Jesus said in John 13:35 (ESV), "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." Lately, we've been exploring love in its various dimensions. How do you love your spouse, the man or woman in your life? How do you love your family, your kids, and other Christians? For the sake of those struggling in their sexuality, how do you respond with empathy, not with antipathy, nor apathy, nor bleeding heart sympathy"?
Not everyone is sold out to the idea of love. Maybe you are someone who thinks love is a really bad idea. I don't know, but maybe you feel that love is too soft and sentimental, and only for the naïve. Maybe you feel that love makes you look weak and vulnerable? Maybe you feel that love isn't much of a strategy or solution? That if anything, it's a formula for ruin, bankruptcy, and defeat! Maybe you're asking, "What good is it to love a person who hates me, wishes to harm me, or brazenly persecutes me?"
Today I want to explain what it looks like to fight with love. We all feel a need to fight someone. Maybe you've been fighting with your wife or husband a lot. Maybe you have a prodigal son or daughter who is in full rebellion. Maybe a relationship is deteriorating with a friend, neighbor, or at work. Aren't you just exhausted?
Sometimes it's not a person at all. Maybe you feel that that you are fighting against culture itself. You're sickened by all the corruption on Wall Street, in government, and in your city. You're sickened by the erosion of traditional values, and feel that your cause is being handed one defeat after another. You're sickened at what kids are being taught in school, what they're seeing on the internet, and what they are listening to on their iPods. And maybe when you voice concern, people roll their eyes at you like you're a dingbat.
Maybe you feel that you are fighting against a problem. Disease. Poverty. Illiteracy. Hunger. Homelessness. Corruption and greed. Terror. Fundamentalists. Religious fanaticism. Or maybe you've given up fighting altogether, and you're resigned to the status quo. A lot of people have just stopped caring. There is a death of outrage. May outrage rest in peace.
If you are in the fight of your life, here are some things you can reflect upon.
The fight is the Lord's, not yours.
If your cause is holy and just, the Lord is fighting with you. But if your cause is unholy and unjust, you'll only find yourself fighting against the Lord. I hope you are encouraged when you hear Ephesians 6:10 (ESV) which says, "...be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." You don't even have to ask for strength. The verse tells you to be strong, to just let the Lord resupply your strength and what's needed for the fight. You don't fight for the Lord with your strength, but with his mighty strength.
The fight is spiritual in nature, not physical.
Ephesians 6:11-12 (ESV) says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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."
The temptation is to put a flesh and blood target (a living person, a human being) in the crosshairs of your scope! If not literally, then perhaps metaphorically. The disciples faced this temptation too. When Jesus was being arrested, Peter pulled out his sword and sliced the ear off a man. But killing men doesn't kill evil. Killing men escalates evil, perpetuates evil, incites evil, and inspires evil.
The only murder I know of that ever crushed evil was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. His death inspired a thousand generations to be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you want to kill evil, put to death your own flesh, your own passions and desires, and live a life of love just as Christ lived a life of love and freely gave himself. The only thing that kills evil is Christ's love. The only thing that redeems men from the grip of Satan is Christ's love.
Jesus never waged a physical war against the temple guard, the Roman soldier, Herod, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Caesar, the demon-possessed, or Judas the betrayer. Jesus acknowledged that behind every stupid, villainous, evil act there was a spiritual stronghold that needed to be shattered.
The Lord arms us with everything needed to fight.
In Ephesians 6:13 (ESV) we're told to, "... take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." The phrase that jumps out at me is whole armor. If we don't use the full resources available to us, how can we be assured of victory? So what are the resources available to us?
1. The Truth
Ephesians 6:14 (ESV) says, "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth..." A good friend of Lakeside, and a member, writes for the Chicago Tribune. Ray has broken some incredible stories, and his commitment to telling the whole story no matter what the cost has righted a lot of wrongs in our state. When the heat is on, Ray often calls me for prayer. And when he gets worn down, I often remind him that not only is he doing the Lord's work, but that the Lord is fighting with him.
