Easter Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-13

The Biblical worldview is different than the scientific worldview we are taught in school. There is a non-physical spiritual reality. There are spiritual beings that populate this world… and it is a world at war.

Our war is not the dramatic encounters of Hollywood. Instead we are to take up the fundamentals of discipleship: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.

Let’s get dressed for war.

Be strong in His Might. Put on His armor. Stand in His Victory.

Logan Wrestling with Dylan - Asymmetric Warfare

On the trampoline, boys playing at fighting.

Logan is bigger than he is. It isn't fair. Sometimes it's funny, as long as Logan is being careful. But if Logan is actually ticked off, Dylan is going to get hurt.

Until... I sneak up to the trampoline and pin Logan's arms. Now it is a radically different fight. Logan is twisting and turning while Dylan attempts flying pile-drivers that Logan simply cannot block. It is hilarious.

Easter Weekend - False Gods and Spiritual Powers

Tomorrow our calendars say it is Easter.

We are a little wary of that word, for it is pagan in origin.

The biblical worldview says that there are personal spiritual beings that can and do affect and infect our world. They mess with circumstances, social and power structures, they mess with individuals. They are not all-powerful and not omni-present... but they are real.

How do we respond to invisible mysterious "scary" evil powers?

Over the next five weeks we will be studying the Armor of God here in Ephesians, and here there is the clearest instruction in Scripture on "how-to" conduct spiritual warfare. What amazes me is that there is no culture of fear. There is no diagnostic information on demons and how they work and who they report to. There are these tantalizing hints in Scripture as if there is this whole spiritual dimensions with its own hierarchies and topology and dynamics and... it's all fascinating, but none of it is functional.

We don't know our enemy. Sun Tzu would not approve.

How do we respond to invisible mysterious "scary" evil powers?

Such a huge topic, so little actual information to go on. And I think there is a very good reason. Because there is a tremendously simplifying answer.

God

Ephesians 6:10-13

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

Battle – Wrestling Match that Matters

This is first a war metaphor, picturing the heavily armored Roman foot soldier. We will pick apart the armor in weeks to come, but this is the human tank, and the word "armor" here could just as easily be translated as weapons. The fully outfitted warrior, ready for war.

Athletic term for a wrestling match. It is a direct conflict, a personal conflict. In the Greek tradition, the loser would have their eyes gouged out. It is a personal direct conflict with meaningful results.

Mixed metaphors, but the intent is clear: this is war, this is struggle, this is a fight. There is intensity to that, there is preparation required for that and... there is an enemy.

The Devil’s Work

The devil. rulers, authorities. Just reading that you might think it refers to society and its structures. Political powers and rulers and authorities, and those certainly have been and will be part of the struggle. But it goes on: "cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.." and these terms are layered on top of one another, not listing separate categories of opponents, but describing the same opponent with a shotgun blast of terms. It is rhetorical style, not categorical distinction.

There is our opponent, personified here as the devil.

Here is asymmetric warfare. There is much to be said here... but I am not going to say much!

The devil rarely works in direct oppression, direct works of apparent darkness, obvious evil. In Ephesians we have two pictures of his work.

In the disobedience of sinners before Jesus:

Ephesians 2:2

the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience

And in divisiveness among the church through words of anger:

Ephesians 4:26-27

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

The tools of the devil are mundane. Ordinary. They are “ordinary” because they are the stuff of our lives. They are “ordinary” because they have been used against us for all time because they are so stinkin’ effective. We need look for nothing “new.”

Jesus’ Victory - Easter

There isn't much information about our opponent. Because there is a great simplifying fact of history.

Jesus won.

Ephesians 2:1-7

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

In Christ you died. All sin, all death upon his shoulders. He took it all on the cross, and it all died with him. We were “deserving of wrath” and that wrath was spent on Jesus at the cross.

In Christ then you are raised up. By grace, through faith verse 8 says. Raised us up, not only from death into life, but up with him “seated in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

That grace upon grace, glory upon glory, and more is coming!!! “Incomparable riches”… you can’t even compare it with anything. No limit to it. God is rich in mercy, which is comparable to what we have done. But incomparably rich in grace, because there is no limit in his imaginative creative ability to give us, create for us, create in us good things.

The Super-Hero Landing

The super-hero landing. The ripples spread out from there. Across space and time, there is radiating out the victory of Jesus’ death and resurrection and glorification. The victory of the King. And that growing circle is the circle of the dominion of the king: The Kingdom of God. It is composed of those called out of sin and death into his death and so, into his life. And into his glory. It is the called ones, the eklessia, that is, the church.

So you and I stand now at the frontier of the wave of Christ’s victory. It is not territory that Jesus wins. It is people, rescued and redeemed and glorified. And we stand, rescued and redeemed and glorified. And that forms our armor, for it is his armor, the armor of the Victor, the armor of our King.

And we wear it that we may stand in His victory, and so having done everything to stand, to stand.

The victory is won: stand as victors.

We are part of the victory, marching in victory, holding the victory which Jesus won. Yet the devil schemes to rob us of the joy of it. To tarnish the glory of it. In particular, he seeks to obscure and deface the Kingdom of God wherever he can. He seeks to hold on to those who aren’t in it and fracture those who are in it.

Jesus’ Armor

Isaiah 11:1-5

11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

It is Jesus' armor! It is Jesus' Victory. It is Jesus' Kingdom. It is Jesus' might.

Be strengthened: in his might, by his might. You get to be strong, it is a transferred strength, from him to you, by him through you.

Put on his armor. The righteousness is his, the salvation is his, the faith is in him, he is the truth and the King of Peace. He is the Word. And in his armor we are safe. Better yet, in his armor we are victors.

For he has won the victory!

And stand. Stand with the King, stand for the King. Stand on the frontline of His kingdom. This sounds vague now, we are going to unpack this in the following weeks: standing in salvation and faith and righteousness and all of the things.

We stand against temptation into disobedience that would steal the joy of our life in the Kingdom.

We stand against divisiveness that would tear His church apart, for here is the Kingdom of God.

Be strengthened. Put on his armor. Stand in His victory.

Stand Together

We picture this as a solo battle. I am the hero against Satan and his minions. And we let God in to help, I am going to be strong in him, put on His armor, stand in HIs victory...

But there is a beautiful thing going on here. All through Ephesians the theme has been One. One. Unity. One church, one Spirit, on body, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all.

And we just finished examining that unity in our families, in our marriages, in our kids and parents, in our workplaces...

That thread continues, for these commands: be strengthened, put on his armor, and stand... they are all plural.

Not you stand here, you stand here, carry on your own personal battle against Satan!

Be strengthened in him... together. Y'all be strengthened. In community, in unity, as One, the One strengthens you so that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against you. Jesus said something like that.

Put on his armor... all of you... together. We will unpack this, but this is a communal activity, not just an individual devotional exercise!

Stand... together. Stand... together. In his victory, stand together.

Clad in his armor, this is the future the Messiah brings:

Isaiah 11:6-9

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,

and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.