Text: Ephesians 6:10:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might. Vs 11: Put on the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Vs 12: For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Vs 13: Wherefore take unto you the whole armor
of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand.
Vs 14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Vs 15: And your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace; Vs 16: Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Vs 17: And take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: vs 18: Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
This is a continuation of "Armed and Dangerous" (Pt.2)
In part one I
discussed having your loins girt about with truth; having on the breastplate
of righteousness; your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
and above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Here in part two, I’m
going to discuss the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and praying
always for all saints.
Ephesians
6:17:
And take the helmet of salvation.
The Helmet of Salvation
5 The Helmet was worn to protect the head, which is the center of our thought processes. A head wound is a serious matter because the rest of the body depends so heavily upon the proper functioning of the head. If the enemy gets hold of your head/mind he has the whole body.
The helmet keeps our
thinking straight and protected. The power of the mind to understand along with
intelligence helps to teach our faculties of the mind, and to bring those
faculties under subjection to the Spirit. When I speak of faculties, I’m
talking about those things which teach us. Such as perception, remembrance,
reasoning, feelings, desires, imagination and purpose.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: vs 6: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
Vs 17: And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
6.
Sword
of the Spirit
Verse 17 interprets itself as to the meaning of the sword of the Spirit—it is the Word of God. While all the other pieces of armour are defensive, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive (will affront; assault) weapon in the armour of God, and it will also defend (protect).
While the shield of
faith would be held at arm’s length in the left hand and across the body to
ward off blows of the enemy for defense; the right hand which is the hand of
power is free to use the sword or spear for offense.
As
part of the armour, God has given a weapon that is both defensive to
protect and offensive to assault or attack the enemy. The sword
can be used to block striking blows of the opponent, and it can be used to
fight back when attacked.
Believers
not only take up the sword by the power of the Holy Spirit, but they handle it,
or skilfully use it, by the guiding power of the Almighty Spirit of God. Both its
possession and the skill in which it’s used, are from the work of the Holy
Spirit.
If
you recall from Matthew chapter 4 and the Temptation of Jesus, every advance of
the devil was fought with the Word of God.
In Jesus' temptations in the desert, the Word of God was always His overpowering response to Satan.
Matthew 4
Jesus said 3 times It is written!
- Vs 4: Jesus
said, “It is written”!
- Vs 7: Jesus
said, “It is written”!
- Vs 10: Jesus
said, “It is written”!
What a blessing people of God, that the same Word is available to
us!!!
Therefore, we need “The Word of God to combat the enemy!”
Jesus
would respond to a temptation by saying, “It is written”.
With
authority and certainty, “God has said” … was His response. Because Jesus knew
the Word of God to be sure and true, He proclaimed-- with trust-- the Words and
Promises of God with authority and certainty.
In
the wilderness, the effects of the Word in those battles were quick and
powerful, ultimately bringing victory to Jesus the Christ! Same thing with you
in your wilderness experiences and battles.
For that spirit of fear: Psalms 23:4 I will fear no evil: for
thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.
For that
spirit of diseases: Psalms 91:10: There shall no evil befall
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Feeling defeated:
For I AM an overcomer, and I overcome by the blood of The Lamb and The Word of
my testimony. Revelation 12:11: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Sickness: Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
In
Revelations 19:11- when John saw heaven open and the white horse and he
that sat upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness He doth
judge and make war. Vs 12: His
eyes were as a flame of fire (God’s messengers with the Word of God,
because our God is a consuming fire) and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. Vs 13: And
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called THE WORD
OF GOD. Vs 15: And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron….
with fierceness and wrath of ALMIGHTY GOD! Hallelujah!!!
John was seeing the church; the Living Word of God that was riding on the white horse in the earth. God was getting ready to ride through the church with this vesture that is dipped in His blood. We (the church of born again believers) are His vesture (himat'ion)[dress; garment; raiment], that have been dipped in His blood. How so? We are the ones that gives Him is body now of which He is the Head:
- Ephesians 5:30: We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones!
- Colossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church.
- Hebrews 9:12, "Neither the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us": vs 22: "Without the shedding of blood is no remission".
John was seeing in the Spirit the church that had arrived at the place of being total over-comers by the power of the Holy Ghost. And through “Christ” the written
word has become the Living Word and riding forth with that double-edged sword
coming out of our mouths and cutting asunder the soul from the Spirit to show
the people of God the truth in the earth to come to the totality and the
fullness of God!
The
sword has a sharp double edge. One side representing the law, the other the
Gospel. The law side cuts open the soul revealing sin and depravity. The Gospel
side cuts open the heart, mind, and will of man exposing his
unrighteousness and inability to do any good in and of himself— the deep cuts
of this edge reveal the need for a righteous Savior.
The
sharp sword cuts away man’s delusions of his own goodness bringing forth the
sins that lies beneath— which brings conviction, reproof, judgement, and the
knowledge of the just punishment due those sins— which brings man to his knees
to acknowledge what must I do to be saved!
As
the light of God beams from the shining sword it brings to light the darkness
of sin. It is used to refute and repel the temptations of Satan. And from the
sword emanates truth that discerns false doctrines and heresies, dividing truth
from error.
It speaks of the holiness and power of the Word of God.
The full armour of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith,
salvation, the Word of God, and prayer—are the tools God has given us, through
which we can be spiritually victorious, overcoming Satan’s attacks and
temptations. These pieces of armour allow us to withstand! To withstand is
having the ability to hold your position; to resist or stand face to face with
your adversary
BUT: I must speak not only for withstanding, but also for standing. When you’re left standing…that’s the ability to win the fight.
But, for us to STAND THEREFORE: There are two more pieces of armour that are vitally important for the armour in Ephesians 6 to fit properly. Remember, we also need:
The
offensive and aggressive equipment in “The Armour of Light", Paul speaks of in
Romans:
- Romans 13:12: The
night is far spent; the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light.
This “light” is from the root word “phos”, denoting “light as
reaching the mind” that expresses “knowledge” – having the mind of
Christ, thinking as He thinks and seeing as He sees by having the “single eye”.
- Matthew
6:22: If therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall
be full of light!
First
of all, we need light to see where we are going:
- Psalm 119:105: Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path:
And its truth that will
make us free:
- John 8:32: You
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The other
offensive and aggressive equipment which will enable you to stand is for the back,
which is found in 2 Corinthians 6:7; “the Armour of Righteousness”
- 2nd Corinthians
6:7: By
the “word of truth”, by the power of God, by the “armour of
righteousness” on the right hand and on the left.
For
without these two pieces of armour, “light” and “righteousness/truth”, the
armour in Ephesians 6 will not fit properly!
Having the “The Sword of the Spirit” which is “the Word
of God with truth” is receiving that which God teaches us by His Spirit and
us speaking not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy
Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual!!
- 1st Corinthians 2:13: Which things also we speak, not in the
words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
- John
16:13: Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come (present tense), he will guide you
into all truth.
So, people of God, put on the whole armour of God – the defensive equipment, that ye may be able to withstand against the wiles of the devil: but also, the offensive and aggressive equipment, which will enable you having done all, to stand therefore!!!
God has already caught your enemies from
behind, because He has equipped us with the full gear of the whole armour of God!
He has dressed us with the Robe of Righteousness, which is the armour of
righteousness. He has covered your back with the Word of Truth, the Power of
God and the Armour of Righteousness!!!
That makes us Armed and Extremely Dangerous!!!
Assistant Pastor Jackie Burton
No comments:
Post a Comment