This is the Way

SUMMARY

In the concluding message of "The Domino Effect" series, Karl Ihfe explores Ephesians 6 where Paul instructs believers to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10). Ihfe draws a parallel between the Mandalorian creed "This is the way" and the early Christians who were known as followers of "the Way" before the term Christian was coined.

Ihfe explains that Paul's description of the armor of God—the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit—isn't merely preparation for battle but a way of life. This armor represents different aspects of Christian living that Paul has been teaching throughout Ephesians. The real enemy, Paul emphasizes, is not "flesh and blood" but spiritual forces working against God's kingdom. Prayer completes the armor, keeping believers connected to God's strength and aligned with His heart.

TRANSCRIPTION:

Well, it is good to be with you this morning. If you have your Bible with you, invite you to turn over to Ephesians chapter six. We'll be there this morning as we are finishing out our series called the Domino Effect. We've been thinking some together about the power of our decisions and listening to Paul's counsel as he instructs the church on how to live out their faith, that it would be more than something they would just know in their heads, but it would actually become a way of life. In fact, we're going to talk about this, this way of life.

So far, we've listened to Paul's wisdom in six different areas of decision points, if you will, that this young church is having to make and that you and I have had to make in our own lives as well, on what we're going to believe and on the role that we're going to allow grace to play in our lives. Thinking about prayer and the power of prayer and being people of prayer, this call for being people of peace, that Jesus is our peace. But because of that, we then become peacemakers, thinking a lot about the role of grace, the role of unity, the role of who will we follow that decision? Who will we give our ultimate allegiance to? I think Paul's gonna wind it up here this morning, and I hope in a passage that's familiar to many of us, I hope to preach it maybe a little differently than you've heard it before, that it might inspire you to think differently about these decisions that you have facing you this week.

But before I do that, I wanted to ask, how'd the homework go this week for you? And last week I invited us, I challenged us to be radical encouragers. Did anybody have an opportunity to be an encourager this week? Did you come across anybody who seemed a little downtrodden or discouraged? Somebody who needed an uplifting word?

And did you provide that to them? If not, I invite you to take that challenge this week that we would become the kind of place that just radically encourage others. As I was preparing my message this week, I was thinking about a TV show. Maybe some of you have seen it. It's on Disney plus.

It's the Mandalorian. I know at least one person who's seen this TV show, but it centers around the story of Din Djarin, a lone bounty hunter. And it's set in this time out in the outer reaches of the Star wars galaxy after the fall of the Empire. If you've seen the show, you know that one of the recurring phrases that happens throughout the show is, this is the way. Would you turn to your neighbor and just say, this is the way?

This is the way? This is a phrase that in the television show. It's kind of this creed. It's this reminder of who they are, who they're trying to be, that they are living in such a way that the way that they operate, the way that they live, the way that they treat one another and themselves, this is the way. It's more than a slogan.

It's this declaration of their identity and who they're trying to be, their allegiance. It reminds them that there's a way that they're trying to live that's in stark contrast to others around them, and it sets them apart as different. I think that's what Paul's trying to do this morning in this last section of his letter, chapter six. I think what he's trying to do is remind them. I mean, listen again to the words that Allison read just a moment ago.

Finally, he says in verse 10, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Notice Paul doesn't say, be strong in yourself and what you've learned up to this point. Be strong in the wisdom that God has given to you. No, no, he says, be strong in the Lord. It's his strength.

Our strength doesn't come from self confidence. It comes from God dependence. Right? It comes from our ability to lean in and lean on God. This is the way Paul says, strength through surrender.

But it's not about manufacturing this power by willpower. It's not by trying to create something that we don't already have access to. He says, no, it's about living into what God's already given to us. In fact, we're called to make a decision on whose power will we depend on. On whose power will we try to live out this incredible calling that Paul says, live a life worthy of this calling, Whose power will we depend on?

That's a decision we're gonna have to make. He says we can know objectively God's power. Like, we can read about it. We can hear other people talk about it and hear stories about it. He says, but I want you to actually experience it.

I want it to impact your heart, how you live in such a way that you draw your strength from it. And so Paul says, then in verse 11, so put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. And then Paul paints this really vivid picture of armor. I don't think he's trying to imagine us being this medieval Knight so much as he's trying to get us to envision, show us what it looks like to live under God's protection. This is what it looks like to try to live in the way of Jesus.

And each piece of this armor, he says, it represents a different part of this life, a different decision point, if you will. He says, where that belt of truth buckled around your waist. We've already heard in the message of truth. Paul starts in chapter one. Now we're called to speak the truth in love.

Chapter four, that Jesus is the truth and so we're gonna live truthfully. This is the way. Then he says, the breastplate of righteousness. Chapter 2. Because of God's great love for us, because he's so rich in mercy, he made us alive with Christ even when we were unrighteous, even when we were dead in our sin, in our brokenness.

