Struggling with Motivation? | Kingsmen

Spiritual Warfare, the Kingdom Mission, and the Battle for Attention

Guys, welcome back to the Kingsman Podcast, where we are reclaiming biblical manhood and equipping men for the work of the kingdom. I'm your host, John Moffitt. I'm the pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

I'm also a host of Theocast, a reformed podcast about the Christian life. You can download that anywhere else. You can find a podcast or on YouTube. Today is a red pill, blue pill day. Today is one of those days that I wanna convince you to change your mind.

We're a few episodes in. We've set some foundations. I've challenged you on some of your thinking. But as I've had time to reflect on where our minds go, where our hearts go, and I would say your passion, what drives you.

Like that thing that burns with inside of you and you have to just get it out. That's what we're gonna talk about today. And the way in which you're gonna have to tap into that. I had the opportunity to preach about Ezekiel 38 and 39 on Sunday.

And in that, it's the retribution of the world. God's talking about how he's gonna deal with Satan. And we went to Peter, and Peter makes this statement about suffering and about our obligations for the world.

Growing in Grace and Seeing the Spiritual Battle

But at the end of the book, in 2 Peter 3, he says that we are to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In like this war against the culture, this war against our flesh, the spiritual battle that's happening.

And he points them back to God's grace as what channels them, what governs them, what they float in, how they find their stability. And what do we do with that grace? What do we do with it? There's a reason for that.

When Peter writes 2 Peter, it's fascinating. He uses language like there's a war, there's a spiritual battle, there's a lion, there's an attack, because he has a mission in mind. He talks like a military man.

So does Paul.

Paul uses a lot of military language. They don't talk as if men who are sipping mojitos on the beach, that's not how they sound.

One day we will.

They talk about the rest we'll have with Christ one day, but that's not how they live their life. I mean, how else do you take the passage? Be sober-minded, you know, be ready, be alert. The devil's, the Satan, your adversary is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Put on the full armor of God, right? Take every thought captive. It's like you're hearing the battle cry from these two commanders, two people who are falling asleep, you know, watching Netflix in the foxhole, and they're like, guys, whoa, what are you doing?

Like, you need to focus up here because your buddy is on either side of you. You're getting shot and you're not even paying attention. You got your headphones in, right? I tell my son all the time, Titus, take your headphones out.

You're not hearing what's going around and in the home. And this is what's happening is that we put on entertainment and we put on whatever it is that we want to go after, fitness, money, it muffles our ears, it blocks our eyes, and all of a sudden we can't really see what's going on.

And it's a brilliant tactic by Satan because these are things we do enjoy. And some of it, some of these things are significant. Your job is significant. You need it, all right, to provide for your family.

Having a home is a significant thing. But you do realize it's gonna burn one day. Like, it's all going away. And that's hard to forget that this world is a consumable product. You know, I was laughing with Andrew, who's one of our producers, we're talking about like the people who went through, like our grandparents and people who go through the Great Depression, or people who didn't grow up with a lot of money, they tend to hold on to things that like trash, you know, we throw away.

You know, when you get that plastic bowl of litter from a place that I don't like to eat, Chipotle, you know, you go home and you take that and we'll use it to give to cookies to somebody else. You know what I mean?

We treat the world as if it's something to hold on to. And it's not, it's a consumable product that is to be used for God's glory. And it should be used to advance his kingdom of saving the world. I used in the beginning of the podcast, I said, it's time for a red pill, blue pill.

For those of you that may not know that reference, it's in reference to the matrix. And I'm not condoning movies here or there, but there is an aspect of that movie where Neo faces a reality. And the reality is you can keep living blind to what's really happening, or what you're about to see, you can't unsee it.

Like once you're exposed to it, it's over. I was recently reading Pat Abendroth's book on covenant theology, which I'd recommend you to read. And he says that about covenant theology in the Bible. Once you see it, you cannot see it, it's everywhere.

