Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "evil-one"
Shields and Fire Extinguishers – Part 1
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one [Ephesians 6:16].
In my humble opinion, one of the best historical movies of all time has to be Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart”. It doesn’t get any better than this. Gibson is astounding in his portrayal of the Scot William Wallace.
The timeline is the late 1200s A.D. in Scotland. England to the south is ruled by King Edward I. King Eddie marched into Scotland and conquered the land. He proceeded to dole out portions of the real estate to his nobles. That way they were obliged to him and he strengthened his hold on the throne.
A vulgar legal manipulation allowed for the English nobles in Scotland to violate the sanctity of the marriage bed, in direct violation of the Word of God. According to this law, any Scottish lass who got married in a noble’s domain belonged to the ruling noble on her wedding night. The noble was legally entitled to steal her virginity. Her husband was powerless to say no to the sordid ordeal.
Understandably, this didn’t sit too well with the Scottish folk. Some of the Scottish elders met in secret and decided that war with England was unavoidable. William Wallace was but a small boy at the time, so he didn’t participate. His father did though, and he and the entire family paid for it with their lives, William alone excepted.
When he grew up, William returned to his family property. He had been staying with relatives who raised him. At the family farm he met his childhood girlfriend, and soon they married. Alas, but the infamous sordid legal maneuver was set in motion by the reigning noble of the area, who insisted on having William Wallace’s bride for himself on the wedding night.
The village folk sided with William and attacked the noble’s compound. In the end William’s bride was killed and William became the military genius of a marauding guerrilla group of Scottish rebels. Whereas William covered his face with blue coloring and was highly successful against the English troops, he acquired the name “Braveheart”, an epithet endearing to the hearts of his fellow Scots who loved his sacrifice on their behalf.
I was reminded of this movie when I read the Bible verse for today. The warfare of that period employed flaming arrows and shields in the battle strategy. One scene in “Braveheart” had the opposing armies (English vs. Scots) on the open battlefield. The archers were behind the foot soldiers, who formed the vanguard.
To loosen up the opposing army and prepare the way for the foot soldiers, the archers shot their flaming arrows over the heads of the foot soldiers smack dab into the center of the opposing army. As a counter measure against these flaming arrows dropping from the sky onto their heads, the opposing army situated their shields above their heads like umbrellas.
We will continue with the Bible verse in our next study. For now we would be blessed to go to Jesus. He is calling us to come apart with Him for a while. See you on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In my humble opinion, one of the best historical movies of all time has to be Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart”. It doesn’t get any better than this. Gibson is astounding in his portrayal of the Scot William Wallace.
The timeline is the late 1200s A.D. in Scotland. England to the south is ruled by King Edward I. King Eddie marched into Scotland and conquered the land. He proceeded to dole out portions of the real estate to his nobles. That way they were obliged to him and he strengthened his hold on the throne.
A vulgar legal manipulation allowed for the English nobles in Scotland to violate the sanctity of the marriage bed, in direct violation of the Word of God. According to this law, any Scottish lass who got married in a noble’s domain belonged to the ruling noble on her wedding night. The noble was legally entitled to steal her virginity. Her husband was powerless to say no to the sordid ordeal.
Understandably, this didn’t sit too well with the Scottish folk. Some of the Scottish elders met in secret and decided that war with England was unavoidable. William Wallace was but a small boy at the time, so he didn’t participate. His father did though, and he and the entire family paid for it with their lives, William alone excepted.
When he grew up, William returned to his family property. He had been staying with relatives who raised him. At the family farm he met his childhood girlfriend, and soon they married. Alas, but the infamous sordid legal maneuver was set in motion by the reigning noble of the area, who insisted on having William Wallace’s bride for himself on the wedding night.
The village folk sided with William and attacked the noble’s compound. In the end William’s bride was killed and William became the military genius of a marauding guerrilla group of Scottish rebels. Whereas William covered his face with blue coloring and was highly successful against the English troops, he acquired the name “Braveheart”, an epithet endearing to the hearts of his fellow Scots who loved his sacrifice on their behalf.
I was reminded of this movie when I read the Bible verse for today. The warfare of that period employed flaming arrows and shields in the battle strategy. One scene in “Braveheart” had the opposing armies (English vs. Scots) on the open battlefield. The archers were behind the foot soldiers, who formed the vanguard.
To loosen up the opposing army and prepare the way for the foot soldiers, the archers shot their flaming arrows over the heads of the foot soldiers smack dab into the center of the opposing army. As a counter measure against these flaming arrows dropping from the sky onto their heads, the opposing army situated their shields above their heads like umbrellas.
We will continue with the Bible verse in our next study. For now we would be blessed to go to Jesus. He is calling us to come apart with Him for a while. See you on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Shields and Fire Extinguishers – Part 2
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one [Ephesians 6:16].
In our last study we presented a brief synopsis of the movie “Braveheart”, starring Mel Gibson. We noted how the method of warfare back in the day, circa 1280 A.D., included flaming arrows and shields.
Now if you would, read the Bible verse once more. Does that not remind you of the military skirmish I just depicted from “Braveheart”? So you see why I was reminded of the movie, and why I shared this information with you.
The Apostle Paul employed the imagery of the Roman legionnaire in his armor, as he prepared to defend his beloved city of Rome or to conquer other lands for glory and honor. In doing so Paul followed the approach used throughout Scripture by the Holy Spirit. He employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
The visible physical realities in Paul’s case were the Roman legionnaire and his pieces of armor. This also included the act of physical warfare. The invisible physical realities included spiritual warfare, and each piece of armor typified an aspect of invisible spiritual truth in conducting spiritual warfare.
We’ve already considered three of the pieces of armor and learned their spiritual counterpart. All of the armor together pointed to the Word of God as the Christian’s defense against the wiles of the devil. We cannot withstand the devil’s assaults, much less oppose him by open assault against his forces, apart from the Word of God.
