WEBVTT

00:00:04.530 --> 00:00:07.169
On some anniversary Sundays, we have attempted

00:00:07.169 --> 00:00:10.210
to celebrate somewhat and even have brought special

00:00:10.210 --> 00:00:13.830
guests in to be with us. Inevitably, when we

00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:16.989
have done that, we've had a blizzard. And so

00:00:16.989 --> 00:00:19.149
this morning, having made no plans, it's a beautiful

00:00:19.149 --> 00:00:24.370
day. I think I prefer to make no plans. I hope

00:00:24.370 --> 00:00:31.170
spring has sprung and not a leak. Would you open

00:00:31.170 --> 00:00:33.570
your Bible with me, please, to Ephesians chapter

00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:36.549
6, as we look together again today regarding

00:00:36.549 --> 00:00:41.429
the armor of God, and recognize that as long

00:00:41.429 --> 00:00:44.310
as we are in this world, we will be the objects

00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:51.609
of our spiritual enemy's attacks. The devil will

00:00:51.609 --> 00:00:56.469
be after us, his host of wicked spirits, the

00:00:56.469 --> 00:01:00.450
forces of darkness. as Paul calls them in our

00:01:00.450 --> 00:01:05.790
text, manipulate and control the world in which

00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:10.590
we live. And in addition to that, they are vigorously

00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:14.709
and viciously opposed to the soldier of Jesus

00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:18.909
Christ, their desire being to destroy and defeat

00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:24.409
the good soldier of Christ. The teaching of Scripture

00:01:24.409 --> 00:01:29.439
regarding the armor of God does not mean an easing

00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:34.060
of the attacks, or a decrease of temptations,

00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:39.459
or a diminishing of trials and tests. The armor

00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:43.120
does not guarantee any of that. But what the

00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:46.400
armor of God does guarantee us is that we can

00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:50.480
defeat the enemy. That even though he comes against

00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:55.359
us again and again and again, we can, by that

00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:58.920
armor that God provides for us, see Him defeated

00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:03.400
so that we ourselves hold the ground that God

00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:07.459
has given to us. This teaching about the armor

00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:10.960
of God is not something that is peripheral. It

00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:13.740
is not a small matter. It is not a side issue.

00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.759
It is a key strategic issue of the New Testament.

00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:21.620
Even though it is not found frequently in the

00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:24.979
New Testament, the subject matter is vital. If

00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:27.560
we're going to do what He tells us to do, to

00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:32.199
stand against the evil one. Putting on that armor

00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:36.680
is essential if we would stand our ground and

00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:41.740
not be disgraced in defeat. We have studied the

00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:45.080
belt of truth, that first piece of armor that

00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:48.520
is mentioned. We have understood that that truth

00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:54.020
refers to a character quality. He's talking here

00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:57.479
about integrity. Putting on the belt of honesty,

00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:02.500
of genuineness, of truthfulness in the heart,

00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:06.360
that is the inner man. That is vital if we would

00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.120
stand against the enemy. And then we must put

00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.560
on the breastplate of righteousness, not the

00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:14.139
imputed righteousness given to us by our faith

00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:18.560
in Christ, but that righteousness which is good

00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:22.740
works and good deeds in our lives. which reflect

00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:25.659
the kindness, the patience, the love of God.

00:03:26.199 --> 00:03:29.039
That kind of righteousness, practical holiness,

00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:33.580
that provides a breastplate, which is essential.

00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:38.139
And then we are to slip on the shoes of peace.

00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:43.280
That good news of peace being the peace that

00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.520
we have with God through Jesus Christ. The assurance...

00:03:47.210 --> 00:03:49.990
That as we stand against the enemy, we are not

00:03:49.990 --> 00:03:53.590
alone. That God is with us. No longer are we

00:03:53.590 --> 00:03:56.969
estranged from God. No longer are we at war with

00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:00.430
God. But there is now peace declared. There is

00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:04.330
reconciliation. So that now God is for us and

00:04:04.330 --> 00:04:07.810
who can be against us. It is the good news that

00:04:07.810 --> 00:04:10.569
I am at peace with God and God is at peace with

00:04:10.569 --> 00:04:15.330
me. That enables me to stand in the day of evil.

00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:19.860
And then I am to take up the shield of faith.

00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:25.980
I am to guard my thoughts, my emotions, with

00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:29.040
the truth that I believe about God. What is it

00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.639
that I believe about God that I need in the battle

00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.699
at the moment? It is that truth that I am to

00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:41.579
bring to my mind. I am to, by faith, declare

00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:48.730
the missiles of the enemy invalid. If he tells

00:04:48.730 --> 00:04:51.910
me that God is lying, that God is not faithful

00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:54.810
to me, that God has failed me in this situation,

00:04:55.089 --> 00:04:57.970
the shield of faith goes up and says, but God

00:04:57.970 --> 00:05:01.370
cannot fail. Not one word of his promise will

00:05:01.370 --> 00:05:05.829
ever fail. I believe God and not these thoughts

00:05:05.829 --> 00:05:09.949
that are going through my mind. If I'm overcome

00:05:09.949 --> 00:05:15.310
with grief and sorrow and a sense of loss, The

00:05:15.310 --> 00:05:18.189
shield of faith goes up against those fiery missiles

00:05:18.189 --> 00:05:22.009
and says that I can lose nothing in Jesus Christ.

