Slinging the Spirit's Sword

Do you carry a pocket knife? I do, its right on my keys.

The Roman Sword

There were 2 kinds of Roman swords. There was a gladiators sword, which is likely the sword our minds might picture- it is large and heavy sometimes as long as 5 feet and weighing as much as 50lbs- that is not the sword Paul talks about here.

Paul uses the term Macharia which might be better translated as a dagger to us. The macharia was a smaller 2 edged sword that soldiers carried on them all the time and was better for hand to hand combat- it was also great for daily use like cutting up food, making cuts for repairs or other projects- it was likely used daily by the soldiers. While they would only carry the gladiator’s sword to battle or for training or sport- the macharia was a daily part of their lives.

‘Pocket knife at Christmas time.....

The Word of God is an Offensive Weapon

Up to this point all of the pieces of the armor of God have been defensive. Breastplates and shields are what we use when we are being attacked to keep the enemy from wounding us, but the sword is something completely different, the sword is our weapon.

Do you remember the story of Jesus’ temptation in Matthew?

Matthew 4:1–11 ESV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Think about this for a second-Jesus Christ the very Son of God; the one who spoke to the wind and waves; raised the dead; healed the blind and sick; that same Jesus when confronted by the Devil quoted the Bible.

I have got a shirt at my house that says “Not Today, Satan” that the kids got me as a gift a couple years ago. I wish it was that simple- but that is not even what Jesus did. How did Jesus fight the Devil? With the Scripture. Think about that, if the very Son of God used the Word of God to combat the attacks of the Devil should we not do the same?

are tons of weapons out there that are effective for certain kinds of hunting or defense. For example, if I have killed a snake with a .22 and it did an effective job. However, if a large predator like a bear or something like that was attacking the.22 is not the weapon that I am turning to. You know, there are lots of techniques that the world offers to help us when we are in need- count to 10 if you’re angry; meditate or think positive thoughts if you are upset; and those things can be effective, but friends they are not our weapons for Spiritual warfare- our weapon for Spiritual attack is the Bible.

The Word of God is to be used Daily

Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

How do we avoid sin? A great place to start is by arming ourselves with the sword. In the same way that a pocket knife does us no good if it is not on us, the Bible does not do us any good if it is not present with us and in us.

The Bible is a dividing tool

Our passage for this morning reminds us that the Bible is living and active- a great comfort. "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." -- Martin Luther

But it also tells us that it is sharper than a 2 edged sword

Friends, our lives can get caught in bondage and we can get trapped and weighed down by the tacts of the enemy.