WEBVTT 00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:03.520 You're listening to audio from the Via. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:08.480 If you'd like information on how to get connected, tap the link to our website in the show notes. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:13.119 Via, how are we doing? 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:14.640 Let's go. 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:21.760 Well, man, it is so good to see all of you here in the Bonnie Oaks Sanctuary on a Thursday night at 8 p.m. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:23.920 Somebody in this place say amen. 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:25.519 Come on. 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:31.280 Well, man, if it is your first time with us, first off, I just want to say welcome and that we are so glad that you are here. 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:40.320 If we haven't had the chance to meet or we didn't get to meet out front, my name is Chris, and I get to serve as a part of our team here at Via uh with Silverdale Young Adults. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:45.119 Um but we are in week three of a series on spiritual warfare. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:53.759 Um and if you missed the first two weeks, uh in week one, Clayton kind of laid out the battle that we find ourselves in. 00:00:54.240 --> 00:01:02.479 He he wanted us to know that that we are at war, but he also wanted us to know that the war has already been won. 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:07.840 And so we don't fight for victory, we fight from it. 00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.879 When we place our faith and trust in Jesus. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:19.200 And then last week we we talked about what it's like to know our enemy, to know ourselves, and to know our Savior. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.879 And this week, we're gonna get real practical. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:28.400 What we are looking at tonight is how we fight the battle. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:30.640 How do we fight? 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.519 And in 2 Corinthians 10, Paul kind of lays this out for us. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.040 This isn't where we'll be tonight, but it's gonna lead us into it. 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:45.200 He he says this: he says, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.799 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:54.000 On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:02:04.799 What I want you to see here is that the weapons of the world, fighting how the world fights, does not have the power to demolish strongholds. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:14.719 But on the contrary, the weapons that we get to fight with in Christ, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:20.319 And so if you've got your Bibles tonight, I want to invite you to open up to Ephesians chapter six. 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.280 Ephesians chapter six. 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:36.960 We're gonna be spending the next two weeks talking about the armor of God, about how we practically stand firm against the schemes of the enemy. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:43.039 And tonight we're gonna look at the first part, the first three pieces of that armor. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:49.599 And throughout this passage that we're gonna read, the word stand comes up four times. 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:57.919 And so, kind of in honor of that, what I would like for us to do in this room tonight is I would like for us to stand for the reading of God's word. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:06.879 This is Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 15. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:09.840 You can follow along in your Bibles or on the screen. 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.080 I'll be reading from the NIV. 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:18.400 It says, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:24.080 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:36.319 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:46.639 Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:51.199 And after you've done everything, you'll be able to stand. 00:03:51.840 --> 00:04:06.080 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:08.240 This is the word of the Lord. 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:09.840 Would you pray with me? 00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:14.479 Father God, God, we thank you for your word. 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:19.120 God, we thank you for a space where we get to gather as a body of believers. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:27.360 God, as your word is opened up, I pray that your spirit would already be at work in the hearts and the minds of all of us in this room tonight. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:34.079 God, what a joy it is to get to gather together and to hear you speak to us. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:35.600 So, God, would you do it? 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:39.279 In the name of Jesus, we all said, Amen. 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:40.800 You can have a seat. 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.240 So here's what we're gonna do. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:50.240 We are gonna kind of walk through this thing verse by verse, starting in verse 10. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:58.160 And there's a couple words that I want to pull out, a couple truths that I want us to see, and then we're gonna see how this fits into our lives, okay? 00:04:58.240 --> 00:04:59.759 And so we're gonna start in verse 10. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:07.199 Here's what it says it says, finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:12.240 What I want you to underline in your Bible is be strong. 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:14.480 Be strong. 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:26.160 Because what I want you to know is that in the Greek, this word is less of be strong, and it's more of be strengthened, be made strong. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:31.040 And so before we even start tonight, we have got to lay the foundation. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:37.839 Your strength to stand firm and to fight is not on your own. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:45.279 The foundation is the finished work of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:56.319 And so Paul is encouraging us to take action while also realizing that our power, our strength, it comes from the Lord. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:00.399 It comes from a genuine relationship with Jesus. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:08.160 And it's through this union between us, this fellowship between us, that we find the power to fight and stand firm. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:08.879 Are you with me? 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:12.240 We've got to lay that foundation before we take off. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:21.839 Verse 11 then says, put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.839 What I want you to see first here are the words put on. 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:28.399 Put on. 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:40.560 Because Paul uses this, this phrase, all throughout Scripture to encourage us to make our faith offensive and not just defensive. 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:48.079 But before we put on the armor of God, we have got to take off the things of the world. 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:53.439 But it's not just the taking off of the things of the world. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:57.519 We have got to remove and replace in our lives. 00:06:57.680 --> 00:07:11.199 And so as we strip ourselves of the sin that so easily entangles, as Hebrews 12 would say it, as we take those things off, we then put something on to take its place. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.319 And that is the armor of God. 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:16.399 We have got to armor up. 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:17.360 Why? 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:23.360 So that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.560 And this is what we've been talking about the last couple of weeks. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:29.759 That the enemy is scheming against you. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:31.360 But I want you to listen to me. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:33.360 We've done that sermon already. 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:34.560 But listen to me. 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:39.920 The enemy is not messing with what God is not blessing. 00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:45.279 The enemy is not messing with what God is not blessing. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:54.879 If you do not feel the attacks of the enemy in your life, you should start to question the life that you claim to be living for Jesus. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:08:02.639 I'm not saying that you're not a Christian just because you don't feel the attacks of the enemy. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:13.600 What I'm saying is that so many of us are caught in a spiritual slumber, and the enemy is playing, don't wake the baby. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:22.160 He doesn't want to mess with you because he doesn't want you to wake up and see that you are at war. 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:23.839 But let me tell you something. 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.439 Tonight is the night that you wake up. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:37.360 But if you do, if you do feel the attacks of the enemy in your life, I want you to listen to me. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:39.120 Good. 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:41.600 Good. 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:45.039 Let it motivate you. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:56.080 Some of you, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself when Satan starts to mess with you, and you need to get a little holy chip on your shoulder. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:02.320 You need to recognize that if the enemy is messing with you, then he must be getting scared. 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:05.360 He must be getting a little bit squirmy. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:10.480 And so when the enemy starts to mess with you, you don't let up, you stand firm. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:17.519 You keep going, you put on more steam, and that is what we are going to talk about tonight. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:34.879 And so, verse 13, he says, Therefore, in light of everything I've just said, therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:39.919 And after you have done everything that you would be able to stand. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:45.600 To stand, to stand your ground. 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:58.159 What I want you to see is that we are not urged to win the victory, but to stand firm, to stand our ground, because the victory has already been won by Christ. 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:07.759 But I want you to see that the word stand here is not just about standing one's ground and not retreating. 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:20.399 The word is both offensive and it implies this: a forceful offensive stance against an opponent. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:26.799 A forceful offensive stance against an opponent. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:31.759 Standing firm is not just about defense. 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:39.200 We are armoring up so that we can go on offense and be protected. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:40.639 Do you hear me? 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:52.480 We are armoring up, but not so that we can just stay back and try not to retreat, but we are throwing on the armor of God so that we can march into battle. 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:59.279 The enemy's goal is to make us retreat, but we have been called to take ground, to move forward. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:05.600 And so we have got to move from defense to offense in our walk with God. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:18.639 You were meant to put on the armor of God, not so that you could stand back and let the fight come to you, but instead so that while you were going on offense, you would be protected against all the enemy's schemes. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:20.960 You were meant for offense. 00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:29.519 And if you spend your whole life playing defense, you are never going to see the victory that Jesus died to give you and the people around you. 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:44.799 And so listen, I think most young Christians, young adult Christians, like high school Christians, they wake up in the morning and the biggest thought that's in their head is how do I just not watch porn today? 