our sharing the gospel. Witnessing of Christ is challenging, at least it was for Paul. That’s why he asked the believers to pray for him. We surely ought to pray for one another that we might be fearless in proclaiming Christ.

When I was a boy, I loved to play army. I had an M1 rifle that looked pretty authentic, at least to me. We would try to be like the guys we saw on the T.V. program, “Combat,” starring Vic Morrow and Rick Jason. The show ran only five seasons, but I remember it well. For us it was a game. Getting shot meant very little. As Christians we are in a combat to the death. We are seeking to resist the enemy while we promote the cause of Christ. This past Saturday I was having coffee with a friend who is an unbeliever. I said, “I wish I knew how to make Christ so compelling to you that you would surrender your life to him.” He said, “I don’t think you can.” Men and women, we are not in this world for ourselves. We are in this world for Christ. It is critical that we go deep with Christ so that we can be victorious in living for him. The old hymn says, “Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things. Give heart and mind and soul and strength to serve the King of kings. God has provided all that is needed to win the good fight of faith. Let us stand firm in the cause of Christ. Amen