Sunday Morning Worship Service July 19, 2020

Well, good morning. Good to see you on this Lord's Day. I mentioned to one gentleman. We came in this morning

I said did you bring your spoon? To deal with the soupy soupy air outside today.

It's very thick but we're grateful for the comfortable room that we have to meet in today and Thank the

Lord for his giving us this opportunity in this place to worship to gather together to serve him

With our voices and with our ears and with our hearts and with our minds

It's a couple announcements just to mention in your bulletin to highlight one on Wednesday nights, we've started a couple of weeks ago this series called epic and this is a

Guy Tim Chalice. He did a worldwide tour a couple years ago looking for Artifacts Related to church history and we've been to Jerusalem and Rome and last week went to England and this

Wednesday night. We're going to Ireland and Scotland and Find some interesting discoveries in those countries and encourage you to come to see that that video series

Wednesday night At 7 o 'clock then next Sunday night. Please note that we have a quarterly business meeting

We haven't obviously been able to do one of these for a while Because of not meeting but we'll meet next

Sunday night at the end of the service Just go over Finances and just update on a couple of things.

So that'll be next Sunday evening at the end of the service I have a pretty good blurb in there about the library the church library if you haven't

Visited that or I haven't been to it in a while. You might want to stop in there a couple of new titles it might be of interest to you and If not one of the new ones, then there are plenty of old ones that are there as well.

So Take advantage of those resources that are available to you and just a reminder that For the indefinite future.

I'm not doing an offering passing the plates in the service itself that It's an offering box on the foyer table and you just drop your your offering in that box and be taken care of Just just by way of reminder

So we begin the service today Psalm 9 Psalm 9 verses 1 and 2 Say I will give thanks to the

Lord with my whole heart. I will recount all of your wonderful deeds I will be glad and exult in you

I will sing praise to your name O Most High and let's do just that Jim comes and leads us with our opening him

Jim Thank You pastor number 55 in your hymnals number 55

Sing praise to God. We'll just sing together. Let's stand together. Please just the first two verses

First two verses of number 55 sing praise to God stand together, please

Sing praise to God Brother Dan, would you lead us, please?

Let's pray our father again. We We thank you for your goodness to us and Father we thank you for the

Word of God Which gives us light to our paths as we walk through this journey of life

We thank you for the Lord Jesus For all he accomplished on the cross of Calvary Father guide pastors he brings your word this morning

Help the Spirit of God Work on our hearts and our lives as we hear your eternal

Everlasting word We pray these things in Jesus name Amen, you may be seated the theme of our service this morning is controlled by Ephesians 6 verses 10 and following where Paul tells us to be strong in the

Lord and in the power of his might and To take on the full armor of God and so forth and our psalm reading is from Psalm 27 may have noticed also the bulletin cover fits right in with that theme today

God is my strength and power Psalm 27 verses 1 through 6

Encourage us from this psalm That when the Lord is our light and salvation

We need not fear even this fierce foe that we face in our lives

Psalm 27 On the back of your bulletin you can follow along and so read this psalm together

The Lord is my light and my salvation Whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall

I be afraid? When the wicked even mine enemies and my foes come upon me to eat me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell

Though in hosts should encamp against me. My heart shall not fear though war should rise against me

In this will I be confident one thing have I desired of the Lord that will

I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the Days of my life to behold the beauty of the

Lord and to inquire in his temple For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion and the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me?

He shall set me up upon a rock and now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me

Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle Sacrifices of joy. I will sing. Yay.

I will sing praises unto the Lord May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of this song together

Jim and along with that number 577 be strong in the

Lord Number 577 just the first two verses of that as well Be strong in the

Lord And be of good courage Mighty Defender is always the same

Mount up with wings as Eagle Ascending Victory is sure when you call on his name

Be strong Strong be strong in the

Lord and Be of good courage for he is your guide be strong be strong be strong in the

Lord and Rejoice for the victor is yours

So put on the armor The Lord has

Provided and place your defense in it unfailing care

Trust him for he will be with you in battle

Lightning your path to avoid every snare be strong be strong be strong in the

Lord and Be of good courage For he is your guide be strong be strong Be strong in the

Lord and rejoice for the victory As we pray together this week

We want to remember our missionary the week encourage you to pray for Chuck and Ruby through the course of the week

Chuck and Ruby Kemp Chuck is engaged in full -time Itinerant evangelistic work and ministry preaching in churches like ours all over the country

And needless to say the last several months he's been not able to do that So just pray for the

Lord to continue to provide for them the last email I got from him He said, you know folks have been very good about Even supporting we we support him as like a missionary a little bit every month and other churches do as well

Which has all been very helpful to them through this time But pray for them and for Ruby with her ongoing medical needs also pray for Lynette Heineck mark and Lynette Serving in Costa Rica.