The belt of truth was noted first. The Word of God is truth. It keeps the Christian from stumbling over his own feet. It removes the entanglements which lead us to fall.
The breastplate of righteousness was second. Our hearts can hold up against the devil’s assaults because we don’t stand on the basis of our own righteousness. We stand on the basis of being “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”. Satan can never penetrate that piece of armor.
The third piece of armor was known as the shoes of peace. Satan cannot cause us to doubt and faint, once we fasten our hearts and minds onto the fact that we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. This leads us to enjoy “the peace of God which passes all understanding”. Satan simply loses every time.
Today’s Bible verse furnishes us with the fourth piece of armor for the Christian to put on, before he goes out to conduct spiritual warfare in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. This piece of armor is “the shield of faith”. We use it “to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”.
This particular piece of armor is good stuff, dear friends. We will expatiate on it in our next study. Let’s visit the prayer closet at this time and converse with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
In our last study we presented a brief synopsis of the movie “Braveheart”, starring Mel Gibson. We noted how the method of warfare back in the day, circa 1280 A.D., included flaming arrows and shields.
Now if you would, read the Bible verse once more. Does that not remind you of the military skirmish I just depicted from “Braveheart”? So you see why I was reminded of the movie, and why I shared this information with you.
The Apostle Paul employed the imagery of the Roman legionnaire in his armor, as he prepared to defend his beloved city of Rome or to conquer other lands for glory and honor. In doing so Paul followed the approach used throughout Scripture by the Holy Spirit. He employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
The visible physical realities in Paul’s case were the Roman legionnaire and his pieces of armor. This also included the act of physical warfare. The invisible physical realities included spiritual warfare, and each piece of armor typified an aspect of invisible spiritual truth in conducting spiritual warfare.
We’ve already considered three of the pieces of armor and learned their spiritual counterpart. All of the armor together pointed to the Word of God as the Christian’s defense against the wiles of the devil. We cannot withstand the devil’s assaults, much less oppose him by open assault against his forces, apart from the Word of God.
The belt of truth was noted first. The Word of God is truth. It keeps the Christian from stumbling over his own feet. It removes the entanglements which lead us to fall.
The breastplate of righteousness was second. Our hearts can hold up against the devil’s assaults because we don’t stand on the basis of our own righteousness. We stand on the basis of being “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”. Satan can never penetrate that piece of armor.
The third piece of armor was known as the shoes of peace. Satan cannot cause us to doubt and faint, once we fasten our hearts and minds onto the fact that we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. This leads us to enjoy “the peace of God which passes all understanding”. Satan simply loses every time.
Today’s Bible verse furnishes us with the fourth piece of armor for the Christian to put on, before he goes out to conduct spiritual warfare in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. This piece of armor is “the shield of faith”. We use it “to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”.
This particular piece of armor is good stuff, dear friends. We will expatiate on it in our next study. Let’s visit the prayer closet at this time and converse with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Categories: Church Age
Shields and Fire Extinguishers – Part 3
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one [Ephesians 6:16].
So there were the English foot soldiers on one end of the battlefield, and the Scots on the other. The calvary flanked the English foot soldiers, while the archers gathered behind them. Suddenly the flaming arrows were released from the bowstrings and the sky took on the appearance of huge fire flies in the night.
Without hesitation the Scots raised their shields above their heads, forming a solid canopy to shield the soldiers from the arrows. The assault of the English archers had been repelled by the shields of war in the hands of the Scot soldiers.
So is it with the Christian in repelling Satan’s assaults. We have this fine piece of armor given us by our Lord. It is called “the shield of faith”, and it functions in a most simplistic manner.
“Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ” (cf., Romans 10:17). Faith is defined as taking the Lord at His Word and conducting ourselves accordingly. God speaks to the Christian by means of the Bible, as the Holy Spirit interprets it to him.
The Christian receives his marching orders and does what again? Maybe he goes to the movies and ignores his marching orders? Uh, I hope not! Oh, then perhaps he goes to prayer and argues with the Lord about it? That would be a “No!” The child of God responds to his marching orders by OBEYING his marching orders! That is known as faith in marching boots.
Let’s envision this battlefield where the Christian conducts spiritual warfare. On one end is Satan and his minions, on the other the Christian under the banner of the mighty Shekinah cloud of glory.
Satan’s archers are assembled behind his foot soldiers. Satan gives the order to draw the bowstrings. Every dirty demon with a bow responds in unison. Moments pass and Satan shouts, “Shoot!” Again each and every dirty demon lets go of his bowstring, and the flaming arrows fill the sky.
On the other end of the battlefield is the Christian. He stares across the field at all the “giants” in the land, at all the hoards of demon dogs assembled against him. On his end of the field he stands alone, like Elijah on Mt. Carmel against the 850 false prophets of Ahab and Jezebel.
Fortunate it is for this solitary Christian that the Lord is on his side. He need not fear. What can man—or demonic hosts—do to him? He looks up to see countless flames of fire zooming through the sky, making a beeline for his vital parts. There are countless different fires involved. Let’s enumerate some of them, shall we?
1. he had a wrong thought
2. he was less than enthused in serving his Lord
3. he failed to obey one of his Lord’s orders
4. he did something his Lord forbade him to do
5. he lied
6. he cursed
7. he lusted
Well, we could go on interminably, but seven is a good number for Bible purposes. So let us cease at seven types of flaming arrows which the evil one enjoys shooting at soldiers in the Lord’s army.
