Sermon Outline, October 2

Peter J. Leithart, September 26, 2005

INTRODUCTION
We are attempting to form Christian culture among the churches of Moscow, and to see Christian culture shape the wider Moscow community. The Christian culture of the church enters a world with its own stories, rituals, and norms of behavior. A culture war is inevitable.

THE TEXT
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. . . ." (Ephesians 6:10-24).

OUR OPPONENTS
Paul describes the church's enemies in various ways. We struggle against "the devil" (v. 11). Our enemies are not "flesh and blood" but rather rulers, powers, forces, spiritual realities (v. 12). The devil is a personal being, not just an "evil principle." But Paul is also talking about institutions, structures, and patterns of life that powerfully shape human behavior. Perverse tradition and custom, ideologies and widespread prejudices, institutions of authority and the influence of symbols and "role models" all come under the heading of "principalities and powers." To put it concretely, Paul was not struggling against individual Judaizers only, but against a perverse tradition of Judaism. He was not only confronting Caesar when he proclaimed Jesus as Lord; he was confronting an imperial religion and ideology. We face not only individual "liberals," but an ideology of liberalism that has exalted tolerance and assumes that religion should not make a public display.

We shouldn't conclude that the church has no human enemies. Paul elsewhere talks about human enemies of the church (Romans 11:28; Philippians 3:17-19); when he battled Judaizers in Galatia, he was battling human teachers. Paul is saying that our human enemies are minor characters in a larger story of enmity. The human beings who oppose the church are motivated and directed, ultimately if not consciously, by diabolical spiritual beings and powers, and by the supra-human institutions and forces of ideology and culture.

We must evaluate our opponents and enemies in a double perspective. On the one hand, they are responsible before God for their hostility to the gospel. On the other hand, they are controlled by powers that they don't comprehend, ultimately by Sin, Death, and the Devil. Viewed from the latter perspective, they are victims of oppressive powers, and proclaim liberation in Christ.

Moses had to fight Amalekites (Exodus 17), but also struggled with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16). So too, enemies of the gospel arise both from within and outside the church. Professing Christians may be enemies of Christ; Judaizers were Jewish converts, church members in good standing. But we must recognize the difference between hostility to Christ and personal friction. We do not have a corner on the truth, and not everyone who disagrees with us is an enemy of the gospel. Here is a good test: If a believer spends his waking hours thinking up new ways to stir up strife among brothers (Proverbs 6:19) or inventing means to harass other believers, he is a Korah and should beware of stepping over cracks in the ground.

ARMOR OF GOD
Paul urges the Ephesians to "put on the full armor of God" (6:11). This is often understood as the armor that the Lord gives. It is that, but it is also the armor that the Lord wears. Yahweh wears "righteousness like a breastplate," the "helmet of salvation," "garments of vengeance," and "zeal as a mantle" (Isaiah 59:16-17). As the Lord goes out at the head of the army, we follow, wearing the same armor that he wears.

The armor Paul recommends doesn't seem very protective. Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, the word of God don’t seem to be very effective weapons. We're heading out with blunderbusses against an opponent who has nukes; or, we're heading out against giants armed with spears with a sling and a few stones. Despite appearances, the weapons we are given are powerful for destroying the fortresses of wickedness (2 Corinthians 10:1-6). Our weapons are spiritual, and don't have the limitations of the weapons of the flesh.

MILITANT PRAYER
Prayer is not a specific piece of the armor of God, but is to infuse all our battles as Christians. We are to speak the truth prayerfully, act in righteousness prayerfully, preach the gospel prayerfully, wield the sword of the Spirit with prayer. Prayer is communion with God, but too often Christians have understood prayer as a retreat from the task of forming Christian culture or battling the enemies of the gospel. That's not how Paul sees prayer. For Paul and for the church as a whole, prayer is one of the key tactics of our warfare. Prayer should be militant.

The most militant prayers in Scripture are the Psalms known as "imprecatory Psalms," or Psalms of cursing. Some of these Psalms are alarming in their ferocity and violence (cf. Psalms 58; 109, 137), and many Christians have trouble seeing how such prayers are compatible with Christ's teaching about love for enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). No less a Christian thinker than C. S. Lewis called the imprecatory Psalms "wicked," "sinful" and "dangerous."

But these Psalms are part of God's inspired word, and even saints in heaven call on God to avenge their blood (Revelation 6:9-10). Paul commands Christians to "bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not" (Romans 12:14), yet Paul himself curses Judaizers who preach another gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). Jesus commands us to love enemies, but He curses a fig tree that represents Israel (Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:15-26). The OT teaches us to love our enemies (Exodus 23:4-5; Leviticus 19:17-18; Proverbs 25:21-22), and yet includes imprecations in thirty-some Psalms.

If prayers of imprecation and judgment arise out of vindictiveness and hate, they are sinful. But refusing to pray these Psalms may arise from our sinful tolerance of evil, and our sinful apathy about injustice. When we pray imprecations, we should consciously be praying for something good – the good of God's justice. We should pray seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all.

Fundamentally, an imprecation is a prayer that God would keep His promises to His people. God promises to curse those who curse Abraham (Genesis 12:3; cf. 27:29), and we are the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:26-29). God promises to judge the world (Psalm 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; Isaiah 9:7), and an imprecation is simply a prayer that God would establish His righteousness by putting down the wicked and delivering the righteous. God promises to take vengeance (Romans 12:19-21), and we should pray that He would repay the wicked.

These prayers are not incompatible with loving action toward our enemies. Because we are relying on God to protect and defend us, we do not need to take vengeance into our own hands. We can give food and drink to our enemies, knowing that the Lord will either use those acts of love and justice to convert our enemies or increase their condemnation (Romans 12:19-21).

"Bless those who persecute; bless and do not curse." That should be the dominant tone of our prayers and preaching. But Scripture shows that we are also to ask God to take revenge against His enemies. Psalm 83:15-16 captures the balance we strive for: "Pursue them with Your tempest, and terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, that they may seek Your name, O Yahweh."