Rod Chiswell - Sunday, 29 May 2022
The Opponent and God's Armour
Scripture References: Ephesians 6:10-24, Matthew 4:1-11, Isaiah 59:15-21
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CloseWe live in a world that is fundamentally hostile to God – it is a world broken by sin, and enslaved to sin. It is a world that has set up an alternative rule to God. But the enemy is not the world – in so much as the physical creation. The enemy is the devil, and the way in which he wages war through lies and perverting our desires. And we are complicit – because we are sucked in by his lies! How, as God’s people, are we to stand against such an opponent? Ephesians 6 clearly reminds us that this war is real. The enemy is real. And knowing the enemy is crucial – recognise his tactics, recognise his lies, recognise his attacks. But we must also recognise that God has already flexed His ‘vast strength’ in raising His Son from the dead, and so crushing the snake. As the snake thrashes about, the very same suit of armour that Jesus used is made available to Jesus’ mob so that they can stand against the devil.
Scripture References: Ephesians 6:10-24, Matthew 4:1-11, Isaiah 59:15-21
Related Topics: Ephesians | More Messages from Rod Chiswell | Download Audio
Jesus has finally made it to Jerusalem. As Matthew prepares us for His entry into Jerusalem, he helps us confront Jesus’ authority, and the way in which it restores the concern of God for the outsider, and confronts the insider. This is the start of the Passover week. Jerusalem is a roiling maelstrom of religious and political fervour. And Matthew organises the narrative of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem around displays of His authority, rooted in recognition of His ‘old power’ – four Old Testament quotations structure the passage. As we come face-to-face with Jesus’ authority, three truths stand out. First, Jesus’ authority is extensive and all-encompassing. Second, Jesus’ authority is for the outsider, and rooted in God’s deep commitment to bring the outsider inside His kingdom. And, third, Jesus authority confronts the insider, and urges them to repentance. Come and meet Jesus, the King, in all His authority, as He enters Jerusalem!
What is greatness? In particular, what is greatness in the kingdom of God? That is the question addressed in the passage from Matthew today. Jesus is approached by two different groups. First, the family of Zebedee: James and John and their mother. Second, two blind men. Jesus asks both groups the same question “What do you want me to do for you?” What they request is quite revealing. And so is Jesus’ response to their requests. The Zebedees request position, status, reward for effort. The blind men request mercy, for their eyes to be open. Which request lines up with Jesus’ teaching previously? Which request do we tend to go to ourselves?
The Department of Home Affairs has an Australian Values Statement on its website. Visa applicants for residency/citizenship must sign this. And one of its key principles is that we are a ‘fair-go’ country. We would all agree with that. I suspect, too, that we would summarise our ‘fair go’ culture by stating that ‘you get what you deserve/what you work for’. In fact, many of us have established our relational, social and work ethics on this very principle. But is that what the ‘kingdom of heaven is like’? What is its value statement? What is the hallmark of such a kingdom, and its ruler, even its citizenship? Today, after Jesus has assured his disciples that the dependent will be provided for by their king, he now uses the same ideas to issue with them a warning not to abuse, misuse, ignore or become entitled in the face of the kingdom of heaven hallmark—which is grace.
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