Ephesians 6:10-20 God’s warriors

Ephesians 6:10-20

Did you know that you are in a battle? Did you know that your home, your workplace, even church – is a warzone?

Some of you have experienced that – you’ve lived through the terror of your home being bombed and war coming to your village. Some of you have been soldiers in battle. You know what it is like.

Today’s passage tells us that we are in a spiritual war – and that we need to be ready. No soldier goes out to battle in his underwear with no weapon in his hand! But many of us do exactly that. Any Christians are wondering around in their spiritual underwear, facing a fearsome enemy armed with… nothing. Dear friends, don’t do that. Be ready. Stand firm. Put on the armour of God. Pick up the sword of the Spirit. Pray.

Now many people go off on all sorts of tangents with today’s passage, all sorts of weird theories and ideas, detailed explanation of the spirit world and different demons and casting out this and casting out that – but that’s got nothing to do with today’s passage. You see, Ephesians 6 is EPHESIANS CHAPTER 6. This is not a little article about spiritual warfare that Paul thought would be pretty cool to include at the end. No. This is why context is so important. Reading what comes before the text we are reading. This is a final reminder, a final summary of all that we have learned.

This is how we “imitate God” that is, obey Christ in everything. This is how we love our wives like Christ, and obey our parents and treat our employees like people instead of “resources” and keep going to church and keep loving the people there even though sometimes you really don’t feel like it. Put on the armour of God. Stand firm in his strength. Fight the fight of faith wherever you are.

The battle is not visible, but invisible, the enemy is not physical, but spiritual, our weapons are not swords and armour but the Bible, prayer, and obedience to God – and our battleground is not “out there” but right here, first in our minds, how we think, what we determine to do: and then how those thoughts become actions in our homes, in the workplace, in the church. Those are our spiritual battlegrounds.

This is how we can live like a Christian: 10 Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

1. Be strong in the Lord

2. Put on Christ

3. Pray

1. Be strong in the Lord

How do we live an impossible life? 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Remember as we read “imitate God” in chapter 5 and saw all the list of requirements in chapters 4 and 5 – remember what we saw sprinkled about in all these verses? The gospel. The reminder to 4:23 Let the Spirit renew you, put on your new nature. 4:30 The Holy Spirit guarantees you will be saved. 4:32 Christ forgave you 5:2 He love[s] us. 5:8 You were full of darkness, but now light – and that light produces what is good and right and true.

We can live as Christian people, not just good people, Christian people, only in the strength of the Risen Lord. Oh, we can imitate the good life. Some people are very good at that. Some people couldn’t care less about God yet live wonderful lives, are generous and kind and work hard and have, at least on the surface, good family relations. It’s just like when Moses threw his staff down and it became a snake by the power of God – and then the Egyptian magicians did the same thing. Oh, yes, they could imitate the real thing.

But we know that things soon escalated beyond their power to imitate. God slowly revealed his mighty power through Moses, and they could not match him. And that was just a small, tiny little show of power by the God who spoke all of creation into being with a word. And at a word from him, it will all crumble to nothing. He is mighty.

We are not called to live just good lives – we are called to live Christian lives. We are not called to be just good husbands. We are called to lay down our lives for our wives. Even if she sucks. She can be a nagging, moaning, manipulative shrew – love her like Christ loved the church. Give all of yourself to her. Listen to her. Love her. Make love to her. (Infrequent sex in marriage is a big warning sign that things aren’t how they should be. 1 Corinthians tells us the only excuse for not having sex is because you’re spending the time in prayer instead!) Know your relationship. Know your wife. Teach her the Bible. Pray for her. And don’t aim for her happiness, but her godliness. This is not Bible-bashing, but a consistent, loving guidance towards Christ. A reminder that we are both sinners, under grace. Being quick to forgive, patient, ready to share even your emotions with her. It’s knowing what she needs and giving that, especially when it costs. Be like Christ in your marriage.

