This is War, Part 2

Today on Senate life with Jamie Greer prayers were we put into practice what we believe about the gospel prayer is where we say God I really believe you are as compassionate as the cross demonstrates that you are as powerful to save as the resurrection proves that you are and that you ask God to release his power.

When you do the opens of Heaven's Gate to be used to board now. Prayer is the first thing we do and it is the most effective thing that we do an audit begin in the middle, and end everything pastor Jeannie down think you had the strength to engage in a spiritual battle against you actually got an advantage in the site includes our series titled love, incorruptible. He says that's why feeling weak and unqualified makes us more likely to lean on God's power and how when we apply gospel truth to our lives there strength in knowing we are fighting for victory. Jesus is Artie one let's join Pastor JD in Ephesians chapter 6 top of the human race was to say has God really said this in several thousand years. He had come up with a yet even me to come up with new lines will still fall for that one is goal in your life is to make you do want to think of the word of God doubted you neglected care which one because both of them would have the exact same effect in your life, what you believe about this book may be more important for you is how you treat this book. Is it reflective of what you say you believe about theirs. A very famous skeptic over at UNC Chapel Hill and Bart government teaches New Testament over there call himself a happy atheist and every single semester.

He convinces hundreds of UNC freshman to depart from the faith they grew up in what he does in the first class is usually asked a question like this site of the class of several hundred people. How many of you believe the Bible is the word of God says about two thirds of the people in the audience will raise her hand.

It was okay. Of those, you have your hand raised. Some of you have read it cover to cover is out of several hundred students, there's usually one or two that will say that they read it and so he says really you say that you believe this is the word of God and you haven't even read it. See you don't actually believe it's the word of God is. How could you believe a book is written, Almighty God, and not read it, your heart knows it's not true and honest to spend the rest of the semester convincing you your head to acknowledge what your heart already knows.

Here's my question for you is the way you treat that Bible acknowledge that you actually leave from Almighty God. Other actually parts of it you like cattle you know that not only care how would you say that we understand these are not education things we get together and steps for life. These are spiritual life to you. This is life and your life depends on your knowledge of the belts of truth, the word of God is a second piece of armor take up. He says in verse 14, the breastplate of righteousness, not breastplates, cover your vital organs right your heart and lungs in your stomach and all this kind of thing so what is he mean by you covering your vital organs of righteousness well again listen to Paul being covered with righteousness first means embracing your identity in Christ. I think the breastplate gives us a really interesting picture here is using Roman breastplates right and run a blessed life� You forgot the abs and the packs already cut in right which means that if I put on the breastplate of righteousness you're gonna see perfect tax and abs. Regardless of the jiggle that's going on behind the breastplate that was Paul actually thinking about that with me. I don't know, but you have to admit, it makes for a really interesting metaphor second grade beams 521 tells us that God made Jesus who knew Sandy made Jesus to be my sin, so that in Christ, I can become his righteousness. He got my sand.

I got his righteousness, the love handles of my sin became his his perfect abs of righteousness became.

I try you have never heard the gospel analogy before ever, that is a JD were originally there. So at first I think it means taking Christ's righteousness as our own, but I think there's also an obedience element there.

Not only are we covered by Christ's righteousness. We now bring our lives in the conformity with his righteousness. Again, Satan's only use whatever part of you is not surrendered to God and not conform to his truth is his focal point of attack. Maybe that's a bad habit you have. But you know a sinful, but you just don't take it seriously enough to really devote the energy to breaking it. Or maybe it's a temptation that you just can't say no to listen men or women that indulges in pornography is a ticking time bomb.

You may think you're fine now. You may think is not bothered anybody. But it's just a matter time before Satan uses that to destroy you and those people around you, and he'll just leave it dormant until he needs it and then he'll pour nitrous and gasoline on it and he'll use you to burn your house and your church and everything down.

Maybe if somebody in your heart you will forgive you. Like a lot of the will.

I can't forgive them and I was nurse.

This grudge and that's fine that's fine you think until Satan decides. Now it's time for me to take that foothold that you gave me, you should destroy your whole life. Maybe it's a some part of your life that you don't trust God enough yet to surrender to your dating life. What you do with your money and you're like yeah I mean I will be surrender to God and everything, but I don't know if I can trust to get in those areas and that is going to become the place where Satan gets his foothold and tears you apart whatever part of your life is not brought into obedience to God's work will be Satan's focal point of attack in your life what you think that would be for you.

Some friends of mine and I won't hold each other accountable yet. We asked this question if you knew the next year this time Satan would've taken you down taking you out if you knew that what area would it have been in what area do you think it would be him because that's probably the area where you are least surrendered to God.

What would it be for you if you knew Satan was going to tear you down. What area would it be there's your third piece of armor as shoes for your feet, and having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Were talking about shoes now okay.

The third piece of armor the bugs of evangelism. Maybe if I can see that whatever now I've often heard that the sword of the spirit which were to get to in a minute is the only offense of weapon in the Christian arsenal.

But that's not true. Your feet are also offense of weapons because they carry you forward into battle, Paul is saying that the way we overcome Satan is by going on offense with the gospel going on offense with the gospel. Listen overcomes both Satan's work.

In other people you share the gospel with and it overcome Satan's work in your life become breakers apart real quick first sharing the gospel with other people is how we counteract Satan's work in them sometimes willingly share the gospel with people who seem interested in it but did not put the cart before the horse. How can they get interested in it until it had a chance to go to work in the lives the message of the gospel has in it the power to set the captive free. The gospel message has in it the ability to give sight to the blind, the gospel has in it to give spiritual life, spiritual interest to those who were. This interested in those things can happen to people never heard it when I met my good friends who may be the most effective person I've ever been around bringing other people to Jesus. He says you know somebody who shares Christ with other people only has to believe really two things only two things got ugly on you got ugly. The salvation belongs to God, which he does not on you want to persuade you not trying to convince them all the way the Holy Spirit to do that because that takes the pressure off of you because of you don't know that you really get overwhelmed and you're in a quit. He said the same thing. You gotta believe that was just as important, and that his faith comes only by hearing and hearing by the word of God, which means that it's an all impossible for faith or spiritual interest in somebody to grow until you planted the word of God inside of them. You know how you were before you became a Christian you are interested in the Bible you memorize scripture like sermons. Somebody had to. So the word of God in you, and then that begin to grow and it created in you that spiritual interest you need to learn to share the gospel right your lambs on a plane. My first question the person next to me is always what you do because I know that just out of politeness.

I got asked me back and I get to tell him on the pastor which point all temperature of the entire cabin changes right and I will give the downs not yet pastor, which means you know we gotta have this conversation you want to go and have it now. One way to later. Just tell me when you're ready, right. Sometimes they'll say things like, you know where you go to church and they'll say you know and I will tell me and if if they say they do go to church about what you always call you thought God is becoming more real to you right now is to become less real soon the conversation goes. They say no I don't go to church like well, tell me about you. How do you see that the universe using God and we just have a conversation.

It's that simple and I want my son do it, you danced at Starbucks goes on to some overlay my son six years old and already seven now is the time he goes out to this woman any sort talking to her charms are little bit you know Philip through three centers through their senses, and he says are you a Christian and she said will know he looks at me because it because was your dad. She's not a Christian.

And so I struck up a conversation with her and you know that's it that's all it is is just asking him responding right so it is how you counteract Satan's work in people's lives was also how you counteract his work in your life because the lesson we are the easiest pray for Satan when were board. King David fell Satan's temptation when he felt a temptation second single 11 says that all the other armies of Israel route fight battles were David should Amanda David was alone lounging they were fighting. He was lounging so made him a perfect target for for for Satan to bring along Bathsheba will see for many of you not just memo me talk to you man for a minute. For many of you men.

The reason that you were so bound up in Satan's deception is that your board and the reason your board is because your disengaged your disengaged from God's plan for your life and that is to use you in mission, which is why we say around here.

We want to big audience to be entertained. We think you're an army to be engaged. The picture of the church that we see throughout the New Testament is not a hovel of saints cloistered together.

Try to keep out the barbarians to missionary people that are battering health gates.

Only then will you be healthy.

Above all, here we are here for thesis above all, that you shall above all means. This is probably the most important. They can show the faith by which we extinguish the fire regards of the wicked one. Now this is really a way of summing up all the other pieces. Satan's main weapons are the lies that he throws you see there like fiery darts that come into our hearts. Listen, you're not supposed to try to out reason those darts. The image is not that you are a some kind of like ninja the table to you very seriously move as they come at you.

