Open—Jonathan Grinton
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Was considering.
Since yesterday.
As a believer.
What we might have in our hearts.
I know Mr. Rule and.
Stephen both mentioned those points earlier today.
And how important it is to be engaged with Christ.
With our Lord and Savior.
And how our minds and hearts must be completely.
Occupied with him and with his things.
And I know I walked by Steven in the lunchroom and.
I said to him, It reminded me, and I think it's in Matthew that.
We cannot serve 2 masters.
So the Lord doesn't make room.
In our hearts.
For anything other than himself.
We're not to make room in our hearts.
For anything other than him.
So I was thinking of this portion in Ephesians 6.
And it reminded me, if I can say of a story.
It was a while back that a brother came from Palmyra to visit.
And he wanted to send me a little story book, and maybe you've read it, but it was called The Shining Sword, I believe it was.
And everything that seems to have been brought out.
In the last two days of reading meetings has pointed that.
Story out to me.
And I don't want to go just through a storybook while I'm here, but.
I think of you young people, and I'm almost 50 and I read that book only a few years ago and it was a great help to me.
And understanding some of these things in Ephesians 6.
But first, there had to be salvation.
And so I ask you, each one in this room, have you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?
Do you believe that he died in the cross?
Shed His precious blood to wash your sins away. We had a gospel meeting last night.
And our brother told you how important it is to know Him as your savior.
And so there was this man, this boy that lived in this valley.
And he didn't know.
Anything about the Lord?
And I might not have all the details quite correct.
But you know, there was a mountain nearby, and I think that might represent the heavenlies in our chapter.
And he got LED up.
Into the mountain.
Where he saw something that was much greater than what he had ever seen in the valley. He thought the valley had been great. He thought it had everything that was needed for him.
But he was shown something greater.
But I don't believe he received it right at that time.
I believe he decided to return to the valley.
And quite possibly, as the story goes, the Lord worked in his heart.
Until he realized that.
The heavenlies offered something much greater, being near to Christ, whom they referred to as the King.
I don't remember his name but.
I do recall that when he returned to the mountain, they took him into a castle or a Kingdom.
And you saw many things.
Many things that quite possibly encouraged him.
Maybe some things even frightened him.
And when you look at all these things in Ephesians 6, I will not pretend to say I understand the mall. I will not pretend to tell you that I know what each one of these.
Tools are in the armor.
But they made it clear to him there that they were necessary.
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For one to go out.
For one to be protected. And that's what armor is, isn't it?
Armor is protection.
It's not a weapon, it's protection.
We need protection, for 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.
Those things truly exist in Ephesians 6 and verse 12, and in our lives here in this world, they truly exist.
And that young man was shown bits and pieces of that.
As he made his way to that Kingdom.
Somebody else could probably tell you the order of these things and what they mean better than I.
But you know, being a young, I guess I'm not that young now, but I still feel young being a young man, probably the first thing I would like to do is take that sword.
I'd be the most interesting thing to pick up and wield around and.
But in the story.
The young man had to be taught.
In a different order.
And they had people there that were, can I say, experts.
With each one of those tools.
And I just want to say that.
There are ones here in this room.
And we might not use the word expert, but there are ones here in this room that God has given.
Wisdom tooth.
He has given knowledge to.
That he is trained up in a way.
And they understand that responsibility.
And that they can teach you these things.
But you have to listen.
And you have to pay attention if you only have two of these tools in Ephesians 6.
Her pieces of armor, it might not be enough.
They're all listed here because we need the mall.
And so that young man had to be trained on each one of these things.
So that he could go out.
And you can withstand these things in the battle.
Well.
Now I think of First Kings 12, just for a moment, with Raya Bone.
And you know, he had an opportunity.
To listen to the older men there in that time.
And he didn't do that.
I think it's first Kings 12.
We won't go into the whole story but in verse six it says in King Raya Bone consulted with the old men.
That stood before Solomon and his father while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If that will be a servant unto this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him.
Well, you can continue to read that portion on your own, but.
I'm reminded of those ones. We just spoke about it with somebody the other night in First Peter 5.
And it tells us there of.
Wisdom.
In First Peter 5.
Says in verse one, the elders which are among you, I exhort you, I exhort who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly.
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Not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither is being Lords over God's heritage, but being in samples.
To the flock.
And you know those ones that are mentioned there, they had experience.
Wisdom that was gained by years and I'm certain that if Rehoboam had have listened to those older men in First Kings 12.
The blessing might have come much sooner.
Then all the suffering they had to endure to get to it.
Certainly, probably each one has gone through suffering here in this room or trial and tribulation.
And maybe you can look back too, and recognize that had you taken heed? Had you listened in the meetings? Had you read your Bible? Had you got on your knees and prayed? Had you waited on the Lord that blessing?
May have come soon instead of going through such a difficult time.
