The holy spirit's sword

THE HOLY SPIRIT'S SWORD
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God.
— Ephesians 6:17
GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Question:"What is the swordof the Spirit?"
Answer: The phrase “swordof the Spirit” is found only once in Scripture, in
Ephesians 6:17. The swordis one of the pieces of spiritual armor Paul tells the
EphesianChristians to put on as part of the “full armor of God” that will
enable us to stand our ground againstevil (Ephesians 6:13).
The swordis both an offensive and defensive weaponused by soldiers or
warriors. In this case it is a weaponbelonging to the Holy Spirit. Swords were
used to protect oneselffrom harm or to attack the enemy to overcome or kill
him. In both casesit was necessaryfor a soldierto getrigid training on the
proper use of the swordto getmaximum protection. All Christian soldiers
need the same rigid training to know how to properly handle the Swordof the
Spirit, “which is the word of God.” The swordthat Paul refers to here is the
Holy Scriptures. We know from 2 Timothy 3:16–17 thatthe word of God is
from the Holy Spirit and written by men. Since every Christian is on the

spiritual battle with the satanic and evil forces of this world, we need to know
how to handle the Word properly. Only then will it be an effective defense
againstevil, but it will also be an offensive weaponwe use to “demolish
strongholds” of error and falsehood(2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
God refers to His Word as a swordin Hebrews 4:12. Here the Word is
describedas living and active and sharper than a double-edgedsword. The
Roman swordwas commonly made in this manner. The fact that it had two
edges made it easierto penetrate, as well as to cut in every way. The idea is
that of piercing, or penetrating; the Word of God reaches the “heart,” the
very centerof action, and lays open the motives and feelings of those it
touches.
The purpose of the swordof the Spirit—the Bible—is to make us strong and
able to withstand the evil onslaughts of Satan, our enemy (Psalm 119:11, 33–
40, 99–105). The Holy Spirit uses the power of the Word to save souls and
then to give them spiritual strength to be mature soldiers for the Lord in
fighting this corrupt and evil world we live in. The more we know and
understand the Word of God, the more useful we will be in doing the will of
God and the more effective we will be in standing againstthe enemy of our
souls.
Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit
by Dave Johnson
“And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians
6:17). What is the significance ofa weaponbeing listed in the armor of God?

The first five elements of the Christian armor are defensive pieces—
armament the Christian canuse to defend againstspiritual attack. Why
would an offensive weaponbe listed with the other pieces of armor? What use
should a Christian make of it?
The Roman sword
The swordused by Romansoldiers was known as a gladius; and in the hands
of a skilled man, it was a fearsome weapon. In fact, it became knownas “the
swordthat conquered the world.” It was sharpened on both sides, making it
lethal againstan unarmored foe. The point was also sharpened, enabling it to
pierce armor.
An infantryman in the Romanlegions would also go into battle with a dagger,
a few spears and possibly a few darts. But the gladius was the only offensive
weaponlisted by Paul, and it was the main weaponin the soldier’s arsenal.
The swordis the Word
Paul defines the sword of the Spirit as the “wordof God” (Ephesians 6:17).
This isn’t the only place where God’s Word (the Bible) is describedas a
sword. The author of Hebrews also makes reference to it: “Forthe word of
God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edgedsword, piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a
discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature
hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to
whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
The Word of God is even sharper than the gladius! It is capable of piercing to
the deepestlevels of one’s heart and attitude, and it is also a tool of
discernment in the hands of the skilled user.
This gives rise to two questions:
1. Is the sword of the Spirit only for use as an offensive weapon?
2. Who or what is the foe againstwhich the swordis to be used?
The swordis also for defense

While the gladius was the primary offensive weaponavailable to a
legionnaire, it was also invaluable for defense, being used to parry and deflect
attacks by an opponent. So also is the Word of God valuable in defending
againstspiritual attack.
Jesus Christ Himself demonstratedhow valuable it is to be grounded in the
words of the Bible when He was attackedby Satan during a time of extreme
physical weakness due to His fasting.
Notice the example in Matthew 4:
“Then Jesus was ledup by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the
devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwardHe was
hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of
God, command that these stones become bread’” (verses 1-3).
Satanknew full well that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but he prefaces
eachof his attacks by saying, “If You are the Sonof God” (emphasis added
throughout). He wanted to pull Christ awayfrom His dependence upon the
Father and the realization that He was there to do the Father’s will. Eachtime
Jesus usedthe Scriptures to defend againstand refute Satan’s ploys.
“But He answeredand said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”’” (verse 4). This is a
quote from Deuteronomy 8:3, and it shows where Jesus Christ’s priorities
truly were.
Satancontinued the attack:“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, 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 shall give the angels charge
over you,” and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot
againsta stone”’” (verses 5-6).
This is an incomplete quote from Psalm91:11-12. Satanleaves outa very
important thought. Here’s verse 11 with the missing part in italics:“ForHe
shall give His angels charge overyou, to keepyou in all your ways” (Psalm
91:11). The idea being conveyedis that God will send angels for protection

when it’s needed, not that you should throw yourself from great heights just
to see if God will save you.
Jesus saw through this tactic and answeredSatan:“It is written again, ‘You
shall not tempt the LORD your God’” (Matthew 4:7; quoted from
Deuteronomy 6:16).
Satanmade one final attempt: “Again, the devil took Him up on an
exceedinglyhigh mountain, and showedHim all the kingdoms of the world
and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You
will fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8-9). Satanplaces all the cards
on the table. The point of all these attacks was to have Jesus worshipSatan
instead of God. Again, the final answerin the next verse comes from
Scripture:
“Then Jesus saidto him, ‘Away with you, Satan! Forit is written, “You shall
worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve”’” (verse 10;
quoted from Deuteronomy6:13).
This was the end (on this occasion)of Satan’s efforts to unseat Christ as the
ruler of the world to come. In eachcase,Jesus skillfully used a thorough
knowledge ofthe Scripture to parry and deflect the attacks.
What a masterful example of how to use the sword of the Spirit—the Word of
God!
Who is the enemy?
We have seen, from the example of Jesus Christ, that the enemy of the
Christian is Satanthe devil, as he tries to separate us from our God (see also 1
Peter5:8-9).
A more refined question might be: What do we attack with the sword? How is
it used as an offensive weapon?
The apostle Paulused a military analogywhen he talkedabout the Christian
fight. He described thoughts and attitudes that we must defeat, just as a
soldier would use his weapons to defeatthe enemy.

We are to use the Word of God to discern those thoughts and attitudes that
are contrary to God’s way and use that sword to bring those attitudes and
thoughts into captivity. That is the Christian battle, and that is how we use the
offensive weaponin our armor.
“Forthough we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For
the weapons ofour warfare are not carnalbut mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself againstthe knowledge ofGod, bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience ofChrist” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
We are to use the Word of God to discern those thoughts and attitudes that
are contrary to God’s way and use that sword to bring those attitudes and
thoughts into captivity. That is the Christian battle, and that is how we use the
offensive weaponin our armor.
Training is needed!
Roman soldiers could not be sent into battle without having extensive training
in the use of the gladius. They were first trained using shields made of wicker
and swords made of wood. These items were typically about twice the weight
of the normal swords and shields. The thought was that if the trainee could
use these heavier items skillfully, he would be at an advantage when using the
real weapons, whichwere much lighter by comparison.
After training extensively with the woodenweapons, the soldiers were then
paired againsteachotherfor further training in combat techniques and
moves. The importance of the training was reflectedin the food rations given
by the Romans. Instructors often receiveddouble rations. Trainees who didn’t
achieve desired levels of skill were given inferior rations until their training
evaluations improved.
As Christians, we also must train and be skillful in the use of the sword. The
author of Hebrews tells us that we must become gradually more
knowledgeable and skilledin the Word of God, until we are able to use it to
discern goodfrom evil.

“Forthough by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach
you againthe first principles of the oracles ofGod; and you have come to need
milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled
in the word of righteousness, forhe is a babe. But solid food belongs to those
who are of full age, that is, those who by reasonof use have their senses
exercisedto discernboth goodand evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).
This level of skill—this proficiency with the Word of God—comesby “reason
of use.” We have to be familiar with the Bible, and we must have our spiritual
senses sharpenedby it in order to make full use of this piece of armament God
has given us!
The swordand you!
The desire to become knowledgeable inGod’s Word—skilledin the use of the
sword—has to come from within. Do you see how valuable it is, and do you
desire to have a high level of skill?
Notice the attitude shownby the psalmist when it came to God’s Word:
“I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keepYour word. I
have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me.
How sweetare Your words to my taste, sweeterthan honey to my mouth!
Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way”
(Psalm 119:101-104).
This is the attitude and approach to God’s Word that canmake a skilled
spiritual warrior. The training and skill levels are up to you!"
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
The sixth piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6 is "the swordof the
Spirit, which is the word of God." How does a Roman soldier's sword help us
understand how to use the Bible to win our spiritual battles?

The Bible, in Judges 7, records the story of Gideon and his 300 men:
Gideon and 32,000Israelite troops gatherednearthe Midianite camp, but
they were severelyoutnumbered by their 135,000 oppressors. Gideonwas
ready to do battle, but Godhad other plans. He was about to show His people
just how powerful a God He was.
God told Gideon to let anyone who was afraid of the upcoming battle return
home. Twenty-two thousand men took the opportunity to leave their ranks,
leaving only 10,000remaining. But God was looking for a smaller group still.
God then told Gideonto have the remainder drink from the spring, and all
those who lapped the water like a dog would remain, while the restwere sent
home. Finally, with only 300 men, Gideon and his little army surrounded the
Midianites. On signalthey blew trumpets, broke the pitchers covering their
torches and shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" (Judges 7:20).
Then the unthinkable happened. These 300 men—holding not swords, but
torches and trumpets—routed the entire Midianite camp. Scripture records
that God "setevery man's sword againsthis companion throughout the whole
camp" (Judges 7:22). So before the Israelites evenhad a chance to reachfor
swords, Godplunged the enemy camp into chaos and wild defeat. The
Israelites were delivered from their foes by a miracle.
This famous story illustrates an invaluable lesson:It is God who gives the
victory. His swordis what will deliver us.
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Taking the Sword
Throughout the world, there are certainindividuals—real and fictional—
whose identity remains almost inseparable from their weaponof choice.
From England, there is King Arthur and his sword, Excalibur. From the
Middle East, Ali and his scimitar, Zulfiqar. From Spain, El Cid and his long
sword, Tizona. From Scotland, William Wallace andhis unnamed claymore.

The swordis the only item listed by Paul that serves in an offensive capacity.
Even if we have all the restof the armor equipped perfectly, without our
sword, we amount to little more than heavily armored moving targets.
Perhaps this is why we remember the name of King Arthur's sword and not,
for example, his footwear. While the restof the armor is undoubtedly vital, it
is the swordand only the sword that allows us to attack—to directlydo the
work that needs to be done.
What purpose did the sword serve in the Roman army?
The Roman gladius has become knownas "the swordthat conquered the
world." Adapted from a Spanish design, the prowess of the gladius in close
range combat made it a fearsome toolin the hand of a skilledRoman warrior.
When sharpened, its dual edges wreakedhavoc on unarmored foes, while its
tapered point could pierce through even heavy metal armor.
A Roman infantryman would go into battle armed with more than just his
gladius. He would also have a dagger(pugio), severalone-time use spears
(pila) and lead-weighteddarts (plumbatae), but the swordwas his main means
of attack. The sword is the only weaponPaul lists as part of the Christian
arsenal.
What is the Word of God?
Psalm119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
God's Word—the Holy Bible—illuminates. It reveals to us the goodand the
bad, the wise and the unwise. It is the ultimate toolin learning how to live the
best possible life, free from the restraints of stumbling in darkness.
John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God's Word is truth, plain and simple. We can have perfect confidence in the
fact that His words are accurate, true and unerring. When followed, they
guide us without fail in the paths that we need to walk.
We canbe destroyedby lack of the knowledge ofGod (Hosea 4:6), but we will
be blessedif we hear and keepthe Word of God(Luke 11:28). And the
knowledge is not just for us. We are to be ready to answerothers who ask us
(1 Peter3:15).
Why a sword?
Hebrews 4:12
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 discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The all-powerful swordof the living Godis able to cut through every defense
our enemy can raise—downto the very division of bone and marrow. When
wielded by a servant of God, nothing canwithstand its ability to cut straight
to the core of a matter and uncover the truth. As soldiers in God's army, it is
our responsibility and duty to use His Word to discern the truth and then
follow it. When God's Word shows us something wrong in ourselves, we can
use this spiritual weaponto "surgically" remove the offending thoughts and
actions (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Unlike all other pieces of the armor of God, which are solelydefensive, the
swordis uniquely suited for both defensive and offensive roles. A solid defense
is invaluable, but the swordis the only way we can complete the work we have
been given to do.
Notice that Jesus Christ used the Bible to counter Satan's attacks (Matthew
4:4, 7, 10). We must also learn to live "by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
Swords are used for close combat, not long-range warfare. Could this imply
the nature of the battle a Christian fights?
Acts 14:22

...strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the
faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of
God."
James 1:2-4
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that
the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect
work, that you may be perfectand complete, lacking nothing.
The Romans relied in part on assailing their enemy from a distance with
javelins and darts, but God does not give us that option as Christian soldiers.
If we were able to fight our battles from a distance, we would never
experience an actual trial.
At first glance, that might not seemlike such a bad thing. But when we stop to
considerthat without trials, there is no growth, and without growth, we will
not be able to enter God's Kingdom, we see that trials, however
uncomfortable, are essentialin our journeys as Christians. After all, the
promises of Revelation2:7, 11, 17, 26 and 3:5, 12 and 21 are given "to him
who overcomes"and not "to him who remains as he is."
Paul only lists one weaponbecause we only need one weapon:There is no
enemy the Word of God, coupled with His Spirit, cannotdefeat. And so,
armed only with our sword, we stepout to fight our enemies head-on. The
struggle is real. It is immediate, and it is in front of us. Our future in God's
Kingdom is on the line, and we take up the battle so that we may hold fast to
the future He has promised us.
What promises canwe stand on?
Matthew 24:13
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Romans 8:31
What then shall we sayto these things? If God is for us, who can be against
us?

We fight knowing the end of the story. Two of the many powerful and sure
promises in God's Word tell us that if we remain dedicated to God and His
Word, we will make it to the end, and we will be saved. There is no doubt in
this statement. God's promises are as sure as the one He told Isaiah: "Indeed I
have spokenit; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it"
(Isaiah 46:11).
So take up your sword. The battle is ours."
Wielding the Swordof the Spirit in Spiritual Warfare
By Don Ibbitson
The swordof the spirit is the word of God (Ephesians 6:12). You read it and
meditate on it, but do you know how to wield it effectivelyin spiritual
warfare?
During years of counseling with clients, I’ve found that many do not use it as
effectively as they might. In this article, I’ll outline a very specific strategyfor
using it to confront demons in hand-to-hand combat.
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the word of God is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.We are to study to
meditate on it so we will know the ways of God and so He might speak to us as
we ponder His written revelation.
Meditating on a scripture will fortify our spirit man so he can direct our
fleshly, unrenewed soul man. In this way, thoughts can be captured, proper
(biblical) thinking can dominate and the appropriate actionplan can unfold as
a result.
These are all biblically sound ways that the word of God can help us, but I
want to suggestthat there is another specific use for the swordof the Spirit
that is often ignored.

All of the armor is important so we might take our stand againstthe devil’s
schemes. The words “swordof the spirit” presents a visually compelling
depiction for the Bible and it must be understood in the contextof the passage.
The Greek wordfor “sword” is machaira and in the vernacular of Paul’s time
during the Roman occupation, this element of a soldier’s armament was more
like a dagger. It was used for close-in, defensive fighting (or to take a stand
against)and we must apply this definition carefully.
Some contend that the swordis an offensive weaponto go out and attack the
demonic realm, but I suggestthatview is not consistentwith the context of the
passage.
How can we use the word of God in a defensive manner againstthe devil’s
schemes? While scripture is useful for meditation, building up faith and
training, I believe the Ephesians 6:14 verse describes a direct confrontation
with the demonic realm?
The Swordof the Spirit in Action
In order to understand the full implication, we must be aware ofa particular
characteristic ofdemons: they cannotread our minds. Demons know much
about us because theyhear what we speak (and what is spokenoverus) and
they see our actions. They do not know our thoughts so we must speak out
loud to interact with them.
This is exactly what Jesus did during three separate temptations from Satan
himself, as we see in Matthew 4.
Once again, to use the word as a swordagainstthe enemy, you must declare
the Word to him! Let’s illustrate with an example of how this works.
There is turmoil at your workplace andrumors of cutbacks and layoffs are
rampant. You are being overwhelmedwith tormenting thoughts of fear about
losing your job and that you’ll not have the money to pay the bills.
You entertain the likelihoodthat you won’t be able to find another job
quickly, that you will exhaust your savings, end up on food stamps and will
lose your house.

How might you respond so that God’s promises can take precedence in your
mind? Find all the scriptures you canon God’s faithfulness, His provision of
your needs and also the verses that counter fear. Meditate on them, renew
your mind and take up the shield of faith.
When the enemy attacks you, whip out the sword(those scriptures you have
learned) and speak to those tormenting spirits:
“God’s not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.
The righteous never go begging and my God will meet all of my need out of
His glorious riches. You spirit of fear, you get out of here and leave me alone,
in Jesus name!”
Try it! See if this bold action fortifies your spirit man so that your soul mind
(that wants to play the old tapes)yields to these truths!
We are approaching times where the worldly situation is deteriorating and
God himself will be our only hope. Fight the goodfight now in the midst of
your present circumstances so you will be prepared when the deeperdarkness
comes (Isaiah60:2,).
Be confident and bold. You have the victory and the gates ofhell will not
prevail as you advance in faith and not fear!"
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Sword Of The Spirit
Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jan 29, 2014
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Scripture: Ephesians 6:17
Denomination: Baptist
Summary: armor of God. Link inc. to formatted text, audio.
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Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:17b
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/SwordOfSpirit.html
Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore castoff the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
It has all been defensive gearthus far. Now, how about an offensive
weapon...inmore ways than one, for many are offended by the Word of God
and considerit be offensive!
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discernerof the thoughts and intents of the heart.
In Matthew 4 we see Jesus use His sword. It is the best illustration we could
consider.

v. 1 The language of Mk. 1:12 is even stronger, “Immediately the Spirit
driveth Him into the wilderness.”
God arrangedfor this temptation. Why?
1. To prepare Him to become our High Priest.
Hebrews 2:18
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succourthem
that are tempted.
He's been there and not done that.
Hebrews 4:15
For we have not an high priest which cannotbe touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus has compassionand understanding for us, remembering we are made of
dust, and because He knows exactlyhow it feels to be tempted! And yet
without sin.
"Jesus knowsall about our struggles..."
2. To expose Satan's devices.
The devil prefers to lurk in the darkness and spring out in a surprise attack.
The devil doesn't want us to know his tactics and methods, but Jesus flushed
them out on that day. "We are not ignorant of his devices", thanks to Jesus.
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3. To teachus how our Sword works.
Just because Jesuswas the Son of God doesn't mean His temptations weren't
real. He had laid aside His divine powers. He facedSatanas a man in human
in flesh...using the Sword of the Spirit!
And all His quotations that day were from Deuteronomy 6 and 8. Could it be
that the Lord’s meditation that morning had been in this portion of God’s
Word?
Goodthing He didn't try to win using human reason, like we do. [debate thru
intellect / willpower] Jesus usedthe same Sword that I canuse!
Now, let's expose Satan's strategies:
1. To satisfy a right desire in a wrong way.
vv. 2-3 With a realbody, He gotvery hungry in 40 days. He had a natural
appetite. His taste buds would waterwith the thought of food. Jesus could
have satisfieda legitimate desire, but in an illegitimate way.
So Satan tempted Him to use His power to produce instant food. That is
something we are quite used to today. Put food in a microwave for a minute or
two, and you have a hot meal. Or pull into the closestfastfoodplace, and you
can geta meal pretty quickly. And in the case ofJesus, He
could turn desert stones into bread. After all, John had said that God could
turn stones into sons of Abraham, and if Jesus is God’s Son, then surely He
could turn stones into bread, a lessermiracle.
Later He would demonstrate that He could change waterinto wine, and
multiply a few loaves and fishes and feed thousands. Oh, He had the power.
And why not use it? The desire for food was innocent but strong, the need was
imperative, and He had the powerto secure instant relief.
So, the bait is skillfully wound over the barbed hook.
Jesus'response:v. 4

There's powerin the Word...it is a Sword that fights againstSatan. It's sharp
edges cut at him. It's blunt handle crushes his head. It's pointed tip runs him
thru, and it matters not if you are right or left handed, highly trained or new
to this, Satancannot compete againstGod's offensive weapon!
How about you? You have God given desires.
Sexual desires:They are normal and natural. But God made them to be with
the right species,right gender, and within the bounds of marriage. You're not
just an animal, roaming the countryside sowing your seedwhere you may.
Satanattempts to turn that normal desire into adultery and fornication.
Ambition: I wish more expressedthis natural desire to work and improve
oneself.
Satanturns ambition into covetousness, greed, andselfishness.
Sleepand rest: I'm an addict...I do it every day!
Satanurges us to take it to the extreme of laziness and slothfulness.
Eat: Yes we need food, but we do not meet the need for food by stealing. That
would be satisfying a right desire in a wrong way.
ill.--I heard that Walmart actually posted armed guards in the south
yesterdayto prevent looting!
Also, we eat to live. No problem.
Satanwants us to live to eat...that's gluttony. And you can't spot a glutton
from the outside, necessarily!
Jesus coulduse His Swordbecause it was in His armory [memory]. Whatever
your struggle, there are verses which apply. [examples] Will you hide them in
your heart, so you can meditate upon them, and when needed, draw them
from your sheath?!
2. To sin a sin of presumption.
vv. 5-7 Satanpulls a quote from Psalm 91:11, but left out half of the verse.

