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Too hot to read an 88?
In 280 years.
Preserved by.
Most graciously within thy shelter in full 288.
See, we got to.
I would like to suggest.
We read part of those verses in Ephesians 6 about our spiritual warfare. I.
Would like to suggest if we could go over that, I think it would be very helpful, especially for our young people in the day which we live. The spiritual warfare that's going on in this country is pretty impressive, honestly. And if we could read those verses again and we didn't read them all in their prayer meeting, but.
00:05:23
I suggest that unless there's something else that needs to be taken up, we could read from chapter 6 of Ephesians from verse 10.
Down through.
20.
Is that suitable, Brandon?
Ephesians 6, verse 7.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
Where we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins heard about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Praying always with all prayer and supplications in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints and for me, the utterance may be given unto me. They may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.
We live in a world whose God and Prince is Satan.
He is the God of this world religiously.
He is the Prince of this world politically.
And so he swings a lot of power around in this world, and that's why there is spiritual conflict.
In this book, especially our position.
Is heavenly. If you go back to verse chapter one and verse three it says.
He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus.
You have all spiritual blessings.
You may not enjoy them.
And the enemy is trying to get to take away that enjoyment in your soul. So there will be no power in your Christian life. So there's conflict. Look at chapter 2 and verse six. We have our position.
He's raised this up together and made us sit together.
In heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.
That's why you don't have the Lords coming mentioned in the book of Ephesians, because we're already in heavenly places.
Wonderful. Do you enjoy that?
Or are you just worried about what's going on down here, where your life's going? It's a spiritual conflict. I'm impressed, brethren, with what is going on in our country, how the very basic core of society is being challenged and people are encouraged to think what they like to think.
Their man, they want to be a woman or a dog. It's incredible. I don't know where in the world this thing is going, but it's the spiritual warfare that there is and we need to be aware of it and we need to be have on the armor of God that is provided for us in such times as these.
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We've been reminded the number of times this book speak of the heavenly places or or the proper translation have it in the heavenlies. So there are many things that we don't see nor fully understand. So when we jump into a section like this, taking up the armor of God, we have to recognize the fact that there's more to just picking it up.
I know here in the United States you have the rights to pick up arms. Now I have to speak for some of the Canadian here that many of us have never picked up an arm in our lives. So if someone could some kind of arm on the table and say to me that go ahead, pick it up and use it, I would have looked at you and laughed because I wouldn't know even which end to point, whilst I suppose I know which end to point and that's about it. So in this book it introduced us to many things before.
We get toward the 6th chapter or toward the end where we are exhorted to check up the armor of God. We have to recognize that we're not of this world. So if we feel that we are of this world and we want to defend things in this world, that's wrong. Already in Christendom as a whole, we see that a very earthly minded. We want to make sure we have the right government.
To do things for us, we want to make sure that we have the right everything pertaining to life in this world. Well, that's wrong, isn't it? Is heavenlies And then the book introduced the thought mystery first chapter talk about the mystery that he introduced is not a mysterious thing. A mystery is almost like a secret, but really it's not a secret because the secret you would never know what the answers are.
A mystery is something that perhaps I don't know how to explain it. It's like a family secret. Once you come into the family, you get to know more about what it is. So there is the mystery. It introduced that in the first chapter, giving us that to look forward to the dispensation of the folders of times. And then it will find that it speaks about the mystery of God, which I don't want it to digress too far from that and the mystery of Christ.
That the mystery of God is that Christ will be the head of all things.
And the mystery of Christ is that we as Gentiles will be heir and Co heir with Christ. And then when we I I know we didn't read the beginning of the chapter, chapter 6. Then we find out walk that we ought to walk properly the godly order of how we ought to walk. Once we learn that, then we can say we got some training and we can pick up the armor of God. So just very briefly, there are things this world is specially Christendom do not follow.
You look at the.
The end of chapter 5 it talked about a Gray mystery concerning Christ and the church. We I know many here are raised in the assembly. Are you well versed in what that mystery is concerning Christ and his church and then it speaks about the position of a master and a slave. You look at today's society that distinction is is getting very.