While I merely point that out because I think and I know that there are many here in this room, that God is blessed with those those tools for us and you young people sitting back there, don't waste it.
Take heed.
Mr. Ruhl mentioned yesterday.
About the battle and surely, as it mentions in Ephesians 6.
That battle is in the gospel of Christ and being able to speak it and tell others about it.
I think we read about that in verse 15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.
Of peace.
There is a verse in Romans 10 and 15 I believe it is.
And it reminds me of this young man who was so eager to go out.
And serve the king.
But he hadn't yet received all the tools.
And so has he went through the learning of how to use each weapon and how to use.
All the things that the king had to offer him.
Eventually.
He went back down into the valley.
And when he went back down into the valley, he met some that he had remembered from before, and he could give them the gospel, and he could tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you have the capability to do that?
Or are you ashamed? I think we had that before us yesterday.
Here it says, And how shall they preach, except they be sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.
That young man had a desire to show somebody else what he had received.
Not so much the fighting of the battle, but of bringing them to Christ.
To showing Christ to them, so that they might realize.
Not only their need of a Savior, but of the place that He prepared for them, where they could spend eternity.
Looking second, Timothy.
Chapter One.
Second Timothy one and verse seven. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear.
But of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Be not, though, therefore, ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner.
But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death.
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And hath brought life and immortality to light.
Through the Gospel.
I can certainly tell you at times in my life.
That I couldn't stand and speak the gospel to anybody. I wasn't prepared to show Christ to them.
And it's not that I couldn't have been trained up for it, I just merely wasn't.
Because I didn't take heed. I didn't listen.
I can tell you this one little story that I remember very clearly of being a boy in Laurenville conference.
And in John, Kent would come and Wally Deer would come and they'd have a van and they'd say let's go pass out tracks at the local mall.
Well.
I would go because.
I think I really wanted to do it, but by the time I got there I was pretty afraid to do it.
I can remember Mr. Dear would give me a track and then he'd give me a little push from behind towards somebody's go give it to that fella.
But I was afraid and possibly even ashamed at times. But Paul tells Timothy.
Not to be.
But we need.
Those things in Ephesians 6.
It's the power. It's the power of the Lord within us.
That helps us to show Christ to the world, but we have to trust Him.
We have to know him.
You know, I was thinking of Tim's message.
Thank you for it too.
This young man, he went and he learned.
All these tools.
I sure hope you read this story, it's way better than I'm telling you.
But he took the shield, he took the sword, and he went out, and he never went alone.
He always had another with him, or even more than that.
And they worked side by side.
And they knew how to protect and how to care for one another. And they knew how to love one another.
And it was so important that they never let one.
Remain behind so that he might fall.
We are one body.
We are the bride of Christ.
Do you have the same care for me that I have for you?
Do you think?
Of each one.
When they leave here.
Maybe tomorrow, maybe Tuesday, for you young people, will you remember?
That you need to pray for one another.
Will you remember?
All these things in Ephesians that are so evil.
And frightening. And how quickly they can bring one of us down. Will you remember to pray for one another?
If you hear of something.
That maybe has fallen.
One of your friends, One of your loved ones.
We reach out. Will you go to them? Will you pick them up?
I might not say this right, but this is something I've been considering for quite a while. But don't say it right. I'm sure you'll forgive me, but.
You know, this is a bit of a training ground right here that we are in and I think Tim alluded to that.
One day He is going to come again and receive us unto himself. Everyone that believes in Him. Everyone.
It says we will be with him and like him for all eternity.
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Now.
Is when we prove that thing.
Now is when we love one another.
Now is when we take care of one another.
When we show that.
We're going to be so occupied with him in that day.
That we won't really have time probably to do that.
But he wants us to see. He wants to see it in us now.
Our brother mentioned.
Earlier today that there might be a brother that really annoys you.
There shouldn't be.
We could probably go through 1St Corinthians 12 and read all those verses about the eye and the hand and then all those things.
But I think you know it.
We are members in particular.
And he loves each one of us individually, but individually we make up something so much greater.
That Kingdom in that book?
All those ones that were trained up.
All those ones that withstood the battle, it was a defensive battle. They protected all those behind the Kingdom. They protected it. They protected one another.
All through the power of God, all through the King.
That is our position today.
That is why Ephesians Six was brought before us.
You know, in that verse.
Verse 18 I believe it was it said.
Ephesians 6 and 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints.
Our brother spoke.
Said expecting an answer.
And maybe I don't understand this verse very well myself, but it made me think of Gideon in this 300 men and judges and how he had to come to the 300 men. And so he had those ones that would drink the water and the ones that stayed watching and drank.
Out of their hands I believe is how that went. Reminds me of this watching Thereunto with all perseverance.
And so now it's not just that if somebody falls, we go to them and help them. But are we watching?
With all perseverance for one another, it says in supplication for All Saints, are we watching for one another?