Stand Firm in Fight!

INTRO

I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new, but as men, we are embattled!

Our culture has attacked and degraded biblical manhood.

Feminism has transformed how the worlds sees men taking us from Andy Griffith to Peter Griffin.

Our identity is under attack, our masculinity is under attack, our families are under attack, our churches are under attack, and we can go on and on…

…But here’s the reality of our circumstances…this ain’t anything new!

Ephesians 6:10–13 ESV

10 …be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

I want to take a moment and look at that last verse we read…to stand firm…to stand strong in the midst of the battles we face as men…

What does this look like in our lives?

In the following verses of Ephesians 6 there are some great tools and encouragements I want to challenge you look at sometime soon.

My hope is that you’ll get with your pastor or men’s group leader and ask them enrich your life and personally walk you through Ephesians 6 and the armor of God.

But for tonight, I want to give you some examples of men had their armor in place and who stood strong in battle.

I want examine some guys in Scripture who stood firm in the fight and see what we can learn from their example!

2 Samuel 23:8–12 ESV

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. 9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. 11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

STANDING FIRM LOOKS LIKE…

1) …STAYING DISCIPLINED AND PREPARED!

These guys were warrior by nature.

They knew the next battle wasn’t far off and they made sure they stayed ready.

They kept themselves disciplined.

They made sure they stayed mentally ready and sharp.

They stayed familiar with their fighting strategies and techniques.

They kept their blades sharp and readily accessible.

One of the first keys to being standing firm in the Lord is acknowledging that we are in a war!

We must stay alert and aware.

1 Peter 5:8 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

We need to stay disciplined and not be distracted.

We need to make sure we know that the next battle is right around the corner.

Like these mighty warriors in 2 Samuel 23, we need to familiarize ourselves with our fighting techniques.

We need to remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but it is for flesh and blood.

Our battle is against evil and the ideologies and influences that give way to evil.

We need to keep our weapon sharp and readily accessible!

The Word of God is our weapon of warfare against the devil and his schemes!

Dedicate yourself to being a man who will stand firm by staying disciplined and prepared!

2)…STAYING THE COURSE NO MATTER THE CROWD!

These guys engaged the enemy.

They didn’t run from the fight, they ran to the battle and stood their ground.

Josheb-basshebeth took out 800 of the enemy with a single spear.

Eleazar stood his ground as the rest of the army fled…

Shammah likewise stood his ground and defended a field of lentils as the other men fled…

These guys were determined that they would stand firm and fight no matter what others did and no matter the cost.

We need men who will stand firm in the Lord no matter what the crowd around them does!

Our families need men who will engage in the battle…

…who will not shy away…

…who will cling to the Word of God even if they’re tired…

…who will allow the Word to shape them so much that it becomes a natural extension of who they are!

Don’t be part of the crowd that runs, hoping to only to take part in the spoils.

Don’t be part of the masses who abandon the fight!

Determine here and now to be a man who will stand firm by staying the course no matter the crowd and no matter the cost!

3)…STAYING REAL ABOUT WHERE THE VICTORY COMES FROM!

Two times in this text we see that the heroic actions and the impressive stand of these men was attributed to the Lord!

When these guys stood their ground, they didn’t stand in their own strength.

The Lord fought for them…the Lord fought through them…The Lord gave them the strength…The Lord gave them the fortitude… The Lord gave them the victory!

Listen to me men…VICTORY in this life…victory in these battles come from one place and one place only…

Zechariah 4:6 “…Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit, of the Lord of hosts.”

It is only through the Lord Jesus Christ that we are able stand firm and have victory.

It is only through embracing Jesus as the Lord of our lives that we experience His power as our Savior.

It is only through obeying the Word of God and being His disciple that we stand victorious against the forces of darkness and evil in this world!

Stand Firm means staying real about our Lord being our only source of victory!

He gets all the credit…He gets all the glory…Only He is able to provide the victory!

CLOSING

As we close, the question at hand is “Will you be a man who stands firm in the fight?”

The all time favorite scene from the movie Braveheart is scene where the armies of Scotland stand opposite of English Army

Shaggy and scrappy vs well armed, well trained professionals.

In this scene William Wallace goes before army and gives them a choice, “Will you fight?”

One older man shouts out, “Fight? Against that?…No, we will run; and we will live.”

William Wallace response with that iconic quote, “Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!

WE ARE IN A WAR AGAINST A VERY REAL ENEMY!

Our enemy seems too big to conquer, but if anyone is in Christ we must remember that greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world! We have been freed by the blood of Jesus to no longer be conquered by the enemy but to stand in the victory He has already attained!

The Lord is looking for Mighty Men, Braveheart Christians who are tired of running and hiding!

The Lord is calling out men who will stand in the freedom of Jesus and STAND FIRM IN THE FIGHT!

Who will stand in the fight?

Who will stand and engage the darkness with the light of Christ?

Who will stand in the Word and declare My Life belongs to the Lord…

…my job belongs to the Lord…

…my business belongs to the Lord…

…my community belongs to the Lord…

…my neighbors belong to the Lord…

…my church belongs to the Lord…

…my home belongs to the Lord…

…my friends belong to the Lord…

…my family belongs to the Lord!

Satan, you can try to have influence, but you’re going to have to go through me first!

Will you stand?