The Armour of God - Tewantin

Anglican Church Noosa Ephesians – The Gospel of Grace The Armour of God - Ephesians 6:10-24 Rev’d Chris Johnson Two of the images commonly used for the Christian life are journey and battle. The idea of journey comes from Old Testament images -Like Abraham being called to go on a journey to a new land that God was going to give him. -Like Moses taking God's people on a journey first through the waters of the Red Sea and then the wilderness into the promised land. -Like the journey the exiles in Babylon returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the walls of the city. Faith in God can be seen as a journey. The Christian life can also be defined as a battle. The Old Testament images here are also rich. • There is the story of Moses confronted with the raging waters of the Red Sea on one side, the raging forces of Pharaoh’s army on the other racing towards them; and he tells the Israelites to be still because the Lord will fight for us. • There is the story of Joshua telling God's people it is the Lord who will give them the land. It is God who is a warrior who will fight for them to take possession of the land. • When the young shepherd boy David confronts Goliath he says to the giant Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” And God gives him the victory. Faith in God can be seen as a battle. Which image do you relate to the best? Maybe if you've had a background in the military, or you just like war movies; you connect best with the image of the battle. Maybe you are a more gentle soul and the idea of the journey is the one you find most helpful. After all there's very few people who don't like going on a holiday and exploring new places. The idea of a journey is very appealing. In my experience in the church the image of the journey wins hands down as the prominent image that is used to describe the Christian life. Maybe it is Christ's call to us in the Beatitudes to be peacemakers which makes us a little shy about entering into battle. War is not something anyone should look forward to. It's a long time since I've sung the hymn, ‘Onward Christian soldiers marching as to War’ and to sing that today just somehow seems a little out of place doesn't it! But to enter into battle we must – it’s a spiritual battle. Paul says in Chapter 6, verse 12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. There are horrible things happening in our world, there is a battle going on • the big things like war in the Middle East, 1 • but also the simple things like the nasty comment that slips out of your mouth when someone annoys you. But behind all the wrong that happens in our world, there is an unseen spiritual battle going on. It may be a bit like the water polo in the Olympics. There is a battle going on above the water, trying to get the ball into the goal; but there is also an unseen battle going on below the water. Likewise, there is obvious evil in our world, that everybody sees,but there is a spiritual battle going on beneath the surface. We need to be aware there are spiritual forces or else we have already lost the battle. I think John Stott puts it very well when he says this, “A thorough knowledge of the enemy, and a healthy respect, for his prowess are a necessary preliminary to victory in war. Similarly, if we underestimate our spiritual enemy, we shall see no need for God’s armour, we shall go out to the battle unarmed, with no weapons but our own puny strength, and we shall be quickly and ignominiously defeated.” Paul calls us to recognise there is a battle and to stand firm. Three times he uses this verb ‘to stand’. In v13 he says to, “Put on the full armour of God so that you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand.” So, what is this full armour of God? There are six items. V14. The belt of Truth buckled around our waist. It is Pilate who famously asked the question, “What is truth?” What prompted Pilate’s question was Jesus’ saying that “…the reason I was born, and came into the world, is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth, listens to me.” It is Jesus’ words in scripture, which are the truth. Jesus is the visible face of the invisible God, and if we want to know the truth about God and ourselves, and the way of salvation then we have to listen to Jesus. We live in a world, which has a very subjective view of truth. There is your truth and my truth, and everyone has to live out their own truth. Jesus cuts right through that way of thinking, by simply saying, “Everyone on the side of truth, listens to me.” So to have the belt of truth buckled around our waist we have to be listening to the words of Jesus. The next item of armour is the breastplate of righteousness. There are two ways to interpret this little phrase and both are helpful. 1. Righteousness as justification. This is the righteousness we have as a gift because of the cross. o We are put right with God. o We are justified. o We are counted as righteous. It is not a righteousness of our own. It is the gift we receive in the gospel. 