Not only will we cease at seven flaming arrows, but we will cease this study. The night is coming on. The shadows are lengthening. We must needs pitch our tents and have our quiet time with the Lord, before it gets any later. We will finish this topic in our next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
So there were the English foot soldiers on one end of the battlefield, and the Scots on the other. The calvary flanked the English foot soldiers, while the archers gathered behind them. Suddenly the flaming arrows were released from the bowstrings and the sky took on the appearance of huge fire flies in the night.
Without hesitation the Scots raised their shields above their heads, forming a solid canopy to shield the soldiers from the arrows. The assault of the English archers had been repelled by the shields of war in the hands of the Scot soldiers.
So is it with the Christian in repelling Satan’s assaults. We have this fine piece of armor given us by our Lord. It is called “the shield of faith”, and it functions in a most simplistic manner.
“Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ” (cf., Romans 10:17). Faith is defined as taking the Lord at His Word and conducting ourselves accordingly. God speaks to the Christian by means of the Bible, as the Holy Spirit interprets it to him.
The Christian receives his marching orders and does what again? Maybe he goes to the movies and ignores his marching orders? Uh, I hope not! Oh, then perhaps he goes to prayer and argues with the Lord about it? That would be a “No!” The child of God responds to his marching orders by OBEYING his marching orders! That is known as faith in marching boots.
Let’s envision this battlefield where the Christian conducts spiritual warfare. On one end is Satan and his minions, on the other the Christian under the banner of the mighty Shekinah cloud of glory.
Satan’s archers are assembled behind his foot soldiers. Satan gives the order to draw the bowstrings. Every dirty demon with a bow responds in unison. Moments pass and Satan shouts, “Shoot!” Again each and every dirty demon lets go of his bowstring, and the flaming arrows fill the sky.
On the other end of the battlefield is the Christian. He stares across the field at all the “giants” in the land, at all the hoards of demon dogs assembled against him. On his end of the field he stands alone, like Elijah on Mt. Carmel against the 850 false prophets of Ahab and Jezebel.
Fortunate it is for this solitary Christian that the Lord is on his side. He need not fear. What can man—or demonic hosts—do to him? He looks up to see countless flames of fire zooming through the sky, making a beeline for his vital parts. There are countless different fires involved. Let’s enumerate some of them, shall we?
1. he had a wrong thought
2. he was less than enthused in serving his Lord
3. he failed to obey one of his Lord’s orders
4. he did something his Lord forbade him to do
5. he lied
6. he cursed
7. he lusted
Well, we could go on interminably, but seven is a good number for Bible purposes. So let us cease at seven types of flaming arrows which the evil one enjoys shooting at soldiers in the Lord’s army.
Not only will we cease at seven flaming arrows, but we will cease this study. The night is coming on. The shadows are lengthening. We must needs pitch our tents and have our quiet time with the Lord, before it gets any later. We will finish this topic in our next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Shields and Fire Extinguishers – Part 4
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one [Ephesians 6:16].
In our last study we enumerated seven examples of Satan’s flaming arrows, each of which gives him such enjoyment to shoot at the Christian soldier on the battlefield of spiritual warfare. If even one of those arrows should find its mark, it could prove critical to the Christian soldier’s spiritual vitality, rendering him useless in his Lord’s service. And on that battlefield the sky is filled with them! Oh, dear. What to do?
Well, that is where the Word of God comes in, dear friends. Remember, every piece of armor points us to some aspect of the Word of God and the Christian’s relationship with God’s Word.
In order to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”, what is it again that the Lord furnishes to the Christian? Is he to panic and cry hysterically? No way. Is he to hightail it outta there in precipitous flight? That would be a no. Ah, now I remember. He is to obey the Word of God.
So, then, what does the Word of God instruct the Christian to do, in order to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”? The answer is…is…is…“take up the shield of faith”. Again, “faith” is defined as believing the Word of God and conducting oneself accordingly. Let’s consider how this works itself out on the battlefield of spiritual warfare.
One flaming arrow accuses the saint of having sinned. Ergo, he’s not really a saint at all. He’s still the same old sinner. The saint’s response of faith to this charge goes something like this:
Yes, the old sinner still exists in me, and he did get the upper hand on that occasion. But I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus, and He is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He can do this, Satan, because the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses me from all sin. So begone with you, Satan!
We could go through the other six flaming arrows of Satan’s accusations against the saint on that battlefield, and we could enunciate the saint’s answer from the Word of God for each one. But it would be good exercise for each person to do this for himself. The investment of time will earn valuable spiritual returns for us.
With that we will bring this study to a close. In our next study we will continue descanting on spiritual warfare and the next piece of “the full armor of God”. For now let’s sit at the feet of Jesus and ponder “the shield of faith”. It is the fire extinguisher which smothers the flaming arrows of Satan’s assaults, an invaluable weapon in the arsenal of God’s army indeed!
And isn’t that odd…a shield that is a fire extinguisher? Leave it to God to invent such a contraption! But I’m sure glad He did.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In our last study we enumerated seven examples of Satan’s flaming arrows, each of which gives him such enjoyment to shoot at the Christian soldier on the battlefield of spiritual warfare. If even one of those arrows should find its mark, it could prove critical to the Christian soldier’s spiritual vitality, rendering him useless in his Lord’s service. And on that battlefield the sky is filled with them! Oh, dear. What to do?
Well, that is where the Word of God comes in, dear friends. Remember, every piece of armor points us to some aspect of the Word of God and the Christian’s relationship with God’s Word.
In order to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”, what is it again that the Lord furnishes to the Christian? Is he to panic and cry hysterically? No way. Is he to hightail it outta there in precipitous flight? That would be a no. Ah, now I remember. He is to obey the Word of God.
So, then, what does the Word of God instruct the Christian to do, in order to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”? The answer is…is…is…“take up the shield of faith”. Again, “faith” is defined as believing the Word of God and conducting oneself accordingly. Let’s consider how this works itself out on the battlefield of spiritual warfare.
