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Christ and CreationUnit 3: The Fruits of New Life

(Lessons 10-14)

NEW ARMOR FOR BATILE- -- -mmmJr-- -- -- -INTRODUCTIONA. DRESSING FOR BATTLEOne of the most popular spectator sports of the twenty-first century isAmerican-style football. Although it is somewhat obscure outside the UnitedStates and Canada, this is one of the highest revenue-generating sports on theplanet. High school football teams have rabid fans. The fans of football teamsof major universities are no less passionate. The "identity" of a large city canbe tied to its professional football franchise.At its core, football is a type of mock warfare. Points are scored by pushingthe battle line into the opponent's end zone. Brutal, hand-to-hand combatoccurs in the trenches, the line of scrimmage. The key player, the quarterback,is often referred to as the field general who directs his troops. Players with experience are veterans. A long pass is called a bomb.

As the game of football has developed, there have been many improvements in equipment. A fully dressed football player wears many items toprotect himself from the physical pounding of the game. All players wearhelmets with face masks. Each player wears a custom mouth guard to protecthis teeth. Very prominent are the pads that allow players to use their shoulders like battering rams. Some players wear flak jackets to protect their ribs.Football pants are equipped with hip pads, thigh pads, and knee pads toguard those body parts. Some players even use shoes with steel toes to protect their feet.While there are many injuries in football, this system of body armor isamazingly effective, given the speed of the game and the intensity of the hits.We can imagine how quickly a person wearing only a soccer player's gearwould be injured on the full-contact football field.When we look at a depiction of a Roman soldier of Paul's day, the soldiermay appear to us to have used strange equipment. But he was armed and armored using the finest equipment available at the time. If his armor kept himfrom becoming a casualty, he could fight the ne.xt battle too.The apostle Paul never served in the Roman army. But he had seen Romansoldiers up close on more than one occasion. Paul knew that there was a farmore consequential war being waged outside the realm of earthly armies.Paul understood and taught that all believers would be called upon to engagein warfare against spiritual powers that would seek to destroy their faith.Their commander was not sending them into battle unannored, though. Godhas provided spiritual armor for each believerB. LESSON BACKGROUNDIn writing Ephesians, Paul revealed a special concern for spiritual realities. He was acutely aware that there is a spiritual realm, unseen to us, whereimportant things take place that affect us. Paul referred to this place as the

DEVOTIONAL READING:LUKE 11: 14-23BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE:EPHESIANS 6:10-18PRINTED TEXT:EPHESIANS 6:10-18

LESSON AIMSAfter participating in thislesson, each student will beable to:1. List the elements of thearmor ofGod.2. Explain the need foreach piece of "annor" inmore literal terminology.3. Identify one element othe annor ofGod that he or

she needs to don and makeplan to do so.

KEY VERSEPut on the full armor ofGod, so that when the day oevil comes, you may be ableto stand your ground, andafter you have done ev-erything, to stand.-Ephesians 6: 13

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MAY 31, ].J)J)_9 _ 3 ~ i 4 _ _ NEW ARMQREOR BALESSON 14 NOTES

DAILY BIBLE READINGSMonday, May 25-Truth(Psalm 25: 1-5)Tuesday, May 26-Righteousness (Proverbs 11: 1-1 0)Wednesday, May 27 -The Good News of Peace(Isaiah 52: 7-12)Thursday, May 28 -

Faith (Hebrews 10:35-11:3)Friday, May 29 -Salvation (Isaiah 12: 1-6)Saturday, May 3D-TheWord of God (Psalm 119:105-112)Sunday, May 31 -The Full Annor of God(Ephesians 6: 10-18)

"heavenly realms." This realm is the source of our spiritual blessings (Ephsians 1:3). Yet this realm is also the habitation of "rulers and authorities,"meaning the evil spiritual forces that seek to enslave humanity (Ephesian3: 10). The New Testament teaches that all spiritual powers eventually wilbrought to submission ( l Corinthians 15:24; Philippians 2:10; 1 Peter 3:but that time has not yet come (Hebrews 2:8).There are two extremes to be avoided when considering the nature ofspiritual realm or the spirit world. Animism, on the one hand, is the beliethat almost everything in nature has a spirit associated with it. There is ariver god, a tree god, a monkey god, a mountain god, a storm god, etc. Inworldview, life is a matter of tiptoeing through the spheres of these little gpleasing and appeasing each as necessary.On the other end of the spectrum, secular materialism is based on the that there are no spiritual realities at all. In this worldview, gods and angeare no different from elves and leprechauns. At the end of the day, if thereno tooth fairy, then there are no gods, either. There are no hidden spirituapowers, good or bad, and humans are called to make their way boldly in

