SPEAKER_01: Bless the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for that wonderful worship and for ministering to our hearts.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
SPEAKER_01: This water doesn't want to stand still.
SPEAKER_01: Ah.
SPEAKER_01: Bless the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: I got a quick question for you, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: Um, how many of you have been keeping up with the war in Ukraine?
SPEAKER_01: Uh, got more than a few.
SPEAKER_01: All right, all right.
SPEAKER_01: What about uh the wars and the unrest that's happening in Haiti?
SPEAKER_01: Anyone?
SPEAKER_01: Got one or two hands?
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
SPEAKER_01: What about in the Sudan or in Gabon in uh Central Africa?
SPEAKER_01: The recent coup.
SPEAKER_01: All right, all right.
SPEAKER_01: So we have we have a few more hands.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, that's good.
SPEAKER_01: The issue is though, unless we have family or friends in those locations that I mentioned, these war reports don't really resonate with us.
SPEAKER_01: Not to mention, since we are geo geographically distant from these locations and from these wars, we have the luxury of being removed from what's going on and being somewhat indifferent towards it.
SPEAKER_01: But before you can get too comfortable, I want to remind you, fellow Christian, that you are presently in the midst of a war.
SPEAKER_01: And what makes this war so vicious is that it's invisible and that it rages every day.
SPEAKER_01: And that's whether you want to fight or not.
SPEAKER_01: And you know what else makes this war so vicious?
SPEAKER_01: These opponents, they don't fight fair.
SPEAKER_01: No, sir.
SPEAKER_01: There's no United Nations peacekeeping committees trying to broker any deals.
SPEAKER_01: No, these enemies, they simply want to destroy us.
SPEAKER_01: And having one enemy with that agenda would prove to be tough enough.
SPEAKER_01: But we actually have three.
SPEAKER_01: And that is the devil, the world, and our very own flesh.
SPEAKER_01: And the battlegrounds are not always the same.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes they take places in our church.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes they take place in our homes, in our schools, in our workplaces, sometimes in our very own minds and in our hearts.
SPEAKER_01: So, how do you defend yourself against such a formidable foe?
SPEAKER_01: Especially when it seems like they've been given some intel, right?
SPEAKER_01: Like there's some spies working against us, right?
SPEAKER_01: And they know how to easily infiltrate areas where we thought we were protected.
SPEAKER_01: And it's like they know our weaknesses better than we do.
SPEAKER_01: Well, I don't want you to fear.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: We can look to God's all-sufficient and authoritative word to get instructions on how we can live victoriously as Christians in this present war.
SPEAKER_01: And praise God that in Christ we have the victory.
SPEAKER_01: And so I want to direct your attention, loved ones, to the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 16.
SPEAKER_01: We'll be looking at verses 13 through 14.
SPEAKER_01: And we will receive our marching orders from our chief and commander, Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: 1 Corinthians chapter 16.
SPEAKER_01: And the scripture reads as follows.
SPEAKER_01: I'm actually going to read this from the uh New American Standard Version because I like this one.
SPEAKER_01: Be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Stand firm in the faith.
SPEAKER_01: Act like men.
SPEAKER_01: Be strong.
SPEAKER_01: Let all that you do be done in love.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: So, loved ones, I just want to share with you that we have five imperatives that we must follow so that we can be victorious in this Christian, in this war as a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: Our marching orders, number one, we must be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Number two, we must be firm.
SPEAKER_01: Number three, we must be courageous.
SPEAKER_01: Number four, we must be strong.
SPEAKER_01: And lastly, we must be loving.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: So now, I'm sure many of you are familiar about the church in Corinth, and you probably have, obviously, some memories that come up that make you not want to think of Corinthians.
SPEAKER_01: But nonetheless, I want to just remind you that aside from all the problems that the church in Corinth had, from an economic standpoint, the city of Corinth was actually a great place to live.
