I want to begin with two scriptures: And take the...sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). 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 (Hebrews 4:12). That scripture describes the sword of the Word, and that sword can do a quick and powerful work in the life of a person if they will believe upon it, yield to it and act upon what it says.

The Word of God was made flesh when Jesus walked on the Earth. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Jesus demonstrated the quick and powerful ability of the Word as He ministered to people in need.

Legion was a man possessed by many devils. He had lost his mind to Satan and was completely controlled by the devil. He was naked and filthy, tormented day and night and living among the tombs; yet when he was confronted by Jesus, the Word made flesh, that sword of the Word went into action. Jesus spoke, and those devils were instantly cast out. When those in the city went to see that miracle, the Bible tells us, And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid (Mark 5:15).

Miracles by the Word

Jesus, the Word of God, met a woman who was bent over with arthritis for eighteen years. The sword of the Word discerned the cause of her pitiful condition and revealed unto her the will of God for her saying, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God (Luke 13:12,13). The quick and powerful Word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword went into action and set that woman free.

When a ruler of the synagogue protested that Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath, He said, And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day (Luke 13:16)? That woman had been bound by Satan, and it was God’s will for her to be set free.

The Word of God is so powerful that it even raised the dead to life again. And when he [Jesus] thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go (John 11:43,44).

No Secrets from the Lord

Jesus, the Word of God, knows everything about every life. Nothing is hidden from Him, so no one can cover up any deeds that are unlike God. Consider the discerning power of the Word of God when Jesus said, For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops (Luke 12:2,3). Those are some of the most sobering, powerful words you will find in the Scriptures.

John 8 contains a perfect example of what these scriptures allude to. A woman was caught in the act of adultery, and her accusers took her before the Word of God, Jesus. According to the Law, she was sentenced to die; but the Word of God made flesh began to discern the hearts of her accusers declaring, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7).

The power in that sermon immediately cut into the hearts of those hypocrites; and one by one, they dropped their stones and turned away. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:10,11).

As the woman yielded herself to the living Word, He forgave her of all guilt, condemnation and sin. Then He gave her a brand-new life that was free of all sin. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17). Her old ways of living, talking and acting were gone; and all had become new. How? Through the blood power of the Word of the living God.

Beware of a Seared Conscience

The Word of God reveals that in the last days before Jesus returns, people will turn from their faith in the Word of God and give themselves over to lies, seduction and doctrines of devils. It tells us, Now the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron (I Timothy 4:1,2). These are important scriptures to study, fully understand, memorize and hide in your heart because we are now living in that hour of seduction; and we must abide in the truth.

When a person rejects the life and the power of truth, their conscience becomes seared and lifeless. They are without feeling towards the convicting power of truth. When they encounter it, it has no effect upon them even though they live in sin and deceit and seek to cover it up. They possess a dead conscience; so God gives them over to strong delusions to believe a lie. They believe they can sin, live in deceit and seduction and actually make it into Heaven.

The Bible says, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (II Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Carefully take note of each word in these scriptures because they are true today. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish refers to people who are deceived concerning their unrighteous life. How did they get into that condition? The scripture goes on to say, Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Those people had no love for truth, so they could not be born again and become new creatures in Christ Jesus. They lived in deceit and had only a form of godliness without any power.

What happens to such people? The scripture says, And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. The lie this is referring to is when people say, “I’m okay in my unrighteousness. One day, I will make it to Heaven.”

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Those people claimed they were going to Heaven, yet they hated God’s truth and loved unrighteousness. They pretended to be something in the Kingdom they were not. When people refuse truth and have no love for it, when they don’t honor it, respect it or abide by it, they open themselves up to false doctrines and fables.

They Hated the Light

Many people do not want to yield to the Word of God. They do not want the discerning power of God’s Word to shed light on their hypocrisy and secret sins. As a result, they give themselves over to fables that tickle their ears and tell them they can live however they want to and still go to Heaven. Their fables are feel-good doctrines and philosophies that have no discerning power of the soul.

When the Word of God walked the Earth in the flesh, that deceit was already here. Many people who were supposed to be religious possessed no love for or understanding of truth. They became offended by truth and turned from it. They even fought against it. The religious people were the ones who gave Jesus, the living Word, His most grief and trouble. The Bible says those people watched him [Jesus]...that they might accuse him (Mark 3:2). When they didn’t understand what Jesus was saying, they turned away from Him and condemned Him.

