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Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] First of all, in Ephesians, chapter six, two verses we've read again and again over these days, Ephesians, chapter six, verse 17 and 18.
[00:00:16] And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
[00:00:39] And then Hebrews chapter four and verse twelve. Hebrews chapter four, verse twelve for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.
[00:01:10] The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword.
[00:01:17] And then if you return to revelation and chapter one, revelation, chapter one, and verse 16.
[00:01:30] And he had in his right hand, this is speaking of the risen Christ, and he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength, out of his mouth, out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two edged sword.
[00:02:01] Two Corinthians, the second letter of the Corinthians, second corinthian letter, chapter ten.
[00:02:13] Two Corinthians, chapter ten, verse three.
[00:02:20] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
[00:02:27] For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God, to the casting down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
[00:02:51] Now I'm going to read that in the new american standard Bible.
[00:02:57] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful. For the destruction of fortresses, we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
[00:03:28] Then if you will turn to psalm 18, psalm 18, I am going to read that also in the new american standard, psalm 18 from verse 29, the 29th verse of psalm 18. For by thee I can run upon a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, his way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God but the Lord and who is a rock except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless. He makes my feet like hinds feet and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation and thy right hand hand upholds me and thy gentleness makes me great.
[00:04:38] Thou dost enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I shattered them so that they were not able to rise. They fell under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength for battle. Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me.
[00:05:06] And now also in the Old Testament, psalm 144, the 144th psalm, verse one, blessed be the Lord, my rock, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight my loving kindness and my fortress, my hightower and my deliverer, my shield. And he in whom I take refuge, who subdueth peoples under me.
[00:05:43] And lastly, back in the New Testament, the first letter of Paul to Timothy, chapter one and verse 18.
[00:05:54] This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to thee, that by them thou mayest war, the good warfare.
[00:06:15] I want to speak about the word of God and prayer, the word of God and prayer.
[00:06:21] And I want, without really any introduction to go straight into this matter.
[00:06:28] We are in a warfare, and in this warfare there are divinely provided weapons.
[00:06:40] True corporate prayer will always involve us in very real spiritual warfare and conflict. And whilst there is one aspect of corporate prayer, which is praise and thanksgiving, there is an aspect of it which is inquiry of the Lord.
[00:07:05] There is a very real sense in which the major part of corporate prayer is involved or involves us in warfare and in conflict. And we see that, I think, very clearly in the scriptures that we have read together. Two corinthians, chapter ten puts it so simply in verse three, it says, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God. Or as the authorized version puts it, mighty through God. Or as the new american standard Bible puts it, divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. Now that's a very interesting word straight away.
[00:08:07] Fortresses, the enemy has strong points. A fortress is not just a pretty little place.
[00:08:18] It's not just a tourist spot.
[00:08:22] In the good old days, a fortress was a fortification. It was a strong point.
[00:08:31] And if that fortress fell, then a whole area was opened up to whoever took the fortress.
[00:08:41] Now, the word of God says that we are in a warfare and there are fortresses. And it speaks about the demolition or destruction, or the old version puts it the casting downs of strongholds. But if we think of it in the more modern language, it brings it home far more to us. The destruction of fortresses, the destruction of fortresses. The old version says the casting down of imaginations.
[00:09:13] And this word imaginations is very interesting because it really means it's a word like reasonings or philosophical reasonings. And the new american standard Bible, again, I think, has well translated it with the word speculations. Now, a tremendous amount of that which blinds people to the Lord Jesus Christ is speculation.
[00:09:37] Many things that people take absolutely for granted, as if they have been once and for all proved accurate, are in fact speculation.
[00:09:49] You go right back to the beginning and you find that evolution in its beginnings anyway. And some of the things upon which the whole theory is based is speculation. And there are many other things which are speculative. And yet whole part of society is held in darkness and blindness by things which are, after all, philosophical or speculative reasonings.
[00:10:15] Now, the word of God says that these things are not just human, they are the result of spiritual powers that have injected ideas, imaginations, into people.
[00:10:31] And those things are strong points in the enemys fortification.
[00:10:39] Or again, there are many other things. Of course, this new morality is really one of these speculations, one of these philosophical reasonings. It's beginning to hold more and more people in its grip. It seems to have so much to say for it, so much freedom to offer a new way of life and all the rest of it, that it is a speculation, it's a strong point of the enemy. And then it goes on to high things which are exalted against the knowledge of God, high things exalted against knowledge of God, big things that seem somehow or other to sort of contradict the word of God. And these lofty things appear to have so much in their support, so much sort of evidence, and they contradict flatly what God says.
[00:11:33] Another strong point of Satan. And then, are you not interested in this word about and bringing into captivity to the obedience of Christ of every thought? Put much more simply, in the new american standard version, it just puts it like this. Taking. We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Now, isn't that a position of authority and power for the church of God to be able to take every thought captive to obedience to Christ? Now, everything begins with a thought. Marxism began with a thought. It began with a thought. In a man called Karl Marx.
[00:12:19] And it's the same with Maoism. It began with thoughts of Chairman Mao.
[00:12:26] All these things are thoughts.
[00:12:29] Well, don't you see how we failed as the people of God because we have taken all this as just physical and human reasoning and part of this fallen world? We haven't understood that there are things that we can do. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
[00:12:52] Now this has so much to say when we're up against some of these things, these new movements and these other things that people are trying to push through parliament and elsewhere. When we understand something of this, again in this matter of our warfare, we need to note very carefully Ephesians six, the passage that we read, in fact, the whole of the passage from verse eleven to 18, because again, we have something of the same thing. For the apostle Paul says, our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly places. Now, although we all accept that of scripture, no, very few believers indeed act as if they really believe it. For when it comes to it, we all believe we're up against flesh and blood.