00:05:22.129 --> 00:05:26.629
I have gained everything in Jesus Christ. The

00:05:26.629 --> 00:05:29.790
shield of faith protects our minds, our thoughts,

00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:35.449
protects our emotions against the fiery arrows

00:05:35.449 --> 00:05:39.170
of the enemy, which, if they strike us, will

00:05:39.170 --> 00:05:44.860
injure us and will burn into us. so that we are

00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:49.959
damaged and can easily be defeated. So we are

00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:53.300
to put up the shield of faith. Now today we move

00:05:53.300 --> 00:05:57.220
ahead to the helmet of salvation. He says in

00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:02.019
verse 17, And take the helmet of salvation and

00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:04.439
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of

00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:07.980
God, with all prayer and petition. Pray at all

00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.319
times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be

00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:14.680
on the alert with all perseverance and petition

00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:19.399
for all saints. The next piece in our list is

00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:23.019
the helmet called the helmet of salvation, or

00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:27.420
the helmet which is salvation. Here we have that

00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:29.980
piece of gear which protected the head of the

00:06:29.980 --> 00:06:34.579
Roman soldier. It was sometimes made of heavy,

00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:39.420
hardened leather. but more frequently came to

00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:42.920
be a piece of metal that was molded for the head

00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:46.560
of the soldier. It was often made of bronze.

00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:52.000
It was usually heavy and quite decorative. The

00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.399
inner part of it was lined with felt or sometimes

00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:01.480
sponge in order to give some comfort to the soldier

00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:05.389
as he wore this piece of protective gear. The

00:07:05.389 --> 00:07:07.850
apostle tells us that we are to place on our

00:07:07.850 --> 00:07:13.970
heads the helmet of salvation. Now I want you

00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:15.769
to think with me for a moment regarding each

00:07:15.769 --> 00:07:17.569
piece of the armor that we have talked about

00:07:17.569 --> 00:07:21.689
up to this point. And notice that each piece

00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:26.509
of that armor protects us against some weapon

00:07:26.509 --> 00:07:32.470
that Satan frequently uses against us. For example,

00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:40.149
the belt of truth. Satan is a what? And the father

00:07:40.149 --> 00:07:45.110
of what? He's a liar. And he is the father of

00:07:45.110 --> 00:07:53.470
lies. John 8, 44. He is filled with lies. Untruth.

00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:58.629
And he attacks us with those. And he gets to

00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:03.569
seek us to live out lies in our lives. So that

00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:06.689
we become hypocrites. If he can't succeed in

00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:10.730
that, we are already defeated. That's why we

00:08:10.730 --> 00:08:13.670
are to put on first the belt of truth, of integrity,

00:08:13.870 --> 00:08:17.470
of honesty in the inner man. It protects us against

00:08:17.470 --> 00:08:22.689
the lies of the enemy. We've talked about the

00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:27.490
breastplate of righteousness. That is, lives

00:08:27.490 --> 00:08:31.269
that reflect the beauty of God, the holiness

00:08:31.269 --> 00:08:35.419
of God, the character of God. lives that are

00:08:35.419 --> 00:08:40.240
filled with kindness and good deeds, righteous

00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:45.080
living. In Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10,

00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:49.299
we learn that the accuser of our brethren has

00:08:49.299 --> 00:08:52.960
been cast down, it says, talking about a future

00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:56.019
time when Satan is dealt with. But there he is

00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:59.740
given that particular name, the accuser of our

00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:03.710
brethren. One of the ways the devil attacks us

00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:08.909
is by accusation. Before God, day and night,

00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:13.029
it says, but also from others and to others.

00:09:14.409 --> 00:09:18.789
Accusation. Satan is an attacker. He is an accuser.

00:09:18.830 --> 00:09:24.070
That is the way that he works. He is a prosecutor.

00:09:26.529 --> 00:09:28.889
As you and I put on the breastplate of righteousness,

00:09:29.950 --> 00:09:32.610
When those accusations come against us, they

00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:37.470
just fall away. They cannot penetrate the breastplate

00:09:37.470 --> 00:09:42.730
of unhypocritical living, of genuine living,

00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:46.669
of righteousness. The accusations that he throws

00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:51.409
against us can find no basis. And therefore we

00:09:51.409 --> 00:09:55.190
have victory over the accusations of the devil,

00:09:55.269 --> 00:09:59.409
as well as the lies of the devil. the shield

00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:05.409
of faith. That shield protects us against the

00:10:05.409 --> 00:10:09.309
doubt that Satan uses, the doubt that he uses.

00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:12.789
Do you remember when he approached Eve in the

00:10:12.789 --> 00:10:16.889
garden? His very first recorded statement in

00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:22.730
Scripture is, Has God said, You shall not eat

00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:26.230
of every tree of the garden? Has God said that?

00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:33.620
He knew that God had said it, or something close

00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:37.940
to that. She knew that God had said it. But Satan

00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:41.799
planted a doubt in her mind. Has God said this?

00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:47.740
Doubt is one of his greatest weapons. He loves

00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:52.019
to plant the seed of doubt in the mind of a person

00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:55.840
and then water it until it grows into a large,

00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:02.960
consuming weed. that chokes the life. Has God

00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:08.840
said this? What is it that protects us against

00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:12.960
the fiery arrows of doubts that come to our minds?

00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:17.600
It is the shield of faith. Indeed, God has said

00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:24.200
this. God is this. Statements of what I believe

00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:28.940
about God. These form for me a shield that will

00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:32.320
cause all those fiery arrows of doubt to be quenched.

00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:43.259
Let's talk about the shoes of peace. In Hebrews

00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:46.799
2, verses 14 and 15, it says there that Satan

00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:50.700
uses fear, especially the fear of death, or has

00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:55.019
used it, to attack people. The fear of death.

00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:59.879
Satan loves to create fear in people. Fear. He

00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:03.240
likes to make people afraid. Oh, but if I do

00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:09.299
that, what will happen? He loves to make people

00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:17.720
fearful of God. What do I do to overcome those

00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:21.299
attacks of fear in my life? I put on the shoes

00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:26.610
of peace. which tell me God is for me. God's

00:12:26.610 --> 00:12:31.610
not against me. God's on my side. I don't have

00:12:31.610 --> 00:12:35.409
to be afraid. Like David said, when I am afraid,

00:12:35.470 --> 00:12:39.850
I will trust in thee. Better, he said, I will

00:12:39.850 --> 00:12:44.990
trust in thee and not be afraid. Because you

00:12:44.990 --> 00:12:48.230
and I can put on the shoes of peace, the good

00:12:48.230 --> 00:12:52.750
news that God is for us. that God is working

00:12:52.750 --> 00:12:55.570
in our lives, that God is not going to allow

00:12:55.570 --> 00:13:02.309
us to be defeated ultimately? Because God is

00:13:02.309 --> 00:13:05.250
with me, therefore I need not be afraid. I can

00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:08.470
wear the shoes of peace, and I will not slip,

00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:12.090
though Satan throws down fear before me and tries

00:13:12.090 --> 00:13:16.850
to get me to trip. Now what about the helmet?

