Wipeout: Overcoming Overwhelming Obstacles

Training Camp Sunday at Epiphany on August 1, 2010

Ephesians 6:10 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.

Have you ever watched the TV show Wipeout? (If not, here is a clip.)



My family loves watching Wipeout. We ooh and ahh and laugh at the contestants. Then my kids always say, “Dad, you should do that.” That looks fun doesn’t it? Have an expense paid trip to southern California and being on national TV sounds nice. It doesn’t sound so good, though, to get punched in the face, dumped in mud, bent in half on big balls, knocked 20 feet into cold water, spun in circles till you get sick, covered in foam and laughed at at home.

So why would people do that? Why would people volunteer for bumps and bruises, humbling and humiliation, mud and suds? Because the promise of 15 minutes of fame, plus $50,000, are great motivating factors.

The TV show Wipeout is very much like our lives as Christians. We may not have to face the “Sweeper,” “Big Balls,” “Motivator,” “Gut Busters,” or “Sucker Punch,” but we do face obstacles every day. The apostle Paul wrote, “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.”

The old evil foe that Luther wrote about in his hymn is a pretty crafty fellow. Using some of the oldest tricks in the book, he plots, he plans, he waits, and then he acts. He is incredibly devious and unbelievably patient in springing his special temptations, which he has designed to bring us down and have us fall from grace.

Consider Satan’s attack on what God values: life, marriage, family, His Church. Satan seeks to destroy them all. He is hard at work in every big city and every small town – from Paris, France, to Wahoo, Nebraska – he’s got it covered. His handiwork is easily found on TV and comes at us through the computer. His business transactions can be seen in the litter of broken marriages, shattered careers, and traumatized families. His whispers sound so enticing, but result in the tragedies that make up our violent headlines, as well as those secret, private and personal sins found within the human heart.

The world also tries to trap us and trip us up. Money, games, electronic toys cause us to lose our focus on the prize. Peer pressure causes us to go out and trespass where we don’t belong and violate what is off-limits. Going along with the crowd may allow us to fit in with the group but be on the outs with God.

The world places all kinds of wants in our way that we see as needs. These become unnecessary obstacles of necessity. Going over and around all these obstacles causes us to lose our energy, lose our momentum, lose our focus.

Our own self, our sinful nature, also wants us to lose our balance, to fall headlong into sin and evil. Being lazy, obstinate, or difficult. Not being able to control our tongue and lashing out in anger or with gossip. Being apathetic in our calling to witness to our faith, lethargic in our daily walk with Christ through His Word, indifferent to the plight of the lost and dying. Being cheap in our support of God’s kingdom work, being stingy in our prayers for others, but all the while being generous in fulfilling as many of our fleshly desires as we can.

Jesus spoke of this in the gospel of Mark: “For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'” We are under attack from the devil, the world and from our own sinful selves. We call them the “Unholy Trinity.” “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.” We are part of a great spiritual struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, faith and unbelief, Christ and Satan. Also noteworthy is that, on our own, you and I are incapable of standing strong in this fight.

So we need to be clothed. Not in the latest fashions of the culture, but as a soldier of the Crucified. You can imagine the apostle Paul, sitting in his prison cell, or perhaps under house arrest in a small apartment somewhere, with the ever-present Roman guard standing there beside him. I’m sure Paul spoke with his guard, and if the book of Acts is any indicator, probably evangelized him. For Paul, every situation was an opportunity to proclaim salvation in Jesus. He looks at the soldier’s uniform, and through His Christ-centered vision, he sees a picture of the baptized believer dressed in the gifts of Christ.

And in that soldier, Paul sees a picture of us. We are weak. We struggle. We lose the fight. We need help. For we are at war. Perhaps a pep talk from a seasoned warrior would do us well.

"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."

We need a Champion on our side. Although the outcome of the war has been set, the fighting still continues. The devil is still prowling around like a roaring lion. Though the demons have already been defeated, they keep slithering into our lives. The devil and his demons still fight in a last ditch effort to get you on the losing side before Christ appears in great triumph.

