Deo Gloria
Sermon for September 15, 2024
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Ephesians 6:10-18
Theme: Put on the Full Armor of God!
It’s been called the greatest battle ever fought on American soil. It was certainly one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, resulting in over 40,000 soldiers killed and wounded. It was also very significant. Historians say that the Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point in the Civil War and the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.
You and I are involved in a battle too, an all out war. The battle is not over slavery or the sovereignty of states. The battle’s over eternal slavery and the sovereignty of our souls. Our enemy is not the Confederate army and General Robert E. Lee. Our enemy is an army of evil spirits led by the devil himself. By ourselves you and I wouldn’t stand a chance in such a battle, but our Savior Jesus has not left us to fight this battle on our own. He supplies us with the power and equipment we need to fight this battle and win. And this morning he urges us to put it on. Put on the full armor of God!
My older brother used to do a lot of scouting. He would go and watch other football teams play, teams their team was going to play later in the season. Then, as they were preparing for the next game, he would tell the players about the opposing team—how big they were, how fast they were, what kind of plays they ran, what kind of defense they used. That way they would have a better idea of what they were up against and would be better prepared for their next Friday night contest on the gridiron.
In v. 12 the apostle Paul tells us what we’re up against. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” he says. Our battle is not against a human enemy. We don’t have to get into the ring with someone like Cody Rhodes or from back in my day, Hulk Hogan. Imagine if we did. How long would we last? 30 seconds? A minute at the most? Truth is it’s not as bad as that. It’s worse. “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.” Our battle is against spiritual enemies, spiritual demons, angels who were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion against God and who now live under the power and control of the devil. Their power is supernatural, far superior to our own. You and I stand in awe of the power and strength of a professional wrestler like Cody Rhodes or a professional football player like J.J. Watt. Yet even they wouldn’t last ten seconds against a demon, much less the devil himself.
Besides that, they have experience. They’ve been engaged in spiritual combat for thousands of years already. They know how to fight. They know how to use their weapons. They know when and where to strike. They know where we human beings are weak and vulnerable.
And besides that, they’re evil. Some people say that Charles Manson was evil. He’s nothing compared to the devil and his angels. Likewise, some say that Adolph Hitler was evil. Again, he’s nothing compared to the devil and his angels.
That’s what we’re up against, an army of evil spirits, spiritual forces of evil, powers of darkness, the prince of darkness himself. Do we even stand a chance? Is there even an outside chance that we could hold our own against such a formidable foe? None whatsoever. Left to ourselves, the battle would be over before it ever started.
But that’s just it, you and I haven’t been left to ourselves to fight this battle alone. Paul reminds us of that in v. 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Notice Paul does not say, “Be strong in yourself. Rely on your own strength and your own abilities.” That way is pure folly. That way is sure and certain defeat. Rather Paul says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Our Lord is the one who made the universe and everything in it, which means he also created the angels, all of the angels, including those that now are evil. His power is far greater than theirs.
Our Lord is also the one who defeated our enemy the devil. He met the devil in battle on a hill called Calvary. He took everything the devil could dish out. He absorbed the fury of hell in his own body; and he won. By his death and resurrection he overcame the enemy. He defeated the devil and freed us from his power. No longer do you and I have to live in fear of death. Our Savior has won the victory. Life is ours instead. No longer do you and I have to live in fear of hell. Our Savior has won the victory. Heaven is our home. No longer do you and I need to live in fear of the devil. “He’s judged; the deed is done! One little word can fell him”(CW #200:3).
And yet, Satan has not given up the battle. He may have lost the war, but he’s determined to inflict as many casualties as he can. His objective is to take down with him as many as possible. And he’s got a whole host of tricks up his sleeve, an assortment of schemes, to help accomplish his goal.
Let me give you an example. Satan isn’t going to come up to you and say, “Hey, how would you like to dabble in the occult?” That would be too obvious. He knows we’d tell him to get lost. No, he’s a little smarter than that. Instead he says, “Hey, how about playing with a Ouija Board? It’s just a game. How can it be bad?”
Likewise, Satan isn’t going to come up and say, “Hey, how about sleeping with a prostitute tonight? What do you say?” Again, it’s too obvious. Instead he’ll say, “Hey, how about looking at a few pictures tonight, pictures of some hot and sexy babes on the internet?”
You and I know all too well how Satan works, how he constantly is trying to tempt us and lead us into sin, how we constantly have to struggle against him day after day after day, how successful he has been in leading us into sin. Is ours a losing effort? Is it a hopeless battle?
