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Be Strong - Part 2 of 3

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• Ephesians 6, verses 10-18, this is the second part in the series, Be Strong. So Ephesians 6, verse 10, the Word of God says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace."

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• "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Each one of us needs strength, especially we need God's strength.

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• I hope that you learn from the first message in this series that basically we are not only weak and helpless, we are actually impotent in and of ourselves. So we are admonished both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament to be strong. However, as I pointed out last week, there are only three passages in the New Testament where we are commanded to be strong. The first one, of course, is 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 13, where the Apostle Paul said, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong." The second one, of course, is found in Ephesians 6 and verse 10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord in the power of His might." And the third one is found in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 1, where Paul said to Timothy, "Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Last week I covered 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 13 and the beginning of Ephesians chapter 6, especially verses 10-13. Today I want to continue that with the armor in which we are to stand and be strong.

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• And the Word of God is teaching us, I believe, very clearly that in His strength we will be able to vanquish all enemies both foreign and domestic. I pointed out last week how our Lord has actually defeated all of His enemies. The Bible says in Colossians 2 and verse 15, "In having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Now, to point it out, the word "having spoiled" means literally "disarmed them." So basically He's not only defeated them, He's actually disarmed them. If you would hold Ephesians chapter 6 and look in your Bibles very quickly to Hebrews chapter 2, going to see how our Lord destroyed two of the most prominent enemies that we have, death and the devil. Notice if you would Hebrews 2 and verse 14. The Bible says, "For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

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• So the Bible tells us very clearly then that our Lord has defeated and destroyed both death and the devil. Consequently, death has no fear for the child of God. And of course the devil is totally, absolutely defeated. The Apostle Paul said to the Roman Christians in Romans 16 and verse 20, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, amen." So he is a defeated enemy.

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• In fact, the scripture commands us to resist him, to oppose him, to fight against him. And we are told that when we fight against him, that he will flee from us. In James 4 and verse 7, the Bible says, "Submit yourselves unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you." Let me give you a little caution at this particular point. Although we are commanded to resist the devil, the Bible commands us first to submit to God. We try to resist him in our own strength and our own power and we are in trouble. You cannot successfully resist and fight against him until you submit yourself to God and resist and fight in the power of God. So the Bible says, "Submit yourselves unto God, resist or fight against and oppose the devil and he will flee from you."

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• Now last week I closed with an aspect of Pilgrim's Progress. Let me just say this again, if you've not read Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, I would encourage you to do so. If you haven't read it in a long time, I would encourage you to re-read it. It is filled with not only doctrine but also it demonstrates some very practical applications and it shows clearly what Christians go through in their struggle to maintain a holy and godly life. You remember when Bunyan met Apollyon? The Bible, not the Bible, but the Pilgrim's Progress tells us that when he first saw Apollyon he recognized him as a very horrible, horrific thing coming toward him. And his first thought was to turn and go back until he considered the fact that he had no armor for his back.

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• And then he said it would be best that he stood and faced the enemy. And interestingly, as we go down through Ephesians chapter 6 momentarily, you are going to find that there is no armor for the back. We must learn therefore to stand and fight. That is why the Apostle commanded, "Put on the whole armor of God." Notice, "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." That's why I said, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." Now today I want to begin with verse 14 because now he begins telling us how we are to stand, how we are to fight, how we are to resist. So in verse 14 he says, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness." Now Paul begins in this verse with an imperative. Remember an imperative is a command. So he says in verse 14, "Stand therefore," that is, He is commanding us to stand.

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• And the word "stand" literally means to be fixed, to be firmly established, to be steadfast. And it refers to one who will not hesitate and who will not waver. So the command then to stand fast implies that we are to be watchful, that we are to be ready for combat, and that we are to keep our places both as to our general and our particular callings.

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• May I point out the fact we are supposed to be soldiers in rank. If one soldier leaves the rank, it not only endangers his life, but it endangers the lives of others also. So Paul here commands, "Stand therefore." Now he also tells us how we are to stand. So notice if you would in verse 14, actually there are two aspects of standing. First of all he says, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth."