00:13:17.730 --> 00:13:21.340
The helmet of salvation. Well, another one of

00:13:21.340 --> 00:13:24.899
Satan's weapons, in addition to lies, accusations,

00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:31.039
doubt, and fear, is discouragement. Discouragement.

00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:35.899
I see this, for example, in 2 Corinthians chapter

00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:40.179
12, where the Apostle Paul speaks about the thorn

00:13:40.179 --> 00:13:43.580
in the flesh that he was experiencing. Whatever

00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:48.559
that may have been, it was a very trying experience

00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.289
for Paul. So much so that he prayed three times

00:13:52.289 --> 00:13:54.610
that God would deliver him from that affliction,

00:13:54.669 --> 00:13:57.889
whatever it was. And God chose not to do it,

00:13:57.929 --> 00:14:00.889
but rather said to him, My grace is sufficient

00:14:00.889 --> 00:14:04.909
for you. And Paul rejoiced in that truth. But

00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:08.029
nonetheless, he called that thorn in the flesh

00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:14.149
the messenger of Satan to buffet him. It was

00:14:14.149 --> 00:14:18.389
Satan's intention to discourage Paul, to drag

00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:23.250
him down. to defeat with that thorn in the flesh,

00:14:23.470 --> 00:14:27.250
to aggravate him, to bring him to frustration,

00:14:27.370 --> 00:14:33.950
to discouragement. Are you discouraged this morning?

00:14:34.730 --> 00:14:37.809
That is one of Satan's greatest weapons against

00:14:37.809 --> 00:14:40.870
the child of God. And what is it that protects

00:14:40.870 --> 00:14:44.490
me against discouragement in my Christian life,

00:14:44.690 --> 00:14:49.049
in my service for the Lord? It is what Paul calls

00:14:49.049 --> 00:14:54.470
here the helmet of salvation. Now is Paul talking

00:14:54.470 --> 00:14:58.950
about our initial salvation? In other words,

00:14:58.950 --> 00:15:02.169
is he saying to the Ephesians, get saved? Of

00:15:02.169 --> 00:15:04.929
course not. He's already called them brothers.

00:15:05.049 --> 00:15:08.070
He has expressed terms to them that make us know

00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:10.669
that he is not talking here about getting saved.

00:15:10.769 --> 00:15:14.549
That is not the helmet of salvation. He is using

00:15:14.549 --> 00:15:18.590
salvation in a future tense. There is past tense

00:15:18.590 --> 00:15:22.309
salvation, I have been saved. Present tense salvation,

00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:26.190
I am being saved. And there is future tense salvation,

00:15:26.529 --> 00:15:28.889
I will be saved. And the New Testament uses all

00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:31.529
three, and there's no contradiction. They all

00:15:31.529 --> 00:15:35.450
work together. As Paul speaks about salvation

00:15:35.450 --> 00:15:39.610
here, he is looking into the future. Turn over

00:15:39.610 --> 00:15:42.230
with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, where I

00:15:42.230 --> 00:15:45.570
think we have a good commentary on this particular

00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:52.139
piece of armor. He says in verse 8 of 1 Thessalonians

00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:57.559
5, But since we are of the day, let us be sober,

00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.360
having put on the breastplate of faith and love.

00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:05.460
Notice there he changes the terms a bit. And

00:16:05.460 --> 00:16:11.940
as a helmet, the hope of salvation. So I believe

00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:14.240
that this is a commentary explaining what Paul

00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:18.700
means earlier in Ephesians. For he goes on to

00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:22.720
say, God has not destined us for wrath, but for

00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.919
obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.220
who died for us, that whether we are awake or

00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:32.840
asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore,

00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:37.159
encourage one another. What's the opposite of

00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:41.080
discouragement? Encouragement. What is it that

00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:44.220
encourages us in the battle? It is the assurance

00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:48.190
that one day, by the grace of God, I am going

00:16:48.190 --> 00:16:52.070
to be completely saved, body, soul, and spirit.

00:16:52.549 --> 00:16:56.970
In a consummating sense, in a final sense, which

00:16:56.970 --> 00:17:02.269
we call glorification, I will be saved. And there

00:17:02.269 --> 00:17:06.269
is no doubt about that. It is the assurance that

00:17:06.269 --> 00:17:10.069
one day God is going to finish the work that

00:17:10.069 --> 00:17:14.390
he's begun in me. That brings me tremendous encouragement

00:17:14.390 --> 00:17:18.549
in the midst of the battle. When I get discouraged,

00:17:18.630 --> 00:17:22.910
it is because my vision has become myopic. I

00:17:22.910 --> 00:17:26.910
have become short -sighted. I am seeing only

00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:31.170
the difficulty at hand. I am seeing only the

00:17:31.170 --> 00:17:34.730
circumstances that thorn in the flesh like Paul

00:17:34.730 --> 00:17:38.250
went through, that Satan is seeking to use to

00:17:38.250 --> 00:17:43.049
bring me down. What do I need to do? I need to

00:17:43.049 --> 00:17:47.089
enlarge my vision. My focus needs to be off of

00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:50.170
the circumstances, off of the issue of the moment,

00:17:50.230 --> 00:17:53.769
and see the bigger picture, and see that this

00:17:53.769 --> 00:17:58.269
is just a little piece of my life, and that down

00:17:58.269 --> 00:18:03.369
at the end comes glorification. And God is even

00:18:03.369 --> 00:18:06.589
working right now in this circumstance so that

00:18:06.589 --> 00:18:12.190
that end is accomplished. He will completely

00:18:12.190 --> 00:18:15.430
save me. I have the hope of salvation. And hope

00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:19.589
means the expectation. There's no doubt in the

00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:23.109
word hope. The New Testament word for hope means

00:18:23.109 --> 00:18:27.509
the assurance, the expectation of salvation.

