06/23/2020
We get up in the morning, say a quick prayer, wash ourselves, and then prepare to dress, but now the decisions of the day begin... we must decide what we should wear. We can easily decide which shirt to put on, or between blue jeans or slacks, but the one choice that determines how our day will really go is this... will we put on the armor of God? Will we wear just the breastplate, or the full suit of armor today? Perhaps at this point in our daily routine we fool ourselves completely, and wear nothing at all.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11 ESV
This morning, as I think of the armor of God, and I look at the world swirling in darkness around us, I am reminded of a story written by Hans Christian Anderson titled “The Emperor’s New Clothes” in which two devilish weavers promised to weave the emperor a cloth that was exceedingly fine, but invisible to anyone who was exceptionally stupid, or unfit for office. They promised to make the emperor a suit out of this material, and after pretending to work at the job for many days, and showing their progress to several of the emperor’s most trusted advisors (all of whom pretended to see it out of fear of looking unfit) they pretended to dress him in his new, yet invisible, set of clothes. Needless to say, no one could see anything but a naked, unclothed, emperor... including the emperor himself. So rather than admit to themselves that they could see nothing, they allowed his majesty to be paraded about town unclothed until at last a child yelled out “But he hasn’t got anything on!”
How many of us who profess Christianity in today’s politically correct environment, are like the emperor? How many have been dressed by devilish weavers in nothing at all, or have built fine buildings of “faith” out of thin air? How many of us have put the tried and true armor of God in the closet, and dressed ourselves in a shiny new suit of invisible armor that was promised to be much improved, finer, and stronger, than the original, but is actually nothing at all? How many devilish weavers have worked night and day to convince us that the true armor described in God’s Word is outdated, overly convicting, or just pure fantasy?
“Therefore 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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 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, 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, 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.”
Ephesians 6:13-20 ESV
Today we are unable to gather together, and enter our church buildings due to the Coronavirus, but something amazing is happening as a result... we are learning that the church, and our faith, aren’t the buildings, or much of the religion, but spring from the true Word of God, and resides within each of us. We see that many who have dressed themselves, and us, in fantasy are being culled out. Those who lean on the Word of God, are being separated from those who prefer the devilishly weaved modern interpretation of who God is, and why He sent His Son to redeem us. We are being shown that our eyes are blind unless rubbed with the spit of Jesus, mixed with the dust of creation, and that sweet smelling oil, and scented powder are not the same thing. We need some of that spit and dirt on the eyes of our faith today, and we need to pilgrimage through these hard times of COVID-19, and social turmoil, to the pool of Siloam where we can wash... and see again.
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.”
John 9:5-7 ESV
So right now, all around the world, the reset button is being pushed on the Christian faith, and mankind. The question becomes a simple one... which armor will we put on today? Will we put on the full armor that God has prepared for us, and which is described in the Bible, the invisible armor that has been twisted and manipulated to make us feel special, comfortable, and in control of our world and spiritual history, or will we neglect the armor altogether? Are we ready for some spit and dirt, or will we continue to look at that as crude and disgusting? Will we stand in the shower with a bar of scented soap, or wash in the pool of Siloam? What will it be?
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for your Holy Word, and the unchanging truth that it reveals to us. We thank you Lord for clothing us in your full armor as we live out our lives on this chaotic earth, and are confronted by the dark one and his minions as they seek to destroy our faith, and replace it with nothingness... a mockery. Open our eyes Father to your truth. In our blindness we pray that your Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus, and that we will stand ready to receive the mud of His spit and dirt on our eyes, and a bath in the pool of Siloam. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who draws back your children from the precipice of sin, and death. Great are you who has hammered out your Impenetrable armor that protects us in our faith, and gives us victory in Jesus. Praised be your name for the sword of your Spirit that strikes down all temptation, and evil, that comes against us. You are mighty as you go before us, and guard us against all spiritual harm as we fight this battle of good against evil, and light against darkness. Hear our prayers Father as we lift up your name, and pray as Jesus taught us to pray. Let the banner of your truth be before us now, and forevermore... waving in the truth of your breath within us, and upon us in your Spirit as we go forth.
“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:11-13 ESV
Rich Forbes