Sword of the Spirit

Opening

There is one way to make a sword. It involves thrashing of metal. It involves working it time and time over.

And once you have created a piece of material, it involves tedious sharperning. a scene of a blacksmith’s forge. You see the sweat, the fire, and the hammer hitting the anvil as a man labors to forge a weapon. He is trying to create something strong enough to survive the battle. Most of the world lives like that—trying to forge their own truth, trying to hammer out their own purpose, trying to build a defense against the darkness of life by their own effort.

But think of the legend of King Arthur. Arthur didn’t go to a blacksmith. He didn't labor over a fire. To become the King, he had to go to the Stone and pull out and receive the sword that belonged to him. The sword was already made. It was already perfect. It was a gift of authority that he didn't earn, but had to take up to rule.

Tonight, I want you to see that the Sword of the Spirit is not a weapon you have forged. You didn't write this Bible. You didn't create this Truth. You aren't here to hammer out a 'personal opinion' to fight the devil. You are here, like a King's soldier, to receive a weapon that is already perfect.

We are going to look at this Sword in three ways:

1. Receiving the Blade: The Spirit's Work in the Heart. Before you can carry the sword, the sword has to conquer you.

2. Mastering the Blade: The Spirit's Work in the Daily Battle. This gift is the only thing that actually protects your heart from the enemy.

3. Wielding the Blade: The Spirit's Work in a Dying World. We take this received authority out into a world that is still trying to forge its own broken weapons.

Receiving the Blade

So firstly how we are brought to Christ,Receiving the Blade: The Spirit's Work in the Heart.. The sword of the Spirit is how we are first pierced by the word of God. Can we know God without his word, without his holy scripture? Can we come to faith in Christ without holding a Bible in our hands?

Well, God reveals himself to us. We see the heavens declare God's glory we know God exists and many people see this that God exists by looking at the world. It's not uncommon for people to come to a knowledge of, is there a God based off the facts of creation?

You hear often of this God versus science debate, but a lot of scientists agree that there must be a God because of how intricately this world is put together. And does this knowledge save? Well, of course not. The knowledge of God is not the knowledge of salvation. Nature tells us of a creator, nature. We use no answer for salvation.

So then, it is essential that we are pierced with the sword of the Spirit. I have no doubt that each of you have been pierced with the sword for your own salvation. God reveals that himself through the world.

The light of nature is insufficient to give the knowledge of God's will necessary for salvation. Therefore the sword being the special revelation in God's word is absolutely necessary for each and every one of our salvation.

The sword is a precision surgical tool. Paul was referencing here is a macchiara sword used by the Romans.

It would be a small one-handed sword. You'd often have a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. It's a small, wieldy tool. And it's a precision instrument.

And that, again, I'm sure each and every one of us will have a story of how the sword has been a precision instrument in our lives. The Word of God has pierced us with truth.

Maybe at the time of our conversion, maybe throughout our lives, God has led us to his word and slashed us and pierced us with his perfect gospel truth that was so essential at the right time when he hit us with it.

If you were to flick your Bibles to the third chapter of John, we can see how essential the Spirit is in our regeneration. For verse 5:

English Standard Version Chapter 3 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

The Spirit is an essential part of our coming to Christ. the sword of the spirit slashes away our heart of stone. it is only through the spirits effectual drawing, that we are made new.

Romans 8 v11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

The Bible is not just a book. It is the words of the Spirit. It is the words that bring the sinner to Christ. Without the Spirit-filled words of the Bible, how are we to know who our God is? How are we to get anywhere past Him being a creator?

It is only through the words of the Bible that we can see clearly that our God died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day The sword of the Spirit, the word of God is essential for knowing who our God is, knowing what our God has done, and knowing where our salvation is to be found.

Nowhere else can we find God's perfect truth.

Secondly, Mastering the Blade: The Spirit's Work in the Daily Battle. The sword works in sanctification. As I've spoken about the sword is a short sword. We don't always need a big physical long blow. Often we just meet the short verses. If you will turn with me to Luke chapter 4.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

This passage comes just before the start of Jesus' ministry. As Jesus is led into the wilderness, he is full of the Holy Spirit. The sword of the Spirit, the knowledge of having the Word of God, are fundamentally linked together.

