Sunday, July 3, 2022

PT-2 "The Sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/1/2019 10:16 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                              Focus:  PT-2 “The Sword of the Spirit”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ephesians 6:17b

 

            Message of the verses:  and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

 

            We will continue to look at John MacArthur’s sermon on “The Sword of the Spirit” in this SD, but before we look at what will be a rather short section from this sermon I want to make a few comments.  First of all MacArthur will be talking about the Word of God in this part of His Sermon.  I realize that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, but He specifically goes into some good information about the Word of God in this section.  I have to say that on my other blog I have been talking about “words” in the last two sections, words and how we use them from mostly the book of Proverbs.  It struck me that because of our flesh that our words that we speak or even write can be troubling, they can be hurtful and they can be outright lies.  And then I look at this sermon which caused me to think about all of God’s words that are found in the Bible and they are all true.  God cannot make any mistakes in any word that He speaks, it is impossible.  Now we will look at the next part of MacArthur’s sermon.

 

             That takes us to the last weapon in verse 17, or the last piece of armor which is the weapon and that is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Now of all the weapons that we would talk about here, this is probably the one with which we are the most familiar:  The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

 

            “When I originally taught this passage and through the years as I have had occasion here and there around the world to go back over this particular portion of Scripture, it has allowed me the opportunity to go back to some foundational things. And I think it’s important to do that, kind of a basic look at Scripture. You possess the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. You just need to pick it up and use it. The Bible is that sword. But not because you own one, but because you know what’s in it. Being able to wield the sword is being able to use the truth of Scripture at any given point. Now we’ll say more about that, but to begin with, let me give you a little bit of a brief course in what Scripture really is, what it claims for itself. It is the Word of God, that’s what it says here, the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. That and the Scripture and the Bible are the same thing.

 

            “What does the Bible claim for itself? We want to be able to trust in this weapon. We want to know that if we’re going to pick up the Word of God and use it, that we’re using the right instrument. If you, for example, question the inerrancy of Scripture, if you question the accuracy of Scripture, if you question the clarity of Scripture, if you question the integrity of Scripture, you’re going to be reluctant to use it. If you equivocate (vacillate) on whether God wrote the Scripture, you’re not going to be able to wield that. A high view of Scripture is necessary for the believer to be ready and eager to pick it up and use it at every occasion.

 

            “And that takes us back to what the Bible claims for itself. Let me just give you a little list, to begin with. First of all, the Bible claims to be infallible. That is without error. And it claims it again and again and again. Psalm 19:7 , “The Law of the Lord is perfect.” John 10:35, “The Scripture cannot be broken.” Revelation 22:18 or 19, “Don’t take anything away from what is written here, or add anything to it, or there shall be added to you the plagues that are written in it. It is an inerrant text as well as an infallible text. When we say infallible, we mean that everything it affirms is true. When we say it is inerrant, we mean every word in it is true. It is true in all that it affirms, that’s infallibility. It is true in every single thing it says, that’s inerrancy. Proverbs 30 verses 5 and 6, “Every word of God is pure. EVERY word of God is pure.” And it also says there, as it does in Revelation 22, “Add not unto His words lest He reprove you and you be found a liar.” Psalm 12:6 says, “The Scripture is so pure, every word of God is pure like...like silver that has been refined in a furnace seven times.” Psalm 119:140 says the same thing. “Your Word is pure.”

 

            So the Bible is without error in all that it affirms, all it teaches. It is inerrant in every word...every word of God is pure. And then it is complete, as I noted from Revelation 22. You can’t add to it, you can’t take away from it. It is, as Jude puts it, the “once for all delivered to the saints faith.” It is one book, one revelation delivered once for all. There is no further divine revelation once the canon of Scripture is closed.

 

            Because in all that it affirms it is without error, because in every single thing it says it is without error, because it is complete and there is no more to be added to it, nor is there anything to be taken away from it, it is therefore, fourthly, the authoritative Word of God. It is precisely what God wanted to say. And that is why Isaiah 1:2 says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken.”  Since this is the infallible, inerrant complete authoritative Word of God, it is sufficient. We don’t need anything else. Psalm 19 lays that out a number of ways. It is sufficient not only for our salvation, converting the soul, but it is sufficient to make the simple, or the ignorant wise, fully skilled in all matters of holy living, is what that means. In 2 Timothy 3 we remember that Paul wrote that from a child, speaking to Timothy, you’ve known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. And then he said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That’s what I mean by sufficient. It is sufficient to achieve all divine ends in the soul.”

 

Now we will look at Acts 11:23, 24b in our quotation from “Love in Action.”

 

When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad,

and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart

they should continue with the Lord.

A great many people were

added to the Lord.

 

11/1/2019 10:30 AM

 

 

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