The sword of the Spirit

1. The sword of the Spirit That you may be thoroughly equipped ready for every good work! Sv4-27-08

2. Where we left off Belt of truth is the foundation to approach God. Breastplate approach God with Jesus’ Righteousness. Once you have the Gospel you Go! Prepare to share. The shield is the power to repel the negative attacks. The helm is the knowledge and assurance of salvation.

3. I’m Saved!

4. Sword: the sixth position? 1. Belt of truth is the foundation to approach God. 2. Breastplate approach God with Jesus’ Righteousness. 3. Once you have the Gospel you Go! Prepare to share. 4. The shield is the power to repel the negative attacks. 5. The helm is the knowledge and assurance of salvation. 6. The sword of the spirit: Close range Defend and Attack. Two edges to make surgical cuts and to create death • It is God’s order. Belt is first because of Sword! Why sixth? Everything else is needed to temper how you use it. People react to a real sword! Feel naked without it.

5. The lesson that can never be finished • What is the sword for? • How is it defined? • Scripture Examples. • Swordplay, how can we use it? • What if we use it improperly? • What else we try to use.

6. Martin Luther 1531 “Christendom must have people who can beat down their adversaries and opponents and tear off the devil’s equipment and armor, that he may be brought into disgrace. But for this work, powerful warriors are needed, who are thoroughly familiar with the Scriptures and can contradict all false interpretations and take the sword from false teachers—that is, those very verses which false teachers use and turn them round upon them so that they fall back defeated.”

7. Fantasy swords! Excalibur Light saber Kids love swords!

8. Roman Gladius Notice: Double-edged, not very long. Ball on the hilt for balance. This is the one disciples would have thought of. Example Gladius

9. Tiny Scripture sample 404 uses of the sword! • Eden – Flaming sword • Abraham – Kill Isaac • Balaam – Kill donkey, Angel had sword • Ehud – made a sword to kill fat king Eglon • Gideon – a sword for the Lord and for Gideon • David tried to use Goliath's sword but it was too bulky Goliath’s sword 1 Samuel 21:9 David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."

10. It is God’s sword • Deu 33: 29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. • Exo 22:21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. • Job 33:14 For God does speak-- now one way, now another-- though man may not perceive it.

11. Jesus brought the sword. • Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." • Matt 10:31 34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

12. Ma’chaira – literally a slaughter knife, a short sword or dagger. An instrument of death. Used in a universal sense as a weapon of war and retribution. • Acts 12:2 Sword put to death James the brother of John • Matt 10:34 opposite of Peace • Rom 13:4 The authority bears the power of life and death “the sword” to punish

13. Sword of the Spirit! The written word alone cannot be the sword. This was tried and failed with the old law! Rom 2:15 “the requirements of the law are written on their heart. Their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.” The sword of the spirit can prick and cut without a written word! Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. v. 28 The Spirit expresses things that cannot be uttered! (or written?)

14. Spirit Heals and helps • Rom 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

15. Sharp sword! • The sword is sharp and can cut! You can be damaged by your own actions. Do we feel correct in our actions to cut with our tongues? • Prov 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. • We are supposed to bring healing! The more precise a cut is, the quicker it heals. Sometimes a cut needs to be cleaned and recut; bones broken and re-set. Example swords on Toy truck

16. Cut and exposed • Heb 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. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from Hissight, Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Seeing that we have this high priest Jesus… This is a picture of you, cut open. Where is the spirit living?

