Imagine with me, if you will, a field of battle. As you look out across this field, as far as your eye can see there stands a mighty army. They have gathered their forces from the farthest corners of the earth and beyond. Their ranks are filled with mighty warriors, crafty strategists, heartless mercenaries, and twisted creatures of unholy origins. They are a hateful and hideous horde, hell bent on the death and destruction of all who stand in their way. They have come to this field because you, and people like you, are standing in their way. They have come to spill your blood and the blood of those you hold most dear.
You can hear their screams. They taunt you. They threaten you. They laugh at you. They are so confident, so arrogant, so sure that they will be victorious over you. And why shouldn’t they be? They have been waging war for five or more millennia. They have engaged in conflict in every country and on every continent in the world. They have harvested the souls of countless thousands. And they have no reason to suspect that you and the people like you will be any different.
There is a moment of fear as your eyes behold the battlefield before you. They are so many, you are so few. And you grow fewer it seems by the moment. Some who have stood by your side for years are overcome by that fear and break ranks and surrender to the horde, others whom you have respected and admired for their strength and confidence are overcome by that fear and flee like cowards. It seems as though you are all alone. It seems as though you are to face the horde on your own.
A blood curdling scream rises from deep within your enemy’s camp. Suddenly they are charging. The ground begins to tremble beneath your feet. Their hatred washes over you as their threats grow louder and louder. Your heart begins to race as they draw closer and closer. Adrenaline pumps through your body as your mind tries to decide if you will fight or if you will flee. You don’t mean to, you can’t help it, you are not even aware that you are doing it, but as you brace for impact you begin to shuffle your feet, the desire to retreat grows stronger and stronger and stronger. You prepare to break ranks and run for your life, but just when it seems you are about to be overcome, the cry goes out, “Stand your ground!”
This hellish horde that I have just invited you to imagine is not imaginary. The leader of the horde would like you to believe that it is. He would like you to believe that he is just a fairytale invented by the church to frighten and manipulate you into submission and obedience. Superstition, fairytales, scary stories, figments of imagination, that is what he would have you believe he and his kind are, nothing more, nothing to worry about, no reason to be concerned. Just relax, be at ease, let your guard down… everything is fine… everything is going to be O.K.
But the bible tells us that your enemy is very real. He was created to be a holy angel. He was once called the “morning star”, “son of the dawn”.[1] He was once “the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” and was anointed as “a guardian cherub”[2] But pride filled him and caused him to rebel against God. He sought to “raise his throne above the stars of God”, to make himself “like the Most High”[3]. He convinced seemingly thousands of angels to follow him in his rebellion. Scripture symbolically tells us 1/3 of the angels joined the rebellion[4].
This is the hellish horde that marshal their forces against those whom God loves. The devil and the demons are against those who are so loved by God that God the Father was willing to send His one and only Son, and God the one and only Son was willing to suffer, and God the Holy Spirit continually works to sanctify. The devil and his demons hate those whom God loves, which is why the devil, and his demons marshal their forces against you.[5]
The enemy is real. You are in real danger. In his letter to the Ephesians saint Paul warns, your “12 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”. Your struggle, your battle, your war is against spiritual forces of evil. These spiritual forces of evil rule this dark world; they use their influence to mock, ridicule, and persecute. These spiritual forces of evil have authority, they have the ability to deceive the mind, torment the soul, and even possess the body. These spiritual forces of evil have powers; they have the ability to perform “counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders”[6]. All throughout scripture these spiritual forces of evil are described as powerful predators, while at the same time you are described as pathetic prey.
The hellish horde I invited you to imagine is not imaginary. You are in real danger from a real enemy. I understand the urge to give up the fight and give in to temptation is strong. The enemy outnumbers you and the enemy is more powerful than you, but before you give up and give in; before you break ranks and run, the cry goes up, “stand your ground”! In Ephesians 6:13 saint Paul writes, “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.”
From Ephesians 6:10 you are encouraged to stand your ground because you are “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” As a fallen angel, the devil has powers and abilities that far surpass your own. But the devil is no match for your champion. Your champion has repeatedly defeated the devil and his demons. For the sake of useful brevity, I will make mention of two of your Champion’s most notable victories. The first notable victory occurred when the devil tried to raise his throne above the stars of God and make himself like the Most High. Jesus put down the devil’s rebellion, soundly defeated him, and cast the devil and his demons from heaven; “sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.” [7] The second notable victory occurred when the devil had Jesus nailed to a cross. But before the last pulse of life left His body and the last breath escaped His lips, Jesus famously cried out “it is finished![8]” and with that your debt of sin was paid in full and the devil was defeated. Jesus, your champion is stronger and more powerful than the devil. This is important to remember because you are “in the Lord”, and in Jesus you have the strength and power to stand your ground.
From Ephesians 6:14-17 you are encouraged to stand your ground because you are equipped with “the amor of God”. It is terrifying to think of the spiritual forces of evil that oppose you. But before you flee in terror perhaps it would be good for you to look at yourself in the mirror of God’s Gospel. Your God has equipped you with “the belt of truth buckled around your waist”. This piece of armor wrapped around the stomach and protected a soldier’s guts. The guts were thought to be the seat of emotion, so it is fitting that Paul imagines our emotions protected by the Word of truth, for when our emotions betray us and fill us with insecurities God’s Word declares the certainty of our salvation. Your God has equipped you with “the breastplate of righteousness”. This piece of armor protects the soldier’s vital organs. Sin weighs heavy on a heart and makes you unfit for battle, which is why it is so vital to have a righteousness that is given to you by grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus[9]; a righteousness that has lifted the burden of sin from you. Your God has equipped you with “feet fitted with the gospel of peace”. This piece of armor made it possible for the soldier to move forward with sure and certain footing. The devil seeks to throw you off balance by causing you to doubt your relationship with God. But the gospel assures you that, in Jesus, the conflict between you and your God has been resolved; the gospel assure you that you and your God are at peace. Your God has equipped you with “the shield of faith”. This piece of armor protected the soldier from projectiles that were hurled at him. Like flaming arrows, the devil shoots temptations at us hoping to find a weak spot where we have neglected our armor. Faith in God’s promises in our moments of weakness and vulnerability protect us from the devil’s temptations. Your God has equipped you with “the helmet of salvation”. This piece of armor made it possible for the soldier to hold his head up. The devil wants you to cower and hide from the evil that surrounds you. However, heaven is your home, salvation is your destination so cowering and hiding are not something you do. No matter what the devil and his demons throw at you, you wear the helmet of salvation; you keep your head up. Your God has equipped you with “the sword of the Spirit”. This piece of armor is an offensive weapon. It would be foolish for a soldier to go into battle without a weapon, equally as foolish for you to face the devil and his demons without a weapon. Especially when God hands you a weapon that is sharper than any double edge sword; a weapon that is absolutely unbreakable. Jesus Himself wielded this sword when He did battle with the devil in the wilderness and the sword proved faithful and true. The sword is the word of God, and this sword has been written down, preserved, bound in a book, and placed in your hands, so that you might wield it. Look at yourself in the mirror of God’s gospel and see how your God has equipped you with His armor so that you can stand your ground.
Finally, from Ephesians 6:18 you are encouraged to stand your ground because you fight beside “all the saints”. If it were just you, equipped with the armor of God, and Jesus, your great champion, standing side by side ready to do battle against the devil and his demons I think you could be confident in the outcome of the battle knowing that Jesus is more than capable of defeating the hordes of hell all on His own. However, just to fill you with a confidence that borders on cockiness saint Paul invites you to look around you. Paul writes, “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 saints.” Paul invites you to pray for the saints and he invites the saints to pray for you. Like a battle cry, our prayers rise to heaven and resound across the battlefield. Your prayers excite and energize your fellow believers as their prayers excite and energize you. So before you head into battle or before your fellow believers head into battle, pray for them, ask them to pray for you, pray for each other, pray for me, I’ll pray for you, pray that our God keep us safe from the attacks of the devil and his demons, pray that our God give us each day a new victory over the devil and his demons, pray that our God lead us to the final victory celebration in heaven. Let your prayers for each other be a battle cry that excite and energize you to stand your ground.
Imagine with me, if you will, a field of battle. This time instead of looking across the field of battle, where a hellish horde has assembled against you, look to your left and to your right. What you see is an even mightier army. An army that is led by the One who has repeatedly defeated the devil and his demons. The soldiers in this army have been equipped with impenetrable armor and an invincible weapon. This army is as vast as the sands on the seashore and numerous as the stars in the sky. You stand in the midst of this army, fully equipped for the fight, you stand behind the great champion and beside the saints. This mightier army you behold is God’s army. It has not, will not, cannot be defeated. Therefore, my fellow soldiers “stand your ground”! Amen
[1] Isaiah 14:12-15
[2] Ezekiel 28:12-14
[3] Isaiah 14:12-15
[4] Revelation 12:4
[5] Revelation 12:17
[6] 2 Thessalonians 2:9
[7] 2 Peter 2:4
[8] John 19:30
[9] Romans 3:21-26