THE ARMOR OF GOD AND THE LIES OF THE ENEMY
Sword of the Spirit: The Bible is Just Another Book
Ephesians 6:10-18
#armorofGod
INTRODUCTION
We gather to read this passage for the 11th time in as many weeks. Hear now the Word of God. Hear the Word of God written by the Apostle Paul as he was in chains and was inspired by the Holy Spirit to encourage Christians by the Roman soldier standing in front of him. Hear the Word of God that commands you to be strong and to stand against schemes and to win the spiritual wrestling that happens in our lives. Hear the Word of God that commands us to withstand the evil in our days and to stand firm. Hear the Word of God that wants us to persevere even as we have a spiritual enemy shooting flaming arrows of doubt and discouragement at us. Hear now the Word of the Lord:
READ EPHESIANS 6:10-18 (ESV)
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 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…”
SERIES REMINDER
Today, we finish with a series of messages about a word picture of a Roman soldier that the Apostle Paul uses in Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. I hope and pray that the last 10 weeks have been intensely relevant to your life.
ROMAN SOLDIER FIGHTING TECHNIQUE… youtube.com/watch?v=jnoiTX0xZ0Y [3:45]
We need to get a particular image in our minds today for the passage to make sense to us. When we think of a soldier, we most likely think of a person in fatigues, military boots, perhaps body armor of some kind, a military-style helmet and an M-16 even though the M4A1 started being the standard in 2010 and that will soon be replaced by the XM7 starting this year (2023). If you don’t know what I just said, its ok, I don’t either, I am just trying to sound informative and cool. We picture a squad of soldiers moving cautiously with their guns raised and searching for enemies and protecting each other. When we say, “soldier” or “army” those are common images we may conjur up because that is normal for our day.
Those images were not common in Paul’s day when he wrote Ephesians. Not to bust any of your time travel dreams, but Roman soldiers did not have guns. They carried shields and spears and swords… specifically what was called the gladius hispanicus which was their normal sword. The Apostle Paul’s image in his mind of a soldier is an armor-clad man with a shield that went from his head to his feet and with a particular type of sword. His reference for soldier had this man moving forward bashing with his shield and striking out with his sword. I was going to demonstrate on one of the elders this morning, but maybe stabbing someone in church is bad. So, here is a video to demonstrate the image of a Roman soldier we need to have in our mind.
The people who made this are Russian so it takes a minute to get used to their accent, but the images and what they show you are historically accurate.
SHOW VIDEO [youtube.com/watch?v=jnoiTX0xZ0Y] [3:45]
TRANSITION
So now that we have the right image in our mind, let’s talk a little bit about the sword that Paul envisions and was common in his day.
THE SWORD
The word translated as 'sword' in Ephesians 6:17 is the word for the kind of sword I described, the gladius hispanicus and the kind you saw in the video. There were other words for other types of swords used by soldiers, but those were not the words used in verse 17. The word used is similar to our word ‘machete.’ Paul has in mind the standard issue common sword given to Roman soldiers. It was anywhere from 6 to 18 inches and was carried in a scabbard and the soldier's side attached to the belt. It was used for stabbing offense mostly.
The word used in verse 17 is the same word used in Matthew 26:47 for what the soldiers carried when they arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the same word a few verses later in Matthew 26:51 to describe what sword expert Peter used to cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant named Malchus (same in John 18:10). The executioners used this kind of word when James the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ disciples, was killed in Acts 12:2. It also is the word used to describe what was used against people of faith in to kill them at the end of Hebrews 11 (verse 37). This is the sword Paul has in his mind… and that is very important.
TRANSITION
The Apostle Paul has a particular sword in mind when he envisions Ephesians 6 and he assigns to the sword a particular aspect of the Christian life. To the breastplate, he gave righteousness and the helmet salvation, for example, but to the sword, he calls it the “sword of the Spirit.” He further explains what he means at the end of verse 17 and says the “sword of the Spirit” is the “Word of God.” Paul is not alone in this, Hebrews (4:12) does it as well.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
The Apostle Paul envisions the “sword of the Spirit” in our hands which is the Word of God. If you did not know it, there are two definitions to the phrase “Word of God” in Christianity. The first comes from John 1 where Jesus is called “the Word” and this truth communicates to us that Jesus is God’s pathway to communicate Himself to us. The second comes from the truth that the Bible are the books filled with the very words of God written down perfectly by Holy Spirit-inspired writers to whom He gave promptings and visions and messages. It is this second definition we have in view here. The Bible is the sword. The sword is the Bible. The Bible is the “sword of the Spirit.”
