The Sword of The Spirit

[Music] [Music] [Music] good day and thank you for watching cutting it straight my name is HB Charles jr. and we're glad that you're joining us for this new broadcast of services emanating from the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville Florida where I'm privileged to serve we hope that you'll be blessed by the ministry of the word and for more information about my teachings or the ministry of Shiloh Church you can go to HB Charles Jr calm for now join us as we study God's Word together we want to label the message simply the sword of the Spirit the sword of the Spirit in 1524 through 1526 there was an uprising started in Germany and spread out in Central Europe called the peasants war poor people who worked the fields rose up against their feudal lords seeking by revolt to set to have economic and social reform part of their inspiration was the Protestant Reformation that was being led by Martin Luther there in Germany they expected to have Martin Luther's support for their uprising he was initially sympathetic to their cause but the more of the uprising and the riots and the fights continued he ultimately took a strong stand against it he was concerned about Anarchy rising up he thought this was a violation of scriptures clear teaching about the role of the government and the respect to where to have for that but ultimately Martin Luther took a stand against the peasants revolt because of concern that he stated in these words 9.v said vertol which means by force by the Word of God Martin Luther did not support the riots in the street because he believed that true change individually or corporately happens by the Word of God not the effort of man real change happens by the Word of God not the effort of man in fact later when he was asked about the success of the sixteenth Protestant Reformation Martin Luther claimed I did nothing I only preach the word taught the rote word wrote the word and while I slept God shook up the world real change happens by the Word of God not the efforts of man the real sentence this is the message of Ephesians chapter 6 verse 17 we're in this last piece of armor Paul beats us to take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 it's the fullest explanation of spiritual warfare in the New Testament this extended passage teaches us bad news and good news the bad news is that if you live for the Lord Jesus Christ at some point the enemy is going to fight back against you but the good news is God has provided everything you need to stand your ground against the enemies of our souls Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 and 11 says be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil we must put on the whole armor of God to be victorious in spiritual warfare this armour is listed for us in verses 14 through 17 our text for the day is the last piece of armour mentioned it is unique in several respects there are six pieces of armour mentioned but ours for the text today is one of the pieces that we are called to take up not put on the first three pieces of armour are pieces of armour that we are to put on the belt of truth the breastplate of righteousness the shoes of the gospel of peace but there are three pieces in the latter part of the text that we are to take up the shield of faith the helmet of salvation and now the sword of the Spirit furthermore our text is unique in that this reference to the sword of the Spirit is only one of two pieces of the armor that is to be will did not warn you war the belt of truth you wore the breastplate of righteousness the shoes of the gospel represents what is worn even the helmet of salvation though not put on until the time of battle is to be worn but there are two pieces of the armor mentioned that our will did not warn one hand the soldier is to go to war with his shield in one hand verse 16 says the believer also has a shield it is the shield of faith with which we are able to extinguish all of the fiery darts of the evil one but while the shield is in one hand now verse 17 says that sure to have your sword in the other hand you can't be victorious in warfare if you go to battle empty hand must take your sword and your shield this sword is unique ultimately in the fact that it is the only piece of the armor that is both defensive and offensive the context of this passage is defensive in verse 11 verse 13 and verse 14 we are commanded to stand stand firm stand your ground stand against this requires a difference of posture and to stand firm you need the armor of God the term armor implies in and of itself defensive battle gear a breastplate and a helmet and a shield are all defensive in nature but there is one unique piece listed here that is not just defensive but offensive it's not just armor it's also a weapon it is not just for protection it's for battle the sword was used of course to deflect and defend the thrust of the enemy but it was also with the sword that the soldier was enabled to fight back this in Nepal God does mine you fighting back he just insists that you fight with the right weapon the weapon with which we fight with is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God and the Church of Corinth would be teachers rose up to fight against the Apostle Paul's leadership they slandered him they misrepresented him they lied on him they said all kinds of things about Paul that were not true to say to the church that Paul is not a godly man and thus you shouldn't follow his leadership the 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 through five Paul says for though we walk in the flesh we don't wage war according to the flesh he says in other words I'm human but though I'm human I'm not gonna accept y'all's charge that I'm not a godly man and the proof that I am godly is that I'm not gonna fight you the way you