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January 24, 2021 The Power in Weakness part II

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Psalm 146

In these days of political change and a global health crisis, what we need is a dose of realism. A focus on what is eternal and what is temporal.

God does not need a Republican government or a Democrat government to bring about His purposes. The kingdoms of this world are in place for the purposes of God.

Chuck Colson said it best, “The kingdom of God will not arrive on Air Force One, no matter who is occupying it.” 

In seasons of national change, we must take a step back and realize that we, as followers of Jesus, are part of a different kingdom, we are part of a far greater and eternal kingdom. That is where our allegiance and our faith must lie (Revelation 5:9-10).  

The author of Psalm 146 lived in a time of national change and upheaval. While we don’t know the exact time and authorship of this Psalm, some early Greek manuscripts refer to this Psalm as being of Haggai and Zechariah. Which may refer to this Psalm being penned around the time of Nehemiah when Jerusalem was being rebuilt and the remnant was returning from exile. It was a time of refocusing the nation and worshipping the one true God.

The Psalm begins and ends with the phrase, “praise the Lord”, the Hebrew word, “Hallelujah.” The Psalmist goes on in verse 2, “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” This worshipper was not a Sunday morning believer, he was committing every moment of every day to the worship and praise of God. So captivated by the throne of God that nothing else mattered.

It then seems that the Psalm takes an abrupt turn, obviously referring to something that was happening in the political arena at the time. “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” (Psalm 146:3-4)

People put their trust in many different things, the stock market, the military, their family, and the most prominent form of trust is placed in leaders. And sometimes we make the mistake of not remembering that these are also broken and weak people who need a savior just as we do.

A healthy exercise is to take a step back and really think about where and in whom you are placing your trust. The frailty of humanity will always let you down.

The Psalmist goes back to praising God and says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:5).

Putting your trust in God is not simply a good thing to do. It has eternal rewards, and lifelong blessing. The real test was in our personal responses to the inauguration on Wednesday this past week; if you were despondent and fearful for the future, or if you were elated and excited for the future, your hope might be in the wrong person.

The Psalmist says that the one we put our trust in is the uncreated Creator and sustainer of all things. The one we put our trust in, is the one who gives President Biden breath.

God is not simply the creator who set things in motion, He is the sustainer as verse 6 says, “…who keeps faith forever”. Our God is eternally faithful and cares for His creation. You will never find a follower of Jesus who has found God to be unreliable (Psalm 37:25).

The next three verses, the Psalmist lists eight oppressed and suffering people groupings, people that the world often overlooks, but God sees and cares for.

  • The Lord executes justice for the oppressed.
  • The Lord feeds the hungry.
  • The Lord sets the prisoner free, (Possibly referring to the Exodus).
  • The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. (Possibly referring to God opening the spiritual eyes of the people to see the truth).  
  • The Lord raises up those who are bowed down, those who are weighed down by the cares and the worries of the world.
  • The Lord watches over the sojourner or the foreigner.
  • The Lord cares for the orphan and the widow.

Only God can bring lasting relief to all these categories. Our God is the Lord who cares for the weak and the helpless.

The Apostle Paul knew this, writing in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

As we come to the end of the Psalm, it seems that the writer takes an abrupt turn, “but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin” Psalm 146:9b.

God is a god of justice. He defends the weak and He always brings the wicked to justice. God is consistent. It might not be in the timing we like, just like the relief for the downtrodden. But be sure, God will always bring justice. And that is a sobering thought.

God is not to be mocked, He is to be worshipped as the Psalm closes with a final Hallelujah in verse 10, echoing Psalm 46:6-7. What a declaration of the majesty of God!

For the Christian in America our role has not changed. The calling on your life does not change with the political winds of the nation. The mission of the church has not changed in the last month, it remains the same.

Do you trust in the faithfulness of God today? Or are you guilty of putting too much trust in man?

Joe Biden is our president, and Jesus is our King. 

There is only one King who will reign forever and only one King who will make perfect decisions and rulings. There is only one king who has the power to transform the world.

Are you trusting that King today?

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January 17, 2021 The Power in Weakness

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2 Corinthians 12:1-10

How easily do you admit to weakness?

If you ever want to have me do something, just tell me I cannot do it.

If I am struggling to complete a household project, Debbie knows that I will be annoyed if she says, “why don’t you hire a professional to do that?” What? Now you have just thrown down the gauntlet.

Our culture despises weakness and values people based on their physical and intellectual strength. As we read the scriptures, we see a paradox. In the kingdom of God, there is power in weakness (Psalm 8:2).

The Apostle Paul was arguably the greatest theologian, church planter and missionary in history. Yet, he understood the power in weakness.  In 2 Corinthians 11:30 he wrote, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” This is not false humility, the apostle understood something we do not.

As Paul goes to great lengths to diminish his own stature, he is aware of the power of God working through him.

To keep him from being conceited, Paul wrote that God gave him a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). There is good reason why we do not know the specific nature of this thorn, because whatever ailments and challenges we experience, Paul’s thorn becomes our thorn, and we can identify with his struggles.

