The Sword of the Spirit

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

As we have studied the armor of God, did you notice that it was all defensive armor? The armor we put on (the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation) is all defensive, designed to protect us from Satan’s attacks. But didn’t I say we were going to be taking this spiritual warfare thing to the devil? Why has it all been about defense? Isn’t the best defense a good offense? True. So today we finally pick up a weapon. Take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

This is a powerful weapon and is, indeed, the only weapon we need. But in order to wield this sword properly, we need to know how to use it.

You see, we’re not talking about a simple weapon that can be wielded well the very first time we try. In fact, when we examine how the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, we find that he knows the scriptures, too, and he can use them as a weapon against us if we aren’t careful. He often attacks us by taking scriptures out of context or by twisting their meaning.

I love to read, especially mystery or suspense novels, but I’m kind of a snob when it comes to what books I enjoy. I have a bunch of rules; for example, I feel like an author cheats when the culprit is someone who hasn’t been introduced until the end of the book or if the only way the hero finds out what really happened is to have the bad guy confess to him. Another "cheat" is when the hero is forced into a new combat situation, something they’ve never done before. Oh, and did I mention that their enemy is always an expert in whatever discipline they’re fighting in? It would be like me being challenged to a joust – I’m kind of afraid of horses, so I’m not a big fan of riding them, let alone riding one toward some jousting expert, who is charging at me with a huge lance, ready to take my head off!

Instead, we need to be familiar with the weapon we are using. We read in Hebrews 4:12 that the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Let’s look more closely at this sword we wield. It is living and active. There is a mainline Christian denomination with a slogan that "God is still speaking." I agree with this wholeheartedly – God is still speaking. Unfortunately, this denomination’s higher-ups believe that when God speaks these days, He contradicts what He’s said in the past.

If you wonder if the word is from God, you should be able to check it out against scripture. Does the new word contradict scripture, or does it fit with the Bible? Psalm 18:30 says, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless." Psalm 33:4 says, "The word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does." And Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." If God’s word is flawless, right, true, and stands forever, it doesn’t change. If the "God is still speaking" campaign means what the denominational leaders say it means, that God has changed His mind, it would follow that God’s word was flawed (or at best short sighted), that it was not right and true, and that it does not stand forever.

That said, God does still speak to us. His word is living and active. When we read scripture, however, the first task is to find out what it meant. Only then can we find out what it means. God’s word is alive – it not only spoke to a certain situation in a certain place, but it also speaks directly to us as individuals and as the Church.

This sword is sharp. If you read the Bible, praying that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through it, you will be convicted. We read in Isaiah 11:4 "he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked." This goes along with Revelation 19:15, which says, "from his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations."

I’ve heard it said that God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. The word of God, when properly used, cuts. Try reading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 without being cut. "Anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." "Do not worry about your life." "Do not judge, or you, too, will be judged." "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven."

Feeling cut yet? Have the attitudes and thoughts of your heart been judged? If not, it’s probably because you’ve tuned this out. Maybe you’ve heard it enough that you’ve gotten immune to it. If that’s the case, you need to re-acquaint yourself with scripture through the lens of the Holy Spirit. And just when you think you’ve got it, that you’ve arrived, you’ll find that you’ve fallen short – that God’s word is more radical than you ever believed, that God’s word is more inclusive than you ever believed, that God’s word is more exclusive than you ever believed.
God’s word is a sharp sword – judging and cutting is what it does.

God’s word is a powerful weapon for fighting against unseen powers and against the forces of evil. It shouldn’t be a surprise – God’s word was the weapon Jesus used when Satan was tempting him in the wilderness. Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation by saying, "It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"
Remember that even Satan knows the word of God and he tried to use it against Jesus! It’s sad but ironic that many deaths and injuries in home break-ins happen when the resident attempts to use a gun or knife on the intruder – the intruder then can often turn that weapon on the resident. Often the reason is that the resident did not know how to use that particular weapon.
Like I said, God’s word is a powerful weapon, so we have to know how to use it correctly.

Do you know how to use the word of God to fight the forces of evil?

We first have to sharpen our swords: by knowing the word of God. I grew up memorizing scriptures; memory verses were part of our Sunday School and church camp. That’s not just for kids, though. There are some of you who know the scriptures, and that’s awesome. God’s word helps us through good times and bad.

While Bible memorization is a good start, it’s not the only step. I wouldn’t send anyone into a sword fight without training, and I believe we need training as well. In boxing, they call training "sparring" – and in training to use the sword of the Spirit, I believe we learn best when we have a sparring partner. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

I have found that my biggest spiritual breakthroughs have always come when I’ve been meeting regularly with like-minded Christians. I currently meet w/ a couple of other pastors for encouragement, accountability, and spiritual growth. This is one of the ways I keep my "sword" sharp and how I can get different perspectives than my own. In fact, I even learn from discussing scripture with people with whom I don’t agree. As it is, I am confident that God does not limit His voice to the Bible alone; he also speaks through His people. Sometimes others give us better perspective into the Word or how God might be working in certain situations. Sometimes it takes someone else to tell us where they see God working in our lives in order for us to fully realize and appropriate it. This is why our cell group ministry is so vitally important. Even if you missed out on the launch, you can still join. We’ve developed a calendar of when they are meeting, and if you’re interested, you can fill out one of the white cards in the pews and Rudy can help you get hooked up.

But more than simply having sharp swords, we have to be able to use them. Just as a sword doesn’t help a warrior if he leaves it in its sheath, neither does the word of God help us if we don’t use it. Quite the contrary! In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel said to Saul: "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." It is serious business to hear the word and to not follow it. Think of it this way: if you are in a sword fight, hearing the word and not following it is like charging into battle empty-handed.

In other words, instead of just knowing the Bible, we have to do something about what we read in it. In Luke 11:28, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it." James 1:22 tells us Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. What good does it do me if I know I’m supposed to love my neighbor, yet I don’t do anything about it?

Please remember that we are supposed to use our swords not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. The word of God cuts, and we in the church sometimes have a tendency to cut down the wounded. Instead of using the word of God to attack people, use it in love. Find encouragement. Find ways to share the Good News. Use the Word of God to attack Satan’s strongholds and to attack the powers and spiritual forces of evil. Live out a life built on the Scripture: that is one of the greatest weapons we have against Satan… when people can look at you and say, "There’s something different about you; something good…"

Now, as we go, stand firm, taking the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!