The Sword of the Spirit (Pt 1)

So with that said, turn with me to Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

Now, if you're here this morning and do not have a worship guide, please raise your hand.

We want to make sure everyone got their worship guide.

Now we've been studying the Word of God in Ephesians 6, verses 10 through, and we're now at verse 17.

Ephesians 6:10

We've been putting on the armor of God, and boy, what a rich, rich series this has been.

In fact, uh, a few men asked me, said, where are we going next?

Well, actually, next, you're going to have the privilege of where's Rick?

Where's Rick?

Right.

There he is, right there behind me.

Um, Susan and I are gonna take a little time off.

And he's, are you still gonna do the series on Ruth?

Okay.

So powerful book, powerful book.

So Rick will be uh gonna do the next little series on Ruth.

So I'm looking forward to listening to it.

We'll be, we're going to California to watch my sixth, my sixth grandchild born with my youngest daughter, Stephanie.

He she's a surgical PA in Sacramento, California.

And she's had three children, and I've not been there for any of them.

So this time I'm gonna be there.

And uh one thing I've learned this past year, you need to spend as much time with your children and family, grandkids as you can.

Amen?

Because you don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring.

And one of part of, you know what I learned early in my ministry through some great mentors.

I can be a great preacher.

I can be a great pastor.

But if I'm really a great preacher and a great pastor, that means I'm a great daddy.

That means I'm a great father.

That means I'm a great husband.

Because I can succeed in all those others, but if I fail at home, I have failed.

Well, hey, Deedra.

This is a missions director.

She pops in and out, out of town brown, but amen.

Doing God's work, though.

Amen.

But hey, if I fail at home, I fail.

And one thing I made, see, my dad was a fireman.

Worked 24, back then it was 24 on, 24 off.

But he worked every day he was off from the fire department.

I never saw my dad.

I was, and my or my mom.

My mom was an alcoholic.

Uh kicked out of my asked, she asked me to leave when I was 11, 12 years old, moved in with my grandparents, which were godly people, which was really God's way of putting me where I needed to be.

And uh, but all American in football, basketball, baseball, and my parents never watched me play one ballgame.

And uh I made a promise to the Lord when I got saved.

That I would be a daddy.

And I'd be bent my kids' ball games and whatever.

I would be there for my family.

And you know, the Lord allowed me to do that.

And so uh now we're in our second generation.

And one of the things the Lord's laid on my heart this year, especially after my best friend David went on to be with the Lord this June the 5th, was a year ago.

Uh, I need to spend some time with my second generation to help make sure that they're okay.

And uh just then reinforce what my my kids are doing.

And uh, and we all need to do that.

Bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of God.

Amen.

That's what we're to do.

Deuteronomy 6 to what?

My generation and their generation.

And uh, but it's uh it's sweet to see our kids teaching their kids what we taught our kids.

It really is exciting, but uh so anyway.

Uh I'm gonna go see my kids in California for a while, and you'll be in good hands with Rick and Sylvester and all the counsel.

So uh I love you.

But that's what's next.

And then we're gonna come back the fall, and it's gonna be awesome.

You say, Where are you going yet?

I'm leaning toward doing some of the key characters in the Bible as we start out, so we can see their weaknesses, their strengths, what made them great, what made them fail.

So, the, for example, the steps of Samson's downfall, the steps of Peter's downfall.

So that's kind of where I'm right now, the hearts lead me, but that those weeks were gone.

I'll be studying, refreshing, and God let me know exactly where we're going when I get back.

So it's gonna be good.

It's gonna be good.

The sword of the Spirit.

We've been on defense.

Bless God, now let's score.

Let's go score.

Let's take it to Satan.

We've been we've been warning off the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We've been putting on the last week, what a message, on the helmet of salvation to protect our thinking and and all that that our mind and what we think is what we become, so a thought.

We talked about that.

So a action, so a action, so a habit, so a habit, so a character, so a character, reap a destiny.

Train up a child in the way it should go.

They'll not depart from it.

Proverbs 22, 6.

So all that we've been we've been putting on, and we saw that the first three pieces of armor, the the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and uh our sandals shot our feet with the sandals.

