WEBVTT 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:18.579 go ahead and read from Ephesians chapter 6. We're 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:21.519 going to continue our series in spiritual warfare. 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:25.679 Tonight we're going to be considering the sword 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:30.239 of the spirit, which is the word of God. So I'll 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.880 start reading in verse 10 and I'll read through 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:39.090 verse 20. Finally, Be strong in the Lord and 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:42.590 in the strength of his might. Put on the full 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:45.729 armor of God so that you will be able to stand 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:49.369 firm against the schemes of the devil. For our 00:00:49.369 --> 00:00:52.509 struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 00:00:52.509 --> 00:00:55.409 against the rulers, against the powers, and against 00:00:55.409 --> 00:00:58.649 the world forces of this darkness, against the 00:00:58.649 --> 00:01:01.310 spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:06.049 places. Therefore, take up the full armor of 00:01:06.049 --> 00:01:09.450 God. so that you will be able to resist in the 00:01:09.450 --> 00:01:13.409 evil day and, having done everything, to stand 00:01:13.409 --> 00:01:17.870 firm. Stand firm, therefore, having girded your 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:21.250 loins with truth and having put on the breastplate 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:24.510 of righteousness and having shod your feet with 00:01:24.510 --> 00:01:28.950 the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition 00:01:28.950 --> 00:01:32.689 to all, taking up the shield of faith with which 00:01:32.689 --> 00:01:35.819 you will be able to extinguish all the flaming 00:01:35.819 --> 00:01:39.540 arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:42.900 salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:47.579 is the word of God. With all prayer and petition, 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:51.480 pray at all times in the Spirit. And with this 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.739 in view, be on the alert with all perseverance 00:01:54.739 --> 00:01:58.739 and petition for all the saints. And pray on 00:01:58.739 --> 00:02:01.680 my behalf that utterance may be given to me and 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:05.299 the opening of my mouth to make known With boldness, 00:02:05.299 --> 00:02:08.900 the mystery of the gospel. Let's go to the Lord 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:13.580 in prayer. Father, we come to you this Lord's 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:17.580 Day evening. Father, we ask tonight that you 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:21.960 would bless the ministry of your word. Lord, 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.439 we ask that your spirit would work through your 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.020 word in the hearts and minds of your people. 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:34.650 Father, sanctify us. Grow us in grace. Lord, 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:38.009 cause us to love you more. Lord, cause us to 00:02:38.009 --> 00:02:43.270 love one another more. Lord, help us to stand 00:02:43.270 --> 00:02:48.150 in this great fight throughout our life for your 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:51.530 glory. We ask these things in Christ's name. 00:02:51.590 --> 00:03:00.150 Amen. We have a relentless enemy as believers 00:03:00.150 --> 00:03:06.439 in Jesus Christ. One who is far beyond the scope 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:13.400 of our own power and ability. One who is far 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:19.680 wiser and has far greater knowledge than we do. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:25.360 The devil. He is constantly waging war against 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:30.919 the saints, against the church. Against Jesus 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:35.259 Christ and his purposes in this world. There's 00:03:35.259 --> 00:03:41.819 an ongoing present battle that every single believer 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:46.759 is caught up in the midst of. Every believer, 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:51.419 if they know Christ, they're in this battle. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:58.960 Now, if we think about a... Physical battle between 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:04.219 nations or kingdoms or people groups. We know 00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:10.340 how those are fought. We know how that battle 00:04:10.340 --> 00:04:13.780 takes place. We know the methodology that is 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:20.839 used. Physical carnal means. Weapons to fight 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:26.060 other kingdoms or groups or individuals. If a 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:29.540 person had to defend themselves, generally speaking, 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:34.139 we know the means to use to do that. And they 00:04:34.139 --> 00:04:39.319 are physical and they are carnal. But how do 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:45.079 you, as a believer, not just defend yourself, 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:54.410 but how do you actually fight the devil? In demonic 00:04:54.410 --> 00:04:58.550 influence. The world, the flesh, and the devil 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:02.930 in your life so that ground is not gained by 00:05:02.930 --> 00:05:09.810 the enemy in your heart. What is the weapon that 00:05:09.810 --> 00:05:15.089 God has given to us as believers in Jesus Christ? 