godless world.Paul taught neither the chaotic and fearful world of the animists nor thlonely and even scarier world of the materialists. He personally had experenced the spiritual world in dramatic, convincing ways (see 2 Corinthians12: 1-4). Yet he understood that this realm was not a playground for comping deities of varying powers. Paul knew that there is one God. The spiritworld is delineated between those forces aligned with God and those forc: in rebellion against God.We do not understand why the all-powerful God continues to allow thevil spiritual forces to exist (nor did Paul). However, for as long as the spirtual realm is populated with these rebellious powers, they will seek to brimen and woman under their thrall as co-rebels against God.This, then, is cosmic warfare of the most deadly type. Paul knew that. Christians must constantly be on guard against spiritual attacks, for theirhearts and minds are the battleground. Paul also knew that God had notbelievers \-vithout defenses. Such is the focus of this week's lesson.1. THE PERIL OF BELIEVERS (EPHESIANS 6:10-13)A. SPIRITUAL RESOURCES (v. 10)10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Paul begins the final section of the letter by urging his readers to bestrong. This has the sense of empowerment, of the unleashing of latent

, strength.The source of this strength is nothing physical, however. It is not a mater of weight training or nutritional supplements. It does not come frominjection of steroids. Instead, spiritual strength comes from our relationswith God, from being in the Lord.Paul uses an unusual phrase to describe God's strength: his mighty powThis is similar to a common Bible description of God as the Almighty. Theare no holes in God's power. He is strong everywhere.A repeated mistake for most Christians is to fall into the trap of trusin their own inner strength in times of trial. If we spurn the spiritual assistance and power of God, we will become casualties in life's battles. A

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LESSO , N , , ~ 1 , - - 4 , - - - - - _ _ 365_ _Paul explains it elsewhere, when we understand our weakness and rely onGod, then we are truly strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).B. SPIRITUAL WRESTLING CW. 11, 12)11. Put on the full armor ofGod so that you can take your stand against thedevil's schemes.

Paul admonishes us to dress ourselves in the protective annor provided byGod. The emphasis is on using all the gear, for none of it is optional. Paul'spurpose for this is clear: to allow us to withstand the devil's attacks. Onecommentator noted that the most dangerous thing about Satan is his inconsistency. Satan will attack any weakness when least expected. (Ironically, wemay say that he is very consistent in this regard!) His craftiness and trickeryare a constant threat. We can neither predict nor anticipate these assaults,and thus we must be fully protected and on guard in order to resist him.12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the mIers,against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against thespiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.The nature of our spiritual stmggle against evil is presented as a cosmicwrestling match. The object of a wrestling competition in the athletic gamesof the ancient world is to toss one's opponent to the ground and hold himdown. Satan seeks to trip us up and to keep us from recovering.We sometimes are prone to think that the fight for righteousness, good-ness, and holiness is a test of human wills and different philosophies. It istrue that our fallen world produces some unimaginably evil and depravedhuman beings. But Paul knows that this is but an outcome produced by thespiritual warfare that is constantly being waged.Men and women (flesh and blood) are not our ultimate enemies. They arethe fallen children of God. Our true adversaries are the powers of this darh

world and spiritual forces ofevil in the heavenly realms. This is not a cryptic ref-erence to world governments or conspiracy theories. It is a description of veryreal evil spiritual beings who are in league with Satan.SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Various doctrinal points of view divide today's Christians. One such divideconcerns Christian pacifists and what might be called Christian militarists.

Some \vith a pacifist bent believe we need to get rid of the war imagery whenwe talk about the faith. For example, the words of Sabine Baring-Gould's 1864hymn are deeply troubling to some: "Onward, Christian soldiers, marching asto war . . . forward into battle . . . like a mighty annymoves the church of God,"etc. After all, isn'tJesus the Prince of Peace? Didn't he command us to "tumthe other cheek"? Then how can we use the imagery ofwarfare when praisinghim?

Other Christians see ail of life as a continuous, "every incident" cosmic and!or physical battle against the forces of evil. Armies from supposedly Christiannations went on religious "crusades" in centuries past. Not many propose areturn to that line of thinking. Yet some Christians see demons behind each andevery incident that seems to be even the slightest bit troubling.