We've had them in our prayers often in the last several months Last week we prayed about their daughter being able to get back to the

States Due to the lockdowns and so forth. She was able to get home get back to South Carolina I got back

Wednesday. I believe it was a Thursday but then Thursday or Wednesday night after Elizabeth their daughter left

Lynette ended up going to hospital and they went to the emergency room With some severe abdominal pain and they admitted her

She's as far as I know still in the hospital as a pretty severe infection

Internal infection so pray for her and then continue to pray for Bob Klein Undergoing chemotherapy for for cancer.

He's supposed to have a treatment tomorrow Continue to pray for the recovery of Maxine Gomer after her fall last week

She's coming along but pray for her and continue to pray for Kathy McAllister Healing from knee replacement surgery

Let's continue to pray for our nation and it's turmoil and upheaval pray for our state you probably got the news in the last couple days that The Speaker of the

House in Illinois Mike Madigan is under federal investigation for bribery and I Can say off the record about time that's off the record

But then also Saw that so is governor Pritzker not for bribery But for this tax scheme that he came up with a couple years ago that have all the toilets removed from his mansion

Next door to where he lives so he wouldn't have to pay taxes on it saved him about three hundred and thirty thousand dollars in taxes

But that kind of you know We get that kind of news and what what does that do for our trust and confidence in our our leadership?

And we have that kind of problem not only on the state level but on the national level as well

So let's look to the Lord in prayer. Shall we our father and our

God we come before you today Realizing how desperately we need you. We are a needy people and We are weak

But we're grateful that you are strong We face a foe that is very powerful

But you are more powerful We face constant onslaught from this wicked foe and Yet you have given us provision for dealing with it

We need your help We need your strength. We need to be strong in Christ We pray that as we're encouraged by your word

To fight the good fight to take on this Armor that you have given to us

That we would not only be challenged to do so, but we would be encouraged by what you have provided for us

Against it to deal with this enemy. That is so determined to destroy us father we thank you that there is with you great mercy and forgiveness and Every one of us in this room would have to confess that in the course of this past week there are some of those fiery darts that have

Pierced through and Have caused us and led us enticed us to sin in some way with our tongue with our attitude with our thoughts with our actions

Even with our feet And father we confess to you that we are a sinful needy people

Even as Isaiah had to cry out to you that he was a man of unclean lips and dwelt among a people of unclean lips

We cannot come before you this morning without the awareness of our own need of cleansing and forgiveness

And we're so grateful for that forgiveness that is ours in Christ Jesus that the blood of Christ cleanses us from every spot of sin

So we plead we plead that blood For ourselves today confessing our sins but rejoicing in the provision

For our cleansing. Thank you for your mercy and for your grace we do pray for these missionaries that we support for Chuck and Ruby Kempf we pray for them today and pray that you'd provide

Chuck with some opportunities to preach and Doors to open up again as churches open up again

Pray that you'd continue to provide for them and meet their needs We pray for Lynette and ask that you would touch her body and give healing to her in this time of physical need and affliction pray for these in our church family who are also suffering in some way or another think of Bob and Going through the chemotherapy and the side effects of that and so forth.

Give him grace to endure it. I Strength strength to endure father, we pray for Kathy continue to strengthen her body and give flexibility and physical strength to her knee

Reduce the pain that she's experiencing every day for Maxine continue to heal her as well and Pray for her wrist to heal without incident and pray that you would just give her physical strength as well

We do pray for our nation father we are We are burdened and we are grieved over what is taking place in our country

We pray that you would use the strife and division the depth of anger and hatred

You would use all of this to bring Bring people to to repentance bring them to humble need of acknowledging their need of Christ I pray that in this time of national crisis and turmoil

That it would result in a great spiritual harvest to the glory of Christ we think of the problems even in our own state we know how much of the financial problems are due to corruption and greed and and cronyism and all the rest of that and we're reminded this week of How high up in the offices in our own state the seeds of corruption can flourish

Father we we just pray for justice. We pray for leadership that will be virtuous

We pray that Righteousness would be upheld That unrighteousness would be rooted out and then father we pray for needs in our congregation that folks just Can't express today there are some whose hearts are heavy they're burdened and They they just can't express those burdens publicly at this time.

