SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1281

“Fire and Hammer”

Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.

What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord.

Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? – Jeremiah 23:28-29

Jesus testified to Pilate that He came into the world to bear witness to the truth to which Pilate responded, ‘What is truth?’

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” – John 18:38

This is a question we ask ourselves today as well especially concerning the application of the Word of God to our daily lives.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. – Matthew 7:15

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

If we truly want to know the Truth of the Word of God, then we must spend time – every day – in the Word, reading, praying, and meditating upon it. If our only exposure to the Word is a Sunday sermon than we are spiritually anorexic and vulnerable to false teaching, interpretation, and application of the Word of God.

If we say we do not have time for daily Bible study, we lie and deceive ourselves. We make time for what is important to us – we all do. Seek His kingdom first – Trust Him to order the rest of your day perfectly.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:1-2

Now …they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. – Acts 17:11

Our reference Scripture speaks of the difference between false teaching (straw) and the Word of God (wheat). Let’s examine this Scripture more closely.

False Teaching:

What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord.

False teaching has no life and no power – it is dead like straw.

The Word of God is like wheat that sustains life and has the power to bear seed to spread the Truth of the Gospel to others.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. – John 6:35

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Rightly Dividing the Word:

Let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. To rightly divide the Word of truth is to “cut it straight.”

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved … rightly handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15

We must not avoid or soften the hard teachings seeking to make the Word of God more inclusive. To do so seeks to blend the light of the Word with the darkness of the world making truth a gray area by which the vulnerable are led astray.

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. – 1 Timothy 4:16

The Fire of the Word of God:

Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord… When we read and hear the Truth of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit is like a refiner’s fire in us.

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. – Luke 3:16

…the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:7

The Holy Spirit fire burns away the impurities in our life bringing repentance. We are born-again into a new life that can fulfill the purpose God has planned for us.

Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; – Proverbs 25:4

The Hammer of the Word of God:

Is not my word … like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? The Truth of the Word of God will not only be a burning refining fire but also a hammer – a hammer that breaks a hardened heart of stone and breaks the chains that hold us in bondage to sin.

Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High… He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and burst their bonds apart. – Psalm 107:10-14

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. – 2 Corinthians 3:17

May the Holy Spirit refine and shape you through the fire and hammer of the Word of God as you read, listen, study, and meditate on the Truth of His Word each day.