Introduction
I remember reading an illustration once that said the Christian life is war. But in this particular illustration, the author said that it’s like being a prisoner of war, trapped in a war camp, being beaten, ridiculed, and persecuted each and every day. But all of that is ok because news has gotten to the prisoners in the camp that their side has won the war. The prison guards don’t know it yet, but the prisoners do. So the Christian life is like being in a wartime prison, but it’s also knowing that the war has already been won, and that you are simply waiting to be released from prison. I wonder if that sounds right to you. Well, it doesn’t sound right to me.
While I do believe the Christian life is war, I do not think we Christians are prisoners of war. We are not sitting in a cell or war camp hoping and waiting for release. While there is certainly more freedom to come, Scripture says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Therefore, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16).
We are no longer slaves to sin, Satan, and death. We are now united to Christ, who is our Prophet, Priest, and King, and in Christ that’s who we are as well. We are a holy and royal priesthood, who are not in bondage to the world, the flesh, or the devil, but who make war on the world, the flesh, and the devil. Worship is warfare, and we are called to take ground for covenant and Kingdom in and through worship each Lord’s Day, and following that pattern, everyday of our lives as we take all things captive for Christ. Like the patriarchs of old who set up altars throughout the land to lay claim for the Lord, so we seek to bring all things in submission to Christ, and thus right worship of the triune God. We are not passive prisoners, we are warrior priests who are meant to take all things captive for Christ. And that’s what we’re going to see in God’s Word today. So look with me at Ephesians 6:10-24.
Context
Throughout our journey through Ephesians we have gone from the amazing depths and beauty of Christian doctrine to the all encompassing nature of Christian duty. We’ve seen that Christians are those who are united to Christ. We are in Christ and thus we are the bride of Christ and the body of Christ, and as such we are to live for the glory of Christ. We are to bring every area of life into joyful submission to the Lordship of Christ, starting in the church, then the home, and then the world. All of Christ for all of life. We want to apply all of God’s Word to all of life in all the world for God’s glory, the good of God’s church, and the life of God’s world. And because we have the Holy Spirit within us, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead to gospel-victory, we are empowered to do so. We can live out our identity in Christ by the power of the Spirit of Christ. And so far in Ephesians we’ve seen how to do that in the church, in the home, and today we’ll close out with how to do it throughout the whole of life. So look with me at Ephesians 6:10-24.
Ephesians 6:10–24
In verses 10-12 we read, “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.” Though our enemy is not flesh and blood, we do in fact have a very real enemy. One that hates God and all His glory, and hates us because we were created in the image of God, and as Christians we were redeemed and empowered to live for the glory of God, and we are baptized into the Triune Name of God, united to the Son of God, and since we bear His Name, His enemy, Satan and all of his demons, despise us, and are therefore waging war against us. Satan and his demons, and all those whom they lead and influence are God’s enemies and therefore our enemies.
As we saw last week, we are to have dominion for God’s glory, the good of God’s church, and the life of God’s world. Starting in the church we are to receive, cultivate, and develop culture that glorifies God through the ordinary means of grace, that is the reading, praying, preaching, teaching, singing, tasting, and seeing of God’s Word, in fellowship with the Saints, and by living every aspect of our lives intentionally for the glory of Christ, and spreading it to the ends of the earth, slowly but surely bringing every domain of human existence under joyful submission to the Lordship of Christ. We do that with God’s people in God’s church, and then we do the same in our homes with our children, seeking to bring all of life captive to Christ, and then we are to advance it out into the world. Through faith, family, and industry we are to have dominion, we are to image God and take all things captive for Christ, and the enemy hates this because the enemy hates God.
So what these verses are telling us is that if we are serious about the Christian life we can expect there to be serious conflict. That’s why verse 10 says finally… When you walk the path of faithfulness you are walking into a battle; so as Paul has been breaking down how we are to walk, he’s now stressing that with this walk comes war… And as verse 12 stresses, our war is against Satan, demons, and their effects. That’s the idea behind the list of powers there. And though it says our battle is not against flesh and blood, because we are battling Satan, his army, and their effects, we must battle flesh as well… Namely, our own flesh. So we could read verse 12, we do not wrestle merely against flesh and blood, but also against all of the powers of darkness, for, the primary way that the enemy battles against us is by deceiving us and tempting our flesh.
