Food
for Thought: Engaged
in a Battle
Therefore
put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil
comes, you may be able to stand your ground...
Dr. Mark Ruppert
September 7, 2003
I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Ephesians 6:10-17
National Geographic once ran an article about the Alaskan Bull
Moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the
fall breeding season. Many times the males literally go head-to-head
with their antlers crunching together as they charge each other
and collide. When a bull's antlers are broken, the animal will,
more times than not, suffer defeat.
The heaviest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers will
most often triumph. As a result, the battle fought in the fall
of the year is really won during the summer months, when the moose
eats continually. The moose that consumes the best diet for growing
antlers and gaining weight will be the favored heavyweight, while
those that eat inadequately grow weaker antlers and have less bulk
for the battle.
There is a lesson that we humans can learn from the Alaskan Bull
Moose. In this earthly life of ours there are many battles we
might face. Relational battles, emotional battles, financial
battles,
a physical battle due to an illness. There might be the emotional
battle over whether or not to place a loved one in a nursing
home or care for them, yourself, at home. There might be the
battle
over an addiction to alcohol or drugs or pornography. There might
be the battle with a parent that is having a hard time letting
go of their child that wants to get married. There might be a
spiritual battle that we become engaged in where there is a
real struggle
between good and evil going on within us. And I am sure there
are a host of other battles that I have not mentioned that
are a reality
of life. And yet, for the believer in Christ, how we prepare
is crucial. How we have prepared, as Paul suggests in our scripture passages
today, for the spiritual battle by putting on, as Paul says in
verse 13 "the whole [or the full] armor of God."
Here in our passage from I Thessalonians 5 and Ephesians 6 we read
about the Christian putting on the armor of God because, well,
to put it plainly, it's an evil, cruel world out there and you
better be spiritually equipped or you could easily fall prey to
evil and later regret it.
Our passage from Ephesians is where we find Paul wrapping
up his remarks to the people. His mind is focused on
the great struggle
that lies before them. Maybe life was more terrifying for the
people Paul was writing to than it is for us today. And
then maybe not.
People back then believed implicitly in evil sprits. They
believed these evil spirits filled the air and were out
to work harm and
destruction in people's lives. Paul uses, in verse 12, words like rulers, authorities, cosmic
powers, which are all names for different classes of evil spirits.
Paul saw the whole world as a battleground. There were the threats
of those who opposed Christianity, and there were the threats
from spiritual forces, which were fighting against God. Maybe
you do
not take Paul's language literally but you cannot debate that
there is the active power of evil in the world today. If Columbine
High
School, 9/11, continued threats of terrorism, the war with Iraq
and Afghanistan, the continued warring between the Israelis and
the Palestinians, the persecution of Christians around the world,
the Enron tragedy and the list can go on and one, if non of these
do not resonate the fact that there is an active power of evil
in the world then I don't know what other evidence a person needs.
If the Holocaust and what is happening in the Republic of the
Congo and the Aids epidemic doesn't preach volumes about evil
then, I
must be missing something. Just pick up the newspaper or watch the news tonight and count
all the situations that we could consider evil and it would be
overwhelming. At times the evening news can bring us to the edge
of a dark abyss where we are perilously balanced that we have
to watch that we don't go over. The famous Robert Lewis Stevenson once said, "you know the
Calcedonian Railway Station in Edinburgh [Scotland]? One cold,
east windy morning, I met Satan there." We are not told exactly
what Stevenson experienced that morning, but maybe, just maybe
we can empathize with him and his experience. Maybe you too have
felt the force of an evil influence, which seductively or blatantly
urged you to sin. Picture this: Paul is in prison as he writes this letter. We read
in Ephesians 3:1 and again in 4:1 he calls himself "a prisoner
for Christ Jesus" or the Lord and in Ephesians 6:20 he refers
to himself as "an ambassador in chains". So here he is
in prison, and near the end of his confinement that he writes this
letter. All the time he is locked up he is chained by the wrist
to a Roman soldier. For 24/7 he has a Roman soldier right beside
him so that he cannot escape. Can you imagine some of the conversations
he had with those guards? So as he is literally attached to a soldier
day and night there is a picture that comes to his mind. He sees
the soldier who is dressed in his armor and he makes a correct
jump to that of the Christian who also needs armor. Only this armor
is spiritual in nature. In the next few weeks we are actually going to begin to dress
our man or woman of God as we look to the pieces of armor that
we need
to make it in this evil world. To set the stage for this series I want to share with you three
things. First, the Need for Armor. What we have here is Paul's building plans for a life in Christ.
