Ephesians 6:10-18

I think in the church sometimes, we get so used to famous verses from the Bible (like this one) that we not longer give them the appropriate attention they need. How many times have we heard bible studies, youth lessons, children's teachings and sermons on The Armor of God? If you grew up in church like...it has got to be dozens of times. But as you read through it today, I want you to forget that you have read this a hundred times and I want you to really try to grasp why Paul felt it was so important for Christians to see these attributes of faith as pieces of armor used in preparation for war.

The first line highlights the ultimate human problem - pride. We try to take care of everything on our own. We think we are strong enough...smart enough...good enough to handle anything on our own...and I just want to ask - how has that worked out for you so far? Not well, if you are like me. We cannot find purpose on our own. We cannot find fulfillment. We cannot save ourselves. We are not strong enough. We will always let ourselves and others around us down! That is why we cannot be anchored in ourselves...we must find our strength in the might of God.

In verse eleven and twelve Paul lays out for us the gravity of the situation. We need to prepare ourselves for war, because that is exactly what we are caught in the middle of. In our current-day culture we think very little about the realities of spiritual warfare that are constantly going on around us. It just doesn't fit into a nice little scientific bubble...and it is just plain freaky to think about. But Jesus, Paul and all the other Old and New Testament writers understood that there is a battle being waged that we cannot always see. There are temptations and whispers and obstacles that are being thrown at you from behind the veil of the physical world and you need to be prepared to face these things...you need to understand that these things are a reality so that you can call upon the spiritual light of God to help you combat these unseen foes.

Why do we put on the armor of God? So that we can stand firm in the faith and stand toe to toe with evil in this world. Isn't that what you want to do? Isn't that what you want your kids to do? One of my goals in training up teenage disciples of Christ is to shape them so that they can stand confidently in their faith after they leave the youth ministry. Paul is giving us the inside track on what needs to be in place to have that kind of confidence.

The belt of truth. Why is truth important? Why is it crucial for you to understand the reality of what is going on around you in the world...to understand God's narrative that has been playing out since the beginning of time? Because it is the lies that lead us away from God...that lead us away from truth. The lie that everything revolves around you. The lie that someone else can fulfill your every need. The lie that you will be happy if you can just get more stuff! You must have God's truth holding everything together in order to see the lies for what they are.

Breastplate of righteousness. What is righteousness? When you are righteous...it basically means that you are in a right relationship with God and because of that right relationship with God you can have right relationships with others. Righteousness comes from God because God, even while we were still His enemies, gave His life so to pay the price for our sins and to make things right between us. Do you allow that truth to shape who you are...how deeply you love God...how you treat others?

Shoes of the Gospel. What is the Gospel? It is the Good News that God loved you so much that He came down to earth in the form of Jesus Christ. It is the Good News that Jesus died on the cross to save us knowing that we could not save ourselves. It is the Good News of the freedom, forgiveness and righteousness that come through that gift. Why shoes? Because shoes take you where you want to go...and if you understand the truth of who God is and how much He loves you...if you understand the righteousness that came to you through Jesus Christ...then you want to go and tell others about the Good News!

Shield of Faith. What is faith? To quote the Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." Faith is crucial to our lives and crucial in the unseen battle raging around us. Even when you don't have all the answers...even when you don't understand why things are happening...faith is trusting in God regardless. Faith is clinging to the hope that had been given to you by God...faith is believing that God is who He said He was, even when you cannot see Him with your eyes...faith is vital in the midst of this faithless world.

Helmet of Salvation. What is salvation? It is the great rescue. It is the moment that you exited the grip of death and found true life. It is the weight of sin being lifted from your soul - taken by Jesus Christ. It is freedom. And when you don the helmet of salvation...you are etching into your mind the way that Jesus brought you back from death...you are writing on your soul how you were once lost and are now found. It is with you every day and it reminds you that you need to live like the saved, not the condemned. It shapes the way you talk to people...it shapes the way you act...because you have been given a new lease on life and you should use it to honor God and change the world.