Now he says, because of Christ, we've been made alive. So let's live a life worthy of that calling. Why? This is the way he says, have your feet readied with the shoes of the gospel of peace. Jesus is our peace.

In chapter two, he preached peace to those who are far away and preached peace to those who are near. Therefore, he's calling us to be his peacemakers. This is the way he says, hold up the shield of faith. We've been saved by grace through faith. Chapter two.

So we think and we live like people who understand that we approach the Father through faith. Chapter three. So faith is what we hold up when the evil one attacks us through doubt and through fear. This is the way he says, finally put on that helmet of salvation, that we know we're saved by Christ. In chapter one.

So we think in people who live like it. We live in a life. We live a life worthy of the calling. This is the way he says, and have that sword of truth, which is God's word, right? Jesus is the word.

Instead of being deceived by empty words, he says in chapter five, we're going to stand on the word. We're going to trust in God, God's Word, and we're going to use His Word not to wound others, but to protect ourselves from the attacks of the evil one. This is the way. You know, the armor is not something that we admire as if in a museum somewhere, kind of looking at some display. Instead, he says, it's a way of life.

Paul's not describing how to prepare for battle. He's saying this is actually how you live in a battle that's already going on. And whether we're aware of it or not, it's happening around us. And so Paul reminds there's this enemy out there that is working against us, but it's not maybe the enemy that many of us, at least in our culture, presents to us. Listen how he describes the enemy.

Says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

You see, the real enemy, despite what we might hear on the news or what we might see in the world around us, is not another person. Flesh and blood is not our enemy. Paul says there are spiritual forces that are pushing back, that are pushing against the kingdom of God, breaking through. Those forces are our enemy. He says that's why we need the armor, not so that we can use it to attack other people.

It's so we can withstand the attack of the evil one on us. And the Mandalorian Din Djarin faces physical enemies, other bounty hunters, imperial forces. Paul says our true enemy is unseen. Our true enemy is this evil force pushing back against the way of Jesus in the world. You see, he would say the most dangerous thing that happens is not what happens to us, but in us, when we forget who the true enemy really is and where our power really comes from.

You see, when we rely on ourselves instead of God, when we let bitterness or anger or despair or fear control us or overtake us, he says it's like laying down your armor and walking into a battle totally unprepared. So putting on the armor, he says, is one way that we protect ourselves, one way that we come under the power and the protection of God to. To save us from or keep us from the evil one. But Paul also points us to something else. Notice in verse 18, he picks up this theme that's been woven all throughout his letter.

He says, and pray. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me that whatever I speak, whenever I speak, words may be given me, so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I'm an ambassador in chains.

Pray that I might declare it fearlessly, as I should. Paul says, church, we gotta keep praying. We gotta be praying for all kinds of things in all situations and circumstances. Pray for yourself. Pray for the church around you.

Pray for me even, he says, pray that the Spirit will give me words and pray that I'LL be fearless. Pray that I'll be courageous, that I'll be bold in proclaiming this gospel, this mystery that's been given to me. You see, the armor is not complete without prayer. Paul says prayer is not an afterthought. It's a lifeline.

In fact, it's how we remain connected to the source of our strength. You see, prayer is how we take this objective truth of God's word, and it becomes a subjective experience of God's presence with us. See, the power of prayer is more than just lifting up an idea or a thought. It keeps us aligned with the heart of God. It reminds us to be focused and humble and ready.

This is the way Paul says, pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Pray for yourself. Pray for the Lord's people. Pray for your leaders. Pray for me.

Paul's closing words here to stand firm says, clothed in the armor of God and praying on all occasions in the Spirit. It's not just a battle strategy. He says, no, no, this is our way of life. This is the way. This is the way he says, take everything you've learned about God.

Take his truth, take his righteousness, take his love and his grace and his mercy. Take his forgiveness, and don't let him just reside up here in your head, but allow it to penetrate your heart. Allow it to become a way of living his truth, his word.

I find it fascinating to me that in the first century before the Christian the term Christian was ever coined, was ever known that followers of Jesus were known by another name. You know what that is the Way. In fact, in Acts, chapter nine, if we go back and look at verse two, we hear Luke recounting to us the story of Paul. Actually, he was known as a guy named Saul then, and he was breathing out murderous threats. And he'd sent out to the Sanhedrin to get permission to go and arrest any men and women who were followers of the Way.

Now, why were they known as the Way? Well, it's because these early Christians were known not just for what they believed, but how they lived. So much so that they were known as followers of the Way. This Way. We may not understand all the ramifications of this way, but, man, they're living differently.

So much so that Luke would say in chapters two and chapter four that the community around the Way, they didn't understand all the beliefs about Jesus. They didn't understand how he fit into the great grand story of God. But they said, man, I'm glad you're here. I may not understand. I may not Believe what you believe, man.

