The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians Sermon 50)

Few things in military history, so aroused the passions of warriors, the imagination of warriors as does the sword. The long shiny, sharp, curved instrument of death. The sword devours life, it leaves death in its path. Technological advances of metallurgy, across the eras in which the sword was dominant. It was the seeking of a perfect blade that could endure anything that could happen on the battlefield. The dream of a perfect sword. Now, the merest mention of a sword if you know anything about military history, evokes images of legendary warriors, English knights like the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, or perhaps earlier Roman gladiators or maybe the Japanese samurai, viking warriors. When I was a missionary in Japan I became fascinated with Japanese samurai swords, the katana, the legendary sword, and there are numbers of them, there’s all this mythology that grew up in Japan around the samurai sword around the katana. I was looking at it from the perspective of a mechanical engineer. I was interested in the engineering of it. But also the history. I find it fascinating when you look at the edge of the blade of an exquisitely fashioned forged samurai blade, you can see ripples in the steel dark and light areas. Almost like there were somehow sandwiches or layers upon layers of different kinds of steel and that’s actually what they are, layers upon layers of two different types of steel. There’s high carbon steel, that’s exceptionally hard and can be honed to a razor sharp edge, but it’s also brittle and therefore not really well suited for the battlefield, for the sword to sword conflict that’s going to happen. So then they use lower carbon steel, in layer upon layer, that’s more malleable, a little more durable and so they get the best of both worlds with that, that they developed this over centuries. A combination of exquisite hardness honed to a razor-sharp edge, and then durability in the blade of the sword. 

Now, there are all kinds of mythological stories. I went to a military museum in Japan and learned this story years ago, about two actual historically true sword makers. Sadly for the legend, they lived at different times, but according to the legend they each made a sword to have a contest against each other, not that they would fight but that the virtues of their blades would be pitted against each other. The name of these experts were Masamune and Muramasa. These were two men, they lived at different times in each other, but there was some kind of a mythological contest, so Masamune’s swords were some of the most beautifully crafted katana ever made. And all of his surviving swords are priceless national heirlooms in Japan. By contrast in the mythology of it, Muramasa’s sword, his student, were considered more brutish, and violent and ugly, but powerful. 

So in the legend Muramasa was Masamune’s student and they were pitted against each other and to test the swords they were each held in a stream of perfectly pure mountain water. And so they put the student’s sword in there, Muramasa’s sword in there, and it was so sharp that the first leaf that came down just divided, just with the force of the trickling water, just split right in half. It’s that sharp, but the Master, Masamune’s sword did something very different. According to the legend when it was put in the water, the leaves came in and they avoided it like a magnetic force was on it because the blade somehow knew that there was no evil in the leaves, it would only cut that, which was evil. Now that’s interesting, cool. I don’t know how the blade knows that kind of thing. Looking at it from the materialistic, scientific point of view that I have, but I just read this story, this is what I do at museums. 

So, at any rate, in Ephesians 6:17, however we come to a sword that’s described in the text as vastly more supernaturally powerful than anything in that legend. And actually, this sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is in some sense, spiritually told to be alive. It’s actually a living and active blade. Even better than the samurai sword, this sword can cut in order to heal. But it also can measure out death to the enemies of God. So within this sword there is the power of both life and death within the same sword. It reminds me very much of the Apostle Paul, talking about the gospel ministry. “We are to those who are perishing, the aroma of or the stench of death, but to those who are being saved, we are the fragrance of life.” The same message can be death, to some in life to others. But to the demonic enemies of God, it’s nothing but death. It’s a dreadful, terrifying, powerful sword, that measures out death to the spiritual enemies of God, Satan and his demons. This word of God, this sword of the Spirit. The author to Hebrews describes it in this way, Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything’s uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. So every time you pick up a Bible you’re holding in your hands literally a miracle, by any definition you give a miracle, the Bible meets that qualification. It is a miraculous thing. Now, as we began this morning from my mind, I go right to the sword of the Spirit, but I’m not going to skip over a discussion of the helmet of salvation as well.

I. Our Spiritual Warfare: A Review

We’re in the middle of this section talking about spiritual warfare. We have a struggle, we have a bitter conflict, we have a warfare put right at our feet spiritually if we’re Christians. Look at verse 12 of Ephesians 6, 6:12, “For our struggle “ or “we wrestle not with flesh and blood.” “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 force of evil in the heavenly realms.” Now, as I’ve been saying for weeks, most Christians seem to be completely moment by moment, day-to-day, even week-to-week, unaware of this spiritual warfare. Unaware of it. They do not take adequate precautions, they do not follow the commands that are given here in Ephesians 6. And therefore they are constantly damaged in their souls in the spiritual realm by Satan’s activities. They’re hurt, they’re wounded by what Satan is doing because they do not follow the prescriptions of Ephesians 6:10 and following. Now, by way of review, Paul gives us three basic commands for spiritual warfare here. 

First, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” What this means is, you cannot fight alone, you must draw near to Christ, have a sense of his omnipotent, a sense of his great power, immerse yourself in Jesus for apart from him, you will lose. So be strong in the Lord and in his mighty powers. Secondly, “put on the full armor of God.” And we’ve been going step by step through the six elements today, the last two elements of the full armor that God has provided. That’s how I understand “of God.” This is the armor that God has crafted. This is the armor made for you in the heavenly realms, made by the power of God, and entrusted to you. But you have the responsibility, by faith and by the ministry of the word, to put it on to appropriate the truths in the armor of God. And then thirdly, he tells you to stand firm in the day of testing. Stand firm. Four times it tells you to take your stand, to stand your ground, to stand firm. 