00:05:15.550 --> 00:05:21.769 He's given us the Word of God. The sword of the 00:05:21.769 --> 00:05:25.579 Spirit. Tonight we're going to consider the Christian's 00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:30.819 weapon of warfare, the sword. We've considered 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:35.019 the other pieces of armor already, and now we 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:39.819 come to the only offensive piece, the Roman double 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:43.139 -edged sword. It wasn't a long sword. It wasn't 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:47.279 a broad sword. Most likely, it was very similar 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:53.149 to a dagger. It had double edges on it so you 00:05:53.149 --> 00:05:57.610 could slice on either side. But it was also really 00:05:57.610 --> 00:06:02.910 designed for close quarter combat. So that if 00:06:02.910 --> 00:06:05.670 someone got near enough to you or got around 00:06:05.670 --> 00:06:08.850 your shield or they got close enough, you could 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:12.490 take out your sword and defend yourself personally 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:19.420 when you're attacked as a Roman soldier. What 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:22.480 is the Christian's weapon of warfare? It is the 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:26.839 sword, the word of God. This is what Paul tells 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:32.220 us in verse 17. And take the helmet of salvation 00:06:32.220 --> 00:06:38.060 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:46.360 of God. The word is the sword for the Christian. 00:06:47.149 --> 00:06:53.149 The word is the weapon for the believer. All 00:06:53.149 --> 00:06:55.610 throughout scripture we find the word of God 00:06:55.610 --> 00:07:03.110 is likened to a weapon. We see throughout scripture 00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:08.910 it's also likened to a hammer that crushes. It's 00:07:08.910 --> 00:07:14.550 also likened to fire which burns and melts. But 00:07:14.550 --> 00:07:17.990 the most prevalent way, that it is characterized 00:07:17.990 --> 00:07:22.149 in a metaphorical fashion, is something that 00:07:22.149 --> 00:07:28.370 pierces, something that cuts a sword. We find 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:31.649 this in Hebrews 4 .12. We all know that famous 00:07:31.649 --> 00:07:35.170 passage, the double -edged sword that pierces 00:07:35.170 --> 00:07:40.810 to our souls, between joints and marrow. We'll 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:44.529 read it a little bit later. We read in Hosea. 00:07:45.290 --> 00:07:52.310 Chapter 6. Verse 5. Listen to what the prophet 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:57.430 says. Therefore I have hewn them. I have cut 00:07:57.430 --> 00:08:04.129 them up. I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets. 00:08:04.790 --> 00:08:10.689 I have slain them by the words of my mouth. He 00:08:10.689 --> 00:08:14.399 is comparing and likening. The prophetic ministry 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:22.199 of the word. To slicing. To cutting people into 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:28.319 pieces. There is a sharp edge to it. We read 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:38.200 in Isaiah. Chapter 49. Verse 2. He has made my 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:43.720 mouth like a sharp sword. Now how is it that 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:47.100 the prophet's mouth has been made like a sharp 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:51.620 sword? What was the prophetic ministry all about? 00:08:52.059 --> 00:08:57.580 The proclamation of God's word. The ministry 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:01.259 of the word is likened all throughout scripture 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:11.289 to a sword. An instrument of warfare. An instrument 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:20.710 of battle. The prime example of this, and we 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:25.289 all know this example, is the Lord Jesus in Matthew 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:29.350 chapter 4. And we'll go ahead and turn there. 00:09:30.470 --> 00:09:36.169 So when Paul refers to the word of God in... 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:42.059 Ephesians chapter 6, he's using a different word 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:48.740 than is normally used to speak of the word. He's 00:09:48.740 --> 00:09:51.320 using another word that's more specific and has 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:55.639 to do with applying the word to particular situations 00:09:55.639 --> 00:10:01.419 or particular scenarios. And we see the best 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:07.850 example of this in Matthew chapter 4. the most 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:13.429 intense moments of spiritual warfare that has 00:10:13.429 --> 00:10:18.549 ever taken place. The Lord Jesus was tempted 00:10:18.549 --> 00:10:24.049 in a way and beyond anything that you and I can 00:10:24.049 --> 00:10:32.669 ever fathom. Because he never sinned, the pressure 00:10:32.669 --> 00:10:36.269 and the weight and the... The temptation was 00:10:36.269 --> 00:10:44.370 magnified to the umpteenth degree. Just think 00:10:44.370 --> 00:10:49.690 about it. The weight kept getting added on. Put 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:52.169 on another plate. Put on another plate. Put on 00:10:52.169 --> 00:10:54.669 another plate. Put on another plate. And guess 00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:58.809 what? The Lord Jesus kept