SERMON: THE WEAPONS OF WAR

27 May 2012

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 6:10-18

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

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.
13 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.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 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.

            -- Last July, Sylvester Police Officer Jonathan Luna was assisting another officer in serving a routine arrest warrant when the suspect fled on foot -- Luna gave chase and caught up with 44-year old Johnny Ben Simms, tackling the man and throwing him to the ground -- the two grappled with one another, when suddenly, Simms grabbed Luna's service revolver and fired a shot directly into Luna's chest -- Simms jumped up and took off running again, sure that he had killed the police officer, but he was shocked when he looked back and saw Luna coming after him again

            -- You see, Luna was wearing a special type of body armor designed specifically for law enforcement officers -- And, although he was struck at point blank range by a bullet from a large caliber handgun, Luna survived with only a few bruises.
            -- In a news story on WALB, Luna said that bulletproof vests are hot and sweaty in south Georgia summers, but that is a small price to pay for lifesaving security -- since 1972, body armor and bullet proof vests have become standard gear for law enforcement officers throughout the United States and even for the military -- and since that time, over 3000 officers have been saved because they were wearing their armor -- in fact, in many precincts, it has become policy that officers are not to go on patrol until they are fully suited up and protected by body armor¹ 
           
            -- sadly, though, it is common practice for most Christians to go through life unprotected from those who seek to harm us -- as we talked about last week, we are in the midst of a battle -- a spiritual battle -- with unseen enemies who want nothing more than to destroy us and kill us and annihilate us to prevent God's message from saving lives for eternity
            -- Satan knows that if he can take down one Christian, then he can keep that Christian from being an effective witness for Christ and from growing in grace in their own life
            -- but God did not leave us unprotected -- in John 17, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that we would not be taken out of this world, but that the Father would protect us from the evil one and sanctify us by His word
            -- and it is that protection that we read of here in Ephesians Chapter 6 -- this is our Kevlar -- this is our body armor -- this how we can stand unharmed against everything that the devil and his minions would throw against us
            -- so, let's take some time this morning to look at this passage in more detail

II.  The Full Armor of God

            -- if you would look back at verses 10-11
 

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

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.

            -- now here Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God and then in the rest of these verses, he's going to go over each piece of armor that we need to put on -- but, I want to caution you here -- the key to understanding this passage is verse 10 -- "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power"
            -- this armor is spiritual armor -- and it only exists through the power of the Lord -- it is only through Him and His grace that we are given this spiritual protection
            -- think of this armor as another type of spiritual gift -- we're all probably familiar with spiritual gifts -- the Bible says that when we come to Christ, we are given spiritual gifts to build up His church and to do His will
            -- but, contrary to what a lot of people think, these spiritual gifts are not some new talent or skill that is suddenly given to us and that is always with us
            -- instead, the Scriptures say that spiritual gifts are the manifestation of the Spirit within us -- meaning that when we exercise a spiritual gift, such as faith or speaking in tongues, it is not us doing the act -- it is the Holy Spirit working through us -- it is not us, but Him, who is doing it
            -- and it's important to understand this, because if we walk outside of the grace of God -- if we live with unconfessed sin -- if we backslide -- then the Holy Spirit is quenched in our lives and the spiritual gifts cannot be made manifest through us -- in other words, we are not able to function spiritually and exercise these gifts as we used to be able to

            -- it's the exact same way with spiritual armor -- this armor isn't something that is just given to us and that we can just carry around with us from now on because we are Christians -- spiritual armor is dependent on our relationship with Christ -- and, if we walk outside of that relationship -- if we walk outside of His grace -- then we lose the power that protects us

            -- verses 12-13

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.

13 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.

            -- as we talked about last week, we are in a spiritual battle -- our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against an unseen enemy who is actively scheming against us, as individual Christians, and against God's church

            -- so Paul tells us here to suit up -- to put on the full armor of God -- to stand firm in God's mighty power -- so that we can resist the devil's schemes and stand our ground against his attacks
            -- the image that we are given here in verse 13 is of a warrior who has been attacked -- who has been beaten down -- who looks down for the count -- who has given everything he has and done everything in his power, but who rises from the field of battle and grips his sword again and stands firm in God's power wearing the full armor of God to protect him
            -- I haven't used a movie reference in a while, so let me have that opportunity -- remember the movie "Rocky" -- classic boxing movie with Sylvester Stallone -- remember what happened to Rocky in his first fight with Apollo Creed -- he kept getting knocked down -- he kept getting pounded and pulverized -- and just when you thought it was over -- just when you knew Rocky was down for the count -- that he wasn't going to get back up from the mat -- he remembered -- he remembered the words of his manager -- "when you get knocked down, get back up, and keep moving forward"
            -- that is the exact picture of what Paul is telling us here in this verse -- after you have done everything, stand -- when you get knocked down -- when you feel like you've given all you can -- get back up and keep moving forward

            -- one thing I want you to see here is Paul's command to put on full armor of God -- you can't go into battle unless you are fully protected -- you can't go into battle with chinks in the armor -- gaps where we can get hurt

            -- do you remember the story from Greek mythology about Achilles? -- according to the story, when Achilles was born, his mother tried to make him invincible -- she dipped him into the river Styx, knowing that the power of the river would make him invulnerable
            -- however, there was one part of him that didn't receive the protecting power -- Achilles' heel -- the place where his mother was holding him when she dipped him in the river -- later, during a battle in the Trojan wars, an arrow pierced Achilles' heel -- he bled to death because he had a chink in his armor -- he was not fully protected
            -- we need to make sure we are fully suited up -- that we have all the armor on and are standing in the power of God because the day of evil is coming for all of us -- Eph. 5:15-16 says we should be careful how we live because the days are evil -- even though the sun is shining -- even though all looks peaceful outside -- know that we live in evil times and we need to be wearing the full armor of God
 
           -- Paul is now going to get into the specifics of what the full armor of God looks like -- remember that when Paul wrote this, he was in prison in Rome, chained to a Roman soldier with another Roman soldier standing on a ledge overlooking Paul's cell -- the armor that they were wearing inspired this passage, and we can learn a lot about the protection that is given from God's armor by picturing in our mind the armor of a Roman soldier

            -- look at verse 14a

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist

            -- the belt of truth -- the belt was the foundation of a Roman soldier's armor -- the belt held the other armor -- it was used to cinch down the armor and it was where the sword was carried -- without the belt you could not fight -- it is foundational -- so the first piece of armor that we are told to take up is the belt of truth

            -- remember who our enemy is -- remember how he is described in scripture -- in John 8:44, Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of lies
            -- there is nothing more insidious than someone who lies -- who uses just enough truth to hide their deception and who want people to believe something that is not true
            -- how do you fight a lie? -- how do you come against false teaching and false beliefs? -- you combat lies with the truth -- you combat lies with the truth
            -- in John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life" -- the truth is a Person -- the truth is Jesus -- and when Paul tells us here to put on the belt of truth, he is telling us to put on Jesus -- that Jesus is the protection against the lies of the enemy

            -- let's read vs. 14 again

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

     -- the next piece of armor that we are told to take up is the breastplate of righteousness -- the breastplate for a Roman soldier was analogous to the Kevlar vest worn by police officers -- the breastplate covered the heart and the vital organs

     -- this is symbolically putting on the righteousness of Christ to protect our spiritual hearts -- one thing that we always need to keep in mind is apart from Christ, we have no righteousness -- when He died on the cross, the very righteousness of Christ -- the right relationship He had with the Father -- the right lifestyle and holiness that He possessed -- was transferred to us
     -- so, once again, we see that by taking up the breastplate of righteousness, we are taking up Christ -- we are putting Him on -- we are standing firm in a righteousness and a holiness that is not our own -- but that was given to us to protect us from evil

-- verse 15

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

-- here we're told to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace -- what Paul was envisioning here was the footwear that the Roman soldiers wore when they headed into battle -- more like boots than sandals -- they laced up to protect the shins as well as to give the feet purchase on slippery ground

-- there's one thing about shoes -- they're not "one size fits all" -- you can only wear shoes that fit you

-- there's a saying among hikers on the Appalachian Trail -- "Hike your own hike" -- that's what Paul is saying here -- we all need to put on shoes -- we all need to protect our feet -- our Christian walk -- our Christian witness -- but we need to wear shoes that fit us and us alone

-- each of us were given different spiritual gifts and talents -- we all have different personalities -- different likes and dislikes -- there are certain things that we do well -- and certain things that others do better than us

-- when we walk forward ready to enter the battle and to carry the gospel of peace into this world, we can only do it our way -- we can't copy anyone else and expect success -- we must run our own race and live out our faith and our own lives as Christ demands -- our footwear must be designed to protect our feet and our walk, or it will not be effective

 -- vs. 16

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  

-- "in addition to all this" -- King James says "above all" -- take up the shield of faith

-- it all comes down to faith -- faith leads to salvation -- faith leads to walking with Christ -- faith leads to believing the truth -- faith informs our Christian lives

-- Paul likens our faith to the shield that the Roman soldiers used to protect them during battle -- the Roman shields were large -- a soldier could hide behind them and keep all parts of his body protected -- the Romans would also link shield together -- forming what they called a phalanx -- an impenetrable wall of protection -- that would keep the entire army from being overrun

-- one other thing that is interesting about their shields is that they were often wrapped in leather -- they would soak the skins in water before a battle so if flaming arrows were shot at them, the arrows would hit the water-soaked shield and be extinguished -- nothing could get past a Roman soldier's shield

-- in the same way, by standing firm behind our faith, there is nothing that this world or that Satan can throw at us that will ever harm us

-- Laura Story has a song out right now called "What a Savior" -- the other day on K-Love I heard her telling the story behind the song -- she said that she had a college professor that was just hammering her beliefs -- everyday he would come in and try to destroy the Christian faith -- there was nothing she could say that would defeat his scientific arguments

-- finally, Laura said that all she could fall back on was her faith -- on her belief in Christ and Him alone -- the chorus of this song speaks to that faith -- "Jesus, You are stronger -- more than any other -- Jesus you are higher -- my soul's deepest desire"

-- Laura stood behind her faith -- as the fiery darts streaked towards her from the evil one, Laura stood unscathed because she took up the shield of faith

 -- vs. 17a

17 Take the helmet of salvation

-- what do helmets protect? -- they protect your head -- a Roman soldier would no more go into battle without a helmet than he would without a sword because the surest way to be killed on the field of battle was to be struck in the head

-- it's the same way with us -- where do spiritual attacks originate? -- where do temptations begin? -- they begin in your mind -- they begin in your thoughts

-- our enemy knows that if he can control our mind -- if he can sway our thoughts and get us to believe lies about God or entertain thoughts of disobedience, then he can get us to fall

-- the helmet of salvation protects our minds from the attacks of the enemy and enables us to get back up when we fall -- the helmet of salvation makes us sure of our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins

 -- 1 John 5:13 says, " I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

            -- and 1 John 2:1 says "if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."

            -- if we fall -- if we choose to sin and disobey God -- then we can rise again from our failure and move forward in victory because of the salvation that Christ gave us on the cross

            -- the helmet of salvation reminds us that it was not by works that we were saved -- but by the atoning sacrifice of Christ -- we stand, not in our own strength, but in the mighty power of the Lord and His grace and mercy which was poured out on us at the cross of Calvary

            -- above all else, we have to protect the mind -- and we do that by remembering who we are and that the battle has already been won

             -- look back at verse 17

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

-- so far, all of the pieces of armor that we have looked at have been defensive -- they have been given to us to protect us from the enemy's attack

-- this next piece of armor -- the sword of the Spirit -- is both defensive and offensive -- it not only protects us from the devil's schemes, but it can be wielded with great power to regain the ground that the enemy has taken

-- the sword of the Spirit is the word of God -- there is no doubt about this -- you need to know this Bible -- you need to learn the word of God and make it a part of you in order to protect yourself and to do what God has called you to do        

            -- The Greek word that we translate as "word" here is "Rhema" -- a Rhema refers to a specific word or "saying" -- In this case, it means a specific portion of God's written revelation -- John 3:16 is an example of a rhema

            -- when Paul says we are to take up the rhema of God, he is saying that we should use Scripture to defend ourselves and to resist the devil in our spiritual battles

            -- think about Jesus when He was being tempted in the wilderness after His baptism -- every time the devil came against Him, what did Jesus do? -- He used scripture -- He quoted God's word to the devil saying, "It is written"

            -- what this means to us is that we have to memorize scripture in order to engage the enemy

            -- think for a moment about a real sword -- could any of us just pick up a sword and be able to use it? -- no -- in order to effectively use a sword, we would have to be trained -- we would have to spend time with it -- be instructed in how to use it -- and then practice and practice and practice

            -- it's the same way with the sword of the Spirit -- Satan is not afraid of your Bible -- he's especially not afraid of a Bible that just sits around and gathers dust -- that's no different from having a rusty sword

            -- in order to wield the sword of the Spirit, we have to be in the word -- we have to read our Bible -- know our Bible -- and memorize verses -- rhemas -- that we can use in battle

-- Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you"

-- when the devil attacks, we have to have immediate access to the sword of the Spirit, and the only way to do that is to make it a part of us -- to hide God's word in our heart so we can use it when we need it -- this is the way we wield the sword of the Spirit 

-- vs. 18

 18 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.

 -- sometimes, when you hear people preach or teach on the armor of God, you will hear them say that we only have one weapon -- the sword of the Spirit

-- in fact, we have two -- the second weapon at our disposal is prayer -- think about the power of God that comes about through prayer -- the mightiest acts ever done -- the greatest miracles ever performed -- the greatest revivals ever seen -- all came about because of prayer

-- Satan doesn't want you to pray -- try to pray and see how many distractions come up -- the Bible tells us that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much -- prayer is powerful -- it can bring hope to the hopeless and light to a dark and dying world

-- even though we know that God hears the prayers of our hearts and knows our thoughts before we ever speak them, we should get into the practice of praying out loud -- our spiritual enemies can't hear our thoughts, but when we speak out in the name of Jesus -- when we pray out loud in the Spirit -- evil flees 

-- Paul writes in this verse, "with this in mind" -- with what in mind?

-- Paul is saying keep in mind who you are and who you are standing with -- you are not alone -- you are standing in the full armor of God and in His mighty power

-- Paul tells us to be alert and to always keep on praying for all the saints -- be alert because our enemy is sneaky -- sometimes he comes as a roaring lion -- other times he comes in the back door through divisiveness and jealousy -- anger and unforgiveness -- be alert because we know he is coming -- be alert and be ready to take action

III.  Closing

-- let me close with one last thought -- think for a moment about the armor that Paul says we should put on -- notice that we have our feet covered -- we have our chest covered -- we have our head covered -- and we are holding a shield to protect us from anything that comes against us

-- but notice what is missing -- there is nothing to protect our back -- that means two things for us

-- first, God has our back -- we don't have to worry about what might come behind, because God has already fought that battle -- our past is in the past -- our sins have been forgiven -- and we don't have to worry about them any longer

-- secondly, God didn't give us any armor for our back because He didn't intend for us to turn around -- a Christian is never to retreat -- never to surrender -- never to give up -- we are do what Rocky said, "Get up and move forward"

-- Jesus said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His church -- against us -- now let me ask you this -- where do you find gates? -- do you find gates coming against you on a field of battle? -- no -- the gates surround that which you are attacking

-- in other words, when Jesus said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against us, He was saying that He expected us to move forward and launch an all out attack on the kingdom of Hell -- we were not saved to fight a defensive battle -- we are called to carry the battle forward into Satan's turf -- suited up in the full armor of God and standing in His mighty power -- in order to reclaim this earth and set free the captives that Satan is still holding 

-- 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 -- stand firm -- be valiant -- and win souls for Christ

-- let us pray

--------------------------------------------------

¹Illustration derived from WALB news story: http://www.walb.com/story/15724572/sylvester-police-officer-honored
²Sinclair Ferguson, By Grace Alone (Reformation Trust, 2010), p. 68; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington, Kentucky

SERMON: SPIRITUAL BATTLES

20 May 2012

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 6:10-18

 Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

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.

13 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.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 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.

            -- this message today is not the message that I thought I was going to be preaching -- I had started on another sermon, but it just wasn't working -- God wasn't speaking -- He wasn't revealing His truth to me and when I tried to look up resources and information, it just wouldn't come -- I knew then that He was leading me in a different direction, and last night, some events happened that made me sure

            -- as all of you know, I have been involved in one-on-one discipleship for a little over a year now, and I can tell you that discipleship is entirely different than just leading a church or serving as a pastor or teacher

            -- discipleship gets to the heart of Christianity -- it's more than just a Bible study -- it's more than just getting together to talk about God -- it's learning to put feet to our faith -- it's about hearing God and actually doing what He's asking us to do, which is something that we don't see in a lot of our churches or in a lot of our Christians
            -- and one thing I've been reminded of as I've been doing this, especially over the last several months, is that we have an enemy who doesn't want us to live out our faith -- Satan's fine with us coming to church and worshiping God and even going to Bible study -- but he doesn't like it when we actually start doing what we've been called to do
            -- for the first time in a long time, I have been confronted with various forms of spiritual warfare and spiritual oppression -- both directed against me and against my disciples
            -- and so I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time today talking about the reality of spiritual warfare and what we can do when we are confronted with spiritual attacks in whatever form they take

II.  What is Spiritual Warfare?

            -- I guess the best place to start is by defining what we mean by spiritual warfare
            -- when we use this term, we are acknowledging the fact that we have an enemy who is bent on our destruction -- not an enemy who is flesh and blood -- but a spiritual enemy -- someone who lives in the spiritual realm and who wages war against our spirits and God's people
            -- I am, of course, referring to Satan -- who used to be the angel Lucifer but who chose to rebel against God and who was cast out of heaven along with his followers because of his sin
            -- now I know that a lot of people in our day and age don't believe in Satan -- many think this was a myth that was invented by the church to keep people in line -- like the boogeyman -- or they think that this was just the way that the ancient people used to describe those who had a mental illness or epilepsy or some other type of debilitating disease
            -- but, the Bible says that Satan is real -- Jesus said in Luke 10:18 that He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven -- and we know the biblical accounts of Satan and his activities throughout the Old and the New Testaments, including the tempting of Jesus in the wilderness after His baptism and the various accounts of demonic possession
            -- let me just make this clear -- regardless of what the world says, I can tell you without a doubt that Satan and his demons are real and are present and active in our world today -- I know this -- I have seen this -- and you need to accept this and believe this if you are going to live out this Christian life

            -- we have an enemy, and from the beginning of time, Satan has been actively seeking to destroy the people of God -- beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to Job and Joseph and Jeremiah and John the Baptist and the Apostle Peter all the way up to us

            -- because he can't harm God, he is doing everything he can to harm God's people, because he knows that when he affects our lives, he hurts God's heart -- he is insidious -- he is filled with hate -- he is the father of lies -- he is angry and he is lashing out at all of God's people who are trying to live out their Christianity on a daily basis
            -- as we read in Revelation 12:12 -- Satan is filled with fury because he knows his time is short, and he is going to do as much damage as he can in the time that he has allotted to him
 
            -- when we talk about spiritual warfare, we are referring to any spiritual harassment or oppression that comes from Satan and his demons against humans, but especially against the people of God
            -- and I'll go ahead and tell you -- this does include demon possession, just like we see in the New Testament -- but, this is really rare, especially in our country -- Satan's attacks are generally more subtle and less obvious to the casual observer than what demon possession would be
            -- if you think about it, what would happen if demon possession was an everyday occurrence? -- the average Christian sitting in the pews would know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Satan was real and they would arm themselves for battle against him -- that's the last thing Satan wants -- he doesn't us to fight him -- he doesn't want us aware of his presence -- so we just don't see demon possession here in this country like we do in other countries
            -- but, it is real -- it does happen -- but let me give you an assurance here -- demons cannot possess a Christian who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit -- if you've been in church at all during your life, at some point you've heard someone say, "there's a God-shaped hole in our hearts that can only be filled by God"
            -- that's partially true -- we have a place in our bodies that was created to be filled by God's Holy Spirit -- but, that place can be filled by something else, too, and that's how the demons get into a person
            -- if that God-shaped hole is empty -- if a person has not received Jesus as Lord and Savior and received the Holy Spirit -- then anything can fill that spot
            -- not to say that this is always going to happen -- it usually doesn't happen -- but, on occasion, demons can temporarily occupy that place and exert control over a person's thoughts and behaviors
            -- but, if that place is filled with the Holy Spirit, then nothing else can come in -- Christians are protected from demon possession because that God-shaped hole is permanently filled with the very presence of God

            -- so, what does spiritual warfare look like in the life of an average Christian? -- like I said, it's subtle and it's intended to deceive or distract or discourage

            -- one thing that I have found happens to me a lot when I am involved in worship or in discipleship or Bible study is that I get sleepy -- and it's not a normal sleepy -- it only happens when I'm in the midst of studying the Bible or worshiping God
            -- Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch evangelist who wrote the book, "The Hiding Place," based on her life experiences hiding Jews during World War II and suffering in the Nazi concentration camps, said that she noticed the very same thing in America
            -- she traveled all around the world speaking and telling people about Jesus, and she said that when she came to America, the moment she set foot on American soil, her body was filled with fatigue -- a heaviness wrapped around her and she felt sleepy -- but, this would lift as she prayed and asked God for strength and protection

             -- let me give you a couple more examples from my own life -- when I started discipling, I was met with this guy at "Chicken Church" -- Chikfila -- for our very first discipleship appointment

            -- we were sitting in a booth by ourselves with no one else in the restaurant -- as soon as we opened the Bible and began to read, every single seat around us filled up, even though the rest of the place was mostly vacant
            -- the people started to talk and laugh loudly to the point that we couldn't hear each other when we spoke -- and then, believe it or not, at one point when I tried to read a Bible passage out loud, the table next to us began to sing -- eight guys started singing, out loud, in the middle of Chikfila
            -- when we finally said, "let's just go," and closed our Bibles, they stopped singing and the restaurant got quiet
            -- that is an example of spiritual harassment -- Satan didn't want us to meet together -- he didn't want us to read that Bible and he certainly didn't like what we were trying to do -- so he distracted us from our meeting

            -- I see that kind of attack all the time -- when people start coming to Bible study, I tell them to get prepared, because when they start trying to read the Bible at home, distractions are going to start -- phone's going to ring or someone will knock at the door or something will break or something is going to happen -- spiritual attack -- Satan and his demons trying to keep us from doing God's work

            -- but don't think that all spiritual attacks are this innocuous -- spiritual attacks range from minor distractions like the ones we had at Chikfila all the way to major attacks against Christians and their families, including physical and mental anguish and even sickness and disease

III.  The Christian's Response

            -- that's the reality of what the enemy is trying to do for us -- that is what we mean by a spiritual attack -- but, that's not all there is to spiritual warfare -- when we talk about spiritual warfare, we're talking about our response to the spiritual attack
            -- that's what this passage is about -- not just knowing that we are under attack by a spiritual enemy -- but actually starting to do something about it
            -- let's look back at this passage in a little more detail
   
            -- verse 10

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

             -- in the Book of Ephesians, Paul has been giving the church at Ephesus instruction on spiritual living -- he's pointed out that there's more to life than what we can see -- there's a spiritual side of life that is eternal and that requires our attention -- and then he gave practical instruction to the church on how to live for Christ in their first century setting

            -- but here, as he closes this letter, he makes a final point -- "You can't do it on your own -- you can't do this Christian life in your own strength -- it's just not possible"
            -- instead of trying to do this through your own power and your own will and your own strength, be strong in the Lord and in His power -- success in living out the Christian life begins by saying, "I can't, but You can -- I don't have the strength or power, but You do" -- it begins by surrendering ourselves to Christ -- dying to ourselves daily -- picking up our cross -- and following Him, trusting in Jesus' strength and power to do in us and through us what we cannot do on our own
            -- this is true for daily life -- and it's especially true in the arena of spiritual warfare

            -- verse 11

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.

             -- what does it mean to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power? -- it means that we clothe ourselves in His strength -- we clothe ourselves in His armor

            -- when the devil schemes against us -- when he plots how he can destroy us and distract us and discourage us from doing God's work -- our only defense is to stand firm in the armor of God
            -- Paul makes it clear here that our struggle is against this spiritual enemy and not against flesh and blood -- and that's hard for us to grasp -- when we are in conflict with someone -- when someone wrongs us or hurts us or does things to us -- our natural inclination is to picture them as the enemy
            -- but, Paul says they're not -- the enemy is the spiritual force -- the spiritual being -- who empowers them and who is leading them to do these things against us -- when someone does not have the Spirit of God within them, they are wide open to promptings from the devil -- they have no defense -- and they give in to temptation and they hurt God's people -- physically, mentally, and spiritually
            -- but, they are not our enemy -- they are captives -- pawns -- who are being used by Satan and his minions to attack the saints of God -- remember the old adage, "love the sinner but not the sin?" -- same thing here -- we have to separate the person from the action -- we have to remember that their actions are done through ignorance and through the promptings of our spiritual enemies

             -- Paul talks about rulers and authorities and powers and forces of darkness -- KJV says principalities and spiritual wickedness -- what is this? -- what is he referring to?

            -- as we know, God's angels are not all equal -- He created angels with different roles and responsibilities and they seem to exist in a hierarchy of power -- with archangels at the top and angels at the bottom and cherubim and seraphim in the middle
            -- Satan has apparently arranged his demons in a similar structure -- these terms that Paul uses may refer to the ranks of power and responsibility in Satan's demonic hierarchy
            -- they may also apply to Satan's control of areas of this world or of human life -- a ruler governs certain territory, like we see in the Book of Daniel when it refers to the Prince of Persia or when Paul wrote about the prince of the kingdom of the air -- authorities exercise influence on the realm of ideas, like authorities on art or international affairs -- power means control, like those who control the media or citadels of higher learning
            -- we need to keep in mind that there are two kingdoms -- the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world, which is controlled by Satan -- and while these kingdoms are not equal in any way, shape or form -- Satan does have considerable power and control over the events of this world

            -- think back to Jesus' temptation in the wilderness -- Satan offered Jesus power -- he offered Him glory -- he offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would bow down and worship him

            -- and do you remember Jesus' response? -- Jesus didn't say, "These aren't yours to give" -- Jesus didn't say, "You can't offer me what you don't own" -- Jesus responded by saying, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only"
            -- my point here is that Satan obviously had control over all the kingdoms of the world or he wouldn't have been able to offer them to Jesus -- Satan has considerable influence and control in this world, and he uses that to destroy the works of God and the people of God and to keep others from leaving his kingdom and coming into the kingdom of God

