There is not a single believer at the sound of my voice. Not one who has an excuse for not reading and heeding and obeying the Word of God.
No excuse. No one can plead ignorance or inability, only neglect. And that neglect will open us up and make us vulnerable, totally vulnerable to the false teaching and false preaching and being ultimately misled, which is the worst flaming arrow of all. Welcome to Leading the Way, featuring the solid teaching of Dr. Michael Youssak. Today, what it means to put on the full armor of God. Encouragement to Christ followers of all maturity levels to be ready to stand and be counted in 2025. Please do remember, Leading the Way is a listener supported international media ministry. God's Word is passionately proclaimed through your generosity. Learn ways to stand with Dr. Youssak at ltw.org or call us and speak to a ministry representative at 866-626-4356. Listen with me now as Dr. Michael Youssak begins this episode's teaching time.
Turn with me, please. Ephesians 6 beginning at verse 16, actually two verses, 16 and 17. In addition to all, what is he talking about? In addition to all, the first three permanent, we saw them in the last message, the first three permanent non-negotiable that must have all the time, never take off the first three equipment for the battle. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel of peace. In addition to these three indispensable pieces of equipment, he says, take up the shield of faith.
Why? Why the shield of faith? Because with it, you'll be able to extinguish all, how many? All flaming missiles of the evil one, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
The first three pieces that we saw in the last message, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel, they are permanent. On the other hand, the shield, the helmet, and the sword, they are to be kept in a state of readiness. They're ready at a moment's call. And that is why they go with you at home. They go with you in your office. They go with you in your car.
They go with you wherever you go, because you always have to have them handy. And that is why he uses those verbs, take up, almost in the imperative, take up the shield, take up the helmet, take. See, in the Roman times, there were two common types of shield, small shield. It's wrapped around with two leather belt on the arm of the soldier. This is the first type of shield. It's secured in the arm.
What's the purpose of it? This shield, relatively really lightweight, and it's used to absorb the blows that the sword of the opponent will throw at you. Because remember, this was hand-to-hand combat.
This is not like our modern warfare. That's the first shield. But there was another shield that the Bible talks about, which is the one, actually, the Greek word that is used here in Ephesians. Theros. This is a big one.
Three feet in diameter, four or five, sometimes it's five feet. Now, this was designed to protect the entire body. This shield is made of solid piece of wood and was covered by either metal on top of it or heavily oiled leather. There are two different kinds. Now, there's a method in the madness.
Just hang in there with me, okay? The soldiers who carried these, they were the front line soldiers. They're the front line, the theros, carriers. And normally what happens, the shield carriers, they will stand side by side by side by side by side. There's no space between them. If there's any space, there's any daylight between them, it's dangerous. So they literally stick very, very close together. And sometimes that can extend for a mile, literally, in the battle line. Now, the archers stand behind the shield carriers and they can duck behind them and then they get up and then they shoot the arrows and they duck again.
Question. What is that shield of faith? Why did Paul call it the shield of faith? He's not talking about the Christian faith because that's a belt of truth and that is on permanently. It is not to be put on and taken off.
It's permanently. Ah, but he's talking about the shield of faith is your absolute, absolute, absolute trust and confidence in Christ. Don't miss what I'm going to tell you. That faith in Christ that you have is when you exercise the first time you came to Christ, confessing your sin, repenting of your sin, and by faith receive Jesus as your only savior and Lord. That is the first step of faith. And the terrible mistake that so many confessing Christians and confessing churches make, the terrible mistake is they come to Christ and then they stop. They think, well, I've taken care of that. I bought the insurance policy.
I'm fine. No. And a million no's. That faith has to be exercised after receiving Jesus as your only savior. It has to be exercised.
It has to continue. It has to be poured on daily trusting in Jesus, his provision, his protection, and his daily strength. That trust in Christ for salvation does not stop after you're saved.
Rather, it grows and it's strengthened day by day. Can I get a witness? Faith in God is incomparable to all these faiths in something or someone. Why? Listen carefully. I'm going to repeat it twice because it's important. Because faith is only as sure, is only as certain as the level of trustworthiness of the object of faith.
I'm going to repeat that. Faith is only as sure and as certain as the level of the trustworthiness of the object of your faith. Who's the object of your faith? Daily, moment by moment faith, trusting God is extremely powerful and effective.
Why? Because Jesus Christ is not only infinite in his power and absolutely dependable, but he never fails. He never fails. He's your shield when you trust him. He's your shield. He's your shield when you completely place your trust in him. Even when you don't understand your circumstances. When your world is falling apart, you trust him. When the doctor gives you a bad report, you trust him.
