WAKE UP AND FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!
OPENING FUNNY STORY: As the coals from our barbecue burned down, our hosts passed out marshmallows and long roasting forks. Just then, two fire trucks roared by, sirens blaring, lights flashing. They stopped at a house right down the block. All twelve of us raced out of the back yard, down the street, where we found the owners of the blazing house standing by helplessly. They glared at us with looks of disgust. Suddenly, we realized why… we were all still holding our roasting forks with marshmallows on them.
OPENING QUOTE: “Has God abandoned us? Did we not pray enough? Is this just something we accept as ‘part of life,’ suck it up, even though it breaks our hearts? After a while, the accumulation of event after event that we do not understand erodes our confidence that we are part of something grand and good, and reduces us to a survivalist mind-set. I know, I know – we’ve been told that we matter to God. And part of us partly believes it. But life has a way of chipping away at that conviction, undermining our settled belief that He means us well. I mean, if that’s true, then why didn’t he ___? Fill in the blank… What is really going on here? Good grief – life is brutal. Day after day it hammers at us, till we lose sight of what God intends toward us, and we haven’t the foggiest idea why the things that are happening to us are happening to us.” (John Eldredge, Waking the Dead).
VIDEO CLIP: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Play until 1:11
In The Two Towers there is a king who is reluctant to go to war. Theoden is fearful and timid. An army is marching through his lands, an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. Villages fall; women and children are slain. Still Theoden balks: "I will not risk open war." Aragon says, "Open war is upon you… whether you would risk it nor not."
QUOTE: Leif Enger said, “We and the world, my children, will always be at war. Retreat is impossible. Arm yourselves.”
OPENING SCRIPTURE:
This Bible verse is one of the most powerful but perplexing ones in the Scriptures!
Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
“God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed… There is a thief… In other words, the offer is life, but you’re going to have to fight for it because there’s an Enemy in your life with a different agenda. There is something set against us.” (John Eldredge).
ILLUSTRATION: Look at all of the movies that are most popular: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Braveheart and Gladiator. These stories are all about a great cosmic battle between good and evil, and are a reflection of the true story – the story of God and the Bible!
• Paraphrase the story from the creation of man in the image of God to the fall of man through Satan’s temptation, to our role in the battle today.
THE BIG IDEA: Jesus came to give us life, but we are at war. Therefore, we must wake up and fight for our life.
1. WE NEED TO WAKE UP:
“Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:14-16).
We need to wake up to the fact that Christianity is all about transformation:
“Christianity isn’t a religion about going to Sunday school, potluck suppers, being nice, holding car washes, sending our secondhand clothes off to Mexico – as good as those things may be. This is a world at war. Something large and immensely dangerous is unfolding all around us, we are caught up in it, and above all we doubt we have been given a key role to play.” (Eldredge).
• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17).
• When you come to Jesus, He transforms your life!
• “The phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become queen. The ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a real prince.” (Eldredge).
• All these stories point to the reality of God’s transformation in our lives.
• Jesus came to give us abundant life, but we must fight for our ‘life’.
• “1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:1-4).
• Come to Jesus today and let Him transform your life.
• There are so many hurting and broken people in the world who need the Healer!
• Then, we need to turn around and do whatever we can to set others free, too!
2. WE ARE AT WAR:
Christianity isn’t a pleasure cruise on the love boat – we’re on a battle ship.
a. We are at war with the world.
“For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16).
• The world tries to get us consumed by the things of the world instead of God’s kingdom.
b. We are at war with Satan.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
• “Before we engage in spiritual warfare, we should know this about Satan: He is an ancient and extremely dangerous foe.” (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds).
• The number one way the devil tries to overcome us is by getting us in strife:
• “and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Tim. 2:26).
• Offense and unforgiveness is the devil’s trap to keep us from moving forward in Jesus.
• If someone hurts you, choose to forgive – don’t let the sun go down on your wrath!
• “A major area of spiritual warfare that has come against the church is in the sphere of church relationships. Satan knows that a church divided against itself cannot stand… Jesus said, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come.” People do not stumble over boulders but over stones – little things. To stumble is to stop walking and fall. Every time you refuse to forgive… your heart not only hardens toward them, it hardens toward God. Many people will stumble over little faults and human weaknesses. These minor things are quickly pumped up by the enemy into great big problems.” (Francis Frangipane).
3. WE NEED TO ARM OURSELVES:
a. Spend daily time with Jesus:
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing… If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:5).
• The most important battle we fight is our personal time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word. If we lose this battle, we will lose to Satan, the world, and ourselves.
• TESTIMONY: I know this from my personal life: When I neglect my personal time with Jesus, I lose the victory in other areas of my life, too. No fruit or power in my life!
b. Stay close and connected in deep relationships with other Christians:
VIDEO CLIP: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Start at 2:23
The Council of Elrond scene.
“It is not good that man should be alone.” (Gen. 2:18).
“9 Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. 11 And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecc. 4:9-12, NLT).
• See – Christianity isn’t just about going to a building once a week on a Sunday morning!
• It’s about an epic adventure and battle for the souls of hurting, broken men and women!
CLOSING CHALLENGE: We need to wake up – we are at war – we need to arm ourselves by spending daily time with Jesus and staying close and connected with other Christians.
REMEMBER: “Be kind, for everyone you know is facing a great battle” (Philo of Alexandria).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
