Full Sermon God Gives Us Special Armor to Stand Against Evil based on Ephesians 6:10-20

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Paul Harvey in 1965. The late Paul Harvey used to have as part of his radio program something he called “The Rest of the Story”. But Paul Harvey also offered critical commentary about the state of American culture. In one such commentary in 1965, he wrote an essay titled “If I Were the Devil,” intended to be a warning to America against the moral decay and societal collapse so apparent to him. His approach in the essay was to describe how the devil would attack our nation. One version of the essay states, “With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography. Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress. Then in his own churches I’d substitute psychology for religion and deify science. If I were Satan I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were Satan, I’d just keep doing what I’m doing.”

II. Attacks of Satan continuing. Sadly, the attacks of Satan seem to be continuing along the same lines as in 1965. Maybe, those attacks are even worse now with families broken apart and men and women wanting to be the opposite of the way they were born. The devil seems to be having the upper hand in our nation and in our world today.

III. Bad news and good news about attacks. The bad news is we are regularly under attack from the temptations of the evil one. The good news is we have the promises of God to help us as we withstand and resist those attacks.

IV. Read Exodus 14:13-14 and comment. When the people of Israel came out of Egypt and seemed to be trapped with the Egyptians on one side and the Red Sea on the other side, God told Moses to give the people this message in Exodus 14:13–14, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Moses lifted up his staff and the Red Sea opened and the people of Israel went through on dry ground. The Egyptians tried to go through the Red Sea, but before they reached the other side Moses again lifted up his staff and the waters came down on the Egyptians and they drowned.

V. Read Joshua 1:9 and comment. Later, after the death of Moses, Joshua was the one to lead the people of Israel into conquer the Promised Land. Joshua was given the following encouragement in Joshua 1:9 by the Lord, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord was with Joshua and the people of Israel. They were able to defeat the people of Canaan. They took over the land God promised to give them. The Lord was with them the entire lifetime of Joshua.

VI. Read Ephesians 6:10-12 and comment. Ephesians 6:10-12 tells Christians: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Our battle today is against the devil and his tricks. We struggle against the spiritual forces of evil in this present darkness. Thanks to our Baptism we have the whole armor of God to help us in our battle.

VII. Belt of truth. Most of this armor of God helps us to defend against the devil’s attacks. We are able to stand firm with the belt of truth fastened around us. The truth is the devil is the father of lies. The truth is Jesus is the One who suffered, died, and arose for us to have our sins and wrongs forgiven. The truth is the devil is like a roaring lion with no power to hurt us. The truth is Jesus is our Savior and the only Redeemer of the people of the world.

VIII. Breastplate of righteousness. We also have the breastplate of righteousness to protect us. The devil tries to tear things down. We are declared righteous through the gift of faith in Jesus. The devil tries to get us to love what is wrong and evil in our world. Jesus wants us to think about what is true and right and good in our world. The devil encourages people to love unrighteous things. Jesus encourages us to love righteous things.

IX. Footwear of the gospel of peace. We have special footwear to help us. That special footwear is the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace. The devil loves to see fighting and the opposite of peace in our world. Jesus moves people to trust in the gospel message that brings peace. The gospel of peace is not about what we think we can do to make the world a better place. The gospel of peace is the good news about Jesus who is the prince of peace. The gospel of peace is sinners and wrongdoers being forgiven through the saving work of Jesus on the cross to bring about forgiveness for sinners and wrongdoers.

X. Shield of faith. We have the shield of faith to defend us. The attacks of the devil are like fiery darts thrown at us. The shield of faith helps us to extinguish those fiery darts. The shield of faith is a gift that keeps on giving and giving. Faith in Jesus helps us resist every temptation the devil throws our way. Faith in Jesus helps us to know that whatever troubles or problems come our way we can stand firm in the midst of those troubles or problems trusting Jesus is with us. Faith in Jesus gives us hope even when everything else seems hopeless.

XI. Helmet of salvation. We have the helmet of salvation. The devil wants us to try to save ourselves from everything. We cannot save ourselves from our many sins and wrongs though. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Salvation is something only Jesus can give us. There is salvation in no one else than in the saving name and saving mission of Jesus that caused Him to suffer and die on the cross and then rise from the tomb on the third day.

XII. Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word. We also have the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God to help us in our battles against the forces of evil. The devil wants us to think the Word of God is untrue and unreliable. The Holy Spirit shows us that the Word of God is absolutely true and reliable. The Bible, the Word of God, challenges us and comforts us. The Bible, the Word of God, lets us know what God’s will is. The Bible, the Word of God, gives us strength and encouragement in life. The Bible, the Word of God, gives us the Law that shows us our sins and wrongs. The Bible, the Word of God, gives us the Gospel that shows us our Savior in Jesus.

XIII. Conclusion. Whenever we are confused in life, we can remember the full armor of God is with us. We are baptized into the family of God and we have the full armor of God with us each day. We can withstand every temptation that comes our way. We have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footwear of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God. The full armor of God protects us against all the forces of evil. The full armor of God defends us daily against the devil. The full armor of God gives us hope and stability and confidence that God is with us no matter what comes our way. We are given the strength to stand firm now and forever. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.