Ephesians 6. 10-24: "Spiritual Warfare"

Finally... we come back to the story of how the Church started at Ephesus. Paul was teaching the wee group of Christians and loads of people became Christians.  There were healings and people set free from evil stuff in their lives. I won't go into the details, but something happened that made everyone know that Jesus was bigger and stronger than any other spiritual force. More people became Christians and brought all the rubbish to do with their old lives, books about magic, horoscopes, tarot cards, and burned them. Then the guys who made and sold little statues of the local goddess Diana , realised they could end up going out of business and started a riot

... From the very start at Ephesus the church had been in the middle of a battle, and, as Paul writes, the battle continues: he is "in chains" (v20) for his faith in Jesus. The Battle continues for us, too.  We are called upon to take our stand, and to wrestle (hand to hand) and to resist

The problem... Some of us would rather bury our heads in the sand and ignore what god's word says about a spiritual battle. "Isn't it more important to just follow Jesus than to bother about the devil?"  Some people aren't too sure whether they believe what the bible says about spiritual warfare. Some people would rather pretend there is no such thing as spiritual warfare.  When I was a kid we an encyclopedia, which had an article on "snakes", which had one or two black-and-white photos: I was almost afraid to touch these in case I got bitten.  Some of us might feel a bit like that about spiritual warfare. If we open the book the snake might jump out of the page and bite us!  OR we are tempted to think, as my Grandpa would say, "let sleeping dogs lie!"

Montgomery

But are not to sit around being afraid that we might get eaten up by the enemy. Paul says "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" or in the CEV "let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong."  I'm told that when Field Marshall Montgomery was appointed to lead the 8th army in North Africa, he said, "After having an easy war, things have now got much more difficult." Someone said, "Cheer up" and Montgomery said, "I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Rommel!"  I like that.  When Jesus walked the road to the Cross, he could have said "After an easy war, things are going to get much more difficult - not for me, for the devil."  We need to be confident in our General. Jesus is bigger than the enemy, and he is able to lead us into victory.

So how are we to stand, resist, and wrestle? How are we actually to conduct this warfare in such a way that, at the end of it, we a re still standing?

Firstly, know your enemy.
Another story about Montgomery. When he was conducting the North Africa Campaign in 1942-3, he had a photograph of the German General Rommel in his HQ.  We need to know one or two things about our enemy.
1. To be aware we are in a battle, - not just with human nature or with the Roman Empire or Jewish religion, it's not just Blood and flesh, but with what Paul calls "Spiritual hosts
2. They are "Spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places".   Right through Ephesians Paul is aware of what he calls principalities and powers (Eph 1. 21, 2. 2, 3. 10)
3. Take your stand against the Devil's schemes.  Schemes are methodias. What does that sound like? Methods.  A method is literally a road together, a round about rout, a work-around.  What are his methods?  The main battlefield is the mind; he uses our thinking in a number of ways.
Beliefs... doubting or distorting God's word; thinking we know better than God's word; doubting whether God could really love me.
Attitudes: wanting what isn't mine; resentment and not forgiving; hating other people;; or living in fear.
Doing:  our actions can affect our minds. If we mess with drugs including alcohol, we mess up our minds. If we mess about with occult stuff - including Horoscopes, Tarot, Ouija boards, séances, we open up our minds to the enemy. Sometimes weird things happen to people, randomly: feeling there is someone in the room for example.  Now some of these things sometimes involve tricks or co-incidences.  But sometimes they don't.  And even if they do involve tricks, they are still Satan's methods to get you playing around with things that will pull you in.  Leave well alone!

Secondly, be equipped.
This is mentioned twice: verses 11 & 13.  And it is God's armour. It is the same stuff that God shows when he goes to war against the enemy...The armour is described:
1. The belt of truth, v. 14   A well-fastened belt was essential if a Roman Soldier was going to be able to move quickly and freely.  It is truth, integrity, honesty that makes us able to do that.   God's word is truth.  We have on the belt of truth when we are reliable, faithful people who don't just talk about the Bible as truth but who live truth-filled lives.
2. The breastplate of righteousness, v. 14 . The Roman soldier had a metal waistcoat that protected his heart, lungs, and other vital organs. Righteousness means doing what is right.  It encompasses our concern for purity and poverty. Purity means the stuff you watch on TV or films, and whether you care what other people watch. Did you know that 20% of all eight-year olds in Britain have seen nudity online? It means the jokes you tell. It means the language you use. Poverty means that we care about the fact that ten million people are starving in Africa.  There are just over 5 million people living in Scotland.  Righteousness wants to respond to that because it's not right that so many should starve in our world.
3. Readiness given by the gospel of peace, as shoes for your feet.  v. 15  Grab the gospel: the good news of Jesus is bad news for Satan, for sin, for death.  We need to grasp the Kingdom of God, and go where the gospel wants to go, and know the changes that the Good News of Jesus produces in our lives. As we do that, we are getting ready for the spiritual battle. The Good news, the Gospel, is about the Kingdom. The Gospel is about the fact that the world was in the grip of evil, it was all full of suffering, and god did something to rescue the world, to heal the suffering and forgive the wrong.
4. The shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; v. 16.  This is the last in a list of things to do.  "Faith" is like the big shield that roman soldiers used. It was covered with leather which would be soaked before going into battle; then if the enemy fired burning arrows, the tips doused with tar and set alight, these would be put out when they hit the damp shield.  When all of a sudden the enemy throws things at us, whether they are doubts or temptations or suffering, it is our faith that keeps these things from harming us.
So there are four things to hold on to: honesty, right living, Good news and faith. And there are two things to receive as gifts from God
5. The helmet of salvation. God has already rescued you from being an enemy prisoner.  If you are a believer you are already seated in the heavenly places in Christ.   If you have received that salvation, you are saved and safe.
6. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, v. 17 That's the only thing we have to fight back with.  We need to take as God's gift, his word.  To learn it; study it, and to tell the Good news to others.  It's the Spirit's sword.  We don't sue it on our own. We use it in the Spirit's power; and as we do, God uses his Word to change his world.


Lastly, Pray! 
We stand wearing the armour; and take our stand by praying in the Spirit... not just our own ideas and thoughts, but knowing the Holy Spirit is leading us and helping us as we pray.  This sums up what Paul has already taught in this letter: we have access to talk to God by his Spirit (2. 18); we are built into a place for God to live, by the Spirit (2. 22); the Spirit fills us (5. 18)... so we keep alert, we pray, we persevere, we support others in service and witness, through our prayers. Paul says "pray for me."  So Pray for me as your pastor. Pray for those who work in cross-cultural mission; pray for those who have special opportunities because they are the only Christian at home or at work.

© Gilmour Lilly July 2011