We do not know what the thorn in the flesh was, but we must never forget that God allowed it. Satan would never do something to keep someone from being prideful, that is the opposite of what he does. God is in control and allowing your thorn in the flesh for his purposes and his glory.

CS Lewis wrote, “we can ignore even pleasure, but pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

God used Paul’s thorn in the flesh to focus his attention on Christ and to draw him into a place of greater dependence. Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed but Jesus responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Jesus gave Paul the key, power is found in weakness. The perfect power of Jesus is experienced when the grace of God is able to minister to us in our weakness. Our inability is the beginning of the manifest power of God.

Notice the two nouns, “Grace” and “Power”. We agree that the definition of grace is unmerited favor, that is the true message of the Gospel. But we do not often see grace as power. There is power in the Grace of God. Grace is more than a noun; it is a powerful verb.

Grace is not something we receive at salvation and then put on the shelf as a memorial. The Grace of God is active and powerful in our lives. The key to this power is our weakness.  

The Gospel is a picture of power in weakness. Jesus the all-powerful creator God, took on the form of a weak baby, and lived a life of humility setting aside his glory for a season.

The cross of our salvation, where Jesus paid the price for our sins, was where Jesus submitted himself in a picture of weakness and hopelessness. God’s plan of redemption was that there was to be weakness, on the cross, before there was power at the resurrection. God displayed His power when he raised Jesus from the dead. This same power is at work in us as we read in Ephesians 1:19-20. This gift of salvation is available to anyone who truly admits how weak they are. Only then can we experience and begin to live out the immeasurable power of God.

Doing what we cannot do, that is Christ in me. As you submit your life to the will of God, there will be times when God calls you to do something that is impossible to do…in your own strength. God calls you to take a stand against corruption, start a non-profit to help orphans and widows, stand in front of a crowd and preach the Gospel, witness to your family, or any other mission that seems impossible or impractical. The purpose of God is that we step out in faith, relying on Christ to do the impossible through us.

God needs our weakness more than He needs our strength. Our strength is often His rival. Our weakness is His servant as we rely on His resources to accomplish His purposes, to bring Him glory (Galatians 2:20).

We have a wonderful example of this in the life of Jesus in John chapter 6. Here we read the account of the feeding of the 5000 from just five barley loaves and two fish.

Before the miracle, Jesus asked Philip how they were going to be able to buy enough food to feed all the people.  Jesus was testing Philip; he was asking him to do the impossible. We know that Andrew, in faith brought the little that they could find to Jesus. The five loaves and the two fish represented our weakness, that must be brought to Jesus as an offering in faith. And Jesus used what little was offered and miraculously fed a multitude.

At the beginning of 2021, give God what you have, your talents, your finances, your gifts and see what He can do with them.

What vision has God given you that you cannot do in your own strength?

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Gate of the Year – January 4, 2021

New Year 2021

At the dawn of a new year, it is customary for news commentators and talk show hosts to throw out their pearls of wisdom with respect to what we have to look forward to in the new year.

Many take time to look back and then look forward. However, so few take the time to look up.

If we have learned anything from the past ten months, it must be that the future is uncertain.

Over the past ten months, we have seen a dramatic shaking taking place in the Church. Many, who for decades attended religiously, have fallen away from the church and we may never see them again. However, others who did not formerly see the value in gathering together as a body of believers, have committed themselves wholeheartedly to the fellowship of likeminded followers of Jesus.  

Is it possible that God is pruning His church? (John 15). If God is indeed pruning His church, we need to be aware that how we spend our personal time is critical. What I am talking about is our personal walk with the Lord, our personal spiritual disciplines. The disciplines of prayer, reading the Bible, fasting, giving, serving and worship, to name a few.

Here is a good article on personal spiritual disciplines; “Spiritual Disciplines – Don Whitney”

The purpose of spiritual disciplines is godliness as we see from 1 Timothy 4:7and 8.

The purpose of the pruning by the Vinedresser is to produce fruit, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples”. John 15:7-8.

As we look ahead in 2021, we certainly don’t know what the future holds. However if we abide in Christ, we can be assured that our Heavenly Father will hold us.

At this time every year, I am drawn to read a short poem by Minnie Louise Haskins (1875-1957), called “God Knows”. I think that it is more meaningful this year. Will you join with me and place your uncompromising faith in the hand of God in 2021? I believe that we will see much fruit and growth in the Body of Christ.

God Knows

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill.

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Sermon Sunday December 27, 2020 The Hope of Christmas Part 2

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Have you ever had someone come to you and tell you about something that would happen to you in your future that was impossible to know or predict? We call this prophecy, a special word of knowledge from God, given for encouragement.  

It is about that time when people begin to predict what will happen in 2021. However, if we have learnt anything in the last twelve months, we know this is an exercise in futility.

And yet, there are many so-called prophetic voices, people sharing their musings on social media. We need to pray for wisdom and discernment being careful not to place our hope in mere man.  