17. What are the two edges? • Old Testament / New? • Jesus / Spirit • Spirit / Truth • Inside you / Outreach to others • Defend / Attack Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

18. Jesus is the Sword • God will not fit in any box you can draw. • Do we think the Spirit is God’s and fail to see Jesus? • Rev 2:18 Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (sound like Heb 4?) • Rom 2:15 God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ.. • 1 John 3:19 For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

19. Where is the scabbard? You. • Heb 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." • People use the Bible without the spirit. They are not using the sword. They make fine sounding arguments. (always learning but never coming to truth)

21. SwordPlay, How to use the sword Interesting that “play” is used in the action verb!

22. Sticks for boys. • Psalm 144:1 Of David. Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. • We also require training to use the Sword of the Spirit! Example Flame Thanksgiving

23. Sword Training

24. Disciples • Result of the very first Christian lesson given: Acts 2 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?” • First example of Christians using the sword of the Spirit. Example sword

25. Sword is close range only • Your sword cannot be effective over distance. Problems can’t be fixed by throwing. Eph 6 The word “sword” is a short sword, knife or dagger. Roman soldiers carried pikes and spears, yet the spirit is a sword. • The sword must be balanced. • Sometimes you parry, sometimes you thrust. • Throwing our sword only arms the Enemy!

26. Cutting is NOT first! • During a sword battle you do many things first. If you rush in on you opponent you are dead. Knowledge of terrain Size up your enemy Sword is defense

27. Cut yourself first. • Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. • Led by the Spirit requires using the Spirit to kill our nature. We must put to death our old man. Our eyes or whatever causes us to sin! (Rom 8:13) • He could have said by the scriptures..

28. How do I move? John 3:6-8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

29. How do I move? 2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The same word is used in the illustration of ships being “carried along” by the wind. Act 20:22-23 "And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, "except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. • This clearly is a description of led by the spirit!

30. How do I move? Rom 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. • Law following is not spiritual movement. (letter kills) • (Law of spirit sets me free from law sin and death)

31. With Spirit • 1 Corinthians 2:11-14 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words…

32. Without Spirit. • …The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. • There is great danger in thinking that only the written scripture (Graphe) is the sword, we are tempted to use it in our understanding.

33. Spirit is a better model Are we supposed to speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where it is silent? • No! We are to use the sword of the spirit and truth. We have to be trained to handle such a weapon! • We need to speak where the Bible speaks and speak where the Bible is silent! (The spiritual man judges about all things) Command, Example Inference? • No! What about discipline? Principles? We Infer differently. • Right way is spiritual discernment! Truth AND Spirit! • Who says what part of which example is binding? • My way or highway – do you really want them in the highway?

34. 3 Cs: A better model Context What is around the scripture? What is the setting? Content What meaning do the words actually contain? Comprehension Do we understand the meaning? Example: importance of context

35. Correctly Handle • 2 Tim 2:14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. • A true swordmaster does not think about blow moves. By then it must be muscle memory! Example: Rightly dividing Example NT Marriage

36. Righteousness is not a hammer Most people are club damaged by religion. Is your first action to get the club? Hosea 6:9 As marauders lie in ambush for a man, so do bands of priests. • Example Club dull hearing hardened hearts “hammering issues”

37. Pantomime • 2 Pet 2:18 (false teachers) For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

38. Biting? • Gal 5:15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. • Notice spirit contrasted here?

39. Sword IN hearts • Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, • 2 Cor 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. • How could this be any clearer?

40. Sword IN hearts • 1 John 3:18 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. • This one is the heart being cut. Sometimes we have to operate on ourselves! • V. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

41. Conclusion • The “The sword of the Spirit” works IN you. • What is cut? Hearts and souls • Let the sword live and rule in your heart! • Use 3Cs and Spiritual Discernment with people • Beware of clubbing and damage can be done. • Practice your swordsmanship!

43. Throw away your “trinity” ideas. • Example God as a Venn diagram / pie chart • John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. GOD IS ONE!

44. Sword parts Good Swords return true after a bend

45. Sword one letter away from Word. • There are three greek words that have different meanings: Logos, the complete living word (Jesus) Rhema, God breathed or spirit words Graphe, scripture or written word. • John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words (rhema) I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. So Jesus as the word (Logos) issues a spirit word (Rhema). We learn about it through (Graphe) written word.