Spirital Weapons Ephesias 6:10-18

In the 1959 film Ben Hur a Jewish man named Judah struggles against the great Roman war machine during the times of Christ. Judah has an archenemy, Messala, a friend from childhood, who despises him because he will not submit to the Roman rule and way. As the story advances so does the presence and chilling power of the Roman military might. Judah Ben Hur and Messala come to an epic battle of force and power in the grand arena. Judah is seen with a simple tunic, while his opponent is robed in the majesty of the Roman Military. The two former friends, now bitter enemies, duel to the death in great chariots as a wild Roman crowd cheers them on.

This film depicts a very real historical situation.  All around the city of Rome and throughout the Roman Empire symbols of power and prestige were evident. Great statues of Roman gods and leaders lined the streets. Flowing banners hung from buildings with royal colors and images. There was not a corner of the Roman Empire which did not declare itself.  One of the greatest symbols of power was the Roman soldiers' dress. Everywhere you looked, during those days, the awesome and intimidating power of the military could be seen. Roman soldiers were fitted with red and white tunics, which were worn under a shining breastplate, fashioned after the musculature and physique of the ideal man. Around each soldier’s waist was a great belt on which their sword could be attached and from which a skirt of metal pleats shone in the sun. Each Roman solider wore a metal helmet and his feet were fitted with shoes enabling him to run or stand on the roughest of terrain.

It was in this context that one of the real and great early Christians met with the Roman powers in a most unhappy way. The Apostle Paul had been traveling around evangelizing for a number of years. After many confrontations with religious leaders, who were in league with the Roman government, the powerful people decided to put him away simply for proclaiming the Gospel.

I imagine that Paul, as would any citizen in the Roman Empire, recognized the steps of the guard as they came to arrest him. I imagine the clanking of the metal swords against the armored skirt and the rustle of the great plumed helmets caused his heart to beat a little faster. As the soldiers grabbed him and tied his hands behind his back I imagine that he was afraid. And when the prison doors slammed I imagine he prayed earnestly that God would deliver him.

It was in prison that Paul was forced to study the great brick walls, get acquainted with the rats, read and write by candlelight at night and try to sleep on damp straw with a rough blanket. I imagine that he studied something else as well. He studied the armor of the soldiers who guarded him. This armor represented the power that could have him put to death. This armor could have become symbols he would hate and revile. Each time he heard the footsteps of the soldiers, each time he caught glimpses of the sabers shining next to the breastplates, I imagine he could have let hatred become his constant companion. He was there because the powers and the principalities had manipulated a government and a military to destroy what was good and right.

It was in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus that Paul acknowledged the reality of the Christians battle. He wrote about it this way.  For 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.  (Ephesians 6:12)

Last week we explored the reality that the devil is like a roaring lion seeking those he can devour. This enemy of the Kingdom of God and our souls is strong. Look up Satan in a good Bible dictionary to explore all the passages that describe the devil.  Be aware of his work and then learn from the many examples of those in the Bible and elsewhere how he can be overcome. We are engaged in a mighty conflict.

Paul understood this conflict on those dark and lonely nights. In that jail cell, because the love of Jesus was poured into his heart, he could see that these soldiers with their armor were nothing more than pawns the devil being used to try to defeat the Christian movement.  And then in moments of triumph and joy, the transforming work of Christ continued. Paul’s eyes were opened and his heart was moved.  The symbols of imperial powers were transformed into the symbols of weapons of righteousness!

I imagine the day that Paul caught this reality it completely transformed his experience in prison. From that moment on he was captivated by the spiritual truth that was far greater than the Roman military. And then he had to write and encourage his friends.

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

By this time in his life, having faced many, many obstacles in spreading the Gospel, Paul could clearly see the spiritual battle.  And this battle was more than about his imprisonment.  He wanted to equip his Christian friends even better than the Roman guards were equipped.  This is enormously invigorating and encouraging. Here was a man who has been through beatings, imprisonments, torture and troubles of all kinds, making it plain to the New Testament Christians that Satan is resistible, that we have spiritual weapons that can and will defeat the attacks of our spiritual enemy.

With Paul’s great declaration others were added.  James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," And Simon Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. The great leaders of the New Testament church attested to the same thing—we can resist and fight Satan. We don't need to be bothered with the false statement, "The devil made me do it." We don't need to be cowed by our peers saying, "Everyone else is doing it. You'll give in eventually." When we know that Jesus Christ lives in our hearts and gives us the power to resist the devil we have the ability to put on his armor.  And look at what we have available to us!

The Belt of Truth

This is the great belt that holds everything together. It wraps around our waist giving us the reminder that the Truth sets us free. When God’s truth is imbedded in our hearts through the memorization of Scripture, the remembrance of what God has done for us and through the great and good fellowship of other believers—we have a belt that can never be loosed or cut by any other person or force.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Jesus Christ gives us the desire and the ability to receive his righteousness. Do you know what this means? All we have to do is kneel down in humility and let God put his righteousness on us. This is a defensive weapon designed to guard our hearts. When our hearts are right and healed by God we will know what right actions should be taken. When the enemy of our souls tries to slash at our hearts through horrifying events, personal crisis, disappointment and illness, his weapons are met with the image and reality of God’s strength around us. Isn't it wonderful to know that we don't have to hammer out a breastplate of righteousness ourselves? It is already available for us.  All we have to do it put it on.

