Our world seems at peace now.  Yet through the ages, humanity seems always to be at war.  Since 3600 B.C. the world has been at peace only 300 years - 5% of the time.  During the past 5600 years there have been over 14,500 wars, large and small, in which 3.6 billion people have been killed.  The economic cost is unimaginable, but it's estimated the cost of those wars would pay for a belt of gold that could encircle the world - 25,000 miles long, 100 miles wide and 30 feet thick, all at $300 per ounce.  Since 650 B.C. there have been 1,656 arms races, only 17 of which have not ended in war.  The remainder usually caused the economic collapse of countries involved.  During that time more than 8,000 peace treaties have been negotiated, treaties meant to last forever, but ones that lasted an average of only 2 years each.

          Ever since the angels proclaimed "peace on earth" at Christ's birth, our world has been anything but peaceful.  Today the Cold War may be on ice, the Iron Curtain rusted and the Berlin Wall toppled, but wars and political skirmishes still persist.  We may not feel the pain of war in America, but still there is no peace on earth.

          But there is a greater war among us that will not go away this side of heaven.  It's not a fight for boundaries or resources, but for people's souls.  We hear its battles raging all around us, from the avenues of our Capital, to the roads of Douglas County.  We people have become cannon fodder for the deceit of Madison Avenue and the ideology of Hollywood.  We are the battle ground, and it is no earthly battle.  St. Paul said, "Our 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."

          To fight the good fight, we must first know who the enemy is.  When WWI broke out, the War Ministry in London dispatched a coded message to a British outpost deep inside Africa.  The message read, "War declared.  Arrest all aliens in your district."  The British War Ministry soon received an urgent reply:  "We have arrested 10 Germans, 6 Belgians, 4 Frenchmen, 3 Austrians, 2 Italians and 1 American.  Please advise immediately who we're at war with!"  If you don't know the enemy, you'll end up fighting anyone, even your loved ones.

          The power behind the war for souls is none other than God's enemy, Satan.  His aim is to defeat God, at all costs, and his battleground is the world.  He deceives people into joining the battle, promising them power, pleasure, and peace of mind.  But he never delivers on his promises, because he doesn't care about us, only about defeating God.  We are disposable weapons in Satan's war.  Though he promises us prosperity and peace, he delivers only pain and sorrow.  We are merely a means to his end, to defeat God.  You'd think by now he'd know that Jesus already defeated him, but still he battles for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world.

          Sadly, but not surprisingly, his battlefield includes the church.  Satan targets God's faithful, lobbing in explosive grenades of pride and self-righteousness.  He knows that to make Christians fight among themselves is a victory whose ripple effects move throughout all of society.  Every day Satan sucks Christians into his bottomless vacuum where he pounds their rock of faith into dust.  He loves making Christians feel superior, so they will accuse and blame and be distracted from winning souls.  He delights in churches that fight over turf.  He convinces Boards that policy is more important than people.  He divides denominations into factions that fight each other.

          And, oh, how we Christians bemoan this unrest!  We shake our heads at why congregations fight within themselves.  We cluck our tongues when grown people act like children.  But, you see, we're really not fighting against each other, but against the Powers of Darkness that are winning over the Children of Light.

          Dear friends, we have a crumbling society and our church has major cracks in it.  Jeremiah once wrote, "My people have committed two sins:  They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13)  Our cracked church needs repairs or we'll lose the Gospel!  Thus the Apostle Paul sounds the alarm and alerts us, "Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground." (Ephesians 6:13)  We are at war, and if we're not prepared, we will be defeated!

          Because Christians are the battleground for Satan, we must take up arms, for defense and for attack.  Today's text urges us to be strong in the Lord and to arm ourselves with godly weapons.  We will not prevail if we depend only on our personal skills.  The armor of human intelligence is not enough.  Mankind is not an evolving species of animal.  We're divinely created beings, in the image of God, loved by our Creator and thus marked by Satan.  To endure we must recognize his attacks when they come and be prepared to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

          We are not contending against flesh and blood.  We may be tempted by the flesh and occasionally draw blood in our dealings with others, but our real battle is against an enemy we cannot overcome alone.  Christianity will always be the David and the Powers of Darkness always seem to be the Goliath.  We must arm ourselves with the whole armor of God, not just a piece or two that suits us.  We must arm ourselves fully for the best protection possible.  Let's look at each of the parts of godly armor:

          (1)  Belt of Truth - Truth is of God, not majority rule.  Arm yourself with His truth, not your own.

          (2)  Breastplate of Righteousness - God's righteousness, not self-righteousness;  it's given us by the Holy Spirit.

          (3)  Shoes of the Gospel - Good news is worth sharing.  Don't keep it to yourself.  Spread it around!

          (4)  Shield of Faith - Faith in Christ deflects arrows of doubt and despair.  Arm yourself with faith in the Son.

          (5)  Helmet of Salvation - Jesus is our Savior.  His helmet protects this vulnerable place.  Keep your hat on!

          (6)  Sword of the Word - The Bible is a light for our path.  Be armed with the Word, our roadmap to heaven.

          (7)  Be constant in prayer - It's our pipeline to God, our direct contact with the Father.  Keep the lines open!

          The prayer of a believer can move mountains, but you and I must do prayer, not just talk about it.  If prayer is only a Bible study topic, it's useless.  Arm yourself with prayer and do prayer!  It's your ever-ready connection to power of God.

          One is tempted to think any talk today about arming oneself is irresponsible and politically incorrect.  Columbine has changed us.  We're led to believe the safest society is a disarmed society, that if everyone turned in their weapons, all would be well.  I have serious doubts that this is true.  But regardless of what you think of gun control, never think you are helping yourself by having no means of spiritual defense.  In our war against Satan we must be armed and be ready to do battle.

          And speaking of political incorrectness, did you know that FAT is good?  (I'm not even sure we can use that word publicly these days.)  Truth is, God wants lots of FAT Christians in His church.  Now before you start throwing rocks, FAT means FAITHFUL, AVAILABLE, TEACHABLE.  God wants people who are FAITHFUL - full of faith, filled with a yearning for God.  He wants people who are AVAILABLE - we know how unavailable our overfilled schedules make us.  We must make time for God, and perhaps line out some of the other questionable stuff.  God also wants people who are TEACHABLE - people who listen to Him and each other as they study and grow in His Word.  Are you a FAT Christian?  Are you Faithful, Available, and Teachable?

          Our Lord overcame Satan by His death and resurrection.  Though battles may still rage, he is defeated.  I pray daily all strife will cease, especially within the church.  Tomorrow's decision on our land loan will neither make nor break us.  God will keep on providing.  He is building this congregation, and He who overcame Satan will certainly come up with a good solution to any small and temporary problem.  You can count on it!  Amen

Copyright © 2000 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.