SPEAKER_01: And commentaries point out that since the city of Corinth was located in the southern part of Greece, it was once considered a very popular trade route for most of Greece, North Africa, Italy, and Asia Minor.
SPEAKER_01: It was also one of the major cities of the Roman Empire, along with Rome and Alexandria and Egypt.
SPEAKER_01: So, because of its premier location, it naturally attracted sailors and merchants from around the world to this specific area.
SPEAKER_01: Corinth was also popular for hosting the Ithmian Athletic Games.
SPEAKER_01: And this biannual event was typically held in the spring and featured events like chariot racing, boxing, and wrestling.
SPEAKER_01: And the event was held in honor of the Greek god Poseidon, which was actually considered the violent and ill-tempered god of the sea.
SPEAKER_01: And as you know with pagan cultures, you can't have just one god to worship, right?
SPEAKER_01: You gotta have more.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: And so there were several other temples made to honor their gods in the city of Corinth, to include a temple to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, fertility, and beauty.
SPEAKER_01: And it was known that this temple was the center of many varieties of religious prostitution.
SPEAKER_01: Corinth was so known for their vile and immoral lifestyle that the philosopher Plato once coined the term Corinthian girl to refer to a prostitute.
SPEAKER_01: Yet, in spite of this depraved culture that was so pervasive in Corinth, by God's grace and by his providence, Paul planted a church there.
SPEAKER_01: And you may ask, why?
SPEAKER_01: Why would you want to plant a church there, Paul?
SPEAKER_01: Oh, this was a man that was determined to get the gospel out as far and as wide as he could.
SPEAKER_01: And he was confident that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Romans 1:16.
SPEAKER_01: Don't forget it, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: Not to mention, Paul was an intelligent man.
SPEAKER_01: And from a strategic standpoint, with the city of Corinth having the advantage of those various trial, excuse me, trade routes, he knew that if he could preach the gospel there, it would reach a multitude of people beyond the city of Corinth.
SPEAKER_01: And so with the help of a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who he met during his second missionary journey there in Corinth, actually, Paul planted the church.
SPEAKER_01: And it was, praise God, there were other Jews in the area, and they already had a synagogue in the area.
SPEAKER_01: So it made it very easy for Paul to plant the church there.
SPEAKER_01: Easy.
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
SPEAKER_01: Now, having only spent a total of 18 months in Corinth, and as in typical Pauline fashion, he did not shrink from preaching the whole council of God while he was there.
SPEAKER_01: And he caused quite a stir.
SPEAKER_01: And if you want more information on that, you could read Acts chapter 18, verses 1 through 22 for your homework.
SPEAKER_01: Alright.
SPEAKER_01: Now you heard me.
SPEAKER_01: You heard the title, hopefully.
SPEAKER_01: And if not, there you go.
SPEAKER_01: All right, praise God.
SPEAKER_01: It's up there.
SPEAKER_01: There's a war going on, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: There's a war going on.
SPEAKER_01: And the war was not happening only on the outside in Corinth, but we will learn that there was a war going inside the Church of Corinth.
SPEAKER_01: And now the purpose of Paul writing this letter to this church was because he received a war report from Sister Chloe's people that basically the Corinthian church was a hot mess.
SPEAKER_01: There was all types of disunity in the body over their favorite teachers and preachers.
SPEAKER_01: They were filing lawsuits against one another.
SPEAKER_01: They had issues regarding marriage and divorce.
SPEAKER_01: There were sexually immoral issues that were not being addressed.
SPEAKER_01: There was disorder in their worship services.
SPEAKER_01: There were people even denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: So you get the impression this would not be the first church that would come up in a Google review, right?
SPEAKER_01: You wouldn't want to go to this church.
SPEAKER_01: You probably would be considering whether you want to go to the membership class here.
SPEAKER_01: But, praise God.
SPEAKER_01: And follow me as the scripture reads as follows.
