July 3, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you are in a battle, Jesus wants you to
know he's already.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Declared you win.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Doctor Tony Evans says, the fight may be fierce, but
the outcome has already been decided.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You wrestle against principality than poets, but you do not
wrestle from defeat. You wrestle from victory.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. There's more to
life struggles than meets the eye. Doctor Evans says, many
of our battles are really spiritual in nature, and the
only way to win is to fight with spiritual weapons. Today,
he'll explain how God's word equips us for victory in
(00:40):
the invisible war that shapes our visible reality. Let's join them.
In Ephesians chapter six.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
He says in verse seventeen, and take up the helmet
of salvation. And it is the second half of this verse,
and the sword of the spirit, which is the word
of God. The context of is about a spiritual battle.
He is said in verse twelve, For we struggle not
against flesh and blood that's other people, but against rulers, powers,
(01:12):
and world forces of this darkness against spiritual forces of
wickedness in heavenly places.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
He says that your battle in life is not.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Against people, It is against a whole nother realm that
influences people. The spiritual realm, which he calls here heavenly
places heavenly places, simply means the spiritual realm, the invisible,
unseen realm that influences and that causes what takes place
(01:43):
in the visible realm in which you and I live.
His concern is that we do not miss this invisible realm,
this heavenly places, realm where our blessings are located. Satan's
goal is to rip you off of spiritual blessings. His
goal is to keep you from participating and enjoying the
(02:06):
provision of God. His activity in the form of a
snake cut Adam and Eve off from enjoying the pleasures
of the garden. It cut them off from experiencing what
God's will was for their lives because of his ability
to deceive them away from God. When God redeemed you,
(02:30):
he was seeking to escort you back into the garden.
Satan's goal is to keep us from getting there, so
that you do not get to realize the will of
God for your life. Satan has ripped a lot of
us off, been ripping us off for years. In Christ,
(02:52):
you are due a refund. In Christ, you are do
a return on everything he's ripped you off on. The
question is how do we get that. Paul says that
he wants us to stand firm. He says that a
number of times. He says that in verse eleven, stand firm.
(03:15):
He says that at the end of verse thirteen, stand firm.
He says at the end of verse fourteen, stand firm.
What he's saying is that when you came to Christ,
you came to victory. You do not wrestle. You wrestle
against principalities and powers, but you do not wrestle from defeat.
(03:37):
You wrestle from victory. Because the Bible is clear that
Jesus Christ defeated the evil one on the cross. He's defeated.
Question is what if he's defeated. Somebody's hitting me, and
the way I'm being punched, it doesn't feel like I'm
being hit by a defeated verse we have any fans
(04:00):
of pro wrestling, Okay, fundamentally wrestling is entertainment.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Now I hope you.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Understand that the winner is selected before the match. Okay,
it has been predetermined who's gonna win what they have
decided that. So no matter how bad a guy is
being beat in the ring, he knows when this is over,
(04:32):
I win because the victory has been predetermined in advance.
So even though they are in a battle, the one
who has been predetermined to win is fighting from victory,
not for victory, because there's already been determined how this
(04:53):
thing is going in. So they're in a battle, but
they're in a battle they have already won, not a
battle they're seeking to win. If you are in a battle,
Jesus wants you to know he's already declared you winner
because you are in a battle that has been predetermined
that you would win, but you are still.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
In the battle.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
He wants you to have this stand firm mindset because
you understand that you're fighting from victory.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And not for victory.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
But you see, if you don't understand that, then you
don't have the right mindset in the battle. You see,
because you have gotten the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. So help you God, it's something
about truth that changes your ability to function. The Bible
wants you to know. Satan may have something stuck in
your back, but it's not the ultimate weapon, because victory
(05:53):
has already been the chieved.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
He then goes through the.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Various almor of God that we have been told to
put on truth and righteousness, and your feet shy of
the Gospel and faith. Then he comes to verse seventeen
with the helmet of salvation and then crosses over to
our focus today, the sword of the Spirit. And he says,
(06:22):
and what I'm talking about is the word of God.
After listing the weapons, he comes to the only offensive
weapon in the group, the only thing you use to
attack back. He calls the Word of God the sword
(06:45):
of the Spirit. First of all, the word sword. There
are a number of words for sword in the New
Testament that referred to what a Roman soldier would use
in batter, because that's his mindset. The Roman soldier uses
the armor of God. The sword that most of us
(07:08):
would relate to is the sword that comes out of
the sheath from the belt around the Roman soldier's waist.