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:49.039 How do I just not fall into the comparison trap today? 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:51.440 How do I just not feel depressed? 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:54.240 How do I just survive another day? 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:02.320 But listen to me, God has not saved you so that you would struggle mediocrely through life trying not to sin. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:11.440 In fact, the promise of God is that as you grow in relationship with Him, those things begin to fall off of you. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:18.080 But you were called to set your mind on Christ, to put on the armor of God. 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:26.480 You were called to walk in victory and to be compelled by the love of God to show others that they can experience the same thing. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:42.240 What if you replace those thoughts with the things that you do want to do? 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:46.240 What if you went from defense to offense? 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:51.759 What if you said, instead of this, I want to spend my time with God? 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:55.919 I want to spend my time praying on behalf of my friends. 00:12:56.159 --> 00:13:13.120 I want to spend my time sharing the gospel with the people at my school and my work, encouraging other believers with what God is teaching me and what I see that God is doing in them, and loving the people that God has placed around me so that they might be drawn towards the love of Christ. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:25.919 What if you got so fixated on looking for what God is doing in every place that you walked into that you didn't have time to think about all the things that you think are wrong with you? 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:33.759 We have got to stop playing defense and we have got to get on offense. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:44.960 And it starts by being strengthened by the Lord, getting armored up, and getting ready to stand and move forward. 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:47.440 Then what? 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:50.320 Verse 14. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:14:05.200 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:07.279 Stand firm then. 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:12.720 What Paul is giving us is the result of what we're about to put on. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.960 We can stand firm when we have this armor on. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:26.399 Not just stand firm on defense, but stand ready to move, ready to advance the kingdom of God into the kingdom of darkness. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:31.679 And so the first piece of armor the belt of truth. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.320 The belt of truth. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:38.399 It says, stand firm then with what? 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:42.720 The belt of truth buckled around your waist. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.000 Here's what I want you to know. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:54.799 Paul's writing this uh letter from prison in Rome, and so he's likely looking at a Roman soldier as he's writing this. 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:59.840 And in the Roman military, the belt was important for two reasons. 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:09.919 Number one, it would hold all the other pieces of the armor together, and it protected your core. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:16.399 Paul knew this, and he calls it the belt of truth very specifically. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:23.200 Because the belt of truth is what is gonna hold all of your other pieces of armor together. 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:33.759 What you believe to be true about God, about yourself, about other people, about who He's called you to be and what He's called you to do. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:44.240 The belt of truth is gonna be instrumental in how you put on the other pieces of the armor and how you walk into and fight in the battle. 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:49.600 It is gonna hold your armor together and it is gonna protect you where you're vulnerable. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:54.159 Now, let me put this together for you. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:16:05.679 Because back in this time, when you were in a sword fight, if you wanted the killing blow, you you would go for the chest or for the head. 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:08.399 But the enemy would know that. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:09.519 They would know that. 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:13.679 And so they were armored up against attacks to the chest and to the head. 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.080 They weren't gonna let you get there. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:24.720 But what you would do is you would look for your enemy to have a lapse in judgment. 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:30.480 And when he did, you would try to cut him, slice him in his core. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:49.600 And as you would fight, as you were looking for the killing blow, you you would try to keep slicing the core as much as you could, and what would happen is that eventually, without getting struck in the heart or the head, your opponent would bleed out. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:52.320 What's the point? 00:16:53.679 --> 00:17:01.360 Well, for all of my Swifty fans in here, you know there's an old Taylor Swift song called Death by a Thousand Cuts. 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:10.240 What Paul is trying to tell us is that we have got to protect ourselves from death by a thousand lies. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:15.039 Death by a thousand falsehoods. 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:21.039 It is not the striking truth blow that is gonna take us out. 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:23.039 Satan is too smart for that. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:34.240 But what's gonna get us is these little lapses in truth that we allow to seep into our hearts and into our minds, and they slowly turn us away from God. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:42.720 It's a little lie here and a little lie there, and then slowly we bleed out. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:49.519 Maybe God doesn't really love you. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:56.240 Maybe God didn't really forgive all of your sin. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.160 Maybe you'll never really overcome that sin in your life. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.160 So why even try? 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:07.920 Maybe that sin is not even that bad. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:12.240 Maybe I don't actually have to share the gospel with the people around me. 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:17.359 Maybe I can just live my life how I want to live it, and it's all gonna work out in the end. 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:24.880 Listen to me, every time that you neglect the truth of God in your life, you are giving the enemy a foothold. 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:36.480 You are giving the enemy a foot in the door of your life, and slowly over time, he will take you out with death by a thousand cuts. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:42.880 But what do we know about the belt of truth? 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:49.039 This is why I told you last week that you have got to know the truth. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:53.440 Because when you know the truth, the truth sets you free. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:19:10.240 And it sets you free from the lies and the schemes of the enemy, it sets you free from thinking that God doesn't really love you, it sets you free from thinking that you did something to achieve your salvation, it sets you free from believing that it's just up to you to overcome the sin in your life. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:14.400 And maybe what Jesus did for you was not enough on the cross. 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:19.759 Because when you know the truth of Scripture, you can say, get out of here, Satan. 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:28.079 Because Ephesians 1 tells me that God has chosen me and that he loved me before the foundation of the world, and I am holy and blameless in his sight. 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:32.640 Ephesians 2 tells me that it is by grace through faith that I have been saved. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.279 It's not of my own doing, it is a gift from God. 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:45.279 And Romans 8 tells me that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and I am more than a conqueror through him who loved me. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:50.079 That is what it looks like to put on the belt of truth in your life. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:54.079 But to put on the belt of truth, you've got to know the truth. 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:58.160 And to know the truth, you have got to know the word of God. 00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:00.640 And so let's be real practical, real quick. 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:06.319 This might be a point for the rest of sermons throughout via history forever and ever. 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:14.160 You have got to get in the word of God, you have got to get in the word of God. 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.480 Pastor Tony has told us so many times. 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:26.720 We said it last week, that your level of experience, victory in your life is directly tied to how much time you are spending in God's word. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:29.759 And so make a plan. 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:33.759 Start in the gospels, do it with other people. 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:38.240 Try a Bible study, read and then find a sermon that goes along with what you're reading. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:43.920 Ask somebody that you know who knows more about the Bible than you do to help you walk through it. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:50.240 But remember, you are as close to God as you choose to be. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:59.119 You have all the tools at your disposal to grow in your relationship with the Lord, but nobody is going to do it for you. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:05.039 You have got to put it on, put on the belt of truth yourself. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:11.680 But the promise of God is that when you seek Him, you find Him. 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:15.759 My favorite promise in the Bible comes from James chapter 4. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:21.279 It says, Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:26.319 This is what it looks like to put on the belt of truth in your life. 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:32.160 The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:40.400 It says, Stand firm then, from earlier, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:45.680 I want you to think about what a breastplate protects. 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:51.519 It protects your vital organs, it protects your heart. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.400 Proverbs 4 23, 423 is the Chattanooga Proverb. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.440 Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.359 Flows from it. 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:09.519 The breastplate of righteousness is essential to guarding your heart. 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:17.119 Now, when we talk about righteousness in the Bible, we can be talking about two different things. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:32.079 There's this righteousness that makes us right, like in right relationship with God, and then there's righteousness like aligning my actions and my lifestyle with God's character, with his holiness, his nature, his commands. 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:36.480 And so that first one, like theologians, they'll call it imputed righteousness. 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:47.680 And so what happens, what we're talking about there, is that Jesus on the cross, he took all of our sin, past, present, and future, and he placed his righteousness on us. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:55.200 So that now when God looks at you and me, he no longer sees us as a dirty, filthy sinner. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:59.599 He just sees a son or a daughter who is holy and blameless in his sight. 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:01.920 That is what Jesus did on the cross for us. 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:03.519 This is 2 Corinthians 5. 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:12.559 It says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:20.960 And so what I want you to know is that this is righteousness that you don't put on yourself because you couldn't. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:24.640 Jesus has already placed this righteousness on you. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:29.279 And if Jesus has placed it on you, then no one can take it off of you. 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:40.880 It is what restores your relationship with God, puts you in right standing with God, so that, like Clayton said earlier, that we can draw near to the throne of grace with confidence. 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:52.880 But now the other kind of righteousness, practical righteousness, living out the holiness that we are called to live in. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:56.240 This is the breastplate of righteousness. 00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:02.880 It is living your life in light of who Jesus is, what he has done for you, and who he's called you to be. 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:08.400 It is working out your salvation, taking off the old and putting on the new. 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:22.240 It is hearing Jesus' words throughout the Gospel of John and throughout 1 John that if you love me, you will keep my commandments, and my commandments are not burdensome. 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:30.960 The commands of Christ, they are not just a set of rules. 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:40.240 That they are not Him trying to keep you from something good, but Him trying to lead you into the life that He has for you. 00:24:40.720 --> 00:25:00.960 And so when you come across these commands in Scripture of how you're supposed to live as a follower of Jesus, and they're contrary to what you want to do, or what you think that you should do, or what you think is best, then you need to think about what Jesus might be trying to lead you into instead. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:12.720 Because if we think about it from this passage, from Proverbs chapter 4, it's likely that Jesus is trying to protect your heart. 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:16.400 Because everything you do will flow from it. 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:20.480 And so again, let's be let's be really practical. 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:30.559 So if the practical application for us with the belt of truth is to get in the word of God, to know the truth, then the application for us here is obedience to it. 00:25:31.599 --> 00:25:35.599 To be doers of the word and not just hearers only. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:41.440 I think this applies to so many of us in this room. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:43.839 I think that you know scripture. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:45.599 I think you can quote verses. 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:51.680 So many of you, you've grown up in church, but you feel like you aren't experiencing the life that Jesus promises. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:26:00.000 And my question for you tonight is have you become someone who hears the word without putting it into practice? 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:12.400 Can you tell me everything that I need to know about the breastplate of righteousness, but it's still sitting on the ground because you haven't actually picked it up and put it on? 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:22.960 And so, where in your life have you been hearing God speak but not walking in obedience? 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:33.599 Because it's likely that when you have heard God speak and you've responded in disobedience, you feel like he's not speaking anymore. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:40.640 And so, if that's you in this room tonight, I just want to give you the encouragement. 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:46.799 Go back and do the last thing that he told you to do. 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.680 One of the best pieces of scripture. 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:55.759 I would tattoo it on my arm if I wasn't so terrified of needles. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:58.000 It's John chapter 2, verse 5. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:00.559 Do whatever he tells you to do. 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:05.119 Do whatever he tells you to do. 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:12.480 And then the third piece of armor the shoes of the gospel. 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:16.799 We're standing firm then with what? 00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:22.160 With our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:25.200 This is where we are going to land tonight. 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:29.920 This is where we really start to move from defense to offense. 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:36.640 The gospel prepares us to stand firm and to take ground for the kingdom. 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:54.720 It is from the foundation of knowing and experiencing the gospel of peace that we can stand firm, knowing that Christ has already won the victory, and that we are moved to action on behalf of others to help them experience the same peace in their lives. 00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:02.079 Paul is telling us that we are armoring up so that we can take ground. 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:08.960 So that we can move into enemy territory, that we can push back darkness and establish light. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:12.960 The shoes of the gospel were meant for walking. 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:27.759 They were meant to run your race with endurance that God has set before you for charging ahead against the enemy and pounding down the gates of hell for the sake of the gospel and the people who don't yet know it. 00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:30.160 And so let me show you this in scripture. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:31.440 I'm gonna get fired up. 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:33.440 Say Matthew 16. 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:39.680 Jesus asked his disciples, he says, Hey, who do other people say that I am? 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:47.440 They say, Oh, like John the Baptist, others say Elijah, others say that you're one of the prophets. 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:54.319 But then Jesus asked them the most important question that we are all gonna have to wrestle with one day. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:56.799 But what about you? 00:28:58.400 --> 00:29:01.039 Who do you say that I am? 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:07.119 Peter steps up and he confesses. 