Sermon Central
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Shofar-Call To Arms Series
Contributed by Brian Menear on Apr 13, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: There is a battle raging today. Know it or not, you are part of it. Which side are you on?
Shofar-Call To Arms(NIV)
There is a battle that is going on today whether you know it or not. It used to be in the headlines and many people have died fighting it. The battle is not against another country or power state. We are not talking about the battle in Iraq, but the battle between good and evil. The battle between those who want to walk in the light light and those who want to walk in the darkness. We are talking about God vs. Satan.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Whether you know it or not, the day you decide to become a Christian is the day you gain a new enemy-Satan.
ILLUS- Who’s Radar Are You On?
This enemy is not a new one to those chosen and loved by God. Satan has tried to impact lives of Gods people since the beginning. Genesis 3 tells us the story of Satan in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and how he tricked them. God cursed Satan because of this.
GE 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
ENMITY-quality of being an enemy, hostility, ill-will or opposition.
For a very long time Satan has been against us and we have been against him. This fight is not a new one.
The battle with the Enemy is not to be taken lightly.
1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Does that sound like somebody we should want to take on by ourselves or single handed?
9 The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
In Genesis, Satan was depicted as a serpent. By the time we get to Revelation he is now as big and powerful as a dragon. Why? Because we let him become that powerful and grow into that big of a threat.
How are we to combat against him?
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
When Peter talks about our brothers, he is talking about the Church of believers.
You may think to yourself “I’m not up for this battle. I’ll just be on the sidelines cheering”. In war there are always casualties. The good guys, the bad guys, and the innocent bystanders. The sad part is it’s the innocent bystanders that never see it coming. Don’t be and innocent bystander!
We said before that the day you become a Christian is the day that you get a new enemy-Satan. It is also the day that you join Gods army!
Has anybody here ever been in the military?
Let’s look at how military life compares to our topic today.
Joining the military or “being inducted” to the military generally has 4 phases.
1 Enlistment
2 Basic Training
3 Advanced Individual Training or A.I.T
4 Assignment or Duty Station
Lets look at all these phases.
Enlistment
ENLIST-to enter on a list, to engage in public service, to engage the services of, to enter heartily into a cause.
When you enlist in the military, you raise your hand and you basically say “I’m gonna do what you tell me to do. I’m gonna follow the orders of those appointed above me. No matter how much it doesn’t make sense, I’m gonna do what you tell me to do”.
It’s the same way with God when you get saved, you tell him you’re gonna do what he tells you to do no matter how much it doesn’t make sense. You are telling him you are going to follow him.
Lets look at some of those definitions of ENLIST
Enter on a list-you’re name gets added to the lambs book of life. You’re on the guest list for Heaven!
Engage in Public Service-You start wanting to do things to help make the world a better place. You get involved in your community or local church to help make things better or change things around you that you see are wrong and need fixing.
Engage the services of-You now have God, Jesus Christ, and all his Angels on your side.
Enter heartily into a cause-Once God touches and gets a hold of your heart, there is no stopping a dedicated Christian form what he sets his mind too. You enter into Gods work with all your heart and soul. Nothing can stop or hold you back from what God tasks you to do.