He would reach in and he would lift it out.
And if you ever notice, those are huge swords. These
swords were used sometimes they were so heavy you had
to swing them.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
With both hands flailing about.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
To hit the object that you're fighting against or the
person who you're fighting against. But that's not the word
used Kia for sword. There's another word for sword in
the New Testament, and it's from a Greek word that
referred to a dagger, a dagger six to eighteen inches
(07:55):
that would be drawn not out of this long sheath,
but sometimes just stuck down the belt and lifted out.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
The sword was used for flailing abouts. The dagger was
used for precision.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
It was this word that was used of Peter when
they came to arrest Jesus. And it says and Peter
took out his sword and cut off the servant's ear.
It wasn't because he missed and just happened to hit
the ear when you pulled that out. It was for
a precision cut. In other words, you had in mind
(08:37):
what you want to hear, and you hit it.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It was precision.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It was like a doctor using a scalt pull in
an operation. It was designed for precision. When he speaks
about put on truth, he's talking about the the general
use of the Bible, the whole of the text.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
But when it calls the sword of the Spirit, it
was used for close hand to hand combat.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
In other words, he's saying, you need the sword of
the Spirit when the devil's up in your grill. It's
just a hand in hand combat. When you're face to
face with the enemy. The enemy is is all up
in your stuff. He's all up in your business. He close,
he's all up on you. Have you ever had the
devil all up on you? Not on you, but on you,
(09:36):
You mean, just all up on you.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
You can't shake him, you can't get rid of him.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
He's just all up on you. He's everywhere around you.
You at that point, you need this sword.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
He calls it the sword of the Spirit.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Because it's the sword that the spirit uses for this
kind of close up conflict and close.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Up battle.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Where you are facing a specific thing at a specific time,
about a specific problem that's too big for you to handle.
You need the dagger of the Spirit. It is the
spirit's dagger because it is what the.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Spirit uses to wage face the face battle when.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You are in a close up conflict in.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
The war zone.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Your ability to use this sword at that time will
determine how you fare in this realm.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Doctor Evan says, victory and spiritual warfare isn't just about
having the right weapon. It's about knowing how to use
it when it counts more than that.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
In just a moment, Hey ladies, it's time to gather
your friends small group for all the women of your
church for a social faith awakening time with the Lord.
Join us virtually for the Desperate for Jesus Conference this
July twenty fifth and twenty sixth. Get ready to worship
and hear powerful teaching from Crystal Hurst, Priscilla Shier and
their special guests. Don't miss this chance to be refreshed
(11:14):
as you grow spiritually. Hurry over to dfjconference dot com
to register for the live simulcast that's Dfjconference dot com.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Before we return to the second part of today's message,
I want to let you know that this lesson is
just one installment in doctor Evans's powerful series The Benefits
of Scripture. Across six eye opening messages, you'll discover how
the Bible brings clarity, direction, freedom, and spiritual strength into
our everyday lives. And for just a few more days now,
(11:45):
we are offering the full audio collection as our thank
you gift, along with an added bonus when you support
the ministry of the Alternative, and that added bonus is
your personal copy of the Tony Evans Bible Commentary, a
valuable tool that covers the entire Bible with clear, practical
insights you can understand and apply as you grow in
(12:06):
your daily relationship with God. This special offer ends on Monday,
so don't wait. Visit Tonyevans dot org to make your request,
or call our resource team anytime at one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two. I'll share that contact
information again after part two of today's message, here's doctor
(12:27):
Evans once more.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
You put a tennis racket in the hands of Serena Willims,
and you've got somebody who can use it with precision.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
You put a golf club in the hands of.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Tiger Woods precision. You put a basketball in the hands
of Michael Jordan. We'll just have somebody shooting baskets. You
have somebody who can hit with precision. What makes these
people in those and other sports reach this level is
that they function with the level of precision.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
When he talks about the sword.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Of the Spirit, he's not talking about your general having
about you could have a Bible factory, but not have
a sword, because now his discussion is the use of
the Bible for precision. That's why he says the sword
of the spirit. This is what the spirit uses. When
(13:26):
you get a believer who is under the control of
the spirit, who knows how to handle the sword, there's
no battle or around that they can't win. Which is
the word of God. We need to talk about the
word word. What main word is the Bible is called
the logos, that is the embodiment of the expression of God.
