1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,300 2 00:00:16,300 --> 00:00:39,180 Well, if you have your Bibles, we're going to be in Ephesians chapter 6. 3 00:00:39,180 --> 00:00:43,140 We only got a few more weeks left in this book. 4 00:00:43,140 --> 00:00:47,460 I don't know if that's good or bad for you, but that's reality. 5 00:00:47,460 --> 00:00:54,980 For the past two weeks, we have been discussing spiritual warfare and how we can best be prepared 6 00:00:54,980 --> 00:00:59,460 for the constant battle that is going on around us. 7 00:00:59,460 --> 00:01:07,420 It is an invisible battle where we can't see our enemy, but we can for sure see and feel 8 00:01:07,420 --> 00:01:10,260 the attacks that are against us. 9 00:01:10,260 --> 00:01:14,860 Last week, we looked at three pieces of the armor that we need to have on at all times, 10 00:01:14,860 --> 00:01:21,620 the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and we sandal our feet with the peace of the 11 00:01:21,620 --> 00:01:22,620 gospel. 12 00:01:22,620 --> 00:01:27,020 This morning, we're going to look at three more pieces of the armor of God, remembering 13 00:01:27,020 --> 00:01:32,700 that when we clothe ourselves with the armor, we are actually clothing ourselves with Jesus 14 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:33,700 himself. 15 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:37,620 I'd like to invite whoever the best dressed one of us is this morning. 16 00:01:37,620 --> 00:01:41,500 I'd like to invite up here to come read our text this morning. 17 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:42,500 Anybody? 18 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:43,580 Oh, I see a tie. 19 00:01:43,580 --> 00:01:50,340 Come on up here, Wesley. 20 00:01:50,340 --> 00:01:52,220 Making me look bad, bro. 21 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:53,220 Making me look bad. 22 00:01:53,220 --> 00:01:54,220 Hey, stand right here, buddy. 23 00:01:54,220 --> 00:02:00,100 I want you to read our passage, all right? 24 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:01,100 Whenever you're ready. 25 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:02,100 If you want to, yeah, perfect. 26 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:09,100 In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, which with you can extinguish the 27 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:15,420 flaming darts of the evil one, and take up the helmet of salvation and the word of God, 28 00:02:15,420 --> 00:02:21,020 which is the, I mean, sort of the spirit, which is the word of God. 29 00:02:21,020 --> 00:02:22,020 Amen. 30 00:02:22,020 --> 00:02:23,020 Let's pray. 31 00:02:23,020 --> 00:02:25,460 Father, thank you for Wesley. 32 00:02:25,460 --> 00:02:26,460 Thank you for his willingness to read. 33 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:31,580 I pray that as we do look at this text that is very familiar to most of us, that you will 34 00:02:31,580 --> 00:02:33,580 open our hearts and ears to hear from you this morning. 35 00:02:33,580 --> 00:02:35,780 We pray that your spirit will just move in this place freely. 36 00:02:35,780 --> 00:02:37,100 To your name we pray. 37 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:38,100 Amen. 38 00:02:38,100 --> 00:02:40,380 Thanks, big guy. 39 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:48,380 I heard right before I came in here that Wesley potentially wants to be a pastor one day, 40 00:02:48,380 --> 00:02:49,860 which I think is great. 41 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:54,780 And so that might be, he might be my replacement one of these days, all right? 42 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:57,020 So I think that's fantastic. 43 00:02:57,020 --> 00:02:59,740 He does dress better than me. 44 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:00,740 And he has more hair. 45 00:03:00,740 --> 00:03:02,580 I think that's good, right? 46 00:03:02,580 --> 00:03:04,660 Not as distracting when I put my head down. 47 00:03:04,660 --> 00:03:07,180 All right, so we look to the text. 48 00:03:07,180 --> 00:03:12,060 The fact of the matter is that everyone has faith in something or someone. 49 00:03:12,060 --> 00:03:13,220 We know that, right? 50 00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:19,020 There is a sense in which almost everything we do in life is based on our faith. 51 00:03:19,020 --> 00:03:25,380 Unless you are a child, every day we put faith in our water heater that it's going to work, 52 00:03:25,380 --> 00:03:26,380 right? 53 00:03:26,380 --> 00:03:27,380 I don't know what it is at my house. 54 00:03:27,380 --> 00:03:29,460 It's like pulling tea to get them to bathe. 55 00:03:29,460 --> 00:03:33,780 But most of us, we have faith in our water heaters that they're going to work. 56 00:03:33,780 --> 00:03:40,340 When I get into my car and I push the button, that's what it is now, I'm having faith that 57 00:03:40,340 --> 00:03:44,340 all the parts of the car will work together properly and it will get me to where I need 58 00:03:44,340 --> 00:03:45,460 to go. 59 00:03:45,460 --> 00:03:48,980 When I'm at a green light and I'm going through the intersection, I have faith that the people 60 00:03:48,980 --> 00:03:52,860 that are on the other side, that number one, there is a red light and number two, that 61 00:03:52,860 --> 00:03:56,260 they're not going to plow me on the side. 62 00:03:56,260 --> 00:04:01,820 When I go to the doctor that he prescribes medicine, I have faith in the doctor's judgment. 63 00:04:01,820 --> 00:04:06,620 I have faith in the claims of the drug makers that the medicine will actually make me feel 64 00:04:06,620 --> 00:04:07,620 better. 65 00:04:07,620 --> 00:04:12,980 But faith in faith or in someone or some person or in my shower or my car or prescription 66 00:04:12,980 --> 00:04:19,660 medications or whatever is not going to protect me against the evil one, right? 67 00:04:19,660 --> 00:04:22,820 It's not going to protect me against the things that he sends my way. 68 00:04:22,820 --> 00:04:27,140 And so what exactly is the kind of faith that Paul is writing about here? 69 00:04:27,140 --> 00:04:30,220 The first thing we need to understand is that faith is belief. 