Armour of God
Preacher: Rev Kevin Kim
Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-32
This Sunday, we are looking at the last part of Ephesians, Chapter 6. Paul’s final teaching towards people in Ephesus seems somewhat very strong. It is about putting on the armour of God. What might it mean in today’s world situation to encourage Christians to become soldiers for Christ? The people of Paul’s day were certainly familiar with the armour of the Roman soldiers that filled every city in Macedonia. But a little bit of truth and a dash of peace do not seem to be much comfort against a sharp sword or flaming arrows bent on destroying us. Paul speaks to us by reminding us that true war is not waged on the battlefield with weapons and armour. Rather true war is waged in the heart, in the mind, in the soul. To fight this battle, we must use God’s protection rather than our own – this spiritual armour is to recognize that the power of love is more powerful than evil and death. It is this power that Jesus was describing when he told us to love our enemies.
Sermon Text
We are concluding the Ephesian series as we look at chapter 6. If you remember Watchman Nee’s book that I mentioned four weeks ago, today’s reading is about his last posture, ‘stand’. S Paul’s teaching in Ephesians seems somewhat very strong. It is about putting on the armour of God.
What might it mean in today’s world situation to encourage Christians to become soldiers for Christ?
This is Paul’s final teaching towards people in Ephesus. The people of Paul’s day were certainly familiar with the armour of the Roman soldiers that filled every city in Macedonia. It is hard for us to fully get the impact of what Paul was describing, but let’s imagine if you would be a tall, muscular man who has been trained to fight for the empire. This soldier strikes an imposing figure standing before us.
Around his waist is tied an item, that is translated as a belt, but it is most likely a leather girdle or apron which was used to protect the lower part of body.
Above that was breastplate that covered the entire torso. This garment may have been made of solid metal. In any case, this vest contained special reinforcement in the chest area.
Both the belt and the breastplate protect the most vital and vulnerable places of the soldier’s body from attack.
On the feet of this soldier were most likely boots with nails, allowing him to dig in against an opponent and to stand firm in the face of the attack from an opponent.
Now if we continue to follow Paul’s description, this soldier would have a shield, but not one of those small metal ones to defend sword blows. Paul uses a Greek word for shield, which describes a full length implement, made of wood and cloth.
On top of the soldier’s head was a helmet made usually of metal, and topped off with some sort of crest, identifying the soldier as one to be feared.
Finally in his hands would be his only offensive weapon, the sword. This sword was probably not the long rapiers, but a short, squat one probably less than 16 inches in length. It was a close order weapon, requiring one to get close to the enemy, in order to do any damage.
S All of this stuff, this armour, was heavy and bulky. So the soldiers of Paul’s day were feared, seen as fighting machines.
Now let’s change focus a bit to consider Paul’s advice. Paul is sending in his army, the church into battle. In front of us is a Roman warrior, heading in our direction with his sword and shield and moving to attack us.
And so Paul tells us to put on their armour! Okay, here is truth . . . right here. Let me get my righteousness on . . . okay what’s next? Now let’s put on the shoes of peace. Don’t forget to put that faith in front of you and grab God’s word in your hand. And so we stand there, seemingly as naked as we started out, with only a book in our hand, watching this instrument of war and death come toward us ever closer.
Well, you may say, “Come on Paul, what are you thinking?” Oh we believe in God alright, but a little bit of truth and a dash of peace do not seem to be much comfort against a sharp sword or flaming arrows bent on destroying us.
We need protection — real protection — protection that only comes from armour and weapons, protection that comes from becoming like our attackers, using violence to end violence.
And that is where Paul confronts us
today. Paul hears our cries two thousand years after he wrote his words, just as he heard the cries of the early Christians persecuted and under attack by an oppressive Roman government.
And Paul speaks to us by reminding us that true war is not waged on the battlefield with weapons and armour.
Rather true war is waged in the heart, in the mind, in the soul. “Your battle is not with the external things you see or hear”, says Paul. The battle is not about handguns or roadside bombs. The battle of the mind and soul is never won through external means, through weapons.
To fight the battle of the mind, we must use different means, different tactics, and different possibilities. To fight this battle, we must use God’s protection rather than our own.
So we look to the tools Paul gives us.
We are wrapped in truth, knowing the certainty of what we believe. When we are baptized or confirmed, we claim that we know the truth of God’s love and the truth about Jesus’ sacrifice.
The belt of truth linked together our confidence about who God is and what God promises, and the belt of truth protects our spirit from permanent damage.
We are also covered with righteousness. What does that mean? I like the way that the New English Bible translates this part. S According to this version, it tells us to “put on integrity.” S Righteousness is linked to integrity throughout the Bible, and speaks of a wholeness. For Paul, righteousness is about living a life that is consistent with the truth we believe. It is about living out the covenant that we made with God, when we entered into relationship with him.
Then we have the gospel of peace on our feet.
Faith is the shield that goes before us, and S the helmet of salvation that covers us, protecting us from the fiery arrows that are thrown our way.
And then we’ve got the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
It is faith that keeps us from falling apart, in the midst of tragedy.
It is faith that calls us to light a candle in the dark. And salvation clothes us in grace far beyond what we may feel at a given moment.
You see, when Paul calls us to put on God’s armour, Paul is reminding us of the truth that has existed ever since Jesus lived and walked among us.
To put on God’s armour, this spiritual armour is to recognize that the power of love is more powerful than evil and
death. It is this power that Jesus was describing when he told us to love our enemies. It is this power that led Jesus to the cross, sacrificing himself on behalf of the world and rising from the dead to overcome the power of evil and death.
Not long ago, black people in South Africa were regularly oppressed, tortured, and killed through the system of apartheid. S During the height of that battle, Bishop Desmond Tutu was interviewed, and he was asked if the situation in South Africa was hopeless. “Of course it is hopeless from a human point of view,” he said. But then he smiled and continued on. “But we believe in the resurrection and so we are prisoners of hope.”
That is what we become when we put on the full armour of God, prisoners of hope. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have been taken captive by a hope that will liberate us from all hopelessness. In putting on God’s armour, we become clothed with a hope that transcends fear, that transcends death, and allows us to be free in the midst of pain, suffering and uncertainty.
For in God’s kingdom, it is the prisoners who are warriors, it is the weak who are strong, it is the lowly who are exalted. When we put on God’s armour, we discover that our strength comes not in the sword but in the Word of God which fills us, transforms us, renews us, and sustains us.
When we put on the full armour of God, our hearts and our souls and our minds are freed from the power of evil and terror that fills our world today.
This is, I believe, how we become mature for the Kingdom of God. Growing up in the way of Jesus means that we work diligently toward unity that we humble ourselves and willingly serve others, and that we recognize that the evils we face are not battles against flesh and blood, but battles of the heart and mind.
I grieve, for I know that somewhere in the world today there would be a mother is crying over her lost son.
We grieve, for we know that somewhere today there would be bomb attack and would be innocent casualty in a place like Palestine and Israel.
We become hopeless. We feel powerless when we get to hear that news.
But we are not devastated. We are not powerless. We are not helpless in the face of evil. For we have been given the complete and total armour of God.
By embracing truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer, we equip ourselves to face these challenges with courage and resilience. Let us daily seek God’s strength and guidance, knowing that through Him, we are empowered to overcome and remain steadfast in our faith. AMEN.