Giants and Grasshoppers - Part Thirteen

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Today we will continue to look at the sword of the Spirit.

The full text of this message can be found by clicking here.

Transcript

Sunday July 25th 2021
Giants and Grasshoppers
Part Thirteen




1).  Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

As we can see from these verses, ‘the sword of the Spirit’ is the one piece of armor that has been specifically identified for us – it is ‘the Word of God’.
a).  And as we had seen last week ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God’, is given to us within a specific context. And given the context in which we find the sword of the Spirit, in Chapter 6 of the Book of Ephesians, we are dealing with the Word of the Kingdom; the good news concerning the age to come and our inheritance to be realized in it Eph 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

And it is the Word of the Kingdom that instructs us as to how we should conduct our lives in the present with a view to making our call and election sure – Eph 4:1 ¶ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

We have seen the paramount importance of the Word of the Kingdom in having our waist girded with truth so that we would have a Caleb/Joshua type attitude towards the land of our calling and its inhabitants.
b). We have seen that it is essential to having on the breastplate of righteousness so that we can walk in the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in them, with a view to being found worthy at the Judgment Seat.
c). And how it is the preparation of the gospel of peace, by which we are fully established and grounded in the gospel of the glory of Christ.
d). And it is there again in the shield of faith, as we believe and then act upon that which God has said concerning the 7th Day and our place within it.
e). And it is through the implanted Word of the Kingdom that our mind will be renewed, seen in the helmet of salvation, by which we have the hope of salvation, the salvation to be revealed in the last time, the salvation of our souls.
f). And it is the same Word of God, the Word of the Kingdom, the gospel of the glory of Christ, that is given to us as a sword with which we can counter the systematic and premeditated plans of our adversaries as they attempt to overthrow us from the goal of our calling. 
g). And we had noted both the extraordinary power of this Word, and how we are to make use of it by following the Lord’s example in His encounter with Satan in the wilderness.

2). We had also seen that the Word of God and the Spirit of God are one and the same, being God’s breath – 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, [is God breathed – God’s breath/Spirit – the Greek word ‘Theopneustos’.]

It is the ‘Theopneustos’ Word alone that creates and sustains light and life where there was once only darkness and death - Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Joh 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Such is the power of the sword we are given.

3). What we will realize then, is that at the moment of our eternal salvation, the Spirit of God breathed life into that which was formally dead.  Bringing light into that which was once completely darkness, establishing a division between our soul and our spirit.  That pictured for us in - Ge 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

The chaos and darkness found at the beginning of Genesis are the result of Satan’s rebellion.  Darkness is the realm in which sin thrives and since the removal of ‘the light of the world’ 2000 years ago, this world has continued to be engulfed in spiritual darkness, remaining under the control of those who were responsible for the darkness in the first place, the rulers of the darkness of this age.
a). And since the time when the Woman was deceived in the Garden and Adam entered into her sin with her, all generations have been born in the likeness of fallen Adam, with a sin nature that makes them the slaves of the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Unable to do anything of themselves to be free from that bondage.
b).  The spiritual darkness in the world in which we live is the home of our first birth, that is itself inextricably linked to this world and the god of this world - Eph 2:1 ¶ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…………….11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

The light and the dark are diametrically opposite. The light produces life, and the dark gives rise to death.
c). At our eternal salvation the light shone in our darkness and life was imparted to that which was previously dead. And from that point onwards we would have access to the spiritual truth contained in the Word of God - 1 Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But as we know this was only the beginning point. Just as the first day of the restoration in the Genesis Chapter 1 account pictures our eternal salvation, so days 2-6 of the account picture what is to be the rest of our salvation experience.
d). Having received the breath of life at our eternal salvation, the Scripture then tells us that we must be continually filled with the Spirit, to allow the breath of God to continually breathe into us, sustaining and building our life for the age to come - Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be [continually] filled with the Spirit,

4). Just as there was a division between the light and the dark on day 1 of the restoration in Genesis, followed by a further division between light and dark on the fourth day of the restoration, so there is to be a continuing division between light and dark in our own Christian experience - 2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The knowledge of the glory of God must relate to that time when Christ’s Kingdom will be established.  A time remaining yet future. A time when God’s plans and purposes for the rulership of the earth are to be brought to completion.
a). And it is the coming of Christ’s Kingdom and the salvation of the soul that the god of this world seeks to keep obscured from the eyes of the eternally saved - 2Co 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

And this he does through deception, deception based upon the misuse of the Scripture, exemplified in the premise, ‘Has God indeed said?’ And the nature of this deception we can perhaps understand through the words of Christ - Joh 12:25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal (age lasting) life.

It is that choice between receiving the deception to live according to the desires of our flesh under the god of this world, or to live according to the Spirit, the ‘Theopneustos’, placing our focus on the world to come - Ga 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting (age lasting) life.