SPEAKER_01: The Apostle Paul says, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
SPEAKER_01: Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_01: Listen to this, verse 11.
SPEAKER_01: And such were some of you.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God, that the Holy Spirit impressed upon the Apostle Paul's heart to record this text.
SPEAKER_01: Because I don't know about you, loved ones, but we need to be reminded that the blood of Jesus Christ was sufficient to wash away even the most vile of sins.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: But you must know that these were some of the sins that this church was struggling with.
SPEAKER_01: And so you must get in your mind that this was not a no-fly zone.
SPEAKER_01: There was a war going on in the Corinthian church.
SPEAKER_01: And now with this in mind, now we could get into our text.
SPEAKER_01: And we can get to our first point.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: Be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: So, loved ones, our first marching orders is that you and I, we must be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: And the word that Paul uses here in Greek, it actually means to be in constant readiness.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: The ESV translation has it as be watchful.
SPEAKER_01: The NIV has it as be on guard.
SPEAKER_01: And so it's in the present tense, the active voice and the imperative mood, which means you and I are constantly to be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: This is not a suggestion that Paul is making here.
SPEAKER_01: This is a command.
SPEAKER_01: And it is similar to the command that our Lord gave in Matthew chapter 24, verse 42, concerning the perilous times and his imminent return.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord Jesus Christ says, Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
SPEAKER_01: And this command to be alert, it has some eschatology flavor to it.
SPEAKER_01: And Paul actually referenced the imminent return of the Lord throughout his letter.
SPEAKER_01: And you can see that in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 18, also in chapter 3, verse 13, and again in chapter 5, verse 5.
SPEAKER_01: And so whether we are to be on the alert for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, or to be on the alert for the enemies of our faith, the point is this, loved ones, you and I are always to be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And Paul, he utilizes that same word again in Acts chapter 20, verse 31, in his last words to the Ephesian elders.
SPEAKER_01: The Apostle Paul says, Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
SPEAKER_01: We also see the Apostle Peter using this same word in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 8.
SPEAKER_01: Here the Apostle Peter says, Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
SPEAKER_01: This is why we need to be constantly on the alert, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: We have an adversary.
SPEAKER_01: And you heard me reference it earlier.
SPEAKER_01: We have three adversaries.
SPEAKER_01: And Paul recognized that.
SPEAKER_01: He even mentioned it earlier in this in this in verse 9.
SPEAKER_01: He says, For a wide door of effective service has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
SPEAKER_01: Now you must be on notice and you must be on alert that whenever you are seeking to do something for the Lord, you can expect that you will encounter some adversaries.
SPEAKER_01: May I remind you, loved ones, if you are a Christian, you are enlisted in the Lord's army, and there is a target on your back, and you must know that you are on the battlefield.
SPEAKER_01: You are not on a playground, you are on a battlefield.
SPEAKER_01: And if you think I'm joking, just try.
SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping that many of you already do this, but just try.
SPEAKER_01: This week, go and share the gospel with someone.
SPEAKER_01: Watch how many distractions may come upon you.
SPEAKER_01: If it's not your own cell phone that's ringing, it may be the person whom you're endeavoring to reach with the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: All of a sudden their phone starts ringing.
SPEAKER_01: All of a sudden a friend stops by and says, Hey, come on, we need to go.
SPEAKER_01: You are in the midst of a war.
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
SPEAKER_01: It'd be one thing if it was just that the Corinthian church was facing the culture and having to fight and living holy and living in that wicked culture, and that was the only thing that they had to be concerned about.
SPEAKER_01: But the the worst part about it is that the Corinthians had their own internal warfare, and their biggest problem was pride.
SPEAKER_01: They were so prideful that they were actually boasting about one of their members committing incest.
SPEAKER_01: And Paul was like, What is have you lost your mind?
SPEAKER_01: Paul had to rebuke them.
SPEAKER_01: He had to rebuke them.
