Spiritual Equipment For A Tough Assignment

I don't stand there and try to keep going toe-to-toe with the devil I come to church and celebrate God's victory I want to talk a moment about spiritual equipment for a tough assignment spiritual equipment for a tough assignment if you're not aware of it if you're not already engaged in it if you are a Christian you need to understand that we are enjoined engaged in a warfare it is not a picnic it's not a playground it's a battlefield and you can't fight until you get time you got to fight till you die because it is a life-and-death struggle good against evil right against wrong God against Satan the flesh against the spirit the world against the word and if you are not engaged if you are not fighting on the Lord side then necessarily you are on Satan's side because Jesus said those who are not for us I wish I had a Bible reader Christians do not live by conventional wisdom and we therefore do not fight our battles with conventional weapons the cause of Christ is never advanced by carnal actions or carnal methods our spiritual weapons weak by the world's standards are more than sufficient to see us through to defeat the enemy but you can let see them drag you to the fight on his territory I wish I had somebody to help me because when you try to fight in his territory you lose every time because Satan will fool you into believing that you've been in church so long that you are strong enough now to withstand this temptation but somebody who will help me tell the truth this morning will testify with me that no matter how old you are no matter how much Bible you know no matter how much you shout on Sunday morning you are no match for the schemes of the devil he knows your weaknesses I wish I had help to preach him he knows where the is in your armor he knows your Achilles heel he knows what will not bother you but at the same time he does know what will if you're not tempted with women Seaton won't bother you with that if you're not tempted with strong drink Satan won't worry you with that so don't brag about I don't run around cuz maybe you're too old don't brag on I don't drink maybe you too sick don't gonna have a pump your chest and lift your head and throw your shoulders back talking about what you won't ever do no effect the Lord for what you haven't done yet have a got a witness here but we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against spiritual wickedness in high places Satan is on the rampage he's going to and fro seeking whom he may devour but thank God we are more than conquering walk with me around the text Paul is using irony and sarcasm to strike back at his enemies when you read the text Paul is using irony and sarcasm for their criticism against him has been that he is bold when he's not here but timid when he's here he's bad when he's writing to us but when he shows up he's humble as a lamb so Paul says now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ who impresses am base among you but being absent am bold toward you but I beseech you that I may not be bold when I'm impressed with their confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh Paul is saying I've been at this too long to let you draw me into a carnal conflict I've been preaching too long I've been walking with the Lord too long to let some little person of your size drop me out in the open that I might ruin my testimony I wish I had a witness in you can't let little people bring you down to their size because if you argue with a fool we might not be able to make the distinction somebody gonna get that in a minute no I've been walking with the Lord too long to let you engage me in some argument that's not gonna win you anyway yeah for all is trying to get over to his enemies that your weapons are intimidation and manipulation but my weapons are prayer and the proclamation of the gospel because what the gospel can't change leave it alone talk back to me if you can don't don't don't let them drag you into no argument at the barbershop because they're not coming to church anyway help me preach if you can don't get into any debate on your job or at lunch over the Word of God because if they want to trust Jesus nothing you sing can stop them and anything you don't see won't make them go any further because it's not about your wisdom you remember in Chapter four I believe our second Corinthians Paul said I didn't come among you with any flowery words I didn't come among you with any rhetoric of speech but I came among you knowing nothing but Jesus and him crucified to the Jew it's a stumbling block to the Greek is foolishness but to them that are being saved it is the power of God and this Impala tells us in Romans I'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe to the Jew first and also to the Greek there a Bible reader in here when you know the Word of God Satan can't easily manipulate you when you know the Word of God Satan can't easily intimidate you because you have the power not only of plan but of the proclamation of the gospel so now since we have a tough assignment we need some spiritual equipment God has equipped us according to Paul who uses athletic and military metaphors to strengthen his point as he relates to how we ought to behave and conduct ourselves as Christians in Ephesians Paul has reminded us that we ought to put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of a deathly he calls us to put on the helmet of salvation put on the breastplate of righteousness having our hands the sword of the Spirit have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace that you may be able to stand against Satan's fire aDOT's that repeats of our weaponry is on us in the front because if you're tying back there's no protection oh I wish I had time to stay right there you can't be coward and fight this battle you can't be timid and fight this battle you can't be apologetic and fight this battle you've got to be bold in your assault against Satan's stronghold take with you the shield of faith wherewith you'll be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one now since you have all the equipment you need what does this equipment accomplish what does the gospel have power to do it has power to destroy the strongholds of arguments for the weapons of our warfare are not come but mighty not through a college education not through my financial wherewithal but mighty through go because I can't pull out throw down the arguments the strongholds in my own wisdom because there are people who are unsaved who can run rings around me intellectually there people who are saved who can who can buy me because they have financial means but now the divine power that comes through the Word of God cannot be over well let me see if I can prove that - jesus said after Peter's confession of faith upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Jesus says when you are equipped with the gospel you can tear down wicked arguments because there are arguments in the world against God 9/11 brought up an argument against the goodness of God for people who don't know God was questioning God's integrity people who don't even go to church people who don't read the Bible people who are not saved were questioning God's faithfulness and and many Christians were way in a quandary as to how to answer their questions we were we were stepping back and and throwing our our hands up and shrugging our shoulders because we didn't