Now, we’ve looked at the full armor of God. We’ve gone element by element, we began with the belt of truth and how the truth of the word of God is drawn into your inner being. God desires truth in the inner parts. You have a sense of the immutability and the perfection, the absoluteness of the truth of the Bible. And just knowing that there is truth in the Bible, that the Bible is truth, the word of God is truth, helps you fight Satan’s kingdom of lies, especially for us in the 21st century in the West, this postmodern world that we live in, which we’re told, there is no metaphysical truth we can ever know. Well, we reject that. We believe that we can know invisible spiritual realities, especially the truth of the Bible as it testifies to Jesus, Savior of the world. And we talked about the breastplate of righteousness, how beautiful that is, how radiant and shining it is. How it absolutely cannot be your own righteousness, which Satan wants shredded in an instant and you know it. But it actually is the imputed righteousness of Christ that you put on you appropriate by faith. And we talk, thirdly, about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace.” And how there’s that sense of preparedness. You’re getting ready, you’re getting ready to fight, ready to stand, ready to move. Stability and mobility and how the Gospel ministers peace to you, to your own heart, you’re at peace, while you fight. And you know God’s at peace with you, and you as a soldier, is a warrior of the Gospel, you’re proclaiming a message that will bring peace to people who themselves were at war with God. So that’s the feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. And then last week, we talked also about the “shield of faith with which you are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” And how faith is the eyesight of the soul. You can see into the invisible spiritual realm, you can see these flaming arrows that they’re coming at you, they come at you in major categories, temptations, alluring you towards sin, and wickedness, accusations, pointing out the sins you’ve committed, doubts, and false doctrines that come at us, and we’re able to see these things for what they are and the shield of faith can block them. And having put all of these things on, we put on each part with prayer. We’re not generalistic saying, “I know we have a struggle. I know we have a fight, so just pray about it.” It’s not like that we’re going to get specifically ready in these six elements these six ways. Ready to fight Satan. We’re going to fight, we’re going to stand firm. And so, having put on the full armor of God, we stand our ground we stand firm. 

II. The Helmet of Salvation

Alright, now we’ve been through four of the elements now, we’re looking at the last two this morning and first of those is the helmet of salvation. Look at verse 17, “Take the helmet of salvation.” Now the helmet protects the head, the most important part of the body. Whenever I ride my bike, I wear a helmet. It doesn’t protect however, the whole body I found last Sunday afternoon. Some of you may be wondering why I look like this. Your imaginations are running amuck right now, you’re thinking of all the things. No, it was not a bar fight. And it was not a member of the family, none of that. It was the road, it was the asphalt. I went around a corner and I leaned too fast, I was riding really fast, and I forgot to stop pedaling and on the inside, when the pedal finishes it cycle the pedal on the low if you’re leaning enough, will hit the ground. At that point, the bike stops moving forward. You, however, do not until you meet the ground, which a long time ago, wasn’t moving forward and so in about 5 feet, I slid to a stop, and I was done moving. So that’s what happened to me. I was wearing a helmet at the time. It was completely irrelevant for my crash. Didn’t get scraped at all, did not protect me in the least. I landed right here on my cheek bone and on my ribs. So that’s what happened to me. Someone said I should make some analogy with spiritual warfare. That’s the closest I can come. There was nothing spiritual about it, it was purely physical, and it hurt a lot.

But the helmet represents a protection for the most important part of the body. The head, the mind. While I was sitting in the pew this morning, I was thinking a beautiful thought. I never had it before, right before I came up here. Isn’t it marvelous that we have a helmet of salvation? What it means is we will live through all of this. Satan can’t kill us. Isn’t it just as beautiful that Satan had no such helmet and his head was crushed by Jesus at the cross. Isn’t that beautiful? We have the helmet! Satan doesn’t. He will die, he will be thrown in the Lake of Fire, he will be killed forever and ever by Christ and that’s a beautiful thing. Remember how it says in Genesis 3, I’ll put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers. He, the woman’s seed, Jesus, will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” So we in Christ cannot have our head crushed. So that’s a simple way of understanding the human salvation. We cannot die, none of these fights are going to kill us. We can be damaged, we can be wounded, we can be hurt, we can have less fruit to show on Judgment Day. There’s genuine hurt that can be done to us. We can suffer in ways we wouldn’t have to if we didn’t sin as we do in spiritual warfare, but Satan can’t kill us. But Christ will kill him. And I think to me that’s a marvelous thing. 

So this, I think, each of these kind of spiritual elements links to some part of the body in some way that’s appropriate. The helmet of salvation, protects not just the head but what the head does, the mind, the thinking process. And so we have to be very aware of how important our thoughts are. Fundamentally, if you just keep it simple as you think, so you will live. If you’re living wrongly you were thinking wrongly. And so, the helmet of salvation has to do with your thought process. The essence of Satan’s attacks is his ability, mysteriously, to insinuate thoughts into your head. He has that power to do. We talked about Joseph’s dreams, how the angel put information in Joseph’s mind by his dreams about Mary and her virginity, and the baby and he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and then that he should flee to Egypt. And now, he should come back, an angel spoke those things to Joseph in a dream. Well, demons are just evil angels. They have the same ability, they can speak into our hearts and minds. They cannot flip the switch, pull the trigger on the decision that’s something we have to make. But they can insinuate thoughts, dark thoughts. Temptations, accusations, depressions, those kinds of things. 

Remember, if you look back at Ephesians 4:17-18, there, Paul talks about the thinking process of the Christian. He says there in 4:17, “So I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord that you must no longer live as the gentiles do,” listen “in the futility of their thinking. They’re darkened in their understanding, and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that’s in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Thus, four different words about their thoughts. They think darkly that’s why they live, darkly. But you Christians you’re different. Now we’re going to think like Christ, we’re going to think thoughts of light and purity and truth whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Those things, that’s what we’re going to think about. 

Now there’s an additional nuance in the helmet, given us from 1 Thessalonians 5:8, there the apostle Paul says, “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith in love as a breastplate,” listen “and the hope of salvation, as a helmet.” The hope of salvation as a helmet. Paul then goes on, in that same passage to say “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath [in the future] but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So this idea that I think is very helpful. The helmet of salvation could be seen, especially as hope of salvation, hope of salvation. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, hope fundamentally is a conviction, a sense that the future is bright, based on the promises of God. And especially, hope of salvation is my future salvation is guaranteed, because of the blood of Jesus, and that hope is a powerful thing in this spiritual warfare. We’re filled with hope, it’s a beautiful thing. 

Now Satan, I believe, is actively engaged all the time on the Christians, to get us to be hopeless or another word for hopeless would be depressed, discouraged, down, sad, different levels of it, but Satan really wants to minister hopelessness to you. Depression. You know what I’m talking about, all of you struggle with it to certain degrees, spiritual depression. Now, if you wonder like, “How do I know when I’m in a battle, how do I know when I’m in spiritual warfare?” Well just assume every day, but especially when you see depression, or despair, coming on you, guaranteed it’s Satanic. I’m not saying there’s no physiological sides or even your own thoughts. They’re involved. But you’re under satanic attack. Same thing with anxiety or lust or covetousness, different things you just know Satan’s working these things. That’s how you can know. 