[00:13:58] We think these things are really essentially flesh and blood. And therefore, if it's flesh and blood, it has to be counted with the resources of flesh and blood. If it's an argument, counter it with argument. If it's a philosophy, counter it with philosophy. If it's art, counter it with art. If it's sort of, well, whatever else it is, count on it, count on it, count on it.
[00:14:23] In actual fact, although there may be reason in which we have got to stand up and say certain things and we've got to give a reason for the hope that is within us, the fact of the matter is never at any point will the battle be won by simply matching flesh and blood with flesh and blood.
[00:14:41] What lies behind the flesh and blood. And that's exactly what the apostle says. Our wrestling is not with or against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly places. Now this word wrestling, as I pointed out to you on our first evening, is very interesting. I mean, it's not a polite sport. It's not a refined, sophisticated, polite sport.
[00:15:12] It's not a game of badminton, it's not a tennis championship. Wrestling is sweat and muscle and very close proximity to your antagonist or opponent.
[00:15:30] You don't just face someone from an unpleasant distance and sort of pit your sort of witness and intelligence and agility against theirs. In wrestling, you are really bound up with one another. And there are times when you'll have someone sitting on top of you. And another time when your leg will be, as I've said, almost twisted off you. And another time when your arm is pinned right up behind your back. There will be times when you'll be thrown right out of the whole ring altogether. The fact of the matter is, the apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he used the word wrestling.
[00:16:12] Our wrestling is against principalities, against powers, against world rulers of this darkness, against hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly places. Just think then, of the hierarchy that's against us. We cannot just simply discount our protagonists. We cannot just sort of say, oh, they are nothing, they are nothing. Some little sort of small minions in the satanic hierarchy. Principalities, some of the newer versions say rulers, spiritual rulers, not flesh and blood spiritual rulers.
[00:16:48] Princes is the word. Principalities, powers, that is, authorities, world rulers of this darkness, that alone needs thinking about. That means that the darkness that blinds people, to God and to Christ and to his salvation is something ruled by spiritual beings.
[00:17:11] It's not just a coincidence, and it's not something which even finds its origin in flesh and blood. It is something which is ruled by spiritual beings behind flesh and blood.
[00:17:25] And then, of course, hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenly places. So there are times when we take up a matter, as we did a few weeks ago when we took up the whole educational scene in this country. Is it any wonder that we may have had principalities and powers and a few world rulers of this darkness sitting right on top of that whole time. But did anyone realize it? I don't know.
[00:17:52] I think if we realize that when we take up big matters, we get big spiritual beings interested.
[00:17:59] That's why brother knee once said, be very careful you never overreach yourself in the place of prayer. You can take up a matter, there may be just two big you must be together, we must be hidden, and we must know who our enemies are.
[00:18:16] So when we take up this educational scene, there's a sense in which, of course, education is in the forefront of this whole warfare, because through it, the enemy is seeking to win the soul of a nation.
[00:18:30] He is seeking to capture a whole new generation for himself and mold their thinking and their concept and their behavior. Therefore, therefore, when we take up a matter like education, we must be inviting the interest of high ups in the satanic hierarchy. This is no need for to be afraid.
[00:18:55] We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against all these people. Will you also notice? All these beings, will you also notice verse eleven? It says this very interesting. Ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. I remember years ago, I've told you before, when there were big Sunday school annual in Gunnersbury, when some little boy read this out and said that ye might stand against the willies of the devil. Oh, how wonderful it is. As Lindsey Glegg said, when the devil's got willies, that's really something. But normally speaking, the devil's got wiles. Until the people of God know how to put on the whole army, he has no willies.
[00:19:41] But when they put. When the people of God put on the whole armor of God, then the devil's wiles become willies.
[00:19:51] Then he begins to fear and tremble, because he knows that all we have to do is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ in his entirety and stand. We don't have to go forward. We don't have to go backward. All we have to do is to stand, to withstand and having done all to stand, and the battle's ours.
[00:20:11] We're so safe in this thing.
[00:20:14] Principalities, powers, world, rules of dust, hosts of wicked spirits. All we have to do is to stand in Christ and the victory is ours. Will you notice this word, the wiles of the devil? Strangely enough, it's the word we get our english word methods from. But in the original, it has a little more than the idea of method. It means a scheme or a cunning device or craft or deceit. And the whole idea is that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. That you may be able to stand against the cunning devices of the devil. That you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Do we really think that the devil is someone with a fork, tail and horns and runs around with a pronged fork?
[00:21:05] Where do people get the idea? But many believers still seem to have this kind of idea of the devil that basically, and I have to be careful what I say, basically, he's a dimwit, the biggest dimwit that was ever created. The simplest christian can sort of outwit him.
[00:21:25] My dear friend, the devil has supreme intelligence next to God.
[00:21:34] Pride has made him blind.
[00:21:39] But nevertheless, the devil has shrewdness and cunning and intelligence that is more than the match for all the believers put together outside of Christ.
[00:21:55] Schemes that you may be able to stand against the cunning schemes or devices of the devil. Do you think that we can just get together in prayer and just say a few things, utter a few petitions, and the whole front line of hell collapses.
[00:22:15] You don't think that the devil gets wind of it before we've even started to pray and already has his plans, he's knocked out somebody by bringing them home in such a crush hour that they feel more crushed than alive.