What you do when you're in the presence of a fiery dart being thrown at you.

You cover yourself you hide from those darts behind a shield. That's what Paul is telling you to do. Don't try to out reason Satan don't try to argue with him.

You hide from him behind what you know to be true in the gospel use the gospel. What you see is true about that. In the gospel to extinguish the fiery dart. So for example, Satan hurls that you know God you're nothing. Your pathetic after what you did your thought, God still loves you. You can never make a difference will never use you your marriage always be bad never be a good parent always be say you'll never get out of debt you put up that seal Fiona.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I would well mouth the Lord forever. Joshua tells me I'm blessed come in in a blast when out with me during no time my life that I'm not walking a blessing in favor of God. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world and all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus and God has plans to prosper me to be a future and a hope. And I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I know that God is working in all things together for good in my life because I love God, I know he'll never leave me or forsake me his eye on the sparrow leaders and peers are in my head, here's my head I'm really watching me and I can assure you that when you get down with a montage like that, when Satan will be anywhere near not a place is one of the things where I go on here visually interesting Anglo Roman soldiers shield in those days was created to be linked up with his brothers next right you see them in and they did they make the shield walls which music like the 300 movie gladiators of the like that.

I want to think it shows you is a sometimes your own faith is not enough to get you through a situation, it was never meant to me. You're supposed to be part of the church, so that in one situation somebody else's shield shield you in your shield will shield him in another situation, maybe you want to end every small group.

I don't start out in Missouri you know so that I got up and probably help you remember I'm piece number five piece number five take up. He says the helmet of salvation. Verse 17 again, this just repeats in a new way, what is Artie said, but specifically hear your head is where you think Paul is telling us about the truth about our salvation. Permeate your cover control everything that we think. Every morning there are two things I tried to tell myself it's part of the gospel prayer that I wrote several years ago did it to saturate my heart and mind in God's grace before I even start the day first phrase is because I'm in Christ there is nothing I can do my God love me more is not that I have done that would make him love me less his acceptance as a gift given in Christ and I just embrace that for a minute because I don't want to go through life that day thinking I gotta earn God's favor. The second thing is Lord Jesus you are all I need for everlasting joy which means on it other people's approval on only success I will need a claim.

Finally creature comforts. I just need you. That's what one first books Iroko gospel is all about how to put on the helmet of salvation every day to guard your mind and your heart so that you think about your date of the lives of the gospel. Here's your six piece taking the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Now in a transition to exclusively offense of weapons. We talked about her shoes. Now we got our sword, which is the word of God.

Of course the word of God's been in each of the other pieces already see Paul is telling us again just so master this book for so master and that it will give us the ability to counteract Satan's lies.

Your ability to overcome Satan is directly proportionate to your knowledge of the word of God parents, your children's ability to counteract the lies of Satan is directly proportionate to how well they know the word of God. So, yes, have them in balding counsel and have been involved in dance, but you make sure that they graduate your house with a thorough knowledge of the word of God because those things might help get a better job with the word of God to save their soul deliver them from Satan so you learned you meditate on it you memorize it to read it and you sing it if I don't often say be so saturated with God's word that when life cuts you. You believe God's word in order to be a good disciple maker can first be a good disciple, which means you know the word better than you know anything else in your life.

Finally he says would ever say to you, and praying at all times in the spirits peers or other primarily offense of weapon prayer printer audit will include prayer in the list of weapons, but Paul puts it, there is the thing that you do after you get dressed for battle. And that's really important. I think because most Christians see prayer watches as what they do to prepare for battle, Paul sees prayers what you do after you got dressed to go into battle. Prayer is not preparation for battle. Prayer itself is about the book of James tells us the same thing. It says that the most effective weapon that a believer has in their hand is prayer uses a guy like Elijah and Mrs. Elijah change history through his prick. Elijah change the weather patterns there is prayer prayers will be put into practice what we believe about the gospel prayer is where we say God I really believe you are as compassionate as the cross demonstrates that you are, I believe you are is powerful to say is the resurrection proves that you are and that you ask God to release his power and when you do the opens up Heaven's Gate to begin support now prayer summit church is not the only thing that we do here but it is the first thing that we do and it is the most effective thing that we do an audit begin in the middle, and end everything. One of the examples on using the Bible on this for you is on the way we see the early church behave in the first chapters of acts so you Jesus give the great commission take gospel to every nation on earth is a more overwhelming assignment ever been given to a less qualified group of people.

