Sunday, November 10, 2019

The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, 2019. The Whole Armor of God



Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, 2019

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




The Hymn #658             Onward Christian Soldiers     
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual 
The Gospel 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 261               Lord Keep Us Steadfast  - by Luther

Weapons and Armor


The Communion Hymn #321         O Faithful God  - by the Concordist Selnecker 
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #259  Flung to the Heedless Winds - by Luther  

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:



KJV John 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life: We beseech Thee, do Thou by Thy Holy Spirit so quicken our hearts that we in daily prayer may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing His promise, obtain that for which we pray, and at last be saved, through Thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.


2018 - Background for Sermon and Adult Class
Luther did not teach himself or teach his organization. His interest from the beginning was Biblical teaching, and Staupitz had him earn a doctorate to teach the Bible, a task he took with great seriousness and energy. No "Lutheran Church" existed, but many flocked to Wittenberg to be part of this emphasis on the Bible and the Gospel.

Two terms belong together - efficacy and Enthusiasm, two expressions about how the Holy Spirit works.

But first - Zwingli and Calvin. Both Swiss Reformers acted a rivals to Luther, though they showed an outward friendliness. What Zwingli started, Calvin developed - teaching against efficacy and promoting Enthusiasm. Their toxic influence is with us today in the way rationalism has undermined the Biblical message.

Efficacy means the Word of God always works through the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 55:10f is the key passage, but there are many more. In the New Testament, efficacy is used many times in various forms. It transliterates (letter for letter) as en-ergy, what works within. Efficacy means God's Word is always effective. If preaching causes a riot, a split, converts few or many, that comes from the divine power of the Word. The Holy Spirit never works apart from the Word, and the Word never lacks the Spirit.

Zwingi and Calvin denied the efficacy of the Word and mocked it as well. Thus the power of the Word in Holy Baptism and Holy Communion was denied. They are merely ordinances that show man's faith in obeying those commandments. Thus it is no surprise that the Mennonites (denying infant faith and infant baptism) came from Zwinli's influence. It is also no surprise that non-Lutheran Protestants have a low interest in Holy Communion (usually avoiding that term) and attend the Lord's Supper only a few times a year.

Enthusiasm is another major word, in this case shorthand for the practice of having divine teaching with no evidence in the Scriptures for it. Some examples:

  • All pagan religions are Enthusiasm - no support in the Bible.
  • Catholics teach that wearing the scapular releases them from time in Purgatory, given certain requirements. The scapular and Purgatory are examples of Enthusiasm.
  • Modern theology, which began at Halle University (a school that absorbed Wittenberg), is Enthusiasm, where Scriptural support is a non-issue. Statements are made as if they are true, based on the authority of the writer. Braaten-Jenson teaches that the Trinity is simply God the Father, the man Jesus, and the spirit of the believing community. B-J is a major ELCA product, but Braaten thought ELCA was too liberal and left.
  • Objective Justification's claims are nothing but Enthusiasm. They are derived from Walther, Stephan, and Halle University. Ironically, Jay Webber - normally allergic to Luther - pointed me to the Enthusiasm passages in the Book of Concord as a refutation of Church Growth.
Enthusiasm has made such inroads, thanks to the Walther fan club and the rationalism of Europe, that few test the ravings of Fuller, Trinity Div, Willow Creek, and the Love Shack/Purple Palace with the Scriptures. That laziness is fatal. The Word is divine and infallible - denominations are not.



Weapons and Armor


Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.


This passage is a picture of the Roman soldier, using his armor as examples of the Christian in his battle against Satan. As Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress illustrates, whenever a person is lost to Satan, there are many ways, various paths to take in getting him back. Thus unbelievers are not troubled for the most part, because they already belong to their Father Below. Christians are beset by many difficulties, troubles, and temptations, because they are missed and Satan wants them restored to that lost state.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord
The Apostle urged his fellow-Christians not to be weak and willing to surrender, but strong in might of their Savior, who is - in Luther's words - the Hero, the Valiant One who fought against Satan, sin, and death - and defeated them.