Psalm91:11
For he shall give his angels charge overthee, to keepthee in all thy ways.
The child of God has the protection of God...IN THE WILL OF GOD.
When we getout of God's will, His grace will forgive us, but His government
will allow us to suffer the consequences.
ill.--If I jump off of 3rd floor, it is a mistake. If in mid-air I admit my mistake
and ask Godto forgive me, will He? Yes! But who will clean up the mess?
Jesus was tempted with the sin of presumption...purposefully putting yourself
into a situation where God has to bail you out, and do a miracle in order to
rescue you.
ill.--you'll see some TV preachers say, "Justmail me a check and I'll pray a
prayer of debt relief for God to miraculously get your head above water."
Will that help? I do believe God can work miracles, and help us recoverfrom
our past mistakes. Butif it works, should you go out and ring up a bunch of
new debts? After all, you can just pray for another miracle, right? "To him
who knowethto do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
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To be deceivedinto sin, like Eve, is one thing. To fall headlong into sin
willfully, like Adam, is another.
Sunday we quoted 1 John 1:9 - I wonderhow often we sin willfully, knowing
that we can just confess it later. It's the sin of presumption.
Augustine: "Godwill grant forgiveness to every man that repents. But He
may not grant repentance to every man that sins."

His point - that when you become a willful sinner, you start down a one way
streetthat is difficult to return home on.
Christians today want God's promises without God's precepts and it doesn't
work that way.
Shifting gears:We are sometimes tempted to demand a visible proof of God’s
presence and care. Forexample, someone may say, “God, if you don’t heal
me, I won’t believe in you.” [Give me a job / make that girl like me] That is
not faith, but is putting God to the test.
If you have to have a miracle in order to believe what God has already said,
then you lack true faith. True faith does not put God to the test. Jesus quotes
Deut. 6:16
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
That incident is found in Ex. 17:1-7. There they complained againstMoses
and God because there was no water. They demanded waterand said, “Is the
LORD among us or not?” If He is, then prove it by giving us water.” Instead
of waiting on God’s provision, they put Him to the test. Putting God to the test
is when you insist that God do something to prove Himself to you. True faith
does not demand signs from heavenor miracles, but simply believes the Word
of God.
3. To take a spiritual shortcut.
vv. 8-11 Satanpromises Jesus the world. Problem: He has already been
promised the kingdom of this world! [Psalm2/Revelation]
Satansays, "You don't have to wait. I am currently the godof this world, but
will hand you the title deed of this earth if you just worship me."
Jesus was a man. This means He had trouble with patience just like we do.
But Jesus wouldn't take a spiritual shortcut. He had come this time for the
cross, notthe crown. I'm so glad Jesus had the discipline to wait and do it
right!
Seekerstodaywant the crownwithout the cross.

Satan's glory always leads to suffering.
God's suffering always leads to glory.
I can't promise your best life now. I won't lie to you and say that God has a
wonderful plan for your life. If you give your life to Christ, it may mean a
lifetime of suffering.
But if you pick up your cross, daily, and follow Him, I can promise you the
end result will be and eternity of glory. If you don't repent, and live for self in
this life, I can promise you an eternity of suffering.
Don't try to take a spiritual shortcut. Satan's waylooks to be the easiest, but
ends up being the hardest.
Proverbs 13:15
... the way of transgressorsis hard.
God's way may look difficult at first, but in the end, it proves to have been the
easiestwayto blessing.
Oh, how Sataneffectively uses that kind of temptation today. Satanis always
offering instant gratification. The Bible admits there is temporary pleasure in
sin. Too many are like Esau, who traded the value of his birthright for the
temporary pleasure of a mess of pottage. Youth seem vulnerable to this
temptation. For example, Satanwill say, “Why wait until marriage to
experience the pleasure of sexualintimacy. I will give it to you now. And many
young people fall for such temptations of Satan!
But we need to follow the example of Christ. He maintained loyalty to God,
and endured the cross and suffering, for He knew that beyond the cross, was a
crownof glory.
Hebrews 12:2
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Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was setbefore him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is setdown at
the right hand of the throne of God.
We can't just play defense with our armor...we needan offensive weapon. It
offends Satan...cutting him down to size. We must read it, meditate upon it,
study it, and hide it in our hearts.
Psalm119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin againstthee.
If you are a Christian, Satanhas no authority over you. You can’t say, “The
devil made me do it.”
1 Cor. 10:13
There hath no temptation takenyou but such as is common to man: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, thatye may be able to
bear it.
2 Peter2:9
The Lord knowethhow to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
James 4:7
Resistthe devil, and he will flee from you.
We resistwith the Sword of the Spirit!"

The Rhema Swordof the Spirit
October6, 2010 Angus MacKillop
Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the whole armour of God, so that we may fight
and stand againstthe schemes of the enemy for as v12 tells us, “we do not
wrestle againstfleshand blood, but againstprincipalities, againstpowers,
againstthe world’s rulers, of the darkness ofthis age, againstspiritual
wickednessin high places.”
In v14-17, we are told to stand, wearing:
the Beltof Truth
the Breastplate ofRighteousness
our Shoes ofthe preparation of the Gospelof Peace
our Shield of Faith
our Helmet of Salvation, and
the Swordof the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
I read recently that Swordof the Spirit, the “Wordof God,” was the Rhēma
Word of God, not the Logos Word of God. But I know for sure that I was
taught that the Sword of the Spirit was the written Word of God, and with
that teaching was admonish to learn as much scripture as possible as it will be
invaluable, indeed necessary, for fighting the enemy.

I decided therefore to check this new teaching out, and to learn more about
the word, “word” in the Bible. Researching the Greek usages found in the
King James Bible, “word” occurs 207 times in 195 verses and there are 5
generalmeanings as follows:
“Apaggellō” – means to announce: – bring word (again), declare, report, show
(again), tell. It occurs 3 times: Matthew 2:8; Matthew 28:2 and Hebrews
12:27
“Epō” – means to speak or say(by word or writing) – answer, bid, bring
word, call, command, grant, say (on), speak, tell. It occurs 1 time in Matthew
2:13
“Logikos” – means rational (“logical”):– reasonable,ofthe word. It occurs 1
time in 1 Peter2:2
“Rhēma” – means an “utterance,” orspokenword, as in the “Rhēma Word”
of the Lord, or the spokenword of the Lord. It is used 23 times in the New
Testament. Click here to download an editable attachment listing all the
relevant verses.
“Logos” – meaning the “written” Word of the Lord, as in the “Logos Word”
of the Lord which is The Holy Bible. It is the most common usage ofthe word
and comprises all other uses in the New Testament. It is used 179 times.
The difference betweenthe Logos and the Rhēma word may be describedin
short as the “old” was of doing things and the “new” was of doing things for
the Lord.
After reading all the verses and interpreting them with the correctGreek
meaning, I found that only Ephesians 6:17 was a new understanding.
What is it that makes the Sword of the Spirit more effective with the Rhēma
Word, rather than the Logos Word, as I was previously taught?
I believe the answerlies in Ephesians 6:19 where Paul says “And pray for me,
that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel.” (Emphasis added)

The enemy, Satan, knows the Bible very well and is well versedin misusing
and misquoting it as in Matthew 4 when he tempts Jesus. Throughthe Spirit
of Religionhe has been confusing people for thousands of years with the Old
Testamentand ever since the New Testamentwas written. Indeed, he
probably knows it better than most of us, and in that, has a definite advantage
over those who do not know the Bible. He is waiting for us to slip and in a
trespass, so he may have a legitimate claim againstus. By standing with a
Sword of the Spirit sharpenedwith the Rhēma word of the Lord, He gives us
a greattacticaladvantage overthe enemy and renders us strong and
victorious and all the enemy weak.
For as soldiers in opposing armies may be equipped with the same weapons,
the commander who canstrategise betterand use his weapons in better and in
new ways, will win the day. This is what the Rhēma word of the Lord allows
us to do. We can take the Logos word of the Lord, which the enemy knows
and present it in new ways with revelations from the Lord, the “mystery of the
Gospel.” The secretnew things of Jehovahare with those who fearHim and
He will show them His covenant. Thus the advantage will be on the side of the
swordbearer who has the fresh words of the Lord.
As Smith Wigglesworth, a man called”The Apostle of Faith” because ofhis
absolute trust in God says, if we have the Holy Spirit in us, but we do not have
the Word, we can avail little; if we have the Bible knowledge without the Holy
Spirit in us, againavail little; howeverif we are filled with the Holy Spirit and
have knowledge ofthe logos wordof the Lord, we can be powerful forces for
His Kingdom. He says “it is the intention of God that a living word of
knowledge willcome forth from us through the powerof the Spirit of God. It
is the Holy Spirit who will bring forth utterances from our lips and a divine
revelation of all the mind of God.”
It all makes sense now. Ineed to have a foundation of the Logos Word so that
the Holy Spirit can draw it out and use it in a Rhēma fashion to conquer and
vanquish the enemy at all times."

BRIAN BRODERSEN
How to Use the Swordof the Spirit
October2, 2017
Now, when Paul spoke ofthe “word” of God, he used the Greek wordrhema,
not the more familiar Greek word logos. Rhema is an interesting word that
refers to “a saying,” or in our context, a particular verse or a number of
verses. By using this Greek word, Paul is emphasizing the need to know the
Word of God in a detailed manner in order to effectively use it againstthe
devil.
Paul communicates the same idea to Timothy, instructing him to “rightly
divide the word of truth” (see 2 Timothy 2:15). The idea is to be able to bring
the right word from God to bear upon a given situation. A brief consideration
of the earthly ministry of our Lord will enable us to see exactly what Paul is
talking about. We have already consideredthe confrontationbetweenChrist
and Satanin the wilderness and have seenhow Jesus put Satanto flight with
the Word of God. Throughout our Lord’s ministry, He repeated this same
approachas He dealt with the scribes and the Pharisees.
Skillfully Using the Sword of the Spirit
On eachoccasion, ourLord’s skillful use of the swordof the Spirit silenced
His enemies. Take forexample the situation recordedin Matthew 21, verses
15 and 16. The religious leaders were angry with Jesus for allowing the
children to refer to Him as “Messiah.”Do you remember His response?
“Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You
have perfectedpraise’?” (see Matthew 21:16).
How about the time when the Sadducees posedto Him a hypothetical situation
that they thought to be an airtight argument againstthe resurrection? He
responded, “Your mistake is not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of
God”;and again He said, “Have you not read what was spokento you by
God?” (see Matthew 22:29, 31).
Captain of Our Salvation

One last example is found in the Lord’s response to the Pharisees’assertion
that Christ was to be merely the son of David:
“How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself
said in the Book ofPsalms:‘The LORD saidto my Lord, …’ therefore David
calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” Luke 20:41–44
In eachof these examples, the Captain of our salvationis teaching us
indirectly how to effectivelywield the swordof the Spirit. Therefore, we must
study to show ourselves approved, workmenable to rightly divide and apply
the word of truth.
CHRISTIANARMOR.NET
Sword of the Spirit
The Swordof the Spirit is the Word of God
As we study the Swordof the Spirit we must remember that the Lord saves,
heals and delivers His people through His Word. His Word is a weapon,
empoweredby His Spirit, and used to defeatthe lies and powers of Darkness.
The Swordof the Spirit brings sanctification, healing, and deliverance to His
people.
The Swordof the Spirit is the primary means of His delivering power in our
lives. As we live by His Word, then the powerof His Word is releasedwithin
us. The Lord gives His Word to empower His people. This has always been
His primary means of empowering His people. He speaks, His people believe
Him, and as they acton what He says, His Word gives them victory overtheir
enemies.
The Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit for two important reasons.
God uses His Word as a weaponto defeat every enemy.

His people use His Word as a weaponto defeat every enemy.
The Swordof the Spirit is a Weaponof Combat
2Cor. 3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the
weapons ofour warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that
exalteth itself againstthe knowledge ofGod, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience ofChrist.
When we acton the Word of God, the Holy Spirit performs the intended
purpose of the Word. The Word of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit
inflicts mortal wounds on the lies of Darkness.
And that is preciselythe effectof the Word of God upon deception and
darkness. The Word of God defeats, with a fatal wound, the lies of darkness
that would bind and blind our mind.
Remember, Darkness flourishes when hidden by a lie. Darknesshas its
greatestinfluence over us when we do not see it. The sword of the Spirit shines
light on the lies of Darkness, taking awaytheir cover, and allowing us to turn
from their inward destructions.
As we wage our warfare using the truth of God's Word, darkness must flee in
the presence ofLight. And as we use the Light of God's Word, to defeatlies
that reside within, one by one, new freedom and power is releasedinto our
heart and mind.
The Word Of GodIs Truth
That the Word of God is Truth cannotbe over emphasized. Our battle with
Darkness is fundamentally a battle with deception. Spiritual Darkness comes
to us through a lie, or a distortion. The powerof Darknessdepends its "wiles"
to bring us under the influence of a lie. Just as light defeats darkness, the
powerof a lie is defeatedby truth.

As we bring truth into our mind, and begin to identify the lies in our thinking,
the powerof darkness is diminished, lie by lie, until our mind is completely
renewedand governedby truth. As we subject our emotions and thoughts to
the Word of God, we disarm the lies of Darkness andstop it's destructive
influences. As we gain victories over inward lies, we find a new freedom as
Jesus Himself now has final sayover the desires of our heart. We give Jesus
the lastword by yielding our heart and its desires to the Word of God. It is
through the renewing of our mind that we are able to recognize, and then stop
the ongoing influence of Darkness onour thoughts, our emotions, our
ambitions, our desires, and our priorities.
Examples of Destructive Thinking:
Do I make decisions becauseofthe love of money?
Do I chronically make bad decisions?
Am I living in chronic sin? Why, what do I really want?
What is it that I really enjoy?
Am I, in reality, a completely unhappy person? If yes, then what is it that I am
not getting?
Do I relate to life as though it (life) is about me and my wants. Or do I relate
to life through the ccomplishments of Jesus onmy behalf.
Am I in constantcompetition or struggle with people?
Am I chronically frustrated, depressedor angry?
Do I define myself or do I allow God to define me?
Do I define reality or do I allow God to define reality?
Who defines truth for me - the culture, the media, my family, my Church, my
own mind, or the Word of God?
Is my life characterizedby thankfulness and joyfulness?
Do I have a sense of security with genuine peace?

The Word Converts the Soul
Psalm19:7-11 (NKJV)
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the
Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the
eyes;9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than
gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeteralso than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreoverby them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is
greatreward.
The effects ofDarkness are expressedthrough our personalities just as God
expresses Himselfthrough our personalities. Darkness rules in us through lies,
God rules through truth. So, it is as we allow God's Word to rule over our
heart, that darkness is effectively dealt with. The result of God's rule is
spiritual and emotionalfreedom.
We must remember that believing and acting on lies is ultimately a moral
issue, it is sin. If we live by a lie rather than God's Word it is because we
prefer the lie.
God Sends His Word for a Specific Effector Purpose.
Psalm107:20 (NKJV)
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their
destructions.
Isaiah55:8-11 (NKJV)
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Norare your ways My ways, says
the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways
higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the
rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But
waterthe earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seedto the
sowerAnd bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My

mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplishwhat I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
One thing is certain, Godunderstands our problems. He knows exactlywhere
our difficulties lie. He understands anger, depression, frustration,
unhappiness, destructive habits; He understands every problem we can have.
But the really goodnews is that He not only understands our problems, but
He understands us. It is as He fixes us that we become able to manage our
problems. He understands life better than we do and He knows our heart
better than we do. In fact, as God, He alone is the only one that has all the
answers!
The Key: WE Allow God to Define Truth.
We are to allow Him to define our purpose in life; He is the One who gives
meaning. As God, we allow him to define the source ofour difficulties, and we
allow Him to define Himself. God can answerevery question and we allow to
provide the principles we live by.
God Could Have Said Anything, but His Word is what He said!!
The above scriptures tell us that God understands the issues of our life. And
He heals for healing is built into His Word. He says that just as waterwaters
the earth, and causes the earth to bring forth fruit in order that people will
have food. In the same way, God foreseesour need, and sends His Word to
waterour soul and produce in us the health and healing He has purposed.
His word will accomplishHis purposes, for He performs His Word to His
desired end! God designedwaterto do what it does and God designedplants
that need waterfor growth. The Scripture encouragesus to learn from this
simple illustration of God's design. Can you imagine a plant that refused
waterbecause, in the plant's wisdom, it didn't see the relevance or purpose of
water.
Contrastthat plant with a plant that simply accepts God's counsel, accepts
that wateris essentialfor health, and then, in faith, drank deeply of the water
that God gave. We must see ourselves as designedby God, and His Word as
the essentialnutrient of our soul.

God Performs His Word
It is a question of power. God owns all power, otherwise he couldn't fix our
problems. When the scripture says His Word will accomplishthe purpose for
which it is sent, we are to understand that in order for that statement to be
true God must have all power. In other words, nothing can stop God's Word
from accomplishing it's purpose. God Himself performs His Word! Isaiah
55:11 states His Word will accomplishwhat He pleases andprosper in the
purpose for which He sent it! As we submit our hearts to God's Word then the
accomplishing and prospering of His Word begins to work in us, producing
the wholenessand freedom that He wills for His people. Listen to Psalms
Chpt. 1.
Psalm1 (NIV)
1 Blessedis the man who does not walk in the counselof the wickedor stand
in the way of sinners or sit in the seatof mockers. 2 But his delight is in the
law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf
does not wither. Whateverhe does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked!They are
like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wickedwill not stand in
the judgment, nor sinners in the assemblyof the righteous. 6 For the Lord
watches overthe way of the righteous, but the way of the wickedwill perish.
Notice the wholeness andfreedom that comes to the person who allows the
Word of God to rule in their heart. They are like trees that are planted by a
river, trees that bear fruit and whose leaves are always green. He is so affected
by the Word of Godthat he prospers in everything he does.
It is as we submit our lives to the searchlightof God's Word that we are
changed. If we allow God's Word to decide all questions of faith and behavior,
what is right or wrong, inside and outside, then we will be able to see our
heart with God's eye. Otherwise we never see our real problems and never
deal with the destructions of lies that reside within. Listen to Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest
knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for
what we really are
We all need this supervision of God's Word. No one evercomes to the place in
life that they no longerneed to expose their heart to God.
Listen to Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teachus what is true and
to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches
us to do what is right.
As we walk toward wholeness andfreedom through His Word, may we hear
the voice of God, speaking to us saying, this is the way, walk ye in it."
Peter DeHaanBible, God, Holy Spirit, Swordof the Spirit
What Does The Swordof the Spirit Mean?
In the letter Paul wrote tothe church inEphesus he tells themtoput on spiritual
armor. Includedin his list of gear is only one offensive item:“the swordof the
Spirit,”whichhe says is the word of God.
Many people understandthis as a reference tothe Bible, the writtenwordof
God. Until a fewyears ago, I did, too (eventhoughthe Bible as we know it today
didn’t exist back when this was written). We are thento use the words of the
Bible tocombat evil and the evil one; it is our weapon to fendoff the attacks of
the devil and his minions. Sadly, too many people do use the Bible as a weapon,
but against eachother. They fling Bible verses like rocks, attempting toadvance
their point and subdue all disagreement. They forget the real enemy is not in

the physical worldbut in the spiritual one. They forget to listentoeachother
and to love one another.
Other people see this instructionas a reference tothe spokenwordof God: the
words of the Holy Spirit who directs eachof us. Though a bit jarring to many,
this understanding seems more consistentwiththe text, since it says the word
of God is the swordof the Spirit, connecting wordwithSpirit. While I think this
is a correct understanding, it’s alsoarisky one. What if we hear wrong? What if
what I hear contradicts withwhat you hear? Then we have a problem.
However, we must keepin mind that the spokenword of God shouldalign with
the writtenwordof God. If the two are in conflict, thenwhat we think we heard
must be in error.
Withso much at stake, some people bypass the Holy Spirit andgo straight to
the Bible. While this might be safe, it falls short of God’s intent. Instead, we
shouldlisten tothe spokenwords of the Holy Spirit, confirming themwiththe
writtenwords of the Bible.
This is what the swordof the Spirit means to me.
The Sword of the Spirit
April 19th, 1891
by
C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892)

