Completely Trustworthy
"He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow .." (Isaiah 49:2).
One of the great things about Christianity is how answers to all the mysteries of life and the Universe are revealed in such satisfying ways (1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 1:9:10, Colossians 2:2); no fudged answers, no hypotheses or wild guesses. Our God-given natural understanding shows us well grounded answers which are supported by our observations of the world and life, as well as by our study of science, engineering, history, philosophy, anthropology and the Bible.
As we get to know Jesus we learn that He is completely trustworthy. When we first encounter Jesus, (rather than just hear about Him or read accounts of His life, miracles, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension in the Bible), we see an amazing and wonderful person who we can know intimately, and yet also worship as God of all the Creation!
When we are welcomed as a child of Father God and come into personal relationship with Jesus, (He becomes our brother as we now have the same Father), our spirit comes alive and we know we are changed. Indeed we are "born again" (John 3:3), we are a "new creation" (Galatians 6:15). We know that we have encountered God, Father God's Son (John 3:16), Saviour of the whole world (John 4:42). From this point in our life, our learning and our growing never stop!
Perhaps the most profound thing I learned at
"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:16-17).
In my "best" Bible (NIV, with a leather cover and a lifetime guarantee, now 35 years old with hundreds of penciled notes), there is "ALL" in the margin above this passage: Colossians 1:15-20 tells us in a few words how completely Jesus is the centre of absolutely everything; the word "all" appears seven times in these few verses, along with "fullness", "everything", and "supremacy".
We the church, the ecclesia, Jesus' gathered ones, are fully part of this "all", we are His "body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:23 ESV).
The Word Of God
This is where "the sword of the Spirit" comes in:
I have come to know Jesus as "the Word of God" (John 1:1-2), He has always been so since before time began. When God spoke (Genesis 1:3) and there was light, He spoke the same Word who is shown to be "the light of all humankind" (John 1:4) and the "light" which no darkness can overcome (John 1:5). In the "new Heaven and the new Earth" which we will one day inherit, Jesus is still the "light"; He is all the light needed there (Revelation 21:1,23)!
Jesus is the Word. Jesus is Light. The third tie-in is Jesus as Sword.
"Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Revelation 2:16 Jesus' words to the apostle John).
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34 Jesus' words).
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
Jesus' Fullness
We see that:
• Jesus is God, He is completely of the Trinity with Father and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1 and 2, John 1).
• Jesus is the beloved Son who appeared on Earth to save us and defeat Satan (1 John 3:5 and 3:8).
• Jesus is the Light (John 1:5).
• Jesus is the Word (Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 19:13).
• Jesus is the Sword (Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 1:16, 2:16).
"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).
Our Armour
When Paul writes about the armour of God, he includes "the sword of the Spirit" last. This is not saying that our sword is the least important part of our armour, but rather, that our armour will never be complete without our sword.
The "belt of truth" is the first piece of Paul's armour; the belt is needed to hold everything else together, to be a support and an anchor point. When we think about this and see "truth" first, and "sword" last, we get a sense of the fullness Paul is sharing with us.
Of all the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) only the sword is an offensive weapon, all the other elements are defensive or foundational and supportive:
• The "Belt of Truth" (verse 14).
• the "Breastplate of Righteousness" (verse 14).
• the shoes of "readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (verse 15).
• and the "Shield of Faith" (verse 17)).
These enable us to "stand" (verses 11,13,14).
The "armour" verses are the concluding teaching in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. That letter is a delightful description of the church, the spiritual blessings we have in Jesus, and how we can best live in the light of all this.
Paul makes clear that what was alluded to throughout the Old Testament and hidden throughout the ages was revealed to us when Christ appeared and lived among us, and now, as we know Him through our spirit. As we live our lives here on Earth, Paul wants us to make full use of this armour, every element of which is Jesus Himself.
".. I know whom I
have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted
to him until that day" (2
Timothy 1:12).
Jesus our "sword" is a fighting weapon, we are to use it as we go against our enemies, not just spiritual enemies but also those physically threatening us.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).
Most people are not vicious or hate-filled but can be influenced and affected by evil spirits; here are two stories:
My friend Phil was visiting
The spiritual world is greater than the physical!
