Equipping For Battle

Introduction

In the past few months, we Christians have seen many men pass into glory that we have seen as leaders of the faith. Some of them -John MacArthur and James Dobson - were not as shocking because of the state of their health, but others were from so far out of left field that we are left reeling - Charlie Kirk and, most recently, Voddie Baucham.

Many people are looking for answers. Some are calling for retribution and vengeance on Charlie’s killer, and for good reason. But the biggest question I am seeing people ask is: who is going to take their place?

While that is an understandable question, it is not the right one to be asking. What you should be asking is, Will I do my part? There is only 1 John MacArthur, 1 Voddie Baucham, and there is only 1 Jack Sotallaro, or Janet Horton, or Sean Bryan.

We must fight the good fight, but how do we fight it? Yes, we must fill the gap that is left by the fall of our fellow soldiers, but with what do we fight? The Apostle Paul said the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Let’s look at a familiar account for the answer to these questions.

1 Samuel 17:38-49

David was equipped for battle long before he faced Goliath

years spent in close relationship to the Lord

years spent honing his skills

years spent standing up to danger

His brothers, and even the king, told him he was not ready for battle. When the king finally relented, he brought out his armor for David to wear. But David had not prepared for conventional warfare. He had not attended the king’s school of combat, nor trained in the art of fighting toe to toe with swords and armor. In fact, those who had the most training and experience were terrified. This Philistine giant had the Israelites frozen in terror just as his ancestors had done to theirs centuries earlier. Yet the one person who was the least-equipped was the one who answered the call to defeat the enemy of God and rescue Israel.

Notice the progression of events: he saw the evil, recognized the threat, realized no one was going to stand up to it, obeyed the call in his heart to face the evil alone, then retrieved his weapons.

5 smooth stones. They were smooth because they had been shaped and molded by countless years or centuries of rolling in the stream, being refined and prepared for this moment. God was preparing the stones long before David was born, possibly before Israel ever entered the promised land.

5 stones in our satchel:

Prayer

In his book, Deepening Your Conversation with God, Ben Patterson said, “Churches can run without prayer. Whole denominations can run without prayer. The question is: Is what they’re doing worth doing if they can do it without prayer?”

it seems quite elementary to say this, but prayer is how we communicate with the Lord. Sometimes it is as simple as a groan, or as lofty as an hour of praise, but there is no relationship with God without prayer

I marvel at the ability of man to live even a single day without prayer to the Almighty. I know it’s possible, because I’ve done it, but I am still surprised that it is even possible to survive without thanking the Lord for His blessings, repenting of my sin, and praising Him for His greatness. But is life without prayer a life worth living?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “pray without ceasing,” but David understood this long before Paul wrote the letter to the saints at Thessalonica.

Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.”

Ezra understood that prayer was more than just complaining to God, but seeking Him. 1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

To “pray without ceasing” basically refers to recurring prayer, not nonstop talking. Thus it is to be our way of life—we’re to be continually in an attitude of prayer - John MacArthur

There is an old saying that goes like this, “Prayer changes things.” But I like how Oswald Chambers put it, which I think is most accurate. “To say that ‘prayer changes things’ is not as close to the truth as saying, ‘prayer changes me and then I change things.”

Scripture

David understood the importance of God’s word being engrained in our heart. He wrote about this constantly.

Psalm 1:1–2 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Joshua also realized that our successes come from God’s word being meditated on and obeyed

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Meditate on God’s Word. Obey it. Only then will our way be prosperous and we shall find success

David found success in his impossible situation because he was equipped with God’s word

Jesus also spoke on the importance of holding God’s Word within us

John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

although Scripture does not explicitly record David asking for God’s help in defeating Goliath, I am confident that he must have whispered a word of faith to his LORD as he prepared to run towards the giant. We do know from the text that he was confident in the Lord’s deliverance of him over the lion and the bear, who were just animals trying to eat, therefore why would God not give him victory over a blasphemer who hated God and His people?

Obedience

if prayer and Bible-reading are not difficult things to practice and make our habit, this one certainly can cause us much difficulty

we sing an old hymn called, “Trust and Obey,” and I’ve always noticed how easy the song is to sing, but it’s a lot harder to practice

the second verse says, “Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.”

I think this is true to an extent. Trusting and obeying the Father does not guarantee we will not fear, but that our trust in Him overrules our fear of whatever it is we face

Illustration: Caleb and tornado

Jesus said obedience is crucial to the life of the Christian

We know the verse: John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Love

not only is this the first and greatest commandment, but it has a promise (based on Deut. 6:2-3):

Long life

Things going well

Fruitfulness and blessing in the land

remember, this promise is based on our love for Him (which is evidenced by our obedience)

but what about those who loved Him and did not live a long life?

first, we need to understand that our life is everlasting if we love God with all our heart, soul, and spirit

second, a long life is not necessarily measured in how many years we live...some people live a lifetime in fewer years, because of the fullness of their life

third, the Lord determines our days, and if He says 31 years, or 56 years, or 86 years, or 100 years is long, then it is what He says

not only are we to love God, but we are to love others

John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

1 John 4:7–8 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

we are supposed to also love our enemies.

all of this love is used as a weapon in defeating evil. It may be the stone we hate to use, but we must use it nonetheless

Maturity

Christians are supposed to grow. Loving, obedient Christians are growing Christians

Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, (patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)”

these all are proof of maturity, because when we lack maturity, we don’t want to be those things. Patient? No way! Gentle? Not towards those who I think deserve coarseness. Kindness? Not a chance!

but if we Love the Lord, if we are in the Word, if we practice Prayer, and we Obey His commandments, we will Mature and grow in the Lord

James 1:2–4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Christians should respond to trials by rejoicing at the maturity they can foster, by asking God for wisdom, and by viewing them as leveling experiences that often invert the roles of rich and poor.

Craig Blomberg; Mariam J. Kamell

Maturity isn’t something that I think we can decide to do, but it is the natural result of these other things being practiced

just as David did not learn to throw stones that morning, so do we not just wake up and decide to be mature.

we must put into practice the things that we know to do, and the things we have control over, and then as we grow we become less like babes who desire the milk, and more like the mature adults who desire the meat of the Word

Striving for spiritual maturity is not an option in the Christian life.

Douglas J. Moo

As a result of these things, we will be equipped to go into battle against the enemies of God.