Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Ephesians 6:10-18 June 29, 2008

The Whole Armor of God, Part 1

“Why Armor All?”

Rev. Meagan Boozer

Last Fall, I led a Bible study on Tuesday nights based on Ephesians 6:10-18. The study, written by Jamie Buckingham, was entitled, “Armed for Spiritual Warfare.” It was an important time as we studied and shared and prayed for each other. It was an eye-opening time, and certainly a humbling and challenging time – to realize what Christ has done to enable us to walk in faith and victory, and to realize how often we choose instead to walk in fear and defeat. Some of us walk in defeat with our eyes wide open – we know we’re not trusting God’s truth – but for sinful, prideful reasons – we choose to remain in bondage. Some of us walk in defeat with our eyes blinded by he lies of the devil. I want everyone here to be free to live the abundant, glorious life that Jesus died to give us. And so, as the Bible study drew to a close, the group encouraged me to preach a series on this passage. They wanted to hear the teaching again, and they wanted to be sure everyone knows how we can all walk more confidently in faith and victory. And so we begin.

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on spiritual warfare. You can turn on the TV and find some TV evangelist calling people forward to cast out demons pretty much every day of the week. There have been books & articles written, and conferences offered on spiritual warfare at an increasing rate in the last several decades. The focus is good in that it reminds us that we have an enemy around us all the time, and it is good in that it heightens our awareness of the way the devil operates, making us more prepared to win the battle each day. On the other hand, the increased focus can be bad in that if not taught carefully, the teaching on spiritual warfare can cause us to put way too much emphasis on the devil’s power and not nearly enough emphasis on God’s power.

This Ephesians 6 passage we are about to read is a passage that will give us solid footing in the battle, sort of like the concrete poured this past week at our dining room entrance that will give us solid footing into the wide open space for abundant fellowship. This passage is foundational; if applied to our lives, Paul’s teaching here will give us what we need to remain standing when the world seems to be stumbling & swirling around us. And it’s so important that we, as believers in Christ and in his power, remain standing. Listen to this Scripture from 2 Corinthians 2 about who we, as believers in Christ, are supposed to be: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.”

The Apostle Paul has written a letter to the congregation in Ephesus. In approximately 54 to 57 BC, the Christian Church was established in Ephesus - a city halfway between Jerusalem and Rome. The city sat on a harbor, was a very wealthy city, with a population in Paul’s day of about 250,000. The church took hold in Ephesus, growing quickly in numbers and in influence. But there were then, as there are now, temptations wrapped in pretty paper that enticed the early believers to compromise in their relationship with Jesus at home, in the relationship between husband and wife, at work in business dealings, in the marketplace, and in the church. Paul writes to remind them who and whose they are. He is in prison in Rome when he writes this letter to his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. Even in prison, the Apostle Paul is free to minister and be who God called him to be.

It has been written of the book of Ephesians that it is primarily about the mystery of Christ and the church. The grand theme that sweeps through the whole book is on the global role of the Church as the Body of the global Christ. This book is not just about how the congregation in Ephesus, or how you and I walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Paul speaks boldly to us about how God uses us (everywhere we go) to bring forth the beauty of His kingdom on earth.

First, Paul states the doctrine of the Church in chapters 1-3. Then he states the duty of the Church in chapter 4-6. The duty section ends with a description of the spiritual battle, and so some like to divide the duty section in two – making three sections for the whole book: The Wealth (1-3) – the Walk (4-6:9) – the Warfare (6:10f), or Sit – Walk – Stand.

It has been said that the word ‘finally’ is one of the favorite words said in a sanctuary. Worshippers can be dozing, daydreaming, passing notes for 15, maybe 20 minutes – but when the preacher says, “And finally…” everyone sits up a little straighter. Finally, he/she is going to wrap it up.

The Apostle Paul carefully places his ‘finally’ in Chapter 6. If the saints been dozing or daydreaming, he wants them to sit up and listen now. What he has to teach at the end of this book, is what he wants them to remember as they go out to share new life in Christ alone.

Let us pray: Holy God, help us to remain alert to your teaching today. Help us to choose to keep our mind set on these words of truth and life. In Jesus’ name, we shut down any distractions now, and open ourselves in faith, hope, and love – for the sake of Christ and his Kingdom, Amen.

