10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  12 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.  13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
- Ephesians 6:10-18, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

In the name of Jesus, who said: "I am…the life," and who gives us eternal life, dear friends:

Fight for Faith-Fight for Life.  The theme for this sermon and this Life Sunday is not an original one.  WELS Lutherans For Life, our synod’s pro-life organization, used the same theme for its 1998 National Convention.  As a senior at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, I worked for WELS Lutherans For Life and was able to attend that convention.

You may or may not be surprised to know that some people objected to this theme on the grounds that it was too negative, too combative.  On a certain level, maybe they had a point.  Many churches observe Life Sunday at the end of January, near the anniversary date of the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.  Some argue that this date focuses too much on the negatives: the ground that pro-lifers have lost over the past thirty years, the lack of respect for life in general in the world today, the dangerous path that we as a nation have taken.

Other churches now choose to celebrate God’s gift of life on the Sunday closest to March 25^th, the festival of the Annunciation of our Lord on the church calendar.  What’s the reason for the change?  The angel’s announcement to Mary that she was going to give birth to the Savior of the world is one hundred percent positive.  The annunciation of Jesus reminds us of all the blessings that God has given us through that miraculous birth.  Because Jesus was born into this world for us, we are empowered to carry the banner of life into the world.

But Christians also know this is not easy.  It is tough.  It is difficult.  It can even be dangerous.  In fact, it is quite accurate to say that we are involved in nothing less than a full-scale war.  The Bible makes this perfectly clear when it uses terms of war and battle, such as when the elder shepherd Paul encouraged the young Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Timothy 6:12).

In a very real sense Christians are at war, but it is more than a fight for human lives.  Jesus said: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul" (Mark 8:36)?  To rephrase these words to apply to life, we might say: "What does it profit to save a child from an abortionist’s knife, but to lose that child’s soul eternally?"  Or "What does it profit to rescue the elderly from death by starvation, if the soul is starved without the message of salvation?"  Our goal is not just to save lives from physical death.  It is to save souls for eternity.  May the words of the apostle Paul this morning encourage all of us to…

Fight For Faith – Fight For Life

Our spiritual battle is being fought on many different fronts.  This war is raging in the world, in our government, in our communities, even in our own hearts.  In order to fight our battles successfully, it is important to understand who our enemy really is.  Paul provides the answer: "Finally, be strong in 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.  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" (10-12).

Please consider the following facts:

Sometimes it seems like it makes the headlines whenever an abortion clinic is targeted, but these attacks are not one-sided.  Attacks against life and pro-lifers are very real, and it should be noted that they hit close to home. Our own pregnancy counseling centers have windows broken and graffiti is scribbled on our sidewalks.  We have had counselors verbally and physically assaulted.  Our agencies have had more than their share of hate-filled phone calls and letters.  The people who fight for life on the front lines know from experience that we are at war.

But our real enemies are not the people who throw things at us or say things about us to intimidate us.  Our enemy is not a high-ranking politician or a leader of a church body or even Jack Kevorkian.  These people are only pawns.  They reflect and promote the spiritual bankruptcy that comes from our real adversary, Satan himself.  The devil is the Christian’s most dangerous enemy, "a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (I Peter 5:8).

We won’t defeat abortion or euthanasia with the demise of pro-death leaders and the destruction of abortion mills.  Victory is not guaranteed if we only increase our support for pro-life leaders and pro-life agencies.  Until we can effect change in the hearts of people, all efforts to protect life will be shallow.  Don’t get me wrong.  We need pro-life leaders.  We need courageous pro-life efforts.  But to win the war we need to go beyond the human tools of Satan, we need to go beyond the leaders of the pro-death movement, and go for the heart.

In this spiritual battle, we are standing toe to toe with none other than the Prince of Darkness.  Does that thought send shivers down your spine?  It should because we are overmatched.  We do not stand a chance by ourselves.  We cannot win the war with words of hate, with weapons of destruction or with measures to protect people from physical injury.  That is where our gracious God steps in.  God gives us everything we need to defend ourselves and to win the final victory.

