“I WILL PREVAIL”, Spiritual Warfare Part 3
Prevailing In Peace.
The Armor of God: Finding the Strength in
Your Struggle to Stand for Jesus!
Say this out loud with me: “I will be right with God! When my life is right with God, the enemy is threatened the most. When I am right with God, God is right in me!
A prevailing person finds the strength in their struggle to stand for Jesus with the armor of God!
I will prevail when I live a life of TRUTH buckled around my waist! INGESTING the truth (HEAR it, TAUGHT it), LIVING Truth by TRUSTING it, SPEAKING it and applying it in my everyday life!
I will prevail when I live a life of RIGHTEOUSNESS having it in place over my chest as a breastplate! Living as God created and intends for me to be = in a right relationship with Him and with others! It is full obedience to the Greatest Commandment = Love God with your ALL and love your neighbor as yourself! –that’s a prevailing lifestyle!
When you put on the NEW SELF, LIVE IN THE LIGHT, and are being OBEDIENT to do the right God has for you to do you are armed and will have the strength to stand against the enemy!
We will prevail when we put on the 3rd piece of armor = the shoes for your feet of
3. THE READINESS that comes from the GOSPEL OF PEACE.
Focus on that word READY or PREPARED.
God likes His people prepared to live for Him too. Remember: God is the One Who gives us this armor—a FULL and COMPLETE armor—to wear in our everyday lives for Him.
There is a mystifying thing that occurs in the sport of hunting called “the fever”.
The more you are into hunting, the more hunting is into you!
Peace is more than just an attitude, it is a state of mind. The more you are into the Gospel, the more the more the Gospel is into you! Paul says to put on your feet this readiness…how do you put on READINESS? It is a noun, which means it is a person place or thing, but readiness is hard to grasp in your hand like a book! How do you put on such a thing as readiness? Well you don’t! Paul said readiness comes from something else—when you get this something else, the readiness will come! What is the something else?
Readiness for our feet comes from the Gospel of Peace!
Paul has already introduced this Gospel and its Peace earlier in this letter. In chapter one verse two he greets the Ephesians with “Grace and PEACE be to you from GOD”! A common salutation among God’s people as well as a prayer of blessing over them! “Grace and peace!” Who among us doesn’t need more grace and peace in their life?
Teaching in 2:14-21, 4:3-6, 3:6-12.
The Gospel of Peace is the specific reason we are out there and for this reason the enemy is battling against us!
The Foundational Truths of the GOSPEL of PEACE. Let me tell you about this PEACE! This Peace is:
1) EXCLUSIVE
2) INCLUSIVE
3) PROVIDED
4) FUTURISTIC
5) CHOSEN
6) INHABITS These peace-people are The Church = the representing body of Jesus Christ on this planet!
How did this happen? Paul goes on to teach us what Jesus Christ did in the past to bring about this peace.
The PAST Aspect of Peace: Jesus…
1) Made two groups into one; Peace is oneness.
2) Destroyed the barrier = that thing which divided us and made us hostile with each other = peace is barrier-free
3) Discarded the barrier = in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. = peace has no qualifications and no limitations
4) Created in himself one new man out of the two, Peace is simplified!
5) Reconciled both groups to God through the cross; God paid the price for this Peace; the Cross is the key that opens this peace!
6) Put to death the hostility between these two groups = this Peace cannot be threatened!
7) He came and preached PEACE to you who were far away and PEACE to those who were near = This message of peace is equal to all; it has Jesus’ own backing and will never change for anyone for any time! And it is still the same message today!
ILLUSTRATION:
• Two groups = one near and one far
• Two leaders = one for the near and one for the far
• Two different ways/patterns of doing things (one by the law/one by guessing)
• A dividing “wall” between the two = attitudes, temple veil, circumcision, legal birthrights, household walls, the train tracks!
What does this mean for us?
The FUTURE aspect of peace:
1) ACCESS TO GOD
2) MEMBERS OF GOD’S FAMILY
3) A NEW DWELLING:
The PRESENT Reality of Peace: RESULTS! Having peace with God through Jesus Christ RESULTS IN…
1) Peace with yourself.
2) Peace with others
3) Prepared
The Greek word “peace” means “that which has been bound together.”
A readied mind inspired within us by the gospel’s message of peace with God, is the protection and equipment we need just as the sandals that cover the feet are to a soldier. With our shoes laced and tied, we have the help needed to face the enemy with prompt courage.
Application: Go ahead and mark your answer/rate yourself:
1. Are you at peace? Is there a God-given peace in your life? Would your friends and associates say your life is marked by an inner peace, an uncommon repose, a noticeable serenity? Are you experiencing God’s Peace in your life?
2. Are you taking advantage of the access to God you have been given through Jesus Christ? Do you know and love Jesus, talk to Him daily? Do you regularly confess your sins and put aside your guilt and grasp hold of the peace God gives you? Are you right with God?
3. Do you share the message of peace with others? Do you encourage those in the faith by reminding them of their hope in Jesus Christ and move them towards the peace of God? When those not of the faith speak of irritations, frustrations, exacerbations, aggravations and the like, do you speak peacefully to them?
4. Do you need to call on the God of peace right now? Excuse me, but your shoe’s untied! Listen, if you provoke disturbance in others, agg them on, are a ‘disquieter’ of their spirit, antagonizer to their wits end—listen, you are not a message bearer of Jesus Christ! It doesn’t matter if you mean it all in fun or not! The cycle must be broken! You don’t know what you are missing out on! Instead of being such a thorn in the flesh and an instrument of antagonizing spirits, you are to be a defender and avenger of those spirits that rob others of peace! Now come on folks, it is time to grow up! God has better things for you to do than acting in the flesh this way and reaping corruption to destruction! He has a plan for you to sow peace which reaps a harvest of souls for Christ if we just lay down our own wills and be disciplined enough to tie our shoes!
5. This message is the message of Jesus Christ--It is HIS message; and it needs to be OUR message! Peace is what he wants to bring and it is his desire for us and the world today—and it should be what we desire and what we want to see fulfilled in our world today! Will you be a messenger of peace? You must first learn to tie your shoes of peace!
Living in peace gives us yet another piece to our armor giving us the strength we need to stand for Jesus, draw closer to God, and to stand against the devil’s schemes!
Will you join with me in putting on the BELT OF TRUTH The church has such a negative image among the people of our community. You and I are called to change that image by being Jesus-people in the world and taking the message of PEACE to them! Will you pray the pray given in your notes with me please: “Father, we desire oneness with You. We draw closer to You; draw closer to us. We seek Your strength to help us stand against the devil’s schemes. We stand as soldiers into the darkness with Your message of peace for the souls who don’t know about it. We stand for a closer relationship with You. Give us boldness Oh God, and gives us wisdom we ask to be Your people in this world today! For Your glory and Your name’s sake we ask You—in Jesus’ name. Amen,” If you live a life of truth, righteousness and peace, you will prevail! Let’s go readied today!
