Armor of God

Finishing series today

Want to talk about overturning Roe V Wade.

We are unapologetically pro life. And with the overturning of Roe this past week gives us room for relief, even some celebration. But when we think of this decision and look at it through the lens of the church, we have to think of it as a decision and a marking point but not a solution. This decision marks opportunity for the protection of the unborn but it is not a solution.

And I would say that the solution belongs to the church. How will we uphold protection of the unborn? How will be provide comfort and care and support for women needing it? How will we minister and treat those who have had abortions? We are pro-life in its myriad of forms.

A judicial decision has been made. But a judicial decision is not a solution. Compassion is a solution. And from this point, a line in the sand, it is up to us to treat all people as created in the image of God, from the unborn to people in need of support to those on death row and anything in between.

I just read this quote this morning and I think it’s appropriate:

The best thing to do, I told my class, is not to listen to the news, for what is going on is not new; the best thing is to study what might be the explanations of it, try to understand the nexus of human actions and social machinery in which such things happen—and each one’s place and choices in that nexus. The only possible prophylactic against the real danger is spiritual preparation, for prophylactic measures don’t just happen, they must be consciously taken up and used—all the time, for the plague is ever present.

We are called to be spiritually prepared not just for decisions, but for solutions, in the space between our culture and our ability to act within it.

No onto the sermon.

When you can’t walk with Christ, stand in Him

All of the book of Ephesians is about a Cosmic Battle. Paul uses this talk about cosmic powers in Ephesians 2 and then brings it back here in ch 6. The notion is that there are all sorts of spiritual powers in the world. that we do not live outside of spiritual influence

And I know for some of you that is a hard pill to swallow.

Because you have been shown that if there is not proof for something then that something does not exist.

But honestly that is not really how anything works in real life. That’s not even how science works.

The end result is proof but there would be no scientific evaluation if we started with proof. Show me the existence of X and then I will believe it, is not how science begins

I believe that this is how the world operates and so I will create tests and experiments to see if that’s true.

So I won’t be beginning with proof. But I will be beginning with belief. And we believe this to be true.

And the only proof I can offer is to follow Christ and in doing so, you find exestential proof that we exist in a spiritual world.

The rest of this passage doesn’t make sense if we don’t realize that Paul sees things from a cosmic battle.

We are dealing with power that is beyond and overwhelming in our lives.

We have an enemy, an active enemy that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

And God has given us this way to exist in and stand up in this cosmic battle.

The armor of God, His strength in us allows us to stand.

We will look at ways in which we are called to stand

Sometimes in order to win you need to stand.

Walking the ridge in Washington in August with no shade. Just sun. No water. Stopping was the only way forward.

To live is to walk and to fight is to stand

- Paul uses the metaphor “walk” throughout the whole book of Ephesians.

- In the portion of the armor of God he uses the word, “stand” 3 times.

We are told over and over to follow Christ is to walk. We are told how to walk as wise; as children of the light ; walk in love; to not walk as the gentiles do; to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you recieved; and to walk in the good works Christ gave to us.

To be a Christian is to walk in what God is giving us.

Why would the metaphor switch to “stand?”

What is different about standing than walking for Paul?

That’s the question I’ve been asking all week. Why would Paul tell us 7 times to walk (a metaphor for the Christian life) and then in the last part of ch 6, tell us to stand three times?

When Paul uses the word “walk” he either uses it positively or negatively

positively

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Negatively

Ephesians 2:2 ESV

in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

so to walk is to move through life in a specific and intentional way. To walk is to express God’s work through the empowerment of God’s Spirit. It is to follow Christ in such a way that you look like Christ.

But then the word Stand

Paul uses it three times in Ephesians 6, all the same word, all mostly meaning the same thing. To endure. To stand there.

It does not mean oppose, that is a different word. He means to endure.

The way that we fight spiritual battles is by letting God fight spiritual battles

We do not have the wherewithal to fight on our own, we need someone to come to our aid. We need rescue.

When it comes to dealing with spiritual matters, and at some point in our lives we all deal with spiritual matters, we need rescue.