The thing about our flesh is that it’s all about self: the pleasure of self and the glory of self. So the enemy, knowing this all too well, seeks to deceive us and hide or skew the truth of God’s Word, tempting us to reject God’s Word and to follow our sinful heart instead, to allow the flesh to lead us. But our flesh, nor Satan or his demons ever lead us to true joy or satisfaction. Sin and Satan never keep their promises. The old puritan, Thomas Brooks, said it well when he said, “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst: he promises honor and pays with disgrace, he promises pleasure and pays with pain, he promises profit and pays with loss, he promises life and pays with death; but God pays as He promises, for all His payments are made in pure gold…”
The lies of Satan and the desires of the flesh are what guide the world outside of Christ as well. And so it’s not just Satan and our flesh that we are at war with, but the flesh, the devil, and the world. Because there is no neutrality all who are not with Christ are against Him. Everyone outside of Christ is with the enemy; if he’s not in their hearts he’s certainly in their ears. As Paul said in Ephesians 2, all of mankind outside of Christ is dead in their sin and under the power of Satan. So though we do not wrestle merely against flesh and blood, because we wrestle against all of the powers of darkness, we therefore wrestle with the devil, the flesh, and the world. We have real enemies and are at war, whether we realize it or not. We might like to think that the world around us, or governing officials and organizations are neutral and mean well, even though they are not interested in honoring Christ, but if they are not for Jesus they are against Him, and therefore against us. As many wise men have pointed out, “If the state does not acknowledge God they will seek to take His place.” Which makes sense, because that’s exactly what our flesh wants to do in and of itself.
Beloved, we must not cave to the enemy. We must not believe his lies or fall into his ways, no matter who is presenting them to us, be it the world, the flesh, or the devil himself. We must wage war. And therefore, Paul says, we must, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [We must] Put on the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The enemy has schemes, he has a game plan for victory… He has a strategy to win the war. Do we? Are we mere victims or prisoners of war, or are we actively engaged in the fight?
Paul says we must fight. We must stand. But how do we do that? What does that look like? Well, that’s what we see in the rest of our passage. As verse 13 says, we are to, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” We must stand, we must hold the line in battle, we must stand in God’s strength, which means we must battle in God’s armor. We must put on all of the armor of God and engage in the war that is the Christian life. We must have schemes of our own. In the church, in our homes, and throughout the world, we must have plans and strategies for victory. We must stand and fight.
Starting in verse 14 Paul begins to unpack this for us. He says, “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” Now, before we dive into this piece by piece, let me point out that I think the typical comparison of the armor of God to a Roman soldier is wrong. Though there are some valid comparisons, as a Hebrew, Paul would’ve seen Rome as an enemy, not as an example. At the time Rome was an example of a godless nation whose leaders were seeking to be god. So it seems highly unlikely to me that Paul would point to a pagan enemy as an example. Rather, as pastor Uri Brito has pointed out in his book, The Armor of the Priesthood, I think Paul, as a good Hebrew would, is referencing the Old Testament priestly garments, as well as the literal armor of God, that is the armor of the Lord, the Messiah’s armor.
In the beginning Adam was God’s prophet, priest, and king, meant to to guard what is true, good, and beautiful, to guard what is holy, but also to be fruitful and multiply, and to advance God’s blessings throughout the earth, subduing it, and having dominion over it. In other words, Adam was supposed to fill the earth with the image of God, His glory, and His holiness. Yet Adam failed. But where Adam fails Jesus succeeds. Jesus is our perfect Prophet, Priest, and King. And we are united to Him, and in Him therefore, we are a royal priesthood. Which is why we can now have dominion and advance His glory and what is good, true, and beautiful throughout the earth. Which again is why we have real enemies in this world. So in light of that Paul is calling us to get ready for battle by putting on the armor of God, and as I said, I think that’s a reference to the Old Testament priestly garments, as well as the literal armor of God, that is the armor of the Lord, the Messiah’s armor that is spoken of in Scripture.
