Jun. 11, 2023

The Sword of the Spirit             Ephesians 6:17            6-11-23

Ephesians 6:14-17 (ESV) ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and (take) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17  Take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (“Sword” - “Machaira” – Dagger)

- MOSES tried to Deliver the Hebrews by Killing the Egyptian.

- PETER wanted to Deliver Jesus by Cutting-Off the Soldier’s Ear.

- Three Types of “WORD” of God:

- GRAPHE - The WRITTEN WORD

Luke 10:25–26 ²⁵ an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. (“Graphe”)

- LOGOS – The MESSAGE GIVEN 

John 1:1 (ESV)  In the beginning was the Word, (“Logos”) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 

MEMORY VERSE: Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) For the word (“Logos”) of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

- RHEMA – The DECLARATION SPOKEN (or an UTTERANCE of God by the Holy Spirit in the heart)

Genesis 1:3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV) ¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written (“GRAPHE” – Written Word), “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word (“RHEMA” – Declared Words) that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ⁶ and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down… ⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 
 ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left him… 

Hebrews 5:12–14 (NASB) ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV-ESV) ¹⁵ Study to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word (“Logos”) of truth. 

Romans 10:8–9 (ESV) ⁸ “The word {“Rhema”} is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word {“Rhema”} of faith that we proclaim); ⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.