70 00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:34,780 The word that Paul uses here and which is used consistently throughout the New Testament 71 00:04:34,780 --> 00:04:38,100 is a word that means to have a firm persuasion. 72 00:04:38,100 --> 00:04:43,020 It's a form of the word that means to hold on to something with confidence. 73 00:04:43,020 --> 00:04:46,060 We see that in Hebrews when we read in chapter 11. 74 00:04:46,060 --> 00:04:50,460 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 75 00:04:50,460 --> 00:04:56,300 A few verses later he writes, and without faith it is impossible to please him for whoever 76 00:04:56,300 --> 00:05:01,540 would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek 77 00:05:01,540 --> 00:05:02,540 him. 78 00:05:02,540 --> 00:05:07,780 So that definition gives us a clue about what we are to believe. 79 00:05:07,780 --> 00:05:13,740 Obviously, the kind of faith that is described here and which Paul refers to in Ephesians 80 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:17,340 cannot just be any belief. 81 00:05:17,340 --> 00:05:23,340 One missionary, John Patton, was translating the Scriptures to a group of people in Southeast 82 00:05:23,340 --> 00:05:24,340 Asia. 83 00:05:24,340 --> 00:05:27,180 He found himself in a tough situation. 84 00:05:27,180 --> 00:05:31,700 There was no word in their vocabulary for belief. 85 00:05:31,700 --> 00:05:36,760 There was no word in their vocabulary for trust or to have faith. 86 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:42,180 He had no idea how to convey that message as he's translating the Scriptures so that 87 00:05:42,180 --> 00:05:45,940 the people that he was translating to would understand it. 88 00:05:45,940 --> 00:05:51,100 One day as he was in his hut translating, a native came running up fast up the stairs. 89 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:57,940 He flopped himself into his Patton study chair and then he said, it's so good to rest my 90 00:05:57,940 --> 00:06:01,460 whole weight in this chair. 91 00:06:01,460 --> 00:06:04,620 And John Patton said, I had my word for faith. 92 00:06:04,620 --> 00:06:09,180 Faith is resting your whole weight on God. 93 00:06:09,180 --> 00:06:12,780 That's what the shield of faith is all about, resting our whole weight on God. 94 00:06:12,780 --> 00:06:16,100 But faith is not blind faith only. 95 00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:20,140 Faith is belief that is confirmed by historical evidence. 96 00:06:20,140 --> 00:06:26,300 Paul points out the historical basis for his faith when he writes to the Corinthian church. 97 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:30,980 In chapter 15 he says, now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to 98 00:06:30,980 --> 00:06:34,660 you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 99 00:06:34,660 --> 00:06:36,580 By this gospel you were saved. 100 00:06:36,580 --> 00:06:41,740 If you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, otherwise you have believed in vain. 101 00:06:41,740 --> 00:06:46,460 For what I received I passed on to you as a first importance that Christ died for our 102 00:06:46,460 --> 00:06:51,100 sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third 103 00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:56,620 day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. 104 00:06:56,620 --> 00:07:00,780 After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of 105 00:07:00,780 --> 00:07:03,660 whom were still living, though some have fallen asleep. 106 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:07,460 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me 107 00:07:07,460 --> 00:07:10,580 also as to one abnormally born. 108 00:07:10,580 --> 00:07:17,300 So the faith that comprises the shield of faith is based on historical events that have 109 00:07:17,300 --> 00:07:25,860 been confirmed by a large number of eyewitnesses to those events as recorded in the scriptures. 110 00:07:25,860 --> 00:07:32,140 And in this passage Paul does a real nice job of summarizing both the facts and the significance 111 00:07:32,140 --> 00:07:33,340 of those facts. 112 00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:39,660 In essence he outlines the basics of what we need to believe in order to put on the shield 113 00:07:39,660 --> 00:07:40,940 of faith. 114 00:07:40,940 --> 00:07:46,900 Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised on the third day, and all of that 115 00:07:46,900 --> 00:07:53,100 happened according to what God has already revealed in the scriptures. 116 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:58,180 So that is what the shield of faith is, but we need to know why we need it. 117 00:07:58,180 --> 00:08:04,340 It's interesting that this is the only piece of armor for which Paul describes exactly 118 00:08:04,340 --> 00:08:05,860 how it operates. 119 00:08:05,860 --> 00:08:11,420 The exorcist to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and to sandal 120 00:08:11,420 --> 00:08:15,300 our feet with the gospel of peace to take up the helmet of salvation which we'll cover 121 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:17,500 here in a minute, and the sword of the spirit. 122 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:22,580 But he never explains exactly what their purpose is and how they work. 123 00:08:22,580 --> 00:08:28,340 But with the shield of faith he makes it very clear exactly why we need the shield in order 124 00:08:28,340 --> 00:08:31,380 to, and how it should operate in our life. 125 00:08:31,380 --> 00:08:36,820 The last phrase of this verse describes why we need the shield of faith, to extinguish 126 00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:40,220 the flaming darts of the evil one. 127 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:46,180 What Paul refers to when Paul refers to Satan as the evil one, he is making it clear once 128 00:08:46,180 --> 00:08:53,740 again that our adversary is not some principle or some force or some philosophy. 