Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:2). Amen.
Tomorrow is Labor Day. It is our annual commemoration of the contributions of the American worker to the well-being of our nation. Certainly nothing wrong with that. We recognize that the ability to work is a gift of God and from God. Honest effort promotes an ongoing economy.
Not to take away from tomorrow, but today we focus on a different strength—not inside of us, but outside of us. Be strong in the Lord. There is an enemy and there is an armory. We read from …
Ephesians 6:10-20
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who protects us perfectly,
Our country is at war. That is serious. Perhaps at times we forget that. We thank the men in women in the armed forces for their service. I know that we have other holidays for them, but we are grateful that their labor is to keep us safe.
Christians are at war. That is significant. Possibly on occasion we overlook that. And Satan smiles. But the Savior supplies. And so the imperative is not impossible.
Be Strong in the Lord
1. There is an enemy (10-12)
2. There is an armory (14-20)
1. There is an enemy (10-12)
It can be a bit of an exaggeration. I appreciate the attempt of a color commentator to get our attention with fancy phrases when it comes to an NFL preseason game or an opening weekend college matchup. “It is a battle of epic proportions.” Even if it is a rivalry, that is an overstatement. It is not a matter of life and death. Just a win or a loss. That is not the case with the apostle Paul. He is not being dramatic, but realistic. It is a contest of comic magnitudes. As he enlightens us, he encourages us. Be strong in the Lord. There is an enemy.
As Paul concludes his letter to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, he closes with a command as they faced the future skirmishes of temptation. “Finally, be strong” (Eph 6:10). But they didn’t have to work that up like a workout at the gym—not from themselves, but from their Savior (Jos 1:6-9). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph 6:10). They would find help in connection with and in the sphere of the Lord (Eph 1:3). He is the One who is above all and over all. In love, he has the capability to accomplish anything and the ability to finish everything. We keep on turning to him for strength (Ps 46:1). Be strong in the Lord. He makes the powerless powerful.
Paul tells us to dress for success. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph 6:11). He will describe that in more detail in a bit. But he emphasizes the fact that we have an enemy (1 Pe 5:8). And the slanderer is stealthy and sneaky as he tries to convince us to relax our moral standards in a situation. He is crafty and cunning as he persuades us to remove a major teaching in the Scripture. “Did God really say?” (Ge 3:1). It is not out of his curiosity, but for our confusion. But we can hold our position against his deception. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph 6:10).
And Satan is not alone in trying to do us harm. And Paul heaps up terms to highlight that it is not a batch of ragtag ruffians, but a bunch of well-trained warriors. “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 evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12). In a wrestling match, the opponent is obvious. One can grab on to him as he grapples with him. But not us. The foe is unseen and invisible. And they have tricky moves in their arsenal and slippery tactics at their disposal. They have a few more years of experience than we do of expertise. It would be like us taking on an Olympic gold medalist on the mat. We would be no match for that kind of a professional.
Paul is not trying to scare us, but prepare us like a sergeant with his troops on the frontline of a foreign conflict. There needs to be a healthy respect for the other side. We need to keep that in mind and not underestimate them thinking that we are too smart to be sucked in the first time or too sturdy to stumble the second time. The battle is bad. And the fight is fierce. Be strong in the Lord. We can. There is an enemy. But “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph 6:10). We are.
2. There is an armory (13-20)
I cannot imagine a scenario that football player would head out onto the field for a game (again, not the battle) in street clothes. That would be foolish not to put on the uniform with the momentum and muscle of the participants nowadays. He would be risking severe injury. Paul would contend the same about a legionnaire. We head into combat clothed. Be strong in the Lord. There is an armory.
When Paul penned this epistle, he was under house arrest, awaiting his trial in Rome. He may have been tied to a soldier. So he employs a military illustration using the standard equipment of an infantryman. We are not unarmed. We have some major hardware. “Therefore [that is, since you have an enemy] 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” (Eph 6:13). Note that it is not an “if,” it is a “when”—“when the day of evil comes” (Eph 6:13). Sometimes it is fast and furious; other times it is slow and steady. But the devil watches and waits with patience, pokes and prods for our weakness—what distracts us and what disturbs us. It may be different for all of us. But where is our Achilles’ heel? That is where that great Greek hero was vulnerable because that is where his mother held him as she dipped him in the River Styx. We are not invincible on our own. Jesus pointed that out. “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mk 7:21,22). Satan works off that and with that.
