The Struggle and Challenge of our Lives

Ephesians 6:12

The New International Version (1984) Ephesians 6:12

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.

The Key to our Understanding

The full armor of God is a grand passage that makes it sound so easy to fulfill. In reality it is quite hard, and truthfully impossible as sinful human beings.

That does not mean we should not try. Verse 12 expresses the very reason why. Almost as if he is speaking to us today, Paul identifies who the real enemies are: and they include any rulers or authorities who go against Godly principles, virtues, and laws, and side with the powers of this dark world.

And it is indeed a struggle. In the end it is a struggle for faith and obedience. The two go hand in hand, but it begins elsewhere. Let’s first look at Paul’s struggle in Ephesus, since this passage comes from the letter to the church there.

Acts 19:1-22

There are two encounters in Ephesus recorded in Acts 19. One establishes the church there, and the second shows us the almost immediate backlash from the culture and community against the church.

His letter to the Ephesians was likely written around 60 AD, well after the events recorded in Acts chapter 19. His visit there was eventful, to say the least. Keep in mind that he identifies himself as being in chains, so his letter to the Ephesian church and our lesson is written at the time he is imprisoned in Jerusalem, before he is transferred to Rome.

The Beginning of the Church in Ephesus

The church in Ephesus begins with a mere 12 men, who were baptized at the beginning of Paul’s visit there. All of this takes place during Paul’s third missionary journey. It was one of the first stops and he spent two years there, according to a verse just beyond the one on the screen. This took place between 53-55 AD. He was not received well at the Jewish tabernacle by his own people, and therefore he spent 2 years in the “lecture hall of Tyrannus,” teaching many gentiles who would listen and receive the message.

Take the power of the Devil seriously

The verses on the screen follow this passage from Acts 19:

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

The men took such a beating that the name of Jesus became feared and respected. This likely helped the church in Ephesus grow, though we do not know for certain. It had obviously become an important church 5-6 years later when Paul writes to them. The result? On the screen:

The New International Version (1984) Paul in Ephesus

When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.

You can see how such an event would aid in the growth of the true Christian church (known then as simply “The Way”) despite this encounter’s dark and sinister overtones. This is not the most significant event to occur in Ephesus as a result of Paul’s visit, however. The second half of Acts 19 demonstrates this significant event in the early church there.

The Riot at Ephesus

The New International Version (1984) The Riot in Ephesus

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: “Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

All of this stems simply from a concern over losing money from the making of false gods. This verse is telling because it shows us exactly how most riots and demonstrations go today: “most didn’t even know why they were there.” Or in today’s case - they are paid to be there - so whether they support the cause du jour or not is irrelevant. Let me be clear: this is a historical event well supported by the archeological ruins of Ephesus today!

The Ephesian Theatre

So imagine being there today, and seeing first hand this ampitheatre where the events of Acts 19 took place. As you look and imagine the uproar - the entire city gathered there and the chaos that ensued - seeing it brings the events to life for us.

The city itself was home to around 250,000 people, and was an important port in the Roman Empire. It was a protected port as well, and was known for the massive temple of Artemis which overlooked it. The temple itself also lays in ruins today: a testament to the power or lack thereof of these so-called “gods” of Roman mythology. And yet our God - the triune God - still stands nearly 2000 years later!

This is the church to which Paul writes.

The prevailing worldview is pagan. Ephesus is an important port and Roman city, and therefore has this prevailing view as it’s guiding principle. Ephesus as a Roman city means they are largely polytheistic, meaning they worship multiple gods. Artemis is the goddess of fertility in Roman mythology, and also the twin sister of Apollo. It’s amazing how many riots throughout time were the result of devotion to false and wordly gods and ideals. The ruins of all these things are still visible today, as these slides show. Yet in spite of all this, the 12 original men (and perhaps wives and children - we are not told) begin a church there, despite the uproar and riot, and despite that they are very much rowing against the prevailing worldview there.