We see time from a singular perspective. We can look a few days or weeks ahead clearly. But God is not bound by time, He not only sees the road from a different vantage point, but he also sees the entire universe and all of time in one sweep of his perspective.

The Old testament itself points to the coming Messiah. The Old Testament has over three hundred prophecies by multiple authors pointing towards Jesus. Most of these were completely fulfilled during the life of Jesus on the earth. But some of them refer to the great Day of the Lord when Jesus will come again in judgement.

The overall message of these Old Testament prophets is that the people must wait for one more King. He will be the greatest of all and he will bring an end to all struggles and wars.

This time of the year we will often read Micah 5:2, but the verses that surround this verse seem to be disconnected. In Micah 5 verse 1, the prophet begins with a call to arms. He mentions the city of troops, which is probably Jerusalem as the seat of power and the place where most of the military were staying at the time. Micah predicts that the city will come under attack.  He predicts that this attack will succeed and that the enemy will strike the king of Israel on the cheek with a rod. Most scholars believe that this was foretelling the attack on Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the capture and torture of King Zedekiah. Thus, the first verse is a prophecy of the impending defeat of Jerusalem and the exile of the tribe of Judah which took place around 586BC, pointing to something that would take place around 100 years after Micah.

Then we have the very familiar verse 2. We know this verse refers to Jesus, the promised Messiah who will be born in Bethlehem in the region of Ephrathah. The name Bethlehem means, “house of bread”. Interestingly, Jesus called himself the Bread of Life and it is no mistake that he was born in the “house of bread”. This King will be born in the same town that David came from, he would be in the line of David. The people were hoping for another king like David.

But then Micah mentions that this rulers’ origins will be from old, from ancient times. The literal translation says, “days of antiquity”. The origins of this king will be before the beginning of time. This king will be one who transcends time. As we know from history, the second verse points to the first century, almost 700 years after Micah’s prophecy.

Looking at verse 3, it would seem that this verse refers to Mary and the birth of Jesus, however there are two other clues that point to the fact that this might be another time in history.  Verse 3 begins with, “Therefore Israel will be abandoned until…”.  Israel ceased to be a nation until 1948, when the Jewish nation was restored. And the last part of the verse; “and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites”, is something that we have seen taking place for the last 72 years.  Many scholars feel that this birth that is predicted is the birth of the nation of Israel that was witnessed in the 20th century, some 2700 years after the prophecy.

As we turn to verse 4, we see that this ruler will be one who stands, meaning that he will be established and unmovable as the King, and that his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. Micah is not prophesying about the first time Jesus came to the earth, he is writing about the second coming of Jesus. When Jesus will establish his throne on the earth, and he will reign over all the earth There will be no doubt of his majesty and authority.

Looking at the prophecy of Micah from this perspective, we see that it is relevant for us today, because it points to our future as well as he was inspired to write by the Holy Spirit.

These are the words of God to us, as they were to the people of the tribe of Judah, who were about to be invaded by the Babylonians, and to the remnant looking for and awaiting the Messiah who came in the form of a little baby born in a stable in Bethlehem. These were the words of God that confirmed the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. And these are the words of God to us as believers all over the world, to encourage us to keep looking ahead and keep looking down the road because Jesus is coming back again.

As we see with the prophetic writing of the past, people missed it. Jesus came after 400 years of silence from God, and even the most respected scholars of the day missed it. Those who studied the prophetic writings did not recognize the Messiah when he came in the form of a Baby in Bethlehem.

But I can assure you that when Jesus comes back again there will be no doubt as to who he is, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is coming back to rule and reign in glory.

The only question we need to be concerned about is whether or not we are ready.

Only by making Jesus Christ lord of your life, will prepare you for the second coming of Jesus.

Are you ready?   It could be today.

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Sermon Sunday December 20, 2020 The Hope of Christmas

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Luke 1:67-80

Are you in a season of hopelessness?

2020 has been a year that has caused anxiety, loneliness, and despair. We have experienced an erosion of our trust in so many spheres of society.  Hopelessness seems to prevail.

2000 years ago, Israel was in a hopeless situation. They had been promised a messiah, someone who would set them free and establish his throne, making the nation greater than it had ever been.

However, it had been seven hundred years since the prophet Isaiah had penned Isaiah 9:6 & 7.

The nation had been destroyed and taken into exile. Now they were under the oppressive rulership of the Roman Empire. For the past four hundred years, God had been silent.

Had God forgotten His promises?

But as hopeless as the situation was, God was at work. God was orchestrating all human history to this one pivotal moment in time (Galatians 4:4).

In Luke 1 God begins to speak. Zachariah, a priest in the temple, and his wife Elizabeth were chosen by God to be the parents of John the Baptist. A miraculous birth to a couple who were beyond childbearing age and had probably given up hope of having children of their own.

John was miraculously conceived, and the Bible says that he was filled with the Holy Spirit even in Elizabeth’s womb.

When the child was to be named, Zachariah confirmed that his name was to be John and God gave him back his ability to speak. Immediately Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang this incredible prophetic song. But the song is not about his son John, he is primarily singing about the Messiah, who is yet to come. The hope of the promised Messiah.

This prophetic song gives us four pictures of what the birth of Jesus will mean.

1. The first picture is The Redeemer (Luke 1:68).

A redeemer is a liberator, someone who sets the captives free. This echoes Isaiah 61, which Jesus read in the temple in Luke 4.  This picture makes it clear that we cannot free ourselves from the penalty of our sins and we need Jesus to be our redeemer (Ephesians 1:7)

2. The Victorious Warrior (Luke 1:69).

A Horn in scripture symbolizes strength and power (Luke 1:71). In these verses we have a picture of an army that is about to be defeated, until a redeemer comes to free them. But more than that, the enemy is completely defeated so that he cannot take any more captives.

This redeemer is from the house of David. David was a mighty warrior and ruthless conqueror. God had promised in Micah 5:2 that this redeemer would be of the tribe of Judah.

We as follower of Jesus know What we have been saved from. But do we know what we have been saved for? We are saved for so much more than simply getting to heaven. We get to serve Jesus in this life, to bring glory to the Father (Luke 1:74-75).

3. The Debt is Cancelled (Luke 1:76).

In verse 76, Zachariah turns to his new-born son and declares that this child will be a prophet of the Most-High. He will be someone who goes before to let people know that someone is coming who can forgive sins.

All of us are sinners and owe a debt that we cannot repay, and we have all fallen short of the glory of God. Only by the blood of Jesus can we be set free from the debt of our sin (Romans 3:23).

4. The Dawning of a New Day (Luke 1:78-79).

The Messiah was prophesied to be the light of the world (Isaiah 9:2). This was the dawning of a new day.

Have you ever gone through a season of hopelessness? Everything seems to be heavy and dark, with no end in sight. But suddenly your prayers are answered, and God breaks through. The next morning it is as if everything is new, the weight has been lifted from your shoulders. This is what the priest saw, the lifting of the burden off the shoulders of the nation and the world.

Looking back to the earlier verses of Luke 1, nine months earlier, Zachariah had a visit from the Angel Gabriel. Zachariah was in the temple and faithfully going about tending to the candle of incense. Zachariah and Elizabeth were both faithful and righteous people (Luke 1:6).

Zachariah was faithful and even after all the years of God’s silence he was still burning the incense and obeying the law. God heard their prayers of the nation, and at the appointed time, the light of the world was revealed, their hope was fulfilled.

Where is your hope today?

Are you hoping in the government, the economy, your bank balance, or some prophetic word that you were watching on YouTube?

We are living in a time where everyone is desperate for hope. Something tangible we can cling to. But there is only one definite promise, this same Jesus who came as a baby 2000 years ago is coming again. That is where we place our hope, not in temporary goals or comforts.

As Jesus was talking to his disciples about the promise of his return in Matthew 24, he said this in verse 14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The previous verses speak about the terrible things that will come on the world before Jesus comes again. But we have the certain promise that this gospel message WILL be proclaimed to all people groups. That is the hope that we can count on.

Has your hope in the things of this world been shattered?

Only God knows what you are really going through and only God can guarantee His promises over your life.

Repent of the things in which you have been placing your hope and place your absolute trust and faith in Jesus.

He is the only one who has the power to guarantee your future salvation!

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Sermon, Sunday December 13, 2020 Prayer is Essential

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As Paul closes this letter, its as if he is saying to his readers, “the most important thing is prayer”. Followers of Jesus must be constantly in prayer.

Verse 18 is a continuation of verse 17, putting on the armor of God. But the armor is useless without prayer, much like a military vehicle is useless without fuel.

We put on the armor of God, we take up the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, prayerfully. Prayer is not simply something that we do, prayer is the fuel that is essential for us to stand firm in Christ.

Ephesians 6:18 reads, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

As Christians, we are engaged in a daily spiritual battle, and prayer is the essential means that God has given us to win the battles we face. Prayer is a gift from God and one that is grossly underutilized in our churches.

As we look at the phrase, “praying at all times in the Spirit”, Paul wants us to realize the fact that all true prayer is empowered by the Holy Spirit. We come to the Father, through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit is interceding for us when we don’t know how to pray. Only in the power of the Spirit can we pray the will of God. Otherwise, we will always pray with selfish motives.

The Holy Spirit takes our prayers and ignites them so that they become a holy offering before God. It is the Holy Spirit who takes our prayers and presents them in the will of God before the Father. Do you see the importance of prayer?

Now it is possible to pray in the flesh, and not in the spirit, not praying in the will of God. We need to learn how to pray the will of God in the Spirit. As we pick up the sword of the Spirit and we pray the Word of God back to Him, it is infused with power from the Holy Spirit.  

Each piece of armor must be carefully put on with prayer, drawing upon divine resources.

