Title: I Came to Give You a Sword
I have come to give you a sword (Matthew 10:32-34)
Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, and he speaks contrary to this (verse 34). Christianity is a religion of peace. However, the text says the opposite and says that He came to give us a sword. What does it mean? To become a Christian is to become a child of God from the control of the devil, and a person who has been transferred from darkness to light, so it is inevitable that light and darkness collide with God and Satan. Therefore, Christians must fight and win spiritually until they enter the kingdom of heaven.
So what does it mean to bring a sword?
First, He gave us a sword to win the spiritual warfare of confessing Jesus (John 10:32-33).
We must confess to the world as a believer in Jesus. He gave us a sword to fight to confess Jesus in the face of any loss and temptation. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar and confessed to the Lord until they were thrown into the furnace (Daniel 3:18).
Living by confessing Jesus Christ is a spiritual war that only those who are ready to die can win. Have you ever been rejected and turned away from the world because of your faith? Aren't you still snooping around gambling and drinking? I hope to win the spiritual battle as a believer in Jesus at the end of the year.
Second, He gave us a sword to fight spiritually with our family. (Verses 35-37)
It is a very difficult word. Do you mean that you shouldn't do things like sharing love with your family and staying in harmony with each other? never meant that So what does this mean?
First, it means that it is not worthy to love more than Jesus, even family members (verse 37). This is a matter of priorities. And this problem arises when there is a family that does not believe. Unbelieving families will find it difficult to care for Jesus more than their family members. So they accuse him of being crazy about Jesus and become a persecutor. That is why it is said to fight with your family spiritually. We must not give up our faith for the sake of family peace.
Third, he came to give a sword for his cross.(38-39)
Everyone has their share of the cross and this brings suffering. So I want to take it off and I want to avoid it. But I will take up this cross and follow the Lord! (Matthew 16:24) The word decision is similar to the word “choice,” but there is a crucial difference. To choose means to choose one among many, but to decide means to give up everything in order to choose one. Going the way of the cross is not a choice among many paths, but a decision to take one path.
So, what exactly do you have to fight?
(1) We must fight sin. Christians who have been saved from sin and have new life must fight sin and fight injustice. A person who drifts away with the waves of the world without resistance cannot be called a Christian.
(2) You must fight the devil. If the soul is born again and the spiritual eyes are even a little open, when Satan the devil resists, persecutes, and tempts them moment by moment, they do not compromise with the devil or avoid the path of suffering. We must resist the devil and draw close to God (James 4:7-8).
(3). We have to fight the wrong lusts of the flesh. Since the people of Jesus Christ are the ones who crucified their passions and desires, they must fight the lusts of the flesh every day so that the lusts that have been crucified do not come alive again (1 Corinthians 9:27).
To fight this spiritual battle, you need a weapon. What is that weapon, the sword?
First, prayer. Without prayer, we can never overcome the devil and we cannot overcome sin.
Second, it is the Word. (Hebrews 4:12) The Word is said to be the sword of the Holy Spirit. Jesus overcame the temptation of the devil with the word.
concluding remarks
In churches that do not pray, do not evangelize, and do not fight the devil, demons are sleeping on the roof. However, in the church that prays, evangelizes, and engages in spiritual warfare, the devil does not know what to do. A church that lives and works filled with the Holy Spirit is bound to continue the spiritual battle without ceasing. What kind of church is Seomun Church?
A person who is being attacked by Satan the devil is proof that he is a Christian. I hope you fight and win.
Don't brag about who's comfortable and doesn't have any problems! Such a person is spiritually ill. Satan is the one who despises
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27).
The peace the world gives is not true peace. The peace of the world should not be mistaken for the peace of God. The peace that Jesus gives is the true peace that comes after defeating Satan the devil and winning. After admitting Jesus as my Savior and winning the spiritual battle, after winning the battle of love that loves Jesus more than family, and after winning the spiritual battle of bearing one's cross, true peace that the world cannot give is given.