Armor of Offense (Eph 6:17-18)

Introduction

We saw in our very first time together that in order to stand in the midst of conflict, we must first obey the commands given to us by our commanding officer through His orders, the Word of God. These commands as we saw were first, “to be strong in the Lord”, which means our strength is not within us, but comes from Him. Then secondly, we were commanded to “put on the whole armor of God”, which, by its very description is supernatural and not of this world.

But why do we need the Armor of God? We saw that it is because of our enemy Satan who is supernatural, seeking to destroy us at every turn of our lives, and that in order to stand, we must have a supernatural armor given to us by the one one who can destroy to power of Satan. As a result, we have the assurance that we will be able to stand and win the battle!

Then the last time we were together, we looked at some of the details of this supernatural armor, in particular, the armor of defense. We saw the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness are that part of the armor of defense that helps us stand. And the shoes on our feet and the gospel of peace help us move. Then finally we saw that the shield of faith protects us from the fiery darts of the enemy.

But is that all we do, live in a continual defensive mode? Is there any armor of offense? Yes, praise the Lord there is, and we will look at this offensive armor this morning.

Text: Ephesians 6:17-18

Ephesians 6:17–18 ESV

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 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,

Note as we look at each of these parts of the armor that there is a physical part that any soldier would identify with, but that this physical part correlates to a spiritual counterpart since this is a spiritual battle after all.

1. Armor to Prepare: Helmet of Salvation (17)

A. Helmet

A protective headgear made of hard material to resist blows.

Since a person cannot live without their head, the helmet was one of the most import pieces of the armor

This helmet is particularly import in that it is the helmet of:

B Salvation

Just like a physical helmet protects the most important part of our body, and we can do nothing without it, we cannot resist or win the battle over Satan unless we are truly born again

Our salvation, like a clear thinking head, directs us in our offensive stance

2. Armor to Fight: Sword of the Spirit (17)

A. Sword

This short dagger like sword was the deadliest of weapons in that it was used for close hand-to-hand combat where each opponent sought to kill the other not just injure him.

It is also used symbolically in scripture of one’s words which are meant to injure and destroy.

Isaiah 49:2 ESV

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.

Hosea 6:5 ESV

5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.

B. Word of God

The Word of God first of all changes and transforms us since it knows what is in the deepest part of our hearts.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word of God is our deadliest weapon against Satan and his army. It is meant to be used when we go head-to-head with our enemy.

Jesus is our perfect example of how to do this when he was tempted in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:1–11 ESV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “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.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 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.’ ” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

3. Armor to Commune: Prayer and Supplication (18)

Without a doubt, communications in the heat of battle is one of the most important ingredients in warfare. Without which the soldier would not know how to best use his energies and time in the fight.

Only our commanding officer knows the battle plan, so it is to him we communicate...note the phrase in the Spirit.

A. Prayer

This word is used as a general speaking to God and could involve not just requests, but worship and praise. This is modeled in an answer to a question posed to Jesus by his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

In this model we see worship, submission, confession, and request.

B. Supplication

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance: This word is more about urgency, to the sense that the person bring the supplication can see no way out apart from God. Thus the command to keep alert with perseverance. Note that we keep alert and persevere by...

making supplication for all the saints: Note also that this pray is to be given not just on our behalf, but on behalf of our fellow soldiers.

A great example of persevering prayer is in a parable that Jesus told regarding praying fervently from Luke 18:

Luke 18:1–8 ESV

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

So What?

Are you trying to fight life’s battles on your own just by being strong in your own abilities?

Have you truly taken the Helmet of Salvation by repenting of your sin and placing you faith in Jesus alone for your salvation?

Do you spend time reading and memorizing the Word of God so that you are ready to fight offensively when Satan attacks?

How much time do you spend in fervent prayer for yourself and those around you that you know are also in the battle?