YP Address—R. Rule
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Shall we commence our meeting by singing together?
Hymn #42 in the appendix, #42 in the appendix.
Savior, lead us by thy power. Save into the promised rest. Choose the path the way whatever seems to be. Oh Lord, the best be our guide in every peril. Watch and keep us night and day.
Else our foolish hearts will wander from the Strait and narrow way #42 in the back of the book.
Say.
Say until the promised rest.
Shall we turn to the 6th chapter of the Book of Ephesians?
Ephesians chapter 6.
I had it on my heart this afternoon to talk a little about the Christian's armor.
Starting with Ephesians chapter six, we start with verse 10.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against.
The Wiles of the devil.
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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins gird 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 he 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 supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for All Saints. That's as far as we read.
It's my thought to also occasionally refer to other scriptures.
Where we have in the actual life of of.
Someone of God's people in the days of old, where we find in a measure them having on this armor of God.
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I'd like to.
Open my comments with his general comment.
We may not realize it as we should.
But you and I, dear young people, we have an adversary.
A very real adversary.
And I'm sure you know that I'm referring to Satan.
He's referred to here as the devil. The reference in verse 11 is the Wiles of the Devil.
This adversary, this foe, is a wily foe.
And you and I, as we journey through this scene.
Are no match.
For this one.
Who was spoken of and other scripture as our adversary. You and I are no match for him, and unless we have on the armor of God.
He's bound to trip us up and bring sorrow into your life and mine. Now, dear young Christian, the Lord wants you and me to have a happy life.
He wants us to go on through this scene, those that are his, and I'm speaking now primarily this afternoon to those that are the Lords. He wants your life to be a happy 1A useful one. And he wants you to know as you journey through life, something of the joy of the Lord. And that's the speaker's desire for you too. And we do desire that God may use these verses that we've read to encourage all of us.
To be found walking down here, having on the whole armor of God. You have that expression used in both the 11Th verse and the 13th verse. In the 11Th it's put on the whole armor of God. In the 13th it's taken to you the whole armor of God.
Well, you know, if we're indifferent.
About the things of the Lord, there is an exercise and and prayer in our lives. We're apartment not to have on the whole armor and if we don't have on the armor of God, we're open.
To the attack of the one who's against you and me. We're open to the Wiles of the devil, and he'll surely trip us up.
So may it be our desire each of us to have on the whole armor of God.
Now the apostle opens his comments by saying in verse 10.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Now we heard this morning that you and I have no strength in ourselves, and that's absolutely true.
But the reference here is strong in the Lord. The reference here is the power of His might. Now I said we wanted to refer to a few in the Old Testament as examples of some of these things.
Turn with me in this connection to the Book of Judges Chapter 6, and we just want to read hurriedly or comment hurriedly on Gideon, who was referred to yesterday afternoon in our Reading meeting.
Deuteronomy, Joshua. Judges.
6th chapter.
We were seeing yesterday afternoon we referred without turning to it, to verse 11 where it says.
The end of the verse, Gideon thrust wheat by the winepress. We were reminded how in this chapter we are reminded how the children of Israel have become impoverished.
And this wheat was their food. And so Gideon was seeking food for himself, and perhaps for others.
The wheat referred to here would speak of for to you and me of Christ as the bread from heaven. Well he sought food in a day of impoverishment, and thank God for each one here that had it laid on their heart to come to receive a little food, as it were, for their souls during the last three days. But the verse I had in mind, the thought was this. In verse 12 an Angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
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And Gideon said, Oh, my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?
The end of the verse, he says. Now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
Now notice the 14th verse. The Lord said unto him, looked upon him, and said unto him, Go.
In this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midians. Have not I sent thee?
And he said unto him, Oh, my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh.
And I am the least in my father's house. Why? Said Lord, How can I be anything? My family has no status, as it were, and I'm the least in my father's house. He says we're nobody is at work. What did the Lord say? He confirms what he said before verse 16.
The Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee. Gideon might be nobody, he might have no strength.
But did the Lord have strength? Did the Lord have any might? Did the Lord have any power?
To deliver.
While going back to the 10th verse of Ephesians 6.
Who said says there be strong in the Lord? The Lord said, I am going to be with you and in the power of His might. Well, you know we have no strength in ourselves. Gideon felt that I am the least in my father's house. He said As much as you say I'm nobody. I have no strength. But God could use him. And you know, if we walk in dependence on God, he can use you and me, but it has to be going in his strength.
