"Prepare for Battle!" (Sermon on Ephesians 6:10-20)

Today I get to speak to the troops in the midst of a battle. And guess what? You are the troops, and the battle is on! The battle is raging, and there are no deferments, there is no going AWOL, if you are a Christian. No, you are in the battle, automatically, and it is a fight to the finish, a life-or-death conflict. So the wise thing now is to heed the cry, “Prepare for Battle!”

Today as we wrap up our eight-part series on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, our text is the famous “whole armor of God” passage from Ephesians 6. It begins: “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.” It’s fitting that Paul here wraps up his epistle with a call to wrap ourselves up in the armor that God supplies. For that’s the only way we will be able to stand in the day of battle, and at the end of the day, to stand victorious. That in brief is our message today: Prepare for battle! Realize you are in a battle. Take up the armor that God has given you for the battle. And at the end of the day, you will stand victorious in this battle.

First of all, realize that you are in a battle. It is the battle of your life. By that I mean, not only is it the most crucial, most intense battle you will face in your life; it is also a battle that will last your whole life long. Let me explain. On the day you were baptized, the pastor began by saying these words over you, accompanied by the appropriate action: “Receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your + forehead and upon your + heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.” Well, that cross not only marked you as one redeemed by Christ, it also marked you as one targeted by Satan! That cross on your head and on your chest--those are targets, and the devil has his sights set on you! The day you were baptized was the day you were inducted into the service--the Lord’s service--and that makes you a target for the devil and his hordes. You took on an enemy that day, and that old evil foe will not let up until you safely take your rest with your final breath.

Martin Luther recognized the attacks of the devil more keenly than most. He took it very seriously whenever a little child was baptized, knowing what was in store for that new Christian for the rest of his or her life. Luther wrote: “Remember, therefore, that it is no joke to take sides against the devil and not only to drive him away from this little child, but to burden the child with such a mighty and lifelong enemy.”

No matter how young or old you are, no matter how long you have been a Christian, man or woman, boy or girl, pastor or layperson--you are in a battle. It is a spiritual battle. Paul describes it like this: “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.”

This is a spiritual battle. The fight is raging on the line between faith and unbelief, between reliance on God and pride in ourselves, between hope for the future and despair of God’s mercy. Your enemy Satan will try to defeat you, destroy you, get you to fall away from the faith. He will try to distract you or render you ineffective in the service of the Lord. He will tempt you, allure you, seducing you into great shame and vice. If that doesn’t work, he may try to lull you into spiritual sleepiness and security, getting you to let down your guard. Or you may prosper and be successful, become a pillar of the community and a pillar in the church, and the devil will then tempt you toward pride or hypocrisy, such that you no longer feel dependent on God and his grace--that you have earned all the good you enjoy, you deserve it. Your adversary will attack your mind, attack your emotions, attack your body, attack your relationships, attack your soul. In all of these attacks, his purpose is to get your eyes off your Savior Jesus Christ and his cross.

Dear Christians, take heed lest ye fall! Your enemy, the devil, is prowling about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Beware the devil’s wiles! He seeks to get you “off-message,” off the saving message of God’s grace in Christ, so that you fall into unbelief. That is the devil’s ultimate goal. You do realize, don’t you, that the devil is real and active, actively bringing evil upon the children of men? You know, this past week we can fairly clearly see the work of Satan in that horrible, demonic, long-term abuse of the young woman in California. That’s the “showy stuff,” if you will, the spectacular evil that gets our attention. Less noticed but just as deadly, if not more so, is the quiet evil that the devil does in thwarting faith in the gospel. That’s really the devil’s goal: that we give up on God, give up the faith, give up on God’s goodness shown expressly and especially in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind. The devil has one goal above all in regard to us--something that would spell defeat for us and victory for him--and that one goal is the word, “Unbelief.” So prepare for battle! You’re in it, and will be in it, till the day you die.

How do you prepare for battle? When soldiers are getting ready to go out into combat, they don’t just waltz out onto the battlefield clad in t-shirts and shorts, with nothing in their hands but an ice cream cone and a lucky coin. No, ask any soldier and they will laugh at your suggestion. In fact, a bunch of you men here today have gone into battle, literally--some of you in Korea, a couple of you in World War II. There are men here who have heard the bullets whizzing past their heads and felt the shrapnel in their flesh. Some of you bear the scars to prove it. So you know the importance of being properly prepared and outfitted for battle. It can literally save your life.

So it is for all of us in the great spiritual battle in which we all are engaged. We need to be well-clad and well-equipped for the fight. And the good news is, God has equipped you for the battle. He has given you a complete set of armor, specially suited for this conflict. Paul even lists the pieces of armor you’ve been issued: “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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

Here is everything you need to stand and fight and win: Belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. Paul uses the image of the outfit and equipment a soldier of his day would have been issued, and he applies it to us Christians. The first thing he says is “Fasten on the belt of truth.” Gird up your loins, like a soldier getting ready for action. Circle yourself around with divine truth, wrap yourself in it--truth, the reality of the way things really are, from God’s perspective.

