The Sword of the Spirit: Wielding God’s Word in Spiritual Battle - Eph 6:13-20

Good morning, and welcome to Dillingham Moravan Church.

My name is Pastor Simon Flynn. What a blessing it is to be able to study and

pray through the Word of God with you today.

In an article written by David Garrison in 2016, he reported,

Five years ago I began an investigation into increasing reports of Muslim movements to faith in Christ.

I defined a movement of Muslims to Christ to be at least 100 new churches,

started, or a thousand baptized believers, all of whom have come to Christ over the past two decades.

I wanted to understand how and why entire communities were not only turning

to faith, but being baptized, an act of confessional obedience that could earn

them the death penalty under Islamic law.

My survey took almost three years and led me into every corner of the Muslim world.

I traveled more than a quarter million miles from West Africa to the Indonesian islands.

In the process, I visited 44 movements, each with more than a thousand Muslim

background believers in Jesus Christ who had been baptized as a defiant act

of their newfound faith.

With the help of dozens of on-the-ground collaborators, I was able to gather

more than a thousand interviews with these courageous men and women.

One interview is with Ahmed.

Ahmed is a Muslim background Christian I met in South Asia.

He said, I once read the Quran in my own language, and I realized I was lost.

Ahmed discovered that the Quran had no plan of salvation within it.

The title honors for Muhammad in the Quran, but.

But 23 honorable titles that Allah gave to Isa or Jesus.

I saw that Muhammad is dead, but Isa is alive in heaven with Allah now.

Muhammad is not coming again, but Isa will come again at the last judgment.

Only four times does the Quran speak of Muhammad and yet 97 times it talks about Isa.

Muhammad is not a savior, but Isa's very name means savior.

These discoveries led Ahmed and many other Muslims to read the New Testament

and discover Jesus for themselves.

This unexpected pathway from Quran to the Gospel is occurring throughout the Muslim world.

I bring this article to your attention because the truth of God's Word in the

Holy Spirit is alive and full of power and is working even through the Quran, which is not of God.

To show the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Savior and God and lead them to the gospel.

This has not only happened within the Islamic world, but with countless cultures

where the Holy Spirit worked through the cultural beliefs and cultural prophecies

to lead people to God's Word and through God's Word to Christ. Let's pray.

Oh, Heavenly Father, we are so, so grateful and we're thankful that You are God.

And that your word, your Holy Spirit is working throughout our world,

throughout cultures, leading people to your word,

leading people to the Bible, so that they can know the truth of God.

Help us, O Lord, to use your weapon, the word of God.

Teach us through it today. Help us, O Lord, to understand and know your word.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

Here at Dillingham Moravian Church, we have been learning through a teaching series

on Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

The theme of this letter is the unity of God and how God has unified the church

in Christ, and then how we as the church can practically live in the unity of God.

Previously, in Ephesians 6, God taught us through Paul that Christ believers

are to surrender themselves to be enabled by the controlling power and strength

of God and live empowered with His strength.

Secondly, Paul made the point that Christians are to put on the full armor of

God so that we can stand firm against our real enemy, the devil and his forces of darkness.

And this is where we come to our passage today, in Ephesians 6, verse 13-20.

Ephesians 6:13–20

Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day.

And having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore,

having girded your loins with

truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod the,

your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will

be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,

also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the Word of God, praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit,

and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Now, since last week, we studied about the defensive pieces of the armor of God.

This week, we're going to look at the offensive weapon of God's armor and the

power to use His armor effectively.

The first truth I believe God is teaching us in our passage today is that as

Christ followers, we are to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

How many of you heard the saying, a good defense is a good offense?

The saying, or similar variations, is generally attributed to military and strategic

origins, with strong ties to George Washington in 1799,

who wrote that offensive operations are often the surest means of defense.

It reflects the concept that proactive, aggressive action keeps opponents on

the defensive, prevents them from attacking.

The principles often trace back to ancient military strategy,

with Sun Tzu, the 6th century Chinese general and military strategist,

often credited with the idea that attack is the secret defense.

I share the origins of this saying with you to help you understand that the

secret of a good defense is a good offense, and that principle also applies

to life in the spirit as well.