I pray that you would give comfort I pray that your spirit would soothe and Be the be the paraclete be the encourager that whispers in the ear

That gives comfort and encouragement to the heart We thank you for your word and for its power that your spirit can use to that end a father again, we pray continue to meet with us in this service and may our

Thoughts be focused on you as we open your word in just a few minutes and may you challenge us by it

This we pray in Jesus name. Amen All right, Jim will come and lead us in our last hymn before the message and just a reminder

Children's Church will meet and Children be dismissed as we sing the last stands of that hymn

Jim in pastor Turn in your song books your blue books.

That is to number 52. Oh Church a riser.

We'll just sing the first and last verse that is a first and fourth verse of Oh Church arise so Oh Church, let us arise together one more time and stand together and Verses 1 & 2 of number 52

She's 1 & 4. Oh Church arise

And put your arm around Hear the call of Christ our captain

For now the weak Can say they they are strong in the strength that God has given

With shield of faith and belt of truth We'll stand against the devil's lies

And army bold whose battle cry is love

Reaching out to those in darkness So spirit come put strength in every stride

Give grace for every hurdle That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful as Saints of old still lined the way

Retelling triumphs of his praise we hear the calls and Hunger for the day when with Christ we stand in glory

Our scripture reading this morning for text for a message is

Ephesians Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 13 Ephesians 6

Verses 10 through 13 Paul is nearing the end of this letter and Almost like the preacher who says and finally and then keeps going

He says finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood But against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand and withstand in the evil day and Having done all to stand brief prayer

Father open up this passage to us today Help us to see the value and the importance the critical importance of it.

So we ask in Jesus name. Amen Well in ancient grief

Greek mythology, there's that story of the Trojan War perhaps you're familiar with it that that battle between the ancient

Greeks and the and the citizens of Troy the city of Troy and and Virgil in his epic poem the

Enid he writes about that battle and he tells an incident in that battle a very famous incident about the the

Trojan horse and that Story and that imagery of the Trojan horse has been used in a lot of different ways throughout throughout history

But you remember that story of the Trojan horse, right? The Greeks had

Had had had a terrible time they were trying to lay siege to the city of Troy they were getting nowhere in In breaking down that siege

So they finally came up with this plan this scheme. They built this hollow large hollow wooden horse rolled it put it on wheels and rolled it up to the gate of the city of Troy where after all of the soldiers the

Greek soldiers Looked like they were in full retreat and were leaving It was just one guy who came up with his horse and he made the announcement to the to the citizens of Troy that this is an offering to the goddess

Athena from the Greeks, please accept this offering this gift and See you later.

We're out of here was was the message and so somewhat warily the

Trojans opened the gate and pulled in that Trojan or that horse and set it in the middle of the of the city's streets and Closed the gates and shuttered them tightly and everybody went to bed and then in the middle of the night there were some

Greek soldiers inside that hollow horse who came out of the horse and made their way to the gate unlocked the gate and opened the doors of the gate and The all the

Greek soldiers who did not go home none of them went home they all came flooding into the city and ended up destroying the city and hence the

Greeks beat the Trojans all because of this Trojan horse Well the basic lesson of this story in mythology

Of course is that you need to know your enemy and you need to be aware of his deceptive tactics

Paul recognizes that the Lord recognizes that for us who are Christians that we have an enemy and he has deceptive tactics and we as God's people

Need to be aware of our enemy and we need to be aware of his deceptive tap tactics

So Paul closes out this letter to the Ephesians Largely dealing with this whole subject of our enemy and his tactics and how we deal with him

Now just to put into perspective How we'll handle this passage it'll probably take three weeks today and then and then a couple more

Sundays to look at this whole passage of Chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 these 11 verses

But just to give you a perspective on how inadequately I will deal with that this this little volume here is

Entitled the Christian in complete armor was written by William Gurnall old

Puritan back in see if I can tell you when he was It doesn't say right in the flybook anyway, so this little volume is 1240 pages that he wrote all referencing

Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 20 and Martin Lloyd -jones famous pastor from London He wrote a commentary set on the book of Ephesians It's eight volumes long the whole set eight volumes the last two of those eight set eight volumes is

Just on this particular passage so Considering the depth with which this could be dealt with I'm going to skim the surface of it today.