(13:50):
But that's not the word here. The word here is
the word of Raema. The word rama is a reference
to specific statements in the Bible, not the Bible in general,
but specific statements from the Bible used as needed in
(14:12):
a particular time regarding a particular battle where you need
to make a particular stab. Until the logos becomes the rama,
you won't see the power.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Until the Bible in general.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
The big sword can become the sharp dagger, you won't
see its power. The word word here was used of
an utterance. This word is used in a verse. We
looked at a number of times in our discussion Hebrews
(14:55):
four twelve. For the word of God is sharper than
any two edges sword cutting into the dividing of soul
and spirit and joint and marrow.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
That word there is also rama.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
It says that the Word of God is so sharp
that when specifically applied to a specific situation in a
precise way, it is so absolutely sharped it can get
between bone and marrow. Do you understand what that means?
To get between bone and marrow? When marrow is in
(15:30):
the bone, you have to be precision at the most
intricate way. It says that the Bible is so sharp
it can distinguish between the soul and the spirit. Do
you understand that the soul and the spirit are dynamically
connected to one another?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
He says, if you ever learn to use.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
This book as a precision weapon, not not just general
I beleeve a Bible, But let me give you this
verse at this time, for this problem, in this way, because.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
I'm a slice you up. Anybody over here.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
He had been cut by a piece of paper. That's
one of the most miserable cuts, because paper can cut you,
and you don't know you cut paper. Be laughing at you,
you bleeding in want to know where that came from?
Paper didn't just sliced you up. He says, the Word
of God, when it's rama specific utterances, lets you experience
(16:34):
the power of the Spirit, because it's the soword that
the Spirit wields. The Spirit, of course, is the spirit
of the logos, but when it comes to use, he's
the spirit of the rama where divide authority is given
and expressed. Rama has to do with the specific parts
(16:55):
of the Bible that you're using, not simply general in
the Bible, he says. The Bible is the sword that
the Spirit uses, which is the rama of God. The
specific use of scriptures.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It is the use.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Of specific truths to specific scenarios that lets you see
specific power to know the Bible is important generally for
the purpose of using it specifically. The reason why you
want to learn the Bible generally is so that you
(17:35):
can use it specifically. The reason why so many Christians
are general Christians is they don't use it specifically when
they're faced with hand to hand combat. When you went
to take your driver's tests, you went to take the
written exam, but that was not enough.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
They then't got.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
In the car with you to see whether what you
knew on paper you could produce on the road, and
everybody was nervous the first time when you had to
park because they got those things there.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You can knock it over. Now.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You can talk on the paper all you want about
how far you should be from the curb and all
that kind of stuff, But it is your ability to
use it that gets you your license. Unfortunately, we do
not have people who are reading it, learning it, hearing it,
also using it, and therefore they do not see its
(18:37):
ability to cut.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Sharply.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Let's again review Jesus's rama. Use of the word Jesus
is Rayma use of the word.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Matthew.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Chapter four, Jesus has come off of a great victory.
God has said, this is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased in verse seventeen of chapter three. Then
somebody say, then, then after he come off the mountain,
(19:16):
he's in trouble because he was led up by the
spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Now watch us. Is Jesus in God's will? Jesus is
perfectly in God's will, and God leads Jesus to meet
the devil. So you got to think about that. For men,
(19:40):
he's perfectly in God's will. He's the eternal son of God.