Without truth, there is no victory. Ephesians 4:15 (ESV) says, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." Lies, denial, or falsehood of any kind give cover for evil. But the truth drives out the evil among us.
2. Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14 (ESV) speaks of, "... having put on the breastplate of righteousness..." Think of righteousness in terms of integrity and Christ-likeness. Earlier in Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV) we were commanded to, "... be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Christ's righteousness enables you to stand before a holy God, but it also allows you to have credibility as you stand before evil people.
3. Redemptive intent
Ephesians 6:15 (ESV) says to fit shoes for your feet with, "... the readiness given by the gospel of peace." So what is the gospel all about? It's that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. It's that God made peace with us, obliterating the dividing wall of hostility between sinners and a perfect God. It's that even though we'd given God every imaginable reason to curse us, he became a curse, dying on a tree, so that we might be blessed. The idea of the gospel is that God is always moving toward us to make peace with us. Upon his death, he asked us to go into all the world (even to our enemies) proclaiming the gospel. God is asking us to join him in going to his enemies, in order to make them our friends. He wants us to be watchful and ready, not eager for their destruction, but wanting their full redemption.
4. Faith
Ephesians 6:16 (ESV) says, "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one..." When it comes to evil, we put our faith in a lot of things. Education. Politicians. Political parties. Security systems. Locks. Fences. Gated communities. Police. Guns. Gun control. Luck. But do we trust God that God is guarding our backs?
5. The word of God
Ephesians 6:17 (ESV) says, "... take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..." The helmet deflects things from penetrating our heads, our minds, and our thoughts. What we need to realize is that evil is an idea. Before action, evil is a thought and desire. The way we overcome evil is to be assertive, not passive. We simply don't allow evil to penetrate our minds. As the Bible says, never entertain evil thoughts.
What is adultery? It is lustful thoughts entertained over and over, until the thoughts become an all consuming passion. What is murder? It's anger, unforgiveness, and vengeful thoughts fed over and over. At the core of every imaginable evil is an idea that must be decimated. So what is the word of God? It's a better idea. It's a helmet that deflects the empty words, promises, and boasts of Satan. It's a sword that penetrates to the deepest part of a man's life and obliterates every evil thought, desire, and passion. The word of God at once protects us, fortifies us, and renews the mind.
6. Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV) says, "... praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." So here's the reality. You cannot change other people. But what did Jesus say? He promised that the Holy Spirit would convict the world in regard to sin (the evil they've done), righteousness (who God created them to be), and judgment (the steps God is asking them to take and be accountable for).
7. Strengthened church.
In Ephesians 6:18-20 (ESV) Paul says, "To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication (praying) for all the saints, and also for me, 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."
The Church is to be a vital and vibrant force against the battle against evil. First of all, we need to be continually praying for one another. I think the best mechanism for this is in small groups. It's hard to pray deeply for forty to fifty people, let alone five to six hundred people at one time. It's best that we break into smaller groups of ten to twelve people, or even two to three people, who will pray deeply over each other.
But second of all, you need to be praying for the pastors and leaders of your church. We need a strong, clear, bold presentation of the gospel. The mystery of God needs to be made plain to our people, week in and week out. Satan is always working to distract God's pastors away from a ministry of the word and prayer.
Finally, you need to support the testimony of this church. Everything that is preached, everything that is done in the name of Christ, is only possible through your generosity. No generosity equals no church. Greater generosity equals greater proclamation, greater expansion of the gospel, more churches planted, more languages the Bible is translated into, and more children hearing the word of God. The less your generosity, the more weakened the proclamation.
So let me summarize. It's the Lord's fight. It's a spiritual struggle, not a struggle against flesh and blood. The Lord equips us with everything needed to win the fight against evil people.
1. We learn to courageously speak the truth, no matter what the cost.
2. We live lives of love and integrity, reflecting Christ's righteousness.
3. We hold out hope, believing in the redemption of our enemies.
4. We trust God, no matter how dark, scary, evil, or hopeless we feel.
5. We daily fortify and renew our minds with the word of God.
6. We cover our lives, families, our church, and our world in prayer.
7. We strengthen the local church, its ministry, and its proclamation.