129 00:08:53,740 --> 00:09:01,740 He is a real being whose goal is to do everything he can to separate us from God. 130 00:09:01,740 --> 00:09:03,020 That's his whole goal. 131 00:09:03,020 --> 00:09:04,780 He is a real foe. 132 00:09:04,780 --> 00:09:09,620 So we need real armor to be able to stand firm against him. 133 00:09:09,620 --> 00:09:14,020 We've already seen that Satan primarily attacks our minds. 134 00:09:14,020 --> 00:09:18,460 He primarily attacks our emotions using deceit as his main weapon. 135 00:09:18,460 --> 00:09:24,900 But now Paul gives us some more detail about how he operates with another picture, and 136 00:09:24,900 --> 00:09:27,460 that's flaming arrows, flaming darts. 137 00:09:27,460 --> 00:09:32,940 So what exactly is Paul describing for his readers with that picture? 138 00:09:32,940 --> 00:09:41,660 The word translated dart refers to any kind of pointed projectile used in warfare. 139 00:09:41,660 --> 00:09:47,620 In Paul's time these were most commonly would look like javelins or weapons or arrows. 140 00:09:47,620 --> 00:09:52,700 The tips of these weapons would be covered with an absorbent material and then it would 141 00:09:52,700 --> 00:09:57,420 be dipped in some pitch where it can absorb it and then lit on fire. 142 00:09:57,420 --> 00:10:04,500 These flaming arrows would be launched in large numbers at the beginning of the battle. 143 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:09,980 The purpose was not just to injure the enemy, but also to cause confusion and panic as flames 144 00:10:09,980 --> 00:10:12,140 were going on around them. 145 00:10:12,140 --> 00:10:17,660 So just what are these flames of arrows, of darts for the believer? 146 00:10:17,660 --> 00:10:23,340 It seems pretty clear from the context as well as what we know about how Satan operates 147 00:10:23,340 --> 00:10:30,020 that these flaming arrows are the temptations that Satan fires into our lives. 148 00:10:30,020 --> 00:10:40,500 He fires darts of selfishness, of doubt, fear, lust, greed. 149 00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:48,340 He fires flaming darts of pride into our lives, at times literally bombarding the follower 150 00:10:48,340 --> 00:10:50,020 of Jesus. 151 00:10:50,020 --> 00:10:55,940 But I want to remind us that we are to stand firm, not to go on the attack. 152 00:10:55,940 --> 00:11:02,740 Our job is to not stop the darts from being fired, but rather our responsibility is to 153 00:11:02,740 --> 00:11:06,580 stand firm by putting on the armor. 154 00:11:06,580 --> 00:11:13,380 How many high profile Christians have we seen over the years who publicly campaigned against 155 00:11:13,380 --> 00:11:22,180 some form of immorality, only to fall to similar temptation in their own lives? 156 00:11:22,180 --> 00:11:27,180 Now I'm certainly not saying that we shouldn't stand firm against immorality, but based on 157 00:11:27,180 --> 00:11:32,980 this entire section of spiritual warfare, I think that the more critical issue is to 158 00:11:32,980 --> 00:11:37,460 make sure that we focus on putting on the armor in our lives, since that is the only 159 00:11:37,460 --> 00:11:42,100 way that we can stand firm against a powerful foe. 160 00:11:42,100 --> 00:11:47,700 The flaming arrows were designed so when they hit the enemy's shields, the fire would bounce 161 00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:50,100 off the shield and it would spread. 162 00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:54,620 So before a battle in which flaming arrows might be shot at them, the soldiers would 163 00:11:54,620 --> 00:11:58,940 soak the leather that was covering their shields in water. 164 00:11:58,940 --> 00:12:04,460 Then they would actually use the shield to catch the arrows and extinguish them so that 165 00:12:04,460 --> 00:12:08,900 the fire would not spread. 166 00:12:08,900 --> 00:12:13,100 Paul writes that the shield of faith not only protects the believer against the flaming 167 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:20,340 arrows of temptation, but it intercepts and it extinguishes every single one. 168 00:12:20,340 --> 00:12:27,340 Even when we face insurmountable temptations, God has promised that his shield of faith 169 00:12:27,340 --> 00:12:30,940 is adequate to extinguish every single one. 170 00:12:30,940 --> 00:12:35,900 Not because of anything we do on our own, not because of our own abilities, but because 171 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:40,180 all of our weight is resting on God. 172 00:12:40,180 --> 00:12:45,780 When we understand that he did die, that he did rise, that it was all prophesied in the 173 00:12:45,780 --> 00:12:50,580 Scriptures that all of this is happening according to God's plan, and when we have our faith 174 00:12:50,580 --> 00:12:53,260 in that, it extinguishes all these arrows. 175 00:12:53,260 --> 00:12:58,020 Once we need to understand why we need the helmet of salvation. 176 00:12:58,020 --> 00:13:02,660 Once again, understanding the nature and the purpose of a Roman soldier's helmet will 177 00:13:02,660 --> 00:13:07,860 give us some insight into why the helmet of salvation is so important to those of us 178 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:10,380 who are followers of Jesus. 179 00:13:10,380 --> 00:13:15,860 Roman military helmets could be made out of leather, could be made out of metal. 180 00:13:15,860 --> 00:13:20,860 The helmet had a band to protect the forehead, it had plates for the cheeks, and it extended 181 00:13:20,860 --> 00:13:23,420 back down the neck to protect it. 182 00:13:23,420 --> 00:13:27,700 When the helmet was strapped in place, it exposed very little, except for the eyes, 183 00:13:27,700 --> 00:13:30,260 the nose, and the mouth. 184 00:13:30,260 --> 00:13:36,100 Although the helmet would protect the head from arrows that were being fired its way, 185 00:13:36,100 --> 00:13:41,340 its primary purpose was to ward off blows from the enemy's broadsword. 