(Ver 2.0)  I have taught on this subject of the significance of the spoken words of our mouth a couple of times now.   Today’s lesson will be Part 3 in the series and I will be talking about something that is completely new and different to many Christians.   However, if you haven’t read this series from the beginning I would suggest that you go back and start with “Part 1“.  This lesson will be focused upon God’s usage of the symbolic nature of a “double edged sword” to describe spoken words.  If you have read through the Bible you should already be aware of how God teaches us very clearly that Jesus has a double-edged sword coming out of His mouth.  We will see verses in this lesson that describe Jesus is able to destroy those who oppose Him with this symbolic sword.  This double-edged sword is widely accepted by theologians as a figurative representation of the power of God’s word spoken.  If we do not understand this concept, I will attempt to expound next in this lesson on this subject to clarify it and to help us better understand the concept of the power of spoken of words.  Let’s start by reading some foundational verses found in Revelation:

Rev 19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

God is truly an awesome God!   It shocked me a while back when I heard about a group of people in the U.S. that were getting together to form a militia to help God fight the coming Anti-Christ.  They were gathering guns and ammo like it would be useful to God’s victory over evil.  Where do people get these types of foolish ideas?  I really have no clue.  These people obviously do not know God, the Bible or understand the omnipotent power of God.   This verse in Revelation 19 reveals to us that the LORD Jesus will be sitting on a white horse and He will be able to kill everyone opposing Him, simply by speaking some choice directed words at them.  That is a clear example of the power of God in action.  God says something and then it happens.  Pretty awesome, isn’t it?  You can learn concept this from reading the Bible starting in Genesis 1 and going all the way through to Revelation 22.  God’s spoken words will always prevail and will always come to pass.  Let’s examine some additional verses because the Bible instructs us to establish every truth in the mouth of two or three witnesses (Mat 18:16):

Rev 2:12  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

Rev 2:16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword¹ of my mouth.

Jesus speaking to the church in Pergamos, warns them to change or else they will also see the sword of His mouth come against them.  We can easily understand that God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and that God is not talking about a literal physical sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus.  We must therefore, conclude that this described sword  is a symbolic representative for the spiritual force that exists in the power of God’s Spoken Word.  I really hope that you understand this concept.  Did you notice that God says this figurative sword has two edges?  Two edges describes a weapon that can cut in either of the two directions depending upon which way a person swings it.  Two edges could could also symbolically mean something else.  The words of our mouth can be a blessing to someone or a curse to someone.  There exists two possible realms of opposing types of words in the world.  In the last Bible lesson we observed two types called “idle” or “lazy” words versus “working” and “productive” words.  But there are others like  “good” words or “bad/evil” words, “positive” words or “negative” words and words of “blessings” or words of “cursing”.   All of these are examples of a sword that can be used for two different purposes.

I find it fascinating that the English word “sword” is the letter “S” followed by word “word”.  I believe the letter “S” can stand for “Spirit” and we will learn more about this very soon.  The power of any sword or spoken word is always the same.  It is non-existent until used or spoken.  Therefore the power of any weapon will forever be dependent upon the directed purpose of the user.  In much the same way how a natural gun is used in the hands of the shooter, a spiritual weapon can be used for two completely different purposes.  The natural gun can be used as a positive weapon to help feed or protect people or as a negative weapon to hurt or rob from people.  These are parallel truths concerning the words of our mouth.  What I would like to do is give some additional scriptures that help to confirm what I have just said so let’s take a look at these:

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

God is speaking prophetically in this verse about the coming events in Revelation.  The wicked one described here is the future antichrist who will soon be revealed.   The double edge sword we read about in Revelation in the mouth of Jesus is now called something completely new and different in this verse.  The symbolic double-edged sword of Revelation is now defined to be the “Spirit of His Mouth”.   This is still the same equivalent description of God’s Spoken Word that is infinitely powerful.  God’s spoken word has ALL of the ability to destroy or literally consume anyone who is opposing Him.   Do you understand that God’s spoken words are His Spiritual Power released?  This is an awesome revelation of something that is found within the character and nature of God the Almighty.  God is often described in the Bible to be omnipotent, but what is that makes God this way is what we will explore now:

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

You can see a second confirmation that the Spoken Words of God are Spirit!  This verse was Jesus speaking to us and He says that His words are this Spirit that quickens.  To quicken is an old English term that means to give life to us.   God’s words are declared to be a force of life to us.  Because of what God has spoken to us we can live.  Now recall, what we previously read in Revelation.  In those verses God states His spoken Words are something that produces death.  These represent the same spiritual power directed two different ways for two different purposes.  This is an example of a double-edged sword.  A knife can be used to kill someone or it can be used to save someone’s life if used in a wise knowledgeable way by a surgeon.  Wow, these are very important lessons to learn and apply to our spoken words.

You will notice if you study the Bible, that Jesus chose His words very carefully and never shot off His mouth with random thoughts.  His words were always focused, directed and had a purpose.  Much of what Jesus said to people were words recorded by the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament.  In John 12:49 Jesus said He was told what to speak by His Father in heaven.  How many of us can say that?  How many of our words come from the God in heaven?    We should learn to become more like Jesus because, God’s words were always active, relevant and important.  Now let’s look at what the Bible says about the Power of God?

Heb 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

We can now see and learn from another verse about the Word of God.  This time God reveals to us that “All” of His Power is in His Word.  The Greek written here does not say “His powerful Word” it says “The Word of His Power” and that makes a huge difference.  Some translators tried to change the meaning to “powerful” word but the KJV Bible stayed true to the original Greek and preserved it as an accurate truth.  Here is the difference, does God’s Word have power or is it His Power?  Can we try to think why this is important?  If God said I am LOVE it would be completely different than Him saying I have love.  I believe this principle is what God was saying to us in Hebrews 1:3 to His spoken Word.  I believe that God is attempting to give us a revelation that His Word is His Power and His Power is His Word.

Therefore, we cannot separate God the omnipotent from His omnipotent Word or we could say His Word is God (John 1:1)!  This is why John 6:63 said the Words that Jesus spoke to us were from God’s Spirit and they contain His life giving Power for those who received them.  Always remember that God’s Words are Spirit!  God’s Words are Life!  God’s Words are His Power!  As we have seen before they are also a weapon against His enemies.   So we can all begin to understand that the Spoken Words of God can give life to some that will receive them and can take life away from others who do not accept the free gift of salvation.  That is the nature of a double=edged sword.  One aspect and application is always positive and the other is very negative.  That was a summary of several foundational truths that the Bible teaches us about the Word of God and the Sword of the Spirit.

So how does this apply to us?  What good does all of this information do me?  Are there any benefits to speaking God’s Word for me?  In other words what’s in this lesson for me?  We all know that God is all powerful, so how does this power help me?  Start by asking yourself this question.  Why did God give us a huge book of His Written HOLY Words?  Does the written Word of God have any visible power rising out from the pages?  Obviously not!  Therefore, these written words can only help me if I can learn to speak them.  I beleive that only by learning to believer and speak His Word will it ever help us.  I beleive this is “one” of the main reasons why God gave us His written Word.  God gave us His Word so that we can put it in our minds (Eph 4:23).  He also gave us the Word so that we could put it in our hearts (spirits) to believe it.   Finally, I believe that He gave us His Word so that we can now choose to put it in our mouths to speak it (Mat 12:34).

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than ANY two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of⁽ soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Let me introduce you to a hidden secret, in the Bible it says God is not the only one with a “two-edged” sword in his mouth.  In fact we do not have to think very hard or for very long before we figure out that every created human in the world can open their mouth and speak words either positive or negative.  This also includes other created spiritual beings like angels, demons and Satan.  All of these beings were created with mouths which emit words that come from their spirits (Mat 12:34).  But, this verse in Hebrews says plainly that God’s sword is sharper and more powerful than any of the others that might exist.  This verse clearly informs us that the other mouths have power in them, but implies that they are in a limited capacity compared to God’s spoken Words.  Do you get this concept?

