The Side Character’s Victory: Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare

• Worship and Call to Worship [00:12:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor invites the congregation to worship based on Psalm 24, identifying Jesus as the King of Glory.
• Confession and Absolution [00:18:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a hospital versus a lounge to discuss the church's role, leading into a corporate confession of preferring comfort over sacrifice, followed by absolution based on 2 Timothy 1.
• Scripture Reading (David and Goliath) [00:29:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reading of 1 Samuel 17:38-47, highlighting David's reliance on God rather than Saul's armor.
• Prayers of the People [00:32:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > Intercessory prayers covering global conflicts, church leaders, missionaries, specific health concerns (cancer, seizures), and upcoming church initiatives.
• Sermon Introduction [00:45:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the sermon topic (Ephesians 6) in the context of a 'Love Life Discovery Day' and a prayer walk, mentioning a visit to the La Trobe Clinic.
• Spiritual Warfare and the Nature of the Enemy [00:46:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the enemy is not physical (people, governments) but spiritual (rulers, authorities, cosmic powers), citing Ephesians 6:12 to clarify that Christians do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
• Divine Strength vs. Human Effort [00:58:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the command to 'be strong' is a passive imperative, meaning God makes the believer strong; human heroes are side characters, and God is the source of strength.
• Compassion for Persecutors [00:55:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Recognizing the spiritual darkness behind worldly opposition helps Christians have compassion for lost people, viewing persecutors as blind to truth rather than merely hateful.
• The Danger of Spiritual Passivity [00:56:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor warns that a lack of persecution might indicate Christians are living too safely and looking no different from the world, urging believers to take 'godly risks'.
• Divine Sovereignty and Human Role [00:58:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that Christians are 'side characters' and not the 'leading edges' of spiritual battles, correcting the cultural trope that we are the heroes fighting our own giants.
• The Nature of Spiritual Warfare [00:58:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > Identifies the true enemy as invisible evil forces rather than human opponents, using the analogy of shooting missiles at a virus to illustrate the futility of fighting spiritual battles with human strength.
• Christocentric Victory [01:02:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > Explains that Jesus is the true David who defeated evil at the cross, and believers follow in His wake, sharing in His blood-bought victory rather than earning it.
• The Armor of God [01:02:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > Details the seven pieces of spiritual armor, emphasizing that they are God's armor put upon believers to keep them alive (not comfortable) and to encourage them to duty, not to hide.
• The Belt of Truth [01:07:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > Describes truth as the fundamental holding piece of armor, providing a practical counseling method to counter lies with objective biblical truths.
• The Breastplate of Righteousness [01:09:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Clarifies that protection for the heart comes from Christ's righteousness, not human good works, citing Luther's letter on facing the devil's accusations.
• The Shield of Faith [01:11:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > Uses the imagery of the Roman scutum (large rectangular shield) to illustrate how individual faith locks together with fellow believers to form an impenetrable wall against the devil.
• The Sword of the Spirit [01:12:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > Identifies the Word of God as the only offensive weapon, noting its power lies in God's provision and its ability to cut to the heart, while advising wisdom on when to engage in spiritual combat.
• The Sword of the Spirit [01:12:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies the Word of God as an offensive weapon, emphasizing that its power comes from God, not the speaker, and can cut to the heart of the matter.
• Wisdom in Evangelism [01:13:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the analogy of Roman swords requiring close combat, the pastor advises discernment in sharing the gospel, noting it is not unfaithful to wait until someone is ready to listen.
• Prayer as Spiritual Reinforcement [01:15:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Praying in the Spirit is described as calling for 'cavalry' or reinforcement, connecting the believer to the victorious King of the universe.
• Identity in Christ [01:15:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges believers to establish their identity as sinners saved by grace and crowned with honor, which serves as a 'steel plate' protecting their heart against opposition.
• Memorization of Scripture [01:17:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor charges men to memorize scripture, calling it a 'conceal and carry permit' to be carried everywhere for spiritual defense.
• Perseverance in Hardship [01:18:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages taking 'godly risks' which will lead to hardship, urging believers to stand firm and keep standing by God's power without giving the devil an inch.
• The Lord's Supper [01:20:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The communion meal is explained as spiritual food necessary for soldiers to survive warfare, communicating Christ's sustaining love and providing strength to keep fighting.

• Sermon Illustration [00:45:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about attending a 'Love Life Discovery Day' with Bruce Brown at Prosperity PCA to prepare for an upcoming church prayer walk, and mentions visiting the La Trobe Clinic.
• Sermon Illustration [00:18:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of the church being a 'hospital' (specifically an army hospital) versus a 'lounge' to discuss whether believers seek comfort or growth through suffering and service.
• Sermon Illustration [00:19:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recalls his time as a young pastor longing for ease and comfort, only to realize later that those difficult times were where God grew him.
• Sermon Illustration [00:45:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a 'Love Life Discovery Day' with Bruce Brown at Prosperity PCA, which served as the occasion for the sermon on Ephesians 6 and the upcoming prayer walk.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19) and Jesus' interaction with Pilate (John 18:36) to illustrate that the Kingdom is not of this earth and does not fight with physical weapons.
• Sermon Illustration [00:53:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about a man involved in 'deliverance ministry' who attributed every problem, from depression to gout, to demonic forces, using it to correct an over-spiritualized view of evil.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor quotes John Gillespie, noting that most Christians live on the defensive, aiming only not to make mistakes, rather than actively engaging in spiritual battle.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) as an illustration of being outgunned by an invisible enemy, noting that Goliath was impossible to fight physically, just as spiritual evil cannot be fought with physical means.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references historical Christian figures (Luther, Latimer, Patton) as 'side characters' rather than the main heroes of spiritual history.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy comparing fighting spiritual enemies to shooting missiles at a virus, illustrating how outgunned humans are without God.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > A detailed retelling of David and Goliath, correcting the common sermon application that 'Goliath is your problem.' Instead, the pastor argues Goliath represents evil forces, and the real battle is between God and evil, with David merely following the King's victory.
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal anecdote about playing little league baseball and getting hit in the head by a 60 mph fastball. He uses this to illustrate that God's armor protects the soul from destruction ('teeth rattle' but he survives), but does not prevent suffering or pain.
• Sermon Illustration [01:05:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > A reference to Isaiah 59:16-17, where God puts on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation, illustrating that the armor belongs to God and is placed upon believers.
• Sermon Illustration [01:05:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > A comparison of David refusing Saul's armor because he hadn't tested it, contrasting the 'tinfoil' armor of the world with the 'steel' armor of God.
• Sermon Illustration [01:08:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > A practical counseling illustration where the pastor advises clients in crisis to write down 'truths' in one section of a notebook and 'lies' in another, then link the lies to the truths to combat doubt.
• Sermon Illustration [01:09:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > A quote from William Gurnall and a letter from Martin Luther to Jerome, illustrating how Christ's righteousness protects the believer's heart against the devil's accusations of sin.
• Sermon Illustration [01:11:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > A historical description of the Roman scutum (large rectangular shield), explaining how it was soaked in water to extinguish flaming arrows and how locking shields created an impenetrable wall, symbolizing communal faith.
• Sermon Illustration [01:13:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal reflection on Roman swords being short-range weapons, used to illustrate the wisdom of ensuring an enemy is 'within striking distance' (ready to hear) before engaging in spiritual confrontation with the Word.
• Sermon Illustration [01:13:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the historical analogy of Roman soldiers using short swords for hand-to-hand combat to illustrate the need for proximity and wisdom when sharing the gospel, noting that one should not 'throw pearls before swine' if the listener is not ready.
• Sermon Illustration [01:15:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares prayer to a soldier pinned down calling for cavalry, illustrating that prayer connects the believer to the 'victorious King of the universe' for reinforcement.
• Sermon Illustration [01:17:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes scripture as a 'conceal and carry permit' that believers should carry everywhere, emphasizing its role in personal spiritual defense.
• Sermon Illustration [01:20:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the historical reality that more soldiers died of disease and famine than bullets in ancient and modern warfare to explain why the Lord's Supper is essential spiritual food for sustaining believers in their spiritual battle.