Lets turn together to Ephesians, Chapter 6:10-18: 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.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power! In the previous chapters and verses, Paul has just told the congregation in Ephesus how to fulfill their responsibilities as believers in Christ. He has encouraged them; he has challenged them; he has done a little correcting of behaviors according to the way of love. Finally, he says, you must come to realize that the strength you need to live like Jesus, does not come as a result of your own willpower – it comes from God’s power. Only when you open yourself up to allow God’s power to flow through you, can you live the abundant life God wants for you. On our own,

we cannot forgive,

we cannot respect each other,

we cannot overcome addictions,

we cannot resist peer pressure to abuse our bodies,

we cannot tame our tongues,

we cannot swallow our pride,

we cannot bring another person to faith in Christ,

we cannot pray with conviction or anointing,

we cannot sit quietly and listen to the voice of God,

we cannot walk the Holy Highway,

we cannot stand and remain standing against the schemes of the devil.

On our own, we can try – and we do try, and try, and try – but on our own, we fail over and over again.

Satan (or the devil), is crafty. Remember that verse from Genesis 3 that introduced the serpent to us? He is introduced as one more crafty than the other animals. Crafty – means sneaky, sly, and devious. I know people like this – people who seem to be always looking for a way to cut a corner, to tear down a reputation, to pad their own bank account, to get what they didn’t earn on an honest day’s work.

The devil is crafty – more crafty than any of us put together and multiplied thousands of times over. The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). There is no truth in him – but he knows the truth (James 2:19, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.”) . The devil and his demons know the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of souls. The devil knows this, and he hates this truth, and he hates Jesus, and he hates those in whom Christ lives, and he knows his time is limited – and so in any sneaky, deceitful way he can, he will try to convince us that Jesus is the liar – that Jesus is the sneaky one – that Jesus is nothing but a crutch for the weak minded.

The devil comes to us in ways that are wrapped in goodness. He rarely just comes right at us cloaked in his evil garb. He comes, Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 11, “disguised as an angel of light,” and his servants (the demons), are “disguised as servants of righteousness.” Martin Luther said, “When you look for the devil, don’t forget to look in the pulpit.”

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.

The devil rarely comes whispering, “Let’s do something really evil today…” Rather, he comes in the attraction to seemingly good things: in the money we want, the family we want, the career we want, the house, the girlfriend, the boyfriend, the entrance to a particular school, the title, the retirement nest.

The devil comes in the form of a child’s disobedience – how will you respond? He will come with a complaining or an apathetic spouse, an overbearing employer, a diagnosis. He will come in with a learning disability and tell you things about yourself that tear you down instead of encourage you to press on. He will come in grief, and tell you things that close out the light. He will come in the backseat of a car and convince you that giving your virginity away is no big deal. He will come in a pack of razar blades and tell you that cutting yourself will make you feel better and help you fit in. The devil comes with circumstances that will test you to see if you will believe his lies over and above God’s truth for his people, and then begin to live your life based upon what he has planted in your mind.

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His power, Paul says. How do we tap into this strength? As followers of Jesus, we must admit we cannot make it through this earthly life with any joy, or hope, or peace, or real love without him. We must admit that his wisdom and his ways are all that matter. We must get to the place where we fall before him, and say to him that we are weak and helpless apart from him. And do you know what? It is in this place of admitting our need for Christ alone, that the resurrection power of Christ begins to pulsate in our lives in such a way that the devil cannot find a way in. You know how those bug lamps zap bugs that come near them? That’s what happens in our lives when we are living in the strength of GOD’s power – there begins to be an ever-widening circle of protection around us that helps us live in peace.

Let’s remember - the victory of Christ and the defeat of Satan, came not in a battle as we would expect like Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker’s combat, but let’s remember Satan’s defeat is through the whip, the crown of thorns, the nails, and the rough wood of the cross. In what looked like weakness to the world, when Christ said, “It is finished,” and submitted to the cosmic plan of God, Satan was crushed. He was not destroyed that day, but he was defeated. He is defeated. “He [still] prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He still has only 3 goals: (John 10:10) “to steal, kill, and destroy.” But let’s remember, he’s already defeated.

Jesus came to not to steal anything from us – but to return peace to our souls.

Jesus came not to kill – but to give life in every way.

Jesus came not to destroy – but to build up for the glory of God.

All we have to do is take our stand against the schemes of the devil – being alert to his pathetic ways, and making sure we have our battle strategy and our battle armor in place. That’s why we’re studying this passage.