186 00:13:41,340 --> 00:13:44,540 The broadsword was this massive, I think it was like a baseball bat. 187 00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:52,540 This is three to four foot long piece of metal that the soldier would use both hands to 188 00:13:52,540 --> 00:13:53,780 attack with. 189 00:13:53,780 --> 00:13:59,820 With the main goal of, can I get this sword on that guy's helmet and give him like a 190 00:13:59,820 --> 00:14:01,620 split personality, right? 191 00:14:01,620 --> 00:14:06,660 That's essentially, and the helmet was the primary means of protecting the head against 192 00:14:06,660 --> 00:14:07,660 those blows. 193 00:14:07,660 --> 00:14:13,380 Now, it's not too difficult to see the spiritual implications of the helmet. 194 00:14:13,380 --> 00:14:22,460 We've consistently noted that Satan's primary, that he attacks us primarily against our minds, 195 00:14:22,460 --> 00:14:28,460 against our emotions, and it's the helmet of salvation that protects us from those attacks. 196 00:14:28,460 --> 00:14:34,260 Based on what we know about Satan's attacks, both from the scriptures, both from our own 197 00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:40,740 personal experiences, we find that just like the broadsword had two sides, the attacks 198 00:14:40,740 --> 00:14:43,300 of Satan also has two main sides. 199 00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:46,420 The helmet protects our minds from doubt. 200 00:14:46,420 --> 00:14:49,740 Satan loves to bring doubt into our minds. 201 00:14:49,740 --> 00:14:55,340 Every time we sin, he'll try to make us doubt our salvation. 202 00:14:55,340 --> 00:15:00,380 He'll bring into our mind thoughts like these, how can you call yourself a Christian and 203 00:15:00,380 --> 00:15:04,140 still act that way? 204 00:15:04,140 --> 00:15:07,820 Are you sure you're really saved? 205 00:15:07,820 --> 00:15:10,380 You sure don't deserve to be. 206 00:15:10,380 --> 00:15:13,180 You deserve eternal punishment in hell. 207 00:15:13,180 --> 00:15:18,100 There is no way that God is going to accept you when you continuously do those kinds of 208 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:20,100 things. 209 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:25,500 It's coming to church in the rain, really worth it. 210 00:15:25,500 --> 00:15:29,780 Those are kinds of doubts, and those doubts are never going to stop coming. 211 00:15:29,780 --> 00:15:33,900 They're never going to stop coming, so we need to understand that whenever we have a 212 00:15:33,900 --> 00:15:39,740 doubt about the goodness of God, about the importance of God in our life, about the importance 213 00:15:39,740 --> 00:15:44,700 of anything that's going to draw us closer to Him, anytime we have a doubt, we have to 214 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:50,140 understand it means that you are under attack from the enemy. 215 00:15:50,140 --> 00:15:53,260 We also need to protect our minds from discouragement. 216 00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:56,220 Satan loves to discourage you in your Christian walk. 217 00:15:56,220 --> 00:15:59,140 I think we can all have a testimony on that. 218 00:15:59,140 --> 00:16:04,220 He tries to get us to question whether following Jesus is really worth it. 219 00:16:04,220 --> 00:16:08,020 He brings all kinds of discouraging thoughts to our minds. 220 00:16:08,020 --> 00:16:09,540 You go to church every single week. 221 00:16:09,540 --> 00:16:15,220 You read your Bible every single day, but your husband still doesn't treat you the way he 222 00:16:15,220 --> 00:16:18,060 should, does he? 223 00:16:18,060 --> 00:16:24,100 Your kids are no different than anyone else's kids at school. 224 00:16:24,100 --> 00:16:29,340 You prayed to God for your health, but your health hasn't improved a bit, hasn't it? 225 00:16:29,340 --> 00:16:32,460 In fact, it's actually gotten worse. 226 00:16:32,460 --> 00:16:37,860 You've taught in children's church for years now, but how do you know that they're really 227 00:16:37,860 --> 00:16:40,420 getting anything out of it? 228 00:16:40,420 --> 00:16:46,300 I wish I had time for us to all come up here and share testimonies of what God has done 229 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:51,580 in our life as a form of encouragement for all of us today. 230 00:16:51,580 --> 00:16:57,340 I can give you my own testimonies of Mrs. Greaser. 231 00:16:57,340 --> 00:17:00,100 She was my Sunday school teacher when I was little. 232 00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:01,580 She was faithful. 233 00:17:01,580 --> 00:17:06,540 She helped me memorize the first verses that I ever memorized that I still know to this 234 00:17:06,540 --> 00:17:07,860 day. 235 00:17:07,860 --> 00:17:12,420 I can give you stories of how people came alongside me and Sina in our early years of 236 00:17:12,420 --> 00:17:18,380 marriage and helped us get through the difficulties of those times. 237 00:17:18,380 --> 00:17:23,460 I can give you stories of how my prayers were not answered the way I thought they should 238 00:17:23,460 --> 00:17:27,020 be answered because sometimes I feel like I know better than God. 239 00:17:27,020 --> 00:17:31,660 I can give you testimony after testimony of how I've prayed for something faithfully, 240 00:17:31,660 --> 00:17:37,060 and God didn't answer me the way I wanted him to, but he still gave me an unreal amount 241 00:17:37,060 --> 00:17:38,300 of peace. 242 00:17:38,300 --> 00:17:44,700 If you are facing discouragement in your spiritual walk, you need to understand that you are 243 00:17:44,700 --> 00:17:46,900 under spiritual attack. 244 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:52,380 Finally, let's look at why we need the sword of the spirit. 245 00:17:52,380 --> 00:17:59,660 Up until now, every piece of the armor has been strictly defensive. 246 00:17:59,660 --> 00:18:03,500 These are those five pieces of armor, the belt, the breastplate, the shoes, the shield, 247 00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:06,780 and the helmet were intended to protect. 248 00:18:06,780 --> 00:18:10,420 Intended to protect the soldier from the attacks of the enemy. 249 00:18:10,420 --> 00:18:16,180 But this last piece of armor, while it can be used to ward off the blows of the enemy, 250 00:18:16,180 --> 00:18:21,540 also has some offensive capabilities. 