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• Now, the loins are generally referred to as the seat of balance, strength, and power. When you talk about your loins, you're basically talking about your lower anatomy, particularly your hips. Because obviously, it is from this position that all fighting, all movement, and all balance occur. If you cannot control your hips, you cannot control your balance. If you cannot control your hips, you cannot walk, you cannot run. So, he tells us that we're to stand having our loins gird about with truth. Now, you must remember it was Peter in 1 Peter 1 and verse 13 told us that we were to gird up the loins of our mind. So, he's using this illustration here referring to the mind. But here it just simply says, "having your loins girt about with truth." Now you must remember in Bible times they usually wore long flowing robes. When you think about being girt or having the girdle of truth, it is not talking about a kind of girdle that women usually wear. It is talking about something that is around the waist.

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• It is a strong band because in the Bible times when men wanted to run or fight, they would take their robes and gird them under that waistband. That waistband was also where they usually carried their weapons. So in order to stand, in order to fight, He says you have to stand gird about with truth.

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• Now, please stop and think with me. The very first thing he mentions is truth. Truth is absolutely necessary. It is essential. We cannot stand in falsehood. We cannot stand in lies. We cannot stand in that which is untrue. We cannot stand in darkness. Truth exposes all lies, all untruths, and all darkness. Only truth dispels error. I'm sure that you remember what our Lord said in John chapter 8, verses 30-32.

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• The Bible says there, "And as He spake these words, many believed on Him. Then said He to the Jews who believed on Him, 'If you continue in My Word, then you are truly My disciples and you shall know the truth and the truth set you free.'" So please understand that freedom is connected with truth. Slavery is connected with error and falsehood. So He tells us that we are to stand having our loins girt about with truth.

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• Let me just try to enlarge this for you just momentarily. What does it mean then to stand having our loins girt about with truth? Each one of us understands what our Lord said in John 14, verse 6. Our Lord said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father but by Me." So Jesus Christ is truth personified. He is truth. And unless we stand in the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot stand in the truth.

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• Unhappily, most people are like Pilate, absolutely blind to the truth. Do you remember in John chapter 18, it was verses 37 and 38, where Jesus Christ was standing before Pilate. Pilate therefore said unto him, "Art thou a king?" Jesus answered, "Thou sayest that I am a king." And then he went on to say, "To this end I was born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my words." Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Truth was standing in front of him staring him in the face and he didn't even recognize it. Jesus Christ is the personification of truth. Truth was literally standing in front of Pilate and he did not recognize him. You and I cannot stand in truth unless we stand in the Lord Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ is truth. Let me go a little bit further. I want you to understand that the Spirit of God is also the Spirit of truth. You remember what our Lord said in John 14 in verse 17.

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• He said this, "Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but you know him, for he dwelleth in you, and he shall be in you." So the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Truth. Then you get to John 15 and verse 26, He said, "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you, even from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth." So two times now the Holy Spirit has been called the Spirit of Truth. And then thirdly, in John 16, verse 13, he says, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come?" So that's three times the Holy Spirit has been called the Spirit of Truth. When you get to 1 John 5 and verse 6, the Word of God says this, "This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but also by the blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." So that is four times the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth.

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• Now when we are commanded to stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth, well obviously we must stand in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must stand in the power of the Holy Spirit for the Spirit is truth. But let me go a little bit further. Do you realize that the Bible is referred to as the Word of Truth? For instance, in John 17:17 our Lord said, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy Word is truth." The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 7, "By the Word of Truth, by the power of God, by the arm of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." And then of course in Ephesians 1 and verse 13, "In whom also that you trusted after you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation." So now the Scriptures are called the Scriptures of Truth. So if we are going to stand in truth, we must stand in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must stand in the person and the power of the Holy Spirit, and we must stand in the Word of God.

