Prepare for Battle part 4
The Helmet and the Sword.
Ephesians 6:10-20
So far we have looked at several pieces of spiritual armor. We looked at the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the boots/shoes of the readiness of the Gospel of peace and the shield of faith. Today we will look at the Helmet and the Sword.
Paul writes:
Take the helmet of salvation (v17).
The Helmet.
1. Only the saved can wear this piece as well as any of the pieces we mentioned before
a. It is a helmet that reminds us of whose we are and who we are.
b. Isaiah 59:17
c. We are commanded to take it, accept it, and receive it.
d. All the other pieces are laid out for the soldier to pick up. This piece as well as the Sword has to handed to us.
e. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
f. Have we received the helmet?
One commentator put it like this: It is "a present deliverance from sin to be consummated in eternity by complete deliverance from every kind of evil"
2. The Helmet protects
a. Just like the soldier, the fireman, the motorcycle rider.
b. It protects the head from injury
c. It also shields the head
i. Ever have a bad thought
ii. Ever project?
iii. Have we ever had a bad dream?
The Helmet protects the mind. The renewed mind is a formidable weapon against evil. The devil wishes to attack the mind, to change our thinking. One death blow to our thinking can shatter our faith in God.
How does the Devil attack the mind?
1. False teachings
2. Questionable reading material
3. Questionable viewing
4. All he has to do is plant a virus.
Much like a virus protection is designed to protect our computers, the Helmet of Salvation is to protect our minds.
Romans 12:1-2
We are commanded to have the Mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)
The Mind of Christ is a powerful mind, it is a focused mind, to do the Will of God.
Today there is a lot of ignorance of the Word of God. Today there is a spiritual battle for the mind. A few years ago there was a TV commercial that stated very simply; “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I agree, a spiritual mind is a terrible thing to waste.
A transformed, protected mind says: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We strengthen this mind daily by reading God’s Word and by prayer. These are two formidable weapons we will get into later.
It was the mind of Christ that Satan tried to attack in the desert. Jesus used scripture to battle Satan there. This will bring us to our next weapon.
The Sword which is the Word of God.
This is a weapon of offense.
The gladis or sword. Every Roman soldier had a sword, the gladius. It was a double-edged blade of a length between 12 and 20 inches long. That is was not a long sword tells us that it was designed for close combat. The gladius was not the only Roman soldier’s weapon, but it was the weapon of choice. Using it effectively was a matter of life or death.
The same is true for the Soldier of Christ. Our Sword is THE WORD OF GOD. There is a story I tell at camp, actually it is a series of stories 3 in all. In it, the King (GOD) tells the Crown Prince (Jesus) to use the Sword the King gives him. He says “Use it and you will win.” The Crown Prince later gives that Sword to those who follow him with the same advice; “use it and you will win.” We have to have to use it, and we have to use it to win.
1. WE do not need to master the entire Bible to use this weapon effectively.
a. We must use the Bible to give a defense for what we believe.
b. WE must be able to use scripture to interpret scripture
c. A few verses rightly placed, rightly used can deliver a deadly blow to our enemy.
Jesus could have commanded Satan to Hell in the desert, but he didn’t. He used properly placed scripture to battle the temptation he was facing, so shall we.
When temptation comes our way, whether it be a temptation to lose one’s temper, a temptation to be greedy, a temptation to become discouraged, a temptation to indulge in sexual immorality, a temptation to be selfish, a temptation to wallow in self-pity, a temptation to choose entertainment over worship, a temptation to gossip, a temptation to cheat, a temptation to drive over the speed limit, a temptation to complain, a temptation to worry about matters, a temptation to get high or to get drunk, a temptation to be envious or jealous, a temptation to speak a lie, or whatever else the temptation may be, we need to be able to blunt the temptation with a Scripture that speaks to the issue and meditate on it. If we are thinking on and speaking forth the Scripture, Satan and the temptation no longer can gain a foothold within us. We are on our way to enduring and triumphing over it.
The Sword will also light the way for us in darkness. David said; “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
This light shines and reveals the darkness of the world for what it is. Years ago I was in a organization called “Narrow Way.” Our focus was witnessing to cults. While I admit that cults are in darkness, they are not the only ones. We trained by reading a lot of what the cults were teaching, and little to what God said. However, when we study God’s use and learn to use it properly, we can become very effective witnesses and soldiers for HIM.
The Sword is a weapon of offense and defense. Using it we protect ourselves from the darkness of this world and we light a path that leads to Christ for all who are in darkness. But it is useless, unless we take it out of the sheath and learn to use it.
2 Tim 2:15 says: 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
Go today and practice, using your armor to defend and take up the fight. Next week we have one more weapon to discuss and train on.