Paul taught in Ephesians 6, verse 17, Also received the helmet of salvation,

Ephesians 6:17

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

I want you to notice that the main offensive weapon that Paul described in the

armor of God section is the sword of the Spirit.

It's not our sword or a sword belonging to any human being, but the Spirit's

sword. And the sword that is flowing with the power of the Spirit and belongs

to the Spirit, this sword, is the Word of God.

The author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 4, verse 12 to 13, wrote, For the Word of

Hebrews 4:12–13

God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing as far as the vision of soul and spirit,

of bullet joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are uncovered and

laid bare to the eyes of him to whom we have an account to give.

My point with using the Hebrew passage is that the Word of God is not just written

words on the page or on a digital device,

but is living and active and so sharp that it can pierce to places that even

a double-edged sword cannot.

The Word can get into the minds and hearts of people and does not even have

to work right away, but the Word stays and is able to penetrate our deepest

and most guarded places in our inner beings.

The Word can also judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word that the author of Hebrews used for judge is critical,

which meant characterized by careful evaluation and judgment of someone or something,

meaning that the Holy Spirit, through God's Word, can carefully evaluate and

judge our thoughts and intentions, even those we hide from others.

Everything within us is laid bare or open to God, to whom we need to make an account to.

I want you to also see that the truth of the Word of God in the gospel is the

power of God for salvation as we respond with faith in Christ.

Paul in Romans 1, verses 16-17 proclaimed, For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

Romans 1:16–17

for it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,

as it is written, But the righteous will live by faith.

Jesus, in Matthew 4, verse 4, responded to Satan and said, It is written.

Matthew 4:4

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Isaiah 40, verse 8, proclaimed that in a world of constant change and death

Isaiah 40:8

and faithfulness, God's word is eternal.

Here's what Isaiah wrote, verse 8, The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God stands forever.

The psalmist in Psalm 119, verse 105, prayed to the Lord that God's Word is

Psalms 119:105

our light in the darkness of this world.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

One of my most favorite scriptures that I love to pray through is from Isaiah 55, verse 10-11.

Isaiah 55:10–11

For as the rain and snow came down from heaven, and do not return there without

watering the earth, and making it bare and sprout, and giving seed to the sower

and bread to the eater, This is what I want you to hear.

So will my word be which goes forth from my mouth.

It will not return to me empty without accomplishing what pleases me,

without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

You see, I love the certainty that God has in this passage.

His Word, spoken from His mouth through us, will never return to Him without

accomplishing that which pleases Him and without succeeding in that for which

He has sent His Word to do in people's hearts and minds and lives.

We speak God's Word, and God will do the heavy lifting of penetrating the hearts

and minds of the people that we are speaking to.

I've shared all of these scriptures with you about God's Word,

and there are many more to prove to you the breadth and scope of God's power

in the life of a Christ believer through His Word.

What can we learn from this weapon of God as part of God's armor?

That we, as Christians, are to take up the word of God, surrendering to Christ

who is within us, and do battle against the greatest enemy this world has ever seen, which is Satan.

As God's power is released through His word when spoken by you and me,

His servants, Satan's schemes are thwarted and ruined.

How did Jesus combat Satan in the desert? Through quoting the Word.

Reading and studying this book will literally rescue our spiritual lives.

However, using the Word does not stop there. We're called to pray through it,

teach, and counsel, and share about Christ from it.

The Bible, my friends, is the number one offensive weapon against Satan and his demons. Why?

Because it brings us all back to the gospel truth of God and His love,

and who we are because of His love, and we are to live out His love to others,

which includes making disciples for Christ.

And as we're sharing Christ with the Word of God, who can do anything at all

times, anywhere He wants, we are seriously damaging the battle plans of Satan and his demons.

Sometimes it may look like we're not doing anything for the Lord when we're

faithfully sharing God's Word.

We're not seeing any fruit. But if we could see what the Word does to Satan

and his followers, we would be rejoicing at God's power and His glory.

When Jesus quoted Scripture to Satan, Satan fled.

Remember, Jesus is the living Word, but Scripture is the written Word.

And demons, when they met Jesus, they cowered. They fled from the Son of God,

and their response to the Word of God is the same.

So far, we've been taught that the main offensive weapon of God's armor is that

we as Christians are to pick up and use is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Second main truth of our Ephesians 6 passage is that praying at all times is

the way in which we use the armor of God.

