SOLDIERS FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM: IN IT TO WIN IT
“This past week we celebrated Independence Day. On the 4th of July each year, we remember the signing of our Declaration of Independence. There were 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, either on that day or shortly thereafter. Some names come quickly from the recesses of our memory, names like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. But what kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of treason against the Crown? Who were they? What happened to them?
Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56, almost half--24--were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, 9 were land-owners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.
With only a few exceptions, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, these were men of substantial property. All but two had families. The vast majority were men of education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 18th century.
Each had more to lose from revolution than he had to gain by it. John Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head. He signed in enormous letters so "that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward." Ben Franklin wryly noted: "Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately." Fat Benjamin Harrison of Virginia told tiny Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts: "With me it will all be over in a minute, but you, you will be dancing on air an hour after I am gone."
These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. And remember: a great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor.
They were sober men. There were no dreamy-eyed intellectuals or draft card burners here. They were far from hot-eyed fanatics, yammering for an explosion. They simply asked for the status quo. It was change they resisted. It was equality with the mother country they desired. It was taxation with representation they sought. They were all conservatives, yet they rebelled.
It was principle, not property, that had brought these men to Philadelphia. Two of them became presidents of the United States. Seven of them became state governors. One died in office as vice president of the United States. Several would go on to be U.S. Senators. One, the richest man in America, in 1828 founded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One, a delegate from Philadelphia, was the only real poet, musician and philosopher of the signers (it was he, Francis Hopkinson--not Betsy Ross--who designed the United States flag).” [Excerpt from a note written by Rush Limbaugh Jr., (Father of the radio talk-show host) found on the internet under the heading Declaration of Independence]
By signing the Declaration that day, they were taking their lives in their hands. They placed their lives, their families and their fortunes at risk when they signed that document. They said, “Enough is enough. We won’t stand for it any more.” They signed and joined the revolution with the intention to win it.
My friends, let me ask you, “When it comes to the Christian life, when it comes to the battle before us, are you ready and prepared and willing to fight?
- Ephesians 6:10-13
Many people, including many sitting in our churches today, have the mistaken idea that church is designed to make people nice. If you are a Christian, you are supposed to be nice, and smile a lot, and care for the sick and the poor, and generally just make the world a better place. I want you to understand that “Christianity isn’t a religion about going to Sunday School, potluck suppers, being nice, holding garage sales, and (sic) sending our secondhand clothes off to Mexico – as good as those things might be. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us.” [John Eldredge, Waking the Dead (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 30] We are in a battle. We are at war, and we had better get in it to win it.
As we think about this war and our responsibility in it, I want you to understand first that we have an enemy against us.
I. WE HAVE AN ENEMY AGAINST US
Today it is common to talk about a “War on Terror”, or a “War on Poverty” or even a “War on AIDS”. May I suggest to you this morning that these are not really wars. These are skirmishes. These are battles being fought in a war that many are unaware of. Our true war is a war against the Devil and his henchmen.
Paul tells us in verse 11 that we are standing against the Devil, and in verse 12 he says that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of the darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens”.
Listen, we are in a war. We are fighting for ourselves, for our neighbors, for our families, for our nation, and for the world, and behind all of the evil arrayed against us there is an enemy and that is the Devil.
In the Bible the Devil is called by many different names, and those names give us insight into both his tactics and his strategies.
In the Bible the Devil is called:
*Satan, which means (adversary)
*Devil, which means (slanderer)
*Lucifer - (son of the morning)
*Beelzebub - (prince of demons)
*Belial - (without profit)
*Evil one
*Tempter
*Prince of this world
*Accuser of the brethren
He is described as a Serpent, a Dragon, an Angel of Light.
> 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
Listen, the Devil is not your buddy. He hates God and He hates you because God loves you. He will do anything he can to destroy you, your family, and those you love.
The Devil attacks the church through:
*False philosophies - Col. 2:8
*False religions - 1 Cor. 10:19
*False ministers - 2 Cor. 11:14-15
*False doctrine - 1 John 2:18
*False disciples - Matt. 13
*False morals - 2 Thess. 2:7
He attacks God’s people by:
*Directing governments - Dan. 10:13
*Deceiving men - 2 Cor. 4:4
*Destroying life - Heb. 2:14
*Persecuting the saints - Rev. 2:10
*Preventing service - 1 Thess. 2:18
*Promoting schisms - 2 Cor. 2:10-11
*Planting doubt - Gen. 3:1-2
*Provoking sin and Anger - Eph. 4:26-27
*Pride - 1 Tim. 3:6; Worry - Matt. 13:22; Self-reliance - 1 Chron. 21:1; Discouragement - 1 Pet. 5:6-8; Worldliness - 1 John 2:16; Lying - Acts 5:3; Immorality - 1 Cor. 5:1-2
*Producing sects/cults - 1 Tim. 4:1
(The above lists were largely drawn from a sermon by Barry Davis, a contributor to SermonCentral.com)
Open the newspaper. Turn on the TV. Check out the news on the Internet, and you will see that the Devil is alive and well and hard at work in the world today. He will do anything he can to distract, discourage, demoralize, depress, damage and destroy you and those you love, anyway he can. He is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Even now he is launching his flaming arrows, trying to tear you, your family, your nation, and your church apart.
