“I WILL PREVAIL”, Part 6:
Prevailing in the Spirit (Sword & Prayer)
The Armor of God: Finding the Strength in
Your Struggle to Stand for Jesus!
We continue with our Series “I Will Prevail”. And today we speak about prevailing in the SPIRIT!
Say this out loud with me:
“I put on the belt of truth around my waist and have the breastplate of righteousness in place. I put on the shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace. I take up the shield of faith and with it quench all of the fiery darts of the enemy. I put on the helmet of salvation and take the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken word of God. And I pray always in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:17-18 concludes our series today with the two last actions done in the Spirit.
Take …the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Do you remember what kind of enemies we are fighting?
Spiritual enemies.
So what kind of weapons do we need to fight with?
Spiritual weapons.
The word-of-God sword is invisible, spiritual yet powerful! The word for sword in the Greek refers to a knife used by a priest for cutting the sacrifice or a knife used by a surgeon.
The word for is found in Hebrews 4:12 when it states that the word of God is sharper than any two edged knife/sword and is able to cut deeper than bone or marrow because it is invisible and spiritual and penetrates down to the thoughts and intents of the heart. WOW! Now that’s deep! No surgeon’s knife can go there! Unless it is the Master Physician!
“Take…the Spirit’s sword” WHICH IS the WORD of God.
God’s Word is the Spirit’s sword. The Greek word is “hrema” and in my study can refer to two things
First, the spoken words of God declared in the Old Testament. We definitely have the example of Jesus using the spoken word of God when he resisted the Devil.
MAKE THESE STONES BREAD: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
CAST YOURSELF DOWN: “It is written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME: “It is written, Worship the Lord God and Him only!”
All of these things were spoken by God and written down and used by Jesus as his defense. God’s spoken word is a sword.
The second interpretation of what the Word of God refers to is how the prophets of the OT received their word of God—by revelation by the Spirit of God. The Spirit spoke in revelatory ways (Daniel), in prophetic sort of ways (Elijah) and in creative ways (Genesis). When Paul says we are to sing to ourselves and each other in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs—or songs given by the Spirit, this Word from God includes singing as well!
This reminds me of King Jehoshaphat of Judah when he went out to battle several armies which met to attack him, marched out to meet them in battle. He was given a prophetic word from God to go, and as they marched, singers moved to the front of the army and took up a praise song together. And the Word says that as they began to sing, the Lord sent a spiritual/invisible ambush and the armies turned against each other and killed one another completely dead. That story has always served as such a powerful story to me of how worship defeats the enemy!
Now tying it to this passage it makes even more sense that as the Spirit of God gives us utterance, inspires us to speak or sing, it is a sword to our spiritual enemies and attacks and defeats them!
A sword kills, a sword divides, a sword breaks, and a sword threatens and protects. God’s word can wound the enemy and kill his schemes on contact! Remember, wherever darkness is Satan lives! But one spoken word of God brings in the light and takes away the darkness! As God spoke into that darkness on that first day of creation, “Let there be light” and there was light and darkness and light were divided! That still happens today with every spoken word of God.
Now, a little object lesson here:
If the sword of the spirit is the word of God, whether God spoke and we have written down in the OT or that which the Holy Spirit reveals to you to say at the time, how long is your sword?
If your sword’s length is determined by how much of God’s word you know and filled with the Holy Spirit you are, then how log is your sword?
I have different length swords here.
(Derek’s sword, my machete, a butcher’s knife and a plastic mini-knife.)
Which one best describes what you are fighting with?
I don’t need to go on and preach about praying in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers for all the saints part today because if you are filled with the Spirit, He will give you utterance and put the words you need to speak in your heart to pray. All you need is a list of the saints to pray for, and maybe a little teaching about what the all kinds of prayers” part is—which I put in your notes for today.
All of the armor, from literally head to toe, and everything in between, is spiritual, invisible armor.
Tyler told me about a lady who was walking out of the supermarket and was confronted by witch that as in her area. The lady told the witch that she had on the spiritual armor of God. The witch said. “Yeah, but you don’t know how to use it.” The woman I think must have dropped her groceries, took a fighting stance, and said something to the effect, “Do you want to find out?” The witch left her alone.
There is a real spiritual battle taking place around you all the time. You need the whole armor of God on to win this battle. Imagine a baseball catcher trying to play ball with only his shin guards on and you will get the picture! No chest protector, no face mask, no cleats, no glove, no team jersey, and ignorant as all get-out! Yet that is how some of you might break camp today!
Listen to what Paul teaches from Ephesians about the Spirit and the Word—follow along if you like.
6:18 We can pray in the spirit with all kinds of prayers
6:12 we wrestle against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies
5:26 Christ makes the church holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the word (hrema)
5:19 Speak to one another with spiritual songs
5:18 We are to be continually filled with the Spirit
4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God
4:23 Be renewed in the spirit (attitude) of your minds
4:4 There is one spirit
4:3 Do all you can to maintain the unity of the Spirit
3:16 Through his Spirit in your inner being, you are strengthened with power
3:5 The mystery of Christ has been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets and apostles
2:22 You are being built together into a dwelling place where God lives by his Spirit
2:18 We have access to the Father by one Spirit
2:2 There is a spirit at work in those who are disobedient
1:17 That God may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know him better
1:13 You marked in him with a seal--the promised Holy Spirit
1:3 We are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing
Paul teaches so much not only about the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is at the roots of all of his teachings!
How much more should we become bachelor degree holders, master degree holders, hold doctorates in the Spirit of God!
Do you want to have a longer sword? Do you want to be able to have the Spirit give you the words you need to pray and speak out loud to tell the enemy where to go?
Aren’t you tired of having the enemy robbing you of your peace, killing your joy, destroying your relationships?
You need Sunday school! You need teaching tapes, and CDs and good spiritual TV shows! You need to read the word with a study guide and every day for the rest of your life pray and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
Look at John 11:11-13. Jesus is telling us that if we want His presence in our life all we have to do is ask for it.
That might have been the whole sermon for you today.
Ok, one more time together, lets put on the whole armor of God.
“I put on the belt of truth around my waist and have the breastplate of righteousness in place. I put on the shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace. I take up the shield of faith and with it quench all of the fiery darts of the enemy. I put on the helmet of salvation and take the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken word of God. I pray always in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers for all the saints”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