To tell now we have even workers saying I don't, I don't, I work for you but I can quit anytime.
They don't follow what the word of God says, nor what the employer for that matter. And then we find children and parents, the godly order in those things, and father and so on, that we are to do things for the Lord. And once we learn to walk a godly life, then these armors as we are about to hit up would mean a whole lot more.
Net.
I should say 2 verse 10, what we began reading. That's why it sets that finally, my brethren.
00:15:00
He's strong that what he said, not quiet, is it? He's strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Do not trust our own wisdom or strength.
And in regard to this armor is the whole armor is not just some back to the example of arms again, you may say, well, if I can have a gun, I'm OK, I can shoot. Well, what about the rest of the protection? So it's important to be reminded that it tells us to pick up the whole armor of God. And it's not just the fact that you're afraid that your brethren from across the hall is going to shoot you.
Because they said we wrestle not against flesh and blood, That's the part that's easier to understand, but the power of darkness and so on. I don't think hardly any one of us here fully comprehend what that is.
And how back in First Samuel?
Chapter 17, he was to go up against Goliath and all these weapons that you're talking about, Brother David speak of some of those things that King Saul offered him to protect himself, don't they? And he in chapter 17.
He offered all his armor to David, but David said he hadn't proved them. Didn't He said, I haven't proved those things. I can't use them for what the Lord has given me to do here. And so he said a little further down in verse 35 about the lion and the bear, He said, I went out after him and smote him and delivered it. Sorry, I should have started at verse 34. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep.
And there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servants slew both the lion and the bear. In this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing at the he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said. Moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear.
He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And so he had proved those things, didn't he? And he knew that he could trust in God to protect him and to help him. And so that's really the lesson for us here too, isn't it? We can't take things into our own hands and think that we can go up against these principalities and powers, and we can't even see them. But they're there and they're most dangerous, aren't they? And so we need the armor of God to protect us, and we have to put it all on. But they've all been proven to us.
And we can trust them for it.
It's important to be strong in the Lord. What does that mean?
What would you say, Michael?
Not in our own strength, but in use. Yeah, but how can you be strong in the Lord?
Exercises spiritual muscles.
Keep on prayer reading #1 prayer reading, anything else, reading above those two things majorly. Get serious about Bible reading and meditation and prayer. I mean, I'm thankful to see young people who read the Word.
By just 5 minutes a day is not enough. You got to get serious about it. To be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might means you take it seriously and set aside some time deliberately to get into the Word and to pray. Very important.
I like that which you mentioned about David, because he had proved.
What did he use to kill that lion?
What are you thinking? It doesn't really say, does it?
He had a sling, we know, and a stone, but he had a shepherd's staff, too.
And that lion, I, I take it was an African lion because he said he caught him by the beard. I don't know of any other lion that has a beard, but an African lion. That's pretty impressive to me.
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There was simplicity of trust in God. He was out there all by himself. Nobody else was watching when he met with that bear and with that lion, but he trusted God.
And I must say, I marvel, brethren, when he went out to meet up with Goliath.
Saul even let him do that because there was a lot dependent on that. I mean, if that Goliath killed David, then the children of Israel were going to be servants to the Philistines.
But he saw the simplicity of faith in David, and he let him go.
And brethren, I say this, what made him strong is that he took God into the picture.
When Goliath sees him coming, he feels insulted. Am IA dog, that you come to me with staves.
And David said this. You come to me with a sword and a spear. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have defied.
I mean, the simplicity of faith was beautiful and God honored that faith. He was strong in the Lord.
I'd rather be this morning with the Second Samuel chapter 18 and I would like to refer to a verse and apply it to Ephesians 6.
Second Samuel, chapter 18.
It's the chapter in which.
Absalom has tried to take the throne from his father, and there's going to be war between the house, those who are following David and those who are following Absalom, and they've come to the day of the conflict between the two parties. Say that just to get a context for chapter 18 and verse 3.
And the people that is those who are with David.
Answered.
Because thou shalt they're speaking to David. Thou shalt not go forth.