fight me we walk in the flesh but we don't wage war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds we demolish arguments and every lofty opinion that raises itself against the knowledge of God and we take every thought to make it captive to the lordship of Jesus Christ God doesn't mind you fighting back you just can't win a spiritual battle with worldly weapons you've got to use spiritual weapons and a spiritual weapon we have been given is the Word of God which Paul here calls the sword of the Spirit Paul is using metaphorical language here metaphorical language on one hand drawn from the Old Testament which pictures God is a warrior who battles for the deliverance of his people and then conversely on the other hand you have here Paul was being chained to a Roman soldier and I think the image also he uses here is drawn from the battle gear worn by the soldier to which he is chained but this is metaphorical language from those images and he notes it by not only using a metaphorical picture but by also then tying it to a virtue the belt is not a belt it's truth the breastplate is not a breastplate it's really righteousness the shield is not really a shield it's faith while the rest of the armor mentioned points us to a virtue this last piece of armor points past a virtue to a person this weapon we have been given is the sword of the spirit not a spirit not your spirit the spirit capital s spirit the Holy Spirit you've been given armor by God to fight with but specifically this sword with which we faith belongs to the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit is a real person that is the Holy Spirit is a he not in it and not only is the Holy Spirit a real person moreover the Holy Spirit is the Living God and to say that we've been given an armor of God and say we've been given the sword in spirit is not to contradict yourself the Holy Spirit is God and he has a sword that he has given us to fight with the Holy Spirit helps the believer stand your ground this is one of several ways the Holy Spirit works on the believers had behalf first of all the Holy Spirit saves us if you have your Bible go left in Ephesians 2 chapter 1 verse 13 and 14 where Paul says in him that is in Christ Ephesians 1:13 you also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him Christ you are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you hear the word of truth full of Jesus Christ and believe that very moment you are saved you are sealed by the Holy Spirit you are marked by the Holy Spirit you are branded by the Holy Spirit so that the whole watching world including the unseen spirit realm will know by that seal you belong to God but look at verse 14 of chapter one you're not just sealed this Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory so um you know the Bible got all these promises about what God is gonna do all that stuff daddy promised the Bible says he gave the spirit as a guarantee he gave the Holy Spirit as earnest money he gave the Holy Spirit as a downpayment when you are saved immediately permanently and completely the Holy Spirit is given as a gift to live within the heart of the believer as God's down payment his deposit to say to you don't worry I'm gonna come back to get you the Holy Spirit saves us but also the Holy Spirit sanctifies us the word sanctify means to set apart to make holy to make like Christ still in Ephesians dropped down to chapter 4 verse 30 in that section Paul is giving a list of practical instructions for what it means to live for Christ but in the midst of those instructions he says in Ephesians 4 verse 30 and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God but whom you were sealed for the day of redemption here again we are reminded that when we are saved the Holy Spirit seals us until the final day of redemption which means this listen if you sin the Holy Spirit doesn't move out and you have to get saved all over again when he moves in he's there forever but though the Holy Spirit doesn't move out the text says he's grieved by saying that Greek word for grieve means grieved it's nothing exotic there it's the word used for somebody mourning the death of a loved one think about that every time you see in the Holy Spirit that lives within and gets a bird eye view of your words your attitudes and behavior he is grieved as if someone has died this is how sanctification happens in the life of a growing Christian sanctification does not happen by some supernatural event where change takes place through some experience sanctification is an ongoing process by which change happens through relationship the more you are growing the more sensitive you are to the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life and you don't need a list of rules to keep to help you live for God you seek to do as pleasing to God because you don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit that lives on the inside the evidence of a true Christian and a soft-hearted Christian is that the Holy Spirit won't let you sin and feel good about it it's greed and by relating to the holy spirit that lives within he sanctifies us holy spirit not only saves us the Holy Spirit not only sanctifies us but the Holy Spirit drinking's us he features five verse 18 noted in your Bible he features five verse 18 says and do not get drunk with wine in which is dissipation or debauchery but be filled with the spirit if you want to make sure your life is not dominated by things that contradict the fact that you were saved you need to be filled with the spirit so that he gives you in abling help to live for God and resist temptation stay with me for a moment if you live for Jesus the devil is gonna fight back you been giving equipment to stand around beyond that God the Holy Spirit lives only inside to help you fight when doubt comes when temptation comes