Commercial fishing is at the heart of this community. And when fishing season

begins every year, the captains and their crews need to get to the fishing grounds

on the Nushek Bay to put their sets out.

But how do they get to their destination?

By sailing their boats.

The drift boats convey them from Dillingham to the fishing grounds.

And I share this concept with you because as we pray in the Spirit,

we are transported before the throne of God Himself. This is the reason why prayer is so powerful.

We get the power to use the mighty armor of God from Almighty God Himself because

we are in His majestic presence through the power of the Spirit.

Paul continued on in verse 18 of Ephesians chapter 6, praying at all times with

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end being on the alert with

all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Thank you.

When studying the Bible, it's essential to remember that when it was written,

it was written without punctuation and without chapter marking.

We put those in for our Western minds to make sense of them.

My point is that verse 18 is not separate from the sword of the Spirit,

nor is it separate from the rest of the armor of God.

Prayer is the foundation with which all these armor pieces and weapons work and are maintained.

Prayer is the fuel that keeps us accessing the power of God through the virtues displayed in His armor.

The difference between prayer and petition, which both mean petition,

is that prayer is our more regular prayer throughout the day,

and petition is the divine treaty where we pray an earnest or urgent request to God.

These are our emergency prayers.

It's also especially important to remember that we're not just to pray for others

and ourselves. we are to do it in the Spirit.

Praying in the Spirit is like using Zoom or FaceTime where we have instant access

into the throne room of God.

However, praying in the Spirit is more than just using Zoom or FaceTime because

the phrase in the Spirit is actually a vehicle word.

We are transported like a car or a plane would transport us to a destination.

So as we pray in the Spirit, we are spiritually, or in the realm of the Spirit,

transported into the throne room of God instantly.

It reminds me of a Star Trek transporter, where they transport you from the

ship and down to the planet instantly.

Not only that, but this means that we pray in step with what the Spirit wishes

as we use God's Word to pray.

This brings us to the latter part of Ephesians 6, verse 18.

Ephesians 6:18

Praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit. And here it is.

And to this end, meaning that this is the goal, the purpose of prayer,

at least one of the major ones.

Being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

You got to remember, Paul was coming from the perspective that the Christian

is involved in a war between God and his forces and Satan and his demons.

It's like a legion of soldiers on the alert for the enemy's movements and for when the enemy attacks.

But this concept of being on alert is not just about an army waiting to be attacked.

The army is not just sitting there and waiting for the enemy to come to him.

No, the army is on alert as they are on the move to attack the enemy.

I want you to understand that praying for Christ believers is not just about

defense and protection,

but prayer is a weapon of great power so that God's plan will be done in the

midst of all circumstances, especially in great hardship.

Moreover, Paul was chained to a Roman guard as he wrote to the Ephesian Christians

who are also under heavy persecution.

This is why Paul taught that Christians are to be on alert with all perseverance

as well as prayer because it takes great endurance to continue praying offensively

when we're tired or under attack ourselves.

I just read a quote last week from Open Doors founder, Brother Andrew,

which I absolutely love.

Our prayers can go where we cannot.

There are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.

As Christians, we, you and I, are to be on the alert and persevere to pray for

all the saints of Christ.

Here in Dillingham and Bristol Bay region of Alaska, suicide attempts and suicides are extremely high.

Alcohol and drugs are enslaving our people, and the practice of animism and

shamanism is on the rise in our area again.

Our region is under attack by Satan, and there is great darkness.

And yet the light of Christ is shining in the darkness. God's power is at work.

How we use the armor of God to defend and combat Satan's attacks is by faith

staying in the presence of God through prayer using God's Word.

We gird our loins with truth by praying for wisdom and understanding to know

God's truth and the courage to trust it with our lives.

We put on the breastplate of righteousness by abiding in Christ throughout our

days as we prayerfully commit all our thoughts and actions to the Lord.

We get ready for the action of sharing the gospel of peace as we target those

in prayer whom we are attending to share the gospel to.

It is great to have morning and evening devotion times. Those are very essential.

But prayer is more than just a routine.

It's life powered by the Spirit of God.

Not just for us, but for Christians around the world so that they can take up

the battle armor of God to resist the devil's attacks for the purpose of victoriously

leading people to Christ Jesus.

