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The Sword

Words of Faith Final

The Sword

Words of Faith 5-14-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Ephesians 6

    [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.

 

     The final piece of Roman armament was the sword. It was the only offensive weapon. The Roman Soldier carried a sword called a gladius which measured between 23 and 30 inches in length.  Iron had given way to different types of carbonized steel, which made these weapons lighter, harder and sharper.  It was a pointed, double-edged blade that hung in a scabbard from the belt.

      This was a weapon handed to the armored soldier just before the battle.  Again, this "order of the armor" made perfect sense for these pieces.  For the believer, we know that everything starts with the Word. The truth of Christ--the belt--is declared in the Word.  The Breastplate of Righteousness is proclaimed by the Word.  The Gospel of peace that readies the feet for witness is secured in the Word.  Faith--the shield of protection--comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. The helmet of Salvation is received when by faith we hear the Word and confess Jesus as Lord. We don't get any armor without the Word.  The Word is primary and foundational.  It is not in any way an afterthought.

      But the Word is also the last thing that we take in hand before we enter battle.  It is also handed to us by thousands of scribes and translators--some of whom gave their very lives so that we might have this blade. In battle, skillful sword work was both offensive and defensive.  So also, the Word will be both our defense and offensive attack against demonic forces, thoughts, and temptations.

      It is interesting that the Roman spear, a major offensive weapon on the battlefield, is not mentioned, nor is the dagger. More than anything, this may tell us that the warfare of the Spirit is close combat.  It is personal and not at the length of a spear.  The dagger was used as a last line of defense or to "finish" an enemy.  A dagger of the Word is not necessary in Spiritual warfare because the Sword of the Spirit is more than sufficient.

      The image of the Sword does not imply that we whack away at fellow believers or unbelievers using Scripture.  To the contrary--Peter instructed us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts and always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but to do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). 

      Paul wrote to the Corinthians-- Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1-5)

      The Word of God silences the "arguments" of the mind.  The Word demolishes the pretending of the heart.  Pretension simply means pretending or false showing.  The Word slices away our pretended religiousness, false humility, and pseudo-spirituality.  The Word surgically separates the truth in our lives from the lies we believe or tell ourselves. The book of Hebrews declares 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 (4:12).  Only the Word can separate our self-deception and "pretending" from the Truth.

      When Jesus was in the wilderness, He used the Sword of the Spirit to repel every attack of the Devil. "It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone."  "Worship the Lord your God and Him only."  "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."  You can bet that Jesus handled the Sword perfectly, with devastating accuracy and elegant grace.

      We must remember that the sword of the Word is both OF the Spirit and powered BY the Spirit.  We cannot simply flail about with the quoting of verses. The ability to spit scripture faster than others is not a gift; in fact, it can be a religious menace. We must listen carefully to the Spirit and allow Him to guide our heart, hand, and mouth in every defensive and offensive move.

      So are you armored up?  Are you wearing the Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Shoes of Readiness, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, and carrying the Sword of the Spirit -- the Word?

      Are you in formation?  Are you connected in community?  Remember that an isolated soldier is called a target.  A soldier in the tortoise formation is moving ahead in the battle with full protection.

 

     Father God, I know that our battle is not against flesh and blood.  Keep me from flailing against the shadows in my flesh. Armor me with Truth, Righteousness, Readiness, Faith, Salvation, and the Word.  Prepare me and keep me in formation.  In Jesus’ Name.