25-0622a Transcript

Preacher: Tom Freed

(1:19) Good morning. (1:21) My turn in the rotation to preach. So John gave the reading. I said He’d be preaching tonight so (1:29) come out and support him. I know it’s harder for people to come at night, (1:33) and we have a small enough crowd now, but I’m glad to be around for one day and Sunday night. (1:39)

(1:41) My sermon is called, The Bible, The Most Powerful Weapon on Earth. (1:47) The humanity has forged countless weapons, tank missiles, nuclear warheads, (1:54) capable of unimaginable destruction. Nations like America wield armies that could devastate (2:02) entire countries.

We look at our country with all the weapons we have. We can pretty much blow (2:08) everybody out the face of the earth, and we have. Somebody said one time to me that our country is (2:15) good at bombing people.

You know, we love to just bomb people. So then we spend all our money fixing (2:21) them up their country back up. But there’s tons of weapons.

Yet amidst these man-made tools of war, (2:29) one weapon surpasses them all. The Word of God, the Holy Bible. (2:36) Unlike earthly weapons designed to kill, the Bible heals, transforms, and offers eternal life.

(2:45) As Hebrew 4.12 declares, for the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged (2:53) sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts (3:00) and intents of the heart.

No other weapon can pierce the heart or shape eternity. (3:08) Today we explore four reasons why the Bible is the ultimate weapon. Its divine authority, (3:15) Jesus is the Word, its transformative power, and its eternal victory.

The Bible is unparalleled (3:24) because it carried the authority of God himself. Our omnipotent, omniscient creator (3:32) spoke the universe into existence. Genesis begins with, and God said, and from his words, (3:42) galaxies, oceans, and humanity were formed without effort, only speech.

(3:48) Could you imagine that? All God had to do was say it and it happened. He didn’t have to (3:55) do like we do and put a lot of effort into it. Everything we see was spoken into existence.

(4:01) That’s how powerful God’s Word is, and we have it in our fingertips. (4:08) Isaiah 55.11 affirms, so is my word that goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to be (4:18) empty, but it will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

(4:25) Everything that we have in the Bible has and will come true. I remember David Cove used to say his (4:34) mother, for every verse that she saw in her life that came true, she put TP by it, tested and (4:42) proved, and there was a lot of TPs in the Bible. Everything God says is tested and proved.

We can (4:52) see from history it’s happened and in the future it’s going to happen. Every promise, prophecy, (4:59) and command in scripture is certain to come to pass. In 2 Timothy 3.16 we read, (5:08) all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in (5:13) righteousness.

The Bible is not a human opinion, but divine truth inspired by the Holy Spirit. (5:24) It’s not like people, some people complain just something men wrote thousands of years ago. (5:32) It’s divinely inspired by God and it is the truth.

The Bible says God’s word is true. (5:41) When Jesus faced Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, Matthew 4.1-11, (5:49) he didn’t rely on physical might, but declared it is written, wielding scripture to defeat the enemy. (5:58) The great thing about the Bible is it’s a sword.

It can be used offensively and defensively. (6:05) Jesus used it to defend against the devil and so can we. (6:10) You resist the devil, he must flee from you.

The Bible’s authority shatters lies, dispels fears, (6:19) and equips us to stand firm. It is a sword of truth from the King of kings, (6:26) unyielding and unstoppable. Look at the second point, Jesus as the word.

(6:35) The Bible’s power is magnified because it embodies Jesus Christ, the living word. (6:41) John 1.1-3 proclaims, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, (6:48) and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made. (6:56) We can see that Jesus is the word. He was there at creation.

The Greek term Logos, meaning word, (7:06) was familiar to both Jews and Greeks. For Jews, God’s word was his active will, (7:14) shaping creation and history, Psalm 33.6. For Greeks, Logos was a bridge between God and the (7:22) world. John elevates this concept, revealing Jesus as the divine Logos, fully God, fully human, (7:34) the perfect revelation of the Father.

Jesus declared, anyone who has seen me has seen the (7:43) Father, John 14.9. To all his apostles seeing him, they said, show me the Father. (7:50) He said, seeing him is like seeing the Father, because he is God. He considered himself equal (7:58) with God, because he is.

His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled scripture and showed us (8:05) God’s heart. The Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preserves his teaching and deeds, reminding us of (8:15) his power. As John 21.25 notes, the world could not contain all Jesus did, yet the Bible gives us (8:27) what we need to know him.

