The Weapons of our Warfare

Intro: We have gone through the armor of God these past few weeks.

The whole point of this passage is Paul is highlighting for us the war that is going on around us. It is not a war that we can necessaritly see with our eyes, we see the effects of the war, people falling in to sin, folling into deception, believing incorrect teachings and philosophies. we see the effects but we cannot see what is going on behind the scenes, in the spiritual world. The battle that is going on in the heavenlies.

There are a few places the Bible pulls back the curtain and describes for us what is going on. One of the times is when King Aram sent out a manhunt for Elisha the prophet and Elisha’s servant went outside in the morning and they were surrounded. He comes in worried, “what are we going to do?” Elisha says don’t worry, there are more with us than there are with them, of course the servant is thinking, Elisha has lost his mind.

Then we see Elisha pray, what does he pray,

2 Kings 6:17 (ESV)

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

God pulls back the curtain and shows the servant what is going on in the spiritual world.

There is another time when Daniel was fasting and praying in Daniel 10. After 21 days Daniel recieves a visit from an angel and he tells Daniel this, Dan 10:13

Daniel 10:13 (ESV)

The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

The angel was on his way to give Daniel a message but the prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me, who is the angel taking about? A person?

No, this is referring to the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. In this case, it is referred to as the prince of Persia, resisting the work of God and blinding the minds of the people of Persia.

We are in a spiritual battle, fighting against spiritual forces. In this battle, Paul tells us to be strong, to stand and resist. In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (ESV)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Paul is telling us again that you live in this physical world in a physical body but the war, the battle is a spiritual battle. In this battle you cannot use physical weapons, you need spiritual weapons. We will come back to this passage a little later, but for now lets go back to Ephesians 6:17-18 because Paul lets us know what these spiritual weapons are;

Ephesians 6:17–18 (ESV)

and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

A. The Sword of the Spirit

Paul says take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This phrase word of God is interesting here, in most instances when the phrase “word of God” is used the Greek uses “logos” but when Paul uses it here he doesn’t say “logos of God” he says “rhema of God”, which is quite different.

We see the word “logos” and it may not have much significance to you, but in the ancient world, even before the Apostle John uses this word and attaches it to Jesus in John 1, this word or the idea attached to “logos” was an exalted one in Greek culture.

Hundreds of years before Jesus, there was a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus, he struggled with the question how can there be order in our universe in which everything seemed to be changing. He observed the order in our world but he also seen that things are constantly changing. Heraclitus is the philosopher who said “you can’t step unto the same river twice.” What he meant is that the water in the river is always moving so the water that you stepped into the first is different than the water you will step into the second time because it has moved and therefore changed. To Heraclitus all of life was like that, nothing was stable. All things were changing. Heraclitus ended up asking himself, if everything is changing how do things remain the same? Why is the experience in one generation the same as the people who have gone before? you may be familier with the phrase “life repeats itself”. Heraclitus wondered, how can this be? Heraclitus concluded that the Word of God (the logos) stood behind everything we see and governed it. God’s logos was the ordering principle.

Fast forward to the 1st century, the Apostle John, picks up on this idea and says in the opening chapter of the Gospel of John;

John 1:1–3 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This logos your philosphers talke about, this governing authority that brings order to our world. The logos is Jesus, he is the Word and the Word became flesh and lived among us. Jesus is the final Word to mankind. The Scriptures, which is the Word of God, point to Jesus they tell us about him.

Logos embraces the complete picture the entirety that is the Word of God. But “rhema is not like that, it is quite different. Rhema has a slighter weight to it, it means a saying, in this case, a particular, specific portion of God’s written word. John 10:10 is a rhema. John 17:3 is a rhema, and son for all the specific portions of the written word of God.

Why is this important?

Paul is saying that our sword is the word of God and in this spiritual battle against the forces of darkness, we use the “rhema of God” specific portions of God’s word to defeat the enemy.

What does this imply?

1. We must know the Word of God.

We must know how to navigate and know specific portions of the scripture to be able to use it as a weapon. The specific words of God have the power to kill sin and the defeat the enemy. I encourage to read Psalms 119 this week, it is the longest chapter of the Bible, but it is the Psalmist view of the transformative power, authoritative and our dependency on the word of God. Listen to these words,

Psalm 119:9 ESV

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

Psalm 119:11 ESV

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:18 ESV

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Psalm 119:25 ESV

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!

Psalm 119:37 ESV

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Psalm 119:50 ESV

This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Psalm 119:56 ESV

This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.

Psalm 119:74 ESV

Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

I can go on and on, there is power in God’s word, but you must know it and apply it in your life.

