CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO LESSONS

BEING THE LIGHT IN ENEMY-HELD TERRITORY!

During the early 1970s Dupont developed a new fabric to replace steel belting in high-speed tires. This material, known as Kevlar Ballistic Fabric, was designed because Dupont was looking for something that was lighter and more flexible than steel and yet tough enough, like steel, to take the pounding of high-speed tires.

When Lester Shubin, who was the Technology Assessment Program Manager for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), heard about it he realized that it might be a great improvement over nylon for personal body armor. Over the next five years, from 1971 to 1976, the NIJ spent about $3,000,000 to develop a lightweight bullet resistant garment. Today we know it as Kevlar Body Armor which serves to protect the vital organs of law enforcement agencies as well as our troops in Iraq.

However, during preliminary testing, it was determined that the penetration resistance of Kevlar was degraded when wet. It was also discovered that the bullet resistant properties of the fabric diminished upon exposure to ultraviolet light, dry-cleaning agents such as bleach, and repeated washings. To counteract these degrading agents, the vest was designed to be waterproof.
Now you would think that with all the research that went into the Kevlar Bulletproof Vest that it would be 100% effective 100% of the time. Wrong! It is quite effective in that it ensures a 95% probability of survival after being hit with a .38 caliber bullet at a velocity of 800 ft/second. But, as recently discovered, the fabric does deteriorate when exposed to the elements. Additionally, a speeding bullet tends to destroy the fabric’s ability to resist a second speeding bullet!

It is for this latter reason that someone has come up with the idea of a self-healing vest. The idea is to use a dilitant mixture of ceramic custard that would be fluid enough to reform after being struck by a speeding bullet. This mixture, of course, would have the same clotting properties as blood.

At least one critic has pointed out that he or she was unaware of anyone who has shielded themselves from a speeding bullet with a bowl of custard. To which the researchers replied, “There are plenty of stories of English soldiers surviving being shot in World War I due to trifles being carried in their breast pocket.” So unimpeded by facts, or perhaps fortified by them, the search for the perfect bullet proof vest continues to this day.

Well the history of body armor from animal skins to the suits of armor as worn by the knights of the Middle Ages to the Kevlar vest is a history of man’s effort to protect himself from others. It hasn’t, as you know, proved to be 100% effective 100% of the time. It never has been and it never will be, for as we are prone to do, we will continue to outwit ourselves with one technological advance after another; each of them undoing what the previous one has achieved.

But, the armor spoken about in Ephesians is the armor of God. It is forged in the heavenly realms and, as seen in the Old Testament, was worn by God himself as he ventured forth to redeem Zion. In the New Testament, this same armor is provided for all those who are believers. In Ephesians 6:11, we are commanded to put it on and evidently leave it on as long as we are in enemy-held territory. For nowhere in Scripture are we told to take if off and lay it aside.

In Heaven we will wear robes of glory, but here we are to wear armor twenty-four hours per day every day of the week, 24/7 all year long. Why? Because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. It is when we are careless, when we relax our guard, when we are straggling behind, that Satan is most likely to pounce upon us.

In Kenya there are those who have observed a lioness stalking her prey. She stops behind a bush. Her powerful legs bend, her body tenses to spring on her target and destroy it. The prey, unaware of the danger, is here one moment and gone the next. That is the word picture presented by Peter when he tells us in I Peter 5:8 that the devil is like a lion on the prowl for someone to devour.
On the one hand, we are not to be anxious or live in fear. We are to cast our cares on Him for he cares about us. On the other hand we are to be constantly on the alert. We are to be watchful. We are to pray about everything and everyone. And we are to wear the full armor of God night and day.

When I was young and stupid, about ten years old, my brother and I enjoyed throwing darts. When we became proficient at the art of dart throwing, or so we thought, we decided to test our skill by having one of us stand against a wall inside the house while the other threw darts at him. The idea, of course, was not to pierce the other person’s body but to see how close we could get to it without drawing blood.

Well, let me just say that no good came from this idea. When we missed the body we put a hole in the wallpaper. And when we missed the wallpaper, we . . . well let me just say that it wasn’t the brightest thing we did with our idle time.
But if we had learned a few lessons from history, we would have put on body armor before we started throwing darts at each other. At least, this would have given us a measure of protection. But, when you’re stupid, regardless of your age, you don’t think about the need for armor.