• Pastoral Charge [01:05:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > Read Isaiah 59:16-17
• Pastoral Charge [01:08:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Create a two-section notebook to list truths and lies, then cross-reference the lies with the truths
• Pastoral Charge [01:17:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > Men are instructed to memorize Scripture.
• Pastoral Charge [01:21:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > Non-believers are urged to call on Christ for salvation and approach the elders for guidance.

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:05:14] Good morning, Harbor Church. It's very exciting to hear the buzz in here every morning, or every Sunday morning, as we fellowship together.
[00:05:24] This family is very important, and we care about each other. Thank you for being here.
[00:05:31] We have a few announcements this morning. We're having all-church prayer during Sunday school after we have a presentation from Love Life.
[00:05:44] Jade from Love Life is here and going to do a presentation for us at the beginning of the Sunday school hour, and then we're going to have prayer afterwards.
[00:05:57] And our Love Life walk is on this coming Saturday.
[00:06:01] It starts at 9 o'clock, if I'm correct.
[00:06:04] Okay, so that's in anticipation of that.
[00:06:09] We have two meal trains out there that have been asked to mention.
[00:06:15] And Deanna had a baby, Isabella, and there is a meal train for that and also one for Jennifer Roy.
[00:06:22] So please check your emails and sign up if at all possible.
[00:06:26] This month we are, or this quarter, we are doing the Dove House.
[00:06:33] And so there's a table in the back, there's a QR code in the bulletin.
[00:06:39] Read through your bulletin, it has all the announcements for upcoming things.

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:44] So I get to be the pre-announcement for the next announcement.
[00:06:54] We're going to have kind of an extended announcement information time for just a minute on our upcoming VBS for this summer.
[00:07:03] So before I introduce the ladies that are going to come up, let me just say, maybe you've participated in a VBS in your life.
[00:07:12] Maybe it was good.
[00:07:14] Maybe it was awful.
[00:07:16] Perhaps you went to a VBS that was something like Submarines for Jesus, and all you remember is there were submarines everywhere, and you could never figure out what it had to do with Jesus.
[00:07:27] I promise you, that is not the Harbor VBS. The team that prepares VBS for us prepares a biblically rich, Jesus-centered VBS. I still personally am thinking about songs and scripture memory and rhymes from last year's VBS that was just basically pulled right from the scriptures
[00:07:57] and that all pointed to Jesus. So I just want to encourage you, maybe if you never really enjoyed VBS, I just want to encourage you that the VBS that the ladies prepare is stout, it's sound,
[00:08:12] and it's all about Jesus. So ladies, come on up and tell us about it. Okay, great. It's up there.

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:08:28] So good morning. First of all, I'm Jennifer. Carrie and I are excited to share a bit about this year's VBS with you. It's just a little over two months away, which is pretty shocking, and we need all of you to join us on this adventure. Carrie will tell you more about
[00:08:43] how you can do that shortly, but we want you to know that this is an all-harbor endeavor, and we're inviting each of you to join us. Our theme this year is Hail, God's Anointed King,
[00:08:54] Stories of David and Jesus. Through crafts and stories, skits, music, snacks, and games, we'll be sharing the story of David's life. We'll see him as the chosen king, the delivering king, the king we must follow, the enthroned king who brings us to God, and finally, the blessing king.
[00:09:13] But we're not trying to teach history lessons. Each day, in the spirit of the Emmaus Road discourse, we'll invite the kids to see how David points us to his greater son, King Jesus, the chosen king who delivers us from all our enemies, the king we must follow, who through
[00:09:32] His enthronement in Jerusalem on the cross brings us to the Father as sons and daughters, and in so doing, blesses us with shalom, the abundant life He intends for us all. So get excited, and Carrie

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:09:47] will tell you how you can join us on this adventure. Okay, so if you have your phone, you can click this little QR code. You can just do it right now to make it extra easy. This is to sign up to be a
[00:10:00] volunteer. So some of the things that we need for our volunteers is we need adult and teen shepherds.
[00:10:08] So the shepherds go around with the kids to all their different stations. You don't have a teaching role. You are just shepherding them from one place to another and be ready to have conversations, to talk to the kids about what they learned that day, things like that. Threes and
[00:10:25] young fours, class helper, like the preschool class, games helper, snack helper, nursery helpers, prep materials beforehand, and of course, we need your prayers. We would love to have all of our volunteer positions filled by the end of May. And like Jennifer said earlier, this is a whole church
[00:10:45] effort. So if you think, oh, I don't know how I can be involved in BBS, there is a way for you to be involved. We want all ages and stages, and again, your faithful prayers. Okay, and also,
[00:10:58] if you want to click this QR code or scan this QR code, this is to register your kids. It'll take you right to that website, so you'll have it up on your phone later when you want to register
[00:11:11] them. Also, ask your friends and neighbors and extended family members also. We would love for this to reach into the little veins of our Harbor family. And okay, so these are ways that you can
[00:11:25] pray. Efficient administration of the day-to-day details. Just getting the kids in safely, getting them to and from their classes safely, that everything would run smoothly. Abundant staffing.
[00:11:38] last year we had so many people helping and it made it it just made it so much easier and we were free to to do the stories and the games and the songs without having to worry about
[00:11:54] all of the logistics excited and well-equipped leaders lots of children with hearts ready to hear the gospel through the stories of David and Jesus that Jesus is magnified in every area of VBS, and that we would have courage to invite unbelieving friends or neighbors to come to VBS,
[00:12:14] because this would be a great opportunity for them. So yeah. Thanks so much. Yeah, thank you.