We see this language in the passage we read earlier. In Isaiah 11:1-5 God’s Word says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” Or in Isaiah 59:17 it says, “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”
So when Paul refers to the armor of God he’s referring first and foremost to the armor of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, or rather, to the Messiah Himself. That’s why he says in Romans 13:12 and 14, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light . . . . [We are to] put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” So, you see, the armor of God, the armor of light, is the armor of Christ; so when you think about the armor of God think about Jesus—they are one and the same.
The priesthood of old had similar garments, or armor, as well. Both in Exodus 28 and Leviticus 8 we see the garments of the priesthood laid out, meant to consecrate the priesthood, and to display glory and beauty. And think back to why I said the enemies of God are our enemies, because we are made in God’s image and meant to magnify His glory and beauty on earth. And likewise, the priesthood, whether they realized it or not, were clothed in such a way, were armed in such a way that they were to shine out the beauty and the glory of God, even the beauty and the glory of God the Son, the Messiah in all His armor. The two are linked. Which makes sense given that Jesus is our great high priest. As Hebrews 4:14-16 says so beautifully, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus is our great high priest, and in Revelation He is also our warrior King, and in Him we stand as a royal priesthood. And therefore, in order to stand, we must put on His armor.
With that in mind then, Paul says that if we are to stand we must first fasten on the belt of truth. The priests of old would wear a sash that worked like a belt. It brought everything in close and tight, making things fit correctly, and holding everything together. Likewise, the belt of truth, the truth of God’s Word, the truth of the gospel, and the truth of a consistent life—a life of faithfulness where we’re seeking to live for Christ every day, not just on Sunday morning—transforms us, gets rid of our loose ends, and makes us presentable and ready to stand and fight.
So the belt of truth is the absolute objective truth of God’s Word, the truth of the gospel, and the truth of consistent faithfulness, a life lived in accord with the Truth, it’s the foundational Truth that holds everything together. And when we put on the belt of truth it will truly help us stand. Because only in and through God’s Word do we encounter the gospel, and it’s by the gospel that we are saved, transformed, and enabled to live in step with the gospel; and only when we rightly encounter and put on these things can we begin to stand. Only then can we proclaim, as we sang earlier, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…” We stand in, on, and by truth; and as John 14:6 says, Jesus Himself is the Truth, the life, and the way. Which brings us back to the armor being Christ—Jesus is the very embodiment of Truth, and His Truth prepares us for battle.
Next we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A priest’s breastplate was called the breastplate of judgment, which goes right along with righteousness because righteousness is what is just and in line with God’s Law and judgments. Think of a bulletproof vest. A shot to the chest can take you out quickly if you’re not properly protected. Well, likewise, the breastplate of judgment and righteousness is about protection. The priest was to serve and pray for the whole of God’s people. He was to uphold justice and to sacrifice and intercede for all. In other words, he knew and taught that God’s mercy was our only hope of being saved from our unrighteousness, and that in light of God’s mercy we must walk in righteousness. And the breastplate around his chest acted as a guard, or a bulletproof vest that protected his heart and his people from unrighteousness.
The breastplate reminds us that if we are not protected by the righteousness of Christ then we are open for attack, and any attack will be critical. We are safe in spiritual battle insofar as we stand upon Christ’s finished work. Again, as we sang earlier, our hope must be built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. For if we are trusting in anything else, or clothed in anything else we will have no assurance and no holiness. For only when we are looking to Christ are we covered in His righteousness and enabled to live out true righteousness. So, when you think of the breastplate of righteousness think of the righteousness of Christ first and foremost, and then think of your own Christlikeness. For when we are trusting in Jesus alone, and seeking to truly follow Him, then we will be protected from the temptations of Satan, the accusations of Satan, and the foolishness of the world.
The great reformer Martin Luther knew this all too well. He said, “When the devil throws sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.” So you see, the breastplate of righteousness brings assurance and protects us from the shots of the evil one as it not only covers us in Christ’s righteousness but leads us to live a righteous life.