To the fonner group we may ask, have you ever read Ephesians 6? To the lattergroup we can say that implements of war are no t the only images Scripture usesto describe the Christian life. With study and prayer we can find between thesetwo perspectives the biblical view of the nature of our struggles. -c. R. B.

MAY 31, 20

WHAT Do You THINK?When we realize thatthe tme c0Y!fiict is with evilsphitual forces, how will thichange our dealings withnonbelievers? How well areyou doing in this regard?[Use Matthew 5:44 andRomans 12: 14, 17, 20, 21

set the tone foryour answer

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M A Y 3 ~ L _ 2 1 1 D 9 . _ ~ . 36(i . _ __-,N-,-EW ARMOR FOR BAHow TO SAY IT C. SPIRITUAL VICTORY (v. 13)13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day ofevil comanimism. a-nuh-mi-zum you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything(a as in mat). stand.apocalyptic. uh-pock-uh-LIP The day ofevil that Paul foresees is not necessarily a time of apocalyptictih. distress for all humanity. It is, rather, the day that each believer faces, the Corinthians. Ko-RlN-thee

when faith itself is sorely tested. It is the day when our trials wear us dowunz (th as in thin). and we are tempted to forsake our Savior for the life of sin and despair. ThEphesians. Ee-FEE-zhunz. day may be repeated many times in our lives.epistle. ee-PIS-ul. Paul's image here is of a soldier who is still standing when the battle isIsaiah. Eye-ZAY-uh. done. If the fight is over and we are standing, then we are not casualties.Legionnaires. Lee-juh have not been thrown down and dominated in the spiritual wrestling maNAIRS. As Paul says elsewhere, we are victors in the battle, "more than conqueromedieval. mee-DEE-vul. (Romans 8:37).Philippians. Fih-LIP-ee-unz. This survival will not be from our own resources, but from the protectiThessalonians. THESS-uh full armor provided by God for our safety. God does not save us one day oLO-nee-unz (th as in to lose us later. He wants us to be safe, even on the most evil of days.thin).II. THE PROTECTION OF BELIEVERS (EPHESIANS 6:14-18)A. BATTLE DRESS (w. 14-17)14a. Stand fimt then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,. The waist area is lightly armored for the Roman soldier so that he can: maintain his maneuverability. Depictions of Roman soldiers show that thefavor a shon, skin-like contraption made of broad strips of leather hanginfrom a heavy leather belt. Underneath could be a brightly colored cloth gment extending to the knees. Paul uses the image of a belt to describe theprotective function of truth for the believer. The belt is tightened to the reposition when the battle is about to begin.WHAT Do You THINK? Undermining or twisting the truth is one of Satan's favorite strategiesWhy do you think Paul (example: Matthew 4: 1-11). Yet truth can be an impenetrable defense. Ifpicks truth to list first as a we always tell the truth, we will not be caught in a tangle of our own lies.piece of the amlOr ofGod? Lies-whether ones we tell or false philosophies we accept-bog us dow[Explore John 4:24; 8:32, 1iuth keeps us mobile and active because relying on God's truth means t44; and 14:6 as you frame the devil won't be able to draw us into his quagmire of deceit.your answer. ] 14b . . . . with the breastplate of righteousness in place,The Roman breastplate is made of leather covered with bronze. It is "mcled" to make the warrior look strong and fearsome. This armor protects the front of the soldier, for he is expected to face the battle. There is no prtection for the back, no armor for the one who turns and runs.

Protection of the torso is critical, for this pan of the body houses manyvital organs. If a spear or arrow is not deflected by the breastplate, death cfollow quicklyRighteous behavior is a protection from attacks on one's personal integ. When a believer falls publicly, the entire church is damaged and its witneis compromised. This is why Paul calls for leaders who are "blameless" (T1:6,7) and have a "good reputation" in the community ( l Timothy 3:7).Ultimately, our righteousness is brought about through the atoning sacrof Christ. But our daily manifestation of this through right living is a protetion against being ensnared in hidden sins and hypocrisy (compare IsaiahI 59:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).