For if we flee away, they will not care for us, neither if half of us die, will they care for us. But now thou art worth 10,000 of us. Therefore it is better that thou sucker us out of the city. Now let's we're commenting on it. Turn to Ephesians chapter one.
Ephesians, chapter one.
And.
Verse.
9.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which on earth, even in Him. And.
Verse 22 and have put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that Philip All in all.
For commenting on it, just to comment on what David and Goliath?
David, of all the people that went out, understood properly the true perspective of the conflict. The people looked at themselves and they looked at those who were against them, and they were afraid.
David did not look at it that way. David looked at it as a conflict between whom the armies of the living God and those who opposed it.
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He had a right perspective and therefore he had instead of a trust in himself and what he could do against the enemy, he looked and said the fight's not mine. The true nature of this conflict is between the armies of the living God and that which opposes it.
In Ephesians.
It's well to get the true nature of the conflict.
In order to properly apply Chapter 6.
The true nature of the conflict.
Is that now has been made known as had not been known before as is revealed really for the first time in Ephesians chapter one the purposes and counsels of God concerning his son and the church has identified with his son.
And consequently, the effort in chapter 6 in its highest order is that Satan wants to rob the Lord Jesus Christ of that which God has given to him, and to prevent him from having the enjoyment of it.
And he Satan, he's not a prophet, he doesn't know things ahead of time unless God makes them known, and consequently God had not made known even to Satan's knowledge.
The truth that's brought out in the beginning of Ephesians.
What he knew.
From long before that he wanted the place that God had given to His Son. And so the temptation of the Lord Jesus when he was a man on earth was to seek to take him out of the path as a man of obedience, and thereby rob him of having the place that God intended for him as the Christ, the chosen One of God.
There could be much more said along this line, but the reason for bringing out second.
Samuel chapter 18 is Satan's number one care.
Is not you. It's not me. It's not to rob you. It's not to rob me.
He cares 10,000 * 10,000 more as to the one that is the true source of blessing, His Son, the Lord, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And now to make an application to us.
Satan.
Attacks on you and I is something that he does to rob the true David the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is truly important of having the joy of your fellowship and mine even if he cannot keep us from our ultimate destiny and so it is your identification and mine with the Lord Jesus and it's important to recognize it because the heart that.
Is attached to the Lord. Jesus will identify with him even if it brings conflict.
I say that because it's easy.
If I'll use it, this expression instead of having the armor of God and being attacked to use what one man, the little example, what one man once said he said someone was presenting the Lord Jesus Christ and.
Afterwards, another person came up to him and said I'm a believer too, but please don't tell anybody.
What was he doing? He was I seeking to avoid his identification in order to avoid the conflict. And whether you're young or whether you're old, the important thing is to start with the desire to be identified with the Lord Jesus.
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And if you are, you need the army, and you'll value it.
That's a couple of associations we'll add to that. I have jotted them down in my margin here. When is the saving grace of God?
Meets our condition as sinners, But the counsels of God which we have in Ephesians here, reveal what God has purpose to bring to pass for the satisfaction of his own heart. And then just another comment from Mr. Darby. It is in the intimacy of the councils and the grace of God that man fortifies himself for the warfare from which he cannot escape if he would enjoy his Christian privileges.
So the warfare here is different from the warfare in Galatians, isn't it? Galatians is more like what we have in the wilderness.
It's between the spirit and the flesh. But that's not what we have here. Here we're seen as being part of God's army in this world.
Marshalled against the enemy himself, Satan. And that's a tremendous privilege. And so in these verses we have that warfare. It's really the highest truths that we have in Ephesians, isn't it? And it's that warfare, it's the warfare of God against Satan in this world.
And so that's why we have in the first verse here the source of strength.
It's that secret communion with the Lord, isn't it? It has to start there. As Bob was mentioning, sometimes the question young people have especially, or even others, is, you know, I just don't have an appetite for scripture.
And I remember, Mr. London, you stop and say, well, don't have an appetite, read the scriptures and you'll get that appetite. And sometimes, you see, we come to meeting and we don't seem to have anything. Why is that? Because we haven't been diligent day by day. Remember Gordon Hayes saying it's a little off the subject, but along the same general lines, he said, you know, I've often noticed when couples get in trouble in their marriage, if you talk to them, you find out they've neglected reading and prayer in their household.
