The Whole Armour of God Part 6

IX. “...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (EPH 6:17). A. Our attention is finally turned to the lone offensive piece of Christian armour: the sword of the Spirit, the Scripture. 1. The focus of Paul’s words is on the defensive nature of Christian warfare: “...that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day...” (v. 13). 2. It is a maxim that the best defense is a good offense. A weapon of offense is by nature also a weapon of self-defense and vice-versa. 3. A good weapon, well-kept, available and trained with, is a strong deterrent to evil. PSA 119:9, 11. 4. Temptations and heresies are much less likely to affect the person who can ably wield a sharp sword of Scripture. MAT 4:1-11. 5. By contrast, the lack of Scripture knowledge is an invitation to destruction. HOS 4:6; 2PE 3:16 c/w HEB 5:12-14. B. sword: 1. A weapon adapted for cutting and thrusting, consisting of a handle or hilt with a cross-guard, and a straight or curved blade with either one or two sharp edges and a sharp point (or sometimes with blunt edges, and used only for thrusting). 2. fig. Something that wounds or kills, a cause of death or destruction, a destroying agency; also, something figured as a weapon of attack in spiritual warfare. 1. The thrust of God’s word can prick the heart. ACT 2:37. 2. God’s word can cut to the heart. ACT 7:54. 3. Thrusting or cutting, the sword of the Spirit is most formidable. 4. The sword of the spirit does little for the natural man’s heart since he deems it foolishness and thus it only exposes his darkness and doom. 1CO 2:14; 2CO 2:15-16 c/w 1PE 2:7-8. C. Scripture is the sword of the Spirit. 1. The word of God is authored by the Spirit. 2TI 3:16; 2PE 1:21. 2. The word of God is the Spirit speaking expressly to men. 1TI 4:1. 3. The Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ. JOH 15:26. a. “...the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy” (REV 19:10). b. Therefore one can find Christ by searching the Scripture. JOH 5:39. c. Christ can be found in O.T. prophecy, types and shadows, and in their letter- perfect correspondents and fulfillments declared in the N.T. d. In finding Christ, you find the One Who has resisted and conquered Satan, giving you relief, hope, strength and showing you the way of victory! D. The sword of the Christian is a spiritual sword, not a carnal one. 2CO 10:4-5. 1. Christian warfare is waged by the power of persuasion with the word, not by the force of a carnal sword. TIT 1:9-11. 2. Coerced conversion is no real conversion. “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” 3. The principle of a spiritual sword also speaks against the idea of driving away Satan’s temptations by punishing one’s own body. COL 2:20-23 c/w EPH 5:29. E. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. 1. It is not the word of men, which word is unprofitable and ineffectual. 2TI 3:16 ct/w JER 23:32. 2. It is not a magical sword that effectually forces its power upon men. It rather is only effectual in those that receive it for what it is: the word of God. 1TH 2:13. 3. Psychology, philosophy, sociology, “self-help” books, etc. are inadequate to fit the Christian for spiritual warfare. They just don’t “cut it.” a. As intriguing or informative as man’s wisdom can be, it is foolishness compared to the wisdom of God in the Word that declares Jesus Christ. 1CO 1:21-25. b. Scripture warns against humanistic philosophy and wisdom as being dangerously sensual and devilish. ISA 47:9-10 c/w ROM 1:21-23; COL 2:8. 4. Only a genuine Bible could be the sword of the Spirit. Counterfeits are cheap knock-offs with inherent manufacturing flaws. a. Trying to defend against the homosexual agenda by using the NIV is counterproductive. You would essentially be wielding the enemy’s sword against yourself. And its handle is dripping with HIV. b. Trying to defend the deity of Christ to a Jehovah’s Witness by using a counterfeit bible with Codex Vaticanus corruptions (such as “the only begotten God” in JOH 1:18) is similarly futile. c. Using a counterfeit bible is like using some hacker’s Trojan Horse program to guard your computer against hackers. F. The word of God is profitable (2TI 3:16) for: 1. doctrine. Doctrine can save both the teacher and the hearer. 1TI 4:16. 2. reproof. Reproofs are the way of life. PRO 6:23 ct/w PRO 15:10. 3. correction. Correction straightens us out and proves God’s love. PRO 3:11-12. 4. instruction in righteousness. And God loves righteousness. PSA 11:7. G. Consider the benefits of the word of God from PSA 119. 1. It provides blessedness. vs. 1-2. 2. It promotes undefiled living. vs. 1-3, 9, 11. 3. It saves from shame. vs. 6, 31. 4. It provides delight and counsel. v. 24. 5. It provides answers. v. 42. 6. It liberates. v. 45 c/w JOH 8:32. 7. It quickens. vs. 50, 93 c/w REV 3:1. 8. It comforts. v. 52 c/w ROM 15:4. 