By Richard Klaus This past Sunday (9-6-09) I was able to preach on Ephesians 6.10-17. I went over a number of scripture texts and someone asked if I would post these on the website. So here are a few of my notes from the sermon (with a few additions as well!):
Three main points: 1) The Reality of the conflict, 2) Our Responsibility in the conflict, and 3) The Resources for the conflict.
1. The Reality of the Conflict (6. 11, 12, 16). Other references to the devil or the demonic in Ephesians: 1.21; 2.2; 3.10; 4.27.
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. C. S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters
*The Reformed community’s tendency is toward disbelief; not unhealthy interest.
I am certain that one of the main causes of the ill state of the church today is the fact that the devil is being forgotten. All is attributed to us; we have all become so psychological in our attitude and thinking. We are ignorant of this great objective fact, the being, the existence of the devil, the adversary, the accuser, and his ‘fiery darts.’ Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The Ephesian church had no such problem. They lived in a magic, spirit-infested culture. See Acts 19. 11-20 for biblical background. See Ephesians, Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in Ephesians in Light of Its Historical Setting by Clinton E. Arnold for the historical background. Ephesians 6.12 would make perfect sense to the Ephesian church. It also makes perfect sense to vast stretches of the church in the non-Western world (i.e., “the global South”). Phillip Jenkins’ work The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South is crucial reading in this regard.
Ephesians 6.10 and its call to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might must be read in light of the rest of the letter to the Ephesians. Two contextual points to consider: 1) The power of God revealed in Christ in the salvation of his people (1.3-14) and 2) The power of Christ ruling and reigning over the powers (1.19-22).
Already/Not Yet Tension must be kept in mind and maintained. Already the powers are subject to Christ (1.19-22) and still there is the Not Yet of the struggle we face we the powers (6.12).
Alreadytexts: John 12.31-32; Colossians 2.13-15; Hebrews 2.14-15; 1 John 3.8; 4.4; 5.8; Matthew 12.28-29; Luke 10.17-19. Notice especially the cross-focused theme of many of these passages.
Not Yet texts: 1 Thessalonians 2.18; 2 Corinthians 12.7; 1 Corinthians 7.5; 1 Thessalonians 3.5; 2 Timothy 2.26; 2 Corinthians 4.4; 11.13-15; 1 Timothy 4.1; 1 Timothy 3.6-7; 5.14-15; 2 Corinthians 2.5-11.
Christ is the victor and yet the battle is real.
2. Our Responsibility in the Conflict. Verses 11, 13, and 14a all bring out this need to engage ourselves in the battle. The language of “stand firm” is used three times as well as the language of “struggle” and “resist.” The exhortation to stand firm is given in the face of the enemies who are 1. Powerful, 2. Wicked, and 3. Cunning (vv. 11-12).
3. The Resources for the Conflict. It is the Lord’s strength but we must put it on. Two times the exhortation comes: “Put on/take up the full armor of God” (vv. 11, 13).
Armor of God: Old Testament roots–Isaiah 11.4-5; 59.17.
Truth: See Ephesians 1.13; 4.21, 24-25; 5.9.
Righteousness: Ephesians 4.24; 5.9. We are taking up the virtues that flow from the gospel of grace and applying them to the warfare we are involved in with the powers.
Readiness for the gospel: This is readiness to share the gospel. Context: Isaiah 52.7 and Ephesians 6.19. Gospel of peace: Peace with God (Eph 2.16) and peace with men (2.14-15; 4.3). Unity in the body is essential for the successful proclamation of the gospel and the defeat of the devil.
Shield of Faith: Ephesians 1.13, 15, 19; 2.8; 3.12, 17. Faith in Christ: what he has done and who we are in him. This faith protects against: temptation, heresy, and despair in persecution (cf. 1 Peter 5.8-9).
Helmet of Salvation: Ephesians 2 states we are “saved by grace” (vv. 5,8). Salvation in Ephesians 2 consists in 1) Being made alive with Christ, 2) Being raised up with Christ, and 3) Being seated in the heavenly places in Christ. How do we take up the helmet of salvation? Rehearse the reality of God’s grace and its effects in our lives. Pray for sustained faith.
