Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Our weapons: The sword of the Spirit (Eleventh in the series, 'A Christian worldview') Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA October 31, 2004 Main Scripture text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-5. A Christian Worldview Sermon Series Aug. 8, 2004 • The Power of Perspective Aug. 15, 2004 • The Holy Bible: Our Guide for Faith and Practice Aug. 22, 2004 • Origins Aug. 29, 2004 • Will the Real God Please Stand Up? Sept. 5, 2004 • The Spirit World Sept. 12, 2004 • A Warfare Worldview Sept. 19, 2004 • War Stories: Invasion and Liberation Oct. 10, 2004 • War Stories: At the Front Oct. 17, 2004 • The Enemy's Battle Plan Oct. 24, 2004 • Personal Defense Oct. 31, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit Nov. 7, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Name of Jesus Nov. 14, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Blood of Jesus Nov. 28, 2004 • Warfare Worldview: The Real Star Wars Having a Christian worldview means we test everything in life by the Word of God. There is both a general dimension and specific dimension to the term, "Word of God." In the general dimension, we refer to Scripture as "The "Word" or the "whole counsel of God." But when the angel appeared to Mary and told her God would cause her to be pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit, she responded: "Be it unto me according to your word." It was a specific word to Mary. A specific word from the Lord can be part of the general Word, such as when a Scripture passage gives guidance or has application to a particular situation. Or, it can can an instruction from God that is not part of the general Word at all, as when Paul received a vision to go minister in Macedonia. Knowing the general Word is important, but it is just as important to be able to hear the specific things God says to us. Keep in mind that a specific word must not contradict the general Word. If it does, you can be sure it is not from God. A sword is both an offensive weapon (to inflict damage on our enemy) and a defensive weapon (to block attacking blows from the enemy). Jesus' used the Sword of the Word defensively in Matthew 4 when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. To use the Word to defend against the devil's attack, we must know the Word, we must have it hidden in our hearts. The Word, of course, is also an offensive weapon that we can use to inflict damage in the enemy's kingdom. Paul says "our weapons are not carnal but mighty in God to demolish strongholds." Strongholds where demons can hide out and wreak havoc in our lives without our knowing what really going on. Common strongholds include: 1) anger, bitterness, prejudice; 2) persistent sin (especially secret sin); 3) wounds, childhood trauma; 4) lies believed; 5) ignorance of God's Word; and 6) agreements with the enemy. A few weeks ago, as a group of people were praying for a member of this congregation who was battling health problems, a specific word came to one of the prayer leaders: "horoscopes." The young lady with health problems had been consulting horoscopes, something forbidden in Scripture. Here was a specific word about this situation, related to something in the general Word. That word exposed a stronghold that was then destroyed, and now healing is progressing. The Word of God, whether general or specific, is "the sword of the Spirit" with the "divine power to demolish strongholds." If we are to live out New Testament Christianity, we must know the general Word of God, and we must train ourselves to hear a specific word from Him as the need arises. Supporting texts: Ephesians 6:17 | Luke 11:28 | John 1:1 | Luke 1:38 | Luke 2:29 | Mark 7:6-7 | Acts 16:6-10 | Matthew 4:1-11 | John 8:44 | Psalm 24:1-2 | Psalm 119:11 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (36:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 041031a: Our Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit. © 2004 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us