"Take the sword of the Spirit, whichis the word of God."—Ephesians 6:17.
To be a Christianis tobe a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not
expect tofindease in this world:it is a battle-field. Neither must he reckon
upon the friendshipof the world;for that would be enmity against God. His
occupationis war. As he puts on piece by piece of the panoply providedfor him,
he may wisely say to himself, "This warns me of danger;this prepares me for
warfare;this prophesies opposition."
Difficultiesmeet us eveninstanding our ground; for the apostle, twoor three
times, bids us—"Stand."In the rush of the fight, men are apt to be carriedoff
their legs. If they can keeptheir footing, they will be victorious;but if they are
borne down by the rushof their adversaries, everything is lost. Youare toput
on the heavenly armor in order that you may stand;and you will needit to
maintain the positioninwhich your Captain has placedyou. If evento stand
requires all this care, judge ye what the warfare must be! The apostle also
speaks of withstanding as well as standing. We are not merely todefend, but
also toassail. It is not enoughthat you are not conquered;you have toconquer:
and hence we find, that we are to take, not only a helmet to protect the head,
but alsoa sword, withwhich toannoy the foe. Ours, therefore, is astern
conflict, standing and withstanding;andwe shall want all the armor from the
divine magazine, all the strengthfromthe mighty God of Jacob.
It is clear from our text that our defense and our conquest must be obtainedby
sheer fighting. Many try compromise;but if you are a true Christian, youcan
never do this business well. The language of deceit fits not a holy tongue. The
adversary is the father of lies, andthose that are withhim understandthe art of
equivocation;but saints abhor it. If we discuss terms of peace, and attempt to
gain something by policy, we have enteredupona course fromwhich we shall
returnindisgrace. We have no order from our Captain topatch up a truce, and
get as good terms as we can. We are not sent out to offer concessions. It is said

that if we yielda little, perhaps the worldwill yieldalittle also, andgood may
come of it. If we are not too strict andnarrow, perhaps sin will kindly consent to
be more decent. Our associationwithit will prevent its being sobarefacedand
atrocious. If we are not narrow-minded, our broad doctrine will godown with
the world, and those on the other side will not be sogreedy of error as they
now are. Nosuch thing. Assuredly this is not the order whichour Captain has
issued. Whenpeace is to be made, he will make it himself, or he will tell us how
to behave to that end; but at present our orders are very different.
Neither may we hope to gainby being neutral, or granting an occasional truce.
We are not to cease fromconflict, and try to be as agreeable as we can withour
Lord's foes, frequenting theirassemblies, andtasting their dainties. Nosuch
orders are writtenhere. Youare to graspyour weapon, and go forthto fight.
Neither may you somuch as dreamof winning the battle by accident. Noman
was ever holy by a happy chance. Infinite damage may be done by carelessness;
but no man ever wonlife's battle by it. To let things go on as they please, is to
let thembear us down to hell. We have no orders to be quiet, and take matters
easily. No;we are to pray always, and watch constantly. The one note that rings
out from the text is this:—TAKETHESWORD!TAKE THE SWORD!Nolonger is it,
talk and debate!Nolonger is it, parley and compromise!The word of thunder
is—Take the sword. The Captain's voice is clear as a trumpet—Take the sword!
No Christianmanhere will have beenobedient toour text unless withclear,
sharp, and decisive firmness, courage, andresolve, he takes the sword. We must
go to heavenswordin hand, all the way. "TAKE THE SWORD."On this command
I would enlarge. May the Holy Spirit helpme!
It is noteworthy that there is only one weapon of offense provided, although
there are several piecesof armor. The Roman soldier usually carriedaspear as
well as a sword. We have seenfrequent representations of the legionary

standing upon guard as sentry, andhe almost always stands witha spear in his
right hand, while his swordhangs at his side. But Paul, for excellentreasons,
concentrates our offensive weaponinone, because it answers for all. We are to
use the sword, and that only. Therefore, if you are going tothis fight, see well to
your only weapon. If you are to have no other, take care that you have this
always in your hand. Let the Captain's voice ring in your ear, "Take the sword!
Take the sword!", and so go forthto the field.
Notice, first, the swordyouare to take is the swordof the Spirit, whichis the
Word of God. That is our first head;and the secondis equally upon the surface
of the text:This swordis tobe ours. We are orderedto take the swordof the
Spirit, and somake it our own sword.
I. First, the Wordof God which is to be our one weapon is of noble origin;for IT
IS "THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT." It has the properties of asword, and those were
givenit by the Spirit of God.
Here we note that the Holy Spirit has a sword.
He is quiet as the dew, tender as the anointing oil, soft as the zephyr of
eventide, andpeaceful as a dove;and yet, under another aspect, he wields a
deadly weapon. He is the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, and he
bearethnot the sword invain. Of him it may be said, "The Lord is a man of war:
Jehovah is his name."
The Word of God in the hand of the Spirit wounds very terribly, andmakes the
heart of man to bleed. Doyou not remember, some of you, when you usedto
be gashedwiththis sword Sunday after Sunday? Were you not cut to the heart
by it, so as to be angry withit? You almost made up your mind to turn away

from hearing the gospel again. That swordpursuedyou, and piercedyou in the
secrets of your soul, and made you bleedina thousandplaces. At last you were
"prickedin the heart", whichis a far better thing thanbeing "cut tothe heart";
and then executionwas done, indeed. That wound was deadly, and none but he
that killedcouldmake you alive. Doyou recollect how, after this, your sins were
slainone after another? Their necks were laidon the block, and the Spirit acted
as an executioner withhis sword. After that, blessedbe God, your fears, and
doubts, and despair, andunbelief, were alsohackedto pieces by this same
sword. The Word gave you life;but it was at the first a great killer. Your soul
was like a battle-fieldafter agreat fight, under the first operations of the divine
Spirit, whose swordreturnethnot empty fromthe conflict.
Beloved, the Spirit of God has war withthe Amalek of evil and error from
generationtogeneration. He will spare none of the evils whichnow pollute the
nations;his sword will never be quiet till all these Canaanites are destroyed. The
Holy Spirit glorifies Christnot only by what he reveals, but alsoby what he
overturns. The strife may be weary, but it will be carriedon from age toage, till
the Lord Jesus shall appear; for ever shall the Spirit of God espouse the cause of
love against hate, of truthagainst error, of holiness against sin, of Christ against
Satan. He will win the day, and those who are withhim shall in his might be
more than conquerors. The Holy Spirit has proclaimedwar, and wields a two-
edgedsword.
The Holy Spirit wields noswordbut the Word of God.
This wonderful Book, whichcontains the utterances of God's mouth, is the one
weapon whichthe Holy Ghost elects touse for his warlike purposes. It is a
spiritual weapon, and so is suitable tothe Holy Spirit. The weapons of his
warfare are not carnal: he never uses either persecutionor patronage, force or
bribery, glitterof grandeur, or terror of power. He works upon men by the
Word, whichis suitable tohis own spiritual nature, andto the spiritual work

which is to be accomplished. While it is spiritual, this weaponis "mighty
throughGod." A cut from the Word of God will cleave a man's spirit fromhead
to foot; sosharp is this sword. Though by long practice insin a man may have
coatedhimself as with mail impenetrable, yet the Wordof the Lord will divide
the northernironand the steel. The Holy Ghost can make a man feel the divine
power of the sacredWordin the very center of his being. For battling withthe
spirits of man, or withspirits of an infernal kind, there is noweapon so keen, so
piercing, soable to divide betweenthe joints andmarrow, so penetrating as to
the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Word, inthe Spirit's hand, gives no
dash-wound, but cuts into the man's heart, and so wounds him that there is no
healing save by supernatural power. The wounded conscience will bleed;its
pains will be upon it day and night; and though it seek out a thousand
medicines, nosalve but one can cure a gash whichthis terrible swordhas made.
This weaponis two-edged;indeed, it is all edge;and whichever way it strikes, it
wounds and kills. There is no such a thing as the flat of the swordof the Spirit:it
has a razor edge every way. Beware howyou handle it, you critics;it may
wound evenyou: it will cut you to your destruction, one of these days, except
ye be converted. He that uses the Wordin the Lord's battles may use it upon
carnal hopes, and thenstrike back upon unbelieving fears;he may smite with
one edge the love of sin, and thenwiththe other the pride of self-
righteousness. It is aconquering weapon in all ways, this wondrous swordof the
Spirit of God.
The Word, we say, is the only swordwhich the Spirit uses. I know the Holy
Ghost uses gracious sermons;but it is only in proportionas they have the Word
of God in them. I know the Holy Ghost uses religiousbooks;but only so far as
they are the Wordof God toldout in other language. Conviction, conversion,
and consolationstill are wrought, and only by the Word of God. Learn, then, the
wisdomof using the Word of God for holy purposes. The Spirit has abundant
ability tospeak of his own self, apart from the writtenWord. The Holy Ghost is
God, and therefore he is the greatest spirit inthe universe. All wisdomdwells in
him. He thought out the laws whichgovernnature and direct providence. The

Holy Spirit is the great teacher of human spirits:he taught Bezaleelandthe
artificers inthe wilderness howtomake the fine linen, and the gold and carved
work for the tabernacle. All arts andsciences are perfectly knowntohim, and
infinitely more thanmen can ever discover. Yet he will not use these things in
this holy controversy. Inthe quarrel of his covenant he neither uses philosophy,
nor science, nor rhetoric. Incontending against the powers of darkness, "The
swordof the Spirit is the Wordof God." "It is written"is his master-stroke.
Words which God has spokenby holy men of old, and has causedto be recorded
on the sacredpage—these are the battle-axeandweapons of war of his Spirit.
This Book contains the Word of God, and is the Word of God; and this it is which
the Holy Ghost judges tobe so effectual aweapon against evil that he uses this,
and this only, as his swordin the great conflict withthe powers of darkness.
The Word is the swordof the Spirit because it is of his own making.
He will not use a weaponof human workmanship, lest the swordboast itself
against the hand that wields it. The Holy Ghost revealedthe mindof God to the
minds of holy men; he spake the word into their hearts, andthus he made them
think as he would have them think and to write what he willedthemtowrite:
so that what they spoke and wrote was spokenand writtenas they were moved
by the Holy Ghost. Blessedbe the Holy Spirit for deigning touse somany
writers, andyet himself toremainthe veritable Author of this collectionof holy
books. We are grateful for Moses, for David, for Isaiah, for Paul, for Peter, for
John, but most of all for that superintending Editor, that innermost Author of
the whole sacredvolume—eventhe Holy Ghost. A warrior may well be careful
as to the make of his sword. If a man had made his own sword, had tempered
the metal, had himself passedthe blade throughmany fires, and wrought it to
perfection, then, if he were a skillful workman, he would feel confidence inhis
sword. When work is done nowadays, it is, as a rule, badly done. Work done by
contract is usually scampedin some part or another;but whena man does a
work for himself he is likely todo it thoroughly, and produce an article whichhe
can dependupon. The Holy Ghost has made this Book himself:every portionof

it bears his initial andimpress;and thus he has a swordworthy of his own hand,
a true Jerusalemblade of heavenly fabric. He delights touse aweapon so
divinely made, and he does use it right gloriously.
The Word of God is also the swordof the Spirit because he puts the edge upon
it.
It is because he is in it that it is so keenand cutting. I believe inthe inspiration
of Holy Scripture, not only inthe day whenit was written, but onward, and even
to this day. It is still inspired;still doththe Holy Ghost breathe throughthe
chosen words. I told you the swordwas all edge;but I would add that the Holy
Spirit makes it so. It would have no edge at all if it were not for his presence
withinit, and his perpetual working by it. How many people readtheir Bibles,
and yet derive no more benefit therefromthanif they had read an old
almanack! In fact, they would more easily keepawake over an ancient
Bradshawthan over a chapter of Scripture. The ministersof the gospel may
preachGod's Word in all sincerity andpurity, andyet, if the Spirit of God be not
present, we might as well have preachedmere moral essays, for no good can
come of our testimony. The Holy Ghost rides inthe chariot of Scripture, andnot
in the waggon of modern thought. Scripture is that ark of the covenant which
contains the goldenpot of manna, and also bears above it the divine light of
God's shining. The Spirit of God workethin, by, and through, and withthe
Word; and if we keeptothat Word, we may rest assuredthat the Holy Ghost
will keepwithus, and make our testimony tobe a thing of power. Let us pray
the blessedSpirit toput an edge on our preaching, lest we say much and
accomplishlittle. Hear us inthis thing, O blessedOne!
It is "the sword of the Spirit"because he alone can instruct us in the use of it.
You think, young man, that you can pick up your Bible, and go and preach from
it at once, properly andsuccessfully. Youhave made a presumptuous mistake. A
swordis a weapon whichmay do hurt tothe man who flourishes withit inmere

wanton pride. No one can handle the swordof the Spirit aright save the chosen
man whom God hath ordainedfrom before the foundation of the world, and
trainedinfeats of arms. By this the elect of God are known—that they love the
Word of God, and they have a reverencefor it, and discernbetweenit andthe
words of man. Notice the lambs in the field, just now; and there may be a
thousandewes and lambs; but every lamb finds out its ownmother. So does a
true-bornchildof God know where togo for the milk whichis tonourishhis
soul. The sheepof Christ knowthe Shepherd's voice in the Word, and a stranger
will they not follow, for they know not the voice of strangers. God's ownpeople
have discernment todiscover andrelishGod's ownWord. They will not be
misledby the cunning craftiness of human devices. Saints knowthe Scriptures
by inward instinct. The holy life, whichGod has infusedintobelievers by his
Spirit, loves the Scriptures, andlearns howto use themfor holy purposes.
Young soldier, youmust go to the training-groundof the Holy Spirit tobe made
a proficient swordsman. Youwill go in vain to the metaphysicianor to the
logician;for neither of these knows how tohandle a spiritual weapon. In other
arts they may be masters;but in the sacreduse of diving theology they are mere
fools. In the things of the Wordwe are dunces till we enter the school of the
Holy Ghost. He must take of the things of Christ, andshow themunto us. He
must teach us how to gripthis sword by faith, and how tohold it by
watchfulness, soas to parry the adversary's thrust, andcarry the war intothe
foeman's territory. He is well taught whocan swing this great two-handed
swordto and fro, and mow a lane throughthe midst of his opponents, and
come out a conqueror at the end. It may take a long time to learnthis art;but
we have a right skillful Teacher. Those of us who have been inthis warfare
thirty or forty years feel that we have not yet reachedthe full use of this sword;
nay, I know for one, that I needdaily to be taught how to use this mysterious
weapon, whichis capable of so much more than I have yet supposed. It is the
swordof the Spirit, adaptedfor the use of an Almighty arm, and therefore equal
to the doing of far more than we think. Holy Spirit, teachus now feats of arms
by this thy sword!

But, chiefly, it is the swordof the Spirit, because he is the great Master inthe
use of it.
Oh, that he would come and showus this morning how he can thrust andcleave
withit! In this house of prayer we have oftenseenhim at his work. Here the
slainof the Lord have beenmany. We have seenthis swordtake off the head of
many a Goliathdoubt, and slay a horde of cares and unbeliefs. We have seen
the Spirit pile up heaps on heaps of the slainwhenthe Wordof convictionhas
gone forth, and men have seensintobe sin, and fallendown as dead before the
Lord and his law. We also know what the use of the swordby the Spirit of God
means, for withinour own being he has left marks of his prowess. He has killed
our doubts and fears, and left no more mistrusts toworry us. There was a man
of God who was frequently subject todoubts, evendoubts uponthe
fundamentals of religion. He hatedthis state of mind; but still he couldnot get
ridof the habit of evil questioning. Inanswer to prayer, the Spirit came, and
convincedhim of the pride of his intellect, andof the wickedness of setting up
his judgment against the Word of the Lord; and from that day forwardhe was
never the subject of another fit of unbelief. He saw things clearly inthe light of
the Holy Spirit;and that is to see themindeed. The great giant of doubt is sorely
wounded by the swordof the Spirit—yea, he is slainoutright;for the Spirit
works in the believer suchaconvictionof the truththat assurance banishes
suspicion. Whenthe Holy Spirit deals withthe lusts of the flesh, and the lusts of
the eye and the pride of life, these alsolie at his feet, trophies tothe power of
his mighty weapon, eventhe Word of God! The Holy Spirit is glorious inthe use
of this sword. He finds that this weapon suits his hand, and he seeks noother.
Let us use it also, and be gladto do so. Though it is the sword of the Spirit, yet
our feebler handmay grasp it;yea, and find in the grasping that somewhat of
the divine power comes unto our arm.
Dear brethren, is it not a very highhonor put upon you, as soldiers of the cross,
that you shouldbe allowed, nay, commanded totake the swordof the Spirit?
The raw recruit is not trustedwiththe general's sword;but here are youarmed

withthe weapon of God the Holy Ghost, and calledupon tobear that sacred
swordwhich is so gloriously wieldedby the LordGod himself. This we are to
bear, and no other. Does the timidheart enquire, "Wherewithal, my Master,
shall I meet my adversaries"? "Here,"saiththe Holy Ghost, "take this!This is my
own sword; I have done great marvels withit;take it, and nothing shall stand
against you." When you remember the potency of this sword, when the Spirit
tests it uponyourself, youmay take it withconfidence, and use it in your holy
war withfull assurance. That Word of God which could convert you, can convert
anybody; if it could kill your despair, it can remove another man's despondency;
if it has conqueredyour pride and self-will, it cansubdue the like in your
childrenand your neighbors. Having done what it has certainly done for you,
you may have a full persuasionthat, before its power, nocase is hopeless.
Wherefore, see toit, that youuse from this day forth no other weapon than the
swordof the Spirit, whichis the Word of God.
II. This fairly lands me in the secondportionof my discourse. The Word of God is
the swordof the Spirit;but IT IS ALSO TO BE OUR SWORD.
Here I must beginagain, and go over much the same ground. We shall needa
sword.
Our warfare is not child's play: we mean business. We have to deal with fierce
foes, who are only to be met withkeenweapons. Buffets will not suffice inthis
contest;we must come tosword-cuts. Youmay be of a very quiet spirit, but
your adversaries are not so. If you attempt toplay at Christianwarfare, they will
not. To meet the powers of darkness is no sham battle. They mean mischief.
Nothing but your eternal damnationwill satisfy the fiendishhearts of Satanand
his crew. You must take not somuch a flag to unfurl, or a drum to beat, as a
swordto use, and a specially sharpswordtoo. In this combat you will have to
use a swordsuchas evenevil spirits canfeel, capable of dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow. If you are tolive throughthis fight, and

come off victorious, noform of conflict will suffice less sharpandcutting than
sword-work. Dependupon it that in this struggle youwill be forcedto come to
close quarters. The foe aims at your heart, and pushes home. A spear will not
do, nor bow and arrow; the enemy is too near for anything but hand-to-hand
fighting. Brethren, our foes are not only of our house, but of our heart. I findan
enemy withinwhichis always near, and I cannot get away from him. I findthat
my antagonist will get his hand on my throat if he can. If our foes were far
away, and we could play upon them withartillery whichwouldkill at six or
sevenmiles'distance, we might leada pretty easy life. But no;they are here!At
our doors!Yea, withinus;nearer than hands and feet. Nowfor the short sword:
the claymore of Holy Scripture, tostaband cut, near and now. No sling and
stone will avail us here, but we must take the sword. You have to slay your foe,
or your foe will slay you. It is withus Christians as it was withthe Highlanders in
battle, whentheir leader calledout tothem, "Lads, there they are!If you dinna
kill themthey will kill you." There is no room for peace:it is war tothe knife,
not only now, but to life's end.
The use of the sword is needful for attack. I have remindedyouseveral times
already that it will not suffice for the Christiantoguard against sin, and ward off
temptationfromhimself;he has to assail the powers of evil. In our case, the
best methodof defense is an attack. I have heardof one who wouldbring an
actionin law to gain his ends, for he thought this better thanbeing the
defendant. That may be matter of question;but in war it is oftensafer to assail
than defend. Carry the warfare intothe enemy's territory. Be trying towinfrom
the adversary, and he will not win so much from you. Do not merely be sober
yourselves, but attack drunkenness. Donot be content withbeing from
superstitionyourself, but expose it wherever it appears. Donot merely be
devout when you feel obligedtobe so, but pray for the growthof the kingdom;
pray always. Do not merely say, "I will keepSatan out of my family by bringing
up my childrenaright", but go tothe Sunday-school, and teachother children,
and so carry the war over the border. God forbid that we shouldever goto war
as a nation! But if we were at war withsome nation on the Continent, I should

certainly say, "Let the continentals have the battles ontheir ownground:we do
not want a campaign over here."It is wise tokeepthe war inthe enemy's own
regions. If we had fought the devil more in the world, he might never have been
able to invade the churchso terribly as he has done. Attack withthe sword, for
it is your calling, and thus will you best defendyourself.
We needthe swordfor real fighting. Doyou think that you can dream
yourselves intoheaven? or ride there inthe chariot of ease? Or fly on the wings
of brass music? You make a great mistake if you soimagine. A real war is raging,
your opponents are in deadly earnest, andyou must take your sword.
And, further, we needthis sword:this swordof the Spirit, whichis the Word of
God.
We say with David, "There is none like that;give it me." It has wrought such
wonders that we prefer it toall others. Noother will matchthe enemy's
weapon. If we fight the devil withhuman reason, the first time our wooden
swordcomes in contact with a Satanic temptationit will be cut in pieces. If you
do not wielda true Jerusalemblade you are in grave peril;your weapon will
break off at the hilt, and where will yoube? Standing defenceless, withnothing
but the handle of a brokensword inyour hand, you will be the object of your
adversary's ridicule. Youmust have this sword, for no other will penetrate the
foe, and no other will last out the battle. After twenty years, what has become
of the pious resolutions of your youth? What is the staying power of your
consecrationmade in the hour of enthusiasm? Alas, howlittle trust canbe
placedin it!What would become of us after thirty years of fighting, if we had
not the Word of God to rely upon? The Word of the Lordendurethfor ever;but
nothing else does. We may do well inearly days, but we shall fail inold age if
we have not eternal verities tofall back upon.