One flaming arrow accuses the saint of having sinned. Ergo, he’s not really a saint at all. He’s still the same old sinner. The saint’s response of faith to this charge goes something like this:
Yes, the old sinner still exists in me, and he did get the upper hand on that occasion. But I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus, and He is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He can do this, Satan, because the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses me from all sin. So begone with you, Satan!
We could go through the other six flaming arrows of Satan’s accusations against the saint on that battlefield, and we could enunciate the saint’s answer from the Word of God for each one. But it would be good exercise for each person to do this for himself. The investment of time will earn valuable spiritual returns for us.
With that we will bring this study to a close. In our next study we will continue descanting on spiritual warfare and the next piece of “the full armor of God”. For now let’s sit at the feet of Jesus and ponder “the shield of faith”. It is the fire extinguisher which smothers the flaming arrows of Satan’s assaults, an invaluable weapon in the arsenal of God’s army indeed!
And isn’t that odd…a shield that is a fire extinguisher? Leave it to God to invent such a contraption! But I’m sure glad He did.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Hard Hat Area - Part 1
And take the helmet of salvation [Ephesians 6:17].
One of my favorite books—well, actually two books—are Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”. The books regale both our intellect and fantasy with a farrago of memorable characters, each one well developed by the author. Not a one seems able to tire us out in the repetition of reading.
In the first-named book, two such characters function as a couple. I make reference to the Hatter and the March Hare. Another character, the Cheshire Cat, labels the both of them as “mad”. This has added credence to an elaboration of the name “Hatter” to “the Mad Hatter”.
Well, still one more character in the story, the Queen of Hearts, heard the Mad Hatter sing at her celebration. Being unable to find anything good in anyone, the Queen of Hearts barked her usual order against the Mad Hatter, “Off with his head!” His crime according to her was that he “murdered time”!
The Mad Hatter escaped with his head nonetheless, but Time retaliated by bringing himself to a halt vis-à-vis the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. This meant that, for those two characters, time stood still at 6:00 PM forever. This was tea time for the British, which is why the Mad Hatter sporadically exclaims “Tea Time!”.
We won’t analyze the story or interpret any of the characters. That is not our goal in this study. I bring up these characters, or more specifically, the Mad Hatter, because of our Bible text. The Hatter, aka the Mad Hatter, derived his name by the distinctive hat he wore.
Our Bible verse has to do with a hat too, which is why I thought of the Mad Hatter, a most famous character with respect to hats. In our Bible verse the Apostle Paul notes the fifth piece in “the full armor the God”, which the Lord furnishes the Christian for conducting spiritual warfare. Paul depicts it as “the helmet of salvation”.
No doubt you are thinking, “A helmet isn’t a hat, teacher.”
Oh, but I beg to differ. Both items are worn on the top of the head to cover the skull. A helmet is simply a hard hat used in war rather than peace time. It is meant to serve as armor which protects the vital organ known as the brain. Man would have a difficult time functioning, sans the brain.
Yikes! Time certainly hasn’t retaliated against us by standing still. We’ve run out of time today. We’ll have to wait on the morrow to arrive, to continue this analysis. Use your time wisely now. Jesus is waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
One of my favorite books—well, actually two books—are Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”. The books regale both our intellect and fantasy with a farrago of memorable characters, each one well developed by the author. Not a one seems able to tire us out in the repetition of reading.
In the first-named book, two such characters function as a couple. I make reference to the Hatter and the March Hare. Another character, the Cheshire Cat, labels the both of them as “mad”. This has added credence to an elaboration of the name “Hatter” to “the Mad Hatter”.
Well, still one more character in the story, the Queen of Hearts, heard the Mad Hatter sing at her celebration. Being unable to find anything good in anyone, the Queen of Hearts barked her usual order against the Mad Hatter, “Off with his head!” His crime according to her was that he “murdered time”!
The Mad Hatter escaped with his head nonetheless, but Time retaliated by bringing himself to a halt vis-à-vis the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. This meant that, for those two characters, time stood still at 6:00 PM forever. This was tea time for the British, which is why the Mad Hatter sporadically exclaims “Tea Time!”.
We won’t analyze the story or interpret any of the characters. That is not our goal in this study. I bring up these characters, or more specifically, the Mad Hatter, because of our Bible text. The Hatter, aka the Mad Hatter, derived his name by the distinctive hat he wore.
Our Bible verse has to do with a hat too, which is why I thought of the Mad Hatter, a most famous character with respect to hats. In our Bible verse the Apostle Paul notes the fifth piece in “the full armor the God”, which the Lord furnishes the Christian for conducting spiritual warfare. Paul depicts it as “the helmet of salvation”.
No doubt you are thinking, “A helmet isn’t a hat, teacher.”
Oh, but I beg to differ. Both items are worn on the top of the head to cover the skull. A helmet is simply a hard hat used in war rather than peace time. It is meant to serve as armor which protects the vital organ known as the brain. Man would have a difficult time functioning, sans the brain.
Yikes! Time certainly hasn’t retaliated against us by standing still. We’ve run out of time today. We’ll have to wait on the morrow to arrive, to continue this analysis. Use your time wisely now. Jesus is waiting.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Hard Hat Area - Part 2
And take the helmet of salvation [Ephesians 6:17].
Hats and helmets! Hats and helmets! How to decide which to wear? Ah, that is the question. If we’re on the sidelines during the football game, we would choose a hat, or more specifically, a cap to wear. But if we’re out in the trenches of the football field with the big uglies, well, we had best be wearing the helmet!
You see, the context determines what to wear, does it not? Yes, it does. We mustn’t forget Rule #1 for Bible study, “A text without a context is a pretext.”