00:18:29.049 --> 00:18:33.490
Is discouragement a problem? Yes, it is. It is

00:18:33.490 --> 00:18:35.789
a problem that every one of us faces in life,

00:18:35.950 --> 00:18:40.660
as we do the weapons of the enemy. We all face

00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:43.680
lies that come to us from time to time. We're

00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:47.140
tempted to live lies. We all face fears. All

00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:51.619
of us have doubts that come to us. And there

00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:55.299
are accusations that are thrown against us and

00:18:55.299 --> 00:18:59.660
discouragements that come our way. Messengers

00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:03.299
of Satan which whisper in our ears, why don't

00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:07.420
you give up? It's really not worth it, all this

00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:10.769
you're going through. That's why it's called

00:19:10.769 --> 00:19:15.609
the messenger of Satan. Let me just show you

00:19:15.609 --> 00:19:18.670
some of the ways in which you and I can face

00:19:18.670 --> 00:19:21.029
discouragement. For example, right here in Ephesians,

00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:26.109
look back in chapter 3 and verse 13. Paul says,

00:19:26.430 --> 00:19:32.089
Therefore I ask you not to lose heart. Now that's

00:19:32.089 --> 00:19:33.890
Paul's way of saying not to become discouraged.

00:19:36.430 --> 00:19:40.349
Not to lose heart or be discouraged at my tribulations

00:19:40.349 --> 00:19:45.109
on your behalf. You and I can sometimes become

00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:49.490
discouraged out of sympathy for others' problems.

00:19:51.089 --> 00:19:53.730
It may not even be something that we ourselves

00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:57.509
are going through, but we see someone else going

00:19:57.509 --> 00:20:00.710
through the battle, and we're tempted to discouragement

00:20:00.710 --> 00:20:04.660
because of what they're facing. That's what was

00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:07.299
happening with the Ephesians. Paul was saying,

00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:09.500
hey, don't become discouraged because I'm in

00:20:09.500 --> 00:20:13.039
prison. He says, in fact, what I'm suffering,

00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:15.140
what I'm going through is for your good and your

00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:18.700
glory. But don't get discouraged because of me

00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:23.519
and what I'm passing through. You know, sometimes

00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:29.059
it's harder to watch another person suffer than

00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:34.960
it is for them to suffer. I have seen that over

00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:38.380
and over and over again in my life. The person

00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:40.259
going through the suffering, maybe a suffering

00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:45.160
with cancer or some disease, and they face that

00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:48.019
victoriously, and their attitude is filled with

00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:53.380
faith and confidence in God. And yet the people

00:20:53.380 --> 00:20:56.480
often standing around, friends or family, grow

00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.220
discouraged and lose heart in the midst of it

00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:04.039
all. You and I can sometimes become discouraged

00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:08.559
because of sympathy for the people. We ought

00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:13.839
not to do that. Be alert to that. Then there

00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:16.539
are times when you and I can become discouraged

00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.880
as well because of our service. Just continue

00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:21.920
backing up in the New Testament. We're going

00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:23.940
the opposite direction of what we usually turn

00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:28.339
here. But go back to Galatians chapter 6 and

00:21:28.339 --> 00:21:36.150
look in verse 9. He says, and let us not lose

00:21:36.150 --> 00:21:42.009
heart in doing good. You can sometimes become

00:21:42.009 --> 00:21:45.769
discouraged in doing what is right and good and

00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:50.369
beneficial for people. It may be that instead

00:21:50.369 --> 00:21:53.869
of being appreciated for doing it, some of it's

00:21:53.869 --> 00:21:58.009
thrown back in your face. And the messenger of

00:21:58.009 --> 00:22:00.910
Satan is there to say, yeah, see that? That's

00:22:00.910 --> 00:22:04.299
what happens when you do good. And you're discouraged.

00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.099
You and I can not only become discouraged because

00:22:08.099 --> 00:22:10.740
of sympathy for others' problems, but we can

00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:12.960
become discouraged because of our own service

00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:18.079
for Jesus Christ. We're giving it all we've got.

00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:21.200
We've just poured out our very lives. We've not

00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:25.880
held back an ounce for ourselves. And as we have

00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:31.859
given it out, discouragement can often come.

00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:36.420
And sometimes because of exhaustion. Didn't that

00:22:36.420 --> 00:22:40.119
happen to Elijah after the great battle on Carmel?

00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:45.200
When the challenge came to him from Jezebel,

00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:48.740
he could not handle it. He could handle hundreds

00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:50.960
of prophets of Baal, but he couldn't handle one

00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:58.299
queen who followed Baal. And he fled. He fled.

00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:02.009
because he had his eyes on the situation. That's

00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:04.049
all he could see at the moment. He was absolutely

00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:07.089
exhausted. He had poured himself out in service.

00:23:08.250 --> 00:23:10.349
And I may be talking to some soldiers here this

00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:12.529
morning. You've just given yourself fully in

00:23:12.529 --> 00:23:15.970
service. You have sought to do it right. You

00:23:15.970 --> 00:23:18.130
sought to be beneficial and to do good works.

00:23:19.349 --> 00:23:21.730
But frankly, this morning, you just hang it up.

00:23:24.170 --> 00:23:26.490
I know exactly what those feelings are like because

00:23:26.490 --> 00:23:30.480
I have them frequently. After a great Sunday,

00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:33.339
come in Monday morning with my resignation in

00:23:33.339 --> 00:23:36.779
my pocket. That's the old proverbial pastor's

00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:41.319
joke, but it's less than a joke sometimes. Why

00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:46.359
is that? Because your service is a drain emotionally,

00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:51.500
spiritually, physically, mentally. And when we

00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:54.940
get drained, we can get discouraged. So the apostle

00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:59.809
says here, Don't lose heart in doing good. But

00:23:59.809 --> 00:24:03.789
we can. Continue turning backwards in your New

00:24:03.789 --> 00:24:06.809
Testament to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Here's

00:24:06.809 --> 00:24:09.670
another way in which you and I can become discouraged.