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (13).  In this fight for faith and fight for life, we need to be fully equipped.  You wouldn’t think of going into the heat of battle without your weapon.  In the same way, you can’t conduct spiritual warfare with only half a uniform.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist" (14).  First of all, we fight for life with honesty and integrity.  We do not lie or manipulate the truth to lure potential clients into our centers.  We do not portray ourselves as compassionate when we have no intention of caring for people that others do not want.  God has revealed the truth to us and he calls us to speak the truth in love.

"With the breastplate of righteousness in place" (14).  Our minds and motives are to be a reflection of God’s will.  God purified us with the blood of Christ, and we now stand righteous in his sight.  Because God has declared us not guilty, because God has put us in a right relationship with him, we know that nothing can separate us from his love.

"And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (15).  As possessors of the truth, we are to be prepared to share the truth.  Peter echoes the words of Paul  when he says: "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (I Peter 3:15).  God calls us to stand up for the value of human life.  God also calls us to be ambassadors for the God who gives eternal life.

"Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (16).  When your enemy tries to harm you, stand firm.  When Satan does everything in his power to destroy you, stand firm.  God gives us the strength to speak up when we are afraid to say anything.  It is the shield of faith that enables Christians to stand up to the evil forces of the world that oppose us.

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (17).  In this battle we protect the head, the most vulnerable part of the body, with God’s most powerful piece of equipment.  You can cite medical studies that document the damaging effects of dehydration on the human body.  You can preach about the pain caused to an unborn child in abortion.  But it is only the Word of God that changes people’s hearts.  The Word is living and active.  The Word is powerful and effective.  The Word has the power to change lives forever.

This is how you lower the abortion rate.  This is how you find the stamina to care for a dying patient.  This is how you can look your own death in the eye and not be afraid.  It is with truth, with righteousness, with gospel-readiness, with faith and the Word of God that you can go into this battle and emerge victorious.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (18).  You are on the winning side when you are in constant communication with the one in charge.  Our Commander-In-Chief hears our prayers.  God gives us the strength to keep on fighting for the faith.  God gives us the courage to keep on fighting for life.  And our Lord encourages us to pray for the saints, to pray for the unborn children of the world, to pray for the sick and the dying in hospitals and hospice care, to pray that all people may know and believe that this life is a door to eternal life.

I am twenty-seven years old.  I don’t say that to make any of you feel old this morning.  I say it to make a point.  Every person in the United States my age and younger does not know a time when abortion was illegal in this country.  An entire generation has now grown up since the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973, and that generation has grown up with a government that gives abortion full legal protection on a national level.  The Supreme Court’s decision continues to have an influence on our country, on our society, even on Christians.

What was once a battle over the beginning of life is now also a battle over the end of life and even the value of life itself.  Perhaps those people who warned us about the slippery slope of abortion in 1973 are now saying: "I told you so."  Issues at the forefront of the debate today include: partial birth abortion, cloning, genetic harvesting, fetal tissue research, physician assisted suicide, passive and active euthanasia.

When we look at the issues of today, when we see how Satan keeps on finding new and increasingly devious ways to lead people astray, it is easy for the Christian to get discouraged. We know that all life is precious.  We know that life is a gift from God.  We know that we have no right to play God.

But the battle is just too big.  The issues are too complex.  Like ocean waves that constantly beat against the rocks on the shore, the devil, the world and our sinful flesh are constantly battering our faith.  They suggest to us that perhaps it is time to concede defeat and move on.  They whisper in our ear that maybe now is the time to pick a new battle.  These forces of evil slowly wear us down.

When the battle looks hopeless, God tells us to stand firm.  God tells us to stand up and fight.  God gives us the weapons we need to win.  In your homes, in your schools, in your workplaces, in your prayers, keep on fighting for life.  Keep up the fight for life by always remembering that this is really a fight for faith.  You are children of God, who triumphed over death on the cross.  You are God’s chosen instruments, who fight God’s battles today.  Despite the odds, you cannot lose.  Despite outward appearances, you cannot fail.  Never forget and never lose heart.  Amen.