If I am going to the office in a suit and tie, a helmet would be rather odd-looking on my head…unless I drove a motor cycle to work. But if I worked atop the frame of a skyscraper welding steel beams together, a baseball cap or a top hat would be out of place. In that location under those conditions a hard hat is called for.
So what is the context of Ephesians 6? Well, Paul itemizes the pieces of “the full armor of God”, to be used by the Christian in conducting spiritual warfare. Okay, then what sort of outfit is suitable for going to war? Should the soldier bedeck himself in a tuxedo and top hat? You think? Wouldn’t we expect to see him outfitted in camouflage attire with a helmet on his head? Yep, I do believe that would be the likelihood.
The Christian is to march off to conduct spiritual warfare. The fifth piece in “the full armor of God” is “the helmet of salvation”. Marching off to war with a helmet protecting the head: that seems about right.
Oh, but this is not just any old helmet. This is “the helmet of salvation” with which we have to do.
Someone is befuddled, “Huh? What in the world is ‘the helmet of salvation’? Never heard of the thing!”
And that is not surprising, kind sir, because it is a special piece of armor developed by the Lord for exclusive use by His soldiers, as they conduct spiritual warfare on His behalf. The Lord even owns the patent on this helmet. No one else can make use of it.
In order for us to get a handle on what “the helmet of salvation” consists, we would do well to press F5 and refresh the old noggin a bit. In Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
In the case of Ephesians 6 the visible physical reality is physical warfare, while its counterpart in the spiritual realm is spiritual warfare. Other visible physical realities are the pieces of armor worn by the Roman legionnaire. The spiritual counterparts to these are “the full armor of God”, as Paul enumerates them in Ephesians 6.
Oh, dear. Not again. We are out of time. We’ll have to wait another day to learn more about this matter. But we can still grow from what we’ve already devoured today. Just sit a while with Jesus and see for yourself.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Hats and helmets! Hats and helmets! How to decide which to wear? Ah, that is the question. If we’re on the sidelines during the football game, we would choose a hat, or more specifically, a cap to wear. But if we’re out in the trenches of the football field with the big uglies, well, we had best be wearing the helmet!
You see, the context determines what to wear, does it not? Yes, it does. We mustn’t forget Rule #1 for Bible study, “A text without a context is a pretext.”
If I am going to the office in a suit and tie, a helmet would be rather odd-looking on my head…unless I drove a motor cycle to work. But if I worked atop the frame of a skyscraper welding steel beams together, a baseball cap or a top hat would be out of place. In that location under those conditions a hard hat is called for.
So what is the context of Ephesians 6? Well, Paul itemizes the pieces of “the full armor of God”, to be used by the Christian in conducting spiritual warfare. Okay, then what sort of outfit is suitable for going to war? Should the soldier bedeck himself in a tuxedo and top hat? You think? Wouldn’t we expect to see him outfitted in camouflage attire with a helmet on his head? Yep, I do believe that would be the likelihood.
The Christian is to march off to conduct spiritual warfare. The fifth piece in “the full armor of God” is “the helmet of salvation”. Marching off to war with a helmet protecting the head: that seems about right.
Oh, but this is not just any old helmet. This is “the helmet of salvation” with which we have to do.
Someone is befuddled, “Huh? What in the world is ‘the helmet of salvation’? Never heard of the thing!”
And that is not surprising, kind sir, because it is a special piece of armor developed by the Lord for exclusive use by His soldiers, as they conduct spiritual warfare on His behalf. The Lord even owns the patent on this helmet. No one else can make use of it.
In order for us to get a handle on what “the helmet of salvation” consists, we would do well to press F5 and refresh the old noggin a bit. In Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
In the case of Ephesians 6 the visible physical reality is physical warfare, while its counterpart in the spiritual realm is spiritual warfare. Other visible physical realities are the pieces of armor worn by the Roman legionnaire. The spiritual counterparts to these are “the full armor of God”, as Paul enumerates them in Ephesians 6.
Oh, dear. Not again. We are out of time. We’ll have to wait another day to learn more about this matter. But we can still grow from what we’ve already devoured today. Just sit a while with Jesus and see for yourself.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Hard Hat Area - Part 3
And take the helmet of salvation [Ephesians 6:17].
Paul employed the visible physical realities of the battlefield and the Roman legionnaire’s armor, in order to teach invisible spiritual truth about spiritual warfare and the Christian’s “full armor of God”. Let’s continue to vet this matter.
So there was this Roman soldier out on the battlefield, bedecked in his several pieces of armor. For purposes of today’s study we want to take note of the helmet on his head. What useful purpose did it serve? I mean, it was uncomfortable. It couldn’t breathe so it had to be hot and itchy. Why would the soldier want to wear it anyway?
In answer all we need do is take a gander across the battlefield at the enemy troops. Some had bows with flaming arrows on the bowstrings. Without the helmet to shield his head, what would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those arrows land on the crown of his head?
And then there were all the cavalry soldiers with their lances and swords. They came galloping up, towering over the Roman soldier on the ground. When they swung their sword or jabbed their lance, the Roman soldier’s head was the first part of his body to receive the not-so-welcome blow. Without the helmet to shield his head, what would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those blows land on the crown of his head?
And let us not leave off the masses of infantry, as they attacked the Roman soldier. Each one carried a spear and a sword, all for the purpose of inflicting bodily harm to the Roman soldier. Without the helmet to shield his head, what, pray tell, would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those spears or swords hit him up side the head?
Isn’t it obvious why the helmet was considered to be part and parcel of the Roman legionnaire’s armor? The same rationale explains why the Lord included it as one of the integral pieces of “the full armor of God”.
In the Christian’s case, this helmet involves “salvation”. And that is the crux of the matter, when it comes to deciphering this piece of armor in the spiritual armory of the Christian, dear friends.