They literally have no education.

They got the money they get jobs up as other phone they've never been outside of Israel, that they literally have not been outside of Israel, and she said your. The gospel to every nation in the world and sorted it while they do what Jesus tells Mrs. want to go do nothing for a while to wait. Wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit in one way I want you to pray so that it and if you add up the days that they waited this unspecified amount of time it was 10 days they prayed for 10 days. The nose hurricane Peter stands up and asked to. He preaches a sermon you read from start to finish. It will take you 10 minutes.

Pray for today's conference of the 10 minutes 3000 people got saved, I told you before, this is what we do. We pray for 10 minutes.

I preach for what feels like 10 days and three people have sex is because older zeros are all in the wrong places.

You see, prayer becomes this weapon by which we release the almighty power of God. You understand what I'm getting out there. You see some of you have. This is a gift.

It is the greatest gift you can have your not that impressive looking on the outside but you have the gift of intercession and you need to use it for all of us. It should be the primary and most effective way that we fight this the point where you to where you begin to apply the gospel what you believe and release God's power in the world, my friend Joby Martin.

Joby was a former bodybuilder is a lot of Christians are basically like bodybuilders. He said that when I was a bodybuilder. I never did anything with my strength. I worked out all the time but I never thought anybody I never played any sports I just showed up and flex that's all that I did with my strength is a lot of Christians like that. They puff themselves up with doctrine, but they never actually do anything.

They know all the stuff about God, but they never exercise that belief in bold, frequent prayer.

Prayer is how you demonstrate how you use the gospel and release its power is it is a lot of you that listen, you know a lot about the Bible but your prayer life is nothing to speak of and you're just a Christian bodybuilder you show up at church and flex and you need to start using that stuff that God gave you in applying it by releasing the power of God in the world. Do you understand how much power and compassion.

God is ready to pour out. If you will just pray she says, ask, ask, ask, specifically, he says this is pray.

Make supplication for all saints major people in your small group pray for them by name and also for me. None of the crystals to be paying for Paul but returns like that for you, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel to you. I think the media pray for me. Me because I'm the one who usually released as it gives you the word of God and fortunately or unfortunately for you on never short on words right you will Mimi stay and appear talking for an hour what you need is the words of God to be given to me for you because my words might educate his word to liberate my words can fill up your mind's words can save your soul so you need to pray that God will give me the word so that I can leave this congregation to know God. To know the gospel better. That's not gonna happen said that you pray for me to say listen, Paul's last words are to tell us that yes life is war. Life is war but we can and should be confident because we have a God who is willing to fight for us in these pieces of armor are just learning something about the strength of the gospel in your life the way to fight Satan is not to engage Satan the way to fight Satan is to cover your life. The gospel of Luke chapter 11 Jesus said this little different angle to Grable parable. He said the man who had a demon living in his house and I drove anyone out in so many went to his house up to the name and a dawning to begin to clean up the house and Dena made a mess is it's a metaphor for his life. He made a mess of his life to begin to clean it up demon go down on seven of his buddies were just like him comes back and buying the house weapon in order E re-inhabits the house now with not one but seven and now the last date of the man is worse in the first men.

Jesus says something that a lot of people put together with the parable, but Jesus then says that he said you know we got a strong man, which is the demon in order to be able to really fortify the house you need to have a stronger man who lives in the house.

The strongman is Satan. The stronger man who occupies the house, Jesus. So it's not about driving out the demon.

It's about letting Jesus filled the house of your life so that there's not a single place that Satan can touch you. You need the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in the gospel in your life the way to resist Satan is not a Satanist to get the presence of Jesus on Charles Spurgeon. You say the preaching of Christ is the wind that flogs the devil you want the devil you had one muddy home you want to muddy your family want them out of our church and you want him out of the community and preach Christ trust Christ abide in Christ as a Christian we don't have the fight for victory over Satan. Intermarriages, praise God. We want to fight for victory over Satan in our church by four victory over Satan our lives. Listen we fight run victory. Amen. Last person Ephesians last verse of grace me with all you love our Lord Jesus Christ with love, incorruptible, great title idea for a series anything on God's love is the only incorruptible everlastingly immutable, all-powerful, unchangeable thing in this corruptible following ever-changing world series programs online.

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