This prayer is Spirit-energized, Spirit-enabled, and Spirit-directed. Prayer is the energy that enables the follower of Jesus to stand firm in the armor and to wield the sword effectively.

In verse 18 we see the word “all” used four times.

  • We are to pray all the time. (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

This does not mean we are always on our knees in prayer. Rather it means living with the continuous realization that we have an open line to God. We are always in His presence because His spirit is within us.

God hears and sees everything you say and do. Every curse and every blessing that you speak is heard by God.  We don’t have to let God know that we are coming into His presence, because He is already with us and we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Are you aware of your continuous prayers?

  • Pray with all prayer and supplication

There is so much more to prayer than simply asking God for things. Prayer is a mixture of worship, thanksgiving, repentance and supplication. The Christian who jumps straight into asking God for things, misses out on the relationship that comes from worship and thanksgiving.

We have one rule at our Tuesday morning prayer times in the chapel. The first thirty minutes is only praise and worship, we don’t ask God for anything. It is amazing how that first thirty minutes aligns our hearts with the heart of God and then we pray with insight and direction for the remaining thirty minutes.

  • Pray with all perseverance:

Like good soldiers, we must stay alert and be disciplined. Jesus encouraged his disciples in his most crucial hour to stay alert and pray (see Mark 4:38).  We need to teach and develop spiritual disciplines today!

It is frightening to learn how few people pray, read their Bibles, fast, or tithe. These are all basic spiritual disciplines that come with a blessing.

If we look at the lack of spiritual discipline in the church, it is no wonder the church has such a weak witness. No wonder people no longer view the church as essential.

Perseverance in prayer does not mean we are trying to twist God’s arm, but rather that we are deeply concerned and burdened and cannot rest until we get God’s answer.

The early church prayed without ceasing when Peter was in prison in Acts 12, and they persevered until the angel set him free. Keep on praying until the Spirit stops you or the Father answers you.

  • Pray for all the saints.

The Lords’ Prayer begins with our Father, not my father. When we become followers of Jesus, we become part of the family. You have a responsibility to look out for and to pray for all your new family.

Unity in the body of Christ is a major focus of this letter and unity grows as we intercede for one another. Even Paul asked for the prayer support of the Ephesians in verses 19 and 20. If Paul needed the prayers of the saints, how much more do we need them.

Note that Paul did not ask them to pray for his comfort or safety, but for the effectiveness of his witness and ministry. Paul is arguably the greatest theologian and missionary in history, and he knows that he is dependent on the prayers of the saints.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of the sharp edges of the Sword of the Spirit, however it means nothing if you do not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you know who you are…in Christ?

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Sermon Sunday December 6, 2020 The Armor of God

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In 1991 I served in the South African military as an officer in the School of Armor. It was the training base for tanks and mobile artillery. On a few occasions I was able to drive a tank. With a 29-liter v12 motor, a 105mm gun and 58 tons of heavy armor plating, I felt quite secure.

The apostle Paul could not have imagined the armor of a modern day artillery vehicle, but he used the familiar Roman military armor as a picture of the secure protection that we have as Christians against the attacks of the enemy.

As those called by God to follow Jesus and tell others about the Gospel, we are under constant attack (1 Peter 5:8-11). As Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-13, we are to stand firm against the attacks of Satan and his demons. We can only do this if we dress appropriately. We must ensure that we are putting on the whole armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:13). Each piece of the armor serves a vital role in keeping us safe in the battle. There are six pieces of armor that every Christian should know and apply.

  • The Belt of Truth

Questioning the truth has always been one of Satan’s choice weapons. It began in the garden of Eden when he asked Eve, “Did God actually say?” (Genesis 3:1). Sin entered the world because the truth was questioned.

As Christians, we must not only know the truth, but we must be speakers of truth (John 8:32). In Ephesians 4:15, Paul writes that we are to, “speak the truth in love”. In verse 21 of the same chapter, we read that the truth is in Jesus. We need to be people who live and speak the truth, the truth that is found in Jesus (John 14:6).

  • The Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate cover the chest and the vital organs against the arrows of the enemy. Now, we know that as believers we are covered with the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and we are secure in that unmerited righteousness. But the righteousness that Paul is encouraging here, is living in personal holiness and purity. We must not give one inch to the enemy by our thoughts and actions, we have a new identity, and we are to live as such (Philippians 4:8).

  • Shoes of the Gospel

I love sports, and I have a collection of different shoes for different activities. I would never wear my cycling shoes to a softball game. And likewise, a soldier would never enter the battlefield without proper boots. The Roman soldiers had studs on their shoes that enabled them to have traction on any terrain.

Paul likens the Gospel to a pair of effective shoes that can enable us to have traction even in challenging environments. As we go, we are declaring the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15). The prophet Isaiah writes that those who bring this Gospel of peace have beautiful feet (Isaiah 52:7). Jesus is the only one in whom peace is found (Ephesians 2:14).