I want us to focus on verses 10 through 13 and notice and to see in this passage the the nature of the battle that we face as Well as the character of our enemy and we'll just say a brief word about that and focus more on that next week

But we want to do that because we need to be equipped That we might stand firm in this battle

So let's first of all notice that we have to be awake to the seriousness of the battle that we're in Paul says finally here in verse 10 finally

Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might he goes on on into dealing with this battle Finally now that finally is not like oh

Yeah, I almost forgot like this is a such a minuscule minor point of That almost doesn't need emphasizing it's just so insignificant but you know

So now that I thought about it, I guess I better discuss it not not that kind of finally. It's more like and Last but certainly not least in all that I've had to say in application of the first three chapters of theology

Last but certainly not least You need to know you're in a battle and you need to equip yourself for that battle

Now if we're going to wake up to the seriousness of it, we really have to be aware of the reality of this battle and I think this may be one of the most difficult aspects of the whole thing.

Oh Sure, when there is some tremendously evil thing going on in our world then then we then we're very conscious of You know of a battle of a warfare

I mean even what's going on in our world right now how many of you have had the the thought and maybe even expressed it that look, you know with all of the you know this pandemic and then all of the

Ramifications of it and this and that and the other thing this is there's something deeper going on here

There's something bigger going on here. There's a spiritual battle going on here and there is

But I'll tell you what this spiritual battle was going on in January as well as in March and April in May You see we need to accept the reality of it

He says in verse 12 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood But we do wrestle against principalities and powers and so forth.

There is this wrestling match now Let me say a word about that because when you think of a wrestling match

What do you think of you think of these high school guys that get out on a mat these two guys are going at it you know and and everything is very

Controlled, you know, you've got a referee there He makes sure that he doesn't nobody does anything illegal and all the rest that kind of stuff

This is not even like this isn't like that. This isn't even like a boxing match

You know and a professional boxing match where two boxers are going at it trying to to gain the belt

This isn't like a boxing match either. This is more like what this this word that that is translated here in our

English King James Bible as wrestle is more like a gladiatorial duel in ancient

Rome and You know how those things went don't you there was no referee in the middle of the ring and making sure that gladiator a didn't

Give Didn't land a dirty blow against gladiator be there was no referee the dirtier the blows the better because this was a fight to the death and Both of the gladiators in that duel were fighting to the death

This is the kind of wrestling match that Paul is talking about here This is a battle that is going on and it's going on Listen this battle is going on every time you turn on the television set

What's your favorite TV program? What is it? Don't mean

I'm not asking for a bunch of verbal answers right now. Obviously. I'm asking you to bring it to your mind

Whatever that favorite television show is do you realize that in the in the course of that television show the wicked one has a tactic involved

That can deal with your heart Let me give you an example of this

Just as a wind down last night. We we turned on on HG TV the show love it or list it

I Mean, can you think of anything more innocuous than love it or list it if you know that show, you know

I'm talking about it's a it's a it's the typical program is this this this family or couple or whatever

They have a house that is just woefully inadequate for their needs the layout is terrible or it's too small or whatever and So you've got this this other couple a guy and a woman and the guy is a real estate agent and he's going to try to Convince that couple to buy a different house and he's going to take him and show them different houses that will meet their needs whereas the lady in this

The the co -hosts of this program the lady is a designer and she she'll remodel that house and and try to Try to shape it in a way that will meet the needs that are woefully lacking in As it stands and so it's like these two the the the man and a woman the real estate agent the designer

They're in competition with one another to see who can get the couple to either love

Their house as it's been remodeled or list it because they're gonna buy the one the agent wants them to buy

All right. So that's the that's the premise of this show Pretty innocuous stuff, right?

But here's the thing. Here's what can happen even in such an innocuous show You're sitting there watching this and and the guy the agent takes the couple to this house and You start you see all of these things that this new house that they could buy offers to them

And then you start looking around And you start looking around at your own house You say man, you know, it would really be nice if I would you look at that kitchen?

