The Sword of the Spirit

REFLECTION QUOTES

“For just as eyes, when dimmed with age or weakness or by some other defect, unless aided by spectacles, discern nothing distinctly; so, such is our feebleness, unless Scripture guides us in seeking God, we are immediately confused.”

~John Calvin (1509-1564), French theologian, reformer and pastor

“To be fair, much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents, composed, revised, translated, distorted and ‘improved’ by hundreds of anonymous authors, editors and copyists, unknown to us and mostly unknown to each other, spanning nine centuries.”

~Richard Dawkins (1941-present), British biologist and outspoken atheist

“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”

~Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States

“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.”

~Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States

“I’ve experienced His presence is the deepest darkest hell that men can create. I have tested the promises of the Bible, and believe me, you can count on them.”

~Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983), Dutch watchmaker and surviver of the Ravensbrück concentration camp

“It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true Word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to Him.”

~C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), Oxford Professor of English.

SERMON PASSAGE

Hebrews 4:9-13 (NIV)

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.