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Theme: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD
The word of God is so powerful that it judges both the speaker and the listener. It is a two-edged sword and “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) It uproots, lies, hypocrisy, wickedness and exposes wickedness among worshippers of God and non-believers and makes bare the deceit of false prophets. It is from the word of God faith is built. (Romans 10:17) And this is seen by practice of righteousness. And Christians are required to confess what they believe, that is, preach the word to others. (Romans 10:10; Revelation 22:17)Those who follow the word of God until the end will get life as Jesus Christ himself stated: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”- John 8:31,32; See also John 6:63.
Text: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness”. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. – Ephesians 6:14, 17
Comment: Apostle Paul encouraged the church in Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and to put on the whole armour of God. (Ephesians 6:10,11) In verses 14-18, he listed the complete elements of God’s armour. It is important to put on the whole armour to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. However, in today’s text, we wish to emphasize the place of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Of the elements listed, only the “sword” is used as a weapon of offense (attack) and defense (resisting attack). While this does not underestimate the other Christian armour, it underscores the importance of the word of God. A soldier preparing for battle must know how to handle the sword if he must use one. This skill is derived from regular practice. As soldiers of Christ, we are expected to do the same. Accurate knowledge of the word of God is an important tool in managing and resisting temptations. The lack of it could lead to destruction at the instance of the devil. – Hosea 4:6; Proverbs 19:2.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, demonstrated the importance of being armed with the sword of the spirit during his temptation in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:1-11) We pray God Almighty to help us do the same by His grace