FREEDOM FIGHTERS: "STAND & TAKE"

Transcription

1 THESIS: Take Your Stand TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18 FREEDOM FIGHTERS: "STAND & TAKE" OPEN: (Insight from preacher Chuck Swindoll on the world needs real men who take a stand) Preacher Chuck Swindoll On The World Needs Real Men The world needs men who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest in small things as in great things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it because everybody else does it ; who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and stubbornness are the best qualities for winning success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular; who can say no with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says, yes. Scripture says the Anti-Christ is coming and that many antichrists have already come. In Ephesians 6:10-18 let's discover how to fight against the schemes of satan in this dark world and prevail for eternal freedom in Christ. 1. TAKE YOUR STAND IN THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM FROM SATAN'S STRATEGY. A. Ephesians 6:10-13 "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." 1. Take your stand against the world's dark powers and the spiritual realm's evil forces by putting on the full armor of God. Emphasis here on full--use all of it--not just some. a. Historical Insight: Armor gave Romans an advantage over their barbarian enemies who were often completely unprotected Ephesians were familiar with the idea of false gods giving armor to mythical heroes Putting on the full armor means making necessary preparations in order to recoil the foe and maintain the position (Warfare in Roman Europe, AD , p. 110; Whole Bible Commentary, p. 1298; Linguistic Key To Greek NT, p. 541). 1. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with the truth. a. Eph 6:14a "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..." 1. Truth (Greek: aletheia) is the reality lying at the basis of an appearance, the veritable essence of a matter; that which is genuine or right. a. John 18:37b-38 "Jesus answered, 'Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.' 'What is truth?' Pilate asked." 1. Illustration: Former agnostic and now long time Christian author Josh McDowell has experience speaking on college

2 campuses. He said at one time the debate was: "What is the truth?" He says it's become "What is truth?" Sounds Pilate like, doesn't it? b. John 17:17 (Jesus) "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth." 1. Sanctify (hagiazo) means set apart for sacred use; make holy. 2. What separates us from the world is the truth--god's word. 3. NIV Notes (p. 1664): Christ died on the cross not only to save us but also to dedicate us to God s service. 2. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with righteousness. a. Ephesians 6:14b "(Stand firm) with the breastplate of righteousness in place..." 1. Righteousness (Greek: dikaiosune) is the quality of being honest or good. a. NIV Notes: Character, not brute force, wins the battle. 1. Proverbs 28:1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. b. Illustration: A billboard in a major city for a church read: It s OK Not To Be OK. Really? I thought Jesus began His earthly ministry with the message: Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near (Mtt 3:2). Regarding the woman caught in adultery Christ declares: Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin (John 8:11). The Apostle Paul reminds us: Since you call on a Father who judges each man s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear (1 Peter 1:17). 3. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with the gospel of peace. a. Ephesians 6:15 "(Stand firm) with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." 1. Gospel (Greek: euangelion) means good news. What s good about it? a. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ s ambassadors 1. Good news is we may be at peace with God and our soul at rest. b. Acts 2:38 (KJV) Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy (Spirit). 1. Remission releases a person from a legal obligation. It cancels the penalty of a crime, while still being considered guilty of it. The penalty for sin is death and eternal damnation. 2. Being immersed in water (baptized) is the means a repentant believer receives God s pardon for his or her sins (washes sins away--acts 22:16) and receive His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:27--dedicated/set apart to God). It s when we become a Christian (Romans 6:1-5). 4. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with faith in the Lord.

3 a. Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." 1. Faith (Greek: pisteuo) means conviction, to have confidence in, to trust. a. Let s publicly express our trust in God as well as rely on Him for personal and private matters. 1. Matthew 10:28-33 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in Heaven. 2. Illust: (QB-Wilson/Singer Ciara relationship the "Jesus way") Seahawks QB-Russell Wilson Says Relationship With Singer Ciara The "Jesus Way" Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is dating pop singer Ciara. Wilson told her and then announced publicly by way of TMZ that they're going to do their relationship the "Jesus way"--no sex before marriage. Ciara said she's fine with that. 5. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with salvation in Christ. a. Ephesians 6:17a Take the helmet of salvation " 1. Historical Insight: Soldier helmets were protection & victory symbol. a. When we receive salvation from the Lord we re protected from His coming wrath thereby standing victorious over sin and death. 1. Hebrews 2:14-15 (Christ) shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 6. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with the word of God. a. Ephesians 6:17b "(Take) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." 1. Word (Greek: rhema) means saying or matter. a. 2 Samuel 22:31 "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." 7. Fight back against dark powers and evil forces with prayer. a. Ephesians 6:18 "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." CONCLUSION: Our battle is not against humanity (v12 "flesh and blood"), but rather the dark powers of this world and the evil forces of the spiritual realm. Take your stand by putting on the full armor of God.

4 Illustration: (Racist Rally Shut Down By "Amazing Grace") Racist Rally Shut Down By "Amazing Grace" Race War Fail: Shabazz Shut Down By Amazing Grace By Lee Stranahan (breitbart.com 06/30/15) Charleston, South Carolina The rally and march against white supremacy that was supposed to be thousands of people actually only had about 50 at the beginning. The march dwindled to 10 by the time they reached the Mother Emmanuel AME church. Once the group to begin to chant, a woman at the site begin singing Amazing Grace to shut their protest down. A mixed-race group led by Dawn Hill began singing the hymn about twenty feet away. ABC 4 reported, She says God told her to do it, just like God told her to board a bus for Charleston on Tuesday. She spends her days handing out water and free hugs and words of encouragement to anyone in need in front of the church. Shabazz tried to intervene and then played the race card, ABC 4 continued: Shabazz even stepped up in front of Hill and her impromptu gospel quintet and watched them as they sang. Then, he turned and led his group away from the church towards Meeting Street with several police officers following them. Behind them, the sounds of Amazing Grace continued. Shabazz s group paused to challenge the officers who asked them to lower their voices, accusing them of racism because they did not try to silence the singers. The Shabazz led event suffered numerous organizational problems. It was originally scheduled for Saturday morning at Marion Square, but was postponed until Sunday evening. Multiple locations were given and police who were anticipating a large demonstration put up barricades in Marion Square but nobody at all showed up. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 "Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Illustration: (Relatives Of Church Massacre Victims Offer Compassion To Killer: "I Forgive You") Relatives Of Church Massacre Victims Offer Compassion To Killer: "I Forgive You" By Cristina Corbin (foxnews.com 06/20/15) The suspect in the Charleston church massacre stood stone-faced from jail, two heavily armed guards behind him as he heard relatives of his nine victims bare their grief and offer forgiveness in a video court appearance where he was ordered held without bail. "You have killed some of the most beautiful people that I know," Felecia Sanders, mother of victim Tywanza Sanders, told Dylann Roof, speaking from the courtroom. "Every fiber in my body hurts... May God have mercy on you." The daughter of Ethel Lance, another of the nine victims in the Wednesday night attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, had a similar message for the 21-year-old alleged killer, who police believe attended a Bible study meeting at the church, where he was embraced by strangers only to open fire on them for no apparent reason. "You hurt a lot of people," she said, "But I forgive you." "Repent. Confess. Give your life to the One who matters the most, Christ, so he can change your ways no matter what happens to you and you'll be OK," said Anthony Thompson, who represented the family of victim Myra Thompson. The night of the murders the church was conducting a Bible study in the Gospel of Mark.

5 CLOSE: Stand firm in the faith and take hold of life in Christ that is truly life. It's how to take your stand against the powers of this dark world and the evil forces of the spiritual realm, you fellow freedom fighters.