And his might.
While we mentioned in verse 11.
In connection with the exhortation to put on the whole armor of God, it says that he may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil.
I say again, dear young Christian, we have a wily foe.
In one sense, his power is gone. In Ephesians 2 it speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who went down into death, that he might annull him that had the power of death. That's the devil. Yes. The Lord, in going into death, triumphed over him. He annulled his power, but he's just as wildly a full as he ever was.
And you know nothing would please him better than to trip you and me up in our walk down here as Christians.
Yes. Nothing would please him better.
And you and I are all subject to his Wiles. And if we don't have this armor on.
He's going to get the best of us, as it were, to our sorrow, to our loss.
And to the loss of all the joys that belong to you and me, and the happiness that the Lord would have, you and me have in our lives down here.
I can look back over the last 10 years.
And I know a number of dear young people, some of them the one the one loved and had an interest in, some that we've heard about in other directions and didn't know very much. But I've heard of many.
That have taken the first step in the wrong direction.
Allowed some little and carelessness.
The first step is usually not a large one.
But it leads to the second step and the third step if you and I get on the wrong path.
Except for the grace of God.
It might. Its surprising how far that wily foe may take us to our eternal loss.
Well, he's a wily foe, I say again. You're no match for him. You need the armor on, So let us prayerfully consider this armor.
The 12Th verse says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
I'm going to speak a little bit about a warfare.
But it isn't the kind of a warfare that.
The men fought in the First World War when they were in trenches. Those that were in trenches know what it was, know what it is to fight against flesh and blood.
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But our warfare is a spiritual one. It speaks here of the better rendering of the end of that 12Th verse is where it says.
Against wicked spirits in heavenly places or in high places.
These wicked spirits are Satan's emissaries, the Devil's emissaries.
And because of the fact that we have.
These enemies, these wicked spirits in heavenly places, we have the devil to combat.
The one armor we need on is the whole armor of God. It's God's armor. And now it says in verse 13, take unto you the whole armor of God. In a sense, this is repetition, But when God repeats something, it's because it's important.
Now he says that he may be able to withstand in the evil day. Well, are there any here that don't think we're living in an evil day?
Indeed we are. And there are things developments that we've all heard about in the last few days that just bring to mind the character of the day in which we're living. We see the beginning of the workings of that lawless one. We see lawlessness abounding in a way that we hadn't expected it would in this country.
We're living in an evil day. Perhaps here this might refer to a specific time in your life and mine, as well as to the general character of the day.
But the the the point here is it says that he may be able to withstand in an evil day, and having done all to stand, there's repetition again to stand.
And the 14th 1St uses for the third time that word stand, therefore having your loins gird about with truth, and so forth.
I suppose we might say that when it says stand.
It's similar to what we have in Revelation 3 that was referred to yesterday.
In the third chapter of Revelation address to the Church in Philadelphia, we read.
Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Lots of you dear young people, by the grace of God, have had committed to you the truth of God. But many others that know the Lord haven't been privileged to enjoy and haven't had the privilege of having made clear to their hearts. They know the Lord as their savior, but perhaps they're going where not all the word of God.
Is clearly brought out and sought to be maintained. But and thus you and I were more responsible even than others. And where God would have us to hold fast that which we have, we're responsible to do it. I repeat, hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown. Now I said we occasionally might refer in the Old Testament to one who is a living. Was a living example of having some of these things. Let's turn in this connection to.
Well, a nice example is in Second Samuel 23, Shannon Second Samuel 23.
In this chapter we have brought before us.
Truth is to some of David's mighty men, and Shem is one of the three especially mentioned verse 11.
After him, that's after Elias of the son of Dodo, verse 11. After him was Shama, the son of Aggie the heroite, and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where it was a piece of ground.
Full of lentils.
And the people fled from the Philistines.
But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slowed the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory. Now here we are with Philistines, the enemy of God's people. They were gathered together into a troop.
They probably wanted to forage and take away that ground full of lentils, those lentils. Here again we have food for the people of God.
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And it says.
That Shama stood our verse in Ephesians 6 says, Stand fast. Therefore well here was one that stood fast. It says that he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and flew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory, my dear friends this afternoon, and dear young people especially.
Satan would take away from us the precious truths that you and I have been brought to enjoy.
We find him one by one, taking this away from what? This company and that away from another. It was mentioned in the meetings earlier how the many groups of various groups or denominations in Christendom, some that held for years the truth of the coming of the Lord, that we've enjoyed being reminded of today and yesterday.