resisting. The Lord 00:10:58.809 --> 00:11:04.830 Jesus continued to stand firm. And how did he 00:11:04.830 --> 00:11:08.490 do this? Well, we find the first temptation in 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:12.710 Matthew chapter 4, verse 3, where the tempter 00:11:12.710 --> 00:11:17.029 came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, 00:11:17.370 --> 00:11:21.509 command that these stones become bread. So the 00:11:21.509 --> 00:11:25.830 devil is coming and attacking the Lord Jesus, 00:11:25.950 --> 00:11:30.549 and here is how the Lord Jesus responds. But 00:11:30.549 --> 00:11:34.710 he answered and said, It is written, man shall 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:39.210 not live on bread alone, but on every word that 00:11:39.210 --> 00:11:43.730 proceeds out of the mouth of God. He responds 00:11:43.730 --> 00:11:50.549 to the temptation with the scripture. He quotes 00:11:50.549 --> 00:11:55.909 Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 3. Then the devil 00:11:55.909 --> 00:12:00.509 tempts him again. He comes. And it says that 00:12:00.509 --> 00:12:02.889 he took him to the holy city and had him stand 00:12:02.889 --> 00:12:05.350 on the pinnacle of the temple. He says, if you 00:12:05.350 --> 00:12:07.870 are the son of God, throw yourself down and God's 00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:10.769 angels will protect you. And how does the Lord 00:12:10.769 --> 00:12:16.730 Jesus respond? Jesus said to him, on the other 00:12:16.730 --> 00:12:20.190 hand, it is written, you shall not put the Lord 00:12:20.190 --> 00:12:23.690 your God to the test. Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 00:12:23.690 --> 00:12:29.500 16. The devil twists. scripture and Christ rightly 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:35.360 applies it to that particular and unique situation 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:41.840 as he is being tempted by the foe by the enemy 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:45.740 the same thing again the devil took him to a 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:49.600 very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:51.700 of the world and their glory and he said to him 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:55.059 all these things I will give to you If you fall 00:12:55.059 --> 00:13:00.799 down and worship me. The blasphemy. That comes 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:08.019 out of the devil's mouth. The goal. Of the devil. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:14.539 To invite the son of God to bow down to him. 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:22.759 Yet. How does Christ respond? Then Jesus said 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:26.889 to him. Go, Satan, for it is written, you shall 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:30.789 worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:35.389 A quotation from Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 00:13:35.389 --> 00:13:39.669 13. He goes back to the Word of God. He picks 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:44.730 up the sword. And that is how he fights this 00:13:44.730 --> 00:13:49.809 battle. He applies it particularly to each situation 00:13:49.809 --> 00:13:55.899 as it is needed. The weapons of Christ's warfare 00:13:55.899 --> 00:14:03.480 were not carnal. They were not worldly. What 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:09.279 did he do battle with? The word of the living 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:15.879 God. He spoke it, and he applied it to that situation, 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:23.059 and this is how he fought the devil. This is 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:27.580 our weapon, brothers and sisters. God has not 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:33.179 given us pragmatism. God has not handed over 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:38.399 worldly strategies and schemes. God has given 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:44.799 us His holy, infallible Word. That's what we 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:50.259 fight with. That's what we look to. That's why... 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.320 We find all throughout history, and I believe 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:57.559 it will stay this way, all throughout history, 00:14:57.639 --> 00:14:59.840 you know what two of the most powerful forces 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:04.399 in the world have always been? The pulpit and 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.519 the pen. Why are those two things so powerful? 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:13.679 Because the word of God can go forth from both. 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:19.840 The word of God can be proclaimed in both. Because 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:23.440 they're both rooted and grounded in God's Word. 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:29.080 This is our weapon. Now, what is the Spirit's 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:36.139 role in relationship to this weapon? Because 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:42.320 it says, the sword of the Spirit. It's not just 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:47.179 the sword, which is the Word of God, but it is 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:51.509 the sword of the Spirit. Spirit, which is the 00:15:51.509 --> 00:15:55.330 Word of God, is telling us that there is a unique 00:15:55.330 --> 00:16:00.509 and distinct relationship between the Spirit 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:07.549 of God and the Word of God. The two work together 00:16:07.549 --> 00:16:15.490 very closely in this fight. The two, in a sense 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:20.279 we could say, lock arms. in spiritual warfare, 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:24.759 in the Christian life, in the church, to work 00:16:24.759 --> 00:16:28.980 effectively. But it's sort of a paradox if you 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:32.580 think about it. Because here Paul is exhorting 00:16:32.580 --> 00:16:36.700 the Ephesian believers to pick up and wield the 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:42.179 sword. Yet, he's saying that actually it is the 00:16:42.179 --> 00:16:48.139 Spirit's sword. There's a bit of a paradox. We're 00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:54.379 to pick it up, yet it is the sword of the Spirit. 