On Eagles' Wings Pt 46 — Don Courville

Christ Is All and in All

With you again today we started a little series on the book of Colossians and Our theme has been that Christ is all and in all and actually Christ is all you need. Is he all you want has been our main statement?

I don't know where you've been in the last few days the last few weeks you know. Here I am. I'm just a voice to you unless you know me and. And I don't even know you're out there except by faith. I know you're out there, but I was just thinking this morning.

How so many times? Somebody comes along our way. That is a great help to us. And my desire in this program of eagles wings is to be a help to you. I am especially burdened to the past have a burden for the pastor and the local church to be a help to you.

In this area of the Christian life There is great blessing a great privilege to be a child of God to know that our sins are Forgiven to know that we have a home in heaven eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ.

To know that we have the power by the Holy Spirit to overcome Temptations and the trials of life. We have the grace of God to help us to endure to make it through. But sometimes It just seems that we need an encouraging voice and encouraging friend to help us.

And this program is designed to be that I hope that we have been an encouragement to you in the weeks past. We don't want to blast you away. We don't want to put you down. There are times when we need to be put down though when we need to be corrected if we're not right Scripturally and what we're doing is not according to God's Word.

Then we need to be corrected. Are we going into apostasy and actually we can carry on a ministry in the flesh out of the will of God in the power? Of Not God, but ourself or maybe even Satan in the book of Colossians Chapter 1 we started off doing a little study in In Colossians just to bring out some principles of the cross and the crucified life for maybe a little bit different angle, but we're going to go through the passages of Scripture and Try to carefully draw out what's there?

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Understanding

Now last time we ended up down around I think it was around chapter 10. Paul has started praying and verse 9 He said he prayed for the Colossians. That he said for this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you.

One of the things that Will be in your life in mind is a continual attitude of prayer for those that we hear about. That are Christians that are going through struggles that have just received Christ as their Savior to pray for them our friends.

We pray for them continually and Paul said I won't cease to pray for you now this morning as we get into this passage I'm going to take some time. We're going to get into spiritual warfare because when we get down to verse 13 he's going to talk about how God has delivered us from the powers of darkness, and we've been delivered.

Positionally, but many are still struggling. Practically because they are under bondage and actually they have given ground to Satan now in the book of Colossians. It's a tremendous book I've mentioned before it's probably the greatest book in the New Testament to teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in Chapter 9 then Paul is praying for them.

And he's praying that they would be filled with the knowledge of his will. I was sharing it in a church down in Louisiana yesterday. And I'm recording this on a Monday. And I was preaching down in the church and one of the things I shared was that God wants them to know his will in chapter 6 of Ephesians.

And it's interesting that knowing his will is in proportion to prayer in Ephesians 6 18 Paul said praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there to with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints.

And For me he said that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am Ambassador and bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

God Wants us to be praying always with all prayer back over in chapter 5 in verse 17 Paul had said wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. I'm convinced that many of us are just barreling on today.

Going along day by day week after week and really not knowing what the will of God is for our life. We've got our minds already made up or we don't care or we're in some kind of a group. Maybe a traditional groove or a legalistic groove or whatever.

But we're not seeking God day by day carefully in his word and in prayer to know his will. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And of course. Then writing that context the will of God is that you be filled with the Spirit in the next verse wherefore be not unwise.

But understanding what the will of the Lord is. So the book of Colossians in verse 9 Starts us off this morning with us knowing the will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He went on to say and that you might walk worthy of the Lord and to all pleasing.

This was his desire for the new believers for the Colossians. Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthening with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness then verse 12 giving thanks unto the Father which had made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in a life which brings me up today today what I want to share with you starting with verse 13.

Redemption Through Christ and the Believer’s New Life

How Christ is related to us? With his redemption. You know the Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5 17 therefore if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. All the things have passed away and do all the new things have come.

Now when we get into the Christian realm. We immediately enter into the realm of warfare and many believers never do understand how Satan is. Craftily trying to destroy them spiritually wipe them out.

I see many that never talk about Jesus. They go day after day after day and they never talk about Jesus to an unsaved person. They are no threat to Satan. He has got them on the off the track. No problem to him.

They are actually then no problem to him a positive force for his kingdom and a negative Force for God's kingdom and God will be trying to get you revived trying to get you back on the track so that you can Do that which you are supposed to do.

Maybe I should flip back over there to 2nd Corinthians 5 and just read you a little bit more in that passage. Because it goes on to say in that passage. Back oh probably back in verse 14 It says for the love of Christ.

