BEING INVOLVED IN GOD’S PROTECTION
Do you seem to have more trouble now than when you WERE’NT a Christian? That’s because when you became a Christian, you gained an enemy! That’s right.....Satan doesn’t like it that you are trying to do what’s right for God and yourself. Satan is the destroyer and he is not happy that you are no longer trying to destroy your life...rather save it by losing it for Christ! I’ve said this before...if Satan is not attacking you, it’s because he already has you! And he is not going to curl up his tail and leave you alone because you came to Christ......he is still comitted to fouling up your life...to prove that Christianity doesn’t work....it’s a myth.....God’s word isn’t true.....and nothing REALLY happened to you whenever you were born-again!
Those are all lies of the enemy. Yes, you are going to come under attack...that’s a given! Matter of fact, James 1:2 says Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. But most of us find it really, really hard to have joy in the face of trials, don’t we? So then you may ask "what’s the benifit of being a Christian if I’m gonna have all these trials?"
I have good news for you. You don’t have to be a defenseless "victim" of Satan and his little demons that lie in wait for you. We need’nt be christian hypochondriacs always worrying about where the next attack will be. We already talked last week about fear not being of God and the fact that fear works in direct conflict with faith. The more faith you have, the less fear you will have. That is a fact! So let’s look at what protection means God has provided for us.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And 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.
1. WE MUST TAKE A PRO-ACTIVE STANCE
Many of us grew up not really understanding this. Even today we hear a lot of christians say "well, I guess we’ll just let God handle it!" Listen...God IS eventually gonna handle everything....but that doesn’t mean we are to just stand idly by! God has given us His armor...to use! If you were a soldier in Iraq right now, you could sit back and say "we have the most advanced weapons in the world. No one can come against us!" And then watch as the enemy infiltrates camp and you are the first to get picked off....all because you had your weapons, but didn’t use them! Just as the Army supplies our soldiers with everything they need for battle, so God provides everything christians need to fight against the attacks of the enemy. We MUST take an active part in our own protection.
When you put on the armor of God, you are really putting on Christ. Look at Romans 13:12] The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13] Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. ...and by putting on Christ, we take ourselves OUT of the fleshly realm where we are vulnerable, and we put ourselves UNDER the dominion of Christ....and Satan can’t stand anywhere around there! Remember...make no provision for the flesh
2. ARMOR YOU ALREADY HAVE PUT ON
Look at Eph 6:14, 15. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
That says you have already recieved your belt, breastplate, and shoes whenever you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Vs 14 tells us to "stand firm".....Now let’s look at each of these items individually.
THE BELT OF TRUTH Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life." and if you have Christ in you, then you have the truth in you! However...you must continue to choose the truth! Satan’s primary weapon is what? That’s right....lies! So you belt of truth (which holds all the other armor in place) is constantly under attack! If Satan can dislodge you in the truth, then you become an easy target for his other attacks!
Stand firm in the truth by relating everything you do to God’s Word. If a thought comes into your mind and it doesn’t line up Biblically, then get rid of it! If a "good oportunity" comes along......maybe something to make money....and it compromises God’s truth......FORGET IT! Let this be your motto..."If it’s the truth, I’m in. If it’s not, I’m out!" You’re either in or out!
When you learn to live in the truth on a daily basis, you will grow to love truth. Truth means you never have anything to hide...and that’s a good feeling! Cause you CAN"T hide it from God, can you? Besides, the truth is how we stay sanctified, is’t it? John 17:17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
When you put on Christ, you are justified before God. 1 Cor 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. In Phillipians 3:9 Paul says we have no righteousness of our own, but our righteousness comes from faith in Christ. Whenever Satan slings an arrow at you and tells you that "you aren’t good enough to be a christian"........you can respond with Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Praise God!!! Your righteousness in Christ is your protection against Satan’s accusations about your worth to God. Don’t let Satan talk you out of your salvation
We rejoice in our position of righteousness with Christ....but we also are aware that sometimes what we think, do, or say is sometimes apart from God. We don’t want to sin, but sometimes it happens. Standing firm means we need to apply the principle of confession.1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. We need to understand that we are not only to ask forgiveness for our sin, but also to CONFESS our sin. We don’t need to just say "Lord, forgive me for lying"....we need to say "Lord, forgive me for lying because telling lies is sin! Face our sin...and confess it! And we also need to get better. Paul says in Acts 24:16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. And so should we all!
THE SHOES OF PEACE
Sometimes women like shoes, don’t they? They have shoes for every outfit it seems. They even wear shoes that hurt their feet because they "match"......us guys usually have a pair of tennis shoes, boots, and church shoes...and we’re good to go! But I want to tell you these shoes of peace will be the most comfortable shoes you’ve ever put on! Do you know one of the names for Christ is "the prince of peace?" Look at Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
You want peace in your life? Then go to church! That’s what the Bible says. Be members of a body....sing hymns....and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus
The shoes of peace are protection against Satan’s devisive schemes. When Satan can get christians arguing and bickering, he loves it! He’s quite good at it, isn’t he? Look at all the churches that you know of that have had splits....or someone left the church because someone "hurt" them. Now, it’s never right to intentionally hurt someone, but the Bible gives specific instructions on how to handle someone you have a dis-agreement with....and the way to handle it is NEVER to go to someone other than the one you have the problem with. That’s called gossip.....and people who gossip and slander will NOT inherit the Kingdom. Not my words, the Bible. 1 Corinthians 6:8-10 if you want to look it up.
The Bible instructs us to be peace-makers.....not trouble-makers! Romans 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. So....DON"T STIR UP TROUBLE! ESPECIALLY AMONG GOD"S PEOPLE. It is wrong! Now you know it. so do it! Know what the Bible says about someone who knows to do right and doesn’t do it? Besides that, if you want to find a churchful of people that agree with your doctrine 100%, you’ll probable end up not going to church.....and that’s just the way Satan likes it! The Bible describes God too, as the God of peace (Rom 16:20) Peace is something we all seek...and something that God will give. Put your shoes on....they’re just sitting there in your closet not being worn! Christ has already purchased them for you.
Tonight, we’ll have part II of this sermon.....the rest of the wardrobe mentioned in our text. The shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit.....and finally....prayer.
