Drip 6
Drip • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
This is the final week in our series called Drip
It’s where we have been looking at the uniform of the Kingdom Citizen
Where we look what we, as believers, are called to wear so we can survive this cruel world
It’s also where we have taken a look at the different articles of clothing that people wear in every day life
We have looked at why baseball players and wrestlers wear those uniforms
We talked about the clothing of a bank robber
The shoes of a skateboarder
We talked about hardhats and helmets
Well today I want to talk about some of the weapons people bring with them
Pepper spray: I personally believe that every woman should have pepper spray on their key chain. It’s non-lethal, but packs a painful punch
Taser: This will put an enemy down faster than you can say “don’t tase me bro”
Brass knuckles: Allows you to hit people and leave a mark. Kasey had a pair on her key chain that she carried with her everywhere while at State
All of these weapons are meant to protect you
Yes they are offensive, but they are meant to protect the body in times of conflict
Well Paul tells us all that there is conflict abounding
That you are in a war
The War
The War
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.
Paul tells us that we are in a war
He makes that very clear. And the enemy isn’t people, but it’s Satan
He is orchestrating everything trying to pull us away from God
Trying to keep us in sin, and keeping us away from helping others
Listen to how Peter describes him
8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.
He’s a roaring lion seeking to devour us
So to protect against Satan and this war, Paul tells us to put on the armor
Today we are looking at the last piece of that armor
This is also consequently the only piece of armor that is a weapon
It’s the only one that is meant to be used on the offense
The Sword
The Sword
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Remember Paul is in jail, looking at the Roman soldier’s armor and modeling each piece after their armor
The sword the Roman soldier’s used was called a Gladius
The sword was formidable when it came to slashing an opponent, but it also came to a point that allowed it to be able to be a powerful thrusting weapon
It was sharp on both sides of the sword, and was only 2-3 feet in length, so they could easily use it one handed
It was known throughout all of human history as one of the strongest weapons to ever be wielded.
This is the example Paul is saying the Word of God is to us
The Bible is meant to be like our Gladius
Listen to how the author of Hebrews describes the Bible
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
The Author says that the Bible - the literal words of God - is alive, and that it pierces the soul
Here’s the deal though - we can talk about how the Bible is a sword, and how it is sharp
But if you don’t know how to operate a sword it doesn’t matter
What made the Gladius such a formidable weapon for the Roman soldiers wasn’t the sword, but the way they used it
There was bow and arrows back then, there was spears, there was swords much bigger than the Gladius
What made it so powerful was the way the Roman soldiers used the sword
The Roman Gladius was most effective used in formation behind the protection of a Roman shield wall.
The soldiers would interlock their shields giving their opponents virtually no target to strike.
They would thrust beside or over the shields cutting down their enemies while the formation advanced.
They were trained to take every opportunity and attack every exposed target even if that meant cutting the legs of their opponents from underneath their own shields.
The same is true today when it comes to the Bible
It’s a powerful weapon but if you aren’t using it, right, you’ll end hurting yourself, and others
So I want you to leave here being trained to use the sword, so that you can best be equipped to stand firm as Paul said
The Who
The Who
If we are to use the sword properly the first question is: who are we using the sword on?
Satan, sin, and self
The Sword is meant to do combat with three things: Satan, sin, and self
Satan
Satan
Listen to how Jesus used Scripture against Satan:
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
Satan attacked Jesus in the wilderness - tempting Him into sin
How did Jesus respond?
He used the Sword of the Spirit - and went against all of the Devils lies with the truth of God
Every time Satan tempted Him - He used the Word to go against it
Sin
Sin
When it comes to our sin we must remember what the Word says about our sins
If you struggle with constantly worry the Word tells us that the Father takes care of us and supplies all our needs
If you struggle with self worth the Bible tells us how we are more valuable than diamonds. That God created us in His image and knows us
If you struggle with lust the Word tells us that if we cry out to God He will be with us and give us strength to flee the temptation
No matter what sin you struggle with the Bible tells us that Jesus has forgiven it, and is offering us forgiveness
Self
Self
The last thing the Bible is meant to attack is self
We are meant to use the Bible to die to our self
Listen to the language Paul uses
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
If you love God, and surrendered to Jesus this is what God is telling you
The old you - it’s hanging on that cross
It’s dead and gone
You are a new creation called to live for God and not for self
6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
We are called to kill our pride and seek Jesus - you’ve probably heard that
But it also means we are meant to kill our thoughts, the ones that make us feel like we are not worthy of God
The ones that make us think we are the worst people in the world
The ones that lead us to fall into destructive habits and sin
We are to keep a hold on our thoughts and emotions
7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
Jesus will guard our hearts and our minds - if we focus on Him and allow Him to
It is what we are focusing on
The truth
About ourselves and God
Things worthy of respect
Things that are just or righteous
Things that are pure
Things lovely
Things worthy of being celebrated
The sword is meant to attack Satan and keep Him away
The sword is meant to attack
Sin and give us confidence to flee it
The sword is meant to attack self - both our pride and our thoughts
How
How
The second question you should ask then is how do I use it?
There is a lot of different ways, but here is three simple ways:
Read it, Study it, Memorize it
You should be reading it, studying it, and memorizing it
Read
Read
You should be reading your Bible every day
It doesn’t matter if you wake up early in the morning, or read it right before you go to bed, you should be getting in the Word every day!
This will allow you to take those dark thoughts captive
It will allow you to stay in connection with the Lord which will subsequently keep you from Satan
You need to interact with the Word every day
You can’t master something if you don’t practice
You can’t master using the Sword of the Spirit if you don’t open it!
Study
Study
The second thing you need to do is study the Word
This is different than just reading the Bible
Studying is seeking to fully understand everything that God is saying in that section
It’s take the Bible and chewing on small parts, looking up words, looking up meanings
It’s taking notes and asking questions
It’s looking up commentaries on the passage so you can understand it
To use the Sword properly you need to Study it
You have to understand it
Memorize
Memorize
The last thing you need to do is memorize it
You need to memorize the Word so that you can recall it when you are being attacked
Think about Jesus when Satan was tempting Him
He didn’t say “please wait here and let me grab my scrolls and search for an answer”
Instead he spouted out the verse that went against what Satan was attacking him with
Memorizing the Word can sound daunting at first, but it is maybe the single most powerful thing you can do to attack Satan, sin, and self
11 In my heart I store up your words,
so I might not sin against you.
We must memorize Scripture so we can stand firm
Conclusion
Conclusion
The armor of God is all meant to be used in unison
You need to use and have each piece if you are going to stand firm in the war that you are a part of
If there is one chink in your armor, Satan will pounce
So put on your armor
Read, study, and memorize the Word and you’ll be able to stand firm