2 Timothy 2:3-4 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs, he wants to please his commanding officer.
There are several different aspects of God's dealings with church.
The most familiar is that of the family of God. We are all related by the blood of Jesus and held together by our love for God our Father and for each other.
Then he calls the church his building, his Temple, his husbandry which means farmland.
Then there's the relationship of the shepherd with his sheep. Jesus is the chief Shepherd and we are his sheep.
Then He called the church His workmanship created in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 2:10 which means we are the works of his hands like a Potter's vessel is the work of The Potter's hands. We are his Masterpiece and like the artist takes pleasure in what he creates we were created for his pleasure.
All of these are different aspects of our relationship with our heavenly father and in every different facet we will experience God's work in and through our lives in different ways.
So when I speak to you I can address you as God's flock, His sheep.
Or I can address you as His building His Temple His dwelling place.
Or as His handiwork, His masterpiece.
Or I might address you as His husbandry His Farmland where he sows His good seed and produces good fruit.
Or I might even call you His Vineyard, as Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches.
And all of these are wonderful aspects and facets of our relationship with the Lord, but there's one aspect of our relationship that I have to deal with today” and that is the army of God.
The Bible calls God a man of war in Ex 15:3 The LORD is a warrior: (The King James says The Lord is a man of war). The LORD is his name.
The Bible calls Jesus the captain of our salvation. Hebrews 2:10 To make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
The Bible shows Gods dealings with the children of Israel who had been in slavery for 400 years: They didn't know anything about fighting and warfare because they were slaves and farmers and they farmed Pharaohs land and they took care of his animals and built his buildings but they didn't even know how to hold a sword, yet they became the greatest army in the world.
Israel never was and never has been the biggest or strongest nation, but God is in her midst and God has fought with Israel and God has fought for Israel. Let me tell you something, whatever happens in this world let the church stand with Israel.
In the Bible Israel was God's Army; today the church is God's Army
While we enjoy and relish all the other aspects of our relationship with God, we need to know that we are in a season when The Church Must once again become the army of God.
As in Ezekiel 37 The Church must rise up as a mighty Army filled with the spirit AND the mighty power of God.
We must understand that we may be sheep but these sheep are also soldiers. Remember the captain of this Army the Lamb of God is also the lion of the tribe of Judah. There is a time where we, as sheep quietly obediently Faithfully follow the shepherd.
But when War comes the Sheep must transform into soldiers.
Is anybody hearing me today?
It is vitally important that we all get this.
My responsibility here in this church is not just to make friends, it is teach you how to be good sheep but also how to be good soldiers.
Not just a loving family but also a bold fully-equipped well-trained Army that is a threat to hell.
It's not just about tending sheep it's about training soldiers, raising up an army. David is a perfect example of a sheep soldier. He was a young Shepherd he tended sheep he smelled like sheep he thought like sheep, he was tender and caring and loving he was a worshipper. But this young Shepherd worshipper was also a warrior. One day he's holding a wounded little lamb in his arms, the next day he's holding a Giants head in his hand that he cut off with the Giants own sword.
Why is this so important? Because the world is at war, I'm not speaking on a natural level of civil unrest and hostility although it definitely exists.
I'm speaking about a spiritual war that is manifesting in the natural' the devil is stirred up, demons are stepping up their activity they're driving people to say and do things that are total insanity that 5 years ago could not have happened at all.
Whether you agree with Brexit, Actually President Trump will be a better example to use. Whether you agree with America’s Choice for president or not it's wrong to speak of assassinating him call him Hitler and to plan and plot and scheme his demise.
We are at war and the sheep must learn how to fight. I cannot stand on the sidelines and let the Sheep be slaughtered because they don't know how to fight. People look at sheep and think them weak and timid and defenceless and Powerless. But that's our relationship to the shepherd, but there's another side to the sheep.
Tell your neighbour there's more to me than what you see.
Who remembers The Incredible Hulk? Bruce Banner a normal everyday man gets an overdose of gamma rays and when he gets angry a metamorphosis happens, a change a transformation.
He tells a reporter, don’t make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Because when he gets angry he transforms into this big green skinned monster with incredible power and strength, fearless and unstoppable.
Somebody needs to tell the devil today: you better back off you won't like me when I get angry. I'm talking about holy anger I'm talking about righteous indignation.
I'm talking about the kind of anger that rises up in you when you see or hear of children being raped, and the kind of anger that rises up in you when you see a disease stealing the life of a loved one, or when you see drugs and alcohol abuse destroying families, when you see little children forced to learn things that will twist and pervert their minds and condition them to accept anything as normal.
Let me tell you something church: It's not wrong to get angry, anger is a powerful force when it is channeled in the right direction. It was an angry mother who started Justice for the 96, Hillsborough appeal, and because of one angry mother justice was finally seen.
Yes I'm a sheep, but I'm also a soldier. yes I'm a worshipper but I am also a warrior. David understood this sheep Soldier Warrior worshipper mentality.
In Psalms 23 He said: The Lord is my shepherd.
He also recognised he was a soldier
In Psalms 144:1 He said blessed be the Lord my strength which teaches My Hands to War and my fingers to fight..
In The book of Jeremiah God is talking about his sheep soldiers: listen to how God refers to us.
Jer 51:20-21 You are my war club, my weapon for battle, with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver
God says to the church his sheep soldiers, his worship Warriors.
You are my battle-axe you are my weapons of war you are my Army.
Never have I felt a greater urgency to equip the Sheep to be soldiers.
Sheep are gentle kind loving obedient that’s the nature of sheep, that speaks of our relationship to the shepherd. But as it relates to hell and the devil’s works we must be as ruthless and bold as David who went from a shepherd with a staff to a sling and then he took the giants own sword and cut off his head with his own sword.
And in the hour that we’re living in we can’t afford to be ignorant of who we are.
Your ignorance will kill you.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
I'm speaking to the soldier in you today.
I'm speaking to the warrior in you today.
I'm speaking to the soldier in you today.
Be bold be courageous put on the whole armour of God stand strong in the power and the authority of God's word.
Be filled with his Spirit everyday: keep yourself connected.
Keep up with the Army don't lag behind, the enemy is looking for stragglers. Keep the word of God pouring through your spirit. Acquaint yourself with your weapons. Learn how to use the word, learn how to exercise authority in the Name of Jesus. Never forget the importance of the blood. Learn how to War in prayer and praise. Learn how to keep your self charged up by praying in the Holy Spirit.
We are at War:
The devil knows that we are at a turning point and he knows that the church is the only Power in this world that can keep him from taking over. Make no mistake about it the hostility the abuse and anger the murderous spirit that is being aimed at Downing Street is not really against Boris, it's against the church. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Boris is doing or the ferocity with which he is dealing with some issues, but I know this hostility, this violence, this anger is spiritual, it’s demonic.
It’s the change of the balance of power in the world that has caused this spirit to rise up. It can't be fought with human weapons nothing Boris can do can bind these spirits of rebellion anger and murder and abuse.
This is a job for the Sheep soldiers.
This is where the sheep have to stop eating grass, and looking for a soft spot to lay down in green pastures and start eating our spinach, the word of God, and get an overdose of Holy Spirit radiation gamma rays and put on the armour of God. And transform and metamorphosis into the Holy Spirit filled Fire baptised Sons and Daughters of God, wrapped in the whole armour of God and take the sword of the spirit and start fighting.
1 Co 10:3-5 The Bible says though We Walk In the Flesh we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal but they are Mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds and the casting down of imaginations and every High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to The Obedience of Christ.
We are at War we have to know how to fight.
Yes the Lord is Our Shepherd yes He leads us and guides us, yes we are his sheep, yes we are Faithfully obediently yielding and following Our Shepherd.
But when it comes to Hell, when it comes to the plans the plots the Schemes, the assignments of hell we must put on the whole armour of God and the sheep must become soldiers.
The worshipper must become a warrior and the sheep must become soldiers fully equipped and empowered to do battle in Jesus name.
I am going to tell you as nicely as I can but in no uncertain terms.
It is a cop out to lean back in your chair and say God is in control, everything is going to be fine.
I can tell you right now: That God has left it up to the church, He’s not coming down here to straighten everything out.
He came down once: And he stripped the devil of his Authority, and He gave the authority to the Church, and He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and give us power over the devil, and if we the church.
The good sheep of the church, do not become good soldiers of the church. The devil will rob us blind, he will kill our children, and he will ransack our homes and he will destroy our nation.
Let me say one more time: It’s not the power in the White House or Downing Street or the Kremlin that can change the spiritual climate of this world.
It’s the Power in the Church House.
It’s the Sheep Soldiers.
The worship warriors.
The ones who know how to pray
The ones who know how to knock on Heavens door until Heaven answers.
The ones who not only know how to be led by the shepherd, but they know how to take orders from the Captain.
We are at war and this battle must be fought and won on our knees.