So now fast forward to today. We live in a largely pagan society that celebrates sex and fertility as it’s virtues, rather than the godly ones that exist for us as Christians. What then does this mean for us? How should we respond today? Very much as Paul instructs the Ephesian church.

Our struggle

First, we must understand, as the Ephesians did, that Roman mythology, the prevailing government, and the people encapsulated within it, were not the true enemies. Yes, they embodied the real enemy, but the struggle for us is in remembering who the real enemy is, and here we learn it is not the people per se, but the forces of evil behind them. In other words, to use the euphemistic “they” to describe “those people,” “they” are victims of sin and evil, no more and no less than we.

To understand putting on the whole armor of God, we must first understand our struggle. Only then can we rise to the challenge of standing up to “the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Be Strong in the Lord

the challenge is to find the strength to stand up against the devil’s schemes. If we think we can do it ourselves, forget it. It will not happen! It’s the very point of putting on the full armor of God: We are not saved by anything we do, but only by what Jesus has done.

It is easy to get caught up in our accomplishments - but we are saved by grace, and not by obedience. Our obedience will never be good enough. And yet it is the very thing we are called to ultimately do and become: obedient.

Feeling good about yourself...

C.S. Lewis talked at length about what it took to defeat Satan. Pride in our accomplishments or in our own abilities would be the first thing that kills our abilities. That is what we struggle against. In “Mere Christianity,” he said “Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good - above all, that we are better than someone else - I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil.”

you see, putting on the full armor of God is NOT taking pride in one’s own ability, but rather humbly admitting that only with such things can we stand against Satan.

Pride is the chief sin which draws us closer to Satan. Humility is the chief virtue which drives him away, but only when that humility is practiced before the triune God. Only then do these pieces of armor make sense and work.

The Full Armor of God

The New International Version (1984) The Armor of God

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

And here the visual images and word pictures truly define what God expects of us.

Be protected in the only way you can.

Above all of this is prayer. the first step is prayer. Without prayer, the devil has us firmly in his grip. Oh it may seem to not be so, but when we are not in communication with God, that leaves only one thing: the devil. We may not think he’s acting on us because we are not prideful or because we put in our dutiful hours at church, but prayer is the first thing to connect us to God. When we are connected to God, that makes Satan’s job that much harder. Only then do the Gospel, the truth, faith, salvation, God’s Word, and righteousness have any foothold within us. Without prayer, Satan gains easy access to each of us.

The Challenge

All of this needs to happen at the beginning of our life in Christ, not the end. Now not to worry if you’ve gone through life without these things. It is never to late to begin. But it starts with prayer. It continues with the full armor of God. And from that springs greater obedience to the will of God. And therein lies the real challenge.

Yes, it is true we are not saved by works. We are saved by faith. But we are saved FOR works.

We are no different today than we were in the time of Paul. There are many trouble makers who love to no end in creating division and trouble in and out of the church. The world is full of God-haters who want to silence us and force us to bow to the spirits of the age. Without praying, we cannot withstand the devil’s schemes. Only in prayer can we take on the things that will protect us: truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. In those, we can become obedient as our salvation dictates.

It all begins with prayer. Do you pray? if so, good. pray more. if not, there’s no time like the present to start.

The Beginning and The End

Prayer is the beginning, the middle, and the end to our spiritual and earthly battles. The Bible has always been first about faith, and faith through prayer. But it leads to obedience, as we see throughout our lessons today.

Deuteronomy 4:2 NIV84

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

Psalm 119:129 NIV84

Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

and in the end, Jesus as we worked toward last week, identifies our very nature: one of lack of prayer, lack of faith, and lack of ultimately obedience, for each sin of ours comes from within.

Mark 7:20–22 (NIV84)

“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”

All of these stress obedience, and obedience can only come through the putting on of the full armor of God, which can only come through our constant need to be in prayer to Almighty God.

The struggle is to pray. Pray more. Pray often. Pray at least daily. The challenge is to put on the full armor of God, in order that we may obey more fully.