Life is a Battfield

EXCITE

Have you ever had one of those days where it felt like everything was working against you? Temptation seemed stronger than usual. Discouragement settled in. Fear crept in. You found yourself wondering, 'Why does following Jesus sometimes feel like such a fight?' Paul would answer, 'Because it is.' As Ephesians draws to a close, Paul reminds us that the Christian life isn't a playground—it's a battlefield.

Listen to what Paul says in chapter 6:10-20.

EXPLORE

As Ephesians is nearing it’s end, we get this encouragement to be strong in the Lord and in His strength. How do we do this? By putting on the whole armor of God. Why do we need to do this? For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Rather, our struggle is against the rulers and cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil. There’s a lot about the spiritual world and about spiritual warfare that I’m still learning. Paul gives us two things we can’t forget:

We aren’t strong enough to fight this battle alone.

Our greatest enemies are not flesh and blood.

Seems like a huge task, but when you remember the fact that Christ has already secured the victory, we have grounds to make our stand!

So, let’s get in to this passage. There is a mix of commands like be strong and put on the…armor of God, stand and take the helmet…and…sword of the Spirit. There are also “-ing” verbs that tell us how to accomplish this. It’s a mixed bag of what to do and how to do it. As we tackle the passage, we’re going to focus on just a couple of main points of emphasis that cover the section of Scripture as a whole.

Be Strong in the Lord

Head:

The goal is actually found at the end of verse 13: having done all…stand firm. The picture that’s being painted for us would be soldiers on a battle field holding the line against the advance of the enemy. What’s the enemy’s goal? To kill, steal, and destroy. Paul has already told us that the time we live in is an evil time, and around the world believers continue to suffer for Christ. False teaching spreads. Sin is celebrated. Evil is real. Yet God's command has not changed: Stand firm.

In the face of all of this hostility, believers are called to stand firm. Satan’s goal is not merely to inconvenience you. He wants to destroy your faith, ruin your witness, and discourage your heart. Be unwavering, then, in your commitment to Christ. Even though the enemy may advance on our lines, dig in your heels and do not relent, for the battle belongs to our Lord and the victory is His!

With that in mind, however, we must be honest about our enemy. He is real. He is active. Peter reminds us that he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for whom he can devour. He does not simply go quietly into the night. And, he’s stronger than we realize. Martin Luther’s battle cry reminds us:

“For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not His equal.”

This is why we need a strength greater than our own. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Again, Luther reminds us:

“Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.”

What wonderful poetic commentary that hits at the heart of this passage. If we’re going to stand, then we need what God provides. Striving against this enemy in our own strength is perilous, dangerous, and even deadly. However, the right Man is on our side—the Lord of Armies, King Jesus Himself—and He will strengthen us by His Spirit so long as we depend on Him.

Heart:

I wonder how many of us wake up every morning assuming we can handle the day on our own. We know we're Christians. We know Satan is real. But if we're honest, we often step onto the battlefield armed with nothing more than yesterday's devotional, last Sunday's sermon, and our own determination. Then temptation comes. Discouragement comes. Conflict comes. Anxiety comes. And we wonder why we're struggling.

Hand:

The problem isn't that the enemy is stronger than Christ. The problem is that too often we're trying to fight Christ's battle without depending on Christ's strength.

That's exactly why Paul begins here: "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." As long as we depend on Christ and His presence, He will constantly nourish and strengthen us by His Spirit. This life is not lived by trying harder; this life is lived through deeper dependence.

Take up the Whole Armor of God

Head:

Often you’ll hear Bible studies and pastors work their way through each piece of the armor, talking about how it would have related to a Roman soldiers armor of Paul’s day. I’m not saying that’s a bad idea, but I feel more led to focus on what each piece of the armor is and how we use it to defend ourselves rather than comparing it to actual pieces of a soldier’s battle gear. And, I want us to remember that armor is meant to protect. These are defensive pieces. So, I want us to ask and try to answer the question, “How does this protect me or how do I defend with this particular thing?”

First, truth. What is truth? At the end of the day, there’s no need to complicate this: God’s word is truth. Jesus says this plainly (John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”) Satan, as the father of lies, wields deception as a weapon of oppression. Truth anchors us, exposes the enemy’s lies, and steadily makes us more like Jesus.

Second, righteousness. There must abide in us a genuine desire for what is right and good and true. Now, righteousness exists in two ways for us, and both are necessary. The righteousness we receive from Jesus through faith—imputed righteousness—guards us from condemnation. The pursuit of righteousness—practical righteousness—guards us from compromise. This second one, pursuing righteousness, basically boils down to two things: love God with all that we have and love others the same way we love ourselves.

Third, the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Because we have peace with God through the gospel, we can focus on simple daily dedication to the Lord as we wait for His return. Peace guards us from fearful legalism while we simply serve others, longing for the Master to return so we can hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:14-30).

Fourth, faith. Faith trusts God’s promises and rests in them, finding comfort and protection in the truth of God’s Word. I can think of two promises that are absolutely necessary for us to stand against the advance of the enemy:

God loves us deeply, sending His Son to ransom us and bring us back into relationship with Him. And, we will not be restored to God in any other way—it is Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone.

God is absolutely in control. He works all things according to the counsel of His will, His zeal will accomplish His will, and part of His will is to work all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes.

