Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - May/64

Contributor - T. Hogerwaard

Title - Drafted Into Christ's Army

Topic - Spiritual Warfare

(The shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit) Ephesians 6 vs. 10-20

You may understand that today, this last Sunday of Lent, I would like to address myself especially to our new members.*) While listening to what is especially meant for them, naturally our thoughts go back to the day that we ourselves confessed the Name of our Saviour and Lord in the presence of God and in the midst of His congregation. Listening to what Paul, Christ's faithful apostle, had to say to the young Christians in the city of Ephesus, we are at the same time prepared upon the celebration of the Lord's Supper of which we hope to partake on Good Friday this week.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to announce that in Him the Kingdom of God had come. When He preached, He could say: "Today the promises of God have been fulfilled." In Jesus Christ the Kingdom has come and during all the centuries that have come and gone since then the Gospel has been preached, people all over the world have been invited to accept God's grace, to answer His call to Peter the Kingdom, to belong to the &lng of kings and Lord of lords for time and eternity.

It would take us many weeks were we to preach about all the parables which our Lord employed to explain to us what the Kingdom of God is like. It cannot be explained from one point of view; there are a great many.

There is the side stressing God's compassion with us, that Jesus the Good Shepherd came to seek the lost sheep of the House of Israel and of all the peoples in the world. If one, only one man, woman or child turns to God, that is a reason for joy, not only with the angels, but with God Himself, so anxious is He, that we know Him, accept His grace and go His ways, walking the narrow path that leads to life and leaving the broad way of the world that leads to destruction.

Another side of the Kingdom is the joy which awaits us. The Kingdom of God, the Lord said, can be compared with a king, who arranged a marriage feast for his son. People were (and are) invited to come and enjoy themselves. No admission fee is required, no expensive presents have to be given, the only requirement is: willingness to respond to the invitation. That is also stressed every time we are invited to the Lord's table: "Come, for everything is ready now."

Then again there is the point of making sacrifices for the Kingdom. The Kingdom is worth any and every sacrifice. We learn, from our Lord's Words, about a man who discovered a great treasure in gold in a piece of land. He sold everything he had in order to be able to buy that piece of land, so that the treasure might be rightfully his. The Lord means indeed that what He has to offer is such that it is worthwhile to sacrifice for it our life, our time, our money, literally everything. If we do, we are not losers, but gainers: what we give and give up is only a trifle compared with what we receive.

Another angle is: working for the Kingdom. We remember that our Lord said that the Kingdom of God can be compared with the owner of a vineyard who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. Men were called at all hours of the day: when the chilly dew was still on the grass; during the hot midday hours and finally again when it began to cool off in the evening. Everyone is welcome to the work, no matter when or where he was called; there is still work in the Kingdom for everyone. Work, as long as you enjoy the daylight; when night comes, work is over.

Then there is the necessity to spend our talents in the service of God. Men with great gifts are able to accomplish much; others, less gifted, are not able to do as much. But the Lord is interested in the faithfulness with which the talents were used, the possibilities to serve. And here the idea is not that the Lord wants to get something out of us, on the contrary: He provides us with an opportunity to show how important the task can be He will give to us in the Kingdom after we have left the earthly scene. The one, who forgets himself completely in his dedication to the Lord and His Kingdom will discover in eternity great surprise that, while looking after the Lord's interest, at the same time he had been looking after his own interests, unknowingly of course, while the smart ones in this world, who manage to make everything nice and profitable for themselves, then will turn out to have been great fools who seized the small worldly advantages and gains while at the same time they let slip the great chances and opportunities which the Lord had offered them.

You see, there are many sides to the Kingdom and to get the complete picture it is well to give attention to everyone of them. There must be willingness to come, willingness to work, willingness to make sacrifices.

But for this morning we see the Kingdom from another angle, namely war. In war what really counts is courage, willingness to fight, no matter how many wounds and scars may cover your body. In war the issue is: not to yield, never to surrender to the enemy, who is God's enemy and ours at the same time. We have to fight, fight indeed, persistently and courageously under the leadership of our Captain Jesus Christ Who leads the battle against the armies of darkness, of evil. That is one of the most important ways in which the New Testament expresses Christian life: fighting on the right side. For there is indeed a war going on, a bitter one without pardon being asked or given, an absolute, a totalitarian war between God Who is holy love and Satan who is unholy, full of hatred and bent on destroying us.

But Christ has already conquered him, both during the temptation in the desert and in His willingness to suffer and to die for us. The powers of darkness were defeated. But the final outcome of this battle will only be clear in eternity. At present the forces of darkness try to make us believe that they are the ones who have the power here, who are in control of everything and that it is advantageous, good for business, good for promotion to listen to them, to be on their side instead of on the side of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God engaged in battle with the kingdom of darkness. In the Name of God the angels fight for everything that is in accordance with God's will; the devils fight for their master, Satan, with a bitter hatred against God and a passionate desire to destroy us.

