“Are you going out wearing that?” You know the picture: a little kid who wants to go outside wearing shorts and a tee shirt while it is near or below freezing outside. What’s the problem with that? Shouldn’t people be able to wear whatever they want? Well…there are outfits that are appropriate for some occasions but not others and things that function for specific situations and things that do not. The situation of the child in the cold seems obvious. The child could get a chill and get sick or worse. In the same way that a tee shirt and shorts are not appropriate for cold weather: a heavy overcoat, a scarf, snow gloves, and heavy boots are not appropriate for hot summer weather at the beach. There are other kinds of appropriate kinds of clothing for other times as well.
The Gospel text for last week spoke of the appropriate wedding garment that the king had given for all the guests of the wedding feast of His son, but there was a man who refused to wear the appropriate garment that was given. He wanted to wear whatever he wanted in rebellion of the king. As a result of his rebellion he was bound hand and foot and thrown outside into the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth…that meant Hell. That garment was indicative of people who would rather dressed by their faith in the rags of their own works and pride rather than trusting in the glorious dress of Christ’s righteousness by grace alone.
This morning, St. Paul in our epistle lesson tells us about another kind of spiritual covering that the king gifts unto us. It is the outfit that Christians are supposed to wear as they travel life outside the halls of the king’s palace, during our earthly life. An “outfitting” which we are to be covered with when we are not wearing the wedding garments of celebration. It is the whole armor of God! Armor: a covering appropriate for war; for battle, for labor on this side of heaven.
The hymns that we sang today: like for our opening, “Rise to Arms! With Prayer Employ You” and “Fight the Good Fight” speak of a true and present reality that most of us don’t usually and don’t really want to think about. A reality that far too many “Christians” ignore. The reality of spiritual battle, spiritual war.
What’s the problem? Who is our enemy? Let’s go out and attack!! Yay! No?… So where is our enthusiasm for the fight? The problem is that just like in earthly war, it seems only the young and naïve are excited to get out there and fight, because they haven’t thought about how terrible war is, the pain they could suffer, and what they personally could lose: emotional, physical health, even their very mortal life. Middle aged and old men and women, people with families, would rather stay put, keep their sons at home and not go off to battle because they know what they could lose. They have grown to “like life”. They would rather not fight unless the battle comes very near and they are forced to fight.
But what could be lost in spiritual battles and this spiritual war is far more important than just our bodily health or even our mortal life: what is at stake is our eternal future and the eternal future of our loved ones and all our brothers and sisters in the household of faith!
The reality, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is that, if we have been baptized into Jesus Christ, if we care about what it means to be Christian, the warfare is already upon us. The battles are daily, the battles are sometimes obvious, and sometimes hidden. Sometimes the battle take place only in our hearts and minds, sometimes they play out between family members, coworkers, in the political realm, but what the devil really wants is for the battle to take place right here in the Church between members. Right here in the home base and earthly headquarters of Jesus Christ. Divide and conquer; playing one side against another over things non-theological: in an effort to grieve the Lord.
The devil is only one of the enemies of the Church and Jesus Christ. Our enemies are strong and our enemies are relentless. They do not care if you are young or old, male or female. Our enemies work together: the Devil and his demons, the world, and us. Yes, our sinful flesh. Our flesh which refuses to die to its selfish desires and live for Jesus and others. It is this enemy that wants to rebel against its commander Redeemer and make us treasonous to God and to our brothers and sisters in Christ, to war against them rather than the real enemies of the Devil’s lies. What are the wounds that we receive in these battles? Sin and its bitterness. Sin which drains and tears away faith. It destroys the bonds of Truth which God had re-established for believers through the blood of Jesus Christ, and it can lead to complete spiritual death which is unbelief.
Therefore, like the man refusing to wear God’s banquet garment, it is to the enemy’s advantage if he can convince you and me to discard our God given armor now and go into battle: lazy and unprepared, with broken and ill fitted equipment. Equipment of our own choosing and making of pride and bitterness. What is Satan’s main method to fool us? How does he speak? How did he cause Adam and Eve to fall and ruin all that was good as God originally created it? Satan used lies! He has a particular and effective clothing for those lies. He clothes his lies with words which sound like truth.
