Last week, the Lord opened us up to a new series that we started: The Keys of the Kingdom – An Introduction. It was such a beautiful time in the presence of the Lord. And the Lord made us to see how vital it is that we take the position of standing in His Kingdom. Haven done all – Stand! Put on the whole armor of God so that you will be able to withstand. So, standing is a pivotal position in the Spirit. In the Kingdom, standing is a vital position. You can’t be found in any other position other than standing. And that is why when we look at the text of this series, Ephesians 6:10-18, we saw that severally in those eight verses, the word ‘stand’ was mentioned and it reoccurred, because it is so important, it is so vital. And we went to Matthew 16, hearing the word of Jesus Himself saying to us: that on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom that whatsoever you bound on earth is bound in heaven, whatsoever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven. And the Holy Spirit graciously led us into the meaningful conversation of what that truth means to us as children of God and sons of the Kingdom. He made us to understand that as a church, as long as we are on the rock, we will stand, as long as we are on the rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail, as long as we are on the rock, the revelation of the Christ gives us access to the keys of the Kingdom. And today, He is continuing with us on the keys of the Kingdom and we are going to be examining the first key.
Today, the Lord is introducing us to the first key, THE WORD OF GOD. Yesterday in the Evening Bible School we stopped on investing into your Spirit being, the word of God. The Lord will be building up with us on that message this morning. For those that are just listening today, our text 6:10-18. But because of our time, you can go back and read the entire chapter of Ephesians 6 and particularly paying attention to verse 10 to 18. But for our read this morning, we will just pick verse 17 of Ephesians 6. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
So, another way the Bible puts it for us in this verse is that; the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Going by our read last week, we were made to see that in the list of verse 10-18, are listed the whole armor of God. And the Bible enjoins us that we should put it on. It is the Spiritual arsenal that helps us to be able to withstand. It said the enemy that you are fighting is not flesh and blood, but principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in this age. So, to be able to stand against them, you must put on the whole armor of God. And vital in the list is the sword of the Spirit – the word of God. So, the Bible says; the word of God, the sword of the Spirit. How does this weapon called the sword of the Spirit become a key in the Kingdom? How does the sword of the Spirit – the word of God, become for us a tool, a key that grant us access into the Kingdom, that whatever we allow on earth is allowed in heaven, and whatever we disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven?
There are two things I want you to note about the sword of the Spirit. It said: it is the word of God. One thing you know about the sword if you have seen or handled one before, is that you don't call something a sword if it's not sharp. A sword that is not sharp is not useful. A sword that is not sharp is not meaningful. A sword that is not sharp cannot help you. So, it's not enough that you are holding a sword, it is a true sword when it is sharp. And the Bible calls the word of God the sword of the Spirit. So, it's a sword that the Spirit delivers. I was looking at that verse and I came across three interesting translations, that helps us to understand more of what God is saying to us in that verse. In the Passion Translation, it puts it this way. I will always read the ‘B’ part of that verse. 17b, it says "take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit sword of the spoken word of God." so it is mighty, because the Bible says the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty in God, so the sword of the Spirit is mighty in God and it is able to pull down strong holds, cast down imaginations, that's what it's able to do.
Now the Bible says take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit sword. It's not mighty in the world, it is mighty in God. So, the word must be found in God for the word to work it must be of God, it must be in God. So, it's mighty. It says; razor sharp: when something is razor sharp it means that at the slightest touch it cuts. There was a day I was with my husband, I was holding a book and I just flipped the page, the paper was so sharp that it cut my finger. And I told my husband that I never knew, I only thought that it has to be a metal sharp object for it to cut. That from today I am realizing that if a paper is sharp, it can cut. So, the Bible says razor sharp. At the slightest touch, it can cut. It says: take it, the Spirit sword of the spoken word. So, see the nature of what you are taking. The mighty razor sharp. In the message translation, it says; take God's word, it is an indispensable weapon. The word of God is an indispensable weapon, you can't do without it. You can't live without it. No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of God. The word of God is indispensable.
The Spirit wields the sword that's why it's the sword of the Spirit. Now we are saying all these because of what the Holy Spirit is letting us into this morning. So, when we say the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, it means that it is the Spirit that wields the word. The sword of the Spirit; meaning that it is the Spirit that is using it. It becomes useless if it's not the sword of the Spirit. It becomes ineffective if it's not the sword of the Spirit. So, understand what you are taking on, what you are putting on. If you look into the Bible, the Spirit there is written in capital letter ‘S’. It's not the sword of your human Spirit, it's the Sword of the Holy Spirit. So, it's the Spirit that wields this sword. So, if you are holding the word of God that the Spirit is not wielding, it's not handling, if the Holy Spirit is not the handler of the word of God in your life it can't be effective. It won't work.