And unlocks the Bible, unlocks God's word in such a way that becomes just like a living, breathing story that you're involved in. And that's what I want to talk to you about is that guys, it's time for you to take the blinders off.

It's time to you to open yourself in and connect yourself to the reality that you live in a spiritual warfare. And you walk around as if it doesn't exist. You walk around as if, nah, there's no problem.

There's no danger. And yet you live in the midst of danger. In the midst of danger. So how do we do this? Like how do you type into the metrics? You know, reader player one, you got to tell you, we call it now, we can call it the Christian metaverse,.

Right?

Like how do you type into it realizing I have a spiritual world that I'm a part of, but I am a spiritual being, I have a soul. And that's what's at war. I think it's interesting when Paul says, the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, which is the mistake Peter did, right?

Pulled out the sword, chopped off the ear, and Jesus was like, no, you've missed it. The weapons that we are fighting, this is a spiritual kingdom with a spiritual warfare. So why doesn't that motivate us?

I asked this question in preparation for this episode today. What is the mission of our life? And if you can't say it, I'll pause here for a second. Gentlemen, out loud, as you're listening to this, I want you to state immediately when you hear this question,.

What's the mission of your life?

And if you're still listening and you didn't interrupt me to tell me what it is, that's a problem. And that's Satan winning. He's winning the war because you don't even know what your mission is. You don't even know what you're supposed to be doing.

You don't even know where you're supposed to point your gun. You're nothing.

Who's your commander?

Who's in charge? Who's leading and where are we going? It's because you're blind and you're deaf and you're entertaining yourself to death. And you keep assuming the more movies, the more video games, the more beer, the more pornography, whatever it is you want to put in there, the more fitness, the more sports, you'll find significance.

And you won't.

You absolutely won't. It's been fascinating for me to watch people, there's a new show on Netflix about golfers. And it's interesting how the ones who are extremely successful are narcissistic. And the ones who tend to be just average have more of like a family balanced life.

But you can see it in their hearts and their minds. Like they really want when they win the Masters for it to be heaven on earth. And they just talk about it that way. But why is it they have to come back the next year.

To win it again?

And the next year to win it again? Because it's not as great as they advertise. I always laugh about when we talk about the Masters, even about how awesome it is. Or winning the World Series or winning the Super Bowl.

I mean, how many of those do you have to win until you like have arrived? It's called the arrival fallacy. And it's a brilliant tactic because the goalpost that Satan sets up, he just keeps moving a little bit farther.

He keeps moving a little bit farther. And you keep assuming you'll be able to get there. And when you do, and you make the goal, and the whole world's going to come to, you know, lay at your feet and you're going to find that final satisfaction.

I believe it too, guys. I am so involved in fighting that war as well. There's two wars that we fight, right? We have the actual mission we're called to, and then we have to wrestle with our own flesh.

And so we live in this duality reality and where we're constantly fighting that. I think what's going to be helpful for us is if we can walk around with that constant awareness that we're not fighting the government, we're not fighting gun control, we're not fighting the sexual battles that are out there.

Those are the results of the real war, right? That's the effect of the real war. The real war happens in the heart and the mind of people. And people are not robots. They choose to make these things based upon their affections and their desires.

And Satan has come in and twisted our hearts and our minds and our affection and our desires. That's the thing you have to tap into. It's like that moment when you finally put on, you know, the metaverse glasses, the Christian metaverse, as for the matrix, whatever you want to say, you put it on all of a sudden, what you thought was beautiful and what you thought was glorious and what you thought was, you're like, wow, that's gross.

That's like a, that's disgusting. You know, whatever this bikini model was, and now it's like this gross witch. That's because you're now looking at it through the eyes of the gospel, the eyes of the lens of the reality of the law.

And when you leave those on and you don't take them off, all of a sudden the world begins to fade. And it's not that important. But how do you do that? It's the constant hearing of God's word being washed over your heart and your mind.