All those were something that God really did for us, and that we basically uh take that imputed righteousness and we've got it on and it stays on.

But then the last three pieces of armor, he changes verbs, and it becomes an action verb for us that we have to put on.

We have to put on the helmet of salvation, we have to take up the sword of the spirit.

So today, and I this may be a, I'm gonna go ahead and warn you, this may be a part one, part two.

I don't know.

It's so good, so much, it just depends on how quick you listen.

Hello, amen.

Just a thought.

But let's begin.

The last piece of the Christian's armor, right here, is in Ephesians 6, 17.

Paul expresses what is needed for the believer to overcome Satan and his host when he says, right here in verse 17, look at it.

The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Take it up.

One of the saints said this.

I was studying this week.

He said, the Bible is like an armory of heavenly weapons.

Would you not agree?

Oh, amen.

It said, he said, it's a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine, M-I-N-E, of exhaustless wealth.

It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, a bomb for every womb, and a rock.

And he then he made this statement.

Rob us of our Bible is like robbing us of the Son, S-U-N.

I thought, wow, what a beautiful analogy of the word of God.

Unbelievable.

So the first thing I want us to look at this morning is the explanation.

The explanation of the sword of the Spirit.

First of all, I want you to understand what the Greek word for sword here is.

Maharrah.

Say that with me.

Maharah.

And there's two words used for swords in the Bible, basically.

One is in reference to the big broad sword, which is a big sword, huge sword.

Takes two hands to hold up.

And you've seen them in some of the movies and all, but you cannot hold that broad sword with one hand.

It takes two hands.

That is not the sword that he's talking about here.

The sword he's talking about here is Mahara.

And it's anywhere from about 12 inches to 40 inches.

In other words, it's a sword that would be about from my neck to the end of my hand.

It's the sword, if you watched any of the Roman gladiator movies, which I always love, it's that kind of sword that goes into the sheet that's probably anywhere from 12 inches to 30 inches.

Okay?

You with me?

So this is the sword.

In other words, it's the sword that would be used for close, hey, confrontation.

Close combat.

In other words, it's it's the sword that would be used that when Satan gets in your face, you can get him out.

Can I get an amen?

Because that is exactly what Satan is wanting to do.

He's wanting to get in your face and stop you.

So this is the sword that we're talking about.

This is not just a sword.

It is, watch.

Now, again, Ephesians 6, 7, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of what?

This is the Holy Spirit's sword.

It is the offensive weapon that God has given to his third person, the Holy Spirit, which is our comforter.

He said, I must go away, but I will not leave you comfortless.

I would send you the comforter, John 14, 18.

And that comforter is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit of God.

So now He sent the Holy Spirit, boy, this is gonna be good, so that you and I can get into the invisible.

Remember that?

We've been talking about the visible and invisible.

In order for us to be victorious, we got to get into the invisible, the spiritual realm.

And in order to do that, we've got to have the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us when we get saved by one spirit, and we're all baptized into one body, 1 Corinthians 12, 13.

Once he comes in, now he is gonna live through us.

And when somebody says, Well, I'm filled with the Holy Spirit of God, that literally means that the Holy Spirit's there already when you get saved, but you've allowed him to be in every room of your life taking control of everything that you do.

That's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

And now when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, he's teaching you, he's teaching you the word of God.

Oh, this is gonna be.

I can't wait to teach this.

He's gonna be teaching you the word of God, which means he's gonna be equipping you on how to use your sword.

Because the only way you can defeat Satan is with the sword of the Spirit.

And that sword is not your sword, it's the Holy Spirit's sword.

Makes sense?

But the Holy Spirit's in you, right?

But the Holy Spirit's gonna equip you how to use your His sword.

Now, with that said, He wants us, the Lord wants us to stand firm and hold the ground Jesus has already, hey, obtained for us.

Now let me say something, and and I wrote this to myself.

This is so good.

Hey, he wants us to stand firm and hold the ground that he's already won for us.

Do you realize you are already, hey, victorious?

Hello, come on, come on.

Yeah, I don't think you got that.

When you got saved, the Holy Spirit came into you.

You are now victorious.