Sword of the Spirit: This the word of God, the gospel (cf. Romans 10.8). We go on the offense with the gospel!
The armor of God is gospel-centered. In the beginning of Ephesians the gospel moves Paul to blessing and praise (1.3-14). At the end of the letter it is still gospel centered but now it is set in the context of battle.
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Klaus
By Richard Klaus With our recent focus on the Lord’s Prayer during our parish meetings I thought it might be helpful to mention a few books on prayer that are worth reading and considering. Of course, it should go without saying but I’ll say it anyway–not everything in any of these books is infallible! But these books are all worth looking at and I have been helped and motivated by them. Thomas a’ Kempis properly instructs:
Do not read to satisfy curiosity or to pass the time, but study such things as move your heart to devotion.
These are a few books that will move your heart to devotion.
The God Who Hears by W. Bingham Hunter (IVP, 1986). I used a nugget out of this book the other night. Hunter connects our prayers to the rest of our lives. He writes,
From a biblical point of view, prayer is related to everything that we are and everything that God is. God does not respond to our prayers. God responds to us; to our whole life. What we say to him cannot be separted from what we think, feel, will and do. Prayer is communication from whole persons to the Wholeness which is the living God. Prayer is misunderstood until we see it this way. (p. 13)
Hunter has a good discussion of prayer “in Jesus name” which he summarizes under four components: 1) It seeks the glory of God, 2)Its foundation is the death, resurrection and intercession of Jesus, 3) It is offered by Jesus’ obedient disciples, and 4) It asks what Jesus himself would pray for.
If God Already Knows, Why Pray? by Douglas F. Kelly (Wolgemuth and Hyatt, 1989). Dr. Kelly is professor of sytematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. What I particularly like about this book is that Kelly affirms a strong view of God’s sovereignty but also affirms a robust view of petitionary prayer. Don’t let the title throw you off too much. Kelly does deal with the problem of the title but the book has so much more about prayer and our prayer lives. In speaking about the West’s tendency toward deism he urges upon the church the following:
If we really believed that God was intervening in this world all the time, in answer to the prayers of His people, and if we were convinced that it is our prayers that change the course of lives as well as nations, would not hundreds of thousands of believers be giving top priority to standing in the gap and interceding? Would not the church in our Western cultures be praying a great deal more? Surely we have become deists in practice, if not in name! (pp. 133-134)
Kelly, in a chapter entitled “Prayer Changes Others,” describes the events of 1858 in Charleston, South Carolina under the ministry of John L. Girardeau. The congregation of Zion Church was praying for the Holy Spirit and revival in Charleston. Kelly quotes from George A. Blackburn who was Girardeau’s son-in-law and was present when the Spirit “showed-up.” Blackburn narrates:
This began with a prayer meeting that constantly increased until the house was filled. Some of the officers of the church wanted him to commence preaching services, but he steadily refused, waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit.
His view was that the Father had given to Jesus, as the King and Head of the church, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus in His sovereign administration of the affairs of his church, bestowed him upon whomsoever He pleased, and in whatever measure He pleased. Day after day he, therefore, kept his prayer addressed directly to the mediatorial throne for the Holy Spirit in mighty reviving power.
One evening, while leading the people in prayer, he received a sensation as if a bolt of electricity had struck his head and diffused itself through his whole body. For a little while he stood speechless under the strange physical feeling. Then he said: “The Holy Spirit has come; we will begin preaching tomorrow evening.”
He closed the service with a hymn, dismissed the congregation, and came down from the pulpit; but no one left the house. The whole congregation had quietly resumed its seat. Instantly he realized the situation. The Holy Spirit had not only come to him–he had also taken possession of the hearts of the people.
Immediately he began exhorting them to accept the Gospel. They began to sob, softly, like the falling of rain; then, with deeper emotion, to weep bitterly or to rejoice loudly, according to their circumstances. It was midnight before he could dismiss his congregation.
