Sunday, March 6, 2005
“Battle Ready!”
Ephesians 6:10-20
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 NIV
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Imagine for a moment that you were a thief. Believe me, I understand this is not a comfortable exercise. But, try for a moment to think of yourself as a thief.
What would we know about you? What would we know about your thought processes?
Somehow you have come to justify in your mind that it is o.k. to take what doesn’t belong to you. Or, you may have convinced yourself that what presently is in someone else’s possession, really doesn’t belong to him, it belongs to you, so you have every right to take it. You may think that you deserve it more than he does, therefore, rationalizing the taking. You may feel that you have been cheated so that taking is a way to even things out a bit. Or, you may simply be a lazy sloth and stealing is a quick way to get what you want without having to work for it.
However you get there, a rationalization has taken place in your mind to justifyillicitly transferringsomeone else’s property from him or her to you.
I wish I could tell you that no such persons exist. I wish I could tell you that locks on doors and secret passwords were not necessary. And, of course, if I did say such things, it would be laughable. The schemes of thieves continue to keep us on our toes. And those who are unprepared are often the most vulnerable to their hidden hooks.
Today, the thief doesn’t even have to break down the door of your house to rob you blind. The whole identity theft business threatens all of us. Since so much of our financial transactions and communications take placevia electronics rather than face to face with people we know and trust, all thatscammers need is a small handful of critical data that represents us to the business world.
These thieves get this data from us by lies and trickery. They try to make themselves look like existing, legitimate businesses. Some even pose as law enforcement officers wanting to help us in some manner. But biting their bait can cost us dearly. And sadly, even among those who take added precautions, the slimy tricks of these calculating thieves too often find ways to break in and steal what doesn’t belong to them.
Why have I spent so much time talking about the thieves among us? First, because most of us have been on the debit side of a thief’s transaction. We know how it feelsto be stolen fromand we don’t like it.
Second, we clearly understand that preventive actions are necessary if we are going to reduce the chances of our being victimized by a thief. Most of us are ready to listen to strategies of prevention and preparation that will keep a thief out of our pockets.
And third, thieves have a father. Thieves are the offspring of the great father of lies, Satan. He is their inspiration. He is their source of rationalization for their crimes. We can trace the theft back even beyond the thief himself, to the great deceiver and liar, Satan.
So, when we come to our text for today in Ephesians 6 and Paul tells us to “be strong,” he is urging us to adopt God’s strategy of prevention and preparation against the father of lies who seeks to invade every part of human life, including yours.I am not exempt. You are not exempt. We are the target of the schemes of the grand deceiver. Paul lays out for us a strategy that will keep us alert to both the subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to get us to buy into the lies of our supreme enemy.
We are in a battle, whether you like it or not. Just by saying you’re not interested in living like a soldier, does not put an end to the war. Wishing there were no war will only compound our losses. We are at war and our enemy is real, he is serious, and he mustbe reckoned with.
So, let’s take Paul’s instructions seriously and prepare ourselves to be victorious in battle.
Ephesians 6:10(NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Here is the first of two major commands. Be strong in the Lord.
When someone is told, “You’ve got to be strong!” what is being said?
First, you need to draw on the reserves you have that will give you strength. The time for building reserves has past. It’s now time to manage those reserves and to use them. Be strong.
This presumes you have built some reserves, like having fed your soul on the word of God so that the Holy Spirit has something to remind you of in your time of need. It presumes you have built a bond of friendship with fellow soldiers so you know whom to ask for help in your time of need. Be strong in the Lord. Draw on thereserves the Lord has given you.
Second, you need to focus your efforts so that you don’t waste any of your strength. Since you won’t have time to rebuild your reserves for the time being, you need to make your resources count for the most. Don’t squander your reserves, but rather, sharpen them. If we’re talking ammunition, you need to takeinventory and make sure your shots hit the target. If we’re talking food, you may need to plan how you will ration what you do have so when you need that final surge of energy, it will be there. Be strong in the Lord.
Third, don’t let distractions become your enemy’s partner.
That was one of my tactics as a kid in snow ball fights. I would make two snow balls, lob one up high in the air toward my opponent, then, when they were looking at the lobbed one, I would fire the second one straight at him. It was a pretty effective strategy. It also taught me that my opponent might do something similar to distract me from taking notice that the fatal blow was on its way.
Don’t let distractions become part of the enemy’s attack. We may need to say “no” to some very good activities if those activities willtake us in counter directions.
Some of us have the tendency to spread ourselves too thin. As a result, our punch lacks the capacity of a knock out, our needle is too dull to penetrate the skin, our scissorsno longer cuts the paper.
We have determined to go to New York, but we didn’t say “no” to the invitation to go to Los Angeles, - - - and Dallas, - - - and Orlando. When we finally get to New York, we’re worn out, we’ve lost the steam we need to accomplish the mission we went there to do. We let distractions become our enemy’s partner.
Some of us have made a god out of busy. Have you ever heard of the god whose name is “busy?” He presents himself in a veryconvincing manner. He says, “Look, idleness is the devil’s workshop. Your kids will stay out of trouble if you keep them busy. I’ve got hobbies and projects and teams and classes and books that will make you a well rounded person.”
Now, when the god “busy” goes after Christians, he’s smart enough to know that he has to bring only good things to the table. But what the god “busy” fails to tell youis that all these good things he offers to keep you or your kids busy will put you in a position to say “no” to what may be the most important thing that God wants you to do. That’s the distraction that he hides from view when he convinces us to add another good thing to our schedule.
No doubt Jesus was busy. But, He never ceased responding to the commands and guidance of His heavenly Father. It is through prayer and wisdom that we discern what is the best way to fill our schedule, and to give us the will to say “no” to those things that will take us off course from following our Savior.