You've got all the power you will ever have the moment you get saved.

Hello?

Oh, yeah.

Now, some of you don't see you say, uh no, wait, let me say.

You don't get any more of the Holy Spirit.

You don't get any more than when you get him, when you get saved.

Now, what you got to do is learn to yield to him and to his teachings and let him teach you and show you how to use your sword.

But it's there.

Thanks be unto God who gives us what?

Victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The moment you get Jesus, woo, you got victory.

Say this, church with me.

I got victory.

Come on, I got victory.

Well, why are you living defeated?

Hello?

Why are we living defeated?

We don't understand what we got.

Hello?

We don't understand what we got.

So you're gonna leave here this Sunday, maybe next Sunday, understanding what we got.

And then we're gonna end this series on verse 18 with prayer.

Whoo! The power pack, the furnace room.

Amen.

Now watch.

He does not want us to go out and to try to create victory because he's already done that and given it to us.

We don't have to go out there and say, I gotta have victory.

No, you got victory.

You just got to enter into the supernatural dimension, the spiritual dimension, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And the power is the Holy Spirit taking, hey, his sword, teaching you how to use it so that when the Satan comes, you slice and you dice him.

Amen.

We are not fighting for victory, we are fighting from victory.

Can I get an amen?

That's very important.

We're not fighting for victory, we're fighting from victory.

That's powerful, folks.

We're not trying to achieve something that's already been achieved.

It is the tool the Spirit uses.

It is the spiritual realm.

The sword is the word of God that the Spirit places in our hand to fight against Satan.

But not just to fight against Satan, but to, hey, to walk in faith.

The walk in the power of God.

He's our power.

And you're going to see that.

All right.

Ready?

Now you're going to have to find another place to ride a little bit.

Okay?

Because God gave me this after I'd already done the.

I wasn't going to do this, but I said, I gotta do it.

You gotta understand the definition of the word.

Most people immediately say, Logos.

That's one out of three definitions of the word.

And the word are three different things.

But yet one.

The first word, are you ready?

Graphe.

I spell it G-R-A-F-F-I.

Graphe.

Now, what is graphe?

Graphe is this Bible.

It's this Bible.

It's the visible Bible.

Okay?

That's graphe.

It's important you understand that.

Now, graphe is the writings.

The Bible is in written form.

Second word is Logos.

L-O-G-O-S.

Logos.

Now, what is Logos?

It is the message of this book.

It is the content of this book.

Got it?

You with me?

It's here's another way of saying it.

It's the utterances of this book.

Okay?

That's what it is.

In other words, we see when you come to church and you hear a message, and you're all right, today you're listening to a message.

Every Sunday you come here and you listen to your pastor preach, and you hear that message, and you understand that message, and that message then becomes real to you.

It becomes live to you.

That is the logos of the word.

It is the message from God to you.

You understand it.

Hey, you understand it till you're ready right now to do it.

Go do it.

It becomes real to you.

Now, when it was in the graph form laying there, that message has not become real to you yet.

You've got to get in that book, read that book, memorize that book.

Hey, hey, to the point that, wow, as Susan said, it jumps out at you, and you say, Yes, that's the truth.

I got to do it.

Wow, that is the Logos coming alive to you.

In you.

It is the spirit that quickens.

The flesh profits nothing.

These things that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

John 663.

With me?

Then there's a third word.

And the third word is Rhema.

Rhema.

It means utterance.

It means words spoken, words declared.

It is the declaration of the Logos that you got from the Grapha.

In other words, the Graphe is the written word, the Logos is the living word, and now the Rhema is the utterance, the declaration.

In other words, you're living it out, you're speaking it out.

It is real to you.

It's the rhema.

You're walking in the rhema.

You're walking using your sword.

You're walking using, being filled with the Spirit of God.

You're going to see how important that is in a little bit.

From the Grapha.

The Graphe is the book, the Logos, the message, the Rhema, the spoken word.

That's the best way to understand it.

The sword that the Spirit uses here is the Rhema.

It's not the word Logos, it's not the word Graphe.

What is it?

Mahara.

The Rhema.

The Rhema.

So when Satan is attacking you with all his demons, you need more than Grapha.

See, a lot of people take this book and they may put it on their nightstand.

They may put it on their coffee table.

They may even put it in their car or wherever.

And they almost use it as a good luck charm.

I've got the Bible.

I've got the sword.

No, you've got the graphe.

You don't have the Logos and you don't have the Rhema.

All you have is a written book.

Now it's a powerful book, but you've got to get it in you.

Amen.

It's got to become the Logos so that it can become the Rhema.

That makes sense?

That's important.

I'm telling you, this is going to liberate you.

So we see that.

We see that, and you're going to have such a love for the word.

So you need the Logos from the Grafe uttered and spoken through the Rhema.

The Holy Spirit uses it when it is Rhema.

It is alive when it is Logos.

When you have Logos, you have a sword with life in it.

Ha ha ha ha.

That's good.

Now, watch this.

Are you ready?

And then we're going to get going.

Are you ready?

For the word of God is.

Can we put up Hebrews 4.12?

I know it's in there a lot, but put it up if we can, Jason.

Hebrews 4.12 says, For the word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing, hey, of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Now, when you read that, when you quote that, you say, Woo, man, the word of God is clear.

Woo! Alive.

It's powerful, not and it is.

But have you understood it?

Why does he say that?

Now, I'm back in seminary.

I'm gonna try to take you from where we've been to where we are so you can go further.

Okay, now watch this.

Remember the breastplate of righteousness when we talked about how important it was, and it covered two basic things.

The bowels, which we said were the emotion, the emotional part of you, and your will, which we also called it the soul.

You remember that?

Then the other part was what?

The heart, which also we said in the scriptures there, it means the mind.

You're covering the heart, the mind, the thoughts and your attitudes and all that.

You with me?

Now, watch this.

When the word of God, the Logos, is understood as the Rhema, when the graphe, the written book, is understood as logos, the message is understood, and now the rhema part, you're spoken it or you're living it, is now being active in you.

Watch what it does when he makes this powerful statement and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Here's what takes place.

When that living rhema and logos goes into your heart, it sometimes has to separate the spirit from the soul because what's happening, your soul, your emotions, your will is trying to take over God's will.

And what has to happen, Satan's got to get rid of your soul, your motives, your will, your emotions so that his can take over.

Is that not good?

And only the Rhema can do that.

Wow.

I know that's a little deep.

We're gonna get you out of kindergarten.

Amen.

But there it is, folks.

That's it.

That's exactly what by the way.

I think Paul wrote Hebrews anyway.

But that's what it is.

I didn't say I'm alright.

We don't really know who wrote it.

Some believe Luke, I believe Paul.

But anyway, yeah, we do know who wrote it.

God wrote it.

Now, with that said, so when you and I hear a message, are you ready for this?

That does not line up with what God's word said.

Guess what?

You don't realize it.

You've just been sliced and diced.

Because, hey, if it doesn't line up with God's word, you don't need it.

God wants to cut it out of you.

Cut that wrong thinking out, cut those wrong motives out.

Think that, hey, those wrong feelings out.

Get it out.

And the way he does that is through the graphe, the written word, but through the logos and rhema.

The word, the message, you hear it, you see it, you read it, it comes alive, you do it, and God has now eliminated that flesh.

He's crucified the flesh.

That's what he's talking about.

He's cut it out, he's cut that cancer out.

That wrong thinking out, those wrong feelings out through the Rhema.

Can I get an amen?

Is that not good?

So that brings me to the first point: the sword of the Spirit.

Look at the authorship of the Bible.

You say it was written by God, yes, but God used men.

It was written by men in exile, in the desert, in shepherds' tents, in green pastures, and beside still waters.

Behind every word is the divine author, God Himself.

Let's look at 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21.

There it is.

Look at what it says.

Knowing this first, no prophecy, no word, no graphe, no logos, no rhema, hey, of scripture is a private interpretation.

In other words, I have people all the time, oh, men wrote that book, God didn't write that book.

I said, How do you know?

I said, tell me one thing the Bible says or said it would happen that didn't happen.

You know what they do?

Most of the time they look at me and say, I can't do that.

You know why?

They haven't even read it.

