Power of the Sword

The Good News (Gospel) According to Matthew
Today’s Focus: The Power of the Sword
Scripture: Matthew 10:34-39; Ephesians 6:17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
After reading this set of scriptures, one may question is Jesus a warmonger? Well if you read it naturally then yes. But since this is a spiritual book, then the Holy Spirit must reveal to you the meaning of the statement. Let’s deal with this one verse at a time.

Verse 34 – The Sword
Now if you read it carefully, Jesus says I come not to SEND peace, but a sword. So what is Jesus sending. He is sending the Word of God. Now look at what the Word of God is going to do.

Verse 35-36 – The Word affects the Family
Now the Spirit just revealed this to me. Look at who and what order these members of the family will be set apart. A Son against His Father, A Daughter against her Mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Notice it is the younger against the older member. Why is that? As time progresses and our children learn the true Word of God, many adults will find it hard to accept the truth from a child because they are stuck in their ways in believing they are wrong. It is nothing like a child telling an adult, what you are doing is wrong. We have to be careful to always be in a position to hear the Holy Spirit because He will not only come from the oldest person but also the youngest. If we think we are always right as adults then when the truth comes, if it comes from a child, we are too stubborn to hear it and we miss out. Now look at verse 36 very powerful. The foes of that man (person) shall be they of his own household. Now I do not know about many of you but some of us can testify to that. It is not meant to call them evil or anything it is because the people closest to you think they know you and when you give your life over the Christ and that new creature comes out of you, they are the first to find it hard to believe. So that is where Jesus is coming from and keep in mind, it was His own people and family that had a hard time accepting Him for who He was.

Verse 37 – God First
You must love the Father first. God is first and foremost, even above our earthly parents. Now our earthly parents have been given charge over us, but God is head over all and what He says is paramount and most important

Verse 38-39 – The Choice
Finally, Jesus is laying it out on the line. You will either take up your life as assigned by God with all of its benefits and troubles that will come because you are a child of God and follow Christ or you will die and not have the right to eternal life. Very straight forward. You have to deny the life you want to live and live the life God has called you to live for the Kingdom and when you do that, you will gain your life, not just in abundance in this world, but also eternal life in the World to come.

Abba’s Ambassador,
Min. Calvin Calhoun, Jr.