I'm glad you're here. Our life is better because you're in it. You see, faith wasn't just an idea. It was a way of life, and it was shaped by their faith. And in Jesus, a life that looked like his, that they loved in the ways that Jesus loved.

They had compassion on people the way that Jesus had compassion on them, that they spoke the truth in love the way that Jesus often spoke the truth in love to the people around him.

I think it's fascinating when the Mandalorian says this is the way he's actually speaking this ancient truth. It's this deep Christian truth that, again, I don't know if the creators had any idea. Maybe they did. I'm wondering if maybe there's a Christian writer buried down deep in that storyline. Because this is an ancient truth.

This is the way we, too, have been given a way. We've been given a way to live a way that is not just a set of rules, but it's a relationship that we can have with God. And if we'll choose to follow that way, it's gonna change every other relationship that we have. Paul would say, you're gonna come across some decision points. Church.

You're gonna have to decide what are you gonna believe, what are you gonna rest your life down upon? You're gonna have a decision this week that there's gonna be an opportunity for grace. Will you be a person of grace? Will you show it? There's gonna be a moment where somebody's gonna have some chaos and some disorder, and God's gonna invite you.

Will you be a person who will speak peace into that, or will you just keep adding to the chaos? There's gonna be a moment this week when there's gonna be some disunity, some disharmony, and there's a threaten to create this crack, right? You're gonna hear on the news that if these people don't agree with you, well, then they hate America. Or you're gonna hear this word on the news. If these people don't agree with you, well, then they must hate all gay people, or they must hate all people who don't live the way that you live, who don't believe the way that you believe.

And Paul would say, that's a lie. That's the evil forces in the world trying to invade, trying to create disharmony and discord. Well, Carl, are you saying there's no truth? Oh, no, no, no. There's truth.

And it's our challenge. How do we find A way to live it, number one. And then to be able to speak it in love, like, we've got to have a relationship. This. What will we choose to do?

We pursue being right over being unified.

What was the decision we're going to make?

It's interesting again, in the Mandalorian Din Djarin, he never takes off his armor. You notice that, like, one of the main rules of this is the Way is you don't take your helmet off, right? We don't take the armor off. I think that's what Paul's saying. We.

We don't take our armor off, Church. We don't take it off. Keep living in truth, keep living righteousness, Keep living in such a way that when people see you, it makes them wonder, who is this Jesus? Why do you live the way that you live? He says, buckle that belt of truth around your waist and hold up that shield of faith because you're going to be attacked.

And it's not just from another person. May come in the form of another person, but that's not your enemy. Your enemy are the evil forces trying to change your mindset, trying to get you to think differently on these foundational truths, that God is a God of love and hope and grace. See, when we rely on his strength, when we walk under his protection, if we live out what we know to be true, he says, we're not just surviving. We're following the way.

This is the way. So, church this week, as you go throughout your week, you're going to encounter some opportunities where you're going to have a choice. Church, would we choose the way of grace this week? Church, would we choose the way of peace and that opportunity, that conversation, that misunderstanding, that line in the grocery store. Will we choose the way of unity?

Will we choose to be radical encouragers of the people around us?

I think most of us could probably count on one hand the number of people in our life who are just relentlessly encouraging of us.

Will we choose the way of love? Will we choose the way of Jesus?

Church, this is the way. God, would you bless us this week as we go about the challenges and the circumstances, the relationships, the work, the school, wherever we find ourselves. Would you help us to be followers of your way? As we've heard throughout this series, your servant Paul challenged the young church to think about what it means to be people who really believe you, who believe that Jesus really was your son, that he died on the cross for us, that while we were still dead in our transgressions and our sin, while we were on the outside looking in. Jesus gave his life for us that we might be able to live.

And then he calls us. Would we join him in this ministry of reconciliation? Would we be peacemakers? Would we maintain the unity of your holy Spirit, God? Will we be the kind of people who just thrive, who live on grace?

Would be people who radically encourage others and who love in a deep and powerful way. God, would you help us this week to live under your protection, to remind us each morning to not take our armor off, to keep your truth, your word right close to our heart, reminding us who we are and who we're trying to be? Would you give us courage to pray for one another, that we too, like Paul, whenever we encounter a situation that God, you would be the one to give us words to say that you would open up opportunities and possibilities for us to speak life and truth with great love into the situation at our world. Sadly, our country, too often our churches are just torn apart by the evil one who's just sowing discord and deceit and jealousy and anger and fear. Oh God, help us not to give in to that.

Help us to hold onto that armor, to keep wearing it.

Help us to be your way living out your way in the world. God, thank you for your amazing love for us that has changed us from the inside out. May these things not just be beliefs that we hold true in our heads, but that be a way of life that we live out in our hearts. God, thank you for those men and women who have been examples to us and may we follow your example as Paul challenged us to follow the example of Christ. May we live that way this week here in Lubbock and around the world.

God, thank you for showing us the way. Help us to follow it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.