He just comes off of a celebration. This is my
beloved son and whom I'm well pleased.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
God says, I'm pleased with you.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
And then we told the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness,
so you got the trinity working together. The Spirit is
Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose a battle with the.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Bill, Doctor Tony Evans reminding us that even Jesus faced
spiritual battles, but he faced them armed with the truth
of God's word, and that same power is available to
us today. Tony will return with a closing thought in
just a moment. Before he does, though, don't forget to
(20:24):
request your copy of this six part series called The
Benefits of Scripture. The audio collection comes as instantly downloadable
digital files as well as in either a CD album
or USB flash drive, and includes full length versions of
all the messages in this series, including plenty of material
we won't have time to present on the broadcast, and
(20:46):
as a special bonus, will also include the Tony Evans
Bible Commentary, a powerful companion resource that helps you explore
every passage in the Bible with clear, practical insights you
can apply to your everyday life, both of yours with
our thanks when you make a donation to support the
work of the Alternative. But this is one of the
(21:07):
last days we'll be offering these two powerful resources together,
So visit us right away at Tonyevans dot org or
you'll find all the details right on the homepage, or
call our twenty four hour resource request line at one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Again, that's
Tonyevans dot org. Or call one eight hundred eight hundred
(21:30):
three two two two. It's easy to feel strong when
there's no pressure on you, but doctor Evan says real
spiritual strength only shows up when life pushes back. On Monday,
he takes us to the wilderness with Jesus to show
how the written word of God can anchor us when
temptation hits hardest. Right now, though, he's back with these
(21:53):
closing words.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
You don't know how good you are until you're being opposed.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
You can talk good game all you want.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
For example, I am a tremendous basketball player.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Yeah, I'm just good.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I am particularly good when I'm playing by myself. When
I'm playing by myself, there is no one better.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
One day, one day.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Number of years ago, Mark Aguire came over to my house.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
And uh, we spent some time talking.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And I don't know what got into me, but I said,
I want to play you one on one. I want
to I want to play. I want to take you
right now. He said, okay, but you my past and everything.
But I want to know am I supposed to like
(22:59):
go lie or am I supposed to play? Because I
don't want to be coming up in no sermon, so
I need to know what my parameters are here.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I said, no, no, no, I want you play. I
want you play, and I do wanted to come up
in a sermon. But what I wanted to come up
in the sermon is how this NBA All Star player
came over to his pastor's house and got broke down.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
So I said, yeah, you come on over.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
So we went out behind my house, had the basketball
ready to go, and he said, you take it out.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I think I was the only time I got the
hold onto the ball. All of a sudden, I wasn't
good anymore because it's a lot different shooting the ball
when nobody's in your face compared to having six foot
(23:58):
six worth of superstar in your face when you're trying to.
At one time, I went up. He caught the ball
as I was going up. Okay, he caught the ball
while I was going up, wrapped the ball under his arm,
and dunked it without ever coming down. I said, no,
you didn't do that. He said, oh, would you like
(24:18):
to see it again? I said no, thank you, because really,
the test of how good you are is when you're
being opposed. So it's one thing for God the Father
to say you are the son of God. It's another
thing for him to demonstrate it when being opposed
If you are in a battle, Jesus wants you to
know he's already.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Declared you win.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Doctor Tony Evans says, the fight may be fierce, but
the outcome has already been decided.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You wrestle against principality than poets, but you do not
wrestle from defeat. You wrestle from victory.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. There's more to
life struggles than meets the eye. Doctor Evans says, many
of our battles are really spiritual in nature, and the
only way to win is to fight with spiritual weapons. Today,
he'll explain how God's word equips us for victory in
(00:40):
the invisible war that shapes our visible reality. Let's join them.
In Ephesians chapter six.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
He says in verse seventeen, and take up the helmet
of salvation. And it is the second half of this verse,
and the sword of the spirit, which is the word
of God. The context of is about a spiritual battle.
He is said in verse twelve, For we struggle not
against flesh and blood that's other people, but against rulers, powers,
(01:12):
and world forces of this darkness against spiritual forces of
wickedness in heavenly places.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
He says that your battle in life is not.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Against people, It is against a whole nother realm that
influences people. The spiritual realm, which he calls here heavenly
places heavenly places, simply means the spiritual realm, the invisible,
unseen realm that influences and that causes what takes place
(01:43):
in the visible realm in which you and I live.
His concern is that we do not miss this invisible realm,
this heavenly places, realm where our blessings are located. Satan's
goal is to rip you off of spiritual blessings. His
goal is to keep you from participating and enjoying the
(02:06):
provision of God. His activity in the form of a
snake cut Adam and Eve off from enjoying the pleasures
of the garden. It cut them off from experiencing what
God's will was for their lives because of his ability
to deceive them away from God. When God redeemed you,
(02:30):
he was seeking to escort you back into the garden.
Satan's goal is to keep us from getting there, so
that you do not get to realize the will of
God for your life. Satan has ripped a lot of
us off, been ripping us off for years. In Christ,
(02:52):
you are due a refund. In Christ, you are do
a return on everything he's ripped you off on. The
question is how do we get that. Paul says that
he wants us to stand firm. He says that a
number of times. He says that in verse eleven, stand firm.
(03:15):
He says that at the end of verse thirteen, stand firm.
He says at the end of verse fourteen, stand firm.
