Ephesians. 6:17,18

Before entering on the helmet and the sword, I desire to recall what has been said on former occasions, as to the way in which the Spirit of God shows us in the context a certain position taken up on earth by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that He has a people whom He has placed in that position, which they have to make good against the power of the _adversary.
The minds of people have often been confused about this passage, by their not seeing that it is not a question of aggressive warfare, such as the work of an evangelist; but that it is the saints of God standing fast in the camp-holding the position in which He has set them.
" The helmet of salvation " is the next thing connected with the panoply. It is important to bear the principle I have spoken of in mind in connection with this, because, in another place, the fifth of the first of Thessalonians, we find the helmet spoken of in another way. There it is: " Putting on for an helmet, the hope of salvation." A soldier may have a helmet of one kind for one position, and another for a different kind of warfare; just as the different shields that are spoken of; if standing under the wall of a besieged town, he would need the large shield to cover him completely; while in active warfare the light small one would be used.
People want to reconcile the two expressions, but they do not need to be reconciled., If you do, you rub out the distinction. It would spoil the whole, if it were said here "the hope of salvation;" because God says: I have put you to stand in a certain position; if you do not stand in it, you will be driven back from off it. Therefore it is not " The hope of salvation," but " salvation " itself which is the helmet.
What is our helmet? Just as, in connection with the feet being shod, it is the gospel of peace, so now it is the helmet consisting of salvation. The head-the vital part-is protected by it. It is a finished salvation; you take your position as a saved man.
But there is more then this. Just as the breastplate is not only righteousness imputed individually-a true view but defective-but
God's righteousness in Christ; so here it is the salvation that becomes the Savior-God; it takes in God's work, and not only meets the contingencies of my walk here. The Savior-God has done the work. I must look up there, and see Him the center of a new system„ in which my salvation is comparatively but a small part. My head is here encircled by a glory connected with all that God is. My salvation flews from this, that He is the Savior-God.
I have no claim or title. God says; I reckon you perfectly guiltless, because I did reckon the guiltless One guilty for your sake. I can look down on you through Him, and cannot separate the feeblest member of His body from Himself. I look down on you as those on whom descends all that He has, all that He is, and all my delight is in Him.
Most blessed, but even this is not all. God did not set Himself in movement because of what we were-for our individual salvation. He delights. Himself in salvation; and He bids us look up, and see in Him the measure of this salvation-a salvation for eternity—for the earth-for the heavens—showing out the riches of His grace, according to His eternal character as the Savior-God.
So the apostle speaks here of the helmet of salvation, as what I know as the answer to Satan -the answer to the world-the answer to my own soul, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ on the throne of God as my Savior-God.
"And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."-Here again we find the importance of
attending to the context. The sword is mentioned in different ways in the word. In Heb. 4:12-15, we have the Lord Jesus as One who has passed through the heavens," and is on the throne to sympathize. His sympathy is with God first; and next He sympathizes with what is of the Spirit in us, not with what is of the flesh. He will not strengthen the flesh, but the spirit. What do you want? Do you say God's glory in you? Then He may have to put you through discipline. There are many things in your heart that He may see have to be removed, for He will ever sever between the heart and the cherished idol, and the word will be like a lancet in the hand of a surgeon to us.
Mark that in the fourth of Hebrews there is no question of the adversary as there is in Ephesians. It is Christ dealing with His people for the glory of God, looking after the people He loves, and, therefore, judging hearts.
In the second of Revelation we find "the sharp sword with two edges." He comes out of His place to judge, on the one hand; He will go right down to discern the " thoughts and intents of the heart." On the other hand, He will not be deceived by false testimony. In Revelation it comes in, when failure was amongst the candlesticks, to see what light they were giving, He being One whom smoke would not deceive; but, at the same time, so used to handle the sword, as to be able to give deliverance by it to any in the evil having " ears to hear."
Here, in Revelation, Christ outside; in Hebrews, it is Christ within the veil, judging His people; in Ephesians, it is the saint standing in testimony-that is, in a position he has to make good. What is the use of the sword there? Much. There is the adversary against you, and you have to withstand him.
In the fourth of Mathew, in our Lord's temptation, we have the brilliant illustration of this use of the sword of the Spirit. Mark, it is before the Lord begins His aggressive work that He goes through the fiery ordeal. What grace was there in this to us! In grace Christ stood in the Wilderness to measure Satan, and well he could stand in that position against the enemy. There are three things connected with it. But first, always in connection with the right use of the sword, is the single eye. Christ being led up by the Spirit to be tempted, takes His stand as a servant to defend Himself with the sword; answering always from Deuteronomy, He takes the place of the humbled One.
