WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:05.940 Listen to a Sermon, 1-877-OPEN-365 00:00:05.940 –> 00:00:07.100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 00:00:07.100 –> 00:00:15.200 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website, openthebible.org. 00:00:15.200 –> 00:00:17.760 Let’s get to the message. 00:00:17.760 –> 00:00:20.540 Here is Pastor Colin. 00:00:20.540 –> 00:00:24.799 I wonder if you’ve noticed that the Bible falls into three parts. 00:00:24.799 –> 00:00:28.879 The Old Testament tells us why we need Jesus. 00:00:28.980 –> 00:00:33.660 The Gospels tell us who Jesus is and what He accomplished. 00:00:33.660 –> 00:00:39.160 And then you have the New Testament letters that describe for us the life of a person 00:00:39.160 –> 00:00:40.560 who is in Jesus. 00:00:40.560 –> 00:00:44.160 The life of a person who belongs to Jesus. 00:00:44.160 –> 00:00:48.020 And in this last part of our journey as we’re moving through these New Testament letters, 00:00:48.020 –> 00:00:55.119 there are really four things that we’ve discovered that change when a person becomes a Christian. 00:00:55.119 –> 00:01:00.700 When you came by faith to be in Christ, first, your sins were forgiven. 00:01:00.700 –> 00:01:03.119 Your condemnation was removed. 00:01:03.119 –> 00:01:04.919 You were justified. 00:01:04.919 –> 00:01:10.720 You entered into an entirely new relationship of peace with God. 00:01:10.720 –> 00:01:15.160 Second, you became a new creation. 00:01:15.160 –> 00:01:21.620 God’s holy spirit invaded your life, giving you new desires, giving you a new heart, giving 00:01:22.260 –> 00:01:27.099 you a new capacity to pursue a life that is pleasing to God. 00:01:27.099 –> 00:01:30.879 Third, being a child of God you become part of his family. 00:01:30.879 –> 00:01:34.900 We looked at this last week, the family of God being the church. 00:01:34.900 –> 00:01:41.820 We looked at the church being central to the plan and purpose of God and being the focus 00:01:41.820 –> 00:01:44.300 of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:01:44.300 –> 00:01:50.839 Christ loves the church and gave himself for it and therefore we should love the church 00:01:51.639 –> 00:01:54.379 ourselves for her as well. 00:01:54.379 –> 00:01:59.279 Now today we’re going to focus in particularly on the fourth thing that really changed when 00:01:59.279 –> 00:02:01.120 you became a Christian. 00:02:01.120 –> 00:02:06.580 And that is that when you came to be in Christ, you provoked the attention of an enemy whose 00:02:06.580 –> 00:02:10.759 set purpose is to destroy the work of God. 00:02:10.759 –> 00:02:16.679 And so by definition anyone who is a Christian is engaged in a lifelong battle. 00:02:16.679 –> 00:02:23.399 And our focus today, very simply from Ephesians in chapter 6, is how you can stand in that 00:02:23.399 –> 00:02:24.399 battle. 00:02:24.399 –> 00:02:26.320 I want to begin with four observations. 00:02:26.320 –> 00:02:30.320 The first is simply this, that every Christian is in a battle. 00:02:30.320 –> 00:02:32.839 Let’s get this settled in our minds. 00:02:32.839 –> 00:02:40.039 Verse 11, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes 00:02:40.039 –> 00:02:42.139 of the devil. 00:02:42.139 –> 00:02:46.300 There’s a question, and I invite you to give a response and an answer to it. 00:02:46.300 –> 00:02:53.940 Will the battle get easier or harder as you grow and mature as a Christian. 00:02:53.940 –> 00:02:54.940 Answer? 00:02:54.940 –> 00:02:55.940 Harder. 00:02:55.940 –> 00:03:02.300 Well, all three services seem to be agreed on this, and that is absolutely right. 00:03:02.300 –> 00:03:09.839 The wind blows harder at the top of the mountain than it does at the bottom. 00:03:10.020 –> 00:03:15.160 The more you progress in the Christian life, the harder your battles will be. 00:03:15.160 –> 00:03:21.839 Very simply, the more you resist the enemy, the more he will throw at you. 00:03:21.839 –> 00:03:28.940 So if your battles are becoming more intense, actually in a surprising way, an ironic way, 00:03:28.940 –> 00:03:33.039 you can actually draw some encouragement from that, because this is more likely to be a 00:03:33.039 –> 00:03:36.759 sign that you are growing than a sign that you are failing. 00:03:36.960 –> 00:03:41.759 I often have conversations where someone will say, well, pastor, my temptations are so strong, 00:03:41.759 –> 00:03:47.059 they’re so intense, or the battles that I’m facing right now they’re so great, and the 00:03:47.059 –> 00:03:51.300 conclusion that a person draws is, thereby I must be failing, I must be doing something 00:03:51.300 –> 00:03:52.300 wrong. 00:03:52.300 –> 00:03:55.740 Actually, precisely the opposite may be the case. 00:03:55.740 –> 00:04:01.779 The higher you climb, the stronger the wind blows. 00:04:01.779 –> 00:04:03.380 And you find this all throughout the Bible. 00:04:03.380 –> 00:04:11.660 In the books of Job, it is the godliest man who faces the greatest struggles. 