[00:22:29] And someone else got home to find that the tap was leaking. Someone else got home to find that the baby had been sick all day long.
[00:22:41] Or you got home to find five bills instead of the normal one, and the result was one after another. We come to the time of prayer, we're knocked out, we're knocked out. We're all just. Our heads are full of other things. Cunning schemes, deceits, craft. That's all. Something the enemy knows. I'll knock this one out, knock that one out, knock the other one out, and then, well, sit on the whole time.
[00:23:10] Then again, I want you to notice verse 13, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.
[00:23:17] I'm glad the Lord has put that in, because not every day is an evil day. Thank God for that.
[00:23:25] There are days, you know, there must be something dreadfully wrong with you if every day is an evil day.
[00:23:31] Thank God that he keeps us out of the battle and veils from the battle for quite a while. But there are evil days, days of trouble, days when everything goes wrong. It's not necessarily 24 hours. Of course, you understand that it's just a time when it seems as if all hell's pressure is suddenly exerted upon us or upon you, and even you may be able to stand in the evil day. And another little thing I just want you to know. Verse 16. Fiery darts.
[00:24:03] Fiery darts. You know, some people sail through everything, but the fiery dark gets them.
[00:24:10] The big things never did get them. They know that they're safe in Christ. They know this, they know that they know the other. But the devil just fires a fiery dart and it just goes in between the armor. They're finished, absolutely knocked out, when they are most required in the battle. And it says, withal, taking the shield of faith, that you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the. Now, isn't that an interesting word? Quench? Quench.
[00:24:40] Why? Because these are fiery darts of the devil. Vine puts it fire tipped.
[00:24:48] Because one of the old ruses was, I suppose it was rather like our modern missiles.
[00:24:53] One of the sort of old ruses which sort of a new weapon in Paul's day was the kind of dart that was covered with burning material, and it was particularly injurious and destructive.
[00:25:10] But the shield of faith can quench it.
[00:25:16] But now when you take all this together, we suddenly discover that in this matter of corporate prayer, with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all saints, we suddenly find that we're involved in warfare. We're involved in, in conflict. We are in very close proximity with the enemy. We must not be surprised if he gets hold of our corporate arm and twists it up our back, or if at times he sits upon us for a while so that we're pinned down and can hardly move.
[00:25:57] We mustn't be surprised.
[00:26:00] We are in a battle.
[00:26:04] Nevertheless, however fierce the warfare involved in corporate prayer, God has provided us with the weapons which spell victory. So don't let us just look at the warfare or the conflict. Let's remember the whole point of both these passages is that in the midst of this warfare, and not discounting for a moment the powerfulness of our adversaries, God has given us weapons which spell victims.
[00:26:37] Here they are in two corinthians, chapter ten and verse four, we read of this. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty through God, or divinely powerful, or again, Ephesians 617.
[00:27:02] And take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the spirit. Now you see, we've got weapons, weapons of our warfare, mighty through God. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
[00:27:25] Jesus said, this word is truth.
[00:27:33] What is, what do these weapons of our warfare consist of?
[00:27:39] They consist in their entirety of truth.
[00:27:44] That is the only weapon God has given to the church, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Now for one moment, think about the word truth rather than the word of God, because so often people just think of a collection of doctrines.
[00:28:01] But if you think of the word truth, then you suddenly realize that the only thing that can paralyze the enemy is truth. He is the father of lies.
[00:28:13] He is a liar from the beginning. And the one thing that shatters Satan is truth.
[00:28:21] Anything else, he will laugh at.
[00:28:25] But truth.
[00:28:27] Truth is the one thing that pierces right through and shatters him.
[00:28:37] It is the supreme weapon with which all the forces of evil can be destroyed. How can we demolish strong points? How can we destroy speculations and lofty things exhorted against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ by truth.
[00:29:02] By truth, by the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. That's the only way that you and I can do it. The powers of darkness are never hurt by our words. Our words. You can talk till kingdom come, and the devil will have a picnic while you go on.
[00:29:25] The devil's never been hurt by your words, nor my words, even when they're biblical words, scriptural words. You can go round and round and round the bush and the devil just says, oh, what a sweet waffler.
[00:29:40] It doesn't do anything, not unless it is the word of God. Truth.
[00:29:49] The powers of darkness have never been hurt by our anger. I've heard people get so indignant and angry with the devil.
[00:29:59] He's never hurt by it. I think he finds it rather funny when christians get all angry and indignant.
[00:30:07] He's certainly not hurt by our much speaking or by our zeal. Some people get so zealous, so feelingful about some matter, as if by their very being full of feeling they're going to frighten the devil.
[00:30:24] But the enemy is never at any single moment hurt or even set back by our zeal or our feeling or our much speaking in this warfare. The enemy is not even hurt by our biblical knowledge. You can know the Bible doctrinally from Genesis to revelation, and it has not a single whip of authority when it comes to the enemy. Oh, there are many people I know who know their bible so well, but when it comes to, to really paralyzing the powers of darkness, their biblical knowledge is powerless.
[00:31:08] Not even our correctness or our soundness, even though it's necessary, not even our devotion.
[00:31:19] The devil knows, like Job, that he has only to get divine permission to really put, take us into his care for a little while and our devotion will be undone within weeks.
[00:31:35] Do you think the devil is so dimwitted and so stupid that he doesn't know that all he has to do is to get divine protection removed from you and that he could destroy you within days?