What does the word “salvation” speak of? The word “salvation” is the noun form of “saved”. We are saved by grace through faith. The word “grace” refers to a gift from God given freely, without charge. The word “faith” means that we hear the Word of God, believe what He says, and act accordingly.
The Word of God tells us how the eternal Son of God took upon humanity circa 3 B.C. He always is God. From the point He took upon humanity, thenceforth throughout all eternity He is also a real man. He is the God-man.
This God-man Jesus Christ died on the cross circa 30 A.D. Being God as He is, Jesus had no sin of His own. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus had no sin. Why, then, did He die? He died not for His own sins, but for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. He paid the penalty for man’s sins, so now man doesn’t have to pay it.
This is what it means to be saved, at least in part. We will expound further on this topic on the morrow. Allow the Holy Spirit to pour this teaching over your mind and fill your heart with it now. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Paul employed the visible physical realities of the battlefield and the Roman legionnaire’s armor, in order to teach invisible spiritual truth about spiritual warfare and the Christian’s “full armor of God”. Let’s continue to vet this matter.
So there was this Roman soldier out on the battlefield, bedecked in his several pieces of armor. For purposes of today’s study we want to take note of the helmet on his head. What useful purpose did it serve? I mean, it was uncomfortable. It couldn’t breathe so it had to be hot and itchy. Why would the soldier want to wear it anyway?
In answer all we need do is take a gander across the battlefield at the enemy troops. Some had bows with flaming arrows on the bowstrings. Without the helmet to shield his head, what would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those arrows land on the crown of his head?
And then there were all the cavalry soldiers with their lances and swords. They came galloping up, towering over the Roman soldier on the ground. When they swung their sword or jabbed their lance, the Roman soldier’s head was the first part of his body to receive the not-so-welcome blow. Without the helmet to shield his head, what would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those blows land on the crown of his head?
And let us not leave off the masses of infantry, as they attacked the Roman soldier. Each one carried a spear and a sword, all for the purpose of inflicting bodily harm to the Roman soldier. Without the helmet to shield his head, what, pray tell, would become of the Roman soldier, should one of those spears or swords hit him up side the head?
Isn’t it obvious why the helmet was considered to be part and parcel of the Roman legionnaire’s armor? The same rationale explains why the Lord included it as one of the integral pieces of “the full armor of God”.
In the Christian’s case, this helmet involves “salvation”. And that is the crux of the matter, when it comes to deciphering this piece of armor in the spiritual armory of the Christian, dear friends.
What does the word “salvation” speak of? The word “salvation” is the noun form of “saved”. We are saved by grace through faith. The word “grace” refers to a gift from God given freely, without charge. The word “faith” means that we hear the Word of God, believe what He says, and act accordingly.
The Word of God tells us how the eternal Son of God took upon humanity circa 3 B.C. He always is God. From the point He took upon humanity, thenceforth throughout all eternity He is also a real man. He is the God-man.
This God-man Jesus Christ died on the cross circa 30 A.D. Being God as He is, Jesus had no sin of His own. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus had no sin. Why, then, did He die? He died not for His own sins, but for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. He paid the penalty for man’s sins, so now man doesn’t have to pay it.
This is what it means to be saved, at least in part. We will expound further on this topic on the morrow. Allow the Holy Spirit to pour this teaching over your mind and fill your heart with it now. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Hard Hat Area – Part 4
And take the helmet of salvation [Ephesians 6:17].
Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for man’s sins. Jesus then rose out of death three days later in a new spiritual body apart from sin. The Word of God proclaims this truth to man and offers him Jesus’ payment for his sins and a new resurrection life, if the man will but believe the Word of God, acknowledge his sins to God, and ask God to grant this salvation to him.
This is what it means to be saved, at least in part. The other part is that Jesus not only paid the penalty for my sins. He also rose out of death for my sins in order to live a new, resurrection life. This too is what I receive by grace through faith. I am not only saved from death as the penalty for my sins. I am also given a new, resurrection life, in which I can live free from sin and serve the Lord righteously.
But not every person is saved. This is not any fault of God’s, mind you. He did His part, and He freely offers it to each and every person (i.e., grace). The fault lies with the individual person. To receive this free gift from God, each person has to hold out his hand and ask God for it. Anyone who is not saved has failed to do so.
To receive God’s salvation we must believe the Gospel (i.e., faith). The Gospel teaches man that he is a sinner and separated from God by his sins. He is dead in his trespasses and sins, you see. The Gospel than notes how Jesus paid the penalty for his sins and freely offers it to him.
In Biblical faith the man` believes this, thus acknowledging that he is indeed a sinner and dead in his sins. He asks the Lord to forgive him for his sins and grant him the free gift of God in Christ Jesus. In doing this the man symbolically dies on the cross “in Christ”, and he then rises out of death “in Christ” as a new resurrected person.
All of this bears relevance to “the helmet of salvation”. The helmet covers the head, wherein is the brain. The brain makes sense of what we see and hear and directs the hands and feet as to what to do. When Satan accuses the Christian of being a phony, of still being the same old sinner and not a new creation at all, the Christian must needs be “transformed by the renewing of the mind” to withstand the assaults of the evil one.
Only by means of daily feeding on the Word of God can the Christian’s faith grow into maturity and remain strong and vibrant. By keeping his focus on his salvation, the Christian doesn’t depend on his own righteousness. He depends on “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”.
No matter how much truthful negativity Satan may spew at him, the Christian thoughtfully considers Who Christ Jesus is, what He did for the Christian, and why Satan’s accusations won’t hold water at the bar of God. This is another way of saying that the Christian is wearing “the helmet of salvation”. His thinking, his understanding, is based on the Word of God as it pertains to the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ his Lord, not on his own reasoning and goodness.