I can commend this swordto you all, my brethren, althoughyouare sovariedin
character. This swordsuits every hand. Youth or age may alike use this weapon.
These dear girls from the Orphanage, and yonder lads from the Bible-class, may
fight the battle of their youthwiththe Word of God; for Holy Scripture may
impress andguide our freshest life. Youthat have grown grey, you that have
passedseventy or eighty, youwill value the Bible more than ever, and you will
find that this swordis the best for veteranwarriors. Young menand young
women, here is a swordsuitedfor all of you, and well does it become the hand
of the feeblest andthe gentlest. The Holy Ghost has in the sacredWord
preparedan implement of warfare suitedfor great minds and small, for the
culturedand the uneducated. A wonderful swordthis is, which, in the hand of
faith, reveals anadaptation marvellous tothe last degree.
Whatever others may say, it is sufficient for us that this is the regulationsword.
A soldier is not left tochoose his own equipment;he must carry such arms as
his sovereignappoints. This is the regulationswordinChrist's army. The sword
of the Spirit, whichis the Word of God, is what you are biddento take; and if
you in wilfulness resolve toexchange it for another, youcommit an act of
rebellion, andyou make the change at your own risk and peril. Come, then, let
us eachone take the Word of God, and carry it nearer our hearts thanever;for
such is the word of command, "Take the swordof the Spirit, which is the word
of God."
Now, see what we are toldto do. We needa sword;we needthis sword;we are
to take this sword.
Note that we are not toldthat we may lay it down: the demand to take the
swordis continuous, and there is nohint of its being suspended. There is atime,
of course, whenthe soldier of her Majesty may remove his swordfrom his side,
and put off his regimentals;there is never suchatime witha Christian. One
might have thought, from what we have seenof late, that orders had come

from headquarters that the soldiers weretolay down the sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God, and take to lighter weapons. Entertainments, amusements,
farces, and sing-song are now usedto do what the gospel has failedto achieve!
Is it not sadly so? Well, if any will try these silly toys, I can only say that they
have no command from their Lordto warrant themin their proceedings. Take
all these things, andsee what they will do; but you make the trial at your own
risk, and on your own heads the result of failure will fall.
The standing-orders are totake the swordof the Spirit, and no newregulation
has ever beenissuedby the great Captainof salvation. From the days of Paul till
now, the word stands, "Take the swordof the Spirit."All other things will surely
fail, and hence the one sole abiding command is, "Take the swordof the Spirit."
We are not toldto hang up this sword for exhibition. Certainpeople have a
handsomely-boundBible tolie upon the table of the best room; and a fine
ornament it is. A Family Bible is a treasure. But I pray you do not let your love of
the Bible endthere. Witha soldier inwar, a swordis not meant to be hung up in
the tent, nor evento be flourishedinthe air;but it is issuedtobe used. Nor are
we topush this sword intoa sheath, as many do who take the Bible, andadd so
much of criticism, or of their ownopinion to it, that its edge is not felt. Many
men use their lowopinion of inspirationas a scabbard intowhich they pushthe
Bible down. Their vast knowledge makes a beautiful scabbard, and they push
down the sword, saying, "Keep still there!O swordof the Lord, rest and he
quiet!"After we have preachedour heart out, and men have felt the power of
it, they make a desperate efforttoimprisonthe Wordin their unbelieving
theory, or in their worldliness. They holddown the Word all the week witha
firm hand, for fear its edge or point shouldwound them. It is the scabbard of
culture, or philosophy, or of progress, andinthis they shut up the living Wordof
God as in a coffin.
We are not to bury the Word under other matters;but we are to take it as a
sword:which means, as I understandit, first, believe it.

Believe every portionof it;believe it withatrue and real faith, not witha mere
credal faith, which says, "This is the orthodox thing."Believe it as a matter of
fact for every day, affecting your life. Believe it. Andwhenyouhave believedit,
thenstudy it. Oh, for a closer study of the Word of God! Are there not some of
you who have never evenheardor readall that the Lordhas said? Are there not
passages of the Bible whichhave never beenreadby you? It is a melancholy fact
that there shouldbe evena line of the sacredScriptures whichhas never once
come under your eye. Do readthe Bible right through, frombeginning to end.
Begintomorrow:nay, beginto-day, and go steadily throughthe whole of the
sacredbooks, with prayer and meditation. Never let it be suspectedby youthat
God has recordedtruths inhis Word whichyou have never evenonce read.
Study the Word, and work out its meaning. Go deepintothe spirit of
inspiration. He gets most goldwho digs the deepest inthis mine. They usedto
say of certainmines inCornwall that the deeper youwent the richer was the
ore;assuredly is it so with the mines of inspiredScripture. The deeper yougo
under the Spirit's guidance the larger is the rewardfor your toil. Take the sword
withthe grip of sincere faith;holdit fast by a fuller knowledge, andthen
exerciseyourself daily inits use. The swordis to be takenfor earnest fight. You
will not be long before occasionarises insucha worldas this. You will have to
parry withit, to pierce withit, tocut with it, and to kill withit. "Where shall I
begin?"says one. Beginat home, and, for many a day, you will have your hands
full. When you have slainall the rebels at home, and long before that, you may
take a turnat those around you in the world, and inthe professing church.
Inside your own heart you will finda band of bandits whichshould be
exterminated. There will always be needtokeepthe sword going withinyour
own territory. Endthis civil war before you go intoforeignparts. Whenthe war
withinthe city of Mansoul has beenvictoriously carriedthrough, besiege the
heart of your friend, your child, your neighbor. Behold, the worldliethinthe
wickedone! Errors abound, and colossal systems of falsehoodstill standaloft.
Menare still draggeddown by the arch-deceiver. Surely, we feel our swords
flying out of their sheaths whenwe think of the millions who are being ruined
by sinand error. Oh, for a mighty onslaught upon the powers of darkness!

Once more, we are to take this swordwith a purpose.
We are to use it that we may be able tostand and to withstand. If you want to
stand, draw the sword, and smite your doubts. How fiercely unbelief assails!
Here comes a doubt as toyour election. Pierce it throughwiththe Word. Anon
comes a doubt as to the precious blood. Cleave it from head to foot with the
assurance of the Word that the blood of Jesus cleansethus fromall sin. Here
comes another doubt, and yet another. As quick as arm can move, drive texts of
Scripture throughevery newfallacy, every newdenial of truth, and spit the
whole of them upon the rapier of the Word. It will be for your good to kill these
doubts outright. Do not play withthem, but fight them in real earnest. Youwill
find that temptations alsowill come in hordes. Meet themwiththe preceptsof
sacredWrit, and slay eventhe desire of evil by the Spirit's applicationof the
Holy Word. The washing of water by the Word is a glorious cleanser.
Discouragements willarise like mists of the morning. Oh, that God's Word may
shine themaway with the beams of the promises!Your afflictions multiply, and
you will never be able toovercome impatience anddistrust except by the
infallible Wordof God. You can bear trial, and bear it patiently, if youuse this
weapon to kill anxiety. Youwill "standfast inthe evil day", and having done all,
you will still stand, if this sword be inyour hand.
You have not only to standfast yourselves, but youhave to winsouls for Christ.
Do not try to conquer sinin others, or capture a heart for Jesus, except withthe
swordof the Spirit. Howthe devil laughs when we try to make converts apart
from Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit!He laughs, I say; for he derides our folly.
What can you do, you children, playing withyour little woodenswords—what
can you do against men coveredfromhead to foot withthe steel mail of the
habit of sin? Sunday-school teachers, teachyour childrenmore andmore the
pure Word of God; and preachers, donot try to be original, but be content to
take of the things of Christ, and show themto the people;for that is what the
Holy Ghost himself does;and you will be wise to use his methodand his sword.

No sinner aroundyou will be savedexcept by the knowledge of the great truths
containedin the Word of God. No man will ever be brought torepentance, to
faith, and tolife in Christ, apart from the constant applicationof the truth
throughthe Spirit. I hear great shouting, great noises everywhere, about great
things that are going to be done: let us see them. The whole worldis going to be
embracedwithinthe church; sothey say. I fear the worldwill not be much the
better for inclusioninsucha church. Big boasters shouldheedthe word of the
wise man, "Let not him that girdethon his harness boast himself as he that
puttethit off." If the champion goethforthwith any other swordthan the Word
of God, he had better not boast at all; for he will come back withhis sword
broken, his shieldcast away, and himself grimy withdishonor. Defeat awaits
that man who forsakes the Word of the Lord.
I have done whenI have askedyou toremember that the text is inthe present
tense:Take unto you the swordof the Spirit evennow.
What varieties of people there are here this morning!Believershave come
hither inall sorts of perils;let themeachone take the swordof the Spirit, and
they will overcome every foe. Here, too, are seekers whowishtobe Christians;
but they cannot compass it. What is the matter this morning? "Oh," says one, "I
have beenin the habit of sinning, and the habit is very strong upon me." Fight
withsinful habits withthe Word of God, as the sword of the Spirit:soonly will
you conquer your evil self. Finda text of Scripture that will cleave your sindown
to the chine, or stabit to the heart. "Alas!Satan tempts me horribly,"cries one;
"I have beenlately assailedinmany ways." Have you? You are not the first. Our
divine Lordin the wilderness was temptedof the devil. He might have fought
Satan witha thousandweapons; but he chose to defeat himwith this one only.
He said, "It is written;it is written;it is written."He prickedthe foemanso
sorely withthis sharppoint, that the arch-adversary thought totry the same
sword;and he alsobegan to say, "It is written."But he cut himself withthis
sword, for he didnot quote the passages correctly, nor give the whole of them;
and the Master soonfoundthe way toknock aside his sword, and wound him

still more. Followyour Lord's example. "Oh, but," says one," I am solow in
spirits."Very well;fight lowness of spiritswiththe Wordof God. "The doctor
recommendedme,"says one, "to take a little spiritstoraise my spirits."Those
doctors are always having this sinlaid to their charge. I am not so sure that they
are not oftenmaligned. You like the dose, and that is why you take it. Try the
Word of God for lowness of spirits, andyou will have found a sure remedy. I
find, if I can lay a promise under my tongue, like a sweet lozenge, andkeepit in
my mouth or mind all the day long, I am happy enough. If I cannot finda
Scripture tocomfort me, thenmy inwardtroubles are multiplied. Fight
despondency and despair withthe swordof the Spirit. I cannot tell what your
particular difficulty may be at this moment; but I give you this directionfor all
holy warfare—"Take the swordof the Spirit, whichis the wordof God." You
must overcome every enemy;and this weapon is all you need. If you, my
hearer, wouldovercome sinand conquer unbelief, take sucha word as this,
"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth;" and as you look you
shall be saved, and doubt shall die, and sinbe slain. God grant you his Spirit's
aid, for Christ's sake!Amen."
Addedto Bible BulletinBoard's "SpurgeonCollection"by:
Tony Capoccia
David's WebCreations,
Historical Background
The Roman sword, or gladius, was craftedof iron. Blacksmiths hardenedthe
iron by coating the red-hot swordblade withcoal dust, thus forming a hard
carbon coating on the blade. Sword handles were made of iron, ivory, bone, or
wood.

The Romans usedtheir swords bothoffensively anddefensively. Usedina
defensive manner, the sword, along withthe other armor pieces, enabledthe
soldier todeflect the enemy's blows. As anoffensive weapon, the swordwas
usedto attack and counter-attack anenemy until the weapon seriously
wounded or killedthe assailant. Inbattle, rows of Roman soldiers pressedback
their enemies one stepat a time by alternating aforwardthrust of the shield
witha forwardplunge of the sword.
Biblical Parallels
The apostle John had a visionof Jesus while imprisonedonthe isle of Patmos.
John describedthe Lordas having a "sharp twoedgedsword"coming out of His
mouth (Revelation1:16). Later, Johnwrote, "AndI saw heavenopened, and
beholda white horse;and he that sat upon him was calledFaithful and True,
and in righteousnesshe dothjudge and make war ... and his name is calledThe
Word of God ... out of his mouth goetha sharp sword, that withit he should
smite the nations:and he shall rule themwitha rod of iron"(Revelation19:11-
16). The mighty warrior describedhere is the King of Kings and Lordof Lords,
the living Word of God.
Jesus, Who is the Word (John 1:1, 14), has graciously givenus His writtenWord,
the Bible. The writtenWordwas giventomen by inspirationof God, and it is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, andfor instructionin
righteousness (II Timothy 3:16-17;II Peter 1:21). The Wordis made alive by the
Holy Spirit of God, causing it to be filledwithdivine energy andability. "So shall
my word be that goethforthout of my mouth: it shall not returnuntome void,
but it shall accomplishthat which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
wheretoI sent it"(Isaiah 55:11). Jesus saidinJohn 6:63, "The words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, andthey are life."

God's Word, our swordof the Spirit, is able to cut down the strongholds of
Satan. Tragically, however, many Christians fail towieldtheir swords. Instead,
they display their swords as a decorative shelf piece:beautiful tolook at, but of
little practical use. This passive approachmerely gives the enemy agreater
advantage. The Lord said toIsrael's leader Joshua, "This book of the law shall
not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate thereinday and night,
that thou mayest observe todo according to all that is writtentherein"(Joshua
1:8-9;alsosee Psalm1:2, 119:97-100). By actively using the swordof Scripture,
Joshua would have a huge advantage over his enemies:his way would be
prosperous andsuccessful andthe Lord would go withhim wherever he went.
Psalm 149:6 says of the people of God: "Let the high praises of God be intheir
mouth, and a twoedgedswordintheir hand." That double-edgedswordis the
Word of God, and it is a powerful spiritual weapon, perfectly suitedfor spiritual
battles (see Ephesians 5:19). Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the wordof God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedgedsword, piercing evento
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, andof the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
It is important to realize that whenwe take up the sword of God's Word and
live by it, our family and friends may become offendedat us. Jesus said, "Think
not that I am come tosend peace on earth:I came not to sendpeace, but a
sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter inlaw against her mother in
law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household"(Matthew10:34-37;
also see Luke 12:51-53). Jesus continuedby saying that those who love their
father, mother, son, or daughter more than Him are not worthy of Him. You see,
our devotionmust be first be towardGod, thentoward our family. This might

mean making some difficult choices tostandalone against the actions or
opinions of those close to
us. However, Jesus promised, "Blessedare ye, whenmenshall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your rewardin heaven:for so
persecutedthey the prophetswhichwere before you"
(Matthew5:11-12).
Practical Application
Learning to use the swordof God's Word requires many hours of practice. Don't
wait until the heat of battle tolearnto use your sword!Rather, store up
Scripture inyour mind and heart on a regular basis throughmemorizationand
meditation. What do those words mean? Well, memorizationmeans tocommit
a passage to memory, while meditationmeans to thoroughly process, ponder,
think about, and apply a passage of Scripture. II Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to
shew thyself approveduntoGod, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the wordof truth."The more you memorize andmeditate upon
God's Word, the more natural it will become to wieldthe sword. You will gain
confidence inspeaking the Word, praying the Word, and singing the Word. The
Scriptures youhide inyour heart and apply to your life will be withyou at all
times, evenif your Bible isn't nearby.
Many Christians neglect the Wordof God because they "don't have time."But
we all have the same amount of time allottedtous each day, so it really comes
down to a matter of priorities. Davidsaidtothe Lord, "Mine eyes prevent the
night watches, that I might meditate inthy word" (Psalm119:148). Certain
activities may not be wrong in and of themselves, but putting themfirst at the

expense of God's Word is. Evenreading books about the Bible shouldnot take
the place of studying the Bible for ourselves.
Paul wrote, "See thenthat ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as
wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the
will of the Lord is"(Ephesians 5:15-17). That wordredeemmeans to buy back or
rescue fromloss. Paul expressedhere anurgency that our time is a limitedand
extremely valuable resource. We needtomake wise decisions inhowwe spend
our time so as to make the best use of it (see Psalm90:12). Our goal shouldbe
to understandand do the will of God, which is revealedinHis Word, for "thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light untomy path" (Psalm119:105).
In trying to disarmus, our enemy will oftentry toconvince us that a particular
portionof scripture is not true or relevant for today. Satan may say something
like, "Well, it looks like God has forsakenyou this time and left you ina real
mess. The Bible may sound good when things are going well, but right now you
needsomething a little more practical. I've got a way out for you." Notice the
slander against God's integrity, the questioning of God's Word, and the
contradictionof God's promises (suchas Philippians 4:19 and Hebrews 13:5). In
a situationlike this, don't defendthe Bible toSatan — just use it against him!
When the devil temptedJesus inthe wilderness, Jesus didn't try toreasonwith
the devil or prove His identity tothe devil. Jesus simply responded, "It is written
..." and thendecisively usedScripture tocombat against the devil's temptations
(see Matthew4:1-10).
Remember that the swordis both an offensive and a defensive weapon. Used
offensively, youhide God's Word in your heart, root out sin, and strengthen
your inner man with God's promises before the enemy attacks. Used

defensively, youdeflect the devil's lies, doubts, andtemptations withthe truth
of the Word.
As you learnto effectively use your swordagainst the wiles of the enemy,
remember the Lord's words to you: "Fear thou not; for I am withthee:be not
dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee;yea, I will help thee;yea, I will uphold thee withthe right hand of my
righteousness"(Isaiah41:10).
The Living Word library
The swordof the spirit
And the swordof the spirit whichis the word of God - Ephesians 6:17
A swordis an unmistakable weaponof offence. Nodoubt that it can also be
usedas a tool for defence. This however is noordinary sword. This sword is
made of the Spirit and the Word. In spiritual warfare the battles are fought with
words. Words packedand backedup withthe Spirit of God.
What is the sword of the Spirit?
This questionhardly needs answering. The answer is obvious. The sword of the
spirit is the Wordof God spokenwiththe power of the Holy Spirit.

First let us establishthe importance of this weaponwithanother referenceto
scripture
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For thoughwe walk in the flesh, we do not war according
to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in
God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting downarguments and every high
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought
intocaptivity tothe obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punishall
disobedience whenyour obedience is fulfilled. (NKJV)
Strongholds, arguments andthoughts are all darts that the enemy uses against
us. The Swordof the Spirit is equippedtodeal withthem all.
How to use the Sword of the Spirit. - against arguments and thoughts.
The soul of the Christianis of principal interesttosatan. He will use thoughts
and arguments to distract us fromour faith. One of the greatest battlesever
fought is recordedinLuke Chapter 4 - the three temptations that satanbrought
to Jesus. Jesus overcame by the swordof the Spirit.
We can use the swordof the Spirit toprotect andhit back at the enemy by
1. Provide yourself withanunderstanding of the ugly and destructive nature of
sin.
When you appreciate the true nature of sinit will be difficult for the fleshto
tempt you down that route.

For example, lust hides under the darkness of ignorance. Like Jacob sleeping
withLeah all night long expecting tosee Rachel inthe morning. A night of
drunkenpassioncost him sevenyears of hard labour and a lifetime withan
unwantedwife (Genesis 29:16-29).
Before we laugh at the folly of Jacob, having a sexual delight witha woman he
obviously couldnot see, hence making himself completely ignorant of the
consequences of his action, lets examine our own life inthe light of the lustful
desires we have entertained, the consequencesof whichare painfully obvious
to all those who would care to see them.
Why do we do it? Is it because we have not takenenoughtime to consider the
consequences that scripture soadequately warns us of? We need toponder on
these things until the filthanddestructivenature of sinbecomes a light beam
that shines bright evenduring the dark hours of night whenthe enemy comes
prowling for a victim.
Lust leads us tobelieve that it is good, fun and exciting;whereas whenwe
awake we discover we have beensleeping withthe enemy.
2. Provide yourself withscripture answerstosatan's false reasoning's and
arguments.
When the enemy presents us withthese false arguments, like Goliathbefore
David, it is not the armour of Saul, representing the flesh, that will bring us the
victory, but the stones ina sling, that which David had beenusing and practising
withas a Shepherdboy, that brings the victory. Have an answer tothe common
lies that the devil comes along with. Practise the Wordby becoming familiar
withit. It will equipyou against the Goliath's of life.
For example, the enemy will say 'one little sinis harmless, doit quickly and
repent, what harm can it possibly do'.
Muchharm, you will hear the scripture screaming. This is whenyoushould pull
out the swordof the Spirit;the Word of God, but only if you have sharpenedit

before hand. Let the following scriptures speak toyou. Then take time to
mediate on the message and life they bring.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keepthe whole law, and yet stumble inone
[point,]he is guilty of all. (NKJV)
Romans 6:16 Doyou not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to
obey, you are that one's slaves whomyou obey, whether of sin[leading]to
death, or of obedience [leading]torighteousness? (NKJV)
Matthew6:24
No one can serve twomasters;for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. Youcannot serve
God and mammon. (NKJV)
Sin gives roomto the devil. He who gives his time tothe devils tools will soon
have satanat his elbowaiding him along. Give no room tothe enemy
(Ephesians 4:27).
The enemy does not give up easily, againhe will say toyou 'do it in secret and
no on will know'.
The enemy hides the main point on purpose. It is not getting exposedthat is the
real damage of sin but the influence it has on you. Whether done in secret or in
public the influence of sinis the same. Ask Gahazi (2 Kings 5) or David (2 Samuel
11). They bothsinnedin private but still reapedthe consequences.
However Jesus (Luke 4) and Joseph (Genesis 39) all facedtheir temptations to
sinin private and overcame. Imagine what the result wouldhave beenif any of

themhad givenintosin. Probably a forfeitedministry andevena lost soul. Is
the price worthpaying?
3. The enemy will showyou scores of other Christians whohave disobeyedor
sinnedagainst God and seemto have got away withit. 'You can do it too' he
says.
Some have no light inthem. They appear godly and yet they are not of God
(Isaiah 8:20). There are alsomany old prophets around(1 Kings 11:13 - 29).
People who have made a decisiontowalk in disobedience. Their judgement will
come. Meanwhile youfall intomore sinby following their example insteadof
God's Word. What danger, what folly.
Using the Sword of the Spirit - against the powers of darkness
The enemy sometimes comes against us directly. Bacteriaandviruses cause not
all sickness. Not all circumstances are natural. Sometimesit is easy todiscern
that we are up against the forces of darkness. Satanwill resist our attempts to
preachthe gospel and press intothe will of God. The Sword of the Spirit is given
us toenforce God's will. Lets see some practical applications of the swordof the
spirit.
1. See the value of God's word. Get a hunger and desire for it.
- If you are one with Christ then His promises are for you(Galatians 3:29)
- Satan's lie brought the fall (Genesis 3:4) andGod's word will enforce the
victory (2 Peter 1:3 - 4)
- Place your hope and confidence inthe promise. Don't break His word. Make
this your desire (Psalm119:114)