00:24:10.849 --> 00:24:14.049
2 Corinthians 4 verse 1, the apostle says, Therefore,

00:24:14.089 --> 00:24:17.569
since we have this ministry, as we have received

00:24:17.569 --> 00:24:21.490
mercy, we do not lose heart. Then he says in

00:24:21.490 --> 00:24:26.509
verse 16, Therefore, we do not lose heart. What

00:24:26.509 --> 00:24:29.049
is Paul talking about here? Paul is undergoing

00:24:29.049 --> 00:24:34.430
suffering. He's having it tough. He is experiencing

00:24:34.430 --> 00:24:38.450
persecution and attack against him, not only

00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:40.730
from outsiders but from inside the church as

00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:44.130
well. And there are people in Corinth trying

00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:47.589
to wreck Paul's ministry by denouncing and accusing

00:24:47.589 --> 00:24:52.430
his character unfairly, unjustly, wrongly. They're

00:24:52.430 --> 00:24:54.890
trying to undermine him as an apostle of Jesus

00:24:54.890 --> 00:24:58.069
Christ and thus destroy the message that he preached

00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:01.930
there. Paul is undergoing suffering. When you

00:25:01.930 --> 00:25:04.210
and I are undergoing suffering, we can become

00:25:04.210 --> 00:25:11.849
discouraged. Suffering is tough. Whether it's

00:25:11.849 --> 00:25:15.529
physical suffering or mental suffering, spiritual

00:25:15.529 --> 00:25:23.210
suffering, it is not easy to suffer. It is true

00:25:23.210 --> 00:25:28.730
there is joy in serving Jesus. It's true I've

00:25:28.730 --> 00:25:31.369
got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,

00:25:31.410 --> 00:25:34.029
but sometimes, frankly, in the midst of suffering,

00:25:34.150 --> 00:25:38.849
that joy is deep down. And what's on the surface

00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:48.710
is temptation to discouragement. And then if

00:25:48.710 --> 00:25:50.730
you'll turn back just a few more pages to 1 Corinthians

00:25:50.730 --> 00:25:53.950
chapter 15, let me show you one more verse where

00:25:53.950 --> 00:25:56.670
the Apostle tells people to be encouraged. He

00:25:56.670 --> 00:25:59.069
says in verse 58, Therefore, my beloved brethren,

00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:03.250
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in

00:26:03.250 --> 00:26:05.750
the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil

00:26:05.750 --> 00:26:10.789
is not in vain in the Lord. Now what has Paul

00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:13.410
been talking about in this chapter? Well, it's

00:26:13.410 --> 00:26:17.619
the great resurrection chapter. There have been

00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:19.640
people, again, who've come to Corinth who were

00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:21.799
teaching that there was no resurrection of the

00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:25.900
dead. And the apostle absolutely lacerates and

00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:29.359
destroys that teaching and assures us that there

00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:31.519
will, in fact, be a resurrection from the dead.

00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.579
One of the things the apostle talks about here,

00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:36.660
and apparently one of the things that afflicted

00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:38.900
the minds of the Corinthians, was life is short.

00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:44.259
And, in fact, if there's no resurrection of the

00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:48.460
dead, Because of the shortness of life, why should

00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:50.700
we live for Jesus Christ and try to serve Him?

00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:54.819
If there is no resurrection of the dead, we are

00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:57.960
of all men most miserable if we are seeking to

00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:02.740
be faithful to Christ. Sometimes when you and

00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:05.380
I come face to face with the shortness of life,

00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:12.619
we can get discouraged. Now we come face to face

00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:15.220
with that every morning in the mirror. Sometimes

00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:18.180
it stands out more than others. It becomes more

00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:23.819
apparent to us. But it's when we go to a funeral,

00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:29.900
someone that we've loved, or when we go to the

00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:32.500
funeral of someone who's our age or younger,

00:27:32.700 --> 00:27:37.079
and suddenly we realize, hey, you know, I'm not

00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:41.400
going to be around here forever either. Life

00:27:41.400 --> 00:27:47.480
is short. And when you get into the 40s, you

00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:48.960
begin to realize, you know, I'm not going to

00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:50.920
accomplish in life everything I've dreamed about.

00:27:52.380 --> 00:27:56.420
Time is going by too quickly. Some of my goals

00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:59.940
are not going to be reached. It's easy then to

00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:03.240
become discouraged. If there's any cause for

00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:05.680
midlife crisis, that may well be it right there.

00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:10.319
Discouragement over the shortness of life, it

00:28:10.319 --> 00:28:17.319
is short. But you know what? In each of these

00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:19.259
circumstances that we've talked about, sympathy

00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:22.500
for others, service for the Lord, suffering,

00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:26.720
shortness of life, as Paul talked about each

00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.859
one of those possible discouragements, at the

00:28:30.859 --> 00:28:33.839
same time, he brings us back to the big picture.

00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:36.759
Let's just back up through the Scripture again.

00:28:36.819 --> 00:28:38.539
Let me show you what I mean. Look here in 1 Corinthians

00:28:38.539 --> 00:28:45.650
15. He says, steadfast, immovable, always abounding

00:28:45.650 --> 00:28:48.210
in the work of the Lord. Why, Paul? Life is short.