Like John said, every single book in the world can contain all the (8:35) things Jesus did in just three years. And we have, you know, a lot of the stories in there for us. (8:45) In wielding scripture, we wield the presence and power of Christ himself.

(8:53) Third point, the Bible’s transformative power. Unlike man-made weapons that destroy, the Bible (9:01) transforms lives. Hebrews 4.12 describes it as sharper than any sword, piercing to the depths (9:11) of our soul.

It doesn’t merely inform, it renews minds, heals hearts, and redirects destinies. (9:22) Consider the Apostle Paul, once a fierce persecutor of Christians. Encountering Christ (9:30) and embracing God’s word, he became a pillar of faith, leading countless souls to salvation.

(9:38) Acts 9, from the notorious to the broken, no one is beyond the Bible’s reach. (9:47) Modern stories echo this truth. Lives ravaged by addiction, despair, or sin have been restored (9:54) through scripture’s power.

Even the most evil person, with the worst sins you could think of, (10:03) can be changed by the Bible. Look at Jeffrey Dahmer. He was changed by the Bible’s power and (10:10) was baptized before he was killed in jail.

If it could change him, it could change anybody. (10:18) Don’t look at somebody and judge them by their outside appearance. Even if they are (10:22) covered in tattoos and a gang, if you see a held angel member, it could even change their lives.

(10:29) Don’t be scared to bring up the word to others. The Bible breaks chains, heals wounds, and ignites (10:40) hope. As we read and apply it, we are reshaped into Christ’s image.

Deuteronomy 13, 19 urges, (10:52) I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. I will choose life so that you and (10:58) your children may live. We have two paths to choose.

Obeying the scriptures brings abundant (11:07) life. Rejecting it leads to spiritual death. The Bible is a weapon that saves.

We’re all given (11:16) that choice. We can have blessings, follow the word of God, or we can have curses. It’s up to (11:24) us what we choose to do in life.

The last point is the Bible’s eternal victory. (11:32) The Bible guarantees eternal victory. Every word within it is true and enduring.

Isaiah 48 proclaims, (11:43) the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God endures forever. (11:49) In Christ, we are assured triumph. 1 Corinthians 15, 57 declares, but thanks be to God.

(11:59) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, (12:08) in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world, John 16, 33. (12:15) He’s right.

We do have trouble in this world. Feels like we’re losing, especially you see this (12:23) country has changed over however many years. Even recently it’s changed greatly.

Seems like evil’s (12:30) winning. If you’re a Christian and know the scripture, you know we have victory. (12:37) If you’re a Christian, you’re victorious.

Ephesians 6, 17 calls the church to take the Bible (12:48) as the sword of the spirit, part of God’s armor for spiritual warfare. (12:54) This sword never dulls. Revelation 19, 15 envisions Jesus returning with a sharp (13:02) sword from his mouth, his word defeating every foe.

(13:08) Through Christ’s resurrection, the Bible declares victory over death itself. 2 Timothy 2, 1-10. (13:21) So Jesus even defeated death.

We don’t have to fear death because we know we’re going to heaven. (13:28) Romans 8, 37 assures us we’re more than conquerors through him who loved us. (13:36) The Bible is our anchor in storms, our light and darkness, and our assurance for eternal life.

(13:45) So in conclusion, the Bible is no ordinary book. It’s the most powerful weapon on earth, (13:54) wielding divine authority, embodying Jesus, the word, transforming lives and guaranteeing (14:02) eternal victory. In a world of chaos, take up the sword of the spirit.

Read scripture daily. (14:12) Memorize its promises and proclaim its truth boldly. Let it guide your heart in the decisions (14:20) you make in life.

This week I challenge you, carry the Bible not just in your hand but in your (14:29) heart. Let its truth be your shield against lies, your strength against fear, and your weapon (14:36) against every attack. As Psalm 119, 105 declares, your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my (14:46) path.

Let us go forth as soldiers of the cross, armed with the Bible, transforming lives through (14:56) its power. We have the ultimate weapon. It’s at our fingertips.

Let’s not sit on a shelf and (15:06) try to collect dust. Let’s read it, let’s use it, let’s tell others about it. (15:13) If you have any needs or wish to follow Christ, now is the time to come forward.