Second, “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.” When the devil aims at that cross-shaped target marked on your heart, accusing you of your sins, at those times your own righteousness will not do--no, it’s too flimsy and easily pierced. No, you need the bulletproof breastplate that God supplies, the perfect righteousness of Christ your Savior. Christ won that righteousness for you by letting his own side be pierced, as well as his hands and his feet, when he bled and died for you on the cross. The Son of God’s holy blood, shed for you, pays the price for all your sins, wins forgiveness and righteousness for you, and thus acts as a divine breastplate to ward off all the devil’s accusations.

Third: “As shoes for your feet, put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Christian soldiers, marching as to war, need protection for their feet, making them swift and sure-footed. Otherwise, you’re not ready. Our readiness for war comes from the gospel of peace. The peace that Christ won for us, in his body, through the cross, establishing peace between heaven and earth, reconciling rebel man back to God--this gospel of peace gives us the sure footing we need to march into battle and take our stand.

Next: “Take up the shield of faith.” The flaming arrows are flying your way, the devil’s lies and distortions. The saving, objective content of the Christian faith, which you yourself believe--this is the long shield that covers us and protects us from head to toe against those fiery missiles. And when we as church stand side by side, with all our shields aligned in a straight row, we form an impenetrable wall of defense.

“Take the helmet of salvation.” A blow to the head is always the most dangerous and deadly. Satan is aiming there on you, right where you were marked with the cross. But your Savior has dealt the mortal blow to the devil, striking that old serpent in his head, and that salvation serves as your helmet in the battle. You are rescued and kept safe for eternal life.

“Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The word that God utters is powerful and active, sharper than any two-edged word. Every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord strikes down the devil and is the word by which you will live. God’s pronouncements, God’s declarations, his spoken word of absolution and good news--these words are spirit and they are life. This gospel word will be your sword to strike down the devil, the word that dwells in your heart and comes off your lips, as you sing it, confess it, and share it with your neighbor.

So then, our six pieces of armor are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit . . . and prayer. Our seven pieces of armor . . . no. . . . Seriously, notice that after the six items, Paul adds a seventh, namely, prayer. Only he doesn’t match it up with a particular piece of weaponry. He just puts it plainly, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Prayer is simply realizing that all we do depends on God and then taking him up on his promise by asking him to help us. And our Lord has given us this great promise, “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.” As we do battle with Satan, and the battle grows hot and the action is thick, at those times cry out to God in prayer, seeking his aid. In all times, and in all circumstances, with all perseverance, call on God in prayer. He wants you to do just that. He is watching over you, keeping you safe. Pray to God for your brothers and sisters in Christ, who are also doing battle. Pray for me, your pastor--pastors especially come under Satan’s attack. Dear friends, how we need God’s constant aid and protection! Let us not be lazy or sluggish; rather, let us take God up on his gracious promises and pray, as we do battle!

Maybe you’ve seen it on television. Before a big boxing match or a wrestling match, there is a certain ring announcer who booms into the microphone: “Let’s get ready to rumble!” Well, friends, this is no staged extravaganza or merely a fight for a cash prize. No, this is the real thing; this is a fight to the death, a spiritual life-or-death struggle we are all engaged in as Christians. You are in this battle, and God has equipped you for it. So I say this to you today: Prepare for battle! Put on the whole armor of God, and you will not only live to fight another day; at the end of the day, on the Last Day, you will stand victorious. Then, at last, you will lay down your armor, put down your sword, and enter into the eternal rest and peace and heavenly joy that Christ our champion has won for his warriors here on earth.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (ESV)

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. 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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Many thanks.

"... off the saving message of God’s grace in Christ, so that you fall into unbelief. That is the devil’s ultimate goal."

If there is an ultimate goal, it is that we are dead, period. By suicide or however else:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy...." - John 10:10

He'll settle for unbelief if that's all he can get.

I live under the authority if a spirit of Jezebel, and when the attacks are bad I get genuinely suicidal. Of late, God has led me to a specific passage and has me just read it out loud. Invariably it's not something I have memorized, so I have to look it up at the Gateway or leaf through the RSV and stumble through it.

I have the passage opened, and as I wait for my opening (sword poised) I find myself thinking in advance "This is gonna sound stupid..." and indeed it kind of does. I'm just a SAH mom, I'm not used to just firing off scripture at people.

But it works like a champ. My adversary will argue for a bit, but slithers away within an hour or so, "...until an opportune time."

All of the armor of God listed is defensive, except for The Sword, which is offensive. If Paul were writing today, perhaps The Word would be a rifle or an automatic weapon. Looking even further back, His Word is our "five smooth stones."

He's taught me that it's usually not enought to have all the armor on, I have to return fire more often than not.

Believe me, that last one is being used on a daily basis with the current situation. None of those seven apply to the current leftists in DC. This is very similar to the Lutheran Hour sermon today.

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