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:59.580 So what is the Spirit's role with regards to 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:05.819 this weapon in warfare? Well, we all know this. 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:10.859 The Spirit has actually given us this weapon. 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:17.420 The Spirit of God inspired the Scriptures. You 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:21.640 remember the boys and girls catechism? Who wrote 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:26.960 the Bible? And the answer, of course, is holy 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:32.759 men who were taught by the Holy Spirit. What 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:34.980 is that telling us? It's teaching and telling 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:41.140 us that the Spirit of God divinely inspired the 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:45.269 Word of God. Through the unique and distinct 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:50.109 personalities and intricacies and writings of 00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:56.029 the apostles. That's what it's telling us. So 00:17:56.029 --> 00:18:01.269 this sword is from the Spirit. We could read 00:18:01.269 --> 00:18:08.690 1 Peter 1, 20 -21. Which says this. 2 Peter 1, 00:18:08.829 --> 00:18:13.339 20 -21. I apologize. Which says this. But know 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:17.119 this, first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:21.259 is a matter of one's own interpretation. For 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:24.500 no prophecy was ever made by an act of human 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:27.880 will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:33.539 from God. So the Spirit of God has given us the 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:37.619 sword, the weapon. He has inspired the Scriptures 00:18:37.619 --> 00:18:43.759 for the people of God. But we also see that the 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:48.500 Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God in the 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:52.839 minds of God's people so that we can grasp and 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:57.140 comprehend spiritual truth in the Scriptures. 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:03.279 We read in 1 Corinthians 2, starting in verse 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.619 10, For to us God revealed them through the Spirit, 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:12.359 for the Spirit searches all things. even the 00:19:12.359 --> 00:19:16.420 depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:19.279 of man except the spirit of man which is in him? 00:19:19.859 --> 00:19:22.839 Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:27.299 the spirit of God. Now, we have received not 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:30.400 the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:34.200 from God, so that we may know the things freely 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:41.029 given to us by God. The gospel. That we have 00:19:41.029 --> 00:19:44.089 in the scriptures. Then we go on and we keep 00:19:44.089 --> 00:19:49.250 reading this. Which things we also speak. Not 00:19:49.250 --> 00:19:52.930 in words taught by human wisdom. But in those 00:19:52.930 --> 00:19:56.470 taught by the spirit. Combining spiritual thoughts 00:19:56.470 --> 00:20:00.029 with spiritual words. But a natural man does 00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:02.769 not accept the things of the spirit of God. For 00:20:02.769 --> 00:20:06.170 they are foolish to him. And he cannot understand 00:20:06.170 --> 00:20:11.859 them. Because they are spiritually. What is this 00:20:11.859 --> 00:20:15.039 telling us? It's telling us that the Spirit of 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:17.519 God that dwells within us, brothers and sisters, 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:22.980 helps us know and understand the spiritual truth 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:29.720 in the Scriptures. Unbelievers cannot grasp the 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:33.940 truth of the Scriptures. Jonathan Edwards, he 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:37.039 speaks of this illumination in this text. And 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:39.019 what he says is this, that there's two kinds 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:42.700 of knowledge. There's speculative knowledge and 00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:46.700 there is spiritual knowledge. Unregenerate, unbelieving 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:49.299 men can have speculative knowledge. So they can 00:20:49.299 --> 00:20:51.240 know the facts and they can have the knowledge 00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:53.720 of the Scriptures. But they will never taste 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:57.259 and see and sense the divine goodness within 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:59.960 the Scriptures where the glory of God is revealed. 