September 14th, 2022
Have you ever taken time to think about your most powerful weapon? The Bible tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not natural and the only fight we’re ever told to fight is the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). However, the good fight of faith is a fight and the only way we’ll win it is if we know what we’re taking to battle! Our most powerful weapon, and the greatest force in the world, is the Word of God and I have some thoughts to share with you this morning about it.
First of all, we have to understand that the Word of God is absolutely eternal. There is power in every word that is spoken. Proverbs tells us that the power of life and death is in our mouths. How much more powerful then are the words that God speaks!
Luke 21:33 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
1 Peter 1:25 says, “The word of the Lord remains forever, and this word is the good news that was preached to you.”
Everything that God has spoken throughout eternity will be still standing and still be true forever. This is why Jesus couldn’t be destroyed! John 1:1-4 says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus is the living, breathing word of God and darkness has not and will not ever overcome Him!
The Word of God is compared to many things in Scripture and each one tells us something about its power in our lives and is embodied in Jesus! Let’s look at a few of them:
First, the Word of God is like bread. Deut. 8:3 says,
“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Our spiritual food is the Word of God. It’s not prayer, worship, service, or ministry. All of those things are essential in the life of the believer but the only thing that actually sustains and nourishes us is His Word. Jesus Himself is the living, breathing Word and our bread! In John 6:35, He controversially said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst… As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
When He said this, the religious people were offended and many of His own disciples walked away from Him because they didn’t understand that He was talking about spiritual nourishment and actually was agreeing with and fulfilling the Scripture in Deuteronomy!
The Word of God is also compared to a fire. Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Jeremiah 20:9 says, “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Fire is powerful and purifying and Jesus came to baptize us in spiritual fire! In John 3:16, John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
In Luke 12:49 Jesus said, “I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled!”
The interesting thing about fire is that it destroys some things and enhances others. Think about it! Wood is destroyed, but gold is purified by the very same flame. It’s the same when the fire of God comes into our lives, by the power of His Word and Spirit. We are purified and what is not of God is consumed!
The third thing the Word of God is compared to that I want to talk about is a sword. In Ephesians, Paul tells us all the pieces of armor that a believer should be wearing. The only offensive, rather than defensive, piece of armor that he lists is the “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph 6:17). The only thing we have to fight with in the spirit is God’s Word! Hebrews 4:12-13 confirms this, saying,
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Jesus, the living word, said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
This is such an interesting scripture because we know that Jesus is our peace. However, what this means is that He didn’t come to bring unity at the cost of truth. The Word of God is the truth and truth, like a sword, will always divide—right from wrong, truth from lies, and darkness from light. This is the power of God’s word and it’s embodied in Christ!
The last thing I want to talk about is that the word of God is compared to light. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Light illuminates and exposes and in light are life, warmth, and hope. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, is the light of the World and He lives in us! As we already read in John 1:3, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In Revelation 1, we read of John encountering the risen Christ on the isle of Patmos and He says that the face of Jesus is like the sun, shining in full strength. The word of God is the brightest thing there is and it brings life to the darkest of situations!
This week, as you fight the good fight of faith, know that it’s not an emotional or exhausting battle. It’s a battle that’s won in His Word. We know that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17)! As a believer, the only weapon that we have to fight with is His Word, and His word cannot fail! It is your bread—your very life. It is the sword of truth and the fire in our hearts. It is light and hope! The Holy Spirit breathed every word of Scripture into existence and as you consume it, it will bring strength, hope, clarify and victory, because most of all, the Word of God is the person of Jesus Christ! He has never failed, and He never will. Be encouraged this week that no matter what it is you’re facing, the answer is in Him! “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
First of all, we have to understand that the Word of God is absolutely eternal. There is power in every word that is spoken. Proverbs tells us that the power of life and death is in our mouths. How much more powerful then are the words that God speaks!
Luke 21:33 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
1 Peter 1:25 says, “The word of the Lord remains forever, and this word is the good news that was preached to you.”
Everything that God has spoken throughout eternity will be still standing and still be true forever. This is why Jesus couldn’t be destroyed! John 1:1-4 says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus is the living, breathing word of God and darkness has not and will not ever overcome Him!
The Word of God is compared to many things in Scripture and each one tells us something about its power in our lives and is embodied in Jesus! Let’s look at a few of them:
First, the Word of God is like bread. Deut. 8:3 says,
“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Our spiritual food is the Word of God. It’s not prayer, worship, service, or ministry. All of those things are essential in the life of the believer but the only thing that actually sustains and nourishes us is His Word. Jesus Himself is the living, breathing Word and our bread! In John 6:35, He controversially said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst… As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
When He said this, the religious people were offended and many of His own disciples walked away from Him because they didn’t understand that He was talking about spiritual nourishment and actually was agreeing with and fulfilling the Scripture in Deuteronomy!
The Word of God is also compared to a fire. Jeremiah 23:29, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Jeremiah 20:9 says, “If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Fire is powerful and purifying and Jesus came to baptize us in spiritual fire! In John 3:16, John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
In Luke 12:49 Jesus said, “I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled!”
The interesting thing about fire is that it destroys some things and enhances others. Think about it! Wood is destroyed, but gold is purified by the very same flame. It’s the same when the fire of God comes into our lives, by the power of His Word and Spirit. We are purified and what is not of God is consumed!
The third thing the Word of God is compared to that I want to talk about is a sword. In Ephesians, Paul tells us all the pieces of armor that a believer should be wearing. The only offensive, rather than defensive, piece of armor that he lists is the “sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph 6:17). The only thing we have to fight with in the spirit is God’s Word! Hebrews 4:12-13 confirms this, saying,
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Jesus, the living word, said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
This is such an interesting scripture because we know that Jesus is our peace. However, what this means is that He didn’t come to bring unity at the cost of truth. The Word of God is the truth and truth, like a sword, will always divide—right from wrong, truth from lies, and darkness from light. This is the power of God’s word and it’s embodied in Christ!
The last thing I want to talk about is that the word of God is compared to light. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Light illuminates and exposes and in light are life, warmth, and hope. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, is the light of the World and He lives in us! As we already read in John 1:3, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In Revelation 1, we read of John encountering the risen Christ on the isle of Patmos and He says that the face of Jesus is like the sun, shining in full strength. The word of God is the brightest thing there is and it brings life to the darkest of situations!
This week, as you fight the good fight of faith, know that it’s not an emotional or exhausting battle. It’s a battle that’s won in His Word. We know that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17)! As a believer, the only weapon that we have to fight with is His Word, and His word cannot fail! It is your bread—your very life. It is the sword of truth and the fire in our hearts. It is light and hope! The Holy Spirit breathed every word of Scripture into existence and as you consume it, it will bring strength, hope, clarify and victory, because most of all, the Word of God is the person of Jesus Christ! He has never failed, and He never will. Be encouraged this week that no matter what it is you’re facing, the answer is in Him! “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
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