A Voice For Today

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

The Whole Armor of God

Introduction

A frequent image in Paul’s writing is of putting on new clothing. (Romans 13, Ephesians 4, Colossians 3, 1 Thessalonians 5)
In this passage, Christians are reminded
1. that the struggle is not against earthly things, but spiritual.
2. the pursuit of virtue provides no excuse to boast about spirituality.
3. Dress Appropriately

"For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:12-13, NRSV).

What does it mean to be clothed in these?

In light of this truth, we dress appropriately, not in our own strength but in the whole armor of God:

1. Truth (verse 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist)
“Gird Yourself”, or surround yourself with truth: People, Doctrine, and Lifestyle.
2. Righteousness (Put on the breastplate of righteousness)Make a choice to be upright, moral, compassionate, disciplined, and above reproach
3. The Gospel of Peace (verse 15 - As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace)
Take God's Peace with you and be a “Peace Keeper”. “Blessed are the Peacekeepers”, Jesus said. The armor produces the “Peace that passes all understanding”.
4. Faith (verse 16 Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one)Faith in action is the response to the “flaming arrows of the evil one”. We are to verbalize the faith;Share the faith; and Act the faith.
5. Salvation (verse 17 Take the helmet of salvation) We must know “from whence cometh our help” through a personal relationship. We must have “head knowledge as well as soul feeling”.
6. Word (The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God)We must study the word for Swordsmanship takes practice. We must speak the word because Jehovah is the God who speaks. God spoke everything into existence. We must act the word by creating. Words have an effect, they carry power, emotion, and content. The word of God is Love. It is a powerful word.

Langston Hughes – Words Like Freedom

There are words like Freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say.
On my heart-strings freedom sings
All day every day.
There are words like Liberty
that almost make me cry.
If you had known what I knew
you would know why.

Conclusion

Pray for me (verse 19). Paul did not limit his discussion about spiritual warfare to a description of the Christian’s Armor. We are protected by God’s armor as we struggle against the enemies of the flesh through prayer. We are also called to protect each other. “Father, protect me from your followers” is a bumper sticker that has gained popularity with people who have experienced the misguided, close-minded, so called “evangelicals” who have missed the message of the gospel of peace and compassion. Passion without Compassion results in Aggression. Misguided spiritual aggression is the delusion that Satan uses to try and defeat the efforts of Christians to proclaim the Good News that

God is love; We must love
God is Peace; We must be peaceful
God caring; We must care
God loves the world He created; We must love the world
God loves us; We must love God and ourselves
God is present with us; We must be his presence in the world.

War waged in the spiritual realm requires spiritual clothing. This passage is not limited to a discussion of protection against unseen forces. Nor is it a call to wage Holy Jihad against unbelievers. Remember that Paul's original message was given to a group of people who were being marginalized because of their new-found faith. In spite of appearances, they were not defenseless. The moral high ground would be their defense. People who have put on truth, righteousness, faith, and similar virtues must pray! We are not independent, even when armed with virtue. Paul added himself to their prayer list. We continue to be dependent upon God for every need.

Good News, the worst is yet to come.

"if you think everything is going well, you've overlooked something."

Trials and tribulations will come, they always do. If you take on the Whole Armor of God: the truth, the righteousness, the salvation, the peace, the faith, and the word of God; then two things will happen.
1. You will be brought into conflict with the status quo which is evil.
2. You will be persecuted and rejected like Jesus and his disciples.

The Good News is that you will also have the "peace that passes all understanding", the presence of God in you that will enable to to "stand firm" and "persevere" to the end. It is the "peace the passes all understanding" and the presence of God that allows us to sing "Amazing Grace" as the lion eats our leg off.

Remember - everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.

believers want to be like Jesus, but no one wants to be crucified.

May you receive the peace that passes all understanding as you carry the truth of the peace of Christ into the world. Amen.