  • The Shield of Faith

The ancient Roman soldier carried a huge shield that could be used to build a wall of protection when standing alongside other soldiers. The purpose of the shield was to cover the entire body from the enemy’s darts. David referred to God as our shield (Psalm 18:30).

When we take on our new identity and by faith realize our position in Christ, we have an impenetrable shield protecting us (Ephesians 2:6).

  • The Helmet of Salvation

The Roman helmet was a heavy and covered the neck and cheeks of the soldier. It goes without saying that our brains are vulnerable to injury in a battle. That is why it is the primary target for boxers.

Satan also knows that we can be most vulnerable in our thoughts and feelings. Satan’s demons use the darts of fear, depression, discouragement, and anxiety, to attack the child of God. This is why we have the helmet of salvation; our minds need to constantly be reminded of the promises and the truth of our eternal salvation. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.

We need to go to God daily and be reminded of His love and promises towards us (Ephesians 2:7).

  • The Sword of the Spirit

This final piece of the armor is the only offensive weapon we have, and it is sufficient. The Roman soldiers did not have a long medieval sword, their weapon was a short sword that was used in close combat. We must always remember that our battle is deeply personal.

Paul writes that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. The Greek word that he uses for “word” is rhema as opposed to the more common logos. The rhema word is the spoken word that is activated by the Holy Spirit. It is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12).

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he used the Word of God as his only weapon and Satan left him. The Sword of the Spirit is crucial to our victory, but in order to overcome the enemy, we need to know the word of God.

Our “swords” are useless on the shelf. We need to open, meditate, and memorize the promises of God’s word. Only then will we be effective in our warfare.

One final point to note is that the armor of God does not have any protection for the back of the soldier. This is because in Christ, we are victorious and there is never any thought of retreat. As we see in verses 11 to 14, we are to stand on the victory that Jesus has already won.

Join me this week as we put on the armor of God to stand firm daily.

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Sermon, Sunday November 29, 2020 We are at War

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December 7, 1941, September 11 2001, April 15 2013. These dates will always be remembered as days when America was attacked by a foreign enemy. Dates when the distant war was brought close to home. But for the majority of people living in America in 2020, war is something that is glamorized in the movies or watched on the news from distant lands. The horror and the pain of war is not a reality that we are familiar with, and that is something to be thankful for this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

However, as Christians, we need to be reminded that we are on the frontlines of a real war with a vicious enemy who does not adhere to conventional rules of engagement. I am talking about the spiritual warfare that we are engaged in daily, whether we realize it or not.

Our enemy is an ancient one. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Satan was the most beautiful and anointed of the angels (Ezekiel 28:11-19). But because of his pride, the root of all sin, he fell and was cast out by God (Isaiah 14:9-20). But Satan still has access to God, and he is the accuser (Revelation 12:10), the deceiver (2 Corinthians 11:3) and the destroyer (1 Peter 5:8–9). The enemy of our souls and the enemy of the church is powerful and real.

The Apostle Paul closed the letter to the Ephesians with an encouragement to stand firm against the enemy of our souls. He began the letter by teaching on our identity as children of God in chapters 1 to 3. Then he continues with instructions of how we are to live and walk in our new identity as followers of Jesus in chapters 4 to the first part of chapter 6. This final section is not simply a closing paragraph, but is rather the capstone of this incredible letter.

Many people claim to be Christians because they have gone through the motions of some religious tradition, but they are not aware of the spiritual forces of evil that surround us on a daily basis. The Bible is clear that as true children of God, we are in a war. We are in a daily battle of life and death. We are fighting for the lives of our children, our co-workers and our neighbors. We are at war against spiritual forces that have the primary objective of taking souls with them to hell.

But there is good news, this enemy is raging because he is already defeated. When Jesus died and rose again, the victory over Satan was accomplished (John 12:31 and John 16:11). The apostle Paul does not urge us to fight for victory, rather we are fighting from the victory that is already completed. Satan is described in the Bible as the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). We live in a broken world, eagerly waiting for Jesus to come again and finally cast Satan and his demons into the eternal fire of Hell (Revelation 20:10). But until that time, we are called to stand firm.

The encouragement to stand firm is echoed through verses 11 to 14. The key to standing is found in verse 10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” We are standing not in our own strength, but in the strength of the all-powerful God of the universe. He is our strength, His is the victory (Romans 8:37).

The Apostle Paul was keenly aware of his dependency on the strength of God, he embraced his weakness because he realized that this was the key to victory (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

“If dependence is the objective, weakness becomes an advantage. Beware your strengths, not your weaknesses, because your strengths are those places you are most likely to forget God.” JD Greear

We are dependent on God for our salvation and for our daily strength to stand against the enemy. We do not fight for victory, rather we fight from victory.

The key to living the victorious Christian life is living from the first three chapters of Ephesians. If we are not sitting before Jesus in worship, knowing our identity and walking in that, we will never be able to stand against the attacks of the enemy. Only those who sit can stand.