Constraint us because we thus judge that if one died for all then we're all dead and that he died for all that they which Live should not henceforth live unto themselves. But unto him which died for them and rose again.

One of the evidences of a carnal fleshly believer is he self? Centered self-oriented and not Christ centered in Christ oriented. Actually God has said that we were ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us.

We pray you in Christ dead be reconciled to God. We are made an ambassador for Jesus Christ. He doesn't just save us to lose us or save us to shove us. He saves us to use us he wants to use us so that he can receive the glory and that the good message of Christ dying for our sins and Being buried being raised again the third day can continue on now.

Listen I don't know where you're at. You may be at home. You may be in your car. You may be going for a walk. But wherever you are at you're at some Position spiritually you're either dead in your sins.

And if that's the case, then you need to be born again as Jesus said either you are walking in the spirit living in the spirit being joyful being obedient and Living by the power of God or maybe you are a Christian living in the flesh and you're miserable, you know.

There's something wrong. It's just like when you go out and you start your car and it won't start you try to start it. You say there's something wrong or that's the way it is. You know, there's something wrong because it won't start well.

You know. There's something wrong in your life spiritually if you're not right with God because the Holy Spirit will not leave you alone. If you're a child of God, you know, there's many dangers today for the Christian but basically I See two that are devastating to a believer's life.

False Experiences and False Doctrine

One is a false experience in chapter 13 of Colossians our verse 13 Colossians 1 Paul went on to say that Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness and had Translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in the powers of darkness.

Is this one area of false? Experience. The cults will give you an experience. Many groups will give you an experience and your experience will be valid. You jump off of a building and and And hit the ground and break your leg.

You've had an experience. You go on a trip. You've had an experience. The question isn't whether or not you had an experience but was your experience according to God's will was it biblical and We have all kinds of experiences experience oriented groups today trying to lead us spiritually into these experiences.

Are these feelings emotional feelings and I remember back when I was just walk beginning to walk with the Lord. I had some friends that had this experience and they said I had to have this experience if I was going to be spiritual.

So I tried to have that experience and it didn't happen then and I wonder well what's going on God? I didn't have this thing and. And I come to understand by studying the scriptures that God didn't say I had to have that thing to be spiritual.

He told me something else that I needed to just be obedient and be clean to him. Not only is there false experiences, but there's false doctrine. The power of darkness will work in your life. To give you a false experience or false doctrine if you're not careful God wants you to walk in the light.

Satan will get you to walk in the darkness. The power of darkness. Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness. Actually if I can give you a definition of that it's from the dominion or authority of darkness.

You know if you live in darkness too long you'll lose your sight and If you're a believer and you're not living in the light of God's Word you're gonna lose your sight. And your light will become darkness.

I'm not saying you'll lose your salvation because I don't believe the Bible teaches that but if you live in the realm of darkness if you feed your mind say if you live in the realm of Watching dirty movies or going to places where you shouldn't go or having fun that you shouldn't be having.

That's in the realm of darkness. And it will it will hurt you. The Bible says if we say that we have fellowship with him. That's with Jesus and walk in darkness. We lie and do not the truth. God wants us to practice the truth.

We're to live in the kingdom of his dear son. Listen, he's delivered us from the power of darkness and he's translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. What is that kingdom? I believe that's the kingdom where we live in the realm.

Why we're on this earth of prayer. Bible study fellowship. Actually, the Bible says in Romans 14 17 that the kingdom of God is righteousness. That's holy living peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That peace will be in your heart.

The joy will be there and it doesn't matter what your circumstances are when you're living in the kingdom of God you have peace and joy and Holiness and I don't think you'll find that there's a middle kingdom.

There's just not Jesus said either you're for me or against me, you know Peter tried following Jesus and warming himself by the fires of of His of Christ enemies and he got him in trouble. It always gets us in trouble now going on to verse 14 in whom we have redemption through his blood.

Redemption, Forgiveness, and Salvation by Faith

Even the forgiveness of sins. Redemption means to set free as an enslaved people ever was set free out of Egypt. The blood is a ransom. The blood deals it deals with the past when Christ died on the cross.

He in the past died for all of our sins, which we will commit Today and tomorrow and which we've committed Yesterday it's a legal thing and it's not talking about us doing our best. Not that kind of stuff.

But the redemption that he gives us we in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins. It's something that he accomplished on the cross and we receive it by faith. It is a free gift and we do not work for our salvation.

If you believe that going to church is going to get you to heaven if you believe that being baptized is going to get you. You believe doing good works is going to get you to heaven then you have accepted.

