We'll take our Bibles and turn together to Isaiah chapter 11 for a scripture reading. Isaiah chapter 11. It's a passage which really speaks of the promised Christ who, at least in Isaiah's day, was still to come. Isaiah 11, and commencing at the first verse. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears, but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, And a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones, shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people. To it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west. They shall spoil them of the east together. They shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams. make men go over dry shod and there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. We'll end there at the end of the chapter and then returning to Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6 and it's the verse 17. In this section looking at the spiritual warfare that we're engaged in and then the armor, the equipment that's given to us. We come to Ephesians 6 verse 17. We're instructed Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Now we come today then to the last piece of equipment that's presented for us in this list, this last piece that we need to take so that we might be perfectly equipped for the day of battle. And what an important piece of equipment it is. It's well and good walking onto the battlefield with your helmet in place and your breastplate and your shield and all the rest, but you can't do a single thing unless you have your sword. And so before us we have the sword here. Take the girdle, take the breastplate, take the sandals, the shield, the helmet, but then if you're going to be any use on the battlefield You need your sword. Take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We're thinking then about this Christian's, the Christian's sword. Now the first thing to mention is the attitude that is implied by this sword. The attitude implied. The obvious thing you'll notice when you read through this list of equipment is that nearly everything is defensive. Your breastplate, it's wonderful for guarding your heart. your helmet is perfectly fitted to guard your head and those things do their job well but they are not designed to give any sort of blue to the enemy. Perhaps the closest you could come to an offensive item so far is the shield because you might be able to bash it forward into the enemy line but again here the emphasis really is on defence, defence against the fiery darts of the wicked one. So really as we come to this sword it's the first item in the list that truly is an offensive weapon. Primarily it's for the attack. Now yes, you can use your sword to defend yourself. You can parry a blow with your sword, but primarily the sword is not for defending yourself. The sword is for doing harm to your enemy. That's how you use the sword, the sword, especially this short sword that it's referring to that the word there is for the short Roman sword. And it's a sword that you would use not so much for slashing, but for thrusting in to the weak point of the enemy. doing damage. That's the main point of this sword. You're doing damage, you're cutting down the troops in front of you on the battlefield and you're advancing them, taking ground from the foe. Now the fact that we've got this sword given to us then, it emphasises to us all that in the Christian warfare, our attitude is not to be primarily and only defensive. Rather, we are actively to go on the attack as well. Now if you're going to go on the attack well then surely you do need to be protected. You don't want to just charge into the attack without any armour on. You need protection and so we have all these other items given to us to ensure that in the day of battle we're defended. When the darts of doubt fly we raise the shield of faith. When the devil would seek to influence our mind and bring us to despair we're defended with that helmet of salvation, the hope of salvation. When the hammer blow of guilt would strike and come against our chest to knock the heart out of us. Well, we're defended with the breastplate of righteousness, the righteousness that we have in Christ. But then with this sure defense, we have the sword, and it's put into your hands now, believer, and it implies that you are to march out into the battle to do damage to the enemy, to do damage. We're wrong to think of the Christian warfare as purely defensive. As if we're just skillfully blocking every attack while holding our ground. We're not meant to be merely holding our ground. We're meant to be on the forward march here. We're meant to be driving the enemy back. We're meant to be doing damage to their front lines. You might remember this whole section. It detailed the armour starting with the command to be strong in the Lord. That was verse 10. To be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and then we're told to put on the armor, or to wear this armor, so that we can stand, verse 11, against the wiles of the devil. And then verse 12 uses this imagery of the wrestling match. We're wrestling, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. We're engaged in this wrestling match. That's the imagery. You could perhaps think of a life or death conflict, a fight in the gladiatorial arena. And it's up close and personal. It's you against the enemy combatant, and it's a fight to the death and it's a fight in which the winner is the one that's left standing at the end and the loser is down in the dust. What's implied then when Paul tells us that we're to take this armour to ourselves so that at the end of the day we're the ones standing? What's implied is not just that we're still on our feet. What's also implied is that the enemy is brought down under us, that the wrestling Match continues, you see, the gladiatorial fight continues until one of the two opponents is on the ground. And here's the battle. It's us against the