Some have given up the truth of his imminent return.
But the truth that he might come at any moment, they've given it up.
And so those people that have lost the enjoyment of that truth, they're just like the children of Israel here. If they'd lost this ground full of levels, they needed that for food. And you and I need all these precious truths as food for our souls and in connection with the Lord's coming, and especially is intended to encourage us to look up and to be found pressing on, waiting momentarily for that call.
Which will call us home? Well, here is Shama. He wasn't going to give up that which was food for God's people. It says in verse 12. He stood in the midst of the ground and defended it. Now May God put into your heart and mind in a day of giving up. May he put into your heart and mind the desire to stand fast and not give up, not surrender these precious truths that He's given to us. There are many.
If we read of the days of the martyrs, we'd read of many who gave up their lives seeking to stand fast for the truth.
Thousands have done it and years gone by, and you and I may be tested more than we realize in this connection in the days ahead, because we see such a trend to giving up those things that are so vital to the people of God while turning back to Philip, to Ephesians 6.
We are encouraged and three times we have that word stand.
Now in the 14th verse, we come to the first specific part of the Christians armor mentioned. There are a number of things mentioned. The first ones, five or six, the first five or six are all defensive. The last one, we have only one offensive weapon. That's the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, verse 17. But now let us look at some of these defensive weapons, that which we need to defend ourselves from the Wilds of the devil.
The first one mentioned in verse 14 is Stand. Therefore having your loins girt about with truth.
Now some may not know, but I've been told that in the days the scriptures were written, their manner of dress was a little different than ours and even men.
Had at times loose, flowing garments. But whenever they had work to do, whenever there is service or work to be performed, they girded themselves. They girded their loins for service, for work. The Lord has a service for you and me down here. He wants us to be living for him. And if we read in Peter.
The first Peter, the first chapter I believe it is, won't take the time to turn to it, but there it's made very clear that for us, this has to do with our minds.
The truth, it says in First Peter one gird up the loins of your mind. The loins of your mind.
Well, you know, if we've had our hearts opened to hear and seeking to take in prayerfully exercise about what we've been hearing at the meetings, why then in that sense, we're girding up the loins of our mind. Now here it says having your loins gird about with truth.
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Here's the truth, the written word, and the Lord Jesus when he was here, could say I am the way, the truth. He was the living word.
And we need the word of God. We need that which has been sold and fully manifested in the life of Christ to guide us as we go through this scene. And so the first reference is.
Having your loins gird about with truth, and then there's another.
Another defensive part of the armor referred to in the end of that verse. It says and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
In those days.
And many years ago, they didn't have. They didn't have planes to go about dropping bombs on places. Then warfare was a personal confrontation with the enemy. We read a little of it in connection with Goliath, if we won't take the time to turn to it.
This time, but you remember, Goliath came against the children of Israel. We may look at it a little later in connection with David, but it tells about how much his the his armor weighed, how many was several 1000 shekels and weight, if I recall at one time I heard the weight of that and I was surprised how heavy it was. I've forgotten exactly what it was now, but the point is, it was.
A heavy.
Armored breastplate or shield or factory read of both in connection with Goliath.
And David, you know, went out and out against him. Well, you and I are to have on what answers?
To what used to be used in warfare? The breastplate that which protects.
A certain very important part of our body here, of course, it's in the spiritual sense. Well, what is the breastplate of righteousness? A brother asked in connection with our readings. Where righteousness was used, whether it had to do with our standing or our state, that's in another scripture, and it was pointed out. It was thought it had to do with our state. Well, this has to do with our state too.
It's practical righteousness in our lives. It's you and I going on in uprightness.
Before our fellow men, whether it's those at work, whether it's those at school, whether it's those at home and our neighbors, or whether it's even amongst our brethren, there should be uprightness or righteousness and.
Now we might look at an example of one who manifested having that part of the armor on.
Suppose we turn for this to Daniel.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Ezekiel, Daniel.
Yes, the 6th chapter of the book of Daniel.
Now here in the first part of Daniel 6.
We find.
That.
Daniel had been given a very high place.
By the King by Darius.
I think it answered to what would be called in this country, the Secretary of the Treasury.
It says in the second verse.
Over the three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the Princess might give an account unto them.
And the king should have no damage. He was the top man as far as the accounts, a very responsible position.
Well, jealousy came in. They were jealous of Daniel having been given this place. And so on verse four, it says that they sought occasion against Daniel.