What he's saying is that when you came to Christ,
you came to victory. You do not wrestle. You wrestle
against principalities and powers, but you do not wrestle from defeat.
(03:37):
You wrestle from victory. Because the Bible is clear that
Jesus Christ defeated the evil one on the cross. He's defeated.
Question is what if he's defeated. Somebody's hitting me, and
the way I'm being punched, it doesn't feel like I'm
being hit by a defeated verse we have any fans
(04:00):
of pro wrestling, Okay, fundamentally wrestling is entertainment.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Now I hope you.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Understand that the winner is selected before the match. Okay,
it has been predetermined who's gonna win what they have
decided that. So no matter how bad a guy is
being beat in the ring, he knows when this is over,
(04:32):
I win because the victory has been predetermined in advance.
So even though they are in a battle, the one
who has been predetermined to win is fighting from victory,
not for victory, because there's already been determined how this
(04:53):
thing is going in. So they're in a battle, but
they're in a battle they have already won, not a
battle they're seeking to win. If you are in a battle,
Jesus wants you to know he's already declared you winner
because you are in a battle that has been predetermined
that you would win, but you are still.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
In the battle.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
He wants you to have this stand firm mindset because
you understand that you're fighting from victory.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And not for victory.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
But you see, if you don't understand that, then you
don't have the right mindset in the battle. You see,
because you have gotten the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. So help you God, it's something
about truth that changes your ability to function. The Bible
wants you to know. Satan may have something stuck in
your back, but it's not the ultimate weapon, because victory
(05:53):
has already been the chieved.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
He then goes through the.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Various almor of God that we have been told to
put on truth and righteousness, and your feet shy of
the Gospel and faith. Then he comes to verse seventeen
with the helmet of salvation and then crosses over to
our focus today, the sword of the Spirit. And he says,
(06:22):
and what I'm talking about is the word of God.
After listing the weapons, he comes to the only offensive
weapon in the group, the only thing you use to
attack back. He calls the Word of God the sword
(06:45):
of the Spirit. First of all, the word sword. There
are a number of words for sword in the New
Testament that referred to what a Roman soldier would use
in batter, because that's his mindset. The Roman soldier uses
the armor of God. The sword that most of us
(07:08):
would relate to is the sword that comes out of
the sheath from the belt around the Roman soldier's waist.
He would reach in and he would lift it out.
And if you ever notice, those are huge swords. These
swords were used sometimes they were so heavy you had
to swing them.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
With both hands flailing about.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
To hit the object that you're fighting against or the
person who you're fighting against. But that's not the word
used Kia for sword. There's another word for sword in
the New Testament, and it's from a Greek word that
referred to a dagger, a dagger six to eighteen inches
(07:55):
that would be drawn not out of this long sheath,
but sometimes just stuck down the belt and lifted out.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
The sword was used for flailing abouts. The dagger was
used for precision.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
It was this word that was used of Peter when
they came to arrest Jesus. And it says and Peter
took out his sword and cut off the servant's ear.
It wasn't because he missed and just happened to hit
the ear when you pulled that out. It was for
a precision cut. In other words, you had in mind
(08:37):
what you want to hear, and you hit it.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It was precision.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
It was like a doctor using a scalt pull in
an operation. It was designed for precision. When he speaks
about put on truth, he's talking about the the general
use of the Bible, the whole of the text.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
But when it calls the sword of the Spirit, it
was used for close hand to hand combat.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
In other words, he's saying, you need the sword of
the Spirit when the devil's up in your grill. It's
just a hand in hand combat. When you're face to
face with the enemy. The enemy is is all up
in your stuff. He's all up in your business. He close,
he's all up on you. Have you ever had the
devil all up on you? Not on you, but on you,
(09:36):
You mean, just all up on you.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
You can't shake him, you can't get rid of him.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
He's just all up on you. He's everywhere around you.
You at that point, you need this sword.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
He calls it the sword of the Spirit.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
Because it's the sword that the spirit uses for this
kind of close up conflict and close.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Up battle.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Where you are facing a specific thing at a specific time,
about a specific problem that's too big for you to handle.
You need the dagger of the Spirit. It is the
spirit's dagger because it is what the.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Spirit uses to wage face the face battle when.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
You are in a close up conflict in.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
The war zone.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Your ability to use this sword at that time will
determine how you fare in this realm.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Doctor Evan says, victory and spiritual warfare isn't just about
having the right weapon. It's about knowing how to use
it when it counts more than that.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
In just a moment, Hey ladies, it's time to gather
your friends small group for all the women of your
church for a social faith awakening time with the Lord.