He says things like: “hey, Christian, if you go to church, be distracted or pick and choose what you hear and receive from God. You can clothe yourself however you want and call it Christian. Clothe yourself with a mix of your opinions, the wisdom of this world, a little satanic lie here or there and you’ll be fine.” We like to hear that. We like to think that we are in charge and that we can take God’s Word when and how we want it. But that is our flesh wanting to be godlike and rebellious. “St. Paul says the whole armor, nah, that’s overkill. Gird your loins with truth? What is truth? I personally will define it apart from God’s Word.”
So, are you going to go out to battle dressed like that?
If you or I go out into the battle field with such selfish and sloppy rags, and the battle begins to rage, we will not stand firm in the Faith, because we were not standing in the Faith. We will fall because our faith in our truth, our choices will fail. In fact, we were destined to lose as soon as we discarded the whole armor of God.
What about those who say that they are Christian but are not here or another churchly armory where Christ promises to be in His Word and Sacrament? This is so serious, we should try to be here as often as possible and leave from here and continue to study God’s Word, the catechism, liturgy and hymns on our own. But this is home base. This is where our commander comes to us and speaks to us together. This is the only place to get to know what truth is. This is where God wraps us in His truth: the basis for the rest of His armor of protection. If we are not engaged in receiving from God’s hand by our ears and mouths the powerful truth which destroys the lies of Satan, what are we filling our hearts and minds with? What are we using our time here on earth for? As St. Paul said, “make good use of the time for the days are evil.” If we are not here. If we are not concerned with and for those who are absent, if we do not think that it is important for our children to be at church or confirmation class to be wrapped in the pure Truth of God’s Word, we are giving up the field to the Devil. We are as good as conceding eternal defeat. We would rather ourselves and our children go to hell than suffer temporary pain and exert the energy to fight the good fight of faith, prevail, and receive eternal life. It certainly seems easier.
But here we are today. And that’s good. We of ourselves are weak and lousy soldiers. The devil, and world have grown more bold, and our flesh is all the more vulnerable as our society no longer has the social pressure to conform and do the right thing that it once did. It seems many are convinced by the lies of Satan that they can be friends with the world and still claim to Christian. We are tempted by our own laziness and fear to not be willing to stand for the truth. There are so many voices chattering in our ears and hearts, how can we know what is the truth and what armor to wear?
What shall we do? Shall we give up? Shall we go with the world and try to please those who have already mixed truth and error? Should we pretend that there is no war and fall into Satan’s trap? NO!
Don’t give up! Turn to your Lord, Christian Soldier! Follow Jesus Christ and His Words. His battle plan is fool proof. He has already won the war. Stand fast and hold the ground, trust His equipment and let Him battle through you, with you, and around you. It was to give you victory that Jesus came to earth to suffer in your place to do battle in His perfect flesh and show the devil, the world, and the temptations of the flesh how serious was God’s resolve to win…you for Himself! This cross shows how serious God is about your salvation. Here is your victory in Jesus Christ conquering your sins. Here He comes to you healing and restoring you by the Truth of His Love and wisdom to give you forgiveness and hope.
St. Paul said: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 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. Therefore, 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.”
So, get ready. Get serious. Wear His whole armor! Don’t omit one thing. Use all the instruments, tools, and armor that God gives to us here in His Word and Sacraments. Do not take them for granted! Do not become lazy!
This hour, repent of your sin and rest and be restored from the week’s battles as the Holy Spirit gives you forgiveness by the body and blood of our victorious redeemer. Be made ready to go out to battle, here. Daily, remember your baptism: that you are clothed with Christ’s righteousness to whom you belong by grace! By increasing Biblical knowledge, He outfits you to learn the truth and be girded by it. Learn the tricks and half-truths of your real enemies, and attack them. Use the Word of God, rebuking sin, and comforting by the Gospel to rescue and return those falling into the traps of the Satanic liar.
By studying the confession and lives of those faithful soldiers who have gone on before us in the coming weeks with Reformation Day and All Saints Day observed, we are encouraged to know that the Truth is worth fighting and standing fast for. As we near the end of the Church year, the readings remind us the value of time and that we are ever drawing nearer to the end of our time here. But remember, in the spiritual battles we fight, as we fight by faith in Christ we shall succeed and we and future generations can be blessed by God’s truth in Jesus Christ for eternity.
Pray for one another, be united in the one truth revealed in Jesus Christ. Rely on God’s strength, daily! Rise! To Arms! With Prayer employ you! Fear not the hordes of Hell. Here is Emmanuel! Hail the Savior! The strong fores yield to Christ our shield, and we, the victors hold the field, In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas