I am sure that these words from Ephesians chapter 6 are very familiar to most of us. No doubt we cut up bits of cardboard in Sunday School many years ago and made ourselves a suit of armour, being aware that each piece had some sort of spiritual lesson to teach us. For adults of course, there are several very large books devoted to expounding just these few short verses. Spiritual warfare is pictured in Christian books and novels, and in our songs. Sometimes it seems from these books that the Christian army is triumphantly marching across the land, claiming the ground as it goes, and wielding the sword of the Spirit against all kinds of demons and devils with astonishing success. On the other hand, the battle is sometimes pictured as a tough one, with little or no chance of victory this side of heaven, as the Christian battles with the world, the flesh and the devil. Which picture is the right one? Are we to march triumphantly against the slings and arrows of the enemy? Or are we just called to slog our guts out and pray for the second coming? There seems to be no end of things that I could say about these wonderful verses from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus. What we often forget though, is that all this stuff about armour is part of a letter. Paul didn’t just tag it on as an afterthought. These verses in Ephesians 6 fit in somehow with the rest of Ephesians. Hopefully, by looking carefully at how they fit in, and at what they actually say, we will be able to paint a slightly clearer picture of the battle in which we are engaged. So let’s have a quick look at the context. In Ephesians 1-3 Paul outlines the basic facts of the gospel. He tells us in chapter 1 that God has a cosmic purpose for the whole of his creation Look at Chapter 1 verse 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
This plan is put into effect piece by piece as the letter progresses. So in 1:20 we read that God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. That’s part one. Turning over to chapter 2 we learn about part 2 - that we are saved by grace through faith. And not only that: look at Chapter 2, v. 6 We have been made alive, raised up with Christ. Then, as chapter 2 goes on, Paul tells us how we have been brought together under Christ with our fellow believers. There is no longer a dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles, and indeed there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female, for we are all one, in Christ, under Christ, and with Christ. In chapter 3:12 we find that this new entity, the body of Christ, the Church, can approach God with freedom and confidence. So God’s gospel plan to bring everything together under Christ is proceeding according to plan. In the second half of Ephesians, from chapter 4 onwards, Paul urges us to live out the gospel. Knowing the gospel should change our lives. In the light of God’s plan, we should start to live like Jesus, as he tells us in 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul applies the gospel to our relationships: our marriages in chapter 5, and our home lives and our work at the beginning of chapter 6. Which brings us to the end of chapter 6 verse 9. He’s talked about our relationships with other Christians, and how they should be transformed by our new status as Christians. But now he turns his attention in 6:10 and following to our relationship to the world. So we know how to relate to our Christian partners, parents and bosses. How do we live in a hostile environment, surrounded by those who do not believe, and by spiritual forces of evil? Living in a Hostile World If the world was perfect we wouldn’t need any spiritual armour. But this passage is about being a Christian in a hostile non-Christian world. We can’t live our whole lives surrounded by Christians. We may enjoy going on houseparties and retreats - getting away from the battle, enjoying the fellowship of other Christians and a good solid dose of Bible teaching and prayer. But we have to go back to work on Monday. Maybe you just live for Sundays when you can come to Church to praise God, hear about Jesus and talk to your Christian friends. But we can’t rest forever; we have to see our non-Christian friends sometime! It’s great to have a little taste of heaven on retreat or at Church or in a house group but we don’t live permanently surrounded by Christians. So how are we to behave in the battle? I have three points: We need God’s strength. We need God’s armour. We need to pray.
1. We need God’s Strength Firstly, Paul tells us that in dealing with the world, we need God’s strength. Verse 10 says: “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”. We can’t face the world on our own. If we try to cope as Christians everyday without looking to God for strength then we will quickly crumble and give up. What a humbling thought, to think that however competent we are, however strong-minded and independent, we can’t be Christians without a lot of help. Why not? Because we are engaged in a constant struggle to keep standing for Christ against enemies who are powerful, crafty and invisible. Look at verse 12: 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.