Now, why does Satan seek to minister hopelessness to us despair? Well, I’ve been over this before, but it’s so helpful to know this. The reason is it’s the only possible way he can win. If the people of God take Paul’s command to heart, and if we stand up on our spiritual feet, and we put on this full armor of God, and we take up the weapon of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit in our hand, and we, with the Gospel footwear, march forward and if we swing this sword of the Gospel, he’s going to lose. He cannot penetrate our breastplate of righteousness. He cannot penetrate the shield of faith, he cannot pierce the helmet, and he can’t stop the sword. Well, what’s he going to do? He’s going to lie to you. He’s going to whisper depression in your ears. Tell you, “Just give up. What’s the point in fighting for holiness? You’re just going to sin anyway, eventually. What’s the point in sharing the Gospel? They’re not going to believe it. What’s the point in going as a missionary? We’re not going to be able to plant churches.” Depression, discouragement, lies, and so, you lay down listless, lifeless, weak and weary, and do nothing to threaten him. That’s his strategy and it’s very effective.

So the alternative here is hope, and hope is a powerful thing. We have a feeling, a sense in our hearts, that we are going to win. We’re going to be victorious in the end. I’ve often thought of it like a buoyant cork. I got that image from John Piper’s biography of William Wilberforce, who fought slavery for 27 years. And how depressing that must have been. Setback after setback after setback, entrenched economic forces fighting him. He never gave up. And one of his enemies said, “You have to watch him because it seems like the harder you strike him, the more buoyant he gets, he’s a dangerous guy.” I want to be that kind of a dangerous warrior. The more we get struck the more buoyant we get. We’re like a big chunk of cork, and you just can’t keep us down, because we just know we’re going to win, we’re going to be saved in the end. There’s nothing that can stop it. So just tell yourself what is true. You say, “How do I put on the helmet of salvation?” Tell yourself again and again, what’s true of you and of the future, specifically what’s true of the future. “Who hopes for what he already has” Romans 8 says. We’re talking about things we don’t have yet.

So look ahead. So when it comes to the future in this life, for the rest of my life, I will, number one, be most certainly protected and shielded by the power of God, the rest of my life. Secondly, God will therefore not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear, but he will filter every temptation the rest of my life. So I can bear up under all of them and he will provide with every one of them a way of escape, so I never need to sin again, ever. Thirdly, in the future, I know going forward Christ will never leave me, and he will never forsake me. Fourthly, all of the physical and emotional afflictions, and trials that will most certainly come into my life are meant for good for me by my Heavenly Father. He is meaning to prepare me for Heaven and he will use those trials and afflictions to do it. Fifthly, I know that if I do sin, God will lovingly discipline me and chastise me so I learn to hate sin the way he does. But he will also forgive my sins, because sixthly Christ is at the right hand of God and is interceding for me so I know my faith is never going to fail. Not because I’m such a great believer or so tenacious in my faith, but because Jesus is praying to the Gather, that my faith won’t fail. So seventh I know that nothing in the present world or in the world to come will separate me from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus, my Lord. Nothing. And eighth, I know that when I die, I will still be in the faith, I’ll still be in Jesus, trusting in Jesus, loving Jesus. I just know it, there’s no doubt in my mind about it. And I know that ninth when I become absent from the body, I will immediately be in the presence of the Lord. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” That will happen if the Lord doesn’t return in my lifetime. And I know that 10th on Judgment Day, I will not receive wrath, but I’ll receive salvation. I will be welcomed into my Heavenly home and not sent to Hell like I deserve. And so 11th, all of my sins will be totally covered by the grace of God, and the blood of Christ, all of them. And 12th, I will receive, at the right time, a resurrection body that will be radiantly shining like the sun, and I’ll be in that resurrection body forever I cannot die and I feel any death, or mourning, or crying, or pain there will be no bike accidents in Heaven, none. Thirteenth, all of the elect, the things I’ve been saying about me are true of all of the elect. And that means that a multitude greater than any one could count will be there from every tribe, language, people, and nation. So that means missions is going to work in their case. Absolutely guaranteed. And I will spend eternity, fourteenth, looking at the face of Christ forever and ever as he sits on his Father’s throne. Now, those ideas fill me with hope. It fills me with hope. That’s how you put the helmet of salvation on. Think about your future, put on the helmet of salvation. 

III. The Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God

Finally, the sword of the Spirit. Look at verse 17 again, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Now, there’s such a powerful history of famous swords and literature, like I think about Excalibur, the sword that King Arthur drew out of the store, the sword in the stone. There are different legends and different stories, but sometimes it’s Excalibur, sometimes that sword came out of a lake. It’s just different things, but there’s that. Lord of the Rings in literature has lots of named swords like the hobbit sword was “Sting” and they killed spiders with it or orcs. And “Glamdring” was Gandalf’s sword, and the most famous named sword in The Lord of the Rings was “Anduril” and that belonged to Aragorn. That was the sword that was broken, and it was re-forged and that gave him the right to rule. Probably one of my favorite martial arts movies is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Some of you may have seen it. And the special sword and that one was the “Green Destiny.” It looked like a piece of Jade. I thought it wouldn’t stand up well on the battlefield, but no it was a special magical powerful sword, the Green Destiny. And the thing with the Green Destiny, that I thought was really cool, it could slice right through bars of iron, they were butter. I was like, “Wow.” You better not come up against the Green Destiny if you’re holding a sword like that, it’s going to slice right through it. Powerful. By the way, hold on to that image for later, we’ll come back to it. 

Then, of course in Pilgrim’s Progress, we’ve got this courageous warrior, this man named Valiant for Truth. And Valiant for Truth was a man who had long wielded the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to win battles for the Lord. And in the allegory, part two probably it’s part two, the time had come for Valiant for Truth to die. He receives a summons from the King, the time has come. He is going to die, so he calls all of his friends to stand around him and basically, it reads at that point, like a bit like a last will and testament. That’s what he says, “I am going to my Father’s. And though with great difficulty, I have got hither, I do not repent me of all the troubles I have been at to arrive where I am.” I don’t regret this hard journey I’ve had. Now, listen to this, “My sword I give to”him that shall follow me in my pilgrimage.” That’s all of us. Here’s the sword. “And my courage and skill to him that can get it.” Wow. Can you get his courage? Can you have his boldness with the sword of the Spirit? And his skill? Can you learn how to wield the sword of the Spirit, skillfully? We’re going to talk about that in the moment. “My marks and my scars”, he said, “I carry with me as a witness for me that I have fought his battles, who will be my rewarder.” It’s very powerful. And then, he crosses over the river and goes. So that’s an image for me. I follow him in his pilgrimage. There’s the sword waiting for me to pick it up and to wield it now. And it’s your turn too, this is your time now. It’s your time in the arena, it’s your time to pick up the sword and fight. There’ll be no fighting in Heaven, praise God, no fighting, no chance for valor in Heaven, no chance for boldness in Heaven, no wounds in Heaven, no pain, no suffering, no valor in Heaven. Just memories of valor, stories of valor. Now is the time for us to weave those stories of valor. This is our time to be warriors for Jesus. 

