Ephesians 6: 10 -20

“We Are At War”

The heavenly realms: you ever have the empty feeling that more goes on than we can truly grasp? We get up and do our routine. We get the kids to school, get to work, get to the store, get to church, get meals ready, and somewhere in that day we get a chance to make a few decisions. But what n motivates us to do the wrong things and what motivates us to do the right things. I still get a chuckle out of the cartoons that draw out the little red devil on one shoulder and the bright angel on the other shoulder. It real seems to be a true picture of our daily battles. We really are at war. Paul says in Galatians, “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other” (Galatians 5:17 ). We are at war. And Paul gives us some good rules for that war: Know your enemy, Wear your Armor, and Know your Champion.

1. Know Your Enemy - Know your Battles

Paul says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Many great military leaders have taken note of a long standing rule of battle: Know your enemy.” Knowing your enemy also means knowing how to chose your battles well and fight them more effectively.

Our battle is not always so readily seen. Our enemy is a spiritual enemy. He is a roaring lion prowling around seeking for someone to devour (1 Peter5:8). He is a tricky enemy. He hides behind fruit that appears good and pleasing to the eye. Eve’s assumption was that the Devil was offering something that was to her benefit. That is our sinful nature listening. Our battle is not against physical things as much as it a spiritual warfare against the lies and tricks the devil plays in the spiritual forces of darkness.

The devil has been at war for a long time. Paul reminds us that the Devil has flaming arrows of evil. His lies have plagued God’s people for generations. He is still our enemy. He dresses some of those lies up in new ways, but they are still the same lies. Now he has help from the world. TV personalities who are held up as role models, but turn out to be people who lead us down the wrong path. Web-sits that we know we have no business opening, let alone try and rescue our kids from them. Then there is always that invitation to gossip, or the opportunity to ‘get away with sin’ when no one is looking. The devil works hard. And one of his greatest schemes is to turn our weariness into laziness. The battle gets harder and harder and we grow weary. We say we need a rest and the devil has us right where he wants us. Know your enemy - know the battle.

2. Wear Your Armor - Use Your Weapons

Now is the time to put on the full armor of God. Now is the time to use the weapons God has given to us. And those weapons are spelled out clearly: “the belt of truth buckled around your waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God and finally prayer.”

The full armor of God is summarized very simply: The Word of God. The battle is fought well with that one useful weapon. With every family devotion the devil takes a fall. At every personal study of the Word, the devil takes another hit. His flaming arrows are extinguished. The Word of God builds the shield of faith. It strengthens families. It strengthens congregations. It strengthens God’s Church. And the way to wear it as armor is to use it and to put it into practice. Jesus tells us “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28).  Study the Word of God and Pray for the Holy Spirit without ceasing. Wear your Armor - Use your weapons.

By the way – It worked for Jesus, who was tempted in every way. He used the Word of God in his fight against the devil in the desert. Three times he replied, “It is Written: and the devil had no ground to stand on. We take our stand where our Savior did – The Word of God.

3. Know Your Champion - Know True Peace

I know I am not supposed to keep on sinning. I know I’m not supposed to fall into temptation  Yes, we have lost some battles and we will lose more. But we aren’t the true champions. We are the ground soldiers fighting as war that already been won. And when we get beat down and tired and guilt driven, we know where to go. We have a true champion, who says “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest – for your souls” (Matthew 11: 28 – 30).

Knowing our Champion also means knowing true peace. Notice that at the heart of all our weapons Paul brings up the Gospel of Peace. We may be at war with the devil, but we have true peace with God. He sacrificed his Son to delver us from the devil, from death, and from ourselves. Every sin is paid for. All guilt is taken away. The devil has lost. Death has been swallowed up in the victory of Easter. Jesus is our true Champion who has one the war to give us true peace with God. It never matters how often we fall in battle. He lifts us up again and allows us to stand our ground. Knowing Christ means knowing peace in the midst of our earthly struggles against temptation. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that he might destroy him who holds the power of death … Because he himself was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.(2:14; 18) and “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.”

Know your enemy – know your battles. Wear your armor – use your weapons. Know your Champion – know true peace – the peace that comes from knowing that are sins are forgiven and that we to will live in eternity with our Champion – Christ Jesus.

Amen