Jesus revealed the condemnation that is upon those who do not love the light of truth saying, And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). The light spoken of here is truth. The darkness is sin, deceit and seduction. The light of truth penetrates the darkness; but some people love and desire sin, deceit and unrighteousness so much that they want no part of the light that exposes their true lives.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God (John 3:20,21). Doers of truth live in the light and have nothing to hide. They love the light of truth and embrace it. Their cry is, “God, let that light shine upon me. Search my heart for it is pure before you because of your truth.”

Hypocrites Exalt Self

There are people in the world who simply desire their own selfish ways and sinful lifestyle. They may claim to be religious and believe in God and His truth. They want to go to Heaven and escape God’s judgment and eternal damnation; but without love for truth, they are trying to travel their own way to Heaven and enter in by a door of their own making. Jesus said of such people, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber (John 10:1).

In Jesus’ day, the scribes and Pharisees were His greatest enemies. Jesus loved sinners and even fellowshipped with them. It was the religious people who fought Him, resisted Him continually and eventually killed Him.

Matthew 23 is one of the most sobering chapters in the whole Bible. In it, you can see a glimpse of truth, discernment, condemnation and judgment; yet it is just a small foretaste of the Great White Throne Judgment to come. The scribes and Pharisees were such hypocrites; and Jesus spoke concerning them saying, For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers (Matthew 23:4). Many people in deceit demand so much of others yet require so little of themselves. They expect a high standard of treatment from others, but they will not hold themselves to that same standard with respect to how they treat others.

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi (Matthew 23:5-7). Many people without love for truth are instead full of love for self. Rather than humbling themselves and lifting up truth before people, they inwardly desire to be lifted up and exalted before people; but Jesus said, Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

Never Reject Truth

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in (Matthew 23:13). Some people seek to justify their resistance to truth by trying to persuade others to resist truth with them, as if the more people they can influence away from truth will somehow justify them.

What does God say about such logic? For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged (Romans 3:3,4). Jesus put it this way: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14).

Jesus continued in Matthew 23 saying, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (Matthew 23:23). Many people who go to church are consumed with good works, traditions and formalism; but they neglect what is most important in the Word of God: love, mercy, faith and the judgments of God.

For instance, there are those who are very careful to be in all the services, pay their tithes and give offerings. Jesus said those things are very important, and you must never leave them undone. Yet those same people who are so careful in those areas lack in even more important things: divine faith, divine love, forgiveness and the power of God.

Jesus Despises Hypocrites

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also (Matthew 23:25,26). Jesus was speaking of people who are very careful about their outward appearance and how they present themselves before others. They make themselves look so nice and present themselves in such a sweet manner; but behind closed doors, they act differently. It’s as if they have two different personalities.

They may treat their family poorly when others aren’t around. They may grumble and complain or be grouchy and irritable. They may treat people nicely to their face and then later talk negatively about them. Children of God should never be two-faced. They are to be children of truth, and truth has only one face. It is the same all the time in public and in private.

Many people are more concerned with their outward appearance when truth is more concerned with the inner person. If people would be as diligent in caring for their inner person, their soul, as they are in caring for their outward appearance, they would be living examples of Jesus Christ here on Earth. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart (II Corinthians 3:3).

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matthew 23:27,28). What dwells within you? Is it truth, love, humility, mercy and faith; or is it selfishness, ego, disobedience, fear, doubt and a judgmental, critical spirit?

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (Matthew 23:33,38). Would Jesus say that to you?

Believe the Word

The Word of God no longer abides on Earth in the form of Jesus Christ in the flesh, but we have the written Word; and it is still alive with power from On High. When people accept the written Word, believe upon it and act upon it, the Word will do for them what Jesus did for people when He walked upon the Earth. Jesus said, All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23).

There were certain people Jesus could do nothing with because they refused to believe, and the same thing is true today. There are certain people the written Word can do nothing for because they refuse to believe it and embrace it. Divine faith in Jesus brought powerful results to people in Jesus’ day, and divine faith in the written Word will do the same thing for people today. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8).

Divine faith within you will grow stronger as you receive the written Word into your heart, and this is one of the most important things you must remember from this message. Just reading the Word is not enough. I say again, you have to believe it, yield to it and act upon it. That is how you receive it into your heart. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

The Word of God is vital to your spiritual well-being. Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Your physical body needs proper nourishment to grow, be healthy and stay strong to fight off diseases. Your spiritual person also needs proper nourishment to spiritually grow, be healthy and stay strong to fight off spiritual diseases such as the lusts of the flesh, the sins of this world and the works of the devil's kingdom. You can’t just read the Word; you have to eat it, and you must know the difference between the two.