Sword of The Word of God. Why a sword? I thought Jesus said that if we live by the sword we will die by the sword. Why does Paul close out his description of the armor of God with a weapon? Because we are not called to be the doormats of the world. We are not called to just sit back and taking anything the the evil forces of this world have to throw at us. We are not called to sit in little holy huddles with other Christians while the world goes to hell in a hand-basket. God's Word gives us ammunition. God's Word cuts through the lies of the world that are constantly flying at us. God's Word shows us what we are supposed to care about. God's Word shows us what we are supposed to stand up for. With God's Word written on our hearts and minds and lives we can show the world the absurdity of evil...we can show a better way...we can strike blow after blow to the evil schemes of the accuser.

Ephesians 2:1-10

What was the main point of this passage? The main point of this passage is the point of everything! Paul really lays it out there for us. We were dead in our sins...followers of evil...children of wrath...living in disobedience...thinking only of ourselves and satisfying the desires of our sinful nature. But God stepped into the equation...even when we were still His enemies...when we were living in open rebellion to the way that He created us to live...He sacrificed Himself four our sins. His amazing grace has given us new freedom and life, and gives us a future, not of annihilation, but a future of immeasurable joy in His presence. Such an amazing passage!!! If you ever want to walk somebody through the Gospel...this would be a great place to turn.

What part o the passages spoke most powerfully to you? There are so many Christians (myself included sometimes, unfortunately) who love to cast judgment on "sinners" outside of the church...who don't make any efforts to reach out to people they consider "screwed up." Th words from Ephesians 2:5 just jumped off the page and burned themselves into my soul..."even when we were dead in our trespasses, made alive together with Christ." I was shown absolutely undeserved mercy by God...I was living in opposition to His way...I was warring against everything I was created to be...and God still chose to act on my behalf. He still chose to die for me. He chose to pay the penalty for my sins. Do you ever really think about that? Would you die for your enemies? So that they might experience freedom? That's what God did. How can we, who have been forgiven of countless sins, treat others unmercifully?

What questions does this passage bring to mind for you? I am always drawn to the interesting reference Paul makes to the "prince of the power of the air." What does that mean? Who is he talking about? I think we know who this is talking about, don't we? The Bible boldly explains to us that we are caught in the middle of a war between good and evil. There are evil forces that exist in the unseen spiritual world that are impacting the events that take place in the physical world. I think we do ourselves a disservice when we picture the devil as a slender guy in a red tuxedo, with horns, a tail, a pencil thin mustache, a pointy goatee and pitch fork. When we picture the personification of evil like this, it tends to make the devil into something almost funny or more a con artist than the embodiment of wrongness. The word translated as air here in this passage, is "pneuma" which is also know as "spirit." The devil is not dancing in your shoulder, whispering funny comments in your ear...the devil is best understood as an evil spiritual presence that is a driving force behind the wickedness that takes place every day in this world. Evil exists...we all know it does...we have seen it...maybe we have taken part in it. There is a spiritual war that is waging all around us all the time...and when we choose to listen to the lies of the spirit of evil...when we choose to give in to the twisted and selfish longings of our sinful nature - we become the children of disobedience. We trade in the family of God for a heritage of evil and destruction. This is no laughing matter and something we must be keenly aware of.

What does this passage challenge you to do? This was a great passage for me to read this morning, because I have already been struggling with my own human selfishness today. Things have been going very well spiritually for me lately...but I woke up this morning with a bent towards only thinking of myself. I could feel my thoughts start to turn towards complaining...I could feel a little selfish bitterness creep into my heart...the demons that I think we all struggle with sometimes that say, "What do you want? What do you deserve? What about you?" they began to sink their claws into me, and I could feel my attitude darken. Then came Ephesians 2:1-10, and it painted a picture for me of what was happening. I was listening to the lies of this world...the lies that the prince of evil has sown into every human culture...the lies that tell us that we should worship the "self." This passage reminded me about what truly matters...it reminded me about the freedom and love that are available to me as a gift from our Father God...it reminded me about how much I have to be thankful for. I was challenged to reset my mind on the things above and work today to ignore the lies that are swirling all around me.