SERMON: EPHESIANS 6:10-20

IT’S NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

 

Introductory Statements: Good Morning. It is so wonderful to be with you today. Pastor Monte is on vacation through next Sunday. Pastor Dale remains on a leave of absence as he is with his wife, Sharon, who is under hospice care at their home. Please keep the Dale and Sharon and Monte and Laura in your prayers.

 

If you have not already focused on the image on the screen, please do so now. It’s not exactly you would expect to see for this passage from Ephesians is it? Perhaps what we often take for granted or assume is not what it seems!

 

Would you pray with me using language similar to that of the writer of Ephesians:

 

GOD, OPEN MY MOUTH AND PUT WORDS ON MY LIPS THAT I MAY BOLDLY MAKE KNOWN THE MYSTERY OF THE GOOD NEWS. GIVE ME THE COURAGE TO PROCLAIM IT AS IT OUGHT.[1]

 

Did you notice that I did not say this is a prayer by Paul? In fact, this is the first statement to focus on the theme—it’s not what it seems.

 

Scholars today have concluded that the writer of this letter was more likely a disciple of Paul, writing in Paul’s name.[2] The sentence structure, terminology used, and unique expressions in Ephesians are clearly different from the unquestionably authentic Pauline Letters (Romans, both Corinthians letters, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon).[3] In fact, the letter was probably written after Paul’s death, perhaps in the last third of the first century AD.[4] It was a time of change, with Christianity beginning to spread throughout the Mediterranean where Rome was in control and the Emperor was to be worshipped as God. The author was writing to gentiles who probably had no relationship with Jerusalem or Judaism.[5] Deciding to be a Christian required courage!

 

Certainly this passage from Ephesians can be read that these early converts to Christianity needed to be as the mighty warrior ready to withstand evil adversaries. The warrior was to stand firm with the strength and power of God, equipped with the implements of war at that time for a Roman soldier—a belt to hold his scabbard for his sword, a breastplate to protect his vital organs, a shield to deflect arrows, and sturdy sandals to support his body.

 

Maybe that was the type of armor Saul gave David? Remember the story in 1 Samuel when David was unable even to move because of the weight of the armor.[6] Maybe everything we think we need to protect ourselves is not what it seems?

 

A friend recently returned from visiting in Europe and told me they visited a museum in the Vatican that had a 360 degree display of a Roman soldier in the era of early Christianity. The soldier had the belt of truth around his waist, the breastplate of justice, sandals as footgear to spread the Good News of peace, the shield of faith to extinguish the fiery darts of the Evil One, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

 

But my friend said when he went around behind the back of the soldier, there was no protection whatsoever. The soldier was completely vulnerable. I don’t know about you but when I think of evil, I imagine it all around me not just in front of me. Again, the armor of the soldier is not really what it seems is necessary for full protection.

 

I have read this passage many times before and it has reminded me to stay strong in Christ and not to give into temptation or challenges to my faith. In fact, that is the common understanding of this passage. All of the commentaries and stories I read about this passage in preparation of this sermon focus on using the strength of Christ to defend against the challenges to one’s faith.

 

But this time when I meditated on this passage of Scripture, I perceived that it was not really what it seems to mean. In fact, I found myself irritated by the passage, even finding it offensive.

 

Again and again I kept remembering Jesus sending out the disciples two-by-two telling them to take nothing with them other that what they were wearing—not food, drink, money, or even a change of clothes.[7] The disciples were being taught to trust in Christ and therefore God. And, was it not trust or faith David had in God that allowed him to challenge and defeat Goliath.

 

Did Jesus ever harm anybody? Did he ever encourage his disciples to carry weapons or harm people? In fact, didn’t Jesus admonish Peter to put away his sword after he cut off the ear of the slave of the high priest when Jesus was taken prisoner in the garden?[8] It was Jesus who demonstrated for us that loves calls for us to challenge injustice not with warfare but with loving, non-violent actions. 

 

The primary message for me from this passage from Ephesians consists of only two verses—verse 10 and verse 18, which read as follows:

 

“Finally, draw your strength from Christ and from the strength of that mighty power. Always pray in the Spirit, with all your prayer and petitions. Pray constantly and attentively for all God’s holy people.”