SPEAKER_01: And in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, he says, in verse 6 through 7, he says, Your boasting is not good.
SPEAKER_01: Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
SPEAKER_01: Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened.
SPEAKER_01: For Christ, our Passover, also has been sacrificed.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, this Corinthian church, they were compromising.
SPEAKER_01: And it was ruining their witness and their testimony in that fallen culture that they lived in.
SPEAKER_01: And we have to remember that it is no different for us.
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing new under the sun.
SPEAKER_01: You need not look very further than the front news headlines.
SPEAKER_01: You know the wicked and immoral culture that we're living in.
SPEAKER_01: We see the battles against all types of just trying to figure out what gender is, what a man and a woman is, right?
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing new under the sun.
SPEAKER_01: And so we have to be on the alert, and we cannot compromise when it comes to sin.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: Just like if I had asked you for a bottle of water, and you said, hey, uh, I put a little poison in it just to give it a nice little taste.
SPEAKER_01: Do you think I'm gonna drink the water?
SPEAKER_01: No! And you wouldn't drink it either.
SPEAKER_01: But that's how we tend to compromise when it comes to our sin.
SPEAKER_01: We think, oh, a little pride, it's not that bad.
SPEAKER_01: It's not that serious.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, a little envy.
unknown: Come on.
SPEAKER_01: No big deal.
SPEAKER_01: It is a roaring lion, not a precious little kitty.
SPEAKER_01: It wants to devour us.
SPEAKER_01: And so we must crucify our flesh.
SPEAKER_01: We must crucify those things that threaten our very command to live holy in this culture.
SPEAKER_01: And in order for us to do that, we must be on the alert, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: So let's get back to our text.
SPEAKER_01: Be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Now we're at point number two.
SPEAKER_01: You must stand firm.
SPEAKER_01: You and I, we must be firm, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: We must be firm.
SPEAKER_01: And here, Paul continues in his command to the church about their next set of orders.
SPEAKER_01: And the word in Greek means to be firmly committed in conviction or belief.
SPEAKER_01: And Paul would use that same word again in Philippians chapter 1, verse 27.
SPEAKER_01: He says, only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear.
SPEAKER_01: Excuse me, I will hear.
SPEAKER_01: Excuse me, I will hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: Now the Corinthians, they were behaving more like the culture that they lived in rather than the holiness that the Lord had commanded them to.
SPEAKER_01: And they were divided over all sorts of issues.
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
SPEAKER_01: We must remember, loved ones, that unity is of great importance when it comes to the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: That's why the enemy threatens it so much.
SPEAKER_01: That's why he's always attacking so much, because he knows that we are far more powerful when we are united by the Spirit, by the gospel, right?
SPEAKER_01: Rather than being divided.
SPEAKER_01: And if you need a reminder of that, we can easily look at this past three years and how the pandemic and all types of critical race theories and politics, it caused some serious damage to the church.
SPEAKER_01: And our culture may want to, you know, try to remind us that we want to be on the right side of history.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, we want to be on the right side of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: When it's all said and done, we stand with Christ, not with the culture.
SPEAKER_01: And so, in order for us to stand firm, we have to make sure that we are on the alert, spending time in God's word, making sure that we are obeying his truth, that we are applying his word to our hearts, because we can see what happens when Christians are paying more attention to the culture than paying attention to Christ.
SPEAKER_01: They could get easily swayed, easily blown by every wind and every doctrine.
SPEAKER_01: And notice, loved ones, that we are not only to stand firm in a faith.
SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_01: That's not what Paul says.
SPEAKER_01: Paul says, stand firm in the faith, right?
SPEAKER_01: This is the true faith.
SPEAKER_01: And we must recognize that the faith that we stand in, it's not a smorgasbord, okay?
SPEAKER_01: It's not take a little of this, take a little of that.
SPEAKER_01: You know, God is too big, God is too wide, surely he can't be so narrow.