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LESSON 1 4 _ 367 MAY 31,20015. . . . and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel PRAYERofpeace.The Roman soldier's footwear is a half-sandal, half-boot apparatus withthick leather soles. It is not designed to protect the upper foot from swordslashes or arrows. Rather, its purpose is to guard the foot from rugged terrainso that the soldier can march and advance into battle without worrying aboutinjury resulting from stepping on a sharp rock or a splintered piece of wood.Paul presents an image here of the gospel preacher who acts in order toproclaim the gospel ofpeace. The emphasis on peace would seem inconsistentwith Paul's warrior analogy, but peace between]ews and Gentiles has beena major point of this epistle (see Ephesians 2: 14). The gospel of peace is theproclamation that the war between God and humanity is over; the two arenow reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). In Romans, Paul uses this sameimage to emphasize the "beautiful feet" of the gospel preacher, the one whoannounces peace (Romans 10:15, quoting Isaiah 52:7).16. In addition to all this, take up the shield offaith, with which you can extin-guish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The shield is the most important defensive implement in the Romansoldier's armor. Legionnaires use a rectangular shield that resembles a halfcylinder. This curved surface causes arrows and spears to hit a glancing blowbecause of the angle. These shields are made of wood, with various types ofleather and metal trim.The shields used by the foot soldiers of the legion are large, four feet inheight. This allows a squadron of soldiers to take a formation in which theshields are placed together on all sides and above, making a movable fortification structure that protects advancing troops from arrows, spears, or othermissiles. This formation is known as the tortoise and is a key tactic that leadsto the success of the Roman legions in battle.The Old Testament often pictures God as a shield for the faithful (exam:ple: Genesis 15: 1; Psalm 28:7; Proverbs 30:5). Thus Paul's analogy of a shieldoffaith is an apt one. When Satan is waging an all-out assault upon us, wemay have no resources left except our faith. We can absorb tremendous hitsifwe believe that God loves us, that Christ died for us, and that our future inHeaven is secure. Satan's greatest tool is doubt. Our most effective defense isfaith.17a. Take the helmet of salvationThe Roman soldier's helmet serves as both a protective device and an identifier. It is designed to protect the head and neck, particularly from blows thatcome from hand-to-hand combat. Most helmets have a head-covering bowl,

an extended neck guard, side flashings to protect the cheeks and ears, and(sometimes) a metal face mask. Helmets also may hold a large, colorful creston the top, undoubtedly the most eye-catching part of the soldier's dress.The helmet is not normally worn by the soldier unless battle is pending.No prudent Roman soldier neglects to don his helmet as he prepares forwarfare, for a blow to the unprotected head is likely to be fatal. Likewise, oursalvation is that which protects us from the threat of eternal death. Salvationis God's gracious gift, and we are foolish to neglect it (see Hebrews 2:3).17b. . . . and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word ofGod.The final part of Paul's "full armor" is the only offensive weapon in the list:the sword of the Spirit (compare Hebrews 4: 12). When do we stage a coun-

God, our shield and pro-tector, You are our rock, ourstrong tower, our mightyfortress. You are our annoryIt is you who have provided

all the equipment we need t. prevail.May we be wary of Satanand his schemes. But helpus keep that wariness frombecomingfear. We gain thisvictory when we focus onyou and the power ofyourstrength. We pray thesethings through the mightyname ofJesus. Amen.

I

Visual for Lesson 14.Point to this visual as youask, "What was a time whethe helmet ofsalvation helpyou the most?

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MAY 31,2009 ___ ~ 3 6 8 Ntw ARMOR FJ)Rj1AWHAT Do You THINK? terattack against the devil? We do so whenever we proclaim the Word ofG

What does good swords . when we communicate the truths of the Bible. We bring light to the darkmanship look like in a spiri ness, and our active resistance to Satan causes him to flee Games 4:7).tual sense? How do Matthew The spiritual battle is not a matter of holding our position. It is our assauon the strongholds of Satan (see 2 Corinthians 10:4). To make this assault4:1-11 and 2 Timothy 2:15help us answer this question? quires an offensive weapon.WHAT DOESN'T CHANGEA soldier's defensive body armor has not always been a top priority in wtime. Its use has waxed and waned over the centuries. In the Roman army, boarmor was important. Such armor became even more important by medietimes, when chain mail and suits of armor were common. However, these wso heavy and cumbersome that they eventually were dispensed with (compa1 Samuel 17:38, 39). The advent of gunpowder hastened their demise. Soldiin the American Revolution and the American Civil War had virtually no boarmor.The twentieth century saw an interest in flak jackets develop. In the twenty-fcentury, this has evolved into advanced personal armor. Interceptor body armbecame standard issue during the Iraq War. A newer type, called Dragon Skintakes its cue from medieval chain mail. At about 18 pounds, the weight problehas been solved.

Yet one thing has never changed throughout the history of warfare: the nefor an offensive weapon. If a soldier has all the best defensive armor availabbut no offensive weapon, we may rightly ask, "What good is that soldie-C R.