An African story I believe to be true was told to me by a
friend of missionaries in
Later they heard about an amazing occurrence in the bush which was at the same time and place when and where they had camped overnight: A number of hostiles had heard about some Christians camping in the bush so decided to attack in the dark of night and kill them. As they approached the camp they saw that their would-be victims were not alone; their camp was surrounded by huge men, dressed as soldiers, with flaming swords and spears. The attackers were terrified and knew that they could not defeat these mighty soldiers, so they returned home. God had sent angels to protect His people! The missionaries were unaware but the hostiles saw clearly.
When we talk to missionaries we get such great testimonies of the power of God and His Word! Jesus always has our back (Matthew 28:20).
"The sword of the Spirit" describes the profound and complex effect of Jesus, who is God's Word, entering us and then fusing with, (or being enhanced by), God's Holy Spirit who is in us, in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
We are given spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14) which are effective because we can use them in conjunction with our sword, God’s Word. These gifts are for the church and the whole world, not just for us, they help us in our service to others.
More than that, our lovely Jesus always wants us to grow, to move on from our sinful and selfish past, to be ready and willing to participate with Him in His work in the world.
Pruning Shears And Scalpel
Remember too that Jesus' Word is always able to shape us, to cut out what is ungodly and heal us from the corruption and maladies of the world: "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2 Jesus' words).
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Biblical Training
Our Jesus does not leave us defenseless from threats and attackers (Matthew 28:20), He is both our ultimate defense and our most effective weapon! Jesus is ready to help but like firemen and doctors we need education and training to bring our potential to any kind of fullness.
How many times have we been encouraged to "read your Bible, fill yourself with God's Word"? Many times, right? This is Christian training and will help give us a Biblical worldview; "a worldview is an all-encompassing perspective on everything that exists and matters to us. Your own worldview represents your most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe. It reflects how you would answer all the 'big questions' of human existence". (James Anderson, "What in the World Is a Worldview?", 2014).
When we train in God's Word we learn to think and respond fast and effectively to all the situations which may confront us. (See Note 2).
A few days ago I was cleaning our barbeque and touched the hot steel, "ouch"! Immediately, I put my finger in my mouth, soon the pain was gone, all better! My response was automatic, I have been on many first aid courses, my training told my body what to do without my mind having to figure it out.
Well, we can do the same thing when spiritual troubles come. When we are full of God's Word, (Jesus), and are filled with Holy Spirit, (who is Jesus' Spirit) our response can be blindingly fast and fully effective. Just look at how our Lord answered Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1); three attacks (Luke 4:3-4, 5-8, 9-12), very similar to the three big problems Israel faced in their 40 years in their wilderness. Each time Jesus spoke Scripture, the Word of God; God's Word is Jesus. Satan gave up and backed off (Luke 4:13). He will back off for us too because we now carry Jesus' authority on Earth (Luke 10:19), and not just for our self and those close to us but for others in the world who need the "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7 Jesus' words).
"He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away" (Isaiah 49:2).
This is good news.
Praise Jesus!
Favourite Scripture Verses
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:1-5).
"Therefore do not
be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?’ or 'What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the
"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him" (Proverbs 30:5).
"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25)
Hallelujah!
Note 1: I heard a
man tell of the most profound thing he
learned at his
Note 2: I find that spending time in my Bible is like any other kind of discipline. It is best not to follow the first method you are shown, but to find one which is effective and that you enjoy. One objective is to have the Scripture established inside us, so that we grow and change our worldview to conform to Jesus.
Many people would like to be slim and fit so start out in the trendy exercise program of the day; they don't like it so give up. Later, they will see something else and they try that, presto, the weight starts to come off and their energy increases.
Find a system or program or method which you enjoy, you personally and not a group, you. You can join a group later, but your personal time in Jesus' Word is where you will grow the most.
"A worldview is a network of ultimate beliefs, assumptions, values, and ideas about the universe, and our place in it, that shapes how each of us understands our life and experiences, (and the lives and experiences of others), and how we act in response". (James Anderson, "What in the World Is a Worldview?", 2014).
Amen.
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