SPEAKER_01: No, no, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: We stand firm in the faith.
SPEAKER_01: And that faith, as Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
SPEAKER_01: It's the conviction of things not seen.
SPEAKER_01: And without faith, it is impossible to please God.
SPEAKER_01: And the only faith that pleases God is faith in his precious Son Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And so when we see people who are falling to the wayside, we must remember that we must be on the alert, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: We must stand firm in the faith.
SPEAKER_01: And we must be in God's word so that we can see these things as they are coming our way.
SPEAKER_01: And so now we've reached our third part, our third marching orders.
SPEAKER_01: Point number three.
SPEAKER_01: You and I, we must be courageous.
SPEAKER_01: We must be courageous.
SPEAKER_01: The Greek word that Paul uses is translated to conduct oneself in a courageous way.
SPEAKER_01: And some translations, like the NIV, have that same usage.
SPEAKER_01: And the NAS, excuse me, the NASB and the ESV have rendered it act like men.
SPEAKER_01: And the previous two commands, you must know they were present, active, and imperatives, but the last three commands that Paul gives us are actually present and passive.
SPEAKER_01: This means that Paul was commanding the Corinthians to receive courage.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: And this Greek word is not seen anywhere else in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_01: And the closest use of this word we have is we can find it in the Septuagint, which is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew.
SPEAKER_01: And we see this in Joshua chapter 1, verses 6 through 6 through 7.
SPEAKER_01: And the scripture reads as follows Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
SPEAKER_01: Only be strong and very courageous.
SPEAKER_01: Be careful to do all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you.
SPEAKER_01: Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
SPEAKER_01: And we just need to finish it off.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it.
SPEAKER_01: For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
SPEAKER_01: Have I not commanded you?
SPEAKER_01: Be strong and courageous.
SPEAKER_01: But how?
SPEAKER_01: Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, our strength cannot be in and of ourselves.
SPEAKER_01: We cannot place any confidence in our flesh, thinking that we can dare fight this enemy called the devil or the world or our very own flesh in our own strength.
SPEAKER_01: It won't work.
SPEAKER_01: We must be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: We must rely upon the Lord to give us the strength to face these battles.
SPEAKER_01: Because left to ourselves, we will become mincemeat.
SPEAKER_01: We can only stand And a fighting chance, and more than a fighting chance, when we are in Christ and we are letting His Holy Spirit lead us and guide us in the warfare that we face.
SPEAKER_01: And so we must let that happen to us.
SPEAKER_01: And now we've reached our fourth imperative.
SPEAKER_01: You must be strong.
SPEAKER_01: You and I, loved ones, we must be strong.
SPEAKER_01: And the word in Greek is used similarly.
SPEAKER_01: You heard me reference it already in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10.
SPEAKER_01: Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
SPEAKER_01: Alright.
SPEAKER_01: We must recognize this is not some pull yourself up by your own bootstraps kind of kind of text.
SPEAKER_01: Alright?
SPEAKER_01: This is a strength again that we need to have done to us.
SPEAKER_01: We must let it happen to us.
SPEAKER_01: And this is Paul's instruction again in Ephesians chapter 3, verse 16.
SPEAKER_01: Paul picking up at verse 14, because you've got to start off with verse 14, the apostle Paul says, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives this name, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner man.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, if you needed more of a reminder, just hear what the Lord is saying to you.
SPEAKER_01: Stop trusting in your own strength.
SPEAKER_01: Stop trusting in your own intellect.
SPEAKER_01: Stop trusting in whatever it is that is other than Christ.
SPEAKER_01: You don't stand a chance.
SPEAKER_01: I don't stand a chance.
SPEAKER_01: We must stand upon the rock.
SPEAKER_01: We must allow Christ to grant us strength in the inner man in order to endure, in order to persevere.
SPEAKER_01: Left to ourselves, we will shudder in the darkness.