Absolutely not! Our victorious Savior has given us the equipment we need, the armor we need to do battle with the devil and successfully resist him and his temptations. Paul describes this armor for us, beginning in v. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 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. (vv. 13-17)
Notice the armor our Savior supplies us consists of five defensive pieces and one offensive weapon. Let’s take a brief look at each.
Paul starts with the belt of truth. The belt was a piece of armor that Roman soldiers wore around their waist to protect their mid-section. Paul says the belt we are to buckle on is the belt of truth. One of Satan’s most common tactics is to try to deceive us with lies. He lied to Adam and Eve: “Go ahead, take a bite. It won’t hurt.” He lies to you and me as well: “Go ahead, take a few. No one is looking. No one will know.” The way to fight off Satan’s lies is with the truth of God’s Word. Satan likes to confuse the issue and make black and white seem murky and gray. God’s Word exposes Satan’s lies and clearly shows what’s right and wrong. Take the issue of homosexuality, for instance. Satan says that homosexuality is just an alternate lifestyle; but that’s not what God tells us in his Word. God tells us plainly that it’s a sin.
The second piece of armor Paul describes as the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate is a piece of armor that a soldier wore over his chest. Today we would call it a bullet-proof vest. Another one of Satan’s tactics is to accuse us of sin and try to lead us to doubt whether God would actually accept us into heaven since we are sinners. The way for us to fight back is with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As our Savior, Jesus lived a perfect life in our place, a holy life. And in love God credits what Jesus did to you and me. So we are righteous. We are holy in the sight of God because Jesus is our righteousness. “Nice try, Satan, but that isn’t going to work.”
Next, Paul says that our feet are to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. When you and I are filled with fear and doubt, we are not ready to do battle with the devil. On the other hand, when we have peace in our hearts, the peace of sins forgiven, the peace of being in a right relationship with God, the peace that comes from the gospel, then we are ready to do battle with the devil. Then we can take our stand against him and not be shaking in our shoes.
“In addition to all this,” Paul says, “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”(v. 16). Roman soldiers used their shields to deflect swords and spears and javelins and arrows, sometimes even flaming arrows. The Indians knew how to use flaming arrows back in the pioneer days of our country. The arrow itself, of course, could inflict a fatal wound. And yet, the primary danger was the fire, which could quickly spread and soon engulf an entire home or wagon in flames. Satan knows how to use flaming arrows too. He shoots a little bit of hatred, a little bit of greed, a little bit of lust into our hearts and hopes that it will spread and eventually consume us. So how do we put out those little fires? By looking in faith to Christ our Savior. We confess our sins to him: our greed, our hatred, our lust, our envy. We confess our sins and we look to him for forgiveness. Then, in faith we turn away from sin and follow our Lord in doing what’s right. In that way those flaming arrows sputter and go out. And our spiritual house remains safe and secure.
The fifth piece of armor is another vital piece, the part that protects the head, the helmet of salvation. Again, Satan tries his best to make us think that we are not forgiven, that our sins are too bad to be forgiven, that because of our sins we will be condemned to hell. And if he can succeed, if he can get us to believe that that is true, we will be lost. It isn’t true, however. By the grace of God you and I have been saved. We have been rescued from sin and death and hell through Jesus Christ our Savior. That’s what we need to remember in our minds and believe in our hearts in order to fight back against the devil and his lies.
The sixth and final piece of armor is both a defensive and offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. You and I are to use the Word of God to resist the devil and his temptations just as Jesus did when he was tempted. That’s the defensive part. But we also are to use the Word of God in an offensive manner to drive Satan back, to drive the devil out of our lives, out of our hearts, out of our homes. “Resist the devil,” James says, “and he will flee from you”(4:7). What is more, we are to use the Word of God to rescue others and free them from Satan’s power and control.
Do you see how important, how central, how vital the Word of God is in all of this? God’s Word is the source of truth and peace. God’s Word is what tells us that we are righteous through faith in Christ and assures us of our salvation. God’s Word is what creates faith in our hearts and strengthens our faith. God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit.
Do you see how important God’s Word is in our Christian lives and in our daily battle with Satan? This is your armor. This is your power. This is your strength. By all means, use it. Armor is no good if it is left lying on the ground. Equip yourself for battle. Put on the armor that God has given you, so you can stand firm against the devil and his daily assaults. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Amen.