• "Enemy Number One"
• Sermon for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
• October 31, 2004
• The Reverend Stephen C. Scarlett

If we were asked to identify our enemies, we could each develop a list of the usual suspects. There are the contrary people-the bosses or co-workers, the relatives and acquaintances, the political and religious figures-who oppose what we want and make our lives difficult. There are various infirmities, bodily limitations and frustrating circumstances that keep us from doing all that we would like.

The epistle today tells us that such a list would be lacking Enemy Number One. Ephesians says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, again powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (from the epistle, Ephesians 6:10f). That is to say, our main enemies are not people, things and circumstances that we can see or readily identify; our main enemies are invisible spiritual forces: the devil and his fallen angels.

This is one of the main points made by the life and death of Jesus. Jesus had many visible enemies who opposed him during his life and conspired to sentence him to death. But Jesus did not fully engage the battle with them. He understood them to be but pawns in a larger war. Jesus' real enemy appeared in his temptation in the wilderness. The devil tempted Jesus to be disobedient and unfaithful. Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness and on the cross. The aim and goal of Jesus' ministry was, as Hebrews says, "to destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil" (2:14).

The same pattern prevails in the Christian life. The invisible enemy uses the visible circumstances of life to undermine our faith. In our prosperity, the devil tempts us to pride and self-sufficiency, to believe that we do not need God. In our struggles the devil tempts us to despair, to believe that God has abandoned us. The question of the spiritual battle is not, How are my job, personal life and health? The question of the spiritual battle is, How is faith being undermined or strengthened through these visible circumstances?

The devil appears in three places in the Bible that give us some insight into his wiles: the temptation of Eve in the garden, the dialogue between God and Satan in Job and in the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In the garden in Genesis, the devil's lie went something like this: "God gave you the commandment because he doesn't want you to be like him." Thus, the devil tells us, "God only wants you to obey the commandments to keep you from personal fulfillment. Break free of the restraints of religion and you will become the god-like being you desire to be."

Once we've listened to him, the tempter becomes the accuser. The promise of freedom and self-fulfillment becomes the reality of guilt, shame and fear-see Genesis 3. Guilt is another of the devil's trademarks. Once he has lured us into patterns of disobedience, he tries to keep us captive by telling us there is no hope for us and we cannot be forgiven and saved.

The role of Satan as accuser is highlighted in Job (Chap. 1 & 2). Satan accused Job of only doing good because God rewarded him for it. Satan is revealed in Job as a cynic, never believing that anything can be truly good, truly free from self-interest. We must beware of this demonic cynicism, which is marked by the absence of the virtues of faith, hope and love.

In the wilderness with Jesus, we see the devil as the promoter of the short cut. Forget the longer painful way of the cross; worship me, the devil said to Jesus, and I will give you the kingdom now. Likewise, the devil tempts us to take the easy way, to make compromises of faith and morals in order to get by in the world.

The Bible tells us that the devil is a defeated enemy. He cannot undo the cross and the resurrection. His destiny is the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10). His game now is only to take as many with him as he can. Revelation says that he "has great wrath because he knows that his time is short" (12:12).

The main point of the armor of God imagery in the epistle is that we have all the resources we need in Christ to withstand the powers of darkness. We have the truth as it has been revealed in Christ to expose and combat the devil's lies. We have the gift of salvation that breaks the cycle of sin and death by which the devil held us captive. We have been made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ who defends us in heaven against the accuser.

The epistle says, "take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." When we take the time as a habit of life to come into God's presence and reflect on the truths revealed in his Word, the contrary voice of the devil becomes more and more evident. We are given wisdom to see how the devil is trying to use our circumstances to undermine our faith. And when we fall, the guilt that the devil brings upon us is replaced, in prayer, by the experience of forgiveness through the cross.

We also learn, through prayer, that just as the powers of darkness try to use every circumstance for evil, so God uses every circumstance for good. As Romans says, "God works in all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose" (8:28). When things go well, this gives us opportunity to thank God and to show our gratitude with generosity and faithfulness. When we struggle, this gives us opportunity to learn perseverance and to purify our motives.

For "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers." Therefore, "Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."