when error comes the Holy Spirit lives within you to help you stand your ground church but listen the Holy Spirit will help you stand your ground but he'll only fight with his own sword I don't care how spiritual you think you are if you don't have the word in you you don't give the Holy Spirit anything to help you with but the more you read the word and hear the word and study the word and meditate on the word and memorize the word it's like putting a sharp sword in the hand of the Holy Spirit to help you stand your ground when the enemy fights back the Holy Spirit has a sword and that sword is the Word of God what is the Word of God Bible speaks of the Word of God two major ways there is the Living Word of God that is ultimately the Word of God is not a statement it's a person John 1 verse 1 says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God then John 1:14 says and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth Jesus was the walking talking living breathing Word of God Paul here is not referring directly to the Living Word he's referring here to the written word the sword of the Spirit is the written word of God the revealed Word of God the inspired Word of God this is an important statement because it reminds us listen that there is no battle between the Spirit of God and the Word of God you never get so much spirit that you don't need the word and you never get so much word that you don't need the Spirit which more is more important to have the Word of God or the Spirit of God let me answer that with a question if you catch a plane this weekend you 30,000 feet in the air what's more important the left wing or the right wing neither one malfunction you going down the strong believer needs the written word the Word of God and the Spirit of God that the two are not in competition they they work together Genesis 1 we see that the Word of God in the Spirit of God worked together in creation in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep listen to the next race and the Spirit of God moved on the face of the water and then God said let there be light it is through the working together of the Spirit of God and the Word of God that God stepped out on to nowhere called something out of nothing and put something on nothing and told it to stay there the Spirit of God in the Word of God work together in creation and the Spirit of God and the Word of God work together in salvation the believer is able to stand firm by the help of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God I thought I'd have a witness there but just in case I brought my own witness at the end of Matthew chapter 3 there's the record of the anointing of Jesus Christ that takes place at his baptism John the Baptist is that the River Jordan baptizing the center's calling them to repentance because the kingdom of God is at hand Jesus gets in line with all the sinners to get baptized as well when he gets in the water John says I'm not even worthy I need to be baptized by you the one that should be baptizing you Jesus whispers into John's ear hey man look we just got to go by the script father says you'd baptize me you've gotta baptize me John baptizes Jesus but the Father in heaven wants to make it clear to the watching world that the one in the water was not just another sinner in life and so the father speaks from heaven and declares concerning Jesus this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and not only did the god - father speak but while the God the Father was audible God the Holy Spirit was visible because the Bible says the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove and rested only shoulder Jesus left that water empowered by the anointing of the Holy Spirit and do you know what happened next mark Matthew 4 says that after being anointed by the Holy Spirit he is driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil 40 days and 40 nights it's the original Operation Desert Storm and when the devil himself shows up to tempt Jesus with the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life you remember Church Jesus did not fight back against the devil by saying leave me alone I'm filled with the Holy Ghost he quoted scripture it is written it is written get behind me Satan for it is written listen Church if Jesus can get the victory over the devil with three verses of Deuteronomy can't you get to victory with 66 books God has made available for you to stand your ground [Music] this armor of God reveals the schemes of the devil the devil scheme's Church listen to get you to lay down your sword he attacks your confidence in God's Word the first statement of the devil recorded in Scripture is in the form of a serpent in Genesis 3 and 1 he says to Eve has God really saying that's how he works he wants you to question the veracity of God's Word he wants you to question the truthfulness of God's Word he wants you to question the reliability of God's Word so that you will lay down your sword thank you for watching the broadcast I hope it was helpful to you if you're ever in the Jacksonville area join us in person for worship at the Shiloh Church at either our downtown location or orange park location for more information or resources go to HP Charles jr. calm for now I hope you'll join us again next week thank you for joining us for today's broadcast of cutting it straight with Pastor HP Charles jr. if you would like more resources from pastor charles or to support this ministry he can be reached on line at wwlp.com [Music]

Channel: Cutting It Straight with H.B. Charles Jr.

Views: 3,611

Rating: 4.7209301 out of 5

Keywords: hb charles jr, shiloh church, jacksonville, on preaching, on pastoring, sermon, cutting it straight, expository preaching, orange park, los angeles

Id: WWEHfzIHnn0

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 04 2017