[00:12:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:23] And be on the look in your email inbox. I'll be sending out more information so that maybe if you didn't pull your phone out and scan, you'll still have the links and all that stuff coming at you
[00:12:35] this week, so just be on the lookout for that. The Lord our God, the King of glory, calls you this morning to worship him. It is no small, there's no light, that is no trivial thing,
[00:12:55] but that is a glorious truth, that the King of glory calls you this morning to come to him.
[00:13:04] Would you stand with me as the Lord calls us to worship from Psalm 24? I'll read the regular text if you'll respond by reading the bold and the underlined.
[00:13:17] Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
[00:13:26] Who is this King of glory?
[00:13:28] The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
[00:13:33] Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
[00:13:40] Who is this King of glory?
[00:13:42] The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Let's pray. Oh, Lord, our God, King of glory, we are humbled that you would call us to yourself, that you would beckon us, frail and weak as we are, to come into your
[00:14:05] presence, purified by the blood of your Son. Oh, Lord, I pray that in these few moments that we are together worshiping you, that you would subdue our hearts. Lord, quiet our hearts now before you.
[00:14:24] We ask that you would cast off the distractions that we hold. We ask, O Lord, that the things that we worry about, about the upcoming week and the things that we're worrying about, about the
[00:14:35] week that's just passed, that they would fade into the distance as we gaze on the beauty of your Son.
[00:14:43] Lord, and it's that son, it's King Jesus who taught us to pray as we pray now all together the Lord's Prayer.
[00:14:51] Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:14:56] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:15:01] Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
[00:15:07] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[00:15:11] for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Let's continue to stand and

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:15:18] sing together. I've heard on a number of occasions the church is a hospital for sinners, which is not

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:50] a bad illustration. Obviously, it's a place where you come to find comfort from your sins, to be repaired by God's grace. I've also heard another way of looking at it. If it's a hospital, it's an
[00:19:05] army hospital, meaning the church is moving forward. It's a good illustration as well.
[00:19:10] I've never heard anybody say that the church is a lounge, but I would like to make it so.
[00:19:19] My own heart loves, at times, ease and comfort. I can remember as a young pastor, longing for the days when, oh, wouldn't it be great if I didn't have to worry so much about people coming or this or that or being nervous about my sermons, all sorts of things.
[00:19:39] And now looking back, I realize like, oh, but those were good for me. Those are the places which God grew me. And so God grows you there as well. Brothers and sisters, sometimes we treat
[00:19:54] our faith as an excuse rather than as a charge forward. So let's confess our sins together.
[00:20:02] Let's confess out loud, and then we'll take some time to confess silently to the Lord. Let's say this all together. We confess, O Lord, that we would prefer our lives to be filled with comfort
[00:20:15] rather than pressure, rewards rather than sacrifice, tranquility rather than suffering, that you have told us that if we wish to follow Jesus, we must be prepared to die to ourselves and face the hatred of an unbelieving world
[00:20:31] and the spite of Satan.
[00:20:33] Forgive us our sins, we pray in Jesus' name.
[00:20:38] Take a moment and silently in your hearts, would you confess your sins to Almighty God?
[00:21:03] Lord God, please help me to repent of the many hours each day that I spend thinking about how I will make my day comfortable, Lord, rather than thinking about how I can be faithful.
[00:21:19] Father, I ask, please, that you would help us again and again and again to run to Christ, Lord, to run from our sins and into your arms.
[00:21:30] Lord, we thank you that we know that when we confess our sins, we know that we are forgiven in Christ.
[00:21:37] Lord, renew our hearts.
[00:21:39] It's in Jesus' name we pray.
[00:21:40] If you've confessed your sins to the Lord, you need to know that you're forgiven.
[00:21:45] And here's some beautiful truths from 2 Timothy chapter 1.
[00:21:50] Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in the suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works,
[00:22:05] but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
[00:22:13] This is the hope of the Christian.
[00:22:15] Believe it and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:22:18] Because this is true, let's stand together and let's sing.

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:22:27] How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is made for your fame in his excellent word.
[00:22:38] What more can he say than to you, he has said, to you, for help you to Jesus have come.
[00:22:50] He hath displayed your God, I will still, I'll strengthen you, help cause you to stand.
[00:23:10] I turn some nipples and adders, I call you.
[00:23:26] The rivers of sorrow shall not, we shall not.
[00:23:53] This all sufficient shall be your supply.
[00:23:58] The flames shall not hurt you, lost you.
[00:24:05] Jesus has reaped for it, a dessert to that soul.
[00:24:26] We can infest our faith together, not just with one body,

[00:24:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:24:58] but with all our brothers and sisters throughout history.
[00:25:01] you. We have faith, but we have faith that is shared. And this comes from the Heidelberg Catechism. This is about the sixth petition in the Lord's Prayer that we prayed just a few moments ago. So I ask you, Christian, what is the sixth petition? And lead us not into temptation, but
[00:25:20] deliver us from the evil one. That is, in ourselves we are so weak that we cannot stand even for a moment. Moreover, our sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and our own flesh, do not cease to
[00:25:35] attack us. Will you therefore uphold and strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit, so that in this spiritual war we may not go down to defeat, but always firmly resist our enemies until we
[00:25:51] finally obtain the complete victory. Amen. A new memory verse for this May, just great anticipation for the next sermon series, is Proverbs 1-7. If you don't already have this memorized, memorize this one. Let's say this all together out loud. The fear of the Lord is the beginning
[00:26:13] of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Let's sing.

[00:26:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:26:36] Where Jesus answers prayer, we fall before the Savior's time.

[00:29:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:29:40] You may be seated.
[00:29:45] Our scripture reading this morning comes from 1 Samuel chapter 17, verses 38 to 47.
[00:29:53] Hear God's word.
[00:29:59] Then Saul clothed David with his armor.
[00:30:03] He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.
[00:30:07] And David strapped his sword over his armor, and he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them.
[00:30:16] Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.
[00:30:23] So David put them off.
[00:30:25] Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch.
[00:30:34] His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
[00:30:37] And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David with his shield-bearer in front of him.
[00:30:46] And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a young, ruddy, and handsome in appearance.
[00:30:59] And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?
[00:31:05] And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
[00:31:10] The Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.
[00:31:18] Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
[00:31:36] This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
[00:31:43] And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
[00:31:56] and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves, not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.
[00:32:08] Amen.
[00:32:10] Our elder, Jack Edwards, will come at this time and pray for us.

[00:32:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:32:25] It's been a challenging week, a couple of weeks.
[00:32:32] There's been illnesses.
[00:32:35] There have been family members who have gone through things.
[00:32:40] We have gone through some things.
[00:32:43] And every time that something would come up this past week, God impressed a psalm on me.
[00:32:51] Thursday, it was just like it was in repeat.
[00:32:57] Psalm 121.
[00:32:59] And every time, God just put that back on my heart.
[00:33:05] And when I would walk away from it, he would go, where are you going?
[00:33:11] Get back in the word.
[00:33:14] This morning, I'm sharing Psalm 121, a song of ascent as we did last year.
[00:33:21] And it's when you're going up the hill to Jerusalem.
[00:33:29] Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills.
[00:33:34] From where does my help come?
[00:33:37] My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.
[00:33:41] He will not let your foot be moved.
[00:33:44] He who keeps you will not slumber.
[00:33:47] Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.
[00:33:54] The Lord is your keeper.
[00:33:56] The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
[00:33:59] the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil.
[00:34:09] He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. He kept driving that in to me this past week. He is our help. And how can we reach
[00:34:31] out to him through prayer. So let's go to God in prayer right now. Heavenly Father, we lift up our worship to you. Father, let it be sincere and pleasing to your ears. Only you are worthy
[00:34:57] of our praise. You're forever and ever. Amen. Father, we lift up your creation, your world to you with the wars that are going on in Ukraine and the Middle East and Africa and even here in
[00:35:17] our own country. Father, we pray for peace. We pray for your son to come among us and relieve us of this. Father, we lift up the leaders in the world. Father, let them have a relationship with
[00:35:39] you draw them close. Give them wisdom and compassion for your children. Father, we lift up our local governments. Father, you are in charge. They're only there because you put them there. Father, we ask for protection for the police, the fire, and the EMS. Father, they're
[00:36:08] trying to serve your children. Give them wisdom. Give them knowledge. Father, we lift up the Christians throughout the world, those in underground churches because they can't meet in public, they can't congregate in public.
[00:36:26] Father, we pray for the missionaries throughout the world.
[00:36:33] Father, I ask that you equip them, give them the field for it is your harvest.
[00:36:42] We're just here to plant.
[00:36:45] Father, we lift up Weston and Elaine up reals to you, Father, at RUF in Hawaii.
[00:36:54] Father, I ask that you open doors for Weston as his own campus.
[00:37:02] Open their hearts so that there can be understanding.
[00:37:07] Father, please bless this ministry.
[00:37:12] Father, we pray for those that are dealing with cancer.
[00:37:16] Crystal's father, Janice's Uncle Mike, Lindsay's sister-in-law, Barbara.
[00:37:24] Father, I ask that you draw them near.
[00:37:30] Let them feel you.
[00:37:32] Let them feel your breath on their neck.
[00:37:36] Be with the families as they support them.
[00:37:40] Father, we're so thankful that Kent is doing his recovery now from cancer.
[00:37:47] Father, I ask that you continue that.
[00:37:50] I pray for Greg Subiak and his recovery.
[00:37:52] Father, bless him.
[00:37:55] Continue that recovery.
[00:37:57] And Father, we pray for our brother Ken Cross as he has had cancer surgery and hopefully will be on the mend soon.
[00:38:08] Father, we lift up Jennifer and Emma to you.
[00:38:14] Father, give Emma peace.
[00:38:18] Give her your love.
[00:38:20] Draw her near.
[00:38:23] Father, give Jennifer wisdom.
[00:38:26] Help her to love Emma.
[00:38:29] Heal them, Father.
[00:38:32] Father, I lift up my brother Bennett to you.
[00:38:36] Father, I ask that you heal him of his seizures.
[00:38:42] I ask that you give Emily and Ryan strength and wisdom as they raise your child.
[00:38:51] Father, we lift up those who have surgeries coming up.
[00:38:55] Father, I pray that their minds can be at ease.
[00:39:00] Give them peace.
[00:39:02] Be with the physicians, the nurses, the staff, anyone that will be coming in contact with them.
[00:39:10] Father, please give them compassion.
[00:39:12] Give them knowledge that they need to take care of your child.
[00:39:16] Father, we're very thankful for Timothy's progress.
[00:39:23] Father, thank you that you've placed your healing hand on him.
[00:39:28] Give him patience as he continues to get better.
[00:39:33] Father, bless the Colvard family.
[00:39:36] Give them the strength.
[00:39:39] And Father, we lift up the dove house to you, the staff, and the children that come in contact with him.
[00:39:47] Father, help this ministry.
[00:39:49] They're trying to reach out to those who are very vulnerable.
[00:39:56] Bless them, please, Father.
[00:39:59] We lift up Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian and Pablo Alia and Taylor Housman.
[00:40:08] Father, bless their mission to the Lexington area.
[00:40:12] Let their worship this morning be pleasing to you.
[00:40:16] Father, we seek your guidance and direction on the church plant.
[00:40:24] Father, we want to do it, but it needs your direction.
[00:40:30] we need your guidance and your blessing on this please let us be patient Father please help us to do what you want us to do Father we lift up our teens and young adults for continued growth
[00:40:48] and fellowship in you thank you for this vibrant part of our church what it does to invigorate those of us that are older thank you for what they mean to us Father, I lift up the message you have for us.
[00:41:09] Be with Michael, make him bold.
[00:41:12] Let his speech be powerful and put only your words in his mouth.
[00:41:19] Help us to be receptive to your message.
[00:41:22] Open our ears to hear you.
[00:41:25] Open our minds to understand you and make our hearts fertile ground to accept you and your word.
[00:41:34] For it's in the precious and powerful name of Jesus I pray.
[00:41:39] Amen.

[00:41:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:41:45] Thanks so much, Jack.
[00:41:47] As deacons prepare to take up offerings, I just want to thank y'all.
[00:41:52] Harbor, y'all are a great singing church, and I typically sit up front here, and so I get to hear more of your voices than less, and bless me this morning.
[00:42:02] So thank you.
[00:42:03] We are to greet one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
[00:42:07] So you greeted me this morning, and I hope that you felt greeted as well.
[00:42:10] worship is about giving to the lord and serving one another and and so we've already done some of that with our just with our presence just with our singing but this is another way in which we
[00:42:22] we honor the lord with giving of our tithes and offerings now this is something that we as harbor members promise to do if you're not a member that's okay we don't expect anything from you
[00:42:31] if you're a visitor because we don't want this to be a a time of guilt or pressure rather we want you to know that we do this out of joy for what Christ has done for us. So in every way you give,

[00:42:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:42:44] may you give with a cheerful heart. We get to sing again this morning. This is Psalm 3. We've not sung this one before, so we're adding this to our harbor canon of songs. This is Holy Scripture.
[00:42:56] You guys know the tune, though. Our God, our help in ages past. So let's sing this together.

[00:43:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:43:01] O Lord, how are my foes increased against me, many rise.
[00:43:13] How many say in vain for help he on his God relies.
[00:43:22] You are my shield and glory, Lord, you lifted up my head.
[00:43:30] I cried out, Lord, and from His hilt to me His answer spared.
[00:43:39] I lay down, slept, and woke again. The Lord is keeping me.
[00:43:48] I will not fear ten thousand men entrenched surrounding me.
[00:43:55] Arise, O Lord, save me, my God You punish all my foes You smite the face of wicked men Their teeth break with your blows Deliverance is from the Lord Salvation is alone Oh, let your blessing evermore be on your people's show.

[00:44:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:44:32] Let's pray.
[00:44:34] Lord God, we thank you that you give us the victory through Christ.
[00:44:39] So Lord, we pray that you would help us to trust you.
[00:44:42] And may you get all the glory in Christ's name we pray.
[00:44:47] Let's stand together and thank God for his blessings by singing doxology.

[00:44:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:44:55] Praise God from the...

[00:45:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:29] Have you seen it?
[00:45:30] So back in March, I did a Love Life Discovery Day with my friend Bruce Brown, who's at Prosperity PCA, just outside the Beltway, in preparation for our churches to do this prayer walk that we're going to be doing on Saturday.
[00:45:48] Now, I'm telling you this is the occasion for why I'm going to be preaching on Ephesians 6, but this is not meant to be an advertisement.
[00:45:55] This is God's holy word, but I want you to understand this is where this sort of came from.
[00:46:00] it struck me as I was there and listening to some of the chaos happening that to visit a place like the La Trobe Clinic is a place of observable, unmistakable opposition to Christian witness that is not hidden behind southern politeness. And here's the question that is relevant not just
[00:46:23] for the walk, but just relevant for life. Do we know what to do when we face opposition?
[00:46:32] do you know what to do? Today, we're going to be looking at a passage, perhaps maybe overly familiar, but a passage nonetheless that you may have read before that's going to show us the right enemy, and then the right battle, and then finally give us the right equipment.
[00:46:52] This is God's holy and inspired word from Ephesians chapter 6. I'm actually going to starting in verse 10, not 11, and I'm going to read all the way to verse 18. Here's God's word.
[00:47:08] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh
[00:47:19] and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
[00:47:39] all, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace and all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can
[00:48:00] extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and
[00:48:12] supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints. Let's pray. Lord God, we are grateful for your word. Lord, tell us the truth this morning.
[00:48:26] Help us to hear it. Help us to take it in. Help us to believe it and help us to live it out.
[00:48:31] Lord, help us to treat your word as a word of God himself, not just simply words on a page.
[00:48:39] Lord, help our hearts to hear. Lord, challenge us in Christ's name we pray. Amen. So let's start with the right enemy. This text, Paul is writing, he's writing from prison, and he's writing, if you were to read through all of Ephesians, you would get to chapter 5 and then a bit into
[00:49:00] chapter 6, and it's a lot of gentleness. Ephesians chapter 5 talks about how we are to mutually submit to one another, and then you have various relationships in which that looks. Husbands, wives, parents, children. And so we are to submit to one another in the church, but now in Ephesians
[00:49:19] 6, Paul is trying to address something specific. We submit in the church, but we don't submit to those who would oppose our faith. So here we come to the crux of the matter in verse 11.
[00:49:34] We are to put on the whole armor of God. Armor presupposes battle. Battle could take many different forms, right? If I were to preach a different sermon, if I had a couple more weeks, I might talk to you about all the internal battles that you
[00:49:51] might have and how this would apply. But today I'm going to be focusing mainly on outward opposition. And so to be a Christian means that you're going to hold to certain truths. You're going to live out biblical convictions in your
[00:50:07] lives about what life is, sexuality, generosity, mercy, objectivity. And Jesus promises the world's going to hate you. Because if the world hated Jesus, the world will hate you, John 15, 18. So who's the enemy? That's really important because we want to make sure that we're
[00:50:30] not shooting friendly fire or firing off into the distance, right? So we need to know who is the proper enemy? Verse 12 tells us that. It says, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
[00:50:44] Now that tells you two very important things. The first thing it tells you is that ultimately, our enemy is not physical. That might be a little surprising to the church, because to the church, their enemies looked very physical indeed, right? You would be tempted to think so, because if you
[00:51:02] are in Ephesus at that time, you would have remembered back in Acts chapter 19 how there was a riot over their Christian faith. Very physical, right? You might have remembered how there were false teachers who were trying to infiltrate the church. That seems very physical.
[00:51:21] Ephesians could probably point to a number of government policies or particular nefarious individuals, physical. So you might conclude, well, I know who our enemies are. Those people, let me give you a list. And in one sense, they are. Those names are not false. But if we fight
[00:51:45] physically alone, then we should fight with our swords. Or today, you might say guns or fists or something else, right? And that's not how Jesus sees the fight. Jesus in John chapter 18, verse 36, when he's talking with Pilate, Pilate's like, you have a kingdom, right? And Jesus says,
[00:52:06] yeah, but my kingdom is not of this earth, right? He says, it's not of this world for if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting. In other words, I'm arrested if I was
[00:52:19] all about just creating a kingdom in Israel with an administration, then my people would be in the streets rioting. But that's not the nature of the kingdom. This is spiritual. There is more to meet
[00:52:34] in the world, both for good and for bad. So people may choose to oppose truth. They may choose to oppose morality for all sorts of reasons. They will even convince themselves they're doing right.
[00:52:51] They will be well-meaning in their opposition.
[00:52:54] But what's behind that, verse 11 says, is the schemes of the devil.
[00:53:00] Paul mentions four things in verse 12.
[00:53:03] He says rulers and authorities and cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil.
[00:53:08] Now, some teachers would try to find the differences between each.
[00:53:12] I think a better way of understanding this list, it's just four different ways of describing really the same thing.
[00:53:20] Evil. Spiritual evil.
[00:53:23] And evil wants two things from you.
[00:53:25] Evil wants to tempt you to sin and then wants to frighten and distract you from your Christian duty.
[00:53:34] So our enemy is not purely physical.
[00:53:36] Our enemy is not purely spiritual either.
[00:53:39] That's the second part.
[00:53:41] I knew a guy who was involved in what he calls a deliverance ministry.
[00:53:46] I don't know if you're familiar with this term.
[00:53:48] But basically, every problem was demonic in nature, right, from depression to gout.
[00:53:55] I don't think that you have to go that far to understand this passage.
[00:54:00] If you go back to Ephesians 2, verse 2, Ephesians 2, Paul says in the same letter, he says, we all followed the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air.
[00:54:13] no spiritual darkness, right? And that we did this by nature, by our sin nature, this is what we did.
[00:54:21] So a person doesn't have to be a Satanist or doesn't have to be possessed in order to do Satan's work, right? All you got to do is just go with the flow. People will think that they're
[00:54:34] doing good by shunning you or by shouting at you. See, the devil doesn't really have to do all that much. The devil's job is pretty easy. Just let humanity do what it would naturally want to do
[00:54:47] and tumble down, right? And so here's what you may face then. Because the world goes the way that it wants to, you may have broken families. You might have several friends who have a strained
[00:55:03] relationship because of your faith. You might know someone, I know someone, who had to quit their job because they were being asked to do unethical things.
[00:55:14] Christians, you will never be liberal or conservative enough to be accepted by the world.
[00:55:22] Do you know that?
[00:55:25] Now, on the other hand, I actually think this is a really helpful thing for us to remember, that there's a kind of way to the world and there's spiritual darkness behind it all because it helps me to have compassion on lost people.