We like to blame other people for all our difficulties: “My non-Christian friends make it really hard for me to be a Christian when we’re together,” we say, or “It’s very difficult to be a Christian at work.” That is true of course, but the battle isn’t against people, it’s against spiritual forces of evil. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, it’s against the very real and very powerful forces of darkness. The last thing the devil wants is for us to be consistent Christians everyday of the week and for our unbelieving friends to become Christians. He will employ every means at his disposal to prevent it. We have powerful enemies. In the face of such opposition it’s no wonder that Paul says we need God’s help. Some people are unnecessarily anxious about these spiritual forces. They see angels and demons behind everything. They wonder whether they are possessed, or whether the Devil is out to get them. But we are not supposed to read into this that the Devil is behind every corner. Unlike the Holy Spirit, the Devil can only be in one place at a time. He does have help of course, but we’re not supposed to be looking over our shoulders all the time for the hordes of darkness. Also See The Supernatural on THIS Page (Scroll Halfway Down) Paul doesn’t want us to look around for the enemy - he wants us to keep looking at Jesus. Like Peter when he tried to walk on the water, we must keep our eyes on the Lord and not be distracted. If we get too hung up about demons and devils then we, like Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked in fright at the waves instead, will sink.
2. We need God’s Armour This is a real battle, even if we are unaware of it. What sort of help does God provide for us? How are we to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power? Well let’s look, secondly, at verses 14-17, where Paul says we need God’s armour. We could spend all day discussing this second part of our passage. Litres of ink have been used in an attempt to unlock the secret of why truth is described as a belt, and not as a breastplate. But we are not meant to go into minute detail here. This is, after all, a rousing call to battle which is supposed to encourage us, not a coded checklist that we have to decipher and analyse. Paul is simply highlighting the characteristics we will need to survive in such a spiritual battle. If you want to be a good soldier of Christ in the world then here’s what you need. · Truth · Righteousness · Readiness · Faith · Salvation · and the Word
Paul has used all these words before in Ephesians so we can easily work out what he means. Let’s see if we can make sense of this armour by looking at Ephesians itself. Truth has been mentioned before, in 1:13 for example (if you’d like to turn to it). And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation
And 4:21 says Surely you heard of him (Jesus that is) and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus
So, coming back to 6:14, the belt of truth that we are to buckle around our waist - the thing which keeps everything together, must be the gospel of truth, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith. What about the breastplate of righteousness? If we flick back to chapter 4 verse 24, we see that we are told to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
So the breastplate of righteousness has something to do with our lifestyle, our pursuit of holiness. What about our shoes? Chapter 6 verse 15 makes it clear that we are to be ready, at any time, to share the gospel of peace with anyone who asks us about it - ready to answer questions and alert to opportunities. The shield of faith and the helmet of salvation in verses 16 and 17 are also fairly self-explanatory once we have looked at the rest of the letter - our salvation is by grace, through faith. This is the gospel. Every piece of armour has something to do with the gospel. So, in other words, to put on the armour we need to know the gospel and have a gospel lifestyle. It is as simple as that. If we want to be strong in God’s mighty power, then we don’t need to be especially clever. We don’t even need to have had an extraordinary spiritual experience of some kind. We need, says Paul, to know the gospel and have a gospel lifestyle. That’s the way to fight the enemy. See Section Living The Faith I’m sure that we know this already. But what do you wear for work? Is it a business suit that enables you to blend in with everybody else? If so, is your lifestyle also indistinguishable from everybody else’s? Or do you wear the whole armour of God, so that your work is characterised by truth and righteousness? It might make us look pretty silly, when everyone else is just interested in profit, but we are supposed to be like Jesus every day of the week. But are we just trying to get through the day so we can go home and rest, rather than engaging in the battle and looking out for opportunities to share the gospel? Do you wear God’s suit of armour to work, or just an Armani suit that helps you blend in with everybody else? If we want to survive as Christians at all - when we’re on the battlefield we have to wear armour, or we will quickly stumble and fall. We’ve got to know the gospel and live the gospel, every minute of every day: that’s what it means to be a soldier of Christ. That’s what it means to do things in God’s strength.
