By: Seminarian Ryan Ogrodowicz
Zion Lutheran Church
Preached: 8/30/09

Receiving the Armor of Your Salvation

In the name of Jesus.

St. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that we are to be strong in the Lord in the strength of His might.  We do that by putting on armor, the full armor of God.  It has to be full and complete—nothing can be exposed because the enemy is not flesh and blood, but cosmic powers over this present darkness, and spiritual forces of evil.  This is an enemy that knows well how to find the chinks in a suit of armor.  Now it may sound strange to think of a Christian as a soldier, one who puts on armor and carries weapons to defend himself against evil, but in a spiritual sense, that’s exactly what the believer is.   Being a soldier is a vocation every Christian is called into and placed on the front line of a constant battle where he defends himself against the arsenal of the devil.  It is the life of the believer in Jesus Christ to have to stand firm on a spiritual battlefield.  Everyday, whether we like it or not, we have to fight against the schemes of the devil.

And there is something about this cosmic battle here in Ephesians that cannot be compared to earthly wars. When you think about wars between nations, neutrality is usually an option.  One or more nations can watch other countries go into war, and choose to do nothing about it and be just fine. In many countries, a citizen does not have to go fight just because his country declares war. He or she can simply choose to stay out of it and avoid it altogether. Remaining neutral in earthly conflict is often an option.  However, in spiritual matters, in matter pertaining to the kingdom of God, neutrality is not an option, because in this war Satan wages upon man there is no middle ground.  No man can choose to sit this one out, no man can sit back and refuse to take part in the conflict. All of us are charged to put on armor and take up weapons for battle because the schemes of the devil and his flaming darts will not stop this side of the kingdom and He targets all of mankind; no one is exempt from sin, death and the devil. It should come as no surprise that our Lord urges us to be prepared. No soldier goes into battle wearing only everyday clothes and no soldier goes into a battle without any weapons.  The evil is going to come; it is not a matter if, but when.  Scary isn’t it, to know there is cosmic evil out there and that the age we live in is a present darkness?  Sin is not something to take lightly and these flaming arrows don’t seem to miss their mark.  Satan has good aim when he shoots; he’s been a marksman for a long time. It can be scary to think that the believer in Jesus Christ walks the earth as a target for evil, but don’t worry.  Our Lord is well aware of this and has not left us to fend for ourselves. God has given us the shield of faith, a shield where you can withstand everything that comes your way. It is by faith Paul says, you can extinguish every flaming arrow that comes your way.

So exactly what kind of war are we dealing with?   Upon hearing this passage and all this talk about armor and battle, some of you may be thinking that I’m talking about some end-times war, a big event everyone can see and take part in; a final show down between God and Satan where you it’s the good army versus the bad. But that’s not what St. Paul is getting at.  A scheme is something that takes place behind the scenes.  It’s secretive, insidious, and often times you don’t know the damage a scheme causes until it’s too late.  A scheme can come in many shapes and sizes and when you think about someone scheming and being crafty, you don’t think about that person working in clear daylight, exposed where everyone can see him; rather he works in darkness where he cannot be seen and yet is still able to inflict great damage.

Gossiping.  Yes, the sin we all are guilty of doing. To quote St. James, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”  It is so easy to do when you hear that juicy piece of information that you know would hurt your brother or sister if it came out into the open, but instead of putting a stop to it, we spread it to the next person.  And the next.  And the next……pretty soon the whole forest is burning out of control, and the devil can sit back and laugh. That is a scheme.

What about forgiveness?  Christ has told us to forgive our neighbor when he or she wrongs us because He has forgiven us. But when we are wronged, our natural tendency is not to forgive, but retaliation, maybe even revenge. “They don’t deserve forgiveness, therefore I’m not going to forgive them but instead I’m going to harbor anger towards them until they apologize.  No apology from them, no forgiveness from me.”  That is a scheme of the devil directly opposed to the Word of God. When Jesus hung upon the cross, falsely given up by mankind to be crucified, retaliation, getting even was not on His mind.  Instead, in His hour of agony Christ looked upon the crowds watching Him die and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  It was forgiveness that came from the lips of our dying Savior, and as He has forgiven us, we are told to forgive.  Gossiping, withholding forgiveness….these are some of the ways these cosmic powers of evil take root in our lives and the results are often disastrous.

Hence, the reason Paul says to put on the full armor of God; so you don’t fall prey to the schemes of the devil.  And how does one do this?  Even the analogy between us and a soldier implies some sort of action on our part.  A soldier works hard in training and then goes out to fight.  If he’s good at what he does he’ll be more likely to survive and maybe receive a promotion for what he’s done. But is this the type of soldier St. Paul had in mind, one whose life depends on his abilities and whose rank depends on what he does and does not do? The answer is no. The Christian is not promoted based  only on what he or she does.  All of us have those days when it seems as if Satan and his legions are on the doorstep, pestering you every minute of the day; and you feel as if there’s nothing you can do about it.  During times like these, being told to stand tall and to do this and to do that doesn’t help very much.  Our own actions in the face of sin, death and the devil are of no avail, yet you can still firm.  Standing on that day of evil has nothing to do with you own inner strength, but everything to do with God. Sure, Paul describes a soldier but listen to the metaphors he uses…..the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace for shoes, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.  Truth……righteousness…gospel…faith….salvation….spirit.  Do these words sound like things that come from ourselves?  No, but from our Lord Jesus Christ!

It is by Him that we are able to stand tall. It is from what God has done through Christ that we stand strong in the face of affliction. No matter what tribulation comes your way you can stand tall knowing that salvation is yours through Jesus Christ and nothing can take that away. You want the armor of God?  You got it, all of it. St. Paul says in his letter to the Galations that those who have been baptized have put on Christ. What good news it is to know that through your baptism you already have been clothed in the armor of God.  Through faith in Jesus Christ you have already been equipped with an armor the devil cannot break through.  There is no chink in the armor of Christ; He has declared you as the triumphant soldier able to stand firm in the day of evil.  Is it a battle?  You bet it is.  But unlike other battles, this is one where through your Lord and Savior, you already know the outcome.  We wrestle in victory knowing that through Christ our Lord we have been given the Kingdom of God.  We struggle, knowing the battle has already been won for us.  Amen.