Because they've heard somebody say, Oh, men wrote that book, God didn't write that book.

There were 300 prophecies in the Old Testament written, hey, verbatim that were fulfilled in the New Testament.

300.

You tell me any other book can do that.

Yes.

Verbatim.

God wrote this book.

Watch.

For prophecy never came by the will of man, by the understanding of man, the attitude of man, the thinking of man.

But holy men, godly men, filled with what?

The Holy Spirit of God spake as they were moved.

What?

By the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was the instrument used by God Himself to control every thought, everything that man wrote down.

The Holy Spirit wrote it.

Hello.

There it is.

I don't believe that.

Well, you have your opinion, but let me tell you, if you say that, now's the time that that Rhema and that Logos is going to go, he's going to dice, dice you.

Slice and dice you.

That's wrong.

That's wrong.

2 Timothy 3.16, all scriptures given by the inspiration of God.

And it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.

My granddaddy used to read that to me all the time.

He said, Let me tell you what that means.

Danny boy.

I said, What does that mean, Papa?

He means God's word teaches us what's right, what's not right, how to get right, and how to stay right.

Amen.

Listen to what John Wesley said.

Anybody know who John Wesley is?

A few.

John Wesley was the founder of the Methodists.

Yes.

One of the greatest preachers ever lived.

Probably in the top three.

Listen to what he said about the inertia of Scripture.

Are you ready?

John Wesley said that the Bible could have only been written by God.

Or good men, bad men, angels, or devils.

That's true.

Bad men or devils would not write it because of the condemnation of sin and the pronouncement of fearful judgment upon every sinner.

Good men or angels would not deceive men by lying about its authority and acclaiming that God was the writer.

Therefore, the Bible must have been written as it claims to have been written by God, who by his Spirit inspired men to record his words using the human instrument to communicate its truth.

Can I get an amen?

That's it.

And that's what those scriptures we just quoted mean.

No doubt about it.

I am quite confident that we don't understand the fullness, I know we don't, of what it means to have the sword of the Spirit.

We do not.

But this much I know.

This incredible, matchless, incomprehensible, and incomparable book is the final weapon that God has given to us through the person of the Holy Spirit to live victoriously over any and every temptation.

Satan brings our way.

And I don't know about you, I may not understand it, but I want it.

Actually, I've got it.

Now I've got to learn how to use it.

Amen.

Well, that's good.

So that brings me to the second thing.

Look at the inspiration of the Bible.

Number one, it is infallible.

You've heard that if you're taking any kind of theological studies.

The Bible's without error in total.

Not parts in total.

A lot of people believe that Genesis 1, chapters 1 through 11 is just fiction.

Can I say something if Genesis 1, 1 is not real and written by God, John 3.16 is not real and not written by God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

All of it.

Hey, it is faultless, flawless, and without blemish.

Look at Psalms 19, 7.

The law of the Lord is what?

Say it out loud, church.

The law of the Lord is what?

Perfect.

Converting the soul.

Absolutely.

It pierces.

Remember, it's cutting.

It cuts to the soul, and we're going to see that in a little bit.

The testimony of the Lord is what?

Sure.

Sure.

The testimony of the Lord is sure.

Making, and then it goes on to say, making wise, the simple.

Alright?

Number two, it is inerrant.

Another theological word.

Inerrant means there are no errors in the parts, in any part of it.

Look at Proverbs 35 and 6.

Every word of God is pure.

It is a shield to those who put their trust in him.

Hallelujah.

Do not add to his words lest he rebuke you and ye be found a liar.

There it is.

Somebody says, well, the word's good, but there's others.

No, there's no other book more powerful, more inspiring, more authoritative than the word of God.

It's the only book that we know God wrote personally.

That's good enough for me.

Number three, it is complete.

Look at Revelation 22, verses 18 and 19.

Revelation 22:18

If any man shall add unto these things, this is pretty powerful, folks.

Watch what he says.

That's why these cult leaders, look out.

This is for the cult leaders right here.

If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life.

You can't add to the Bible or take away from it.

It is complete.

Number four.

It is authoritative.

Isaiah chapter 1, verse 2.

