Warrior - Battle REady
We are in week eight of our Warrior: Spiritual Warfare series, and today, we are talking about the Helmet and the Sword. I don’t have any experience wielding a sword, but I once had a beautiful pocket knife. A Case XX, with a wooden handle and pearl swirl. It was so sharp I could cut the hair off my arm… I showed it off every chance I got. And one day in 9th grade, I showed it to the wrong person. Shawn—the biggest, meanest guy in school. Shawn was six-foot-four, nearly three hundred pounds, and at the time, I weighed about 120 pounds soaking wet. I showed him my knife, and he took it. Put it in his pocket and walked away. And there was nothing I could do about it! Just like that, my knife was gone.
One year later, during history class, he turned around and teased me by showing me my own knife! He had the knife opened, I reached for it, and as I pulled it back, I sliced his thumb from the center tip down to the knuckle. The side of his thumb flopped like a piece of bacon. Shawn did.not.even.flinch. He turned to face the front of the class, tore off the tail of his shirt, wrapped it around his bleeding thumb, and looked back at me.
Without a word, I gave my knife back to him.
He left class, went to the office, then drove to a small clinic near the school. Two hours later, the intercom buzzed, and the office asked me to come to the office. The clinic that Shawn drove to had called the school and relayed that Shawn had left the clinic and he said he was coming back to the school to kill me. The office staff barricaded me in a small room, pushed a desk up against the door, and the reception lady and I waited for his return. Even though there was a desk and a door, I felt defenseless, helpless, and vulnerable.
Many of us know what it feels like to feel vulnerable to something bigger and stronger than we are. And sometimes, when we talk about Spiritual Warfare, followers of Jesus feel vulnerable and exposed to the strategies of the devil. We live in fear, waiting for the next shoe to drop, rather than living with a sense of purpose and mission. That is why we have spent so much time on this passage from Ephesians.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you cannot afford to feel vulnerable, because you certainly are not unarmed. As followers of Jesus, we never know when the enemy is going to attack, so we must always be ready for the battle. Once again, let’s read how God has equipped us to be engaged in spiritual battles.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT2)
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, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. 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. 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.
A soldier can survive wounds to other parts of the body, but if the head is struck, the battle is over. The helmet protected the head, the place where decisions were made, where strategies were formed, and where every command was processed. A soldier without a helmet was a soldier vulnerable to instant defeat. Paul chose this imagery intentionally…because…
SALVATION TRANSFORMS AND PROTECTS YOUR MIND
(Romans 12:2, Isaiah 26:3)
The primary battleground for followers of Jesus is the mind. If the devil can strike a fatal wound to your thoughts…if he can shape how you see yourself…if he can shape how you see God…if he can shape how you think God works…Then, he has already won the battle.
In other words, if you see yourself as “worthless,” you will never be engaged in a spiritual battle worthy of putting on the spiritual armor. A person who believes he is already defeated will not even attempt to go into battle – because he believes he will be defeated. But if you are a follower of Jesus, and you understand you are a co-heir with Christ. If you understand, you belong to God’s family. If you understand the Spirit of God lives in you…And you understand that the Devil has been stripped of his power, and all he has left is his bag of lies…then there is nothing on this planet that can prevent you from living a victorious life through Jesus Christ.
When we become a follower of Jesus, we are born again and given a new way of thinking, a new perspective, a new identity. That is why Paul calls salvation a helmet—because it protects the way we think, the way we make decisions, and the way we respond to attacks. The devil knows that if he can influence your thoughts, he can control your life. His fiery arrows—distraction, deception, and fear—are aimed at your mind. That is why his first attack is always against your thoughts. If he can make you doubt God's Word, question God's goodness, or believe lies about yourself, he does not even have to fight you—he can make you fight yourself.
Romans 12:2 (NLT2)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
When you trust Christ as your Savior, you are given the ability to see life through the lens of truth instead of lies, faith instead of fear, and clarity instead of confusion. A mind transformed by salvation is not shaken by fear, not controlled by doubt, not consumed by distraction. It is secure. So the question is, are you wearing your helmet? Are you allowing salvation to shape your thinking, or are you letting the enemy have free access to your mind? Are you going into battle with your mind protected, or are you leaving your mind exposed to the devil's attacks?
And, we protect our mind with our Shield of Faith (God is who he says he is, and He will do what he says He will do) and with the one weapon he provides, the Sword of the Word of God.
