2003-01-06
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
This morning I’m led to begin a new segment of our series on spiritual warfare about the sword of the Spirit, God’s word. It may seem strange to begin this subject with some Greek words, but they will clarify exactly what is meant. As I’ve often said before, Greek is a much more precise language than English is. That is the reason seminarians are told to go back to the original Hebrew for the OT and Greek for the NT to understand the exact meaning of what the original God-inspired author meant. And, it is for that very same reason that I have always encouraged my students to learn about the culture in which the people of the Bible found themselves, so that they can put what they read in context. With all of this in mind, let me once again cite EPH 6:17, “And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.” The Greek word for “word” in this verse is “rhema,” not “logos.” “Rhema” means that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing. On the other hand, “logos,” denotes the expression of thought-not a mere name or object-and ‘the Personal Word,’ a title of the Son of God [JN 1: 1-4]. In EPH 6: 17, the injunction, “to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” is an example of the use of the word “rhema.” It refers to the individual Scripture which the Holy Spirit brings to mind, rather than the whole Bible. A prerequisite of this being useful is that the person has spent daily time with the Scriptures, so he knows them well-enough to use them in spiritual combat.
The Greek word for “sword” used in EPH 6: 17 is “machaira,” which signifies the short, straight sword used by a Roman soldier. This becomes significant when one realizes that it took a certain amount of skill for a Roman soldier to use this sword effectively. The same is true for our use of God’s “rhema” in spiritual warfare. The “machaira” a Roman soldier used was held in a scabbard or sheath which hung from the belt of his uniform. In our case, our “rhema” is held in a sheath that hangs from the belt of truth. In other words, our use of the Scriptures must involve accurate choice of which citation and strict adherence to the truth of God’s teaching to be effective either in spiritual warfare, building-faith, or spreading faith to where it doesn’t hitherto exist.
A beautiful example of this skill in using Scripture when dealing with the devil is given in Christ’s temptation in the wilderness in MT 4 :1-11 [also LK 4: 1-13]. He shows us how to take a concept from its seemingly academic presentation and demonstrates how it’s actually used in a real-life situation. And, please believe me having to present or defend our faith against objections really does happen. There were three main temptations offered by the devil. The first one was the devil’s challenge in MT 4: 3 for Christ to turn stones into bread. Christ cited DT 8: 3, “Man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word that God speaks.” The second temptation in (6) was for Christ to throw Himself down off the highest point of the temple and prove that angels will protect Him. The devil even had the temerity to misuse PS 91: 11-12 here. But Christ’s superior knowledge of the Scriptures allowed Him to hold His ground and not be taken in by the devil. Christ cited DT 6: 16 in (7), “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” The last temptation was a bogus promise on the devil’s part to grant all the kingdoms of the world to Christ, if He would bow down and worship him in (9). Once again, Christ evoked the Scriptures in citing DT 6: 13 in (10), “Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him!” This time, Christ used this Scripture as a basis for telling the devil to go away. That left Satan no other choice but to obey our Savior, and he left. The outcome would have been very different had Christ not known God’s teaching as well as He did.
The same is true for us when we find ourselves needing to either defend our faith to an objector, share our faith in order to help build faith in others, or when we are called upon to witness to our faith. In any event, it is the Holy Spirit Who ultimately has the power to bring a person to faith, but we have been called to either plant the seed for that or to reap already-planted faith [JN 4: 37]. By using a good working knowledge of the Scriptures, we set the stage for the Holy Spirit to do God’s work. Remember all my comments about keeping God’s biggest goal in mind? That is His life-giving goal to bring as many people to faith, salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification as possible. It’s the whole reason why God sent out the apostles to spread the faith, and why we are part of what the Greeks called an “eklesia,” a called-out assembly. We are called out to bring the truth where there is darkness. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the need to memorize key Scriptures, something most people (including myself at one time) grumble about. The picture of persecuted and repressed people having their Bibles confiscated and destroyed comes to mind when saying this. God has made His will very clear in this matter.
PRAYER: O Lord, in light of the comments just made, You have brought MT 5: 10 to mind for me to cite. “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” Dearest Abba, one of the most salient demonstrations of Your love is Your urging for us to be prepared for what is ahead. You have told us there will be a final separation of believers from those who continually reject You [MT 25: 32]. You have also told us that no one knows exactly when that Day will come, not even Christ or the angels-only You [MT 24: 36] and that He will come “like a thief in the night” [1 THESS 5: 2]. There is no doubt that part of our preparation for the difficult days ahead is a thorough working knowledge of Your word. The Psalmist understood this in PS 119: 85-88 when he pled for deliverance and acknowledged Your love and his need to obey your laws. “Proud men, who do not obey your law, have dug pits to trap me. Your commandments are all trustworthy; men persecute me with lies-help me! They have almost succeeded in killing me, but I have not neglected Your commands. Because of Your constant love be good to me, so that I may obey Your laws.” He also understood the power of Your word and expressed it in PS 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path.” He reiterated his plea in PS 119: 148-149, “All night long I lie awake, to meditate on Your instructions. Because Your love is constant, hear me, O Lord; show Your mercy, and preserve my life!” We shutter to think of how hopeless he or any of us would feel, if we didn’t have the truths of Your word to comfort us. Instead, You have told us that with endurance of faith, we shall march in Christ’s victory parade at the end of the reckoning [2 COR 2: 14]. We humbly confess our sins and ask You to give each of us the self-discipline to spend daily time in Your word. Our victory against Satan in Christ’s name depends on that and on our willingness to pray often, listening to what You have to say first. So, we dedicate ourselves to learning to effectively use the sword of the Spirit, keeping it housed in the belt of truth. We offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and praise. In Christ’s name, amen.
I am led to discuss the fact that we have been given authority to use God’s word in tomorrow’s message. There are a number of citations to support this. As much as there are very competent human military commanders, there has never been one so perfect, so caring, so competent, and so conscientious as our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, God. We have all heard about good human commanders like Dwight Eisenhower and Norman Schwatzkopf, but even they can’t compare to the loving Abba we have. He not only gives us (his foot soldiers) wise guidance, perfectly timed directives, commands designed to protect and defend us, but He also loves each one of us dearly. It doesn’t matter if His foot soldier is poor or wealthy, man or woman, has a high prestige career or a very ordinary one, or what the circumstances of his life is. God loves all who love Him. His love extends to His constant presence in our lives, His encouragement to the discouraged, His provision and His protection. It is no fair-weather love; it is constant and applied equally to all believers. God even loves some that have not yet become believers, and encourages those who already are to find these people and witness to them about the blessings of having faith. That love has no match anywhere in the universe, and it’s ours to have if we spend time in His word enough to endure in our faith. Peter and I send each of you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn