Standing In Strength

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Standing In Strength</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id438.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Discipline: Loving Correction"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="21"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"Standing in Strength - But not Standing Still," </B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:10-20" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Ephesians 6:10-20</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, March 14, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>     </I>"In the early 1900s, there was a woman named Hettie Green who was known for her miserly ways. So much so, that she was called America's greatest miser. But Hettie Green was worth a lot of money. When she died in 1916, she left an estate valued at $100 million. Still, Hettie Green lived as through she were poverty-stricken. She would eat cold oatmeal every day to save the expense of heating water. When her son suffered a severe leg injury, she took so long trying to find a free clinic to treat him that his leg had to be amputated because of advanced infection. She even hastened her own death by not taking proper care of herself. She lived like a pauper when, in reality, she was a multimillionaire" (Greg Laurie, "Our Spiritual Wealth," 11-03.) In the same way, we often live as spiritual victims who are powerless against spiritual enemies, when in reality we have all the resources of heaven at our disposal to become what God wants us to be.</div> <div>      In Ephesians, Paul has challenged believers on many fronts in terms of obedience, and we should know we will face opposition in pleasing Christ. Evil exists in the world, and it is a powerful force. With a new location (in Christ) and a new life (as a result), there exists opposition. When you try to deal with bad habits and built right habits, you will face opposition. When you try to build a marriage and home that honors God, you will face opposition. When you try to take on God's character and love others like Jesus loves you, you will face opposition. But if we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), we have strength, resources, and victory, because of our relationship to Christ. The strength for transformation, in the midst of incredible opposition, comes from God himself.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. When we get serious about transformation, the opposition is intense (</B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:11-12" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Ephesians 6:11b-12</B></U></A><B>).</B></div> <div>      We walk, we make progress, we move forward toward a goal, the goal of transformation,  upon which we are focused. Ephesians 4:1 says, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life [or <I>walk</I>] worthy of the calling you have received." But we also have to defend against attacks and opposition, which means we <I>stand firm</I>, we don't fall back, we don't fall down and stay down, we <I>stand</I> against the opposition and move ahead. We live in this new realm (in the heavenly places in Christ), and in that realm is great opposition. We don't have to go looking for a challenge from the devil - the challenge is right in front of us. It is the challenge of being transformed.</div> <div>      Several Scriptures tell us about this opposition. Part of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:13 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT) </FONT>says, "Don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." 1 Peter 5:8 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith." (He is already assuming the posture of victory.) In the challenge to married couples to meet one another needs, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:5 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> "...Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control." Ephesians 4:26-27 says, "`In your anger do not sin:' Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." When we get serious about transformation, the opposition will be intense.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. When we are serious about transformation, we must stand in the strength that God provides (</B><A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:10-20" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U><B>Ephesians 6:10-20</B></U></A><B>).</B></div> <div>      On June 12, 1979, a young man made aviation history when he flew a pedal-powered plane across the English Channel. Taking off from England, he flew for three hours, rarely more than fifteen feet above the water. Finally, after covering twenty-two miles, he landed exhausted on the coast of France. As dramatic as this was, man-powered flight will never be practical. A man simply cannot maintain the necessary energy output for extended flights" (Green, <I>Illustrations for Biblical Preaching</I>, 56). In the same way, no one can live the Christian life pedaling on his or her own power . It was never intended to work like that. It is only through God's power that we can withstand the spiritual opposition of the evil one and be transformed.</div> <div>      The metaphor for God's strength is armor, provided by God, for us to put on and use (vss. 13-17). A Roman soldier was probably sitting next to Paul as he wrote this - Paul tells us <I>our</I> protection is greater than a human soldier's protection.</div> <div> 1) The belt of truth - the strategy of the enemy depends on deception, 2 Cor 11:14 says "...Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;" on the other hand, we are people of integrity, because God is a God of truth. </div> <div> 2) The breastplate / body armor of righteousness - we practice righteous acts, because our God is a God of righteousness, who shares his righteousness with us. </div> <div> 3) Shoes of the gospel<U> </U>of<U> </U>peace - we are made ready because we have peace with God and with each other, even though we are at war with spiritual enemies. </div> <div> 4) The shield of faith - we must have unwavering confidence in God. </div> <div> 5) The helmet of salvation - we are delivered in the time of battle, because we have eternal deliverance from sin and death.