Ephesians 6:10 Practicing Being Strong in the Lord 1 1. Review A. Seen there are two things necessary to be strong in the Lord 1). We are to be active doing those things that bring strength into our lives The disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fellowship, service etc. We ve looked at many different aspects get the CD s or go on line to review 2). We are to do all that we do in absolute dependence upon the Lord Our discipline, activity is to be done in His strength IOW our activity is a dependent activity done by faith trusting in His enabling power Transition: My goal in this is to be as practical as possible so how do we put all this into practice A. How do we take it out of a mid-week study and apply it in our every day living? 1). I ve got a few thoughts here I think will be helpful I. APPLYING THESE TRUTHS TO OUR DAILY LIVING 1. We ve seen we must take what we ve learned and use it A. It does us no good to go to church a couple times a week and learn truths that we never apply 1). A soldier doesn t spend time in training learning how to use his rifle To go out into the battle and set it to the side and fight without it It will do him no good unless he chooses to use it so he can fight well 2). We become strong in the Lord as we allow His Word to shape our thinking And how we respond to the circumstances of our life B. When doubt, fears, temptations rage we must use the Scripture as a sword to drive them back 1). We must stop and think getting beyond our emotional response Ask what Scripture deals with this what weapon has God given to me to use right now This is how I become strong in the Lord I use what He s given me to be strong C. Our example is Jesus in the wilderness isn t it? 1). Under severe attack doesn t argue in His own wisdom doesn t get involved emotionally c). He fought with the Word of God depending upon the Spirit of God to empower Him 3 specific attacks are met with 3 specific scriptures and the devil is defeated He was strong in God because He used what God provided to be strong with 2 He used that weapon fashioned in heaven that can withstand the strongest blows of the devil 2. Application: When you are in the battle you must step back and think A. How am I supposed to react here? What truths has God given me for this situation? What promise? Point: Again: Psa 42:5-6 (NIV) Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and (6) my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. 1). He confronted himself: Why are you downcast? Why aren t you trusting God? 2). He exhorted himself: Trust in God. Remember Him. His works, His word David stop focusing on you and the circumstances look away to God This is the way to grow as believers how we become strong in the Lord A. When we take hold of ourselves like David did not allowing circumstances or emotions dominate us 1). When we take what God has given us to be strong His truth, prayer, promises Applying His truth, His promises, going to Him in prayer Anticipating His help because He s told us the battle is His we are not alone
Ephesians 6:10 Practicing Being Strong in the Lord 2 And practice using them to lift us when we feel down give us hope when we feel hopeless 2). We become strong and grow when we daily practice these things remain immature if we don t B. What are you going through tonight? How are you handling it by yourself your strength 1). Or are you choosing to be strong in the Lord How? By using what He s given you to be strong it s the only way As you do this you will begin to grow slowly but surely C. Know this that our spiritual growth like physical growth happens slowly imperceptible at times 1). Physically it seems like nothing has happened until we get an indication of where we were at The pencil mark from 6 months ago wait! I have grown 2). You ll have spiritual pencil marks a situation you would have handled differently 6 months ago There would have been anger now patience panic now peace 3). Been there? Exciting isn t it like that little kid with the pencil mark I m growing! That happens by practicing daily using what God has given you to be strong to be strong 1 Applying His Word 2 Casting your cares upon Him through prayer 3 Anticipating His help the battle is His you are not alone Transition: Want to grow a bit faster there are times we have growth spurts A. Situations God puts us in that forces us to be strong in the Lord forces us to look to Him 1). Situations that can be a bit scary but so beneficial in our Christian growth B. We need to see how faith works so we will step into this situations II. THE FAITH THAT CALLS US TO DO WHAT WE CANNOT DO Intro: There are times when God will call us to do things we can t do A. Great growth growth spurts happen when we choose to do them anyway When we by faith trust God to enable us to take us beyond ourselves to do what we re sure we can t do But believe that He is calling us to do so we step out Examples of God calling us to do what we cannot do 1. The Priests carrying the Ark across the Jordan river A. Children of Israel have come to the border of the Promised land 1). But there is a great obstacle in front of them Jordan river rushing at flood stage 2). Flood stage normally at this spot 180 wide now double it 360 wide This fast moving river would be rushing over twice as fast a rushing torrent B. Yet God tells them to take up the Ark and walk across it! Jos 3:9 13 (ESV) And Joshua said to the people of Israel, Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. (10) And Joshua said, Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. (11) Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. (12) Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. (13) And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap. 1). Priests: Uhhh... Joshua we re going to build a bridge right? Nope. I want you to take the ark and walk into the Jordan we ll trust God! A. This is going to take real faith not just words of faith but never acts