Would you look at my kitchen or? They get in that they get into the remodeling stage and and they're tearing out this and they're putting in that and they're getting all

These new appliances and these new fixtures and this new this and this new that and when all is said and done and they bring

The couple in back in to see their newly designed house. Everything is meticulous it's all beautiful and all the rest of this stuff and you look at all that and you say

Hmm look at my house and it it can very it see the wicked one can use something as Simple and innocuous as love it or list it to do a work in your heart to cause you to be covetousness or just covetous or discontented or or or or Lustful after something that you don't have and that you don't need

You see even in something like that The battle is going on when you turn on the

TV the battle is going on when you read the newspaper The battle is going on when you watch some kind of a movie any kind of a movie

It doesn't have to be a pernicious movie. It can be a g -rated movie It can be anything you the battle is going on when you browse social media

The battle is is raging The battle is going on in the halls of Congress.

It's going on in the courts of our nation. The battle is being waged in the classrooms of our schools

The battle is going on in our own thoughts and The desires that crop up in our minds and in our hearts

The battle is going on when you go to Walmart or to Kohl's Or you drive by the car dealership

There are these enticements the wicked one is always on the prowl and He'll use all kinds of tactics and We as God's people have to have our eyes open

We need to accept the reality of this wrestling match of this gladiatorial duel

We need to accept the reality of it and then we need to not only accept the reality of it

But we need to recognize the nature of it. Yes. This thing is going on. This battle is going on But what is the nature of it?

Paul speaks of it in verse 13 as was standing in the evil day the evil day the nature of this battle is innate is a battle of between good and evil and The question is which one is going to prevail?

This battle will determine whether you will Obey God's Word or you will please yourself

The battle would determine whether you accept God's revelation and truth or You accept man's thinking man's theories man's ideas man's philosophy the battle will determine whether or not you accept

God's standards of right and wrong of virtue of Righteousness or you consider it all kind of quaintly outdated

You know that there are there are newer thoughts. There are newer ideas that are more progressive and they take the place of Will you value

God's standards of right and wrong or will you value those of of Hollywood or even of your friend down the street

Your co -worker, I mean you go to talk to that one about this particular

Issue or this matter? God has something to say about this God's Word has something to say about it.

You know what it says But you talk to your friend and your friend says, you know what look you deserve to be happy You deserve to be happy and if that's that's not gonna make you happy you need to do what's gonna make you happy You deserve to be happy.

Will you listen to your friend or will you value God's standards of right and wrong?

this battle will determine whether you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness or you seek your kingdom and build up your own little kingdom and and establish your definition of good regardless of what

God says you see this battle is a battle between good and evil and Satan wants to win the enemy wants to win that battle and have the result being an evil day recognize the nature of it and Don't miss what's at stake?

What is at stake in this battle? I? Think you see it in verse 11 when he says put on the whole armor of God That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

What's at stake is? Will you stand firm or Will you yield will you cave

Will you fall away Will you be another? Statistic another casualty in the war.

See that's what's at stake take the full armor of God that you may be able to stand if you don't if you'd if you close your eyes to the

Reality of the battle and you say all of this stuff. All this talk is just rhetoric. It's just Exaggeration it's it's finding the devil under every rock kind of talk.

You know, it's not that important It's not that critical then this is what's at stake You will cave

You will fall away I'm not talking about losing your salvation I'm talking about becoming a casualty in the war

So you need to wake up to the seriousness of this battle. It's real It's real

But if you're awake to it, then you can also acquire strength to war in it

This is what verse 10 is telling us He says be strong in the

Lord and in the power of his might notice notice how this is a this exhortation verse 10 is a

There's a there's a duality in it on the one hand there is your responsibility There's a call to action you are to Be strong in the

Lord. You are to be strong in the power of his might You are to put on the whole armor of God.

There's a there's a call to action here, but at the same time There is a total utter dependence that we have to have upon the

Lord It's be strong in the Lord Not in the power of my own might

So How do I take action here? What is the action I need to take?

How can I be strong in the Lord? Well, my part in this my responsibility in this is to take measures that will promote spiritual strength and vitality for example live with Christ constantly live with Christ constantly be be living in the constant awareness of the presence of Christ and my need to to walk with him for example in Our Psalm reading for today, it's

Psalm 27 verse 4 says One thing have

I desired of the Lord does this is this your testimony? See, this is live constantly with Christ one thing

I have a desire to the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all The days of my life to behold the beauty of the

Lord of the Lord and to inquire in his temple Let me tell you something that does not mean going to church every day of the week

You know, that's not what that's talking about It's it's not not talking about going to church on Sunday But it is talking about living with the constant living in the constant presence of Christ What is the temple for the

New Testament believer? You are the temple, right? You're the temple of the Holy Spirit the temple of the

Holy Spirit dwells within you you are the temple of the Holy Spirit So what he's what he's calling upon us here to do in living constantly with Christ is to seek to live in his presence

Psalm 27 4 or what about John's 15 verses 4 and 5

Jesus said abide in me and I in you As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine.