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• Now here is a good question, if we are to be girded about with truth and we are to stand in the Lord Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit and in His Word, from where are we to learn His Word? Well, the Bible answers that. The Word of God teaches us in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 15, Paul wrote to Timothy and he said this, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth." So the church is to be the pillar and the ground of truth. The primary function of the church is to promote and proclaim truth. Truth is to be primary. Truth is more important than anything else. I've had people tell me, "Well, the reason I go to such-and-such church is because they have a wonderful music ministry." Well, I like music as good as anyone I suppose. But you can have a wonderful music ministry and no truth. I've had people tell me, "Well, we go to such-and-such church because they've

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• got a wonderful children's program." Really? What they're trying to tell me in one sense is, "I don't have to babysit them, I've got someone else that's going to babysit them." But what are your children being taught? And what are you listening to from the pulpit in order for your children to go to that children's ministry? The point I'm trying to make is this, I'm not against teaching children obviously. I'm certainly not against good and godly music. But what I'm trying to share with you is this, that truth is absolutely essential. Because if you do not stand in truth, then you are going to be standing in falsehood and in error. And that is exactly what your children are going to be learning. It is the responsibility of the Church to proclaim truth. It is not the responsibility of the Church to entertain you. It is not the responsibility of the Church to entertain your children. It is not the responsibility of the Church to have all kinds of programs. It is the responsibility of the Church to preach and proclaim the truth, which is Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God.

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• Preaching and teaching the truth is the main function of the Church. Now, why is it most Christians do not stand in truth? Why is it we do not stand with our loins girt about with truth? Well, there are several reasons. Just one of the reasons that most Christians cannot stand girded with truth is the modern churches failed in preaching the truth. We preach everything but truth, and I will be absolutely honest.

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• I have talked to preachers and I've asked them about certain doctrines. "Have you preached this?" "Well, I believe it, but my people would not stand for it." What? I've had them tell me, "My people would not stand for it." If I can't preach the truth, I might as well leave anyhow if they are not going to listen to it. I'd rather go to someone who would listen to it.

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• I can really translate that for you. When preachers say, "Well, I'd like to preach this but my people won't stand for it," what they are saying is this: our church is in debt up to their eyeballs and if I start preaching this, people are going to be leaving. And then we can't make the sinking fund payment and we are going to lose everything. So I'm going to cut corners and compromise the Word of God in order to keep the building. That's in essence what they are saying. That is one reason people cannot stand and gird about with truth. They are not hearing truth. They are not hearing the whole truth. By the way, a half truth presented as the whole truth is an untruth.

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• Paul said that he was free from the blood of all men. Why? Because "I'm not shunned in declaring you the whole counsel of God." And there is another reason why most folks do not stand girt about with truth, and that is because some people just don't want truth. They refuse to listen to truth. I have had professing Christians tell me, and I'm not making this up, I'm giving you an accurate quote where one said to me, "My mind is made up and I don't want you confusing me with a bunch of scriptures."

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• What can you do with someone like that? You know there is something known as cognitive dissonance. You've heard something all of your life, or you've been taught something all of your life and all of a sudden you hear truth, and that truth contradicts everything that you've ever heard, and everything that you've ever been taught. And you know what happens? Your mind says, "That can't possibly be true." And yet it is. And after a while you begin to consider and you begin to wrestle with it and then all of a sudden you discover you are wrong. Cognitive dissonance. And that's the way a lot of people are. They've been raised a certain way. They've been taught to believe a certain thing and when truth confronts them, they simply say, "It cannot be truth."

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• So, if we are going to succeed in our battles, if we are going to succeed in the ultimate war, we have to stand with our loins girt about with truth. Now, watch verse 14 again because there is a second aspect. He says, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness."

