Grace Vineyard Oceanside Podcast

The Greatness of the Gospel #2 Transformative Power of the Gospel

The Transformative Power of the Gospel

May 16, 2021

Notes:

 

“The Gospel is always relevant, always transformative, and is always our central message”

--Phil Strout, The Greatness of the Gospel Booklet

 

“The Gospel is the Good News that God intervened on behalf of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. ‘The Gospel rests upon the history of Jesus Christ. His birth, obedient life, atoning death, physical resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into heaven.’  In the end, He will set all things right as it was intended.”                                                                       --Phil Strout, The Greatness of the Gospel Booklet

 

Romans 12:1-2

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

Galatians 5:19-25

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

 

John 3:3-18

 

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

 

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

 

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

 

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.  14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

 

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

 

Philippians 2:12-13

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Train Like You Fight

Chaplain Jason DiPinto teaches on training for our Spiritual Battles

Matthew 24:1-8, 36-51 (ESV)

1 “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Point 1: We must always BE READY for whatever our CALLINGS or our LIFE requires

Point 2: When we train, we crawl, walk, run.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Philippians 2:13

13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

I Corinthians 9:24-26

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

Matthew 25:34-40

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

Point 3: Our Training and discipleship happen when were in community.

 

 

 

 

Take Your Place

Easter Sunday Service at The River Gardens

Take Your Place

Look to Jesus on the cross, look to Jesus at the resurrection, and take your place.

The story arc of the entire Bible can be summarized in 4 chapters:

Chapter 1 – Creation

Chapter 2 – The Fall

Chapter 3 - Redemption

Chapter 4 – New Creation

 

Creation

 

Genesis 1:26-28

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

 

27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

 

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

 

• It was always God’s intent that He would rule over creation through humans, made in His image, living in intimate relationship with Him, entirely dependent on Him.
• The world was perfect, beautiful, full of peace, there was perfect justice especially in the sense that there was no oppression, none of the corruption of power where the strong oppress those who are not as strong as they.
• This would all be blown apart in Chapter 2 – The Fall

 

The Fall

God had given them one rule – there are fruit trees everywhere.  They may eat any of the fruit.   But there is one tree they may not eat of – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If they eat of it, they will surely die, says God.

 

The tempter says God is lying.  They will not surely die, he says.  Rather, they will become like God.  They look at the fruit, see it’s beauty, begin to look at it with lust in their hearts.  They make the fatal decision to disobey God, to try to do things their own way, to become like God themselves.

And all hell breaks lose.

And they who were created to be God’s vice regents over the earth, give rulership to the serpent, to Satan. 

And Jesus calls him the prince of this world, the ruler of this world.

Paul writes to the Ephesians:

 

Ephesians 2:1-10

 

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The Final 2 Chapters – Redemption and New Creation

• God already has a plan in place to redeem this broken world. He tells the humans that one day one of their offspring will crush the head of the serpent, but the serpent will bruise his heal.
• Out of the chaos God chooses a man named Abraham, and says he will give him a family, and through that family will bless all the people on the planet.
• God forms a nation from Abraham, a nation called Israel, and the Bible is the story of that people.
• God establishes that in a temporary sort of way animals, can be slain in sacrifice as a way to deal with their constant sinning. God gives them laws showing them how to live in love, peace, and justice.
• And God sends prophets to them telling them of a day coming when he will redeem the entire world through the work of special person called the Messiah. He will suffer and be killed in their place, taking upon himself all the combined sins and evil of the world.

 

Isaiah 53:2-6

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 

4 Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

 

Chapter 4 New Creation

 

Those same prophets also predicted that God would recreate the whole world and restore it to what it was at creation.

 

Isaiah 11:2-9

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him —

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord — 

3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

 

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

 

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

 

The New Creation is best described by the words of the Revelation:

 

Revelation 21:1-5

 

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

 

5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

2 Crucial Things Took Place on the Cross.

 

And currently most Christians only emphasize one of them.  But both are crucial.

 

John 12:31-33

31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."  33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

 

1^st – Sin has been dealt with.

Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

On the cross, Jesus took away

• The Penalty of Sin
• The Presence of Sin
• The Power of Sin

 

Hebrews 9:26

But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

 

2^nd – Satan has been dealt with.  The powers have been destroyed.  The ruler of this world as been driven out.

