Chico Alliance Church
October 1, 2006
Pastor David Welch
"Spiritually Aware, Alert, Armed and Aggressive" Pt 10
“Prepared with Peace”
I.Be Aware
II. Be Alert
III.Be armed & aggressive
A.Be fully empowered
B.Be fully armed
C.Stand firm – engage the enemy
Every piece of armor relates to a major scheme of the devil against mankind. His schemes center on but are not limited to our mind. This armor both protects us and demolishes the enemy’s strongholds.
1.Stand firm having girded your loins with TRUTH
This part of the armor deals with perception problems. Whenever I fail to view life from God’s perspective, I become susceptible to the enemy’s lies. Truth sets free. Lies imprison. The Bible is the only reliable place to gain God’s perspective about Him, me, other people, life, purpose, and the enemy we face. All Scripture was supernaturally inspired by God and is profitable for the purpose of Doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteous living SO THAT the person of God might become mature fully equipped for every good work which God created us to do. God wants us to pursue truth, expose lies with the truth breaking Satan’s strongholds, speak truth to ourselves and each other and live by the truth in our everyday life. Jesus Himself is truth. When we put on truth, we put on Jesus who enables us to demolish the enemy’s strongholds and withstand the enemy’s attacks.
2.Stand firm armed with RIGHTEOUSNESS
Concept
Righteousness has to do with compliance to a recognized standard. A ball player who plays by the rules would be considered a righteous player. A citizen who complies with the society’s laws and rules is a righteous citizen. Righteousness is the quality of life manifested by one who lives righteously. Righteousness describes the quality of life that emanates from one who lives by God’s standard. Man is made in the image of God.
God made us to live by His standard. God made us to completely, perfectly and continually conform to His standard. He ingrained in us a deep longing to be and do right as God defines right.
Problem!
No one has ever lived by God’s standard and therefore man continually tries to adjust the standard or denies the existence of such a standard or a God who would impose such a standard. In order to connect with a righteous God, we must also be righteous.
This is the theme of Scripture. This is the core of the good news. We must come to realize that we cannot come close to God’s standard. Listen to Paul’s deepest passion.
After expounding a list of accomplishments that would appear to qualify Paul as a righteous person, Paul had this to say.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11
Notice the source of Paul’s righteousness. The only righteousness that can put us in right standing with a perfect God, is a perfect righteousness. The only source of such righteousness is through Jesus Christ whom God made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God inundated Jesus with our sin and inundated us with His righteousness. This is not just Jesus-colored glasses. God actually does something to the core of our being. God puts a quality of life into us that makes us a different person. God transforms the core being, the inner heart of every truly born again person with a new set of passions. He puts within us a new passion to live righteously.
Notice Paul’s lack of confidence in his own righteous deeds. The realization of what God had given by reason of faith in the work of Christ brought a new passion to actually live a resurrected life. The only way to live a righteous life is by the transforming power of God.
The realization of God’s gracious gift of righteousness inspired a passion to pursue and live a righteous life.
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Philippians 3:12-16
Satan first runs a scheme that tries to convince us that we can do it ourselves. There is no specific standard other than our own. Whatever we feel is right is right and I am accountable to none other. The truth is that there is none righteous. The truth is that all have sinned and come short of God’s standard. The truth is that we are all accountable to God for our failure to live by God’s standard. The Law cannot enable us to obey it.
The Law can only tell us where we fall short. The truth is our only option is to receive a righteousness outside of our selves. We must be found with the righteousness of Christ that comes through faith in Jesus.
First he tells we can do it when he knows we can’t and then he condemns us for not being able to do it. The truth is that there is no condemnation (from God) to those who are in Christ Jesus because the Spirit of life in Christ (due to the infusion of His righteousness) has set us free from the law of sin and death (due to the failure to live according to God’s righteousness).
The practical application of this piece of armor.
Understand what it means to have been given the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Speak the word of righteousness to ourselves, others and against the enemy’s fortresses (lies). Live righteously as a result of being righteous already in Christ Jesus. When we are confident in the righteousness of Christ and seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness we are powerfully armed to engage the enemy.
in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 2 Corinthians 6:7
Just as Jesus is our truth, so Jesus is our righteousness. The devil could not get to Jesus.
"I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; John 14:30
We stand in Christ’s righteousness and live according to His righteousness we too are a fortified fortress and a formidable weapon against the enemy.
3.Stand firm prepared with peace
THE CONCEPT
Again, if we are responsible to fully appropriate this armor in our everyday life, we must know what it is.
and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; Eph 6:15
Paul commanded the believer’s at Ephesus to stand firm after having put on the proper footwear. Interesting that Paul would connect feet with the gospel of peace.
How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7
This piece of armor deals with the world of relationships; relationship with God, ourselves, others and the world around us. Establishing and maintaining good relationships is absolutely essential in our fight against the enemy. A firm grasp on the core nature of the gospel as the gospel of peace prepares the soul for battle. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, peace is a core concept. The word appears over 250 times in the Bible. It appears in every single book of the New Testament except 1 John. The reason it pervades the Scriptures is because the longing for it pervades every aspect of our culture and world. Without exception, every human being longs for peace.
The term itself has a broad range of meaning and application. It carries the idea of health, prosperity, rest, wholeness, security, completion, fulfillment, unity, restored relationship, harmony, tranquility, contentment, serenity, calmness, absence of conflict.
General definition
Peace is the sense of calm confidence knowing that through Christ everything will ultimately be alright.
It is the feeling that comes when you get the news from the doctors that the surgery was successful and our loved one will be alright. It is the sense of relief that comes when a conflict with another person is resolved. It is the sense of release when the issue that has caused anxiety gets resolved.
Adam and Eve lived in perfect peace provided by the God of peace.
They walked with God in the cool of the day.
They lived with a sense of completeness.
They practiced selfless service to one another.
They experienced rest and contentment.
They lived in perfect unity.
They served God in complete confidence using the gifts God had given them.
They lived in a perfectly functioning environment.
They experienced everything that man longs for today.
They lived how God created us to live.
That is, until Satan entered the scene and turned God’s peaceful world into a world of chaos and pain.
We traded God’s peace for war, worry, confusion, enmity, strife, conflict, fear, troubled hearts, worry, stress. The demonically driven hectic pace of our world is the source of any number of problems. We live in a driven world rather than a peaceful world. We have Christian book titles called the purpose driven life. We are driven to success. We are driven to better ourselves. We are continually driven to live up to some self-imposed standard. We are driven to look better. We are driven to do more. There seems to be no peace. We all long for that inner calmness and tranquility that allows us to rest and see life through God’s eyes. We all need to feel free to stop and smell the roses.
We want the ability to face life with confidence and inner strength rather than continual turmoil and anxiety. We need such a peace in every area of life.
•The physical world – deal with a warring world and a harsh environment
•The psychological world – manage our thoughts and feelings
•The relational world – relate well to the people around us
•The spiritual world – be assured of peace with God
Scripture addresses all of these areas.
Basic truths concerning Biblical peace
•It is the foundation of God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17
•It is the foundation of God’s character
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:33
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, Hebrews 13:20
In fact, he is called the God of peace more than the God of love.
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Peace
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Satan always twists and distorts our perception of God.
He wants us to think that God is everything but peace.
Everything that Satan promotes brings anxiety, stress, turmoil and disunity.
•It grows or multiplies.
May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 2 Peter 1:2
•It comes from God
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7
Paul uses this greeting numerous times in his letters.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. Eph 2:12-16
AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:17-18
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. Colossians 1:19-20
This is the armor of God.
This kind of peace cannot be found anywhere else.
Satan would have us think that there is no peace.
Satan would have us think that peace relates to circumstance.
Satan continually lies about where genuine peace can be found.
•We have peace with God
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2
I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly. Psalms 85:8
Also is a see above passages Eph 2:12-18; Col 1:19-20
Satan continually tries to get us to run from God rather than run to God.
He wants us to think that we do not have peace with God.
He tries to get us to think that peace with God comes through something other than faith in the work of Jesus Christ.
Christ himself is our peace.
Christ reconciled us to his father by paying the penalty for our sin.
Jesus proudly presents us before the father holy and blameless and beyond reproach.
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— Colossians 1:21-22
•We are called to peace with each other
God has called us to peace. 1 Corinthians 7:15
o Live in peace
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
Live in peace with one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:13
o Pursue and seek peace
"the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. "he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 1 peter 3:10-11
So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Romans 14:19
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Heb12:14
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18
o Preserve peace
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
o Let the peace of Christ rule your heart
Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:14-15
o Be found in peace at Christ’s return
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 2 Peter 3:13-15
o Peace makers are blessed
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
A Paul urged the Corinthians to treat Timothy right so that he could be at peace
Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am. So let no one despise him. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren. 1 Corinthians 16:10-11
And this is where Satan does his most devastating work.
Admonitions for believers to get along fill all of Paul’s letters.
Since God said it is love between believers that causes the world to know we are followers of Jesus, Satan tries his hardest to destroy the unity and peace between believers.
The majority of the deeds of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5 have to do with broken relationships.
The bulk of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit have to do with healthy relationships.
• God promises of peace in the midst of difficult circumstance
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. Acts 9:31
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Satan wants us to think that peace has to do with circumstances.
Satan wants us to think that if we work hard at changing our circumstance we will be at peace.
Jesus was clear that we could have His calmness, his outlook, his fullness, in the sense of security, his outlook on the future, His PEACE.
God provides the armor, we must appropriate it.
Peace is essential if we are to effectively tear down the fortresses of anxiety, disunity, chaos, and fear established by the enemy through lies.
Feet protected by the preparation that the Gospel of peace provides enable the soldier to march into battle and take a stand against the enemy.
God grants peace, we must receive it.
We must speak peace.
We must pursue and live peace.
How do we practically appropriate God’s peace?
That will be the focus of next week’s message.