[00:31:53] He knows very well that your devotion won't stand up to it, nor your biblical knowledge, nor your zeal. The one thing which paralyzes the forces of evil and destroys them is the truth.
[00:32:10] The word of God.
[00:32:13] Eternal reality, shatters the powers of darkness and renders every satanic device inoperative. Now listen to this. When truth is placed into our hands and we know how to use it in corporate prayer, every satanic device is rendered inoperative. Do you believe it? There is not a device of Satan that cannot be rendered totally ineffective by truth. But Christians don't know it. They think they must speak and speak and speak or talk and talk, or show more and more zeal or get more and more devoted. Whereas sometimes the youngest believer, providing he or she is covered, covered, can use truth more effectively than an old saint who's lost his or her way.
[00:33:10] Why? Because that young person knows that they have no devotion with which to come against Satan and no biblical knowledge with which to come against Satan, and very little zeal with which to come against Satan. But they've got the truth.
[00:33:24] And when truth is used, every satanic device, whatever it is, is rendered ineffective, inoperative. You think of the power that God has given us as the body of Christ. What we could do if we could only see this, and the spirit of God could only teach us how to use truth. Why, our times of prayer could be transformed.
[00:33:56] Every strong point of Satan can be demolished by truth.
[00:34:02] Some Christians have got the idea that if we could get enough of us together and sort of batter some strong point, in the end, by sheer force of numbers and unity, we'll knock it over.
[00:34:15] All we'll do is wear ourselves out.
[00:34:19] The one thing that acts like a battering ram that will demolish any stronghold or fortress of Satan is truth. And if you and I know how to use it and how to go on using it until the work is done, the thing is demolished.
[00:34:42] Now let me just say something more. Go on just a step further in this matter.
[00:34:47] We've said then that the weapons of our warfare are really the word of God. I've said truth, which is the word of God. Thy word, O God, is truth, said the Lord Jesus.
[00:35:00] You can see therefore, how essential it is that we know the word of God in every way and supremely dwelling in us.
[00:35:11] We need to know the word of God in every way. We need to get to know our bibles. We need to memorize our bibles. We need to study our bibles. Don't for 1 minute think that I'm speaking against biblical knowledge in what I've said. Biblical knowledge in itself does nothing to Satan.
[00:35:27] But we've got to get to know our bibles, memorize them, study them, understand not just verses here and verses there, but what is the underlying theme, what God has revealed in his word.
[00:35:39] But more important than all that, we need the word of Christ to dwell in us so that it's not just biblical doctrine or themes, but the word of God has got right into us and has become flesh and blood in us.
[00:35:52] Even the youngest believer here can start to know God's word and learn to use it in the battle.
[00:36:00] Weapons are not produced in the first place for ornaments, but to be used.
[00:36:07] I mean, although we now hang up swords and so on, these other kinds of things, because they're no longer used. We don't hang up a polaris missile, do we?
[00:36:19] Because that happens to be a modern, up to date contemporary weapon.
[00:36:27] Swords have rather gone out, so we don't just hang them up anymore on the wall, we don't use them anymore. So we hang them up on the walls as ornaments.
[00:36:35] But weapons in the first place are not designed or not produced to be ornaments.
[00:36:44] They are produced to be used for defence and offence.
[00:36:50] They are designed to protect and to win battles.
[00:36:54] And God has spoken of the weapons of our warfare, designed to protect us and designed to win battles.
[00:37:07] We must all learn to use the sword of the spirit.
[00:37:12] It's no good having a bible if you don't know how to use it. You must learn how to use it.
[00:37:19] How can you possibly ever have part in the administration of the kingdom of God in eternity if you haven't first here learned to use the word of God?
[00:37:31] We have to learn to use it. And how do we use the word of God? How do we use it as the sword of the spirit? First of all, we use the word of God as revealed truth. We use it as the revelation of eternal facts. Now, here are just a few of those facts. I can only touch on them because of time, because I always find that this particular subject we can go on talking about for a long, long time, and I think to value. But we must try to cut down so that we can get to where. Now, this is just a few things that are revealed facts. The word of God is not philosophy, it's not speculation, it's not make believe. The word of God is revealed truth. It is the revelation of eternal facts. Now, here are some of the eternal facts which you and I ought to start using as the sword of the spirit. The first one coming up. God is.
[00:38:29] Now, God was. No God will be, but God is. That's the greatest thing, the greatest weapon you can use in the battle against the enemy is God is. Do you understand what we mean? I mean this, that God didn't say, I have been, that I have been, or I will be. That I will be, or I was. That I was. He said, I am, that I am.
[00:38:51] God is. I am.
[00:38:54] And every single thing has. It moves and breathes and has its being in him, including the devil.
[00:39:05] Now, what a weapon to use when suddenly you wake up to the fact that even the devil exists by the grace of God.
[00:39:12] Think that one out. And if you've got problems, read a little bit of what Norman grubbers did about such things, and you'll have bigger ones.
[00:39:20] But you've got weapons here. You've got weapons. God is, and God cannot be God unless everything exists in him.
[00:39:29] God is.
[00:39:31] God is love. God is light. God is light.
[00:39:37] Oh, what a weapon.
[00:39:39] When you start to look in the Bible, you find it everywhere from Genesis to revelation, this great eternal fact which underlies every other thing. God is.
[00:39:52] That's a weapon with which you can paralyze Satan. When you say God was, Satan sort of says, that's good.
[00:40:01] That's very good.
[00:40:04] But when you start to recognize and proclaim God is, Satan is paralyzed because Satan, though he's a liar, always recognizes truth.