Now, the sword of the Spirit in the text is called the word of God. Alright? The scripture, the word of God, this is the powerful weapon. Why is it called a sword? Well, it’s called a sword because it’s able to, I think, block and cut through all of Satan’s lies. What sword does Satan have in his hand? It’s a sword of lies. It’s very effective against unarmed opposition. But it will never win against the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. So sword battles I think you picture the clang of sword on sword. Right? Metal on metal. As your enemy swings as sore, he seeks to bring that sword down upon you to wound you or kill you. Well, you learn defense, you learn swordsmanship, how to move your feet, how to block how to move and get in and attack. There’s a whole skill to it, of fencing. So, the sword is both an excellent defensive weapon and an excellent offensive weapon. Both. And we need to think of it that way. Not just the one or the other. So, to wield it, you have to know your sword, and you have to learn to wield it properly. You have to grow in your understanding of Biblical doctrine, line upon line, chapter upon chapter book upon book, get to know your sword. You have to be able to refute Satan’s false arguments with specific clear texts of scripture. This is the sword of the Spirit, wielded in defense. I’m going to talk more about that in a moment. 

Secondly, this is a powerful offensive weapon for destroying Satan’s empire, this sword of the Spirit. Many commentators have made it plain the sword is the only offensive weapon in this whole arsenal. Friends, it’s enough, it’s good enough. What a powerful weapon it is. Satan’s kingdom, if you can picture it this way is made up of souls who are in some sense in chains by Satan’s lies. Their minds, their hearts, their souls are chained. They’re in dungeons, they need to be delivered, they cannot rescue themselves. So, chains of wickedness, chains of lies, chains of sins, chains of fear of death, chains of false religion, or false philosophies, they’re enchained. We, under the power of God, we are their deliverer. We are their rescuers and what we have in our hand to deliver them from these invisible chains is the sword of the Spirit, so it’s an offensive weapon. And like that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, like the Green destiny, even better than that. This has the power to just slice through chains that are holding God’s elect in Satan’s dark kingdom and set them free. That’s evangelism. Your wielding scripture. But it’s vital that your sword be hard and sharp. We’ll talk about that in a moment. 

Why is it called the sword of the Spirit? Well, it’s called the sword of the Spirit, because the Spirit gave it to us. The Spirit inspired every word in here. 2 Peter Chapter 1 says, “No temptation of Scripture ever came about by the prophets’ own interpretation for prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” That’s the doctrine of inspiration. Every word in every book of the Bible is inspired. All scriptures God breathed, breathed out by the Spirit. So that means no human author of Scripture ever took it upon himself to write scripture that day. “Oh, it’s a good day, on Tuesday afternoon to write scripture.” No one did that. Moses didn’t do that. Samuel didn’t do it. David didn’t do it. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, none of them did it. Not Matthew, or Mark, or Luke, or John, or Peter or Paul, or James, none of the authors of scripture ever took it on themselves in their own initiative to write scripture. Rather the Spirit came upon them and navigated them using their minds, and their hearts, and their circumstances to write true words of God and give them to the human race. That’s where we get this sword of the Spirit. So it’s also called the sword of the Spirit because he’s able to illuminate what’s already written. There are no more books of the Bible, coming. It’s complete, it’s done, it’s finished. Now we have the working of the Spirit to take what’s already been written and illuminate it to our minds. It in John 16, “The Spirit of truth will come and he will guide you into all truth.” And he also enables you to weld it, he can bring forth to your mind at key moments, the right scriptures that you’ve learned before. And Jesus said that also in John 14, “He will bring to you remembrance the things that I’ve said to you.” And so the Spirit is the active with the Word of God, it’s the sword of the Spirit. 

Now, Jesus is by far the best role model of swordsmanship that you’ll ever find. I mean, Jesus was the perfect wielder of the sword of the Spirit. There are so many examples I could give to you again and again, Jesus turned to scripture, turned to scripture, turned to scripture. But I think, for our purposes, the best way is to look at Jesus’ use of scripture when he was being tempted. He was out in the desert, the Spirit led him into the desert to be tempted by the Devil, and He was there for 40 days. And he fasted, he ate no bread, drank no water, he’s in the desert and the tempter came to him and the tempter said, “If you’re the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” And so, he blocked Satan’s temptation with the specific word of scripture from the Book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 6. It’s powerful. And he also said at that point, Satan leads Him to the highest point of the temple, and it has them stand up in the pinnacle of the temple, “If you’re the Son of God he said, throw yourself down from here.” Then he quoted scripture. Oh, Satan can do that. He knows the Bible far better than any of us ever will. For it is written, “He will command His angels concerning you and they’ll lift you up in their hands so that you’ll not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus said, “It is also written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test”, also from Deuteronomy. Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in their splendor. “All this has been given to me.” Satan said, “and I can give it to anyone I want to. So it would all or if you’ll just bow down and worship me.” And Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan, for it is written worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” 

Now, Jesus teaches us swordsmanship there. He could have pulled rank. He said, “I’m the Son of God. You can’t tempt me.” That would have been effective, but instead he teaches us how to fight Satan’s temptations, by means of the Word of God. And in every case, he chooses exactly the right doctrine, and scripture to block Satan’s attacks. Those scriptures are all God-centered. Basically in effect in the first one, he said, “I will eat, when God tells me to eat and not before. What’s more important to me than bread is doing the will of My God and Father. That’s the most important thing to me.” The same thing with the pinnacle of the temple, “I will throw myself down from the temple, when God tells me to do it, and at that point if He wants to send His angels He can do it, but God has given me no such command, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And then the third one, “No for all the universe, I will not worship anyone but God. Worship him only.” See, he taught us how to be God-centered and how to know the scripture and how to wield it and fight Satan at every moment. He is a model of swordsmanship. 

