Wielding the Sword of the Spirit « Renewed Culture

Introduction
1. We are at war…
  1. There is a battle raging
  2. Causalities are high
  3. “friendly-fire” is a very real danger
  4. The enemy is strong and numerous
  5. This is not Iraq
    1. Iraq is a skirmish in comparison
  6. We’ve all received our draft notice…
  7. Not on the frontline or in the headlines
    1. But it exists in each line of text between the texts
      1. Murder, theft, political arguments, racists attacks, etc
2. Christians are soldiers
  1. 1. Paul tells this directly in Ephesians 6
    2. In addition, putting on armor warns of battle
      1. People don’t wear armor for no reason
        
        Its heavy, bulky and uncomfortable
        
        ‘Civilian’ clothes are far more comfortable and easy to maintain.
        
        It’s hard to wear
        
        Pace can be slow, and moving difficult
        
        Muscles are strained, making one fatigued and weary.
    3. Wielding a weapon promises a fight
      1. Just as people who wear armor are on guard for attack; someone wielding a weapon is ready for a fight.
        
        Those who are neutral have no need for weapons.
    4. Only a fool would go to battle without armor and/or a weapon.
      1. An unarmed warrior is a sitting duck, regardless of how thick the armor.
      2. A trained swordsman without armor is venerable and frail to attack; he/she is an easy target
The Sword of the Spirit
1. What is it?
  1. “tou pneumatos”, the Greek in which Paul wrote can be translated….
    1. “of the Spirit”
      1. This translation suggests that the sword belongs to the Holy Spirit and is wielding by him.
    2. “by the Spirit”
      1. This way emphasizes that it is a gift, an item of intense value presented to us from the Holy Spirit.
    3. As the adjective, spiritual
      1. Understood as a “spiritual sword” as 2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us that our fight is spiritual and not physical.
    4. The greatest understanding of this is that the sword is all three; it is a sword that is wielding by the Holy Spirit that at the same time was presented to us for the purpose of fighting the spiritual fight.
  2. It is a close combat weapon
    1. We like to think of our weapon as a massive sword with plenty of blade length to keep our enemies a distance a way.
      1. What we want is what the Greeks referred to as a “romphia”.
        
        A broad sword that was at least 40 inches in length.
    2. And yet Paul refers to it as “machira” which was a short sword, ranging from 6-24 inches in length, double edged, and in Roman hands; the key to world conquest.
      1. This holy sword is also a short blade designed for close combat, and it the key to our victory in battle as well.
  3. It has a fearsome blade
    1. All of us have felt the blade, striking deeply into our hidden sin, causing pain, fear and anger, sometimes to a point of bitterness toward the Lord.
      1. Some of us may have tried a wide variety of the medicine known to man to heal the wounds that the sword delivers, only to find them ineffective.
      2. It is a lethal blow, which only the Lord of Lords can heal
  4. It is the Word of God
    1. His word is referred to as a double edged sword in other places as well
      1. Hebrews 4:1
        
        For 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.
    2. This means that this weapon, unlike the blades of man, is eternal for “the Word of the Lord endures forever.”
    3. Crafted for all; mastered by none.
Sharpening Your Sword
1. The true secret of the machira-lots of practice
  1. It was a liability if not used with the proper techniques and in the hands of fools
    1. Not unlike the Word of the Lord; horrendous events have occurred by men who claimed that they were men of God and master swordsmen.
      1. Wars
      2. Heresy
      3. Cults
      4. Hate Crimes
  2. Proper technique comes from hours of practice
    1. First and foremost we most trust our sword
      1. A hint of doubt of one’s weapon will quickly send a man running for cover on the battlefield
        
        Men who mistrust offer up alternatives and find themselves wanting.
      2. Scoffers enjoy suggested that the Bible is merely man written
        
        One must remember that the sword is a fusion of human and divine elements
        
        “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21
        
        Think of these men as those on the battlefield who may joke about your sword, claiming that it is a pity thing. What would you do…run them through!
      3. It is a weapon that will never fail us
        
        The Lord promises “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and is shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Is. 55:11
        
        Solomon attests that, ““….according to all that he promised: there has not failed one word of his good promise…” 1 Kings 8:56
    2. Hours of reading
      1. This is the most obvious means of practice; no warrior would dare enter battle without coming to first know his weapon.
        