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• Now, the breastplate was that piece of armor that protected your chest. Sometimes there was a little part that went up here that would even protect the throat. So the breastplate then basically protected your vital organs, your lungs, your heart, your diaphragm, and sometimes even the throat. Notice if you would please, it's called the breastplate of righteousness. That which is going to protect us in this area is righteousness. Now let me explain there are two types of righteousness. First of all, there is that positional and perfect righteousness which we have in Jesus Christ. It was the Apostle Paul who said in Philippians 3 in verse 9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is according to the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." So Jesus Christ has come, He has been completely and perfectly and totally obedient to God. He has fulfilled all the law of God. He satisfied God's righteousness and God's holiness. And God the Father evidenced this because God raised Him from the dead and seated Him in His own right hand.

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• So in Jesus Christ we are absolutely perfect. In fact, He has given us a perfect robe of righteousness. So when our Father sees us, although we are sinners and we are full of faults and failures and sins, He sees us through the robe of righteousness of Jesus Christ. So there is this positional perfect righteousness which we have in Jesus Christ. But secondly, there is a practical and a personal righteousness that stems and flows from that positional and perfect righteousness.

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• The Bible tells us in Proverbs 11 in verse 30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life." So let me put it to you like this. You can only act righteously if you have been made righteous in Jesus Christ. If you have not been made righteous in Jesus Christ, you cannot live righteously, you cannot act righteously. If you would hold Ephesians 6, but look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3, and look at verse 7. Look what the Bible says, 1 John 3 verse 7. The Bible says, "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." So if we're doing righteousness, it is because we've been made righteous even as Jesus Christ is righteous. So our righteousness, our practical, our personal righteousness stems from and flows from obedience to our Lord who has given us a positional and perfect righteousness. Now, I want you to look back in Ephesians 6 and verse 14 and then I want to read a comment to you from Albert Barnes.

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• Look in verse 14, Ephesians 6, "Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness." The breastplate of righteousness.

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• Now I've tried to explain to you what that refers to positionally and practically, but now listen to what he said, and there is a practical application. Barnes writes, "The breastplate defended the vital parts of the body, and the idea here is that the integrity of life and righteousness of character is as necessary to defend us from the assaults of Satan as the coat of mail was to preserve the heart from the errors of the enemy. It was the incorruptible integrity of Job and in a higher sense of the Redeemer Himself that saved them from the temptations of the devil. And it is as true now that no one can successfully meet the power of temptation unless he is righteous, as that a soldier could not defend himself against a foe without such a coat of mail. A want or a lack of integrity will leave a man exposed to the assaults of the enemy, just as a man would be whose coat of mail was defective or some part which was lacking.

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• The king of Israel, he's talking about Ahab, was smitten by an arrow between the joints of his harness or the joints of the breastplate. And many a man who thinks he has on the Christian armor is smitten in such a manner. There is some defect of character, some want of incorruptible integrity, some point that is unguarded. And that will be sure to be the point of attack by the foe.

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• So David was tempted to commit enormous crimes that stain his memory. And Peter to deny his Lord. So Judas was assailed for the want of the armor of righteousness through his avarice, or greediness. And so by some want of incorruptible integrity, in a single point many a minister of the gospel has been assailed and fallen. It may be added here that we need a righteousness which God alone can give, the righteousness of God our Savior to make us perfectly invulnerable to the errors of the foe." Now, let me point something out to you.

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• What he is saying is absolutely true. We are going to be attacked at our weakest point. And if there is a point in our lives where we're lacking in character or lacking in integrity or lacking in righteousness, that's where we're going to be hit. That's why David was tempted through Bathsheba. That's why Peter denied the Lord out of fear. That's why Judas betrayed and sold the Lord Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. You remember what was said of Judas? They were complaining because this ointment was poured out upon our Lord. And Judas said, "Why? Why waste this ointment? This ointment could have been sold for 300 pence and given to the poor." You would think he really cared about the poor, but the next verse says this, "This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and bare the bag." He was the treasurer, he was a thief, he was covetous, he was greedy. That was his lack of integrity. That was his lack of character and that's exactly where he got hit.

