The Armor of God (3)
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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;
We are in a battle
1 pet 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
We are in a spiritual battle. Most Christians are sleeping, most of us unaware that sin lies at the door. Satan wants to devour you he wants to destroy you and your family and if we don’t wake up and start engaging in the battle there will be carnage. Guard your eyes, guard your hearts, Guard your marriages. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill it lust.
That means be careful where you go and what you look at. Don’t give your flesh any opportunity.
James says
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Satan wants to cause you to fall, then once you fall he will try to crush you with guilt and shame.
Conviction is good conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and leads us to repentance and forgiveness.
Guilt and shame comes from the accuser and is designed to crush you.
We are in a spiritual war and Paul exhorts us to prepare to get ready for battle. Put on the whole armor of God.
Put on the belt of truth, If we continue in the Words of Christ then we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness. We have the imputed righteousness of Christ by which we are justified. And we are being sanctified, That is God is making us holy.
Put on the shoes of the gospel, or the preparation of the gospel of peace. Be always ready to give an answer of the hope that lies within you. We have the only real truth that can bring peace between God and men.
Take the shield of faith or rather by faith we holdfast to the Lord who is our shield.
The shield that quenches all the fiery arrows of Satan. All those accusations are quenched when we take up faith in God.
33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
So today we look at these final two pieces our or armor.
The helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit
The Helmet of Salvation
The Helmet of Salvation
What is the helmet of salvation?
Paul mentions it else where in
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.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Here he calls it the helmet of the hope of salvation.
The word hope here means expectation or confidence. So it’s not hope like “I hope i’m saved” no it’s the anticipation and the certain expectation of our salvation.
What is salvation? in this context it is the future deliverance from the wrath of God.
So it stands to reason that the helmet of salvation mentioned in Eph would mean the same as in 1 Thes. That it is the confidence in and the expectation of our future deliverance.
So how does this helmet fit into the context of spiritual warfare?
Paul calls it a helmet. The helmet for a solider is perhaps the most important piece of armor. It protects the head. The knowledge and confidence in our future deliverance gives us an amazing strength to stand in the face of all adversity.
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
These 70 disciples had just experienced the power of the name of Christ. And because of this power. They said the demons are subject to us in your name. They could command demons to come out of people in the name of Christ and they obeyed. A miracle that caused them to return with joy. But Jesus says don’t rejoice in this that the demons are subject to you but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
That is that they are saved. Thats the greatest miracle, and that is more powerful than the demons being subject to them.
In spiritual warfare the truth of our salvation, the certainty of it is a powerful defence against the attacks of Satan.
Salvation is like immunity against Satan. It means that the ultimate victory is won. It means that he can never separate me from the love of God in Christ.
This is the reality of every believer in Christ. We are eternally His.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
If your name is written in heaven and you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you then that is the seal the guarantee of our salvation. However, Paul says take the helmet of salvation or in 1 Thes put on the helmet of salvation. That is to keep the sure knowledge of your salvation aways in your mind. You may have eternal salvation but if we don’t know it then we are not wearing the helmet of salvation. And when the we slip or fall and sin then Satan will came and say “see you’re not a saint. you don’t belong to God” And we are apt to believe his lies. But is we know that we belong to God, that we are saved. Then we know that even if we have fallen God will pick us up again and Satan has no power over us to discourage us.
So take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
The Sword of the Spirit
The Sword of the Spirit
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
We are told exactly what this sword is, it is the Word of God.
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.
This is the first peace of armor which can be used for attack as well a defence.
Perhaps the best example of how to weld this weapon is found in Christ.
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’
11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
But this weapon is also effective for offence.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So not only can we use the scriptures in this spiritual battle to defend against the attacks of Satan but we can also us it to teach, reproof, correct, instruct, and when we preach the Word it is effective to open the ears of the lost and it generates faith in them.