Join us virtually for the Desperate for Jesus Conference this
July twenty fifth and twenty sixth. Get ready to worship
and hear powerful teaching from Crystal Hurst, Priscilla Shier and
their special guests. Don't miss this chance to be refreshed
(11:14):
as you grow spiritually. Hurry over to dfjconference dot com
to register for the live simulcast that's Dfjconference dot com.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Before we return to the second part of today's message,
I want to let you know that this lesson is
just one installment in doctor Evans's powerful series The Benefits
of Scripture. Across six eye opening messages, you'll discover how
the Bible brings clarity, direction, freedom, and spiritual strength into
our everyday lives. And for just a few more days now,
(11:45):
we are offering the full audio collection as our thank
you gift, along with an added bonus when you support
the ministry of the Alternative, and that added bonus is
your personal copy of the Tony Evans Bible Commentary, a
valuable tool that covers the entire Bible with clear, practical
insights you can understand and apply as you grow in
(12:06):
your daily relationship with God. This special offer ends on Monday,
so don't wait. Visit Tonyevans dot org to make your request,
or call our resource team anytime at one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two. I'll share that contact
information again after part two of today's message, here's doctor
(12:27):
Evans once more.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
You put a tennis racket in the hands of Serena Willims,
and you've got somebody who can use it with precision.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
You put a golf club in the hands of.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Tiger Woods precision. You put a basketball in the hands
of Michael Jordan. We'll just have somebody shooting baskets. You
have somebody who can hit with precision. What makes these
people in those and other sports reach this level is
that they function with the level of precision.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
When he talks about the sword.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Of the Spirit, he's not talking about your general having
about you could have a Bible factory, but not have
a sword, because now his discussion is the use of
the Bible for precision. That's why he says the sword
of the spirit. This is what the spirit uses. When
(13:26):
you get a believer who is under the control of
the spirit, who knows how to handle the sword, there's
no battle or around that they can't win. Which is
the word of God. We need to talk about the
word word. What main word is the Bible is called
the logos, that is the embodiment of the expression of God.
(13:50):
But that's not the word here. The word here is
the word of Raema. The word rama is a reference
to specific statements in the Bible, not the Bible in general,
but specific statements from the Bible used as needed in
(14:12):
a particular time regarding a particular battle where you need
to make a particular stab. Until the logos becomes the rama,
you won't see the power.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Until the Bible in general.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
The big sword can become the sharp dagger, you won't
see its power. The word word here was used of
an utterance. This word is used in a verse. We
looked at a number of times in our discussion Hebrews
(14:55):
four twelve. For the word of God is sharper than
any two edges sword cutting into the dividing of soul
and spirit and joint and marrow.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
That word there is also rama.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
It says that the Word of God is so sharp
that when specifically applied to a specific situation in a
precise way, it is so absolutely sharped it can get
between bone and marrow. Do you understand what that means?
To get between bone and marrow? When marrow is in
(15:30):
the bone, you have to be precision at the most
intricate way. It says that the Bible is so sharp
it can distinguish between the soul and the spirit. Do
you understand that the soul and the spirit are dynamically
connected to one another?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
He says, if you ever learn to use.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
This book as a precision weapon, not not just general
I beleeve a Bible, But let me give you this
verse at this time, for this problem, in this way, because.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
I'm a slice you up. Anybody over here.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
He had been cut by a piece of paper. That's
one of the most miserable cuts, because paper can cut you,
and you don't know you cut paper. Be laughing at you,
you bleeding in want to know where that came from?