The doctrine of Satan the Bible doesn't teach that. The Bible teaches us. That we're not saved by works. The Bible says for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves? It is a gift of God.

In other words salvation is a gift and not of works lest any man should boast. We are saved by faith for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. The good works follow as an evidence of our faith and not as The it's not the thing that produces salvation.

One Person said somebody said it a payment of our sin debt by a substitute is irrational. And if you think about it, this is the the the teaching of Satan he says it's just not logical. That you are saved by faith.

You've got to do something. Well, that's true. We do have to do something we have to repent of our sin and by faith just accept the fact that Christ died on the cross and paid for our sins and. And you just can't do it.

It's not the blood of Christ. For your sins plus your good works, that's false doctrine. Nope, it's faith in the blood of Christ alone. Your sin death Is not canceled just because you confess your sin.

Your sin debt is canceled by the payment of the death by the blood of Jesus Christ. And the remission of it deals with the past and present sins. It's like I've got this little booklet that I wrote on revival when this boy came before his father.

The Father Who Paid His Son’s Debt

The father was the judge and the son who got into trouble and the son knew that he had really Blown it and the father knew that he had to be fair. He had to be just and so he sentenced his son To six months in jail or either a thousand dollar fine because of the severity of the crime.

With tears he came down with the gavel and pronounced him guilty. Pronounced the fine and then he did something unusual. He got up out of his chair took off his robe walked down to the clerk. He wrote out a check.

He looked over at his son. He says son I'll pay your debt for you. It's all written out. The check is here. Will you accept it? And of course the son was broken by his father's Humbling himself and willing to do that for me.

He ran over and hugged his father and accepted it. And and of course then he his life was straightened up. Well, you see the debt was paid for the checks been wrote now written out for your sin. But the question is my friend will you accept what God has done for you and quit trying to do it for yourself?

It's just like when when I got stuck in sand here a few years ago. You tried rocking the the truck and but the more I Tried the deeper I got until finally I was up to my axle and I had to walk up the road and get some help.

We just go deeper when we try to get ourselves out. God has delivered us from the kingdom and the power of darkness. He's Translated us into the kingdom of his dear son in whom we have redemption through his blood.

Even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature? I think I'm gonna stop right there on on that verse and share a little bit with you about spiritual warfare when we're talking about The power of darkness.

Resisting Satan Rather Than Focusing on Demons

I think we need to take some time and in the remaining few moments Just I want to share some things with you. I don't think we should be focusing on demons. I think that's a diversion. Diversionary a tactic of Satan to focus on these little demons that flutter flutter around and try to do things in our lives.

And they're real. I've seen the power of these these little demons what they can do and if you got if you have fear in your life. They'll really Make you afraid if you've got any kind of area that you give them some ground they'll they'll just tie you up in circles, but we're not supposed to focus on the demons and One thing and it can divide Christians to focus on that it's focusing on a lesser power.

We need to be focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ and his power over the powers that control the demons. There's a hierarchy of power in Satan's realm. Did you know that and in this hierarchy? Principalities control demons and Satan controls the principalities.

Therefore we're told not to resist demons. But to resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4 7 7 and if Satan flees his princes were conquered the demons they also have to go and If we just focus on these little things it'll be like this little philosophy that come out here a few years ago.

The the devil made me do it one of the greatest consequences probably of focusing on demons is that we tend to blame our Failures and our sins on them so it'd be easy for someone to say well, I stole because The devil made me do it.

Or I divorced my wife because the devil made me do it. No, my friend. We give him a lot of credit. Probably that we should take for ourselves and this kind of thinking. It makes the guilty Christian appear as a victim instead of just coming out and saying I Submitted to this temptation I did it.

We're trying to pass off the blame. Back on to Satan now. He sure he's had maybe something to do in there, but we've got to face it now listen. God points out the fallacy of This kind of thinking when he says let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God but every man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust and Enticed and then when lust had conceived it bring it for sin and sin with it is when it is finished bring it forth death.

We've got to assume personal responsibility for personal sin and God is able to deal with us and justice and mercy and they cleanse us and get us going right when we will face up. Now let me share another thing about spiritual warfare.

Spiritual Warfare in the Mind

The battleground between God and Satan is in the mind the human mind and This is described many places in the scripture. The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 10 3 through 5 for though we walk in the flesh We do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

But mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Now listen to this casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

You ever get thoughts? That tend to go something like this. You're no good. You're not serving God. Look at you. You're just you're you're a nobody. Well, if you'll stop and evaluate those thoughts. Just evaluate where they come from you come up with some interesting deductions for one.