[00:40:19] Here's another eternal fact coming up. The person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word became flesh and dwelt among us.
[00:40:29] That is an eternal fact.
[00:40:32] They can talk about speculation about the Lord Jesus and the person of the Lord Jesus. They can talk what they want to about him. The fact of the matter is this, God was manifest in the flesh, and that is a fact. And that's why John the apostle says, who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God, there is a weapon. Do you want to overcome the world? People think, I know. I used to read that verse and think, what's that got to do with overcoming the world?
[00:41:09] I don't see what it's got to do with overcoming the world now. I see that it's foundational to overcoming the world. It's a fact.
[00:41:18] Or let me give you another fact. What about the finished work of Jesus Christ?
[00:41:22] Here is an eternal fact. He's not made believe. He's not a possibility. He's not some vague hope that we have that by his death we might be saved. Here is something which is eternal faith. Through his redemption, he saves every man or woman who will humble himself or herself and come to God through him.
[00:41:45] And do you know that through that finished work, Satan has beaten the powers of darkness hollow. What does the Lord Jesus say? Now is the prince of this world cast out? When did he say it? Just before going to the cross. Now is the prince of this world cast out? Oh, how Satan hates it when we use the finished work of Jesus Christ as our weapon. Listen to this. Here's one scripture coming up, one John four. And I think it's verse seven. The son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.
[00:42:18] Do you think that you can destroy the works of the devil by getting excited or by talking a lot or shouting a lot or anything else? Never. But you take the finished work of Jesus Christ and instantly Satan is paralyzed and he knows it. It's an eternal fact.
[00:42:40] Here again, listen to this. Colossians two.
[00:42:43] He stripped principalities and powers naked, triumphing openly over them through his cross.
[00:42:57] Oh, there are many other scriptures that we could give in that. And what about the present position of Christ? Here is another tremendous weapon that you could. This is an eternal fact. Let everyone laugh themselves hollow on this thing if they wish to, they may. But the fact of the matter is this, that Jesus tonight is king of kings and lord of lords and head over all things to the church. That is the fact.
[00:43:22] He is ruler of the kings of the earth. Chairman Mao reigns by the grace of God and the permission of our Lord Jesus. And so does Kosekin and Brezhnev and President Ford and President Sadat and President Assad and everyone else, Harold Wilson.
[00:43:42] They all reign by permission of our Lord Jesus. That's all. That is the fact. The present position of our Lord Jesus is a tremendous weapon, the most hyrule us in the affairs of men. Well, now we can go on, you see, but I just want you to see how wonderful this thing is.
[00:44:02] It's wonderful.
[00:44:06] Then again, we must learn to use the word of God not only as eternal, the revelation of eternal facts. We must use the word of God because it contains and is contains the immutability of his counsel. It is the revelation of the counsel of God which is immutable. Now this word immutable just means unchangeable, no possibility of deviation.
[00:44:29] That's all. And I could give you so many scriptures, we haven't got the time. But it speaks of the immutability of his counsel. In Hebrews six, verse 17, one Peter 123 25 speak of the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. It says that all flesh is as grass and so on. It all fades and falls, but the word of the Lord liveth and abideth forever. James 117 says about the Lord that there is no shadow cast by turning and no variation with him. No variation, no shadow cast by turning. Do you understand what that means? That there's no shadow cast by suddenly turning in another direction.
[00:45:13] Immutable. Immutability of his counsel. That means, dear child of God, that what's in this book is immutable. God has given us his counsel and he's not going to deviate from it. He's given his word and he's going to keep to it.
[00:45:29] And up to now, God has fulfilled every single thing that he's ever said would happen in world history. And therefore we know that he who promised is faithful. He's going to carry the whole thing out to the end.
[00:45:46] There's so many other scriptures I'd love to give you. Isaiah 46 ten my counsel shall stand and I will perform all my good pleasures, pleasure or malachi. Chapter three and verse six.
[00:46:00] I change not therefore I am the Lord. I change not therefore, o ye sons of Jacob, ye are not consumed.
[00:46:09] The immutability of his counsel.
[00:46:14] O the Lord Jesus words heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
[00:46:22] The unchanging counsel of God. What has God said about world history? He says it's heading for judgment. What has God said about world history that Jesus will come. What has God said about Israel? That Israel will not only come together again as she has, but she will survive and will finally turn to God.
[00:46:49] Its the counsel of the Lord.
[00:46:54] Never change.
[00:46:56] Now thats a weapon and Satan knows it. You start to use a weapon like that and hes paralysed. And here is something else. What about the promises made over to us? We must learn how to use them. Two Corinthians 120 says, how many soever be the promises of God in Christ is the yes, and through him is the amen. To the glory of God through us.
[00:47:21] And then in Hebrews 1023, theres a lovely little phrase. And it says, for he that promised, for faithful is he that promised. What a beautiful little word. Faithful is he that promised.
[00:47:35] Or again, heres another one. That through the exceeding great and precious promises, ye might become partakers of the divine nature. That means every time you take a promise and stand upon it and see it fulfilled, there's something more of the Lord in you.
[00:47:54] I told you how I learned this simple little lesson about the promises of God, that they are not just there to pick up on walls.
[00:48:03] People seem that's amazing. You see these things stuck up all over people's walls, especially in the toilet.
[00:48:11] But you get it stuck all over the place. And you get these little words of promises which people seem to as believers, they stick up on walls. But the incredible thing is that when it comes to it, none of us expect it to work.
