THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!

Ephesians 6:10-17

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

In Jesus Christ, our strongest Ally in the battle of life, Dear Fellow-Redeemed,

Few books having to do with the sport of hunting are more exciting than "Death in the Long Grass," by Peter Hathaway Capstick. In it, the famous African white hunter describes several instances in which he attempted to track down and kill man-eating lions. He explained that lions are by nature wary creatures, and will usually stay well away from people. Every once in a while, though, a lion will be driven to kill a human being, usually when it has been wounded, or when it for some other reason is unable to get its natural prey. That, says the author, is when the trouble starts. Because as soon as a lion learns how easy it is to kill people, it is very likely to keep on doing so with greater and greater frequency. It has happened that whole districts in Africa have been terrorized by such lions...sometimes their victims numbered in the hundreds before they were hunted down and killed!

I dare say that, if there were a man-eating lion loose in this neighborhood, we wouldn't be found casually going about our business as if we hadn't a care in the world. We would take precautions. We would arm ourselves. We would do everything in our power to make sure that we didn't fall prey to the killer! Well the Bible tells us that there is just such a man-eater on the loose, and that he threatens the eternal life of every believer! Peter says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walkes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." -- I Pet 5:8. Are we ignoring that threat? I hope not. Because Satan is a powerful adversary, and our fight against him must be waged every day. If you ever feel like you're losing the fight against temptation, the war against the Devil...if you feel like you're defenseless, and you don't know how to fight back, then God's Word for today is especially for you. Our theme is:

"THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!"

I. Your enemy is strong, but... II. God makes you stronger.

How do you picture the devil? Like a crafty old gentleman with a pointy beard and horns? For hundreds of years, American authors have presented him as a sort of lovable scoundrel, a trickster who will try to fool you and "steal your soul," but who can be beaten if you're smart enough. In short, they show him as a flesh and blood person, like us, who can be bargained with. And you know, that's probably just what he wants us to think. But in our text we hear Paul warning the Ephesian Christians (and us!) not to underestimate Satan. You can almost hear the grave urgency in Paul's voice when he says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms!" We're not fighting against one eccentric old gentleman... We're up against a whole diabolical army! And at the head of these troops is Satan himself. The Prince of Darkness. A being so completely evil that it's hard to compare him with anything we know. You've probably seen a rattlesnake, coiled and watching you with its cold black eyes, ready to strike. Maybe that picture comes close. Satan first came to man in the form of a serpent, and Scripture elsewhere refers to him as "that old Serpent, called the devil, and Satan." -- Rev 12:9.

Satan and his army are all around us. Paul calls him "the prince of the power of the air." Our text tells us that they have real power, real authority. And all that evil power is concentrated in the attempt to lure you, as a Christian, away from your Savior. The devil's schemes against you are always based on lies and deception. Jesus said, "The Devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." -- John 8:44.

The "flaming arrows of the evil one" will just occur to you as little lies at first. He'll whisper in your ear, "It doesn't matter if you get a little drunk once in a while." Or, "Why make such a big deal about sex outside of marriage - everybody does it these days!" Or, "There's really no need to go to church every week - every other week, or once a month is plenty!" Satan starts out with those little lies, but sooner or later, when he's got you set up like that, he'll come with a big lie, "Maybe there isn't really a God after all. And if there is, who needs His forgiveness anyway? You're not that bad of a person!" Or if he can't shake your belief in God, he'll be satisfied to steal your faith in forgiveness; "Sure Jesus forgives sins, but that particular sin you committed...that's pretty serious. Don't think you can get forgiveness for that!"

Yes, the Devil can be very strong and very convincing. If we had to face him on our own, we'd lose the fight in an awful hurry. It'd be like standing up against a tank with a slingshot. But we're not on our own. We've got a power that comes from outside of us. From a much stronger force than even that of the Devil. Paul says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power!" God has the power to make us even stronger than Satan. He gives us the weapons that we need to win the fight against temptation and doubt.

Paul says that when you put on all the armor that God gives to you, you can stand your ground against the Devil! "Stand firm then," he says, "with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." You've got to have truth to fight lies. God tells you what the truth is - the truth about sin and salvation - so hold on to that truth in your life. Buckle it on your waist like one of those big belts that a weightlifter wears. It will support you against the lies of the Devil. Strap on the "breastplate" of righteousness. Not your own righteousness, but the perfect righteousness of Jesus. It will be like a bulletproof vest, that no accusation of the Devil can penetrate. Have the shoes of the gospel always on your feet, so that you're ready, at a moment's notice, to do battle with Satan.

"In addition to all this (or "above all"), take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Faith is a weapon that can defeat all those flaming arrows of Satan. All the nagging little doubts about God's Word, all the fears about your own sinfulness. "But sometimes my faith is weak," you say. That's true. But God has given you that faith, and He promises that it will always be strong enough to deliver you from Satan's clutches, for "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able." And your faith is grounded in Christ Jesus, who is never weak, but always strong to help.

Finally, there are two more things that make your equipment complete. "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Your salvation is the fact that you have been redeemed from eternal death by Christ the crucified. The devil will do anything to keep you from hearing and believing this one fact: your salvation was completely accomplished centuries ago, when Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. It is finished and certain, and nothing can change it. The battle has been won! No matter how fierce the Devil's attack on your life is, God has promised that you are going to make it through, finally, to heaven. And the down-payment for that promise is the salvation that God has already given you!

The Christian arsenal contains not only defensive weapons - God puts an offensive weapon in your hand, as well. It's the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. You can fight back! When Satan says, "Nobody loves you," you can drive him back with the words, "Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God." When he says, "Your sin is too bad to be forgiven," you reply, "Though my sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." USE THAT WEAPON! Strike back at Satan! You can win, and you will win! God promises in James 4:7, "Resist the devil AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU!"

Our text says, "Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Martin Frantzmann, a famous Lutheran writer, said that it's important that we do no less and no more than that verse tells us. We can't lie down and admit defeat to the devil. But we shouldn't get cocky and try to dance either. The time for dancing in the streets will come when we get to heaven. For now, we should just do our best to stand, using all the armor and weapons that God gives us. It will be the fight of our lives, no doubt about it. But it's a fight we will undoubtedly win, because, as Paul says, "God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." In His Name, AMEN.

ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

Lutheran Sermons for the Church Year by Pastor Paul Naumann