It's being, it's tapping into that and not allowing anything to get in the way of it, right? This is why it says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. It's that constant focusing upon Christ.

That's what allows us to live in light of the kingdom, where the moment, you know, I used this illustration before. I think I'm going to use it again. It's like, we walk into church on Sunday mornings, right?

I'm going to keep using my glasses here. We walk into church on Sunday morning and we put on the Christian metaverse.

We're like, oh, God's awesome. And look at all this. We're going to sing about Jesus.

And man, I'm so encouraged. And we'll sing, all right, it was good seeing you. See you next week. And it's like, we leave, you know, our fantasy world, our fantasy land, you know, we had our game time with our Christian friends.

You know, we played Dungeons and Dragons for a moment, but now it's time to step back into the real world where real things matter. Like, you know, sex, money, fame, all that fitness, whatever you want to put in there.

I'm on a fitness kick because I'm, you know, trying to be healthy at 40. And even that, you know, I find myself being like, well, if I put in enough time and work and eat right, I could look like that.

For what?

You know, for what end, for what goal? You know, it's just, it's ridiculous what we find ourselves pursuing. You know, we buy all these MREs and these guns in a bunker and we get down in there and the joke is, you outlasted the apocalypse and then you choked on your MRE and died.

You know, it's like, it doesn't matter if you spend your whole life trying to preserve your life. That's all it's about, is the preservation of life or money or fame or whatever it is, reputation. Paul warns us, your reputation will be destroyed if you follow Christ because people are going to think you're crazy.

That's why Paul has to say, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. The reason he has to say that is that people were attacking him saying, you're foolish, you're crazy, you've lost your mind. And he's like, well, yeah, maybe the world thinks so, but when I put on the lens of the gospel, I am literally like spraying the world with the power of God.

Yeah, I look like a crazy man because I'm like, the more of the gospel that goes into the world, the more power of God is here. I want to get more of it out there, not less. You take off those glasses, all of a sudden, it's like, oh, I need sex, money.

I need fame and entertainment. I need prestige, I need this, I need that. And you know what happens to the gospel? It goes in the back of our mind. It becomes of no value. And then 2 Peter says, we're of no value or ineffective for the work of the kingdom.

We're fruitless in that way. So I want us to start thinking about what causes our mind to unplug from the reality of the kingdom, the spiritual war that we're a part of. You know, our wives, gentlemen, if you're married, our wives need us to love them and care for them, to build them up and strengthen them, to be there as far as a light of hope, so do our children.

We think about sometimes it needs to be, I need to be in the jungles of Africa, and that's where the real work of the kingdom happens. It's like, how effective do you think you're going to be in the jungles of Africa if you can't even love your wife?

You're going to live with bad food, bad water, bad hygiene, no internet, no social media, no Netflix, one pair of clothes, and you're going to be effective at it? How about, you know, taking out the, doing your laundry for your wife?

Let's start there before you think you can go live a lot of erotical life somewhere else. We aren't tapped into the spiritual reality of the real life that we're living, okay? So this is, for the next few minutes, how do we do that, how do we tap into that?

Living by the Word, Weakness, and the Mission of the Kingdom

We have to start allowing the word of God to be the reality of our existence, okay? I think what's helped me recently is embracing my weakness. This goes back to episode one. My flesh is a lot weaker than I tend to admit.

Every time I walk by a mirror and I look at, you know, I'm like, whoa, I, in my brain, in my brain I look different, you know? In my brain I look like that guy on the video game who's all bustled out and tatted up and looks amazing.

And then I look in the mirror and I was like,.

Who's that guy?

I don't know who that guy is, you know? And now I've got gray hair and I've got wrinkles, you know, it's like, I don't want to envision myself.

That way.

I don't know about you, but I'm an optimist. I tend to think about things that are better than what they are. And I've had to learn recently, I've got to be a pessimist more often. Actually, things are worse than probably I think they are.

