(# 285) Romans 8 - Let God Gird You Against the Enemy

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries we are “pursuing the truth through the study of the Word of God.”  Because of the gracious provision of the internet, from our omnipotent God, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Barah Ministries has a worldwide reach and an intimate impact on lives.  Thank you Lord for providing a way for anyone, anywhere to be reached with Your Word.

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

To Honor Those Who Have Fallen

 

There is nothing that is more profoundly American than Memorial Day.  Throughout our history, American sons and daughters have willingly laid down their lives to strengthen the nation and to preserve its freedoms. The greatness of this Republic is founded on the selfless service of these heroes. 

 

Some of their bodies rest quietly beneath chalk white headstones; some of their bodies rest in the battlefield graves where they fell; and some of their bodies rest in the depths of the oceans where they made the ultimate sacrifice. 

 

Memorial Day is the time in the United States when we remember these men and women who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.  Yet whether it is the men and women from our country or whether it is the men and women from allied nations, we pause today to give our tribute. 

 

Let’s remember them and the ideals that inspired them…especially the ideal that there IS something greater than self...a thought originated and demonstrated best by the Sovereign God of the Universe, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

There are no words that can ease the pain of the family members who have

lost heroes to the battle.  Yet someone once said, “Grief shared is grief more easily borne.”  Today we honor the families of these heroes as well, and we grieve with them for their loss.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

THE ARMED FORCE MEDLEY

 

Let’s honor our war dead today with our opening song, THE ARMED FORCES MEDLEY, a collection of the service songs of each military organization in the United States.

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

U.S. Army

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

U.S. Marines

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

U.S. Navy

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

U.S. Coast Guard

 

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Armed Force Medley

U.S. Air Force

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for creating people in the image of Your Son, people who are courageous enough to voluntarily put themselves “in harm’s way” to protect us and to defend the ideal of freedom…we are pleased to be able to remember them today, and to give honor and praise to their ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation…

 

Let their loved ones know that these brave men and women who laid down their lives for us are not forgotten…encourage us to stop during the memorial day festivities to truly remember why we celebrate this day…bless those who are on the fields of battle today…protect them from our enemies…and give all of us the courage to stand for everything that Your Word holds sacred, especially life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness…

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...

Amen.

 

A few announcements….

 

BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Next Deacon’s Meeting

NEXT WEEK!

June 4

7:30A-10:00A

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

A Gathering of God’s Men

NEXT WEEK!

June 5, 2016

After Church

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration

June 12, 2016

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

No Face-to-Face Teaching

July 3, 2016

 

No lesson will be posted…it’s just a day off.

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Coeur d’Alene Bible Conference

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

August 5-6, 2016

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

New York - Pennsylvania Conference

Traditions at the Glen

Johnson City, New York

September 16-17, 2016

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Evening Lesson Only

6:00P-7:30P

August 7, August 21, September 18

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Homecoming for the Non-Resident Congregation

April 21-23, 2017

 

PRAYERS

Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group

 

Join me in prayer directed at all the intercessions and all the petitions of the

people visiting the Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group. 

 

THANK YOU!

Non-Resident Congregation Members

Clinton and Serena McCallum

 

A quick hello and thanks to Clinton and Serena McCallum for supporting the ministry.

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Deacon Denny & Emilie Goodall

May 27

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Tony LoGrasso

June 1

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Let God Gird You Against the Enemy

 

If this were the movie Grease, you might hear one of the characters shout, “GIRD is the Word.”  “Gird” is a word you don’t hear much anymore.  It means to encircle yourself with protection…to surround yourself with power…to equip yourself with strength…to prepare yourself for action.  Preparation is a word that slips the minds of most of us…we often feel we can just click into action without preparation and win the day.  I assure you no military organization that expected to win a war would conduct itself in such a way.  And I assure you, the spiritual life is a war.  Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…

 

Galatians 5:17

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit sets its desire against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another…

 

In today’s lesson we gird ourselves for battle against the WHO that wants to be successful against us.  We continue our study of the final passage in Romans, Chapter 8, which extends from Verse 31 to Verse 39…

 

Romans 8:31

What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things?  If God the Father is for us, and He is, who is ever going to be successful in opposition against us?