Our spiritual warfare is defensive, standing firm on the ground that Jesus has already secured with his victory over sin and death. As we stand firm, we have been given a defensive armor as we will see in the following verses of Ephesians 6.

Satan primarily attacks believers through our thoughts and feelings. Our emotions and our will. As we sit at the feet of Jesus and know our true identity as children of God, we are able to stand firm against these attacks.

We need to have a paradigm shift in our approach to the attacks of the enemy of our souls. We frequently ask God to help us to defeat Satan in a certain area of our lives, but may I suggest a different way of praying. We need to pray, thanking God for the victory that Jesus has already won and ask Him for the strength to stand firm.

This requires faith. Praising God for the miracle of victory even before we experience it. When you feel oppressed and attacked by Satan and his demons, simply praise God for what He has done and thank Him for the victory. Allowing God then to bring about the experience of that reality.

What is our reality? Remember that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Our limited faith and weak flesh struggles to accept this reality and we somehow feel that we have to win battles that have already been won. We have been saved to declare the truth of our position, by being Christ’s ambassadors here in order to bring glory to God.

If only the modern church grasped the truth that we stand from a position of victory. The victory does not occur in the book of Revelation, it has already occurred in the resurrection of Jesus that we read about in the Gospels.

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Sermon, Sunday November 22, 2020 Spirit Filled Work.

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What was your worst job?

Our perspective of the work we do and our purpose for getting out of bed in the morning makes all the difference. What is your motivation for work?

This applies to all of us, even if you are retired or a student. How you spend your days matter in the Kingdom of God (See Colossians 3:23-24). As a follower of Jesus, you serve a higher calling and purpose. When you become a Christian, you change your boss without changing your job. When you become a follower of Jesus, it is never about a paycheck.

At first glance, this passage doesn’t seem to apply to our 21st century life, but we have to understand that slavery in Biblical times was very different to the type of slavery that took place under the European colonial empires and the North American continent, where people were forcibly taken into captivity from Africa, Asia and South America, being forced to work under harsh conditions for the rest of their lives.

It is estimated that there were sixty million slaves in the Roman empire. Although there was forced slavery with  harsh conditions, some slaves became managers and did what we would consider white collar jobs. Slaves could get an education, buy property and eventually, their freedom if they chose to do so. It was considered as a way to secure housing and many obtained their freedom by the age of thirty.

People became slaves through birth, abandonment, being sold by parents, prisoners of war, inability to pay debts, or even voluntarily subjection to obtain a better life. Race was not a factor in this model of slavery.

But with all that said, this does not make slavery acceptable. It is never acceptable that someone can “own” another human being created in the image of God. It is widely agreed that this first century form of slavery slowly died out as Christianity began to grow and influence society.

From Ephesians 5:5-8, we are taught to live and work with the perspective that Christ is our ultimate master. Paul, writing to slaves, freed them from living in the mundane and gave them a higher purpose to work.

This aligns with the singular purpose for which we were created, to bring glory to God.

So how were slaves instructed to bring glory to God through their work?

We see four instructions in these verses.

  1. They were to work respectfully, with reverence because they were working unto Christ (verse 5).
  2. They were to work wholeheartedly, not simply working when being watched or to please the boss. Rather the emphasis is on working from the heart, unto Christ (verse 6).
  3. They were to work willingly, with a good attitude, not with a begrudging spirit (verse 7).
  4. Finally, Paul reminds them that nothing goes unnoticed before the Lord (verse 8).  

As we know from 2 Corinthians 5:10, every believer will stand before the judgment of Jesus and give an account for the way in which we have used our time.

Thinking about work this way, is quite a paradigm shift for many and should change the way we work. No work is merely work, whether it is cleaning the kitchen or designing the next skyscraper. Everything we put our hands to is to be unto the Lord.

This is particularly challenging to put into practice in our own strength; but remember the context of this passage, Paul is writing about Spirit-filled living. This is the application of starting every day asking God to fill us and use us for His glory. You are God’s missionary and Christ’s ambassador in your place of work. We can only do that by asking the Holy Spirit to fill us and equip us for the day. We are called to live like Christ, with his work ethic (see Philippians 2:7)

Jesus wasn’t a begrudging servant, he lived every-day on purpose to the glory of the Father. If you are a follower of Jesus, you should be displaying Spirit filled excellence in your place of work.

John Stott writes: “It is possible for the housewife to cook a meal as if Jesus Christ were going to eat it, or to spring-clean the house as if Jesus Christ were the honored guest. It is possible for teachers to educate children, for doctors to treat patients and nurses to care for them, for shop assistants to serve customers, accountants to audit books and secretaries to type letters as if in each case they were serving Jesus Christ.”

This passage also addresses leaders and managers (verse 9).

A Christian who has responsibility and influence over others in the workplace, is called to lead like Christ. Jesus displayed servant leadership. He demonstrated leadership by firmly confronting evil one day and then washing his disciple’s feet the next.  Jesus was the model of a perfect leader.