So here's the source of strength, isn't it in verse 10 and in the power of his might. It's in that secret communion with the Lord.
That we gain that strength to work to fight the Lords battles, not the battles with our own flesh. That is a separate warfare, but this is the battle of the Lord's. The Lord's battles here in this earth against his enemies. Actually five of them are enumerated there in verse 12, aren't they?
The spiritual wickedness in high places.
Crafty foal. He doesn't always come his approach. Depending on what the situation is. We have to hear that you can. Perhaps as a roaring lion if you can. What if that doesn't work? He could change his approach and come as a subtle serpent. So the warfare is very different. You don't just go up and thinking you're going to fight with all your mind because it's a spiritual warfare.
I'm just thinking of a portion just before Satan is finished. Let's turn to Revelation chapter 20. There are three names mentioned about Satan and it may give us an indication of how he works. Revelation chapter 20.
Is.
Verse 2.
So before he's being cast into the bottomless pit, he says verse two and he laid hold. Now notice the names here. And he laid hold on the dragon. That's the first name is used, that old serpent, that's the second name used here, which is the devil and Satan.
And found him for 1000 years. But why three different names now? I don't fully know, but he was. My simple thought on it Is that the the old the dragon? The dragon? I believe you can picture that as one with cruelty. That's the dragon. A picture of dragon with his cruelty. A serpent speaks of his subtlety.
And the devil himself, Satan, speaks of his wickedness and that all being dealt with. Actually, I shouldn't even just say wickedness. And he's also known as the accuser of the brethren.
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There's twelve chapter is is interesting. We wrestle not against.
Flesh and blood, we have the tendency, brethren, to look at figures in this world that are visible.
The President of the country or other governors in connection with the way things are going, and Christians large in a large measure, are encouraged to get involved into the politics of this present age.
Not realizing that's they're just the visible. I don't know if they use the word puppets, but they're just the visible ones. But we are not aware of the fact that behind.
Our real spiritual wickedness going on here, it says principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world.
Spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.
When you see what's going on in our world, it makes you realize that this is a very real thing.
People think they get out and on the street and protest. They'll have some effect on things.
You will have no greater effect on such matters unless you get down on your knees and pray like Scripture says, praying always with all prayer and supplication later on in this chapter. Oh, how important it is. And I just like to mention in the book of Daniel you have Daniel who was a man of prayer.
And in Chapter 9 of Daniel, he prays.
And it's interesting.
In verse 20, while as I was speaking.
And praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, Israel.
And presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God.
Years while I was speaking in prayer. Even the man Gabriel. This is one of the angels that is named that we know about.
Came and he gives them some information that is extremely important. But what I want to mention is in the next chapter Daniel was praying as well. Notice in verse two he says in those days I Daniel was mourning.
3-4 weeks I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself till three whole weeks were fulfilled. And then comes the answer. Why did he get his answer right away in Chapter 9 and in chapter 10 he had to wait three weeks?
It was because of spiritual conflict that was going on and at that time, he says later in the chapter that he had come from the Prince of Persia.
And then he was going to go to the Prince of Greece. In other words, there were spirit powers influencing in those government circles was the time when the Persian Empire was changing to the Grecian Empire and there were God's angels sent there to influence properly. And so Daniel.
Didn't receive his answer because of the spiritual conflict that was going on.
I think that's really helpful to see that this is what is going on in this world today and how important it is to be into the Scriptures to know what God has said about things that are future. He talks about what we where we are and the way things are going in this world today.
Your young people, I encourage you, get into it, have an understanding of where things are going.
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And pray you're going to have real influence if you do not outwardly.
Our warfare is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. Lord help us, brethren, to recognize we are in a conflict zone. We come out here to a nice place like this beautiful place, nice, calm.
Lake out there when you enjoy it and I don't say that's wrong, but sometimes we don't get the picture that we are in conflict zone.
And it's not going to be any different until we get home to glory.
