Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

What is the thing that Satan is out to do? He is out to destroy that which God loves. This week, we will focus again on the Armor of God, looking closer at the Sword of the Spirit.

When we look at the warning by the Apostle Paul to put on the full armor of God, what is he really saying?

• He is telling us to prepare for warfare.
•  He is prophesying that there will be spiritual opposition in our like and we will have to fight to survive spiritually.

As a Christ follower, whether you realize it or not, your spiritual occupation is to do warfare. You must stand your ground and fight back.

Over the years, I have noticed that evil is often very sneaky and quiet at first, continually building up it’s offense. The rest of the armor, as you don it is during this phase. When evil has become ripe or it is about to be, is when you take up the sword. Notice that all of the Armor of God is presented in a linear fashion that you can see the progression of warfare.

•  The belt of truth – holds everything together

• Breastplate of Righteousness

• Shoes of the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace

• Shield of Faith

• Helmet of Salvation

• The Sword of the Spirit

Taking up the Sword of the Spirit, unlike the other parts of the armor, means that you are not just to defend against attack, but also to assail the attacker. Just like when you own a physical weapon, for a good person, it has a real physical use to justice and mercy.

If I hold a sword in my hand, how do you see me? Do you see me as a threat? The answer should be yes. If I am a good person, you may trust me to defend justice and if I am a bad person, you will be waiting for me to strike out in what evil plan I have concocted.

The Sword of the Spirit is a threat to the spiritual unholy. There can be no peace with the spiritually evil. God has not charged us to stand around and make concessions to it. He has charged us to fight by his Word. If there is to be peace, God will make that peace. It is not our choice to do so. You should always be sharpening that spiritual sword and be prepared to use it.

What are somethings that you have seen happen when Christians put down their swords and try to make peace on their own?

Abortion (the largest human holocaust in known history)

• Prayer removed from Schools

• Destruction of the family

• Destruction of the definition of marriage

• Human trafficking

• The destruction of the right to say what is righteous or not, calling evil good and good evil

• The helpless feeling we sometimes have

The sword of the spirit cuts both ways. It cuts the one that wields it in unrighteousness as well as the one that it is being wielded against. Its strike will not come back void.

Christ does battle by the power of his word.

Two aspects of the Sword:

• Bible

• Prayer

It is for assailing spiritual strongholds. The bible is how you learn to fight, it is instructions. It is alive and active. It is a book that actually knows us.

The Bible contains the mind of God. It is wisdom and power in all things.

Look up what Chuck Missler describes the word as

Hebrews: Sharper than a two-edged sword. Like a surgeon’s scalpel. It cuts through all of our defenses. The bible reveals everything about ourselves. The sword cuts everything open to reveal the truth of what is inside.

The Temptation of Jesus
4 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.
Interesting to note when considering the story that we are all a part of. We are a part of a huge story that is convicting the “Sons of God” of what they have done. With every righteous action that we take, we are judging them, whether or not if they are obedient or disobedient to God.

Matthew 4

The 3 things that Satan tempted Jesus with were the three things that the Offspring of the Fallen Angels were consumed by: Food, the protection against harm, worshiping evil. Jesus was the son of the Elohim of the Elohims. The Nephilim/Giants we the sons of the Elohim. Interesting to note. Satan literally offered Jesus the same things that Satan offered the fallen angels and their offspring. He defeated Satan by the Word of God rightly used.

It is a type and a picture of what we are to do with the Sword of the Spirit. And a neat little illustration I heard from Lisa Bevere recently was that she thought it was interesting that the Cross is also in the shape of a sword and that you are commanded to pick up your cross and follow Christ who is literally the Word made Flesh.

Jesus spoke clearly that those that endure to the end shall be saved.

Do not wield the sword against just others, wield it against yourself. When it is revealed that you need to make changes, don’t hide from it. Ask God to help you. Firmly ground yourself in the truth of God’s Word.

The sword of the Spirit actually fits every hand, and it comes as your birthright. Every Christian soldier, young and old, even children, is given the same sword. It is also suited to every time.

You also shouldn’t be surprised that the Devil will quote scripture. He has it memorized better than you. The Devil will twist it. That is why you need to know your sword, study the Word. Tell him the begone, take up the Sword of the Spirit and know that your authority is in Jesus Christ and the Word of God.

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

Psalm 119:9

How do you deal with your doubts? Take the Sword of the Spirit to it. Take the Sword of the Spirit to despair and look to the Lord.

Contending for the Faith.

Be persuasive and assertive. Be enthusiastic. Be like Jesus in the Gospels. Knowing the fear of the Lord is what must push us to tell others about the truth. The Sword of the Spirit destroys arguments against the Lord and the truth. Know it and wield it.

If we want to see change in our lives and in our community, we need to wield the Sword of the Spirit. We need to be bold and tell the truth in love. And we also need to be honest with ourselves first, honest with God and honest with each other by the learning and edification of the Word of God.