Isaiah 1:2

Listen to what it says.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth.

For the Lord has spoken.

Remember the commercial?

EF Hutton?

Well, I got news for you.

When God speaks, everybody better listen.

Everybody better listen.

Number five, it is sufficient.

2 Timothy 3.15 says, all scripture is sufficient to make you, listen, wise unto salvation.

It is also sufficient to make you mature.

Thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Verse 17.

It is what equips you to use the gifts that God's given you and the talents that God's given you to be productive to fulfill his word.

Hey, to fulfill his word and his purpose and his will through you.

Number six, it is effective.

When the Bible speaks, things happen.

The word of God changes things, it works transformation.

Isaiah 55, 11 says, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall never return unto me void.

Wow.

Why do you think I preach with with so much energy and so much enthusiasm?

Because I know what I'm saying, if it's coming from this book, it's gonna speak to your heart.

It's gonna, and we're gonna see in a minute.

When the Holy Spirit takes a sword, it cuts you.

And what I mean by that, it opens you up to right where you need to be opened up so the Holy Spirit can give you the Logos, the living word, so that you can cry out Ramah and activate it and use it and walk in it so that you can be all that God wants you to be.

Can I get an Amen?

Is that not good?

Number seven, it's divine.

We just read that in 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21.

This book was not written by men, but by the it says the Holy Spirit, here's what this is what one old-time uh Puritan author said.

It was written by the infallible, inerrant, complete, authoritative, sufficient, effective, and divine words of the Holy Spirit of God.

Isn't that good?

Whoa, that's good.

The infallible, inerrant, complete, authoritative, sufficient, effective, and divine.

Holy Spirit of God.

Then number eight, here's a good one.

It is determinative.

What does that mean, preacher?

What a person does with the Bible reveals the relationship he has with God.

Woo! Omi, ouch.

Listen to what Jesus himself said in John 8, 47.

Powerful.

Jesus says, He that is of God, read the rest of it.

Who is of God?

What?

Hears God's word.

Therefore, you do not hear because you are not of God.

Whew! I didn't say it.

It's what Jesus said.

Look at it.

There it is.

In other words, what you do with this precious book really shows your relationship with God Himself through the person of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit of God.

You with me?

Is that not good?

For some of us say, no, that's not good because I don't read it.

But I'm saved.

If I'm saved, Jesus said in John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my word.

I don't have to go to church.

I can go to church while I'm out on my boat fishing.

Well, I'm even used.

One guy I was stoned to recently, even used.

I have to admit he's pretty sharp with illustration.

He said, remember Jesus told Peter he was fishing?

Jesus showed up and had a service with Peter, and he caught the most fish he had ever caught.

I said, that's pretty good.

But boy, was that out of context.

But I have to admit it, it was one of the better answers I've had.

It was like the first time I got stopped.

Is there a policeman?

First time I ever got stopped.

Remember when the speed limit was 55?

Ridiculous.

Amen.

I meant the speed limit was 65 for I don't know how long.

Then man changed it.

First time I got stopped, and I was doing about 70 in a 55-mile speed limit.

I told the trooper, I said, sir, I know I'm wrong.

I may actually study him for the ministry.

I'm wrong.

But can I ask you something?

I said, you know, God ordained 65.

And man just messed it up and cut it back to 55.

And you know that's true.

He looked at me and he just, with this unbelievable look, and then started laughing.

He said, I have never, ever heard that excuse.

I'm gonna give you a warning.

Well, it worked! It worked.

My wife should have used that several times.

No, but anyway.

Actually, she's pretty good.

She's good too.

She's really good.

But anyway, so let's go to the third thing.

The resources of the Bible.

Did that help you a little bit?

Kind of get an amen.

Now, do you see what you have with the sword of the Spirit?

Is that not awesome?

Is that not awesome?

Now watch this.

It's going to get better.

Now look at the resources that you have.

And I'm just going to be able to give you a few, but these are the main ones I feel in my life.

One, it's the source of truth.

How many of you quit watching the news?

I have.

But I mean, we're living in a time right now, I don't, I can't believe anything I hear on the on the radio.

I can't believe it.

You just can't believe it.