            -- now one quick point -- I've been using the name Satan quite a bit and talking about Satan tempting people and Satan tempting us -- know that I'm using his name to refer to all demonic attacks, not just the attacks from Satan himself

            -- more than likely, none of us have been directly attacked by Satan  -- in all the Bible, we only know of six individuals who were tempted or attacked by Satan directly:
            -- Eve in the Garden of Eden -- but not Adam
            -- Job
            -- Jesus
            -- Judas Iscariot
            -- the Apostle Peter
            -- and Ananias in the Book of Acts

            -- Satan is not omnipresent or omniscient -- he's not God, even though he'd like to be -- he doesn't have God's power -- he can't be everywhere at once and he has a limited number of helpers -- the Bible tells us that about one-third of the angels that God created fell with Satan when he was cast of heaven because of his sin

            -- even though Satan's influence is widespread, he is not directly responsible for every evil or woe that happens in this world or in our lives -- when we are spiritually attacked, it is one of his demons who is actually doing the harassment
            -- so, when I talk about Satan's attacks or I say, "Satan did this," understand that I am referring to the entire demonic structure -- the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces in the heavenly places -- not Satan himself

            -- real quick, I want to go over one more thing and then I'm going to close for today and we'll pick this back up next week

           -- Paul says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
            -- the devil is actively scheming against us -- he is actively planning to attack us -- but we need to know that are times in our lives when we are more vulnerable to spiritual attacks than others so that we can be on our guard during these times

            -- new Christians are particularly susceptible to spiritual attacks -- that's why we need to make sure and follow up their conversion with discipleship as soon as possible -- we can't leave them out there alone to face an enemy that they are not prepared to face -- we have to help them and make them aware of the reality of spiritual warfare early in their Christian life

            -- we are more vulnerable to spiritual attacks when we are going through trials and troubles -- when we are afflicted with life -- not everything that happens to us is a spiritual attack -- some things happen just because we live in a fallen world and some things happen as a consequence of our actions and our sins

            -- but when we are weak and already down, that's a time when Satan likes to step in to deliver the coup de grace -- what better time to attack than when we are already spiritually weak?

             -- the third time we are vulnerable to spiritual attack is when we have achieved some notable success in spiritual things -- maybe we're taking up a new spiritual discipline -- maybe we're really growing in our spiritual lives -- maybe we've helped lead someone to the Lord -- or maybe we've exercised our spiritual gifts

            -- when we're at the height of the mountain, that's a good time to expect Satan to step in and try to take us down -- that's why we see so many successful pastors and church leaders fall -- it's because they've had some spiritual success and Satan has targeted them for destruction

            -- the fourth time we are vulnerable to attack is when we are idle in our faith and not staying in the Word and not praying on a regular basis -- we'll get into this more next week when we talk about the actual pieces of armor -- but suffice it to say that when we let down our guard -- when we aren't prepared for battle -- it makes us vulnerable for attack

            -- and, finally, we are very vulnerable for attack when we are isolated from others who share our faith -- we are meant to live in community and when we are not meeting together regularly -- when we are not coming together to strengthen each other -- we are standing out there all alone with no one to defend us

            -- if you were Satan, who would you rather come against? -- the church of God, united together and standing firm against his attack -- or a lone person standing out there by themselves -- it just makes sense that someone who isn't coming to church or meeting with other Christians is vulnerable to attack
            -- and while I know all of us here don't fit that category, we need to be on the lookout for those who do -- it is our responsibility to watch out for our brothers and sisters and to protect them by standing alongside them -- if they won't come to church, then we need to be the church for them

            -- I'm going to go ahead and close here -- I just don't have time to get into the actual armor of God, so we're going to do that next week -- in the meantime, I want to encourage you to go ahead and reread this passage and spend some time this week thinking about the reality of spiritual warfare and our enemy and look for the ways that Satan may be attacking you at this time

            -- finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power and trust in Him this week to help you overcome any spiritual attacks you may be facing

            -- let us pray

SERMON: GLIMPSING THE GOAL

13 May 2012

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 16:28-17:8 

Matthew 16:28-17:8 (NIV)

28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."

8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

            -- I don't know if you've heard or not, but we've finally set the date -- June 18th -- that is the day that Kim and I are going to be heading to north Georgia to let me jump whole-heartedly into my mid-life crisis -- I am going to start my section hike of the Appalachian Trail that week doing a short 30-mile segment from Woody Gap back to Amicalola Falls State Park
            -- you know that I've been planning this for some time -- you've had to sit through my ramblings about backpacking for quite a while now -- as I first started to formulate this idea of hiking the trail until I actually started to gather up equipment
            -- but, I can tell you -- something changed the day we actually set the date -- it's like all the time before, it was just something in the future -- something I was going to do -- not anything concrete -- not anything real
            -- but now, it's real -- I can tell you to the moment when we will be pulling out of Valdosta and heading to north Georgia -- Kim pulling the camper up to Amicalola Falls State Park and me tagging along with a backpack filled with enough supplies and food to keep me alive for at least a week
            -- it's like I've had a vision -- a glimpse of the goal -- and it's filled me with a sense of urgency -- a sense of purpose -- a need to make sure that I'm ready for what lies ahead
            -- just to give you an example, before we set the date, I would read articles about preparing food for backpacking trips -- how to dehydrate and store food and get it ready for the trail -- back then, it was just something I was trying to learn about -- now, it's something that I am getting ready to do -- knowing that the goal is real and that it lays just ahead has moved me from being a spectator and casual observer to someone who is actively beginning to get food ready and get it put aside