So, three meanings to the command, “be strong:” draw on the reserves the Lord has given you, focus your efforts, and don’t let distractions become your enemy’s partner.
The second major command that Paul gives is “put on the full armor.”
Ephesians 6:11(NIV)
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Don’t go into battle half dressed or ill-equipped. Each piece of the armor has an important function. Each piece is designed to address a scheme of the enemy. We needeach piece of the armor to be fully protected and to be ready for battle.
I wanted so bad to title my sermon, “What are you doing half dressed?” But, I figured if I did without the benefit of an immediate explanation, I would be in danger of distracting my anticipated audience. I was fearful that you would go off on some rabbit trail that would not help me make the point that this text is trying to make:Don’t go into battle without having put on the full armor of God.
You see, the battle is a reality. It is a given. But, wearing armor in the battle is not a given. It is a responsibility we all have. It is our part in the partnership we enjoy with Jesus Christ. He provides the armor. We put it on. That’s how we partner with Christ in the spiritual battle of life.
Just as He provides us with the reserves, He provides us with the armor. We gain strength from the Scriptures, from the Holy Spirit, from walking in truth and righteousness. And when it’s time to go to battle, we draw on these reservesof strength. This is how we partner with Christ. Just as the reserves make us strong in battle, the armor protects us in battle. As we draw on His strength and put on His armor, we demonstrate our partnership with Christ and fully engage in the battle with Him.
Thus, Paul says,“be strong in the Lord” and “put on the full armor of God.”
And why do we obey these two commands? Verse 11. So we can take ourstand against the devil’s schemes.
Take your stand, be in the ready position. This is particularly true of the athletic wrestler. The ready position allows you to move quickly to the right or to the left. It’s the position where you can be quick with your feet. You can back away or pursue – quickly. It’s the position of readiness and alertness.
Take your stand. It does not mean to plant your feet so as to be immobile. It does mean that you have good grip with your feet so when you need to push or lift your opponent, you have a solid footing. You won’t slip and fall, but you will take your stand.
So, these two commands of Paul essentially say, “Get ready for battle.” You need a source of strength and you need resources of protection because there is a real enemy who is planningyour destruction.
That should not be a novel thought to us. I admit it’s not the delightful kind of thought one likes to awaken to each morning. “Ah, a new day has dawned. I wonder what schemes my enemy has dreamed up during the night to use against me this beautiful day.” No, we don’t want to start our mornings like that. Though, I think Paul might be recommending we consider it.
And he’s not the only one. Do you remember the story of Gideon waging war against the Midianites? He started with 32,000 men, but God said that was too many. He let all who were afraid go home. That brought the number down to 10,000. God again said that was too many.
Judges 7:5-7 (NIV)
5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”
300 men stayed in the ready position even when they went for a drink of water. These men were those who took their stand against the schemes of their enemy. They would not be caught by surprise.
Jesus tells us that Satan is a scheming enemy. He spoke to Simon Peter and said,
Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Each day as we walk out onto the gridiron of life, we must stay alert to the reality of the battle that is being waged around us.
We are to remember that we have both a foe and a Friend.
Jesus said in . . .John 10:10 (NIV)
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Paul does not want us tobecome lax about the ramifications of this battle that we are in.Therefore, he talks to us about the power and scope of our enemy’s forces.
Ephesians 6:12-13 (NIV)
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 evilin the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
God wants to equip us with power and armor so that we stand in readinessbefore the battle and we stand in victoryafter the battle.
What do we need to know and do in order to stand in victory after the battle?
First, we need to know who our real enemy is. It’s not who we might first think.
I believe we would have a whole lot more harmony in our homes if we fully understood what Paul is saying here. There would be far less fighting and bickering if we first identified the real enemy.
This is a major scheme of our enemy. It’s called in-fighting.One example is his scheme to get spouses fighting each other. Another is create turmoil between parent and child. Make them think that they are each other’s enemy. Put them on a course to destroy each other verbally, if not also physically.
And Paul declares, “Hold on, folks. There’s a deceiver hiding in the shadows. He’s manipulating a thought here and twisting a word there and clouding your understandingso you will view your friend as a foe.”
But Paul says, 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
Your spouse in not your enemy, she is your partner; he is your partner. There are four entitiesin the battle you are fighting, not two. Do the math and consider your options.If you can get God’s perspective on this, it will dramatically change how you see your spouse.
Paul says that . . .12 . . . our struggle is . . . against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
There are four entities involved in your struggle. First, there is Almighty God. Second, there is Satanand his forces of evil. Third, there is your spouse. And finally, there is you.
If you start with the given that there is a cosmic war going on between God and Satan and that war is the only show in town, then you have the privilege to decide on which side you will be. Will you be on God’s side or will you be on Satan’s side?
As Christians, it’s hardly a choice. Who among us would choose to be on Satan’s side?
So, where does that leave us? It’s three against one. It’s God, your spouse and you in war against Satan. So, why are you fighting your spouse, giving your real enemy a victory?
Here is what I hear Paul saying. If we will keep in mind where the real war is going on and who is at war, and then concentrate our efforts at putting on the full armor of God, we will not only enjoy the victory that will be ours in eternity, but we will also enjoy the victory of enjoyable partnerships with all of our fellow soldiers in Christ.
Just as we saw last week from Romans 12:19 that we arenot to take revenge on our enemies but leave room for God to deal with them, to let Him settle the score, so here again we are asked to step back and get a much broader perspective on the conflicts we face, be they with believers or unbelievers. Then we’ll see where the real war is going on.
A quick look at the armor. It armor for the ready soldier, the prepared soldier.
Ephesians 6:14-17 (NIV)
14 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.