Finding The Real Jesus - The Sharp Sword

Finding The Real Jesus - The Sharp Sword

“...and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword...” —Revelation 1:16

As John describes his vision of the glorified Jesus, in Revelation 1, he sees a mouth that is both prophetic and filled with danger. It contains a sharp sword that is double-edged.

In the Gospels, Jesus willingly withstood those who attacked Him physically, those who verbally harassed Him, those who misunderstood Him and those who ignored Him. But, what really made Him angry was false teachers who abused His Word.

Jesus’s Words are Truth. They are life and salvation to the lost. To misuse His Word - to lead others away from the Truth - can’t be tolerated. God wages war with such people with the sword of His mouth.

I once sat at a pastor’s conference where Tim Keller was answering questions. A pastor asked him how to defend God’s Word when it’s under attack. His answer was stunning. He said, “How do you defend a lion?”

We paused and thought about the question. Defend a lion? He responded, “You let it out of its cage.”

Truth is under attack in every area of our lives. We have no other hope but to hold on to God’s Word and allow it to be what God has called it to be: our sole and final authority.

Jesus is called, “The One who has the sharp two-edged sword.” That sword, says Ephesians 6:17, is the Word of God. It is God’s own Word, the sharp two-edged sword, that will defend Truth. Let it out of its cage by reading it, believing it, trusting it and speaking it.

When Timothy was starting his tenure as a pastor almost 2000 years ago, Paul gave him this advice: “Give attention to the public reading of Scripture.” (1 Tim 4:13)

Now, with that in mind, look at this verse in Isaiah:

Isaiah 55:11

“My word ... will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Open your Bible, read it, pray it, speak it out loud if you want. God’s Word will defend itself. It has the power to do just that. It might be the most important thing we do.

The most dangerous thing a Christian can ever do is to set their Bible on a shelf and never open it.

Revelation 19:11-13

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war... He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”