For this reason, because we all tend to be stupid, spiritually stupid, Paul commands us to put on the full armor of God. He assures us that our enemy is real, that he is well-organized, that he is a schemer, and that his goal is to take us down and take us out. Based on these realities we are to put on the full armor of God.

We have already looked at the first piece, the belt of truth. By putting on the belt of truth we ready ourselves for action. Spiritually, this means reckoning on the truth that as children of God we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit. We are no longer slaves to the flesh, to the world, or of Satan. We now have the ability to make godly decisions for we are in Christ.

Yes, we are still prone to sin and from time to time we must confess our waywardness. But what is true about us is that we are no longer under the power of sin. We have the power to say “no” to all that we used to say “yes” to; we have the power to go out into the world and live as ambassadors for Christ.

In practice this means being honest with ourselves, others, and God. It means facing up to things as they really are in life. It means speaking the truth in love. It means that we’ve stopped playing games with God. In short, it means we are ready for action.
We are next told to put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Some take the fact that since v. 14 speaks of the “breastplate of righteousness” this implies that there is no armor for the backside. John Bunyan made this point in Pilgrim’s Progress. When Christian reached the Valley of Humiliation, ‘he espied a foul fiend coming over the field to meet him,’ whose name was Apollon. ‘Then did Christian begin to be afraid, and to cast his mind whether to go back or stand his ground. But he considered again that he had no armor for his back, and therefore thought, that to turn the back to him might give him greater advantage with ease to pierce him with his darts. Therefore he resolved to venture, and stand his ground.’

There may be a lot of wisdom in advising Christians to face whatever life brings them head on without fear of ever being abandoned by God. But, such advice can’t take its theological stand on this passage. For the soldier’s breastplate, much like today’s Kevlar vest, or yesteryear’s flak jacket, covered his backside as well as his front side. And even if it wasn’t a single unit, the front piece was normally complemented by a back piece.

Normally, when Paul speaks of “righteousness” he is speaking of the “righteousness of Christ.” For by faith in Christ we have been clothed with a righteousness which is not our own. In Him, we wear clothes that are purer than the purest snow. In Him, we are forever free of condemnation. In Him, we can stand before God and regardless of what the Accuser brings against us, most of which probably has a ring of truth to it, we are declared not guilty.

If we are going to go throughout the world as witnesses for Christ, there is no doubt that we need to be clothed in this righteousness that comes only from God. But in the context of Ephesians, of Paul writing to believers, it seems clear that he can’t be talking about the positional righteousness that is already ours in Christ. He must be referring to the conduct and character that flow out of being rightly related to Christ. He must be referring to putting on righteous behavior 24/7 so that as we live within enemy territory no one can point a finger at us and in so doing discredit Christ.
It is this righteous behavior that Paul pointed to in II Corinthians 6:3 - 7:1 when he wrote:

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
“Therefore come out from them
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Yes, God imputes righteousness to us because we trust, believe, in Christ. In it there are no flaws, nor does it become degraded or diminished over time. But God also imparts righteousness to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are to be distinguished by right conduct and right attitudes.

In a rough and tumble world Paul displayed the supernatural power to endure all things. He lived a clean and uncluttered lifestyle. He demonstrated an understanding of himself and of God. He was patient in any and every circumstance and showed kindness toward others despite what he may have been going through at the time. His love for others was genuine; he sought their highest good regardless of their response to him. And, despite the fact that others were doing their best to discredit him, his speech remained honest and accurate.

He and his companions made every effort to avoid behavior which would offend while living a lifestyle that commended itself to others. He then encouraged the Corinthian believers to do the same. He exhorted them to separate themselves from the paganism of their day. He challenged them to disentangle themselves from the occult, the idolatry, and the pagan religious practices that haunted their culture. Then, including himself, he said “let us perfect holiness out of reverence for God.”

My point? The weapons of righteousness destroy anything and everything the enemy can throw at us. They silence our harshest critic. In the heat of the battle they speak volumes to those who are wavering between light and darkness. We may think that no one is watching our lives, but we are wrong. Others are watching far more closely then we think and they are taking note of it. In a dark world we are the light of the world for we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO LESSONS