00:04:11.660 –> 00:04:16.420 You see that in the Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians chapter seven and verse five. 00:04:16.420 –> 00:04:21.059 Here’s the apostle, and he’s engaged in pioneer work for the Gospel. 00:04:21.059 –> 00:04:22.059 And what does he say? 00:04:22.059 –> 00:04:28.640 When we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, we were afflicted at every turn, 00:04:28.640 –> 00:04:30.739 fighting without and fear within. 00:04:30.739 –> 00:04:33.359 Well that was the apostle’s experience. 00:04:33.359 –> 00:04:38.019 See, he’s a long way up the mountain and the wind is really blowing hard for him. 00:04:38.019 –> 00:04:45.700 He comes to this place, Macedonia, and he says, we had no rest. 00:04:45.700 –> 00:04:53.119 We experienced battles all around us and we experienced tremendous fear even in our own 00:04:53.119 –> 00:04:54.559 believing hearts. 00:04:54.559 –> 00:04:57.359 That’s what he says. 00:04:57.619 –> 00:05:03.799 And of course you see this supremely in the Son of God himself, the holiest one of all. 00:05:03.799 –> 00:05:07.260 No one knows the intensity of the battle that he faced. 00:05:07.260 –> 00:05:15.559 So if your battle is becoming more intense, you may conclude from this, that it is a sign 00:05:15.559 –> 00:05:18.700 that in fact you are making progress. 00:05:18.700 –> 00:05:20.760 Everyone is in a battle. 00:05:20.760 –> 00:05:23.220 Second, the battle is spiritual. 00:05:23.500 –> 00:05:28.880 Proverbs 12, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. 00:05:28.880 –> 00:05:31.040 Very important principle. 00:05:31.040 –> 00:05:35.739 Your primary battle is never with people. 00:05:35.739 –> 00:05:42.200 There may be people who bring pain in your life, but they are not the enemy, they are 00:05:42.200 –> 00:05:46.079 the victims of the enemy. 00:05:46.079 –> 00:05:50.880 And it’s easy for us to think that if only we can get free of certain people, if only 00:05:51.320 –> 00:05:54.559 certain people would change, then all would be well. 00:05:54.559 –> 00:05:58.440 But of course, that is never the case. 00:05:58.440 –> 00:06:06.859 The biggest problem in your marriage is not your spouse, and it’s not you either. 00:06:06.859 –> 00:06:12.559 It’s the enemy, the unseen enemy who is determined to destroy your marriage. 00:06:12.559 –> 00:06:18.739 That’s the real enemy that you have to be concerned with, your battle is against him. 00:06:18.739 –> 00:06:23.019 The biggest threat to your usefulness to Christ is not the wounds that you have suffered, 00:06:23.019 –> 00:06:27.140 or the defeats you may have endured, or the injustice that you may have faced. 00:06:27.140 –> 00:06:32.420 The biggest threat to your usefulness to Christ is your unseen enemy who wants to use these 00:06:32.420 –> 00:06:36.420 things to make you ineffective and unproductive. 00:06:36.420 –> 00:06:41.420 We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. 00:06:41.420 –> 00:06:46.459 Third, the battle will vary in intensity. 00:06:47.459 –> 00:06:54.579 Therefore, take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand when? 00:06:54.579 –> 00:07:02.859 In the Evil Day Now, in every life, there will be seasons 00:07:02.859 –> 00:07:11.160 of particular difficulty, and Paul describes these seasons as the Evil Day. 00:07:11.239 –> 00:07:18.500 These are the times when the enemy seems to be throwing everything at you, and it’s unrelenting. 00:07:18.500 –> 00:07:25.540 And these times are invariably the most critical seasons of your life. 00:07:25.540 –> 00:07:28.799 You see this in the ministry of Jesus. 00:07:28.799 –> 00:07:35.880 You asked the question, was the attack of Satan against the work of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:07:36.160 –> 00:07:38.799 evenly distributed across his ministry? 00:07:38.799 –> 00:07:41.399 The answer is clearly, no. 00:07:41.399 –> 00:07:44.440 It was focused at two particular points. 00:07:44.440 –> 00:07:49.540 At the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness 00:07:49.540 –> 00:07:51.640 to be tempted by the devil. 00:07:51.640 –> 00:07:56.880 There was a great struggle in which the enemy did all that he could to prevent the Ministry 00:07:56.880 –> 00:08:00.920 of Jesus from even getting started. 00:08:00.920 –> 00:08:04.519 And if God has called you to a particular ministry the devil will do all that he can 00:08:04.579 –> 00:08:07.980 to stop you from even getting started. 00:08:07.980 –> 00:08:11.679 But of course he failed in that attempt, Christ triumphed over him. 00:08:11.679 –> 00:08:18.000 Then Luke tells us, chapter 4, verse 13, that when the enemy failed he in effect retreated. 00:08:18.000 –> 00:08:19.119 Luke says, 00:08:27.519 –> 00:08:33.419 The ministry of Jesus then moves forward for 3 years in remarkable triumph and progress. 00:08:33.500 –> 00:08:36.460 But then all hell is let loose. 00:08:36.460 –> 00:08:38.179 The enemy tempts Peter. 00:08:38.179 –> 00:08:41.119 The enemy enters into Judas. 