And everybody tries to convince you that they are, they're the ones that's telling the truth.

And here's the fact the fact that both aren't telling the truth.

And most of them, just like Satan, are telling you half-truth.

Trying to sway you to their point of view.

But aren't you glad to know that we have, and and and and the humanists and the and the worldly and the the uh the liberals, they do not believe in absolute truth.

You know why they don't, let me help you.

I I after studying through this week and other stuff, I just know why they don't want absolute truth.

It reveals who they really are.

And they don't want you to know who they really are.

Because it's not a pretty picture.

So if there's no, if there's no way to judge who they are, there's no comparison, then whatever they do is okay.

That's exactly it.

You see that?

But see, we believe there's absolute truth.

The word of God is absolute truth.

Pilate, when he said this, what is truth?

People are saying that today.

What is truth?

He actually gave up on it.

Pilate gave up.

He couldn't.

I mean, it was so bad.

So what just remember it's pretty bad back then, too.

Now listen what Jesus said.

Sanctify them through thy word.

Thy word is what?

Truth.

It's truth.

The word is truth.

It's the truth about life and death, time and eternity, heaven and hell, right and wrong, men and women, old people, young people.

It's the truth about children, it's the truth about society, it's the truth about every relationship between God and man, between man and man, and between man and creation.

It is the truth about everything we need.

So why do you go to anything else?

Edmund and I was talking about it.

Edmund and Gwynn, great counselors.

But you know why they're great counselors?

Because they use the biblical truth.

You should not say, come on, church.

You should know the truth and what?

The truth shall what?

Set you free.

You can turn to drugs, you can turn to alcohol, you can turn to people, you can turn to all kinds of philosophy.

But until you turn to the word of God, you'll never be set free.

Why?

Because the only thing that can cut out that bad, hey, emotions, those bad feelings, those that bad, the wrong information about what you want and your will for your life, the only thing is, hey, hey, is the longas.

Or the graphe, the logos, and the remah as it cuts it out.

It's the only thing.

Number two, not only is it the source of truth, it's the source of happiness.

How many of you want to, how many of you really want a storybook ending?

Seven of us?

So y'all just want to go through life and be miserable and die miserable.

Let me ask that again.

How many of you, and I know what you already said.

Let me tell you a thought Satan's already put in your mind right now.

Right now.

I know it, because he did it to me when I thought this.

Preacher, that's not real life.

That's right.

Hello?

Huh?

Huh?

Huh?

Nobody can be happy all the time.

Really?

So the word's a lie.

See, that's that wrong thinking.

That's that stinking thinking.

And guess where that's coming from?

Is life full of the good, bad, and ugly?

Absolutely.

But can you live, hey, victoriously and be happy and content even in the bad?

Yes, you can.

Have I done it every time?

No.

But I've done it a lot of times through the bad.

And how was I able to do that?

Right here.

Are you ready?

Blessed, happy is the man who hears me.

Isn't that what he said?

Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my door.

Let me tell you, when a tragedy comes, a mishappening comes, and you're living at the doors of the Word of God, and you're walking in the Spirit, allowing the Logos, the living word to walk in you, and you're speaking it, you're living it.

The ram is taking control of you.

Even in the midst of the storm, you know, you know that you know that you know that you know that you know all things work together for good to them that love God.

To them who are called according to its promise.

You know.

Do you understand?

No.

Do you feel right?

Good?

No.

But you know.

You know.

Number three.

Well, by the way, Jesus said, Blessed and happy are they that hear the word of God and keep it.

So for you to say you can't be happy all the time is calling Jesus a liar.

Hello.

I I used that on Satan this week because I'm going to be honest with you, preachers.

There's been a lot of times I wasn't happy in a situation.

But you then the Holy Spirit came back to me immediately and said, I know you weren't happy and you were thinking about this.

Actually, you're thinking about quitting.

You're thinking about this and you're thinking about that.

But can I ask you one thing?

What did I do for you on Calvary?

What have I done?

And then He took me through some more examples.

Did I not take you through when your little boy died?

When your wife died in your own?

Did I not take you through this?

Did I not take you through that?

Now, what in the world are you crying and upset about?

