Good Morning Friends,
One of the songs we have stopped singing in Church is Onward Christian Soldier. It is no longer politically correct. And yet today as we look at two related images of how Christians are to behave both on and off the battlefield against sin, it seems rather appropriate. For here we discover that to be ready for battle…ready for life, we need to be properly clothed by Christ
in protective armor.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus is facing a battle. He realizes that his time is short but like a good soldier is committed to both duty and devotion. He exemplifies the scripture Paul uses as word pictures to describe how we are to fight the good fight and to live a lifestyle necessary to win the spiritual war and enjoy a heavenly peace. One image is of a person putting on the armor of God including: the Helmet of Salvation; The Belt of Truth; The Breastplate of Righteousness; Shoes of Peace; Shield of Faith; Sword of the Spirit and finally a prayer life… the second image is of being clothed in love which is the fruit of prayer put into actions that glorify God. It is important to note that we are to wear both images one on top of another. Christ did. Friends, without prayer our armor and swords mean nothing. Without love our life is meaningless. Life is littered with defeated Christians who never discovered how the two are related. As you study scripture and church history one thing is constant in the lives of God’s most effective Saints… it is purposeful prayer. It is the better choice. Practicing with the armor on…practicing clothed in Christ’s love is the journey of life. So, Is Your Language And Behavior Outfitted For Success In The Spirit Of Christ When You Pray?
Scripture: At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ‘
Luke 13:31-35 (NRSV)
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31b-39 (NRSV)
Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Mark 15:37-39 (NRSV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20 (NRSV)
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)
Message: The worldly powers in Jerusalem and especially the ecclesiastical pride of the Sanhedrin, in today’s Gospel reading, was against Jesus even though some of them still believed in him. On the political front Herod thought Jesus a troublemaker and that Jesus was a friend of John the Baptist made things worse. We have three groups in the storyline relevant to today’s question. There are reactionaries, prophets, and revolutionaries. The reactionaries of the temple and political state, in their greed condemn the prophet as a revolutionary and desire to kill him. The insurrectionists in the mob in their bitterness condemn the prophet as a reactionary and want to kill him. Jerusalem is called the prophet killer for a reason. But God’s ultimate triumph of purpose will not be thwarted. And ultimately God would use Rome to address Jerusalem. But the story does not end there. We still to this day have a part to play, but first we must learn, as Paul did, that we cannot give to the world what we do not have. We cannot share Christ’s love unless that love is within us. We cannot create a world of justice if greed is in our hearts. We must have the heart of a prophet and teacher realizing that we must stand up with Jesus to the reactionaries and rebels of the faith, even in the face of persecution. Christians are to be engaged in a spiritual battle equipped with weapons of warfare that are also spiritual. Jesus certainly was. But hopefully our first impression to others is to be one of love. And even as we like Jesus lament the world’s status it is to be an expression of love. A fight for moral strength is not enough. Ethical wisdom and high ideals are insufficient. Personal commitment to justice and righteousness falls short. If we take the great commission seriously then we will need to girdle ourselves with the belt of truth, for it holds together all other virtues… but we need to lead with love. We need to be honest and sincere. We need to put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from sin. We need to shoe our feet with the preparation of peace so we might be stable in our walk with God. We need the shield of faith so we might face the onslaught of sin. We need to put on the helmet of salvation that protects the seed of our thought life. With these defenses in place, we take up the sword of the spirit…the word of God spoken with boldness and power as we expose the enemy to our unity in love…clothed in Christ, for Jesus was glorified by the Father.
And So, as Jesus traveled though Israel and especially in Jerusalem, he saw the curse of sin on mankind and he lamented the choices of Adam and Eve in the garden and saw the world, as he sees ours today, though eyes that understand a better choice. In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus mourning that Jerusalem, the place He will set up His throne, will ultimately crucify Him. He did so want them to awaken to a better choice. What the Centurion, a man who knew armor and the way of death, saw of Jesus on the cross was not a death of fear, but one that is of inspiration and love. That is why the Centurion choses to call Jesus the Son of God. We too have a choice. Choose to believe God. Trust God. For ultimately, we will face our own death much like we face the little deaths of persecution in life. We have a choice to either receive Jesus and his love or to deny him and live a life of heartbreak and a sad death of desolation. Death like persecution is not something we seek but will come and we need to know what we will say in response. I am not going to put words in your mouth. You need to search your own heart for you will say. But I do hope that we will all be more than conquerors of the fear of persecution when we give affirmation of life everlasting in Christ. Friends, living in a society that has great pride in their inclusive attitudes and policies invites harsh criticism. But being a lukewarm Christian and chameleon in it is worse. In some ways it is sad that the most intense persecution a Christian in the United States will ever face is from another Christian. But even in this situation we are not to conform to the pattern of this world. We are to be innocent as a dove and shrewd as a serpent in our internal as well as external battles. We are to throw off the shackles of fear of external criticism and exclusion and let God’s light reveal the truth that Jesus, who paid the ultimate price is offering the world reconciliation and each of us hope, even in our hypocrisy. The ultimate battle is inescapable. We can never outrun the darkness. But we are never alone. But we must realize that we cannot have words of hope to bring hope into the world if our hearts are filled with despair…. we cannot give grace in what we say if all we know is judgement…we cannot offer a word of thanks or forgiveness if our hearts are filled with bitterness. And so, we must keep fighting the good fight and seeking the words to share that glorify God.
Pray we avoid persecution by realizing that judgement belongs to the Lord. Pray we are comforted in the reality that in our affliction God will assure us of the promise of Christ. Pray in the face of difficulties we learn to spread the Good News with love realizing that each of us must face a dark night. Pray we turn the other cheek when appropriate and stand up for Jesus every time we can in the Spirit. Pray we believe God is for us in this fight. Pray therefor we let God’s light shine through us. Pray we always fight for peace. Pray we seek to go below the radar screen seeking God’s will not our own. Pray we find honor in service. Pray our mind is renewed. Pray we seek Christ’s victory not our own. Pray we do not fear defeat. Pray we own our defeat realizing it is not true failure. Pray we realize that our wounds are not our weakness. Pray we realize that the ultimate battle is the Lord’s. Pray we realize that if God is for us nothing can stand against us. Pray we keep on doing what we have been called to do until we are called home. Pray we share a good word from the Word made flesh. Pray when the time comes, we do not forget to say thanks for all the love we have received and shared.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 