Stand firm in the full armor of the mighty Lord!

Aluminum foil when wrapped around leftovers helps to keep them safe and protected on the counter or in the refrigerator. The same aluminum foil can be made into a pretend suit of armor for use in pretend war games. However, that suit of aluminum foil armor would not protect you in a real war.

You need real armor for real adversaries. In our Old Testament reading from 1 Kings 18, there was a real battle with very unfair odds; the match up was one against four hundred and fifty. The battle began because the people of Israel under the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were in spiritual turmoil serving both God and the false god Baal. The prophet Elijah wanted to set up a battle so show Israel which was the true God, so he started the battle with these words from 1 Kings 18,

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

This set in motion a showdown in which the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal prepared a sacrifice and called out to Baal to light it on fire. They called out all day with no answer, then Elijah prepared his sacrifice. And, to further put himself at the disadvantage, he had his sacrifice drenched in water. Finally, Elijah called on the mighty power of the Lord, and we read in 1 Kings 18,

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

Armed with the Lord, Elijah won a decisive victory against his adversaries, and it was clear to Israel who the real God was as we read in 1 Kings 18,

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

The real adversary that day was the devil and the spiritual forces of evil that had pulled the people away from the Lord, but they were no match for the mighty power of the Lord.

The spiritual forces of evil continue their battle against us today. To remain strong and take our stand against these spiritual adversaries, Paul encourages us to rely on the same mighty power of the Lord in our New Testament reading from Ephesians 6. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians divides into two parts. The first half reminds us that God made us into a new creation, to be his people in Christ through the Holy Spirit. The second half teaches us who we are and how we are to live in the world. In the verses before our reading from Ephesians 6, Paul focused on relationships. In the last third of Ephesians 5, Paul wrote,

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Then from this general call for all to submit, he moves from the foundational family relationships of wives and husbands to children and parents with a quick focus on fathers, then to society and the relationship between slaves and masters. With this focus on submitting in relationships between people, which means relationships between sinners and all the adversity that brings, Paul next brought up who our real adversary is, the devil and the spiritual forces of evil. Whether it was Elijah, the prophets of Baal and Israel, or the Ephesians or us, we need armor to defend ourselves against this enemy or we will lose the battle.

The armor we use determines whether we remain standing in battle. With any battle, there are essentially two outcomes for a person. You are either left standing or fallen. If you are standing, then you are alive and have won. If you have fallen, then you have lost and are dead. And it may seem drastic to talk this way or even a disservice or mockery of the many who are caught in battle throughout the world. But what we are talking about is that serious. This is not like when we use the term literally just to make a point like when we say that we are literally dying of thirst just because we have been separated from our Stanley cup for a few hours. Paul addressed the seriousness of the battle in our New Testament reading from Ephesians 6 writing,

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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.

Paul repeats putting on the armor of God and standing because he knows how often we all go into battle unarmed and fall defeated. He also repeats because this is a battle for your soul. And he repeats because the real reason we fall is often missed. We do not fall because we are weak sinners who are no match for the devil and demons, although that is true. The real reason that we fall is that we do not put on the armor of God.

All of us have a natural suit of armor. Paul described the natural suit of armor that we were conceived in, born in and grew up in back in Ephesians 2,

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

We were all born fallen, beaten and dead by the devil, referred to as the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Spiritually, we are naturally gifted at losing the spiritual war. Spiritually, we are blind to the truth that our lives are filled with darkness and fighting because of our own sins and the sins of others. Even as those who have been brought to spiritual life in Christ who have the gift of faith, we still have our sinful nature that blinds us to the real battles we face. So, we go through life fighting spiritual battles with physical and other worldly weapons. And we may feel we gain some ground or some sense of peace, but then death or at least the threat of death and loss hit us, and we are brought to our knees. Then, the accusations come from the devil. Then, the doubts, guilt, worries, anger and fear come when we are faced with the truth from Ecclesiastes 5,

15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.

The devil tricks us with both pride and despair, whichever works in the moment, so that we do not turn to God and left to our fallen selves.

Because he loves you, God put his armor over your fallen body. You are strong and you stand firm because of the mighty Lord. Our enemy is stronger than us, but not stronger than God. And God is on our side. Paul began his letter in Ephesians 1 with the certainty that God is on your side writing,

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us.

You were chosen to be on the winning side before you were born, before the world was created. And God did the work to put you on the winning side, spilling his own blood in battle on the cross to forgive you and guaranteeing your place in the victory halls of heaven through Jesus’ glorious return to standing after lying fallen in the tomb. These truths are your armor when the devil tempts you. Any temptation you face is no match for what God has done for you. And Paul details the armor of Christ in Ephesians 6 to equip you for every day of your life as we read,

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

Any lie of the devil, the world or your own sinful heart is defeated by the truth of Scripture. With the breastplate of righteousness in place, any accusation of sin and fear and threat of punishment is met with the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to you.

15 And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The threat against peace like worry, anxiety, depression, arguments, etc. are no match for the peaceful and harmonious relationship you have with God now and forever.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Our faith and trust are not in anything in creation, but in the Creator, the wise, gracious, immortal, almighty God.

17 Take the helmet of salvation.

Jesus died and rose for all sin and to give us eternal life.

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The sword is meant for attacking and we protect ourselves with the Word of God. In the Word, we find all these truths. In the Word, we stand firm and have power. We know our enemy is the invisible devil and spiritual forces of evil, but we know our God and what he has done to save us. We know his creation, his cross and empty tomb. We will go to be with him in heaven someday and we have his Word that wins every battle.

Our battle is not against people, but the spiritual powers of evil. Knowing who our enemy is helps us remember not to become upset with people, but care for them with the Word of God. Knowing that we need the full armor of God means we will take time every day to put on that full armor. We are to be like Iron Man. Iron Man is a comic book hero whose real name is Tony Stark who created a powerful suit of armor so that he could go into battle against powerful supervillains. Without his armor, Tony Stark would quickly fall to the supervillains, but in his suit, he won man battles and brought peace. There is an iconic quote in the 2008 Iron Man movie, where Tony Stark says, “I am Iron Man.” You have something even better. God, the great I AM, gave you a new identity in Ephesians 2,

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You are God’s handiwork. He created you to stand firm in Christ, an all-encompassing suit of armor. And even better than Tony Stark’s AI Jarvis that he talked with in his suit, you get to talk with God.

As you battle each day, talk with your commander-in-chief. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6,

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Talk to God about everything you face. Read the Word of God to see what God wants for you, to see what you need and what he has provided. Then ask for those things and trust God will provide. In our Gospel reading from Mark 9, a man with a demon possessed son felt he was out of options, and even worried whether Jesus could heal his son. We hear what happened in Mark 9,

23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

In the battles we feel are impossible to win, God’s good promises and power remain true. When we struggle with wondering whether God will be with us, we can have those struggles inside the full armor of God. We continue to turn to the Word of God to defend and protect us, and time after time, we will see the mighty power of the Lord win the battles.

Aluminum foil protects leftovers, but an aluminum foil suit of armor will not protect you in battle. The attacks of the devil and the spiritual forces of evil are real. No earthy weapons are effective against these adversaries. Instead, the full armor of God protects against and defeats the devil and the spiritual forces of evil with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the word of God. These are powerful through our Savior Jesus, and we maintain contact with him as our mighty Lord on the battlefield of this world through prayer. So, stand firm in the full armor of the mighty Lord. Amen.