So are you wearing “the helmet of salvation”? The Roman legionnaire might find his helmet hot and itchy, but I can promise you “the helmet of salvation” is the most comfortable head gear ever!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for man’s sins. Jesus then rose out of death three days later in a new spiritual body apart from sin. The Word of God proclaims this truth to man and offers him Jesus’ payment for his sins and a new resurrection life, if the man will but believe the Word of God, acknowledge his sins to God, and ask God to grant this salvation to him.
This is what it means to be saved, at least in part. The other part is that Jesus not only paid the penalty for my sins. He also rose out of death for my sins in order to live a new, resurrection life. This too is what I receive by grace through faith. I am not only saved from death as the penalty for my sins. I am also given a new, resurrection life, in which I can live free from sin and serve the Lord righteously.
But not every person is saved. This is not any fault of God’s, mind you. He did His part, and He freely offers it to each and every person (i.e., grace). The fault lies with the individual person. To receive this free gift from God, each person has to hold out his hand and ask God for it. Anyone who is not saved has failed to do so.
To receive God’s salvation we must believe the Gospel (i.e., faith). The Gospel teaches man that he is a sinner and separated from God by his sins. He is dead in his trespasses and sins, you see. The Gospel than notes how Jesus paid the penalty for his sins and freely offers it to him.
In Biblical faith the man` believes this, thus acknowledging that he is indeed a sinner and dead in his sins. He asks the Lord to forgive him for his sins and grant him the free gift of God in Christ Jesus. In doing this the man symbolically dies on the cross “in Christ”, and he then rises out of death “in Christ” as a new resurrected person.
All of this bears relevance to “the helmet of salvation”. The helmet covers the head, wherein is the brain. The brain makes sense of what we see and hear and directs the hands and feet as to what to do. When Satan accuses the Christian of being a phony, of still being the same old sinner and not a new creation at all, the Christian must needs be “transformed by the renewing of the mind” to withstand the assaults of the evil one.
Only by means of daily feeding on the Word of God can the Christian’s faith grow into maturity and remain strong and vibrant. By keeping his focus on his salvation, the Christian doesn’t depend on his own righteousness. He depends on “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”.
No matter how much truthful negativity Satan may spew at him, the Christian thoughtfully considers Who Christ Jesus is, what He did for the Christian, and why Satan’s accusations won’t hold water at the bar of God. This is another way of saying that the Christian is wearing “the helmet of salvation”. His thinking, his understanding, is based on the Word of God as it pertains to the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ his Lord, not on his own reasoning and goodness.
So are you wearing “the helmet of salvation”? The Roman legionnaire might find his helmet hot and itchy, but I can promise you “the helmet of salvation” is the most comfortable head gear ever!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Sword of Damocles – Part 1
And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].
Back in the day… No, even further back than that. You still don’t have it right. Back still further, say circa 350 B.C. Back then there was this tyrant named Dionysius. He ruled over the city of Syracuse in southern Italy.
Dionysius was famed for his inordinate wealth. It would seem that he enjoyed opulence like none other in that day. The tastiest dainties he feasted upon. The most sumptuous wardrobe he bedecked himself in. Pretentiousness with the flashiest jewelry was a trademark of his. Why, he even kept many a court flatterer on the payroll, so he could daily feast on their audio servings of how fantastic he was.
Yes, Dionysius was the envy of the Mediterranean world back in the day. During Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls heyday, the prevailing shibboleth to make the rounds of the airwaves stated, “I want to be like Mike.” Well, back then it went said, “I want to be Dionysius.”
This one particular courtier actually drank the Kool-Aid. He swallowed the hype, making him the best toady Dionysius had on staff. Day in and day out without letup, Damocles practically stalked Dionysius, inundating him with envious praise and adulation.
As we might have expected, Dionysius soon tired of the charade. That is what it was to him, it was so over the top. He didn’t know Damocles was for real, that his flattery wasn’t meant to be disingenuous. Damocles, it would appear, was the original rock-‘n’-roll groupie!
Finally Dionysius took Damocles aside. Allow me for your consumption to fabricate a likely scenario in this conversation. He asked Damocles, “So you think my life is glamorous, do you?”
Damocles responded without hesitation, “Oh, yes indeed, good King Dionysius. Would that I could be a tenth of the man you are!”
“Oh, so you would like to be me, would you?” shot back Dionysius’ retort.
“Yes, good king,” rejoined this simpleton courtier. “Without reservation I affirm your question. ‘Twould be a dream come true!”
To which Dionysius replied, “Okay, then. So be it. You will live my life for a while.”
Then the king gave the order to prepare things for Damocles, so that he could enjoy the life of Dionysius. Straightway Damocles was bedecked in luxurious garments and the jewelry of his choice. He was seated at the banqueting table, which was filled with scrumptious dishes like Damocles had never imagined he would enjoy. So Damocles dived in mouth first, not bothering to come up for air until his tummy was sated.
Let us take our leave of this study at this time. We will return to it on the morrow. Enjoy your quiet time with Jesus now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Back in the day… No, even further back than that. You still don’t have it right. Back still further, say circa 350 B.C. Back then there was this tyrant named Dionysius. He ruled over the city of Syracuse in southern Italy.
Dionysius was famed for his inordinate wealth. It would seem that he enjoyed opulence like none other in that day. The tastiest dainties he feasted upon. The most sumptuous wardrobe he bedecked himself in. Pretentiousness with the flashiest jewelry was a trademark of his. Why, he even kept many a court flatterer on the payroll, so he could daily feast on their audio servings of how fantastic he was.
Yes, Dionysius was the envy of the Mediterranean world back in the day. During Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls heyday, the prevailing shibboleth to make the rounds of the airwaves stated, “I want to be like Mike.” Well, back then it went said, “I want to be Dionysius.”
