The Sword of the Spirit (Part 3 of 3)

In the Gospel of Matthew about how Jesus responded with, he was tempted by Satan use God's word, the son of God used the word of God and if we're ever going to combat the enemy's opposition. It's vital we make use of the same powerful weapon today on the life Alastair bank challenges us to take up the sword of the Spirit and contend for the study is in Ephesians what a strange thing it is that we claim to love this book spends little time in know so little are prepared to dig down deep into are prepared to accept a few superficial quotes that have been around since we were 14 and received a car for Bible memorization that we give up on a shelf somewhere in our study is biographical information that you don't need but nevertheless I starts by quoting Deuteronomy 8 and then the devil masterfully decides well if you can call the Bible called the Bible to we shouldn't be surprised by this, the devil knows the Bible knows it better than many a silly Christian. So what is he doing well. He misstates the Bible quotes it he twists it. That's always his way so he says, quoting from Psalm 91. Here's the thing.

If this of this and this and and Jesus says no, you're absolutely wrong there and let me say something else to it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the text, and 1/3 time he comes back and Jesus is once again to be gone. Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. So if Jesus dealt with the temptation of the devil by quoting the Bible we are on a pretty good track. If we determine that we will operate on that same basis, but the way in which we respond is not in the strength of personality or some other think it is in confidence in the Bible itself three times and three times it is written.

It therefore follows straightforwardly that we shouldn't ever attempt to defeat the devil except by this sort. And that's why the sword is been given it is not being given for ornamentation but for battle. When you wear a kilt as a Scotsman, if you choose to, you have little ski and do that goes inside yourself.

You may have seen it and it is actually a dagger and it is there. As as needed. Like if you can open an envelope or something very, very significant very important and it is there in order that it might be used but in actual fact it can be used because it's blunt and it doesn't work and it's there for style. The sword of the Spirit is given to ours, not for ornamentation not for style not to walk around with it, is provided for battle. Therefore, when we think in terms of continuing in our faith when we think in terms of what it means, then, to make sure that we have our sword at the ready, that we are quickened and enabled us to take our stand about which we have read and about which we have sung then again it is to the word of God that we want to go so which of us. If we find any kind of background in the Christian faith at all, does not know Osama hundred 19 verse nine how can a young man keep his way pure by taking heed. According to your word or by guarding it according to your word. How are we going to face the battle with temptation by doing this summer hundred and 19 719 is super for this summer hundred 19 not only storing it up in our hearts, but remembering it.

Some hundred 1993.

I will never forget your precepts, for by then you have given me life. I am yours save me for I've sought your precepts.

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies was the psalmist or he's laying hold of the sword and in verse 114 of the same sound. He says you are my hiding place and my shield and I hope in your word so it involves hiding it in our hearts. It remind. It involves recalling it for our help. It involves resting in it for our security. How do you deal with your doubts that take the sword of the Spirit to the eye. What about discouragements. What about as we've sunk when darkness fails, his lovely face would we do that while I rest on his unchanging grace, what, where do I find is in changing grace in the pages of Scripture says our Spurgeon and in characteristic style when discouragements arise like mists of the morning all that God's word may shine them away with the beams of his promises. And in his own Victorian-style. He says I find if I can lay a promise under my tongue like a sweet lozenge and keep it in my mouth, her mind all the day long. I am happy enough.

If I cannot find a Scripture to comfort me than my inward troubles are multiplied fight despondency and despair with the sword of the Spirit. I cannot tell what your particular difficulty may be at this moment but I give you this direction for all holy warfare. Take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, you must overcome every enemy in this weapon is all you need. If you, my hero would overcome sin and conquer unbelief take such a word as this look unto me and be saved. All the ends of the earth, and as you look, you shall be saved and doubt shall die, and sin shall be slain. God grant you his spirits a well this all ties in with what we've made mention of this morning in Hebrews 4 about the fact that in his word. There is clarity and there is authority and there is vitality and God continues to enable us to continue. By this means, and then I said I want to say just a word about contending for the faith. If it is by means of the word of God that we come to faith and continue in the faith that it is surely on the same basis that we are able to contend for the faith, and I use that word there that they're not in terms of being contentious, but rather in terms of being persuasive or being if you like assertive or being enthusiastically engaged in in making it.

No. In other words, being kind of apostolic in our practice or being like Jesus in the Gospels Paul when he writes to the Corinthians. He says to them, it is knowing the fear of the Lord and in knowing the fear of the Lord, that we persuade men and in persuading men of the truth of God's word. It is the very word of God itself that enables them to handle the they they the, the powers and the authorities that come against them and so he says, for though we walk in the flashlights we go about normal human beings and in the reality of who and what we are were not waging war. According to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not all of the flash but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete so that that is that is as clear as a bell isn't what a tragedy that so much of the time that has been spent by evangelicalism in the in the 21st century thus far has had to do with waging war that is actually physical war that is actually the kind of argumentation and fighting and moaning and complaining and disgruntlement that is so representative of the culture in which we live as surely the apostles gave us a pattern in order that we might follow their pattern study established precepts in order that we might obey their precepts. What would what would what it take to bring down many of the strongholds in this nation in this Western world.

While I won't be political machinations for sure it won't be a bug in the right person in office and never has been and never will be, because it is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God by which the apostles worked. Why don't we do it in certain cases were ashamed to say is be honest, we find it hard to say with Paul. I'm not ashamed of the gospel is the power of God for salvation to the Jew to the Greek to everyone who believes is very easy to say that up here. Isn't protected by the room.

The group the context. The songs the church is different when you're one-on-one on the golf course and some is this is what actually is that somebody says to you, while I spoke to a Roman Catholic priest and he told me that because I'm Jewish. I will be able to go to heaven I get a special pass because I'm Jewish said my friend to me and then he said that once we hit the shot. I want you to tell me whether that was true or false. And then I want you tell me what the real story. You know how much I want to say yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

Yes, with not just be wonderful. But what did I say I so what did you believe that he said not send rubbish to me. So all is good. You're making progress. So let me tell you what the Bible actually says that there is one mediator between God and man. And that's the man Christ Jesus that he provides reconciliation, forgiveness for our sins to the Jew and to the Greek.

Therefore, you and I stand in the same position before an Almighty God in need of a Savior and God loves you and send his son Yeshua Jesus the Messiah in order that your sins might be forgiven and it was met by that same kind of silence ashamed you see nothing.

Silence as our tongues faster than a loss of confidence in the word of God as the sword of the Spirit and just as surely as a devil misuse Scripture in tempting Jesus.

So it is routinely that people seem to undermine our confidence or seek to undermine our confidence in the infallibility of the Bible. I'm always one to be guarded. What I say because I should be. But I do III can I can't not see this.

Those signs that are around us in front of certain church buildings that declared God is still speaking, if you actually go to the website to the theological underpinnings of what that is declaring you will discover that it is not a statement that is referring to what I just said to you about the fact that the sword of the Spirit is timeless in its application. What they're actually saying is that God is now speaking differently from how he used to speak, God is now contradicting what he had said previously in the realm of morality in the matter of marriage in the issues of theological underpinnings. Therefore, if we are going to contend for the faith that was delivered once to the saints.

Then we have to be alert to the devil's schemes. And we have to be able to defeat him, not by our own ingenuity, or by our own animosity, but by the wielding of the sword of the Spirit. John started very helpfully. On one occasion, said the reason why the church has historically submitted to the Scripture and fly evangelicals continue to do so is that our Lord Jesus himself did you think about that Matthew for what we've just seen in relationship to temptation. But think of other places in the Bible. For example, think about when they came to him and the Pharisees came to with a moral question when they came to him with a question about divorce, how did Jesus settle that question by quoting the Bible by quoting Genesis chapter 1 verse 27 in Genesis 230. He said it is written in other words, all the equivocation all of the discussion was brought to an end by the statement. This is what the word of God says he settle the moral disputes by referencing the divine authority of Scripture now love once we go back out into the world tomorrow and and face all of the challenges in in the realm of of morality and when we are pressed back into the corner by those who say this is phenomenally arrogant of you and a rather bigoted of you to hold these positions.

What are we to say what to say we don't have an option of commanding officer has given to us are sore or sore is the word of God the Word of God is fixed in the heavens. God doesn't change like shifting shadows. Therefore, he doesn't change his work with the passage of time. Therefore, though, these things may seem alien, irrelevant, unwanted, they remain, if we wish to submit to the authority authority of Christ we must submit to the authority of the Bible, it is logical.