No more Can you accept you abide in me? I am the vine you are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him

The same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can be you can do nothing What am

I talking about taking measures that promote spiritual strength and vitality? One of those measures is to live with Christ constantly to abide in Christ to abide in Christ to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ Peter speaks of this in 2nd

Peter chapter 4 2nd Peter chapter 4 and verses the last couple of verses of the book

Or 2nd Peter 3, I mean verses 17 and 18 He says therefore Beloved seeing, you know these things beware

Lest you also being led away with the error of the wicked Fall from your own steadfastness

What do I do about that? How do I prevent being led away with the error of the wicked and falling from steadfastness

This is Peter's version of what Paul is writing about, right? He tells you in the next verse He says but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ What steps do

I need what action do I need to take? I need to I need to promote spiritual strength and vitality by living with Christ Constantly I also need to or what

I can do to promote spiritual strength and vitality I can obey what

I already know I Can obey what I already know in the next letter that Paul writes in your

Bible Philippians chapter 2 In verses 12 and 13, he says wherefore my beloved as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only

But now much more in my absence He says work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling for it is

God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Obey what you already know

Paul says you have always obeyed in my presence and out of my presence

Continue in that Continue in that obey what you already know and in Philippians chapter 4.

Here's another way I can promote spiritual strength and vitality By learning to be content with where God has me in Philippians 4 verses 12 and 13

You know verse 13 is is used for everything from You know successfully making a sales pitch to To kicking a 65 -yard field goal

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, right? This verse has no real application to those things here's what this is talking about in verse 12

Paul says I Know both how to be abased and I know how to abound

Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need

I can Do all these things I can do all these things through Christ who strengthens me

I can be content where where Christ has placed me Through the strength that he has given to me so I can sit and watch

Love it or list it and be content with my woefully inadequate house compared to that $450 ,000 home that this 20 -something couple is about to purchase

How can I do that? I can do that through Christ who strengthens me and I can put on God's armor

What can I do to promote spiritual strength and vitality? I can put on God's armor So in verse 11 of our text, he says put on the whole armor of God I can put on God's armor not my armor

Not my armor Sometimes we try to do that. Don't we? You know what?

Our armor is our armor is stuff like our own worth and merit

You know things like You know, I have my devotions every day I have

I read my Bible every day It's a wonderful thing. I encourage you to do that every day but Be careful with that Be careful thinking that because I read my

Bible every day I therefore don't have to be on guard. I don't have to put on the other armor of God's That God has provided I can rest in my spiritual exercises and disciplines and not

Rest in the armor that God has given to put on I can I can try to fight this war believing in my own irreplaceable importance

I'm so important to the work of Christ. That's certainly Satan is going to take me out or I can rest in my own good sense.

I can count on the armor of my wit and my Intelligence and my prowess and my wisdom that surely

I can see my way out of any of these Tactics that the wicked one would throw my way because I'm so smart

You know what else doesn't work What else doesn't work is my own? self isolation my

My attempts of separating and secluding myself from the world

Should I do so? Yes, I should do so but if that becomes a source of An attempt of being armor,

I'm gonna fail miserably You know Christ doesn't want us to so isolate ourselves and separate ourselves from the world that we are totally aloof and And develop a sense of of pride and arrogance that says

I'm so far Removed from the world and so above the world that Satan can't get me

What a Luther right in the hymn we're going to close with this morning in The second stanza of a mighty fortress is our

God did we in our own strength confide what our striving would be losing our

Striving would be losing. Oh, no, I can't rely upon my own strength

My striving will be losing So I can take measures

That promote spiritual strength and vitality and when I do so then

I can know divine strength in that battle Put on the whole armor of God He says be strong in the

Lord and in the power of his might be strong in the power of his might

Now look at how Paul describes that power earlier in the book of Ephesians so back in chapter 1 look back in chapter 1 and Verses 19 and 20.

What kind of power is this that is at your disposal in this war in this battle in this fight this gladiatorial duel

What kind of power are we talking about chapter 1 verses 19 and 20?

Paul says I want you to know what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us word who believe?

According to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ When he raised him from the dead and set him in his own right hand in the heavenly places by the way

Hang on to that phrase His own right hand in the heavenly places.