Paul speaks about the enormous powers of darkness in this world, ruled by Satan himself. The power of sinister spiritual influences, the power of the state, the power of money and big business in general, the entertainment business with a budget of billions of dollars destroying people by means of sex. There is the relentless battle going on for the soul of the teenagers. From the way some subjects are taught in high schools you can see that these powers and principalities have their representatives, their enormous influence there too. They also do their share that you will not turn to God, not listen to the Voice of the Saviour, resolutely living for this world and what it has to offer.

There have been few times in the history of the Christian Church that it was so hard and difficult for our youngsters to become a real Christian, dedicated to God and His will, as it is now. Brainwashing for instance is not something that is going on in Communists lands only, in this part of the world too a relentless brainwashing is going on via radio, television, magazines and by means of what people around you are saying and how they lead their lives. Everything is meant to make you turn away from Christ and that means at the same time: away from life, peace and joy to the darkness, the bitterness, the unhappiness and finally - for that is the ultimate but hidden aim - the eternal separation from God in unspeakable misery.

No one can be neutral in this war. You have to take sides, whether you like it or not. Matter of fact you actually take sides with everything you say, think, do and plan: your whole existence is either fighting on the right side or the wrong one.

The forces that are against us in this world are enormous; the Christians form a very, very small minority in this world, those "queers", those "squares", who refuse to conform, who want to go God's way instead of their own way, instead of the world's. But glory to God, you have chosen to fight on the right side. Now, there is good news for you! It may seem that you belong to a very small and unimportant minority, but then Jesus Christ is with us, the One to Whom all power has been given here on earth and in heaven as well. When a nobleman had read a petition signed by the Covenanters to Mary, Queen Of Scots, he glanced over the signatures and remarked sneeringly: "A lot of nobodies." But John Knox was present in that company and he said: "May be, but everyone of them a servant of God." That's the only thing that counts! And therefore, I hope and pray that you may experience in your Christian life - as we experienced it in ours - that the man was right who said: "In any situation one man in Covenant with God always forms the majority."

In a battle everything counts but supremely the condition of your weapons and your skill in wielding them. You heard from the Scripture lesson what Paul said: how a Christian has to arm himself' for this daily battle for his Lord and against God's enemy who is at the same time his enemy. Of the weapons Paul mentioned I would like to single out two.

The first is the weapon of defense: to render the attacks of the enemy ineffective. It is the shield of faith. Satan nor his subordinate devils rest day or night endeavouring to undermine your faith, your childlike trust in God, he wants you desperately to give up. Therefore: trust in God, that is the shield which defends and protects your heart against the arrows and darts of the evil one. As long as you trust God, nothing can happen to you, all satan's efforts are in vain. But if you get tired of serving God, of listening to Him because the world has become attractive to you, that means that you lower your shield and satan will not be slow to avail 'himself of that opportunity to harm you. Take therefore the shield of faith, as Paul said, the shield "with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one".

But in war defense is not enough, that also applies to our spiritual war. We are called to attack the forces of evil, we have to acquire skill to handle the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Our own arms and weapons are not effective, only God's weapons are and He Himself puts them into your hands. Therefore: read God's Word regularly and persistently, listen with your whole soul when His Word is proclaimed, for then actually God Himself is addressing you, providing you with weapons you badly need in this holy war against the unholy hosts.

Without the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God - you are helpless and at the mercy of your cruel enemies, but protected by the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit in your hand, nothing can happen to you. Your Captain, the All Powerful One sees to that.

Know the Word of God, give time and undivided attention to it. Pray that you may understand the Word of God and read the Word of God that you may learn what it means to pray. If you do not understand what you read, ask your minister. Mind you, you are fighting for everything that makes life worth living, here and in the life to come. You fight for your peace with God and therefore also for the right relationship to your parents, your husband or your wife and your children, yes, for literally everything.

If you lose, satan will not let you keep anything, therefore fight with all the strength God gives you. Christ, the Victorious One, is on your side; you need not trust, you may not even trust in your own strength or skill but in His. You have now confessed the Name of Christ. That is a declaration of war against the powers of darkness. Invisibly but utterly real you carry on your forehead the sign and seal that you belong to Christ and His Army: your baptism. The evil powers know: here is one who is marked as belonging to Christ.

Fight faithfully and courageously, so that when your life has come to a close you may put the sword, you handled so courageously during your life, at Jesus' feet. In its place He will put into your hand the palm of victory and on your head the craven of life. Be faithful and courageous and inherit God's Kingdom!

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