SPEAKER_01: We must be strong in the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And lastly, Paul instructs us in verse 14, we've reached the final port of our outline.
SPEAKER_01: Point number five.
SPEAKER_01: You and I must be loving.
SPEAKER_01: We must be loving.
SPEAKER_01: And John MacArthur in his commentary on this verse states the fifth principle for powerful living is the most comprehensive.
SPEAKER_01: And without it, the others could make us crusty, militant, and hard.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And so I don't know about you, but when I hear these types of sermons, right?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, this is like Paul, he it's like he broke out the Gatling gun, and he's just releasing these commands one after the other, right?
SPEAKER_01: Be strong in the Lord, right?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, excuse me, be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, right?
SPEAKER_01: You hear a command like that, you want to burst through the doors, you want to go out, and you want to start lopping heads off with the sword of the spirit, right?
SPEAKER_01: That's what you want to do?
SPEAKER_01: No?
SPEAKER_01: No one else?
SPEAKER_01: All right, sorry.
SPEAKER_01: Confession time.
SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry, please forgive me.
SPEAKER_01: That's how sometimes when you hear those words and you think about these military commands, you want to go to war.
SPEAKER_01: You want to go to war.
SPEAKER_01: Well, at least I want to go to war.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know about you, but I want to go to war.
SPEAKER_01: But I have to be reminded.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm so glad.
SPEAKER_01: I'm so thankful to the Lord that He put this here in the text that we must be loving.
SPEAKER_01: We must be loving.
SPEAKER_01: Ephesians 6 reminds us that we are to put on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
SPEAKER_01: For we do not wrestle against flesh 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.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.
SPEAKER_01: And having done all to stand firm.
SPEAKER_01: We must, we must remember that we are not to be going out and fighting with the culture in our own flesh.
SPEAKER_01: We are not to be tearing them down and demonizing them with our words.
SPEAKER_01: We're to love them.
SPEAKER_01: Because such were some of us.
SPEAKER_01: Remember?
SPEAKER_01: Such were some of us.
SPEAKER_01: Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ says in John chapter 18, verse 36, My kingdom is not of this world.
SPEAKER_01: If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.
SPEAKER_01: But my kingdom is not from the world.
SPEAKER_01: And so, loved ones, we're not gonna fight in the flesh.
SPEAKER_01: No, that's not how we're gonna see victory.
SPEAKER_01: We fight on our knees.
SPEAKER_01: We pray for those who are still in darkness.
SPEAKER_01: We pray for the culture and all of their being swayed by the prince of the power of the air, that the truth of the gospel will penetrate their stony hearts.
SPEAKER_01: We don't point our fingers at public schools and institutions and just write them off.
SPEAKER_01: No, we pray.
SPEAKER_01: We pray because there are Christians who are on that front line.
SPEAKER_01: There are Christian teachers and there are Christian staff and they are trying to keep shining the light of the gospel in these dark places because they know that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
SPEAKER_01: And so they need our prayers, they need our support.
SPEAKER_01: And most of all, we need to stand with them and show the love of Christ to this lost and fallen world.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, Paul had to remind this church who was so prideful, right?
SPEAKER_01: They only all they needed to do was boast in me, me, me, me, me.
SPEAKER_01: It was like the only note that they knew in a musical chord.
SPEAKER_01: There was no do, no re, no me.
SPEAKER_01: No, it was just me, me, me, me, me.
SPEAKER_01: That's all the Corinthians knew, right?
SPEAKER_01: And Paul had to remind them that's not love.
SPEAKER_01: That's not love.
SPEAKER_01: And he reminded them.
SPEAKER_01: And we need that reminder.
SPEAKER_01: First Corinthians chapter 13.
SPEAKER_01: If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
SPEAKER_01: If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
SPEAKER_01: And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
SPEAKER_01: Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous.
SPEAKER_01: Love does not brag, and is not arrogant, it does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, is not provoked, it does not take into account a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.