Concerning the Kingdom, but they could now notice this clause, but they could find none occasion or fault.
For as much as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Isn't that a lovely commendation?
We should seek that that might be so of our own lives, should we not? But there might that he was faithful. Neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then, said these men, we shall not find any occasion against Daniel.
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Accept.
We find it against him concerning the law of his God. What a testimony.
Daniel had on. As we read here, Daniel had on the breastplate of righteousness. Indeed he did. Well, you know, we should seek.
That our lives might be such that it could be said in a fuller measure of us, as was said of Daniel, that there might be in our lives absolute uprightness and going on in a way characterized by practical righteousness in all the phases of our life.
We find that because.
Of their attitude.
That Daniel was put to the test in a very remarkable way, but God undertook for him because he had faith in God. We might comment on that a little further down a little later.
And now it says here in verse 15.
It says.
Your feet shod with the preparation.
Of the gospel of peace.
When we have the feet referred to in the word of God.
I believe that it often refers to our walk through this scene, our walk. And you know, we're all walking through this scene.
Not me, and merely with our literal 2 feet.
But in a sense it would speak of the whole character of our life down here.
Well, we're encouraged to have the feet shod with the preparation.
Of the gospel of peace.
I suppose in connection with the end of that verse, perhaps there might be two different thoughts. I'm not sure which would should be given the strongest place, but if our walk here, it has to do with our walk. Are we exercised about how we're walking down here?
It's very closely related to to to righteousness referred in the 14th verse.
Is our walk that which would commend itself to others?
And above all to the Lord.
If I'm walking in a way.
That is pleasing to the Lord.
Then your feet and mine.
Will be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
If it's a case of bringing the gospel to our neighbors or to those at work.
Those that know something about us, if you and I are inconsistent in our walk, what we say won't carry any weight.
You've heard the saying.
What you do speak so loud I can't hear what you say.
Well, what we do does speak loud to others, and we need to have our feet shod our walk such that what we say will carry weight with those about us, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And then perhaps there might also be that spirit of peace.
That so often Satan would bring in turmoil even amongst his own.
But you know, a peacemaker has to be one that manifests some of the qualities.
Of an upright and consistent walk in his own life, well may we seek to have our feet shod.
With the proper preparation, may your life and mind be that which, so that when we seek to help others.
There might be that consistency seen in our walk that we're in a position to be a help.
Now the next thing says, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. You know, we were speaking about Daniel.
I think we might have an illustration there of one who had on the shield of faith.
Let's turn back again to Daniel 6.
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Daniel 6.
We saw how they wanted to find occasion against them.
They couldn't as to his life as to his walk, because it says that no one had found any error, fault in him. He was an upright righteous man. Well, the only way they could.
Get him as it were. Trap him as it were, they said. Was if.
They did it in connection concerning the law of his God. So they made a law. But for 30 days no one was to make any petition. We find this in verse seven of our chapter.
The middle of verse that says to establish a royal statute and make a firm decree that whosoever.
Shall ask a petition of any God or man for 30 days save of thee, O king, ye shall be cast into the den of lions.
Well, they made that rule just to trap Daniel.
But you know, dear young friends, he was a man of faith. He trusted in God. He had faith in God. They might talk of the lion's den.
But he still had faith in God. He was going to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Daniel was had no strength to overcome a lion.
But God did. God could shut their mouths if necessary, and He did exactly that. He shut the mouth of the lions.
What we find here in verse 10 after this law was signed, it says verse 10. Now Daniel, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, wasn't something that he didn't know about. He knew that the writing was signed. He went into his house and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did a four time.
Oh, he didn't let. He didn't let this law that indicated he'd be thrown to the lions.
He didn't let that hinder him one minute from going on and what he knew was right. He was a man of prayer and he prayed three times.
And it says his window was opened, even we opened toward Jerusalem. He was carrying out a scripture that we I won't take time to turn to, but we find in another portion of the word. But that's what they and souls were to do. If they were carried away, well, he with the wind is wide open, He prayed in spite of this law.
You'd think, well, at least he'd close the window and pull down the blind, wouldn't you? No. He was a man of faith. He trusted God.
Well, now, that's what you and I need more of. That's faith that will trust him. It isn't. Faith is to salvation here. It's faith in the circumstances of life, that faith which trusts him and then leaves all with him. If we don't have on this part of our armored, you know what we'll do.
Will compromise. Satan will bring in some little test at work.