The Sword of the Spirit is our source of Truth. The Bible describes for us truth about life, death, heaven, hell, right, wrong, the purpose of life, families, and society. The Bible describes for us how to have a relationship with the God of the Universe even though we don’t know how and we aren’t good enough. Jesus identifies the Bible as our source of Truth as He prays for His disciples and He prays for us in John 17, and He says simply:
READ JOHN 17:17 (ESV)
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”
The Sword of the Spirit is also our source of growth on a personal level. We can grow in the knowledge of God, grow in our personal relationships, grow as parents, grow when it comes to forgiveness and loving others, and identify how to abide in Jesus Christ… all of that comes from the Bible and reading and studying and praying through this book. The Apostle Peter commands believers in 1 Peter 2:
READ 1 PETER 2:2-3 (ESV)
“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
The Word of the Spirit is also guidance. It is amazing to me that the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and has eternal principles for every single possible situation or circumstance you and I might face. I find it amazing that we can read certain parts of the Bible and then on another day the Holy Spirit will show us truth that we have never seen before. The longest Psalm in the longest book in the Bible is dedicated to singing about the Word of God and Psalm 119:105 says poetically:
READ PSALM 119:105 (ESV)
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
TRANSITION
The Apostle Paul envisions believers in Jesus Christ with the sword of the Spirit in their hands “stand[ing] against the schemes of the devil” (verse 11) and “withstand[ing] in the evil day” (verse 13) and “stand[ing] firm” (verse 13). It makes sense that Satan would want to disarm us and make us defenseless and useless and discouraged and beaten up.
How might Satan do that? How might Satan get us to drop our sword or leave it undrawn at our hip? The scheme of Satan that we are focusing on is one that is designed to disarm us. This scheme is for us to believe: “The Bible is Just Another Book.”
SCHEME OF THE DEVIL: “The Bible is Just Another Book”
Overall, Satan wants to disarm us believing that the Bible is just another book. He wants us to doubt passages like 2 Timothy 3:
READ 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17 (ESV)
”But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Satan does not want you to believe that the Bible is infallible and is just another book. Psalm 19:7 and Hebrews 6:18 tell us that the Bible is perfect and without falsehood. The Bible as a sum total work is without error. The Bible does not disagree with itself. The Bible does not share history that is not true or Spiritual realities that are fiction. The Bible has not changed over the centuries and the message of God does not shift with whatever times one may read it. The Bible is infallible and Satan wants you to throw down the Bible believing it is not reliable.
Satan does not want you to believe that the Bible is complete. One of the biggest lies that Satan throws out about every 10 years is that there are “lost parts of the Bible found that are hidden away because they are shocking” and even blockbuster movies are made to show this lie to the masses or twist the Bible (The DaVinci Code, 2006; Noah, 2014). There is nothing left out of the Bible that you and I need for salvation. The Bible is God’s complete message for salvation. The Bible is complete and has the message for salvation and a relationship with God, but Satan wants us to keep our sword in the scabbard at our hip because there has to be something better out there or something easier or something that makes more sense.
Satan does not want you to believe that the Bible contains the very words of God and carries with it authority because it is just another book. God speaks and allowed us to have those words written down. I know fans of the Mandalorian TV show think “I have spoken” comes from a character named Kuill, but long before a fictional character popularized the saying in 2019, the Bible was filled with the God of the Universe sharing His commands and plans and summarizing it with “I have spoken” or “I am the Lord.” Proverbs 30:5, Matthew 4:4, 2 Peter 1:20-21, and Titus 1:2 all share with us that the Bible is filled with the very true very important essential words of God the Father. Satan does not want you to believe that the Word of God is the Word of God because the Word of God changes us, molds us to be like God and takes us away from damnation.
Overall, Satan wants to disarm us believing that the Bible is just another book. He wants us to doubt passages like Psalm 119:
READ PSALM 119:9-16 (ESV)
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. 10 With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. 12 Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth. 14 In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways.
