CHRIST CHURCH

August 27, 2006: 10.00am

Ephesians 6:10-20

Our reading this morning from Ephesians chapter 6 is the last portion of that letter. It stands in stark contrast to everything that's gone before. In fact the American broadcaster Dr Lehmann Strauss, who has written a commentary on Ephesians says that it this contrast is particularly stark to anyone who reads Ephesians right through at one sitting- perhaps something worthwhile doing! But let's note that.
So: we think of the Christian life in terms of life of fellowship with God; we think in terms of Christian service. And that's often as far as we think in our concept of what being a Christian is all about.

But we come to verse 10 of chapter 6, where we started this morning.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.This is a very different idea of the Christian life; one which shouldn't really come as a schock to us. After all what are one of the promises in the Baptism service; to 'fight against the world, the flesh and the devil'. We don't take on board that view of the Christian life- of it being a fight,a battle. It's a view of the Christian life as warfare, of being in an army. It's of life being a battle, and a battle against a very specific foe. That's what Paul wants us to think about in this closing passage of Ephesians.

I think we should start this morning thinking about our enemy; who and what he is. He is called by Paul the devil, or Satan. As Lehmann Strauss says- and I quote:
Although the redemption that is ours in Christ is complete and free, our inheritance which we receive here and now, is contested by the enemy. Satan does not want to see the Christian possessing his possessions. The moment we begin to appropraite our blessings in Christ we discover how hostile Satan is toward Christ's own.
Elsewhere in his writings, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 2 and verse 11 Paul speaks of his desire that Satan might not outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes. The Christian, Paul is saying, is not- or should not be, unaware of Satan. But: how aware are we? How, even, are we aware of Satan's existence. Do we not tend to sideline him? It was C S Lewis who said that there are two opposing extremes nealy all Christians take. We either completely ignore him, or else become obsessed.
But Satan, and his fallen angels- that's the demons whom Paul speaks about- the demonic powers in this passage: They seek to render our salvation innefective. We need to remember those words of our Lord Jesus Christ. In John 10 verse 28 we read I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No-on can snatch them out of my hand. Satan cannot snatch us away. But he can tempt us and allure us with all the vain attractions of the world; its pride, its possessions, its power and prestige. All these things can deflect our hearts, and our wills from our true calling in Christ. How much Satan longs to weaken our allegiance to Christ.
But if Christ has called us as his own; if he's called us into this battle we can be sure he does not leave us to fight it on our won.In fact, fight it on our own we never can! If we try to, we shall lose. We need to heed Paul's words in verse 13: Therefore put on the full armour 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. Then Paul goes on to list the items of armour which God in Christ provides for us.

Let's just to finish this morning look at those various items of armour; armour which we need to put on every day, or else we leave ourselves open to and undefended against the Devil. Let's thnk of each of them in turn.

Paul begins with the belt of truth. Now the various items of armour which Paul has listed here would be familiar to his readers as the items of armour worn by the Roman soldiers. And in the Roman soldier's armoury, the belt not only supported his body, but held every other piece of armour in its place. So that's why Paul begins with the 'belt of turth'. Without the belt of truth everything else will fall away.
The truth is the truth that God gives us in his Word. We are to be well-grounded in the truths contained in God's Word; the truth about God;the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth about our salvation, the truth about our heritage in Christ, our standing in Christ. All these are things we should have a full and firm grasp on. If we don't start correctly with the word of God's truth guiding and controlling our lives then it won't be long before we go astray into was of temptation, ways of sin.
But the truth should, then, also guide our conduct. Part of that guidance should be truthfulness, integrity and sincerity in our lives. Our lives should be fully integrated, fully at one with those truths which we believ and which we confess. A verse from 1 Peter is perhaps petinent here: chapter 1 verse 13. Therefore prepare your minds for action, be self-controlled.Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. This brings to the fore again the importance of what's in our mind; what we allow to fill our minds, to feed them on. So again we come round to God's Word- the importance of reading God's Word, getting it into us, so that God's Word becomes almost, as it were, part of the fabric of our being.. It's perhaps just woth pausing here and thinking about hiw much time we devote to the reading and study of the Bible,against, maybe, the daily newspaper?

Then Paul says have the breastplate of righteousness in its place.
Isaiah speaks of God clothing us in a 'robe of righteousness'. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. In a very real sense, Christ is our righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own; what we would count for our own righteousness, in according to Isaiah but a 'filthy rag'. If we are God's child, then as he looks at us, he sees his Son. How God sees Jesus he sees us! He sees us as perfectly pure and righteous.
But there is the other side of the coin. Are our lives characterised by practicla righteousness? Zechariah after John the Baptist was born praised God in that well known song, in which he says God has sworn to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and enable us serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. That is God's desire.

Then our feet are to be fitted with the readiness which comes from the gospel of peace.
That peace which Paul wrote about in chapter 2 of Ephesians. Verse 14 reads He himself is our peace who has made the two one, destroying the barrier, the middle wall of hostility. It is in Christ that we have peace. It's a peace which isn't just the absence of conflict. No for we are talking about a war situation here! Yet in that war and struggle we are at peace. It's that shalom of God, which is a positive dynamic peace, at harmony with our Creator; the peace of a life grounded in Christ. Peace- and aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. That peace is a part of the Gospel. Our feet are to be shod with the Gospel. So- are we resting with firm confidence in the Gospel, so that we can bear it with us wherever we go as its messengers? When the Israelites were about to be delivered out of Egypt, on the night of Passover, they had to eat it with their sandals on their feet- ready to go!

Then next the shield of faith.
It's a faith with which, in Paul's words we may extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And be sure that the Evil One,. Satan, will aim his darts at us; will try to pierce our armour, pierce into our hearts. Satan (who is the 'accuser of the brethren') will try to pierce us with his false accusations; more so if we allow him the ground to thriow true and objective accusations at us. We for one are to regularly claim forgiveness when we sin, and we are to remind Satan that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)
Satan may try to pierce us with barbed words. He will use the words of others- of those who are still his; those who still live in darkness. They can speak words which will pierce our hearts and cause us hurt. Let's not be surprised if this happen. They not just be words mocking our faith but making accusations against us which aren't true. No-we are to have that shield of faith in our hand. Faith in God's great and overwhelming power and that we are safe in his hand, that we are loved, faith that Jesus has already won the decisive victory.

So next we are to take the helmet of salvation
It's intereresting that it's the helmet: something to shield our head. We are to 'take' the knowledge of salvation, to take in our minds that knowledge that we are saved. The objective knowledge that God has saved me- for at root salvation has to be personal. How much we need this fact to be firmly fixed in our minds in this age where it is under attack by modernism, and by religious relativism. We take this knowledge that in Christ we are more than conquerors

Then finally the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
This is the one piece of armour which is both defensive and offensive. The one way in which we can hurt Satan and the way also in which we can fend him off is with God's Word. Remember when our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in the Wilderness. We read in Matthew chapter 4 that the tempter came to him and said If you are the Son of God tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered It is written “Man does not live on bread alone but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Then Satan took Jesus to the Holy City and stood him on the hghest point of the Temple. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. Jesus answered It is also written “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”
Satan will try and deceive us with lies and our answer to those lies is found in the Word of God. Not in words which we might dream up; not in saying “Hence, Satan”, but by reminding Saran of God's truth.

So, this morning we have thought of the Christian life as a battle; of life as a battlefield. Let us be sure that, as we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we stay close to him, so he equips us with armour which can defend from every assault of our enemy, the Devil.