The only way to overcome the overwhelming obstacles posed by the unholy trinity is with the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are the three interwined circles on our Training Camp logo. Our three-in-one God.

You have God the Father who is more powerful than Satan, who created and will destroy the world, who formed and saved your flesh. He is watching over you with His all-seeing eye, protecting you with His almighty power, forgiving you with His awesome grace and loving you through His awe-inspiring mercy.

You have a Savior who is constantly at your side. He has already driven the stake of the cross through the heart of the roaring lion of Satan. He is the One who came into our world so He could take us to the world to come. He is the One who took on human flesh so that He might rescue you from your own flesh. He will be with your soul forgiving you for all the times that you falter and fail, trip up and fall for Satan’s traps.

You have the Holy Spirit who provides wisdom and strength against the unholy trinity beyond what you might normally possess. He will help you put on the full armor of God every morning so that you can go into battle against the Wipeout Zone that is out there and in here (heart).

By our Triune God’s grace, we are armed each day to go into hand-to-hand combat. The Trinity armors us to overcome overwhelming obstacles.

Maybe you have children like I have, who insist on wearing snowsuits in summer and shorts in winter, put on their swimming suit any time of the day, trying to give us the hint of what they want to do, or carrying an umbrella around, just because they can. You, like me, are probably used to making sure everyone is dressed properly before they leave the house. I’m sure all of you put on the proper clothing for the jobs you do or the school you attend. Your check yourself in the mirror and off you go, into the world or at home to do the work and activities you’ve planned for the day.

But wait!

Where do you think you’re going looking like that? You’re not dressed right at all! Where is that belt of truth, anyway? In the drawer? Better buckle up with God’s truth so that you are not deceived by some really slick lies out there. Buckle up to be safe in a world of deception.

And how about that breastplate of righteousness? In the closet? Better put that on too, and remember, Jesus is your righteousness. You are clothed with Christ in your baptism. He covers your weakness with His strength. He is your provision and protection. Your baptism is your body armor, spiritual Kevlar, a bullet proof vest.

Now, how about the shoes? Under the bed? Can’t be ready to walk anywhere as a Christian unless you are wearing the shoes of the gospel of peace. You go into battle, not to wage war, but to wage peace. Your feet are propelled by the good news from the Prince of Peace Himself. We are on a peace march, telling the world to put down its arms. The fight is over, the war is won. Christ has conquered and peace is ours.

Wait, you’re not ready yet, where is that shield of faith, anyway? I know it’s around here somewhere. I’d really hate to see you walk down the street without that nice shield, since I’ve seen lots of flaming arrows in this vicinity recently. The Roman shield was made of leather and could be soaked in water to extinguish flaming arrows. Your shield is the shield of faith, the teaching of the prophets and apostles, the doctrine of Christ. It is soaked in your baptismal waters.

Do you think I’d let you go out today without your helmet of salvation? Your head needs protection. Wrap it in the salvation Christ has won for you. Salvation isn’t something coming later. Salvation is yours now, as we speak, something to be worn on your head, guarding your mind when your thoughts lead you astray.

And, finally, that sword of the Spirit, that I saw lying on the floor. A lot of good it will do you there. The only offensive weapon the Triune God places in your arsenal is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It is your only weapon. Nothing but the Word. But that’s all you need. The two-edged sword of the Law that convicts and the Gospel that comforts. You don’t need political power, you don’t need military might, you don’t need physical or intellectual strength. The Word is all you need. “One little word can fell him,” Luther said of the devil. One little Word of Christ can send the devil scurrying like a cockroach when the light comes one.

OK, now you’re ready to go.

True, you may get bruised, you may get bloodied, you may get tired and worn out, you will continue to fall and fail, but you will emerge at the end of it all as winners! Paul said it best, “Now in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

And remember, others may think you’re going to school or to work, but we all know your real occupation – a soldier in the Lord’s army! Yes, sir! You will overcome overwhelming obstacles. You will not wipeout! Dress appropriately. You have on your gospel armor. Now off you go today, and make your Father proud! Amen.