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THE SWORD OF
THE SPIRIT WHICH IS THE WORD
Hebrews 4:12
For 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.
Revelation 1:16
In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came
a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in
all its brilliance.
Revelation 2:12&16
To the Church in Pergamum
"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged
sword. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and
will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
INTRODUCTION:
The sixth piece of the armor is the
“sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROMAN
SWORD
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ROMAN SWORDS
The weapon that the Roman soldier used was a short straight sword used for
close-up warfare. It was used for hand to hand combat. It was used in
conjunction with the rest of the armor as an offensive and defensive weapon.
It was the
weapon of choice in fighting and defeating the enemy.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
The only offensive weapon in our spiritual armor is the sword of the
Spirit.
It is a powerful weapon in the war against Satan. Satan is not
always content in just throwing his fiery darts. Sometimes his army moves in
on us and we must be ready for hand to hand combat. The Sword of the Spirit
is the Word of God
used to combat these direct attacks from our spiritual
enemy. In this lesson
we will study how to use this weapon effectively.
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THE RHEMA |
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The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God
References to the Word as Sword
Heb 4:12
Rev 1:16
Rev 2:12,16
In the analogy of the
armor, the sword is our only offensive weapon. The "Word" is translated
from the Greek word rhema(1), which means
a particular word, saying,
or series of words joined in a sentence. The sword is not referring to the
Greek word Logos which means Christ as found in John 1:1, but a
specific group of words from
Scripture. Jesus modeled how to use the word as your sword when He was
tempted by Satan. In each of the described temptations found in
Matthew 4, Jesus
responded to Satan with specific words (rhema) from
Scripture. Each of the instances in bold print below is an example of how
Jesus used the rhema (his sword) against Satan.
1.Matthew
4:3-4
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of
God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on
bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.'
2.Matthew
4:6-7
"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself
down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.' "
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put
the Lord your God to the test.'
3. Matthew 4:9-11
"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow
down and worship me."
1Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For
it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve
him only.' "
Then the devil left him....
THE RHEMA
If you ever been in a situation that involved a question you could not
answer, or a temptation that enticed you, and a particular
Scripture came to your mind that answered the question or reminded you to
flee the temptation this was the "rhema" of Scripture. It is the Sword of
the Spirit. Pastor Ray Steadman puts it this way:
"The
sayings of God [rhema] strike home like arrows to the heart. That is
why this is called "the sword of the Spirit," because it is not only
originated by him as the author of the Word, but it is also recalled
to mind by the Spirit and made powerful by Him in our lives. It is
His answer to the attack of the devil, who comes to discourage us,
defeat us, lure us aside, deceive us, misguide us, or mislead us in
some way -- but then a word comes to mind instantly. This is the
sword of the Spirit." (2)
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BEING READY WITH THE SWORD
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A soldier will take care of his sword, making sure it remains sharp
and ready for battle. We too should be doing certain activities to make
ourselves ready to use the sword in battle. The Holy Spirit will
then be able to bring to remembrance the Rhema when we are in need of it.
UNSHEATHE THE SWORD
The greater exposure there is to Scripture, the
more the Spirit can use this mighty sword in our lives. So we need to
study God's Word, memorize it, and apply it. Without the Word, we are
weaponless against the enemy. There is no way apart from the Scriptures.
And there is no way to come into full maturity as a Christian apart from
the Scriptures.
APPLY THE SWORD
Finally, the responsibility of the Christian
when the Spirit places one of these sayings in your mind on some
appropriate occasion? What are you to do? The apostle says, take it! Heed
it! Obey it! Do not reject it or treat it lightly. Take it seriously. The
Spirit of God has brought it to mind for a purpose; therefore give heed to
it, obey it.
DON'T MISUSE IT
Satan attempted to use the Sword- but through
misapplication. He misquoted Scripture to Christ (Matt 4:6) but Christ
rightly divided the Word in giving it back. "Jesus said unto him, It is
written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matt. 4:7) This
was prophesied in Isaiah 49:2 "And he hath made my mouth like a sharp
sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished
shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;"
PRACTICE WITH THE SWORD
Memorize Scriptures that apply to specific temptations or concerns in your
life. Apply the Sword to your own life before going in to battle.
We are told in Hebrews 4:12 that the word of God is "quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
[is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
DON'T ABUSE IT OR NEGLECT IT
We have at our disposal the same "sword" that Jesus used when tempted
by Satan. By rebuking with the "sword of the Word" we can force the enemy
to flee. However, a sword needs to be maintained. A soldier who didn't
maintain his sword would find himself not as sharp, not as quick in
battle. If we neglect the word, we cannot expect to be ready with
our swords when Satan attacks.
How Jesus Used the Sword:
Read
Matthew 4
to learn how Jesus responded to Satan's temptation.
We mentioned above the 3 instances where Jesus used the "rhema"
against Satan while He was being tempted. (Matthew 4)
Jesus was very specific when He replied to Satan, making
sure He addressed the very sin that Satan was pointing Him
toward. All 3 of these sins are mentioned in I John
2:15-17.
Do
not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is
from the world.
The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the
will of God lives forever.
I John 2:15-17
The above passage in I John describes the 3 ways in which Satan will tempt
us. In each situation we must raise our shield of faith and utilize
our sword of the word. Jesus was an example to us of how to respond:
The Temptation 1:The Lust of the Flesh
Now when the tempter
came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these
stones to become bread."
(First Satan casts doubt on Jesus' credibility.
Then he tempts him to give in to the flesh through his physical hunger.)
Jesus' Response
But He answered and said, "It is written, "Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God."'
(Jesus' response is from Deut 8:3. Jesus uses Scripture to
remind Satan that man must not be controlled by his physical nature, and
must nurture instead his spiritual.)