 

Romans 8:32

God the Father, who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will the Father not also, with our union with Christ, freely give us all things?

 

Romans 8:33

Who will bring a successful charge against God’s elect (all believers in Christ)? God the Father is the one who justifies…

 

Romans 8:34

…who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He…the One who died, yes, rather He who was raised from the dead…He who is at the right hand of God the Father…He who also intercedes for us.

 

The next two verses are the verses of focus…

 

Romans 8:35

Who will separate us from the unconditional love of Christ? (Or what will separate us?) Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword separate us from His unconditional love?

 

Romans 8:36

Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;

we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 

Romans 8:37

But in all these things (in every situation imaginable) we believers in Christ overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us unconditionally.

 

Romans 8:38

For I (Paul) am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers…

 

Romans 8:39

…nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the unconditional love of God the Father, which is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

We pick up our study of the passage at Verse 35a…the first part of the verse…

 

Romans 8:35a

WHO will separate us from the unconditional love of Christ?

 

The apostle Paul is asking the rhetorical question, “Is there a WHO that will successfully separate us from the unconditional love of the Lord Jesus Christ?”  The WHO that attempts it is clearly Satan, the enemy of God and the sponsor of disunity.  In Second Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 11, we are encouraged to be sober, and to always be on the alert…

 

Second Corinthians 2:11

…so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

 

Satan’s schemes promote disunity.  It is the Lord Jesus Christ’s intention that His Church…the collection of Church Age Believers…live in a state of unity, a oneness of mind and feeling…absolute harmony…agreement…a combining of the disparate parts into a single, coherent whole.  In John, Chapter 17, Verse 15, the REAL Lord’s prayer, the Lord prays to His Father for protection from Satan’s attacks against unity…

 

John 17:15

I (the Lord Jesus Christ) do not ask You (Father) to take believers in Me out of the world, but I ask you to keep them from the evil one.

 

First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19…

 

First John 5:19

We believers in Christ know that we are of possessions of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

 

From a Roman prison, while chained to a Roman guard as he awaited his trial, Paul reports on his daily activity of watching a Roman soldier gird himself for battle…and Paul uses it as an apt analogy to the spiritual life and our need to protect ourselves from the enemy…the WHO…Satan…and his inside and outside agents…“the world” and “the flesh” …

 

When we return from a short music break, we’ll investigate this analogy… remember this…in spite of Satan’s attacks, we can still be happy.

 

MUSIC BREAK

HAPPY

Pharrell Williams

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Let God Gird You Against the Enemy

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Paul is telling us how to GIRD ourselves…let’s start with Verses 10 to 12…

 

Ephesians 6:10

Finally, (believers in Christ), be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (by taking advantage of the power of His inherent strength).

 

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to utilize the Lord’s Person and ALL of His resources.

 

Ephesians 6:11

(Pick up and) Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm (on defense) against the schemes of the devil.

 

As believers in Christ, we are not to go on the offensive against the devil… nor are we to resist the devil with our human power…instead we are to pick up and to put on the power of GOD…we are to hold the territory that has already been granted to us by the Lord… 

 

Ephesians 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Our struggle is not against human beings…our struggle is not a physical conflict…it is a spiritual conflict…our struggle is against a system that stacks the deck against us…our struggle is against a system that has been in place on planet earth since Satan was granted the power by God to rule the planet.  The system’s command center is in the heavenly places where Satan resides, for now…and his minions on the planet, his demon army, his demon officers and his demon soldiers, are the guiding forces that attack the fortifications of the Lord here on earth.  What fortifications?  Churches teaching the truth…Pastors teaching the truth…and Christians who study the Word of God are God’s fortifications that are under attack.  Satan attacks wherever authority exists…such as with husbands, and with parents, and with governments, to name a few.  The world forces of this darkness seek to disrupt the enjoyment of our spiritual blessings…in John, Chapter 10, Verse 10a, we are reminded…

 

John 10:10a

The thief (Satan…the false shepherd in the analogy) comes only to steal (the sheep…believers in Christ) and (to) kill (them…taking them totally out of play) and (to) destroy (everything good that they have, including spiritual blessings including unity)…