So, the sword the Spirit wields which is the word of God. The word of God is a sword as the Spirit gives to you. There is such marriage between the word and the Spirit, that's why it's called the sword of the Spirit. The word is not meaningful if the Spirit is not involved. The letter kills but the Spirit gives life. You can't access the Kingdom if the word you have is not the sword of the Spirit. What you allow on earth cannot be allowed in heaven if the key you have is not the one handed to you by the Spirit.
The word of God as the sword is as the Spirit supplies. The words you receive, did the Spirit supply it? Who supplied the word? The word that works is the one the Spirit supplies. The word that works is the word the Spirit supplies. So how does the word of God become the key of the Kingdom in our hands when we receive it? Hebrews 4:12, also going back to reinforce the importance of us actually taking up the true word, the word that the Spirit supplies. Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God, the one that the Spirit supplies is living. These are the characteristics of the word the Spirit supplies; it is living and powerful and sharper. Understand that the description of the sharpness still talks about what we read in Ephesians 6, the sword of the Spirit. So how do you handle the word? How does the word work for you? It must be the sword of the Spirit. So, it must be living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged swords, piercing even to the division. The extent to which it works. Remember when we were reading the passion translation, of that Ephesians 6:17, it says razor sharp sword.
So, at the slightest touch it cuts and it is able to cut to the extent that it divides the soul and the spirits and of joints and marrows and it's a discerner of the thoughts and intent of the heart. This the word the Spirit supplies. These are the characteristics of the word that the Spirit supplies. How does this become a key? How do we take on the word the Spirit supplies? There are three things: the word of God become the key of the Kingdom to you when you receive it in these three dimensions. They are all wrapped up in one but there are three dimensions, you can call them, expressions in which you receive the word as a key that the characteristics of Hebrews 4:12 becomes the rod that you hold in your hand as a sword. Until you receive the word in these three expressions or dimensions, you are not wielding the sword of the Spirit.
We will start from 2Corinthians 13 then we walk our way down to other Scriptures, explaining this to us. 2corinthians 13:14. Let the eyes of your heart be open, let the Holy Spirit brood upon these word in your heart. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the [d]communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” Now you ask yourself how does this verse connect to the expressions of the word that makes it a sword and a key of the Kingdom? Please note these things and personalities; the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ- ‘the grace’, the love of God- ‘the Father’, the communion, another translation puts it, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. So, these three personalities have three expressions. The grace, the Lord Jesus Christ expression is grace, The Father- “God”! Love, the Holy Spirit – “fellowship, communion.”
This is what will make Hebrews 4:12 meaningful for us as children of God. That the word of God is quick, living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged swords. Let us see these three things, these three expressions in these forms. Proverbs 24:3-4. Please just follow the Holy Spirit as He brings us this truth that sets free. “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Please don't forget 2corintbians 13:14, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 24:3-4, through wisdom a house is built, please don't forget wisdom. By understanding it is established- “understanding”, by knowledge the rooms are filled- “knowledge.”
There are three expressions that we read in 2corintbians 13:14, the grace, the love, the communion. Now we reading of wisdom, understanding and knowledge. These three things the Holy Spirit Will help us see how they connect. Because the word of God is like an encyclopedia of the knowledge, the understanding and the wisdom of God. That's what the word of God represent. But how do we connect and do we take advantage of these tripartite structure on which the word is built? How do we connect to the different personalities that agree as one concerning the word? The Father, remember the trinity?
Just assume we are doing mathematics, let all these things come together in your spirit, the grace, the love, the communion. Wisdom, understanding, knowledge. Now we are talking about the word of God. How do we connect with wisdom? You can't just say I want wisdom without having understanding, and you can't say I want knowledge, I don't want understanding. It will not make sense, it won't agree. That's how the trinity works. You can't say I want the Father without the Son; you can't say I want the Son without the Holy Spirit.
It will not become meaningful. And that's why many people are struggling with the word of God. Because we are only taking a portion of the word. We are not connecting with the trinity function of the word. Because until we encounter the trinity function of the word, the word cannot become the sword of the Spirit in our hands, it cannot be the key of the Kingdom. So, there is a trinity dimension to understanding and connecting with the effectiveness of the word. Is that you connect with the knowledge of God, number one which is the love of God. In the word of God, you will find the knowledge of the Father.
From Genesis to Revelation, it's an expression of the love of the Father, the knowledge of God. The knowledge of the Father is written all through the Scriptures. When you encounter the word, you will know the Father. But is not enough. Jesus said something in John 14:5. “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” We do not know the Kingdom; how do we have access? “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus mentioned three expressions that are fundamental. I am the way, I am the one that will show you the knowledge, you want to know the Father? I am the way. The knowledge of the Father is in My way, in Me the way. And that's why He will often say to His disciples, why are you saying show Me the Father, have you seen Me and not seen the Father? The Bible talks of Jesus as the express image of the invisible God.