00:08:41.140 –> 00:08:46.640 He works his schemes through the pride of the priests, through the hatred of the crowd, 00:08:46.640 –> 00:08:49.619 and through the weakness of a man called Pontius Pilate. 00:08:49.619 –> 00:08:54.299 The powers of darkness were then unleashed as never before. 00:08:54.299 –> 00:08:57.479 That’s Luke chapter 22 and verse 53. 00:08:57.479 –> 00:09:03.099 Now, just looking at the pattern we see in scripture and particularly then in the life 00:09:03.099 –> 00:09:07.940 and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can draw this conclusion that Paul is pointing 00:09:07.940 –> 00:09:09.679 out for us here. 00:09:09.679 –> 00:09:16.219 There will be times in your life when you find yourself in the heat of battle. 00:09:16.219 –> 00:09:20.559 Not all your days are the same, there are seasons. 00:09:20.559 –> 00:09:25.179 There is such a thing as the evil day. 00:09:25.179 –> 00:09:32.219 Now, friends, I’m very, very conscious as I’ve prepared to speak today, that for some 00:09:32.260 –> 00:09:37.679 of you, you are right there now. 00:09:37.679 –> 00:09:44.679 Battles with health, conflicts in the family, struggles with fear just in situations that 00:09:47.520 –> 00:09:53.159 I’ve been able to think and pray about this week, let alone the many more that I do not 00:09:53.159 –> 00:09:58.140 know of in detail. 00:09:58.140 –> 00:10:05.140 The battle will vary in intensity, and if you are in the heat of battle I am so glad 00:10:05.840 –> 00:10:11.000 that God has brought you here today so that we can focus in the Scripture on this great 00:10:11.000 –> 00:10:16.460 question, how now can you stand in this? 00:10:16.460 –> 00:10:23.460 Notice fourthly then that your objective is to stand. Paul uses the word stand on no less 00:10:24.460 –> 00:10:29.940 than four occasions, as if to keep underlining it. You see that verse eleven? Put on the 00:10:29.940 –> 00:10:34.760 whole armour of God so that you may be able to do what? Stand against the schemes of the 00:10:34.760 –> 00:10:41.580 devil. Verse thirteen, take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in 00:10:41.580 –> 00:10:47.700 the evil day. And having done all here it is again to stand firm. Then just in case 00:10:47.719 –> 00:10:54.700 we haven’t got it yet, verse fourteen, stand, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth. 00:10:54.700 –> 00:11:01.700 Now get this clear, it’s very important, when the day of evil comes, when it seems 00:11:01.719 –> 00:11:08.719 that everything is being thrown against you, God has set one objective for you. And it’s 00:11:09.419 –> 00:11:16.419 very clear, one objective, and it is very simply that you stand. It is not that you 00:11:16.460 –> 00:11:23.299 conquer the world, it is not that you have the most marvelous testimony, it is not that 00:11:23.299 –> 00:11:30.059 you make phenomenal progress, it is simply that when you face the heat of the battle 00:11:30.059 –> 00:11:37.059 at its most intense, you will stand. So make this your goal. Don’t expect to be waving 00:11:37.960 –> 00:11:44.380 triumphant banners in the middle of the day of evil. Your aim should simply be to maintain 00:11:44.380 –> 00:11:51.380 your position, to stand your ground, and not to quit. Be steadfast, be unmovable. That’s 00:11:55.159 –> 00:12:02.159 the word we need to hear for the times when we are in the heat of battle. Now the obvious 00:12:02.900 –> 00:12:09.900 question then is how. How are we to stand in the heat of the battle and we read here 00:12:10.799 –> 00:12:17.799 verse 11, put on the whole armor of God. Now here friends we come to one of the Bible’s 00:12:22.020 –> 00:12:29.020 best known illustrations and you understand an illustration is like gold dust for a preacher 00:12:32.059 –> 00:12:38.900 but here is what can easily happen with a really good illustration. Now the preacher 00:12:38.979 –> 00:12:45.979 has a good illustration. He tells a story about a dog and it’s a really good story about a 00:12:47.679 –> 00:12:52.599 dog. In fact it’s such a good story that it stays with you and a couple of days later 00:12:52.599 –> 00:12:58.559 you tell the story to a friend. Oh, you say the sermon on Sunday and the pastor, he told 00:12:58.559 –> 00:13:03.039 a marvelous story about a dog. I’ve got to tell you the story and so you tell this story 00:13:03.039 –> 00:13:06.940 and then your friend says to you this is a great story about a dog. What exactly was the 00:13:06.940 –> 00:13:13.940 point that the pastor was trying to make in telling it? And you say I can’t really 00:13:14.500 –> 00:13:19.219 remember. I’m terribly sorry. We all know that experience, right? I know that experience. 