251 00:18:21,540 --> 00:18:24,540 And we need the sword because our enemy is real. 252 00:18:24,540 --> 00:18:29,500 We need the sword because our enemy is powerful, and we need to be able to fight when he attacks 253 00:18:29,500 --> 00:18:30,500 us. 254 00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:35,180 Roman soldiers use two different types of swords. 255 00:18:35,180 --> 00:18:37,220 We just talked about the broad sword. 256 00:18:37,220 --> 00:18:41,780 It's this really heavy weapon, usually about four feet long when it was swung with both 257 00:18:41,780 --> 00:18:47,380 hands in a manner that you would swing a baseball bat. 258 00:18:47,380 --> 00:18:52,580 And that sword was used primarily to try to split open the head of the enemy as it came 259 00:18:52,580 --> 00:18:53,580 down upon the head. 260 00:18:53,580 --> 00:18:55,660 That was its goal. 261 00:18:55,660 --> 00:18:59,620 The Greek word for that broad sword is used in the New Testament throughout, primarily 262 00:18:59,620 --> 00:19:04,820 in the book of Revelation, where it is an instrument of God's judgment against those 263 00:19:04,820 --> 00:19:09,700 who have chosen not to commit their lives to Jesus. 264 00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:14,420 But the Greek word that Paul uses here in Ephesians 6, which was used frequently throughout 265 00:19:14,420 --> 00:19:19,500 the New Testament, is a much smaller sword. 266 00:19:19,500 --> 00:19:26,620 The word described as sword that was worn in a sheath or scabbard by the Roman soldier. 267 00:19:26,620 --> 00:19:29,820 It could be anywhere from six inches to 20 inches long. 268 00:19:29,820 --> 00:19:35,300 The most significant characteristic of this sword for us as we consider the armor of God 269 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:39,900 is that it's a weapon that's used in close hand-to-hand combat. 270 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:45,860 Because of its short length, it was only effective when the enemy was closed and engaged in a 271 00:19:45,860 --> 00:19:46,860 fight. 272 00:19:46,860 --> 00:19:52,420 And when Paul commands us to take up the sword of the Spirit, he is emphasizing, once again, 273 00:19:52,420 --> 00:19:57,300 to each and every one of us, the seriousness of the battle and the danger that our enemy 274 00:19:57,300 --> 00:19:59,100 presents. 275 00:19:59,100 --> 00:20:03,500 This is not a battle that can be fought at a distance. 276 00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:06,020 This is close quarters. 277 00:20:06,020 --> 00:20:12,900 But before we go any further, I want to remind us that our responsibility when it comes to 278 00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:20,540 our spiritual battle is to stand firm and maintain the ground that Jesus has already 279 00:20:20,540 --> 00:20:25,140 secured on our behalf and not take new ground. 280 00:20:25,140 --> 00:20:30,980 That's why Paul repeats the command, stand, throughout this section. 281 00:20:30,980 --> 00:20:35,500 But since, as we've seen, the sword is also an offensive weapon. 282 00:20:35,500 --> 00:20:42,580 So how do you reconcile this idea of we've got to stand, don't take new ground, but stand, 283 00:20:42,580 --> 00:20:45,460 but also be aggressive? 284 00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:48,940 Those seem like two contradictory ideas. 285 00:20:48,940 --> 00:20:52,660 Given the entire context of the section, I think we can rightly conclude that for us 286 00:20:52,660 --> 00:20:58,820 that are followers of Jesus, the sword is an offensive weapon that is used for defensive 287 00:20:58,820 --> 00:21:01,380 purposes. 288 00:21:01,380 --> 00:21:03,700 It's actually very easy to illustrate. 289 00:21:03,700 --> 00:21:07,260 In my home, if you come into my home, you are in my garage, you will see that I have 290 00:21:07,260 --> 00:21:08,260 a safe. 291 00:21:08,260 --> 00:21:14,500 My safe is tens of thousands of dollars in cash. 292 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:17,020 Just kidding, I don't have any of that. 293 00:21:17,020 --> 00:21:25,340 But in that safe, there's several guns and there's many, many, many rounds of ammo. 294 00:21:25,340 --> 00:21:30,020 And I think we'd all agree that a gun can be an offensive weapon. 295 00:21:30,020 --> 00:21:35,700 If you were to go hunting and you were to shoot some deer or some turkey or things of 296 00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:40,500 that nature that you were trying to use to eat, you would view that gun as an offensive 297 00:21:40,500 --> 00:21:42,500 weapon. 298 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:48,220 But if an intruder came into your house and you shot that person with your gun, you would 299 00:21:48,220 --> 00:21:54,420 be using that gun as a defensive manner and you would be justified in doing so. 300 00:21:54,420 --> 00:22:00,220 But if you knew that this guy was going to come break into your house and rob you on 301 00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:05,660 this particular day and you just kind of jumped ahead and you went and got your gun, 302 00:22:05,660 --> 00:22:09,980 and you went over to his house and shot and killed him because of his intention, you wouldn't 303 00:22:09,980 --> 00:22:14,180 be justified in doing so and you would actually be committing a pretty serious crime. 304 00:22:14,180 --> 00:22:16,820 So we don't encourage that kind of stuff. 305 00:22:16,820 --> 00:22:23,620 But when Satan comes into our territory and he attacks us, then we are not only justified 306 00:22:23,620 --> 00:22:28,980 in using the sword of the Spirit against him, but we must do so. 307 00:22:28,980 --> 00:22:33,460 On the other hand, that doesn't mean that we are to go out looking for Satan in his 308 00:22:33,460 --> 00:22:39,100 own territory in order to try and attack him with our sword. 309 00:22:39,100 --> 00:22:42,820 Now I know what some of you might be thinking, you've been in church a long time, oh here 310 00:22:42,820 --> 00:22:44,740 we go again, right? 