00:28:49.230 --> 00:28:52.589
He says, know this, your toil is not in vain

00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:55.529
in the Lord. What do you mean? Well, he's just

00:28:55.529 --> 00:28:59.049
talked about the rapture. He's talked about our

00:28:59.049 --> 00:29:01.069
being changed and caught away to be with the

00:29:01.069 --> 00:29:07.750
Lord. That's the hope of salvation. When I see

00:29:07.750 --> 00:29:09.710
that life is short, what is it that's going to

00:29:09.710 --> 00:29:12.640
keep me from discouragement? It's recognizing

00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:16.759
that this life is not all there is. It's just

00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:21.359
the beginning. This is just the preparation for

00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:26.240
real life and real service when we have our glorified

00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:29.319
bodies and we're with the Lord. Yes, life is

00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.460
short. But our toil for the Lord is worth it.

00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:35.039
It is not in vain because the Lord is going to

00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:37.619
come. And He's going to change us and we're going

00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:41.069
to be caught away to be with Him. the immortal,

00:29:41.390 --> 00:29:45.349
undying, forever living with Christ, the hope

00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:48.589
of salvation. You see how the apostle puts the

00:29:48.589 --> 00:29:52.349
helmet on him? Let's go back again to 2 Corinthians.

00:29:55.829 --> 00:30:00.309
We begin at chapter 4, verse 16. Our outward

00:30:00.309 --> 00:30:02.789
man is decaying. He's talking about his suffering.

00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:08.000
Yet our inner man is being renewed day by day

00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:12.319
for momentary light affliction is producing for

00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:16.700
us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all

00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:20.779
comparison while we look not at the things which

00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:24.619
are seen, the myopic vision, but at the things

00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:28.099
which are not seen. The things that are seen

00:30:28.099 --> 00:30:30.619
are temporal. The things which are not seen are

00:30:30.619 --> 00:30:33.589
eternal. See what he does again. When they might

00:30:33.589 --> 00:30:35.890
be tempted to discouragement in their suffering,

00:30:36.130 --> 00:30:40.349
he brings back the big picture. He says, hey,

00:30:40.369 --> 00:30:43.589
wait a minute. Whatever we suffer here, it's

00:30:43.589 --> 00:30:47.470
working for us. Glory to come. This is temporal.

00:30:48.130 --> 00:30:52.089
That's eternal. That's what counts. The big picture,

00:30:52.150 --> 00:30:55.670
the hope of salvation. Again, let's go to Galatians.

00:30:57.269 --> 00:31:04.519
Chapter 6. He says, and let us not lose heart

00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:07.440
in doing good. You and I might be tempted to

00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.960
discouragement in our service. He goes on to

00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:17.480
say, for in due time we shall reap if we do not

00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:21.059
grow weary. You see what he does again? He pulls

00:31:21.059 --> 00:31:24.019
them back to see the big picture. He says, this

00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:26.700
is a sowing time. But remember, there's a reaping

00:31:26.700 --> 00:31:32.480
time too. In due time, you will reap. So don't

00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:35.660
get discouraged in your service. And then he

00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:38.200
goes on in Ephesians chapter 3 to do something

00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:47.099
very similar. He says, therefore I ask you not

00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:50.640
to lose heart, not to become discouraged in sympathy

00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:53.519
for what I'm going through. Why? Well, because

00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:56.190
of what I just said. He says, therefore... And

00:31:56.190 --> 00:31:58.250
if you back up and look at that, you see that

00:31:58.250 --> 00:32:01.410
he's talking about God's eternal purpose in calling

00:32:01.410 --> 00:32:04.509
Gentiles together with Jews to belong to Jesus

00:32:04.509 --> 00:32:10.630
Christ so that in the ages to come, God might

00:32:10.630 --> 00:32:17.490
display his manifold wisdom in the church. He

00:32:17.490 --> 00:32:19.589
says, don't get discouraged out of sympathy for

00:32:19.589 --> 00:32:22.970
what others are going through. Draw back and

00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:26.240
look at the big picture. And see that that suffering

00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:29.619
is just part of God's plan. And that in the ages

00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:34.119
to come, God is going to demonstrate His wisdom

00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:38.140
and His grace and His glory in us. The hope of

00:32:38.140 --> 00:32:42.180
salvation. So you see why I say that the hope

00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:45.859
of salvation is that which protects us against

00:32:45.859 --> 00:32:51.130
the enemy's discouragements? Now we may not at

00:32:51.130 --> 00:32:54.250
all have touched upon the area where you're discouraged

00:32:54.250 --> 00:32:59.930
today. I don't know what the issue may be that

00:32:59.930 --> 00:33:03.470
you're passing through at this moment that you

00:33:03.470 --> 00:33:06.569
may be tempted to discouragement about. Let me

00:33:06.569 --> 00:33:09.089
challenge you to recognize that that discouragement

00:33:09.089 --> 00:33:13.490
is not from the Father. It's from the enemy.

00:33:14.769 --> 00:33:19.819
Put on today the hope of salvation. Get that

00:33:19.819 --> 00:33:23.559
helmet down tight on your mind and look at the

00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:27.480
bigger picture. Just back away from that issue

00:33:27.480 --> 00:33:31.380
and look at the long -range view, the broader

00:33:31.380 --> 00:33:36.720
view, and see the hope of salvation in it. And

00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:40.039
as you do that, you'll be protected against discouragement.

00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:45.259
The helmet of salvation is but another one of

00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:49.359
the indicators. of the believer's eternal security

00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:54.619
in Jesus Christ, the hope of salvation. You and

00:33:54.619 --> 00:33:58.579
I, possessed by the grace of God, the assurance

00:33:58.579 --> 00:34:04.940
that one day we will be fully and finally saved.

00:34:06.119 --> 00:34:08.579
Now, of course, it is settled forever at this

00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:12.420
moment because the work of Jesus Christ at the

00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:15.000
cross is finished, our salvation is finished.