We see this drama here between Satan and Christ, where Satan is trying to get Christ to trip up. And time and time again, it is the words of Scripture that Christ has on his lips that defeat Satan. the only reason he is able to have these words on his lips is because he is already full of the spirit.

His being full of the Spirit means he is kept by the sword. And he uses these short, sharp slashes of scripture to defeat Satan. The first time Jesus is asked to make rocks into bread. He responds with, it is written. The second time he is promised all authority. He again responds with "It is written." Jesus combats Satan both these times by quoting scripture.

And then the third time Satan misquotes scripture. Or not misquotes but misuses a quote of scripture. And Jesus responds again with scripture.

Having the Spirit in the Word, having both these things, you will be able to have a strong defense against the evil one, and be cautious because you can know scripture but not know scripture.Satan knows the Bible too! Be sure to understand what you're saying.

I remember I was doing a Christianity Explored course a few years ago, and one of the women there could remember the Psalms and other Bible verses she had learnt when she was a little girl, but when we got into the course, she had absolutely no grasp of sin, and ultimately she stopped coming along.

Be cautious: to have a knowledge and an understanding. Don't be proud of how much of the Bible you know; instead, rest secure in its truth day by day.

We should cherish the word of God; it will be our daily encouragement when we hold the precious word of God as exactly that: precious and holy. And then also, it will be our strong defense.

Psalm 119 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

We are kept from the deceiving and twisting of an enemy by submitting to the spiritual voice in Scripture. If we are willing to follow, if we are willing to call Christ our God, we must see that the Spirit is God, and in Him we must fully follow as well, being in His Word, his spirit breathed word.

3. Wielding the Blade: The Spirit's Work in a Dying World.

This sword is, no ornament. This sword must be wielded. This doesn't sound like loving Christian values, maybe, but the most loving thing we can do is wield the sword.

If we put up no fight, our faith will be invisible. Going out means contending the faith. We don't go with our own opinions. We don't go with a fight that is political or worldly.

The sword of the Spirit is one that should be wielded, proclaiming Christ's truth. I won't read the passage, but if you might want to flip your Bibles to Acts 2, and if we look at Peter's sermon at 12 Peter, preaching with the sword of the Spirit proclaiming.

And we see he doesn't offer any worldly wisdom, he doesn't try and take away a little thing for people to try and change in their lives. He is direct. He uses scripture to back up what he says. He proclaims Christ crucified, and he is direct with his listeners that they have killed him. Peter didn't give a TED talk; he wielded a weapon.

This is a model of boldness. He does not pull his punches. Again, in Acts 24, Paul witnesses to Felix, Who had used a magician to seduce his wife and taken her from her husband for himself. And she had become Felix's third wife.

And Paul holds nothing back again. He is direct. He calls out into the sin. He sees that Felix wants to be called a Christian, he wants to be part of the gang but wants to offer no sacrifice.

And Paul again uses the sword in a direct and personal way. We ought to also use the sword directly, use it personally. Do not be afraid to hold our brothers and sisters accountable to God's word, and do not be afraid to be held accountable to God's word by your brothers and sisters.

Ending

So, I hope and I pray for each one of us here, we have already been pierced with the sword of the Spirit. I hope that we are constantly being sustained and brought forth, and I hope in the boldness we can wield this art.

We are to receive the sword of the Spirit. This perfect way in which God revealed himself to us is a gift that we are to take. It is not to be changed, not to be altered, not to be worked on, instead received and understood.

We all must receive the Spirit's work in our hearts.

We must master the blade, use it to protect ourselves in our daily battle, to sustain us, to encourage us. And lastly, we are always to be wielding the blade. Practising with the sword daily

It is not a sword to be hung on a wall. A sword on the wall wins no battles. It is not a sword that sits by our side and never comes out. But it is a sword that should be in our hand, ready to take up opportunities for Christ. Let's not leave tonight with the sword comfortably in our pockets and forget, but instead go on, ready for battle.