Stand Firm (Sunday After 9-11)

how Americans have responded that we still have the will to be free, and to sacrifice our

own lives to keep that freedom. I love this country for that very reason. I’m proud to be

an American for that very reason and many more.

But, my question is for us as Christians, How will we repond to this invasion of Evil?

Satan would hope that our Faith would crumble like the twin towers, Satan would

hope that our Love for people would turn cold because of this act of evil. Satan would

hope that our Peace would be turned into fear. Satan hopes to move you away from what

you know to be the truth, God’s Word, and move you to some other source of comfort.

How will We Respond? The Apostle Paul who knows something about being persecuted

for one’s faith, who knows about being stoned, being beaten, being boiled in oil, being

imprisioned because of his beliefs. The apostle Paul knows what it is to be invaded at

every level by evil, and in the end, He knew what it was to Stand Firm in His Faith, To

Stand Firm in his Love, To stand firm in His conviction, and His Peace.

Listen to his battle tested words of life.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of

God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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.

Last week I talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit so you can live a life with

Spiritual Power, so you can be effective in the Christian life.

Now Paul is instructing us to Stand Firm, and to be Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty

power. This power doesn’t come from us, it’s not a human power, it’s not something we

can work towards, this power is a gift from God, through his Holy Spirit.

As Christians there are some things we just need to realize as truth. First, as the body of

Christ we must be united and built up so we are ready for the invasion of Evil that will

come and has come, and every believer needs to be prepared for the fight.

I get the impression that many believers today are under the impression that they somehow

don’t have to worry about things getting too bad, that somehow they are going to be

sheilded from all the evil in the world. Christians, we need to have a reality check. Do

you realize how many Nazarene Church members died in Tuesday’s attack? One of the

Pilots in one of those planes was a Nazarene member. We had over 200 members of the

Church of the Nazarene that worked in the World Trade Center buildings, and 50 more in

the Pentegon. We don’t know how many we have lost.

As our Nation has been shaken from it’s slumber, I pray that the Church is shaken from

it’s sleep, and we will take serious the call to battle, Paul’s call to put on the full armor of

God so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.

When Paul wrote to his readers to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, those

greek words used to describe this power is the same power that raised Jesus from the