00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:04.500 Where you see and you love the... The word of 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:07.079 God. Because you see Christ. And you know that 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:10.240 you are saved by Christ. As you look into the 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:14.339 scriptures. By faith. The unbelieving man. Will 00:21:14.339 --> 00:21:19.259 never have that sense. Within them. Of the goodness 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:23.799 and the glory. And the greatness of God. The 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:29.920 spirit of God alone. Does that. Only believers. 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:35.450 Who have the spirit of God. can understand things 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:42.109 of spiritual worth and value. Unbelievers will 00:21:42.109 --> 00:21:46.849 never have that. If you don't know Christ, you 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:51.970 don't know how good Christ is. You may have a 00:21:51.970 --> 00:21:55.880 head full of information. You may... Think that 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:58.319 you know Jesus Christ because you've always went 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:00.519 to church and you know the right things to say 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:02.940 and you've been around people. You know about 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:09.920 these things. But do you know these things? It's 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:13.400 a difference between knowing that honey is sweet 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.019 yet never having tasted of the sweetness of honey 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:20.700 and a person who actually knows that honey is 00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:25.880 sweet because they have tasted. Honey, and they 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:31.359 know the sweetness. It's Psalm 34, 8, which says, 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:37.099 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. How 00:22:37.099 --> 00:22:41.119 blessed are all those who take refuge in Him. 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:47.359 The Spirit of God alone illuminates the Word 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:54.819 of God in the people of God. It is His. It is 00:22:54.819 --> 00:23:00.200 his sword. But we also see that the Holy Spirit 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:07.779 empowers believers to speak the word of God which 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:12.579 the Spirit of God has given to them. We could 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:17.339 say this. In a sense, the Holy Spirit helps us 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:23.500 lift up the sword with boldness, freedom, From 00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:27.460 fear. We read in the book of Acts. Turn to Acts 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:31.420 chapter 4. In Acts chapter 4 verse 8. We read 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:38.019 this. Then Peter. Filled. With the Holy Spirit. 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:41.160 Said to them. Rulers and elders of the people. 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:46.440 Then he goes on. And preaches to the Sanhedrin. 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:50.420 They say in verse 13. Now as they observe the. 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:54.839 Luke says in verse 13, Now as they observed the 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:59.059 confidence of Peter and John and understood that 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:03.799 they were uneducated and untrained men, they 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:07.779 were amazed and began to recognize them as having 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:15.240 been with Jesus. What was it about Peter in particular 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:22.880 that stood out to them? What was it in Peter's 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:28.380 demeanor, his speech, his communication, that 00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:32.079 stood out to them that made him like Jesus in 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:35.359 a sense? They knew he was with Jesus. It was 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:39.400 his boldness. It was the authority with which 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:42.380 he spoke the truths that he was proclaiming. 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.880 To them. It was the confidence that he had in 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:48.500 the truth. It was because the spirit of God. 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:53.160 Had filled him. That he would speak. The word 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:56.259 of God. With boldness. Now we might think. Well 00:24:56.259 --> 00:25:00.039 that's just something that happened once. That's 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:04.460 not something that's ever repeated. No. We read 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:07.940 at the very end. The very same day. The very 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:15.559 same day. We read this. In verse 31. And when 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:19.220 they had prayed, the place where they had gathered 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:25.180 together was shaken. And they were all filled 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:28.579 with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word 00:25:28.579 --> 00:25:33.799 of God with boldness. So it wasn't just something 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:37.339 that was restricted or limited to the apostles. 