Eat the Word

The psalmist had great revelations about the power of the Word of God. He wrote, O taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8). You can't taste a person, but you can taste the Lord’s Word when you eat the Word. The psalmist also wrote, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

The psalmist lived before Calvary, before divine blood was spilled; but he had the revelation of the Word because he ate the Word. He read it, believed it, yielded to it and acted upon it; and it kept sin out of his life even before Calvary. That's the power of the Word.

The Word of God in the psalmist's heart and not on paper is what gave him power over sin. The psalmist consistently fed his spiritual person the Word of God. He yielded to that Word, and it became a part of him because he hid it in his heart.

Do you want to grow strong in the Lord and receive the benefits of the Word and the promises of God? Do you want to become a living example of the Word of God? Then you must study the Word, believe upon the whole Word of God, yield to the Word and be a doer of the Word just like the psalmist was.

Hide the Word Inside

It is important to note that the Word of God is to be studied under the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things, such as the Word, can only be spiritually discerned. Man alone does not have that capability. The Holy Spirit is the author of the Word, so He is the one to teach you the Word.

How often has someone written such a powerful book and then lent themselves to the reader to be used to help the reader discern what was written? That is what the Holy Spirit does. As you study the Word under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, He will write the Word upon your heart. He will help the Word become a part of you as you yield to it and become a doer of the Word.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). There is a right way to divide the Word and a wrong way. We have so many false doctrines in the world today because people, in their arrogance or ignorance, decided to study the Word without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the author of the Word. That has caused so much trouble in the church of Jesus Christ.

When people receive salvation, the divine blood of Jesus washes away their sins and makes them new creatures in Christ. Divine blood becomes a part of their spiritual makeup. They yield themselves over to it, and the power of it goes into action. So it is when you eat the Word of God. When you yield to it, the Word becomes a part of you; and wonderful things take place.

Jesus said, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7). This is not about reading the Word; it’s about letting the Word become a part of you. That is when it will produce results. Millions of people have read the Bible as just print on paper, and it's done nothing for them. The Word has to go beyond being print on paper.

Do Not Be Offended

Read carefully the words of Jesus in John 6:22-66 because those words offended many of his followers. Jesus said, I am that bread of life. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever (John 6:48,54,56-58). Heaven and Earth will pass away, but the Word of God and those who eat of it will live forever.

The Bible then tells us that from that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him (John 6:66). They forsook Jesus and ended up in hell because they did not have enough of the truth within them. They also did not have the Holy Spirit of truth to discern what Jesus was saying, and it cost them their eternal souls.

The people who turned from Jesus believed He was speaking about them actually eating His fleshly body and drinking His physical blood when He was really speaking about how the spiritual person is to yield to the flow of divine blood and let it become a part of them. The spiritual person is to take in the Word of God, the bread of life, and let it become a part of them.

The physical body has nothing to do with what Jesus said; and He confirmed that when He said, It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). When you yield yourself completely to the divine blood of Jesus and submit yourself completely to being a doer of God's Word, you will receive everlasting life.

Give Your Life to the Word

Friend, the Word of God declares, He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). Sin, deceit and darkness are works of the devil. Sickness, diseases and afflictions are works of the devil.

If there is anything in your life that does not measure up to the Word of God, or if there is anything in the Word of God that condemns or convicts you, let the sword of the Word discern all that is wrong in your life and do its perfect work within you. As you yield and submit to that discerning power, the Word and the blood will go into action to cleanse you. They will take whatever is unlike God out of your inner man and make you brand new in Christ Jesus.

Friend, make your confession before God today and say this prayer with me right now: Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me for all my sins. I'm so sorry, Lord, for failing you, but I have come home to serve you in truth and in righteousness. I believe the power in the blood of Jesus washes away all my sin. Come into my heart, Jesus. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours. Let the Word have its perfect way in you.

Believe the Word of Life

The Word has life not only for the soul but also for the body. The Bible says, The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15). It’s that simple; only believe. If you’re sick in body, in pain, diseased or afflicted today, those are all works of the devil; and the Word came in the flesh to destroy them. Only believe, and by the divine blood of Jesus, it will be done.

Raise your hand as a point of contact as I pray. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring those who are sick in body, those who are in pain, those who are diseased to you. Lay a healing hand upon each one according to your Word. In the name of Jesus, heal! Heal! Let your blood power flow, Lord, and raise up witnesses of the power of the Word for your honor and glory. In the holy, blood name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Now, Friend, watch every sign of improvement and give God the honor, the praise and the glory. Only believe; close your case, and it shall be done.