Learn to Drive Series Week 4
Buckle Up
Ephesians 6:11-17
Last week we talked about
working on the habits necessary to grow spiritually
as we learn to drive through this spiritual journey.
Is Everyone working on those good habits?
I told you that it takes 21 days to establish a habit
and 6 months for it to become part of your personality.
So let’s keep working on those good habits!
So far, we’ve picked the type of vehicle
we’re traveling through life in,
we know where we are, and where we’re going.
Tonight, I want us to focus on being prepared.
What’s the first thing you do or should do
when you climb into your car?
Buckle up!
Why do you buckle up?
Over 63% of people killed in accidents
aren’t wearing seat belts.
Seat belts save over 9,500 lives each year.
ILL. Caleb and his friend
were headed back to his house, it was 10:30 at night
and they were traveling 85 in a 25 mph zone
in the 2000 Toyota Celica
that Caleb just bought with his own money
2 months earlier.
They approached a slight curve in the road
and spun out of control,
flew up an embankment,
did 3 end over end flips,
went through a fence and a tree
and landed up-side down
hanging from their seatbelts in a horse field.
Fortunately neither boy was hurt.
A seat belt could be the only thing
that stands between your life and your death
when you venture out onto these dangerous roads.
In New Kent
we have all kinds of obstacles on our roads
from deer, to cows, to teenagers, to women drivers!
Kelli and I were leaving home a while back
and she grabbed my arm and said,
“Neil! There’s a cow in the road!”
Let me give you some advise.
If you ever see a cow in the middle of the road,
DON’T run into it.
A guy named Mark hit a cow at 45 mph,
and the cow came through the windshield,
knocked him out instantly,
and peeled back his roof like a sardine can.
He was lucky to live through the accident
with only some broken facial bones,
a severe concussion, several cuts and bruises,
and a complete loss of vision in his right eye.
He did say that he was wearing his seatbelt
and the airbag blew up.
We don’t know what we’ll encounter on the road
and we can’t predict what will happen to us
when we get behind the wheel.
So we should buckle up!
Life’s the same way.
In order to survive crises in life,
we must take the necessary precautions
to prepare ourselves spiritually.
I don’t know about you, but in life,
I would feel safer with more protection
than just a seat belt!
That’s why God commands us
to put on the WHOLE armor of God,
so we can stand against the evil that will come at us.
Look with me at Ephesians 6:11-17,
Put on all of God’s armor
so that you will be able to stand firm
against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.
For we are not fighting against people
made of flesh and blood,
but against the evil rulers
and authorities of the unseen world,
against those mighty powers of darkness
who rule this world,
and against wicked spirits
in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God’s armor
to resist the enemy in the time of evil,
so that after the battle
you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground,
putting on the sturdy belt of truth
and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
For shoes, put on the peace
that comes from the Good News,
so that you will be fully prepared.
In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Put on salvation as your helmet,
and take the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
Most of the time when preachers preach
from this passage of scripture,
they look at the part of the body
each piece of armor is positioned to protect.
Tonight, I want us to look at the armor itself.
Just like seat belts
are not JUST recommended in Virginia,
they are LAW,
so is the armor God commands us to put on.
Have you noticed that
God doesn’t make suggestions?
He gives commands. Commands we are to obey.
The armor we need to put on is
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Faith
Salvation
Sword of the Spirit
God said we need to have
our “Loins girt about with Truth.”
Why does God feel that truth is so important
to list it as the first piece of protective gear?
Because there is only ONE absolute truth.
Everything that comes into our lives
needs to be measured against the absolute truth,
the Bible.
Tuesday at our Youth meeting, we had some great air guitar aerobics and I talked with the teens about God’s warning of the false prophets that are here in the last days.
Then I asked them and I ask you,
How can we guard against false teachers,
if we don’t know truth well enough
to recognize them?
Recognizing false things.
Do you know how banks train their tellers
to recognize counterfeit bills?
By making them memorize
every detail about the real thing.
So we should prepare ourselves
to recognize falsehoods and lies,
not just from preachers,
but from everyone we come in contact with.
I’ve had to correct believers and unbelievers
about the truth.
That’s why we have to read and study God’s Word,
so we can know the truth.
God says if the truth is in you,
the truth will set you free. John 8:32
Breastplate of Righteousness:
We can’t be arrogant about our righteousness, because it is not something we were able to achieve
on our own.
It’s only through the grace of God,
that we have been made righteous.
But we CAN wear our Righteousness proudly.
One interesting fact I find here,
is that there is no armor mentioned for our backs.
Maybe that’s because we are suppose to
FACE our enemies.
After all, with Christ in us,
what do we really have to be afraid of?
Feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace:
This simply means that, since we’re in a race,
we must be ready to run at all times.
But we are not running away
from our enemies, our trials, or our troubles.
We’re running toward Christ.
HE is our Savior, our Helper,
and He is our source of peace.
With all the wars, and rumors of wars,
earthquakes and floods,
who can continue to live in peace?
Who in this world has peace in such chaos?
Only those of us who have accepted Christ
in our lives.
We are “in” with the Creator
and Ruler of the universe,
so we can have total peace that He is still in control.
Nothing will happen to us,
that’s not allowed to first pass through
His loving hands.
Now don’t get me wrong,
we do live in a fallen world
and we will experience trials,
but our Father will never allow
more to come upon us than what we’re able to bear!
I Corinthians 10:13
Tell your neighbor “God’s gonna take care of me!”
When we go through those hard times,
we can have peace, knowing God loves us
and only wants to bless us and prosper us.
Shield of Faith:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Faith is believing in God
and what His Word tells about Him.
Faith is believing He is doing the work in our lives
He promises to do.
Faith is believing that some day,
because of our personal relationship with Him,
He will save us from our eternal destiny of hell,
and will take us to Heaven to live with Him.
Faith will protect us from all the fiery darts
Satan hurls at us every day of our lives.
If you don’t have the shield of faith to protect you, you are a sitting duck— and it’s duck season!
Without the shield of faith,
you have no protection
from the most evil creature alive today.
I wouldn’t knowingly choose
to put myself in that situation, would you?
Practically speaking, how do you “get” faith?
By not worrying every time you think about the future.
By not fretting when you find yourself in a situation
that seems to have no way out.
Give it to God, He promises to take care of us.
As long as you are doing your part
by living according to His will,
you can trust Him to do His part.
And to review from last week,
how do you find God’s will for your life?
By actively working on the next level
of your spiritual growth.
By doing so, you are showing God
you are faithful and obedient
and are seeking to please Him.
Helmet of Salvation:
Did you know that in the state of Virginia,
it’s illegal to have a crack in your windshield
larger than a quarter?
Raise your hand
if you have a crack in your windshield
that’s larger than a quarter!
Ok, listen up because I can save you
a ticket from the police officer,
and if I’m not mistaken,
it will make that windshield pass inspection.
Here’s what you do:
find a motorcycle helmet
and wear it in your car when you drive!
See, your pastor goes to great lengths to help you!
God said, take the Helmet of Salvation.
That’s the most important piece of armor,
because without salvation,
you’re in danger of losing your life AND your soul.
Salvation is so easy to obtain,
and it’s cheaper than a motorcycle helmet!
It cost Christ His life, but for us it’s free.
God said, “Believe in me and you will never die.”
John 11:26
That’s a pretty good guarantee, don’t you think?
Of course you have to do more than to only believe in His existence to receive salvation.
Even Satan himself believes that.
You have to believe that He is Who He says He is, and that He has done what He said He has done,
and then you have to allow Him to take control
of your life. Give your life to Him with no strings attached.
Just say, “OK, God, I’ve tried to run my life,
but I couldn’t do it. I still feel a void inside that nothing can fill.
I’ve disappointed myself, and others.
Please take charge of my life.
Tell me what to do, and I will do it.
I give You my whole self to do with as you please.
If you mean those words,
then He promises to be a part of your life.
He’s already at the door,
He’s waiting for the invitation to come in,
all you have to do is open the door.
Sword of the Spirit:
This is the only offensive armor
that God commands us to wear.
All the other pieces are for our defense,
to protect us.
Have you noticed that
God gave us 2 ears, but only one mouth?
He must want us to listen more than talk!
The same is true here,
He wants us to focus 85% of our time and energy
on preparing ourselves and making ourselves strong enough for battle.
The other 15% of our time
should go into active war.
The Bible is to be our weapon.
Now let me spend a little bit of time on this,
because a sword, when not used properly can cause great harm.
You wouldn’t put a sword in the hands
of just anyone would you? No, of course not.
But I’ve seen Christians that use God’s Word
to purposefully try to hurt people,
and tear them down.
We should not use His Word
to push our own agenda, or to prove ourselves right.
This is a horrible misuse of God’s Word,
and He will punish those who misuse the holy Word.
God wants us to use His Word
to proclaim truth IN LOVE
to those who are willing to listen.
He promises that His Word
will not return back to Him void.
That means, if we get His Word out there,
He will put it to good use.
By the way, if you’re wondering about what God thinks about our current hot issues like abortion,
or choosing the sex of your baby, or cloning …
When you question these types of things,
go to the Bible and see what God says about it.
Don’t come to me about it first, get in there and dig
then if you just can’t find the answer, come ask me.
Many times you may not find the word
(like abortion)
but you’ll find a principle like don’t kill.
Romans 13:9
The more you read and study God’s word,
DAILY, DAILY, DAILY,
the more you read and study God’s word,
the more you’ll know about Him.
And the more you talk to Him through prayer,
and give Him the quietness to talk back to you,
the more you will begin to know Him.
My question for you tonight is,
Are you buckled up?
Are you protected from life?
Have you taken all the necessary precautions
to Learn to Drive?
Do you have all the pieces of the protective gear onthat God commands you to wear?
Truth (Know Him and His Word)
Righteousness (Be worthy through Christ)
Preparation of the gospel of peace
(Peace at all times)
Faith (Trust in Him)
Salvation (Escape from impending death)
Sword of the Spirit
(Read and study the Bible – DAILY)
Put on this protective gear
to make your trip through life a success.