00:13:19.219 –> 00:13:26.219 That sometimes an illustration is just so good that is overpowers the message that it 00:13:28.880 –> 00:13:33.919 was intended to convey. I’ve spoken to a couple of folks in marketing this morning 00:13:33.919 –> 00:13:37.719 who said that’s exactly the problem that we face. We come up with this brilliant way 00:13:37.719 –> 00:13:42.559 of selling the product and people can’t remember the product that we were trying to sell? 00:13:42.559 –> 00:13:48.780 Now, I think that that may have been the case with one of the best known illustrations in 00:13:48.780 –> 00:13:53.080 the Bible. The one that we’re looking at today, the illustration of the armor. Everyone 00:13:53.080 –> 00:13:59.500 who’s been through Sunday school has heard talks about the belt, the breastplate, the 00:13:59.979 –> 00:14:06.820 shoes, the shield, the helmet, and the sword. Depending on how old you are, you will have 00:14:06.820 –> 00:14:15.179 had it presented in different ways. On a screen, with a magnetic board, Or for some of us who 00:14:15.179 –> 00:14:18.780 are a little bit older, all the way back to flannel graph. And some of you don’t even 00:14:18.780 –> 00:14:24.280 know what that is. But little children coming forward and putting these sticky pieces of 00:14:25.280 –> 00:14:30.940 person or a 6 foot model that’s there and everyone comes and dresses up the soldier 00:14:30.940 –> 00:14:36.599 in the armor and we get the illustration. The problem is that we forget the point that 00:14:36.599 –> 00:14:43.119 it is intended to convey which is all about truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, 00:14:43.119 –> 00:14:48.059 and the word of God, which are the means in which we are able to stand in the heat of 00:14:48.059 –> 00:14:54.000 battle. So I’m actually going to say very little about the armor today because what 00:14:54.000 –> 00:15:03.299 I want to focus on is the point of the illustration, which is how you can stand in the heat of 00:15:03.299 –> 00:15:15.940 battle. Number one then, stand in truth. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth. 00:15:15.940 –> 00:15:23.820 Now Paul is not talking about the Bible here. We know that because that comes later when 00:15:23.900 –> 00:15:31.159 he says that the sword of the spirit is the word of God. What he’s speaking about here 00:15:31.159 –> 00:15:43.179 is cando, honesty, facing the reality of the situation you are in without evasion and without 00:15:43.179 –> 00:15:50.239 avoidance. The belt of truth is really truth as David spoke of it in Psalm 51 when he said 00:15:50.320 –> 00:15:59.440 to God surely you desire truth in the inner parts. You want me to be honest. 00:15:59.440 –> 00:16:05.859 Now, when you find yourself in the heat of battle, your starting point must always be 00:16:05.859 –> 00:16:13.299 to establish what is true. It may well help you to get a bit of paper and start writing 00:16:13.299 –> 00:16:19.619 what is true down in short statements you will have many of them. The truth of the struggle 00:16:19.640 –> 00:16:28.080 that you are facing. Write down the truth, the all truth, and nothing but the truth. 00:16:28.080 –> 00:16:34.760 Describe the circumstances that you face, the pressures that you feel, the sins to which 00:16:34.840 –> 00:16:45.460 you are tempted and the truths that you believe. Be ruthlessly honest. Start with what is obvious 00:16:45.700 –> 00:16:51.599 and then move to what is less obvious. And when you have finished writing, ask yourself 00:16:51.599 –> 00:16:58.599 what else is true? What might my mind have avoided because it’s a part of the truth 00:16:58.919 –> 00:17:05.880 that I don’t really yet want to face. The Bible has a whole book that models this 00:17:05.880 –> 00:17:11.239 for us. It is, of course, the book of Psalms. What do you find in the book of Psalms? You 00:17:11.380 –> 00:17:18.380 find the Psalmist facing reality with no hiding, no evading, no avoiding. And if you are to 00:17:21.500 –> 00:17:28.500 stand in the heat of battle, this is where you must begin. And undertake this exercise 00:17:28.780 –> 00:17:33.160 with prayer. Notice verse 18, praying at all times in the 00:17:33.160 –> 00:17:39.140 spirit with all prayer and supplications. In other words, ask God to show you what you’re 00:17:39.459 –> 00:17:44.560 missing. These things I see to be true. What else is true, that’s pertinent to this situation 00:17:44.560 –> 00:17:51.560 that I have not yet seen, and have not yet expressed. Put on the gospel armor each piece 00:17:52.319 –> 00:17:59.319 put on with prayer. Now, I was doing this in a time of difficulty 00:18:00.280 –> 00:18:07.280 in my own life. Just framing out the particular pressures that I was facing and the issues 00:18:09.959 –> 00:18:16.800 circumstances that were there and some of the emotions that were going with it and trying 00:18:16.800 –> 00:18:23.800 to get to the truth of what I’m dealing with in this particular situation. And in the process 00:18:26.900 –> 00:18:33.900 this came to my mind, I am giving way to self pity. That was an uncomfortable truth, but 00:18:40.079 –> 00:18:46.119 it was a turning point in that particular battle. You shall know the truth and the truth 00:18:46.119 –> 00:18:51.920 shall set you free, our Lord Jesus says. And there is something tremendously liberating 00:18:51.920 –> 00:18:58.920 about coming face to face with reality and to stop avoiding and to stop evading. 