Maybe we'll be invited to go to some party where we know that we can't be there and be pleasing to the Lord, or take part in this or or maybe do something in many ways where but we feel, well, I don't want to get my boss angry at me, but well, I'm afraid if I do this why this problem might develop. If anybody had a right to have a fear complex, it was Daniel on that occasion, but he had the face complex.
He had on, as it says here, the shield of faith. Well, dear friends, if you trust God, and if I trust him, he'll undertake. But let's have on the shield of faith, let's trust him. Daniel trusted his God and God delivered him.
Well, going on, our time is going by.
It says.
Wherewith he may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Oh, we have a wicked fold, and he can let loose some fiery darts. We need the armor on, or one of those darts will catch us. And man's armor won't do it either if we were to look back.
In David's life we find when he was going to go against Goliath, it won't take the time to turn to it, but Saul offered him his armor.
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And he wouldn't accept it.
Instead, he trusted God. He was a man of faith. He went down to the brook.
And took those stones out of the brook in his sling, and he went against Goliath, the one who was armed with male. And he had even a man going ahead of him carrying a great big shield. And he went to meet him with sling and stones from the brook. He had faith in God.
Well, it says here.
Where to take the shield of faith? And then it says and to take the helmet of salvation.
Now that might be difficult at first reading is to understand just what it means.
In our book in Thessalonians that we are reading, if we had gone on to the fifth chapter.
We would have read in that 5th chapter of these words.
It speaks there, It says there having.
It speaks of having the helmet.
The hope of salvation. I didn't quote that exactly. Right, so let's turn to it. But it has to do there.
1St Thessalonians 5.
Yes, foreign helmets. The hope of salvation. The eighth verse.
The hope of salvation. By the way, Speaking of faith being needed, you have in that very verse reference to the breastplate of faith, verse eight. Let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love. There's faith again and love and friend helmet the hope of salvation. Well here in the first Thessalonians, or rather Ephesians 6, it just says the helmet of salvation, but I think it helps.
To see first Thessalonians 5 from helmet the hope of salvation.
As we saw this morning, when you have hope referred to in Scripture, it's connected with something that's future but is certain.
Something future, but it's certain.
Not a matter of not questionable.
Well, salvation is used to have air in First Thessalonians, I believe.
Has to do with.
The complete deliverance from all the problems down here.
In fact, in Romans 8 it goes on to say it tells us in the 8th chapter of Romans speaks there of how we're waiting for the redemption of our bodies, and it goes on to say that we're saved, saved in hope.
In other words, our salvation, our deliverance from everything here is certain.
But we're waiting for that time when the Lord will come and give us not only the salvation of our souls which we now have, but the salvation, the deliverance from everything down here.
But I believe here in Philippians 6 we can also enjoy the thought of the Lord giving deliverance in all the circumstances or problems that He brings into our life, if we trust Him, if we have on, as it were, the helmet of salvation.
We were referring a little earlier to Daniel. Let's turn to, I believe it's First Samuel 17. Let's turn and see how an example there in that chapter of how David had on the helmet of Salvation, First Samuel Chapter 17.
Here's where we find what we were reading about or speaking about in connection with Goliath.
Coming up against the children of Israel.
And I can't take time to read it, but if we read this chapter, we'd find that that all of the children of Israel, they were all afraid. He challenged them. Goliath challenged them to give them a man, but they were afraid. And finally David came up. He had been feeding the sheep, taking care of his father's sheep. And David came up.
And.
In verse 28 it says.
We find there his eldest brother Eliab will read the verse. 21St Eliab, his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, and a lie of thank you was kindled against David. And he said, Why canest thou down, hit her? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know the pride, I pride the naughtiness of thine heart.
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Start, come down if I might have see the battle, David said. What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
And we find David volunteering. Verse 32. David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail. Because of him thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. Here we have a warfare which one voluntarily took on. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. By the way he was this giant Goliath was over 9 feet tall.
And here comes this lad from feeding the sheep, he says, thy servant will fight with this Philistine verse. 33 Saul said to David, Thou not thou are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. Thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
David said unto Saul, I serve, and kept his father sheep. And there came a lion and a bear. And he took the lamb out of the flock. And I went after him, and smote him, and delivered him out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him.
By his beard and smote him, and slow him by servants, slow both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Fellowston shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
Now it's the next verse I was leading up to that shows that he had on the.
