BEING A DANGER: A STRONG COMMUNITY
Ephesians 6.10
S: Community
C: A Strong Community
Th: Building Up in Love; Doing Our Work
Pr: WE ARE TO BE DANGEROUS FOR GOD.
?: What? What does it take for this to happen?
KW: Aspects
TS: We will find in our study of Ephesians 6 the four aspects it takes to be dangerous for God.
Type: Propositional (clarifying)
The ____ aspect is…
I. COMMUNITY
II. POWER
III. LORD
IV. WEAPONRY
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Resist the enemy
• Win the world
• Be dangerous for Christ
Version: ESV
RMBC 15 October 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
What kind of community do we need to be?
1. Called – Spiritual Blessings
2. Transformed – Grace
3. Praying – God’s Love
4. Diligent – Unity
5. God-Like – Love
6. Submitting – Raise each other up
7. Strong
TRANSITION:
ILL Dangerous (H)
A guy was sitting in an airplane when another guy took the seat beside him. The new guy was a wreck, pale, hands shaking, biting his nails and moaning in fear.
"Hey, pal, what’s the matter?" said the first guy.
"I’ve been transferred to Los Angeles, California," he answered nervously. "They’ve got race riots, drugs, the highest crime rate in the country..."
"Hold on," said the first. "I’ve been in L.A all my life, and it’s not as bad as the media says. Find a nice home, go to work, mind your own business, enroll your kids in a good school and it’s as safe as anywhere in the world."
The second guy stopped shaking for a moment and said, "Oh, thank you. I was worried to death! But if you live there and say it’s ok, I’ll take your word for it. By the way, what do you do for a living?"
"Me?" said the first, "I’m a tail gunner on a bread truck."
1. The Christian life is not a life of ease and comfort.
The believer’s life is a battlefield.
Immediately upon receiving Christ, the believer finds himself in a constant struggle.
He is engaged in an unceasing fight, an unending war.
He is a fighter, a soldier in conflict.
His calling is not to a life of enjoyment and ease, but to a life of hard conflict.
There are foes within and foes without.
From the cradle to the grave there is constant struggle against the corruptible lusts of the flesh and imposing temptations offered by the world and Satan. (George Blount, Jr.)
It is from this, a charge is given to the Christian soldier.
It is simply this…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might (6.10).
So, we are in a battle.
This we recognize.
And I think there is something exciting about soldiers that make the fight and prevail.
They are dangerous to the enemy.
You see…
2. WE ARE TO BE DANGEROUS FOR GOD.
Just as…
Flags of our Fathers
Iwo Jima
Great victory during WWII
Dangerous to their enemies.
We too should be dangerous.
What does it take for this to happen?
3. We will find in our study of Ephesians 6 the four aspects it takes to be dangerous for God.
OUR STUDY:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might (6.10).
I. The first aspect is COMMUNITY.
The instructions are written to a church.
Body of Christ
We belong to Him
This is not an individual fight
Independence is no virtue
Unity
II. The second aspect is POWER.
We are not to be feeble, washed out and weak-kneed believers.
We first must remember our weakness.
On our own, we are weak.
This is why the command is literally “be made powerful.”
Cannot strengthen self
Must be empowered
Here is the good news.
The power is available.
This is a good thing, because we face a tough enemy.
We need to be able to withstand the evil day.
ILL Battle (S) – Alaskan Bull Moose
Recently National Geographic ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon, are broken. That ensures defeat.
The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk.
There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now - before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they’re needed.
So, effort on our part is required.
We need to be preparing ourselves for the fight.
III. The third aspect is the LORD.
We are not going anywhere without God (Philippians 4.13).
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
How do we prepare for this battle?
We do it by being in union with the Lord.
It is being in Christ.
It is knowing Him.
His power is our power
His strength is our strength
And it is not the amount of strength that is important
It is the source of that strength that is the issue
So if it is the Lord’s strength, we have all we need.
We have no reason to be afraid if we are on the Lord’s side.
And how do we get there?
By being deliberate.
By being in prayer.
It is in the knowledge of the Word
It is in faith, and acting on the promises of God.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.
This brings us to…
IV. The fourth aspect is WEAPONRY.
We have irresistible weapons guaranteeing our win.
(11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (14) Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. (16) In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (17) and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…
Put on the armor
Not that we wield ourselves
But we put it on
Truth
Righteousness
Purity
Good news
Rom 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
Faith
Salvation
Word of God
Heb 4.12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
APPLICATION:
ILL Battle of the Bulge
In the autumn of 1944 and Germany had been beaten back behind its borders. The Nazi war machine was in nearly destroyed. The repeated bombing raids of the Allies all but assured that Hitler’s forces would never rise again. Around the perimeter of Germany’s borders, the Allies spread a thin line of forces. One person observed that Allied forces were so scattered that a man could slip between its lines without being observed.
All across Europe, there was celebration rejoicing in Germany’s defeat. The war was effectively over. The only problem was…somebody forgot to tell Germany.
Even as his forces were being shattered and driven back Hitler was devising a plan for one last onslaught. Underground factories churned out more weapons, armament and ammunition. More of Germany’s young and old men were conscripted and trained for war. And as Europe rejoiced, Hitler planned.
Hitler’s goal was not to drive back the Allies into the sea, as much as it was to divide the British to the North and Americans to the South, so demoralizing them that they would seek peace on his terms and not theirs.
On Dec. 16, 1944 Hitler’s army began The Ardennes Offensive, also known as The Battle of the Bulge. Over 1,000,000 men fought along an 85 mile front; when the fighting ended Jan. 25, 1945 hundreds and thousands of men died because somebody forgot that the enemy still lived and that the war was NOT over.
Similarly Satan has been utterly defeated. What appeared to be Satan’s greatest victory was actually his ultimate defeat. Christ disarmed Satan and his demonic forces; the enemy was totally humiliated as Jesus triumphed over them at the cross (See Colossians 2:15).
While Christ has won the victory, the war is not over. Void of power Satan continues to lead a covert battle of deception. The devil seeks to convince us that he still has power over our lives, that he deserves to take back territory Christ has won. The battle rages on! Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security; Satan wants to destroy you. But don’t be afraid; GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN YOU THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD. Jesus has made The Great Escape possible; we can “Stand Firm in Freedom!”
“In its entirety, the “Battle of the Bulge,” was the worst battles in terms of losses to the American Forces in WWII;” the winter battle of 1944-45 led to 81,000 American casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed). No one will ever know how many of these could have been spared if the Allies had reinforced their positions instead of celebrating an early end to the war across Europe.
http://www.mm.com/user/jpk/battle.htm
1. We have an enemy to defeat.
Satan is going to attack
We are foolish to believe he won’t
We should never underestimate.
A Christian who has no conflict is a Christian in retreat
Satan will oppose work that is genuinely being done for the Lord
Does the devil see you as a threat?
2. We have a lost world to win.
This is the spiritual battle before us.
3. We have to be dangerous for the glory of God.
Tapped into the sovereign unlimited power of God
Strength, force, ability, wisdom, perfection.
For Further Study: John 10.29; I Corinthians 16.13; II Timothy 2.1; James 4.7; I John 2.14; Revelation 3.8
BENEDICTION:
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Blount, George, Jr. Be Strong in the Lord
Books:
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. 12 vols, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982.
Foulkes, Francis. The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians. 20 vols. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, ed. R. V. G. Tasker, vol. 10. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1978.
Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. The Christian Soldier: An Exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Ephesians. The Macarthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.
