The text this morning is from Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, the sixth chapter:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
The armor of God of which Paul speaks has often been demonstrated like a soldier going off to war. But I’d like to give you a different picture of the necessity of this armor, one that I think is more in line with what Paul is saying.
We’re used to thinking of soldiers. We’ve been in a state of war in this country since 9/11. We see soldiers on the streets, in the airports, on the bus. We see our soldiers in uniform, wearing their BDUs, or now, their ACUs all over. As they’re walking among us, we don’t often see, though we know a soldier has been issued them, their sidearm, their rifles, their grenades, their helmet, their body armor. When a soldier is at home, the need of these things isn’t really there. But when they’re in combat, it would be idiotic to go without them.
A soldier, then, as we think about them, fights. They fight to protect our freedoms. They fight to defend the defenseless. They fight so that we don’t have to. They fight and they dress appropriately for it. And that’s how many have portrayed Paul’s description: gearing up for the fight.
But, I think there’s a different way to think about the kind of soldier Paul is telling us to be today. He’s calling us to be defensive, not offensive. Think of it this way: Aaron Rogers isn’t called to defend field position is he? He’s called to get the ball down the field. He’s called to play offense. That’s why he wears the pads he does. Reggie White wasn’t called to receive the football, but instead to defend, to keep the enemy where they were. It’s why his pads were bigger and thicker. It’s kind of like that. The armor that Paul calls you to put on is necessary, because a soldier without armor is like a pixie stick in a rainstorm. But the armor is different.
The armor we put on is weight down, so to speak, like we were playing defense, because we’re not actually on the front lines. We aren’t the first called into battle. We’re not the taking on the world, fighting the fight to win. In fact, the battle has already been won. To that end, all we do is occupy the enemy’s territory while they try to take it back.
See, the reality is that Jesus is the only soldier we need. He is, in fact, the only soldier on the field. He’s running around doing what He needs to do, while we sit back and watch, ready to defend. After all, think of what Paul is telling us to wear: the belt of truth, which is there to speak the truth of the Scriptures, which is the truth of Christ crucified for the sake of the world. He tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is Jesus’ declaration that you are holy as He is holy. He says to wear shoes of readiness, which are there to take you to where you can tell people of what Jesus has done. The shield of faith guards you against the accusations of Satan, when he claims that you are a sinner and you look at him and say, Yep, what of it. I have a great Savior than my sin. The helmet of salvation is there to guard your mind that you might remember what Christ has done for you to bring you into everlasting life. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, for what purpose? To pray, to pray for those around you, to ask God to protect them and guard them until the final day comes.
That’s the armor of God. What part of that sounds like you’re charging into battle? What part of that sounds like you’re on the front lines? You’re back in the castle, safe and secure, while Christ is out there like our own Goliath. Christ is out there, making the enemy scared of Him because of strength, His stature, His might. I’m not saying He is evil like Goliath, but that He fights like him. Jesus is a great, better, righteous Goliath. And He fights for you.
In the meantime, we’re called to lift one another up, to protect and pray for one another, to speak the truth in love, and to watch as Jesus tears into the enemy. I’m not saying that we don’t need to be doing work, we do. We’re just not fighting the battle for our salvation. After all, why would be fighting to win eternal life, when it’s already placed upon us in our armor by the waters of Baptism? That’s why we’re called to escape the temptation of the flesh, to leave behind and try to stop the evil things that come out of our hearts and minds. Not because doing so contributes in any way to our eternal life, but that doing so helps out neighbor.
The work we do as Jesus fights is all for our neighbors. To leave behind theft means your neighbor never needs fear for their possessions. To leave behind lust means your neighbor never needs fear for their chastity. To leave behind covetousness means your neighbor never needs fear that they’re doing their living alone, but always have your help. To leave behind murder means they’ll never fear for their lives. I’m not saying this is easy. I’m not even saying that you’ll ever be successful at it, but don’t you want to be? While Jesus is doing the hard work of fighting the battle, don’t you want to be helping others, living in harmony with them, kicking back and enjoying the fruits of Jesus’ labor and the fruits, even, of your own labor? Of course you do, or you should.
We should want to make sure that what’s coming out of our hearts is the righteousness of Christ. And when it’s not, and it’s often not, we should repent quickly so that we might receive the forgiveness of sins through the warrior Himself. And He can forgive our sins because He has fought the battle for us. His sacrifice on the battlefield is righteous and pleasing to God. His armor was nothing more than a loincloth, His helmet a crown of thorns, His sword and shield were two sides of the cross, His boots a nail through both, His belt a whip. He looked to be easily defeated, but looks are deceiving.
This weak armor was in fact the very means by which Jesus defeated and continues to defeat the enemy, whether that is Satan, the world, or our sinful flesh. By the cross of Christ, The strife is o'er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun. The powers of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions has dispersed. Let shouts of holy joy outburst. The three sad days are quickly sped; He rises glorious from the dead. All glory to our risen Head. He closed the yawning gates of hell; the bars from heaven's high portals fell. Let hymns of praise his triumph tell. Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee, from death's dread sting thy servants free, that we may live and sing to thee. Alleluia!
All you now have to do is enjoy the victory Christ has won for you. It is freeing, knowing that we need not fight that battle, and that forgiveness is there when we battle against our own flesh. It’s all done for you. It’s over. You are a soldier, yes, but a soldier who needs do nothing but watch and wait for Christ’s return to raise you from the grave. It’s almost done, my friends; He’s coming soon. Alleluia! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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