So what is this sword like? Well, I gave you a bunch of adjectives. I had a lot of fun with that. So 10 adjectives that are sword like. Oh they’re plenty of other adjectives I could have used for the word of God, but I just pulled out sword like adjectives. Now let’s go through them quickly. What kind of word, is it? Our word, the sword is perfect, it’s perfect. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are flawless,” listen to this, “like silver refined seven times in a furnace of clay.” There’s the picture of metallurgy, perfectly pure silver. Or you could think about the katana, the samurai, the blacksmiths back then, just perfectly folded. One layer upon. Now our word is an absolute perfect thing with no mixture of error at all, it’s a perfect word. Secondly, it is powerful, it is a powerful thing, it achieves and accomplishes that purpose for which it is sent. That’s Isaiah 55. And listen to this, Psalm 29:4-9, “The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert. The Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord, twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory.’”  It’s powerful. Thirdly, it’s hard. This is a hard sword but the best verse for that, how about this, John 10:35, Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken.” Wow. That’s powerful. Scripture cannot be broken. So, hand to hand combat, sword to sword clash. If either sword’s going to break, it’s not going to be the word of God, it’s going to be Satan’s lies that’ll go shattered to the ground. Fourthly, it’s unchanging. Luke 16:17, “Jesus said, ‘It is easier for heaven and earth disappear than the smallest letter or least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.'” It’s still here. It’ll be with us in a thousand years that the Lord doesn’t return. Which I think He will within a 1000 years or less. Fifth, it is sharp and double-edged. We already saw that in Hebrews 4:12, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This is a powerful sharp sword. 

Do you remember on the day of Pentecost when Peter went out and preached the Gospel, and thousands were listening to him preach, and he was very bold and very clear about how Christ died for sins. And he was raised on the third day, and that through him, repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached. When the people of Jerusalem heard this, it says they were cut to the heart, pierced, and said, “Brothers what shall we do?” It gave them a heart wound that they needed. It was able to cut out the tumor of sin. And say, “What do I have to do to be saved?” The word of God has that effect. It is eternal. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away,” in the New Heaven, and New Earth will still have the word of God. It is bright. So, you know in the Lord of the Rings, whenever the Orcs are nearby, the sword shines and glows. Well, can I just tell you the demons are always around. This sword’s always shining. “It is shining as a light in a dark place,” it says in 2 Peter. This is a dark place. The word of God is a bright, radiant, shining blade. It is fiery. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t know, but this is what Jeremiah says. Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like fire? And like a hammer that breaks rocks and pieces?” It’s a fiery, powerful thing. And it is deadly to the enemies of God.

When I was writing my commentary in Isaiah, Isaiah 27:1, listen to this verse, this is a powerful verse, “In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent. Leviathan the coiling serpent, he will punish the monster of the deep.” I couldn’t read that except thinking about how Jesus, with the sword that’s coming out of his mouth, will slay Satan and all of his enemies. It deals death to the enemies of God. He will overcome the antichrist with the breath of his mouth, and slay him with the sword coming out of his mouth. And finally, it is living and active. It is living and active, what does that mean? Well, I can say some scripture to you, and it will stick with you a long time. It has an activity to it. Like the flaming arrow has a destructive activity sticks in you and burns long after the initial wound. This has a healing, living activity, it’s very powerful.

I heard a story back in the Puritan era, where a man heard a very powerful, as a young man, heard a very powerful, convicting Gospel message, but he hardened his heart and wouldn’t listen. Decades later, when he was in his 80s, that Puritan pastor long since gone on to be with the Lord, that man was still in an unconverted state, he was sitting under a tree, looking up, feeling awful about his life, feeling guilty, feeling that his death was near, didn’t know what to do. Remembered the sermon he heard 60 years before that, was convicted and brought to faith in Christ, 60 years later. Couldn’t shake it, it didn’t stop working on him. So, when I’m witnessing to people on the plane, I say, “I’m going to pray that God will bring to your memory tonight the things we’ve talked about, especially the scriptures. And that you will be unable to sleep.” I’ve said that to people I’ve been witnessing to. I never know if it’s ever happened. They never called and say, “Hey, that very thing happened. I couldn’t sleep,” but I’m trusting that at least some of the times I’ve said that, it’s occurred. And they can’t shake it and that they are brought to faith in Christ.

Now, a couple of more words and we’ll be done. How do we learn to wield this skillfully? Well, you have to learn the word of God. You have to get specific about what’s in scripture. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this, “Christians tend to be vague, generalistic, unable to cite chapter and verse about the Bible. They say things like this, “I think there’s something in the Bible about holiness, or something in the Bible about materialism, or something. I know it’s in there somewhere.” Friends, that’s not going to do it in the day of battle. You need to learn what’s in the word of God, you need to learn. When we do ordination councils, the elders do, we bring in these students that want to be ordained. And we ask them many questions. They expected that. What they didn’t expect was that they would have to root right doctrines in the best scriptures to support them, chapter and verse. Wow. Well, I say it this way: Look, do you want a surgeon who knows generally where your pancreas is? “I think that’s probably your liver, but I’m not 100% sure,” it’s like, “Do not touch me.” But very soon after they’re in ministry, some people struggling with sin, are going to say, “What are the best scriptures for me for fighting lust?” “My marriage is struggling. What should I do?” Well, I think the Bible says some things about marriage.” That’s just not going to cut it. “How can I best refute the temptations I’m feeling toward anxiety over money? Do you have any verses on that? Do you know where they are? Do you know what they are?” So, fighting specific temptations. 

I remember when I was a young man, just out of MIT, I’ve been a Christian, three or four years. I remember I was in an office and I wanted to be pure. I wanted pure eyes. I wanted to be pure in my heart. And there were opportunities for visual temptations in the office, based on what people were wearing, and I remember memorizing Psalm 141, verses 8:10, “But my eyes are fixed on you, oh, Sovereign Lord. And you, I take refuge. Do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evil doers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets while I pass by in safety.” So just guard my eyes, oh, Lord, to look at only those things that are pure. How about temptations? Struggling with temptations, how do you resist them? A temptation toward depression and discouragement. How about Psalm 42:5-6, “Why are you downcast, oh, my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise my savior and my God.” What about anxiety? How about Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” How about accusations? Romans 8, “Who will lay any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died more than that is at the right hand of God, is interceding,” or, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful, and just, and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9. So, I would commend memorization of scripture to you. Hugely beneficial. Out in the North Tower Resource Center, we got from Bethlehem Baptist packets of scripture verses that they call “fighter verses,” it’s coming right from this Ephesians 6 image. Those are topical verses that you can use to learn specific ways to fight certain temptations. I think it’s a good combination between that and memorizing whole books of the Bible for a general knowledge of all that Scripture says. So, this is the way you can wield the sword. 

