Finally Be Strong In The Lord
AND LISTEN – though there are many more names and titles that we could dive into…
We are only going to discuss 2 more…
• I Am The Resurrection And The Life
(found in John 11), and
• Our Lord Jesus Christ
(a title used 60 times in the New Testament... 3 times in Acts, 4 times by Peter, 2 times by Jude, 2 times by James and 49 times in Paul’s letters)
HOWEVER THIS MORNING - I felt compelled once again to jump out of this series (like we did a few weeks back when we talked about, ‘Blessed Are The Peacemakers’)
IN ORDER - to talk about something that I feel is imperative for us to understand, in light of the struggles that our nation is going through at this present time.
NOW – the title for today’s conversation is very creative, it’s the first six words of Ephesians chapter 6:10…
"Finally, Be Strong In The Lord.”
UNDERSTAND - contrary to what we may think, see, feel.. OR WHAT OTHERS - may want us to believe…
OUR STRUGGLES – (even the current one that we are facing as a people and as a nation)
ARE NOT – ultimately against flesh and blood,
ARE NOT – ultimately against people
NOW – I don’t know about you…
BUT – for me this can be extremely hard for me to keep sight of at times.
UNDERSTAND B/S – there are always things going on in our world that are far beyond what our eyes are able to see…
“There are cataclysmic clashes and causalities. It’s unlikely that any of us will make it out alive, and no one will escape unscathed. All around us unseen bullets ricochet, and lives are devastated in the heat of the unnoticeable battle. Our eyes are closed to the spiritual narrative unfolding around us, but deep down we all are dimly aware that some poignant drama unfolds on this earth.”
– Greg Pruett (Extreme Prayer)
AGAIN - there are always things going on in our world that are far beyond what our eyes are able to see…
THEREFORE – as Peter warned us, we must…
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith
- 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
AND LISTEN – the apostle John in his Revelation paints this powerful picture… of our enemy as a dragon that has declared war on the followers of Jesus.
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
– Revelation 12:17
The dragon was what? Enraged
And He went of to do what? to wage war
In the book ‘The Hobbit,’ J.R.R. Tolkien’s tells the story of a little guy named Bilbo Baggins who joins up with a remnant of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home.
The only problem is that a deadly dragon (named Smaug) now lives on that mountain.
Therefore, Bilbo and company need to be careful and not simply walk back to their old home without being mindful of his presence. As Tolkien writes…
“It does not do, to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
The fact is Maple Grove we too, live near a dragon.
UNDERSTAND – satan who was thrown down from heaven now prowls about the earth, and if we want to stay faithful we must be aware of his attacks.
The apostle Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 2:11, that we must not let… “satan… outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes”
QUESTION – so, how exactly will the devil try to outwit and devour us.
LIKE – what are his schemes?
AND LISTEN – one thing that we must keep in mind, is that satan is not the equal opposite of God.
LIKE - he is not the ‘dark side of the force’ with the same power as the ‘light side’ of the force.
YOU SEE – while he is very powerful, he is not all powerful as our God is. AND – he also (unlike our God) is not all present, and he therefore cannot be everywhere at the same time. HOWEVER…
SINCE – satan, is such a cunning and intelligent schemer, he has devised an effective strategy to leverage his influence, for the largest maximum impact on our world.
SPECIFICALLY – satan targets societal structures and institutions that hold the greatest influence over vast numbers of people.
YOU SEE – he knows that if he can corrupt this smaller number of people who control these large cultural structures, then those institutions and structures will do his work for him, in the lives of thousands or even millions of people.
R U tracking with me?
UNDERSTAND – here’s the deal…
satan does not have to target each person individually.
INSTEAD – he simply has to infect the political or religious, or economic or educational or entertainment ‘bloodstream’ of a culture…
THEN – this virus will rapidly spread throughout and infect the entire system.
YES IT IS – a wickedly brilliant plan.
ONE – he has effectively implemented throughout human history.
AND – one he is implementing in our nation today.
UNDERSTAND – here is what I am trying to say….
That the real enemy,
That the one who is actually behind scenes (writing the script and pulling the strings) of all the…
hate, rage, anger, violence, immorality, division and destruction
IS NOT – the radical left or the radical right
It is satan the great enraged dragon and prowling lion.
LISTEN - none of the hate, rage, anger, violence, immorality, division and destruction is from God.
Amen?! THEN - who is it from?
QUESTION – so, how can we stand up and against such a powerful enemy and such a brilliant plan?
WELL – we must also… wage war. But as Paul says in 2 Corinthians...
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
(AND B/S - there is a lot of 'pretension' in our nation right now that is setting itself up against God and His truth)
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
– 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
AND THIS – my brothers and sisters, leads us to Ephesians 6:10-20 and today’s conversation….
Finally, Be Strong In The Lord
Prayer
OKAY – let’s do this…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
“Finally,”
Not in the sense of drawing to a conclusion, a better translation would be, “for the remaining time.”
LIKE - while we are still here
be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
NOW - the word strong is in what is called the passive voice (which means that we are acted upon),
SO – what Paul is saying is “be made strong.”
UNDERSTAND - God is our strength, therefore, we must be dependent upon him, it’s His power, not ours…
His might, not ours, His strength not ours.
A few verses…
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
– 2 Corinthians 4:7
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
- Ephesians 3:20,21
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. – Ephesians 6:11
NOW – when Paul says… “put on, he shifts from the passive voice to the active voice (we do the acting)…
AND LISTEN - Paul uses both voices (passive, ‘be made strong’… active ‘put on’) TO - underscore the partnership between what we do and what God does through us…
It’s God and man working together.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. – Ephesians 6:11
AND – we already talked about the devil’s schemes…
To use ‘godless government’ – ‘false religion’ – and a self indulgent immoral culture to accomplish his purposes and infect the masses…
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12
AGAIN - who is not our ultimate enemy? Other people
QUESTION…
• WHAT - happens in a battle, if you spend all of your time and effort fighting the wrong enemy? you lose
• Do we as Jesus-followers ever fight the wrong enemy?
OKAY – here’s the deal… our enemy is powerful, evil and cunning… AND LISTEN – (in addition to his larger schemes) here are a few of the ways that our enemy deceives us.
• By getting people to believe that he isn’t real or that they are not really in a war (to think that a conversation like the one we are having in kind of out there, and weird.
• By twisting, distorting, devaluing and de-authoritying scripture
• By getting people to think that…
it's not a big deal if you actually read the bible
wrong is right;
their sin and wrong behavior is somehow okay
doing wrong will bring about good
the end justifies the means
B/S – you have a powerful, evil and cunning enemy…
AND – he has only one objective for your life (and those you love) , to steal, kill and destroy.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
- Ephesians 6:13
QUESTION – if you want to be able to stand your ground, what must you put on?
NOW LISTEN…
I WANT - to make this conversation as practical as I possibly can.
I WANT – to help you to not only understand what ‘the full armor of God’ is, but also how to actually put it on.
I. The Belt Of Truth
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… - Ephesians 6:14
UNDERSTAND - the belt of a Roman soldier held all of the other parts of the armor together.
In like manner the belt of truth, holds together the armor of the Christian.
AND LISTEN – this truth is not truth as in God’s truth (that is going to come up later in Ephesians 6:17, when Paul talks about the sword of the Spirit)
BUT – here in verse 14, the belt of truth is talking about personal integrity and honesty…
A few verses…
No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.
– Psalm 101:7
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. – Proverbs 11:3
But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.
– Matthew 5:37
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. – John 8:44
LISTEN – here’s the deal… we cannot defeat and stand our ground against the devil if we are trying to play the game on his field (the field of dishonesty and lack of integrity).
UNDERSTAND - once you allow what is false to take root in our life… once you lose your integrity – everything else begins to fall apart (like armor without a belt).
FOR EXAMPLE - David for 1 year lied about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba…
AND – during that time everything in his life began to fall apart.
LIKE - he was a wreck emotionally, spiritually and physically
BUT AFTER… he repented he wrote 2 great Psalms (32,51) and in Psalm 51 he said...
Surely You desire integrity in the inner self – Psalm 51:6
QUESTION…
• Do you words and actions match – all the time?
• Can people (do people) trust what you say?
• Are you the same person in the dark as you are in the light?
INTEGRITY IS..
choosing courage over comfort
choosing what is right our what is fn, fats or easy
and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them
A man took his young daughter to a carnival, and she immediately ran over to a booth and asked for cotton candy.
As the attendant handed her a huge ball of it, the father asked, “Sweetheart, are you sure you can eat all that?”
Don’t worry, dad,” he answered, “I’m a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside…”
AND THIS – is what putting on the belt of truth is all about – being bigger on the inside. being a person on honesty and integrity .
II. The Breastplate of Righteousness
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
- Ephesians 6:14
NOW - this piece of armor was made of metal plates or chains, it covered the body from neck to waist, both front and back, protecting the vital parts of the body…
AND LISTEN - as Paul talks about the breastplate of righteousness – I believe that he has 2 aspects in mind; a ‘positional’ and a ‘practical’ aspect.
The Positional Aspect, is the righteousness we have because we are ‘in’ Christ.
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… - Romans 8:1
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come.” - 2 Cor 5:17
God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 2 Cor 5:21
In him we have redemption, through his blood the forgiveness of sins…: Eph 1:7
LISTEN - when we are in Christ, we can stand before God uncondemned – because we stand in God’s grace.
AND B/S - this is an essential defense against the attacks of the evil one who still wants us to live under the law, by the rule of ‘do to be’.
However with our breastplate of righteousness in place we can say with confidence
“I am right with God”
I am under grace
It's about what Jesus has done for me
Our heart is protected.
NOW UNDERSTAND - there are many more passages that talk about us being ‘in’ Christ. AND – it is clear from scripture that being in Christ is essential to salvation.
Therefore the question of the ages is how does a person get ‘in’ Christ?
Can you answer that question, biblically?
A repentant believer is baptized into Christ.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? – Romans 6:3
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. – Galatians 3:27
The Practical Aspect is the believers righteous life.
This is about as Paul told us in Ephesian 4:24… “putting on the new self…” it’s about walking the walk and living the life
AND UNDERSTAND - this practical righteousness is important because satan (the great accuser who according Revelation 12:10 accuses us night and day) has difficultly accusing the one who is living a righteous life.
OKAY – here’s what I am trying to say…
The life we live, either fortifies us against satan’s attacks or it makes it easier for satan to attack and defeat us…
YOU SEE - it is hard for us to go into battle, and to feel confident in our ‘positional’ righteousness (being in Christ) when we know we are not living the life that God has called us to live.
LIKE - when we have secret or not so secret sins… it is difficult at those times to tell satan when he attacks, “ hey, I’m a Christian, I’m under grace..”
WHY? - because we are not so confident in that grace anymore.
WHY? - because we who are supposed to be dead to sin are still living in it.
Does any of this make sense?
MGCC - when satan accuses us (and he has, will and maybe is)… It is our righteousness ‘in Christ’ that protects us.
But this ‘positional’ righteousness, without ‘practical’ righteousness in our daily lives only gives satan the opportunity to attack us.
“Are you sure you are right with God…
“If you really were… why are you still doing'
"maybe you have gone one sin too far'
MGCC - you put on the breastplate of righteousness by
being 'in Christ'
living the life to the best of your ability
III. The Gospel Of Peace
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace… - Ephesians 6:15
The Roman soldier wore a half boot made of leather…
It had heavy metal studded soles and was tied to the ankles and shins with straps.
These boots equipped the soldier both for long marches and for taking a stand in battle…
(shoes are important to a soldier)
Now I think you would agree that it is important for a soldier to be prepared for battle…
Have you ever been unprepared for something?
YEAH - being unprepared usually spells one thing defeat
AND SO – Paul says in Ephesians 6:15 it is the Gospel of peace that prepares us and makes us ready for battle.
AND UNDERSTAND – the Gospel of peace makes us ready for battle in at least two ways… and both of these ways are seen in Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1:16
SO – did you see those 2 ways…
The Gospel’s Power Makes Us Ready
QUESTION - does knowing that he has a great power with Him make a soldier ready for battle?
You bet it does.
D-day (guys hitting the beach knew they had both Naval and air support)
WELL – the Gospel is the power (the dynamis) of the all powerful God.
The Gospel’s Purpose Makes Us Ready
Knowing your purpose as a soldier is important...
In the mid 90's I attended a leadership conference where General Norman Schwarzkopf was a speaker.
I remember him saying that the difference between the victory in Desert Storm and the tragedy of Vietnam was that in Vietnam the soldiers did not know what the mission was, however, in Desert Storm everyone from the lowest private to highest ranking general knew the mission
What is the Gospel’s purpose?
The salvation of everyone who believes!
UNDERSTAND - It is only when the Christian soldier has a firm grasp on this purpose that he will endure the hardships that make victory possible.
That he will fight to the end, that (like Paul) he will consider the cause worth the cost…
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. – Acts 20:24
UNDERSTAND – there is no greater cause then the cause of Christ and His Gospel.
Changing the forever of lost people
THEREFORE - we must be careful brothers and sister NOT to get caught up in any cause (no mater how noble it seems) such that it puts the cause of Christ on the back burner.
AND LISTEN - I am afraid the some Jesus followers are doing that very thing today.
Both on the right and on the left.
I MEAN - they are shouting, tweeting, marching, posting with so much greater than they have done for Jesus and His Gospel.
UNDERSTAND - every honorable and noble cause will be addressed by the cause of Christ.
AMEN?!
QUESTION – are your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace?
IV. The Shield Of Faith
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.- Ephesians 6:16
The word that Paul uses here is for the large Roman shield (4 x 2 ½ feet) that was curved to fit the body.
It was made of 2 layers of wood glued together and covered first with linen then with leather.
It was then bonded along the edges with iron.
This shield was especially designed to put out the dangerous arrows that were dipped in pitch and set on fire.
Paul says that as Christians our shield is our faith
Our shield is what we believe, who we believe in and what this belief means to our identity
Why do we need a shield of faith?
What is the enemy shooting at us?
In one of the books I read for this study the author writes…
By the fiery darts, Paul here refers probably to the temptations of the great adversary, which are like fiery darts.
Those furious suggestions of evil and excitement to sin.
Which he throws at our mind like fiery darts.
They are - blasphemous thoughts…
unbelief, sudden temptation to do wrong,
or thoughts that would torment the soul…
doubt, rebellion, malice, lust, greed, fear
In regards t these arrows we may observe
1. They come suddenly, like arrows sped from a bow
2. They come from unexpected places, like arrows shot suddenly from an enemy in ambush
3. They pierce and they penetrate, and torment the soul as arrows would that are on fire
They only way to meet them, to extinguish them is with our shield of faith
what we believe, who we believe in and what this belief means to our identity
Our faith in who God is – which serve as a reminder of who we are.
When the flaming arrows come –
Our faith speaks, “I don’t have to listen to you, I won’t listen to you, I can’t listen to you – I know who I am, I am a Christ follower!”
V. The Helmet Of Salvation
NEXT – Paul says..
Take the helmet of salvation… - Ephesians 6:17
Made of thick leather or brass, fitted to the head, usually crowned with an ornamental plume or crest. The helmet protected the head from a blow by a sword, axe or club
OKAY – so what is this helmet of salvation and how do we put it on?
NOW I think that the key to understanding this is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:8?
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love and a breastplate, and the Hope of salvation as a helmet.
AGAIN - the helmet defended the head – a vital part of a soldier – the hope of salvation will defend us and protect our mind and thoughts from the blows of satan?
UNDERSTAND - we need to remind ourselves daily of the hope of our salvation,
BECAUSE many times the individual battles we find ourselves in give the appearance that we’ve already lost, that it’s over…
(Normandy landing…)
AGAIN – we need this helmet (this hope ) of salvation, because in this life
• Bad things happen to good people.
• Doctors bring back bad reports.
• Spouse are unfaithful
• Children fall away from the Lord
• The world can become an ugly and hate filled place
• Yes, often times in life we suffer, we hurt, we feel pain and we are disappointed…
BUT LISTEN – when we are wearing our helmet of salvation..
We are reminded that…
• there is victory in Jesus.
• we will walk those streets of gold
• one day… we will leave all of the - pain, hurt, sorrow, suffering, sin, behind!
We're going Home!
Checkout this passage on hope…
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
VI. The Sword Of The Spirit
Take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- Ephesians
The sword Paul is talking about was 22” long, doubled edged and perfectly straight and no Roman soldier felt fully armed without it. The sword was primary an offensive weapon but also helped the soldier defend himself
The Christians sword is the Word of God
Checkout this scriptures about our sword;
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
– Hebrews 4:12,13
For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. – 1 Peter 1:24,25
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16,17
How is the word a weapon?
It’s truth protects us from being mislead…
it teaches what is true
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart
it corrects when we are wrong
it prepares and equips us for very good work
it encourages us and lifts us up when we are down
it is our light and our guide
VII. Prayer
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that wherever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. – Ephesians 6:18-20
The Christian soldier needs to be plugged into his power source… He needs to be in constant communication with headquarters…
To pray in the spirit is to pray;
- With sincerity
- With all your heart, your soul, mind and strength
- In agreement with the purposes of God
What kind of things does Paul ask them to pray for?
What can prayer do? Anything God can do? James 5 (Elijah)
Brothers and sisters are struggles right now in our nation are not against flesh and blood and when we put on the full armor of God we will stand our ground against the enemy and see a victory, because the battle belongs to the Lord.
