Eph 6:10-11 - The Christian’s Struggle Is Not Over

The last major war that America was involved in was unbelievably lopsided. An Iraqi who ran from the American army or surrendered was smart. He just didn’t have the weapons. His side had already lost. But if one of our guys ran from a battle, he was considered a cowardly deserter. The fight was still going on. Others depended on him. He had little need to fear losing to the Iraqis; they were already beaten.

Maybe it’s hard to see, but we are fighting in the biggest battle in history. This is the war between God and those who oppose Him. The Christian’s struggle is not over, but it is even more lopsided.

In our sermon text, God reminds us that our struggle is not over. He tells us first that we should stand strong in the Lord. He shows us that we stand in His might. And finally, He reveals our enemy and reminds us to stand firm against the wiles of the devil.

Stand strong in the Lord, my dear Christians. Seems easy enough. We know that we are fighting on the right side. We have read about how God destroyed the ancient wickedness with a great Flood. God drowned Pharaoh’s army in the midst of the Red Sea. We know from Scripture that God cast Satan out of heaven. God has made it clear that even though the Christian’s struggle is not over, He is there with His mighty power. Seems like standing strong in the Lord would be easy.

A strong army stands confidently. When the enemy attacks, the strong army goes into battle knowing that it will win. But a weak army is unsure. When it is attacked, fear and cowardice show themselves, and the soldiers scatter or surrender.

In the strong army, when a soldier is injured, he is helped; but in a weak army, everyone is too busy running away from the battle to help. In fact, in the rush to desert, the injured are often trampled and injured even more.

How have we fought together in the battle? When one of us calls for help, do we answer the call, or are we so busy running away that we trample and hurt one another in the rush to flee?

When we are under pressure from the enemies of God and our life is filled with the chaos and busyness of the battlefield, do we confidently march to church each Sunday? When our children look at our lives and imitate us, will they grow up to live confidently in the Lord, or will they grow up to run away when life becomes difficult? When the world looks at us, does it see a strong army with purpose and victory in its eyes, or a weak army with no spine?

When the world looks at us individually, or even as a congregation, it sees the weakest of opponents. Every one of us has passed up countless opportunities to help those in need. Every one of us has fallen to greed or hatred or irreverence. We look like the weak army scattering, and that is what we will be so long as we look to ourselves for strength, because we were all long ago beaten by sin and now are dying of our wounds.

But what the world usually does not see (and sometimes we don’t even see) is that our leader is strong, so very strong, and while we are with Him, no force in all creation can beat us, for as Paul says, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

Christ is God’s weakness. Jesus was true God forever, and yet He took up our humanity - became one of us. Only in Jesus did God lay aside His unlimited power and glory. Only in Jesus could God take on the sins of mankind, because He had to become sin for us. Only in Jesus could God take the punishment that we were due. We deserted Him, but He died for us to forgive us. Only in Jesus can we say that God sacrificed Himself for us. Jesus became weak that God’s almighty power might work in us and save us. It seems that God’s greatest power is always shown in the greatest humility and outward weakness.

The Word and the Sacraments are God’s weakness, too. God’s power is hidden behind smudging ink and flimsy paper, sounds in the air, water in the font, bread and wine on the altar. These are all things which seem to have no strength. And yet again, God’s great power and strength are poured out to us in these humble things.

So it is no surprise that the world looks at us and immediately concludes that we are weak. When we look at ourselves in the light of God’s Law, do we not immediately come to the same conclusion? We are weak and heavy laden with sin. And yet when the Law has struck a blow to our hearts, we are ready for the great power of God in the Gospel. He says, “Come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is as it should be in this strong army of God. “God is our strength and refuge.” Listen to these words of God, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” With Paul we say, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”, because in Christ we are strong. Stand strong in Him, dear Christians, not even death can defeat Him. Stand strong in Him, not in yourselves.

“But how can I stand at all?”, you might be asking. There’s sickness, there’s this awful work schedule. Everything seems to be turned against me. This is war, Christian. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Expect hardship. Expect trouble. But then don’t turn to yourself. Turn to Christ in the Word and Sacraments. That is where we stand strong in His might. “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.”

We stand strong in His might, not our own. We fight with godly weapons of divine origin. That is how we stand. More than that, Christ has already won. He sacrificed Himself some 2,000 years ago to win the war. We are fighting a defeated army. That is how we can stand. When the battle rages, turn to Christ in Word and Sacraments, and the devil and all evil, even death, must flee before Him.

So let us have nothing to do with cowardice any longer. No more surrender. No more defeatism. Your Captain has dressed your wounds, given you His own blood, restored your life. Then look around you. There are many in need of your help and mine. They are wounded. Bring them to Christ in the Word. Help them.

In this way, we will stand against the wiles of the devil. The only weapon left to him is deception. “O my dear child,” he slyly says, “you do not yet have enough to make your life comfortable; you need so much more. You should work every day, then you will gain. You do enough for others, you poor thing; it’s okay to think about yourself. Your problems are too big for you, for anyone; it’s all right to turn and run away from them when things are this bad.”

Soldier, don’t listen to him. Listen to your God. And when you see someone who is being deceived, don’t pass them by; stop and help. Encourage them with the hope and confidence and might that are yours in Christ. Share the Word. Forgive them their sins. Lift them up with the Gospel.

The Christian’s struggle is not over. We don’t know when the fighting will end and the eternal peace begin, but we do know that we stand in the strength of the Lord. We stand in His might against the wiles of the devil. We stand on the Word of God. Amen.