“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.” – Hebrews 4:12 ESV
As I read into this verse, I am reminded of how this “sword” has cut into my own heart – how it has ripped into the covered-up wounds within my soul and completely, and utterly destroyed some things that I’ve built within myself and within my life.
Things that were never meant to be built within me.
Things that are not good for me and need to be torn away and cut out.
It’s a painful process, but He has better things in store. It’s worth it to allow Him do this kind of work that only He can do within hearts.
The weeds must be ripped out and cut away in order for new life to have room to grow. ?
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. – Matthew 10:34
On surface level, this verse can be a hard one to take and understand. But if we look into what Jesus is saying, it’s goes much deeper than what appears on the surface of this verse. When we understand the work of the Holy Spirit, we can better understand the purpose and reason for this work of the “sword”, both within us and within our lives around us.
I was reading from Charles Spurgeon, Sermon No 2201 this morning, and I think it helps to explain the depth of “the Sword of the Spirit” so perfectly…
“Here we note that the Holy Spirit has a sword. He is quiet as the dew, tender as the anointing oil, soft as the zephyr of eventide, and peaceful as a dove; and yet, under another aspect, he wields a deadly weapon. He is the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning, and he beareth not the sword in vain. Of him it may be said, “The Lord is a man of war: Jehovah is his name.”
The Word of God in the hand of the Spirit wounds very terribly, and makes the heart of man to bleed. Do you not remember, some of you, when you used to be gashed with this sword Sunday after Sunday? Were you not cut to the heart by it, so as to be angry with it? You almost made up your mind to turnaway from hearing the gospel again. That sword pursued you, and pierced you in the secrets of your soul, and made you bleed in a thousand places. At last you were “pricked in the heart”, which is a far better thing than being “cut to the heart”; and then execution was done, indeed. That wound was deadly, and none but he that killed could make you alive. Do you recollect how, after this, your sins were slain one after another? Their necks were laid on the block, and the Spirit acted as an executioner with his sword. After that, blessed be God, your fears, and doubts, and despair, and unbelief, were also hacked to pieces by this same sword. The Word gave you life; but it was at the first a great killer. Your soul was like a battle-field after a great fight, under the first operations of the divine Spirit, whose sword returneth not empty from the conflict.”
He continues,
“The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ not only by what he reveals, but also by what he overturns. The strife may be weary, but it will be carried on from age to age, till the Lord Jesus shall appear; for ever shall the Spirit of God espouse the cause of love against hate, of truth against error, of holiness against sin, of Christ against Satan. He will win the day, and those who are with him shall in his might be more than conquerors. The Holy Spirit has proclaimed war, and wields a two-edged sword.“
Oh the things the Lord helps us to tear down within ourselves! It’s a painful process of cutting away, tearing down, clearing out –clearing the way for His truth to bring us to life, and build us up into a new creation in Christ… the one He dreamed us to be.
“The Holy Ghost rides in the chariot of Scripture, and not in the waggon of modern thought. Scripture is that ark of the covenant which contains the golden pot of manna, and also bears above it the divine light of God’s shining. The Spirit of God worketh in, by, and through, and with the Word; and if we keep to that Word, we may rest assured that the Holy Ghost will keep with us, and make our testimony to be a thing of power.”
“It is the sword of the Spirit, adapted for the use of an Almighty arm, and therefore equal to the doing of far more than we think.” – Charles Spurgeon, Sermon No 2201
Thank you, Lord for this work that You do within us, and in our lives. For You know what is best for us, and You know who You’ve created us to be. You won’t give up on getting us there. Thank you, Lord. ☀️
-Heather ?