Ephesians 6:10 Practicing Being Strong in the Lord 3 1). Real faith is active without works faith is dead 2). Ever heard the story of the man crossing Niagra Falls on a tightrope c). Goes across once comes back to the watching crowd Grabs a wheel barrow tells them he s going to take that across on the tightrope Then asks spectators: Do you believe I can do this? One man replies: Yes I really do The entertainer says: Great! Get in! Words of faith are easy but real faith is willing to trust when there are risks B. So God is calling them to do the impossible notice what happens Thought: Jos 3:14 16 (ESV) So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, (15) and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), (16) the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 1). God didn t do anything until they acted on the Words of the Lord until they stepped out Until they acted on what He had said feet hit water and it parts We have a very important aspect of being strong in the Lord how faith works A. We must realize that every command that comes from God comes with the power necessary to obey 1). God doesn t give commands to mock us watch us fail He embeds enabling power with the command B. But to experience that power we must act must obey must take the risk must step into God s will 1). THEN we will experience that divine enabling power C. Is God calling you to step into a ministry but you feel it is beyond you Maybe it s loving a person you feel you can t love but you know He wants you too 1). Then strengthen yourself with this truth He s commanded and He will empower So act step into the power anticipating depending upon His power to enable you C. We will experience a growth spurt because we ve been stretched beyond our capacity 1). We ve seen through His power we can do more than we thought we could 2). We ve seen Him work in our life and our confidence in Him grows D. Mission trips are great for this stretching accelerated grace Thought: 1). I m still floating from that experience in that Gypsy Camp so early NT churchy So beyond anything any of us could ever do on our own God was there 2). Felt God told me no notes! Just talk with them out of Romans simple OK! Adds to your confidence next time He calls you to do something like that! Imagine the growth spurt in those priests who obeyed the story they had to tell I was horrified. You know what the Jordan is like at this time of year. But Joshua told us to pick up the ark and trust God and we would see something amazing. So, we believed God was able to do what God said He would do. We picked up the ark and slowly moved towards the Jordan. Got a little scary when we were 5 from the shores and nothing had happened. Everything in me was screaming out, Stop, what are you doing! But we kept believing in God and kept walking, straight into the Jordan. Guess what happened! All of a sudden the water upstream rose up in a heap and the Jordan stopped flowing. And all of the people marched into the Promised land on dry ground! I ll never forget that! A. These priests were doing what Ephesians 6 is exhorting us to do 1). They acted they obeyed the Lord by picking up the Ark and carrying it into the Jordan But they did that in absolute dependence upon God s power
Ephesians 6:10 Practicing Being Strong in the Lord 4 They strengthened themselves in the Lord by trusting the Lord s Word They didn t let circumstances control the moment they chose to believe God s word His promise that He would cut off the Jordan when their feet hit those waters Transition: Just to drive this thought of how faith works home another example 2. The man with the withered hand in the Temple Matthew 12 A. Jesus is in the synagogue and there is a man with a shriveled hand there Jesus looks at the man and says Stretch out your hand 1). What? How cruel! If he could stretch out his hand he would He s been walking around all his life with a useless hand because he can t stretch it out B. This would be cruel unless there was also power given to obey the command Question: 1). There was authority in the command that gave the man faith to attempt to do the impossible Mat 12:13 (NIV) Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 2). He was called to do what was impossible to do but when he obeyed trusted - practiced God met him at that point of faith and action with power 3). Again we get the balance the command always comes with the power to obey it But that power does not become active until we do obey it he had to stretch forth his hand Sounds good! But how do I start doing this? A. Standing strong in the power and might of the Lord in this way in a way it really affects my life APPLICATION 1. Make a daily choice to practice standing in God s strength A. Read the Bible with fresh eyes all these commandments are doable Because they all come with divine power to do them 1). It is my choice to act but it is His power that enables the action B. Let s cast away the excuses why we can t obey I m so weak. I can t do this 1). Yes you are weak but that realization will do one of two things Paralyze you or Push you Those who focus on self will become spiritually paralyzed won t be used won t grow Those who see this truth and handle it correctly allowing it to push them to God 1 2 They will soar they will start to depend upon His power I can do this because it s not dependent upon my power but His I choose to do this can t wait to see what God is going to do C. We see this in Moses life his inability paralyzing him how God wanted it to push him 1). God commands Moses to go but Moses immediately focuses on himself and his abilities You know Lord, I m not much of a speaker. This is beyond me. Choose somebody else He s being paralyzed by his own inabilities 2). The truth is he probably did stutter wasn t much of a public speaker But notice what God does he wants that realization to push him to depend upon God Exo 4:11-12 (NIV) The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? (12) Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." Moses get your eyes off of you I called you and that command comes with the power to be effective in it. Look to me 3). Moses make yourself strong in the Lord and the power of His might How? By stop looking at yourself and start looking at God and His ability His promise
Ephesians 6:10 Practicing Being Strong in the Lord 5 Use the realization of your weakness to your advantage Moses Let it drive you to the source of real strength! To God and His ability CONCLUSION 1. We grow when we practice these things A. When we take advantage of all the things God has given us to be strong with Listen to old studies B. When we accept the truth that we aren t strong enough to do anything in the kingdom of God Ps 127:1 (ESV) Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 1). Try anything spiritually on our own we work in vain We will not grow we will be overcome by the enemy C. So I allow these truths to cause a desperation for Him driving me to His strength 1). Then I start to practice daily today I m going to live in dependence upon you 2). I m going to read your word and stop making excuses why I can t do it I m going to learn how to do it in your power so I can grow beyond myself Then add prayer Lord teach me how to do this! D. Good news! You ll have plenty of opportunities every day to practice this 1). So we grow we become strong in the Lord as we PRACTICE using all the things He s given us to be strong in Him with As we do that we will see God move in our life our confidence in Him will grow 2). As we learn to do this in the little daily things in life who knows what He will trust us to do!