9. It provides songs. v. 54. 10. It excels riches. v. 72; PSA 19:10. 11. It gives wisdom. v. 98. 12. It gives understanding. vs. 99-100, 104, 130. 13. It gives guidance. v. 105. 14. It provides a heritage. v. 111. 15. It rejoices the heart (of the righteous). vs. 111, 162 c/w JER 15:16. 16. It is truth. v. 142. 17. It brings peace to those who love it. v. 165. 18. It provides help. v. 175. 19. One could say that the scriptures have adequate resources to perfect and throughly furnish the man of God! 2TI 3:16-17. a. Remember, they avail little for the person who is not convinced he has the word of God, only to the person who receives it as the word of God. 1TH 2:13. b. Neither do they avail much to the person who does not apply himself diligently to meditating therein. PSA 119:4, 15; HEB 11:6. (1) diligently: With steady application; industriously; not idly or lazily. (2) meditate: To muse over or reflect upon; to consider, study, ponder. H. In all matters of faith and conduct, God calls men to the scriptures as the final authority. 1. All men, in pulpit or pew, are to search the scriptures. JOH 5:39; ACT 17:11. 2. “Nevertheless what saith the scripture?...” (GAL 4:30). c/w LUK 10:26. 3. Satan is fought with scripture. MAT 4:1-11. 4. Error is exposed, not by ignorance of tradition, but ignorance of scripture. MAT 22:29. I. Consider the relationship of the sword of the Spirit to the other pieces of Christian armour. 1. Scripture is not independent of truth; it is “...the scripture of truth...” (DAN 10:21). 2. Scripture is not independent of righteousness. a. It is given for “...instruction in righteousness” (2TI 3:16). b. Every word of it is in righteousness. PRO 8:8. c. It determines and defines righteousness. 1JO 4:6. d. Having Scripture without righteousness is self-condemning hypocrisy. ROM 2:23. e. Having Scripture without righteousness destroys one’s credibility of witness and invites blasphemy of God’s name. ROM 2:24. f. Imagine a soldier arrogantly brandishing his sword by holding the blade. 3. Scripture is not independent of the gospel of peace. a. The Scripture has always been the gospel. GAL 3:8; ACT 26:22. b. Scripture’s great message is Jesus Christ Who made peace with God for us through the blood of His cross. COL 1:20. c. Scripture should be generating peace within us (PSA 119:165). If it is not, the problem isn’t with the transmitter but rather the receiver. d. How shall we fare in wielding our sword when we are off-balance from unshod feet stepping on still-burning darts? 4. Scripture is not independent of faith. a. Scripture is ineffectual and unprofitable without faith. 1TH 2:13; HEB 4:2. b. It is not just through the truth that God has ordained our salvation; it is through belief of the truth! 2TH 2:13 c/w 1TI 4:10. c. Faith makes Scripture’s commands and promises into action. JAM 2:18. d. Faith says wielding the Scriptures properly will have a positive effect upon the adversary and his devices. MAT 4:1-11 c/w 1PE 5:8-9. e. Scripture is our food. Faith is our eating it for strength. 5. Scripture is not independent of (the hope of) salvation. a. It is through the scriptures that we have hope. ROM 15:4. b. The scriptures declare “...Christ in you, the hope of glory” (COL 1:27). c. Again, if there is no hope of a future resurrection with Christ, “...let us eat and drink, for to morrow we die” (1CO 15:19, 32). We might as well scrap the scriptures since we have denied their central message. d. If we have the scriptures but lack hope of salvation, is it because (1) the scriptures lack information about salvation? (2) God disguised the message of salvation in esoteric code? (3) the real emphasis in Scripture is on personal success and wealth? e. Or, if we have the scriptures but lack hope of salvation, is it more likely because (1) we are not spending enough time meditating therein? (2) we are not believing its message entirely? (3) we are consumed with distractions of life? (4) weary of Scripture? (5) any combination or all of the above? f. Scripture without the hope of salvation is like an explorer lost in the jungle with a bonafide map and compass that he either doesn’t consult or trust. J. Let every saint cleave to their spiritual sword the way that Eleazar did to his carnal sword. 2SAM 23:10. X. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...” (EPH 6:18). A. Though not one of the articles of the Christian armour, prayer is every bit as important. 1. No armour was provided for the shins or knees. 2. If one is on his knees in prayer, all is protected. B. Though we prepare ourselves accordingly for battle with darkness, our deliverance or victory is yet with God. PRO 21:31. 1. Joshua and Israel were once well-prepared for battle but consulted not with God before engaging the enemy. They lost. NUM 27:21 c/w JOS 7:1-5. 2. The wise and God-fearing will prepare for battle AND plead with God for help. PSA 33:16-22.