Those are foundational, bedrock, necessary promises if we are to make a stand against the enemy. Faith takes these promises and holds them as precious treasures. But, faith doesn’t lock them away in a vault, it continually, day-by-day, takes the treasures out and marvels constantly at their beauty.

Fifth, salvation. Salvation is security and eternal life, but that eternal life isn’t just a far-off distant promise. It’s meant to start right here, right now. How do we defend against the enemy’s attacks through the gift of salvation?

Live the abundant life now. One of the best ways to stand against the enemy is to rejoice in the life God has given you…right here, right now. Find even the simplest of pleasures and let them cheer your heart each and every day.

Remember that salvation brings hope. Even if our lives are filled with dread and difficulty, we have hope beyond this life. That hope, the eager expectation that something better is coming, should carry us along in this life. Where the hope of salvation is lacking, faith erodes, peace gives way to bitter unhappiness, and the lies of the enemy become the pretend truths we listen to. Our salvation defends us.

Sixth, the sword of the Spirit. This is the only offensive weapon in our armor. When we deploy this weapon, remember who the true enemy is: rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness. We do not wield the sword to destroy others, only the enemy. We build up the body, but we tear down the enemy. What does this look like? Think about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Jesus defeated temptation by quoting Scripture, not through clever sayings.

Heart:

Consider your immune system. Most days you don't even think about it. You don't wake up wondering if your white blood cells are doing their job. But every single day they're quietly protecting you from threats you never even realize are there.

Hands:

The armor of God works much the same way. Paul isn't giving us six lucky charms to pull out only when life falls apart. He's describing the ordinary habits of a healthy Christian. Living in God's truth. Pursuing righteousness. Resting in His peace. Trusting His promises. Rejoicing in His salvation. Filling our minds with His Word. Those are the things God uses to keep us standing, not if, but when the battle comes.

Prayerfully make a Stand

Head:

Our foundation in all of this is prayer. Prayer removes self-reliance and returns to divine dependence. We are to pray at all times in the Spirit. A couple of weeks back we paused in our Ephesians series and remembered our need for dependence on the presence of God in our lives. That reminder comes back in to focus now. After giving the instruction, Paul gives practical guidance as to how we should pray.

We should pray with all prayer and supplication. Prayer is an act of trust and dependence. We’re admitting, “God, I can’t, but You can.” And, we should go to God for any and everything in life. God, there is not a thing that I can do, but You are capable of all things, and I’m trusting this to You.

We should also keep alert. To use the battlefield metaphor, we’ve got to constantly be on the watchtower. We need to always be watching. To borrow from the tactical world, we can go through life with our faces buried in our phones, or we can have our head up, scanning and regularly looking for threats.

We need to pray for one another. We make supplication for all the saints. If you’re a believer, you’re counted in that number—that’s your new name: saint. But, this prayer is deeper than just praying for healing. We should pray for protection for one another…for wisdom and guidance, for strength and faith, that we would be alert and sensitive to the Spirit and filled with the Spirit so that we can live before our Lord.

And, we pray for those who labor in the gospel ministry. A few weeks back, we’d asked for the prayers of the deacons and congregation over the ministry staff. This is a very biblical request. Every single gospel endeavor, from cooking a fellowship meal to sending and sharing the gospel on the mission field should be carried on the currents of prayer.

Prayer removes self-reliance and returns to divine dependence. How often do we allow the enemy a foothold because we trust in our own logic and strength rather than His?

How often are our prayers more centered on asking God to simply bless our plans?

How often do we get frustrated in the waiting?

Backing up from prayer—do we know the needs of others? This requires a level of fellowship where we trust one another with deep and abiding concerns.

If we are to stand strong, prayer is the actual putting on of the armor along the way.

Heart:

Most of us haven't thought about breathing once during this sermon. Why? Because healthy people breathe constantly without thinking about it. You don't inhale once every morning and hope it lasts all day.

Hands:

Prayer is meant to be like breathing. Paul doesn't picture prayer as something we do at breakfast, before meals, and before bed. He pictures a continual dependence upon God. Every temptation. Every decision. Every conversation. Every burden. Every joy. Every fear. We keep breathing spiritually because we know we cannot live apart from Him.

EXPERIENCE

I think our temptation is to treat the armor of God like a check-list, waking up each day and somehow mentally running through them. Helmet? Check. Breastplate? Check. Shield? There it is.

The Armor isn’t really a checklist, though. Notice where Paul ends: prayer.

It's almost as though Paul is saying, "This is how the armor is worn." Truth isn't effective apart from dependence. Faith isn't exercised apart from dependence. The Word isn't wielded apart from dependence. Prayer isn't another piece of armor sitting on the table. It is the continual posture of dependence that enables us to wear every other piece. If we are to stand strong, prayer is the actual putting on of the armor along the way.

Christian, your calling is not to conquer the kingdom of darkness through your own strength. Christ has already won the victory. Your calling is simpler—and harder. Stand. Stand in His strength. Stand clothed in His truth. Stand in His righteousness. Stand resting in His peace. Stand trusting His promises. Stand rejoicing in your salvation. Stand wielding His Word. And stand praying until the day the trumpet sounds and faith becomes sight.