IV. Wielding the Sword Both Defensively and Offensively

One final word and then we’ll go to the Lord’s supper. You need to learn how to wield the sword both in the internal journey and the external. Internally, you have to block all of these things that I’ve been talking about. Satan’s temptations, accusations, false doctrines. So, that you can grow in holiness. But externally, don’t you want to set some prisoners free? They’re in their chains, they can’t get out. Think of what Charles Wesley did in, “And Can It Be.” How he wrote, “Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature’s night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,” who’s the thine? It’s Jesus. But he does it through messengers. He does it through evangelists that go into the dungeon and say, “Let me sit with you and talk to you about truth.” And you wield that sword better than the Green Destiny and the chains just get sliced and fall from their wrists and their ankles. “My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth and followed thee.”

Alright. Close with me in prayer then we’ll go to a Lord’s supper. Father, we thank you for the power of the Gospel. We thank you for all that it teaches us in the way it instructs us. And thank you, oh Lord, for the way we’re told to fight, to put on the helmet of salvation and to wield the sword of the Spirit. And now, as we go to a time for the Lord’s supper and for the ordinance, I pray that you would take the words that I’ve just preached, and press them into our hearts so that we are ready to fight for purity and for souls. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Few things in military history have so aroused the passions and imaginations of warriors as the SWORD… a long, shiny, sharp weapon of death… the sword devours life and leaves death in its path; the technological advances of metallurgy and of the design of the perfect blade has been a big part of that imagination… the dream of a PERFECT SWORD

Throughout military history, no technology was so carefully developed and guarded as that of swordmaking… the sword was the most powerful weapon in the world before the advent of gunpowder… thus it became a symbol of military conquest

To live by the sword or to die by the sword meant to live and die by military conquest

Swords are mentioned 404 times in the Bible…

The merest mention of the word sword evokes images of legendary figures: English knights, Roman gladiators, Japanese Samurai, or Viking warriors.

When I was a missionary in Japan, I became fascinated by the katana, the legendary Samurai sword that was forged with astonishing precision by ancient technologies

When you look at the edge of an exquisitely forged Samurai blade, you can see ripples in the steel… as though there are layers upon layers of steel

And that’s because that is exactly what they are… layers after layers of two different types of steel: High carbon steel, that is exceptionally hard: such steel can be honed to a microscopically razor sharp edge, able to cut through any armor it might face; the problem with the high-carbon steel is that it is also brittle… it can snap easily in battle; so the craftsmen learned to layer the high-carbon steel with low carbon steel that was tougher, more durable… the combination of exquisite hardness honed to a razor-sharp edge with amazing toughness was achieved with these layers sometimes the blacksmith would fold the sword’s metal sixteen times and pound it down while it was red hot…

It took centuries for this art to be developed and the secrets to the manufacture of these terrifying weapons of war were closely guarded

Stories developed over time of two master craftsmen

Masamune and Muramasa… two men who actually lived at different times from each other, so the legendary contest between the two could never actually have happened. Now, Samurai sword history regards Masamune’s swords as some of the most beautifully crafted Katana ever made, and his surviving swords are all priceless national treasures.   By contrast, Muramasa’s swords were regarded as violent, brutish and evil while the swords of Masamune were considered to be deeply spiritual, pure and benevolent. In the legend, Muramasa was Masamune’s student. The student became arrogant and at some point challenged his master to see who could make the finer sword.

To test the swords, each sword was held into the current of a stream. The student Muramasa’s sword was so perfectly sharp it was said to have cut a leaf in half that simply touched the blade from the current alone. But the master Masamune’s sword did not cut a thing, with the leaves miraculously avoiding it at the last second, as if to show it possessed a benevolent power that would not harm anything that was innocent or undeserving – even a simple leaf…

But that is just a legend… in Ephesians 6:17 we read of a more perfect sword, sharper, more penetrating, and more spiritual… as a matter of fact, this sword is actually said to be ALIVE: Even better than the Samurai legend, this sword only ever cuts in order to heal… it cuts in order to bring life, it cuts in order to ingraft faith, it cuts in order surgically to remove the tumor of sin…it is the word of God

Ephesians 6:17 … take up the … sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

Just as the author to the Hebrews taught us:

Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Every time you pick up the Bible, you are holding in your hand an astonishing marvel… it is literally a miracle. Only the power of Almighty God can explain the existence and potency of the Bible

Over the centuries, God forged this sword in the furnace of human history… inspiring its authors to write perfect words that reveal the mind of God to the human race

Now in focusing on the “sword of the Spirit,” I do not want to neglect the element of the “whole armor of God” we also must discuss today: the HELMET OF SALVATION… with these final two elements, we complete Paul’s description of the armor that God has crafted by his sovereign power, to enable us to survive the attacks of the Evil Empire of Satan, and to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ

I.   Our Spiritual Warfare: A Review

A.   Our Struggle… we WRESTLE… we WAGE WAR… the Christian life is a WAR

Ephesians 6:12 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.

1.   Most Christians seem totally unaware of this warfare on a daily basis…

B.   Three Commands

NOTE: a combination of OUR actions and God’s… we do not do everything, and God does not do everything

1)   Be strong in the Lord and in his power; 2) put on the full armor of God; 3) take your stand in the evil day, the day of battle

We began with a focus on God’s power in Christ to defeat Satan

1.   Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power

Derive your spiritual STRENGTH in him… you can’t fight alone

2.   Put on the full armor of God

a.   This is a matter of full preparation for battle…

b.   The six elements of the “full armor of God” have been our focus

c.   Also it is the full armor OF GOD… crafted in the workshops of heaven

d.   BUT we have to appropriate it to ourselves

e.   The “belt of truth” is wrapped around our waist… the truth of scripture, of God in Christ reconciling the world to himself

f.   The “breastplate of righteousness” is the gift of perfect righteousness given us BY FAITH IN CHRIST…

g.   The “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” that God is eternally at peace with us… it is STABILITY… standing FIRM in Christ; it is also MOBILITY… moving out to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth… taking the gospel out into enemy territory

h.   The “shield of faith” is the ability to see our invisible spiritual enemy and all his vicious attacks

So… we take up the FULL ARMOR OF GOD…

Two more elements today: helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit

But after we have put on or taken up each element, we have to STAND AND FIGHT

3.   Stand and fight

Ephesians 6:11-14 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…. 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

So, now we look at the last two elements of the “full armor of God”

II.   The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation

A.   Protecting the Head = the Mind

1.   A Roman soldier’s helmet was made of leather, strengthened by plates of metal

2.   It also usually had a high plume or crest to ornament it and give it imposing dignity

3.   It protected the most important part of the body: the head

4.   A wound to the head, if it penetrated to the brain, was usually fatal

5.   It points to the MENTAL NATURE of our spiritual warfare; so much of this is a battle for the MIND

B.   A Battle for the Mind

1.   The essence of Satan’s attacks and Satan’s power is his ability to put spiritual thoughts, words, ideas, concepts in our minds that lead away from God’s path of righteousness

2.   HOW YOU THINK IS HOW YOU WILL LIVE

Ephesians 4:17-18 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

3.   Satan has the ability to put dark thoughts in our minds, and pervert right thinking with lies and twisted angles on scripture

4.   The “helmet of salvation” is a reminder to protect our minds from Satan’s lies

C.   The Hope of Salvation

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self- controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

1.   Paul changes the helmet slightly there, speaking of the “hope of salvation”

2.   He goes on to point to the future based on God’s decrees in the past… God did not APPOINT US (i.e. predestine us) to suffer wrath… whatever Satan does to us will never change God’s eternal decree over us in Christ

3.   It is concerning our FUTURE that the helmet of salvation is especially powerful!! Our salvation is GUARANTEED

D.   Hope is POWERFUL in Spiritual Warfare

1.   Satan is actively engaged in ministering HOPELESSNESS to Christians

2.   This is very much to his purpose… it is VITAL for him to paralyze Christian warriors with depression, discouragement, despair

3.   Since our OFFENSIVE WEAPONRY is so powerful and our DEFENSIVE ARMOR so impenetrable, all Satan can do is TRICK US into failing to take up the full armor of God and the weapons of the Kingdom… he does this by selling us a poisonous bottle of DEPRESSION… discouragement… sadness… lethargy… causing us to lay on the sidelines and GIVE UP

4.   The antidote to this depression is clear… HOPE!!

5.   What is CHRISTIAN HOPE? It is confidence that the future is BRIGHT based on the promises of God

a.   WE are convinced that we will win in the end… our morale is excellent…

b.   This HOPE OF SALVATION so fills my mind that it gives me energy to fight my own sins

c.   I have often thought of it like a buoyant cork… first got that idea from hearing John Piper speak of William Wilberforce’s 27 year fight against slavery… it was so overwhelmingly discouraging … but he was amazingly resilient… HOPE gives you strength

E.   How to Put on the Helmet of Salvation

1.   Constant flow of biblical truth in your mind to combat the hopelessness and despair and wickedness of the devil’s thoughts

2.   Tell yourself what is true about your future

Colossians 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Paul speaks of hope… a FUTURE EXPECTATION OF BLESSEDNESS

a.   I will most certainly be protected and shielded by God’s power until I am out of this world

b.   God will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear, but with every temptation he will provide a way of escape so I can bear up under it

c.   Christ will never leave me nor forsake me, but will be will me to the end

d.   All the physical and emotional trials he allows to come into my life are only for my good, for my maturity and growth in Christ;

e.   If I do sin, God will lovingly discipline me and teach me to hate that sin even more

f.   Christ is at the right hand of God and is interceding for me

g.   Nothing in the present or future world can possibly separate me from the love of God in Christ

h.   When I die, I will still be in the faith, still loving Jesus, and will be ready for heaven

i.   When I am absent from the body, I will be in the presence of the Lord

j.   When Judgment Day comes, I will not receive wrath, but will be welcomed into heaven

k.   All of my sins will be totally covered in the grace of Christ and separated from me as far as the east is from the west

l.   I will receive a resurrection body, glorious, radiant, full of life and energy and power

m.   All of the elect will most certainly survive all this spiritual warfare, and there will be a vast nation, a righteous family of believers from every ethnic group on earth

n.   The world we will live in will be radiantly glorious, glowing with the glory of God in Christ… it will be a New Heaven and New Earth

o.   I will see Christ’s face as he sits on his Father’s throne

p.   THESE THINGS ARE UNSHAKEABLE; there is nothing Satan can do to change any of them, because God, who cannot lie, promised them all to me in Christ… and I have trusted in him and taken those promises to myself….

q.   IN THAT WAY, we put on the helmet of the hope of salvation and we FIGHT!!

III.   The Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God

Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

A.   Such a Powerful History of Famous Swords in Literature

1.   Most famous, “Excalibur”… the sword in the stone… drawn by King Arthur thus winning him a Kingdom

2.   Lord of the Rings had several named swords: Bilbo’s sword “Sting” which he used to kill many orcs and spiders and which Frodo and Sam used against the giant spider; Glamdring was Gandalf’s sword; and the most famous of all was Anduril, the sword that was reforged and given to Aragorn to fight the final battle against Sauron’s forces and win himself a kingdom

3.   In the movie, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the sword was called the “Green Destiny,” warrior monk Li Mu Bai’s prized weapon, which cut straight through iron rods as if they were butter

4.   For me, the most moving in literature is in Pilgrim’s Progress: there we meet a powerful warrior named “Valiant-for-Truth”; a man who had long wielded the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to win battles for the Lord. In the allegory, the time comes for him to die; he called his friends around him to hear his final speech:

“I am going to my Father’s; and though with great difficulty I have got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who will now be my rewarder.

5.   That has always been moving for me… for this warrior leaves the SWORD BEHIND for us all to pick up… but his courage and skill with the sword must be developed and earned. You have to work for them. And whatever wounds you may receive in serving Christ will be proof that you fought his battles.

