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TAKING UP THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT IN ENEMY-HELD TERRITORY!

A group of tourists visiting the city of Jerusalem came to a wire cage where a number of chickens were penned up by a sidewalk vendor. The guide who was taking them through the city said, “These are very unusual and distinctive chickens. They happen to be descendants of the rooster that crowed on the night when Peter denied the Lord.”

The tourist, some of the more gullible ones, were very impressed. One of them, an Englishman, peered at the chickens and said, “My word! What a remarkable pedigree!” An American immediately reached for his credit card and asked, “How much do they cost?” But a Scotsman looked at the vendor squarely and said, “ Yeah, but do they lay any eggs?”

You see, the Scotsman wasn’t interested in apostolic succession, he was more concerned with apostolic success. He was more interested in what the chickens could do for him right now. He was interested in today, not yesteryear.

If the vendor, a Jew for Jesus, had been selling Bibles instead of chickens he may have received the same sort of mixed response from the onlookers. One may have picked up the Bible, flipped through it, and judged that it was probably a great book. Another, believing that it was a great book may have purchased it, but only so as to have a memorial of his visit to Jerusalem. Yet, someone of a more practical bent, may have picked it up and asked the vendor, “Yeah, but what can it do for me today?”

Well the author of Hebrews, whether that be Paul or Priscilla, tells us:
“ For the word of God is living 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
Based on this verse the vendor may have replied to the one who had a rather practical bent that the Bible could cut him to the quick. It could strip away all pretense and pierce his conscience. It could expose his inner thoughts and cut right to the core of his soul. It could slice through every layer of falsehood and expose his inner secrets and attitudes. It could even carve into the dark habits of his heart!

Had the vendor taken this approach, the interested buyer probably would have walked away with his money still in his pocket! After all, who would buy a product that has the power to reveal that which we don’t want to see? Who would buy a product that has such a sharp cutting edge that it can slice us to the very core of our being?

No salesperson at Amazing Grace, or any other Christian bookstore sells a Bible by pointing out the fact that it can reveal our selfish nature to us. They don’t say, “If you will buy this book and read it, it will expose you as an arrogant self-centered self-absorbed nincompoop.” No salesperson would take that approach unless a young lady’s ex-boyfriend happened to walk in looking for a Bible. Then, she may take that approach and never regret for one minute that she lost the sale. But that is the only scenario I can think of where someone would try to sell a Bible by telling the would-be buyer that it could cut him to the quick.

The vendor would be better off financially by basing his approach on the what Paul says about the “word” in Ephesians 6:17. We read:
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As a well-equipped soldier in Iraq walks out of the barracks, or tent, he or she puts on a kevlar helmet and grabs whatever weapons have been issued to them by the supply officer. The same was true in Paul’s day, for the last piece of armor any soldier put on was their helmet while they picked up whatever weapons had been issued to them.
In this case, in Ephesians, the weapon that has been issued to us is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The Greek word Paul used for “sword”, the word machaira, is the word for the short sword rather than the word that was used for a long sword. This tells us that he must have had in mind hand-to-hand combat, personal and close encounters either with our fleshly nature, with our age-old adversary, or with some of Satan’s cronies.
You’re minding your own business, or maybe you’re not, and suddenly the following assaults are hammering away at your spirit.
– While shopping, a clerk gives you too much change.
– While at the gym the trainer appears to be flirting with you.
– At work, you have opportunity to enhance your position by . . .
– Inside knowledge gives you opportunity to increase your wealth by . . .
– Pleasure beckons you with its neon lights and its promise of gratification.
– Two young men, or a couple, come to your door peddling something other
than what the Bible says about Jesus.

OR

– Anger crouches outside our door urging us to do its bidding.
In all these cases, and a hundred more just like them, the better you and I know the Bible the better we can counter them. For the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is both the wisdom and power of God. As the psalmist, in Psalm 119:11, said:
“ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

However, the best place we see this weapon actually being used is when Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the desert. In Matthew 4:1 - 11 we read:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands, so that
you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Like two combat warriors from a sci-fi movie, two giants of the cosmos converged on a scene of desolation. One, just beginning his mission was in a weakened state. The other, on his home turf, had an air of confidence. Initially, and this is just a guess, they simply eyed each other as they slowly circled one another with a wary respect.

A British poet by the name of Gerard Manley Hopkins believes that this is something of a get-acquainted session between Jesus and Satan. In the dark about the Incarnation, Satan wasn’t sure what to make of Jesus. He wasn’t sure whether Jesus was simply an ordinary man, a theophany, or an angel with limited powers like himself. Hence, he challenged Jesus to perform miracles as a means to find out more about him.

But this is more than a get-acquainted session. This is a pivotal point in history. For what is at stake here is how the game is going to be played out. Is Jesus going to play out his mission to redeem you and I in keeping with what was already laid out in eternity past or would he opt for achieving his goals by taking a shortcut? You see, at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, Satan offered him the crown with the enticement that he could wear it without having to hang on a cross.

In challenging Jesus, who was weak from hunger, to turn stones into bread he was encouraging him to divorce himself from the Father’s will. He was encouraging him to meet a very legitimate need in an illegitimate manner. If Jesus yielded, he could declare himself the Food King which is just what the people wanted in a king.

In tempting Jesus to throw himself down, Satan offered Jesus the recognition he deserved and all he had to do was a simple stunt. Again, Satan encouraged Jesus to act outside of the Father’s will by calling his own shots knowing full well that they were risk free. In this way, he could have the applause of Israel. He could avoid the shame of the cross while gaining the fame he deserved as their Messiah.

In the third temptation, Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of the world. What had been promised to him as part of his inheritance could be his now without having to shed his blood for them. All he had to do was to step away from the Father and worship Satan.
This was a blunt proposal and we have to wonder what gave Satan the idea that it would work. Easy! He had learned a long time ago that the bigger the payoff the more willing people are to commit sin in order to obtain it. What someone won’t do for a dollar, they’ll do for a hundred dollars. Satan knew this and had seen it work again and again. So he offered Jesus what he really wanted, the kingdoms of the world, to get what he really wanted.

But, in each case, Jesus simply let God’s word do the talking for him. He didn’t argue with Satan. He didn’t debate him. And he didn’t attempt to reason with him. He simply unsheathed the sword of the Spirit and countered every thrust of his adversary.
It is to be noted that Jesus didn’t have to pile verse upon verse. Nor did he have to come at Satan through multiple books. He simply countered with an appropriate verse and that was enough for Satan to give up on that particular angle. Satan tried a second angle and then a third, each to no avail. He then turned and departed, deciding he’d have to work through others. He walked away to fight another day in another way.

It is also to be noted that after the victory, our Heavenly Father affirmed Jesus. The Father dispatched angels to attend to his immediate needs. They undoubtedly fed him, and in so doing encouraged him with the Father’s love.

When we are obedient in the midst of difficulty, when we respond appropriately to all the distractions & attractions of the world, and when we resist the prompting of Satan by correctly applying the word of God we can anticipate the same reward. We will receive God’s approval and loving affirmation that we acted like one of his children.

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