SPEAKER_01: It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
SPEAKER_01: You love like that, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: I know oftentimes I failed in that battle.
SPEAKER_01: But praise God.
SPEAKER_01: Paul, the Apostle Paul, as he wrote in Romans chapter 7, oh wretched man that I am, who can deliver me from this body of death?
SPEAKER_01: But thanks be to God.
SPEAKER_01: Thanks be to God.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones, so long as our hope is in Christ, we can win the battle.
SPEAKER_01: We can win the war.
SPEAKER_01: But it must be in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And he must have his way in us and through us.
SPEAKER_01: And that is the only way that we can see the victory.
SPEAKER_01: Now, before we conclude, we must ask ourselves a question.
SPEAKER_01: Why?
SPEAKER_01: Why should we commit to such marching orders?
SPEAKER_01: It's because of the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: It's because our chief and commander, the Lord Jesus Christ, he already fulfilled these marching orders.
SPEAKER_01: He already did it.
SPEAKER_01: And because he did it, that is the only way that we can be victorious over sin and over death.
SPEAKER_01: Because we serve a conqueror who already conquered our greatest enemies of sin and death.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: And so, loved ones, when you are trying to share the gospel at the gas station, and you're trying to muster up strength, and you see that person there, and you know you got a good five, seven minutes at the pump.
SPEAKER_01: Don't listen to the whispers of the enemy.
SPEAKER_01: Don't listen to his whispers.
SPEAKER_01: Because he's going to tell you something, right?
SPEAKER_01: He's going to say, Now's not the time.
SPEAKER_01: You got to get to work.
SPEAKER_01: Now's not the time.
SPEAKER_01: You got to get the kids to school.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_01: You don't even.
SPEAKER_01: Come on, you're not an evangelist.
SPEAKER_01: Don't, don't, don't, don't go out there.
SPEAKER_01: You'll make a hot mess.
SPEAKER_01: Don't do it.
SPEAKER_01: You got to grab a hold of that thought.
SPEAKER_01: Bring these thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: You think like I came out the womb like John the Baptist and I was just ready to start evangelizing?
SPEAKER_01: No.
SPEAKER_01: Like you, I get scared.
SPEAKER_01: Like you, sometimes I listen to the whispers.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: Particularly when I'm trying to talk to family or friends.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: My knees start knocking.
SPEAKER_01: Because they know me.
SPEAKER_01: They know my past.
SPEAKER_01: And they want to remind me.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I remember when you used to.
SPEAKER_01: And the moment I take my eyes off myself and I look onto Christ, the author and the perfecter of my faith.
SPEAKER_01: Then I find strength.
SPEAKER_01: And that's the only way that you will find strength.
SPEAKER_01: Don't give up in the battle, loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: You have loved ones that aren't saved yet.
SPEAKER_01: You have friends that aren't saved yet.
SPEAKER_01: You have coworkers that aren't saved yet.
SPEAKER_01: Don't give up.
SPEAKER_01: Keep praying for them.
SPEAKER_01: Keep asking.
SPEAKER_01: Keep seeking.
SPEAKER_01: Keep knocking.
SPEAKER_01: But most of all, open your mouth.
SPEAKER_01: Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: The word of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: People must hear the word.
SPEAKER_01: Because it's the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: The gospel is not in chains.
SPEAKER_01: Paul may have been in chains, but he knew that the gospel that he preached was not in chains.
SPEAKER_01: That's where our confidence lies.
SPEAKER_01: Not in our intellect, not in our personality, not in nothing that we that we can either try to boast or brag in.
SPEAKER_01: No, sir.
SPEAKER_01: We better boast in our weakness so that we may see Christ's strength being made perfect in us.
SPEAKER_01: That's the only thing that we can boast in.
SPEAKER_01: And so when you're fretting over facing that workplace where they tell you, no proselylizing in the workplace.
SPEAKER_01: No problem.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not here to proselytize.