[00:48:26] We think we must use common sense.
[00:48:31] I told so many of you how I came into that, and I thank God for it.
[00:48:36] It was through just up this road here where Auntie Ella used to live.
[00:48:40] Most people in the place I was converted in thought she was a bit crazy. Auntie Ella. She talked so fast. I remember the pastor once said, I do thank God, he said, that he can unravel her prayers.
[00:48:53] She talked so fast. Beautiful English, but she spoke so fast, especially in the earlier days, that no one could hardly understand her. But I used to teach my sister, give my sister singing lessons. And I used to go up to collect Tressa to take her home. And on this day, when Tressa was gone, Auntie Ella was there. And we got talking. She'll come in. And we got talking. She was doing something with the sewing machine, putting something in the sewing machine, and just sort of talking about the Lord. And there's something went wrong with sewing machine. I was only 13, and I mean, saved a year. And she said she tried it. She looked at the hand. She looked at various things. And then she said, do you know anything about sewing machines? And I said, I don't know anything about sewing machines. So she said, well, have a go. So I had a go. But it seemed to be absolutely jammed to me. And then she said, I've never forgotten. She said, well, now. She said, now she. We must ask our heavenly father. And with that, she knelt down there. And she made me kneel down here on the sewing machine. Was here. And I've never forgotten. A prayer hand went up. Oh, heavenly Father. Lance and I have been having such a lovely time of fellowship about your beloved son.
[00:49:56] But you know, I'm not a very practical lady, Lord. She wasn't. She'd been an innocuous singer and had everything done for her most of her life. And she said, you know, I'm not a very practical lady, lord. She said, something's gone wrong with the sewing machine. I tried to put it right at the Lord. I'm an old lady. I don't understand anything about sewing machine. And Lance. Dear boy. Lord, dear boy. He's tried to put it right, and he hasn't been able to put it right. Now she said, oh, heavenly Father. And this is the thing that sunk into me. Heavenly Father, you say in your word in two corinthians, chapter one and verse 20. How many so ever be? The promises of God in Christ is the gay of.
[00:50:40] Amen. To the glory of God. I want to bring to you a promise. Hebrews, chapter one, verse 14. That the angels are sent forth to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation. Heavenly Father, will you please send an angel to put this sewing machine right. And with that, she bowed her head and I had my eyes wide open, and I touched her in the arm and said, auntie, shh. She said, give the angel time.
[00:51:09] And then she just, she just knelt there with her head bowed for a minute or two. And then all of a sudden she said, she got up and she drew her chair under her and she went straight on with the sewing before she did. So she said, oh, heavenly father, you never fail. Thank you so much. I went straight on. Now, of course, I was 13. Some people will say it was coincidence, but it took, taught me the biggest lesson I'd heard. All kinds of people, Billy Graham, Ward Eyre, and I can't remember all the other ones, all these well known sangster, and I can't remember who else I'd heard in the pulpit because they were always passing through that pulpit, different people, but they never really meant too much to me, other than they gave marvelous messages. And I never expected two thirds of what they said. I don't think anyone else did expected it really to work.
[00:52:00] But I owe it to Auntie Ella that she taught me one simple thing, that you could take a promise of God's word on the basis of what he himself had said and put it to the test.
[00:52:13] From then on, every time we sang standing on the promises of Christ my king, it meant something to me.
[00:52:22] And that's how we have to use it now. How do we use the weapons of this, of our warfare? In corporate prayer, it's not enough to know the word of God. It's not even enough to have memorized the word of God. It's through the spirit alone that we can use the word of God effectively in prayer. It is the sword of the spirit. It doesn't just mean that the Holy Spirit is the author of the word of God. It does mean he is the inspirer of every single part of it. But it means that this sword is the sword of the spirit.
[00:53:01] Only the spirit can direct you as to how you use the word of God. It is the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. You cant just suddenly take some scripture that youve memorized there. Now im going to do something. Its got to kindle in your heart. Kindle in your heart or in someone else. It comes and you witness to it. And in that instance, the sword of the spirit is in your hand.
[00:53:24] Woe betide us if we don't use it. Then you heard what we read in psalm 18, where David said about his hands being trained to war. And he says, and I pursued them and I did not turn back till I shattered them.
[00:53:40] Many a time in prayer, people turn back before they've shattered the enemy and then the enemy recovers to deal them a terrible blow.
[00:53:52] We have to learn that once we've taken up a matter, we have to carry it through. That doesn't mean in one evening necessarily. There are times when the anointing will say, drop the matter and leave it to next week. But we cannot just take up a matter and just leave it like that.
[00:54:08] It's an important point for us all to learn. You see, it is the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And you notice it says, the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, divinely powerful.
[00:54:25] How are these weapons effective? Through God. Before God, literally before God.
[00:54:36] The Holy Spirit has to lead us to the exact weapon in gods word, the truth which we have to use and with which this particular battle can be won. We therefore need to be open to the spirits ministry in this way. In this matter, the Lord has to turn train us.
[00:55:01] Did you notice how David put it simply, he has taught. He has trained me for war and taught my fingers how to fight.
[00:55:14] We have to learn these things. You see, if you look at psalm 18 and verse 34, he trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. That doesn't come overnight.
[00:55:33] People have to train to bend a bow of bronze.
[00:55:39] There's got to be some kind of training before you can do that. And then you will notice, too, that it says, also, if you compare it with verse, verse 34, I'm sorry. Look at verse 39. He says, for thou hast girded me with strength for the battle.