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• That is why the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 in verse 8, "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation." I'll cover that a little bit later. But the breastplate of righteousness deals with the principle and the practice of righteousness. We must be made righteous in Jesus Christ before we can walk righteously before Him. And our righteousness is demonstrated in our obedience to the Word of God. When we talk about righteousness, let me just tell you, righteousness is nothing more than that which is approved by God. It is that which God calls good and right and just and honorable. That's righteousness.

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• If there is no righteousness in us, if there is no practical and personal righteousness, then we're giving the enemy a fair advantage to attack us wherever he so pleases. Now, he tells us to stand, and we're to stand with our loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

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• Now look in verse 15. And it said, "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." The word "shod" means to bind or to put on. When we shoe a horse, we put a metal disc on his hoof. We bind it to him. So we're to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The word "preparation" just simply means to be in readiness, to be prepared.

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• It relates to our condition. It is much like the directive that God gave in the first Passover in Exodus 12 and verse 11. You remember what God told the Israelites? He said, "And thus shall you eat it with your loins girded and your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It's the Lord's Passover." So it said, you eat this dressed and ready to leave because that is exactly what you are going to be doing. So we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. So the preparation of the Gospel of Peace means this, that we are willing, ready, and prepared to proclaim it, defend it, and protect it.

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• Moreover, it is the foundation upon which we stand. When you fight, it is best to fight on even ground if possible. If you're fighting on uneven ground, then you have problems as well. So we're talking about our feet being shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That is the solid foundation on which we fight.

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• Now, let me show you something interesting. I find it very interesting that the apostle is talking about the gospel of peace and fighting at the same time. We fight standing on the gospel of peace. Paul is teaching us that we are to be in a fighting mode when it comes to the gospel of peace. It's kind of like that dictum, "peace through superior firepower." We proclaim peace, we desire peace, we pray for peace, but we will fight against all adversaries in order to protect and proclaim peace. So he tells us that we're to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And notice verse 16.

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• Here's another part of the armor. "Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." The shield of faith is absolutely indispensable. It is necessary to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. The illusion is to those that shot those fiery arrows or missiles at another. So the Christian then must have a way of protecting himself from the incoming missiles. And here it is called the shield of faith.

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• Now, I'll give you two quick quotes. Matthew Poole. He said this, "Fiery darts. It seems to be an allusion to the poisoned darts some barbarous nations were wont to use, which inflamed the bodies when they hit. By them he means all those violent temptations which inflame men's lust. These fiery darts of temptations faith is said to quench when by the help of grace obtained of Christ it overcomes them." Here's Albert Barnes. Listen, "Faith here is made to occupy a more important place than any other Christian grace."

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• By the way, let me show you what he's talking about. Look back at verse 16, "above all." Now he's already talking about standing. He's already talking about having your feet shod.

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• Now he says "above all." This is vitally important is what he's saying. So Barnes comments, "Faith here is made to occupy a more important place than either of the other Christian graces. It bears to the whole Christian character the same relation which the shield does to the other parts of the armor of a soldier. It protects all and is indispensable to the security of all. As in the case with the shield, the shield was an ingenious device by which blows and errors might be parried off and the whole body defended. It could be made to protect the head or the heart or thrown behind to meet an attack there. As long as a soldier had his shield, he felt secure. And as long as a Christian has faith, he is safe. It comes to his aid in every attack that is made on him, no matter from what quarter. It is the defense and guardian of every other Christian grace, and it secures the protection which the Christian needs in the whole of his spiritual war."

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• So this shield of faith is vitally important. Now, let me point something out before I go to verse 17. Look at verse 16 again. He says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." In other words, the shield of faith actually works. You shall be able, you will have the ability, you will have the power to block all of the fiery darts of the wicked one if you use the shield of faith. Just stop and think about that. You need the shield of faith. It is able to quench, thwart, and overcome anything that is thrown at you.

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• So he tells us that we're to stand having our loins girded out with truth. We're to have on the breastplate of righteousness. Our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We're to have the shield of faith.