 

What is really necessary to withstand evil is to draw ever closer to Christ, and verse 18 tells me that to do this I must be in prayer constantly. Paul understood how important it was to pray continuously; that was his message in just about all his authentic letters.[9]

 

If you are not listening to God, to whom or what are you listening—the world, other people, yourself? As part of our work to begin Deborah’s House we read materials describing the limbic system or what is called the reptilian brain (which I often refer to as a lizard brain) that God has given us.[10] The lizard brain in effect defines selfishness: protection-fight or flight; provisions-food, clothing, and shelter; and procreation to maintain the species. I contend if we are not listening to God, we are listening to our lizard brains. Since at least fifty percent of praying is listening to God, no wonder Paul reminds us to pray continuously.

 

Praying is a form of spiritual formation. Looking at the image of the tree that has been on the screen, it allows us to sink our roots deeper and deeper into what truly nourishes us and allows us to withstand the winds of evil that might otherwise destroy us. I will have more to say about evil next Sunday when we address the statement from Jesus that much of the evil in the world comes from inside us.[11]

 

Now, back to the image of the tree. What does a tree that is healthy do—it produces fruit of some form? And here is where this passage from Ephesians lead me to the theme of it’s not what it seems.

 

What were described as armor for battle against evil are instead fruits of a deeper trusting relationship with Christ:

 

Truth

Justice

Zeal

Faith

 

Truth of the eternal and the personal. Truth that God loves all people, for all people are God’s. Truth that God desires a relationship with all people, no matter their race, gender, gay, straight, or transgendered, rich or poor, housed or homeless, educated or not, arrogant or humble, or any other means by which we divide ourselves. But to realize God’s eternal truth, we have to be honest with ourselves. We often are selfish, prejudiced people, which we do not realize because each of us lives in our own little world. It is only as we grow closer to Christ that we become more truthful with ourselves and realize the world is so much more than ourselves.

 

As we draw closer to the truth, both eternal and personal, we realize the injustice that permeates the world. Injustice that we often describe as evil on the individual level but do not realize we actually support in our society in general. The first thing we have to do is recognize the injustice and how we support it. Take for example, our own involvement in racism. The vast majority of us congregate with people of similar races don’t we? We draw conclusions about people of other races by what we see on television or read about. Instead of love, we see hate, bitterness, and violence—at least that seems to be all that is reported. If we do not have close relationships with persons of other races, we may have no idea just how much they love their children and how much they do for their children. Do you remember in the early reactions at Ferguson how the news media focused on the mother who yanked her son out from what appeared to be rioting? Do you really think there was only one parent in all Ferguson that was concerned about her or his children? More on this tragic evil next Sunday.

Zeal to live out loving God and neighbor is clearly a fruit of growing in relationship with God through Christ. Zeal not just in words, but in actions. Perhaps the opposite of zeal would be apathy or complacency. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this cheap grace, where a person has begun to grow in Christ and ceases to deepen the roots thereby bearing no fruit.[12] “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”[13] This zeal to share the grace of Christ can be in the church or it can be in every other facet in life. If you are an employer, do pay your folks a living wage? If you are fortunate to eat some meals out, do you short-change the wait staff on tips? Ever think about the people who clean hotel and motel rooms—do you leave a thanksgiving tip.

Faith is so much more than just believing; it is trusting as did David as he faced Goliath and the disciples as they moved out to heal and follow Jesus. Faith is what allows us to combat our fears and temptations. It’s faith that keeps us serving folks when they reject us or Christ. As our roots grow even deeper in Christ, faith takes us from focusing on what the world says is important and redirects us to building relationships with God and one another. Instead of seeing the person cleaning a room, we see a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a child of God. Faith allows us to see the truth, seek justice for everyone, and excites us to act.

 

Not everything we encounter is what it seems is it? We started this morning calling for the amour of God to withstand evil and now I am talking about going on the offensive—not focused on just protecting ourselves but instead growing in faith, so that with zeal we can share the truth and seek justice for all God’s creation.

 

In the coming weeks, we as a church will begin to focus on how we can deepen our roots through spiritual formation. There will be opportunities to build new relationships with people, develop small groups, and grow in grace. We will be offering various studies both here at church and other locations outside church.

 

Life, and even the Scriptures are not always what they seem.  The time has come for us to grow even more and to bear even more fruit. May we all sink our roots even deeper and continue to grow in grace. May we do our best to listen to God by praying continuously!  AMEN.