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 13, Paul summaries the first three verses of the passage…

 

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist (play defense) in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verses 14 to 17 the forms of protection are described…

 

Ephesians 6:14

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…

 

The Romans soldier’s belt held everything else in place…it provided ease of movement…it tied everything together…for the Christian, it is for freedom that Christ set us free…at the very base of Christians is the truth of the Word of God which sets us free, as the Lord said in John, Chapter 8, Verse 32…

 

John 8:32

“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 14, the breastplate of righteousness is The Christian Way of Living…it is our sanctification…our life as believers in Christ…a life lived in a “set apart” state that allows us to take advantage of the freedom.  The Roman soldier’s breastplate protected him from the flaming arrows of the enemy…in our case against evil…and it allowed him to play defense against the enemy.  Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 15…

 

 

Ephesians 6:15

…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace…

 

This verse is not a call to evangelism.  Rather, it is a reminder concerning the foundation of Christianity…the gospel message.  Our feet give us stability.  It is a reminder for Christians who are under attack to remember who is on their side…it calls us back to Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 31, actually…

 

Romans 8:31

What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things?  If God the Father is for us, and He is, who is ever going to be successful in opposition against us?

 

Now back to Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 16…

 

Ephesians 6:16

…in addition to all (of these other things), taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

 

By placing our faith, our absolute confidence in the object of our faith, our almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, there is nothing we can’t handle… Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 8…

 

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren (believers in Christ), whatsoever things are true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and there is…and if there is anything worthy of praise, and there is…let your mind keep on dwelling on these things.

 

And remember this…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who keeps on strengthening me.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 17…

 

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

For a Roman soldier, the helmet was the last piece of equipment to be picked up and put on.  The helmets were not “dry fit” … they were not light and easy to carry…they did not channel away the sweat…they were heavy and bulky and hot.  With the helmet of our salvation we have absolute confidence of a future deliverance from evil…  First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

 

First Thessalonians 5:8

But since we believers in Christ belong to the day (of redemption), let us be sober (at full attentiveness), having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope (the absolute confidence) of (our “so great”) salvation.

 

A breastplate protects our vital parts.  Satan has “the world” as his external force against us…he has “the flesh” as his internal force against us.  God gave us “faith” as our internal force against Satan and evil, and He gave us “unconditional love” as our external force against Satan and evil.  These are the weapons we are given to combat Satan and evil…faith and unconditional love.  Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 17…

 

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

 

The helmet protects the head.  Satan attacks our thinking, and seeks to pervert it.  He promotes a skewed view of the Lord’s Person, a distorted interpretation of His Word, and an indifferent or antagonistic attitude toward all things spiritual.

 

The sword in view in this passage is the makhaira…the only offensive weapon in the Roman soldier’s arsenal.  It was used for close fighting, and it was the most effective weapon of its day.  It had a point for stabbing, and it had two sharp edges for slashing.  If you slashed at someone and missed, you could always come back with a slash to use the other side of the sword to do damage.  The Word of God is such a weapon for Christians…Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 12…

 

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…and it’s piercing…even as far as the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is a critic of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

 

In Matthew, Chapter 4, Verses 1 to 10, the Lord Jesus Christ used the Word of God to assault every contention of Satan…the Lord said, “It is written” … here is an example from Matthew, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4…

 

Matthew 4:3

And the tempter (Satan) came and said to the Lord Jesus Christ, “If You are the Son of God, and of course you are, command that these stones become bread.”

 

Matthew 4:4

But the Lord answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread (physical food) alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

 

I feel so grateful to God that He has given us enemies.  Their predictable attacks make us so much stronger.  I love seeing the difference pressure makes in our growth.  We you learn to let God Gird you against the enemy, you become the ultimate in perseverance.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

Matthew 22:42

“What do you think about the Christ (the Messiah)…?”

 

Acts 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

Acts 4:12

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given to mankind by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”

 

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings  salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

 

Acts 2:21

‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation will be saved.’

 

CLOSING SONG

TRUST HIS HEART

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com