311 00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:50,500 Another lesson, another message that tells us that I need to read and study my Bible 312 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:52,500 more. 313 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:54,860 Now that's certainly true. 314 00:22:54,860 --> 00:23:00,380 It's certainly true, but you can't use God's word effectively unless you know what's in 315 00:23:00,380 --> 00:23:01,380 there. 316 00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:05,300 It doesn't work that way, and you all know that. 317 00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:09,220 So let's see if we can go a little deeper this morning. 318 00:23:09,220 --> 00:23:16,540 We tend to use the word, the phrase, word of God as a synonym for the Bible. 319 00:23:16,540 --> 00:23:21,580 But the issue is, do we really believe that the Bible, that you have on your phone, that 320 00:23:21,580 --> 00:23:26,300 you have in your lap, that you have on your coffee table, do we really believe indeed 321 00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:30,420 it is the very word of God? 322 00:23:30,420 --> 00:23:35,140 Not just that we say we believe that, and we include it in our doctrine, and we include 323 00:23:35,140 --> 00:23:40,300 it in our statement of faith, but have we made the determination once and for all that 324 00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:47,420 this is indeed the word of God, and that therefore it deserves my full attention? 325 00:23:47,420 --> 00:23:55,340 If you truly believe that the Bible is the word of God, then there is no way whatsoever 326 00:23:55,340 --> 00:24:00,420 that an hour or two on Sunday mornings is going to satisfy your hunger for what's in 327 00:24:00,420 --> 00:24:02,780 those pages. 328 00:24:02,780 --> 00:24:05,860 It's not enough to just have God's word. 329 00:24:05,860 --> 00:24:10,340 In fact, even an unbeliever can have the Bible. 330 00:24:10,340 --> 00:24:15,180 Even an unbeliever can read the Bible and study the Bible, but those of us who are followers 331 00:24:15,180 --> 00:24:19,580 of Christ have a resource that other people don't have. 332 00:24:19,580 --> 00:24:22,900 We have God's holy spirit. 333 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:28,300 The word of God is called the sword of the spirit, not just because it was given to us 334 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:33,500 by the Holy Spirit and what it provides for us, but also because he makes it alive for 335 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:34,500 us. 336 00:24:34,500 --> 00:24:39,300 He equips us to use it in the right way at the right time. 337 00:24:39,300 --> 00:24:42,780 So many of us have read the Bible, but we don't understand it. 338 00:24:42,780 --> 00:24:45,820 Have you ever read a passage of Scripture for years and years and years, and then one time 339 00:24:45,820 --> 00:24:50,020 you're reading it and you're like, oh, that makes sense now? 340 00:24:50,020 --> 00:24:59,900 I've been in ministry for over 20 years now, and I've preached passages of Scripture many, 341 00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:06,340 many times, but each time I teach it, God shows me something. 342 00:25:06,340 --> 00:25:09,820 That's the spirit of God bringing it to life. 343 00:25:09,820 --> 00:25:13,820 You can read the Bible like a textbook. 344 00:25:13,820 --> 00:25:19,180 You can understand all the facts, but unless the spirit of God is behind it, you're not 345 00:25:19,180 --> 00:25:21,820 going to get it. 346 00:25:21,820 --> 00:25:27,980 The Roman soldier would have never thought about going into battle without spending many 347 00:25:27,980 --> 00:25:31,500 hours practicing with his sword. 348 00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:36,820 The very best soldiers would try all different types of thrust, different positions in order 349 00:25:36,820 --> 00:25:41,300 to determine what would work best in various situations. 350 00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:46,660 Even today, soldiers and police officers and others who depend on their weapons practice 351 00:25:46,660 --> 00:25:49,940 with them over and over and over again. 352 00:25:49,940 --> 00:25:54,660 The idea is that when they get in the heat of battle, they'll not have to think about 353 00:25:54,660 --> 00:25:56,620 how to use their weapon. 354 00:25:56,620 --> 00:25:58,060 They just will do it. 355 00:25:58,060 --> 00:26:02,940 They can react based on all their training, based on all their practice. 356 00:26:02,940 --> 00:26:05,700 The same thing is true with the sword of the spirit. 357 00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:11,900 If we want to be able to effectively use God's word in the heat of battle, then we need to 358 00:26:11,900 --> 00:26:16,500 practice with it over and over and over again. 359 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:20,060 It's not just enough to read the Bible or even study it. 360 00:26:20,060 --> 00:26:23,780 It's only effective if we put it into practice. 361 00:26:23,780 --> 00:26:28,100 This passage from James is only one of many places in the Bible where this principle is 362 00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:29,100 revealed. 363 00:26:29,100 --> 00:26:35,100 He writes, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 364 00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:40,060 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently 365 00:26:40,060 --> 00:26:42,460 at his natural face in a mirror. 366 00:26:42,460 --> 00:26:47,140 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he is like. 367 00:26:47,140 --> 00:26:52,460 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty and perseveres, being no 368 00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:57,540 hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 369 00:26:57,540 --> 00:27:06,300 When I first became an electrician years ago, there was all these different licensing exams 370 00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:09,420 that I had to take. 371 00:27:09,420 --> 00:27:17,420 It's really exciting to read through books of code and things that the government writes. 372 00:27:17,420 --> 00:27:19,580 It's real intriguing. 