The Whole Armor of God (2)

Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10–20 NKJV

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Prayer

Message

Tonight, we look at the last two of the armament of the Christian soldier. Let’s review:

The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The sandals of the gospel

The Shield of Faith

And tonight we will study the last two armaments:

5. The Helmet of Salvation

6. The Sword of the Spirit-the Word of God.

The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17 “17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

The helmet covered the head and the mind of the soldier. The head is the central battle station that sends direction to all other parts of the body to perform military action. Protecting one’s mind is crucial. The soldier’s ability to think was the most important factor in determining victory or defeat. Thus, the need to take your helmet with you into war-to protect your head and your mind. A christian soldier wears the helmet of salvation as a sign of deliverance that as long as He or she keeps their mind stayed on the Lord Jesus Christ, they would win the battle. The soldier showing the consistency of wearing the helmet of salvation would be used to bring deliverance to others that wanted to live forever.

By the way, we get this imagery from Isaiah 59:17 “17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.” Isaiah describes Yahweh as wearing the military armament.

As we think about the helmet, do we not wear victory when we wear the helmet of salvation?

My cousin who is the Senior Pastor at Pathway Church in Farmersville, TX shared this interesting experience just the other day, just before his getting ready to preach Sunday morning. He lives in a smaller rural community about the size of Wetumpka that is a bedroom community of greater Dallas. He and his wife on Saturday’s enjoys driving 20 miles to their favorite breakfast restaurant. Last Saturday as they were driving toward their destination, the road was blocked to cross the lake close to where he lives that allows him to get to the restaurant. He shared that he became irritated and grumpy and short over the mishap. His wife stated to him in the vehicle that you need to be more “loving and patient” with her. He stopped dead in his tracks and thought about the providential nature of the moment. He was preaching a series on love and was covering the points of 1 Corinthians 13 that love suffers long, love is kind, etc. He was preaching specifically the next morning on love and patience. He learned a from his error and used it as a great lesson. Now, let me say, I could have just as easily shared that story about me. I can relate to that story. I fight becoming cantankerous with age.

Let me ask you a question? Are you wearing the victory helmet of salvation or do you wear helmets of disgust, impatience, frustration, agitation, shortness, prideful, insecurity, anxiousness, timidity, fearfulness, etc.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”

Dearly beloved, the helmet the Christian soldier puts on is already accomplished. We need to act as if that is already accomplished. We need to live a life in victory. One that lives in victory is not shaken by the darts of the devil or of life or tribulation and trial because the soldier knows the battle is in the bag. Nothing gets him down.

Ephesians 2:5 “5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

The Sword of the Spirit

(which is the Word of God)

Note that the only armament of an offensive nature and a defensive nature for being battle savvy is the sword. The sword is to protect and to fight off. The sword is used to smite the enemies of God. One of the great signs of a soldier is how skilled he is with his sword. One of the signs we recognize in a mature Christian is there knowledge of the Word of God.

Think about it for a moment. Our Lord and Savior was tested in the wilderness against the wiles of the devil. Scripture was the sword that staved off the enemy.

Matthew 4:4 “4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ””

Matthew 4:7 “7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ””

Matthew 4:10 “10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ””

Deuteronomy 8:3 “3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

Now, who knows that metal specifically will dull in the elements if it is not attended to. The blade must be cleaned, lubricated, and sharpened to maintain the blades sharpness.

Will you be effective for battle with the sword by simply knowing the Scripture? Yes, but you will not be at optimum readiness. The more of God’s Word you know, the better. Notice the two words capitalized in verse 17 and the word is not one of them. The Words Spirit and God. Your ultimate weapon is the breath of God leading you in battle. The Holy Spirit will help bring to remembrance what to utter, yes, but how the jab will be received.

Hebrews 4:12 “12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Now when we hear that verse, I would hope we could all agree that that verse is true yes, but true for our lives and our own experience.

For example, John 3:16, the 23rd Psalm, the Roman Road to salvation, Romans 8:28 and the list goes on and on and on are verses many of us have known our entire lives. We know the Word has been converted to all types of translations, KJV, NKJV, HCSB, CSB, ESV, LIV, TNL, NIV, NASB, etc. And yet, even though the various translations, although we read it at differnt stages and ages in our lives, there can be times that we read those text as if we are reading them for the very first time and they are so impacting.

What brings that about? What makes the Word alive and powerful is the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

Now, the next question should come is how do we keep our intimacy with the Holy Spirit combined with Scripture knowledge and awareness?

Psalms 119:11 “11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

Ill. Jane-Executor to a cousin’s estate

Think about back in your days of schooling. Think of the classes you took because you had to and think about the courses you took to fulfill your career duties? Which did you retain?

How do you hide His Word in our hearts?

Read a text several times. Read the test in different translations. Read rested and not distracted. Read with the determination to learn the text. Many people read the Bible as leisure reading.

Consider journaling. Many of us today have succumbed to study with technology. But one of the great tools of old to retain more is to journal your findings. Write down your questions. Write down your questions, your comments, and you “aha” moments-those alive moments that you have revelation.

The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians 6. “Be Strong in the Lord” (6:10–17)

When John Bunyan described the equipment which Christian received in the armory of the House Beautiful and used to good effect against Apollyon on the next stage of his journey, he drew on this passage in Ephesians, and noted that no armor was provided for the back, so that at the approach of Apollyon Christian had no option but “to venture and stand his ground.”

Revelation 1:16 “16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.”

Do you realize that the Word read with regularity will help our countenance? I'm just going to say it that the days I have a quiet time are the days I walk in the Lord more blamelessly. My words are more edifying, more glorifying, my patience is greater, my mercies are greater, etc.

Psalms 119:9 “9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.”