Real Church VII - A Real Church Stands
Real Church VI – A Real Church Stands; nv 9/5/04 a.m. - Ephesians 6:10-20
OS: A Wayne Cordeiro, preacher of New Hope Christian Fellowship O'ahu in Honolulu, Hawaii, writes: Some time ago some wonderful people in our church gave Anna, my wife, and me a dinner certificate to a nice restaurant for $100. We thought, Wow, a hundred bucks. Let's go for it. We found a free evening. We dressed up. I took a bath, used deodorant and cologne—the whole thing. I even washed and waxed my car, because we wanted to take it through the valet, and I didn't want my Ford Pinto to look bad. The night came, and we were excited. We went to this ritzy restaurant and walked in. They gave us a nice, candlelit table overlooking a lagoon adjacent to a moonlit bay there in Hawaii. Oh, it was nice. And we thought, for a hundred bucks for just the two of us, we could eat high on the hog. So we ordered the most expensive thing there. It was wonderful. When the bill came, I said, "Honey, why don't you give me the certificate." She said, "I don't have the certificate. I thought you brought it." I said, "You have to have it. You're supposed to have it. You're the wife!" She said, "I don't have it." And I thought, We are in deep yogurt. Here we are. We look rich, we act rich, we even smell rich. But if we don't have that certificate, it invalidates everything. There are times in our lives when we can look holy, we can act holy, and we can smell holy. But without a relationship with the Lord, we've forgotten something. It's relationship that validates everything else.
I. :A real church is real because of a relationship with Jesus and that is really what this series of lessons have been all about.
Synopsis of Series:
1. B Jesus makes His Church Tick. Jesus is incarnated in this world all over again, not in His flesh but in the flesh of His assembly. The real church is Jesus to this world. – Ephesians 122 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
2. :Jesus has destroyed every barrier to keep that from happening – Ephesians 213 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
3. :A church is a real church only when her members live worthy of the calling. Ephesians 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4. :A church is a real church only when her members live a life of love through thinking like Jesus, talking like Jesus, and working like Jesus. Ephesians 5 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
5. :A church is a real church only when her members stand up in this dark world as a light through holy living. Ephesians 5 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
6. :A church is a real church only when her members do not have a cold stiff religion, but rather a passionate love relationship with Christ. Ephesians 5 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
7. C A church is a real church only when her members stand strong against Satan! Ephesians 6 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then…
TS] As Paul begins to draw this letter to a close he reiterates all that he has said earlier, and he does so in the context of spiritual warfare. The text is very positive evidently because he feels the Christian readers need confidence.
II. If there was ever a time for this lesson today is the time!
A. I needed the confidence found in this text.
B. We are under attack whether we want to admit it or not.
TS] Don’t get me wrong – we don’t have major problems with division and anger within the family. It is absolutely amazing, and absolutely an act of God that we are doing as well as we are under the circumstances.
III. D We better understand that Satan is real!
A. Reality text:
1. :Ephesians 120 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
2. E Ephesians 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
3. F 1 Peter 5 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
B. Illustrate – Charcoal fire and the poker. (church & family)
C. Satan is the deceiver, tempter, and that is done with the thoughts of our minds. His chief objective is to divide us up, and get us to believe we don’t have anything to get excited about.
1. My five-year-old daughter, Barbara, had disobeyed me and had been sent to her room. After a few minutes, I went in to talk with her about what she had done. Teary-eyed, she asked, "Why do we do wrong things, Mommy?" "Sometimes the devil tells us to do something wrong," I replied, "and we listen to him. We need to listen to God instead." To which she sobbed, "But God doesn't talk loud enough!"
2. The Volume of God in our minds and our lives is up to us, and that’s really what our text is about this morning.
TS] Let’s read the text and especially notice mentions of previous themes in this letter, and the obvious focus on Standing – G H I Ephesians 6:10-20.
---on the side, the first obvious thing about this text is that our fight is not against flesh and blood. If your problem is somebody you battling the wrong battle.
PQ: J So, how do we stand against the schemes of Satan? How can we win as a congregation – be a real church? How can we stick together during this time we face as a church? (two points from the text)
I. K Maintain a Connection with God.
A. All power, strength, and weapons of war are all freely provided by God.
1. L 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God
2. M Ephesians 1 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know … his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead
3. N Ephesians 3 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
4. O 1 John 4 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
B. All that we need to make it through this time, to overcome the schemes of the Devil, are freely available from God – we must make the connection.
1. Like plugging in a lamp…
2. During Superbowl XXXVII, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie Castaway, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a desert island for years. Looking like the bedraggled Hanks in the movie, the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home, package in hand. When the lady comes to the door, he explains that he survived five years on a deserted island, and during that whole time he kept this package in order to deliver it to her. She gives a simple, "Thank you." But he is curious about what is in the package that he has been protecting for years. He says, "If I may ask, what was in that package after all?" She opens it and shows him the contents, saying, "Oh, nothing really. Just a satellite telephone, a global positioning device, a compass, a water purifier, and some seeds."
3. Like the contents in this package, the resources for growth and strength are available for every Christian who will take advantage of them.
C. Exactly what does plugging in mean?
1. Prayer - 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
2. Time with God – Study & Prayer
3. Fasting, worship, small groups, relationship with fellow Christians, etc.
4. When you feel a complaint is deserved – pray about it first, “God, help me discern between what is true and what is of Satan. What should I do about this?” (Church & Family)
TS] It is tragic how so many churches fail miserably at being the real church. The answer to why is always the same – they lost connection with God. Let us not lose connection, let us pray about everything, spend time with God and approach Him before approaching any perceived problem. And then prayerfully face the real problems with openness and love. But that’s not all there is to “Standing”
II. P Maintain a steady holy lifestyle.
A. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
1. Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God all have to do with holy living.
2. Ephesians 5 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people…8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
B. A steady, holy lifestyle cannot be maintained without a connection with God, and a connection with God cannot be maintained without a steady holy lifestyle.
1. Love, joy, and all that other good stuff are the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of our efforts. We can't produce them on our own. Period. The fruit comes only as we maintain that connection with God.
2. Notice – Lifestyle, not absolute perfection. (Strobe light / incandescent)
C. The reason that a steady, holy lifestyle is necessary is because a church is made up of relationships and living holy is the only way to keep relationships healthy. He is separating you, not others.
1. Q Ephesians 4 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
a. Have you shaded the truth lately – you’re falling to his scheme. (unholy)
2. :Ephesians 4 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
a. Quietly mad? You are giving him a foothold. (unholy)
3. R Ephesians 4 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
a. Said some things that tore somebody down rather than building them up? you’re falling to his scheme (unholy)
4. :Ephesians 4 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
a. Bitter this morning? you’re falling to his scheme (unholy)
b. Said things about somebody that you shouldn’t have? you’re falling to his scheme (unholy)
c. Have you failed to forgive someone this morning? you’re falling to his scheme (unholy)
D. He is trying to divide us up – Don’t let him do it! (Church & Family)
S Like a tree, I cannot move my roots, for yours are intertwined among them.
Let us both be strong in God, yet weak enough to draw from each other.
We are not rocks. We are not islands. We are family whom God has put together.
A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.
At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them.
One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said: "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.
Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.
Why?
Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
What matters most in your life and my life is standing strong against Satan so we can be a real church ministering to hurting people in real ways so they can know the only real God.
So, how are you doing…really this morning?
Are you falling to his schemes? If so, let’s pray!