Now look at verse 15. There he says, “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” The priests of old didn’t serve in shoes, but bare feet because they stood on holy ground. They stood in the temple that was the very picture of the gospel and the Messiah to come. It was as if the gospel itself was their shoes. Standing in the temple they ministered and proclaimed the gospel of peace, and the hope of the Messiah, and that seems to be the point. Beloved, if we would truly stand firm against sin, self, and Satan, the world, the flesh, and the devil, if we would stand secure, we must stand in the gospel. Our feet, our very lives must be planted firm in the gospel. So we must know it, understand it, believe it, and cherish it. But we must also advance it. Surely Paul also had Isaiah 52:7 in mind here. It says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” May we be people with beautiful feet who publish peace and salvation, who bring good news of happiness to the world. May we be people who stand in the gospel of peace and advance it.
Now, if we actively seek to not only stand in the gospel, but to advance it, we can be sure that the enemy will be after us. That’s why in verse 16 Paul says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” First, notice that he says we are to take up the shield of faith in all circumstances. Paul seems to be tying this to what he said in verse 13 when he spoke of being able to withstand in the evil day. In one sense, every day since the fall has been evil; but Paul seems to have in mind especially evil days. Days of great trial and temptation. Days when the enemy rages. Sometimes these are days that on the surface don’t seem especially evil, but because of temptation, desire, and opportunity they end up being days of great evil because if we aren’t clothed with the armor of God and resolved to fight, the three sided attack of temptation, desire, and opportunity give way to much sin. But other times these evil days are easily recognizable because they are the worst days of our lives. Days where your world seems to fall apart–where sin or tragedy strike and pain and grief fill your heart. All of us have had days like this, and in one way or another we all have more coming. So, the call here is to resist temptation, put sinful desires to death, and give no opportunity to sin and Satan. Whether we are being tempted to lose all hope and fall into the pit of despair, or whether we are being tempted to give into lust or whatever, we are to take up the shield of faith in all circumstances; on the evil day and on the good, we are to always be ready for war.
But what is the shield of faith? Though it was not seen, the priesthood had a shield with them at all times, namely God Himself. God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:1 that He was his shield and exceedingly great reward. God showed Himself to be Israel’s shield as He led them out of Egypt by a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night, defeating Pharoah and his army, and led His people into freedom. God’s covenant promises and His sovereign grace protected His people from the very worst of their enemies. And likewise God continued on as a shield for His people, especially His priests who served in His presence on behalf of His people for His glory.
Likewise, the shield of faith is what protects us from the attacks and the flaming arrows of Satan. Faith is knowing, loving, resting in, trusting in, delighting in, and treasuring all that God is for us, has done, and will do for us in Christ. It’s trust and obedience in God’s Word, especially God’s promises. It’s what protects us from temptation and condemnation. It’s what keeps us from sinning, or if a flaming dart does land, it’s what pulls us out of our sin, quenching the flame and leading us to repentance. Faith is what keeps us mindful, or reminds us that Jesus is better than anything the world could give us or take away from us, thus enabling us to resist temptation, or to repent before we make shipwreck of our lives. As we soak our mind, our heart, our soul in the water of God’s Word, and so strengthen our faith so that we are ready to stand, come what may, that shield of faith extinguishes the flaming darts of the evil one, and keeps us in right relationship with God.
Now, think about this imagery of a shield. Even the best shield held by an individual isn’t able to protect on all sides. And this is part of the point. The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. The life of faith, sanctification and growth, perseverance, and spiritual warfare as a whole are a community project. In order for Christ to be our shield we must be linked up with the body of Christ. This is one reason why the local church is meant to be central in the life of every Christian. If you wish to be protected from all the flaming darts of the evil one, you must be protected on all sides, and that takes the whole royal priesthood, an army of Christian soldiers—the church. We are to help each other, protect each other, pray for each other, disciple each other, hold each other accountable, and fight for each other, not against each other. As that old prayer of Saint Patrick says, “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise…” Beloved, that isn’t just a spiritual reality meant to be embraced by faith, but a physical reality lived out in the church. The more central the church is to our lives the more Christ is our shield.
Next, in verse 17, he says that we are to, “take the helmet of salvation…” When we think of a helmet we think of a hat that’s meant to protect the head and brain. But the hat the priests of old wore went beyond that, as it had a plate on it that said, “Holiness to the LORD,” marking them out and placing upon them, from the head down, the promises of God. And this is how it is for us as well. The helmet of salvation is like our baptism that reminds us that we are not our own but belong to the Lord, and if we trust and obey Him we will receive covenant blessings, and if we rebel and reject Him we will receive covenant curses. We are holy to the Lord, and the helmet of our salvation is to keep our minds focused on God’s glory, God’s love, God’s mercy, and grace, and thus God’s promises that are received by faith.