The Temptation 2: The Boastful Pride of Life
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 His angels charge over you,'
and,"In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone."'
(Satan
misuses the Scripture from Psalm 91:11-12 in urging Jesus to give in to
the pride of life and purposefully test God..)
Jesus' Response
Jesus said to him, "It
is written again, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."' (to
throw himself down would have been to put GOD to the test)
The Temptation 3: The Lust of the Eyes
Again, the devil took
Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him 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."
(This temptation appeals to what Jesus can see from the high mountain and
violates the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before Me."
Deut 6:13)
Jesus' Response
Then Jesus said to him,
"Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your
God, and Him only you shall serve." (Jesus quoted Deut 6:13 which
points out that it is a sin to worship any other God but the Lord God
Jehovah.)
We have the same adversary in Satan that Jesus faced (I Pet 5:8-9), and are tempted through the lust
of the flesh (physical appetite including sexual sins), the pride of life
(boasting and arrogance) and the lust of the eyes (pursuit of riches and honor). Jesus utilized the Sword of the
word in responding, just as we are
encouraged to use specific portions of Scripture to defeat Satan's attacks. |
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HOW WE ARE TO USE THE SWORD |
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The Christian needs to recognize the role of Scripture in
overcoming temptation. The Psalmist stated, "Thy Word have I hidden in my
heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalms
119:11). When God's Word becomes an integral part of the believer's
life, it fortifies that person against temptation's power. Christ Himself
demonstrated the Word's power when He submitted to Satan's temptations
with a quote from the Old Testament (Matthew
4:7). A systematic, prayerful study of Scripture is an absolute
prerequisite to defeating temptation. The Word not only warns of Satan's
methods (II
Corinthians 2:11), but it empowers against attacks (Ephesians
6:11-17).
Another essential to victory is to avoid temptation. On several
occasions, Christ told His disciples to pray that they might not fall into
temptation (Matthew
6:13;
Luke 22:40). Some believers understand that temptation is not the same
as sin, so then feel that they can enjoy the enticements of temptation
without any harm. This behavior becomes a type of game - seeing how much
titillation one can 'enjoy' without falling into overt sin. Such an
attitude is sinful in itself, for it fails to take seriously God's
commands for holiness in attitude as well as in action.
One of the most crucial passages concerning temptation is
I Corinthians 10:13.
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you
are able; but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
that you may be able to endure it."
This verse is God's guarantee that He will never allow Satan to go too
far. The temptation's intensity and the escape route will be uniquely
tailored to the individual, and will not exceed his capacity.
Knowing there is a way of escape, and using that way of escape, may be
quite different things. If one is ignorant of God's Word, one will likely
not recognize the escape when he sees it, for he won't know how God works.
Whether or not he uses the escape, though, the believer can never
truthfully claim that the temptation was so strong that he had to succumb
to it.
Another promise is that no one in this universe is uniquely tempted.
While no two people are exactly alike, the temptations confronting each
individual are basically the same as have confronted others. Consequently,
the Bible can say that Jesus Christ was tempted in all points like we are,
and even suffered in this temptation, but did not sin (Hebrews
2:18;
4:15-16). He is, therefore, a sympathetic Savior, knowing from His own
incarnate experience the pressure that temptation can exert.
Since no one is uniquely tempted, Christians can help and learn from
one another. Merely knowing that another Christian has overcome greed, for
instance, may be just the
assurance that someone needs to make another attempt to overcome it in
his own life. The Christian who has grown in one facet of his spiritual
life is responsible for helping other Christians who have not yet grown in
that area. In this manner, Christians can edify (or, "build up") one
another in their faith (Ephesians
4:15-16).
The Scripture contains no promise of help in overcoming temptation for
those who are unsaved. Indeed, until one repents of his sin and accepts by
faith Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, he has no capacity for pleasing
God. But those who are saved may appropriate the power and wisdom of
the Word, relying upon God's grace, and can therefore have victory,
even over Satan's most subtle and compelling temptations. (10) |
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 Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
Stand up,
stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve Him
against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.
(Words: George Duffield, 1858)
(Soldier artwork: Artwork Courtesy of James "theo"
Theopistos and
BibleVerseArt.com.
All Rights Reserved.) |
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 O blessed Word, O gracious Word,
We'll love thee more and more;
Be thou our Life, our Strength, our Sword,
'Till earthly strife is o'er.
Strength is in
His holy Word;
We need it every day;
In all our conflicts this the sword
Our spirit foes to slay.
(Words: L. W. Munhall,1889)
Jan Brown, Lesson 7, The Sword of the Word. Veritas
Christian Network, 2004. |
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Bookmarks:
1. Rhema means a specific saying of God,
a passage or a verse which has special application to an immediate
situation; to use a modern term, it is the Word of God used existentially,
i.e., applied to experience, to our existence.
2. Steadman, Ray "Defense against Defeat, Part 4",
Message 8, Catalog # 109 |
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Sources:
1. Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Rich, A New
Testament Study on Ephesians. Chariot Victor Publishing, 1979.
2. Steadman,Ray. "Defense against Defeat,
Part 2" from the Ray Steadman library of sermons.
3.
Ironsides, AW- Epistle to the Ephesians, Commentary
4. Wiersbe, Warren W. What to Wear to the War, Back to the
BiblePublishing, 1986.
5.
Christianity Today International, PreachingToday.com Resource Data Base.
6.
The AutoIllustrator, Autoillustrator publisher, cd rom.
7. Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby, Lifeway Publishing
8. Leadership Study Notes, Ephesians
9. Daily in Christ, Neil Anderson
10. Christian Answers:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-g005.html
Scripture taken from
the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of
International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Script for
Silent No Right Click
Script
is from
Dynamic Drive. |
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