            -- there's something about glimpsing the goal that makes a person come alive -- do you remember what it was like when you first got saved? -- when you first received Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

            -- remember how excited you were? -- how ready to tell others about Jesus?
            -- when you get saved and get your first glimpse of the goal -- when you realize what Jesus has in store for us at the end, you can't help but get excited -- you're anxious to get there and you want to take everyone with you
            -- you've got a sense of purpose and urgency and you just want to love everyone into heaven because it's such a wonderful place and because you want them to know Jesus just like you do
            -- but then, religion happens -- and life happens -- and that initial flush of energy and excitement drains away and your relationship with Christ turns into just another part of your daily routine
            -- you forget what used to excite you -- you forget what used to inspire you -- and you lose the sense of purpose and urgency that you once had -- church just becomes something we do on Sunday and not something that gives our life meaning
            -- and we know it, don't we? -- why do you think churches are always scheduling revivals? -- it's because they know that something's missing -- it's because they know that they have lost the fire -- they've lost the desire -- they've lost their first love -- and they want it back
            -- but we can schedule revivals until the cows come home, and nothing is ever going to change -- there's just one thing that can truly revive our hearts and reignite the passion within -- we have to get another glimpse of the goal

II.  Scripture Lesson (Matthew 16:28-17:9)

            -- that's exactly what's going on here in this passage in Matthew that we call, "The Transfiguration" -- Jesus is giving the leaders of the disciples a glimpse of the goal -- a vision of the future -- to inspire them and revive them and to give them hope and purpose

            -- look back at Matthew 16:28

28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

            -- the transfiguration occurs some time before Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday -- and it's a time of confusion for His disciples -- even though they've been with Jesus for three years, they really don't understand who He is

            -- Peter has a little bit more understanding than the rest -- earlier in Chapter 16 Peter offers his great confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God -- but Peter's still thinking of a Christ -- of a Messiah -- that the Jews had envisioned and not the reality that was before him
            -- when Jesus tells His disciples that He is going to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of the chief priests, Peter exclaims, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you" -- what Jesus was saying just didn't fit with the image that Peter and the Jew's had of who the Messiah was going to be
            -- so Jesus is about to give Peter, James, and John a glimpse of the goal -- a glimpse of the real Messiah -- of the Son of Man coming in his kingdom -- to correct their misunderstandings of who He was and to prepare them to lead His church after His death and resurrection

            -- Chapter 17, verse 1

1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

            -- some people wonder why Jesus didn't carry all of the disciples with Him to the top of the mountain to experience what Peter, James, and John did

            -- we don't know for sure -- the Bible doesn't tell us -- we do know that these three became the leaders of the early church, and Jesus may have chose them to experience this special moment because they needed to see Him in His glory in order to lead the church through the initial sufferings and persecutions that they would face
            -- I do believe one reason He chose only them is that they were the only ones out of the twelve who were ready to see Him as He was -- these were the three that truly believed that He was the Son of God -- they may not have understood completely, but they believed -- they were seeking the truth -- they were looking for God in their midst -- and their faith was rewarded
            -- the question then for us is, "Are we truly seeking God as He is? -- Do we desire to see His glory and His kingdom? -- Is our focus on Christ and His glory or is our focus on the world around us?"
            -- Chuck Swindoll writes about vertical perception -- in order to see Christ -- in order to envision who He is and to get a glimpse of the goal that He has set before us, we have to look up -- we have to believe -- and we have to act on our beliefs, just like Peter, James and John did

            -- verse 2

2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

            -- Matthew tells us here that Jesus was "transfigured" -- the Greek word that is translated here literally means "metamorphosis" -- a change in form

            -- while we read that Jesus' face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light, there's obviously a lot more going on here than Jesus just changing His clothes
            -- what happened on this mountain was that Jesus was transformed -- He took on another form -- He changed from being just a man in appearance to appearing in His glorified form
            -- Peter, James, and John witnessed this man that they knew becoming something else -- for the first time in their lives, they saw Him as He truly was
           -- at that moment, all that they thought they knew about Jesus was stripped bare -- no longer was this just the Galilean carpenter and rabbi that they knew -- no longer was this just a fellow first century Jew -- no longer was this just the man who shared their fire
            -- everything about Him was changed -- His clothes -- His features -- His appearance -- His very being -- they no longer looked at Jesus the man -- they looked at Jesus the God
            -- their vision had been cleared and they would never look at Him the same way again -- they had been given a glimpse of Jesus as He truly was -- they had seen Him in His kingdom -- and they knew that this was the goal -- their reason for living and their purpose in life

            -- verse 3

3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

            -- Matthew tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the mountain and that Peter, James, and John saw them standing there talking with Him -- the question is, "Why?" -- Isn't the real issue the fact that Jesus was now standing before them in His transfigured, glorified form -- who cares about Moses and Elijah?

            -- they're there for a reason -- Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets
            -- for Peter, James, and John, their former vision of God was based on these two things -- their idea of who God was and what God was supposed to do and how God was supposed to act was based on the law of Moses and the revelations revealed to God's prophets
            -- over the years, the true image of God revealed in the law and the prophets had gotten blurred as life and experience and religion changed who the people saw
            -- why do you think the Pharisees missed seeing Jesus as Messiah when He was on earth?
            -- because the Jesus they saw was not the Messiah they were looking for -- they had made up in their minds who the Messiah was and how He would look and what He would do, and when Jesus showed up, He didn't fit their image -- He wasn't who the Pharisees were looking for, and so they rejected Him
            -- the significance of Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration is to demonstrate to the disciples that who they are seeing now -- this Jesus who is standing before them glorified as King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- is the real Messiah -- the real Jesus -- the real God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

            -- verse 5

 
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.

            -- as if to punctuate the lesson here for the disciples, God the Father descends upon the mountain, enveloping it in a cloud like familiar passages in the Old Testament, as He pronounces to the three terrified disciples -- "This is My Son"

            -- in other words, the Father was making sure Peter, James, and John got the message -- this Jesus who was standing before them was the real Jesus -- the true Jesus -- the Jesus stripped of all worldly affectations
            -- this was the goal that they were supposed to follow -- this was what they were supposed to preach
            -- this was the Jesus that they were supposed to worship -- not the man they thought they knew -- not the image of the Messiah they had been taught to look for
            -- this was the real deal -- and this was who they were to see when they looked on the face of Jesus from now on

            -- verse 7

7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."

8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

            -- for us, this morning, the heart of this passage comes at the end of verse 8 -- "they saw no one except Jesus"

            -- all the layers of life and religion and experience that had clouded their vision had been removed -- their eyesight had been restored -- and they saw no one and nothing other than the real Jesus
            -- if you know what you are seeking -- if you know what you are striving for -- then it becomes real to you
            -- that is what has happened to Peter, James and John -- they went up on that mountain confused -- not knowing what was real -- not knowing where they were headed -- not understanding what Jesus was about to do
            -- but they came down that mountain with a vision of heaven and of Jesus glorified in His kingdom -- it was that vision that led them to endure hardship and persecution -- it was that vision that led them to build His church on earth -- it was that vision that gave their lives meaning and purpose

III.  Closing

            -- a few years ago I saw the IMAX movie "Everest" -- now available on DVD -- great movie about a team that was making an expedition to the top of Everest in 1996
           -- the movie covered aspects of their expedition -- from their training and preparation to their initial ascents up Everest
            -- one thing I found really interesting was how their determination to make it to the peak changed depending on the weather
            -- on the days when the weather was clear and beautiful -- when they could see the summit up above them -- they were reinvigoration and made good progress
            -- but on days when the weather was bad -- when fog and snow laid around them and kept them from seeing the top of the mountain -- they didn't feel like moving and they got discouraged
            -- several people quit along the way -- they said they were happy with how far they had come and were going to go back home where they would be recognized for their efforts and rewarded with endorsements and fame
            -- the rest persevered -- the vision of the summit -- the glimpses of their goal inspired them to continue despite the difficulties -- despite the odds -- and they finally made it to stand at the highest point on earth
 
            -- there's a hymn that you may be familiar with called, "Be Thou My Vision" -- it's an old Irish hymn that we sometimes sing in church
            -- let me share with you a couple of stanzas from that hymn:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

                        Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
                        Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
                        Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

                        Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
                        Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
                        High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

            -- this hymn speaks to what we have been looking at today in this passage of the transfiguration -- when we know whom it is that we serve -- when we have a vision of Christ in our hearts -- a glimpse of the goal before us -- then nothing else matters

            -- He is our all in all -- our inheritance -- our goal -- our reason and purpose and meaning -- our treasure that we seek

            -- as we close today, I want to encourage you to go to the mount of transfiguration this week -- spend some time alone with Christ -- renew your heart -- refresh your vision -- revive your life

            -- spend some time in the Psalms this week, reflecting on the passages that praise God in all of His glory and splendor -- ask Jesus to show you His glory -- to give you a vision of who He is and what He has in store for us -- so that you will persevere and continue on until you reach the goal

            -- let us pray

Hoarding Money

Ran across this account from an article on Crosswalk.com from Joe McKeever:

"When John Bisagno went to the First Baptist Church of Houston, Texas, as pastor nearly 50 years ago--that seems so strange now, since I recall when it happened--the church was stagnated in growth and forgotten by the city. Looking over the finances, Brother John saw a bank account holding $60,000, a goodly sum in those days.

"What's this for?" he asked.

The financial manager said, "That's for a rainy day."

The pastor said, "For a rainy day? My lord, it's been flooding for years!!"

That money was spent quickly as their new pastor called the church into action.

The only one who should be making a profit from a church sits on the Throne in Heaven. We who labor on His staff, so to speak, should keep His resources working for Him and not bury them in the ground like a disobedient servant Jesus spoke about. After all, our Lord's resources are as infinite as He is. He is not pleased when we hoard them, pile them up in savings accounts for some possible disaster in the future, and act as if He has left us to our own devices."

All I can say to this is "Been there, Done That."  Or, at least, tried to do that.  I have seen many churches bound up by this same stronghold, namely, hoarding God's money rather than using it for God's glory.  In my opinion, it all comes down to a lack of faith.  Do we trust that God will provide and make up for the funds that we spend to reach people and fulfill our calling as His church, or do we hoard money for "a rainy day" in a total lack of faith?

I think Joe McKeever is spot on with his analysis (in italics above), and I hope that all of us consider this whether it's with our own personal finances or the finances of a ministry or church.

Until next time,

Pastor Greg