373 00:27:19,580 --> 00:27:24,980 I would study and study and study and I would learn all these different types of things 374 00:27:24,980 --> 00:27:29,180 and then I would take a test and if I passed the test, I would move on to the next section 375 00:27:29,180 --> 00:27:34,860 and pass the test and move on to the next section in order to get my license. 376 00:27:34,860 --> 00:27:38,700 Once I passed the test and got all my licensing, I found out soon I wasn't ready to wire up 377 00:27:38,700 --> 00:27:39,700 anybody's house. 378 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:42,780 You would not want me in your house. 379 00:27:42,780 --> 00:27:48,660 I needed some on the job training and practice before I ever felt comfortable doing it on 380 00:27:48,660 --> 00:27:50,540 my own. 381 00:27:50,540 --> 00:27:54,540 Even then, I've realized that not all homes are wired the same. 382 00:27:54,540 --> 00:27:59,020 Some were wired by your uncle for a case of beer, right? 383 00:27:59,020 --> 00:28:01,900 And really didn't know what he was doing. 384 00:28:01,900 --> 00:28:05,420 I learned that not all businesses are up to code. 385 00:28:05,420 --> 00:28:08,660 And some are grandfathered in and you have to figure all that out. 386 00:28:08,660 --> 00:28:14,060 So it once, it took me a while to figure out how to troubleshoot some of the various issues 387 00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:15,900 that I faced. 388 00:28:15,900 --> 00:28:23,140 It seems to me that Paul is imploring his readers to proclaim specific portions of God's word 389 00:28:23,140 --> 00:28:27,820 that will be useful in helping others deal with specific situations that they are dealing 390 00:28:27,820 --> 00:28:29,700 with in their lives. 391 00:28:29,700 --> 00:28:37,100 When you proclaim the word of God to your kids and you help them apply it to a situation 392 00:28:37,100 --> 00:28:43,060 they are facing at school, or you share it with a coworker who is facing a problem in 393 00:28:43,060 --> 00:28:49,460 his life or her life, or when you teach a class of students here at our church and you help 394 00:28:49,460 --> 00:28:55,220 them see how the Bible is relevant to their lives, you're cutting your way through Satan's 395 00:28:55,220 --> 00:29:00,580 dominion and you're using the sword of the Spirit effectively. 396 00:29:00,580 --> 00:29:05,500 Here's a great illustration that I found that might help you understand this better. 397 00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:10,220 He writes, as I looked out into the garden one day I saw three things. 398 00:29:10,220 --> 00:29:12,460 First I saw a butterfly. 399 00:29:12,460 --> 00:29:17,380 The butterfly was beautiful and it would land on a flower and it would flutter to another 400 00:29:17,380 --> 00:29:22,580 flower and then to another and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move 401 00:29:22,580 --> 00:29:23,580 on. 402 00:29:23,580 --> 00:29:27,380 It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could but derived absolutely no benefit 403 00:29:27,380 --> 00:29:29,220 from it. 404 00:29:29,220 --> 00:29:33,500 Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. 405 00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:38,900 The botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. 406 00:29:38,900 --> 00:29:43,940 The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look at it for a long time and 407 00:29:43,940 --> 00:29:46,260 then he would write notes in his notebook. 408 00:29:46,260 --> 00:29:52,420 He was there for hours writing notes and then he closed them, stuck them under his arm, 409 00:29:52,420 --> 00:29:56,020 tucked his magnifying glass into his pocket and walked away. 410 00:29:56,020 --> 00:29:58,140 The third thing I noticed was a bee. 411 00:29:58,140 --> 00:30:03,140 Just a little bee, but the bee would land on a flower and it would sink deep down into 412 00:30:03,140 --> 00:30:09,340 the flower and would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. 413 00:30:09,340 --> 00:30:14,660 It went in empty every time and came out full. 414 00:30:14,660 --> 00:30:19,660 So it is with people who approach the Bible. 415 00:30:19,660 --> 00:30:26,820 There are those who just flutter from lovely sermon to lovely sermon from class to class, 416 00:30:26,820 --> 00:30:32,100 fluttering here, fluttering there, bringing nothing and gaining nothing but a nice feeling. 417 00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:34,780 I went to church today. 418 00:30:34,780 --> 00:30:36,940 I learned something new today. 419 00:30:36,940 --> 00:30:42,740 Then there's those that are spiritual botanists who take copious notes and they study the 420 00:30:42,740 --> 00:30:48,460 Greek, they study the Hebrew and they understand all the grammar but they don't have the capacity 421 00:30:48,460 --> 00:30:51,220 to draw anything from the flowers. 422 00:30:51,220 --> 00:30:55,140 It's just a purely academic exercise. 423 00:30:55,140 --> 00:30:59,940 Then there are those that are spiritual bees who draw out of every precious flower all 424 00:30:59,940 --> 00:31:06,700 that is there to make the honey that equips them to stand firm against the devil and his 425 00:31:06,700 --> 00:31:09,060 schemes. 426 00:31:09,060 --> 00:31:10,060 Which one are you? 427 00:31:10,060 --> 00:31:13,060 Are you the butterfly? 428 00:31:13,060 --> 00:31:15,460 Are you the botanist? 429 00:31:15,460 --> 00:31:18,300 Or are you the bee? 430 00:31:18,300 --> 00:31:24,740 There's so many people out there that know so much more academically about the script. 431 00:31:24,740 --> 00:31:31,380 I don't have a PhD, I don't want a PhD. 432 00:31:31,380 --> 00:31:38,940 I've seen them study and study and study and they can dissect the text fantastic but the 433 00:31:38,940 --> 00:31:42,580 spirit of God is not enough. 