If man was made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26), like the Bible clearly says we were, and if God’s Words are sharp and powerful, then our words must have a limited resemblance to His.  But, here is the major  part of God’s contribution to man, God gave us His spoken words written in a book form in order to permit us to put them in our mouth to speak them.  And the Bible says that God watches over His word to perform it (Jer 1:12).  Wow, I hope you understand what I just said.  The implications are far reaching if you can accept it and believe it.

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

In Ephesians chapter 6, God commands the church to put on the armor of God.  Each of the armor pieces described to us is a symbolic representation of a spiritual truth of the completed freely given work of God to and for humans.  In fact every piece of armor is something that God has already provided to us freely.   It is now up to us to make the freewill choice to take each item and put it on.  This aromor included the Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Belt of Truth, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Shoes of Peace.   God is telling the church that there is a spiritual war and we must get ready for it.  So far all of the weapons of armor that I just mentioned were defensive  types of weapons to keep us safe from the blows of the enemy Satan.  But, then in verse  17 of Ephesians 6, God finally tells the church to take the “Sword of the Spirit”, which is directly defined to be “the Word of God”.  How is this Sword of the Spirit going to help us?  I believe very firmly that we now have the direct implied connection to our mouths!   Can’t you see this?  The only way that we can use the Spiritual Sword of the Word of God against an unseen spiritual enemy to our advantage is to speak it.  Leaving the Bible on our coffee tables will do nothing to keep the devil out of our houses.  This is a very powerful, spiritual Bible law being revealed to us.  What you say is far more important than what you can possibly imagine or know right now.  Take a look at this verse in Isaiah:

Isa 59:21  As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

God is prophesying an awesome new covenant reality that is now established with us in the church and God says that He will put His Spirit upon us and His Words in our mouth.  Can you see the direct connection between our mouths speaking His spoken words with His Spirit?

God literally says that these words will not depart from our mouths, nor from the mouths of our seed.  Who are those called the Seed of Abraham?  We in the church are the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:29)!  Who is the Seed of the Woman?  You probably do not know this, but Jesus was the chosen Seed and we the church are in that Seed of the Woman (Rev 12:17).  God’s Word will not depart from our mouths and we will overcome Satan by His Blood and His Word that He has given to Us (Rev 12:11)!  I taught you earlier that this was a Biblical Spiritual Law being revealed to us.  Let’s look at an Old Testament example of this.

Jos 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

The lessons found in the Bible through intense study are usually very deep and complex and have many hidden truths associated within them.  Because we do not understand them completely we can easily just read over a truth and not grasp that these words apply to us and what we should be doing today.  Here in the book of Joshua God uncovers the secret to a human’s success on this planet.  It is a basic spiritual principle and law that is not very difficult to follow if we can understand it.  God tells Joshua that He should speak His word both Day and Night.  We could say that means constantly and continually or every waking moment.   God was teaching Joshua about the Sword of the Spirit that will cause him to be a great success in this world.  But, there is also an implied opposite truth found in this verse.  God says by impled antithesis that if we do not speak the Word of God we will not be a success.  Do we want to be prosperous and successful in life or dismal disappointed failure?  God is telling us how to do both, right here!  We have to make the choice.  We are not forced to do either but usually being passive results in failure and this is many people’s wrong defaulted selection.

Remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan in Luke 4:1-13?  Three times the enemy came to tempt him into a subtle trick.  But, here is the lesson learned from this example.  Every time the enemy Satan came with a temptation, Jesus brought out the Sword of the Spirit called the Word of God and said “IT IS WRITTEN”.  Wow, that is extraordinarily critical to learn from and apply to what Satan does to us.  You see the Bible says that Jesus was tempted the very same way that we are tempted (Heb 4:15).  But, He was wise enough to use the sword correctly as a living example.  I pray that this will be a benefit in your life today.

I guess I have gone long enough in this lesson and given you plenty of new things to think about.  The sword of your mouth is either going to be a blessing or a curse to you and to those you direct it at.  While your negative words will never be able to put a curse on me, they will cause curses to come upon you and your children.  What we say is so completely important that it cannot be emphasized enough for us to think before we speak.  If we do not have a Bible verse that backs up what we are about to say, we probably should not say it.

If you would like to continue reading this series of lessons on spoken words you can go to “Part 4“.