When your business is struggling, you trust him. So what are these flaming arrows then? These flaming arrows. What they do, it's the tips of the spear or the arrow.
They wrap it in a cloth and they dip the cloth in pitch. And just before they throw it, they light it up. An inflammable missile shoot at the enemy. If that inflatable arrow hits a person, it flames everything inside because of that pitch that already on the cloth, but also causes a lot of hurt, a lot of damage. Oh, but thank God, thank God for when Satan's inflammable arrows are thrown at us, they're going to hit the shield.
They're going to hit the shield and they're going to hit the shield and either it's going to fizzle out or hinder it from touching us. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God.
Give God praise. Discovering because it's metal or made of really hard leather, they're going to deflect. They're going to extinguish the flame. So what are these flaming arrows in practical life? What are they on a daily basis? What are these flaming arrows?
Listen to me. What are these flaming arrows that Satan constantly tempting us with? Covetousness, pride, anger, envy, hatred, doubt, fear, despair, but above all distrusting in God. Distrusting in his provision.
Distrusting in the fact that he'll keep his promises. The first flaming arrows that Satan ever lobbed was in the Garden of Eden, first at Eve and then Adam. Adam and Eve. And you know what was? He got them to believe his lie, his lie, and distrust the truthfulness of God. That was the first arrow.
And it got them. And oh beloved, he's been doing that ever since. He's been doing that ever since. He's now doing it with vengeance in my lifetime. He's doing this now, particularly in Western culture in our society, with vengeance.
You see them all over the place. Attacking even some churches and pastors are absorbing these arrows because they don't have that shield. Listen to me please. Every time we attempt to rationalize or justify sin, we are degrading the character of God and elevating Satan to sin with impunity. I'm not talking about failing.
We all do a slip here and there and sometimes get blindsided even by the enemy himself. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a deliberate impugning, going against the word of God, against the commands of God.
That is what I'm talking about. When we deliberately and knowingly go against the word of God, it is believing Satan. These are the arrows that are shooting so many preachers and so many theologians all over the place.
They're falling all over the place. The only way to extinguish Satan's flaming missile when it's tempting us to doubt God and to doubt the word of God and to disbelieve God is stop, stop and say, Lord, I'm sorry how I can distrust you when you died on the cross for me. That is why Paul began this passage by reminding us that our struggle is not with flesh and blood.
It's not with people. It is with the evil one, the vile one, the wretched one. The shield of faith is vitally important. Secondly, the helmet of salvation. Actually, there are also two kinds of helmets back then. There was one that is made of hard leather and covered with metal, but then there was totally metal, hammered.
Beloved, listen to me. There is no sane soldier, no sane soldier ever goes to the battle without the helmet. Now, they are designed to cover the head.
They cover the cheek, but it's very important for those cheek because it covers part of the face. It protects the head from injury. The very fact that God's word called it the helmet of salvation.
Why does it call it the helmet of salvation? Because when Satan swings his sword and directs it at the believer's security in Christ and brings doubt about their salvation. Satan, two-edged sword, is aiming both at discouraging us and causing us to doubt God. He loves to discourage us to the point of sinning and doubting God.
Are you with me? I was taught that it's up to me to be saved and it's up to me to stay saved. I lived in fear and terror, lest I'm going to lose my salvation.
That is one of Satan's great, great attacks. Can you imagine my overwhelming joy, my overwhelming happiness, my overwhelming confidence and comfort when I discovered what the word of God really says that my salvation is God's gracious work in me? He does not write my name in the book of life with a pencil when I repent and come to faith in him. And then as soon as I mess up, he turns the pencil upside down and erases my name. And then when I repent again, he puts it down again. And then when I mess up again, he erases again. No, no, no, no.
It is written by the blood of Jesus Christ permanently. Oh, to be sure, I do get discouraged from time to time. I do get discouraged. Absolutely. But would that discouragement lead me to doubt? Absolutely not. To doubt the love of God, the grace of God, the saving power of God? No.
Why? Because my salvation is not dependent on me and my mood and my feelings and even my circumstances. My salvation is dependent on God's faithfulness. Praise God.
Give him praise. You see, that is why we have the helmet of salvation. Trusting in the promises of God for saving the lost. Trusting in his faithfulness. Trusting that he will help us overcome every time, every time, every time.
Let me emphasize the fact that when Paul was talking about the helmet of salvation, he was talking about the whole package of salvation. Just like we saw faith. Not just when you come to faith, but as you continue in faith. You see, the Bible talks about faith in three different tenses. Past, when we come to Christ, surrendering our life. Present, every day, every day, every day. And then ultimately, the ultimate fulfillment of salvation is when we see Jesus face to face when we cross the Jordan.