The helmet of salvation sits on our head to keep us thinking straight and seeing things rightly. For it is only the Christian worldview, the gospel worldview that sees and understands this world rightly. We are to see all in light of the promises of God. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 that this is the helmet of the hope of salvation. Like our baptism it ties us to the promises of God in the Covenant of Grace, and thus guards us and helps renew our mind, keeping us focused on the right things, and giving us assurance, comfort, and hope as we grab a hold of those things by faith. Through the helmet of salvation we tap into God’s amazing grace, and we see that we are saved by grace, we are being saved by grace, and we will be saved by grace, and thus we have great hope… Because the whole of the Christian life is all of grace… And so, the helmet of salvation keeps our minds on the gracious God of the universe and His will for us.
After walking us through all of this he then points us to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” Now you might not associate a priest with a sword, but just consider what they did most of the time. They prepared and cut up sacrifices, and burned them on the altar. They prepared the sacrifices so that they would be in line with God’s Word and pleasing to Him. No doubt, swords can and should be used for fighting. Even priests should fight this way. Indeed, Adam as the first royal priest was meant to guard what is holy, which means he should’ve chopped that lying serpent’s head off. When sin, Satan, the world, or the flesh creeps in and seeks to do us in, we must fight temptation, we must fight sinful desire, we must fight with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. But each and every day, even if we aren’t in the midst of battle, we must take up the sword of the Spirit in order to prepare ourselves and others, to equip us and to live in a manner pleasing to Him.
Romans 12:1 says that by the mercies of God we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. By God’s merciful gospel Word we are to bring ourselves more and more into submission to the Lordship of Christ. As Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Just as the priests of old had to rightly divide sacrifices for the altar, so the Word works like a scalpel in the hand of a surgeon, removing sin and wickedness from us, and purifying us to be living sacrifices for the glory of our God.
God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit because it is the very Word that God the Holy Spirit inspired, the Word He wrote through the men of His choosing. And He not only inspired it, but He empowers it. He opens our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts to it, and then opens the Word to us, showing us that the God of the Word is better than sin—that He alone is holy, good, and glorious, and that He alone is to be worshiped and adored. Our allegiance is to belong to Him alone. So, just as Jesus fought the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, and declared to him, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)… So we must take up the sword and fight the temptation to bow down to, to worship, to live for lesser things, and remember that true delight, true joy, true satisfaction and fulfillment is found in God alone; and He alone deserves all the honor and glory of our lives. His Word reminds us of this and points us to our great God in all His glory again and again. And so we fight off lies and point ourselves and others to this reality with the sword of the spirit.
The Word is crucial in spiritual warfare. As Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” And we put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit with the sword of the Spirit—with the Word of God. The Word, the sword of the Spirit is crucial because life and death, eternal life and eternal death depend upon it. And so we are to use this sword to fight sin. But, just like the shield of faith there is a communal aspect to this. We are to read, study, memorize, meditate, and speak God’s Word to ourselves, but we’re also to share this Word with others. We are to take out our sword and go to war against the enemy, pushing back the kingdom of darkness with each swing and thrust. We are to use God’s Word to evangelize the lost, helping people come to know, love, and follow Jesus, and then we are to use it to disciple others, helping them grow in their knowledge of, love for, and obedience to Jesus. And we are to help one another, by the Word, put sin to death. And a big part of doing that is coming to church each week and engaging in the liturgy and the ordinary means of grace, which again is the reading, praying, preaching, teaching, singing, tasting, and seeing of God’s Word, in fellowship with the Saints. But if we actively engage in this warfare this way there is no doubt that the enemy will indeed push back.
This is why Paul adds to this next, in verse 18, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” You see, the enemy’s temptations, accusations, and threats are a burden to us, but our prayer to God is a far greater burden to the enemy. Especially if our prayers are in the Spirit: meaning that they are led by, initiated by, inspired by, and saturated with the Word of God. For it’s only when our prayers are led and saturated with God’s Word that we can really pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). Only when we pray God’s Word can we be sure that we are praying God’s will. And when we pray God’s Word, the sword of the Spirit, we are truly praying in the Spirit.