An old adage in the military is this - "The army has lost the moment they think they are defeated." On the contrary, many times a minority, even one soldier, has turned the tide of a battle because of a never-lose, never-surrender attitude. The majority against this minority thinks it is against a brigade, a larger and more ferocious unit, when it is actually one or only a few who will not budge - or who act as if they are many.

As Luther wrote (Large Catechism) Satan has a thousand arts, but the Word has 100,000. Notice that he emphasized the art and power of the Word, not the person. In war, soldiers use their weapons - they do not throw them down.

The primary weapon of the Christian is the Scriptures, and the unified view of the Word of God. The sectarian picks out a verse and dances around with it, as if the verse is the entire Bible and so bright and shiny that it eclipses the rest of the Scriptures. The unified view is ancient - that one passage helps explain and expand upon other passages. We can see that with Shepherd (Isaiah 40, Psalm 23, John 10, Luke 15), and we can see it with spiritual weapons against Satan (Hebrews 4 - the Sword of the Spirit, 1 Peter 5 - the devil prowling about like a lion).

The Scriptures are powerful weapons because they are always imbued with the divine power of the Spirit. That is not the common view because false teachers love to have the words to themselves, so they can play with them, manipulate, threaten, and tax people. Nevertheless, the Scriptures upend their dogmas and methods because the Bible is one unified Truth, One Book of the Holy Spirit. 

and in the power of his might. 
Those who play with the Biblical meanings are like those foolish people who 

  1. stick forks into electrical outlets, 
  2. try - emphasis on try - to steal electrical lines at a substation, or 
  3. throw things into overhead lines.

They harm and blind themselves in playing with the Word and can face more danger than the person with no faith.

God's Word is God's power and never ceases to more more potent than anything we can imagine. We can only understand this from revelation and experience in seeing what God has done.

Many people have seen videos of someone using a weapon, whether a sword or a firearm, and not knowing how powerful it is. A Desert Eagle is like a hand-held canon, and a real sword is a giant razor blade. 

Paul is saying that a Christian soldier studies and knows what he is wielding as a weapon and as protection.

11 Put on the whole armour of God,

From God Himself is the protection we need to use in this battle, the whole armor of God.

We are threatened with the power of disease, from cancer to long-term incurable maladies. We are faced with the temptation of despair from economic troubles and threats. We have many different ways to stumble, to be wounded, and taken prisoner with the help of others. I saw one example of a man who talked his friends into jumping off a bridge, with everyone tied to a rope, but without calculating the actual weight of this contraption when swinging down. Many were severely injured.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our tendency is to see difficulties as coming from individuals, from trends, from entities, but Paul directs our attention to the real battle. When Luther wrote about Kingdoms, he meant the Kingdom of Christ versus the Kingdom of Satan. Those two battle against each other until the End of Time.

Whenever the Gospel takes root in one place, Satan's foot-soldiers do their best to uproot it. Nothing is so good and full of blessings that it cannot be converted into evil and brought down. 

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

This equipment Paul is talking about - it is for a Roman hoplite, the most armored soldier. A panoply means a "full suit of armor", and has derivatives based on that meaning - a panoply of insults.

So we are not left without defenses, and these defenses are divine, not human. Paul knew about the agony of spiritual warfare. He felt it so often that it was his thorn in the flesh and the reason given by his opponents for mocking him.

The overly sensitive are brilliant at many things, and highly intuitive, but they suffer from that and wish they could be dull, insensitive, and happier (more pain-free). But God gives us an array of abilities so that we can use them for His glory.

Isaiah 59:17 - For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

In a battle, protection is essential. The first mentioned is providing the most vulnerable area with a thick leather belt - truth. That is a major source of security - no matter how much people rage, laugh, mock, and scoff - the person with the Scriptures has the revealed truth of God.

When people start from the science of the moment, they leave aside the most powerful weapon and protection, the Word, for the theories of the moment. For example, the proper argument for Creation is - God created through the Word, revealed by the Spirit in many passages throughout the Bible, from Genesis 1 on.

Secondarily, we can see how this works when we study what the scientists have discovered, such as a whole field where they look at the timing of birds, insects, plants, and soil creatures so that everything works out well for all. Scientists do not prove the Bible is correct - no, the Bible shows where scientists are right or at least getting close.