00:18:59.479 –> 00:19:03.280 So, you may find yourself saying, 00:19:03.280 –> 00:19:15.160 I am giving way to fear. I am losing heart. I am becoming addicted. I am becoming a pain 00:19:15.160 –> 00:19:25.959 to live with. I am worn out. And I need a break. The truth, the place to begin if you 00:19:26.319 –> 00:19:33.319 are to stand in the heat of battle is an honest facing of reality. And you will find that 00:19:36.660 –> 00:19:41.660 close friends and wise counselors are able to speak into the truth of what you are facing. 00:19:47.760 –> 00:19:52.160 This is an exercise. Facing the truth is something that you should begin on your own but it should 00:19:52.219 –> 00:19:59.219 not be entirely done on your own. Allow those who know your situation to contribute what 00:19:59.579 –> 00:20:05.459 is true here that you may have missed. And that you may need to hear and that you may 00:20:05.459 –> 00:20:12.459 need to factor in. And remember that avoiding the truth inevitably leads to defeat. Always. 00:20:14.640 –> 00:20:21.319 But facing the truth is where you start when you are going to stand. 00:20:21.439 –> 00:20:24.880 Now one more thing before we move on here and spending more time on this first one I 00:20:24.880 –> 00:20:33.260 promise you than on the others but, if you want to help someone who is in the heat of 00:20:33.260 –> 00:20:40.160 battle, if you want to be a good friend to someone who is really struggling, if you want 00:20:40.160 –> 00:20:46.800 to be a wise counselor to someone who invites you alongside them in the battle that they 00:20:46.839 –> 00:20:55.819 are facing, this is where you must begin. What is the truth of this situation? What 00:20:55.819 –> 00:21:02.420 is the reality here? And what you can contribute may often be that there is something that 00:21:02.420 –> 00:21:09.260 you see that the person themselves has not so easily been able to perceive. God says 00:21:09.520 –> 00:21:19.520 though the prophet Jeremiah he says I will give you shepherds after my own heart. Now 00:21:19.520 –> 00:21:23.579 what do shepherds after God’s own heart do? Well there are many answers to that question 00:21:23.579 –> 00:21:29.300 obviously, but what Jeremiah tells us particularly here is that the shepherds who are after God’s 00:21:29.300 –> 00:21:36.579 own heart will feed you with knowledge and understanding. That’s a particular contribution 00:21:36.739 –> 00:21:41.140 that they make, they’re not there to fix your problem, but they are able to bring, good 00:21:41.140 –> 00:21:48.260 shepherds, that will bring to you the strengthening that comes from a proper knowledge and understanding 00:21:48.260 –> 00:21:54.380 of what you are actually facing. The truth may be hard but facing it will always be nourishing 00:21:54.380 –> 00:22:01.640 and because it is nourishing it feeds you it will strengthen you. So wise counsel always 00:22:01.660 –> 00:22:08.160 begins with a proper understanding of the truth of a situation, which is why James says 00:22:08.160 –> 00:22:19.380 that we must all be quick to listen and slow to speak. And I was struck just this week 00:22:19.380 –> 00:22:26.400 in my own reading of scripture by the words of Jesus speaking to his disciples on the 00:22:26.920 –> 00:22:33.680 night that he was betrayed. And he says this in John chapter 16 verse 12. 00:22:33.680 –> 00:22:43.459 I have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now. Think about that 00:22:43.459 –> 00:22:54.300 Jesus says I have many things to say to you, many things, but you cannot bear them 00:22:54.300 –> 00:23:02.459 now. So what you say to a person in the heat of battle has to relate to their 00:23:02.459 –> 00:23:09.619 capacity to receive it. And Jesus chose not to reveal to his disciples more than 00:23:09.619 –> 00:23:15.040 they were able to bear, at that particular time. The truth was, that at 00:23:15.040 –> 00:23:21.300 this point the disciples had very limited ability to hear and a wise 00:23:21.319 –> 00:23:27.800 person will not be one who unloads everything that they see and another 00:23:27.800 –> 00:23:35.459 person has not seen. They will measure the truth that is spoken according to 00:23:35.459 –> 00:23:42.579 the person’s ability to hear. Now this is the starting point for standing in the 00:23:42.579 –> 00:23:50.819 battle. You stand in truth. More briefly moving on. You stand in righteousness. 00:23:50.819 –> 00:23:56.920 Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the 00:23:56.920 –> 00:24:03.300 breastplate of righteousness. Now the breastplate of righteousness is not 00:24:03.300 –> 00:24:08.699 referring here to the righteousness of Christ that is counted as ours when we 00:24:08.780 –> 00:24:14.520 come to faith in him. Remember Paul is writing to those who are in Christ, his 00:24:14.520 –> 00:24:20.140 righteousness is already theirs. This is a marvelous truth. When the righteousness 00:24:20.140 –> 00:24:24.920 of Christ is counted as yours and you’re clothed in it you do not need to put it 00:24:24.920 –> 00:24:31.380 on every day. It is yours in time and it is yours forever. So what Paul is 00:24:31.380 –> 00:24:38.099 speaking about here is not the imputed righteousness of Christ. He’s speaking 00:24:38.099 –> 00:24:43.119 here about the daily choice that a believer must make to do what is right. 