More from the same sermon, Mr Lawson addressing pastors/ preachers:
"I want you to consider the convicting power of the word. No one will ever be saved until he is under the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. No one will ever be saved until he knows he is lost. No one will ever believe in Jesus Christ until he understands that he is separated from Him and stands in desperate need of His saving grace. There is only one way for the lost sinner to be awakened to his or her unconverted state, and that is for the Word of God to come with convicting power...
In the time that I have to address you, I want to reaffirm your confidence in the power of the Word of God when it is preached. I want to remind you of the supernatural power that is unleashed when you take this Book, the Bible, open it, and say, "Thus says the Lord.” No power compares with the Word preached...
I want to urge you this day to unsheathe the sword. Put down all other blunt instruments and wield the Word of God.
...When this Book is preached and taught to those who have been converted, the Spirit of God, who is the Agent of sanctification, takes the Word of God and begins to shape them, mold them, and conform them to the image of Jesus Christ. A fundamental principle of life is this: "Like produces like.” If you preach the newspaper, you will have a worldly congregation. But if you preach the Word of God, you will have a godly congregation.
...Do you remember when Jesus was tempted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness? At the end of that period of testing, the Devil appeared to Jesus and said, "Command that these stones be turned into bread.” Jesus said, "It is written,” and quoted Deuteronomy 8:3: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Jesus repelled the advance of Satan by using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). In like manner, Jesus resisted the Devil by answering every temptation aimed at Him by wielding the Word.
If the eternal Son of the living God used the Word of God to repel the temptations the Devil hurled at Him, then, in an argument from the greater to the lesser, how much more must mere sinful human beings like you and me use the Word of God to resist the lures of the Devil. The conquering power in the Word of God produces personal holiness in people’s lives. It produces godliness and Christlikeness in the hearts of those who receive its truths."