And, it is important to understand that…
THE WORD OF GOD IS A WEAPON, NOT A DECORATION, DESIGNED TO CUT YOU
(Hebrews 4:12)
For many, the Bible is just a religious decoration. It sits on a shelf, untouched. It’s displayed on a coffee table, collecting dust. Some people even carry it under their arm every Sunday, but never actually open it. They treat it like a lucky charm, as if having a Bible in their home brings some kind of spiritual protection.
Yet, Paul calls the Bible a sword—not a relic, not a decoration, not a sentimental keepsake. A sword is a tool, meant for battle, and meant to inflict harm. But, what makes this sword unique—what makes it unlike any other weapon—is that it is not a weapon to use against someone else. It is a weapon God uses against me. Listen to how the author of Hebrews describes the Word of God:
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT2)
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.
God’s Word cuts through me before it can ever cut through anything else. It exposes my heart. It reveals my sin. It convicts me long before I can even think about using it against someone else. The danger is that many followers of Jesus want to swing the sword at others while never allowing it to cut them first. They want to use the Bible to judge other people’s sin but ignore their own. They want to quote scripture to condemn someone else’s choices but refuse to let it challenge their own heart. They want to wield the Bible as a weapon against the world while avoiding the way it cuts them open and exposes their own brokenness.
That is not how this weapon works.
Jesus did not give us His Word so that we could win arguments. He gave us His Word so that we could die to ourselves. He gave us the Word, to cut us deep and to go to battle against the sinful person we used to be.
1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
God isn’t as concerned about other people. He is concerned about your personal relationship with God and how you represent him to the broken world around us. He is concerned about your desires, your lusts, your cravings, your pride, your heart more than he is with those around you. If every follower of Jesus were convinced of this perspective, we would see radical change and transformation happening across the planet.
The role of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction to the world. The role of the Word of God is to bring conviction to me. It is not your job to walk around pointing out the sins of unbelievers.
The Bible is a weapon, but it is not a weapon for me to attack others with. It is a weapon that keeps me humble. It is a weapon that keeps me repentant. It is a weapon that keeps me following Jesus. It is our job to make sure we each are reading the Word, applying the Word, and allowing it to shape us into the image of Jesus. To whittle us into the shape of Jesus with the purpose to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
SINCE WE HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED, WE STAY FOCUSED ON THE MISSION
(Romans 10:14-15, Acts 1:8)
If God has transformed us—if we are wearing the helmet of salvation and his Word is cutting us and whittling us into the image of Jesus – then – the mission of Jesus becomes our mission too. The moment we surrender our life to Jesus, we are drafted into His Army, and we are sent out on His mission. The same grace that saved us now sends us to save others.
When Paul was writing to the Roman church about inviting other people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, he asked this about those who had not yet surrendered:
Romans 10:14-15 (NLT2)
But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Once again, look down at your feet! You are wearing Shoes of Peace, to move forward, crush the enemy, and to bring the hope of Jesus to other people. This is not someone else’s job. This is our mission. God did not save us so that we could keep this good news to ourselves. He saved us, changed us, and equipped us so that we could bring the message of salvation to the people around us. And, the MOST effective way you can bring the good news of Jesus is to invite people you interact with to worship with you at church.
The enemy will try to convince you that inviting people to church does not matter, that it is not your responsibility and that someone else will do it. Don’t listen to his lies! The Lord has equipped you to advance into enemy territory and take back the territory that the enemy has stolen. You have the armor of God on the outside, and you have the Spirit of God on the inside.
When Jesus left his mission in the hands of his followers, he said:
Acts 1:8 (NLT2)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to advance His mission. And as a church, we are stepping into a brand-new season of reaching people.
On Easter weekend, we are launching Saturday Night Worship. We are creating another opportunity for people to hear about Jesus. We need to invite people to experience the life-changing love of Jesus on Saturday nights.
So today, we are providing you with invite cards: On one side, they invite people to our Easter Services. On the other side, they invite people to our brand-new Saturday Night Worship Experience. So, take a bundle. Pass them out. Be intentional. Hand one to your server at lunch. Give one to a coworker. Leave one at the gym. Share one with a neighbor.
Do not assume that someone else will do it. Do not let the enemy distract you from this mission. If we believe Jesus changes lives, then we should be doing everything we can to bring people into a culture where they can experience Him. There are people in our city—your friends, your family, your coworkers—who are one invitation away from meeting Jesus.
So let’s stay focused. Let’s advance the mission. Let’s invite, let’s share, let’s be followers of Jesus who lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.