00:34:15.789 --> 00:34:19.510
But in the living out of our life, in our own

00:34:19.510 --> 00:34:24.409
experience, we have a ways to go yet. God is

00:34:24.409 --> 00:34:29.449
right now saving us from the power of sin. We've

00:34:29.449 --> 00:34:32.469
been talking about that on Sunday nights. And

00:34:32.469 --> 00:34:34.690
one day he's going to save us from the presence

00:34:34.690 --> 00:34:38.550
of sin. And on that day, we have the total package

00:34:38.550 --> 00:34:43.570
in our experience. Would you turn with me to

00:34:43.570 --> 00:34:47.300
Romans chapter 8? Look at the words of the Apostle

00:34:47.300 --> 00:34:52.360
Paul regarding this matter. Verses 38 and 39,

00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:56.780
he says, I am convinced that neither death nor

00:34:56.780 --> 00:35:02.119
life nor angels nor principalities nor things

00:35:02.119 --> 00:35:06.320
present or things to come nor powers or height

00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:10.599
or depth or any other created thing shall be

00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:13.380
able to separate us from the love of God which

00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:16.940
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That is just the

00:35:16.940 --> 00:35:19.960
pinnacle of a whole chapter that deals with the

00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:23.079
same truth, that there's nothing that can separate

00:35:23.079 --> 00:35:26.460
us from the love of Jesus Christ, and we are

00:35:26.460 --> 00:35:29.139
the objects of his love and what he has begun

00:35:29.139 --> 00:35:32.280
in us in calling us to faith in Jesus Christ.

00:35:32.340 --> 00:35:35.420
He will finish one day when he calls us home

00:35:35.420 --> 00:35:42.099
to be with Jesus Christ. He tells us in the book

00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:46.059
of Romans that we are saved by grace. And he

00:35:46.059 --> 00:35:50.079
tells us furthermore that we are kept saved by

00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:55.880
grace, the grace of God. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians

00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:59.340
chapter 5 once more. Toward the end of the chapter

00:35:59.340 --> 00:36:03.760
this time where he says in verse 23, Now may

00:36:03.760 --> 00:36:11.809
the God of peace himself sanctify you. entirely.

00:36:11.809 --> 00:36:19.409
And may your spirit and soul and body be preserved

00:36:19.409 --> 00:36:24.070
complete without blame at the coming of our Lord

00:36:24.070 --> 00:36:28.010
Jesus Christ. So Paul prays here as the Spirit

00:36:28.010 --> 00:36:31.289
directs him in his writing that God would indeed

00:36:31.289 --> 00:36:35.070
fully and finally sanctify us or set us apart

00:36:35.070 --> 00:36:40.719
to himself in spirit, in soul, and in body. But

00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:43.519
how do we know God is going to do that? Because

00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:46.239
of what it says in verse 24. He goes on to say,

00:36:46.320 --> 00:36:50.659
And faithful is he who calls you, and he also

00:36:50.659 --> 00:36:56.219
will bring it to pass. What? The fullness of

00:36:56.219 --> 00:37:00.000
our salvation. That final, complete aspect of

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.420
it. When we are glorified with Christ. My friend,

00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:08.360
your salvation does not depend upon your faithfulness.

00:37:09.420 --> 00:37:14.480
It depends upon the faithfulness of God. Now,

00:37:14.500 --> 00:37:17.719
surely we want to be faithful. We do, but there

00:37:17.719 --> 00:37:22.340
are times we are not faithful. But the fact is

00:37:22.340 --> 00:37:25.460
that our salvation does not rest upon our unfaithfulness

00:37:25.460 --> 00:37:28.900
or our faithfulness, but totally upon the faithfulness

00:37:28.900 --> 00:37:34.019
of God. He will bring it to pass. Why? Because

00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:37.699
He is faithful. And then just one more text in

00:37:37.699 --> 00:37:42.409
Jude. All the way to the back of the New Testament.

00:37:42.570 --> 00:37:44.610
When you get to Revelation, put it in reverse

00:37:44.610 --> 00:37:51.250
once more. And look in verse 1. Jude, a bondservant

00:37:51.250 --> 00:37:54.170
of Jesus Christ and brethren of James, to those

00:37:54.170 --> 00:37:57.730
who are the called. Who are they? Well, everyone

00:37:57.730 --> 00:38:02.489
is saved. The called. Beloved in God the Father

00:38:02.489 --> 00:38:07.750
and kept for Jesus Christ. Isn't that great?

00:38:08.710 --> 00:38:12.949
The hope of salvation. What a helmet we have

00:38:12.949 --> 00:38:16.289
to protect us against discouragement, against

00:38:16.289 --> 00:38:21.250
doubt, against deceit. The hope of salvation.

00:38:21.349 --> 00:38:24.369
We who are kept for Jesus Christ. And then he

00:38:24.369 --> 00:38:26.809
concludes with a very similar thought in verse

00:38:26.809 --> 00:38:33.190
24. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling.

00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:37.239
and to make you stand in the presence of his

00:38:37.239 --> 00:38:42.320
glory, blameless, with great joy. My friend,

00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:45.559
you and I are kept by him who is able to keep

00:38:45.559 --> 00:38:51.360
us. The helmet of salvation is the hope that

00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.019
you and I have, that is, the expectation that

00:38:54.019 --> 00:38:57.440
you and I have, that when we come to Jesus Christ

00:38:57.440 --> 00:39:01.230
and receive him as Savior, We are kept saved

00:39:01.230 --> 00:39:03.949
from that moment until the day that we stand

00:39:03.949 --> 00:39:08.429
in glory with him, blameless and obviously filled

00:39:08.429 --> 00:39:18.050
with great joy. Do you have that hope? Is that

00:39:18.050 --> 00:39:24.309
the expectation of your soul? As you think about

00:39:24.309 --> 00:39:29.119
your future, Is there within you that voice of

00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:31.780
the Spirit of God saying, My child, all this

00:39:31.780 --> 00:39:37.260
is true. It's yours. Or are you filled with fear

00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:44.559
and foreboding and wondering? God has provided

00:39:44.559 --> 00:39:47.699
for us to have the assurance of our salvation.