You're gonna see that same phrase in the heavenly places here in just a moment But this is the power what kind of power is available it's the power that brought

Christ again from the dead It's the power in chapter 2 verses 4 and 5

It's the power that brought you from the dead look at verses 4 and 5 But God who is rich in his mercy for his great lover with he loved us even when we were dead in sins he has

Quickened or made us alive together with Christ by grace You are saved that same power that brought

Christ from the dead is the power that brought you from the dead When he made you alive in Christ Jesus and gave you new life in him so We must wake up to the seriousness of this battle

Once we're awake to it. We can then acquire strength for this battle that we're in and the result then can be

Stability in the battle we can acquire stability We can experience that stability in the battle

So verse 11 Paul says in verse verse 11 put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil in verse 13

He says take upon you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand

So what is this? What is this about this stability? This is This is a stability that doesn't waver a stability that doesn't waver

Standing again, Psalm 27 verses 1 & 3

Says the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall

I? be afraid Though a host should a camp around about me my heart shall not fear you hear the stability in this in this in these verses

The war should rise against me in this I will be confident there is stability there a stability that doesn't waver out of fear or or out of a

Lack of confidence in the Lord. This was

Peter's problem. Wasn't it in that? courtyard The night of the betrayal

Jesus's has been arrested Standing over there.

Here's Peter warming himself at the fire You're one of his aren't you?

There's the battle There's the war Here comes a dart You're one of his aren't you?

What will he do? We stand We put on the whole armor of God will he be strong in the

Lord and in the power of his might That he may be able to stand in the evil day.

Well, here he is. Here's the evil day It's right in front of him. You're one of his aren't you? No wavered why did he waver fear a lack of confidence in the

Lord? This is me as a teenager surrounded by Public school students in the high school of 3 ,000 other students and just a handful of Christians in that whole student body and Here's me.

Not not wanting to be ridiculed or made fun of So, what do

I do I just go right along with the crowd fit right in Don't want anybody to know

I'm one of those Weirdo Jesus freaks No Or this is the

This is the temptation that was presented to me one time when

I was given the opportunity to open a They call it town hall day in Vermont.

I Was given the opportunity to open the town hall meeting in prayer. I was invited to do that and I came to the

I came to the meeting and I was ready to lead in prayer and the the town

President or whatever village president whatever he was called his position He called me up and he says so you're so -and -so he didn't know who

I was. I said, yeah. Yes. Yes, I am He said and you're you're going to lead us in a non sectarian prayer, right?

You know what that means. Don't you that means something like Oh Almighty one Please grant us your peace your blessing

Amen, you don't want to acknowledge any particular God. You might have a

Buddhist there. You might have a Hindu there You might have a Jew there so you don't definitely do not want to pray in Jesus name

What do you do What do you do here's the battle here's the day of temptation

Here's the day of testing Get to the end of the prayer and you say in Jesus name and for his sake and for his glory.

I pray Amen Was I tempted not to pray that way? Yes indeed

But in this battle you can experience stability That doesn't waver

When you've put on the armor When you're acquiring strength in that battle, you can know a stability that not only doesn't waver

But it's a stability that doesn't abandon your place It doesn't abandon your place.

That's what the word stand means in verse 11 It means to stay in your place so look at the bigger context here of of this passage

What has Paul just been writing about He's been talking about Submitting yourselves one to another in within the local church, and then he talked about it within the within the marriage relationship as husbands and wives and then he talks about it as children and parents and Then he talks about it in the place of employment in all of those applications of the of the word

What is the place? That the that the husband needs to be in What is the place that the wife needs to be in?

What is the place that the church member needs to be in the follower of Christ?

What is the place that the employee needs to be in or the employer? What is the place that you need to be in?

You see in this battle There is there there will be an effort to cause you to abandon in some way your place so stability means you don't abandon your place and the stability that you can have from the strength that God provides the power of his might is a stability that also doesn't give ground

So in verse 13 you have a different word. Well, actually it's a compound word It's a word that has a preposition attached to the the earlier word you have in verse 13

Take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand

So the second word there the word stand means you don't abandon your place the word withstand means

You don't give ground You don't give ground. So how does this work in practical living everyday living?

How do you give ground in the battle? Here you are an employee that's been working for this company for some time and and you're looking around and you're noticing how things aren't fair and you start

Feeling like thinking that you deserve more money But it isn't going to come

So, you know you start taking advantage of some things you start pilfering a thing or two from the employer

You start lying when you have sick days available and you call days your

PTO days where you just take that time and use it any way you want No, you have given sick days.