        Theologian Charles Spurgeon when asked how a Christian could obtain Biblical understanding he replied, “There are three rules in order to have a deep understanding of the Word of God: First read the Bible: Second, read the Bible; and third, read the Bible.
        
        As with practicing anything, it is best if done daily
        
        It is quiet possible that with each rereading of a text new things and deeper understanding arises.
    3. Memorization of Scripture
      1. Hours of practice are great, but if it is forgotten on the battlefield, than what good is it? This is why it is important to actively memorize scripture.
        
        The Lord instructed Joshua to participate in daily training, saying “….thou shall mediate therein day and night, that thou may observe to do according to all that is written therein…”
        
        David recognized the importance of daily training when he wrote Psalm 119:11 saying, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
        
        Soldiers worked diligently to memorize battle strategy, we must do the same.
    4. Study the Scriptures
      1. A common practice in the U.S. military is to assign the study of the book, Sansui’s The Art of War, to the cadets and they are expected to know his writings well. The man, if nothing else was a brilliant warrior and his writings are still useful.
      2. Our own studying to do….
        
        History, it’s prophecy, and its theology
        
        In such ways that like the military we come to understand and fully appreciate those who came before and to gleam knowledge from them.
        
        Paul instructed Timothy, “Study to show thy self approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
Battle Training
1. No one individual is an army and to stand alone against a multitude is suicidal, this is why a battle is always fought with people standing shoulder to shoulder. Acting as siblings with love, trust and support, but these are earned, and the skills are honed not on the front line but in the training fields.
2. Corporate Bible study is our training ground.
  1. An individual alone can become skilled and strong, knowing all the right moves, or so they believe. It’s hard to truly accept weakness in your own life, especially when it seems easily dealt with, this is why the training fields are important. Weakness and flaw are more readily found here.
  2. It prevents us from the continuation and strengthening of misunderstandings, abuse of texts, logical fallacies, and sin struggles.
  3. It is ideally a place of mutual trust, understanding, respect, love, and with the shared goal of becoming stronger, more skilled, more driven men and women for the front line.
  4. Bible study can be an exciting, challenging, and enjoyable time with others, but at the same time it can also be a painful and trying one as well.
    1. If I see a weakness in another’s life it is my duty and responsibility to make it known.
      1. The intention here is to insure that a flaw is noticed and corrected before Satan can exploit it or exploit it further.
      2. The intention is not to embarrass the individual.
The Frontline
1. The battle is an ancient one, and the first strike happened long before written word.
  1. The first arrow-Adam and Eve
    1. “Yea, Hath God said?”
2. The Enemy at the Gates
  1. Use the sword when the enemy tempts you
    1. Ex. Jesus’ temptation
  2. It is important to recognize that Satan is skilled swordsmen, and is ready with a plan “b” and “c” to get in a blow
3. Liberation of POWs
  1. People need to hear the word of the Lord
    1. Hearing of the scriptures is instrumental in the saving of souls
      1. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Ro 10:17
  2. Human reason can not convert souls to Christ…only the sword of the spirit, the word of the Lord will reveal the promise of salvation and eternal life through Christ’s redeeming blood.
Conclusion
1. In conclusion, none can doubt the influence of the Word of the Lord, and only fools doubt its power. It is something with infinite strength and as such must be dealt with honor and respect. It is our duty to practice, learn and fight the demons that plague our daily lives with temptation and dishonor, just as it is our duty and honor to stand beside one another on the training fields of our churches, our schools, or wherever we meet for Bible study for the purpose of further strengthen ourselves and our allies, with this in mind, let us pray….
  1. Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to come together and worship you as we train to become men of integrity, worthy of your service. Allow us to continue to grow in strength and righteousness. Lord, do not allow us to fall into the snare that we do on the day to day is pure academics, but let it all be for the glory of you. Lord, I pray that these young men got something from this time together and that Your words were spoken through my lips. We love you and to you we glorify. AMEN.