principalities and powers and rulers of darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness. And the question is, which one is going to be on the ground at the end of the day? This section then is not just about us standing on our feet. It's also about the church, the people of Christ in the power of God. bringing the forces of darkness to their knees. In fact, I would say that that is the outcome predicted by the apostle Paul under inspiration whenever he wrote to believers in Rome. And in Romans 16 and verse 20, right near the end of that letter, the apostle spoke to the church and said, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. God, he says, will bruise Satan under your feet shortly. And do notice there that God is not just bruising Satan while his people stand to the side and look on. Paul says God is going to do this, but he's going to bruise Satan under your feet. He talks to the believers there and says, Satan's going to be brought down and crushed under your feet. God's using his people to this end. Here in Ephesians, the Lord puts a sword in her hand and we're to go on the attack then. We're to do damage to our enemy. Now in order to frame our thinking right then, let me suggest right away two key areas in which we are going on the attack. First of all, we're going on the attack against Satan and his forces with regard to their grip on this world. That is, we're going forth into this world Where Satan holds many captive in darkness and using the sword we're to take ground in the name of Jesus Christ. We're to go forth with our sword destroying the devil's strongholds in this world. That's one key area where we need to be on the offensive at all times. Going forth into the world for Christ. The other key area I would say is that there ever needs to be a going forward and offensive campaign and attack mindset against Satan's influences in our own hearts. It's true that for the child of God we've been delivered from the bondage of the devil and yet we have to recognize that he still has influence over various areas in our lives. You could think of it perhaps your heart a bit like the land of Israel just after Joshua and the forces of Israel have really struck the decisive blows as they've come into the land and cast aside the the strength of the enemies, and the land all of a sudden is Israel's. And yet, there were still little pockets here and there that had to be taken, and that God was telling the people to go and to take. Our hearts are like that. The devil's grip has been broken. Our heart is the Lord's. Our life is the Lord's. But there are still these pockets of influence that need to be conquered, and we need to go forth against those areas in our own lives with the sword. conquering more and more in the arena of our heart. So you have these two areas of battle, the external and the internal, the battle for Christ in the sphere of this world as a whole, and the battle for Christ in the arena of our hearts. But in both of these areas, it's not just about being defensive. The Christian life is not just about not growing in sin. The Christian life is about taking ground so as sin is decreasing in our lives. The Christian witness is not just about holding on to the fort as a little pocket in the middle of this world. It's about actively striving to go forward and take ground for the Savior. We're to be on the forward march. The cry goes up, attack. And that is implied for us in the fact that there is a sword here given to us to use. But then the question is, how do we attack? What is this instrument? What is this sword that we're using? So we have the identity of the sword then. We're called here to take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Or to say it in a different way, just to emphasize the sense of it all, you could say, take the spirit's sword. which is God's Word. Take the Spirit's sword. And what is it? What is the Spirit's sword? It is the Word of God. Now there's our sword, the Word of God. But what do we mean by that? Now the answer might seem obvious, but it is worth just making a few quick observations. Normally when you read about the Word of God in Scripture, The Greek word is Logos. I'm sure many of you are familiar, you've come across that word before. Logos, the word, the Logos of God. Now obviously that term is used at times as a title for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the eternal Logos. Now the reason it's used that way of Christ, I suppose, is that in the day of the New Testament being inspired, that term came with quite a bit of baggage. Greek philosophers before that time had been seeking to deal with the questions of reality around them. They'd been concerned with the search for ultimate truth. They were seeking for that which really brought everything else into order, a first principle if you like. And the term that the Greek philosophers came up with to sort of describe all of this was the Logos. They meant sort of an impersonal force governing the world when they said that. But then John takes up his gospel and he introduces it, declaring, you know, in the beginning was the Logos. And he's taking that term and he's saying, here is the eternal one. Here is the governing principle. Here is the one who brings order to all things. Here is the source of all truth. And he's not an impersonal force like the Greeks might have imagined. He is the personal God who becomes incarnate. who becomes a man and manifests the glory of God. So John uses it that way, Logos, as a title for Christ. And because of that baggage that went with the title. Of course, the word Logos itself literally means a word as well. So the phrase, the Logos of God, the word of God, it's also rightly used of scripture. The word that God has given to us, the literal words that God has put into our hand, the great revelation of God to us. Usually when you read about the Word of God in Scripture, it's this second sense that's in view. Although, especially when John is writing, he quite often will mean Christ as a person. But usually in Scripture, it's the Bible that's in view when you read about the Word of God. The Word on the page. It is always worth remembering that the Word on the page does set forth the Word who was made flesh. Christ is right at the heart of Scripture's message. But often, primarily, it's this book that's in view when you read about the Word of God. And certainly when you come to it here, taking the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, that's what's in view. Scripture is in view here. That's our sword, Scripture. This is the weapon that God has placed into our hand. But one thing that's probably worth pointing out is that the word that's translated word here is not actually logos. It's a slightly different word. It's the word rhema. Now, it's still speaking of scripture. Don't get that confused. It's still talking about scripture, the word of God. But there's a little bit of difference in the emphasis when it uses the word rhema rather than logos. See, the Greek word rhema very much emphasizes the idea of the spoken word. So it's emphasizing to us that the sword in our hand is the very declaration of God. We're talking about Scripture here, but in that sense we are talking about what you could call the Logos, the Word of God. But the emphasis is on the fact that this is actually proceeding forth from the mouth of God. This is declared from God. The emphasis is on the fact that God is actually speaking. The emphasis is on this idea of God's voice being heard. As we take the sword and as we use it, as we bring Scripture to bear on this world or our heart, whatever arena we're fighting in, The idea is that God's voice is being sounded out. Now that idea ties in very much with some of the language in Isaiah. What we read from Isaiah 11 a few moments ago, and you might remember, we said before when we started to deal with this armor that's given to us that the Paul does borrow from the imagery in Isaiah quite a bit concerning Christ himself. In Isaiah 11 and verse 4, it speaks about Christ with righteousness judging and so on. It talks about, in verse 5, righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. So there you've got, I suppose that's where most commentators would say Paul gets the idea of the girdle of truth. Faithfulness being the girdle, truth being the girdle. But there in connection with that verse you also have at the end of verse 4 this description of Christ coming forth. He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And wicked there in Isaiah 11, wicked there is singular. So again, you would be entitled to say the wicked one. With the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked one. You have this picture of Christ coming forth, smiting the earth, slaying the wicked one, and doing so by the rod that comes out of his mouth, doing so by the breath of his lips. Doing so, it's a picture of the spoken word, the word going forth. That's why you have this rod pictured in Christ's mouth. I suppose it's something similar that you have at the end of the Bible in Revelation 19, where John sees the heavens opened and Christ coming forth upon the White House, and it says that out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword. That with it he should smite the nations and he should rule them with a rod of iron. It's not that literally when Christ appears you're going to see a sword in the mouth. At least that's the way I would understand it. It's not going to be that. The point is it's describing the fact that Christ comes forth with power in his word. That's the picture. All of this, it ties in with what Christ says of himself in Isaiah 49. Listen a while's unto me and hearken ye people from far. The Lord hath called me from the womb. From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. Verse 2. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword. The point is here that Christ, we could say God, is coming forth speaking through the word. Even this word that we've got before us in the book. God is speaking. He's not silent. And that's why this word has power. It has power because it's not merely the word of man, but it is the word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Lord says of his word in Isaiah 55 in verse 11, so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return on to me void. It shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent it. the word that proceeds from God's mouth, it's effective. It is because this word is God's and proceeds from Him that it is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It's because God is speaking. You know, there are many things that you will say or that I will say and they end up like damp fireworks. We're expecting it to create a bit of a stir. We've lit the fuse, as it were, but then it all comes to nothing. There's no result at all. We were expecting the bang, but just nothing happens. That's the case so often with our words. It doesn't have the impact that we would like it to have. People don't care so much about our words. But God's word, well, that's different. When God speaks, His voice will be heard. His voice will cause a reaction. What we need is the Word of God. This is the sword that must be used as we wage war. It must be used as you wage war on your own sin. No mere pep talk is going to help you there. No mere pep talk is going to deal with the devil's attacks in your own heart. No pep talk is going to help you turn your heart away from some of those fortresses of sin that are having to be torn down still. You need the word of God, the sword, to go in and to break through the fortress and to bring it down to nothing. You need the word of God to work powerfully in your heart. And likewise, as we go forth into this world, our words aren't going to have much impact, but let the word of God loose, that which proceeds from his mouth, and it will be