No matter how challenging the times get, we must remember to be constantly alert

as we persevere in prayer for the saints in Christ.

So far, Paul had been giving instructions to the Ephesians and to us about how

to use the armor of God and stand firm against the attacks of Satan and his evil forces.

Now we see that Paul changes from giving instruction to asking for a prayer request.

Paul's request was an example of what a biblical prayer request should be.

Ephesians 6, verse 19-20 As well as on my behalf,

Ephesians 6:19–20

that words be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness

the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains,

so that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

I want you to remember again that Paul was in prison. and he was chained to

a Roman guard when he wrote this letter.

And if I were writing this letter, I may have been asking for prayer to get

me out of this place, to heal me from the traumatic experience or torture that I received.

Yet Paul did not pray for release or healing, but instead he asked twice for

boldness to proclaim the gospel to his guards and to all who visited him.

Moreover, in all his letters, Paul's prayer all focused on Christ being magnified

in him, and that the gospel be preached through him more boldly.

Except once, when Christ was humbling Paul with a thorn in the flesh so that

Paul would not share his vision of heaven,

and also when Paul prayed for the lives of the Roman soldiers and sailors when

the ship wrecked when taking Paul to Rome to stand trial before Caesar.

I say this because as well as being Paul's prayer request for boldness to share

the gospel, Verses 19-20 are an excellent example of a prayer of a godly saint of God.

Right now, Iranian Christians are under severe attack for their faith in Christ,

and they have to hide to stay somewhat safe.

However, the prayers coming out of Iran that have been recorded are not so much

for rescue or a stop to the suffering, but they are largely for the gospel to

transform the nation, to salvation in Jesus Christ.

According to an Iranian believer named Ziba, who was interviewed by Open Doors,

we want to bring truth and hope to our nation.

Please pray that God shows us how to love our community with the hope of Jesus.

Back in Ephesians 6, verse 19-20, Paul's request for boldness to preach the

Ephesians 6:19–20

gospel also shows us something of the character of Paul.

In his human frailties, Paul may have been scared to share the gospel to the

elite Praetorian guard. knowing that the consequences could have been torture and death.

And yet Paul's request also showed that he did not rely on his own strength

and power and wisdom, but on God's, as he asked for others to pray to God on his behalf.

Paul's request also showed a deep trust in the power of other Christians' prayers to God.

One of the reasons why I believe God puts prayers like Paul into the Bible is

to give us an example of what it means to pray in a way that is effective in

moving God so that he will act on behalf of his church and future believers

against Satan's evil attacks.

Praying for provision and healing and deliverance can be helpful,

yet it is essential that we view prayer as the powerful spiritual weapon that

it is so that we can take the battle to the enemy instead of being on the defensive.

I want to encourage you today to surrender to God, to change our perspective

on prayer, to be focused less on ourselves and on human issues,

to more on Christ and on the war that is going on in the spiritual realm.

There are three key truths that God through Paul has been teaching us in Ephesians chapter 6 today.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

The first main truth that we've been taught is that the main offensive weapon

of God's armor that we are to pick up and use is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Secondly, as Christians, we, you and I, are to be continually on the alert and

persevere to pray for all the saints of Christ.

And lastly, Paul's prayer request for boldness to share the gospel is an excellent

example of a godly prayer for us to imitate in our own prayer life.

We are in a war, my friends.

Yet there is much hardship, addiction, and sorrow, misplaced hope.

But we have the hope of Christ and the power of God on our side.

God has given us armor and weapons to use that are effective at overcoming Satan's plan.

More importantly, God is with us, and He is in us to bring the attack to the enemy.

Let us together, as one body in Christ, use God's armor for the glory of God. Let's pray.

Oh, Heavenly Father, we are so grateful. Grateful for you, precious God.

Use us. May you speak through us.

May you live your life through us as we trust you in faith.

Lord, we thank you for this awesome opportunity to hear from you.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

I'll leave you with this blessing from Hebrews 13, verse 20-21.

Hebrews 13:20–21

Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,

the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

may He equip you with everything good that you may do His will,

working in us that which is pleasing in His sight,

through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and forever and ever. Amen.

Have a wonderful Sunday. May the Lord bless you all.