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:42.839 Believers were filled. And what was the purpose? 00:25:43.140 --> 00:25:48.619 To speak the word of God with boldness and power. 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:56.319 There is a filling of the Holy Spirit for usefulness 00:25:56.319 --> 00:26:02.079 and power that is distinct from the normative 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:05.460 filling in the Christian life like Ephesians 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:10.980 talks about. The Spirit of God empowers the people 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:18.779 of God to speak the Word of God. We see it all 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:23.819 over the Scriptures. Now, very closely related 00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:29.019 to this, we see that the Holy Spirit vitalizes 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:34.759 and makes the Word of God powerful and effective. 00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:44.619 He vivifies God's word. He accompanies it in 00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:48.880 such a way that he makes it lively and effective 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:54.180 in people's hearts, minds, and consciences. This 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:57.440 is where we have to turn to Hebrews chapter 4. 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:03.359 Verse 12, which says this, For the word of God 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:10.880 is living. inactive and sharper than any two 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:14.960 -edged sword, and piercing as far as the division 00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:18.980 of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:22.480 and able to judge the thoughts and intentions 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:27.240 of the heart. Now, brothers and sisters, is it 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:34.119 as though the Word of God has a life of its own? 00:27:36.460 --> 00:27:44.740 Or is it vitalized by God? Is it made powerful 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:50.799 and effective by God? The Spirit of God must 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:55.119 accompany the ministry of the Word of God to 00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:57.460 make it effective in the life of God's people. 00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:03.039 The Spirit takes the truths of Scripture and 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:08.740 applies them to the conscience of... Why are 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:11.039 there days that you sit under the preaching of 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:15.779 the word and you experience conviction of sin? 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:22.539 Why is it there's days you sit under the preaching 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:24.819 of the word and you feel as though you've been 00:28:24.819 --> 00:28:27.220 lifted up to heaven, you've been so edified and 00:28:27.220 --> 00:28:31.740 built up and strengthened? Well, it's because 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:36.019 The Spirit of God is working through His Word 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:42.660 in your heart, in your mind to change you, to 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:46.039 sanctify you, to grow you. In a sense, brothers 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:50.599 and sisters, the Spirit of God uses one side 00:28:50.599 --> 00:28:56.980 of the sword with the law of God to cut. And 00:28:56.980 --> 00:29:02.220 then He uses the other side. to apply the balm 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:07.900 of the gospel. The law convicts and tears down. 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:12.779 The gospel strengthens and livens and builds 00:29:12.779 --> 00:29:18.539 up and edifies and gives life. The Spirit of 00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:23.059 God accompanies the ministry of the Word of God 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:28.619 to make it vital and vibrant and lively in God's 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:34.500 people. This is why we read also in 1 Corinthians 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:40.400 2, starting in verse 3, I was with you in weakness 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:46.400 and in fear and in much trembling. And listen 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:49.740 to what Paul says, And my message and my preaching 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:53.000 were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:56.960 demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:59.220 that your faith would not rest on the wisdom 00:29:59.220 --> 00:30:04.869 of men. but on the power of God. The Spirit of 00:30:04.869 --> 00:30:11.650 God accompanying the Word of God to strengthen 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:16.910 the faith of God's people. That's why you so 00:30:16.910 --> 00:30:22.150 often hear the ministers at the church pray things 00:30:22.150 --> 00:30:26.470 like, God bless and accompany the ministry of 00:30:26.470 --> 00:30:31.859 your Word. Lord, work in and through your word. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.500 Why do men and women pray like that, brothers 00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:40.680 and sisters? Because the Spirit of God can work 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:43.480 in and through his word either in greater or 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:49.039 lesser degrees. He can extend his extraordinary 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:53.220 power through the normal means of his word with 00:30:53.220 --> 00:30:58.039 extraordinary power to work in his life or in 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:03.880 lesser. We pray and seek to lay hold of the power 00:31:03.880 --> 00:31:07.039 of God to work in and through the Word of God. 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:13.839 The Spirit of God works mightily through His 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:21.019 Word. To be effective in this battle, it necessarily 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:28.250 requires divine blessing. To be effective in 00:31:28.250 --> 00:31:32.829 this fight. To be effective in our use of the 00:31:32.829 --> 00:31:37.109 Word of God. To be effective in the communication 00:31:37.109 --> 00:31:40.230 of the Word with our children or our wives or 00:31:40.230 --> 00:31:44.190 our friends or our unbelieving neighbors or our 00:31:44.190 --> 00:31:48.750 unbelieving friends. Any sphere. If we want to 00:31:48.750 --> 00:31:53.609 be effective in this fight, it requires divine 00:31:53.609 --> 00:32:00.920 aid from God. God's Spirit. So, we must pray 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:04.720 for it, brothers and sisters. We must seek out 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:11.500 God's help in this area. The Spirit works through 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:20.980 God's Word. Isn't it sad that it's so neglected 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:28.029 so often? When unhealthy, unbiblical things like 00:32:28.029 --> 00:32:34.730 so many of the charismatics start saying certain 00:32:34.730 --> 00:32:37.369 things about the Word of God and the Spirit of 00:32:37.369 --> 00:32:43.130 God, there's such a tendency for the church to 00:32:43.130 --> 00:32:47.809 not just go to the middle, but to go too far 00:32:47.809 --> 00:32:52.509 the other way. To become imbalanced in our own 00:32:52.509 --> 00:32:57.420 ways. Brothers and sisters, we need the Holy 00:32:57.420 --> 00:33:01.539 Spirit to work mightily in our midst, in our 00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:04.579 lives. And we should not be afraid or fearful 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:07.980 to talk about needing the Spirit's blessing and 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:10.680 His presence in greater measure, in greater ways, 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:18.539 in our midst. We desperately need it. Now, that's 00:33:18.539 --> 00:33:24.730 the Spirit's role in this fight. What is our 00:33:24.730 --> 00:33:31.049 duty as believers in this battle? I want to read 00:33:31.049 --> 00:33:37.470 2 Timothy 3. We all know this passage. Actually, 00:33:37.490 --> 00:33:41.710 I want to read 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13 first. 00:33:43.089 --> 00:33:46.710 For this reason, we also constantly thank God 00:33:46.710 --> 00:33:49.730 that when you receive the word of God, which 00:33:49.730 --> 00:33:53.690 you heard from us, you accepted it not as the 00:33:53.690 --> 00:33:57.710 word of men, but for what it really is, the word 00:33:57.710 --> 00:34:02.910 of God, which also performs its work in you who 00:34:02.910 --> 00:34:11.710 believe. And then we read in 2 Timothy. Famous 00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:14.909 passage. I'm sure many of you have memorized. 00:34:17.010 --> 00:34:20.800 We read this starting in verse 14. You, however, 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:24.099 continue in the things you have learned and become 00:34:24.099 --> 00:34:27.800 convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned 00:34:27.800 --> 00:34:31.679 them and that from childhood you have known the 00:34:31.679 --> 00:34:34.380 sacred writings which are able to give you the 00:34:34.380 --> 00:34:37.699 wisdom that leads to salvation through faith 00:34:37.699 --> 00:34:42.760 which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired 00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:47.840 by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, 00:34:47.840 --> 00:34:50.860 for correction, for training in righteousness, 00:34:51.179 --> 00:34:54.619 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped 00:34:54.619 --> 00:35:02.659 for every good work. What is our role in this 00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:07.179 fight with regards to this weapon? We are called 00:35:07.179 --> 00:35:12.219 to take the sword of the Spirit, to wield it, 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:17.760 to pick it up. This means that we must know the 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:23.289 Scriptures. This means that we must study the 00:35:23.289 --> 00:35:26.769 Scriptures to rightly understand them so that 00:35:26.769 --> 00:35:28.849 we can know the principles and the doctrines 00:35:28.849 --> 00:35:32.050 of God's Word so that we can apply them to the 00:35:32.050 --> 00:35:37.210 various situations of our life. We need to have 00:35:37.210 --> 00:35:41.289 a thorough enough understanding of the Word of 00:35:41.289 --> 00:35:46.670 God so that we have it at our disposal in moments 00:35:46.670 --> 00:35:51.500 of struggle and weakness. difficulty and hardship. 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:55.159 Brothers and sisters, don't try to fill up that 00:35:55.159 --> 00:36:00.179 well at the last minute. Don't try to fill up 00:36:00.179 --> 00:36:02.380 the bucket when you're in the midst of the rainstorm. 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:05.960 That doesn't work well. When you're in the middle 00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:08.460 of a storm or a trial or in the middle of hardship, 00:36:08.659 --> 00:36:15.159 don't wait that long. Study and know and seek 00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:20.440 out the Scriptures. Have them at your disposal. 