We are called to walk and express the goodness of God in the world. And we are called to stand when we need to experience the very strength that God provides.

When we walk we express God’s life in our situations

When we stand we partake in God’s strength for our situations.

We will need strength

Ephesians 6:10 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Christ is strong

He is making us strong

Listen to the way Paul phrases this:

We are to be strong in the Lord

and our strength is to be sourced from His strength which is strong.

And we are not simply to utilize the strength of the Lord we are to do that within the Lord. We are to be strong in Him, in relationship to Him. We are not buying or borrowing strength, we have strength because we trust in Him.

It is necessary to know where we need to find strength. Because there are times when we face spiritual battles, the cosmic battle and we just sense that we on our own cannot overcome it.

When we are in Christ we don’t have to wait,

We don’t have to run

Or find

or ask

we just stand.

Everything we need is already right there.

Christ in His might has invited us in to Himself, where there is strength to go around

And that strength isn’t to oppose or fight or show off, that strength is to be able to stand up in the middle of spiritual opposition.

It is strength because we are in the Lord, not because we have the Lord

Sometimes we can’t walk anymore, we feel like we can’t take another step, and we need to stand.

This invitation comes at a good time because there are times when we are in battle and feel like we are in battle and we don’t feel like we have the strength for battle.

God says we don’t need strength to oppose battle and we don’t need strength to oppose the enemy. We need to stand in Christs strength

We will need a place to stand

here is where we see the armor of God.

The armor of God is showing us what it looks like to stand

Each piece of armor holding us in a way that allows us to stand no matter the battle.

All given so that we can stand.

The list of armor given is the order that an actual soldier would put them on.

Belt of truth

gird your loins

The idea is to be ready. To have your clothes cinched up to prepared.

This is not necessarily the truth of the Gospel. That is covered in a bit. This is about integrity. About living s life where your inner self and outer self match up.

If they don’t it will be hard to walk.

integrity allows us to be ready for anything

breastplate of righteousness

the understanding of relationship that keeps us right with God and in doing so covers the heart.

shoes, Gospel is movement

The firmest place you can stand is on the Gospel itself.

shield of faith

FAith is the ability to rely on God. The shield is the largest part of the armor and it covers us. Our dependence allows us to withstand any attack.

helmet of salvation

salvation is how we have any of this.

A soldier would never leave for war without a helmet. It is a primary source of protection

sword of the spirit

Not used to stab others but to hear God’s voice in the middle of battle

to pray

The reality is we don’t need better or more weapons we need better words. We need to hear the voice of God in our lives. join the reading plan!

These images are given to us to see how we are called to be fitted with all the things that Christ offers us. We are not alone in any battle we face, not only together but moreso, every piece and part of the armor is God’s property. It is from Him.

We are not creating strength but borrowing it. Strength is not a position for the Christian. Strength is a position for God on behalf of the Christian

But that is good news because it is hard to muster enough strength to both build a foundation strong enough to stand on it.

plane flying, engine fire mid flight.

Turn around

Even though I’m not concerned that much, you still don’t breath a sigh of relief until you are on terra firma.

The armor of God allows us the reality of terra firma no matter where we are.

Christ is both the foundation and strength so we can stand

This book ends with standing.

But standing in a way that Christ is mighty.

This is a synthesis of the entire book of Ephesians

the first part of Ephesians is a discussion on the depth and greatness of Christ.

The second part is the discussion on the difference that makes in our lives. IF Christ is that great, what difference does it make?

The armor of God is seeing the strength and might of God placed into the life of a person following Him.

The armor is not just to protect, it is not just so we don’t get hurt. The armor: truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, word of God, is meant to root us in Christ. That every part of our lives is rooted and sourced in Christ Himself.

That we are living lives that only Christ can produce.

That we are standing in places that only a foundation in Christ can allow.

If you can’t walk this morning, you have been offered everything you need to stand in Christ.

these pieces of armor are offered to the Christian to withstand whatever the cosmic battle brings our way, whatever the enemy can put forth. It is the vibranium of spiritual armor.