2. Know the promises that are relevant toyour circumstances. Don't just
assume. Readthe law book yourself. Sort themout and use the relevant ones
for your specific circumstances accordingly. The best time todo this is whenyou
are in sound healthand free of severe oppressions. This is the time toget
preparedfor the evil day.
3. Have a good overviewof the promises available toyou. Know that you are to
rely on His grace and not your gifting.
4. Meditate onthe promises. This will fill youwiththe Holy Spirit. Godly wisdom
and revelationcomes tothose who dwell on the word. Don't treat themlike a
passing stranger;rather like Abrahamdidthe angels (Genesis 18:1-15) bidthem
to stay. By this Abraham receivedthe promise of a child. His persistence
brought life. For some reasonthe Almighty Godhas ordainedit tobe this way.
We see the same example withJesus (Luke 24:27-32).
5. Pleadthe promises at the throne of Grace. Meditationis similar toa lawyer
preparing his brief. Once your heart has beenfilledwiththe riches of the
promises thenis the time toexecute them. Bring thembefore the Lordand
spreadthembefore Him. Speak them tothe circumstances andforces that
oppress you. Use themas a sword todismantle every intentionof the enemy
against you.
6. Act your faith. A soldier does not drop his guard immediately after wounding
the enemy. Watch your words. Idle words can be destructive. Believe the
promise and do not let sense andreasondefeat you. Live and act as if the
promise is true because they are.
The Living Word Library © 1996 - 2016
The Armor of God:

by Chuck Missler •March3, 1997
We have beenreviewing the various elements of the Armor of God (from
Ephesians 6:10-18), andthis monthwe come to the sixthin Paul's list of seven:
And take... the swordof the Spirit, whichis the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17
This "Sword" is, of course, a well- knownidiom:
For the Wordof God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing eventothe dividing asunder of soul and spirit, andof the joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
There are a number of insights inthis verse. First, it highlightsthe fundamental
frustrationof psychology which, at best, can deal only withthe psyche, or soul
level;it has no ability toreachinto the pneuma, or spirit of man. Only the Word
of God can.1
Only the Word of God can discernthe thoughts andintents of the heart. There is
much confusiontoday concerning the existenceof the "subconscious"-those
areas of memory whichseemto be out of reach toour own conscious effort.
The Scripture clearly indicates that the heart is beyondour knowing.2
The swordis the offensive part of our armor. Notice alsothat the swordis two-
edged:it is intendedtobe useddefensively as well as offensively. Inadditionto
the "pulling down of strongholds,"3it was tobe usedin defense of the faith.4
It is, of course, impossible toadequately characterize this fantastic element of
our armor in this brief article. Psalm119, the longestpsalminthe Bible, is
entirely devotedtodescribing the "Swordof the Spirit"-the Wordof God.
The Enemy's Stratagem

It comes as no surprise that Satan's most desperate stratagemis tocast doubt
on the veracity and authenticity of the Wordof God. His first attempt inthe
Gardenwas, "Yea, HathGod said?"5 It was all downhill from there.
And thus it continues tothis day. We live in an age where pseudo-scholarship
has made it fashionable to demeanthe Bible. Self-styledexperts, withPhD's
(and H2SO4's) behindtheir names, have disparaged, demeaned, and mutilated
the sacredScriptures inthe mind of the uninformed. And yet, never before has
there beenmore evidence of its true origin!
Supernatural Origin
As most of our regular readers know, the two great discoveries that are the
underpinning of this ministry are, first, that the Bible is anintegratedmessage.
Even thoughit consists of 66 separate books6 whichwere pennedby about 40
different authors-over thousands of years7- we nowdiscover that it is the
product of detailedand skillful engineering:every detail, every place name,
eventhe mathematical properties of the text are the resultof deliberate and
careful design.
The rabbis have a quaint way of expressing this idea. They oftensay that they
really won't be able tointerpret the true meaning of the Scriptures until the
Messiahcomes. "But whenHe comes He will not only interpret the passages, He
will interpret the very words, the very letters, He will eveninterpret the spaces
betweenthe letters!"I usedto dismiss this as just a colorful exaggeration, until I
re-readMatthew5:17, 18:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the prophets:I am not come
to destroy, but tofulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earthpass, one
yot or one tittle shall inno wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Now a yot and a tittle are the Hebrewequivalents of our dotting an "i" or
crossing a "t." I thenrealizedthat those rabbis were apparently closer tothe
truththan I had ever imagined!

The realizationthat the Bible is askillfully designedmessagesystem
significantly alteredmy understanding of the whole and my respect for the
details. But it alsoinvolveda seconddiscovery:the Bible demonstratesthat its
originis from outside our time domain.8
Outside Time Itself
Since God has the technology tocreate us in the first place, He certainly has the
technology toget a message tous. The questionis, Howdoes He authenticate
His message;Howdoes He let us know that it is really from Him and not some
kind of a contrivance or a fraud? One technique He uses todemonstrate that
the originof this message is fromoutside our time domain is by writing history
before it happens. He alone knows the end from the beginning9 andthere is no
way to counterfeit this characteristic of the Biblical text. We call this
"prophecy."And, of course, there are ample materials available exploring this
topic.10
Today's Technology for an Unbelieving World
It has recently beendiscoveredthat the Biblical texthas secret codes hidden
among the letters. Numerous articles have beenpublished highlighting the
incredible discoveries that appear tobe emerging fromcomputer analysis of the
text.11 This was originally discoveredby Jewishresearchersandwidely
publishedinthe professional literature, as well as disseminatedthroughout
Israel. It also has now beenrevealedthat the name Yeshuaseems tobe hidden
behindvirtually every Messianic prophecy!The Jewishresearchers nowhave a
problem!
It is interesting that inthis modernworldof skepticism, Godhas raisedup a
technological insight essentially unavailable toresearchers of the past:our
modern informationappliances are revealing newdiscoveriesdaily which
demonstrate propertiesof the text itself that are impossible toduplicate
synthetically.
Our Sword

Paul's use of the idiom "the Sword of the Spirit"carries some other suggestive
characteristics. Mostof the ancient armies favoreda long swordwitha single
edge. The Romans developeda short sword-the Machira-which, withits
associatedtechniques, enabledthemtoconquer the world. It was only 24
inches long and was sharpenedonboth edges.
But there was a secret toits effectiveness:training andpractice. Its uniqueness
was a liability unless it was usedwiththe proper techniques, whichrequired
extensivepractice. Is there a lessonhere for us?
Let's look at an example:What Bible study was givenby sevendifferent people,
on twelve separate occasions (injust one book of the Bible), always yielded
remarkable results, andyet is rarely giventoday? The Answer:Presenting Jesus
Christ as the Messiahentirely fromthe OldTestament.12
In the Book of Acts, whenthey presentedJesus fromthe Scriptures, they were
using only the "Old Testament."Couldyou present Jesus toyour Jewishfriends
using only these references?13
The proper use of our "Sword" requires training, andpractice, practice, and
more practice, if we are to be effective for our Lord. There are (at least) four
highly effective techniques toacquiring the essential skills:
1. Serious study, withacore set of tools in your home library. If you're serious
about your Bible, invest init:acquire aresource base of your own. Pick up a
good study Bible, an exhaustive concordance, Biblical helps, etc.14
2. Discover the amazing results availablethroughaudiocassette tapes. Youcan
be personally tutoredby whomever youbest relate to. Some have indicated
that they have learnedmore about their Bible insix months withtapes than
they have after twelve years of Christianschools plus seminary!This is one
reasonthat our ministry has emphasizedthese remarkable resources (Romans
10:17). See the following article inthis issue.
3. Join a home Bible study. The dynamics withinan intimate groupis where the
real actionis!

4. The biggest secret of all:teacha home Bible study. The way toreally learna
book is toteachit. It is not hard tocollect some competent background
materials andstay a week ahead of the group. Fewthings are as rewarding.
A Sound Foundation
One of the biggest challenges is tomaintaina balance, free of serious error. It is
so easy to focus on a fewpet areas at the expense of the whole. Avoid"Bible
Bytes,"or doctrinal snippets onwhichto hang some deviant notion. Attempt to
embrace "the whole counsel of God," comparing Scripture withScripture. Invest
time in preparationand practice withyour sword:
"So shall my wordbe that goethforthout of my mouth: it shall not returnunto
me void, but it shall accomplishthat whichI please, andit shall prosper in the
thing wheretoI sent it." Isaiah55:11
* * *
For more informationon this aspect see our briefing package The Architecture
of Man or, better yet, reviewNancy Missler's latest book, Be Ye Transformed.
Jeremiah17:9.
2 Corinthians 10:4.
1 Peter 3:15.
Genesis 3:1ff.
Actually, 70 if you recognize the 5 books that make up Psalms.
Some quibble about the duration, but remember, Moses'books are not the
oldest. Job is the oldest.
For further discussionof this topic, see our briefing package, BeyondTime and
Space.
Isaiah 46:10.

See our briefing package list onpage 19.
Personal UPDATE:3/96, p. 5; 1/96, p. 4; 2/95, p. 12. See also Grant Jeffrey's
Signature of God and Ya'kov Rambsel's Yeshua(see our order form for details).
Also, see our briefing package, The Bible:AnExtraterrestrial Message, for a
discussiononthese topics.
Peter, Stephen, Philip, Paul, Apollos, Aquila, andPriscilla, all presentedJesus
from their (OT) Scriptures.
These are reviewedinour briefing package, Footprints of the Messiah.
Our briefing package, Howto Study the Bible, has referencelists andother
suggestions whichshouldprove helpful.
This article was originally publishedinthe
March1997 Personal Update News Journal.
this verse, the wordof God does not refer tothe complete Bible. There are two
words usedin Scripture for the word of God. There is the familiar word, logos,
which is usedin the opening verse of John's gospel:Inthe beginning was the
Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was withGod, and the Word (Logos) was
God (John 1:1). Then there is another word, rhema, which is different in
meaning. Logos refers tothe total utterance of God, the complete revelationof
what God has said. Rhema means a specific saying of God, a passage or a verse
that has special applicationtoan immediate situation;touse amodern term, it
is the Word of God appliedtoexperience, toour existence.
Rhema is the word usedhere. The sword of the Spirit is the saying of God
appliedto a specific situation. This is the great weaponplacedin the hands of a
believer. Perhaps all of us have had some experiencewiththis. We have all read
passages of Scripture whenthe words suddenly seemedtocome alive, take on
fleshand bones, leap off of the page at us, or grow eyes that follow us around
everywhere we go. Perhaps we have experiencedthis insome moment of

temptationor doubt, whenwe were assailedby what Paul calls here the
flaming arrows of the evil one (v. 16). But it has beenansweredimmediately by
a passage of Scripture that flashedtomind, something we had not been
thinking of at all, but which suppliedthe neededanswer. That is why this is
calledthe swordof the Spirit, because it is not only originatedby Him as the
author of the Word, but it is alsorecalledtomind by the Spirit and made
powerful by Him inour lives. It is His answer to the attack of the devil, who
comes to discourage us, defeat us, lure us aside, deceive us, or misleadus in
some way.
Looking back in my own life, I am aware of many times whenthis swordof the
Spirit has savedme from error and delusionof some kind or other. As a young
Christian, I was stoppedat the edge of disobedience many times whensome
temptationseemedsological, sowidely practicedthat I was alluredby it. I was
oftenarrestedby a word I had memorizedas a young Christianthat has come to
me many times since. It is in the book of Proverbs:Trust in the Lord withall your
heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
The more we are exposedtoScripture, the more the Spirit canuse this mighty
swordin our lives. If you never reador study your Bible, youare terribly
exposedtodefeat and despair. You have no defense, youhave nothing to put
up against these forces that are at work. Therefore, readyour Bible regularly.
The Christianwhoneglects the reading of the Scriptures is indisobedience to
the will of the Lord. And what is the responsibility of the Christianwhenthe
Spirit places one of these sayings inyour mind on some appropriate occasion?
The apostle says, Take it! Heedit!Obey it!Do not reject it. Take it seriously. The
Spirit of God has brought it to mind for a purpose;therefore, give heedtoit,
obey it.
Father, what practical import there is inknowing Your Word. Helpme to take it
seriously anduse this great armor that is givento me in Christ.
Life Application

What is the practical & urgent import of knowing God's Word? What is the
metaphor the Apostle Paul uses toemphasize its power as we engage in
spiritual warfare?
Daily Devotion© 2006 by Ray Stedman Ministries. For permissiontouse this
content, please reviewRayStedman.org/permissions. Subjecttopermission
policy, all rights reserved.
You Have a Two-EdgedSword
February 22, 2017
For the wordof God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged
sword.…
— Hebrews 4:12
What is the significance of the “two-edgedsword”referredtoinHebrews 4:12?
If you start looking, you’ll find out this phrase regarding a “two-edgedsword”
appears all over the NewTestament, soit must be pretty important.
For instance, whenthe apostle John receivedhis visionof Jesus on the isle of
Patmos, he said, “And he had in his right hand sevenstars:andout of his mouth
went a sharp twoedgedsword:and his countenance was as the sun shinethin
his strength”(Revelation1:16). Notice that this “two-edgedsword”came out of
Jesus’ mouth! Why wouldJesus have a sword inHis mouth? Shouldn’t the
swordhave beenin His hand?
The phrase “two-edged”is takenfrom the Greek worddistomos and is
unquestionably one of the oddest words in the entire NewTestament. Why is it
so odd? Because it is a compound of the word di, meaning two, and the word
stomos, whichis the Greek wordfor one’s mouth. Thus, whenthese two words

are compounded into one (distomos), they describe something that is two-
mouthed!Don’t you agree that this seems alittle strange? Sowhy would the
Bible refer tothe Wordof God repeatedly as a“two-edgedsword”or, literally, a
“two-mouthedsword”?
The Word of God is like a swordthat has two edges, cutting bothways and
doing terrible damage toan aggressor. Ephesians 6:17 calls it “the swordof the
Spirit, whichis the word of God” (see February 8). As noted, the term“word” is
takenfrom the Greek word rhema, which describes something that is spoken
clearly, vividly, inunmistakable terms andundeniable language. In the New
Testament, the wordrhema carries the ideaof a quickenedword.
Here’s anexample of a rhema or a quickenedword: You are praying about a
situation, andsuddenly a Bible verse risesupfrom inside your heart. At that
moment, you are consciously aware that God has givenyou a verse tostand on
and to claim for your situation. You’ve receivedawordthat came right out of
the mouth of God and droppedinto your spirit!That word from God was so
sharp that it cut right throughyour questions, intellect, andnatural logic and
lodgeddeepwithinyour heart.
After youmeditatedonthat rhema, or that quickenedwordfrom God, it
suddenly beganto release its power inside you. Soonyou couldn’t containit any
longer!Everything withinyouwantedto declare what God had saidto you. You
wantedto say it. You want to release it out of your mouth! And whenyou did,
those powerful words were sent forthlike amighty blade to drive back the
forces of hell that had beenmarshaledagainst you, your family, your business,
your ministry, your finances, your relationship, or your body.
First, that wordcame out of the mouth of God. Next, it came out of your mouth!
When it came out of your mouth, it became a sharp, “two-edged”—or literally,
a “two-mouthed”— sword. One edge of this swordcame intoexistence when
the Word initially proceededout of God’s mouth. The secondedge of this sword
was added whenthe Word of God proceededout of YOUR mouth!

The Word of God remains a one-bladedswordwhen it comes out of God’s
mouth and drops intoyour heart but is never releasedfromyour own mouth by
faith. That supernatural wordsimply lies dormant inyour heart, never becoming
the two-edgedswordGod designedit tobe.
But something happens in the realmof the Spirit whenyou finally rise up and
beginto speak forththat word. The moment it comes out of your mouth, a
secondedge is added to the blade!Nothing is more powerful thana word that
comes first fromGod’s mouth and thenfrom your mouth. You and God have
come intoagreement, andthat agreement releases His mighty power intothe
situationat hand!
So beginto willfully take the Wordintoyour spirit by meditating on it and giving
it a place of top priority. This is how you take the first necessary stepingiving
the Word a “second edge”inyour life. Then whenyou are confrontedby a
challenge fromthe demonic realm, the Holy Spirit will be able toreach down
intothe reservoir of God’s Word you have storedupon the inside of you and
pull up the exact scripture youneedfor that moment.
As that quickenedrhema wordfrom God begins tofirst fill your heart and mind
and then come out of your mouth, it becomes that “two-mouthedsword”
describedinthe Scriptures. That’s whendemons start totremble interror!
My Prayer for Today
Lord, I know that Your Word has the power to defeat every adversary inmy life.
As I take it intomy heart and get it deepintomy soul, I know it will empower
me to speak Your Word with mighty strengthandauthority. Forgive me for the
times I have just skimmedover Your Word rather thanplanting it deepin my
heart. I realize that the answers I seek are inYour Word — and that Your Word,
when spokenfrom my mouth, releases authority against the devices the devil
tries touse against me. So today, Lord, I make the decisiontoplant Your Word
deepin my spirit man and thento speak it and release its power inmy life!"

November 20, 2015 drtimtemple
Ephesians 6:17
The Hymn writer asks the question, “AmI a soldier of the Cross?”But that is a
pointless question:the scripture says that we are. Althoughnot very popular
these days, the terminology of the battlefieldis usedthroughout scripture. Paul,
writing tohis disciple Timothy, for example, said“endure hardness as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ . . .” Andthe scripture says nothing about retiredofficers!
As the Apostle Paul facedthe problems of the believer’s relationshiptoSatanhe
did not present the ideaof a cease-fire or a of a peaceful, tranquil life. Although
there may be lulls betweenbattlesfromtime totime, over-all we must expect
to face the onslaughts of Satan. And interestingly enough, the more we purpose
to walk closely withthe Lord, the more fierce the battle becomes!But as we
have beenseeing throughout this seriesof studies, Godhas not left us alone to
fight the battles – he has provideda complete armor for every need.
We have looked now at all of the defensive pieces of the armor – the girdle (or
belt) of truthfulness, the breastplateof righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of
peace, the shieldof faith, and the helmet of salvation.
Now there is one last piece of “armor” left, and it is different fromall the
others. It is “the sword of the Spirit.”Notice some interesting thingsabout this
piece of equipment:First of all, it is the only offensive weapon – the others are
all defensive. Andsecond, it is the only one that is identifiedfor us:it is “the
swordof the spirit, whichis the Wordof God. Nowas we look at this weapon

we will think about it from three standpoints:Firstthereis the sufficiency of the
sword, and thenthere is a sample of the use of the sword, and the skill
necessary for the use of the sword.
So let’s think first about the sufficiency of the sword. The swordis sufficient for
overcoming our enemy for at least tworeasons. First, because of its source. This
is touchedon, of course, inthe phrase “the sword. . . Which is the word . . .”
But this is evenmore clearly statedinII Timothy 3:16,17. The context of these
familiar verses is the evil conditions of the last days. Andwhat would be
sufficient for Timothy to combat suchevil? The Word of God. And specifically
because it was “breathedout from God.” This is to say that God put His very
breathintoit. In terms of our own day we could say that “we have God’s word
on it.” In a sense this is evenmore important than the actual writing of it,
because the implicationis like “I know what you wrote, but I heardwhat you
said about what you wrote.”
So it is sufficient because of its source. But asecondreasonwe can know it is
sufficient is because of its surety. As Peter approached the endof his life, he
was concernedabout the spiritual maturity anddevelopment of his disciples
after he was gone. For this reasonhe toldthe elders to“tend”or “feed”the
flock of God. Andthis feeding was to be done throughthe Word of God. And no
doubt this is what he had in mind whenhe wrote the words of II Peter 1:15
Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these
things after my decease.
Then in verses 16 through18 he reminds themof his authority – he had been
withJesus on the mount of transfiguration.

For we did not followcunningly devisedfables whenwe made known to you the
power and coming of our LordJesus Christ , but were eyewitnesses of His
majesty. For He receivedfromGod the Father honor and glory when sucha
voice came toHim from the excellent glory:“This is my belovedson inwhom I
am well pleased. “Andwe heardthis voice when we were withhim in the Holy
mount.
But withthat in mind, inverse 19 he makes an astonishing statement:
“We have an evenmore sure word of prophecy”
How could anything be more sure than an eyewitnessaccount? The later
fulfillment of the prophecies towhichthey were eyewitnesses!
So not only does our “sword”have its source inGod, but its surety has been
demonstratedrepeatedly downthroughthe years of experience of those who
have claimedit.
Our swordis sufficient for any adversary because of its source and because of its
surety. But for our further instruction, Godhas givenus a very clear sample of
the use of the swordin Matthew4:3 through11.
Here is the familiar story of the temptationof Christ by Satan. Andit is not our
purpose here todiscuss the specific temptations. But what we do want to do is

notice the way in whichChrist met each of them. The first temptationcentered
on using His power selfishly inverse 3.
Now when the tempter came to Himhe said, if you are the son of God,
command that these stones become bread.
Christ was hungry in verse 2. Andhe had the power to meet his own need. But
notice His answer:“it is written, manshall not live by bread alone . . .” Jesus
was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3. Anda literal translationwouldbe “it
stands written”Leviticus was the book that governedthe worshipof the people.
But Deuteronomy was the book that governedtheir daily life. Sowhen Satan
came along and triedtodivert Jesus fromthe path of perfect obedience, he
quotedthe book that governedthe walk of the believer. Andafter He usedthe
“sword” of the Word of God, Satan had to attack along some other line.
The secondand thirdtemptations were along the same line:to use His power
sensationally by jumping off the temple inverses 4 and 5, and to use His power
subversively by worshipping Satanin verses 8 and9. Andin both cases He
answeredfromthe book of Deuteronomy. Inverse 7 it was “thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God.” Andin verse 10 it was “thou shalt wordshipthe Lord
thy God, and Him only shalt thouserve.”Incidentally, thereare twoimplications
here:first, we “worship”whatever we “serve.”Inlife. And, “to serve is to
worship.”But the point for us to see is that in each case, whenJesus answered
withthe scripture, Satandroppedthat particular temptation!
But incidentally, Luke includes animportant point (for our purposes) which
Matthewdoesn’t mention. Look at Luke 4:13.

