## The Bible: Our Sword

## Ephesians 6:17

It is recorded that during the coronation of Edward VI, after various ceremonial swords had been brought to him, the king said to his nobles: "There is one sword yet lacking, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Without that sword we are nothing and we can do nothing!" To what the king said we can say "amen". This sword is vital to our existence as Christians. We can do nothing without it and without it we are nothing. This evening I want to challenge each of us to know, to trust, and to use the sword of the Spirit, God's Word.

I. Know Your Bible.

A. We come to know the Bible by reading it.

1. Charles Spurgeon was asked how a Christian could obtain a thorough knowledge of the Bible.

2. He replied, "There are three rules to follow in order to have a deep under- standing of the Word of God: First, read the Bible; Second, read the Bible; and Third, read the Bible.

3. The Bible does not need to be re-written, but it does need to be re-read!

B. We come to know the Bible by memorizing portions of God's Word.

1. We teach our children to learn memory verses in S/S, but what about us?

2. Ps. 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

3. God instructed Joshua concerning His Word, "...thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein..."

4. If we are to know the Bible we need to read it and memorize it.

C. We come to know it by studying it.

1. We should study its history, its prophecy, and its theology.

2. When we come to know the Sword of the Spirit, we will proclaim as David did concerning Goliath's sword.

3. "There is none like that, give it me." 1Samuel 21:9

4. Paul's instruction to Timothy, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

II. Trust Your Bible.

A. We must trust our sword as being divine.

1. It is the sword of the Spirit.

2. Like the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word of God, the written Word of God has two natures.

3. It is the fusion of both the human and divine elements.

4. "...Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21

B. We must trust our sword as being dependable.

1. Solomon, in his dedication of the temple, said this, "...according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise..." 1 Kings 8:56

2. "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Is. 55:11

3. Do not question the dependability of God's Word...it is as dependable as God Himself!

4. Someone may ask, "What do you do if an unsaved man does not accept the authority of the Bible?"

a. If you were in a battle and the other person looked at your sword and said he didn't believe it could cut hot butter would you lower it and put it away?

b. Absolutely not! You would show him that it would cut and thrust him through with it.

c. We must do the same with the sword of the Spirit, God's Word.

d. Someone says, "I am an athiest." Quote Ps. 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God."

5. Someone says, "I believe the way I want to and you can believe the way you want to."

a. Quote Proverbs 12:15, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth to counsel is wise."

b. Quote Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

6. If they say they just don't want to hear it then quote 2 Timothy 4:4, "And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

C. We must trust our sword as being durable.

1. The Word of God has survived all sorts of attacks and it endures through the ravings of its critics.

2. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Mt. 24:35

3. Note the poem: The Anvil--God's Word

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door, And heard the anvil ring in vesper chime; Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor Old hammers, worn with beating years of time. "How many anvils have you had," said I, "To wear and batter all these hammers so?" "Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eye, "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know." And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word, For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yes, though the noise of falling blows was heard, The anvil is unharmed---the hammers gone.

4. God Word, the sword of the Spirit, will endure...it is not the book-of-the-month it is the Book of Ages!

III. Use Your Bible.

A. When we are tempted.

1. In the Gospels we have the account of the temptation of Christ by the enemy.

2. At every point Jesus quoted the Word of God.

3. Finally the enemy departed for a time.

4. When we are tempted to do evil we must use the same weapon against the enemy as Christ used...which means we must know our sword!

B. Use it in our witnessing.

1. Men need to hear God's Word to be saved.

2. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Ro. 10:17

3. Human reasoning will not covert souls to Christ...only the Word of God will bring life everlasting.

C. It must be a part of our life.

1. 2 Samuel 23:10 tells of the victory Eleazar experienced, "...and his hand clave unto the sword and the Lord wrought a great victory that day..."

2. May we use the Word of God so often that it becomes a part of us.

3. As the sword became just an extension of Eleazar's arm; may the Word of God become a part of our life.

The sword of the Spirit, God's Word. We must know it, trust it, and use it. It is our only weapon as we stand in the face of the enemy struggling to win others to Christ and live victoriously for Him.