You're supposed to be sick to take the sick days And you're not sick, but you call in sick.

Why do you do that? Why do you give that ground? Because you've yielded to the temptation of the wicked one.

That's why you've given ground Or the husband who's supposed to love his wife as Christ loves the church and give himself

Sacrifice his sacrifice himself for the sake the welfare the benefit of his wife

But along comes Satan and says, you know, you you haven't done anything for yourself in such a long time

You have a hobby you have things you enjoy doing, you know Just you don't have to ask your wife to spend money on your hobby.

Just go do it It's your money after all it's the thing you enjoy doing it's about time

You got to spend some time doing something you like to do so you run off over to Dunham's and you plop down a few hundred bucks on a new toy

That goes along with your hobby and you bring it home and there's your wife slaving away and she hasn't had she hasn't had a new pair of shoes or a new purge or new well, whatever and What gives you see and you're

You're giving ground to the wicked one Or it's like the wife who sees this sees her husband walk in with this new $250 toy for his hobby and she realizes that Hobby, what's a hobby?

I don't have a hobby I'm just you know Going at it day after day after day after day after day

And so she starts resenting her husband and she gives ground and Ignores his leadership and Sneaks around behind his back doing things that She knows are not helpful to the home or to the family or to the marriage or it's like a child

It's like the child who thinks dad's too hard on him. The rules are just too much

Making me pull weeds Making me help mow the lawn making me take out the trash making me be home by 10 o 'clock on a week weekend night

This is just too much and then the child gives ground and starts rebelling starts ignoring the rules no in the power of his might we can so Stand that we don't waiver

We can so stand that we don't Abandon our place like Judas Iscariot that abandoned his place and we can so stand that we don't give ground when the wicked one fires his fiery darts our way

What is this enemy like? This will save for another time but verse 12 tells us that he's pretty crafty

He's strong and he comes at us from a variety of ways But he is not an invincible

Enemy, he is fighting from the position of defeat He is an already defeated foe

But even in his defeat he is determined not to go kicking and screaming

He's determined to damn as many souls as he can to take him to hell With him and it and to to wreak as much havoc as he possibly can upon the church and upon Christian homes and families and workplaces and churches and individuals

This is what he wants to do even among God's people

So, let me ask you Are you one of the brethren? Paul says in verse 10 finally my brethren

Brothers and sisters in Christ. Are you one of the brethren? Are you in Christ?

Are you one who has Christ dwelling within you? one who can take this full armor of God and You can be strong in the power of his of the

Lord and power of his might You can be strong in the Lord because you are in the Lord If you're not my friend listen turn to Christ today trust him today

Be his become his child today But if you are a believer a follower of Christ and you are one of the brethren who can stand against the fall

And by the grace of God and in the power of his might Do so Our Father and our

God I pray That you would help us to be alert to the battle to the war.

It's going on all around us It's going on even within us and Lord help us.

Oh Lord to be strong in you and in your power To take on the full armor of God that we may be able to stand and to withstand

This we pray in Jesus name. Amen So let's take our hymnals and turn to number 81

Martin Luther wrote this marvelous hymn Mighty fortress is our

God and had Other patches passages in mind too, but certainly this one

We'll stand together and sing. This is one of those hymns that you can't sing First and third stanza you have to it all flows together

So let's stand and sing all four stanzas a mighty fortress is our God mighty

Fortress is our God never Failing our

Helper he amidst the flood of mortal ills

Prevailing for still our ancient foe

Seek to work us wall his craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate

On earth is not his equal Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing

We're not the right man on our side the man of God's own choosing

Dost ask who that may be Christ Jesus Lord Sabbah off his name from age to age the same

Must win the battle And all this world with Devil's filth should threaten to undo

We will not fear for God has willed his truth to triumph through The prince of darkness grim

We tremble not for him His rage we can endure

For lo his doom is sure one little word shall fail him that word above all

Earthly powers no, thanks to them by death

The spirit and the gifts are ours

With us Let goods and kindred go this mortal life also the body they may kill

God's truth by death still His kingdom is forever

Just remind you we do meet tonight at 6 o 'clock if you can make it back be looking at the first Psalm this evening and What it means to be and how to be a happy person

So now may the God of peace sanctify you completely and May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ You O Lord who calls us is faithful You will surely do it.