effective. It always accomplishes God's purpose. It has a reaction. Now, it's not always the reaction we would like to see, But God's Word always gets a reaction. I suppose you have the two reactions to the Word of God, even from Pentecost and following. In Acts 2, 37, Peter was preaching in the power of the Spirit, and the Word of God, that Word proceeding from the mouth of God, went forth. And the people were pricked in their hearts, and they responded aright. They sought how they could be saved. What must we do? They were saying, what are we to do? They were seeking how to get right with God. Such was the way in which the word came to them with force. But then you have the other reaction in Acts 5 and 33. The Sanhedrin heard the Lord's word and it says that they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them. That is, they took counsel to slay the Lord's people. They didn't respond well. They responded with anger. They sought to do harm to God's people, but Notice that they were cut to the heart. Man didn't do that. God's word did that. God's speaking voice could not be ignored. But what a weapon this is then that is put into our hand and therefore let's make use of it. Let's make use of it. Don't be ashamed to use the word of God. The world around would tell you that you're a fool who's living in the past as soon as you put your trust in the word and bring it to bear on others. Surely science has disproved a book like this by now, the world would say. You can't be believing that anymore. You're a fool. I tell you, God's word needs no defense. Don't be worrying even about all the side arguments. You don't need to try and prove that God's word is true. I know there's some who do apologetics and there's nothing wrong with that. But in terms of us going forth, The real need is not to prove that God's word is true. Set it forth, boldly proclaim it, and the voice of God there will be heard. As the sharpness of the blade is felt, whether an individual admits it or not, their experience will make them know there is power in this book. Why is it that it always gets such a reaction? Why is it that it divides people so drastically? Some who rejoice at the sound of the word and they hear it and they respond alright. And then others who respond with bitterness and hatred. Aggression even. It's because there's power here. They've felt the slice of the blade. And for some they haven't liked it and they've responded with anger. But they've felt the slice of the blade. You don't need to prove it's true. Use it, and that will be the proof. And likewise, let the word of God loose on your own heart, on your own soul. Let God speak. Let his voice go forth into the depths of your soul, because that's where there's power to overcome the wicked one, as he would seek to influence your heart for evil. Our sword is the word of God. But then, let's go on from that to think about the description of this sword. The description, you'll notice as you look back in Ephesians that this sword is specifically called the sword of the spirit. This is not just any sword, this is the spirit's sword. Now there are two key things we could stress in terms of how this is the spirit's sword. First of all, we can say it's the sword that is forged by the Spirit. That is, that the Spirit of God is the swordsmith who has created it. That the Spirit is the master who has brought it forth in all of its perfection. 2 Timothy 3.16 tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. It's profitable for all these things. And it's profitable because it's given by inspiration of God. 2 Peter 1 verses 20 and 21 explain a little more how that comes about, how this is inspired. It speaks of how scripture came forth, not by the will of man, but rather holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Spirit brought about this book. The Bible is Spirit-breathed. Now there are human authors and you can see their personality and their writing style in the different books because they weren't like robots in a trance. But even for that, the Spirit was overruling everything and moving these men so that what we have is precisely fashioned as the Spirit of God intends it to be. You know, this book doesn't just contain God's Word. This book as a whole is the completion. This is God's Word. This is God's Word to us in its fullness. This is God's Word set before us, not just in some haphazard way, but precisely fashioned together just as the Spirit of God intends it to be. It's the perfect sword then, you could say. It's said that one of the greatest swordsmiths in Japan was Master Masamune Okazaki. and he practiced his craft somewhere around the 13th or 14th century. And still today, many of his swords were recognized as just the best you could get. So much so that, as far as the internet tells me, there's still an award given in recognition of good swordsmanship in his name. But the legends, and I'm sure they're probably nothing much more than legend, but the legends have it that his swords could easily cut a blade of grass blown in the wind or a leaf that was flowing down the river. And such was the smoothness of the cut that the leaf would be sliced by the sword and then it would really go past without really losing its original shape. Other stories tell that when the samurai would sway one of these swords at nightfall, the sword would shine like a loon star in the moonless night sky. He was renowned for these beautiful and sharp and masterful creations. Now I imagine some of that is just legend. rooted in some sort of history there. But be sure of it, God has given you a sword in scripture that is much more beautiful, that is much more precise, and that is much more effective. He has given you a sword, you could say, with better balance, a sword with a sharper edge, a sword of infinitely greater beauty. And it's all because it's forged by the Spirit of God himself. He's forged the perfect sword. That's why we're not to add to