00:39:52.039 --> 00:39:56.920
He that has the Son has life. On the other hand,

00:39:56.980 --> 00:40:00.360
he who does not have the Son of God does not

00:40:00.360 --> 00:40:04.659
have life. These things I have written to you,

00:40:04.760 --> 00:40:08.800
says John, that you may know that you have eternal

00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:12.800
life. If you have the Son, you have it. You have

00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:16.639
life. If you don't have the Son, you don't have

00:40:16.639 --> 00:40:22.139
life. If there's any gray area, it's only in

00:40:22.139 --> 00:40:24.699
our own confusion. There is no gray area with

00:40:24.699 --> 00:40:28.019
God. Either we have the Son or we don't have

00:40:28.019 --> 00:40:30.159
the Son. Either we have life or we don't have

00:40:30.159 --> 00:40:35.639
the life. You say, well, I remember praying a

00:40:35.639 --> 00:40:38.800
prayer. I remember going forward in a service.

00:40:38.900 --> 00:40:43.599
I remember being baptized. I did this or I experienced...

00:40:43.599 --> 00:40:48.219
No. The question is today, right where you are,

00:40:48.340 --> 00:40:55.760
do you have the Son living in your heart? If

00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:59.639
you do, you have life. Today, right where you're

00:40:59.639 --> 00:41:03.199
sitting, in this service, on this day of March

00:41:03.199 --> 00:41:07.360
1988, do you have the Son living in you? If you

00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:12.980
don't, you don't have life. And your only hope

00:41:12.980 --> 00:41:23.800
is Him. Will you today receive Him? Will you

00:41:23.800 --> 00:41:26.159
trust in him and rely upon him alone for your

00:41:26.159 --> 00:41:28.719
salvation and turn from whatever you've trusted

00:41:28.719 --> 00:41:36.159
in before? Will you say, Jesus Christ, today,

00:41:36.219 --> 00:41:40.440
as fully as I know how, as much as I understand

00:41:40.440 --> 00:41:45.380
it, I'm placing my faith in you who died for

00:41:45.380 --> 00:41:49.460
me and rose again. And I trust in you alone and

00:41:49.460 --> 00:42:02.360
I receive you. to save my soul. Let's pray. Is

00:42:02.360 --> 00:42:06.719
that the attitude of your heart, my friend? Would

00:42:06.719 --> 00:42:11.099
you today receive the Son? Just do it right where

00:42:11.099 --> 00:42:15.219
you're seated. There are no magic words. There's

00:42:15.219 --> 00:42:19.119
no prayer formula you have to go through. The

00:42:19.119 --> 00:42:24.429
only action is inside of you in your heart, where

00:42:24.429 --> 00:42:27.230
you open the door, as it were, and you say, Jesus

00:42:27.230 --> 00:42:34.969
Christ, I receive you. Come into my life. Take

00:42:34.969 --> 00:42:43.010
over my life and save me. If that is your heart's

00:42:43.010 --> 00:42:52.619
attitude, and today, for the first time, You're

00:42:52.619 --> 00:42:56.300
willing to acknowledge that that is your desire.

00:42:58.159 --> 00:43:00.159
I'm going to ask you to lift your hand and put

00:43:00.159 --> 00:43:03.820
it down. I am not going to come and get you.

00:43:03.860 --> 00:43:06.480
I'm not going to embarrass you. But I would like

00:43:06.480 --> 00:43:10.239
to know if today your heart's desire has been

00:43:10.239 --> 00:43:15.239
to trust the Son and to receive Him. Would you

00:43:15.239 --> 00:43:16.960
lift your hand right now and just put it down?

00:43:17.639 --> 00:43:22.940
God bless you. I've done this today. God bless

00:43:22.940 --> 00:43:28.760
you. Now having done it once, if it's done in

00:43:28.760 --> 00:43:31.659
truth, you need not do it again. But that once

00:43:31.659 --> 00:43:36.719
is essential. He that has the Son has life. Yes.

00:43:40.099 --> 00:43:49.789
Anyone else? Father, I thank you this morning

00:43:49.789 --> 00:43:55.809
for the simplicity of the gospel. Thank you that

00:43:55.809 --> 00:44:01.630
Jesus died for us. That we may not pay the price

00:44:01.630 --> 00:44:06.610
of our own sin. And that he gave himself on the

00:44:06.610 --> 00:44:10.929
cross for us personally. That he might redeem

00:44:10.929 --> 00:44:19.349
us. That he might release us. from our slavery

00:44:19.349 --> 00:44:25.090
to sin, and our condemnation to death in hell.

00:44:26.329 --> 00:44:29.250
And I pray this morning for those who have lifted

00:44:29.250 --> 00:44:33.730
their hand, that as they have indicated this

00:44:33.730 --> 00:44:39.190
desire in their hearts, so they would begin now

00:44:39.190 --> 00:44:43.570
on a journey that would cause them to mature

00:44:43.570 --> 00:44:48.320
and grow in the things of God. and to be soldiers

00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:54.099
on the battlefield that will know victory. And

00:44:54.099 --> 00:45:00.019
I pray for all of us today. Some of us are defeated,

00:45:00.239 --> 00:45:04.619
Father. Others of us are wounded in the battle.

00:45:06.219 --> 00:45:10.940
Some of us have gone AWOL. And some of us have

00:45:10.940 --> 00:45:15.869
stood our ground. There are soldiers of yours

00:45:15.869 --> 00:45:19.230
here listening right now who are in various conditions.

00:45:21.130 --> 00:45:23.289
And you know that. You know just where each of

00:45:23.289 --> 00:45:28.010
us is. Lord, with your arm of love and restoration,

00:45:28.170 --> 00:45:30.670
would you reach out to each one of your soldiers

00:45:30.670 --> 00:45:34.849
now who's away from the battle line and return

00:45:34.849 --> 00:45:40.409
them and heal them and restore them. May there

00:45:40.409 --> 00:45:45.349
be a brokenness and a repentance. confession

00:45:45.349 --> 00:45:50.949
that would remove them and refresh them for the

00:45:50.949 --> 00:45:57.869
remaining battle and this I pray in Jesus name

00:45:57.869 --> 00:45:59.590
Amen