2. Righteousness as a good moral life. This is the righteousness of a holy life. It’s about having Godly character. It’s about a life of good deeds. In the end, we don’t have to choose between one understanding or the other, because the Scriptures teach one leads to the other. The Scriptures teach that it is righteousness as justification which leads to righteousness as a good moral life. 2 “We love because he first loved us” is the way John puts it in his Epistle. The way he first loved us was by dying for us on the cross. That’s the breastplate of righteousness as justification; given as a gift, out of love. Therefore, we love in return. We love God, we love our neighbour -that’s righteousness as a good moral life. It is good to think about the breastplate of righteousness in both ways. Next, we are to have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. V15 I caught a little bit of an SBS chat show this week, with people being interviewed about body image. People shared their experiences of plastic surgery, stomach tightening, the use of botox, taking supplements, using cosmetics, and bodybuilding. There is a lot of pressure on young people today to live up to a certain body image, and if you don’t, • you won’t get the attention you seek on social media, • you won’t be able to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend, • you can’t have a worthwhile life. But there is another route to a worthwhile life. And that is the gospel of peace. Jesus is the great peacemaker. We were enemies of God, opposed to his rule in our lives. But Jesus makes peace through the blood he shed on the cross. If we believe all of this is true, if we believe this gospel, then as v15 says we will have • a readiness to witness, • a readiness to engage in the battle. Make sure your feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Next comes the shield of faith. v16 We take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The word Paul is using here is not a small round shield, but the long oblong one. In the Roman army it measured 1.2 metres by 3/4 metre and covered the whole person. It was especially designed to deflect arrows which would have been dipped in pitch and then lit and fired. The flaming arrows of the evil one maybe temptations to disobedience, lust, resentment, or fear. Faith takes hold of the promises of God in times of temptation and doubt. No matter how you're feeling you choose to believe the promises of God in the scriptures. Paul says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” It is the word about Christ in the scriptures we have to keep coming back to. That is what produces faith. So my friends we have to take up the shield of faith if we are to stand. The next element of armour is the helmet of salvation. v17 For the Roman soldier this was a very heavy item made of bronze or iron that could withstand the most severe blows. Salvation is about the forgiveness of our sins, adoption into the family of God as his sons and daughters and walking with Jesus as our Saviour and Lord through all life’s experiences. 3 Salvation has three aspects, past present and future. In the past Jesus died for our sins on the cross, that is our justification. In the present we are in the process of being saved from sin and growing in holiness. This is our sanctification. In the future we will be saved from the very presence of sin when Jesus returns. And that will be our glorification. Put on this helmet of salvation in all its aspects and make your stand against the principalities and powers. And finally we come to the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is the Word of God. This is the only piece of armour which is specifically designed for ogence not just defence. The word used here is the Roman soldiers’ short sword. The image is of close personal encounter. Egective witness does require close personal encounter with people. It is in the one-on-one conversations that we can apply the word of God very directly to a person’s questions and concerns. I've heard it described using water as a metaphor. A sermon is like using a water pistol, you spray the water across the congregation and with some people it will find its mark and provide refreshment; but for others it will not be relevant and there will be no refreshment. The one-on-one encounter gives us the opportunity to oger a full glass of water to the specific needs and issues the person raises. We get up close and personal. So I encourage you to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God and to be on the ogence. So that is the 6 items of armour. To finish the Epistle Paul talks about prayer and then ogers some final greetings. -The spiritual armour is an expression of our dependence on God. -And prayer is also an expression of dependence on God. Prayer must pervade all of our engagement in the spiritual battle. Ministry with all its struggles and digiculties requires prayer if it is to make spiritual progress. And Paul says to not just pray occasionally, but on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Specifically, the best type of request is to pray for the spread of the gospel. Paul is in chains as he either dictates or writes this letter. Did you notice that he doesn't ask for prayer to be released from his chains. He prays in v19 that, “Whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” This is the spiritual battle and this is the best type of prayer. To conclude let me say this. We should neither underestimate or overestimate the enemy. The principalities and powers are strong and we shouldn't underestimate them. To underestimate 4 them will lead to disregarding the armour of God altogether. Why do you need spiritual armour if you don't think there is a powerful enemy! But neither should we overestimate the power of the enemy. The principalities and powers are strong but • the God who created the whole universe, • the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead is much, much stronger. He is the sovereign Lord. As we have learned from the Book of Ephesians, he is the God who • has saved us by grace through faith, • has reconciled Jew and Gentile and made us one in Christ, and • given us his Spirit that we might walk as children of light in Godly relationships. And in the final paragraph of the Epistle we read, he is also the one who brings us grace and peace. He brings grace and peace, and love with faith. Beautiful qualities. Our God is a mighty God, far above every other power and authority. v13 So, “put on the full armour of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you've done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13 5