The Sword Of The Spirit
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The Sword Of The Spirit
The Sword Of The Spirit
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Pray
Confession of Faith
Confession of Faith
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name
Intro:
Weapons, Weapons, Weapons...
You know, great warriors are known by their weapons. Great Warriors in literature and in pop culture are nothing without their weapons! Can you imagine Zorro without his sword or rapier! What about King Arthur without Excalibur - his sword!
How about a Jedi knight without a lightsaber?
So what would a mighty Christ Follower or Christian be without his or hers sword
Now for the Roman soldier The sword was a weapon used for both defense and offense. The sword was used both to protect and to fight off and slay the enemy.
Roman soldiers would often have both a long sword (a broadsword) and a short sword. The short sword was less than two feet long, something like 18 inches. It was quick, it was easy to wield, and it was held it at their side.
So This morning I want to talk with you about one of the most exciting and powerful weapons available to you as a Christian Soldiers in your entire spiritual arsenal.
Now as we have been looking at every piece of armor - this one will tell me a lot about how you are fighting your battles!
If any one watches the way you handle this weapon they will be able to tell if you are on a road to victory or if you are in a battle where there is going to be a temporary defeat!
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
17 put on salvation as your helmet, and take the Spirit as your sword (that is, the word of God),
So let’s break this down:
Paul is saying - take the Spirit as your Sword
Take the Spirit As Your Sword
Take the Sword Of The Spirit
Take The Spirit - I think we miss this in the translation and when I look a little deeper - the use of the term word can actually mena 3 different things
There are three different words in Scriptures that we translate ‘word.’
There is the written Word - the term is graphe
2 Tim 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
There is the living Word - logos - is Jesus.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
There is the spoken Word - rhema -
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
paul is talking about the rhema word ! The word of God boldly received with faith or boldly confessed with faith
What is rhema - it is the word of God boldly received with faith or boldly confessed with faith. That is the sword spoken of here.
The short sword used in combat
One of the most powerful weapons you and I have against satan is the rhema of God. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God in your mouth, it is the mind of Christ in your speech, it is the truth of God in your confession, it is the power of God is your declaration.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
Do you remember Jesus in the wilderness had to use the sword of the Spirit
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Jesus led by the spirit, full of the spirit was in a spiritual battle with his enemy - the tempter
But Jesus uses the Rhema Word - The Spirit as his weapon
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
He spoke the Word - The tempter was in his face, physically Jesus was tired, but he had the sword with him - he had the sword of the spirit with him and in this battle he uses the short sword by speaking the Word of God!
But the enemy did not stop there
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
Sometimes the enemy will present to you the things you want! Put you on high, present you with Power, present you with prestige, present you with riches, present you with people who will tell you what you want to hear , present you with riches, wordly accomplishments, present you with false protection, have you challenging God and testing his word
You are in a battle
But Jesus took out the Sword of the Spirit of God
He spoke the Rhema Word, He spoke what he stood on, He spoke what was truth in the word, He spoke what he believed in
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
But the enemy was still fighting, he was still battling, he was still try to gain victory
mat 4: 8-9
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
He was trying to get Jesus to compromise! To compromise his mission and compromise his ministry!
He was trying to get Jesus to choose another way instead of God’s way!
He was trying to get Jesus to compromise His life and His loyalty.
He wanted Jesus to switch loyalties! He was offering Jesus the world if he would do one thing - Worship the devil
In our spiritual battles, the enemy may be trying to get you to compromise, to switch loyalties, To leave God and embrace the world and the things of the world! But ultimately the enemy wants you to bow down and worship him! To defeat your mission and your ministry
That’s why we must take the Sword of the Spirit - The Word of God and we must Speak the Rhema word
So Jesus leads us by example in this battle
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
Remember what the psalmist said in Psalm 119:11?
11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
11 I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.
We must take the sword of the spirit with us by storing the word in our hearts - treasuring the word of God, hiding the word in our hearts, for the times in battle - that we might not sin against you and become victorious by Speaking the Word to any and all situations
The sword is similar to the shield of faith. One of the things about the shield of faith is that the shield protects the rest of the armor! Faith guards all of the other graces. That’s also true of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God! It also protects everything else. As we wield this sword it protects our sincerity and our holiness and our peace. It protects our righteousness, it protects our hope, We are protected and defended by the word of God, by the Scriptures, and that’s why we need this sword so much in our lives.
Now, the other thing about the sword is it’s also an offensive weapon. It’s an offensive weapon. It’s used not only for defense, but it’s also used for attack. So the idea here is not only that we defend ourselves against the enemy, but that we advance against him, right? We resist him, we withstand him, we advance against him, so that, we operate in
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
We are meant to send the devil into retreat. We’re meant to deal with sin and evil and wickedness in our lives in such a way that it goes into retreat.
There is so much to the power of the Sword of the Spirit - which is the Word of God! Victory is in the Word of God! Peace is in the Word of God, Joy is in the Word of God, Love is in the Word Of God, Jesus is the Word of God! Take the sword of the Spirit - Which is the Word of God - for victory against the enemy
God Bless You and Keep You Is My Prayer