As a manager, you may have less accountability and even opportunity to make unethical decisions. However, any unethical profit will be fleeting. Jesus is your master, audience, and the ultimate judge.

This should change the way we relate to people. Culture teaches that people have different value based on their perceived level of importance. But this text destroys that way of thinking. Our value in the kingdom of God is never in any way determined by our role in this life, only by our obedience to God (see Matthew 20:25-28).

We must be mindful of the subtle ways in which we prefer certain people. Our body language and our tone of voice speaks volumes about the way we view people who are different to us. Remember who we represent and who we are talking to (see Hebrews 13:2).

How do we treat that store assistant, cleaner or waiter? Let us learn to really see people the way God sees them.  

Everything revolves around our relationship with Jesus Christ. It does not matter if you are a mill operator or a corporate executive, what matters is do we serve the master?

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Sermon, Sunday November 15, 2020 Spirit Filled Families

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As a church we can proclaim to be fiercely pro-life, from conception to the grave, but sometimes we can be guilty of categorizing the value of people based on their productive ability.

And this is never more prevalent in the area of our children. Our children can be noisy and messy, but they are of inestimable value in the Kingdom of God (see Mark 10:13-14).

We are so blessed to have so many children in our church family and I believe that they are our greatest responsibility. The training up of children in the ways of the Lord is the primary responsibility of the parents, but it is all of our responsibility. The community of believers all bear the responsibility of caring for and setting examples for our children.

In the first century Roman Empire, children were not valued at all. It was legal for a father to discard a newborn onto the trash heap if he decided not to keep the child. But the early church was radically different to their culture and had a high regard for children, as should we. There is no greater responsibility than to be entrusted with the short time that we must teach and mold these children in the ways of the Lord.

Paul begins by addressing children and telling them to obey their parents, “…for this is right”, Ephesians 6:1.

This seems obvious, but sadly our post-modern culture would re-write this verse to say, “Parents, obey your children, for this will keep them happy and bring peace to the home.”

When Paul says, “for this is right”, he is simply stating that this is the ordained order of nature. It is part of the natural law of God written on every human heart. If you study history, virtually every civilization in history has regarded this natural law as indispensable for a stable society.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church he adds the phrase, “…for this pleases the Lord” Colossians 3:20.

Now, this must not be a blanket statement that parents use for abuse. Our foremost authority is to Jesus, and if parents instruct their children to do things that are obviously contrary to the Word of God, then the child’s first line of obedience is to the Lord.

Paul writes in verse 2 that children must honor their parents. To honor means to show respect and love. Children do not honor when they talk back to their parents or mock them. This is not simply wrong; it is dishonoring to God Himself who has given you those parents.

Paul was referring to the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12 and in Exodus 21 anyone who cursed their parent or hit them, was to be put to death!

This commandment does not only apply to a certain age group, God requires all of us to honor our parents. 

Verse 4 has a particular challenge to parents, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” Ephesians 6:4. The word translated as fathers, is translated in other passages as “parents”, so it is safe to assume that Paul is referring to both parents in the role of raising their children.

This verse is more than simply an instruction not to make children angry, it is an instruction to parents to directly teach children and to disciple them in the ways of God. Our society has abdicated the responsibility of raising our children to the public-school systems and we wonder why society is failing in so many areas.

Parents taking the responsibility for the training of their children is the way God intends society to function (Proverbs 6:20).

In the ancient world, fathers had absolute control, they could abuse and even kill their children without any repercussions. We don’t have that challenge in our culture; however, we can be guilty of causing anger and discouragement in our children. Our children are often neglected and fail to receive the love and approval that will cause them to thrive in society. We can easily discourage our children by comparing them to other children or by using sarcasm and ridicule. Conversely, nothing causes a child to thrive like positive encouragement and unconditional love.

The Apostle Paul writes that parents are to, “but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” Ephesians 6:4b.

Contemporary parent counsellors and sociologists teach that we are to be more hands-off in the training of children. We are told to be non-directive and let them, “find their own way”.

Let me assure you, someone has an agenda for your children. Satan and his demons love to find children who have been left to, “find their own way”. Parents, it is our primary responsibility to train and instruct our children in the ways of the Lord. Danny Akin says about parenting, “have fun and talk about Jesus a lot”

We must teach our children that Jesus is Lord, and he is the ultimate and highest good. We must teach our children faith by living it in front of them. Involve our children in the process of praying through important life decisions. Parents, we can talk all day about living under the lordship of Jesus Christ, but unless our children see it in our lives, they will never make it their own.

Sadly, so many young people have left the church the moment they graduated from high school. I believe the primary reason is that they see the church as a social construct or a social club that their parents belong to. They do not see the power of the Gospel on display and the lifestyle of faith that the Bible talks about.

Parents lead your homes by faith and involve your children in the journey.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    those who build it labor in vain.

Psalm 127:1a

Parenting is only possible with God and it is a daily walk by faith. We need to learn to commit our children to the Lord daily in prayer as we look to Him for grace and wisdom.