B. BATTLE COMMUNICATION (v. 18)WHAT Do You THINK? 18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds ofprayers and rePractically speaking, how quests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on prayingfor alldo we go about praying "jor the saints.all the saints"? Spiritual warfare is not waged in the streets or on the high seas. Ratherit is fought in the hearts and minds of men and women. This is why prayis so important in this context. We will win the battle through prayer. Thiincludes both prayers for ourselves and our prayersJor all the saints. By saPaul means our fellow believers, our Christian brothers and sisters in batWe will win these battles if we pray with perseverance, with the dogged psistence that will not accept defeat.CONCLUSIONIn real warfare, soldiers have long recognized the value of protective boarmor. Although this can be expensive, military strategists know that shieing a soldier from the enemy's attack allows that soldier to fight anotherNo army has ever had an inexhaustible supply of troops, so wise commaWHAT Do You THINK? ers always have sought to protect the ones they had.Which aspect oj the armor The truth is that many churches are littered with spiritual casualties. TojGod are you most lacking problem is traceable to a failure to put on the full armor of God. We haveright now? How will you cor , the cares of our materialistic world grow strong and choke us (Mark 4: 19rect this problem ?

I We have not equipped ourselves with the many spiritual resources that GI has provided for our protection.The first step to spiritual victory is to recognize the dangerous reality oI battle: Satan is real, and he wants to destroy us. The second step is to un

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LESSON 14 }62 _ MAY 31,20with other believers in resistance to Satan's methods and tricks. An army THOUGHT TO REMEMBERmust fight as a team. ''An army of one" is a contradiction in terms. God provides all the spirThe third step is to attack our adversary with the truths of the gospel, with tual annor we need.the love of the fellowship, with our prayers for the saints. May we be vigilantand bold in this battle!

Discovery LearningThe following is an alternative lesson plan emphasizing learning activities.Classes desiring such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At theback of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance activity learning.

INTO THE LESSONDisplay or pass around pictures of modem battlegear as used by the individual soldier. (This meanspictures of helmets, etc., not pictures of tanks andairplanes. Such pictures are easy to find on the In-ternet.) Use the pictures to start a discussion aboutthe specific purpose of each item.rransition to Bible study by saying, "Goodequipment is important for any battle, whether itis fighting enemy soldiers, fighting crime, or fight-ing fires. Good equipment is also important forChristians as we battle the evil one. Unfortunately,Christians often do not give their gear the attentionor care that a good soldier should. Let's explore ourgear and its use."INTO THE WORDExplain that Paul's illustration of our battle gearcomes from his knowledge of the Roman soldier'sgear. After reading today's printed text, assign thefollowing tasks to study squads. (Call them squadsto keep with the nature of the lesson.) Give eachsquad a poster board and a marker.Alpha Squad: Identify who the Christian's enemyis and isn't. Read the printed text, then list theterminology that describes the enemy. Be ready toexplain the significance of each descriptive phraseor word.Bravo Squad: Identify expressions of Satan'swork today. One of the other squads is doing astudy of the text to identify the enemy, but you willidentify current works of Satan. How is he attackingus through our values, thought processes, technol-ogy, etc.? Remember, if we are to win the battle, weneed to identify the enemy's strategies. List yourthoughts on the poster board. (Option: Give this

squad copies of the reproducible activity "Battle-fields Abound!" on page 384.)Charlie Squad: Identify the battle dress or spiritual gear available to believers for this battle. Maka stick drawing of the battle armor mentioned inour printed text. Then label each piece with themetaphorical application to spiritual gear availabto the Christian. Be ready to explain the signifi-cance of each piece of offensive and defensive geafor spiritual warfare. Do not include verse 18 inyour discussion.Delta Squad: Your task is to identify the gearfor battle communication and the importance ofsuch to Christians (v. 18). Answer these question1. What gear is available for the Christian's battlecommunication? 2. With whom must we com-municate . . . and what must we communicate?3. How well do Christians communicate with thecommander? 4. What suggestions would you givto Christian warriors about battle communicationBe ready to read the questions and your conclu-sions to the class.After each squad reports its findings and concsions, tell the class that it is exam time. Hand oudrawing of a Roman soldier in battle gear and askeach person to try to label from memory each pieof equipment with the appropriate metaphoricalapplication to Christian armor.INTO LIFEAsk class members to examine their personalspiritual battles. Say, "What are you wrestling withyour spiritual life? biblical literacy? communicationwith your commander? disconnection from the reof your team? temptations? faithfulness or desertioperfectionism? failure to accept responsibilities?"