Scripture reading: Ephesians 6:10-13.

Sermon text: Ephesians 6:14-24.

Every successful conqueror in history had two advantages over his opponents: An excellent battle plan, and the best-equipped army in battle.

In St. Paul’s time, Rome ruled the Mediterranean world, as she had done for at centuries before his birth and for centuries after his death. What started as a small village on the Tiber had conquered everything west to the Atlantic Ocean and east to the borders of the Parthian Empire in the Middle East. Rome fought first for her freedom from the Etruscans; then, she fought to dominate her neighboring tribes and cities. After the Roman legions conquered Italy, they destroyed the Carthaginian Empire in a series of wars that lasted for a century. During that time, Rome conquered Greece, then the Seleucid Empire, then Egypt. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Rome ruled millions of people around the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ephesians, like St. Paul, had seen legionnaires in the streets of Ephesus and other cities throughout the Empire. St. Paul spent his time in Rome under house arrest, meaning a legionnaire stayed with him literally around the clock. Over the time he spent with Roman soldiers, St. Paul probably became very familiar with the armor of his “guests.” God used this familiarity to inspire one of the greatest passages you’ll find in history regarding spiritual warfare.

God’s conquest of our sin-laden world began with Jesus’ complete and total victory on Calvary. With His death, Jesus fulfilled perfectly the sacrificial system God instituted on Mt. Sinai through Moses, atoning for the sins of the world (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:26). With His resurrection, Jesus conquered death (1 Corinthians 15). St. Paul had already referred to Jesus’ victory earlier in the letter (4:7-10) by describing the Ascension in terms alluding to a Roman triumph. In many ways, we live in the “in-between time” between the victory and sin’s final destruction.

In the case of the Ephesians, St. Paul had just finished describing the power of God’s love in the life of believers. Now, St. Paul described the mission of the Church to carry the victory of the gospel to the world.

First, God reminded St. Paul of the plan the Church would use to spread the news of Jesus’ victory. St. Paul wrote, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” We cannot conquer sin and death in our own strength, but God’s strength will empower us to conquer sin in our own lives and to carry the gospel throughout the world.

Personal victory in our lives will require us to “put on the whole armor of God.”  The Roman legionnaires would never go into battle without their armor. Roman armor helped her legions face opponents ranging from Celtic marauders to Greek warriors.

We can learn a great lesson from the Roman legionnaires. Roman soldiers marched where their generals led them and fought those the generals opposed. St. Paul wrote, “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.” Roman generals always identified their opponents for their soldiers; God identifies our enemies.

Christians have a very bad habit of misidentifying our opponents. It seems most Christians today identify political parties, social groups, or other people. We do not oppose “flesh and blood;” we oppose the spiritual darkness behind them.

Furthermore, we must trust God regarding the true identities of those enemies. I’ve known of people who try to emphasize the identities of the powers of the “spiritual forces of evil,” saying Christians should study demons and try to identify them. I once told a student, “‘When the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9).’ That’s all the demonology you need to know.” We have no business giving the forces of evil more credit than they deserve.

Instead, “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.”

St. Paul then used the Roman armor he so often seen to describe the power of God in our lives. He began with the “belt of truth.” Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). As Henry Blackaby wrote in Experiencing God, “Truth is not a concept; Truth is a Person.” Christians must always proclaim the truth of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

Christians must also wear the “breastplate of righteousness.” The breastplate of Roman armor covered the chest, including the heart. Regardless of whether the scientists can explain it, we all know that we often feel things in our “hearts.” We’ve all heard the phrase, “Trust your gut.” We’ve all experienced the urging within us that we describe as our “conscience.” I find it amazing that this doesn’t exist in our minds. We must take care that we allow the Holy Spirit, who indwells our hearts, to guide and mold our consciences.

St. Paul urged the Ephesians to consider “the readiness given by the gospel of peace” as “shoes.” Believers must take the gospel with us everywhere we go. We must carry the peace of Christ, that peace we gain through our relationship with God, with us. All who meet us should experience that peace in our encounters.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Faith helps remind us of God’s mighty work in history, and it also reminds us of the prayers God has already answered in our lives. A strong faith can extinguish the darts of doubt.

St. Paul next referred to the “helmet of salvation.” Salvation is not a mere conversion experience; salvation also redirects our lives, including our minds. St. Paul had written to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Earlier in the letter, St. Paul had written, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:23-24). Believers must maintain a different mindset than those exemplified by unbelievers.

Lastly, St. Paul mentioned the only weapon he included in the description of Christian preparation for spiritual warfare: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Roman soldiers used their swords in the heat of battle, jabbing their enemies from behind their shields. The author of Hebrews would later write, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God, the Scriptures that guide us, will destroy the sins in our lives and help us to live righteous lives that bring joy to God and protect us from the ravages of sin.

Lastly, St. Paul reminded the Ephesians of the greatest advantage of Christians in our conquest of sin: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Prayer, the act of talking to our God, gives us the comfort of experiencing true relationship with our heavenly Father.

This brings us to a very relevant point in Roman warfare that applies to spiritual warfare. St. Paul told the Ephesians, “Keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Notice especially “all the saints.” The Romans never found singly in battle unless their formations disintegrated. Roman soldiers fought with shields linked together; each man protected the one to beside him. Christians, we cannot neglect the necessity of corporate worship and fellowship. Sin will pick us off singly, but the fellowship of believers will help us protect and encourage one another.

St. Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him, that he might “proclaim the mystery of the gospel” even “in chains.” St. Paul recognized himself as an “ambassador in chains” that continued to carry the gospel in spite of his arrest.

St. Paul then closed the letter by informing the Ephesians that Tychicus would inform them of events in Rome. St. Paul wished “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Then, mirroring his opening lines, St. Paul wished that “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

This letter stands as a masterpiece of the gospel. We find ourselves lost and dead in sin, but then Jesus makes us alive through His glorious resurrection. When we confess Jesus as Lord, believing in His resurrection, He saves us by grace through faith. The Holy Spirit then begins redirecting our desires and actions to reflect His presence in our hearts.

Rome conquered the greatest civilizations of their time by fighting together and fielding superior armies. The Church can go forward today and spread the gospel to all nations, knowing Our Lord has won the war and will lead us to eternal victory.