Christians, God s Foot Soldiers

Transcription

1 Sunday April 29, 2018 Phone: Pastor David Miklas Message: Christian Living Text: Ephesians 6:10-17 Christians, God s Foot Soldiers INTRODUCTION: America must not forget her motto that was established in the early days of her history, "In God We Trust." The Bible says in Proverbs 14:34, Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. In summary this verse teaches us "RIGHTEOUSNESS exalts a nation. David said in Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." However, in Psalm 9:17 we read, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." Today 236 years after the founding of this great land I firmly believe that believers, not the politicians in Washington, nor politicians in the state capitols, have the answers to the nation s dilemma. I firmly believe judgment must, as Peter said in I Peter 4:17, "begin at the house of God." Therefore, our churches will be held to greater accountability for the destruction of this nation rather than all the Republicans and Democrats put together. I firmly believe today the United States is under the wrath of God, not because of its political leaders, but because of a sleeping, disobedient church within her bowels. In this message I want to address an area of the Christian life that I believe is essential to the life and ministry of this church. As such, it is the key to winning the war to protect our religious freedoms here in America. Now before I get into the main thrust of the message, let me point you to a number of scriptures. Proverbs 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me..." These verses are pressing upon us the ministry of soul winning. Now in seeking to obey this command there are some dangers that we face. We face the danger of churches dying and closing all over the country. I believe this is true, because we have become so comfortable with WHAT WE HAVE and with WHAT WE HAVE BECOME that we forget that it was WINNING THE LOST TO CHRIST THAT MADE THIS CHURCH AND NATION WHAT IT HAS BECOME. Churches that began on soul winning often reach a point where they stop doing what made them what they have become. Consequently, they stop growing and then start to decline. Someone wrote several years ago: Evangelicalism as it is known in the West will soon collapse because many people who are identifying themselves as evangelicals are not at all sold on the evangelical version of personal discipleship and commitment to Jesus Christ. We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it." I remind you that soul winning is not just the spiritual responsibility of the Pastor. It is the responsibility of every born-again believer. THE OUTREACH OF THE Page 1

2 CHURCH IS TO BE WINNING SOULS TO CHRIST THAT S BIBLE TRUTH. The only way we can see an alive and growing church is to do like the Bible says - wins souls to Christ. We face the danger of becoming merely a Sunday religion. The attitude is, please don t disturb me to do any spiritual things. Just let me come and hear the Word. My friends, I believe it's going to be a sad day at the Judgment seat of Christ, when we see our comfort-ability go up in smoke before Almighty God. We face the danger of hearing things so often that they cease to be effective or have meaning. A wise man once said, "Some truths are so true that they lie bedridden in the dormitory of the soul and need to be awakened." I sincerely believe this to be true about the command of every man, woman, boy and girl who names the name of Jesus Christ to be a SOUL WINNER. We have heard this message so often that we pay little attention to the cry of SOULS GOING TO HELL. Others before me have stood behind this pulpit and sounded forth the message that we are to be soul winners. Yet that message has fallen upon hard hearts and deaf ears. We face the danger of not going out with our Spiritual clothes on and the Devil getting to us. We become so PROUD of our ministries and accomplishments that we become SET in our WAYS and don't want to disturb what we have. We start to criticize and complain, and the Devil uses that to get us off the front lines, and then we just sit back and watch the show go on. Since we choose the entertainment ministry and not the battlefield ministry, when we run into some difficult times and find ourselves discouraged by it all, we just QUIT doing what God has commanded us to do and will ultimately bless - BEING SOUL WINNERS. Before we move into the message we need to focus on two very familiar passages. In Romans 10:13-16 we read, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (14) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (17) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Notice again verse 15, "...How beautiful are the FEET of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things." In Ephesians 6:10-18 we read, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto Page 2

3 with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Please notice again verse 15, "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." From these two verses in Romans 10:15 and in Ephesians 6:15 we discover that you and I are God's foot soldiers. Now in Ephesians 6 God is reminding us to wear the whole armor of God to enable you and I to stand against the Wiles or strategies of the Devil. In order to be equipped for the battle, we need the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD. Please understand that armor is not for hiding in a bunker, armor is for hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield. Don't be mistaken, the Devil is showing himself strong in this day and age. He realizes his time is short and he is giving us a living hell. We are experiencing a lot of casualties and fatalities and many folks are no longer serving God because THEY ARE NOT WEARING THE ARMOR GOD HAS GIVEN TO PROTECT THEM FROM THE EVIL ONE. The FIRST piece of ARMOR mentioned is to "gird about the loins with truth." Since the loins are the mid-section of the body, I believe God is talking about what will protect us morally and keep us pure. I know that the Word of God is truth, and I certainly must know the truth. But I believe this also has to do with me being TRUTHFUL. No one was ever immoral that was not first dishonest. Honesty and purity are closely related. Therefore, I MUST HAVE ON THE ARMOR OF TRUTH ABOUT MY LOINS. The SECOND piece of ARMOR mentioned is "...having on the breast plate of righteousness." This piece of armor covers the chest area. Now a MAIMING wound to the arm or the leg would take a man out of battle, but the wound would heal up and he could fight again another day. But a MORTAL wound to the head or the chest would take his life and put him out of the battle forever. The Bible says we are to have on the breast plate of righteousness. The righteousness Paul is talking about here is my PERSONAL righteousness or RIGHT LIVING. Living right will help me in the battle against the Devil. Oh, he may hurt me, but he cannot defeat me if I have on this armor. The THIRD piece of ARMOR mentioned is the Helmet of Salvation." This is not a helmet to protect me from losing my salvation. The helmet has to do with protecting my head. A head wound was considered a mortal, life-threatening wound. You need the protection of right THINKING. That is to allow the principles of God's Word to govern you through life. The helmet is there to protect you from filling your mind with harmful thoughts. The Bible says "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." In this day of the evil philosophy of situation ethics in both religious and worldly mindedness, there are a lot of Christians who have been knocked out of the spiritual battle. They have a saved soul, but a lost mind. They think like the world thinks; they make decisions on the same basis that the world decides, and it is to their destruction. The FOURTH piece of ARMOR mentioned is "the Shield of Faith." This is my Page 3

4 defensive piece of armor against the fiery dart of Satan, who throws DOUBTS our way. Listen to this definition of faith, that is so simple, yet so profound. "FAITH IS WHEN THE WORD OF GOD IS ENOUGH." God's Word is enough to act upon. "God said it, the Bible records it, I believe it, and that's settles it." The FIFTH piece of ARMOR mentioned is "the sword of the spirit." This is my offensive attack weapon. God never intended for soldiers of the cross to be just on the defense. He didn't tell us to hide in the church and say, "Na Na Na Na, you can't get me, devil." He promised that the gates of Hell could not withstand the attack of a SPIRIT-FILLED, SOUL-WINNING, SIN-FIGHTING CHURCH. The SIXTH piece of ARMOR mentioned is your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace." The Lord said we must have our shoes on. The shoes are a part of the armor. You say, What do I need them for? Try fighting on the battlefield without them. Try carrying a heavy load without good shoes on. Try walking over rough ground without good shoes on your feet. What are these shoes? They are our soul-winning shoes. Soul-winning is a part of the armor. If you are not a soul-winner, then you are a BARE-FOOTED SOLIDER. Let me say this. If you are going to be victorious in the Christian life then you had better have your spiritual shoes on. We've a lot of spiritual casualties who are sitting on the sidelines out of the will of God, who started well but didn't finish well. We've got a lot of Christians who are not attending Church and are no longer serving the Lord. They have been defeated by the Devil. They have dropped out of the battle because they have tried to make the journey in the Christian life without their spiritual shoes on. If we think "we are too BUSY, or too IMPORTANT or have no desire to reach souls for Christ, we had better watch out." That will be our downfall. We will be a casualty unless we take Paul's advice to "take the whole armor of God." and that includes the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Without them we are barefooted soldiers. MY FRIENDS, SOUL-WINNING IS A VITAL, ESSENTIAL PART OF THE SPIRITUAL ARMOR THAT WE MUST BE DOING TO HAVE A VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE. If the DEVIL can get you or I to take our spiritual shoes off, he s got us whipped. If you ll lay soul winning aside for any reason, the DEVIL knows you will shortly be on the spiritual side-line. If you or I try to operate without our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the DEVIL knows we will become a defeated Christian. Let me be very clear from this passage of scripture: You may have sound Christian convictions, good standards, attend church regularly, read your Bible every day, memorize Bible verses, and even serve in some church ministry, but don't have your soul winning shoes on. You need more than just the Helmet of Salvation. You need more than just the Shield of Faith. You need more than just the Sword of the Spirit. Page 4