Let me say as we begin this series of teachings, that the mind is the primary area the devil seeks to attack. Rick Renner in his book, “Dressed to Kill” writes, “He (the devil) knows that if he can plant a stronghold of deception in some area of an individual’s mind, then from that lofty position, he can begin to control and manipulate them.” Renner continues, “we can scream at the devil all day long, but if we have willfully permitted some area of our mind to go unchecked and unguarded – if he or she has an area of sin they are aware of, but have not been willing to deal with – then they have opened the door for an attack on themselves. In such cases, the devil is not their real enemy; their enemy is their own mind and flesh which must be submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit in order to eradicate these attacks.”[1] And so, I repeat, we must be willing to admit that we are weak and helpless apart from the Lord. I saw a young girl at Creation with this tattoo on her arm: Kill the flesh. Now, you might think, that’s a bit radical to tattoo on your arm. But, let me challenge you right now to read Romans 8, and then consider whether the message Kill the Flesh is radical. “To set the mind on the things of the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

I had an amazing experience at the Credo conference recently in Indiana – an experience that included The Rev. Linda Harter, who was a dear friend to me, and who died suddenly on January 20, 2006. I’m going to try to explain the experience I had in measly words.

As we started this conference for pastors, the leader led us in a meditative prayer session. She asked us to close our eyes and take some good deep breaths. Then she said to visualize a pathway. I usually don't do well at these sort of things (A.D.D.). But when she said pathway, immediately I had a pathway in my mind. My pathway was shady, with rays of sunlight coming through, and bordered by a variety of flowers. She told us to walk down the pathway. Then she said that at the end of the pathway we would see a cottage. In the cottage, we would find a mentor waiting for us. I immediately started to feel tears rolling down my face. I knew somehow I was going to be with Linda. When I opened the door, I knew I was with her. The leader said that the mentor had a gift for us, and that we should wait for the person to give us our gift. I couldn't quite get what Linda was giving me, except I knew that it had to do with prayer. She was giving me something about prayer. I was really crying (in the midst of all these strangers around me, some of whom were also crying). Then we had to say goodbye (which was very difficult) and walk back down the pathway. Then, the leader had a basket full of ancient sayings from the desert fathers and mothers of old. There were hundreds of slips of paper in the basket with quotes on them. She said to trust that God's sovereignty would enable us to choose the paper that would mean something important to us then and in the future. Here's what I picked out of the basket:

"The brethren asked Abba Agathon, "Among all good works, which is the virtue which requires the most effort?" He answered, "Forgive me, but I think there is no labor greater than that of prayer to God. For every time a person wants to pray, his or her enemies, the demons, want to prevent him or her, for they know that it is only by turning that person from prayer that they can hinder his or her journey. Whatever good work a person undertakes, if that person perseveres in it, that person will attain rest. But prayer is warfare to the last breath."

It was in that moment, that I knew what Linda (the Holy Spirit through her memory) gave me. She reminded me of the importance of the Warfare Prayer that was written by her mother. Many years ago, Linda gave me a copy of it - and just several weeks before going to this conference, I pulled it out to look at it to see if it could be of help for this sermon series, but though I glanced at it, I never really read the whole thing.

As we begin this series, I want to offer the Warfare Prayer to you. It takes about 30 minutes to read it from beginning to end, but it is so filled with Scripture, it is so filled with the promises of God, it is so filled with truth, that I pray all of us would choose to pray it regularly to remind us who and whose we are!

I saw a guy at Creation with a T-shirt that said, “The devil is Bad. Really Bad.” I loved it. What a simple message: The devil is bad. Really bad. I’d like a T-shirt like that, but with a few lines added: “The devil is bad. Really bad. But God is good. Really good.”

God has given us everything we need to walk in faith and victory in this life and become that sweet aroma for those around us who are being saved. One way to do this, is to go on a mission trip and serve. One way to do this, is to go to Creation, and raise your hands and your voice in worship with 70,000 other believers – many of whom are under the age of 18 years old. It’s so great to see, because these teens come with adults who love them, and who want them to know how good God is, and how the chains that the devil put on us can be broken in the name and with the power of Jesus. And if they can get that truth at their age, just think of all the bad decisions and painful baggage they can avoid in their lives.

As we take up our offering, we’re going to sing Hymn #511, “The Battle Belongs to the Lord.” We’re going to sing this every week during this series to remind us that “not by [our] might, not by [our] power, but by His Spirit” will we stand firm in the name of the Lord. Amen.

Words and music by Jamie Owens-Collins

In heavenly armour we'll enter the land