00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:25.619 Whether that be physically, meaning have a Bible 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:29.380 with you. When you travel, take a Bible with 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:32.760 you. You will hear me ask my children and my 00:36:32.760 --> 00:36:35.599 wife oftentimes, Do you know, is my little Bible 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:39.519 still in my trunk? Do you know, is my Bible still 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:43.519 in the trunk? Why? Because my memory is not great 00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:47.690 anymore. That's just the reality of it. I can't 00:36:47.690 --> 00:36:50.550 remember stuff like I used to, brothers and sisters. 00:36:51.289 --> 00:36:54.329 But I still want the Word nearby. I still want 00:36:54.329 --> 00:37:01.150 the Word close. The best is to have it hidden 00:37:01.150 --> 00:37:04.250 in our heart and memorized with our mind so that 00:37:04.250 --> 00:37:06.730 we can chew on it, so that we can meditate on 00:37:06.730 --> 00:37:10.789 it. But brothers and sisters, have the Word of 00:37:10.789 --> 00:37:18.280 God nearby. Have it. At your disposal. We must 00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:24.519 also pray for the Spirit's blessing upon the 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:28.800 ministry of the Word. That's not just something 00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:36.480 that pastors ought to do. What is your best interest 00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:42.619 as God's people? That the Spirit of God would 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:45.349 work through the Word of God. in your heart as 00:37:45.349 --> 00:37:48.570 the people of God. That you would be sanctified. 00:37:48.989 --> 00:37:52.289 That you would grow in grace. That your inner 00:37:52.289 --> 00:37:55.110 man, that your new man would be vivified and 00:37:55.110 --> 00:37:57.909 strengthened and grown. And that the old man 00:37:57.909 --> 00:38:01.369 would be mortified and torn down over and over. 00:38:01.429 --> 00:38:05.030 And how does that happen? As the Spirit of God 00:38:05.030 --> 00:38:09.690 works through His Word. So pray for God's blessing 00:38:09.690 --> 00:38:14.119 upon the Word of God, brothers and sisters. As 00:38:14.119 --> 00:38:17.800 it's preached, pray for God's blessing upon the 00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:22.139 Word of God as you read it. Before you read your 00:38:22.139 --> 00:38:27.239 Bible in the mornings, ask God, Lord, bless my 00:38:27.239 --> 00:38:30.900 reading of the Word. Lord, be with me. Lord, 00:38:30.980 --> 00:38:34.659 help me to focus. Lord, I ask that your Spirit 00:38:34.659 --> 00:38:37.659 would illuminate my mind. Let me see your glory. 00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:43.000 Meet with me this morning, Father. Brothers and 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:46.219 sisters, pray for the blessing of the Holy Spirit. 00:38:46.360 --> 00:38:50.360 That's how we take hold of the sword. That's 00:38:50.360 --> 00:38:56.119 how we lift it up. We know it. We study it. We 00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:59.679 have it at our disposal. We pray for it and we 00:38:59.679 --> 00:39:03.099 apply it to the various situations in our life. 00:39:03.980 --> 00:39:10.380 But we also must speak it. We must use our mouths. 00:39:11.280 --> 00:39:18.340 to communicate and talk about God's Word. There's 00:39:18.340 --> 00:39:23.719 no better way to pick up the sword than to open 00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:30.719 our mouths and to speak the Gospel. There's no 00:39:30.719 --> 00:39:35.300 better way to take that sword and its cutting 00:39:35.300 --> 00:39:40.239 power, its piercing power, than to open our mouths 00:39:40.239 --> 00:39:44.559 wide and speak truth from the word of the living 00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:50.559 God. We must speak it and proclaim it, but we 00:39:50.559 --> 00:39:55.539 also must believe it, brothers and sisters. If 00:39:55.539 --> 00:40:01.400 we pick up the word out of habit, or to check 00:40:01.400 --> 00:40:08.769 off a box, or if we don't trust it, And brothers 00:40:08.769 --> 00:40:14.250 and sisters, it's all in vain. Because the Spirit 00:40:14.250 --> 00:40:20.010 of God applies the Word of God as we believe 00:40:20.010 --> 00:40:27.869 God's Word. We must come to God's Word as a believing 00:40:27.869 --> 00:40:35.329 people, trusting what it says. A closing illustration. 00:40:40.489 --> 00:40:45.969 Has anyone ever seen a decorative weapon, maybe 00:40:45.969 --> 00:40:53.349 above a fireplace? Or maybe there's young people 00:40:53.349 --> 00:40:57.570 that like weapons hung on their walls. Or maybe 00:40:57.570 --> 00:41:02.010 you just like weapon decorations. I imagine there's 00:41:02.010 --> 00:41:07.409 a few of those people present. Brothers and sisters, 00:41:07.750 --> 00:41:15.619 the Word of God. It is no decoration. It's not 00:41:15.619 --> 00:41:21.880 meant to stay on a shelf. It's meant to be used 00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:29.699 in your life to fight. The Word of God is not 00:41:29.699 --> 00:41:35.280 a butter knife for snacks during peacetime. The 00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:40.469 Word of God is literally A spiritual weapon of 00:41:40.469 --> 00:41:46.449 bloodshed. That's what it is. It's a weapon for 00:41:46.449 --> 00:41:50.789 fighting. It's a spiritual weapon of violence 00:41:50.789 --> 00:41:55.869 because you have an enemy. Don't treat it like 00:41:55.869 --> 00:42:01.409 a butter knife. We have been given this weapon. 00:42:04.369 --> 00:42:08.860 We know what it is. We know the Spirit's role, 00:42:09.099 --> 00:42:15.980 and we know ours, to take up the sword of the 00:42:15.980 --> 00:42:18.719 Spirit, which is the Word of God.