Feet Fitted with Readiness that Come from the Gospel of Peace

I love the way Paul twists this image to portray peace instead of war. When a soldier is strapping on his boots it's a time to get into "the zone." It is time to get psyched up to enter battle. By the time the boots are on it's time to roll. Does it seem odd to you to put on a weapon of peace? It seems so opposite of being psyched up for battle. Peace is tranquil and lovely. Peace is light and happy. Or is it? Peace, true peace, comes in the midst of battle, in the middle of the pain, in the middle of the heat. Peace is what speaks confidently in the storm, "I know that God has a way through this." That is a gift and a weapon unlike any other.

How do you imagine the enemy responds to that kind of confidence? I don't think he can stand it because he wants us to believe that we are already defeated. He doesn't know the truth, does he? Or maybe he does and he just continues to be the "father of all lies," as Jesus rightly described him.

The Helmet of Salvation

The helmet is specifically designed to protect our heads and our brains. Our brain is the controlling center of our bodies. What we think, how we think, what we remember and what we choose to forget have a powerful effect on how we live out our lives in the rest of our body.  If we think that God will never forgive us because we've been too bad, then we won't be able to receive forgiveness. If we think that we are "damaged goods" we won't care what happens to our bodies.  If we think that our bodies are our own then we will do with them what we want. If we think that "everybody owes us something" then we won't care what we exact from them.  But Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us.  He shed his blood on the cross so that we could know that we are valuable to him and that we could receive his salvation.  The knowledge of this and the act of repenting and turning to God fits that helmet on our head, protecting us.

But there is a greater reality for those who have received salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.   Paul writes in another letter that "we have the mind of Christ” (l Corinthians 2:16).  Many of us do not realize what a great gift we have. We cloud our minds with unforgiveness and images that defile the space that has been designed for God. When we release our minds to God, he fills it up with the good and right things. His words and his Spirit can communicate freely to us when we relax and let him be in charge of our minds. Beautiful thoughts, kind words, right motives and good can flow from within us when we put on the helmet of salvation.

And the devil hates that. He will do what he can to destroy your mind — through corrupt images, resentful thoughts and the abuse of substances. Use what God has given you to put that helmet of salvation on every day.

The Shield of Faith

The next two weapons are some of my favorites. Paul instructs the Christians to pick up the shield of faith. To understand this best we need to get a good grasp on the use of the shield in the Roman military. Most shields were anywhere from 3-5 feet tall, and were covered in such a way that even fire could not break through them.  In addition to this, they were designed to be used next to other shields. They had hooks on both sides of them. One of the greatest and most terrifying things in that day was a line of Roman soldiers with their shields hooked together marching ever toward the enemy. Just behind the front line would be a second line of soldiers holding their shields above their heads. This created a formidable wall, one which could not be penetrated by hand to hand combat, by flaming arrows, or by soldiers running against it.

Again Paul takes this overwhelming image and transforms it for the Christian community. Your shield of faith has the ability, even if it is as small as mustard seed and combined with other believers, to snuff out the attacks of the enemy.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That's faith, my friends. Believing that Jesus Christ will never leave us or forsake us—that's faith. And with that great shield the flaming arrows of doubt, persecution, trouble and sorrow will even fall short of their target fizzling to the ground in smoke. 


The Sword of the Spirit

And then we take up the sword of the Spirit.  Many Biblical scholars note that this is the only offensive weapon Paul admonishes us to take up. All the others are used solely for defense. With the Sword of the Spirit, rightly identified as the Word of God, we can inflict wounds so deep on the enemy that he will back away. It was Jesus who modeled this best for us.  In the Gospels we read the account of his temptations in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11) At every point of temptation by the devil Jesus responded with one singular thing—the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

But beware, my friends, it is more than a matter of just knowing one or two verses, it requires a life-long love of taking the Word of God into your heart and living it out. Satan himself knows the Scriptures! He neither believes in them nor follows them, but he does indeed know them.

Jesus taught us, and the Apostle Paul reiterated it, that the way to do battle with our old enemy the lion is to know and use the Scriptures in a powerful and effective way. How are you, friend, going to get that Word of God into your heart and mind? Find ways to do it and you will have a weapon of great power.

Prayer

Paul had one final weapon which seemed to have no correlation to the garb of his Roman guards. That weapon is prayer. Staying in constant communication with God, pleading with him for strength and mercy, interceding on behalf of others, is one of the most powerful and energizing weapons we have. When we talk with God, asking him for help and listening to him for guidance and encouragement, that old devil knows that we are depending on the great Source of the universe. The devil knows that when we ask the Most High God for help he has nothing with which to defeat him. The devil can only defeat you and me. When I open my mouth and raise my voice to heaven here's what I am saying, "Oh, God. I can't do this on my own. I need your help!"  And help comes—Praise his wonderful Name!

It is interesting to note that this armor does not protect our backs.  Paul was no wimp.  He faced his spiritual battles rather than running away from them. I think this is because he knew that God's got our back. When Christ stands behind us there is no reason to run. When we understand who he is as the Creator and Sustainer, we have courage pouring out us that enables us to stand our ground. When we know that God's got our back, that old lion—as loud and as hungry as he is—cannot destroy our souls and our relationship of love with God.

Every day I put on the full armor of God. I have found it to be powerful, effective and comforting.  I don’t go looking for a fight, because I know I've already got a full-fledged one on my hands. I know I have an enemy. And I also know that I have weapons and, most wonderful and important of all, I know that I have a powerful God who has my back and has given me his weapons to more than survive the battle.

Perhaps today you need to see your troubles differently.  Ask God to transform what you see.  Just as the Apostle Paul saw all the symbols of his battle transformed into symbols of victory, so can we.

Amen.

Copyright M.R. Hyde 2013

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