Christ submitted to the Scriptures, we submit to Christ, therefore we submit to the Scriptures that it's almost in a wonderfully helpful little book on the subject and I'll stop now but he he quotes in this book from an event in 1983 regarding the national meeting of the Southern Baptist convention in Pittsburgh and the convention began with the pastor's conference the previous fall in the suburbs of Chicago, seven people died having taken Tylenol laced with cyanide, it set off a national panic. One speaker, the pastor's conference took out a bottle of Tylenol and said if I knew there was one capsule in this bottle that was laced with cyanide, I would throw the whole bottle out.

Then he picked up the Bible and said if I knew there was one error in this book that I throw the whole thing out. These are peculiar days, daunting days. Exciting days and we stand on the shoulders of those who've gone before. I find myself going back again to my file and was delighted to see that we had placed in their a quote from a song from 1929. It was written by a man, you will know one of his songs.

If you been around for any time at all at this man wrote a little chorus. Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord for making me whole. His name was Seth Sykes. He was a conductor on the Glasgow trams.

He was a very ordinary little man. I his wife was called Bessie and Seth and Bessie Sykes were evangelists in Scotland in the first half of the 20th century, I had the privilege of hearing them speak in and listening to them as they showed Pilgrim's progress on these big lantern slides that I alluded to a couple of Sundays ago, and when going back into my files under the Bible. I found that one of his classic little songs goes like this, many folks are sad and weary, and they often fret and pine for the read what many critics have to say about the dear old Bible blessed holy book divine, but for me, I've proved its worth and I can say I'm acquainted with the author and I know God's word is true in times of grief that brings relief and tells me what to do.

Now I dearly love, its pages for I found the rock of ages, and acquainted with the author and I know it's true. That's not arrogance that's faith is belief.

One of the reasons God has given us his word is so we can use it in spiritual battle. It's a powerful weapon.

You believe that you're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life.

Alastair will close today's program with prayer in just a minute, so please keep listening. We were reminded in today's message that the Bible is not like any other book, God's word is unchanging. It's without error and are passionate Truth for Life is to teach the Bible with clarity and relevance every day. We do this trusting that God will work in your life and the lives of all who listen that he will convert unbelievers establish believers in their faith and in the process strengthen local churches when you give the Truth for Life. That's the mission you're helping support and today when you donate a gift of any amount we want to invite you request a book or recommending it's an excellent supplement to Alister's teaching on spiritual warfare.

It's called our ancient foe Satan's history activity and ultimate demise. We been hearing Alister talk about the protective equipment that God has given us to guard against the attacks of the evil one.

But how well do we know our enemy and do we take the threat of spiritual warfare. Seriously, the book our ancient foe unpacks the the danger.

The real danger that Satan poses the contributing authors are a group of pastors and scholars. They make it clear in this book. Why we need to be diligent in protecting ourselves from a ruthless adversary. The Bible speaks clearly about who Satan is about how he works and yet so many people take this far too likely you'll find that this book our ancient foe helps you better understand that the devil is a powerful force will also learn how to rely on the power of Christ to withstand his attacks. The truth is, will struggle against evil. As long as were in this world. So the more we know about the devil's tactics, the better we can safeguard ourselves against his lies. Be sure to request a copy of the book our ancient foe. When you give to support the mission of Truth for Life. Simply visit our website Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884 and if you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book our ancient foe. You can write to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Now let's join Alister as he closes with prayer father, thank you for the Bible. Thank you that you equip us as soldiers in your army. Thank you that the lessons that were given are to be hared and acted on as a company that were not as solo in this endeavor that were not on our own were not supposed to be on our own were better together and with editors and holding up the shield of faith or helping one another, get on the shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace or whether reminding one another. Don't leave your sword now.

Make sure you have it by your side. Lord help us with these things, we pray, give us a heart of compassion when we have to say things that run counter to the thought forms of our culture. Give us wisdom and grace in a boldness that is at the same time winsome reminders that our words are to be full of grace and seasoned with salt. After a something of the kindness and compassion of the Lord Jesus himself who was particularly willing to make space and time extend the story of his mercy to those who were most in need. We thank you that you have made as part of the company that runs from age to age, until finally were gathered into your presence. We bless your name Lord Jesus. Amen about being sometimes feel as if you're alone in the midst of the spiritual battle we face tomorrow will learn why were never alone when we employ one of the crucial weapons God has given us for the fight. Find out what that weapon is, why it's absolutely necessary.

Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truth or lying with Learning is for Living