Ephesians 6:10-15
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 our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.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 firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. The Apostle Paul talks about the weapons we have access to in order to defend ourselves from the enemy of our soul. The armor of God provides everything we need to be victorious over the arrows the enemy shoots at us. Having the armor and knowing how to use them are two different things. Paul instructs us to “put on” the whole armor of God daily to prevail against the enemy. Today we are going to look at the 3rd piece in the armor of God which is feet fitted with the gospel of peace (Shoes of Peace). These shoes of peace give the believer the ability to “stand” regardless of how intense the battle may be. Satan is stripped from the ability to play with your emotions when the peace of the gospel protects and rules your heart and mind. Soldiers in the ancient army were called “foot soldiers.” Protection of their feet was a necessity because they were always on their feet. In the Korean conflict, severe frostbite took out many soldiers even before they reached the battle line. Paul says that we are to cover our feet with the gospel of peace if we are going to remain effective in the battle. He was using imagery found in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” This is talking about the communication system of the ancient world as it pertained to getting word from the battle line. When armies went to battle, those who remained at home waited anxiously to hear the outcome because that would determine their destiny. If the messenger brought bad news, he was punished with death. So the runner could carry a burden on his journey if it was bad news. Each city posted lookouts to watch the approaching runners and they would determine ahead of time if it was good or bad news just by the gait of the messenger. If it was good news then he would be kicking up a lot of dust with enthusiasm. That’s where the phrase, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news" comes from. Paul is saying that there is nothing more beautiful to see than a messenger who is bringing good news, and that is what the word “gospel” means. It is good news of the peace that we have with God through the Son. This good news makes our walking light in this battle we are in and informs others of the good coming from the battle line. It is good to know that we can be the bearer of good news when it comes to the Spiritual warfare we are in. Could it be that we are slowed down when we are weighed down by the negative chatter of the doom and gloom of the tiredness and energy spent on the battle ground? We must choose to see the battle from the perspective of victory instead of defeat. I pray you receive this today as you may be feeling under the weight of the warfare. Newsflash… We win! Today marks the last day of our fast. It has been good. I look forward to hearing stories of victory as we come together on Sunday. Ask someone to join you as we Worship in Spirit and Truth. Joy in Jesus! Pastor MIke
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Ephesians 6:10-14
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 our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.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 firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… The Apostle Paul talks about the weapons we have access to in order to defend ourselves from the enemy of our soul. The armor of God provides everything we need to be victorious over the arrows the enemy shoots at us. Having the armor and knowing how to use them are two different things. Paul instructs us to “put on” the whole armor of God daily to prevail against the enemy. Today we are going to look at the 2nd piece in the armor of God which is the Breastplate of Righteousness. The breastplate in a Roman soldier’s armor was the heavy section that fit over the torso or the trunk of the body. It protected the vital organs of the body from being pierced by an arrow or any weapon. We need to protect our vital areas with righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is the righteousness of God. It is understanding who you are in Christ and living your life to reflect this truth. Righteousness is the identity of every Christian because of Christ’s shed blood on the cross. When a believer lives contrary to the cross then you are vulnerable to the assault of Satan. Living with unconfessed sin or tolerating a deceptive spirit and countenance will open yourself up for deep spiritual wounds. Confront any area in your life that may not be filled with the light of Christ. We are to remain in Jesus’ light and confront the darkness. Living truthful lives is putting on the breastplate of righteousness. As we mentioned last week, flesh and blood is not a factor in the battle we are engaged in. The fact remains, putting God in second place by tolerating unconfessed sin and not living according to God’s Word exposes the core of our being. We cannot afford to enter the day without putting this vital piece of armor on. I thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese New Year celebration this past Sunday night. Over 300 gathered together in the Family Life Center for some good food, fellowship, and faith. We took the cultural symbol of the “dog” and turned it around and gave Glory to our “God.” God is on the move in our Chinese ministry. I am seeing lives changed and more territory opening up. Thank you for all who have found a place to embrace and minister through the love of Jesus. It has been exciting to see so many people involved. Continue to pray for this ministry as we seek the Lord in all that we do. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Ephesians 6:10-14a
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 our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.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 firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… The Apostle Paul talks about the weapons we have access to in order to defend ourselves from the enemy of our soul. The armor of God provides everything we need to be victorious over the arrows the enemy shoots at us. He will never stop tempting us because he knows his time is short and he is a sore loser. Each piece of this armor is vital in exposing and preparing us for the daily battle in the heavenly realms. Each piece is unique and helps us to tearing down every stronghold, reclaim lost territory, and it rushes us to the promises God has given us through His Word. Having the armor and knowing how to use them are two different things. Paul instructs us to “put on” the whole armor of God daily to prevail against the enemy. For the next several weeks we will look at each piece of the armor and learn how to use it to the glory of God. The first thing that Paul establishes is that our battle is not against flesh and blood. How many times this week have you blamed your mood or your circumstance on “flesh and blood.” This battle is on a much larger scale. To even blame things on the “flesh and blood” draws us to a defeated stance from the very beginning. This armor has both defensive gear and offensive weaponry. To effectively move through this battle, we need to know how to use what we have. The goal is not to escape or not be in the battle, the goal is to be victorious because as long as we are on this earth then there is going to be a battle. The first piece of this armor is the Belt of Truth. This is the least noticeable, yet it is crucial in that it holds the entire armor together. The standard dress in the ancient world was a robe. I know that we don’t wear a robe all day long but they did. It wasn’t their bath robe either. Imagine trying to move quickly with your legs getting caught in your robe. When it was time for battle, the soldiers pulled their robes above their knees and gathered it around their waste with a heavy belt. Paul is saying that the first thing you are to do to prepare for the battle is put on the belt of truth. Some scholars say that this belt of truth is the truth of theology or a true understanding of the things of God in the gospel that gives us the ability to move quickly when satan is throwing his darts. Others say it could be living out the truth by having personal integrity. Being in spiritual warfare and being weighed down in sin is like running with your robe on. You will not be at your best and the robe will inhibit you from running to your full potential. I think it is all of the above. Spiritual truth and the truth of personal character is all fitting. These are developed as we seek the truth in God’s word and ask the Holy Spirit to live those out daily in your life. When your character line up with the truth from God’s word, all deceit and falsehood have no impact on you. Without the truth, everything falls apart. Getting the word of God in your soul is vital in living a victorious life. Commit to forming a daily habit of reading God’s word, putting it to memory, and letting it be your guide in all things. My prayer is that you will not feel complete until you go to God and his word each and every morning. When you do, the freedom of Jesus will keep the physical “flesh and blood” things from slowing you down. Today is Ash Wednesday. We will be opening up the Worship Center for prayer at 6:00pm tonight before Boost. Come and pray with us as we are right in the middle of fasting for spiritual breakthrough. May God continue to reveal himself to you as you seek him with all your heart. This Sunday we will begin a new series from the book of John called “Faith.” I look forward to diving in the Gospel of John with you as we lead up to Easter. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike Spiritual Breakthrough
During the month of February we have started fasting and praying for spiritual breakthrough. I want to encourage you as you fast and pray, to follow through with what you have set in your heart and mind. Many are fasting a few days a week, certain food groups, or even social media. As you do, pray for God to reveal to you the path to a deeper prayer life and walk with Him. I think every year we have done this I have sensed both victory and discouragement. The enemy does not like the fact that we are getting serious about pursuing God so temptation comes roaring in. But don’t lose heart, we can overcome the temptation of the enemy of our soul and he knows that quite well. Jesus was up for the test in Matthew 4 when the devil came full force and tempted him to the very core. We see in the response of Jesus that He was all about the Father and every word that came out of his mouth was from God. We must come to a closer daily relationship with God in order to fight off the schemes of the devil. The evil forces that are destroying this Nation are a direct result of men and women living in disobedience and ignoring God’s Commandments. We must saturate in the Word of God, fast and pray, and believe that God wants to do a new work among us. Doing nothing is not an option. Going through the routine of life is not an option. We need to continually commit ourselves to God and not settle for anything but a close relationship to a living God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 to put on the full armor of God so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. As we fast and pray, let us commit together that we want to see God break through on our men, our women, our church, and our nation. For the next several weeks, we will take a closer look at the Armor of God. The men I have been meeting with have looked closely at this armor and it is good to continue to be reminded of the resoureces God has made available to us in this spiritual battle we are all in. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- Ephesians 6:10-18 There are also several people who have started reading the Prophets on Monday. This one may be a little more difficult to stay on track than the New Testament reading we have done in the past. Let me encourage you to work through it and learn what God says through the Prophets. If you want to discuss your readings with others then join the Community Bible Experience group that meets on Thursday’s at 6:45 led by Jeff and Lynn Lease. They are in a different location each week so you will need to contact the church office in order to sign up for the email notifications. This Sunday we will finish our series, “Onpoint: Living in Missional Rhythm.” I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike |
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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