It pleased God that the fullness of the God should dwell. So, when Jesus was talking about this in John 14, we read, He said I am the fullness of trinity. I Am the way, the truth and the Life. So, I am the way, the knowledge of the Father. When you see me, I am an expression of the love of the Father. John 3:16, the Bible says; for God so love the world. How did He express His love? He gave His only begotten Son Jesus, that whoever believes in Him, will not die but have everlasting life.
So, in the gift of Jesus, in Jesus is the expression of the love of the Father. That's why in Jesus is the knowledge of the Father. Let’s just continuously guided by the Holy Spirit this morning He is taking us somewhere. When you encounter the word, you must encounter the knowledge of the Father-love of God, the way. The Bible says God showed His ways to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel. Who did Moses know? Did he know Jesus? No! He knew the Father, the way. He had knowledge of God, but was that enough? Was that enough to save a people? Was that enough for a people to qualify as citizens of heaven? No! That's knowing in part. And there are so many people in the Body of Christ that this is where the revelation has stopped. The knowledge of the Father. How they know the Torah, the know the laws of God, they know that when there is rainbow in the sky it's a sign of covenant that God had made with Noah.
That I will no longer destroy the earth with water. They know when they see certain signs and symbols, they can understand, they can decipher that this is how God will move. But how comes they have not been able to access the Kingdom. How comes they have not been able to step into the Kingdom? Because the knowledge of the Father standing alone is not enough.
Number two: The understanding of Christ Jesus. For the word of God to become the key of the Kingdom in your hand to receive you must understand and have an understanding of the Truth of Christ Jesus- the grace. The grace must teach you. The grace teaches us. Do you understand the truth? Have you come to connect in the word of God with the Lord Jesus Christ, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because that's another step. You must have an understanding of the truth because when you encounter the word, you must encounter and have an understanding of the truth of Christ Jesus-the grace. John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” You search the Torah, you search the law, thinking that you have the knowledge, you don't have understanding, just knowledge that you have of God, the Lord the Lord merciful gracious, long suffering, you think with that you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. Jesus said when you go to the word, what you will receive that you know you have truly received is that the knowledge of God must translate from just having knowledge of God to understanding Me Christ Jesus. So, when you read the word and there is no testimony of Jesus in what you are reading, you have not received the word.
The understanding of the truth. So, there is no truth until Jesus is testified of. There is no truth until Jesus is revealed. There is nothing you are reading in the Scriptures if Christ is not revealed, If Christ is not testified of. No wonder in Acts 2, when they were filled with the Holy Ghost and Peter stood up with the eleven, they started revealing Christ from the same Scripture they have always been reading. And he said it was said in the prophet, Joel that this will happen. These days that we are in has been testified of and today it's been revealed in Christ.
So, until you come to the word and understand the truth, connect with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you have not received the complete expression of the word. So, understand the truth, Jesus said the Scriptures testify of Me. The knowledge of God you have testifies of Me, testifies of the truth. So, when you continue to read the Scripture without an understanding of Christ, you are only operating in the realm of knowledge. You have not gotten to the place of understanding. The understanding of the word reveals Christ. So, Jesus said I am the way-the knowledge of the Father, I Am the truth-understanding of grace, understanding of Christ Jesus.
Number three I am the Life, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:32. Until we come to the place of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, the place of life, we have received the full expression of the word. “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit Whom God has given to those who obey Him.” The Holy Spirit witnesses Jesus. So, when you connect to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, you connect to the wisdom of the life of the word, because the Holy Spirit Witness Him. John 16:12-13. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth” Who is the truth? Christ Jesus. When He the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. Now I want us to see this verse in this light. However, when He the Spirit of understanding. The Spirit of understanding is wisdom. When He the Spirit of understanding has come, He will guide you into all understanding. “for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
The wisdom of the Holy Spirit. So, when you encounter the word of God and you have not yet encountered the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, no life. You have the way, you have the truth but there is no life to live in the way and to walk in the truth. That's why the word of God cannot be a key in your hand. The word of God becomes a key in your hand, when you connect to the love of God, to the knowledge of God. And you connect to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the understanding of Christ Jesus and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit-the life of the word. John 14:26, Jesus also speaking there, concerning the Holy Spirit, it says; “But the Helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I say to you.”