So Paul says in the last part of verse 18 to verse 20, “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.” Beloved, we should not only be praying God’s Word and God’s will, but we should be praying for God’s people and for the advance of God’s gospel. Paul is writing this from prison, in the midst of much suffering and persecution, yet his prayer request is not for safety, comfort, or security, or even freedom… it’s for boldness in declaring the gospel. His prayer request is focused on the advancement of the gospel, and thus on the glory of God and the good of God’s people, even the good of those who have yet to come into the fold of God, but who will upon hearing the gospel rightly preached.
Friends, do your prayers work towards this end? Do you make it a habit to pray for the saints? Do you make it a habit to pray for the advancement of the gospel, and for gospel boldness for you and others? Beloved, are you embracing a wartime lifestyle, where you live clothed in the armor of God, armed with the sword of the Spirit, regularly using the wartime walkie-talkie of prayer, actively engaging in spiritual warfare for God’s glory and the good of God’s people? Do you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you pray for the lost and for missionaries around the world? Friends, we are at war, so we must do these things… If we would stand, we must fight. We must put Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last, and go forward as joyful warriors.
This is Paul’s pattern throughout his ministry. He has a selfless love for Christ and His people that guides his words and actions, and that’s what we see on display in the last four verses of our passage. In verses 21-24 he says, “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”
Notice how even the news about him and those serving with him is all about Christ and His people. Even though he is suffering in prison, Paul wants the church to be encouraged in Christ. And so he closes with a benediction, praying for God’s blessings upon His people, so that His people would love Him with an incorruptible, that is a persistent, undying, unceasing, endless, immortal, morally incorruptible, forever love that does not fail. And that’s really what the armor of God is all about, keeping us from falling, and being able to stand against the schemes of the evil one so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. So that we would rightly shine out as God’s image bearers, advancing the light of the Kingdom.
Conclusion
The call to spiritual warfare is a call to stand against the Devil’s forces while using the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13). It is God’s armor because only the Lord can truly save us (Isa. 59:15-17), but also because to put on the armor of God is ultimately to put on Christ by faith (Rom. 13:12-14). Yet putting on Christ is more than a one time act of faith, it is also the work of obedient faith that submits to the Lordship of Christ, just as putting on the new man involves actually practicing the virtues of truth, diligence, love, and so on (Eph. 4:24-32).
So if we are to be Christians, if we are to put on the armor of God, if we are to stand, we must have faith—we must trust and obey—for that is how we truly put on Christ, and it is He who is the armor of God. And then we must saturate our lives in prayer and God’s Word with God’s people, and then we must seek to live in submission to Christ. For that is how we put on the armor of God, and that is how we stand. We fight sin, pursue holiness, we faithfully share Jesus with the lost, and seek to disciple our brothers and sisters in Christ, while allowing them to do the same for us.
The armor of God is our daily attire. We must wake up each day and put on Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God as preparing for battle. And that means we must saturate our lives in prayer, and saturate our prayers with God’s Word. But if we are to truly stand and endure in battle, and Lord willing take ground for the Kingdom, we must remember that wars are not fought by individuals, but armies. We must link arms with the church, the royal priesthood, and fight the good fight, for we can’t put on Christ truly without the body of Christ.
Beloved, Paul’s point throughout this letter has been to remind us who our great God is, who we are in Christ, and then to call us to live it out. We are to embrace and live out our identity in Christ because we are at war. Whether you realize it or not, and whether you like it or not, the Christian life is war. But fret not… As we sang earlier from that old hymn by Martin Luther, “though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us… We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us…” So embrace who you are as a member of God’s royal priesthood. Embrace who you are in Christ. Live up to your baptism, and commit yourself to fight the world, the flesh, and the devil, and advance God’s Kingdom, and bring every area of life into joyful submission to the Lordship of Christ. Stand and be strong in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. For in Christ we are not passive prisoners, we are warrior priests who are meant to take all things captive for Christ. May the Lord help us to trust and obey. Amen.