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• Now look in verse 17, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Now clearly two pieces of armor are enumerated here. First he talks about the helmet of salvation. And then he talks about the sword of the Spirit. No soldier would ever go to war without either.

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• Now helmets, and I've seen some of the old helmets, but some of the old helmets were even just made of leather, thick leather. Later on they were made of bronze, or some type of metal. And they were actually fitted to the head. Everyone has seen, I guess, the picture of a Spartan soldier where the helmet comes down and there's a piece even here that comes over the nose and protects the nose. Well, this helmet then was to protect you from all kinds of things.

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• A lot of times they were decorated with a feather or with a crest or with a plume or something like that. But that helmet was to protect you from a war club, from an axe, or even from a sword. The Apostle said in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, which I quoted earlier, "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." Now let me tell you something about the word "hope." The word "hope" in the Bible is totally different from the way that we use the word "hope" today.

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• So Gary could ask me, "Are you going to Virginia tomorrow?" And I could say, "I hope so." "Are you going to have a good trip?" "Well, I hope so." And the reason I'm saying that is because I don't know whether I'll be able to go or not. I don't know whether I'd be able to have a safe trip or not. You know, I'm hoping that. But when the Bible uses the word "hope," it's something that is absolutely certain. It's steadfast. It's sure. Remember, the Bible tells us we have an anchor of the soul within the veil, both steadfast and sure. The hope in the Bible is a settled, absolutely certain foundation. Just like that helmet protected the soldier in battle, so the hope of our salvation in the fact that it is certain protects us. A soldier would not fight well without a hope of victory. Why would you fight if you did not hope that you would win? Obviously. And when you talk about the hope of salvation and we are in a battle and we fight, and for some reason I lose my life in that battle, I may not participate in the victory of that battle, but I have not lost because to be absent from the body is to be

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• present with the Lord. In other words, there is that eternal hope that we have. And you remember our Lord when He was on the cross said, "It is finished." He completed the work of our salvation. There is nothing I can add to it, nothing I can do. He said, "It is finished." And we must never give up, and we must never give in because we trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Bible says in Colossians 1 verse 27, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He is our hope. And next he said in verse 17 that we are to take the sword of the Spirit. No soldier would ever go into battle without his sword.

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• The ancient sword was usually a short sword about this long, double edged, sharp. It was used not only for stabbing but for slashing and cutting as well. Not have a long, thin, slender blade that would break easily. It was really usually a shorter blade and a thicker blade that you could really go to work with. The sword was basically a close quarters combat weapon. They had artillery in the Bible. Ha, arrows. That was the long distance, you know. And maybe slingers, because you can sling a stone a long way as well. But when you got to a sword, it was up close and personal. It was close quarters combat.

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• Now, let me show you something. We're talking about the word of God. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter four, and verses 12 and 13. We're talking about the word of God, Hebrews four, look in verses 12 and 13. No matter how sharp a soldier's sword is, the Word of God is sharper. Hebrews 4 verse 12, "For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints of the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Now I could take a short sharp sword and I could do you harm. I could mutilate you. I could chop off your arms, your legs, your head. I could split you open. I could do all kind of things. But the sword of the Spirit, according to Hebrews 4 and verse 12, pierces even the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and the joints and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

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• The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God which we must use. I love the comment by that old Puritan John Trapp in reference to the sword of the Spirit. He said this one sentence, "Wherewith our Savior beat the devil on his own dunghill," that is the wilderness, fetching all out of that one book of Deuteronomy. So, he is talking about Matthew 4 where our Lord was tempted out in the wilderness and our Lord just simply quoted from the book of Deuteronomy from every temptation that was given. He said He beat him on his own dunghill, obviously. The sword is an offensive weapon. Yes, it can be used defensively, but it is also an offensive weapon and usually reserved for close combat. Now many of us do not really know how to use the sword, and I'm talking about the Word of God. We're commanded to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

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• So let me put it like this. Many Christians do not know how to use their weapon. Many Christians are slow to use the Bible. Many Christians neglect their weapon. A weapon unused is worthless. A weapon neglected is useless. We have to come to a place where we can master the Word of God to the greatest ability and the greatest extent that God gives us in order that we may use it.