I can't wait. Let me write please. Trusting in Jesus immediately saves you from the penalty of sin. From the penalty of sin. But daily trusting in Jesus is daily salvation. Assures you, assures me that we are no longer slaves to sin. He assures us of eternal life in heaven with Jesus. The moment we close our eyes in death. As I said, the Bible speaks about salvation in three tenses.
Past, present, and future. And that helmet of salvation is for all three. The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The sword of the spirit. Which is the word of God. Now swords back then came in all kinds of shapes and forms and sizes.
I used to think with just one size but it really isn't. Because they fought hand to hand combat. It's a very common sword that the Roman soldiers carried and in fact it's the primary weapon that's used in hand to hand combat. And it's carried in a sheath that is attached to the belt. And the reason the apostle Paul calls it the sword of the spirit, which can be translated by the spirit or a spiritual sword. Because it's a spiritual weapon.
Are you with me? It is a spiritual weapon. Don't be tempted to think of it in a physical realm. It is a spiritual sword and it is used in spiritual battles to fight a spiritual enemy. And the reason again he calls it the sword of the spirit because it has divine origin. It is not man's invention as some preacher would say.
It is not man's cooked up idea. And that is why it is our only guidebook for every road. It's our only charter for every sea. It is our only medicine in every melody.
It is the balm for every wound. That's why it's the word of God, the spirit of God. The sword of the spirit, the word of God is authored by the Holy Spirit. The sword of the spirit, the word of God is infallible and it contains no error or mistake. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God is complete. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God is authoritative. Therefore, it judges me.
I don't judge it. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God is effective and never returns empty. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God offer limitless resources and blessings to the believer. It is the source of God's wisdom. It is the source of our happiness and joy. It is the source of our spiritual growth. It is the source of our spiritual power and strength. It is living and active and sharper than two-edged sword. It is a lamp unto our feet, especially when we get into the dark spots of life, especially when we run away from the light of Christ. It guides our steps all the way back to God to see his open arms saying, come to me. Come to me. But don't miss this.
Don't miss this. The sword of the spirit is a defensive and offensive. That's the only piece of equipment in this whole armor of God, the full armor of God that can use both ways. It is capable of deflecting the blows of the opponent and it is our supreme weapon to defend us against the onslaught of Satan. And that's why when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan tried to do what some preachers do today, twist the word of God to suit himself.
He really did. He tried to twist the word of God, but Jesus kept on using correctly the word of God and he fought him and he won because he used the word of God accurately. When it is faithfully taught, when it's faithfully preached, when it's faithfully instructed in the homes, it brings judgment on falsehood and transforms people.
How? How does it transform people? Transform them from the realm of falsehood to the realm of faith and truth, from the realm of darkness to light, from the realm of sin and death to righteousness and life. It turns sadness into gladness. It turns despair into hope.
It turns stagnation into growth. It turns failure into success. Every time God's word is used accurately, it leads a person to salvation.
It gives witness to its power and it cuts a swath through Satan's kingdom of darkness and brings light of Christ into a lost soul. There is not a single believer at the sound of my voice, not one who has an excuse for not reading and heeding and obeying the word of God. No excuse. No one can plead ignorance or inability, only neglect. And that neglect, listen, that neglect will open us up and make us vulnerable, totally vulnerable, to the false teaching and false preaching and being ultimately misled, which is the worst flaming arrow of all. Thank you for taking time in your day to prioritize listening to Dr. Michael Yusef, local Atlanta pastor, international evangelist, and passionate teacher on Leading the Way Audio. Experience more challenging content from Dr. Yusef online. Go to ltw.org.
You can also download the Leading the Way app or subscribe to the podcast and more. Details at ltw.org. Hey, before time runs out for this episode, I want to take just a moment to recognize some very generous people. Those are our frontline mission partners.
They've seen the value of Leading the Way. They've decided to commit to regular prayer and financial support. So we want to pause right here and say thank you.
We thank God for you and we thank you for your generosity. Now, if you're not yet a frontline mission partner, please take a moment to visit a very special part of the Leading the Way website, ltw.org slash frontline. You can learn more about signing up and while you're there, you can check out the benefits of becoming a partner, ltw.org slash frontline. Now, if you'd rather speak with a representative, they're available 24 seven at the call center. The number to call is 866-626-4356. We'll do make plans to join Dr. Michael Yusef right here next time for Leading the Way Audio. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yusef, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-08 15:14:34 / 2025-01-08 15:22:24 / 8