Do you understand why the word of God is the sword that the Spirit wields, supplies and handle. The handler of the word is the Holy Spirit. Until you come and connect and carry the expression of the trinity in the word, the word cannot be for you what it is in Hebrews 4:12, living, powerful, sharper than any two-edged swords. Able to divide even to the division of the spirit and the soul, the bone and the marrow that is when that word becomes flesh. So, the word is not living when you have not connected to the life, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
So, until you carry the experience of the trinity, when you carry the word, you don't have the key of the Kingdom. You have not been given the key. So, the key of the Kingdom, the word of God is not given to you until you connect to the complete expressions and dimensions of the word. The word as the way, the truth and the life. The word as wisdom, understanding and knowledge. The word as an expression of the grace, the love and the communion. Those are the things that wrap up the conveyance of the word as a key. So, it's not enough that you carry your Bible and put under your pillow before you sleep. Or you wake up in the morning and say the word is a sword and quickly read two three verses and take up a sword. It doesn't work like that. You take up the sword when in the word you encounter the knowledge, the understanding and the wisdom of the trinity. So, we are going to quickly look at how to obtain that key.
Number one: Rightly divide the word of truth by studying. 2 Timothy 2:15; “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” How do you rightly divide the word of truth? By connecting to the way, to the truth and to the life of the word. To study is to devote time, you can't quickly enter the word and quickly rush out. You must devote time. To study means to devote time and attention. Meditate! You devote time and attention to gaining knowledge. Obtaining wisdom and having the understanding. The Bible says wisdom is the principal thing, in all your getting, get understanding. Communing with the Holy Spirit is so important because once you do that, it connects you to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Father.
So, it is wisdom to commune with the Holy Spirit the One that wields, the handler of the word. So, you don't just pick up your Bible and say I want to study, you can't study in your strength. It's not by power it's not by might but by My Spirit says the Lord of Host. The key is by My Spirit, it is not by carrying the finest or the most expensive Bible, it is by carrying the finest and most expensive Spirit in the whole world, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the living God. Rightly divide the word of truth, study, devote time and attention to gaining knowledge, obtaining wisdom and connecting to the wisdom of God.
Number two: Live by the word. Man must not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The word that the Spirit supplies. Feed on the word of God, Jesus said if you love Me you will obey My command, you will live. He said he that feeds on Me will live because of Me. So, when you feed by the word you will live by the same word. So, whatever you allow on earth will be allowed in heaven, whatever you disallow on earth is disallowed in heaven because you live by the word.
Number three: John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” See in your Bible it is written in capital letter ‘S’ it is the Holy Spirit that gives life. The flesh profits nothing. So, you cannot study the word in the flesh, you can't live by the word in the flesh, you must connect and contact the Spirit of the word. It is the Spirit that gives life, the words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are life. Everything in this Kingdom is spiritual. The key is spiritual. If the Spirit is not backing your assignment, it is nothing. You must contact and connect with the Spirit of the word. The Bible will be a beautiful book in your house, binded beautifully without the Spirit.
Without the Spirit of the word, you can't obtain wisdom from the word. There won't be life in the word and that's the key of the Kingdom. The key is Spirit; the key is life. You access the Kingdom by the Spirit of the Kingdom, by the key of the Kingdom. The word of God is a key, very vital key of the Kingdom. We cannot handle it without the Spirit. We can't wield it, it's the sword that the Spirit supplies. The word of God is so powerful, but until you encounter the trinity in the word it's not effective. The word of God is living, until you encounter the trinity in the word it will not live in you. The word of God is quick, some people think the word of God is slow, it is quick. The reason it is slow for you is because you have not encountered the trinity in the word.
Hebrews 4 verse 12 is a reality of the word we hold. It's the key. Are we ready to use this access this year? God has given us. In John 1:1 the Bible says; in the beginning was the word. The word has been available from the beginning. God is not just coming up with the keys, He not just trying to make the key, the key is available, but how many people are connected? How many of us have truly connected with the key? It's available. You can't come to a tap to fetch water that benefits you and will not come again to fetch. That's what Jesus was telling that woman by the well in John 4. He said the water I Am going to give to you, you don't need to come to this well to fetch again. This water I will give to you will become in you a spring, because what I will give to you is inexhaustible. You will always come back, if it's in the flesh it profits nothing, but if it's in the Spirit, it gives life and not just life for a period, abundantly, it continues to be an experience.
So why are you having difficulty in studying the word? What gives you access? What gives you authority? This is the constitution of our Kingdom. In here lies the authority of our king. Everything our king has spoken about Himself is here, everything that He has the ability to do and much more is here. But how come we find it difficult to engage? How come we find it difficult to know why? We have not contacted the Spirit. When the Spirit of God comes upon you, the Bible says when Philip joined himself with the chariot of the eunuch, he was reading the letter it profited him nothing. He said “how will I understand if somebody does not interpret, does not connect me with the Spirit of this word.” And when Philip opened his mouth and connected him, the same man that was reading and could not understand, received life, he was baptized. How come many of us are not bold to share the word of God again because nothing has been happening; is the word of God weak, no! The word is quick, living and powerful, but because we have not received it as the Spirit supplies.
Are we ready to connect with the Spirit? It is a good time to pray!