[00:55:41] You see, because people are bound to the way of the world, and so they're just sort of blind to truth, right?
[00:55:48] So when I look at somebody who is my persecutor, who hates me, I can say in my heart and really believe it, oh, if they just knew the truth, my persecutor, you would stand with me.
[00:56:00] We would be family if you knew it.
[00:56:03] It gives me the courage to keep fighting for somebody's soul, even though they hate me. Now, maybe at this point you'd say to yourself, well, Michael, I'm not really persecuted. Like, I don't feel that often. Is that a good thing or a bad thing
[00:56:21] that I'm not persecuted often? You know, I look around at what's happening in India or in China or in Africa, and I haven't feared for my life anytime soon. Is that good or bad? Well, it is
[00:56:33] good and it's bad. The good part is that Psalm 29 verse 11 says, the Lord blesses his people with peace. It's a good thing, right? When you have peace, it's a gift from God. Enjoy it. Be thankful
[00:56:49] for clear skies. But it could be bad too, because sometimes we play things too safely. I love what John Gillespie writes. He says, most of us live our Christian lives on the defensive. Our goal
[00:57:04] is not to make too many mistakes. That's our goal in the Christian life. Just don't make too many mistakes. Maybe we're not being opposed because we look no different from the world. When was the
[00:57:17] last time that your faith cost you anything, big or small? Maybe you need to take a few more godly risks. Now, at this point, you might think, okay, I know we're going next, right? What I got to do
[00:57:33] is I got to muzzle up, right? I got to be ready for this fight. After all, verse 13 says, having done all, stand firm. But before you go, before you run to verse 13, you got to understand the
[00:57:48] role that you have in this battle. Because if you don't, you will have about as much success as paratroopers do in fighting an undersea battle. So we got to know the right battle. Seen the right
[00:58:02] enemy. Let's see the right battle. Verse 10 says, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. The focus is not on you. You see that? It's not about you. Be strong, for my grammar nerds who
[00:58:17] are out there, it is a passive imperative. You could translate it as be made strong. God is the one who is making you strong, and it's in his strength that you're strong. Every Christian hero,
[00:58:32] whether it's Luther who's being chased around Europe, or Hugh Latimer who is burnt to the stake, or Patton who is harassed by cannibals, right? They are not the leading edges.
[00:58:45] They're side characters. Let me explain. Your enemy is not the people who don't like you.
[00:58:56] Your enemy is not your boss who are difficult, or protesters, or governments, or armies. It is the evil that you cannot see or smell or touch. You cannot fight that kind of enemy, not by yourself,
[00:59:10] any more than you can shoot missiles at a virus. We are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned.
[00:59:21] So I think probably a great illustration of this is really David and Goliath, that we read part of the story earlier in the service. David and Goliath, 1 Samuel 17.
[00:59:34] David's supposed to fight Goliath the giant.
[00:59:37] No one can stand before the giant.
[00:59:40] Goliath is six cubits high.
[00:59:42] We're not exactly sure of the modern measurements of that, but let's say eight or nine feet.
[00:59:48] Super tall, super strong.
[00:59:51] His armor weighs about 125 pounds.
[00:59:55] This guy's impossible to fight.
[00:59:57] Every single Israelite is hiding from him.
[01:00:00] and and and i one of the things i if i can give a corrective there are some very faithful pastors who have preached david and goliath completely wrong so here it is sorry to destroy your
[01:00:13] childhood uh but but here goes i have heard many times somebody preach on david and goliath and say and what is the goliath in your life now it's the problem with that is we imagine that we're david
[01:00:31] We're the one who's supposed to fight the giants, right?
[01:00:36] We imagine we are the main character.
[01:00:39] But David knows the truth.
[01:00:41] What does he say in verse 47?
[01:00:44] He says, the Lord saves not with a sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's.
[01:00:50] It's his battle.
[01:00:51] It's not my battle.
[01:00:52] It's not the Israelites' battle.
[01:00:53] It's God's battle, and he will give you, Goliath, the giant, into our hands.
[01:00:58] And then, we all know the story, down goes the giants.
[01:01:04] The real battle is not between Goliath and Israel, Goliath and David, but everything that Goliath represents and God.
[01:01:16] Goliath curses David by his gods.
[01:01:20] What Goliath does is he says, my gods are bigger than your God.
[01:01:25] Goliath does not realize that he is not fighting a young boy.
[01:01:29] he is fighting the king of kings. He doesn't see it. He's blind to it, just like the rest of the world. So when God gives David the victory and Israel the victory, we resemble those scared
[01:01:45] soldiers in the back who have been hiding this whole time and are just following in his wake.
[01:01:52] Now, how does this relate to spiritual forces of the world? If anyone resembles David, it's not me it's jesus colossians chapter 2 jesus goes to the cross for our sins he defeats evil there and he is raised from the dead and colossians 2 says that he disarmed the rulers
[01:02:18] and authorities and put them to open shame at the cross by triumphing over them in him we follow our king's blood-bought victory and as he rushes forward we stand at attention in his victory that's what the world the flesh and the devil can never understand christ has
[01:02:42] already victorious he's already won before the battle has even really begun so what should i do what i'm supposed to do is following well god gives us something help us to know what to do
[01:02:58] and that's the right equipment. Verses 14 through 18 gives us seven pieces of armor that God equips the believer. And there are three aspects to this armor that I want you to pay attention to before
[01:03:12] we get into the pieces themselves. The first is that we have to understand this equipment is meant to keep us alive, not comfortable. When I was a kid, I played baseball, little league, and whatnot,
[01:03:25] some of you did too, and I remember there was this feared pitcher. We heard, I don't know if anybody actually did this, but this is what I heard, was that he could throw a 60 mile an hour
[01:03:36] fastball. Now, little league, that's crazy, right? And so I got up there, and I got in my stance, and you know, strike one, strike two, and the third ball came right up here and hit me right
[01:03:50] on the noggin, right? Now, with a helmet on, my teeth rattled. I was dizzy, kind of staggered to first base. Without the helmet, dead, okay? Same with this armor. God will protect your soul from
[01:04:11] destruction, but your teeth are going to rattle, right? Prioriton William Gurnall writes this. He says, all the pieces of the army of God are to defend the Christian, not secure him from suffering.
[01:04:25] So it will be hard, but it won't destroy you.
[01:04:28] Second, these pieces of armor, they're not random.
[01:04:33] Verse 11 and verse 13 describes this not as just general armor, but the armor of God.
[01:04:39] There are two different ways in which you can read the word of or understand it.
[01:04:43] It could be the armor of God, the armor that God supplies, like He just found it and gave it to you.
[01:04:50] Or, perhaps better, it's God's own armor.
[01:04:55] It's his armor that he has, and he puts it upon us.
[01:05:00] This is what happens.
[01:05:02] There's an Old Testament reference in Isaiah 59.
[01:05:05] This is really cool.
[01:05:06] I'll mention it real briefly, but this afternoon, go and look at this.
[01:05:10] Isaiah 59, 16 through 17.
[01:05:13] Isaiah sees that no man is able to save God's people, nobody, right?
[01:05:17] And then God has to step in.
[01:05:19] God is going to do it himself.
[01:05:21] and it says, he, God, put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head.
[01:05:28] That's God's head, not my head or not your head.
[01:05:30] It's his.
