Introduction

Last Sunday we talked about the final piece of the Christian armour which is the sword of the Spirit. Paul in Ephesians 6 declares that the  sword of the Spirit is the Bible. As believers you and I possess a powerful weapon. It is a superior weapon.  It is the only offensive weapon in the Christian armour and by the way this is the only offensive weapon that we need. But to effectively use the Bible we must lay hold its true nature. And the writer of Hebrews understood the nature of the Word of God. He was writing to a people who were in danger of walking away from the faith, so he pointed out the power of the Word of God to bring them to where they ought to be.

This morning, I invite you to come consider with me the powerful weapon that the Spirit has supplied to us. Let us open ourselves up to the truths of our texts.

1. Supernatural

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

Notice it is said "the word of God", not the word of man. The Bible is the Word of God. 

The Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some of the occupations of the Bible writers were: prophets, kings, statesmen, shepherd, herdsmen, pastors, soldiers, ex-Pharisees, fishermen, lawyers, doctor, and tentmakers. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with amazing agreement and perfect harmony.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17:  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21: For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We have a spiritual sword given to us by the Holy Spirit and it is an awesome weapon. Our sword is not made by human hands but a weapon of divine origin. It is a weapon provided for us by the Spirit of God to give us a powerful and effective instrument to use against our enemy. But to effectively use the sword of the Spirit, we must regard the Bible as the very word of God.

2. Relevant

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God 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. 

For the Word of God IS, not "was" but "is". This means the Bible is current. It is up-to-date. We have a book that is more up-to-date than today's newspaper.

The Bible will never become obsolete.

Psalm 119:89  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

1 Timothy 5:18  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Paul said, "For the Scripture saith" then quoted Deuteronomy 25:4, which was written 1450 BC.

Deuteronomy 25:4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

He was speaking of something that was written 1500 years ago as if it was just spoken yesterday. Why?  Because it still applicable in the present time. As long as the earth exists it will continue to be used to comfort, to encourage, to guide, to warn, to challenge, to convict, etc.

3. Alive

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

The word "quick" means alive. The Bible is alive. It is a living Book. The word of God is not a dead letter, it is a lively oracle.

Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

Martin Luther rightly declared "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me."

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The Bible is a living book because in its pages, people encounter the living God. God is all around us, speaking to us, reaching out to us—but it is primarily in the Word of God that we find His clearest message, in which we find Him.

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

4. Powerful

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

The Bible is a powerful Book. It is amazingly powerful. Just as the blood of Jesus Christ, it will never lose its power.

"The Bible- banned, burned, beloved.  More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it; dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it is more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints."
 — Chuck Colson

C. S. Lewis, was an Oxford professor and accomplished writer. He was an atheist, who wanted to disprove Christianity. He did so by going to the Bible and trying to prove it faulty. Instead of finding the errors that would discredit the Christian faith, he found the living God, and became an able defender of the faith.

Lee Strobel was for many years as a hard-nosed journalist and atheist. As Strobel set out to confirm justification for his atheism, he unexpectedly, found that the evidence he encountered led him instead to the Christian faith. He is now a pastor, producer, and author of several very successful books.

Josh McDowell set out to disprove the Christian faith as a college student only to arrive, after many months of study, at the conclusion that Jesus Christ must have been who he claimed to be.  

What happened to this men? How were they converted from being atheists to become faithful followers of Christ and defenders of the faith? The answer is - they were exposed to the supernatural power of the Word of God. 

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Charles Swindoll commented, "News articles may inform us. Novels may inspire us. Poetry may enrapture us. But only the living, active Word of God can transform us."

Whenever the Bible is taken seriously, changes in heart and society begin to take place.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

This is why I preached, it is because when the Word of God is preached things happen. The Bible changes things.  The word of God transforms lives. 

This is a powerful Word.  So powerful the Bible says it converts the soul.  

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

No word of man can route the spiritual hosts of wickedness, only the Word of God.  

a. It Cuts

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

Like a sharp sword which can cut open the human body, so the sword of the Spirit can open the heart. No heart is too hard for the sword of the Spirit. It cuts the heart and open it up.

b. It Pierces

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

Not only does the Word of God cuts, it also pierces. It penetrates. The fact that the Word of God had two edges, made it more easy to penetrate and to go deep. It goes deeper than your ears. The word of God reaches the heart, the soul, and the spirit. 

c. It Discerns

Hebrews 4:12:  For the word of God 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. 

It discerns. It cuts and pierces deep to expose the inner heart of man. It cuts and opens the heart to bring to light what is hidden in darkness and to expose the motives of men's hearts. It shows us our thoughts, our  attitudes, our emotions, our motivations. It cuts deep and sure, discovering the deep corruption of sin.

As the knife of the surgeon, who seeks to heal, pierces even to the dividing of the joints and marrow, where it is needed, so the word penetrates all; there is no part of the inner being to which it does not pass.

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

The writer was declaring that God's Word penetrates to the deepest part of our lives—nothing is hidden from the Word of God.

What is the purpose of all these cutting and piercing and discerning of the thoughts and intents of the heart? These are all for the purpose of letting us know that we must turn our hearts to God.

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Through His Word and by His Spirt, he can turn that heart of stone into heart of flesh.

Closing Admonition

Brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow soldiers of the Cross; we have a mighty weapon, take it up and use it. And do not be just on the defensive mode; be on the offensive mode. Aggressively attack the enemy's kingdom. Take the sword of the Spirit and attack the kingdom of darkness. Rescue those who are held captive by the prince of darkness. Preach the Word! Spread the Word!

Some may say, "What if they don't even believe the Scripture? Why use the Scripture if they do not believe the Scripture?"

A preacher was asked, "What do you do in cases where the unsaved man does not accept the Bible as the Word of God?" He replied: "Well, if I am a soldier in a battle and had a sharp double-edged sword I would not hesitate to use it in a fight just because the other man said he did not believe it would cut." 

So use the Scripture. Whether or not they believe the Bible to be the Word of God, use it anyway, for it still cuts, pierces, discerns and converts.

Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23: I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

AMEN!