This one particular courtier actually drank the Kool-Aid. He swallowed the hype, making him the best toady Dionysius had on staff. Day in and day out without letup, Damocles practically stalked Dionysius, inundating him with envious praise and adulation.
As we might have expected, Dionysius soon tired of the charade. That is what it was to him, it was so over the top. He didn’t know Damocles was for real, that his flattery wasn’t meant to be disingenuous. Damocles, it would appear, was the original rock-‘n’-roll groupie!
Finally Dionysius took Damocles aside. Allow me for your consumption to fabricate a likely scenario in this conversation. He asked Damocles, “So you think my life is glamorous, do you?”
Damocles responded without hesitation, “Oh, yes indeed, good King Dionysius. Would that I could be a tenth of the man you are!”
“Oh, so you would like to be me, would you?” shot back Dionysius’ retort.
“Yes, good king,” rejoined this simpleton courtier. “Without reservation I affirm your question. ‘Twould be a dream come true!”
To which Dionysius replied, “Okay, then. So be it. You will live my life for a while.”
Then the king gave the order to prepare things for Damocles, so that he could enjoy the life of Dionysius. Straightway Damocles was bedecked in luxurious garments and the jewelry of his choice. He was seated at the banqueting table, which was filled with scrumptious dishes like Damocles had never imagined he would enjoy. So Damocles dived in mouth first, not bothering to come up for air until his tummy was sated.
Let us take our leave of this study at this time. We will return to it on the morrow. Enjoy your quiet time with Jesus now.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Sword of Damocles - Part 2
And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].
Damocles wanted to live like King Dionysius, so Dionysius obliged. He had Damocles outfitted in kingly garb and bedecked with jewelry. He sat him at the table and served him a gourmet meal. Damocles ate until it came out of his ears, before he even noticed the catch, this oddity in the room. There above his head, right where he was seated at the banqueting table, was a sword suspended by a single horse hair, dangling over the crown of his head.
Damocles nearly toppled over in his chair, frightened out of his wits. “What is that doing there?” he blurted out to King Dionysius.
Dionysius stared him straight in the eye and soberly explained, “You wanted to know what the life of a king is like, didn’t you? Well, now you not only know its pleasures but also its precariousness. And I see by your reaction that you don’t much relish the life.”
All of this was too much for Damocles. He fled the life of the court fawner and returned to real life as he once knew it, nevermore to be seen or heard anywhere near the throne room.
From this tale of ancient mythology has come the adage, “the sword of Damocles”. It refers to a situation which potentially brings with it harm or catastrophe, an imminent peril which looms on the horizon.
In our Bible verse today we have the sixth and final piece in “the full armor of God”. Paul phrases this piece of armor as “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. There is a gourmet’s meal in those words, dear friends. We shan’t miss out on any of it either.
I am seized by the import of “the sword of the Spirit”. It is defined as “the Word of God”. Hmm. What implications accrue from such a definition? Much in every way!
Our Pentecostal and Charismatic brethren make a big to-do about the Holy Spirit. In many ways they are absolutely right on target. I mean, if we look at a good many of Christian preachers, they pound the pulpit and assert unabashedly, “Around here we follow the Bible!” Then in the next breath they commence to preaching denominational soap box issues and doctrinal statements. Well, so much for following the Bible! One can only conclude that they equate their doctrines with the Bible itself!
Such Bible believers are no closer to the truth than some of those who emphasize the Holy Spirit in contrast to the Bible. When we insist on knowing where their beliefs are located in Scripture, they shuffle the feet and stutter a bit, and end up asserting how the Holy Spirit told them what they claim.
We will see where this leads in our next study. Let’s commit our ways to the Lord Jesus now and enjoy His fellowship a while.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Damocles wanted to live like King Dionysius, so Dionysius obliged. He had Damocles outfitted in kingly garb and bedecked with jewelry. He sat him at the table and served him a gourmet meal. Damocles ate until it came out of his ears, before he even noticed the catch, this oddity in the room. There above his head, right where he was seated at the banqueting table, was a sword suspended by a single horse hair, dangling over the crown of his head.
Damocles nearly toppled over in his chair, frightened out of his wits. “What is that doing there?” he blurted out to King Dionysius.
Dionysius stared him straight in the eye and soberly explained, “You wanted to know what the life of a king is like, didn’t you? Well, now you not only know its pleasures but also its precariousness. And I see by your reaction that you don’t much relish the life.”
All of this was too much for Damocles. He fled the life of the court fawner and returned to real life as he once knew it, nevermore to be seen or heard anywhere near the throne room.
From this tale of ancient mythology has come the adage, “the sword of Damocles”. It refers to a situation which potentially brings with it harm or catastrophe, an imminent peril which looms on the horizon.
In our Bible verse today we have the sixth and final piece in “the full armor of God”. Paul phrases this piece of armor as “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. There is a gourmet’s meal in those words, dear friends. We shan’t miss out on any of it either.
I am seized by the import of “the sword of the Spirit”. It is defined as “the Word of God”. Hmm. What implications accrue from such a definition? Much in every way!
Our Pentecostal and Charismatic brethren make a big to-do about the Holy Spirit. In many ways they are absolutely right on target. I mean, if we look at a good many of Christian preachers, they pound the pulpit and assert unabashedly, “Around here we follow the Bible!” Then in the next breath they commence to preaching denominational soap box issues and doctrinal statements. Well, so much for following the Bible! One can only conclude that they equate their doctrines with the Bible itself!
Such Bible believers are no closer to the truth than some of those who emphasize the Holy Spirit in contrast to the Bible. When we insist on knowing where their beliefs are located in Scripture, they shuffle the feet and stutter a bit, and end up asserting how the Holy Spirit told them what they claim.
We will see where this leads in our next study. Let’s commit our ways to the Lord Jesus now and enjoy His fellowship a while.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