[00:56:07] And verse 32, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless. It's interesting, isn't it? The Lord does all this. The Lord is the one who's training him and teaching him, instructing him and enabling him. He girds him with strength for the battle. And then you see, in verse 29, it says, for by thee I can run upon a troop. What a wonderful thing it is when we can surprise a whole troop of the enemy.
[00:56:33] I see in the NSB, it puts, crush a troop, for by thee I crush a troop, I leap over a wall. That's surprise, surprise. What a wonderful thing it is when God can so lead us that we surprise the enemy.
[00:56:53] That's how God can do it. And you all hear, for in verse 30, it says, as for God, his way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tried. The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. The word of the Lord is tried.
[00:57:08] The spirit of the Lord's got to teach us how to use those eternal facts, how to use the will of God. Now, there are times when we can use the will of God in this warfare, like Daniel did in chapter nine. You will remember that whole story of how Daniel, by the spirit of the Lord, discovered when the 70 years of captivity began.
[00:57:34] And in that, he was far more with it than many theologians have been ever since, because there's always been controversy about the 70 years captivity. In actual fact, the people of God were only in Babylon for 50 years. But the spirit of God showed Daniel when the 70 years began.
[00:57:57] Now, because the spirit of God showed him that through the prophecy, through the word of Jeremiah, the prophet Daniel had a sword in his hand. He had the sword of the spirit in his hand, and he went to prayer and he refused to stop until the thing came to pass. And, you know, I've said it to you before, that when we know the whole way that the book of Daniel is built, the first six chapters and the last six chapters, we discover, to our amazement, that Daniel's going into the lion's den coincided with his setting of his face toward Jerusalem three times a day in prayer.
[00:58:40] In other words, many people would think that Daniel was crazy, but not the devil, the one being in the universe who knew that Daniel's prayer meant a tremendous amount of the enemy. And he put it into the heads of those evil dignitaries and government officers to go to the emperor and get a law passed. And the law was that no one should pray to anyone but the emperor for a month.
[00:59:05] And when the enemy had got that done, he thought he'd won the day. But in actual fact, when they went, the decree was passed. Daniel went on praying, and the enemy thought he'd got him into the lion's den. Now it was the turn of heaven to be perturbed and disturbed, because the whole question in heaven was, shall we bring Daniel back home via the lions, or do we shut the lions mouths?
[00:59:35] And it was as if God said, it is more important to us here that Daniel, you can bring all the other rest of the people of God home by the lion, but not Daniel.
[00:59:46] Daniel has seen something and he's praying something into being. Now, then you give him faith so that he is able to go into that lions den and find that the mouths of the lions are shut up. And, of course, that's exactly what happened. Daniel went on with his prayer ministry and indeed came out of the lion's den and all the people who'd been against him were themselves fed to them. And Daniel went on with his prayer ministry until he saw the people of God go back. He overlived the return to Jerusalem and to Israel by three years.
[01:00:23] Now, the fact of the matter is he used the will of God. And I very rarely hear people using the will of God in this general way.
[01:00:32] But it's all in the book.
[01:00:35] There are things that we know that God has revealed are going to come to pass, and those are the things we can stand upon and use as weapons. We can use the will of God specifically when it comes to certain things.
[01:00:49] We know what the will of God is. It says in the scripture, if you see a brother sinning a sin not unto death, you shall ask for him and your prayer will be answered. It's one, John 516. But it says expressly that if a brother is sinning a sin unto death, I do not say that you can pray.
[01:01:07] Now thats very interesting because it just means this. We can know the will of God specifically about a matter, quite specifically. And there are many other ways in which we can find out the will of God and the promises of God. For example, here is a promise of the Lord in proverbs. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not upon thine own own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Now that's a promise. If we fulfill the condition, God will fulfill the promise.
[01:01:44] That's a promise.
[01:01:46] There are many others, too. My God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 419. There are so many promises. Only the Holy Spirit can lead us to them.
[01:01:56] Sometimes the word of God interprets a situation.
[01:02:00] I remember years ago being so struck by a dear danish brother who was a young man and who, when he was a young man, had been very much with that great danish servant of the Lord, Pastor Fjor Christiansen.
[01:02:18] And I remember him telling us a story which was always stuck in my man as one of the great formative experiences of his life.
[01:02:26] He said that they were called out into the country to pray for a woman who had not been able to walk for a number of years. She was crippled with arthritis, but she was a believer and so was her husband, and they were called to pray. And as they prayed and they prayed, the younger man, of course, with all his zeal, prayed with much zeal and much devotion, but got very, very little, didn't get far, very far. But the old brother Fior Christiansen just sort of said amen at different points and kept very quiet and was sort of looking in his Bible. And then all of a sudden he stopped the prayer and said to the lady, could you tell me? He said, are you short tempered?
[01:03:22] And she was so startled.
[01:03:26] And she said, oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, he said, and went on. So they went on pray.
[01:03:33] Then a bit later he stopped again and said, excuse me asking. He said, but are you you're quite sure that you're not irritable?
[01:03:42] Oh, no, never. She said, never. I never get irritated. So he went on praying. And then suddenly in the last, he said, are you absolutely certain that you are not short tempered? And when she was about to say no, her husband burst in with tears in his eyes and said, oh, but you are, you are. It's the worst thing about you.
[01:04:09] Ah, said pure Christiansen, I thought so.
[01:04:15] With that, the woman burst into tears.