And why are you feeling bad?

Why are you down in the dumps when you know?

You know! Woo! Yes! Then I look at Satan and I say, Satan bite the dust! No! You can't tempt me.

Well, you may tempt me, but I'm gonna do just what Jesus did in Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

I'm gonna draw my Rhema.

And I'm gonna slice and dice you.

You with me?

It's the source of growth.

Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You say, how do I do that?

How do I grow?

2 Peter 2.2, here it is.

As newborn babes, here it is.

Desire the sincere miracle of the word that you may grow thereby.

Folks, let me tell you something.

If you don't get in this book, it's your own fault.

I can't, if I could get in it for you, I would.

It's that good.

It's the only thing that has kept me doing what I'm supposed to do, when I ought to do it, and how to do it.

Because my flesh would like to go the opposite way a lot of times.

Not all the time, but a lot of times.

A few times.

The older I'm getting the less it.

You know why?

Because I've grown in the Logos.

The graph, the Logos, the Rhema.

You know why?

Because I realize I know what happens when I go the wrong way instead of God's way.

I know what happens when I don't listen to the Holy Spirit and the Rhema that's trying to cut that flesh of Danny Lovett out or Danny Lovett's will out and put God's in.

When I go that way, I mess up every time.

Not sometimes, every time.

Well, I'm going my way and I'm doing pretty good.

Oh, you think you are.

But let me tell you, when you hit that wall, you're going to hit it hard.

When you fall off that horse, it's going to hurt.

And you know what?

Here's what you're going to say.

What happened?

Well, I didn't see that coming.

Oh, yes, you did.

Yes, you did.

Because the Holy Spirit's already been cutting on you.

You start to do something getting wrong, though.

It's our source of power.

We've already looked at that.

Luke 4.32.

His word is with power.

Number five, it's our source of guidance.

That word is the lamp unto my feet and light into my path.

Listen to what he says in Proverbs 12:15.

Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

Hello.

But a wise man looks to sound advice.

I like number six, it's the source of comfort.

Romans 15 4, whatsoever things were written aforetime watch were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Acts 20, 32.

He says, and now, brethren, I commend you to the word of God, which is able to build you up.

7.

It's the source of perfection.

We read it a while ago, 2 Demon 3.17, the scriptures given that the man of God may be complete.

Mature.

The Bible has no errors.

It's always sufficient and complete.

It is authoritative, effective, determinative, and it can bring truth, happiness, growth, power, guidance, comfort, and perfection to your life, which leads to number eight, the source of victory.

Now any further.

Part two next week.

Now listen to me.

Because I'd have to run.

I'm not going to rush through the effects of this book.

Because we're going to go to two examples.

It's going to take some great exergetical work for you.

I want you to go read Matthew 4.

I want you to start with Matthew 3, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and God comes on the scene and says, This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased.

Then go read chapter 4, where Satan comes and tempts Jesus three times.

Unbelievable truth.

Unbelievable truth.

And we're going to swim through that next week.

And you're going to look how Jesus himself took Satan on.

And you know how he did it?

With the sword of the Spirit.

So let me close with what I wrote to me, and I'll use it next week.

Are you ready for this?

You know what I said?

I'm going to give you a little preview.

Satan doesn't like baseball.

What do you mean?

Satan doesn't like baseball.

Three strikes and you're out! See, some of you hadn't read that story.

Three of you did.

Three times Satan tempts Jesus.

And three times Satan swings and misses.

And verse 11 says he departed from Jesus.

Three strikes you're up! And each time he tempted Jesus.

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy chapter 8, then the next two times he quoted Deuteronomy chapter 6 and Deuteronomy chapter 10.

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention Deuteronomy 10 · chapter mention

He pulled the sword.

So I thought about this and I wrote it down.

You ready?

Jesus says it is written three times.

If Jesus is the living word, now watch.

If Jesus is the living word, needed to use the written word to deal with the enemy of the word, how much more you and I, who have written no word, need to use the written word.

The logos, the rhema.

Hello?

Is that good?

Page two.

Paul Harvey.

Good day.

The rest of the story.

The rest of the story next week.

You don't want to miss it.

Let's pray.