The meeting went on night and day for eight weeks. Large numbers of both white and black were converted and joined the various churches of the city. His own was wonderfully built up, not only in numbers, but also in experience that remained in the church. (pp. 140-141)
Kelly’s book is full of examples and stories that illlustrate the rich and vibrant life of prayer and the God who answers his children. Again, Kelly is Reformed in his theology but his book is Scripture driven and not the philosophical musings of an abstract systematic theologian. It is Reformed in the best sense of the word. And best of all, it is a book that awakens desires for prayer.
Prayer by O. Hallesby (Augsburg, 1931). My edition is the Augsburg pocket paperback edition of 1971. I first heard of this book from reading Kelly’s book above. Hallesby was a Lutheran seminary professor until his death in 1961. This book covers a number of topics but what is most edifying is that in reading Hallesby one has the feeling that this man has been often in prayer and knows the dynamics–both positive and negative–that attend prayer. The theology is not complex but his teaching is deep, instructive, and, at times, convicting. Hallesby begins his book with a quotation of Revelation 3.20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” He then pens the following as the first sentences of his book:
I doubt that I know of a passage in the whole Bible which throws greater light upon prayer than this one does. It is, it seems to me, the key which opens the door into the holy and blessed realm of prayer.
To pray is to let Jesus come into our hearts.
This teaches us, in the first place, that it is not our prayer which moves the Lord Jesus. It is Jesus who moves us to pray. He knocks. Thereby He makes known His desire to come in to us. Our prayers are always a result of Jesus knocking at our heart’s doors. (p. 11)
Hallesby’s chapters include discussions on “difficulties in prayer” as well as “wrestling in prayer.” I’ll provide just one quotation from his section “prayer as work.”
We are inclined to think that when we are real busy in the work of the kingdom of God, then we can without danger spend less time in prayer. This way of thinking is in our very blood. And Satan see to it that it is quickened into life as just the right time.
It is, therefore, necessary for the Spirit of God to burn into our hearts this mystery, that the most important work we have to do is that which must be done on our knees, alone with God, away from the bustle of the world and the plaudits of men.
This work is the most important of all, because it is prerequisite to all the rest of the work we have to do in the kingdom of God: preaching, pastoral work, meetings, societies, administrative groups, organization and solicitation of funds. If the labor of prayer does not precede, as well as accompany, all our work in the kingdom, it will become nothing but a work of man, more or less capably done and with more or less effort and agitation as the case may be, but resulting in nothing but weariness both to ourselves and to others.
The work of praying is prerequisite to all other work in the kingdom of God, for the simple reason that it is by prayer that we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness, the powers which can turn water into wine and remove mountains in our own life and in the lives of others, the powers which can awaken those who sleep in sin and raise up the dead, the powers which can capture strongholds and make the impossible possible. (pp. 80-81)
So much more could be quoted from these books but hopefully the above comments will stir you to consider these books and, more importantly, stir you to pray!
By Richard Klaus The air waves are full of remembrances of the first moon launch 4o years ago. It still amazes me that we tiny humans put a few men up on that white orb we see most nights. On the radio today I heard again the count down of the launch and it caused me to ponder for a few moments the heavens and their starry host.
Genesis 1. 14-18 speaks of the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. God’s power and purpose is made manifest. The sun and moon are to “be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years” as well as to “give light on the earth.” God’s kind provision for humanity is thus seen. And, of course, all this was designed by God and God’s proclamation is that it is “good.”
Psalm 19. 1-6 famously begins: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.” So God’s created heavens and their host reveal something of the glory of God and all humans everywhere see this glory. The sun is described as that which touches all things with its heat (v. 6) thus speaking something of God’s omnipresence.