00:24:43.119 –> 00:24:49.699 And here’s how you stand in the battle when it is raging. You determine what is 00:24:49.699 –> 00:24:55.660 right before God and you commit yourself to do it irrespective 00:24:55.660 –> 00:25:04.979 of the cost. I remember from years ago, what shows the value that it’s had in my 00:25:05.060 –> 00:25:10.300 life, that it stayed with me so clearly for so long. My own pastor speaking on 00:25:10.300 –> 00:25:16.420 this passage of Scripture and saying this that in any situation of conflict 00:25:16.420 –> 00:25:21.780 the first two questions you must always ask are what is true and what is right 00:25:21.780 –> 00:25:25.979 and you have to ask them in that order because you don’t know what is right 00:25:25.979 –> 00:25:30.540 until you know what is true. You see. The belt of truth the breastplate of 00:25:30.540 –> 00:25:33.920 righteousness. So these are the first pieces of the armor you put on. The 00:25:34.040 –> 00:25:40.599 questions you ask in any situation of conflict are what is true and what is 00:25:40.599 –> 00:25:44.920 right. And he gave this very simple illustration that’s just stuck with me. 00:25:44.920 –> 00:25:50.920 You know a father tells his daughter that she must be home by midnight. When 00:25:50.920 –> 00:25:56.520 she arrives at two o’clock in the morning he’s ready to unload. But first 00:25:57.280 –> 00:26:04.400 he must find out what is true. It may be that she flouted the curfew. It could 00:26:04.400 –> 00:26:10.219 also be that her car had broken down. Only when you discover what is true 00:26:10.219 –> 00:26:18.739 will you be in a position to discern what is right. Now third, you stand in 00:26:18.760 –> 00:26:24.459 the Gospel. Notice as shoes for your feet having put on the readiness given 00:26:25.319 –> 00:26:31.760 The Gospel of Peace is not a wonderful phrase, the gospel is the gospel 00:26:31.780 –> 00:26:40.339 off peace and the good news of Jesus is that he has made peace 00:26:40.719 –> 00:26:46.040 by the shedding of his blood for the forgiveness of our sins and that 00:26:46.040 –> 00:26:49.099 in him we have peace with God. 00:26:49.099 –> 00:26:50.400 You have peace with God. 00:26:50.520 –> 00:26:55.699 Even though you’re in the middle of a battle, even though your sins 00:26:55.699 –> 00:27:01.920 are many, even though your life is not yet as you would want it to be 00:27:01.920 –> 00:27:04.699 or as it one day will be. 00:27:05.180 –> 00:27:13.099 And here is how you can stand, endure when the battle is raging around you. 00:27:13.479 –> 00:27:19.000 You stand in the gospel of peace, that is you stand 00:27:19.040 –> 00:27:25.439 in the knowledge, that in Jesus Christ, despite the raging of this battle, 00:27:25.680 –> 00:27:29.000 I have peace with God. 00:27:30.280 –> 00:27:39.319 And no matter what happens, it is well with my soul. 00:27:40.319 –> 00:27:43.119 That’s how you stand, you need to know that. 00:27:43.760 –> 00:27:48.920 That you have peace with God, in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:27:48.920 –> 00:27:54.540 Then number four, you stand, in faith in all circumstances. 00:27:55.000 –> 00:28:06.400 Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. 00:28:06.900 –> 00:28:14.500 Now, I wonder if you have ever had the experience of destructive thoughts, 00:28:14.500 –> 00:28:20.920 hate filled thoughts, blasphemous thoughts coming into your mind. 00:28:20.920 –> 00:28:27.359 And when, as a Christian believer, thoughts of this nature come into your mind, 00:28:27.359 –> 00:28:29.959 you feel ashamed and you you say to yourself, 00:28:29.959 –> 00:28:34.859 I cannot believe that I have been thinking such things. 00:28:35.560 –> 00:28:42.359 In a very real sense, it has not been you who has been thinking these things. 00:28:42.359 –> 00:28:48.579 These are flaming darts of the Evil One. 00:28:48.579 –> 00:28:53.459 They come from outside. Not from inside. 00:28:53.459 –> 00:29:00.359 And the reason you know that they come from outside is that you hate them when they come. 00:29:00.479 –> 00:29:05.079 Now, how are you to stand against these darts that the enemy throws? 00:29:05.079 –> 00:29:09.180 Well, you take up the shield of faith. 00:29:09.180 –> 00:29:15.359 Faith believes that God is for you, that God is with you 00:29:15.359 –> 00:29:23.359 and that He is greater than all the forces that are arrayed against you. 00:29:23.359 –> 00:29:27.859 Now, here I will make just one brief reference to the illustration of the armor 00:29:27.859 –> 00:29:31.939 because it adds something to our understanding, I believe, 00:29:31.939 –> 00:29:34.800 and that is that Roman soldiers protected themselves with 00:29:34.800 –> 00:29:37.339 two different kinds of shields. 