Now when the devil had endedevery temptationhe departedfromHim until a
more opportune time.
As mentionedinthe beginning of this lesson, Satanmay drop the attack for a
time, but don’t relax – he’ll be back! Nowthere is one final thing about the
swordof the Spirit, andthat is the skill necessary for the use of the sword. There
are four Greek words that are translatedwiththe word“sword”in the New
Testament. Nowwe would think off hand that this verse is talking about the
Word of God as a whole. Andthat would be describedby the Greek words
“appangallo or “logos” – “the announcement of” or “the expressionabout”
God. And certainly there is power inthe Wordof God as a whole. The late Dr.
Dwight Pentecost usedtotell about a businessmanfriendwhodid a lot of
traveling, andhe would put a Bible ontop of his luggage inthe airport so
nobody would steal it while he was making telephone calls. Onthe other endof
that spectrum, the Gideons, whose ministry is placing Biblesinhotels andother
public places tell about how many Bibles are stolenfromthose places every
year. And both of those tales indicate that there is acertainkindof power in the
book as a whole.
But the word that is usedhere inEphesians 6:17 is the word “hrayma.” Andthe
basic meaning of that word is “saying.”So when verse 17 says that the swordof
the Spirit is the word of God, it actually means the swordof the Spirit is “the
sayings”of God. So what this is actually saying is not that we defeat Satan by
keeping a Bible onour desk at work or carrying a Bible withus (althoughthere’s
nothing wrong withdoing either one.)
Every Christianshouldknow what our own areas of weakness are, thenmake
note of various passages that apply to those areas of weakness, memorize
them, and use themagainst Satan."

“Take the Sword of the Spirit”
The Sword of the Spirit, whichis the Word of God, is our offensive weapon. It is
incredibly powerful andeffective at driving away the enemy and tearing down
his work. However, it is a mistake toattempt to wieldthe Swordwithout having
the defensive weapons all inplace. If we lightly skipover the defensive weapons
we are neglecting toconsider that the enemy has offensive weapons of his own.
We will become an easy target for him to bring down. It is extremely foolishto
go out to battle without all the weapons providedby God for us to use to
overcome the enemy.
On the other hand, it can be tempting tohope that the enemy will leave us
alone if only we have the defensive weapons inplace. Many never get around
to using the Sword effectively. While it is true that the defensive weapons may
prevent Satanfrom getting tous, if we neglect touse the Sword, he tends to
just hang around, slinking around withus as the days go by, until one day one of
the defensive weapons is allowedtoslip. Thenhe makes his move. When we
follow up the defensive weapons witheffectiveuse of the sword, we not only
hold him at bay, we drive him off! We tear down his evil work!
The following Scriptures canbe usedaggressively todrive away the enemy.
Some of themcan be givenas direct commands to him. (e.g. “Satan, Let your
lying lips be dumb, which speak arrogantly against the righteous withpride and
contempt.”) Others canbe usedto remindhim of things that hurt him badly.
(e.g. “Satan, I remindyou that you will be thrownintothe lake of fire and
brimstone, andwill be tormentedday and night forever andever.”)
Some Christians are reluctant tospeak directly toSatanand his demons. Yet
God has clearly toldus that they are the enemy and that He has givenus a
powerful weapon touse against them in the form of the swordof the spirit,
which is the Word of God. To attack our spiritual enemieswiththe Wordmeans
simply that we must speak God's Word against them.

Jesus Himself gave us an example. WhenJesus was attackedby Satan, He spoke
directly tohim. (“Begone, Satan! For it is written...”(Matthew4:10) He has
givenus a model tofollow. God has givenus Scriptures touse todrive Satan off.
Satan would like for us to feel sofoolishabout using themthat we would try
“some other strategy.”We needtotell him what God has givenus to tell him!
Unfortunately, some Christians want totry todelegate back to God what God
has delegatedtous. This tendency turns out to be true inmany areas of the
Christianlife. But offensive spiritual warfare is amajor discomfort tomany
Christians. Sowe cannot just say, "God, You do it please!"Because He has given
us a swordand a command to use it.
Here is one way todo that. In prayer, ask God to bring to your mind areas where
the enemy may be at work--areas where He wants you to use the swordof the
Spirit.
Let's assume that it occurs to you that the rebellioninyour children, or the
miscommunications infamily relationships, or your problemwithindebtedness,
etc. might be partly because of your spiritual enemies. Youmight want to pray
that God wouldmake sure that your spiritual enemies will be requiredtohear
your words, thenyou might say something like this, for example:
"You evil spirits whohave beenassignedtocause communications problems in
my family, I am coming against you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I
remindyou that the weapons of my warfare are not of the fleshbut mighty
throughGod to the pulling down of your stongholds. I remindyou that For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested--that He might destroy your works (1
John 3:8). I command you inHis name toget out of this relationshipandgo
wherever the LordJesus sends you."
Then, you may wish toproceedby using more of the verses givenbelow.
You may be wondering, "What if there are no spiritual enemies presentafter
all? What if I'm merely speaking intothe air?"

Well, for one thing, they most certainly are present. That's why God has so
much to say about them. We have enemies. They are seeking tocause us harm.
He has givenus weapons. And, inany case, it would be better towieldour
spiritual swordwhenno enemy is present thanto not wieldit when he is
present.
One tactic that the enemy has used successfully onmany believersis to
convince themthat they will look silly if they start commanding demons to
leave. Many believers simply hope that the demons will leave themalone,
refusing touse the sword because they fear looking silly.
And evenif no demons are present, spending time withthe Lordinthese verses
is sure to buildyou up spiritually!Evenif younever drive away a single demon,
you will grow stronger inthe Lordand in His Word!
Consider one other observationabout some of these verses. Many verses inthe
Bible refer toour “enemies.”We may have a tendency tothink of only human
enemies. But our real enemies are not human at all. Remember that our battle
is not against fleshand blood. When you readthe word “enemies”inthese
verses, think of Satan and his demons.
There are many suchverses inGod's Word. Youmay wishto add others. In any
case, it should be obvious that our spiritual enemieshate these words!They are
powerful and effective for resisting Satanandhis demons.
Offensive Warfare Verses
“Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be
rescued? Surely, thus says the Lord, Eventhe captives of the mighty man will be
takenaway, Andthe prey of the tyrant will be rescued;For I will contendwith
the one who contends withyou, AndI will save your sons.” (Isaiah49:24-25)
“Our soul has escapedas a birdout of the snare of the trapper;The snare is
brokenand we have escaped.”(Psalm124:7)

“Then my enemies will turnback in the day whenI call;This I know, that God is
for me.” (Psalm56:9)
“For it is He who delivers youfromthe snare of the trapper, Andfrom the
deadly pestilence.”(Psalm91:3)
“You will treadupon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent youwill
trample down.” (Psalm 91:13)
“I pursuedmy enemies and overtook them, AndI did not turnback until they
were consumed. I shatteredthem, sothat they were not able to rise;They fell
under my feet. For Thou hast girdedme withstrengthfor battle;Thou hast
subduedunder me those who rose up against me. Thou hast alsomade my
enemies turntheir backs tome, And I destroyedthose whohatedme.” (Psalm
18:37-40)
“Let those be ashamed and dishonoredwhoseek my life;Let those be turned
back and humiliatedwhodevise evil against me. Let thembe like chaff before
the wind, Withthe angel of the Lorddriving them on. Let their way be dark and
slippery, Withthe angel of the Lordpursuing them.” (Psalm35:4-6)
“Upon the wicked He will rain snares;Fire andbrimstone and burning wind will
be the portionof their cup. For the Lord is righteous;He loves righteousness;
The upright will beholdHis face.” (Psalm11:6-7)
“The Lord is righteous;He has cut in twothe cords of the wicked.”(Psalm129:4)
“Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lordhas heard the voice of
my weeping. The Lordhas heard my supplication, The Lord receivesmy prayer.
All my enemies shall be ashamedand greatly dismayed;They shall turnback,
they shall suddenly be ashamed.” (Psalm 6:8-10)
“As for the head of those who surroundme, May the mischief of their lips cover
them. May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into
deeppits from whichthey cannot rise.”(Psalm140:9-10)

“O God, shatter their teethintheir mouth;Break out the fangs of the young
lions, O Lord. Let them flowaway like water that runs off; When he aims his
arrows, let thembe as headless shafts.”(Psalm58:6-7)
“The Lord is for me among those who helpme; Therefore I shall look with
satisfactiononthose who hate me.” (Psalm118:7)
“They surroundedme like bees;They were extinguishedas a fire of thorns;In
the name of the Lord I will surely cut themoff.” (Psalm118:12)
“Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon Thee; Let the wickedbe put
to shame, let thembe silent inSheol. Let the lying lips be dumb, Which speak
arrogantly against the righteous Withpride andcontempt.”(Psalm31:17-18)
“For, behold, Thine enemies, O Lord, For, behold, Thine enemies will perish;All
who do iniquity will be scattered. But Thouhast exaltedmy horn like that of the
wildox; I have beenanointedwith freshoil. Andmy eye has looked exultantly
upon my foes.”(Psalm92:9-11)
“Then Jesus saidto him, Begone, Satan!For it is written, youshall worshipthe
Lord your God, and serve Himonly.” (Matthew4:10)
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has beengivento
Me in heavenand on earth.”(Matthew28:18)
“Behold, I have givenyou authority totreadupon serpents andscorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.” (Luke 10:19)
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions
are undisturbed;but when someone stronger thanhe attacks him and
overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied,
and distributes his plunder.”(Luke 11:21-22)
“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this worldshall be cast
out.” (John 12:31)
“The ruler of this worldhas beenjudged.”(John 16:11)

“And the God of peace will soon crushSatan under your feet.”(Romans 16:20)
“For thoughwe walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the
weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the
destructionof fortresses. We are destroying speculationsandevery lofty thing
raisedup against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought
captive tothe obedience of Christ.”(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
“When He had disarmedthe rulers andauthorities, He made a public display of
them, having triumphedover themthroughHim.” (Colossians 2:15)
“Since thenthe childrenshare infleshand blood, He Himself likewise also
partook of the same, that throughdeath He might render powerless himwho
had the power of death, that is, the devil;and might deliver those whothrough
fear of deathwere subject toslavery all their lives.”(Hebrews2:14-15)
“Submit therefore toGod. Resist the devilandhe will flee fromyou.” (James
4:7)
“The one who practices sinis of the devil;for the devil has sinnedfromthe
beginning. The Son of God appearedfor this purpose, that He might destroy the
works of the devil.”(1 John 3:8)
“You are from God, little children, andhave overcome them;because greater is
He who is in you than he who is in the world.”(1 John 4:4)
“And they overcame himbecause of the blood of the Lamb and because of the
word of their testimony, andthey didnot love their life eventodeath.”
(Revelation12:11)
“And the devil who deceivedthemwas thrownintothe lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast andthe false prophet are also; and they will be
tormentedday and night forever andever.”(Revelation20:10)
“... the eternal fire whichhas beenpreparedfor the devil and his angels.”
(Matthew25:41)
Steve Hall

The Sword of the Spirit'
Alexander Maclaren
Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the swordof the Spirit, whichis the word
of God:
The swordof the Spirit, whichis the wordof God.' -- Eph. vi.17.
We reachhere the last and only offensive weaponinthe panoply. The 'of' here
does not indicate apposition, as inthe 'shieldof faith,' or 'the helmet of
salvation,'nor is it the 'of' of possession, sothat the meaning is to be takenas
being the sword whichthe Spirit wields, but it is the 'of' expressing origin, as in
the 'armour of God'; it is the swordwhich the Spirit supplies. The progress
notedin the last sermonfrom subjective graces toobjective divine facts, is
completedhere, for the swordwhichis put into the Christiansoldier's handis
the gift of God, evenmore markedly than is the helmet whichguards his head in
the day of battle.
I. Note what the wordof God is.
The answer whichwould most commonly and almost unthinkingly be givenis, I
suppose, the Scriptures;but while this is on the whole true, it is to be noted that
the expressionemployedhere properly means aword spoken, and not the
writtenrecord. Bothin the Oldand inthe NewTestaments the wordof God
means more than the Bible;it is the authentic utterance of His will inall shapes

and applying to all the facts of His creation. Inthe Old Testament 'God said'is
the expressioninthe first chapter of Genesis for the forthputting of the divine
energy inthe act of creation, and long ages after that divine poem of creation
was writtenapsalmist re-echoedthe thought whenhe said'For ever, O Lord,
Thy word is settledinthe heavens. Thou hast established the earthandit
abideth.'
But, further, the expressiondesignatesthe specific messages whichprophets
and others received. These are not inthe OldTestament spokenof as a unity:
they are individual words rather than a word. Each of themis a manifestationof
the divine will and purpose;many of themare commandments;some of them
are warnings; and all, in some measure, reveal the divine nature.
That self-revelationof God reaches for us in this life its permanent climax, when
He who 'at sundry times and in divers manner spake unto the fathers by the
prophets, hathin these last days spokenuntous by a Son.' Jesus is the personal
'word of God' though that name by which He is designatedinthe New
Testament is a different expressionfromthat employedinour text, and
connotes a whole series of different ideas.
The early Christianteachers andapostles hadno hesitationintaking that sacred
name -- the word of the Lord -- to describe the message whichthey spoke. One
of their earliestprayers whenthey were left alone was, that withall boldness
they might speak Thy word; and throughout the whole of the Acts of the
Apostles the preachedGospelis designatedas the wordof God, evenas Peter in
his epistle quotes one of the noblest of the OldTestament sayings, anddeclares
that the 'word of the Lord' which 'abidethfor ever'is 'the wordwhich by the
gospel is preacheduntoyou.'

Clearly, then, Paul here is exhorting the EphesianChristians, most of whom
probably were entirely ignorant of the OldTestament, touse the spokenwords
which they had heard from him and other preachers of the Gospel as the sword
of the Spirit. Since he is evidently referring toChristianteaching, it is obvious
that he regards the oldand the new as one whole, that tohim the proclamation
of Jesus was the perfectionof what had beenspokenby prophets and psalmists.
He claims for his message andhis brethren's the same place and dignity that
belongedtothe former messengers of the divine will. He asserts, andall the
more strongly, because it is an assertionby implicationonly, that the same
Spirit whichmoved inthe prophets andsaints of former days is moving in the
preachers of the Gospel, and that their message has a wider sweep, a deeper
content, and a more radiant light than that which had beendeliveredinthe
past. The word of the Lord had of old partially declaredGod's nature and His
will:the word of God which Paul preachedwas inhis judgment the complete
revelationof God's loving heart, the complete exhibitionto menof God's
commandments of old; longing eyes hadseena coming day and beenglad and
confidently foretoldit, nowthe message was 'the coming one has come.'
It is as the recordand vehicle of that spokenGospel, as well as of its earlier
premonitions, that the Bible has come to be calledthe word of God, and the
name is true in that He speaks inthis book. But much harm has resultedfrom
the appropriationof the name exclusively tothe book, and the forgetfulness
that a vehicle is one thing and that whichit carries quite another.
II. The purpose and power of the word.
The swordis the only offensive weaponin the list. The spear which playedso
great a part in ancient warfare is not named. It may well be notedthat only a
couple of verses before our text we readof the Gospel of peace, and that here
withremarkable freedomof use of his metaphors, Paul makes the word of God,

which as we have seenis substantially equivalenttothe preachedGospel, the
one weapon withwhichChristianmenare tocut and thrust. Jesus said'I come
not tosend peace, but a sword,'but Paul makes the apparent contradictionstill
more acute whenhe makes the very Gospel itself the sword. We may recall as a
parallel, and possibly acopy of our text, the great words of the Epistle tothe
Hebrews whichspeak of the word of God as 'living and active and sharper than
any two-edgedsword.'And we cannot forget the magnificent symbolismof the
Book of Revelationwhichsawinthe midst of the candlestick one like untoa Son
of Man, and 'out of His mouth proceededasharp, two-edgedsword.'That
image is the poetic embodiment of our Lord's own words which we have just
quoted, and implies the penetrating power of the wordwhich Christ's gentle
lips have uttered. Gracious andhealing as it is, a Gospel of peace, it has an edge
and a point which cut down throughall sophistications of human error, and lay
bare the 'thoughts and intents of the heart.'The revelationmade by Christ has
other purposes whichare not less important thanits ministering of consolation
and hope. It is intendedtohelpus in our fight withevil, and the solemnold
utterance, 'withthe breathof His mouth He will slay the wicked,'is true in
reference tothe effect of the wordof Christ on moral evil. Suchslaying is but
the other side of the life-giving power whichthe wordexercises ona heart
subject toits influence. For the Christiansoldier's conflict withevilas
threatening the healthof his own Christianlife, or as tyrannising over the lives
of others, the swordof the Spirit is the best weapon.
We are not to take the rough-and-ready method, whichis socommon among
good people, of identifying this spirit-givenswordwiththe Bible. If for no other
reason, yet because it is the Spirit whichsupplies it tothe graspof the Christian
soldier, our possessionof it is therefore aresult of the actionof that Spirit on
the individual Christianspirit;andwhat He gives, andwe are to wield, is 'the
engraftedwordwhich is able to save our souls.'That word, lodged in our hearts,
brings to us a revelationof duty and a chart of life, because it brings a loving
recognitionof the character of our Father, anda glad obedience toHis will. If
that word dwell in us richly, inall wisdom, and if we do not dull the edge of the

swordby our own unworthy handling of it, we shall find it pierce tothe 'dividing
asunder of joints and marrow,' and the evil withinus will either be cast out from
us, or will shrivel itself up, andbury itself deepindark corners.
Love to Christ will be so strong, and the things that are not seenwill so
overwhelmingly outweighthe things that are seen, that the solemnmajesty of
the eternal will make the temporal look toour awed eyes the contemptible
unreality whichit really is. They who humbly receive andfaithfully use that
engraftedword, have init a sure touchstone against whichtheir ownsins and
errors are shivered. It is for the Christianconsciousness the true Ithuriel's spear,
at the touch of which'upstarts in his own shape the fiend' who has been
pouring his whisperedpoisonintoan unsuspicious ear. The standardweights
and measures are kept in government custody, andtraders have to sendtheir
yard measures andscales thither if they wishthemtested;but the engrafted
word, faithfully usedand submittedto, is always at hand, and ready to
pronounce its decrees, andtocut to the quick the evil by which the
understanding is darkenedand conscience sophisticated.
III. The manner of its use.
Here that is briefly but sufficiently expressedby the one commandment, 'take,'
or perhaps more accurately, 'receive.'Of course, properly speaking, that
exhortationdoes not refer toour manner of fighting withthe sword, but to the
previous act by which our hand grasps it. But it is profoundly true that if we take
it in the deepest sense, the possessionof it will teachthe use of it. No
instructionwill impart the last, andlittle instructionis neededfor the first. What
is neededis the simple act of yielding ourselves toJesus Christ, andlooking to
Him only, as our guide and strength. Beforeall Christianwarfare must come the
possessionof the Christianarmour, and the commandment that here lies at the
beginning of all Paul's descriptionof it is 'Take.' Our fitness for the conflict all

depends on our receiving God's gift, andthat receptionis nomere passive thing,
as if God's grace couldbe pouredinto a human spirit as water is intoa bucket.
Hence, the translationof this commandment of Paul's by 'take' is better than
that by 'receive,'inasmuchas it brings intoprominence man's activity, thoughit
gives tooexclusive importance tothat, tothe detriment of the far deeper and
more essential element of the divine action. The two words are, in fact, both
neededtocover the whole ground of what takes place when the giving God and
the taking man concur in the great act by which the Spirit of God takes up its
abode in a human spirit. God's gift is to be receivedas purely His gift,
undeserved, unearnedby us. But undeservedandunearnedas it is, and given
'without money and without price,'it is not ours unless our hand is stretched
out totake, and our fingers closedtightly over the free gift of God. There is a
dead lift of effort inthe reception; there is astill greater effortneededfor the
continuedpossession, andthere is a life-long disciplineandeffort neededfor
the effective use inthe struggle of daily life of the sword of the Spirit.
If that engraftedwordis ever tobecome sovereigninour lives, there must be a
life-long attempt tobring the tremendous truths as toGod's will for human
conduct which it plants in our minds intopractice, andto bring all our practice
under their influence. The motives whichit brings tobear on our evils will be
powerless tosmite them, unlessthesemotives are made sovereigninus by
many an hour of patient meditationandof submissiontotheir sweet andstrong
constraint. One sometimes sees onawild briar a graft whichhas beencarefully
insertedand bandaged up, but whichhas failedto strike, andsothe strainof
the briar goes on and no rosebuds come. Are there not some of us who profess
to have receivedthe engraftedwordandwhose daily experiencehas proved, by
our own continual sinfulness, that it is unable to'save our souls'?
There are in the Christianranks some soldiers whose hands are too nervelessor
too full of worldly trashto graspthe sword whichthey have received, muchless
to strike home withit at any of the evils that are devastating their ownlives or

darkening the world. The feebleness of the Christianconflict withevil, inall its
forms, whether individual or social, whether intellectual or moral, whether
heretical or grossly andfrankly sensual, is mainly due to the feebleness with
which the average professing Christians graspthe swordof the Spirit. When
David askedthe priests for weapons, and they toldhim that Goliath's sword was
lying wrapt ina clothbehindthe ephod, and that they had none other, he said,
'There is none like that, give it me.' If we are wise, we will take the swordthat
lies inthe secret place, and, armed withit, we shall not needto fear inany day
of battle.
We do well that we take heedto the word of God, 'as unto a lamp shining in a
dark place until the day dawn,' when swords will be no more needed, and the
Word will no longer shine indarkness but be the Light that makes the Sun
needless for the brightness of the NewJerusalem."
The Holy Spirit Wants To Place A Razor-SharpSword in Your Hands
How would you like God to give you a weaponthat can rip to shreds the
devil’s strategiesagainstyou? Well, that’s exactlywhat He has done!
Ephesians 6:17 declares thatGod has given you “…the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God”!
I want you to look at the word “sword” in this verse. It is the Greek word
machaira — a word that exactedfearin the minds of those who heard it! You
see, this wasn’t just a sword, but a weaponof murder that causedthe victim
horrid pain as he lay bleeding to death.
Just for your knowledge, there were various types of swords used by the
Roman army during New Testamenttimes. For instance, there was a huge
double-handed sword— a swordso massive that it could only be utilized with
the use of two hands. This sword could not be used in real combat because it
was too huge. Instead, it was usedduring swordpractice sessions because it

helped developstronger muscles as soldiers swung it againsta post that
representedan enemy.
There was also a long swordthat was used for fighting in a battle, similar to
the swordwe are familiar with today. This swordwas very effective in battle,
but it more often wounded the enemy than it killed him. Because itwas long, it
was most often swung at an enemy from the side, thus scraping or cutting a
gouge into the side or limbs of an adversary.
But the weaponreferred to in Ephesians 6:17, coming from the Greek word
machaira, was neither of these swords. This sword was an exceptionallybrutal
weapon. Although it could be up to nineteen inches in length, most often it was
shorter and shapedlike a dagger-type sword.
Just as a daggeris inserted into a victim at close range, this sword was used
only in close combat. It was razor sharp on both sides of the blade. The tip of
the swordoften turned upward; sometimes it was eventwisted, similar to a
cork screw. Becausethis dagger-type swordwas razor sharp, it could easilybe
thrust into the abdomen of an adversary. And if it had a cork-screwtip, the
attackercouldshred the insides of a victim by twisting the sword.
All these characteristicsmade the machaira a very deadly and frightful
weapon. This two-edged, dagger-type swordinflicted a wound far worse than
any other swordthat was available to the Roman soldierat that time.
Although the other swords were deadly, this one was a terror to the
imagination!
By using the word machaira in Ephesians 6:17, the apostle Paul is saying that
God has given the Church of Jesus Christ a weaponthat is frightful to the
devil and his forces. Why is this weaponso horrific to the kingdom of
darkness? Becauseit has the razor-sharp powerto slashour demonic foes to
shreds!
Becausethe word machaira denoted a sword that was dagger-shaped, it tells
us that the “swordof the Spirit” is a weaponthat is normally employed in
closercombat. Let’s take this one step further, so we can understand why this
is so.