Paper didn't just sliced you up. He says, the Word
of God, when it's rama specific utterances, lets you experience
(16:34):
the power of the Spirit, because it's the soword that
the Spirit wields. The Spirit, of course, is the spirit
of the logos, but when it comes to use, he's
the spirit of the rama where divide authority is given
and expressed. Rama has to do with the specific parts
(16:55):
of the Bible that you're using, not simply general in
the Bible, he says. The Bible is the sword that
the Spirit uses, which is the rama of God. The
specific use of scriptures.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
It is the use.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Of specific truths to specific scenarios that lets you see
specific power to know the Bible is important generally for
the purpose of using it specifically. The reason why you
want to learn the Bible generally is so that you
(17:35):
can use it specifically. The reason why so many Christians
are general Christians is they don't use it specifically when
they're faced with hand to hand combat. When you went
to take your driver's tests, you went to take the
written exam, but that was not enough.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
They then't got.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
In the car with you to see whether what you
knew on paper you could produce on the road, and
everybody was nervous the first time when you had to
park because they got those things there.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You can knock it over. Now.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You can talk on the paper all you want about
how far you should be from the curb and all
that kind of stuff, But it is your ability to
use it that gets you your license. Unfortunately, we do
not have people who are reading it, learning it, hearing it,
also using it, and therefore they do not see its
(18:37):
ability to cut.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Sharply.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Let's again review Jesus's rama. Use of the word Jesus
is Rayma use of the word.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Matthew.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Chapter four, Jesus has come off of a great victory.
God has said, this is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased in verse seventeen of chapter three. Then
somebody say, then, then after he come off the mountain,
(19:16):
he's in trouble because he was led up by the
spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Now watch us. Is Jesus in God's will? Jesus is
perfectly in God's will, and God leads Jesus to meet
the devil. So you got to think about that. For men,
(19:40):
he's perfectly in God's will. He's the eternal son of God.
He just comes off of a celebration. This is my
beloved son and whom I'm well pleased.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
God says, I'm pleased with you.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
And then we told the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness,
so you got the trinity working together. The Spirit is
Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose a battle with the.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Bill, Doctor Tony Evans reminding us that even Jesus faced
spiritual battles, but he faced them armed with the truth
of God's word, and that same power is available to
us today. Tony will return with a closing thought in
just a moment. Before he does, though, don't forget to
(20:24):
request your copy of this six part series called The
Benefits of Scripture. The audio collection comes as instantly downloadable
digital files as well as in either a CD album
or USB flash drive, and includes full length versions of
all the messages in this series, including plenty of material
we won't have time to present on the broadcast, and
(20:46):
as a special bonus, will also include the Tony Evans
Bible Commentary, a powerful companion resource that helps you explore
every passage in the Bible with clear, practical insights you
can apply to your everyday life, both of yours with
our thanks when you make a donation to support the
work of the Alternative. But this is one of the
(21:07):
last days we'll be offering these two powerful resources together,
So visit us right away at Tonyevans dot org or
you'll find all the details right on the homepage, or
call our twenty four hour resource request line at one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Again, that's
Tonyevans dot org. Or call one eight hundred eight hundred
(21:30):
three two two two. It's easy to feel strong when
there's no pressure on you, but doctor Evan says real
spiritual strength only shows up when life pushes back. On Monday,
he takes us to the wilderness with Jesus to show
how the written word of God can anchor us when
temptation hits hardest. Right now, though, he's back with these
(21:53):
closing words.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
You don't know how good you are until you're being opposed.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
You can talk good game all you want.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
For example, I am a tremendous basketball player.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Yeah, I'm just good.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I am particularly good when I'm playing by myself. When
I'm playing by myself, there is no one better.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
One day, one day.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Number of years ago, Mark Aguire came over to my house.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
And uh, we spent some time talking.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
And I don't know what got into me, but I said,
I want to play you one on one. I want
to I want to play. I want to take you
right now. He said, okay, but you my past and everything.
But I want to know am I supposed to like
(22:59):
go lie or am I supposed to play? Because I
don't want to be coming up in no sermon, so
I need to know what my parameters are here.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I said, no, no, no, I want you play. I
want you play, and I do wanted to come up
in a sermon. But what I wanted to come up
in the sermon is how this NBA All Star player
came over to his pastor's house and got broke down.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
So I said, yeah, you come on over.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
So we went out behind my house, had the basketball
ready to go, and he said, you take it out.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
I think I was the only time I got the
hold onto the ball. All of a sudden, I wasn't
good anymore because it's a lot different shooting the ball
when nobody's in your face compared to having six foot
(23:58):
six worth of superstar in your face when you're trying to.
At one time, I went up. He caught the ball
as I was going up. Okay, he caught the ball
while I was going up, wrapped the ball under his arm,
and dunked it without ever coming down. I said, no,
you didn't do that. He said, oh, would you like
(24:18):
to see it again? I said no, thank you, because really,
the test of how good you are is when you're
being opposed. So it's one thing for God the Father
to say you are the son of God. It's another
thing for him to demonstrate it when being opposed
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