The Sword of the Spirit

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."  But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall 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 glory.  And he said to him, "All these I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. 

Think about this passage.  Jesus, the holy Son of God, who spoke many of the words recorded in the New Testament, returned to ancient scriptures when tempted by Satan.  Would his own words of response to the devil have been foolish or unwise?  Of course not.  Would they have worked to convey his point?  Likely so.  

But the truth is that there is power in the holy scriptures, and Jesus recognized that.  There is power in the transmission of the Word from one to another.  And power to defeat evil and cast out demons through His Word spoken.   

I know what you're thinking..."Jesus was the Son of God.  He knew His dad's old sayings by heart.  He probably could recite them in his sleep."  

It's like me knowing that my dad answers the phone, "Well hello there!" only when a close relative is on the other line.  I've only observed him doing so for the last 25 years of my life.  

Or like the grandkids mimicking Pa's numerous sayings because we're each heard them a million times..."Six one way, half dozen the other." "I eat anything that doesn't eat me first." "Dumber than a box of rocks." "Glad you got to see me."

In fact, it's much like the way that many of us quote a favorite movie or TV show.  I can't count the number of times I have heard Ross from Friends or Jim Carrey or Sai from Duck Dynasty quoted by my friends and relatives.  We didn't learn those sayings without spending substantial time watching them perform.  And the list goes on...but I digress

The point here is that it took rehearsal, repetition, and time for these sayings to stick in our minds.  We did not passively pick them up.  It took even more time for us to understand when to appropriately insert them into conversation to maximum effect.   It required relationship and intimacy with those who spoke them, an understanding of their character, intention, and humor.  So it was with Jesus and Satan in the wilderness and so it is with us.  Jesus didn't inherently know the scriptures.  He was relentlessly dedicated to learning them.  Many times the Bible mentions Jesus retreating to a quiet place to pray and meditate on the scriptures.  This was how he kept his relationship with the Father strong and active.  His father spoke to him through the scriptures and Jesus responded with prayer and praise.

Near the end of the Armor of God passage from Ephesians 6, Paul indicates the importance of the Word in our battle against sin.  With the inclusion of this piece of armor, he is switching gears a little.  To this point, all components discussed have been defensive.  They serve to guard us from the enemy.  This last and final piece - "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" - is for offense.  

In Hebrews 4:12, it says "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword." 

It serves to help us fight back against the forces of darkness.  To cut through the lies of the devil and to discern what is the true will of God.

I hope I'm not getting redundant here, but it is important to note that any good swordsman does not become skilled at yielding a sword without practice.  Similarly, we do not become skilled at using the Word of God to further the Kingdom without that same amount of practice.  I encourage each of you this week to dive into the scriptures with the intention of seeing them lived out through your thoughts, words, and actions. 

Mother Nature gave us a break from the heat so we took a break from the water activities.  Check out what we used to learn this week's lesson below.  The kids loved popping balloons to reveal truths regarding statements written on balloons.  (I found the most perfect little cocktail swords to help illustrate the lesson!)  

For those of you interested, I have included a list of statements and related Bible verses at the bottom of this post.  

Keeping with the balloon theme (which wasn't originally intentional, I promise), we ended the night with a balloon sword war. 

 Many of our swords didn't want to stay together, so we got resourceful and used this as an opportunity to review last week's topic - the helmet of salvation.  Aren't they so cute?

Until next week.  Kenbe pawòl.  Keep faith. 

C. 

Reveal the Truth Balloon Activity: 

For this activity, a statement was written on each balloon that represented a true or false idea about our lives as Christians.  Inside the balloon was a slip of paper on which was written a scripture that addressed the topic.  One by one, the children were invited to select a balloon and read the statement to the class.  The class then voted on whether or not it was true or false.  After each child had cast his or her vote, the balloon was popped and the scriptural reference read.  Below is a complete list of statements and scripture references used during the lesson.  

If you don’t get caught, stealing is okay.

FALSE: “Do not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)

God only loves you when you do everything right.

FALSE: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent Jesus to die for us.” (Romans 5:8)

You need to be popular and have lots of toys to be happy. 

FALSE: “God has put more joy in my heart than others have when they receive lots of money and possessions.” (Psalm 4:7)

God doesn’t care what you do with your life.

FALSE: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Kids can’t make a difference in the world.

FALSE: “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for other believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)

God is far away and hidden from us.

FALSE: “You will find me when you seek me with your whole heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

God does not hear us when we pray.

FALSE: “I love the Lord, for he hears my voice; he hears my prayers.” (Psalm 116:1)

It’s okay to disobey my mom.  She isn’t the boss of me.

FALSE: “Honor your mother and father.” (Exodus 20:12)

God has a big book where he records all the bad things we do.

FALSE: “Love [God] does not keep track of the sins of others.” (1 Corinthians 13:6)

It’s okay to swear and curse.

FALSE: “Stop all your dirty talk.  Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Always worry about yourself before worrying about others. 

FALSE: “Consider others more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

We are much weaker than the Devil.

FALSE: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20)

Love is the most important thing in the world.

TRUE: “Now these three remain – faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

We can do anything when we have God on our side.

TRUE: “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

God will never break a promise He makes to you.

TRUE: “He [God] is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

It is our responsibility to love other people.

TRUE: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18)

We are never left alone. 

TRUE: “He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

There is only one true God.  All our worship should go to Him. 

TRUE: “You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Exodus 20)