434 00:31:42,580 --> 00:31:48,420 I've seen for years and years now, I see people, they come to church and they sit in the seats, 435 00:31:48,420 --> 00:31:52,460 they go to class but there's no evidence whatsoever that the Holy Spirit of God is 436 00:31:52,460 --> 00:31:55,900 living in them. 437 00:31:55,900 --> 00:32:01,260 There's some of us that really just want to get to the heart of the text so that God 438 00:32:01,260 --> 00:32:05,340 can move in our lives and change us. 439 00:32:05,340 --> 00:32:16,020 I want us as cornerstone to be a swarm of spiritual bees where this is our hive and we're getting 440 00:32:16,020 --> 00:32:19,020 everything we can from God's Word. 441 00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:28,820 So that when we go into battle, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can effectively attack 442 00:32:28,820 --> 00:32:34,820 and protect those around us from the enemy. 443 00:32:34,820 --> 00:32:39,220 I've said it every week since we've been in this section and I can't say it enough, 444 00:32:39,220 --> 00:32:42,140 you are under spiritual attack. 445 00:32:42,140 --> 00:32:46,180 Each and every day you are under spiritual attack. 446 00:32:46,180 --> 00:32:52,780 You are lied to and deceived so often and so many times. 447 00:32:52,780 --> 00:32:57,100 We have to take up the armor of God. 448 00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:00,820 We have to stand firm. 449 00:33:00,820 --> 00:33:07,860 We have to understand that the heart is deceptive and because the heart is deceptive, he's going 450 00:33:07,860 --> 00:33:12,460 to use that against us. 451 00:33:12,460 --> 00:33:18,180 And so we don't make decisions based on facts, we make decisions based on feelings and our 452 00:33:18,180 --> 00:33:23,700 faith has to be rooted in facts. 453 00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:30,100 Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died for our sins. 454 00:33:30,100 --> 00:33:33,060 He rose again on the third day. 455 00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:42,420 He ascended to the right hand of the Father and all of that is outlined in His Word. 456 00:33:42,420 --> 00:33:48,220 Every single word that you have is God's word. 457 00:33:48,220 --> 00:33:49,220 It's from Him. 458 00:33:49,220 --> 00:33:57,580 It's to help us lead the most rich, powerful life that we can. 459 00:33:57,580 --> 00:34:00,060 And so I don't know where you are in your spiritual journey today. 460 00:34:00,060 --> 00:34:02,700 Maybe you are facing unreal circumstances. 461 00:34:02,700 --> 00:34:07,940 Maybe you are facing an unreal amount of doubt and discouragement. 462 00:34:07,940 --> 00:34:11,060 And is it really worth it? 463 00:34:11,060 --> 00:34:21,900 Is it worth it coming here every single Sunday and listening to some guy who has no hair, 464 00:34:21,900 --> 00:34:29,060 to some guy who's a sinner? 465 00:34:29,060 --> 00:34:31,100 Is it worth it? 466 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:35,580 Those kinds of discouragements are going to come at you each and every day. 467 00:34:35,580 --> 00:34:40,980 And my hope and my prayer for our church is that you'll be able to look past me. 468 00:34:40,980 --> 00:34:46,140 You'll be able to look past all of our imperfections and you'll see the goodness and grace of God 469 00:34:46,140 --> 00:34:47,140 in His Word. 470 00:34:47,140 --> 00:34:48,140 That's my prayer. 471 00:34:48,140 --> 00:34:50,660 And so we're going to wrap it up. 472 00:34:50,660 --> 00:34:52,140 I'm going to pray for us. 473 00:34:52,140 --> 00:34:56,100 And we're going to sing another song of worship. 474 00:34:56,100 --> 00:35:01,500 And my encouragement and my hope for you is that as we sing, we don't just look at the 475 00:35:01,500 --> 00:35:05,300 words on the screen. 476 00:35:05,300 --> 00:35:10,580 We don't just try to get through this thing, but that we will respond. 477 00:35:10,580 --> 00:35:12,860 Do I have on the shield of faith? 478 00:35:12,860 --> 00:35:21,580 Am I able to extinguish the darts that are being shot at me? 479 00:35:21,580 --> 00:35:24,420 Do I have on the helmet of salvation? 480 00:35:24,420 --> 00:35:31,020 Where am I letting doubts and discouragement win? 481 00:35:31,020 --> 00:35:38,100 So as you think about that, do I know God's Word enough where I can use it effectively? 482 00:35:38,100 --> 00:35:42,460 If you're a police officer, you go to trainings, right? 483 00:35:42,460 --> 00:35:45,300 You know how to use your weapons. 484 00:35:45,300 --> 00:35:56,100 If you need help using your weapon effectively, we can train you. 485 00:35:56,100 --> 00:35:57,100 We can help you. 486 00:35:57,100 --> 00:35:58,100 We'll walk with you. 487 00:35:58,100 --> 00:36:00,740 We don't expect anybody to be perfect. 488 00:36:00,740 --> 00:36:03,380 But so many times we don't use our Bible. 489 00:36:03,380 --> 00:36:08,740 We don't use God's Word because we simply don't practice. 490 00:36:08,740 --> 00:36:10,620 So I want to challenge you on that. 491 00:36:10,620 --> 00:36:11,620 Let's pray. 492 00:36:11,620 --> 00:36:28,300 Father, I pray right now that as we respond to your Word, as we respond to your presence, 493 00:36:28,300 --> 00:36:35,260 that you will once again remind us that we are in a spiritual battle. 494 00:36:35,260 --> 00:36:40,340 I pray right now, Father, that you will eliminate any presence of the enemy from this place 495 00:36:40,340 --> 00:36:42,620 in Jesus' name. 496 00:36:42,620 --> 00:36:47,420 I pray, Father, that your spirit will move powerfully in our hearts. 497 00:36:47,420 --> 00:36:51,140 I pray that your voice will be heard louder above all the distractions and all the noise 498 00:36:51,140 --> 00:36:55,820 that has been our week. 499 00:36:55,820 --> 00:37:00,980 And I pray, Father, that you will bring conviction, that you will bring restoration, that you 500 00:37:00,980 --> 00:37:04,620 will bring salvation to this place this morning. 501 00:37:04,620 --> 00:37:09,340 And so, Father, we hand over this time again to you. 502 00:37:09,340 --> 00:37:14,180 We ask you to minister to our hearts. 503 00:37:14,180 --> 00:37:16,580 We ask you to speak to our spirits. 504 00:37:16,580 --> 00:37:23,180 And, Father, I pray for your protection as we put on the armor, that we will have faith 505 00:37:23,180 --> 00:37:28,060 in it, that we will rest all of our trust on you. 506 00:37:28,060 --> 00:37:31,060 And we'll feel peace. 507 00:37:31,060 --> 00:37:32,060 We ask all these things in your name. 508 00:37:32,060 --> 00:37:56,060 Amen.