Psalm 8 lets us in on the psalmist’s contemplation of the heavens. He considers the vastness and majesty of the heavens in relation to his smallness as a human:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man, that you take thought of him? And the son of man, that you care for him? (vv. 3-4)
It is instructive to notice that contemporary astrophysicts also come to a similiar line of reasoning–at least initially. Alan Guth comments in this regard:
When I started to learn about cosmology, I was amazed more than anything else by the very size of the universe. Ours is only one of a hundred billion suns in the Milky Way galaxy which in itself is probably only one in a hundred billion galaxies in the visible universe. In the context of the inflationary model, even the visible universe is only an infinitesimal fraction of the entire universe that probably exists. In light of all that, it’s rather hard to understand why what goes on on our tiny planet in this tiny corner of the universe could ever be considered important. (Omni November 1988, p. 76)
Notice the conclusion that Guth comes to–a big universe, therefore unimportance for humanity. The psalmist reasons differently in light of God’s revelation. He considers the vastness of the heavens, sees the smallness of humanity, but then concludes:
Yet you have made him a little lower than God (elohim), and crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalm 8.6)
Yes, the universe is massively huge. Yes, humanity is extremely tiny. But the biblical view of reality states that importance is not determined by size but by one’s relationship to God. In the context of Psalm 8 (with echoes of Genesis 1. 26-28) man is a created being made in the “image of God” and, thus, “crowned with glory and majesty.” In light of all this, Psalm 8 is book-ended with the praise of God. Our being crowned with glory and majesty is not derived from ourselves so pride is utterly out of place. Rather, the majesty of God is praised.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (vv. 1, 9)
God has created the vastness of the heavens to serve his glory and to testify to the majesty of who he is. The expanse of the heavens does not cry out “unimportance” as Guth suggests. God creates the universe to picture something of his majesty. It is a created reality to which God himself points to speak of himself. It has to be big to begin to accurately speak of him. It has to be big so that God can point to it so his people will take comfort. In other words, the “biggness” of the universe is both for God’s glory and our good.
Consider Isaiah 40 where the Lord is declaring his sovereign and merciful intentions for Israel. The Lord is to come with his might, not to destroy, but to show kindness. He is coming as a shepherd (v. 11) to tend his flock and carry his sheep in his mighty arms. In order to bolster his people’s faith in him the Lord speaks of his immensity. He is the God who has “marked off the heavens by the span [of his hand].” The imagery is striking and clear. Consider the vastness of the heavens and then know that God is “bigger.” Later in this chapter the Lord desires to stress his utter uniqueness and, again, he points to the heavens.
To whom then will you liken me that I should be his equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number, he calls them all by name; because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40. 25-26)
This powerful demonstration of God’s creative ability and his sustaining influence on the starry host serves to under-gird the words of comfort to follow. God has not forgotten his people. He is the everlasting God who does not become weary or tired. His understanding is beyond the depths of full human comprehension. And this immense, powerful, wise, creator God gives strength to the weary. To those who would look in faith to him he then gives renewed strength (Isaiah 40. 27-31). So the immensity of the heavens speaks of God’s immensity and his goodness toward us who look in faith to him.
Consider the heavens and praise the name of the Creator for his power, immensity and kindness. Every star has a name (Psalm 147.4) and he remembers every one. How much more does your heavenly Father remember you! (Cf. Matthew 6. 26-30)
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard
By Richard Klaus We started our journey through Ephesians this last Sunday. We’re calling the series, All Things New in Christ. This is to emphasize the Christ-centered approach of this wonderful book. All the blessings of the heavenly realms (1.3) are mediated through Christ Jesus (1.3-14). All of human history is moving toward God’s great goal of “the summing up of all things in Christ” (1.10). It’s important to keep this in mind for it keeps us from pushing small versions of the gospel. God’s global gospel designs encompass the renewal of all things in the created order. In particular, forces arrayed against God and his kingdom either are brought into renewed relationship with him or brought under Christ’s kingly subjection (see 1.20 for Christ’s ruling over the “powers”). In Christ or under Christ–but it will be Christ at the center reigning forever!
So Christ’s salvation has cosmic implications and applications, but what does that have to do with us now? Our living in Christ, both individually and corporately, is to be a manifestation of Christ’s kingly reality put on display before the world (and the heavenlies! see 3.10). Francis Schaeffer in his book True Spirituality has an appendix entitled ‘The Dust of Life.” In this short piece Schaeffer outlines the depth of the fall and the majesty of God’s redemption. In speaking of the fall into sin he speaks of the various kinds of separation that have been wrought by the fall.