it or take away from it. You know, if you cut a chapter or even say you cut a book out of your Bible, I mean, what you have left, I suppose you could say it is still the Word of God because what you have there is still God's Word before you. You can still read from Isaiah, perhaps, if that wasn't the book that you cut out. But all of a sudden, you're not going to have it perfectly balanced. You're going to lose out on so much that God has for you. You're going to do lots of harm to yourself. The Spirit has perfectly fashioned this book as he intends it to be. He has brought it forth. By the way, maybe to say in passing, the Roman Catholic would tell you that the Church decided on what was Scripture. That the Church essentially created Scripture. But you need to be clear that it was the Spirit of God who decided what was Scripture. the Spirit of God produced Scripture. And the church, all the church did was to simply recognize that the beauty, the might, the power that the Spirit had already brought into existence. You know in the New Testament times and afterwards maybe it took the church quite a while to settle on which books, which letters and so on belonged in the New Testament canon. And that's because over time they were looking at these things, and they also had a big influx of other writings, and they were looking at those things too. But there was a clear difference. It wasn't just that they decided one day, right, we'll have that as scripture, we like the sound of that one, and we don't like the sound of that, we'll take this one. No, no, no. They saw the beauty in that which was of the Spirit. They saw the power in that which was of the Spirit, and therefore they accepted it as rightfully belonging in the canon. It was clear that it belonged in scripture because of the qualities that the Spirit of God had already put into it. They rejected the rest because, well, they didn't see those qualities. There wasn't the same beauty. There wasn't the same power. It was clear that they didn't belong. The Spirit brought forth the Word. He's the master swordsmith, and he's brought it forth perfectly. But then as well as that, if we think of this as the sword of the Spirit, we could also say it's the sword which is used by the Spirit. It's used by the Spirit. See, not only does the Spirit forge the sword for us, but once it's put into our hand, once it's given to us to be used in the battle, in an ultimate sense, it is the Spirit of God who actually uses this sword. I mean, think of the day of Pentecost. There wasn't a big impact that day because Peter was standing up preaching God's Word in and of itself, although to preach God's Word, there's power there, yes. But the real power that day came from the fact that Peter was preaching the Word of God filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of God had come upon the church and that's where the power was. The Spirit of God, not just Peter, the Spirit of God was using the Word. He was wielding the sword, even as Peter preached. Spirit of God uses this sword. And how good that is because no one really knows the sword quite like the one who fashioned it. And how good it is that the one who brought forth this sword, who perfectly created it, also still goes forth with the Church of Christ today and uses it. You know, whenever I or any other minister stands in the pulpit and preach the Word of God, we declare the truth of God's Word, we We certainly try to do it in a way that's understandable, a way that's relevant, a way that's perhaps challenging. But at all times, the reason any of that has effectiveness is because of the ministry of the Spirit. It's because unseen to us, it's not the preacher skillfully wielding the word. No, it's the Spirit of God. It's his hand upon the sword, using it to strike hearts. How many times it's been the experience of individuals I don't know, maybe this has happened to you before, but it's happened to many. They come into a meeting and they're absolutely convinced when they hear the preaching that the minister knows something about them. That they're absolutely convinced that some friend told the minister some information and that really he's just aiming his sermon specifically at them. He must have been told something that cropped up this week in my life. He must have been told about that particular sin that's in my life or the particular trouble I'm facing or whatever. By and large, the minister knows nothing about it. But the word comes forth with relevance. It comes forth precisely to slice open at the right point. The minister knows nothing about it. That's the spirit of God. That's the spirit of God taking the word and he himself using it mightily. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2 and 4, my speech and my preaching, was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. As Paul preached, he didn't need to use the gimmicks. He didn't need to use the fancy oratory skills of Cicero or any of the other speech writers of the day. He didn't need to rely on man's wisdom. He went forth and he preached the gospel and the spirit used it. The Spirit of God wielded the sword, applied it to hearts, and with power brought forth great results. The Spirit of God demonstrated His power through the Word. Now again, here's such an encouragement for you to take the Word, this sword, and to go on the attack against the wicked one, against the devil. Take the Word, believer, and let the Spirit of God apply it to your heart. He will make sure if you Bring your own heart into submission to God's word. The spirit will make sure that his sword hits its mark. Satan will be driven back. Likewise, take the word as you go out. As you go forth, a soldier of the cross, take the word, take the sword. And the spirit of God will use it. As you do battle against spiritual wickedness in high places. There is power in this word. Take confidence there. But then, all the more trust the Spirit of God to use