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.359 He says, You're the Messiah, the Son of God. 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:24.559 Jesus responds to Peter this way: He says, Blessed are you, Simon, son of son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven. 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:27.920 And I tell you that you are Peter. 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:35.680 And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:37.440 Here's what I want you to see. 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:47.039 Jesus says, Upon this rock he will build his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail. 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:51.200 Well, gates are a defense measure. 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:53.200 They keep things out. 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:56.640 And so who is doing the attacking here? 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:02.400 Is Satan the one who is attacking, or is the church supposed to be on offense? 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:13.920 Mark chapter 3, Jesus says, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up, and then he can plunder the strongman's house. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:15.039 Listen to me. 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:20.559 Satan is the strong man, but Jesus is the stronger man. 00:30:20.880 --> 00:30:25.119 And he has tied him up so that we can plunder his house. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:35.119 Colossians 2 tells us that he disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them and triumphing over them by the cross. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:40.240 In Revelation 1, he says, I hold the keys to death and Hades. 00:30:40.559 --> 00:30:42.319 Jesus has marched into hell. 00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:49.599 He's tied up the strong man in charge, and he says, I have the keys to death and hell. 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:53.839 And when you have the keys to something, you own it. 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:56.319 You have the authority. 00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:04.960 And Jesus passes that authority on to us because in Matthew chapter 28, he gives the great commission. 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:11.440 And he says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:25.680 Therefore, in light of that, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded. 00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:29.119 And behold, I am with you even to the end of the age. 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:42.640 And then in Acts 1, verse 8, he says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:52.640 Jesus is giving us the authority by the power of the Holy Spirit to bust down the gates of hell and steal back what the enemy has taken away. 00:31:52.960 --> 00:32:10.079 To take lost people, to bring them back to the Lord by the power of the gospel, to be witnesses in the lives of others so that they might hear and believe the good news that they can experience life and life to the fullest through a relationship with Christ Jesus, the Son of God. 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:15.039 So you are armoring up so that you can go into battle. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:23.359 And you have been uniquely placed and uniquely wired and uniquely gifted for this exact moment in history. 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:30.799 If God wanted you somewhere else doing something else, he would have put you in that time and place. 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:34.799 But he has you right here, right now. 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:36.079 Why? 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:44.880 So that you can bust down the gates of hell and take back what rightfully belongs to the Lord. 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:53.920 So let me ask you, where do you want to push back darkness and establish light? 00:32:54.960 --> 00:33:00.480 Where do you want to take back ground for the kingdom of God? 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:11.839 What is it gonna take for you to be the church, pound down the gates of hell and rob Satan of the people that he thinks that he is taking with him? 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:23.200 What would it look like for you to charge headfirst, dressed in the armor of God, with the gospel of Jesus Christ on your hands and on your tongue and on your feet? 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:30.960 What would it look like for you to take back ground for the kingdom of God in the places that God has you right now? 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:32.240 Listen to me. 00:33:32.400 --> 00:33:50.559 It is time for us to stop playing defense and start playing offense, to stop waiting for the fight to come to us and to charge ahead full steam straight through the gates of hell and punch the devil in the freaking teeth. 00:33:52.799 --> 00:34:00.720 Because listen to me, the eternities of the people around you are counting on it. 00:34:02.400 --> 00:34:11.760 You are God's plan to reach this generation, and so it is time for you to step up. 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:14.320 Let me pray for you. 00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:16.800 Father God. 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:47.679 So that we can plunder his home. 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:52.239 God, would you empower us by your Holy Spirit? 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:57.599 Would you strengthen us to do the work that you have called us to do? 00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:05.280 Would you show us that the authority that you have, you have passed on to us in order to do the work that you have called us to do? 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:15.119 God, would you bring to our minds people and places and areas in our life that we can take back for your kingdom? 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:31.280 God, would you bring to mind someone who is close to us that if they were to die today, they would spend eternity separated from God. 00:35:33.599 --> 00:35:49.440 God, would you motivate us and empower us by your Holy Spirit to throw on the armor of God, to throw on the shoes of the gospel of peace, to go and get them back. 00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:52.159 God, we love you. 00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:54.079 God, we praise you. 00:35:54.559 --> 00:35:55.760 In Jesus' name. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:35:56.639 Amen. 00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:03.519 We gather on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:05.280 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.