[01:05:32] The armor is not of your making.
[01:05:34] It has God's name etched on it.
[01:05:38] David refused Saul's armor because he hadn't tested it, right?
[01:05:44] So he goes to Goliath seemingly defenseless, right?
[01:05:49] But spiritually, he was bulletproof because he trusted in what God had provided to him.
[01:05:59] The armor of the world is like tinfoil.
[01:06:03] The armor of God is like steel.
[01:06:09] So take one step further then.
[01:06:11] Romans 13, 14.
[01:06:13] We are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.
[01:06:20] Here's how this all wraps together.
[01:06:22] You are so in faith, you are so unified to Christ that you put Christ on, and he is your armor.
[01:06:33] He is the one who protects you.
[01:06:35] So these items that are here described are not just random assembly of things, but they describe your relationship with Christ.
[01:06:44] They are all the benefits of knowing Jesus.
[01:06:48] Here's the third aspect.
[01:06:51] The armor is meant to encourage you to your duty and not to hide.
[01:06:58] William Gurnall, again, puts it this way.
[01:06:59] He says, armor is not given for men to wear by the fireside, but in the field.
[01:07:08] So here's how this works structurally.
[01:07:10] Verse 14, we are told to stand.
[01:07:12] That's the main verb.
[01:07:14] And then, again, grammar nerds, pay attention.
[01:07:16] there are seven participles or participial constructions for each of the pieces of the armor here here you'll see it see it this way in the putting on or having put on you see those ing
[01:07:30] words okay those are participles so what that means is that the one thing you're to do stands how do you stand here's seven different ways to stand here's what supplies you to stand So what are the things that God gives to us?
[01:07:46] The first is a belt or, sometimes translated, waistcoat.
[01:07:50] It's the belt of truth, putting it on.
[01:07:54] The first and most fundamental thing that holds everything together is truth.
[01:08:00] Truth.
[01:08:01] Christianity is based upon hard truth.
[01:08:05] What lies closest to the Christian is not fuzzy feelings, it's not guesses about who God is, but it's about solid truth and so we run to truth when the world or our own hearts cast doubt upon
[01:08:20] us and the truth is Christ when I do a lot of counseling people are been in crisis they have trauma things like that one of the things that I typically tell them I say get a notebook
[01:08:34] okay and make yourself two sections usually it's three actually but I won't talk about third one Two sections.
[01:08:41] Section one, write down everything you know to be true.
[01:08:44] True about the situation that you're in, true about God's word, write down scripture, all the true things, things that you can objectively look to.
[01:08:52] Second section, write down all the lies that the world in your heart is telling you.
[01:08:57] And then the most important thing, link section two to section one.
[01:09:03] The lie, this is going to end in disaster.
[01:09:06] Life will never be the same.
[01:09:08] Your life is over.
[01:09:09] Lie.
[01:09:10] refer to section one. No one can snatch me out of Christ's hands, Romans 8.38.
[01:09:18] You see how truth is fundamental to the Christian life. Second, we have the breastplate of righteousness. The world will tell you that you are only doing this or only doing that to make yourself feel better. You just think you're better than everybody else. What protects the heart and
[01:09:38] the vital organs is not our own good living. It's Christ's righteousness. It's what he supplies.
[01:09:46] Luther wrote to a friend by the name of Jerome. He wrote this beautiful short letter, and he encourages his friend this way. He says, when the devil throws up our sins to us and declares that
[01:09:59] we deserve death and hell, I say, I admit that I deserve death and hell. I do. What of it?
[01:10:08] For I know the one who suffered and made a satisfaction on my behalf.
[01:10:13] His name is Jesus, the Son of God, and where he is, I shall be also.
[01:10:20] That's how the truth of Christ protects the heart of a believer, through Christ's righteousness.
[01:10:28] Number three, the shoes that are the readiness of the gospel of peace.
[01:10:33] Now, it certainly could mean you should be ready to share the gospel.
[01:10:36] I think that's true.
[01:10:36] But I think better, it's connected back with standing.
[01:10:42] The gospel truth gives us readiness to stand because we are now anchored in our peace with God.
[01:10:51] So we are prepared to walk wherever God calls us to because we have the good news of Christ.
[01:10:59] Number four, we have the shield of faith.
[01:11:02] We're to take that up.
[01:11:03] Now, if this is a Roman shield, I think it is, because, of course, Paul writing in Roman prison, and he's seeing a lot of Roman soldiers all around.
[01:11:11] This would have been a large rectangular shield.
[01:11:15] It's usually covered in leather.
[01:11:17] The reason why it was covered in leather is that you could actually wet it.
[01:11:19] You could soak it in water so that if, like in the passage, flaming arrows hit it, that it would be extinguished.
[01:11:29] This is your faith.
[01:11:31] Or, to put it this way, your trust in Christ.
[01:11:34] Not in yourself, but your trust in Christ is the shield that protects you.
[01:11:39] What's more, what's interesting about a Roman shield is that it was most effective when it stood next to other shields.
[01:11:46] If you know anything about Roman warfare, you know that when those shields locked together, it was like this impenetrable wall.
[01:11:53] Your shared faith with one another, when you lock arms with fellow Christians, it is a wall against the world and the devil.
[01:12:03] Number five, the helmet of salvation.
[01:12:05] The most important piece is to protect your head.
[01:12:09] I know that from baseball.
[01:12:10] Soldiers often had crests on their helmets to show their position, where they were.
[01:12:18] God supplies your salvation in Christ so that now you wear it like a crown, but a protective crown, and it's all to his glory.
[01:12:30] Now, up until this point, all the pieces that are described are defensive in nature, and they speak to our identity in Christ, what we have, our righteousness, our salvation, the gospel. But soldiers have weapons too, don't they? And I have two weapons
[01:12:51] here. The first is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Even in this offensive weapon, notice the power is not in me, but in what God provides. You might have a conversation with
[01:13:11] somebody and you might be able to say, you know, you might not like me, you might not trust what I say, but here's what God's Word has to say. What happens is that when we quote God's Word or we
[01:13:24] open God's Word to somebody else, it allows the battle no longer to be between me and you, but between you and God. And it is sharp. The Word can offer harsh rebuke and also lavish mercy in
[01:13:43] the same verse. It can cut to the heart of the matter in a way you and I cannot. If I could go off script just a tiny little bit. One of the things that struck me about this description is
[01:13:57] that Roman soldiers, they had swords, but those were for hand-to-hand combat. Most of the time they would throw things, things like that. But you had to be like close to use those swords. Swords are pretty short. I find through experience that there are times in which you need to make sure
[01:14:19] the enemy is right close. They're ready to hear what you have to say. Sometimes it takes wisdom, but sometimes you need to, when you know that somebody is not willing to even hear what you
[01:14:31] have to say, perhaps they're not ready yet. Perhaps they're not within striking distance yet.
[01:14:37] I just encourage you that it's not unfaithful necessarily to say, this person is not going to take me seriously.
[01:14:45] I don't want to throw pearls before swine, as Jesus says.
[01:14:49] The sword of the Spirit is sharp.
[01:14:52] There's a seventh weapon here, a seven piece of the armor, and it's often ignored, but it fits structurally.
[01:15:01] Praying in or by the Spirit.
[01:15:03] It's a similar participle from what we saw earlier.