That not only is a physical issue with me, it's a spiritual issue with me. I'm not as strong as I think I need to be. I need the reality of the church. I need the reality of the gospel and elders who care for me and build me up.

Why?

Because we're in a war and no one fights a war alone. A war is never won by one person. You know, we try and rely on that. I think what's interesting about the story of David and Goliath is we think we always have like that one weapon.

We've got that one key power. It's like this one thing will knock down everybody. And it's like, God's like, yeah, watch this, a boy in a sling, I'll take care of your one power. We don't have a one trick pony we run to.

What's interesting is that God uses his strength and his power through his means and his purposes. So what is our mission? Well, our mission, gentlemen, is to be a part of a kingdom that's advancing. And you can either be a part of that kingdom or you could be the one who's in the way, right?

You're dragging us down. You're holding us back. You're trapped in sin. And we're over here trying to pull you out of this stupidity that you got yourself into. Instead of locking arms with us, we're advancing.

And more and more people are being rescued and more and more people are finding rest. And they're being trained and loved and they have hope and they have joy. And they're dying with cancer, but with a smile on their face, right?

You know, they're losing a child before they're even born, but yet they have hope, right?

Why?

Because the kingdom, the reality of the spiritual kingdom that we have tapped into, that we understand of what's really happening,.

We're a part of it.

We're effectively a part of it. You know, when you live your life in two ways, you know, one of the ways I grew up in the dispensational world, there was like this heavy emphasis on awards, you know, rewards in heaven.

And, you know, the motivation was, well, you don't want to get to heaven and not have any rewards, right?

It was like a pride thing,.

But then they wouldn't make it humble. Like, well, you're gonna lay all those rewards at the feet of Jesus. I'm like, yeah, right. This is all a ploy to manipulate me to try and act a certain way, because you think if I act that way, then it's a better reflection on you as a church and a pastor.

And I saw the manipulation. I saw what it was. You were more concerned about my actions and reflection of you than you were really about me. And so you use dread tactics. Well, you don't want to be living on a holy life when the rapture happens, because you're gonna be stuck in the rapture.

And then if you live a holy life, you'll have rewards in heaven. What kind of God is that?

That's horrible.

I don't even treat my own kids that way. I don't manipulate my kids.

It's fascinating to me.

That's how we treat Santa Claus. It's like coal, which is a means for fire, by the way. Do you ever think about that? Interesting reflection. And then you get whatever it is that you request, if you obey.

And then this is how we treat God. And no wonder why people repulse against that. Versus a God sweeps in and he shines a light on you, exposes you out of the darkness, and it is terrifying. And all of a sudden you realize, oh, I am so undone.

I'm so done. What am I gonna do? And then why that light is just shining down on you, exposing all the filth and all that shame. He says, he cleanses us. He washes us with his blood, right? And then he goes, hey, by the way, I've got a new name for you.

Now that you're cleansed, there's a brand new name for you. I will call you my child. And now you belong to me. You have my name. You're a part of my family now. Oh, by the way, there's this thing called righteousness.

That's required.

Here it is. Here's the robe, the robe of righteousness. Like the prodigal son story, which is fascinating. It's like his son, the father takes on the humility, embraces the son, puts a robe on him, puts her rings on him, and then brings him in back into fellowship, right?

Kills the fatty calf. That's exactly the imagery that we have. So in the light of the law comes and exposes us, the gospel of hope comes. And now we are resting and are cleansing. We're resting in the righteousness of God.

And then he puts his arm around us and very gently and in a very affectionate way says, do you know there are other people in the world who can feel and experience what you have if you're willing to tell them?

It's like, wait, what?

Are you kidding me?

Yeah, but listen, it's going to be complicated. Like every day you're going to wake up and you're going to want to do something else. And they're going to lie to you like sex and money and things that are good, things that can honor and glorify me, food, fame, music, things that can honor and glorify me, you'll end up using them for Satan, the enemy.

