The Armored Gown
Eph 6:10-20
September 2, 2018 – Redeemer
Confirmation of Anna Hensel
Do you know that the top of our granite altar has five crosses etched in it? Do you know what those five crosses symbolize? The five wounds of Christ on the cross. Those symbolic crosses teach us all the blessings we receive from the altar are solely the result of His sacrifice. Another common symbol in the church is the white gown, worn by confirmands, reminiscent of the white gowns we wore at our baptisms and that Christian brides wear at their weddings.
What does that white gown symbolize? “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” That white gown symbolizes the cleansing work of Jesus Christ. By the shedding of His blood He has atoned for our sin. That cleansing is worked on us in the waters of baptism – Christ has cleansed us by the washing of water with the word that we might be His radiant bride without spot or wrinkle or blemish. Because we are united to Christ’s death and resurrection in Holy Baptism we are saints, sinners declared righteous by the work of Christ.
The white gown symbolizes what we cannot see. This is your unseen reality Anna. You are forgiven. You are loved to death in Christ. You are beautiful in the eyes of God because you have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and clothed in His righteousness.
Today I want to give you a symbol, a picture if you will, to help you understand the spiritual battle you are in and your sure defense against it.
Picture a bride in her wedding dress on the field of battle or an infant in a baptismal gown. Imagine a teenager in a confirmation gown surrounded by her enemies. The bride has no weapon. The newborn is helpless. The teenager is overwhelmed. To the world such a picture is foolishness. Who would depend upon the flimsy fabric of a gown to defend you against your enemies? Yet for the Ephesians and for us, this is exactly what Saint Paul tells us to wear in battle, so that we can stand firm against our enemies. We take our stand in battle with the armor of God, with Jesus Christ’s saving work.
So who is your enemy? Who’s your battle against? Who are you angry at? I’m guessing some person or group of people came to mind. Those Somalian immigrants, that corrupt politician, the rich elite, the lazy poor, the socialist Democrats, the alt right Republicans. Maybe your enemy is real close – a selfish husband or a nagging wife, that bully at school, your parents, your baby sister. Your worst enemy might be even closer – it might be you. You are weak when it comes to certain sins. You’ve failed your own expectations. You’re pretty sure your problems are your own doing.
Every one of those answers is wrong for those who are baptized into Christ. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)
Your enemy in the battle for life is not some other person. Nor is it even yourself. Yes, at one time, you were the enemy of God, dead in your sin, an object of God’s wrath, but no longer. Your sin is forgiven. You’re washed in the blood of the Lamb. You have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus and in that God declares you righteous, clothed in Christ. No other person is your enemy either, for Christ died for all. He carried all sin of all people to the cross, the sin we’re born with, the sin we inflict on others, the sin with which we hurt ourselves. It was all on Jesus. It is all taken away.
This saving work of Jesus is your armor. Your wedding dress is all you need. Oh, it doesn’t look like much, but it declares one thing. You are the beloved of Christ. You are His bride and He has already laid down His life for you. At the cross your sin, your death, and the Devil came against Jesus. Even your old sinful self was there, tempting Jesus to serve Himself, to save His life, to leave the cross for glory. He held on to your sin, let the Devil have his way, and then the Father’s anger at your sin burned itself out on Jesus. It is finished. Your enemies were destroyed and Jesus lives. When Jesus unites Himself to you in Baptism (which is portrayed in every Christian wedding) the two become one. He took all that was yours and you have all that is His. He’s got you covered, and as long as you’re clothed in His gown, you safe.
Spiritual warfare is not being a prayer warrior to storm the Lord’s castle to get your way. It is standing in the armor of Christ. The belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. The truth is that Christ won and the Devil lost. Jesus died and you’re forgiven. His righteousness covers your heart so that when the Devil assails you with sin, you can defend yourself.
The shoes on your feet are solid. You don’t have to run away from battle and you don’t have to run into battle. You stand on the Gospel of peace and you can make peace. You can forgive that bully. You can forgive your parents. You can forgive your husband – for you stand forgiven by your heavenly bridegroom.
The shield of faith extinguishes the flaming darts of the devil. The shields of Roman soldiers were wood and leather. The leather was soaked in water so that when fiery arrows came flying they would hit the shield and go out. One of the Devil’s favorite attacks is to scorch your conscience. He likes to burn your sins into you. Sometimes he even launches fake sins at you. He just wants you to feel so lousy about yourself, so guilty or ashamed that you’ll despair of God’s love. How could God love someone like me? To defend against those attacks your faith needs to be soaked in baptism. This morning you got such a soaking – when you confessed your sins you drowned your old Adam with Christ in His death. When you were forgiven your new man was raised with Christ. The shield of faith needs a regular soaking of forgiveness, of preaching, of Christ’s true body and blood, so that the Devils fiery darts don’t get to you.
The helmet of salvation guards your head – for as you all know – a body without a head is lost. Christ is the head of His body the Church. Christ has won you for Himself. You have a place with Him, now and forever. Your own body needs to know that as it stands in the battle, and waits for the end, the certain victory of the resurrection of the body.
The last piece of armor is a sword, but it isn’t the long sword of knights and cavalry. It’s a short sword. It’s a defensive weapon for when the enemy gets in close. It is the Word of God. Keep the Word of God close. Hold it in your hands. Hear it in your ears. Inwardly digest it. For the Devil will do anything to get in close to hurt you, but as Luther said, “One little word can fell him.” God’s Word – Jesus, your heavenly bridegroom.
So I don’t know what picture I would have picked for the bulletin cover today. A bride in combat boots? Probably not. A teenager in a confirmation gown? Maybe. The symbol helps us see the reality. You belong to Christ. He laid down His life for you. He washed you clean by His blood. He won. Sin, death, and the Devil lost. And since you are united to Him in baptism you are able to stand in the battle, in the full armor of God, clothed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
September 1, 2018 anno Domini