B.   The Sword of the Spirit is the WORD OF GOD

1.   It is a POWERFUL WEAPON in our spiritual warfare

2.   It is able to CUT THROUGH all of Satan’s most powerful lies and leave them broken on the ground

C.   Why Called the “Sword?”

1.   First, it is a powerful DEFENSIVE WEAPON against Satan’s sword of LIES

a.   Sword battles involve the clash and ring of metal upon metal

b.   As your enemy swings his sword and seeks to bring it down upon you to wound you or kill you, you learn to fence… to fight skillfully… to BLOCK his thrusts and slashes with your own skillful swordwork

c.   So the sword is an excellent defensive weapon against Satan’s sword… but you have to know it well and wield it properly

d.   You have to grow in your understanding of biblical doctrine, line upon line, chapter upon chapter, book upon book

e.   You have to be able to REFUTE Satan’s false arguments with specific, clear texts of scripture

f.   This is the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT wielded in defense…

g.   We’ll see more of this in a moment

2.   Secondly, it is a powerful OFFENSIVE WEAPON for the destruction of Satan’s Kingdom

a.   Many commentators have made it plain that the sword is the only offensive weapon in this whole arsenal

b.   It has DIVINE POWER to destroy SATANIC ARGUMENTS

c.   Satan’s Kingdom is made up of souls that he keeps in CHAINS of wickedness, CHAINS of sin, CHAINS of fear of death

d.   The Sword of the Spirit is powerful to set prisoners free

e.   BUT it is vital that the sword be HARD and SHARP

D.   Why Called the “Sword of the Spirit”?

1.   The Spirit created the scripture… INSPIRATION

2 Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

2.   The Spirit explains the scripture… ILLUMINATION

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

3.   The Spirit wields the scripture… APPLICATION

John 14:26 the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

E.   Christ as Role Model in Swordsmanship

1.   Used scripture very skillfully against Satan in the desert

a.   Jesus was fasting forty days in the desert; Satan tempted him to turn the stones into bread

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

b.   Satan led him to the highest point of the temple and tempted him to throw himself down

Matthew 4:7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'”

c.   Finally Satan took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.”

Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”

2.   Lessons

a.   Expect the devil at the worst possible moment

b.   Have scripture memorized

c.   Embrace the God-centeredness of scripture… Jesus fought for the glory of God over all things

d.   Understand how to refute specific attacks with the best, most relevant scripture

e.   Don’t be daunted by the fact that Satan also quotes scripture, but refute him with better verses understood more accurately

F.   Characteristics of the Sword

Ten descriptions of the Word that are SWORD-LIKE: perfect… powerful, hard, unchanging, sharp, eternal, bright, fiery, deadly, active

1.   Perfect

Psalm 12:6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

Metallurgy is key… blacksmiths learned to make steel with the perfect mixture of iron and carbon, so that it would be ideal for battle; God’s Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is absolutely pure, free from any error or weakness

2.   Powerful

Psalm 29:4-9 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon… 7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

3.   Hard

John 10:35 the Scripture cannot be broken

In hand-to-hand combat, it is devastating if your sword breaks … but God’s word is so HARD, so UNYIELDING, it will never be broken! Satan’s sword falls shattered to the ground

4.   Unchanging

Luke 16:17 t is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

5.   Sharp… double-edged

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

6.   Eternal

Matt. 24:35 Heaven & earth will pass away, my words will never pass away.

7.   Bright

Lord of the Rings, “Orcs” were nearby, Frodo’s sword GLOWED BRIGHTLY… God’s Word SHINES radiantly in a dark world

2 Peter 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, … as to a light shining in a dark place

8.   Fiery

Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

9.   Deadly

Isaiah 27:1   In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent

Revelation 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.

10.   Living and active

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Satan’s “flaming arrows” are examples of a weapon that did more and more damage after the initial wound… the fire would spread and envelop the whole person

But remember, when it comes to saving souls, the “living and active” nature of the word of God means that our human enemies remember things that were said and they STICK WITH THEM in their minds… they continue to divide souls and spirit… they judge their hearts and convict them, even long afterwards

Story is told of a man in England who heard a Puritan pastor preach a powerful sermon when he was a young man; this man did not repent at the time, and walked for decades as an enemy of the cross; but as an old man, he was lying under a tree and thought back to that sermon he’d heard so many years ago. The preacher had been dead for many years… but the word stayed alive in this man’s mind… and he was converted by it… LIVING AND ACTIVE

G.   Practical Aspects of Wielding the Sword of the Spirit

Must develop SKILL in using the sword… like “Valiant-for-Truth”… there is swordsmanship, technique…it does not come easily

Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermon: “Christians tend to be vague, generalistic, unable to cite chapter and verse… saying things like ‘I think there’s something in the bible about that, but I don’t know where!”

Ordination councils… rooting doctrine in specific passages of scripture rightly interpreted and applied

“What is the best scripture to support the deity of Christ?” “What are the best verses for fighting lust?”

“What are the best verses for a healthy marriage?” “How can we best fight spiritual depression?”

“What verses would you cite to prove that evolution is false?” “What does the Bible say about atheism?”

“How does scripture address gay marriage?”

1.   What topics is Satan likely to raise in his attacks on your soul??

a.   Temptations

i)   Think about a temptation to look lustfully at another person, to commit adultery in your heart

(i)    When Satan attacks your soul with lust, swinging the sword of his lies, block his thrust with key scriptures that will help you

Romans 13:13-14 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

As a young, single man, working in a workplace, I wanted to have PURE EYES toward women, no matter how they dressed:

Psalm 141:8-10 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge– do not give me over to death. 9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

ii)   How about the temptation toward depression

Psalm 42:5-6 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God.

iii)   Anxiety

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

iv)   Covetousness

Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

That is a PRIME EXAMPLE of how to wield the sword against a specific attack

b.   Accusations

i)   Whenever Satan accuses you of sin, use these verses:

Romans 8:33-34 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns?

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

c.   Doubts

James 1:6-8 he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

d.   False doctrines

Practical guidelines on developing SKILL with the SWORD:

KJV 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to present yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2.   Daily intake: make a regular intake of the Word of God part of your life; build up knowledge line upon line, chapter upon chapter, book upon book

3.   Breadth and depth: “forest and the trees”… understanding the overarching story of the Bible, and individual verses in depth

4.   Memorization: HUGELY BENEFICIAL in fighting Satan

Psalm 119:9, 11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

5.   Topical study: look at specific issues in your soul… weaknesses that Satan keeps trying to exploit… and strengthen yourself with specific verses

BETHELEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH: “fighter verses”… ten sets out in the North Tower resource center

IV.   Wielding the Sword Both Defensively and Offensively

A.   Internal Journey of Holiness: Blocking all of Satan’s Lies with Truth

B.   External Journey of Missions: Prisoners to be Set Free

Charles Wesley, “And Can It Be…”

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay, Fast-bound in sin and nature’s night Thine eye diffused a quickening ray

I woke; the dungeon flamed with light. My chains fell off, my heart was free

I rose, went forth, and followed thee.”

Satan has his prisoners in a spiritual dungeon

We carry the sword of the Spirit into the dark dungeon with us