I won't do that. No, no, listen to me, listen to me. You will, you are going to do this. You're going to do it a lot and it's going to be a war. And at times you're going to give in and you might give in badly.

But this is why I want you to hear, listen, you can with boldness run back into this conversation with me and back into this embrace. And we're being reminded of the cleansing of the blood and the righteous of the robe and this affectionate calling on my child.

You can run back in here and I'll give you mercy and I'll give you grace anytime that you need it while on this mission, okay? So when you fumble and you mess up, just come back in and get cleansed. Come back in and be renewed, re-restored, okay?

And I'm going to put you in with an army. It's an awesome army full of men and women and they are so gifted and they have, they are going to be, it's going to be, in the midst of the hardest times of your life, you'll be amongst people who will care for you.

And you won't be able to feel my embrace right now, my presence right now, not in the way I want you to. So while you wait for that, I'm going to put you in the presence of other believers and you guys are going to speak the truth to each other.

You're going to pull each other out of problems. You're going to have to beat each other at times, beat each other like discipline, not a bad way, you know? Because there are people around the world who need to be cleansed and robed.

And you, through your mouth and through your life, will bring that power to them. Could you do that? And you're just kind of like, well, yeah, how do I do that? Well, I need to get a job. Oh, like a regular job?

Yeah, I need to get a job. And it's okay if you'd like to get married, you know? You can then show the light of who I am to your spouse and to your children and train them to be a part of this amazing kingdom.

And then I want you to be fully dedicated to the mission of what we're doing. Well, what does that look like? Do I need to like become a missionary?

Oh, maybe, maybe not.

I just want you to pay attention to your pastors, your elders. I want you to hear the word of God and let's just see where the kingdom goes. And just be willing to do whatever it is I need you to do. You okay with that?

Yeah, sure, I can do that. You see, now you're living in the reality of what the kingdom looks like. Every Sunday, that's the conversation we hear. The father says, hey, do you know what I did in the past?

Hey, let's start in Genesis. Let me tell you how I did this in the past. And you look at that and you're like, wow, he's powerful, he's awesome, yeah. Now I need you to go and do it again. And every week we look at the past to remind us of the future.

We look at what Christ has done faithfully through every generation and he says, I'm not done yet,.

Right?

By the way, this is the last thing I need you to hear me. You're probably going to suffer because you have to understand it's a war between me and the adversary and the adversary turns everybody against me.

So they're going to come after you and they're going to attack you. You have to understand they're being controlled, right? It's your job to turn the other cheek. It's your job to give them your cloak.

It's your job to show them light and salt by your words and by your actions so that we can bring them over to our side. And when we're done bringing everybody over, I'm going to come down, I'm going to deal justice on this world and we're going to have a new heavens and new earth and it's going to be wonderful and you will no longer need that robes of righteous because you will be righteous.

And then I won't have to have this and like, I won't feel guilt and shame anymore. It's like, no, you won't need the robe because you will be and I won't feel guilty. Nope, you won't feel or sad or cry or death, but not right now, okay?

Can you handle that? And you're probably going to die and it's going to be, but you're okay with that, right? Yeah, yeah, I can do that. The guys, that's where we live. That's where we want to be. So as you tune into this podcast, that's our hope.

The hope is that I can recalibrate your brain, get your focus, get you tacked back into the Christian metaphors, right? Open your mind up to the matrix. You do not live in a level playing field. You live in a field where it's in constant battle in the flesh and in the spirit.

And we need to be reminded who our king is and how he loves us. And we need to be reminded that your actions matter, how you do your job, how you love your family, how you love your children. It's all reflection for the advancement of the king and to help them find the joy of Christ.

And as Paul says, when you live that way, you can be content with a lot of money or not, with cancer or without, with kids or without, with wife or without, because your focus is the mission, not pleasure.

Well, I hope that was helpful for you guys. And we'll see you next week.