this powerful word in the wise and appropriate way. You know, it came to mind when I was thinking through this phrase, the sword of the Spirit, that really one of the primary ways in which the Spirit of God interacts with this ungodly world, at least in a way that's recognizable, is as the church goes forth. with the sword in hand. Now I know that the Spirit of God at times, at times can work outside the church, the gathering of his people. I know at times the Spirit of God can set us to the side and he works dramatically without us. But normally, normally it's the case that the way in which the Spirit of God shows forth his power in this world, taking ground from the devil, is as his church carries the sword out. He goes forth with his people That's how he interacts with the world. How we need to take the sword then and go forth. It is as the church goes forth sword in hand that the spirit of God mightily uses it to deal wounds to the forces of darkness and to see strongholds broken down and to grant liberty through faith onto captives. And that is what we should expect going forth with the sword because there's power there. Christ told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. to every creature. He essentially said, soldiers, get your swords and go forth. Preach the gospel to every creature. And the expectation is that there's going to be a great response to the word as it's used in the hand of God through his church. Take the sword. Don't be ashamed to take it. Use the sword. Then thirdly, let me mention the singularity of this sword. I'm really closing here by having you notice once again that in this list of equipment that we have given to us the only item of attack is the sword. The only thing we have with which to do damage to the wicked one is the sword. Now let me stress for our encouragement that this sword is the only weapon which we need. As we go on the attack, it will be more than sufficient. You don't need all the vain philosophies of man. You don't need that. Take the word, take the sword, and that's enough. It's more than sufficient. But do note that it is the only weapon that we have. If we set the sword aside, if we change our tactics altogether as a church, or even as an individual waging war on sin and temptation in your life, You change your tactics and set the sword aside. Suddenly we are powerless to take ground from the devil. You know how tragic it is today in light of that, that so many churches today have put the sword in their sheath and they're trying to take up other items altogether and they're trying to use other things as a means of going forward. The cry tends to be that there's no toleration for preaching anymore. So we have to readjust the way we do our services. We need to maybe increase the time spent in singing. We need to have maybe a drama brought in. Maybe something else altogether. Maybe give away some prizes to get people through the doors. All sorts of novelties are introduced and the preaching is just, and the word is just put away into the corner. So many places have set aside the word. And in doing so, they set aside their only weapon. They set aside their only hope to take ground from the devil. It ends in failure. God has given us one primary weapon and it is that weapon that needs to be used in your own life. Let the word of God loose on your own heart. And it is this weapon and this weapon only which must be used as we go forth into this world. We set it aside at our peril. We're fools if we ever put our sword in its sheath and fail to declare forth the Word of God. We need our sword. The devil is not scared in the slightest of the feather dusters that are being used by so many. He's happy enough when he sees that. The Church of Christ marching out with their novelties. Not able to do a thing. No power at all. No. He's not afraid of that. He'll let them wander behind enemy lines. They can't do any harm. He's happy with that tactic. But he's fearful when he sees the people of Christ going forth with sword unsheathed, thrusting forth. You see, he knows there's power there. He knows that the sword is effective. He knows that he can't resist it. He knows he's going to lose ground. And I certainly believe that as the church goes forth with the sword, the devil will lose ground. In fact, even that passage we were reading in Isaiah 11 talked of Christ coming forth And it then speaks of such great prosperity in the earth, spiritual prosperity. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea in verse 9. Now some maybe put that off to eternity. I know we have different views on end times and all of that, but I believe that's what we're looking for. See, this is all happening as the next verse says, and in that day, as Christ stands as an end sign for the Gentiles, a sign for the Gentiles to flock to, I do believe Christ has given us that commission. Go into the world, preach the gospel, and it's going to bear fruit. The devil is going to have groin taken from him. He's going to be overcome. Take the sword. Take the sword as you go forth. In evangelism, take the sword in your own personal life. As you come into contact with the wicked one, as you stand in the heat of battle, unsheath the sword. You don't have any other weapon to rely on. Everything else is foolish, but take the sword. That's what your savior did. You have him in the wilderness there, the time of temptation. The devil comes against him. The fight is on, but it's the devil who's forced to flee. He has to leave. And why does he flee? Well he flees because Christ's response on every occasion was to wield the sword. It is written. It is written. It is written. Therefore seek to know the scriptures. Spend time on the training ground like any soldier would do with his sword. Get to grips with it. Get used to wielding it. And then in the conflict, take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. May the Lord bless his word to us tonight and use it. Amen.