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• Do you remember that passage I read from Pilgrim's Progress where he was fighting Apollyon? And you remember Apollyon knocked him down and was on top of him? What did he say? "Why are you quoted Scripture? When I fall, I shall yet rise again. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy." And when he finally defeated him, what did he say? "Yea, we're more than conquerors through him who loved us."

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• It's the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. And we need to use the Word of God in defending ourselves and in attacking the enemy. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is the same sword that our Lord uses against His enemies. Let me show you. Turn to Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19 and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Revelation 19 and verse 11. Watch. Here's the sword of the Spirit in action. Revelation 19 verse 11, "And I saw heaven open and behold a white horse. And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God."

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• We are talking about Jesus Christ. "And the armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, and that with it he should smite the nations, and he should rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King

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• of kings and Lord of lords." Note, if you would, verse 15, "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations." What is that? It is the word of God. Now, look at verse 18. The Apostle Paul has told us about the armor that we need in order to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We need to have our loins girded about with truth. We need to have on the breastplate of righteousness. We need to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. We need to take the shield of faith. We need the helmet of salvation. We need the sword of the Spirit. But, He adds this in verse 18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

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• In other words, in light of the armor that God has given us, we must not only make use of it, we must pray that God would make it powerful and effectual on our behalf. He has given us the means. He must make those means effective. The power is not ours, it is God's. That's why he said, "Put on the whole armor of God." Why? Verse 10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." This is the armor that he's provided. This is the armor which he will make effective.

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• He says, "Praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." There must be prayer. Then he said, "Watching thereunto," there must be watchfulness. "With all perseverance," there must be perseverance, but it is God who must make it effectual. So we are to pray for ourselves, our brethren, our fellow soldiers, watching, that is being vigilant, and do so with all perseverance and supplications. Let me make just an application or so.

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• We need all of God's armor. Just one part will not help us. A few parts will not help us. I could say, "Well, I'll take the helmet of salvation but I don't need anything else." Really? Well, what if that fiery dart happens to hit me in the heart? I need the breastplate of righteousness. I need every piece of armor that God has ordained. We need that armor to defeat our fleshly desires, our fleshly lust, the pride of life, our wickedness. We need that armor to protect us not only from enemies that are domestic but enemies that are foreign. We need to learn to pray warfare prayers. We need to learn to pray against the enemy. We need to learn to pray that God would empower us to stand against the enemy. We need to learn to pray prayers like Psalm 7 in verse 9, "Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just." That's a warfare prayer. I read some of those imprecatory Psalms where David talks about the enemies of God, and he says, "Break their arm, O God."

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• "Break out their teeth in their mouth." You break a man's arm, you break his power. You break his teeth, you destroy him, at least temporarily. He's out of the fight. And that's exactly what David is doing. He's praying these warfare prayers, and he's saying, "Lord, give us the victory. You use your power. You enable us to stand." And I will tell you something else. And I think you probably would agree with me.

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• The older we get, the more we realize how helpless and weak and impotent we really are. And in one sense of the word, that is a very, very good thing. You look around at these young men. They think they're going to never die. They're never going to get sick. They're always going to be strong. Once you start getting older, you're going to realize you're going to get weaker and you're going to get weaker and you're going to get weaker. And the more you find it absolutely necessary to lean upon the Lord and be strong in him and in the power of his might.

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• For without Him, we can do nothing. Be strong. And the only way you're going to be strong, according to Ephesians chapter 6, is by putting on the whole armor of God and seeking Him to make that armor effectual in your daily life. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We pray, Lord, that You would help us, enable us to put on this armor, to stand in it, to use it for Your honor and Your glory. And we ask Thee, Lord, to make it effectual and powerful in our lives. And help us, Father, to glorify Thy great and holy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:29:03Z