First, it is the lust of the flesh: " Command that these stones be made bread." Does God like His people to hunger? Thou knowest His delight in thee, put forth thy power. Mark the answer. Ah! if it is blessedly true that there is such a thing as Jehovah's loving to feed His people, there is something more blessed still than being fed; there is the being by God-Without-It. Man does not live by bread alone; man may be without bread, but not without the word of God. Thus Satan was foiled by Christ's taking the place of perfect dependence.
Next it is "the lust of the eye," and such a promise brought to back it as that " angels shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." But Satan garbles it, as he did to Eve. He presses home on the Lord something that the eye can see. He had got Israel down in that way: they wanted a sign. Does he never get you down thus? Do you not want something to look at, or to feel, instead of the simple word of God? If Satan come to you, and ask you to give him some visible token of God's care for you, answer him with: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Why ask for signs-for feelings-when God Himself is close at hand? The emphasis of "Thou shalt not tempt" is, thou shalt not challenge God for signs. Why do I want a sign? Because I cherish lust. He says: No; thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Then Satan makes another attempt with what belongs to him. There is no sense in asking whether Satan had the power to do this, for there is no use in asking if a liar can speak the truth; it might, or it might not, be; but assuredly Satan can do nothing but as God allows it. As with Balaam, he could not curse Israel.
Satan has, no power over a saint of God unless he yield it to him could he ever succeed with a child of God who is using the sword? Never! If he succeed, it is because you have betrayed yourself into his hands. It was thus with Eve; it was thus with Israel before the calf; it is thus with the church, unfaithful likewise; and the saint unfaithful to God puts himself into the enemy's hands.
The third thing I would notice here is the " Get thee hence, Satan." He had not said this before. It is remarkably connected with the use of the sword of the Spirit. If you put yourself into a place of temptation, you have no right to say " get thee hence, Satan." If God lead you into it, as Christ was led of the Spirit, you have to bear it.
It was not when Satan was merely tempting Him that Christ uses this language, but also when God's honor was touched. When Peter took upon himself what belonged to God alone, it was: " Get thee behind me, Satan." And when Satan does this with me, then I am justified in saying the like. Satan will sometimes so turn things round, that he will go beyond himself; and then there is rescue for you; while before, you have had only to stand in the temptation-to endure-whilst having no power to put an end to it, at last a question comes up which does not in the least tempt your heart, that before may have been tempted; something that seeks openly to set aside God.; and then without difficulty you can turn round and say: I will have nothing to do with that; " get thee behind me, Satan." All this teaches us forcibly the meaning of taking the sword of the Spirit. It is to be used in the active energy of service, but it is to be, used also, if only standing on some corner rampart, utterly -unable to go forward in anything. Even if a bed-ridden saint, you will not be able to make good your position, and Satan will betray you to yield, if you are not skilful in using the sword of the Spirit.
The temptation of our Lord gives, us an immense amount of experience; it shows up the ways of Satan; he would throw us into a dilemma if he could. The Lord met him in the spirit of a servant-as meaning to be a servant. Then Satan puts Him between the two horns of the dilemma; he tempts both as a servant and as God. Christ passes through and maintains both.
We are in a position to be tempted all day long to give up; and where he succeeds with us so often is through our not having a single eye— so contrary to Christ's: " Lo, I come to do thy will."
Then again, there is with us the want of understanding God. Some lust begins to move in our heart; we think of what we like, or of what we do not like, instead of delighting in God; and immediately we are in danger. Never so with Christ. Closely connected with the armor is the spirit of the believer—the spirit of dependence it must be, for with the soldier there must be prayer—hanging upon God. Not only getting this feeding supply hourly from God to meet his need individually, and to meet that of all. the church militant, but also that all his springs are in God. " Praying always. God often puts His people into new paths—paths unsought and unthought of by you. Why are you there?-God would see whether you have the spirit of prayer there or not. The Red Sea is before you; the enemy behind you; then a waste howling wilderness beyond, but it is no waste howling wilderness to God. He can go through it. We learn in these new scenes how little we know of these feeding-springs in Him for us, and He would have us learn them. The question is, not as to the springs being there, but as to whether we know how to draw water from them. Sometimes, when the saint has learned the lesson, he is taken home. God says: Why should I leave him there any longer? he may go home.
" Supplication for all saints."-The spirit of the camp is to be the spirit of dependence; each saint looking for—drawing for—all the rest, the consciousness of God's supplies being all full for every heart.
Ah, beloved friends! you cannot do without the camp. And whatever your outside position, remember you must have the spirit of dependence. You had far better be a living saint, walking in dependence on the living God though very ignorant, than one who knows a great deal about position, and so on, but who is meanwhile double-minded and lukewarm, knowing little or nothing of this " praying always"-of the springs that are in God.
Oh, that our souls may know them to His glory!