The Battlefield part 4
The Armor of God
- Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT) 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore(because of this), put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil( when Satan comes to annoy and tempt you). Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness(Breastplate of Righteousness) 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet,and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
- So far we have covered the belt of truth, the breastplate of Righteousness, the shoes of the peace of the gospel and the shield of faith.
Helmet of Salvation
17 Put on salvation as your helmet
- 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NLT) 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
- We have Confidence in our Salvation now!
- Something happen on the inside of us!
- We realize we were being held hostage in our minds by the devil. We were incarcerated, locked up, and caged in our minds, held like slaves, prisoners, or detainees who were under arrest and lived at the mercy of the devil.
- But Christ has paid the bail bondsman, he has served our sentence for us and that sentence was death.
- I love saying that, because it is our Redemption Story
- This gives us Confidence now!
- We also have Confidence in a future hope.
- 1 Cor. 15
- Remember we are talking about the helmet of salvation.
- Philippians 2:12 (NLT) 12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your “salvation”, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
- Work hard – to perform, accomplish, achieve, To fashion – to walk out our Salvation.
- 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
- The Helmet of Salvation…. What does this look like in our everyday life?
- We will be a confident Christian who is being led by the Holy Spirit to walk out our Salvation and is always ready to share the hope we have in Christ Jesus through the word and our testimony.(redemption story).
- Is this you?
Sword of the Spirit
- Ephesians 6:17 (NLT) 17 and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- Two ways we get the word. “Bible”
- John 14:15-17 (NLT) 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
- The Truth will set us free. “From Lies and assumptions”.
- Sometimes we assume things and speak it like its the truth.
- Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT) 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
- It cuts through all the deficiencies the garbage, the Pride, addictions, bitterness.
- Some people talk a good talk “the pretenders” but eventually the motives of their heart will be exposed.
- Proverbs 4:20-23 (NLT) 20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. 21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. 23 Guard your heart “and mind” above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
- Satan wants to take your life, but God wants to give you life.
- Being equipped with knowledge and understanding of the truth, through the bible and through the leadership of the holy spirit. Making the necessary adjustments in our life when the sword of the Spirit expose’s deficiencies in our life. So we are able to stand for the Truth with confidence and share it with others.
Lets go over the summations of the pieces of the armor
- We are gonna make a po-boy.
- Think about yourself “evaluate” yourself.
- The Belt of Truth – The word of God – Jesus the bread of life.
- Two ways we get Gods Word!
- Being Equiped with knowledge and understanding of the truth, through the bible and through the leadership of the holy spirit so we are able to stand for the Truth with confidence so we can share it with others effectively.
- The Breastplate of Righteousness.
- Being Righteous (or in right standings with God) we accomplished this through reading our Bible and allowing The Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth. Obeying that truth by going where he wants us to go, doing what he wants us to do and saying what he wants us to say. The Key to Righteousness is obedience.
- The Shoes of The Gospel of Peace
- We will show compassion and always be ready to share The Peace of The Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever the Holy Spirit leads our shoes (feet) to go.
- The Shield of Faith
- Trusting what is written in the Bible and what the Holy Spirit speaks to us. When we truly have faith it will produce good works in our life and because of this our faith will be complete.
- The Helmet of Salvation
- We will be a confident and passionate Christian who is being led by the Holy Spirit and is always ready to share the hope we have in Christ Jesus through the word and our testimony.(redemption story).
- The Sword of The Spirit. “Gods Word” (The Bread of Life)
- Two ways we get Gods Word!
- Being equipped with knowledge and understanding of the truth, through the bible and through the leadership of the holy spirit. When the sword of the Spirit expose’s deficiencies in our life, we make the necessary adjustments so we are able to stand for the Truth with confidence and share it with others.
- The Word “The bread”holds everything together.
- You may not be able to qoute many scriptures, or tell people where they are located in the bible.
- Our speech and actions should be seasoned and dressed with the words of God.
- Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
- Do we speak about God and in the same sentence use profanity or speak negativity and doubt.
- Gossip.
- Theres more scriptures about the armor….
- Romans 13:14 (NLT) 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
- Take those thoughts captive! “Don’t entertain those thoughts”
- Galatians 3:27 (NLT) 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
- John Baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 4:24 (NLT) 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
- Colossians 3:10 (NLT)10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
- Being Transformed more like our creator.
- Romans 13:12 (NLT) 12 The night(sinful nature) is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds (sinful nature) like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.
- James 4:17 (ESV) 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