[01:04:19] And in her sobs she confessed to the Lord how she used to go she went for her husband, how short tempered she was with him and everything else. And when it was all out of her, right out and really repented on then Fior Christiansen said, now we can ask the Lord to heal you. And he read her this scripture in proverbs, chapter 14 and verse 30.
[01:04:50] Now, in the Danish, evidently it's not the same as in the English, but this is what it says. In the English, a tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rottenness of the bones.
[01:05:05] But in the Danish it says, but short temperedness is the rottenness of bones. Now, whilst they've been praying, this verse had come to Fior Christiansen. And that's why he broke in and said, are you do you mind me asking, are you short tempered? Oh, she said that he went away and he became even more clear. So he said, are you absolutely sure that you're not? And she said, no, she wasn't. But the third time, of course, her husband answered for her before she hardly got the chance to deny it.
[01:05:35] When they laid hands on that woman, she stood up and she went out to see those two off.
[01:05:44] And she lived a normal life to her death. She never had arthritis again.
[01:05:52] Now thats what I mean by the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. You know, you could have gone round and round and round and round and round and round that situation, praying for our healing and youd never touched the root of it because the root of it was that short temperedness was causing arthritis and when that thing was understood instantly, God touched it.
[01:06:18] Now I'm not saying that in every single case of arthritis it's irritability. Don't come under condemnation, everybody. But don't you see what I mean by the sword of the spirit which is the word of the weapons of our warfare? Why that person could have been bound for another 20 years just getting more and more immobile. But the word of the Lord came into that situation through a faithful servant of God and changed the whole thing into glory.
[01:06:46] Satan had not another chance to keep that woman bound, not for another day once she saw it and repented of it.
[01:06:56] And thats really what we mean in all this. When the spirit of God has brought some scripture into the prayer time we need to take it up and use it as the Lord directs us.
[01:07:06] Battles are won or lost in the measure in which we respond to leadership and are related to one another. So often when someone has given a scripture which is the sword of the spirit in that situation the rest of us fail to respond.
[01:07:24] So there's just a few practical points and we'll close.
[01:07:30] First of all, always bring your Bible to a time of prayer. I'm amazed when people come with a bible to a time of prayer. Always bring your bible to a time of prayer.
[01:07:43] Never be without it.
[01:07:45] Secondly, use the word of God as led and directed by the spirit in the prayer time. We can only learn how by experience.
[01:07:57] Thirdly, be alive and sensitive to the spirit and pray.
[01:08:05] Follow the whole time.
[01:08:08] Don't just doze or be lost in your own thoughts. Sometimes you see a person vacantly.
[01:08:17] They're completely lost in their own thoughts. The next moment they're praying.
[01:08:23] And no wonder their prayers are not related to anything that's gone before or after they've got their own thoughts. You see, they're thinking their own little thoughts sort of lost the way of their own little thoughts. Then suddenly they well I'll bring that in. I'll bring that in.
[01:08:38] So often unrelated prayer results from this kind of condition that we've just been dozing or thinking our own little thoughts. Isolated from everybody else. We're not alert.
[01:08:49] Avoid sermonettes, Bible precis or Bible outlines or preaching God that is not using the sword of the spirit.
[01:08:59] People got the idea that because so often it's been said you must use the word of God that if you give a Bible outline Satan is frightened. He's not frightened at all. The Bible outlines are in here.
[01:09:11] They've been there for 2000 years, some of them 3000.
[01:09:15] He's not frightened by that it's when the Holy Spirit helps you to take it and use it directly, not as a little sermon.
[01:09:24] When the Lord gives you a verse or a passage of his word during the prayer time, read it distinctly. When you contribute it, do not feel that you must follow such a contribution that you yourself have made immediately. With prayer, it is often good to let others judge it for verse.
[01:09:51] Always read the relevant verse or verses, but not the whole chapter.
[01:09:59] On one or two occasions someones got some particular verse and read a whole chapter.
[01:10:08] Thats time is too precious for that.
[01:10:11] Read the relevant verse or verses.
[01:10:15] Having discovered the weapon, we need to use it.
[01:10:20] Sometimes it does not take so long, other times it will be a long battle. The government of the spirit will decide how long we have to use that weapon.
[01:10:32] And then lastly, a truth or a promise needs to be stood upon, not merely by the person who contributed it by the spirit, but by all of us.
[01:10:45] You know, sometimes when a word comes in and the person has really claimed something, we sort of say, oh good, that's wonderful. And that's that. Whereas you must understand, a time of prayer is an expression of the body of Christ. No one is giving anything that's personal.
[01:11:00] The whole time is the expression of our mutuality. And if God gives someone a promise, it's for us all.
[01:11:08] If God gives direction about something, it's for us all. Just as if the manifestation of the spirit comes, it's for us all.
[01:11:14] It's not for that person, it's for us all.
[01:11:18] And we need to learn how to take up such and really use it together.
[01:11:29] Well now I think we'll bow together in a word of prayer.
[01:11:34] Not sure that we will have prayer tonight. We'll see, shall we? Let's just bow together in prayer.
[01:11:44] Dear Lord, we bow here in thy presence and we do thank thee for all that thou art. And Lord, we do pray that thou teach us how to use thy word, how to use the sword of thy spirit spirit.
[01:12:00] Lord, we all feel so unworthy in this manner, and lord, so small and young in the use of thy word. But we pray, Lord, that thou teach us how to use thy word. Give us real experiences of this, Lord, of thy word being given to us by thy spirit. And we being enabled by thy grace to really stand on that word and see, Lord, thy will done on earth as it is in heaven. Lord, we bring it to thee and we ask thee, give us real help, for we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