00:29:37.339 –> 00:29:41.739 They carried a small, round shield on the forearm 00:29:41.739 –> 00:29:44.880 so that for close combat, hand-to-hand combat, 00:29:44.880 –> 00:29:48.979 they had the shield for defense and the sword for attack. 00:29:48.979 –> 00:29:53.280 But obviously the small, round shield used in hand-to-hand combat 00:29:53.319 –> 00:29:55.640 did not provide any protection 00:29:55.640 –> 00:30:00.640 to flaming arrows that may have been fired from a distance. 00:30:00.819 –> 00:30:05.359 For protection from these arrows, the flaming darts, 00:30:05.359 –> 00:30:10.359 the Roman soldier had a large rectangular shield, 00:30:10.579 –> 00:30:15.000 similar to a police riot shield in shape, I guess, 00:30:15.000 –> 00:30:16.760 by way of analogy today. 00:30:16.760 –> 00:30:19.660 And as many of you will know from history at school, 00:30:19.660 –> 00:30:24.660 the Romans developed this idea of a phalanx, 00:30:24.800 –> 00:30:27.719 which was a small group of soldiers 00:30:27.719 –> 00:30:31.079 with these large shields arranged side by side, 00:30:31.079 –> 00:30:33.739 front and back, and over the top, 00:30:33.739 –> 00:30:36.520 so that the shields formed a kind of protective shell, 00:30:36.520 –> 00:30:38.560 almost like the shell of a tortoise, 00:30:38.560 –> 00:30:41.439 and then this little group together would move forward 00:30:41.439 –> 00:30:43.599 because together their shields 00:30:43.599 –> 00:30:47.020 gave protection to the entire group. 00:30:47.020 –> 00:30:49.020 That image, which without question 00:30:49.380 –> 00:30:51.939 what Paul had in mind here, 00:30:51.939 –> 00:30:53.939 reminds us of something very important. 00:30:53.939 –> 00:30:57.359 God never intended you to fight 00:30:57.359 –> 00:30:59.619 in the heat of battle alone. 00:31:01.560 –> 00:31:04.900 The faith of other believers will strengthen you. 00:31:05.800 –> 00:31:08.459 You will stand with them with your shield 00:31:08.459 –> 00:31:11.300 contributing to their protection in their battles, 00:31:11.300 –> 00:31:14.119 and they will stand with you with their shield of faith 00:31:14.119 –> 00:31:18.880 contributing to your protection in your battles. 00:31:18.880 –> 00:31:21.119 You stand in faith. 00:31:21.119 –> 00:31:23.979 That does not mean that you stand alone. 00:31:23.979 –> 00:31:27.280 God has placed brothers and sisters around you 00:31:27.280 –> 00:31:31.699 who will stand in faith in the day of evil, 00:31:31.699 –> 00:31:36.300 in the heat of battle when everything is being thrown at you. 00:31:36.300 –> 00:31:39.339 Number five, you stand in hope 00:31:39.339 –> 00:31:43.079 and take the helmet of salvation. 00:31:44.739 –> 00:31:47.859 Now the Bible speaks about salvation in the past, 00:31:47.859 –> 00:31:50.400 the present and the future tense. 00:31:50.400 –> 00:31:52.239 And very clearly when Paul speaks 00:31:52.239 –> 00:31:54.180 about the helmet of salvation, 00:31:54.180 –> 00:31:59.180 he is speaking about the hope of future salvation. 00:31:59.280 –> 00:32:02.560 And you see that is made explicit in a parallel passage 00:32:02.560 –> 00:32:07.560 in 1 Thessalonians chapter five and verse eight. 00:32:07.599 –> 00:32:11.660 Think of how Jesus endured the evil day. 00:32:11.660 –> 00:32:13.540 How did Jesus get through the cross? 00:32:13.599 –> 00:32:18.479 He endured the cross for the joy set before him 00:32:19.599 –> 00:32:20.939 and the apostle Paul, 00:32:20.939 –> 00:32:24.520 when he was experiencing the heat of battle, 00:32:24.520 –> 00:32:27.859 he placed everything that he suffered, 00:32:27.859 –> 00:32:29.979 no evasion, no avoiding, 00:32:29.979 –> 00:32:32.180 but he placed everything that he suffered 00:32:32.180 –> 00:32:35.260 alongside the future glory that would be his 00:32:35.260 –> 00:32:36.780 and from that, he concluded 00:32:36.780 –> 00:32:40.219 it was worth staying in the battle. 00:32:41.040 –> 00:32:45.680 Now you may not know when your battle will end. 00:32:47.040 –> 00:32:48.900 The struggle that you face right now, 00:32:48.900 –> 00:32:51.180 how will God bring deliverance? 00:32:52.219 –> 00:32:53.500 You will not know that, 00:32:53.500 –> 00:32:56.239 but this you can know beyond all question. 00:32:56.239 –> 00:33:00.500 God will deliver you. 00:33:01.800 –> 00:33:06.800 And one day, you will be able to say with the psalmist, 00:33:07.760 –> 00:33:12.380 “-I was pushed hard, and I was falling. 00:33:13.520 –> 00:33:16.160 But the Lord helped me. 00:33:16.160 –> 00:33:18.800 The Lord is my strength and my song, 00:33:18.800 –> 00:33:22.800 the Lord has become my salvation.” 00:33:22.800 –> 00:33:27.000 That’s Psalm 118, verses 13 and 14. 00:33:28.020 –> 00:33:31.219 And then sixtly, you stand in the Word of God. 00:33:31.219 –> 00:33:32.839 You take the helmet of salvation 00:33:32.839 –> 00:33:36.880 and the sword of the spirit, 00:33:38.000 –> 00:33:42.260 which is the Word of God. 00:33:42.260 –> 00:33:45.000 Now notice that the Bible here is described 00:33:45.000 –> 00:33:49.260 as the sword of the spirit. 