The Bible says that God doesn't condemn us. These are condemning thoughts. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit he convicts and there's a big difference between conviction and Condemning. Condemning is putting down.

Attacking our worth. Well you get to thinking about that. And evaluating it in light of scripture a lot of that thinking is the attack of Satan on your mind. Trying to get you to accept some thoughts about yourself.

Parents, Children, and the Spiritual Battle for the Next Generation

One thing that has really grown strong in our country is the concept of the worth of The wife and this comes out in the philosophy of What's she doing? Even you go fill out a form somewhere for a job or you or something.

What's your wife's? Occupation. Well according to the scripture if you have children she's occupied at home she's busy. You mothers let me encourage you again. I've done it before you have right there in your home a great mission field.

Don't feel bad that you're not out tearing up the world by making a lot of money financially. You just keep plugging away building into your children the character of Christ. God has ordained that the woman be in the home to be there to take care of the things at home and the children and.

These thoughts will come to a housewife. Well if I would just get out and work a little bit I'd have a little bit more freedom. We'd have a little bit more money and and Could help out and things. Actually the the damage that's done to children.

We haven't really seen it yet. I believe it's coming. My wife, and I we're we. At this time I'm recording down in in the south in Louisiana. And we've been going out walking most mornings and when we go around this one corner.

There's a daycare center and about the time we're walking to folks or the parents are just coming in and Dumping their kids off, and it's very very interesting to watch as these little kids are dropped off.

The Expression on the parents faces the expression on the kids faces little babies up to older kids 6 7 8 years old. Dropping them off while mom and dad go off and make their living. What is the message?

That these little children are receiving. Well, they're receiving several interesting messages. One is It's more important for mom and dad To go off and make a living Than to take care of me now. Granite.

We've gotten to such a shape to where it's impossible for a lot of families to make it on just the father's income. But I challenge you That a lot haven't considered just how much it's costing them to not take care of the children and in the area of spiritual warfare if you want to destroy an army and You can't get the present army then start destroying the army to be the next generation.

Our generation of young people that's coming up in the churches are being wiped out home life is A mockery to the biblical standard church life in most churches now is a mockery. A Lot of the Christian are so-called Christian music is nothing more than the and then demonic drumbeats drawn in the demons.

We have not researched enough to see what our music is doing. We've not researched enough to see what our lifestyle is doing to the generation to come. The warfare is going on in the mind. And so though we walk in the flesh We do not work to the flesh.

But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down a stronghose casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Notice that the conflict in this warfare is not casting out demons but casting down evil imaginations. You are given a thought if you're given a thought long enough consistently enough just like our newscasters.

Continually the national newscasters are continually throwing out socialistic Philosophies to us and if you sit there year after year after year listening of that pretty soon. You're thinking like that and you're thinking will come out and you're voting and one of these days We're just gonna vote ourself right down the tubes because we've accepted these evil thoughts.

Deception, Self-Deception, and the Need for Vigilance

Here's something else. Satan's tactic is deception. He works through deception. There may be a debate over whether or not Christians can be demon-possessed. But there should be no question about whether or not we can be deceived because we sure can over and over in Scripture, we are warned not to allow ourselves to be deceived and.

Some of the references about this one is Galatians 6 3 if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceived himself. Now you can't blame demons or Satan for self-deception. This deception is based upon secret lust and desires that we have in our own heart and.

And if you have a secret desire say for praise or for money or whatever. If any man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceived himself. Be careful that you're not playing games with yourself.

You may think yourself a spiritual giant in the church. I see over and over again while I was in the church just the other day where I Got to sit in the adult son school class. Wonderful experience. So here's about like how it went.

Well, we went back and sat back in the back of the church on the last two pews the adult men's son school class and. So we got there and then the men began to throw it around. Well, who's gonna teach this morning and so they were throwing it back and forth like a ball and pretty soon.

Well one of them he got up. I Guess he was the designated winner of that little game and he got up and he said well the son school teachers gone today and I guess I have to do it and. So here is the lesson.

Basically. We read a few passages scripture from. They read from their textbooks and I read from my Bible. Read that ask if anybody had a comment. Nobody had a comment and he said well we were dismissed now I think that took maybe 10 minutes and the rest of the time was just a visit time.

My friend those men have been deceived into thinking that they had a son school class. They've been deceived into thinking they studied the Word of God and their church is programmed by Satan to be destroyed.

Remember the Bible says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may Devour don't give him ground. Well our times about gone today and until next time I'm gonna trust that God will bless you richly my friend.