16 I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.
TRANSITION
The Apostle Paul envisions believers in Jesus Christ with the sword of the Spirit in their hands “stand[ing] against the schemes of the devil” (verse 11) and “withstand[ing] in the evil day” (verse 13) and “stand[ing] firm” (verse 13). It makes sense that Satan would want to disarm us and make us defenseless and useless and discouraged by having us doubt our offensive weapon. Our weapon against “rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (verse 12) is the Bible.
So, how do we keep the Bible in our hands?
How do we become skilled with the sword of the Spirit?
Thinking about the video I shared with you earlier and the image of how a Roman soldier fights, the best question is: What does it look like to consistently move forward and stab out with the Bible effectively standing firm against attack?
APPLICATION
As we apply what we have been talking about, I want to remind you of the specific verses in Ephesians 6 we are looking at:
READ EPHESIANS 6:17b-18 (ESV)
“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…”
The Apostle Paul likens the Bible to a sword for a reason. Any weapon or martial art or skill of a warrior that is used on the battlefield must be sharpened and practiced and used or the enemy will win. A soldier that has never held a sword before will not win a contest in battle with a soldier who has had training. The reason Roman soldiers were effective was that they trained to use their equipment effectively as did the soldier next to them.
There is one truth for us to apply in order for us to consistently move forward and stab out with the Bible standing firm and being effective in the midst of schemes of the devil and his spiritual attacks. I was going to come up with three truths and a poem for us to apply, but I decided to go with one. I was going to mention again weekly Sunday School groups or weekly D-Groups or seasonal special Bible studies or weekly reviewing sermons after you hear them or listening regularly to Bible-based podcasts like the Bible Project, but it really comes down to one thing that the Apostle Paul tells us to do: We have to be prayerfully persistently in the Word of God.
What does that mean?
PRAYERFULLY
We must pray when we read the Bible which is a basic basic basic spiritual discipline any Christian must do when claiming to be a follower of Christ. We must approach the Bible when we read it and when we study it, not like we are reading any other book, but with a prayerful attitude as Paul mentions prayer 4 times in verse 18 right after he tells us to “take up the sword of the Spirit” (verse 17). We need to pray as we are reading that:
… God would reveal to us the meaning and proper interpretation of the Bible
… we would accept truths the Bible contains especially when we don’t agree with them
… we would apply and be molded by the Words of God in all areas of our lives
The Bible is infallible and complete and authoritative and deserves not just our attention, but intentional prayerful attention where the Word goes from the page to our eyes into our brain, and into our hearts and nourishes our souls.
There is a resource that I want to mention that you may or may not want to purchase, but it absolutely accomplishes this purpose and will sharpen you spiritually. I was introduced to these two books by a Messianic Rabbi friend. I have found it helpful and teaches Christians to prayerfully read the Bible intentionally. Kenneth Boa is a writer and speaker and Christian book publisher. He wrote two volumes entitled: “Face to Face.” The first volume is about praying Scriptures for intimate worship and the second is about praying Scriptures for spiritual growth. They are about $10 apiece. These two books help us bring prayer into Bible reading and allow consistency and balance. The books teach the reader to pray the Scriptures back to God with passages step by step and teach us how to do it on our own. If you would like to check them out, I have 1 copy of each with me up front today that you can look at after the service.
PERSISTENTLY
We must persistently and consistently and habitually with discipline read and study the Bible which is a basic basic basic spiritual discipline any Christian must do when claiming to be a follower of Christ. The Bible is not just any other book and so daily we should be reading and asking questions and digging. Daily we should be allowing God to speak into our lives and mold our hearts and souls. Yes, daily. If all the Bible you get is on Sunday during a sermon or looking at the verse of the day from a Bible app, you are spiritually starving yourself and keeping your sword at your hip in the scabbard. You and I must invest our souls in the Bible regularly.
I can’t make you do this. I can’t make you listen to the Bible on a Bible app while you are driving down the road. I can’t make you get up an hour earlier on Sundays to make sure you are in a Sunday School class. I can’t make you give up an hour on Sunday nights to dig into Scripture deeply with others. I cannot make you do any of those things, but I pray that the Holy Spirit moves your heart to read and study the Bible individually daily and to weekly study with other believers. Not persistently and consistently and habitually with discipline being in the Bible means we are spiritually weak, neglectfully untrained, and susceptible to any and all of Satan’s various schemes.
SUMMARY
We have to be prayerfully persistently in the Word of God so we can stand firm against the schemes of the devil in our faith and withstand the evil around us.
PRAYER
INVITATION
