Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Sunday, December 29, 2013
EPH 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
1. All believers must learn to endure against the attacks made on Bible doctrine, 2TI 4:3.
2TI 4:3 for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires;
2. There is a tremendous price to pay for receiving Bible doctrine, PRO 23:23.
PRO 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
3. The third reason why doctrine is so important is that experiential sanctification comes only through Bible doctrine, not human works or achievement, JOH 17:17.
JOH 17:17 “sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth.
4. The believer must also have praise toward the Word of God, PSA 56:4, 10.
5. And this is because the word of God is who God is, JOH 1:1.
JOH 1:1 In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
JOH 1:14 and the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
6. Rejection of Bible doctrine produces poverty, acceptance produces reward, PRO 13:13.
7. Persecution will arise on the believer who makes Bible doctrine number 1 priority, MAT 13:21.
MAT 13:21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
8. Bible doctrine is the basis for the divine judgment at both the Bema seat judgment or the White Throne Judgment.
9. Love for TLJC is based upon the believer guarding Bible doctrine in their life, JOH 14:23.
10. Bible doctrine communicated is that which cleans up the believer’s life, JOH 15:3.
EPH 5:26 That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
11. It is through the communication of Bible doctrine that disciples increase, ACT 6:7; ACT 20:32.
ROM 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.
12. Bible doctrine is the weapon that the believer uses in life.
EPH 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
HEB 4:12 For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two‑edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13. Only fools despise Bible doctrine, Proverbs.
14. Bible doctrine is that which is pleasant to the soul.
ECC 7:12 for wisdom is protection just as money is protection. But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.
15. Rejection of Bible doctrine produces destruction.
ISA 5:13 Therefore my people go into exile for their lack of knowledge;
HOS 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
16. God desires doctrine in the soul not human works.
HOS 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
ROM 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
17. Even love is based on the intake of Bible doctrine. PHI 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
The sword was called the machaira which was the type of sword that the Romans used.
They defeated two the most famous military armies in the ancient world, the Gauls and the Barbarians who were staunch enemies of Rome.
They were very tall and yet they were defeated by the Roman’s who were only 5’6″ on the average.
The Romans actually beat them every time because they used the machaira rather than the romphaia which was a long broad sword, anywhere from four feet to 6 feet but it only one cutting edge.
The machaira was only 18″ long but both edges and the point were very sharp.
The Roman machaira turned out to be the most ingenious invention of warfare of its day.
The blade of this perfectly balanced weapon [machaira] was usually only eighteen inches long.
The machaira was very maneuverable and easy to operate in time of warfare.
Its outstanding advantage was that the Roman soldier was never off-balance while he used his machaira.
At this time in the ancient world, it was generally conceded that the machaira sword was the basic weapon for “close combat”.
If the satanic attack does not succeed from afar off or a distance with the flaming missiles, darts, spears or arrows, that the attack continues until it is at your back door.
Iif you put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of integrity, the combat shoes of the gospel, and you lift up the shield of faith, and put on the helmet of salvation.
EPH 6:17 And take or receive favorably, grasp, and welcome] the helmet of salvation, and [take, or receive favorably, grasp, and welcome] the sword of the Spirit,
1. It is a struggle, a fight, and labor, and at times, even a conflict, to learn the word of God.
There are just too many successful strategies of the devil which distract the believer from positive volition.
a. Social distraction. b. Mental distraction. c. Marital distraction. d. Christian service distraction. e. Pleasure distraction. f. Time distractions, the problem of a disorganized life.
2. It can be a struggle, a fight, a battle and a conflict to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God in a pressure situation.
EPH 4:14 “That we no longer be children, de-stabilized in heavy seas [fragmented]
Driven out of control by every wind of false teaching [fragmentation results in accepting false doctrine],
by the trickery of people [false teachers], by cunning deception for the purpose of deceitful scheming.”
This stresses the importance of the accurate and precise communication of the word of God.
If your pastor is not accurate in what he teaches than you will not have the accurate information needed to use the sword of the Spirit.
The pastor must be accurate and precise in his doctrinal communication.
The PPOG is a strict system of procedure based upon the accurate teaching of the word of God.
A right thing must be done in a right way. It must be precise and correct in its’ procedure.
With the introduction of human power and energy of the flesh function, sloppiness occurs.
With the introduction of putting down your doctrinal differences and loving everyone, apostasy occurs.
You are commanded to love everyone but you are never commanded to fellowship with them at the expense of compromising doctrine.
God has developed, in His grace, a system which is totally impossible for human power to live in.
This system that God has designed and that the pastor must be accurate in communicating frustrates human power constantly.
There is no place in the spiritual army of TLJC for sloppiness.
Sloppy procedure is always related to emotion, to human works, and to human activity, and is always a manifestation of arrogance.
The power of God is not delegated to a system of sloppy procedure.