Ephesians 6.10–24
A sermon from St Margaret’s Nedlands 18 October 2026
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (ESV)
The Book of Revelation talks of “war in heaven.” It speaks of conflict between angelic powers spilling over into the affairs of this world. What are we to think of this? I often speak of World War II. It goes with being a baby-boomer. As a child my mate and I used to dress up in with his father’s flying suit. He was a fighter pilot just a few years before. WWII was the most significant event of the last 100 years—evil unmasked and heroism pushed to its limit. So, could the whole Hitler and Japan thing have been a spillover from a greater conflict.
In the West we tend to regard the Devil as a mythological creature, personification of evil, but not an actual evil person. I certainly grew up with that idea. When I started reading the Bible this view was challenged. Diabolos (Greek) is the court prosecutor; in Hebrew he is Satanas. Reading accounts of missionaries’ experiences in places like India and Africa also changed by outlook. So what are we to think?
If we accept Paul as a guide, there is no doubt the Devil is real. And he can attack us personally. “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the Devil.” Someone is out to trip you up and cause you to fall!
The one fall out I had with my Cambridge supervisor was over this point. He was a great scholar and a fine Christian, but when I wrote that no one could hope to understand Jesus who did not believe in a real Devil he was offended. “Surely not,” he said, “we are just speaking of evil.”
Romeo Dallaire was the commander of the United Nations military in Rwanda at the time of the genocide. He had to meet and shake hands with the Robert Kabukwe, the leader of the Hutu militia. Dallaire noticed spots of blood on his clothes and the arm extended to him. The trauma he experienced in Rwanda caused his mental health to break down. He did not return to Rwanda for 10 years, but then was persuaded to make a documentary of his experiences. He remembered that incident with Kabukwe and his feeling of looking into the eyes of pure evil. A chaplain asked him how he could possibly believe in God after the things he witnessed. “I dobelieve in God,” he said. “I started to believe in God when I shook hands with the Devil. If the Devil is real, God must also be real.” The documentary was called, Shake Hands with the Devil.
But we do not need to rely on Paul or the experiences of missionaries, or the opinions of moderns; we have it from Jesus himself. If anyone knows it should be him. He saw his whole mission as a struggle with the evil power. It began with a struggle in the Judean Wilderness and ended in the Garden of Geethsemane. On one occasion he called him, “the ruler (archon) of this world.” At another time, speaking to the religious leaders who wanted to kill him, he called the Devil a murderer:
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.[1]
These words tell us a lot. We first meet Satan disguised as a snake (or dragon) in the third chapter of Genesis. God had warned Adam and Eve not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die. Satan pretended to know better and tempted them to disobey—he lied and they died. That is why Jesus calls him a murderer from the beginning, and the father of lies.
It helps us to understand why he also calls him the “ruler of this world.” God committed his world into the care of Adam, and made him its king. But in following the lies of the Devil Adam effectively gave Satan control. Whenever we follow in our forefather’s footsteps and follow the Devil’s suggestions—and we all do, over and over—we cede effective control of the world to the Devil. We make him the ruler of this world.
Jesus saw his mission as a struggle with Satan to take back from him his power of condemning us to death and hell. The New Testament tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, he defeated Satan once and for all, and made it possible for us to be forgiven and have eternal life. But he did not there and then destroy the Devil. He wants us to struggle with Satan and eventually to win. Satan is still active; he hates human beings, and does what he can to disgrace and destroy them.
It is surely significant that Paul’s last word to the Ephesians, after he has explained God’s plan to them, and then the way of life of his followers, should be to warn them and arm them for their struggle with the powers of evil.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Human intelligence, human strength alone will not be enough. If we wish to stand—survive—we must have supernatural power and appropriate weapons.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
This is the first place we slip up. We are often involved in struggle and conflict? Try to do any good work and you will have opposition. We imagine that if only we can win, good will triumph. Wrong! Losing the struggle with humans sometimes means winning the real struggle. Jesus had enemies, and it seemed to his disciples he was going the wrong way about defeating them. In the end it seemed like they defeated him. Wrong! They thought it was a struggle with flesh and blood. But he saw that the real enemy was Satan; the humans were just his puppets. He fought the real enemy, for the sake of those who were in his power, and won.
This does not mean we will never fight with humans. But they are never to be seen as the real enemy. If we fight them, we fight them for their sake. This sounds strange, but it is true. It explains why Jesus taught his disciples they must love their enemies, if we are part of his mission.
Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
The evil day, I think, is the time which comes around all too often when we are under strong pressure—temptation—to think what is false, or to do what is wrong, or to feel worthless and defeated, or elatedmand overconfident. And we very well can be defeated, if we give in to what ultimately comes to us from the Devil. But we can win through, if we use the armaments which God supplies. Paul speaks of armaments: offensive and defensive weapons. We are not only on the defensive, but need to carry the attack into Satan’s camp, and are given the means to do so. He mentions, for example, “the equipment of the gospel of peace.” This is what we need to be able to tell Jesus’ story in whatever situation we may find ourselves. For Paul himself this was prison and an impending trial. He asks the people he is writing too to pray for him,
… that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
He needs words to say, and the boldness to say them. Most of us will find ourselves from time to time in situations where we need words and courage. Paul believes God can give him this. This is how God’s kingdom is built up and Satan’s destroyed.
We also need strong weapons to defend us.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness …
A Christian has little to fear when he or she is honest and does what is right. I am understanding the belt of truth to mean truthfulness. None of us does the right thing all the time. Doing the wrong thing is forgivable; it becomes near fatal when we lie to cover up. This sort of thing Satan can use to rip us wide open. We see it all the time in our politicians. They are especially prone because they are in public view and are constantly under hostile eyes. But we too are under hostile eyes. If we realize we have not told the truth—defending ourself perhaps, hurry to put the record straight, even if it costs you. It will cost you much more if you don’t. And integrity is vital for a Christian’s witness. Paul now speaks of faith.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God …
It is often pointed out that Paul was chained to a soldier who would have been uniformed. What he has in mind here, though is the heavily armed soldier in battle. His shield is his life. A flaming arrow punches into the thick leather of a Roman shield and is extinguished. Faith is like this. How often must Paul have been beset by depression, chained day and night to another man. Surely there were times when he doubted God’s power to save him—or his goodness. But he reminds himself of what he knows, the many evidences of God’s goodness he has experienced, and the gospel opportunities that have come because of his imprisonment, and may yet come. He trusts—an active trust that pits his knowledge of God against the discouragements that surround him. The person who suffers a chronic disability must take this to heart. I remember a woman in my last congregation who suffered pain, day and night, but never wavered in her conviction of God’s goodness, even holding a regular Bible study when she could no longer be at home and was moved to aged care. Faith is what saves us, faith keeps us going, faith keeps us joyful.
And then there is the helmet of salvation. How often does an otherwise fatal blow fall harmlessly on a soldier’s helmet. A modern soldier doesn’t carry armour; it doesn’t work against bullets, and slows you down terribly. But one item of armour he still wears—a helmet. Some of you may remember Joe Mullins. Wherever he went with his Bible Society ministry he carried his World War II helmet. He came in from a day of particularly hard fighting in the Islands and saw there were two bullet-holes in his helmet. He had been sighted by a Japanese sniper. The webbing inside the helmet was torn to shreds. God did not choose that day to call him home.
It is interesting that Paul likens salvation to a helmet. Jesus once said to his disciples after a heady day of mission: “Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you, rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.”[2]
This is a confidence every Christian should have: assurance of salvation. Jesus promises eternal life to anyone who will trust him—no matter what your past may be. It is not about how much good or bad you may have done or will do; it is his sin-bearing death for us which guarantees your future. If you lack this assurance, you should speak to someone you trust who knows their Bible. God’s word is our guarantee. Perhaps it was this thought that prompted Paul to mention the sword of the Spirit.”
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Here is a weapon which is for both defence and attack. The minister’s essential tool of trade is the Bible; the Christian’s strength and comfort in all circumstances is his or her knowledge of God’s word. Study the life of Jesus and you will see it was so for him. I was reminded last Sunday of Tim Winton’s story about his grandmother. He told me Cloud Street was the story of his family. After the war they lived in a large house in Hilda St Shenton Park, divided in two. Two families shared it; his mother opened a hole in their wall and had a shop. With three generations living on their side and another family boozing on the other it was a madhouse on the best of days. Tim’s grandmother could bear it no longer and pitched a tent in the back yard. But then Cook started his rampage around Shenton Park and Nedlands, breaking into houses, raping young women and shooting them. Tim’s grandmother was told to come back into the house. She had to weigh up the threat of Cook and the chaos in the house; she stayed in the tent, but that was when she started reading her Bible and recovered her lost faith. I hope you all have a Bible, and that it is your most precious possession. Read it regularly, and read it to your children and grandchildren. What a comfort God’s word can be to a distressed child, and to a dying Christian!
The last thing Paul wants to say is “Pray!” but he can find no piece of armour to liken it to. He could today: the radio. Behind enemy lines and without their radio soldiers are helpless. In touch with headquarters anything is possible. God is always on the line for his children’s cries.
Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me …
Jesus’ disciples went to pieces the night of his arrest when they failed to pray, and went to sleep. Jesus urges us again and again to be alert, be wary, recognize when Satan is attacking, realize when he may be attacking one of our brothers or sisters, and pray, pray, pray. God hears, hears, hears, and answers, answers, responds.
Never forget you are engaged in a struggle for the lives of men and women—your own life, and others. The Devil is real. Put on the full armour of God with which you can stand against his schemes.
[1] John 8.44.
[2] Luke 10.20.