5 You need met than just the Breastplate of Righteousness. You need more than just the Loins gird with Truth. You and I need the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD to be a spiritual survivor and a victor in spiritual warfare, and that includes the shoes in the ministry of soulwinning. Over the years in my ministries, I've hit some rough stretches of road and in some cases, SOUL-WINNING has allowed me to KEEP ON GOING. For encouragement, provision, and strength, there is nothing like being able to share the gospel with someone and see them come to a faith in Jesus Christ. It seems like when that happens it takes the wind out of old smutty face and puts power back into your Christian life. It gives life to the ministry and a new desire to keep-on-keeping-on in the battle for the souls of men, women, boys and girls. After all, we read in Luke 15:7, "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." SUPPOSE I were to see a blind man unknowingly approach the brink of death, and I make no effort to warn or save him from that death. Would I not be guilty of his death? Yes, I would, for in Ezekiel 3:17-21 we read, "If thou givest him not warning...his blood will I (speaking of God) require at thine hands." SUPPOSE that "when the roll is called up yonder" I am there but through the eternal ages I am unable to find a single person who is there because of my having led them to Christ. HOW MUCH WILL HEAVEN MEAN TO ME? Daniel 12:3 tells us "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Do you realize that at the time of death, I will leave everything behind? However, everyone that I have had the privilege to lead to Christ will be there with me in heaven. Over in I Thessalonians 2:19-20 we read, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy." That's why I again ask, How much will heaven mean to me, if there is no one there for whom I have had the privilege of bringing to the Saviour? May you and I not suppose, but do as the Lord said in Luke 14:23, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Listen my friends, you may have every piece of spiritual soul armor on and in place; and I'm glad you do, but you also need to have the shoes of soul-winning on. Look: You might be busy in service of the Lord. You might be living in purity. You might be living with the sword of the Spirit sharpened and attracting the devil. You might be living with the shield of faith in your hands, having faith to always trust God. You might have all the armor of God on, but forget or neglect to put your shoes on and you will be defeated. The text tells us we are to have on the "WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD." That means, my friends, you need to be a SOUL-WINNER if you are going to be victorious in this Christian life. This is not an option. This is not some gift that I might have or might not have. IT IS A PART OF THE ARMOR OF GOD I AM TO WEAR AT ALL TIMES! I'm not talking about NUMBERS, such as how many you have won to Christ or setting a quota of how many a Christian should win or how many HOURS you are out soul-winning. Let God keep the statistics. I'm saying that you better keep your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: Page 5

6 always ready to share the gospel with a tract, always ready with a word of testimony, or always ready to share the gospel. I am preaching this morning because there are multitudes of sinners in this Nation on their way to an eternal hell, and they don't know the way of salvation unless you tell them. I am preaching to challenge you. You need to make an effort to win the lost to Christ. So let s bring this to where the rubber meets the road. How many, with one individual in mind, will go within the next two weeks to see that person, take a Bible, show him how to be saved, and ask him to trust Christ as Saviour? If that one is too far away to visit, will you write a letter and get it in the mail within the next two weeks? In the letter, will you tell that one you love them and want them saved? Will you enclose a simple gospel tract and ask that one person to read it? How many of you would commit yourself to speaking to a least one person each week about their need of Christ? May God speak to our hearts about winning souls to Christ. Now as we bring this message to a close, we must ever be mindful of that verse found in II Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." This verse is telling us, it is up to God s people. Are we willing to confess our personal, church and national sins and humble ourselves and pray and seek God s face and turn from our wicked ways? America is guilty of many sins, but the guilt of America is our personal guilt. If America gets right with God, it will be when we as individuals get right with God. The key is not government, but God. The key is not who s in the White House or the State House, but who we have placed on the throne of our hearts. If we want to help this great country, then every one of us should get thoroughly right with God. Every sin should be confessed, and each of us should set out to live the best possible Christian life. Again the Bible says in Proverbs 14:34, "Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." But the nation can only be righteous when its citizens are righteous. Remember God is just as much Lord of the nation as He is Lord of the individual. Let us determine in our hearts to be and do what God intended. Let us leave a heritage for new generations to follow what was left to us by Godly people. The greatest thing anyone can do to help this country is to be a practicing Christian. If you have not already trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, why not trust Him now? Then set out to live the Christian life. *********************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon Christians, God s Foot Soldiers right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Page 6

7 Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please let me know. Please send an to pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA Privacy policy: your address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Permission to copy: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at Page 7