It is not enough to just rely passively on God's power. The Christian
must do something. Paul wants us to be strong in the Lord. And
if we are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,
we must put on the whole armor of God. Paul says in verse 11 to
Stand Against or Stand Firm. Another translation put it this way,
Stand your Ground. Isn't it true that many times it is our human
nature to go out and fight, attack the enemy? What Paul is telling
the Christian to do in the face of evil is to take the posture
of resistance. "Standing firm" is a military image and
Paul may well have in mind the fighting position of the Roman legions.
Roman soldiers, fully equipped were virtually impervious to enemy
attack, that is, unless they panicked and broke ranks. Paul says
that our enemies are not human, they are not, as he says in verse
12 "blood and flesh" but against spiritually forces,
against Satan and his evil forces. One preacher suggests that we are not fighting people but angels,
mighty angelic beings who hold authority over this material world
of darkness, exerting a malign influence on human affairs. Our
adversaries are demonic powers and yet at times their vehicle is
people. It all sounds so bleak and hopeless at first glance, doesn't
it? But turn to Colossians 2:13-15 and find out the good news.
We read in Colossians 2:13-15, "And when you were dead in
trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive
together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, easing
the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set
this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and
authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over
them in it." You see, the good news is that Jesus has already
won. All He wants us to do is "Stand firm". It's like
the Cleveland Browns playing the Indianapolis Colts and the score
is Cleveland 72 and Indianapolis 7.
Cleveland doesn't have to score any more points and there is only
1 minute to go. They don't have to score any more points and neither
do we. We have won because of Christ and what we need to do is
hold on to the territory Christ has won for us. When we understand
the victory is Christ's we understand He has won and so have we.
In the Old Testament Job stood firm even when it seemed like all
was lost. You see we have won even when, at times it looks like
we have lost. So "stand firm". Second, The Nature for the Armor. Isn't it most people's desire
to succeed? To succeed with their job, to succeed in life, to "make
it"? When most people go out for a job interview they dress
up, they dress for success. They want to impress the person doing
the interviewing and they want to land the job, they want to succeed.
Well the nature for the armor is to Dress for Success because the
only thing that ever scared the devil is Jesus Christ. And so we need to put on Christ. To get the devil off your back
but on Jesus Christ and be victorious. So put on the whole armor
of God and dress for success.
And finally, The Names for the Armor. There are 6 different pieces
to the armor-there is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness,
the shoes to proclaim the gospel of truth, the shield of faith,
the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Six different
pieces and yet six ways of saying the same thing. Get dressed up
in Jesus. Dress for success not failure, and that is what Paul
desires for the believer. It is interesting to note that all the
pieces of the armor are defensive in nature, rather than aggressive
in intent. All except one. Do you know which one it is? It is the
sword of the Spirit. Look at verse 17. Paul tells us that the last
piece of armor is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God." The main task of the Christian is to withstand the
onslaught of evil powers, not to attack, except in one way. By
telling forth the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. There
are some pieces of the armor that we are to have on all the time:
the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes
to proclaim the gospel of piece. There are some pieces of the armor
that we should take up at a moment's notice: the shield of faith,
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. Yes, my friends, there is a battle going on. Are we "Dressed
for Success"? Paul wants to make sure every believer is equipped
and ready to "stand firm". Join me in the weeks to come
as we put on the armor of God.
Key Points
I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Ephesians 6:10-17
Introduction: National Geographic once ran an article about the
Alaskan Bull Moose
Putting on the armor of God
Back then when Paul wrote Ephesians…
The active power of evil in the world today…
To set the stage for this series-three things
First, The ________ for the Armor
"Stand against" or "stand firm"
Second, The _________ for the Armor
Dress for _________
Third, The _________ for the Armor
Conclusion: There is a battle going on. Are we Dressed for Success?
Paul wants to make sure every believer is equipped and ready to
Stand Firm.
Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
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