Our Struggle

[Ephesians 6:10-13]
The Christian life is a battle and we are called to fight.  But what do we fight for?  We fight for the Gospel to win in our lives; in our families; in our church and in our world.

We need to be reminded to fight because we are constantly tempted to quit.  People quit a lot - on marriages; on their family; on their job; on relationships; on dreams and ideas; they quit on the church.  We need to once again hear Nehemiah’s command to the people of Jerusalem and appropriate it for ourselves.  He told them:  “Do not be afraid ...Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Neh 4:14).

We are not to be quitters.  We are called to fight.  But what does it mean for us to fight?  (First of all, we need to understand what is doesn’t mean)

Our battle is not a physical battle.  The apostle Paul reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood.  We are not crusaders battling the infidel.  We don’t have physical targets. The church could launch a military offensive against Las Vegas, but that would not defeat the enemy of sin.  For the problem of sin is found in each of us.  And this is a corrective to anyone who would see the Christian’s battle as something akin to the terrorism that plagues our world or anything that would give approval to Christian militias.  It is also a corrective to those who would allow their moral and spiritual convictions to cause them to hate other people.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. As Paul says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.”

Our battle is not a political battle.  Some interpret Paul’s statement, “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 refer simply to political, economic, religious and social structures.  It’s true that these structures can be used for evil, but limiting the Christian’s battle to the realm of politics or economics or social policy is a mistake.  It’s a spiritual battle we’re engaged in.  The battleground involves hearts and minds and lives.  It’s not a battle we can fight with legislation or by electing a particular person to office.  Now, I’m all for political involvement.  I believe that Christians have a responsibility to affect the political, economic and social landscape. But if that is the extent of our efforts, we will accomplish nothing.  For our battle takes place on the cosmic scale – in the heavenly realms and in the minds and hearts of men and women.

Our battle is not an imaginary battle. Because it is a spiritual battle we are to fight, we are tempted to treat it as if it were imaginary.  We are tempted to talk about fighting evil without ever actually doing it; to bemoan the moral state of our society, but do nothing to change it.   The battle we face may be spiritual and not have a physical target, but it is nonetheless real and must be fought. 

And so, if that is what we don’t mean by fighting, what do we mean?

Ours is a spiritual battle.  We fight against, “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  We fight against the powers of darkness in the unseen realm of spiritual reality.  And so spiritual battle involves prayer (praying against evil and demonic attack).  It also involves speaking truth to others, rebuking and correcting when needed.  It involves personal discipline in ourselves and actively resisting the temptations of the fallen world.

Ours is a pervasive battle. It takes place in the hearts and minds of people.  Every single one of us is affected by and infected with sin.  Therefore, it’s not “us vs. them,” it’s us vs. sin, wherever we find it.  You can outlaw a particular behavior, but that doesn’t change a person’s heart or mind.  The Gospel can transform the world, but it does so by transforming lives.  People must change before societies, cultures and nations can change.

And ours is a personal battle.  The main battleground is in our own lives.  Jesus told us not to try to remove the speck from someone else’s eye while we have an 10ft 4x4 in our own.  Instead we are taught that since, “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. [and] They are in conflict with each other…(Gal 5.17)” we are to, “Put to death…whatever belongs to our earthly nature (Col 3.5)”.  Paul himself wrote, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:26-27 ESV).  We are to discipline our bodies and take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.  We fight a personal battle – a battle against temptation – a battle for holiness.  The apostle John speaks of “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” – these things (selfishness, coveting and pride) must be fought against - in us.

But how do we fight these battles?  We will be exploring this in the coming weeks, but today’s passage states two ways.

First, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”  We are called to be strong, but this doesn’t mean being ‘macho in the Lord’, it means being dependent upon the Lord.  The phrase, “be strong” is actually passive, meaning that we are to be given strength; we are to find our strength in the Lord.  I read a quote somewhere by someone that said, “Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield but to my own strength.”  That’s ridiculous.  It sounds all brave and assertive, but it’s utterly naïve.  If you look to your own strength, you won’t find much and eventually it will fail you.  That is why God invites us to be strong in Him and in His mighty power – the very power that raised Christ from the dead.  The power of evil is intimidating and strong, but God’s strength is stronger; Jesus’ power is greater.  He has overcome.  The victory belongs to Jesus and to us in Him.  Charles Spurgeon, once pointed out how some people say, “I will do as much as I can.”  He then responds, “Any fool can do that.  He that believes in Christ does what he cannot do, attempts the impossible and performs it.”  So, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Secondly, we are told to put on the full armor of God – the armor of truth, righteousness, the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Sword of the Spirit/the Word of God and prayer.  We are told to put that on so we can stand our ground against the devil’s schemes and in the day of evil.  We must be covered in the powerful protection of God so that we can hold our position, stand with each other and hold fast.

Evil is too strong; the temptations of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is too overwhelming for us to face on our own and in our own strength.  The only way we can be strong and stand our ground against the devil is by the power and protection of the Lord.  We must find our strength in Him.  But once you have been strengthened by Him; once you have put on the full armor, then fight!

Fight for your life!  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Put to death the sinful nature.  Don’t give in any longer to temptations that always seem to win; addictions that have bound you; to lies of the devil that tear you down.  Fight against your fear and your insecurity!  Fight against your attitudes of resentment and anger!  Fight against lust!  Fight against your pride and selfishness!  Fight against your desire not to fight!

Fight for your family!  Fight for your marriage!  Don’t wait for your spouse to do it – you do it!  Let go of resentment.  Seek help if you need it.  Fight for reconciliation!  And fight for your children!  Don’t give up, even though it is hard to raise children in this day-in-age.  Keep fighting for them!

Fight for your church!  Some look at our lower attendance; our financial struggles; our missions giving going down and we’re tempted to give up.  It’s hard to get a church to grow; it’s hard to make an impact in our community.  So should we just give up?  No!  The prophet Isaiah says, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”  If we operate out of fear and not out of faith we will not stand.  We will fall.  I don’t want to fall do you?  So fight for your church!  Fight with faith – believing that God CAN and WILL do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine!  And give of yourself – your time, your energy, your money, your prayers, your volunteering.  Fight for your church!

Fight for your world!  The world is going to hell in a handbasket.  What are we going to do about it?  Cry?  Whine?  Lament it?  Or will you fight to be a blessing to others?  Will you fight to be salt and light?  Will you fight (as Tullian Tchividjian puts it) against the world for the world?

Friends, let’s fight.  Let’s not be “of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved,” for “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Anyone can ‘do what they can’, but the one that believes in Christ does what he cannot do, attempts the impossible and performs it.”  So, my beloved brothers and sisters, stand your ground and fight.  Fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes!  Fight for the Gospel to win in your life, in your family, in your church, in your world!