00:33:49.260 –> 00:33:51.280 In other words, it is the means, 00:33:51.280 –> 00:33:52.839 the scripture is the means, 00:33:52.839 –> 00:33:54.359 that the Holy Spirit uses 00:33:54.359 –> 00:33:57.180 to accomplish his work in your life. 00:33:58.239 –> 00:34:01.900 So drip-feed God’s word into your mind 00:34:01.939 –> 00:34:03.540 and into your heart, 00:34:03.540 –> 00:34:06.819 and in this way, the Holy Spirit 00:34:06.819 –> 00:34:11.600 will enable you to stand your ground. 00:34:12.860 –> 00:34:14.860 So we’ve been looking at the most practical 00:34:14.860 –> 00:34:16.239 of subjects here today. 00:34:16.239 –> 00:34:18.899 We’ve been asking this most important question, 00:34:18.899 –> 00:34:22.719 how do you stand your ground 00:34:22.719 –> 00:34:25.600 when the battle is raging all around you? 00:34:26.699 –> 00:34:27.979 And we’ve seen from the scriptures 00:34:27.979 –> 00:34:30.639 that you do this as you face the truth, 00:34:31.540 –> 00:34:34.580 as you do what is right, 00:34:34.580 –> 00:34:38.620 as you rest in the peace of the gospel, 00:34:38.620 –> 00:34:43.620 as you exercise faith alongside other believers, 00:34:44.139 –> 00:34:48.899 as you anticipate the joy of your future deliverance, 00:34:48.899 –> 00:34:53.020 and as you stand in the power of the Spirit 00:34:53.020 –> 00:34:57.820 mediated through the word of God. 00:34:58.340 –> 00:35:01.479 That’s how you stand in the heat of battle. 00:35:02.820 –> 00:35:04.260 Now the last thing I want to say today, 00:35:04.260 –> 00:35:07.360 and very briefly is just from verse 10. 00:35:07.360 –> 00:35:08.199 Notice this. 00:35:08.199 –> 00:35:11.500 Finally be strong in the Lord 00:35:12.679 –> 00:35:16.000 and in the strength of his might, 00:35:16.000 –> 00:35:19.560 put on the whole armor of God 00:35:19.560 –> 00:35:20.979 that you may be able to stand 00:35:20.979 –> 00:35:22.419 against the schemes of the devil. 00:35:22.419 –> 00:35:25.540 Thank God that there is more here 00:35:25.540 –> 00:35:27.699 than a call to greater effort. 00:35:28.399 –> 00:35:33.399 We’re being told here that God is with you in the battle. 00:35:34.979 –> 00:35:37.280 He’s with you in this battle 00:35:37.280 –> 00:35:42.120 and it is his strength that will sustain you. 00:35:43.699 –> 00:35:46.620 The armor of God, it’s God’s armor. 00:35:46.620 –> 00:35:49.739 It is the armor that God gives you. 00:35:50.939 –> 00:35:54.500 The truth that sets you free 00:35:54.500 –> 00:35:56.580 is the truth that he reveals. 00:35:57.300 –> 00:36:00.620 The righteousness that covers you 00:36:00.620 –> 00:36:02.939 is the righteousness that he gives. 00:36:03.939 –> 00:36:08.939 The gospel on which you stand is his gospel of peace. 00:36:10.000 –> 00:36:14.899 The faith that shields you is confidence in him. 00:36:14.899 –> 00:36:17.060 The hope that sustains you 00:36:17.060 –> 00:36:20.659 is the anticipation of his deliverance 00:36:20.659 –> 00:36:23.580 and the strength that he will give you 00:36:23.639 –> 00:36:27.979 comes by the Spirit in and through his word. 00:36:29.419 –> 00:36:32.020 So you can prevail in the battle 00:36:32.020 –> 00:36:35.979 because the savior is with you. 00:36:35.979 –> 00:36:39.100 Be strong in the Lord 00:36:40.179 –> 00:36:43.199 and in the strength of his might. 00:36:44.419 –> 00:36:46.139 Brothers, sisters, Jesus Christ 00:36:46.139 –> 00:36:48.659 is greater than all that is arrayed against you. 00:36:49.699 –> 00:36:51.939 He has already inflicted a deadly wound 00:36:51.939 –> 00:36:53.419 on all of the powers of darkness 00:36:53.419 –> 00:36:55.139 from which they will never recover 00:36:56.239 –> 00:36:57.699 and their end is near. 00:36:58.939 –> 00:37:02.500 God controls how long the evil day 00:37:02.500 –> 00:37:05.379 that you endure will last. 00:37:06.439 –> 00:37:10.520 And he is with you in the battle 00:37:11.840 –> 00:37:16.840 and nothing will ever separate you from his love. 00:37:18.840 –> 00:37:22.020 Father, please take the truth of your word 00:37:22.020 –> 00:37:26.060 and by your spirit work it into our hearts 00:37:26.060 –> 00:37:28.820 so that we may be strengthened 00:37:28.820 –> 00:37:33.820 in your power to stand in the battles that we face. 00:37:35.879 –> 00:37:38.120 May this be for your glory, we pray. 00:37:38.120 –> 00:37:40.780 And for our good, for these things, 00:37:40.780 –> 00:37:43.340 we ask with gratitude for all your provision 00:37:43.340 –> 00:37:47.899 for us in Christ and we pray in Jesus’ name, amen. 00:37:48.260 –> 00:37:51.080 Amen. 00:37:51.080 –> 00:37:53.120 You’ve been listening to a sermon 00:37:53.120 –> 00:37:55.500 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 00:37:55.500 –> 00:38:00.500 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN365 00:38:00.780 –> 00:38:04.219 or visit our website openthebible.org.