know how to counteract the argument of the devil about the goodness of God in and through tragedy I want to help you with the gospel to pull down strongholds of satanic arguments that that cast aspersions on the goodness of God the next time somebody want to know from you where was God when I was suffering you tell them God was in the same place he was when his son was suffering he was on his throne superintending the affairs of men have a got a witness here somebody want to know where where was God during a tsunami over in Asia and where was God when that earthquake happened over in Japan God is in the same place he's always been ruling and super ruling over the heavens and the earth God is not taken by surprise with stress and trouble and trial come in your life it doesn't know God off his throne God knows what you're going through and in his own time he will step right in and take care of your situation I need somebody here to know that God will make away somehow have I got a witness here I need somebody to help me testify I don't always understand what he's doing I can't always follow where he's going but where he leads me I will the father you have to be you have to be a Christian for quite a while before you can start talking that Paul talk what you mean Reverend that Paul talk after he had been shipwrecked after he's been run out of town by mob after he'd been let down a wall in a basket after he had received 40 lashes - one after he had been hungry and naked and in peril of the sword Paul said after all that I had to learn that in whatsoever state I find myself in with the Lord I've learned how to be continued I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength you can't do it in your strengths you need the Lord's strength because your strength is going to wear out when you get old and feeble but I hear Caleb I wish I had a Bible reader I hear Caleb said I am just as strong now as I was three I hear the Lord saying to Joshua as I was with Moses saw also will I be with you somebody here who's kind of weak and who's whose argument is kind of flimsy I need you to recognize that you don't have to get in a debate with nobody about God's goodness just stand up and testify look at me I wish I had a witness you want to hear an argument about the goodness of God look at me look at my life let me tell you where I came from let me show you what God has done for me that's the greatest argument I know somebody here was raised in the project somebody has struggled to get through college somebody here had a hard time trying to make ends meet at times but look at you now you got more than you can spin you got food that you don't even eat you got to decide what clothes to wear you got shoes from the flow-on up to the ceiling God's been good to you and that's the greatest argument against the stronghold of the devil gospel has power to destroy strongholds of argument and then the gospel has power to destroy high towers of rebellious fault because people don't love God not because they don't know what the word says but they don't love God because they are rebellious by nature we rebel against God's goodness we rebel against God's righteousness because it is human nature to want to do what you want to do it is human nature to get angry when somebody points out to you your faults it is human nature to try to excuse your bad behavior talk back to me if you can you you rationalize your ugly ways you're strange and quirky disposition by talking about well I'm a Leo I am the way I am because I'm a cancer I got funny ways because I'm a Capricorn no you're low down because you're a sinner and you rebel against the goodness and the will of God because God is going this direction and you want to go in that direction and whenever you rebelled against the will of God Satan comes into your life and builds a stronghold he builds a beachhead where he can come in set up residence and use you against the will of God let's let's check out what the word say the word says when a man cleans his house and sweeps out demons if he doesn't put something in the demons place the Word of God the righteousness of God the will of God the faithfulness of God if he doesn't replace what he swept out with something that's good the demon will come back but watch this the Bible says he will come back not by himself but with demons seven times stronger than the one you swept out you get more stubborn yeah egotistical you're proud because you thought you got rid of it last year but if you have them completely swept it out and replace it with the goodness of God the devil will come back in and build a strong hole a stronghold of rebellious thought a stronghold is a tower it's an embankment it's a reinforcement that's built around or inside a city to keep away intruders and if you let the devil build a stronghold in your life the Spirit will not have an opportunity to intrude to get that stuff out of you and you will get deeply and more deeply entrenched in your ways and then you will you will start arguing with people about why you are the way you all and then you build a fence around you that nobody wants to be bothered with you lets you in church but you mean every Sunday at church grouchy teaching son to school man well I again what somebody tries to point it out to you you see like that's just my teaching style law but that's just the way I am well and if it's not working and and your class get empty you accuse them of being unspiritual but nobody wants to be around somebody who wants that way all the time hollering and screaming ain't teaching talk back to me if you can bribe beating people and and bullying people is not teaching and preaching that's intimidating because of low self esteem cuz if I got to make you small to make me look big I got the problem have a got a witness here but as a Christian I ought to be building you up I want to be propping you up I wish I had a witness in I need to be salt and light so that when somebody needs to be encouraged the first name that pops in their head is your name because you are and encourage you remember when Paul got ready to join the church the church was scared to take him in and rightly so because Paul was a hoodlum Paul was a desperado Paul was relentless in his threats and his attacks against those people of the way but when Paul got ready to join the church after the Lord had saved him on the Damascus Road that was only one person willing to go on the back road and sit with poles and catechized him and find out if he was really who he said he was thank you for tuning in to a call to joy it is our prayer that the Word of God has brought joy strength and faith to your life we would love to have you as I guess that little grow of Missionary Baptist Church where we are exalting the Savior equipping the Saints and evangelizing the center for your convenience we have a 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship service every Sunday morning and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights lily grove is located at seventy thirty forty Westar Street Houston Texas 77021 are feel free to visit our website at WWF God has called us to a life of joy

Channel: Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Views: 234,278

Keywords: Reverend, Terry, Anderson, Pastor, Lilly, Grove, Missionary, Baptist, Church, Houston, Texas, Call, To, Joy, Religion

Id: bJnbXDihAsQ

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 29 2012