We are called not to be just good fathers, but Christian fathers. To raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. That means spending time with them, knowing them, knowing their deep struggles and shining the light of God’s grace on their struggles. I shared last week how Kristin, like me, like you, struggles with anger when she can’t get her own way. The root cause of that anger is that we want to be like God, doing whatever we want, whenever we want. And when someone tells us “no” – we’re reminded we’re not God, and so we get angry. There the gospel comes in – dear daughter, you are not angry because of <the thing that happened> but because of what’s in your heart. Sin. And the only solution is the gospel of grace. Dear daughter, have no fear to confess your sin. Don’t hide it, but confess it to the Lord for he loves you. Your sin is paid for. I, your father, love you. And her face lights up like the morning sun, joy fills her face, and we hug and hug, so happy to be forgiven sinners. (And Kristin has a real grasp of the gospel – really understands the reality of sin, and the great joy of being forgiven in Christ. (I love her so much – she’s a great delight to me. J ) )

Or in business where we are called to be not just good businessmen, but Christian businessmen, where we may turn down a good deal, even go bankrupt, rather than lie, or exploit someone else.

Or perhaps even to give up our life rather than deny Christ. Or give up our business, or be thrown out of our homes, or be social outcasts. The times are changing in the West. Are we ready to give up everything for Christ? To stand united to Christ, united to our borthers and sisters, united to the gospel message – no matter the cost?

The standard is impossibly high.

Only by his mighty power. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Because it is first a spiritual battle that we fight. 11 Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. The devil wants us just to be “good” – not push through to be Christian. The devil wants us to take this easy path, the path of least resistance. To give in to sin. Oh, pornography is not too dangerous, just a bit of fun. Oh, it’s just a little lie. Oh my kids will be fine, the school is doing a good job bringing them up. Oh, I don’t really need to tell my wife I love her, she knows. Fill in your own excuse that you find yourself saying.

No, brothers and sisters, don’t sit there in your spiritual underwear, put on the armour of God, because we are in a battle, not against Muslims, or political parties, or corporations, or even individual people who we know are opposed to the gospel. They are not the enemy.

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

It is a spiritual battle which we fight. A spiritual battle which we cannot win, cannot even fight, unless we put on the armour of God, which is Christ. To live your life with Jesus – that is to put on the armour of God. Every moment, in Him, united to Him, speaking for his glory, acting to please him, serving, serving, serving, because he is our master our Lord, our Saviour, and we love him.

2. Put on Christ

Now why have I said “put on Christ” when the passage says put on the armour of God? Ah, if you knew your Old Testament, it would be very clear! Like if I said “use the Force Luke” – most of you would know I was quoting from Star Wars. Likewise, when Paul says put on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness we should say “Oh, he’s quoting from Isaiah”.
But lest you think I boast, let me confess that this was new to me, despite the fact that I had just read Isaiah! Memory like a sieve. My Mom had a teacher once who used to read the Bible. Not that amazing – until she tells that he was blind, and had memorised the entire Bible. That’s how well we should know the Bible!

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The belt of truth and body armour of God’s righteousness: that’s a quote from Isaiah 11 – you know the chapter which begins “out of the stump of Jesse will grow a shoot” – the first massive promise in Isaiah of the coming King. And this King who will rescue his people, shake the earth in his judgement, and make a new heavens and new earth where the lion will lay down with the lamb – he wears righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.
In Isaiah 59:17, a chapter talking about the sinful evil of mankind – says that God will come to judge and to save. 18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds – but 20 The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins. And this Redeemer 17 put on righteousness as his body armour and placed the helmet of salvation on his head.

The armour Paul describes is the armour of Christ. It is what He wears. So take off your dirty rags of sin and rebellion against God, and put on the shining clothes of the Son.

Like those stories where the beggar turns out to be the prince or princess. Like “Reisen til Julestjerne” where Sonja the poor forest girl turns out to be the long-lost Princess, and suddenly we see her dressed as the princess, in all her glory, the crown upon her head, beautiful. That’s us! Take off the old, put on the beauty of Christ.