But be strong in the Lord. There is an armory. God outfits us very well. We take it up and strap it on.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Eph 6:14). The belt safeguarded the midsection. And the belt of truth is invaluable to us. Because when the devil opens his mouth out spew lies because he is “a lair and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). He tries to convince you what God really thinks of you—that he doesn’t take an interest in you either with his compassion or care.
But we have the truth. Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6). And so is God’s Word (Jn 17:17). Jesus explains and the Bible expresses that God does love you. He demonstrated that by giving his Son so that we would have the forgiveness of sins and the home in heaven (Jn 3:16). We sing with the psalmist: “Oh, how I love your law! [that is, instruction, teaching]” (Ps 119:97). And we will follow the admonition of Moses: “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it” (Dt 4:2). We will not tamper with it, but trust in it.
“with the breastplate of righteousness in place” (Eph 6:14). That might be like a bullet-proof vest. But this is better than Kevlar. The devil can accuse us of sin (and he would be right because we don’t measure up to God). But God clears our account of any accusation (Ro 3:21-26). That is because Jesus carried our sin so God can cancel our guilt. God put it all on Jesus so he can place Jesus’ holiness on us (2 Co 5:21).
“with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). We have the good news that all is right between us and God (Eph 2:16,17). Like cleats, we have good traction and firm footing. We will not falter or fall.
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph 6:16). This was long and covered the whole body to ward off flying and fiery projectiles. Maybe we compare it to a going up against flamethrower. It was to start a fire and have it spread. But what we believe can snuff out what the devil tries to shoot at us.
“Take the helmet of salvation” (Eph 6:17). A blow to the head could/would be dangerous, if not deadly. It wouldn’t just put them in concussion protocol or lead to CTE. But Jesus rescued us, redeemed us. The devil can’t destroy us because Jesus has delivered us.
“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). We can read what the Holy Spirit has recorded for us (2 Pe 1:20,21; He 4:12,13). We can apply it to what is happening in life to where we are going in death. When we question God’s presence, he reminds us that he will never leave us (He 13:5). When he calls us to his side, we will reside in paradise (Lk 23:43). But in order to swing the sword of the Spirit, we need to stay in the Word—in Sunday worship, in Bible Class, in confirmation class, in Little Lights, in home devotions. We will continue to dig into and dive into it to ward off the devil (Ja 4:7).
Furnished in such a way with every piece in place, don’t set it down or let it slip it off. Be strong in the Lord. There is an armory.
But there is one more formidable weapon in the fine arsenal. Prayer—speaking to the one true God. Paul gives us a quick lesson on that gift which is our battle-cry.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions” (Eph 6:18). There is no certain instant—whenever. Every moment—morning, evening, at night.
“with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph 8:18). There is no specific issue—whatever. Everything—from giving thanks to getting things.
“With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). There is no special individual—whomever. Everyone. Look around at you fellow holy ones. They need your prayers as you need theirs in the fray as the devil comes at us with all his fury.
The apostle also appeals to them: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Eph 6:19,20). Paul is not shy in asking for their prayers. And he is precise. He requests boldness and openness whenever he starts to speak while he is in custody.
In the same way, pray for your pastor and pastors, professors, teachers, missionaries all around the world so that they proclaim the good news with confidence and conviction. (In a few weeks we will be hearing from one who serves in Africa.) Be strong. There is an armory. The victory is ours.
On Tuesday we will return to what we celebrate on Monday—to our various labors, from school to office to factory. It is fine to take a day off—especially to thank the Lord for what we achieve through him and by him. We also pray that we promote a good work ethic for the advancement of our country. There is another area that we want to be strong in. Our spiritual warfare. But we don’t enter the melee alone. Be strong in the Lord. There is an enemy—the devil and his ugly horde. But they are defeated through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection. And be strong in the Lord. There is an armory. Definitively wear them and win decisively with them. Onward. Amen.
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Eph 6:24). Amen.
September 2, 2018
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