1. Man’s separation from God; his alienation from his Creator due to sin.
2. Man’s separation from himself. Think of sickness and ultimately death (the separation of the body from our spiritual portion of being). But also think of mental illness. Schaeffer says it this way:
But also in the present we are each one separated from ourselves psychologically. Each of us is to some extent “schizophrenic.” There are degrees, but this present psychological separation is true of each of us.
3. Man’s separation from others. Think of Adam and Eve hiding themselves from each other. Think, also, of institutionalized racism and the horrors of genocide.
4. Man’s separation from nature. The created realm groans under the weight of the fall of man (Romans 8.19-22) and feels the effects of the curse (Genesis 3.17-19).
Schaeffer’s point is that every one of these separations will be overturned by Christ’s comprehensive gospel of the kingdom. Listen to Schaeffer’s wonderful words from “The Dust of Life.”
[W]ith this biblical understanding of an enlarged comprehension of salvation, our calling is enlarged. It is our calling now (looking to the living, resurrected Christ moment by moment, for our strength and understanding) to as far as possible help to heal all the abnormalities at the present time. At the present time (as far as possible), we are to bring life instead of death into people’s relationship with God through their acceptance of Christ as Savior, and then they and we increasingly to practice this relationship at each present moment. To (as far as possible) bring life instead of death in this abnormal world into the ongoing physical dying that each person is caught in from the day of his or her birth. To (as far as possible) help each person to be less separated from himself or herself, psychologically. To do all we can to heal the separation of Man from nature and nature from nature. Our calling now is to be as wide (though now partial) as the restoration of that day when the last enemy, death, will be totally destroyed, and all the other abnormalities will be totally healed.
As Christ’s people we work, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for these kingdom objectives. The final victory comes at the consumation but this does not negate our role or efforts now to manifest the reality of Christ’s kingdom across the full range of human affairs.
Our God is majestic and his gospel is big! Let us pray big prayers for the extension of the reign of Christ in our time!
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Klaus
By Richard Klaus During worship this day we again engaged in that most wonderous practice of communal recitation of the Nicence Creed (yeah, I know, it’s technically the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed with the filoque but that’s a lot to go in the bulletin). I was reminded of the words of Luke Timothy Johnson in his book The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters (Doubleday, 2003) concerning the power of the recited creeds to shape our world and offer resistance to the corrosive patterns of the modern world. A few quotations from Johnson to provoke thought and reinforce thoughtful participation in the recitation of the Nicene Creed.
The creed is remarkable for its concise rendering of the Christian story and the structure of the Christian vision of reality. It is an instrument that can at once define the community of faith and challenge alternative stories and visions of reality. (p. viii)
I think that the Christian creed enunciates a powerful and provocative understanding of the world, one that ought to scandalize a world that runs on the accepted truths of Modernity. There is something in the creed to offend virtually every contemporary sensibility. At the same time, it communicates a compelling vision of the world’s destiny and humanity’s role that challenges the accustomed idolatries and the weary platitudes of current worldly wisdom. Christians who say these words should know what they are doing when they say them and what they are saying when they mean them. This is the precondition to their celebrating a specifically Christian conception of reality, and the presupposition for their challenging the dominant conceptions of the world where they should be challenged. (p. 7)
Every Sunday millions of Christians recite the creed. Some sleepwalk through it thinking of other things, some puzzle over the strange language, some find offense in what it seems to say. Perhaps few of them fully appreciate what a remarkable thing they are doing. Would they keep on doing it if they grasped how different it made them in today’s world? Would they keep on saying these words if they really knew what they implied?
In a world that celebrates individuality, they are actually doing something together. In an age that avoids commitment, they pledge themselves to a set of convictions and thereby to each other. In a culture that rewards novelty and creativity, they use words written by others long ago. In a society where accepted wisdom changes by the minute, they claim that some truths are so critical that them must be repeated over and over again. In a throwaway, consumerist world, they accept, preserve , and continue tradition. Reciting the creed at worship is thus a counter-cultural act. (pp. 40-41)
So much is bound up in the creed and in the very act of communal recitation. Next Sunday when the time comes to recite the creed together don’t forget the counter-cultural implications!
For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Klaus
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