When I read about soil microbes, which involve billions of microscopic creatures and "plants" (fungi), the material practically screams Creation in Six Days to me. Or someone casually mentioning the Grand Canyon or Lake Michigan as results of the Flood.

God's power is established in His Creation, and so is His design and purpose. People have springtails and ichneumon wasps in their yards, working anonymously. Most do not see them. If they do see the tiny wasps, they think, "Gnats. Flies." and swat at them.  But the creatures do their work without needing recognition or even a life plan designed by their Life Coach.

As one wit said, "If I concede evolution (and I don't), then who wrote all the software that works perfectly and adjusts for so many changes?"

Knowing we have the absolute Truth from God and can adjust our lives accordingly, we have confidence - not so much in ourselves, but in Him.

having on the breastplate of righteousness

Our guest said he never thought of righteousness as Justification by Faith. The righteous in the Bible are those who believed in the Savior. Because Paul defined righteousness as Justification by Faith, we can see what he means here. 

Soldiers needed their hearts and lungs protected to fight, so they wore the breastplate of metal or hardened leather to keep the slashes and puncture wounds away. The person who lacks the righteousness of faith in Christ will either be struck down by constant self-blaming and paralyzing regret or misled by the self-righteousness of works. (One example would be citing one's family members as proof of denominational royalty or going outside and saying, "Look at the size of our parking lot.")
There is no real comfort in either one of those attitudes, no breastplate, only a swollen ego.


15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Some of us venture outside barefoot on a whim to get something, to bring the dog or cat inside, to look for mail, or to say hello. The results can be painful, awkward, and filled with regret. 

Here the Gospel of peace is a reminder of Romans 5:1-2. Because we are justified by faith in Christ, we have peace... Peace is almost always connected with forgiveness and salvation in the Bible. This is the most important peace of all and comes from the power and grace of God - the power to forgive, the grace to be forgiving.

Why is Pilgrim tortured in the Castle of Doom, with the giant gleefully preparing his death? Answer - he forgot he had the keys to get out of the castle in his pocket - the Promises of God. That section is is vivid that anyone can tell Bunyan suffered inwardly and outwardly from his tiny cell. This inward and outward torture, though, was transformed by God into a beautiful picture to comfort us, a visual parable.

16 Above all, taking the shield of [the] faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

επι πασιν αναλαβοντες τον θυρεον της πιστεως

I agree with translating this as the Shield of the Christian Faith. As Luther said, the Word has 100,000 arts, so the Christian is eager to go into battle, knowing that this Shield stops and extinguishes the fiery darts of Satan. 

People who love and promote false doctrine, use those darts - personal attacks, mockery, insults, shunning, causing trouble where none existing, threatening, banning, excommunicating. They will gladly destroy a marriage to get even, so I have warned people - do not let them get to you. In time, thick skin - or scar tissue - makes one laugh at all the attempts, even though some still sting.




And - in time - the raging becomes quite funny. It is like a success bell going off - success with the Word. When my little book on Justification by Faith came out, Christian News and LutherQuest (sic) had to "review" it several times over, never dealing with the actual content. In their rage they gave it priceless visibility and reason to read it.
But they never responded to Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4, above.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

I see a three-fold expression that ties the three together, rhetoric called the ladder. Going backwards - this all depends on the Word of God, defined as the Sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4), which is the source of our salvation - Jesus dying for our sins and rising from the dead, the ultimate proof of God's power of sin and death.

We can be poor or wealthy, bed-ridden or an Iron Man, popular or hated - salvation is our helmet. Without a helmet, the soldier can be knocked out of the battle in a moment. My wife and I often mention a member in New Ulm. He always spoke the truth. He was the poorest member and the most generous, yet they treated him badly. He spoke the Biblical truth often and said, "They do not like it, but Jesus loves me." He made it possible to start Bethany and told the opponents at the old congregation, "I will stay with you," (because of his sister). "And I will give like you, $10 a Sunday."

He knew the ultimate truth - faith in Christ, created through the Gospel Word, is the only thing that matters.