2. We need to know how to use the Word of God.

Let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 10:5 for a moment. 2 Cor 10:4 - 5

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (ESV)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

If our weapon is the word of God, and the word of God is powerful, transformative, authoritative then we must know how to use it.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 (ESV)

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

There are people who do not know the Gospel, they are blinded by the god of this world from seeing the beauty of Christ. They are out their pursuing the world passions, living their best life now, pursuing false religions and philosophies.

Our role as believers is to know how to use God’s word to present the Gospel and allow God to unveil the eyes of the blind. Do you know when you read Acts and you see Paul share the Gospel with various people, he uses the Word of God to preach the Gospel, but he uses a different method depending on who the audience is. If he is talke ing to the Jew, he refers to the OT, to the prophets, the law and shows how they pointed to Christ. But when Paul goes to Mars Hill and sees they have an idol for every god imaginable and comes to one and it has and inscription the an unknown god. Paul gets up and says I see you are a religous people, but I am here to tell you about this unknown God, I want to make him known to you. Paul doesn’t talk to them about the prophets and the law, Paul talks to the about the Maker of heaven and earth and how we came from one seed, people are trying to find God but can’t, that for a time God has overlooked ignorance but now is commanding people to repent because there is one coming to judge the earth in rightousness, we can be assured that this man is coming because he was risen from the dead.

What did Paul do? He presented the Gospel to them based on where their understanding was, he used biblical themes and specific biblical passages to show the Athenians the error of their ways and did so in a way they understood and some believed, some rejected and some wanted more information.

If a Mormon came to your door, could you use the “rhema of God” to share the Gospel with him/her? What if a Black Hebrew Israelite was on the street, could you use the “rhema of God”to point them to the Gospel?

This is what Paul means when says we use our weapons to tear down striongholds and destroy arguments,not to when an argument but so people may see the beauty of the Jesus and be healed from their spirtual blindness.

3. We must use the sword in our personal lives.

What is a sword used for in battle?

It is a weapon to injure or kill the enemy. Right?

The fact Paul uses the sword as the Word of God, it is meant to kill. But what are we to kill?

James tells us Jas 1:14

James 1:14 (ESV)

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Sin first starts when we are enticed by our own desires which causes us to pursue something other than God because it brings us pleasure or fulfill something we need that we do not trust God to supply.

Before we sin, we need to use the word of God. Look what Paul tells us,

Romans 8:13 (ESV)

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Paul says it is by the Spirit we kill sin, we see the sword is referred to as the sword of the Spirit because he inspired them men who authored the Bible. The word of God is our weapon against sin in our personal life and we need to know how to use it when we are tempted or when our desires want to take us down a sinful path.

If only we had an example of how this was done?

Wait we do, in Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted by satan, Satan tells Jesus after 40 days of fasting and prayer and says “If you are the son of God command these stones to become bread and eat.” what does Jesus do? Does he give in? Does he have a conversation with Satan? Does he weigh is options?

No Jesus says Matt 4:4

Matthew 4:4 ESV

But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Then Satan gave up.... no he keeps it coming.

If you are the son of God throw yourself down for it is written “he will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone”.

Jesus says Matt 4:7

Matthew 4:7 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Then he takes him to a high mountain and says all this can be your if you worship me.

Matthew 4:10 ESV

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”

Jesus uses the rhema to combat all of Satan’s temptations. All the passages Jesus used are from the book of Deuteronomy. Here is my question do you know the rhema of God enough to kill the sin that tempts you?

Are you able to stand in the time of temptations and trial with the rhema word of God?

When Luke tells us about Jesus temptations, he adds this Luke 4:13

Luke 4:13 ESV

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Satan will not give up, he will not relent, he wants to destroy you, your marriage, your family. We need to be on alert, ready for anything that may come our way. We cannot take a break, we cannot stop reading our Bibles, we cannot sit back and think I know enough. We must be ever pursuing God to be glorified in us so we may be satisfied in him. Satan will come back and try and ruin your life, ruin your testimony and ruin your work for the Lord. But brothers be encouraged and ready for battle by taking up the sword of the Spirit which is the rhema word of God.

B. Prayer

Before we end we cannot leave with out mentioning another weapon we have, prayer.

Paul says take up your sword, “praying at all times in the Spirit”

What is praying in the Spirit?

It is no mistake that Paul says the sword of the Spirit is the word of God and then he says pray in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is praying God’s word, using the word of God in your prayer life. Paul says pray God’s word at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests.

When you pray for our church, pray for your family, pray for other individuals, pray the word of God over them. You may ask how do I do that.

Psalm 1 ESV

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Let us use our weapons in this battle against the forces of darkness.