Look at what the Scripture says concerning this choice in – 
Ro 13:11 ¶ … knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
 We see here a casting off and putting on, we see preparatory action being taken, knowing the time, knowing that the night is far spent, and the day is at hand, knowing that our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. We see a Christian clothed in the armor of light.
b). On the night of our Lord’s betrayal, the Scripture records this concerning Judas – Joh 13:30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

But the all-encompassing night which came with the removal of the Light of the world is now far spent and the day, the seventh Day, the Day of Rest, the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, is at hand and its time to wake up.
c). And all of this will take us to - Mt 25:1 ¶ "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' 7 "Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' 12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' 13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

We know that these are all virgins, they are all Christians.  The only distinction that is made between them is that five have an extra supply of oil and five don’t, five are properly prepared to meet the bridegroom, and five are not, resulting in five going into the wedding feast and five being excluded.
d). They had all heard the cry regarding ‘midnight’ and all rose and trimmed their lamps, but only those with the extra supply of oil were properly prepared to navigate through the darkness of this age, while awaiting the Bridegroom.
e). Those with the extra supply of oil, being properly prepared, would be those who have followed the instructions given to Ruth in preparation her for her meeting Boaz - Ru 3:1 ¶ Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 "Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 "Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do." 5 And she said to her, "All that you say to me I will do."

Ruth was faithfully obedient to the instructions given to her. And we must see the five wise virgins as faithfully obedient also.  The instructions given can be seen, in part, as the same as those given in the verses from Romans Chapter 13 – cast off, put on – let us walk properly as in the day.
f). And we must realize that faithful obedience is not just continuing to believe what God has said but turning that belief, that faith into action.  Doing what the Word says to do to be prepared for the Judgment that is coming. ‘All that you say to me [hearing] I will do’ [faithful obedience]

5). The extra supply of oil possessed by the five wise virgins and the specific preparations given to Ruth, picture for us the sword of the Spirit in action. 
a). Quite simply then, we will use the sword of the Spirit against our enemy as he challenges God’s Word, casting doubt upon that which is necessary for our proper preparation to meet the Lord at His Judgment Seat.  And our use of the sword of the Spirit is not in quoting Scripture at our enemy, but rather being faithfully obedient to that which the Scripture says. It is by choosing to allow the Word of God to make the continuing division between our soul and our spirit, so that we may put off the old man and put on the new – Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.   

Our use of the sword of the Spirit is not so much in a direct sense, but in dealing with that through which our enemy has a connection with us, our old man, the man of the flesh – Ro 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

We find this same instruction given to us again in – Col 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

And not surprisingly, Jesus is given as our example – 1 Pe 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

What we see then, in Romans 8:13, is that the ‘deeds of the flesh’, our ‘members’ from Colossians 3:4, are to be put to death ‘by the Spirit’. And as we know the Spirit to be the ‘Theopneustos’, it is easy to realize that our old man is to be put to death by the sword of the Spirit.
b). It is our old man who will receive the deception our enemy brings and our old man through whom our enemy can work to bring about our disqualification as a crowned ruler with Christ.
c). We will remember the warning we are given in – Re 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

We will remember the typology we have seen through Saul and the Amalekite. How Saul was killed by an Amalekite because he had failed to utterly destroy the Amalekites as God had commanded him.
d). Through the typology the Amalekite pictures the man of the flesh, the old man, and it is our old man who has the potential to take our crown of rulership from us, unless he is put to death as we are instructed in Romans 8:13.
e). The deeds of the flesh, personified in the old man, are completely antithetical to the Word of God. There can never be any common ground between them.
f). And so, our old man will rise up to embrace the lie – 
Eph 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

And as he rises up to embrace the lie, so he must be killed by the sword of the Spirit as we renew our mind in line with the Scriptures.
g). We must realize that the spiritual warfare does not take place separately from the battle with the old man. It is always a battle between the deception of the enemy and the truth of the Word of the Kingdom.
h). We do not literally battle Satan one on one, but through the work of his emissaries within the spiritual darkness in which we find ourselves, it is as if our fight is with him.
i).  We know what the Scripture says – 1 Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

It is that which is brought forth from above, the Word of God, that overcomes the world and our victory in the spiritual warfare is found in only one place, ‘our faith’ – 1 Pe 1:5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

And as we know, our faith only comes through hearing, and our hearing only by the Word of God. And what we hear and believe are then to become righteous acts, good works, the production of fruit. And here is our victory.
j). Faith must be brought to its goal through our righteous acts if the salvation of our soul is to be realized and this cannot happen apart from putting into action that which we have believed - Jas 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

1Pe 1:9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

And faith being brought to its goal is something exemplified in the five wise virgins, showing the inseparable connection to the extra supply of oil in their possession.
k). And what is pictured through them would be the reality for all those who have put on the whole armor of God, who have put on the armor of light, who would have properly used the sword of the Spirit - Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

6). Again, we see the absolute imperative for being properly engaged with the Word of God. It is only the Word of the Kingdom that can provide the light for us to navigate successfully through the spiritual darkness that surrounds us - Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

It is only the light of the Word, that can expose the works of darkness, that can identify the lie and replace it with the truth – Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Walk in Wisdom 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

And it is only by taking the Word of God and acting upon it, by using the sword of the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body, that we will be properly prepared for our coming meeting with our Bridegroom – 
Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

We need to be continually praying to this end not only for ourselves, but for all the saints and to remain watchful with all perseverance. We cannot afford to let our guard down, not now that we are so close.
a). We need to take up the sword of the Spirit in accordance with Ro 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

It was a flaming sword that guarded the way to the tree of life from fallen man in the past and it will be the sword of the Spirit, the sword of Light, properly used that will grant the faithful Christian access to the tree of life in the future – Pr 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.

Ps 17:13 Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, 14 With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life,

Zec 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.

Re 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.


More next time – if we remain and the Lord is willing.