The baseball season here in Colorado has gotten interesting. The Colorado Rockies, earlier in the season boasting one of the worst records in baseball, have turned things around. Once in last place they are inching closer to first and find themselves in a tight race for a playoff position. Each game during the month of September will prove important.

A number of our folks from Ascension went to the ballgame last Sunday. It was a battle. Two great pitchers, some great plays, a big home run and the Rockies came out on top against the San Francisco Giants. It was a real battle. Let’s hope that the Broncos can make their games so exciting.

Our reading from Paul letter to the Ephesians talks about a real battle – much more important than any Rockies or Broncos game! “Put on the full armor of God so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:11-12) It is the other Apostle, Peter, who warns us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

The Bible has always given to us a picture of a battle between God and the devil as the greatest battle we will ever see. Go to the first book in the Bible – Genesis. In the Garden of Eden we catch the view of the battle between God and the devil, between what is right and what is wrong, between obedience to the ways of God and disregard for them.

Adam and Eve, made perfect by God and created to be in a relationship of trust and love to their God now are faced with a battle, a real battle. There is one tree that God says they cannot eat from. All the other trees, all the other fruit, is free for them to enjoy, but they cannot take fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I wonder how long they resisted, how long they waited to take the fruit only to say, “No, we can’t do this!!” Or was the action immediate? We don’t know. But we do know that this was a real battle. Would they follow God or follow the devil? Would their heart stay pure or would it become defiled?

After Eve initially resisted the devil’s temptations telling him that if they eat it they would die, he was coy enough to remark, “You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) The battle they had was not against flesh and blood but against the powers of this dark world. God versus the devil - that is the real battle.

The real battle – it all over the pages of the Scriptures. Jesus faced the devil, as well. “After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said…” (Matthew 4:2-3a) Jesus was in a real battle when He was tempted by the devil following His time of fasting. A real battle. Stones into bread, jumping from the highest point in the temple to show His majesty, a simple bowing of the knee to the devil to receive all the kingdoms of the world. But He didn’t lose the battle. He would stand strong and say, “Away from Me, Satan!!” But this was a battle, a struggle.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He dies the struggle between God and the devil can be seen. This was not an easy moment, all the forces of evil seemed to come against Him. It was a real battle then on the cross of Calvary – the only perfect one – Jesus - becomes filled with our sin. A battle is being fought. The Father makes sure that no one misses what is happening when darkness comes over that place from noon till three on Good Friday.

If we find the battle between God and the devil in the first pages of the Bible it is certain that we would find them in the last pages of the Bible, as well. In the Book of Revelation odd looking figures with multiple heads and tails and gross looking faces give us a picture of what evil, the devil, looks like. Revelation 12 says, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.” (Verse 7) And of course, the greatest battle, the real battle, is against the Christ – Jesus.

The real battle is God against the devil, Jesus against Satan. And the real battle is right here – in our hearts, in our wills, in our souls, in our life. And it is a real battle. This is not something that someone is making up – an imaginary enemy. No, the devil is real and the battle that we face everyday is real.

How does it show itself in you? Are the demons that you face, the temptations that you face too strong or too difficult? We live in a world that asks us to leave our faith, to go another direction in life, to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. We live in a world that tells us that one religion cannot hold all the truth, that all religions have some of the truth but certainly one can’t have all of it. And yet Christ speaks to our world inviting them to know real truth – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

In John 8 Jesus identified the battle like this when He spoke to some folks who opposed Him and His message, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you wants to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

You know what? The battle is real. It always has been and it always will be. And you and I will be in battle over our faith and hearts and minds and souls until that day when it will be said of us - they “fought the good fight and finished the course and kept the faith”. (II Timothy 2:7)

The battle is huge; but the victory is even greater!! Paul begins this section, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10) That is where our victory in this battle for faith and life and soul and mind comes in – it comes from God. He fought the battle and He won. And He gives to us this victory.

In two weeks our Sunday School begins and the time between the early service and the later service gets loud and active – what a great time that is!! In Sunday School and Wednesday Night Live and our Preschool they will be taught of God who makes one strong and mighty and promises the victory. They will be told about David and Goliath – the little boy and the GIANT. And when the little boy threw that stone and brought that man who was bigger than life down to his knees they will learn the verse that shows victory in the battle – “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s.” (I Samuel 17:47)

During our Bible School we sang one of those songs that gets every part of the body in motion. The song comes from the Old Testament and contains words of great grace and strength, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

On Wednesday I heard a commercial concerning the purchase of a car that made me laugh. The announcer said, “There is no better time to buy a car than today.” I disagree. Last week “Dealin’ Doug” told me that if I brought in my clunker he would give me $9,000 for a new car - $4,500 from Washington and $4,500 from his own pocket. The best time to buy a car was probably last week.

But there is no better time to know this victory in the battle than today. And I mean it. Tomorrow marks a significant day in the life of this congregation, one year ago ‘Shorty’ Campbell went to heaven. ‘Shorty’ whose spent a lot of his hours around here, making sure that things got done just right had a favorite hymn, a hymn of Christian battle – “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” In the third stanza we sing, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus: Stand in His strength alone. The arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the Gospel armor; Each piece put on with prayer. Where duty calls or danger, Be never wanting there.” (660 LSB)

When Paul tells us how to stand and fight and win he tells us to be covered with the gifts that God would give us. “Finally, be strong on the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Then he gives us a picture of a soldier – belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – the very Word of God. God gives us the weapons for the battle. We don’t carry our own weapons or fight in our own strength – we let God give us what is needed. And in all of this we cover it with prayer!!

A real battle and a real enemy. So fight – not in your strength but His. Christ fought the enemy and He won. He defeated the devil and his lies. He gives us His righteousness – we are saved and forgiven. On that last day we are covered in a robe of righteousness. This is why we stand firm. This is why we stand with confidence. This is why we know that the victory is even greater than the battle. Amen!!