The source of all the power through the Spirit of God. But then sometimes as young people and even younger one, like many of us here feel inadequate, as if there is so much we don't understand. There's so much to learn. But yet we were to go back to the story of of David.
How did he conquer Goliath? How much has he learned to master that slaying as if it were?
He went, if you remember the story, he went and picked up five smooth stones. And did he have to use all 5 stones?
No, he only needed one.
The five stones, I suppose we can use it from an application standpoint, perhaps for those things of old, maybe a picture of reminding them the five books of Moses. Do they need to know all five books so well that they before they can exercise the good of it? No. And we find the Lord Jesus often quote one verse from the five books of Moses. So we know that.
The Spirit is within us, is in us, it dwells in US and the word of God says he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. So when we read the word of God, when we walk close as we were reminded, the reading, the praying, and let me just sidetrack is like looking at a car. They have a tachrometer on it. It says RPM. That would be a nice reminder reading, praying and meditating on the word of God.
Then it's the strength from the Spirit of God using the Word of God to defeat our fault.
Back another example.
Like Joshua?
Found in Joshua chapter 4.
Moses.
Wasn't allowed to cross the Jordan River.
And the Lord passed the baton of responsibility for the children of Israel into the hands of Joshua.
And they crossed the Jordan River with the intention of taking the land promised to them by God.
That point is very much analogous to the beginning of Ephesians.
Because in Ephesians there is the truth of taking the spiritual portion that has been given to us in the land of promise for us, which is heavenly, but there's an important very beginning to it that is related in our chapter 6 to the words the Lord.
The Lord that begins the exhortations in chapter and verse 10. And so Joshua's cross, the children of Israel are now in the land, and they're ready to start their conflict. And the very first thing is done is what?
Circumcision.
Circumcision, it is the cutting off of the flesh that is ever so ready to take control of our lives. And they had to recognize, as Romans teaches us, death with Christ and his work to go into death for us, to deliver us from the enemy, which is the power of sin in the flesh in US. And so Romans gave them that truth which is analogous to the circumcision.
00:45:06
But then the next point that's taken is found in Chapter 4.
And.
They have the 12 Stones. See if I can find the spot.
Yeah, I want to find it where it says maybe I'm wrong as the chapter where he says as captain of the Lords host, it might come to Joshua. Yes, in Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 and verse 13. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold.
And there stood a man over against him with a sword, and is drawn in his hand. And Joshua went up unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
This is almost, you might say, a question for the question at the beginning of Ephesians. And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord, am I now come?
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him.
What saith my Lord unto his servant?
And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy chew from off thy foot.
From the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
It's a it's the beginning of the beginning that we recognize in the conflict through the captain, the Lord's host is it's not you, it's not me, it's not your conflict with Satan. It's not my conflict with Satan.
The captain of the Lord's host is the Lord Jesus Christ and our place.
Is to follow Him in that conflict and to recognize in it He is Lord.
He is our place, is obedience. It's not even understanding. Understanding is important and helpful, and knowing prophecy is important and helpful, but it does not give strength in the conflict. And that is something we often misunderstand because we think, if only I understand what's going on, I'll be able to deal with it.
We often.
Can't deal with things even when we to understand them because we're not depending on the captain of the Lord's host as the true strength. And so we're given things in these exhortations to help us to walk in simple obedience to the captain of our salvation. And that includes prayer that's been given emphasis to because prayer is an expression of.
Dependence on somebody, and that somebody ought to be the Lord. Not dependence on our own wisdom, not dependence on our own understanding, and so on, but a dependence upon the captain of the Lord's host as taking the lead to preserve and use his people to continue his work, as Paul said in the end of the exhortation.
Why was he praying for Paul? That he might be faithful in what the gospel?
The gospel making known to others, and that's what's going to last.
Satan's work is going to have an end, but God's work will have an at last. And part of the reason for the armor is to enable us to continue on in that which God will bless, that has eternal value, rather than simply getting through this life and on the glory.
151.
Savior keep our spirits stayed hard following after Thee, till we in robes of white array Thy face and glory. See 151.