10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For 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. 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 firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

St. Paul was a prisoner in Rome. He saw soldiers and prison guards every day. He calls himself gan ambassador in chains.h He was in prison because of his witness to the Lord Jesus; he was the ambassador of the Kingdom of God, to spread the Good News. Because of his preaching he was put in jail.

But St. Paul does not lash out against the guards or the jealous enemies who put him there. He does not complain about those people. St. Paul loves people and wants to preach the message of salvation to them. St. Paul knows who the real enemy is. It is not human flesh and blood, but rather the devil and all the spiritual evil forces of the cosmos. These are the enemies of God, and so the enemies of Christian believers.

This is why you never have in the New Testament orders for Christians to fight the unbelievers or infidels. There are no holy crusades advocated for in the New Testament. Even in the Book of Revelation, Christians are not fighting against the Antichrist beast of the Apocalypse. The battle of Armageddon (Rev.16:16) is fought by the angels led by the Archangel Michael (Rev.12:7). Human believers are not fighting, that is the job of the angel host.

In our daily lives however, the forces of evil certainly do work through the people around us. Christians are persecuted. People do not understand our faith in God. Activities are scheduled for Sunday and so interfere with our worship. Sometimes we even get into a good theological debate and have to explain what we believe and why we believe in Jesus. It may seem like a battle, but as Christians, we must love our enemies and never hurt them. We are even told to turn the other cheek. And we must remember that the enemies are not fighting us personally, but rather they are fighting against Christ. They are fighting against God.

So, it is not our fight, it is Godfs fight. God is the one who is fighting. And look at how God fought to defeat the devil. Look at Jesus. He died on the cross. Jesus did not call down 12 legions of angels to deliver him from the suffering and pain and death of the cross. The way to overcome the devil was to become a sacrifice. This sacrifice forgives sin. It is sin that is our greatest weakness against the forces of evil. And so, if our sin is forgiven, we have no weakness, rather we have the strength of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection from the dead. And the battle is won.

But the devil is still fighting. And we are caught up in the middle of it. And so God has given us protection. It is like armor.

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 firm. ¹⁴Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

It is basic defensive armor. Even the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, can be thought of as defensive, because it is the word of God that speaks to us of his promise, his love, his forgiveness, and his protection. The only action that St. Paul tells us to take is to pray. We are to pray at all times. We are to pray for the saints, all those other people who are threatened by the devil. St. Paul also wants the people of the church in Ephesus to pray for him. He is in prison, but he want to be able to proclaim boldly the mystery of the gospel, the good news which is revealed to all people. And so, we too, pray that the gospel might be proclaimed boldly and that many people might know the love of God.

The only way to overcome the hate of our enemies is through love. Only the love of God can overcome the evil of Satan. Only the love of God can overcome our sin. Only the love of God can bring us to rely on him solely. Love is our only defense in this world. Just as it was the only defense of Jesus.

I wonder if love can bring about world peace. It is the dream of Utopia. It is the dream of the hippies and the love children. It is the dream and prayer of every Christian. I do not think it is possible in this world of sin until Jesus returns on the Last Day. But still we keep on praying for world peace and for peace in our families and for peace in our church and for peace in our hearts. We have peace in our hearts because we know the love and forgiveness of Jesus. This is the love and peace that we have in our families and in our church, too. It is love and forgiveness.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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