 

Crucial truths from the Bible –

Colossians 2:15

15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Hebrews 2:14-16

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

 

1 Corinthians 2:8-9

8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

In the Resurrection, New Creation has Begun.  Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruits of the resurrection of all of Creation.  Of the New Heavens and the New Earth. 

Chapters 3 and 4 – Redemption and New Creation – are overlapping.  Redemption is complete.  New Creation has started in advance before it’s consummation at the return of Jesus.

 

Revelation 1:4-6

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever!

 

Revelation 5:6-10

 

6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song:

 

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

 

Because of the Cross, you can take your place.  You can live the life of purpose for which God Created You.

 

1 John 3:8b

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

At the cross:

                Sin has been dealt with.  Jesus has taken away its penalty, its power and its presence

At the cross:

                Satan has been dealt with.  He has been destroyed by the death of Jesus (that word means – rendered powerless and ineffective.  Jesus has disarmed the powers and authorities that are the force behind all the reign of wickedness and evil in this world

Easter – the resurrection of Jesus – is the inauguration of New Creation.

When we look in faith to Jesus, we enter into the experience of all of this – defeat of sin, defeat of Satan, new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Take your place

 

The Holy Spirit's Role in Revival

There are three common threads in Revival History:

• Some kind of crisis
• Unction on the church to pray
• A heart to repent  -- 1st in the church, 2nd in the world at large

The Holy Spirit plays a specific role in this process, as Jesus described in John 16:8-11

John 16:8-11
 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 

Faith Conquers Fear

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's timely truth for our current circumstances.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 

Winning Our Spiritual Battles Pt.2 - The Belt of Truth

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's plan for us to fight and win our spiritual battles together.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 

The Belt of Truth

Our Primary text today is Ephesians 6:10-18:

 (New International Version and New Living Translation)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

 

Exposing the Devil’s Schemes

Not everything you think is true, so think about what you think about.

Not all of your thoughts come from your own mind – your thoughts can also come from God speaking, and even from demons.  This is why we must know the Truth of God’s Word in order to discern the truth of our thoughts.

 

Acts 8:26-27

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out...

 

 The devil will use unhealed past offenses and wounds to deceive you about present circumstances

 

 Loving confrontation and forgiveness (giving up the right to get paid back for what was done to me) can bring powerful healing for both the offended and the offender

 

 Triangulation – telling a third party about the offense – can spread the deception 3 ways, and none of those involved walk in freedom

 

Luke 17:1-4 NKJV

17 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  …  3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

 

The Protection of Seeing Things as They Really Are

 

 Truth can be defined as that which conforms to reality; to the way things really are.

 

 The only One who can fully see things in our lives as they really are is the One who is outside, above, and beyond our world: the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

 

John 14:6-10

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. ...

 

John 17:15-22  Jesus praying to the Father for us

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

 

John 16:12-13

12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

 

John 8:31-37

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The Protection of Personal Integrity

 

Personal honesty is a first line defense against the devil’s attacks

Psalms 25:21

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

 

“Denial is false armor; self-honesty is risky…But self-honesty actually brings God into your life, and you cannot ask for better protection than that.”       

—Gary D. Kinnaman, How to Overcome the Darkness

 

 When we live in falsehood, we are living in Satan’s realm;  he attaches himself to dishonesty.

 

 Lying is an attempt to defend or attack – in either case we prevent God from fighting our battles for us.

 

John 8:44-45

[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

 

 After a fall, personal honesty is key to restoration

John 3:20-21

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light

 

2 Samuel 12:13

13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."

Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”

 

Psalms 32:3-5

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" — and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

 

Psalms 51:1-12

…3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…

 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sin sand blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…

 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 

Living the Authentic Life

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Christian Twombly shares how Jesus has led him into an Authentic life, and the continuing effects it has had.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

Winning Our Spiritual Battles

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's plan for us to fight and win our spiritual battles together.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 You can follow along below with the Handout from Sunday:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New International Version and New Living Translation)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

We need to know that we are in a spiritual battle (verses 11-12)

“If there is a single key area of faith and practice that divides Northern [hemisphere] and Southern [hemisphere] Christians, it is this matter of spiritual forces and their effects on the every-day human world.  This issue goes to the heart of cultural definition and worldviews.”

–Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom

“What I am suggesting is that we engage in a critical re-evaluation of our Western worldview on one important issue – the actual existence of good and evil spirits…We must…strive toward making this as important a part of our worldview as it was for Paul.  The powers of darkness are real, we need to be conscious of their influence, and we need to respond to them appropriately.”

– Clinton Arnold, Powers of Darkness: Principalities and Powers in Paul’s Letters

 

We fight spiritual battles together

§ Every “you” in Ephesians is written to the church as a community, not to individuals.  It’s “you together”, not “each of you individually”.

§ Ephesians 4:1-6 could best be understood to say

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you [together] to live a life worthy of the calling you [together] have received. 2 [You together] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 [You together] make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you [together] were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

§ Ephesians 6:10-11, 13 could best be understood to say:

10 Finally, you together be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 You together put on the full armor of God so that you together can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…

13 Therefore you together put on the full armor of God [help each other get dressed for battle] so that when the day of evil comes, you together may be able to stand your ground…

 

We fight our battles with the Lord’s strength and power, not our own

  Our power is “resurrection power”

Ephesians 1:18-22

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

 

We prepare for our battles with spiritual armor

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

  The Belt of Truth - The Protection of Personal Integrity

 Satan is the Father of lies and dishonesty opens us up to his attacks

John 8:44, 10:10

... When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

 

 If I compromise my conscience and settle for less complete honesty, I allow the tempter entrance into my life; destruction begins its corrosive work at the point of compromise.

  The path of self-deception -> denial -> lying will put us in bondage, and the way out of bondage begins with a return to personal honesty.

 

John 3:20-21

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light…

 

 The Breastplate of Righteousness—The Protection of Living Out What Christ Has Made Us to Be

 The Breastplate of Righteousness is God’s righteousness, not my righteousness.  It comes through faith, not our righteous deeds

Romans 3:19-22

… no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; …

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

 

 The Gospel of Peace—The Protection of Relationship

 Peace = the prosperity of soul when everything is right in relationship with God and everything is right in relationship with others.

 

 The Gospel of Peace means we can be at Peace with God and Peace with each other

Romans 5:1, 10

…since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.….when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son…

 

 The Shield of Faith—The Protection of Trust that Perseveres

 Faith is confidence base on the trustworthiness of the one we put our faith in.  Our faith in Jesus is strong because He is completely dependable and infinitely powerful.  The more we know Him, the stronger our faith becomes.

 The Shield of Faith:

¨ Trusts God daily  for His help and provision

¨ Perseveres, especially when overcome with difficulty

¨ Doggedly believes that God’s Word is true in the face of every problem, negative thought, or demon

¨ Determines “to rise above the injustices and pains of life, without allowing the flaming arrows of pain and resentment to penetrate your soul.  Life hurts.  Faith looks to God and refuses to give those hurts a foothold in your heart.”

-Gary Kinnaman, Winning Your Spiritual Battles

 The Helmet of Salvation—The Protection of a Mind Transformed by Truth

 Our thinking needs salvation, what we do flows out of what we think

Matthew 15:18-20

 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man 'unclean'

Romans 12:2 New Living Translation

2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

 

The mind is the battlefield of the spiritual war

 

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with ...have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

 Don’t believe everything you think

 

² The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God— The Protection of God’s Empowered Word

 

 When God speaks something, nothing can stop it from happening

 

 God’s Word is infinitely powerful and absolutely reliable

Isaiah 55:11

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

 The Word of God becomes a sword as the Spirit inspires and empowers His Words in my mouth

John 6:63

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

 

 

 

Did you find this message helpful?

You can read all of Paul's letter to this church yourself here.  You can find the same letter in your Bible at home, called 'Ephesians'.

 

Times of Refreshing Pt. 2 - The Story of the Lost Son

Welcome

The Grace Vineyard Podcast is back! 

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron continues his message on how the good news of how God brings us into Times of Refreshing.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can give and find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 

Interested in learning more about some of the men Ron mentioned? 

Here are some resources:

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Sermon

& the wikipedia page on Charles Finney

Times of Refreshing

Welcome

The Grace Vineyard Podcast is back! 

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares the good news of how God brings us into Times of Refreshing.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can give and find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org