“Soldiers of Christ, Arise”
(Ephesians 6:10-18 – Pentecost 15 – September 1, 2024)
Ephesians 6:10-18 – 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Dear Redeemed of God in Christ, who stand strong in the armor of the Lord:
Who is our worst enemy? Is it evil rulers of nations or extremist groups who threaten our national security? Is it those of a certain political bent or ideology in our own country, who pose a threat to our freedoms and way of life? Is it someone in our daily life and walk who has caused us many troubles and poses a threat to our happiness and well-being?
Indeed, human enemies may threaten our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. But our text reminds us that our worst enemy is not flesh and blood. There is a greater evil power working behind the scenes who cannot be defeated by man-made weapons, human politics, or personal vengeance. Our worst enemy is Satan and his spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
When we were baptized into Christ, we renounced the devil and all his works and ways. We died to sin and Satan’s tyranny. We were washed by the power of Christ’s blood and raised to a new life in Him. He claimed us for His Kingdom through the faith given by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are part of a spiritual battle. Satan and his evil hosts array themselves against us with bitter hatred. But we stand with Christ, who has already won the victory for us. We stand firm with Him by faith, clothed in the spiritual armor He gives. Therefore, “Soldiers of Christ, Arise”: 1) Recognize your true enemies, and 2) Put on the whole armor of God.
1) Recognize your true enemies
As it says: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (vs. 11-12).
The devil and his legions of demons were originally created good angels, but they chose to rebel. So God cast them out of heaven, reserving them in darkness and chains, doomed to judgment and everlasting hellfire (2 Peter 2:4; Matthew 25:41). In the meantime, 1 Peter 5:8 warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” What is the goal of Satan and his demonic hosts? They want to separate us from true faith in Christ, that they might reclaim us and drag us down in eternal doom with themselves.
Scripture reveals our true enemy; it also reveals their methods of attack. First, as the father of lies, Satan uses deception. From the beginning, he deceived Eve by denying God’s Word, convincing her and Adam to exchange the truth of God for a lie. The effect was deadly. To this day, Satan can even transform himself into an angel of light to deceive (2 Corinthians 11:14). He uses false prophets and teachers to add supposedly new heavenly light. He twists God’s Word in seemingly harmless ways. But he seeks the same deadly effect, to lead souls away from God’s truth and salvation in Christ.
The devil attacks with temptation in many forms. He knows God has commanded in His Law that we be morally pure, and that we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. So the devil tempts us to follow sinful lusts of the flesh. He tempts us to put the cares and pleasures of the world before Christ and His Word. He will promise to give all we desire, in seemingly harmless ways. But he always has the same deadly effect in mind; for what will it profit us to gain the whole world and lose our soul? (Matthew 16:26)
In addition to subtle deceit and temptations, Satan attacks in open threats. He uses evil world powers and enemies of the truth to persecute believers, to try to make them give up their faith or at least silence their Christian testimony. When believers do not conform to a world opposed to Christ and His truth, they may face rejection, loss, injury, imprisonment, and even death (Revelation 2:10).
But “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood” (vs. 12). We need this reminder, because we are tempted to fight the wrong battle. In daily life, Satan works behind the scenes to get at us through people who treat us wrongly and make life difficult. He knows how hard it is to pray for our enemies and love them, as Jesus says (Matthew 5:44). Instead of overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21), Satan incites us to bear unforgiving grudges and battle plans in our heart, to backstab with a sword of gossip or slander, to shoot arrows of angry and hateful words, to strike out in personal vengeance. How often has the evil foe drawn us into battle against flesh and blood in a way that only brought hurt and regret, and diminished our Christian witness?
Then the devil lives up to his name as the Accuser. After deceiving us and tempting us to sin, now he attacks with the sword of accusation. He cites the Law of God itself to condemn us and bring us down in judgment and despair. He says: “Look at how terribly you have fallen into sin! How can God ever forgive you or love you?”
On our own, we cannot stand against Satan and his evil forces; they are too sly and powerful. By their deceit and temptation, they even find an ally in our sinful nature. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
2) Put on the full armor of God
But we do not stand alone; we stand with Christ our Victor, who has redeemed us for His Kingdom, united us with Himself in baptism and faith. We stand with Him who has lifted us up and clothed in His own armor of salvation and eternal life. Therefore, Soldiers of Christ, Arise: “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (vs. 13).
The armor described here pictures the kind a Roman soldier would use. He wore a belt around his waist and a breastplate on his upper body to protect against an enemy’s attacks. As soldiers of Christ, it says: “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (vs. 14). When Satan tries to pierce us with his deception and lies, God’s Word of truth protects us and makes us stand firm in faith. When Satan tries to drive a sword of accusation through our heart, to kill our faith by leading us to despair in our sin, God’s breastplate of righteousness protects us. His Word declares that Jesus defeated every temptation of Satan and lived a perfect life for us; and that Jesus paid with His own blood on the cross to take away all our sins. Therefore, God counts us righteous for His sake.
A soldier wore footwear in battle to give firm footing. It says we stand firm: “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (vs. 15). When the battle terrain gets rocky and trials of life get tough, we may find ourselves tripping and falling under a burden of weakness, hurt, or failure. The world cannot give us peace, but Jesus gives us His true peace. His Gospel declares the peace of forgiveness, even when we have fallen badly. His Gospel of peace prepares our feet to move ahead, knowing our Savior is still here for us. His Gospel also prepares us to share His peace with others who have fallen, to lift them up by His Word of forgiveness and love.
A Roman soldier held a shield for protection. The enemy would shoot flaming arrows, but a shield soaked in water would quench them. God gives us “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (vs. 16). The devil shoots fiery arrows of temptation, threats, and accusations, to make us doubt our salvation and God’s care. But we are protected by the shield of faith in Christ and all He has done to save us. The waters of our Baptism quench Satan’s fiery accusations, pronouncing us cleansed of sin. By faith, we can come to God in any need, confident of His loving care. As we continue in His Gospel promises in Word and Sacrament, He makes us hold firmly this shield of faith that deflects the devil’s weapons and renders them useless.
When going into battle, a soldier wore a helmet. “The helmet of salvation” (vs. 17) God puts on our head says: “purchased for eternal life by the blood of My Son.” This helmet enables us to look over our shield of faith and watch against our enemy. We can hold our head high, even when Satan’s attacks are fiercest. No matter what threats he may bring against us, even in death, we have confidence; for “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
A soldier wielded a sword to fight the enemy. God puts in our hands “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (vs. 17). When Satan tempts us to forsake God in sin, we can answer with Jesus: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matthew 4:10). When our enemy lunges at us with accusations and temptations, we can strike back with God’s Word: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…. If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:1, 31).
Finally, we go forward: “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (vs. 18). We pray as Jesus taught us: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). As soldiers protect each other against the enemy, we can pray for each other, calling in support from above to provide protection and strength of faith. We can even pray for human enemies, that they may be brought by God’s Spirit to repent, to know His forgiveness and love in Christ, and to join us in fighting the good fight of faith.
Therefore, soldiers of Christ, arise: “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (vs. 13). We stand with Christ, who has won the victory for us over Satan, and delivered us from sin and condemnation. He has even conquered the last enemy of death. He will make us stand firm to the end, that we may say at last: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.