[01:15:07] It's not often included in the armor, but it's structurally part of the same text.
[01:15:14] When a soldier is pinned down, what does he call for?
[01:15:18] The cavalry to arrive, right?
[01:15:21] Prayer is in or by the Spirit in the same Spirit who supplies the Word.
[01:15:26] You have, on the other end of the wire, the victorious King of the universe, able to change anything and everything, word and prayer.
[01:15:42] So put it all together very briefly.
[01:15:46] What would you do if you faced opposition?
[01:15:49] This is a question we began with.
[01:15:52] Here's what you might do.
[01:15:54] You might start with, well, let me establish what is true.
[01:15:57] What do I know?
[01:15:59] What do I know to be true?
[01:16:01] Who am I and what is true about that?
[01:16:04] Truth is a steel plate that covers your heart.
[01:16:09] You might remember that you are a sinner saved by grace.
[01:16:12] You might remember that you are saved by Christ alone.
[01:16:15] You might remember God's love for you, that you are crowned with honor that Christ bought at the cross.
[01:16:20] And the world may spit on you, and the government may bulldoze your church, and you might be killed.
[01:16:27] But Christ promises to raise us up in glory.
[01:16:30] So you can walk into any room, you can walk onto any street wearing the royal emblems of Christ upon your chest.
[01:16:44] Number two, you have two nuclear weapons at your disposal, the word and prayer.
[01:16:52] Do you believe that?
[01:16:54] Do you truly believe that, that God's word is really powerful and prayer is really powerful?
[01:17:00] They seem so small, but they are the God-given chosen weapons to fight a spiritual battle that you can't always even see.
[01:17:10] I, as smart as I am as your pastor, cannot change a single heart.
[01:17:14] Not one.
[01:17:16] I cannot change the circumstances.
[01:17:19] God can.
[01:17:20] I cannot make people love the truth and hate lies.
[01:17:23] God can.
[01:17:25] God can do all things, and so I have reason to believe that I can actually pray for my enemies.
[01:17:31] And when I'm asked to give an account, when I'm asked, well, what do you actually believe?
[01:17:38] Or why do you do the things that you do?
[01:17:40] I can recount scripture.
[01:17:43] Men, can I speak to you for just a second?
[01:17:46] Memorize scripture.
[01:17:48] Scripture is your conceal and carry permit.
[01:17:52] You bring it everywhere you go.
[01:17:57] Lastly, I charge you by God's grace and mercy.
[01:18:01] by the power that he has given even the smallest child who is hearing this right now.
[01:18:09] Take godly risks.
[01:18:12] And when you do, you will face hardship.
[01:18:15] There is no false advertising here.
[01:18:17] You will face it.
[01:18:19] Stand when you face it.
[01:18:21] And then you will try all your best, stand firm, and you do all you can.
[01:18:26] And after you've done all you can and you're completely exhausted, keep standing.
[01:18:30] And you do that by God's power.
[01:18:35] Don't give the devil one inch.
[01:18:39] Not because you are strong, but because he is.
[01:18:43] Let's pray together.
[01:18:48] Lord God, I'm grateful for the words of Robert Hawker, Puritan, one of your servants, Lord, who wrote this prayer.
[01:18:57] And so, Lord God, I pray it to you using his words.
[01:19:00] Lord, grant, dearest Lord, though we still live in this world, yet never, never may we forget our relationship with you.
[01:19:09] Though we are outcasts, yet we are Jesus' outcasts.
[01:19:13] Lord, be our hiding place so that you are all we need.
[01:19:19] Oh, for a word, a whisper, Lord Jesus.
[01:19:22] Lord, we cannot live without it.
[01:19:24] Lord, we dare not let you go unless you bless us.
[01:19:29] Lord, may we see daily and hourly our continual need of you.
[01:19:33] you are our hope and our savior keep us lord near you for without you we are nothing precious jesus help us to see our clear part in you for our union with you oh dear lord make us so strong
[01:19:48] in your strength that during the whole period of my present warfare that i may be terrible as an army with banners to all who would oppose your way yes lord let sin and satan and the world be
[01:20:02] united against me, yet do put on me the whole armor of God that I may fight the good fight of faith and lay hold to eternal life and be made more than a conqueror through him who loves me.
[01:20:16] Lord, please do this and more in Christ's name we pray. See, elders make their way forward and celebrate the Lord's Supper together. One of the things that was so important in both ancient and modern warfare is food. If you didn't have enough food for your soldiers, they languish.
[01:20:45] More soldiers died of disease and famine than bullets and swords. Christ knows this, and so this meal is to provide you with strength to keep fighting the fight. It communicates to us what Christ has done for us. It communicates to us his constant love for us and his sustaining love for
[01:21:06] us. And so you who confess Christ as your Lord, come and eat. Come and be fed spiritually. But if you've not made that public profession of faith in Christ yet, let these things pass you by.
[01:21:19] Not to single you out, make you feel bad, but to say you need to trust Christ before you come and eat. Because you need Christ. You need Christ. And so today I urge you, if you have not called
[01:21:32] upon Christ, call on him today. If you don't know what that looks like, come see these men.
[01:21:36] and we'd love for you to know what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.
[01:21:41] There's not a night in which he was betrayed.
[01:21:42] He took the bread he broke and he said, this is my body given for you.
[01:21:46] Eat of it, all of you, in remembrance of me.
[01:21:49] Out here at Harbor, we like to serve family style.
[01:21:52] So if you want to hold on to your bread until everybody's been served, we'll eat together.
[01:21:56] And we usually eat in silence.
[01:21:57] So take that moment of rest and quiet.
[01:22:01] Open up a Bible, pray, meditate upon Christ and what he's done for you.
[01:22:06] The body of Christ was given for you.
[01:24:39] Let's eat in remembrance of him.
[01:24:47] After the same manner, after supper, Jesus took the cup.
[01:24:51] He blessed and he said, this is my blood, in the new covenant, shed for many for the forgiveness of our sins.
[01:24:57] You're forgiven because Christ went to the cross for us.
[01:25:00] This is what's etched on the Christian's heart, not just today, but for all eternity.
[01:25:07] Here at Harbor, we have both wine and grape juice.
[01:25:10] Wine is on the outermost ring.
[01:25:11] all the inner rings are juice and just like the bread if you want to hold on to it until everybody's been served then we'll drink together the blood of Christ was shed for you let's drink in remembrance of him
[01:27:50] let's pray Father God we thank you that you have made a plan from all eternity Christ you accomplished that plan Holy Spirit you've applied that plan to us Lord I pray Holy Spirit Lord that you enable us
[01:28:10] more and more to die to sin and to live to Christ.
[01:28:16] We pray these things in Jesus' name.
[01:28:19] Would you please stand to sing our closing song together?

[01:28:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:28:21] Jesus, I, my cross, have taken Even destitute, despised, forsaken Thou from hence my heart shalt be

[01:29:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:29:02] First, it sounds like VBS leaders are going to meet upstairs after the Love Life presentation, so if that's who you are.
[01:34:57] We've got snacks and coffee in the gathering room to the right.
[01:34:59] also jade from love life has set up a booth there she talked with you and then she's gonna be doing a presentation i really encourage you to stick um uh stick around for that it'll be a great way for
[01:35:09] you to learn more about what we're going to be doing later this week and also to sign up with that in mind um let's receive the lord's blessing over us and as we go out into the world this from
[01:35:19] galatians chapter one grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father to whom be glory forever and ever.