Notice that this verse calls it “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.” The term “word” is takenfrom the Greek wordrhema, which
describes something that is spokenclearlyand vividly, in unmistakable terms
and in undeniable language. In the New Testament, the word rhema carries
the idea of a quickenedword.
Here’s an example of a rhema or a quickened word: You are praying about a
situation when suddenly a Bible verse rises from within your heart. In that
moment, you know that Godhas supernaturally made you aware of a verse
you canstand on and claim for your situation. When this happens, it’s as if
the Holy Spirit has put a sword in your hand — a spiritual dagger — that you
can insert into the heart of the enemy to bring about his defeat.
There are many examples of God giving someone this kind of quickened word
in the Bible, but the best one is found in Luke 4, where Jesus is being tempted
by the devil in the wilderness. Overand over again, the devil tempted and
testedJesus. But with eachtemptation, a scripture was quickenedinside
Jesus, and He would speak forth that scripture to the devil, brandishing it like
a swordagainstHis enemy. Eachtime Jesus useda verse that the Spirit had
quickened to Him, the swordof the Word dealt a serious blow to the enemy —
causing the devil to eventually flee in defeat.
Becauseofthe words machaira and rhema, Ephesians 6:17 conveys this
impression:
“The Spirit will place a razor-sharp sword at your disposalanytime the
enemy gets too close. This sword’s powerwill be available the very moment
the Spirit quickens a specific word for a specific situation you are facing.”
When you receive a rhema from the Lord, the Holy Spirit drops a word or
scripture into your heart, causing it to come alive supernaturally and impart
specialpowerand authority to you. This quickenedword is so powerful that it
is like a swordhas been placed in your hands! That’s why Paul calls it “the
swordof the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The next time you find yourself in close combatwith the enemy, take the time
to get quiet in your heart and listen. The Holy Spirit will reachup from within

your spirit and quicken to you a scripture that has the exactpower you need
for the situation you find yourself in at that moment. In other words, the Holy
Spirit will give you a rhema — a specific word for a specific time and a
specific purpose.
When that happens, you have just receivedreal“swordpower” in the realm
of the Spirit. It’s time for you to insert, twist, and do damage to the devil.
Then you can watchin jubilation as he hits the road and flees!
My Prayerfor Today
Lord, I know that Your Spirit has the very answerI need for any situation I
may confront in life. When He speaks to my heart, it places a razor-sharp
swordin my hands that I can use againstmy spiritual enemies. Help me keep
a sensitive ear to the Holy Spirit so I can recognize those moments when He is
trying to give me a “rhema” that will put the devil on the run!
I pray this in Jesus’name!
My Confessionfor Today
I confess thatI can hear the Holy Spirit’s voice when He drops a word into my
heart at the exactmoment I need it. Those quickenedwords impart special
powerand authority to me. They are so powerful that it is as if a swordhas
been placed in my hands! When I receive that kind of word from the Lord, I
insert it, twist it, and do as much damage as possible to the devil until he’s
sorry he evermessedwith me!
BIBLEHUB.COM RESOURCES
The swordof the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

The swordof the Spirit
W. R. Taylor, M. A.
I. WHY THE WORD IS CALLED THE SWORD, etc.
1. The Spirit of God is the Author of the Word.
2. It is the agencyofthe Spirit that makes the Word effectual.
II. THIS SWORD IS TO BE USED.
1. Forrepelling Satan's temptations.
2. Foractually destroying Satan's works.
(1)We are to aim, first, at the destruction of these works in ourselves.
(2)The works ofthe devil, whereverthey appear, are to be the objectof our
opposition and enmity.
3. In opposing error.
4. In seeking the conversionof sinners.
(W. R. Taylor, M. A.)
The Christian's weaponof offence
H. Melvill, B. D.
I. THE APTITUDE OF THE SIMILITUDE which likens the Bible to a sword.
1. The sword is useless so long as it is confined to the scabbard; and the Bible
is useless if it rest idle in the intellect.
2. This swordis that by which the Christian defends himself, and that by
which he cuts down all his foes.
II. THE PROPRIETYOF THE DESCRIPTIONwhichdesignates the Bible
the swordof the Spirit.

1. The Spirit dictated its composition.
2. The Spirit alone can unfold its meaning.
(H. Melvill, B. D.)
The sword
J. Burns, D. D.
I. THE SWORD RECOMMENDED.Observe -
1. The sword itself. Is "the Word of God."
2. The description given of this sword - "Swordof the Spirit."
(1)It is the production of the Spirit - "All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God" (2 Timothy 3:16. See also 2 Peter1:19-21).
(2)It is the instrument which the Holy Spirit makes use of in effecting His
purposes.
(3)It is by the Spirit's influence believers can profitably use the Word of God.
II. WHEN THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT MAY BE EMPLOYED.
1. Satan's assaults are to be resistedby it.
2. The world's attacks are to be overcome by it.
3. When our own hearts would deceive us.
(1)By distrust and despondency.
(2)When in danger of self-complacency.
(3)When inclined to indolence.
III. SOME DIRECTIONSFOR EFFECTUALLY WIELDING IT.
1. Cultivate an intimate acquaintance with it.

2. Keep this swordpolished and bright. This is only to be done by constant
exercise.
3. Seek, by constantprayer, a renewalof spiritual strength.Application:
1. Learn from this not to wage warwith unhallowed weapons;such as human
reason- such as human passion.
2. The weaponprovided is all-sufficient.
3. Use it for all spiritual purposes.
(J. Burns, D. D.)
The Word of God
H. J. Foster.
I. THE WORD OF GOD. This denotes -
1. The importance of its contents (Psalm 119:18;Matthew 13:11).
2. The attention and reverence due to it (Isaiah 1:2).
3. The full credit which it demands (John 20:31).
II. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.
1. As He is its Author (2 Peter1:21).
2. As it is His instrument in saving sinners.
3. As it has no power without His agency.
III. TAKE this. Learn to use it more and more. Show how God's Word
becomes victorious over all enemies.
1. It penetrates the most searedconscience (Acts 2:37).
2. It lays open the evils and enemies concealedwithin (Hebrews 4:12).
3. It demolishes the walls of unbelief (2 Corinthians 10:4).

4. It cuts the sinews of error.
5. It repels Satan's temptations (Matthew 4:1, etc.).
6. It penetrates the storms of affliction (Psalm 119:92).
7. It disarms death.This swordhas four peculiarities -
1. It decays not with use.
2. It cannotbe broken.
3. It is suited to the strength and capacities ofall. "Forwhen for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again," etc. (Hebrews
5:12, 13).
4. Thousands may use it at the same time. A Christian soldier is a terror to the
powers of darkness. The destruction of those who neglector rejectthis sword
is inevitable.
(H. J. Foster.)
D. Rees.
I. SCRIPTURE IS HERE REPRESENTEDAS THE WORD OF GOD. And is
it not so in the strictestsense? Does itnot throughout bear evident marks that
God is its Author? There have appeared, indeed, in the world men who have
denied this, and endeavouredto prove it false. But the Bible has survived all
their assaults. And to this day it continues to be receivedas the unpolluted
fountain of Divine truth. Indeed, its own internal evidences, independently of
every other consideration, must ever convince every candid and unprejudiced
mind that its pretensions to be the Word of God are just and amply
substantiated. Among these evidences, we may notice -
1. The great antiquity of its history.

2. The prophecies of the Old Testament, and their exactaccomplishmentin
the New, whata strong argument have we that the Bible is the Word of God!
For who canforetell future things but GodHimself?
3. We find many doctrines revealedin the Bible, to the knowledge ofwhich we
could never have attained by the mere light of nature or reason.
4. The same truth is confirmed to us by a considerationof the laws which are
published in the Bible. Never yet was it in the powerof men to frame and
enactlaws which could bind the whole family of man, or be equally suitable to
them all. But in the Scriptures we find laws given to all mankind, equally
suitable to them all, wheresoevertheylive, and howsoeverthey may be
circumstanced. And they are not only suitable to them, but also binding upon
them.
5. The Scripture appears to be the Word of Godfrom the concurrence of its
testimony, or its unity with itself. Whateveris laid down as truth in one place,
is neither contradictednor overturned in another.
II. The Scripture is representedin the text as "THE SWORD OF THE
SPIRIT." Now, a sword, we know, is an instrument of war, by which the
warrior not only defends himself, but also repels and overcomes his enemies.
When, therefore, the Christian is exhorted to take suchan instrument in his
hand, it is implied that he is here in a state of warfare.
1. But why is the Scripture called the sword of the Spirit? One reasonwhy it is
calledso may be, that it was given by inspiration of the Spirit. Indeed, it is this
circumstance which makes it so sharp and powerful.
2. Another reasonwhy the Scripture is called the sword of the Spirit is that it
is the instrument which the Holy Spirit employs to wound the conscienceand
destroy the false peace of a sinner.
(D. Rees.)
The Word of God likened to a sword

A. W. McClure.
I. IT HAS MANY OF THE PROPERTIES OF A SWORD.
1. It has the brightness of the sword. It is like the flaming falchion at Eden's
gate, which turned every way to preserve the garden from the unhallowed
intrusion of fallen man. Even so the Bible blazes before the everlasting doors
of the celestialparadise, so that "there shall in no wise enter into it anything
that defileth, neither whatsoeverworkethabomination, or maketh a lie."
2. It has also the keennessofa sword. "For the Word of God is quick and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edgedsword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit. When John saw the Sonof man in vision,
he tells us that "out of His mouth went a sharp two-edgedsword." This is a
symbol of the penetrating powerof the cutting reproofs and denunciations
which issued from His lips.
3. The Word of God is like a swordbecause it is pointed. Common weapons
can only smite the body, but this of the Spirit pierces far deeper, even to the
inmost soul.
4. It may be added that a goodsword will not easilybreak. It is even so, and
more, with the Lord's goodsword. Oft has it been rudely struck by those who
would parry its thrust or ward off its stroke. Oft has it crime down with
cleaving force on hearts harder than flint. But it has never been shattered, nor
can it be. It thus resembles a sword in the qualities of brightness of blade,
sharpness of edge, keennessofpoint, and powerof endurance.
II. IT ALSO RESEMBLESA SWORD IN MANY OF ITS USES.
1. It is a terror to evil-doers. How many have been deterred from sin, by
seeing it sweeping in threatening circles overthe path of transgression. How
readily they would have run in the ways of iniquity but for the salutary
restraints of the Book of God. It has flashed convictionlike lightning, and
struck the soul into submission like a bolt from heaven.
2. The Word of God is also like a swordin its cleaving energy. "It divideth
asunder the souland spirit." It is "a discernerof the thoughts and intents of

the heart." It cuts right and left, with double edge, among all the false hopes
of the self-deceived, and lays them in the dust.
3. The sword of the Spirit demolishes the defences under which the sinner
shields himself. The spiritual weapons ofour warfare is "mighty, through
God, to the pulling down of strongholds."
4. Moreover, the sword of the Spirit defeats the enemies of God. Every time
the Spirit strikes with it, Satan's empire totters, and the dark coasts ofhell
tremble at the blow. Wherever this burnished blade is guided by the hand of
Omnipotence, it scatters light over the dark places ofthe earth.
5. The Word of God is used as a sword in defending His kingdom on
earth.Concluding reflections:
1. We learn how ministers of the gospelshould arm themselves.
2. We learn that Christians are everto acton the aggressive.
3. We learn that the Word of God is no mortal weapon, but the sword of the
Spirit.
4. We learn from our subject that God has enemies in the world. Would you
know, my hearers, where that enmity to God is found, againstwhich He will
fight with the swordof His mouth? Alas! you will find it strongly fortifying
itself in that revolted and disobedient heart of yours. Your soul is opposedto
God. Your only safetyis in instant submission.
5. The impenitent must again meet the sword of the Spirit in the day of doom.
It will be the swordof justice at the judgment of the greatday. Then will its
slightestwarnings come up in remembrance againstyou. Its testimony will
convict you of having despisedits reproofs, and your awful doom is already
pronounced in its threatenings. Ah! is there no shield? Yes, one; and only one.
See it on the Saviour's arm! Let Him hold it over thy head. Then the uplifted
swordwill lose its terrors. Thou mayestcry aloud with confidence, "Behold, O
God, our Shield; and look upon the face of Thine Anointed!"
(A. W. McClure.)

The Bible a sword
W. Harris.
1. The Bible was not made by one man, and one man cannot make a sword.
Moses,we may say, made the handle; Joshua, Samuel, David, the prophets,
etc., made the blade; and the evangelists and apostles made the sharp edge
and point, without which, the rest would not be of much use.
2. The Bible is like a swordbecause it took a long time to make it complete
and fit for use. It was intended to last.
3. As a sword is used by a soldier in battle to kill his enemies, so the Bible is
able to kill sin, which is everybody's greatestenemy. How does the Bible kill
sin? By telling about God's love to us.
4. Why does St. Paul here callthe Bible the swordof the Spirit?(1) Because
the Holy Spirit taught men to write it. If you were a sword merchant, and
knew how to prepare the iron and make it into steelfit for a sword, you would
not make the swords with your own hands, but you would tell the workmen
what to do, and they would make the swords. But when the swords were
made, they would be calledafter your name.(2) Becausethe Holy Spirit must
teachus how to use it rightly.Concluding lessons:
1. Rememberthat God has given you this swordto use. The Bible is a fighting
sword. It is given to you that you may kill sin with it. Otherwise sin will kill
you.
2. If this swordof the Spirit was used by everybody there would be no need to
have other swords. The more the Bible is used to kill sin, the less fighting there
will be.
(W. Harris.)
i.e.,Iwill send war. And this because the swordis the weaponof most
universal rise in war, and also that whereby the greatestexecutionis done in
the battle. Now such a weaponis the Word of God in the Christian's hand. By
the edge of this his enemies fall, and his greatexploits are done - "They
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony."

(W. Gurnall, M. A.)
D. Moore, M. A.
I. First, WITH REGARD TO OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE POWER OF
THIS SWORD. I put this down as an indispensable prerequisite to a
compliance with the apostolicalinjunction. Forthe apostle is not supposed to
be addressing a company of undisciplined recruits. He is speaking to soldiers,
to believers, to veterans, who have had some experience of the use and power
of the weapons they are to employ. I cannot see how a man can use the sword
of the Spirit to resist the assaults ofsin, who has not felt the powerof that
swordto awakenin himself a sense ofsin.
II. But I come to our secondpoint, or, THE ENEMIES TO BE SLAIN BY
THE SWORD. Ofcourse, the greatenemy is Satanhimself, the father of lies,
who therefore must be opposedby the Word of Truth. But, then, Satan has
under him a large army of deceivers and impostors, who are ever on the
watchto beguile unstable souls; and it is only by the powerof God's Truth
that we shall be able to dissipate the illusions which these gather around us.
Again, by the edge of this swordwe are to slayfalse fears. Every Christian
knows on entering the service ofhis Masterthat great trials are appointed for
him; that the rightful and only entrance into the kingdom of heaven is
through the gate of tribulation; and that, though his Masterhas given him
armour enough to protect him againstsin, He has given him no armour to
ensure him againstsuffering. Again, it is to the sword of the Spirit we must
look to preserve us from all false guides, false influence, false dependence,
whether the example of the world, the persuasionof friends, the fear of men,
or the dominant tendencies and desires of our own heart.
(D. Moore, M. A.)

PRECEPTAUSTIN.ORG RESOURCES by Dr. Wayne Barber
Finally in verse 17 Paul says to take
"and the swordof the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Now this gets exciting. There are two words for sword. There is the word
rhomphaia, (click for armor) which in the Septuagint is the word for the
swordthat David used to cut off Goliath’s head. It is was a huge thing. It was
about 5 feet 8 inches long. You also see that sword in Revelation, the swordof
judgment that is going to fall on the earth.
There was another swordthat they used in hand-to-hand combat and that is
the word used here. It is the word machaira which describes a small sword.
In the Old Testamentwhen Joabwent to avenge the killing of his brother at
the gate. Abner came out and he coaxedhim out into the gate to talk to him
which was dumb because Abner left his refuge which was the city. He came
out and Joabstuck that little knife into him (2Samuel 3:27) David said, "Oh,
he died a fool’s death." That is that little sword. That little swordis handy. It
is quick. You have got to have the shield, which is your intention to obey God,
before this sword ever becomes helpful to you. If all you have is the swordand
no intention to obey it, forgetit. You are dead in the waterwhen it comes to
warfare. That is why they are coupled together. You’ve gotto have the shield,
then you have to have the intention of saying,
"God, I am going to look forward to the hope of your coming. I am not going
to be found ashamed."
Then you have the swordto go along with it.
Look at Hebrews 4:12 where machaira is used again. Is it just the thoughts
that come in? Is that our problem? No, that is the devil’s weaponbut that is
not our problem. Let me show you in verse 12...

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged
sword, [machaira], 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.
The writer has three couplets. The spirit gives life to the soul. Marrow gives
life to the bone. The intentions of a man give life to his thoughts. Stay with me.
What is my shield? It is my intention to obey God. Now if you’ve made up
your mind and purposed in your heart, "I am going to obey you," that is a
shield, friend. Now, if that intention is not there it renders the thoughts active
in your life. That is why the thoughts are able to lodge and stay because you
have not made up your mind to obey God at any cost. You don’t have your
loins girded about with truth. You are not committed to Christ and everything
that He is and to what He says. Where is Christianity in the 20th century?
Right there. They have no shield, but they have their sword. Oh, they can
quote Scripture. They will beat you over the head with it. But friend, the flat
of the blade has no cutting powerwhatsoeveruntil I have the shield up, which
is the intention of my heart to obey God. Then I can nail that thought with the
cutting edge of that swordand the point.
As 1Cor 2:15 says, the
"spiritual (man) appraises all things."
He examines it. He says, "Okay, let’s examine this in light of the Word of God.
Is this what God says? Or is this anotherlie of the one who was a liar and a
murderer from the beginning, Satan himself? Is this just simply a part of that
infected darkness that is all around us?"
Friend, if you don’t have your shield up, your swordmeans nothing. In my
heart I wanted to obey Christ. Therefore, my intention was right and I could
stop the thought. If your intention is not there, the thought is going to lodge in
your mind and you are going to wake up the next day feeling like that thought
is really the truth. It hasn’t got a thing to do with truth. You haven’t made up
your mind to gird your loins with truth. Therefore, you don’t have a shield.
When you pick up the Word it doesn’t mean anything. It is like a rubber
knife. It has no cutting edge to it whatsoever.