But it is not just fine clothes, shining clothes: it is armour. For we are in a battle. It is practical. We are to stand firm. Put on your belt, your helmet, your breastplate (body armour), your shoes. Pick up your shield and sword. And do not be moved from the gospel.

Note that we are not called to “storm the gates of Hell” or any such thing – Christ has already done that, already won the war. We are called simply to stand firm. Don’t be moved away from Christ. Trust him in every situation, in every circumstance. At work, tell the truth. At home, be righteous. At school, be at peace, knowing the Gospel truth that God has made you alive in Christ, and nothing can change that – you belong to him. On the internet, have faith. With your children, trust your salvation. Put on Christ in everything you do. You are God’s warrior. And you fight with truth, righteousness, faith, salvation – and the word of God.

One last point – the only offensive (attacking) weapon we have is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Most of us don’t know the Bible well enough, so our weapons are short and blunt – like going into battle with a butter knife. Know the Word! Read your Bible every day, come to church, come to the Bible study, memorise verses, read the Bible at lunch, on the loo, listen to the Bible, listen to sermons in the car on the way to work – use every opportunity to fill your mind with the Spirit’s words that you may be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Our minds must be filled with God’s thoughts so we see life through his eyes, see people through his eyes – otherwise our own sinful nature will ruin things.

Put on Christ, in everything you do.

3. Pray

The final piece of our armour is arguably the most important: prayer.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

It’s like the soldier on the battlefield calling for reinforcements, calling for provisions, weapons, air support – calling back to HQ (headquarters) “we need help”.

Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life. It is a constant attitude of dependence on God. Note how often we are commanded to pray “at all times and on every occasion”. In fact, it’s even stronger in the Greek “praying at all times in the Spirit” – and the word “pray” or “plead” is mentioned 4 times in this one verse! Bible writers didn’t have bold or underline in the way they wrote – so they would repeat things that were important. Paul says “PRAY!”

But how do we pray all the time? Do we go around muttering under our breath, like absent-minded professors. Is it some kind of mindless continuous chatter – a stream of consciousness going up to heaven?

Firstly, what is prayer? Prayer is talking to God. But why do we pray? We pray not to give God information – he knows everything! We pray to remind ourselves that we are not God, that he is God, and that we are dependent on him. Prayer is a declaration of dependence on God. That is why we find it hard. Our sinful hearts are always trying to convince us we’re God. Hard to pretend you’re God, the boss of your life, when you’re talking to your real boss. That’s why we find prayer hard – it’s a spiritual problem, a spiritual battle.

So praying in the Spirit at all times is living with an attitude of dependence on God. No matter the situation, your first instinct is to pray, to give the situation over to God. Pray in the Spirit.

Secondly, we will fail to do this! There is only one person who perfectly lived this verse out in practice, who prayed perfectly in every situation, in all times and on every occasion – and who still does plead before the throne of God for all believers everywhere: Jesus Christ our Lord. God the Son pleads on our behalf to God the Father. God the Son prays perfectly every time – so put on Christ, the armour of God, also in your prayer life. You are covered by his grace.

Thirdly, we pray in the Spirit. It is not long prayers, or powerful prayers, or complicated prayers, or even loud prayers that count. It is Spiritual prayers. Pray your stumbling, badly-worded, confused, messy prayers – knowing that the Spirit hears our prayers, and takes them before the throne of God as sanctified (that means “made holy”) prayers, and that he hears our prayers because they are prayed in Christ. So pray with confidence, weak and feeble Christian, for the Holy Spirit of God is in you!

And what is the overriding theme of our prayers for ourselves and for our fellow believers? 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Let us pray that we would declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in everything we do, speaking boldly for him as we should: in every action, every word, every thought, declaring the glory and beauty and grace and power of our God. Amen!

Our fight is not against flesh and blood. Our fight, our battleground is in the home, in the workplace, in the church. So dear friends, let us throw off our sinful way of living, and put on the shining armour of Christ, being like him wherever we are, and pray to him at all times, in every situation: I am yours, I live for you.