Prayer and Spiritual Warfare – 10

                                                         Prayer and Spiritual Warfare – 10

Subject: The Sword of the Spirit

By Rick Welborne

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
¹²  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.
¹³  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.
¹⁴  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
¹⁵  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
¹⁶  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
¹⁷  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

Gordon Maxwell: The Roman solder would spend countless hours learning his sword and how to use it. He had to be better with it than the enemy or he would be defeated, taken as a slave, or killed. He would keep his sword sharp and shined up and ready for battle. The Roman solder knew it was far easier to keep a sword ready than to try to get a rusty sword ready for battle. The sword was never an afterthought it was always ready.

--This is not a time to let your sword get dull...keep it sharp for battle. The soldier had to be intentional about keeping his sword in fighting condition. 

J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible - All the parts of the armor mentioned so far have been for defense. Have you noticed that? Everything is for the front of the individual. There is no protection for his back; nothing is provided for retreat. Believe me, a retreating Christian is certainly open season for the enemy; the enemy can get through to him.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)
¹²  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
¹³  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

--Christ is the living Word of God. He used the Word of God to meet Satan in the hour of His temptation.

Luke 4:4,8,12,13 (NIV)
⁴  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" 

⁸  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" 

¹²  Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 

¹³  When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. 

--He gains the victory with that sword. What is it? It is the Word of God. We need that same power to do spiritual warfare. The Word of God is a powerful and will not return void.

Isaiah 55:11 (NCV)
¹¹  The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do. 

Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT) - There is the sword; and the sword is the word of God. The word of God is at once our weapon of defense against sin and our weapon of attack against the sins of the world. Cromwell's Ironsides fought with a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other. We can never win God's battles without God's book. 

Barnes Notes on the New Testament -- The sword was an essential part of the armor of an ancient soldier. His other weapons were the bow, the spear, or the battle-axe. But, without a sword, no soldier would have regarded himself as well armed. The ancient sword was short, and usually two-edged, and resembled very much a dagger.

1. The five kinds of swords used in that day.

A. The Roman soldier used a gladius sword...it was an extremely heavy, broad shouldered sword with a very long blade.

--It was the most beautiful of the swords but because of its size and weight...it was quite cumbersome and awkward to use. It was called a two handed sword.

—The gladius sword was only sharpened on one side and the other side was blunt and dull. The Romans did away with this sword after at major defeat by Carthage. Bible on the coffee table…beautiful but never used.

B. The Carthage sword was shorter and more narrow. It was about 17 inches long and about 21/2 inches in width.

—It was lighter than the larger sword and grew in popularity among the Roman soldiers because it was so much easier to carry and swing. Copied from the swords of Carthage who defeated them.

C. This sword was even shorter than the 2^nd sword and it looked more like a dagger than a sword. 

--The dagger sword was carried in a small hidden scabbard beneath the soldier's outer coat and was used to inflict a mortal wound into the heart of the enemy. 

D. This cavalry sword was long and very slender...it was primarily used by the cavalry...easier to hold while riding and fighting. It was also used in a sport similar to fencing.

—No foot soldier would have ever wanted to enter into combat with this sword because it would not have been effective against the stronger more durable swords. This sword was mostly for show or sport. 

--This reminds me when Bibles went slim and stylish! God doesn’t mind if we have a slim Bible or even an electronic Bible as long as we are reading it and hiding it in our hearts. 

E. This sword (Greek word “machara”) was the one Paul and the Holy Spirit had in mind in our text.

Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

--This sword was about 19 inches long and was a brutal weapon of war. Both sides of the blades were razor sharp making this sword much more dangerous than the others mentioned.

--Also, the tip of the sword was turned upward, causing the point of the blade to be extremely sharp and deadly.

 This two edged blade inflicted a wound far worse than other swords. The damage unimaginable.

2. The sword of the Spirit was the Word (Rhema) of God.

Renner - Paul goes on to give us more info about this sword: He says, ...the sword of the Spirit, which is the 

Word of God. The term "word" is taken from the Greek "Rhema" which is one of the most familiar words used in the New Testament.

--It describes something that is clearly spoken; spoken vividly; spoken in undeniable language; or spoken in unmistakable, certain, and definite terms…a quickened word. 

—The Rhema word is powerful...when the Holy Spirit gives a verse or a word to the believer...he will know that he knows that he has heard from the Lord...Jeremy ...Everything will be alright! 

—A Rhema is a specific word or message that the Holy Spirit quickens to our hearts and minds at a specific time and for a specific purpose. Caution: Not equal with the Word of God.

--Thus when Paul says...the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...he is referring to the Holy Spirit's 

ability to make a word come vividly alive in our hearts and minds at a time of need. 

--The sword hung from a clip on the left side of the belt of truth. The belt of truth thus served as a support for the shield and a resting place for the soldier's sword. 

Renner - A genuine Rhema—a word or verse that the Holy Spirit quickens in your heart at a specific time and for a specific purpose in your life—is so strong and powerful that it is as if God has put a supernatural sword in your hand. With that sword in hand, you have a powerful weapon to defeat Satan.

Have you ever had the Spirit place in your mouth a verse that you had hidden in your heart at just the absolute perfect time to overcome a situation or to receive direction? Man at the Paper Mill.

3. The sword of the Spirit is a two edged sword…a two mouthed sword.

—Remember the sword here was the “Machara” the sharp two edged sword...this sword is mentioned many times in the NT. Listen to John in Revelations again:

Revelation 1:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  …out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. Stay with me here... a two-edged sword came out of Jesus’ mouth.

Renner - The Phrase "two edged" is taken from the Greek word distomos...one of the oldest words in the NT. Why is the phrase two edged so odd? Because it is a compound of the word ‘di’, meaning 2, and the word ‘stomos’, which is the Greek word for one’s mouth. The Word of God is a two mouthed sword?

—I understand the thinking of the two edges dividing good and evil in us and also in the world but I believe and Renner believes there is more!

Renner - One sharpened edge of this sword came into being when the Word of God initially proceeded out of the mouth of God. The second edge of this sword is added when the Word of God proceeds out of your mouth! This is the reason that the original text calls the Word of God a 'two mouthed sword".

What is the message for us? Take up the whole armor of God...the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith...and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

It was sharp and powerful coming out of Jesus' mouth and as the Spirit comes on us (it is the sword of the Spirit) it will be powerful and effective coming out of our mouths.

—Too much is coming out of our mouths and most of it is anything but God's Word...negative, critical, breaking instead of building, we must stop it and speak God's Word over our church and each other! 

—Brothers and sisters take up your sword which is the Word of God and let us together put the enemy to flight!