The helmet of salvation. Notice the next verse, verse 37. David said. Moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the land, and out of the paw the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
Didn't our verses, where we read in Ephesians 6, start with be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? And that's what David is manifesting? The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the bear, a paw of the bear. He will deliver me out of the hand of his uncircumcised fellowston. Dear young Christian, if you're walking in a way that's pleasing to the Lord, if you're seeking to please him in your life, if you have confidence or faith in Him, have on the.
The breastplate of faith.
You can have confidence that he will undertake in any circumstance he brings into your life.
Yes you can.
The Lord would encourage you to me to have on the helmet of salvation. That is the assurance that God will deliver. That's what David said. The Lord that delivered me, He will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised philistine.
But you know, we must have on the helmet of salvation. That is the assurance.
That God will undertake. And you know, if we have faith in him and trust Him, sometimes the answer to the problem may not be what we might want, but God will undertake in a way that will be for our eternal blessing.
It says in 2nd Corinthians 4IN connection with our afflictions, our light afflictions, which are but for a moment work for us a far more surpassing.
An eternal weight of glory, and that's what God will workout in your life and mine, even in the trials of the Way, if we trust Him.
But it won't be till we get home to glory that we'll read the final answer. No, you don't get the last chapter till we get home to glory. But I would encourage you to have on the helmet of salvation. Don't compromise. When something comes up and you're faced with a decision, don't say well, I'm afraid this will make a problem with my neighbor, or make a problem with my employer, or a problem with someone else. Trust God, keep on the helmet of salvation.
And the God will undertake for you.
Back to Ephesians 6.
And it says take the verse 17 the sword of the Spirit.
Which is the word of God. Now we come to the one offensive weapon. Yes, God has given us a sword to do battle with.
And here it is right here.
And I want to add my Amen.
To what has been said already in these meetings about the importance of reading this precious book.
We are living in the last days. Satan is making unusual efforts.
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To take the truth of God away from us, He's taking away a step at a time with many groups.
Of professing of Christians. Some true Christians too. Giving up this, giving up that.
Oh, dear young Christians, you and I need a sword. We're going to meet the enemy. Here it is.
Do you read it every day?
And not only in a perfunctory way.
Do you meditate on it? Do you seek from time to time to get helpful ministry to help you understand it better?
Oh, you and I. As I say, we need a sword to take any offensive against the enemy, and May God encourage you and me to be more faithful in reading this precious book. And there's one thing that sort of caps everything else.
Praying. Always.
With all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
Oh, May God give the speaker and each one here.
Each listener may he give you and each of us an exercise more time in our lives for reading the word of God. I know we're living in a we're living in a fast day. Everything seems it's so easy. We're all under measure pressure. It's the character of the day we're living in. But there's nothing more important than time for reading the word of God and prayer.
May the Lord encourage us, each of us, including oneself.
There might be more time for reading this precious book and being in prayer before Him, and then encouraging us to put on or take the whole armor of God. That we might be enabled by His grace to be walking down here in some little measure pleasing to Him in some little way, filling that little niche that the Lord might have for each of us until that time when He comes. And so dear friends.
Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Shall we pray?
Our blessed God and Father.
We thank thee for how much thou does give us my precious word to encourage us.
In a difficult day.
Now we ask that thou use these few scriptures to be of some little help.
Some encouragement, especially to the dear young people that are here.
Thou knowest all the problems that they face in school and starting employment and starting in the.
The raising of a family and the various responsibilities we just ask thee, gracious God, that we might each one seek to have on the whole armor of God.
That we might by Thy grace, be enabled.
To withstand in the evil day.
Now we thank thee for the happy time we've had together over thy precious word these last few days.
We do ask thee that thy word that we've had might indeed we might seek to take it with us, and perhaps share it in the measure with others back home who weren't privileged to be present.
We thank thee now for the kindness of our.
Brethren here, and going to the great effort of having us at this time, and so we thank thee for their loving interest. And we thank thee, gracious God, that thou dost take note of every little thing that is done for thee. And now there are many that are traveling already homeward, and many that soon should be starting home. After this meeting we ask thee, gracious God, for journeying mercies for them.
That thou be with each one of them and give a safe return. And now we ask the again in closing, do keep us, keep us cleaving to that blessed one our Lord Jesus, and feeling and our dependence on Him, leaning upon him, trusting in him, while we await that blessed moment.
When he shall say, Arise my love, my fair ones, and come away.
And so we just leave us now in thy hands, asking all and giving thanks in the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
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Amen.