I trust that you know the truth of God is never to pursue a career. It is
pursuing a calling. If you get hung up in pursuing a career, you have missed
the whole point of your purpose for being on this earth. Oh, careers are a part
of it, but it is a calling. It is seeking to be able to cut betweenwhat is truth and
what is error.
Lustful thoughts—men, are you having trouble with that? If you find a man
who says he doesn’t deal with it, he is lying or he is dead. Why can’t we just be
honest? Folks, we dealwith this stuff every day! It is in your mind. Why do
you think I try to pump, "Surrender to Christ and get into His Word"? I have
said those two things so many times. If I die tomorrow, just put it on my
tombstone. That is all I have tried to say. Don’t put your faith in me. I am a
pilgrim like you are. If you knew my struggles, you wouldn’t listen me. If I
knew yours, I wouldn’t bother you either. We are all in the same boat.
SURRENDERTO CHRIST
&
GET INTO HIS WORD
If you put the last three (parts of the spiritual armor) together, they couple to
the first three. It is a truth struggle all the way. You better have your loins
girded about so that you canhave your shield of faith. See how they fit? They
are coupled together. Thatis our armor.
The swordof the Spirit - this is genitive of apposition which conveys the idea
of "the sword supplied by the Spirit".
ScottishpastorThomas Guthrie said that
The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratoryof infallible
medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a
chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound.
Rob us of our Bible and our skyhas lost its sun.

The NET Bible note writes that...
The Greek term translated sword(machaira) refers to the Roman gladius, a
short sword about 2 ft (60 cm) long, used for close hand-to-hand combat. This
is the only clearlyoffensive weaponin the list of armor mentioned by the
author (he does not, for example, mention the lance [Latin pilum]). (NET
Bible)
Vincent writes that...
The word of God serves both for attack and to parry the thrusts of the enemy.
Thus Christ used it in His temptation. It is the swordof the Spirit, because the
Spirit of Godgives it and inspires it. The Spirit’s aid is needed for its
interpretation. Compare John 14:10;Heb 4:12-note, in which latter passage
the image is sacrificial. (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament
3:410)
David Guzik writes that...
The idea is that the Spirit provides a swordfor you, and that swordis the
word of God. To effectively use the Sword of the Spirit, we can’t regard the
Bible as book of magic charms or tie one around our neck the way that garlic
is said to drive away vampires. To effectively use the sword, we must regard it
as the word of God... If we are not confident in the inspiration of Scripture,
that the sword really came from the Spirit, then we will not use it effectively at
all. But we must also take the swordof the Spirit in the sense ofdepending
that He helps us to use it. Not only did the Spirit give us the Scriptures, but
also He makes them alive to us, and equips us with the right thrust of the
swordat the right time.
Think of a soldieror a gladiatorin training, practicing sword thrusts and
moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time, and if he is a
superior fighter, and has a greatfighting instinct, at the time of battle he will
instantly recallwhich thrust, which position suits the precise moment. He will
never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practicedit, but
he still needs to make the move at the moment. Therefore, effectivelyusing the
swordtakes practice. The greatexample of this was Jesus combating the

temptation of Satanin the wilderness (Mt 4:4,7,10,11). Luther was another
example of this, when he came to any understanding of Psalm 31:1-note:
deliver me in Your righteousness. This helped him understand the real
meaning of the just will live by faith. (Ref)
Awake!for the Trumpet Is Sounding!
by Fanny Crosby
Awake!for the trumpet is sounding!
Awake to its call, and obey!
The voice of our Leader cries, “Onward!”
Oh, let us no longer delay!
Refrain
No truce while the foe is unconquered;
No laying the armor down!
No peace till the battle is ended,
And victory wins the crown!
Then gird on the swordof the Spirit,
With helmet, and breastplate, and shield;
And valiantly follow your Captain,
Determined you never will yield!

Refrain
Then forward! O army of Zion,
With hearts that are loyal and brave!
Stand firm by the Cross and its banner;
And rest in the “Mighty to save”!
Sword (3162)(machaira from mache = a knife, sword) refers to a relatively
short sword (even dagger)for cutting and stabbing. It was extremely difficult
to approach a soldierwell trained in the use of the machaira for it was short
and could be moved rapidly. The fact that it was two-edgedmade it possible to
strike on either side without changing its position in the hand, and its razor-
sharp point could pierce armor. Proper use of Scripture in spiritual warfare
enables the Christian to stand fast "againstthe wiles of the devil".
Machaira is used about 156 times in the Septuagint(LXX) and 29 times in the
NT
Matt. 10:34;26:47, 51f, 55; Mk. 14:43, 47f; Lk. 21:24; 22:36, 38, 49, 52;Jn.
18:10f; Acts 12:2; 16:27;Rom. 8:35; 13:4; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; 11:34, 37;
Rev. 6:4; 13:10, 14
The writer of Hebrews explained that "the word of God is living and active
and sharper than any two-edgedsword, (machaira) 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. (Heb 4:12-note)
Expositor's Greek Testament - The swordis the only offensive weaponin the
panoply. But it is indispensable. For, while the Christian soldier is exhibited
here mainly in the attitude of defense, as one who stands, in order to take his
position and keephis ground, thrust and cut will be required. The preached
Gospel, "the power of God" (Ro 1:16-note, 1Cor1:18), is the weapon
provided by the Spirit for meeting the lunge of the assailantand beating him
back. With this the description of the panoply comes to an end. (Nicoll, W

Robertson, Editor: Expositors Greek Testament:5 Volumes. Out of print.
SearchGoogle)
Blaikie writes that "The sword supplied by the Spirit, the Word being
inspired by him, and employed by the Spirit; for he enlightens us to know it,
applies it to us, and teaches us to use it both defensively and offensively. Our
Lord in his conflict with Satan, and also with the scribes and Pharisees, has
taught us how this weaponis to be used, and with what wonderful effect. Paul,
too, reasoning from the Scriptures and proving from them “that this Jesus
whom I preach unto you is the Christ,” or (going back to the Old Testament)
the author of the hundred and nineteenth psalm, showing us how the soulis to
be fed, quickened, strengthenedand comforted out of God’s Law, indicates
the manifold use of the sword, and shows how earnestly we should study and
practice this swordexercise, forour own goodand the goodof others.
(Ephesians 6 Exposition)
Word (4487)(rhema from verb rheo = to speak - to say, speak orutter definite
words) refers to the spokenword, especiallya word as uttered by a living
voice. Laleo is another word translated speak but it refers only to uttering a
sound whereas rheo refers to uttering a definite intelligible word. Rhema
refers to any sound produced by the voice which has a definite meaning. It
focuses upon the content of the communication. In the plural rhema
("words"), means saying, speechor discourse.
Rhema speaks ofa specific statement. Justas a small daggeris applied with
skill and precisionto a vital area of the body, so we must use the Word
carefully and expertly, applying specific principles from it to every situation
we face. How's your skill with the spiritual sword? Do you have a thorough
graspof Scripture and know how to apply it with precision? If you learn how
to use it properly, the Word canbe an effective weaponfor any challenge. If
you waste time and energywith manmade, plastic weapons, however, you'll
find yourself a defenselessvictim in the spiritual battle.
MacArthur explains that "the term Paul uses here for word is not logos,
which refers to generalstatements or messages, but is rhema, which refers to
individual words or particular statements. The apostle is therefore not talking

here about generalknowledge ofScripture, but is emphasizing againthe
precisionthat comes by knowledge andunderstanding of specific truths. Like
Jesus did in the wilderness, we need to use specific scriptural truths to counter
specific satanic falsehoods.(MacArthur, J: Ephesians. Chicago:MoodyPress)
Paul writes to the Roman saints that...
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of Christ. (Ro
10:17-note)
One of my favorite uses of rhema is in Luke's record of the angel's words to
Mary...
"Fornothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)
Comment: You are probably asking "Where is rhema in this verse?" The
Greek canbe rendered "No word of God can fail." Only a few English
translations render rhema in this way.
The 1901 ASV has "Forno word from God shall be void of power."
The Weymouth has "Forno promise from God will be impossible of
fulfilment."
The Amplified has "Forwith God nothing is ever impossible and no word
from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." This is a
powerful verse about God's powerful spokenword!)
Vincent has a long note on rhema in Luke 1:37 - Rhema, word, as
distinguished from logos, word, in classicalGreek, signifies a constituent part
of a speechor writing, as distinguished from the contents as a whole. Thus it
may be either a word or a saying. Sometimes a phrase, as opposedto onoma, a
single word. The distinction in the New Testamentis not sharp throughout. It
is maintained that rhema in the New Testament, like the Hebrew gabar,
stands sometimes for the subject-matter of the word; the thing, as in this
passage. Butthere are only two other passagesin the New Testamentwhere
this meaning is at all admissible, though the word occurs seventy times. These
are Luke 2:15; Acts 5:32. “Kept all these things” (Luke 2:19), should clearly
be sayings, as the A. V. itself has rendered it in the almost identical passage,

ver. 51. In Acts 5:32, Rev. gives sayings in margin. In Luke 2:15, though A. V.
and Rev. render thing, the sense is evidently saying, as appears both from the
connectionwith the angelic messageand from the following words, which has
come to pass: the saying which has become a fact. The Rev. rendering of this
passageis, therefore, right, though a little stilted: No word of God shall be
void of power; for the A. V. errs in joining ouk and pas, not every, and
translating nothing. The two do not belong together. The statementis, Every
(pas) word of God shall not (ouk) be powerless. The A. V. also follows the
reading, para to theo, with God; but all the later texts read para tou theou,
from God, which fixes the meaning beyond question. (Vincent, M. R. Word
Studies in the New Testament1:260)
Rhema is used by Jesus in His refutation of Satan's temptation to turn the
stones into bread, Matthew recording that Jesus...
answeredand said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD
ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD (rhema) THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF
THE MOUTH OF GOD.'(Mt 4:4)
Ray Stedman explains that...
It is important to see that Paul doesn't mean the complete Bible when he says
"the Word of God." There are two words that are used in the original Greek
Scripture for "the Word of God." There is the familiar Greek word logos,
which is used in the opening verse of John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the
Logos [Word], and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God."
Then there is another word, used less frequently, rhema, which is somewhat
different in meaning than the first. The word logos refers to the total
utterance of God, the complete revelation of what God has said. The second
word, rhema, means a specific saying of God, a passageora verse that has
specialapplication to an immediate situation. It implies a use of the Word of
God that is applied to a specific experience in our lives.
The secondword, rhema, is the one used here. The "swordof the Spirit" is the
saying of God applied to a specific situation in your life. That is the great
weaponplacedin the hands of the believer. Perhaps you have had some

experience with this. Sometimes, when you are reading a passageofScripture,
the words seemto suddenly come alive, take on flesh and bones, and leap off
the page at you. Sometimes they seemto grow eyes that follow you around
everywhere you go, or develop a voice that echoes in your ears until you
cannot getawayfrom it. Perhaps you have had that experience in some
moment of temptation or doubt when you were assailedby what Paul calls
here "the flaming arrows of the evil one." And immediately a passage of
Scripture that supplies the answercomes flashing to mind. That passageof
Scripture is God's rhema for you.
Or perhaps you have been askeda question that caughtyou off guard for a
moment and you were about to say, "I don't know," whensuddenly you had a
moment of illumination and a word of Scripture came to mind that provided
the answer. Perhaps this experience has happened while sitting in a meeting
where some messagehas come home to your heart with an unusually powerful
effect. You were greatlymoved, and in that moment you made a significant
and lasting decision. That illuminating word of Scripture was God's rhema
for you.
The rhema-word of God in your life is called"the sword of the Spirit"
because it not only originatedby the Spirit as the author of the Word but it is
also recalledto your mind by the Spirit and made powerful by Him in your
life. It is His specific, well-chosenanswerto the attack of the devil Like a
swordsmanwith a trusty blade in his hand, the Spirit brings a flashing, sharp-
edged, highly polished word to our mind to parry the sword-thrust of the devil
But a swordis useful for both defense and for offense. So it is with the sword
of the Spirit, the Word of God. As a sword, the Word is useful for both
defensive and offensive purposes. It is, in fact, the only part of the armor of
God that canbe used for offense. It protects us for attack, in that it can be
used to parry and deflect the vicious sword-strokesofthe enemy--but it goes
further, in that it canalso be used to pierce other human hearts with the truth
and to hack awayand kill the lies of the devil in others besides ourselves. That
is its great effect...Aman once came to me for counseling. He was in the grip
of a terrible emotional and spiritual depression--one of the most lonely,
isolated, miserable people I have evermet--and we met togetherevery week

for overa year. His liberation began when he decided to pray a single phrase
of Scripture wheneverhe was in the grip of his depression. It was the one
portion of Scripture this man could, in faith, lay hold of. He rejected
everything else I tried to point out to him. But one phrase stuck with him, and
he prayed it againand again, the words of Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane:"Not my will but Yours be done." At last, slowly, like the sun
coming up, the light began to dawn, and you could see the change in his life.
Today he is living a normal, free life. He was setfree by "the sword of the
Spirit," the rhema, the saying of God given specificallyfor his situation. (Ray
Stedman. Spiritual Warfare - Available online and highly recommended!)
Henry Morris illustrates the power of God's word...
Greatstores of chemicalenergy are lockedin the earth’s reserves of coal, oil,
peat, timber, gas, etc. This has originated from the sun’s light energy which
through the marvelous process ofphotosynthesis has causedthe growth of
plant life, and this in turn has been used to sustain animal life. When the
plants and, at leastin some cases, animals too have died and been buried, the
energy storedup in their cellstructure has been preserved in the ground over
many years. This energy remains chained up, so to speak, until released
through the process ofburning to be converted into useful work. When set on
fire, however, chemical energy in its various forms provides a greatportion of
the powerused in industry and transportation. The Word of God is like this
form of power, too. Says Jeremiah:
“Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word,
behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it
shall devour them” (Jer. 5:14);
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.
But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I
was wearywith forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jer. 20:9).
Chemicalenergy is one form of potential energy, whereby its capacityfor
doing work is storedup, motionless and ineffective until released. (Henry
Morris: Bibliotheca Sacra:Volume 116, Issue 461, Page66)

D. Martyn Lloyd–Jones wrote that Martin Luther
was held in darkness by the devil, though he was a monk. He was trying to
save himself by works. He was fasting, sweating, andpraying; and yet he was
miserable and unhappy, and in bondage. Superstitious Roman Catholic
teaching held him captive. But he was delivered by the word of Scripture—
“the just shall live by faith.” From that moment he began to understand this
Word as he had never understood it before, and the better he understood it
the more he saw the errors taught by Rome. He saw the error of her practice,
and so became more intent on the reformation of the church. He proceededto
do all in terms of expositionof the Scriptures. The greatdoctors in the Roman
church stoodagainsthim. He sometimes had to stand alone and meet them in
close combat, and invariably he took his stand upon the Scripture. He
maintained that the church is not above the Scriptures. The standard by
which you judge even the church, he said, is the Scripture. And though he was
one man, at first standing alone, he was able to fight the papal systemand
twelve centuries of tradition. He did so by taking up “the swordof the Spirit,
which is the word of God.” (The Christian Soldier Grand Rapids: Baker,
1977, p. 331)
Martin Luther gave the following charge in a sermon he delivered in 1531...
Christendom must have people who can beat down their adversaries and
opponents and tear off the devil’s equipment and armor, that he may be
brought into disgrace. Butfor this work, powerful warriors are needed, who
are thoroughly familiar with the Scriptures and can contradict all false
interpretations and take the sword from false teachers—thatis, those very
verses which false teachers use and turn them round upon them so that they
fall back defeated.
But as not all Christians canbe so capable in defending the Word and articles
of their creed, they must have teachers and preachers who study the
Scriptures and have daily fellowshipwith it, so that they can fight for all the
others. Yet eachChristian should be so armed that he himself is sure of his
belief and of the doctrine and is so equipped with the sayings from the Word

of God that he can stand up againstthe devil and defend himself, when men
seek to lead him astray.
Roy Aldrich remarks that the word rhema represents...
a concrete expressionorquotation from the Bible, not logos, the entire Bible.
The thought is that the Christian soldieris to know his Bible so well that he
can use the right saying (phrase, verse, or verses)to answereachdifferent
onslaught or thrust of Satan. This method of warfare is perfectly seenin the
temptation of Christ (Mt. 4:1-11). Eachthrust of Satanwas blockedwith an
appropriate quotation of a verse or sentence from the Bible. This wielding of
the swordof the Spirit requires greatskill. It is dependent upon thorough
knowledge ofthe Bible. The efficient soldier keeps fit, like the godly man of
Psalm1, by constant meditation (see topic Meditation) in the Word of God.
Only thus can he have more understanding than all his teachers who gettheir
understanding apart from the Bible. (Bibliotheca Sacra:Volume 124, Issue
494, Page 163, 1967).
MacArthur writes that...
In the name of grace, some Christians insist that a believer’s only
responsibility is to “let go and let God.” The statementmade to King
Jehoshaphat, “The battle is not yours but God’s,” has been taken to mean that
believers have only to sit back and watchGod work. That ever–present
philosophy was held by the Quakers andQuietists of past centuries, who
emphasized surrender and passivity above commitment and self–discipline.
Abiding in Jesus does not mean we are to do nothing ourselves. In the same
passagein which He tells us to abide in Him, He explains that this abiding
involves keeping His commandments (John 15:4-10;cf. 1Jn 3:24). The truly
surrendered life is the life committed to aggressive, confrontive, and
unreserved obedience to all of God’s commands.
Some advocates ofthat truncated view of the surrendered life have taught
that the person who is fully surrendered will never experience temptation,
because Christintercepts every effort of Satanto tempt us. This philosophy is
perhaps most clearly and popularly presentedin Hannah Whithall Smith’s
The Christian’s Secretofa Happy Life...One of the problems with that view is

that it makes no allowance forsin...Evenmore importantly, that view is not
supported by Scripture. Surrender and submissionto the Lord are cardinal
and oft–repeatedNew Testamenttruths, but they do not stand apart from—
much less opposedto—the many other New Testamentcommands for
Christians to be actively involved in the Lord’s work. To “depend on Godfor
everything” and then not use His provision to do the other things He
commands is not dependence but presumption. (MacArthur, J: Ephesians.
Chicago:Moody Press)
David Watsonsums up the believer's armor
God gives us all the protection that we need. We must see that there is a “ring
of truth” about our walk with the Lord, that our lives are right (“righteous”)
with God and with one another, that we seek to make peace whereverwe go,
that we lift up that shield of faith togetherto quench the flaming darts of the
evil one, that we protect our minds from fears and anxieties that easilyassail,
and that we use God’s word to good effectin the powerof the Spirit.
Remember it was by the repeatedswordthrusts of God’s word that Jesus
overcame his adversaryin the wilderness. (David Watson, Discipleship)
The spiritual battle is real as the following example demonstrates...
ONE NIGHT, JOHN PATON (biography) AND HIS WIFE--a missionary
couple in the New Hebrides Islands--were awakenedby chants outside their
mission station. Looking out, they saw that scores ofhostile islanders had
surrounded the stationwith torches, intent on burning the place down and
killing the missionary couple. The Patons gotdown on their knees and prayed
throughout the night, asking God to deliver them. The tense, dark hours
passed, yet the islanders kept their distance.
Finally, around daybreak, the Patons lookedout the window--and the hostile
tribesmen were gone. JohnPaton was baffled. There seemedto be nothing
preventing the islanders from attacking, yetno attack came. Patondidn't find
out why the islanders left so mysteriously until a yearlater, when the chief of
the tribe was wonto Christ. Remembering the night-long siege ofa year

before, John Paton askedthe newly convertedchief why the tribesmen had
departed instead of burning the mission stationto the ground. "We were
afraid of the men who were with you," the chief replied.
"What men?" askedPaton.
"There were a hundred tall men around the mission house that night," said
the chief. "Their clothing shone with light, and they had swords in their
hands. We knew that they would never let us harm you, so we went back to
our village."
That is spiritual warfare at its most extreme! God does not always have to
intervene in such a dramatic way on behalf of His children. Yet the battle is
just as real, just as deadly, for you and me in our everyday lives as it was that
night for the Patons in a mission station on the New , Hebrides Islands. You
and I are hemmed in by enemies every day, but God has provided a defense
for us that will enable us to stand againstthe schemes and flaming arrows of
the enemy. The apostle Paulhas listed for us three steps we must take in order
to "be strong in the Lord," and to resist the attacks ofSatan(Ibid)
ConstantCompanion - When my wife and I are preparing for a trip, one of
the first things we do is getout the road atlas. We study it intensely to learn
the bestroutes, determine the number of miles we’ll have to travel, pick out
interesting places to visit, decide how far we can getin a day, and estimate
expenses. Onthe journey, the atlas is our constantcompanion, and we consult
it many times a day. We couldn’t getalong without it.
For Christians, the Bible is an atlas for their spiritual journey, but it is much
more. It is described as:
sweeterthan honey (Psalm 19:10-note;Ps 119:103-note)
a lamp (Psalm 119:105-note)
rain and snow (Isaiah55:10,11)
a fire (Jeremiah23:29)

a hammer (Jeremiah 23:29)
water(Ephesians 5:26-note)
a sword(Ephesians 6:17-note)
solid food (Hebrews 5:12-note, He 5:14-note)
a mirror (James 1:23-note)
milk (1Peter2:2-note)
Like the highway traveler, we as Christians are on a long and sometimes
hazardous journey. We face many decisions and will have many needs on our
pilgrimage to paradise. The Bible has been given to us to help us make those
decisions and to meet those needs. It should be our constantcompanion–
studied diligently and consultedoften along the way. We can’t do without it.
(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted
by permission. All rights reserved)
I have a companion, a dear, faithful friend,
A union of blessing that never shall end;
Till Jesus returns with His saints from on high
We'll travel together, my Bible and I. —Anon
The Bible is like a compass—
it always points the believer in the right direction.

The holy spirit's sword

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