</div> <div> 6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This refers to the use of the Word, the speaking of it.</div> <div>      "To be strong in the Lord is to wear the character He enables believers to possess." (Darrell Bock, <I>A Biblical Theology of the New Testament</I>, "Ephesians," p. 319.)</div> <div>      2 Thessalonians 3:3 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one." James 4:7 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods.  We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds." 1 Corinthians 10:13 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. How Do We Stand In the Strength God Provides?</B></div> <div>      The Bible does not offer some "secret" to dealing with the opposition and being transformed. Yet we fail time and again, because we violate the basic principles of transformation. God offers you the strength you need to become what he wants you to become, regardless of the opposition. </div> <div> A. Be filled with the word (<A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:17" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>vs. 17</U></A>). </div> <div>      In <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Matt+4" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Matthew 4</U></A>, Jesus used the truth of Scripture to defend himself against the temptation of the devil. He did not say, "I am <I>God in the flesh</I> - I can handle it." He used the Scriptures.</div> <div>      "Recently NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon are broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk. / There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now - before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they're needed" (Craig Brian Larson). And that development occurs as we are fed with the Word of God. We discover how God wants us to live, and we discover his resources that make it possible.</div> <div> B. Be focused in prayer (<A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:18-20" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>vs. 18-20</U></A>). </div> <div>      Along with the Word, prayer is our primary spiritual weapon. If the battle were of a human nature, human solutions would be helpful. But human solutions alone are no match for problems in the spiritual realm. Since we live in the heavenly realms in Christ, and do battle in the heavenly realms, we must use the tools of the heavenly realms.  Therefore, prayer is vital. It is indispensable, even if it often seems like a waste of time, from our human perspective.In addition, prayer is the expression of faith. It expresses our complete confidence and dependence upon God.</div> <div> C. Be intense about the goal, and be alert to the dangers (<A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+6:18" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>vs. 18</U></A>).</div> <div>      Consider the focus of a soldier on patrol. Of a policeman when entering the home where the suspect is hiding out. Of a fireman, struggling to save a home people's lives. Urgency is necessary and wise. In those environments, complacency kills. </div> <div>      You have to view transformation with that sense of urgency. Ephesians 5:15-17 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT)</FONT> says, "So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." Philippians 2:13 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(NLT) </FONT>says, "For God is working in you, giving you <I>the desire to obey him</I> and <I>the power</I> to do what pleases him." If you don't have that urgent desire for transformation, ask God to give it to you today.</div> <bR> <div>      In 2 Kings 6, the Aramean army wanted to capture the prophet Elisha, because Elisha was giving information on the location of the Aramean armies to Israel, enemy of the Arameans. The Arameans located Elisha, and the Scriptures read, "Then [they] sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God [Elisha] got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. 'Oh, my lord, what shall we do?' the servant asked.  'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered. 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (2 Kings 6:14-17). Elisha knew that is was a spiritual battle, not merely a human battle. And he fought accordingly. God's strength is available, if we would just realize it and believe.</div> <div>      In <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Eph+1:18-23" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Ephesians 1:18-23</U></A>, Paul also prayed that our eyes would be opened, so that we could see and experience the power of God. The same force of energy that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is available to God's people, so that they can be transformed and can carry out God's will for their lives.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Questions for Thought and Discussion</B></div> <div> 1. We know that obedience often brings opposition. Why would we want to enter a situation that we know is going to be difficult to obey God? What is the cost and why is it worth it?</div> <bR> <div> 2. Think of a time in your life when you obeyed God and faced opposition. How did you resolve your situation? Knowing the result, would you react the same way if given the same situation or would you respond differently? Why?</div> <bR> <div> 3. God provides armor for our protection. Why do we fail to put it on?</div> <bR> <div> 4. It has been said that the areas we feel we are strong in are in fact the areas that we are the weakest in since we tend to not protect them. Which area is your strength? How can you remember to put that piece of armor on each day?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2004, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>