3. We need to Pray So thirdly then, Paul tells us that we need to pray. Look at verse 18: pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints
If we want to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power as we face the pagan world, we have got to wear God’s armour. We have got to know the gospel and live it out. But we must also pray. If we forget to do any of these things we are living in our own strength and we won’t last very long. So we need to pray for ourselves. We need to pray that we will keep going. If God is the one with all the mighty power to sustain us in our struggle, then we need to ask him for it. And we shouldn’t just think of ourselves either. “Keep on praying for all the saints” Paul says - other Christians are fighting the same battle. We’re in this together. Our prayer lives will be more effective if we keep this in mind and keep on praying for others to be good soldiers of Christ. And finally, says Paul, pray for the people who are involved in proclaiming the gospel. Chapter 6 verse 19, Paul says: 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
Those who teach and preach the gospel are also involved in the spiritual battle. They too need God’s help and power, so that they can be bold and fearless as they teach. It is very easy to be timid. When we think of our missionaries abroad, it is easy to just think about the money they need to keep going. For sure, they need our money, God’s money that is, or they will soon starve. But most of all they need our prayers. Many, like Paul, face persecution for their faith. Some see little or no fruit after years and years of faithful ministry. It must be very tempting to just give up and go home. Or if they are not quite ready to give up, it must be just as tempting to soften the impact of the gospel in order to escape persecution. “Pray that I may declare the gospel fearlessly” says Paul, “as I should”. Even the Apostle Paul needed God’s strength to keep him going, so we shouldn’t expect our missionaries, or our preachers and teachers in our local church to get by without our prayers. Do we pray for them, that they would be faithful in studying and preaching God’s Word? Or do we take them for granted? Do we assume that they will go on faithfully preaching the gospel without our prayer support? Running to Stand Still Before we finish, we must return to the question I posed at the beginning. What kind of battle is this that we are involved in? Is it a hard slog with little or no chance of real progress this side of heaven? Or is it a triumphant march across the land, claiming the country for God every step of the way? Well, I think we can see that there is some truth in both of these positions. The fight is a very real one, against powerful enemies. And all we are expected to do, says Paul, is stand. Look at 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. Stand firm then....
It is as if we are standing with our faces to the wind, using all our energy just to keep ourselves upright. In fact, we need all God’s energy to keep ourselves upright, so the battle must be very fierce indeed. But there is no hint in the text that this is an offensive war. We are not encouraged to strut around like a Christian Arnold Schwartzenegger, hacking our spiritual enemies to pieces with a huge Excaliber-like sword! The armour Paul encourages us to wear is all defensive. Even the Sword of the Spirit is a defensive weapon. The word for sword there simply refers to a small dagger, used by Roman soldiers as a last line of defence. So is the battle just a hard slog with no real prospects of success? Indeed not. For we may be fighting a defensive war, but we are only doing so because we are already home and dry. We have the advantage, we occupy the high ground. Indeed, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, saved by grace. The entire universe is being brought together under Christ, until all his enemies are made like a footstool for his feet, as Psalm 110 puts it. The Christian fights from a position of strength, a position that was won for us on the Cross 2000 years ago, and which we are in no hurry to give up. We do not need to be afraid of the devil and all his minions of darkness. They have lost, and they know it. The spiritual forces of darkness - they are the ones who are afraid. The victory is ours, through our Lord Jesus Christ. All we must do is maintain our hold on what he has given us. To sum up then, let’s not be naïve about the struggles that we will face as we turn outwards to face the world. It is hard to be a Christian in an unbelieving world. So we need to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty strength by putting on the armour he has provided: which means knowing and living the gospel. And let’s be constantly in prayer for ourselves and for others as we engage in this battle together. When the enemy presses in hard, do not fear! The battle belongs to the Lord. Or, as the old hymn puts it: Stand up, Stand up for Jesus,
Stand in his strength alone.
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armour,
Each piece put on with prayer.
When duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
Let’s pray. Father God,
Thank-you for calling us to be your ambassadors in the world.
Thank-you for your power and your strength which keeps us going.
Help us to know, tell, and live the gospel,
for the sake of our friends who do not yet know you,
and for the sake of your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen. | 
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