SPEAKER_01: I'm here to live out the faith, the faith in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And so when people ask you, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_01: Use that as an opportunity to proclaim the gospel.
SPEAKER_01: I'm better than I deserve.
SPEAKER_01: Because I know what I deserved.
SPEAKER_01: I deserve the wrath of a holy, a perfectly holy, a perfectly righteous, a perfect judge of all judges.
SPEAKER_01: That's what I deserved.
SPEAKER_01: I deserved what his son bore on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: Praise God.
SPEAKER_01: That God didn't give us what we deserved, but he gave us what we don't deserve, which is a relationship with him.
SPEAKER_01: A perfect relationship with him.
SPEAKER_01: And it's through the perfect righteousness of his son.
SPEAKER_01: He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, so that we might have the righteousness of God in him.
SPEAKER_01: We had no righteousness of our own loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: We needed a perfect righteousness of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And it was sufficient to pay our debt in full.
SPEAKER_01: Sins past, present, and future.
SPEAKER_01: The blood of Christ was sufficient to pay that bill.
SPEAKER_01: And he paid it in full.
SPEAKER_01: And so, I don't know what battle you may be facing this week.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know what challenges you may be facing.
SPEAKER_01: Loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: Take your eyes off yourself.
SPEAKER_01: Fix your eyes upon Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Listen to the chief, the chief commander.
SPEAKER_01: Be on the alert.
SPEAKER_01: Stand firm in the faith.
SPEAKER_01: Be courageous.
SPEAKER_01: Be strong.
SPEAKER_01: And make sure that everything that you do is done in love.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_01: Father in heaven, we thank you that although you are a warrior king, that although you are all powerful, you are the one who holds our very breath in your hands.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01: You are not only holy and righteous and perfect in all of your ways, but you are loving, merciful, and compassionate.
SPEAKER_01: You are slow to anger, abounding in loving, kindness, and grace and truth.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we bless your name for not giving us what we deserve.
SPEAKER_01: And we bless your name for leaving us here in this world as corrupt, as vile, and as wicked as it is.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, you've left us here for a reason.
SPEAKER_01: Help us, Lord, to be in this world but not of it.
SPEAKER_01: Help us, Lord, in our own hearts.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to not sow to the flesh, but to keep sowing to the spirit so that we may reap the spirit, that we would be the men and women of God, that we would be the ambassadors for Christ that you call us to be, that we would be the salt, preserving this culture from its rottenness and wickedness, that we would be the light and darkness.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, help us to stop putting eyes upon ourselves and anything else other than your precious Son.
SPEAKER_01: Remind us, O Lord, of your word through your Holy Spirit, so that we would be instruments in your hands, that we, Lord, would be the people of God that you call us to be, and point the lost unto their desperate need for Christ.
SPEAKER_01: God, thank you.
SPEAKER_01: That all things are possible to those who believe.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, we believe this because your word has taught us so.
SPEAKER_01: And we believe because you have given us a measure of faith.
SPEAKER_01: And so help us this week, help us this month, help us this year to win souls on the battlefield with the gospel for your name's sake and for your glory.
SPEAKER_01: We ask this all by faith in the name that is above all names.
SPEAKER_01: Let all those who love the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, the name that is only able to save Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, let us all say amen.
SPEAKER_01: Amen and amen.
SPEAKER_01: Bless his name.
SPEAKER_00: And now for a parting word for Pastor Jesse Johnson.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_00: If you're in the Washington, D.C.
SPEAKER_00: area, I would love to see you at Emmanuel Bible Church.
SPEAKER_00: For more information on our church or our current service times, go to ibc.church.
SPEAKER_00: For more information about the Master Seminary and their Washington, D.C.
SPEAKER_00: location, go to tms.edu.
SPEAKER_00: I hope this resource has been a blessing to you and it helps you seek the Lord daily, serve others around you, and share the gospel with all of us.