Wake up! We are in a war! You have no choice about whether or not you will be in this war. You are! You and everything you love and care about is being attacked. The question this morning is not whether you will have a part in this war, but if you are in it to win it!
We have an enemy against us. Praise God, we also have armor to protect us.
II. WE HAVE ARMOR TO PROTECT US
Right now, our soldiers in Iraq are being killed and maimed daily with IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices. They are being killed with improvised bombs and car bombs placed all over the place. One of the primary reasons these devices are so effective is because we do not yet have the armor on the battlefield necessary to protect our soldiers.
Sadly, many Christians are being injured, and maimed, with their witnesses damaged and destroyed, not because they do not have armor effective enough to stand against the Devil’s attacks, but because, either through ignorance, laziness, apathy, or choice, not to put it on.
Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the Devil’s attacks.” Look there at the armor God has made available to us.
1. We have Truth
Jesus called the Devil the “Father of Lies”. Look at the many ways the Devil deceives and lies to people today. He convinces people the possessions or money will make them happy. He tells people that if they buy the right car, build the right house, wear the right clothes, smell the right way, or make enough money, that their lives will be happy. He convinces them that they will not be the ones to suffer alcoholism if they drink. They won’t be the one to get pregnant. Homosexuality is just an alternative lifestyle and it will make you “gay” or happy. An abortion will solve all of your problems. Sex is just sex, and marriage doesn’t matter. He convinces Christians that they can walk just as closely to God outside the church or without the encouragement of Christian brothers & sisters. Lies. All lies.
On the other hand, you and I can arm ourselves with the truth. Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To gird your loins with the truth means to seek Jesus Christ through His Word and to seek the truth with an open mind.
> 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.
Truth comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ and a through study of God’s Word.
2. We have Righteousness
To put on righteousness means to accept the fact that you are not, and to accept the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It also means to resist temptation and to keep your sins confessed. Deal with the sin in your life.
3. We have the Gospel of Peace
In this passage, the gospel of peace refers to the good news that believers are at peace with God. People who have been born again, who have a relationship with Jesus Christ is reconciled to God through faith in His Son (Romans 5:10-11). Romans 5:1 says, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Devil will try to get you discouraged & worried about your salvation. The Bible says we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. …
4. We have the Shield of Faith
The faith spoken of here, is not so much “saving faith” but a “basic trust in God” (John MacArthur, Ephesians, 358). It is the belief that trusts God for our daily provisions & help. It is believing that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
5. We have the Helmet of Salvation – The Devil will attack with discouragement & doubt. Taking on the helmet of Salvation means to rest in the security of the believer. It means to look to the day when Christ will come again, and to remember that all of these current struggles will pass. …
My friends, we have an enemy against us. We have armor to protect us, and we have arms to fight with.
III. WE HAVE WEAPONS TO FIGHT WITH
The Lord didn’t leave us just to take it from the Devil and to never fight back. We are in a war, and we are in it to win.
1. We fight with the Sword – v17,Taking up God’s Word. The Bible. Jesus fought the Devil when he was tempted, and beat him back 3 times, by using God’s Word.
Don’t go into battle carrying a penknife.
…
2. We fight through prayer – vv 18
Many of you remember the struggles of the Viet Nam War. During that war, our troops would often set up “fire bases”. These were bases where troops & artillery would be placed. They were arranged in such a way that if one fire base was attacked, usually one or two other bases could provide covering fire.
My friends, that is one of the most important ways we pray. We give covering fire for one another as we battle and struggle. We intercede for one another.
CONCLUSION
We have now enjoyed freedom in this country for more than 230 years. We enjoy that freedom today, because of the sacrifices made and the battles fought by those who have gone before us. We enjoy Christian freedom today, because of the sacrifices of Christ, and the many Christians that have gone before us.
Well let me tell you my friend, you children are counting on you winning this battle. Your neighbors are counting on you to win this battle. Future generations are praying that you will step up, that you’ll suit up, and take your place in the battle line as a Christian soldier.
